NZ Herald Plus Feature - August 2019

A New Zealand Herald Commercial Publication

TWILIGHT OF THE WESTERN STARS Springsteen and Dylan look back

BOOMERS FLY BEHIND THE TRAVEL TREND WIN A YATES GARDENING HAMPER

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Where community shapes the heart of your retirement Not one for letting the grass grow under her feet, Judith has always enjoyed being active. That certainly hasn’t changed since moving into her independent apartment at Bert Sutcliffe Retirement Village, in Birkenhead.

“The opportunities here to try new things, are endless,” she says.”

I joined the Tai Chi group which I really love. I’ve also taken up bowls which I’m also really enjoying.

There’s a lot of camaraderie on the bowling green – it’s a lot of fun!

Judith also explores Auckland with the Bert Sutcliffe walking group. “I look forward to going somewhere different every week.

Occasionally we walk locally, but mostly we go out into Auckland and see all sorts of different places, and go on wonderful bush walks.

However, it’s the group’s social interaction that is most important to Judith.

“The companionship is great, it’s a huge benefit – there’s always laughter and never a dull moment!”

She says people love being in the walking group, “We make time to talk, look at the scenery and gardens: to ‘stop and smell the roses’.”

At the end of their walks, the group usually find themselves at a local café. “We talk about where we’ve been – it’s our wind-down time and we all enjoy it.”

Residents, like Judith, love the village environment and they feel connected to their neighbours and friends. Ryman villages provide the setting where community spirit thrives.

For more information or for your free guide to living in one of our 30+ villages, contact us on 0800 555 103 I rymanhealthcare.co.nz

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

PLUS Contents An intrepid generation p6

Twilight of the Western Stars p5

Getting a better return p11

Relax, unwind, cruise p14

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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COVER STORY

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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he release in June of Bruce Springsteen’s 19th album Western Stars and Martin Scorsese’s documentary about Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue offers a chance to contrast two of rock’s finest artists as they move into their fourth quarter.

Both projects involve looking back, Springsteen stylistically to the early 70s, string-laden stylings of Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb; Dylan literally — to the Rolling Thunder Revue — his most ambitious touring project where a rag-tag bunch of musicians, hipsters, hangers-on and family (even Dylan’s mother Beatty Zimmerman for a time) travelled throughout America plying their wares in school halls and small venues.

The tour ran through 1975 to ’76 but the film focuses on the more successful ’75 outing of the Northeast.

Of course, Dylan and his people have been marketing his rich archives for years via The Bootleg Series (and this too comes with a 14-CD collection of many unreleased rehearsals and outtakes). While this doco will have limited appeal beyond hardcore fans, it is a revealing look back at the freedom and power marquee stars such as Dylan (who was in his mid- 30s then) wielded.

We see tour manager Louie Kemp take Dylan on a surprise visit to CBS head-office in New York — and you won’t see a better visual representation of the uncomfortable synergies between label and artist; apparently Kemp even got then-CBS head Walter Yetnikoff to cough up $100,000 for touring expenses (still the tours lost money).

Dylan meanwhile (now 78), seems bemused by the project when asked in a rare contemporary interview — (apparently conducted by longtime manager Jeff Rosen) — saying he can hardly remember it — “It happened so long ago I wasn’t even born” — which is exactly the kind of thing you’d expect Dylan to say.

Later he says, “if someone’s wearing a mask, he’s gonna tell you the truth . . . if he isn’t wearing a mask, not so much”, which certainly applies to Dylan’s cathartic on-stage performances — all done wearing Kabuki-style pancake makeup.

Recently Roger McGuinn (who duets with Dylan on a shaky Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door looking considerably worse for wear) told Rolling Stone that he now sees the impulse behind the tour as being a revival of the spirit of the ’60s.

“It was like the Village. It was like the days in the early ’60s where we were all hanging out at coffee houses and passing the hat around.”

After the Nixon debacle and in the aftermath of Vietnam — a travelling medicine show with a bunch of friends (including poet Allen Ginsberg and playwright Sam Shepard) might’ve seemed just the ticket.

FACT/FICTION The film’s self-conscious fictions — a fake tour manager and a real-life Sharon Stone mugging about being on the tour among them — seem unnecessary embellishments — it’s those incandescent performances of a soon-to-be divorced Dylan you’ll return to.

