Heritage Horowhenua’s Walk of Fame has 12 new plaques, glued to the pavement outside Oxford Street businesses, bringing the total to 43.

Among them was a plaque honouring builder and politician Sonny Sciascia. Others honoured were: social entrepreneur Roger Halliwell; dentist Stuart Mackenzie; NZ Women’s Black Sticks player Michelle Hollands; NZ pétanque player Shirley MacDonald; NZ 8-ball rep Steve Pemberton; writer and comedian Michelle A’Court; broadcaster Hewitt Humphrey; pioneer worker and 1st Levin Centurion Charles Welby; former MP and Parliament Speaker Sir Doug Kidd; businessman Sir Rod Weir; and George Sue, a market gardener with many community roles.

Many family members supported recipients at the cermony in the Horowhenua College hall last weekend, or accepted certificates on recipients’ behalf.

Sonny Sciascia was a builder, and politician who served his community in many roles. Formally Horace Noel Sciascia, 

Sonny was born in Levin in 1929. He attended Koputaroa School and Horowhenua College and went into the building business in 1953 with three of his brothers. They built many houses and notable local buildings like the Levin Shopping Mall, Waiopehu College, Levin War Veterans Home, Horowhenua Hospital and the Levin Domain grandstand, Coastlands Shopping Mall, Levin Post Office, Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club grandstand and the Horticulture Research Station. Their business provided many jobs in the community, predominantly for Māori, and included many apprentices.

“We were very enthusiastic to get as many of these young men in to work as possible,” he once said. “We encouraged them to build their own homes and many are still living in their own homes because of that.”

Sonny was involved in rugby, cricket, badminton and basketball as a player, referee and administrator. He became a life member of the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union, the HK Rugby Referees Association, Levin Old Boys Cricket Club and the Horowhenua Cricket Association. He refereed 19 first class rugby games, including six Ranfurly Shield challenges.

He became a Levin borough councillor in 1980, and became the borough’s last mayor in 1986. He gave up his building work when he became a councillor to prevent conflicts of interest.

He was known to stand his ground and fell out with some in the community over plans to build the Levin Aquatic Centre.

He was instrumental in establishing the “Adopt an Anzac” research project by asking people to remember the district’s fallen soldiers and having the Levin cenotaph upgraded, challenging the community to fix it.

Sonny was was a steward at the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club, and coordinated to the rebuild of Ōtaki’s Rangiātea Church.

From 1955 he was on the committee of the local rugby union, chairman from 1968 to 1981 and president from 1993 to 1994. He was president of the NZ Rugby Union in 1985.

Sonny became a Justice of the Peace in 1986, received a Paul Harris fellowship from the Levin Rotary Club in the same year, and received an OBE in 1992 for services to sport and the community.