Funerals were held to farewell two men who helped shape the town of Ōpōtiki this week – David Reece and Gordon Dennis.

Ōpōtiki district councillor Barry Howe paid tribute to the two men at a council meeting on Tuesday, acknowledging the loss to their families and describing some of their contributions to the town.

Mr Reece was a long-time engineer for Ōpōtiki District Council and was heavily involved with building much of the water infrastructure that is still with the town to this day.

Mr Howe described him as a “classic example of the number eight wire philosophy” believing in common sense and simplifying matters as much as possible.

“He was a very innovative man. He brought some great ideas to our council,” Mr Howe told the Ōpōtiki News.

Mr Howe said Mr Reece instigated the water supply system that supplies Ōpōtiki township.

He was also behind Ōpōtiki becoming one of the first towns in New Zealand to dispose of treated wastewater to land, which is now considered a superior option environmentally to discharging to water.

“It’s praised all around the Bay of Plenty these days. We were pretty innovative back in those days for such a small council.

“He was a guy who liked staying behind the radar a little bit, but what he did was inspirational for this town.”

Mr Reece died on January 31, aged 82, and was farewelled at a private ceremony, according to his wishes.

Mr Dennis was a businessman who brought the Mitre 10 franchise to Ōpōtiki.

The Dennis family were prominent in the development of the town.

Mr Dennis’s father, Andy, was a logger, who first started to mill logs at Toatoa before moving the mill operation into the township.

“He had his mill opposite the primary school where Mitre 10 is now. His two sons Gordon and Brian took it over and turned that into Ōpōtiki Timber Supplies. Gordon then bought out his brother and turned it into the franchise, Mitre 10,” Mr Howe said.

Mr Dennis died on February 1, aged 75, and his funeral at St John Union Church was held yesterday.