He howls these songs from the stage, his voice out front in the mix.

Highlights include a visceral Isis, a righteous The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol (which Baez tells Dylan is one of his best songs) and an angry A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.

There, Dylan serves verse after verse with the kind of lightning fury we now associate with hip-hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar or Vince Staples.

So, musically speaking, this is a winner, capturing a great musical artist at the height of their powers.

The band — directed by bass player Rob Stoner included T-Bone Burnett, Roger McGuinn, Mick Ronson, witchy violinist Scarlet Rivera and Ronee

Bruce Springsteen (main); Bob Dylan with Mick Ronson and Bobby Neuwirth (right).

Photos / Supplied; Getty Images

TWILIGHT OF THE

WESTERN STARS

Greg Fleming looks at the latest release from Bruce Springsteen and the new Bob Dylan documentary Blakely — is remarkable and surprisingly deft given its size. Also good is some intriguing behind-the-scenes footage — Joni Mitchell performing the newly written Coyote while McGuinn and others scramble to figure out the chords, a dazed Patti Smith at a party trying to out-Dylan Dylan as he looks on with bemusement, and footage of Allen Ginsberg reading his poem Kaddish to a bewildered bunch of mah jongplaying ladies; but the parts never really cohere — it looks like what it is — a film cobbled together from decades-old footage with some present day mischief sprinkled in.

And no doubt that’s the way nostalgia-averse Dylan wants it.

QUESTIONS Dylan’s intention with the tour is never really explained — no-one really takes the Bicentennial thing very seriously — was it a mid-life crisis, the impending divorce? Something to do to get out of the house?

And why no mention of Desire collaborator and tour director Jacques Levy or regular sidekick Bob

Neuwirth who were both on tour?

And why not play it straight? An in-depth on-camera interview with Rock’s reclusive star would’ve been gold — after all Scorcese has done it before in 2005’s No Direction Home; the mockumentary aspects of this belong in a student film — and Dylan’s already made Renaldo and Clara (from which much of this is drawn).

The most memorable presence here, beside Dylan, is Joan Baez — who Dylan describes as “a meteorite come down to earth”.

Her duets with him, the short clips of her own performances (the dancing!) are mesmerising, while her wry musings on Dylan (she would jokingly make herself up to look like Dylan on the tour) in both presentday and archival interviews are the only moments when we get a nuanced view of the man — a glimpse behind the mask. One only wishes her rendition of Diamonds and Rust (about her relationship with Dylan in the 60s), which she performed on the tour, had made the cut.

WESTERN STARS

Springsteen too has, since the release of Wrecking Ball (2012), focused on past achievements. 2016’s candid autobiography Born to Run then the year-long Broadway residency based on it — and the 89-date E-Street Band The River tour, which ended here in Auckland in 2017.

But, if Dylan has rarely dropped the mask, Springsteen (who’ll be 70 in September) has, in his later years, laid himself bare, especially in that autobiography where he details his problems with depression, periods of writer’s block and his father’s recurring battles with mental illness.

The new album is confessional songwriting of a high order that draws on an array of hard-luck characters who are all past their prime, often regretting their past actions and burying themselves in work and other distractions to cope.

There’s the cowboy roping horses in Montana like he’s paying a penance in Chasin Wild Horses: “I make sure I work ’til I’m so damn tired/Way too tired to think”, the crane operator hoping to make up for past mistakes with the arrival of his girl on the

Tucson Train, the failed songwriter of Somewhere North of Nashville, or the ageing actor of Western Stars — “On the set the makeup girl brings me two raw eggs and a shot of gin/Then I give it all up for that little blue pill/That promises to bring it all back to you again”.

If, lyrically, the songs tread familiar Springsteen territory, these humble stories are set to a wide-screen musical backdrop.

Springsteen told Variety it’s influenced by Southern California pop music of the ’70s: “Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, those kinds of records. I don’t know if people will hear those influences, but that was what I had in my mind. It gave me something to hook an album around; it gave me some inspiration to write. And also, it’s a singersongwriter record. It’s connected to my solo records writing-wise, more Tunnel of Love and Devils and Dust but it’s not like them at all. Just different characters living their lives.”

Sound-wise there’s plenty of forerunners in the Springsteen canon — 1995’s lush Secret Garden, the operatic bombast of Queen of the Supermarket from Working on a Dream, the lush live reworking of New York Serenade in Rome in 2013 — and, for the most part, the production — by Ron Aniello and Springsteen — works, lending depth and drama to the most interesting set of songs Springsteen has penned for many years (and these are at least a decade old, written and recorded while Obama was President).

AGEING TALES There are some stumbles — Sleepy Joe’s Cafe — is not only a slight song, it doesn’t fit here; while the openers Hitch Hikin’ and The Wayfarer seem like warm-ups to the more serious studies of masculine noir to come (best summed up in a line from Drive Fast (The Stuntman): “I liked the pedal and I didn’t mind the wall.”

Sure, some tracks — Sundown, the Orbisonesque There Goes My Miracle — don’t stand up to too much scrutiny — but Springsteen saves the best for last.

In Moonlight Motel a man revisits an old trysting place to mourn a past love who seems not only gone, but likely dead.

When he pulls up in his car he finds it “boarded up and gone like an old summer song/ Nothing but an empty shell . . . / I pulled a bottle of Jack out of a paper bag/ Poured one for me and one for you as well/ Then it was one more shot poured out onto the parking lot/ To the Moonlight Motel”.

It’s a bleak beauty of a song that cuts deeper with each listen.

It also has one of Springsteen’s best vocals on an album rich with great vocal takes.

That said, your take on this album will depend on whether these dour, lovingly crafted tales of late-life male isolation strike a chord.

This is the flipside to Thunder Road.

These men aren’t who they thought they were; age and experience has levelled them (“I got two pins in my ankle and a busted collarbone/ A steel rod in my leg, but it walks me home” sings one) they’ve hit the wall more than once, and, like their chronicler, have far more road behind them than ahead. ● Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese — streaming now on Netflix Western Stars — Bruce Springsteen — on all streaming services Key tracks: Western Stars, Moonlight Motel, Tucson Train

TRAVEL

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Photo / Getty Images

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An intrepid generation The young and the beautiful star on Instagram, but the moving force in worldwide travel is the Boomer generation, writes Ewan McDonald

C

all them Mr and Mrs Boomer.

Les and Philippa live on Auckland’s North Shore; Les got his Gold Card a couple of years ago, while Philippa is still working at her office job. They’re part of the most upwardly, outwardly and inwardly mobile generation in human history.

In the past five years Les and Philippa have travelled overseas — for leisure or family reasons — six times, each around 10 days. Three of those were cruises. They’ve travelled inside New Zealand 10 times for trips of 2 to 3 days.

Their idea of a holiday is relaxation, new experiences — either food or sights, and Les says it’s “essential to have a modicum of comfort. I don’t suffer long plane trips — more than 10 hours — well.” The couple use a travel agent to book their flights but have started to organise their own accommodation, rental cars, insurance and the like, online.

The Boomers’ dream trip? “Either a small ship cruise (up to 1500 passengers) from the Northern Hemisphere to New Zealand, with lots of sea days to enjoy the facilities or a river cruise through Champagne or the Rhone,” Les says.

Boomers — born from 1946 to 1964, now in their mid-50s to mid-70s — make up about 20 per cent of the population in countries such as New

Zealand. But studies in Europe, North America and Australia show their generation accounts for 80 per cent of money spent on travel.

Most of this age-group weren’t travellers in their earlier years. Some brave souls headed for London in the Swinging 60s to listen to the Beatles, wear miniskirts and squat in Earl’s Court, but that adventure was financially and socially out of reach for most.

For young Kiwis and Aussies, the OE pilgrimage peaked in the mid-70s and through the ’80s. London has Air New Zealand’s long-haul flights to thank for an influx, or a reflux, of beerdrinking, hard-partying rugby fans and office temps.

Like Les and Philippa, most Boomers settled into steady jobs, married and had their families young (usually in that order). Now their kids have flown the nest; while still fit and healthy, Mum and Dad are spending the kids’ inheritance on their bucket lists.

While they’ve probably visited places close to home — Australia, the Pacific, maybe Hawaii — now they’re going further afield. Places where the locals don’t speak English, may not eat meat and three veg, and offer what the industry politely calls “soft adventures”.

They put the work in. Research shows Boomers are likely to spend

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days — even months — online looking where to eat or visit. They often like tours where someone’s done all the organisation but they have free time to follow their own stars, or artworks.

And they don’t mind going it alone.

Brett Mitchell, general manager at Intrepid Travel, the Melbourne-based small-group and sustainable tour company, says his company’s research shows solo travel is on the rise.

Intrepid saw a 46 per cent increase in 55+ travellers going solo in the last year. In the past year, the company has recorded a 20 per cent of 55+ travellers on dedicated foodie trips and a 45 per cent increase in those on “active” trips.

Boomer favourites include the Morocco Food Explorer, where travellers eat “while reclining on

Now their kids have flown the nest; while still fit and healthy, Mum and Dad are spending the kids’ inheritance on their bucket-lists

Australia’s 2018 Seniors Abroad Survey found 74 per cent of respondents typically go on at least one trip a year, with 94 per cent saying travelling makes them feel alive or is a great opportunity for self-discovery and personal growth.

Expedia Media Solutions’ 2018 survey revealed insights into British, French and German travellers across Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z. Industry experts say the conclusions hold for Kiwi Boomers.

Boomers were less budgetconscious and likely to spend more on hotels than other generations, although 54 per cent said budget was a primary factor on their last trip.

They took the longest trips (10.5 days on average).

Boomers were more likely than other generations to know where they want to go and how they were going to book but still sought help and inspiration during the planning

kilims in the shadow of the ancient ruins of Volubilis, take a tasting tour through the souks to prepare pastilla and enjoy a slow-cooked feast of succulent mechoui (lamb) while looking at the Atlas mountain range”.

Accommodation includes an overnight stay in the Sahara desert and a traditional riad in Marrakech.

In Southeast Asia, the Vintage Vietnam tour takes in homestays in the Mekong Delta, cruising on Halong Bay, Cu Chi war tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City and traditional water pup-

petry, as well as indulging in traditional cuisine.

The Ecuador to Peru Explorer is a more active option, starting in the High Andes with the baroque La Compania de Jesus church and two nights in a restored hacienda before hiking towards the world’s highest active volcano, Cotopaxi.

Cruising is far and away the fastest growing sector of the worldwide travel market. Because it’s more expensive, because travellers need more time on their hands, it’s the

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They valued informative content and helpful reviews and were less likely than other generations to be influenced by deals in ads or social media posts.

Only 46 per cent of Boomers said “crossing things off their bucket list” was imperative. Activities, cultural experiences and feeling pampered topped the priority list.

Boomers relied on online travel agents for information more than any other resource; half of them booked their last trip using an online agent.

Some 26 per cent of Boomers used their tablet during their trip, more than any other generation, and 54 per cent used a smartphone.

The American Association of Retired Persons reported its Boomers expect to take up to five leisure trips this year and spend nearly US$6500 on travel. A whopping 84 per cent made their bookings online.

Boomers’ natural habitat.

Statistics from the industry’s global body, the Cruise Line Industry Association, show that half of all passengers are 50+. StatsNZ produces even more dramatic figures for ships visiting our ports in the year to June 2018, with three-quarters of all passengers aged 50+. The median age dropped slightly to 64; there are 120 women for every 100 men. You’ll probably find Mr and Mrs Boomer onboard — just as soon as they’ve paid off next month’s trip to Europe.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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MARRIAGE

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Challenges of multiple marriages married my second husband nearly 20 years ago on a fine spring day in Cornwall Park. It was second time around for him too. His teenage daughters were bridesmaids, his son, at 14, a reluctant groomsman and my young daughter an overexcited flower girl. The only child in our newly blended family not included in the bridal party was our baby son, until he woke up in his pram and screamed. My husband held him and he contentedly picked rose petals from his father’s buttonhole as we spoke confidently about joining our two families to become one.

It was a happy day full of optimism, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. Anyone who marries for a second or third time is exceptionally lucky if everything goes smoothly, especially where there are children from previous marriages, ex-spouses, shared custody and issues of inheritance in the mix.

There are the times when the 4-year-old has screaming tantrums of exhaustion because she’s stayed up late at her dad’s all weekend. The Christmas morning with presents piled high, the little ones bursting with excitement about the big kids arriving and then the phone call comes from the ex-wife: It’s all off, the older kids are to spend the day with their grandparents instead.

With these kinds of issues and many others to deal with, it’s not surprising that more second marriages end in divorce than first marriages, and third marriages are on even shakier ground. While Statistics NZ’s divorce stats don’t contain information on how many times a New Zealander has been married, it is reported that in the USA, 50 per cent of first marriages, 67 per cent of second, and 73 per cent of third marriages end in divorce.

In his book Breakup, Israel Leo Averbach says theories abound for the explanation of this progressive increase in divorce rates. “It may be that people enter subsequent marriages on the rebound, or they may repeat their marital mistakes, or they may consider divorce manageable and not necessarily a tragedy — they have handled it once so they can handle it again.”

However, Averbach believes the prime factor affecting the breakup of second and third marriages is that there is less glue holding the marriage together. “Because the great majority of children born to married couples are born during their first marriage, most couples in a second marriage do not have common children to bind them together. Not having shared responsibility for kids means it’s easier to leave when you are going through a rough patch. The desire to ‘preserve the family’ is not a strong presence.”

Averbach notes also that the pres-

,,

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Raewyn Court

Anyone who marries for a second or third time is exceptionally lucky if everything goes smoothly.

ence of children in second and third marriages, if they are from previous marriages, can cause problems and lead to tension.

“Having to adjust to your spouse’s children and his or her relationship with them is often difficult for couples. Inevitably rivalries and arguments arise, making this a constant area of conflict. In these cases, the children can be a destabilising factor in a second or third marriage.”

Help with family conflict is at hand in the form of family counselling and mediation, but there are often waiting lists, which can be frustrating when help is needed immediately.

Sometimes it’s just a case of slogging it out through the rough patches, making the most of the good times, and trying to stay strong as a team.

Our kids always referred to their halfand step-siblings as “my sister” and

“my brother”, and we tried to get all of them together for family outings whenever possible.

It was heartwarming to see the older ones take care of the younger two, scooping them up for a cuddle after a fall and holding them close on the “scary” log flume ride at Rainbow’s End. A factor that can be a source of conflict in second and third marriages is the issue of inheritance.

A blended family can consist of siblings, half-siblings and stepsiblings, leaving parents to figure out how best to divvy up their estate when the time comes.

It’s not always as easy as just writing your will and specifying who gets what. In a blended family, estateplanning challenges can include the potential for children to be disinherited, delays in the children’s

Options for asset protection and division ● “Contracting out” agreements.

You come to an agreement with your partner which overrides the PRA. ● Setting up trusts in your will or before you die. If established receipt of inheritance until after the death of their parent’s spouse, the need to protect assets from former spouses and disputes over division of authority or responsibility.

A common way of structuring affairs is for each of you to leave everything to your partner or spouse, knowing that they will provide for your children as well as their own in their will. These are often known as “mirror wills”.

Unfortunately, this structure doesn’t always satisfy all the children involved, and you also run the risk of your partner or spouse changing their will at a later date after you have died.

Are you property prepared?

correctly, trusts can be effective in defeating claims through the FPA and the PRA. ● Life interest wills. Leaving your spouse an interest in your property during their lifetime, with that interest expiring on their death and the property being distributed to your children. ● A lawyer specialising in inheritance planning will find a solution that works for your family.

Something to be wary of is that there are several statutes that give family members, and/or your new partner’s family, a right to contest your will. The two main ones are the Family Protection Act 1955 (FPA) and the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA).

This Christmas, there won’t be disappointed faces at our place.

There’ll be the kids and now some grandkids too, shrieking with delight as they bombard each other with water balloons. The London-based daughter will be Skyping in, and my husband and I will be raising a quiet glass in celebration of 20 years of holding it all together.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

O

Martin Hawes

Getting a better return on savings This is not only likely to give better returns than bank deposits, but it means you are not exposed to just one investment type. If you hold some shares, property, fixed interest and cash you are set up for whatever economic weather prevails — at least one of your investments should perform when the economy changes.

Instead of defaulting to bank deposits, retirees in my opinion should, therefore, consider building a diversified portfolio.

This will mean taking advice and, in most cases, having a financial adviser manage the portfolio for you, spreading your investment across investment types.

Advice really is critical — on retirement, your lifestyle becomes dependent on your investments and, unless you have a lot of investment knowledge and skill, you will likely need help. The importance of investment performance at this time of life means you should be wary of a DIY approach.

It is difficult to build an investment portfolio when you have an amount under $200,000 to invest: it is hard to get exposures across a wide range of investments and to get the diversification needed. People retiring with less than $200,000 may find it difficult to find an adviser.

One option to consider is joining

KiwiSaver (from July 1, eligible people 65 and over were able to join KiwiSaver whether they are working or not). KiwiSaver provides a readymade diversified portfolio and you should be able to find a fund with an amount of risk suitable for you.

For people who join KiwiSaver from July 1, 2019 and who are over 65 can apply to withdraw their money either as a lump sum or set up regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly withdrawals and use these withdrawals to supplement NZ Superannuation.

There are good reasons to believe that interest rates are not going back to the levels that we saw before the

GFC. In fact, I think interest rates will stay low and we may wait a long time before there is any significant increase. ● Martin Hawes is the Chair of the Summer Investment Committee.

The Summer KiwiSaver Scheme is managed by Forsyth Barr Investment Management Ltd and a Product Disclosure statement is available on request. Martin is an Authorised Financial Adviser and a Disclosure Statements is available on request and free of charge at martinhawes.com.

This statement is general in nature and not personalised advice.

BFS0076_KS

ne of the hardest things in finance is to turn a lump sum into a steady, sustainable income. Most people focus on building savings but there comes a time (retirement) when you want to use those savings to give you an income, and that is not easy — especially in these times of low interest rates.

Traditionally, on retirement many Kiwis defaulted to bank deposits. In the old days, retirement was relatively short and interest rates relatively high — and so this mostly worked.

Bank deposits are among some of the safest investments and when you could get (say) 7 per cent, bank deposits seemed like a fairly good bet.

After all, your money did not have to last terribly long as life expectancy was lower.

However, no investment comes without some risk. The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) reminded us that banks can and do fail and, of course, New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world where the government does not guarantee bank deposits. Moreover, on an after-tax basis, returns from bank deposits can at times struggle to keep up with inflation, even when it’s low.

With interest rates now much lower and longevity increasing, bank deposits are no longer the easy single investment choice. You need to get better returns on your savings in retirement to give you a better life and allow your money to last longer.

Moreover, with the potential of decades in retirement, there could be a variety of different economic climates and events (recessions, booms, busts, inflation, deflation, a credit crunch etc).

No single investment type will perform in all of those different economic seasons. When it comes to living in retirement, a fully diversified portfolio with a mix of different investment types is important.

Photo / Getty Images

Turn your KiwiSaver into an income for life One option worth considering when you retire is to invest your KiwiSaver savings in Britannia’s Lifetime Income Fund. You will receive a regular income throughout your retirement which won’t be negatively affected by market fluctuations, interest rates or even how long you live, giving you peace of mind for your future.

To chat further about Britannia’s Lifetime Income Fund, call 0800 663 663 or visit britanniafinancial.co.nz Disclosure Statements for Britannia’s Authorised Financial Advisers are available on request and free of charge. The Product Disclosure Statement for the Britannia Retirement Scheme is available from Britannia Financial Services Limited at britanniafinancial.co.nz.

The Lifetime Income Fund Is part of the Britannia Retirement Scheme.

Lifetime Income Fund

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TV/GARDENING

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Buck Shelford (inset).

Photos / Getty Images

Paul Casserly TV review

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ne of the greatest days in my life was the afternoon of the infamous Springbok rugby test in Auckland. I was in 5th form in 1981, and the tour had energised us schoolboys like nothing we had seen. More than Chips even. Nightly news coverage of riot squads and protesters going toe to toe, the religion of rugby being crucified, a feeling that us anti tour types were heroes.

Politics aside, it was fun.

The dullness of Kiwi life amid the eastern bloc vibe of the Muldoon era was electrified by this jolt. Seeing patched gang members in their leathers standing side by side with religious folk in cardies forever killed the narrative of cops being good and the people they were walloping with batons, being scumbags. I could drone on for yonks but ’81 has been well covered, and by more proficient hacks than me.

Less so the tour of 1986, when our best rugby players went to South Africa amid worldwide condemnation and local protest. A terrific new doco, showing at the film festival and soon to screen on TVNZ, tells this tale and along the way illuminates the most notorious sporting injury in living memory, the one that involves Wayne “Buck” Shelford and his family jewels. That incident — having a testicle rucked loose in what has become known as the battle of Nantes — is what gives

By The Balls its name, but you may be relieved to know it’s but a small diversion on this journey. Crossing your legs will be kept to a minimum. Though I did wince.

Directors Charlotte Purdy and Simon Coldrick have brought to life this tumultuous time via a small handful of talking heads, some deliciously choice archive, nicely understated reenactments and the music of Blam Blam Blam. It’s a class act and one that puts the officially sanctioned productions, familiar to viewers of Sky Sport, to shame.

The guts of it is this: In 1985 the NZRU accepted an invitation to tour South Africa. The PM at the time, David Lange, told them not to go, that rugby would be toast if they did.

Didn’t they learn anything from 1981?

By the balls Huge protests broke out, the press piled on with a vengeance. The Rugby Union considered the gathering forces and decided to not give a hoot.

Then came a couple of young lawyers who convinced the supreme court to shut it down.

The tour was off!

Undeterred by the semantics of it all, a rebel group, headed by Andy Hayden was formed, calling themselves The Cavaliers.

The draw of playing the old opponent and the whiff of cash was intoxicating. In the end, nearly all the All Blacks signed up. David Kirk and John Kirwin demurred.

Their story makes up the bulk of the doco. The dissenters and the price they paid.

You could say they get to relive the glory days of the “baby blacks”

and take a wee victory lap for being on the right side of history.

Representing those who went, a mostly tight-lipped Grant Fox and a more forthcoming Buck Shelford.

Neither have regrets.

Remember that this was a good 10 years before the professional era, so back then being caught getting paid to play was verboten. Only a fool would believe the rebels were not paid handsomely, but lips remain tight. The most telling moment is when the players are asked that exact question. All these years later it still freezes grown men in their tracks.

Foxy and Buck dodge the tackle.

John Kirwin tells us that he was not only offered cash but they offered to double it when he refused. David Kirk, the young upstart who would soon become the first captain to hold aloft the world cup, is more direct and almost relishes spilling the beans:

or have invasive weeds, there is often nothing for it but to slowly dig through the soil to remove all traces of weeds, roots and all.

If you find opportunistic weeds have encroached on your once productive garden over the off season, you can easily get rid of most of them by excluding the light with cardboard for 6 to 8 weeks, then giving the soil a light tickle to loosen things up. No digging required.

The other important thing for a successful harvest is to replace what

you take in terms of nutrients. Add plenty of organic material such as compost and well-rotted manure to the soil to feed the plants throughout the growing season. If you do this well before planting the seedlings, the worms will have a chance to work it all into the soil in a form the plants will be able to access.

Starting now and taking the time to grow from seed and carefully preparing the soil will find you occupied for the better part of spring.

It will allow you to reach the time

$100k was put on his table before he pushed it away. A hundy grand!

Enough to buy several houses or maybe a dozen in Bluff at the time.

Kirk says he knew he made the right call when he saw footage of the rebel players on their way to South Africa, transiting through Australia, dressed in civis, heads bowed, badgered by the press, they could have been crims on a perp walk. But for Buck, the chance to play in South Africa, despite the racist regime, was too much to turn down, even for a brown guy.

To its credit, By The Balls, manages to celebrate the quiet heroism of Kirk and Kirwin without banishing the Cavaliers, merely sending them to the naughty step of history.

It takes what many of us assumed to be a black-and-white tale and celebrates the richness to be found among the many shades of grey.

Ready, set, go for spring

G

Sarah O’Neil

rab your rake and your spade, your seeds and your compost, the time has come to get started in the garden. The seasonal swap to spring is days away and after much anticipation, we can finally get started on the summer vegetable garden.

Winter, especially mild ones, like the one we have had can lure the unwary gardener into a false start, but it is important to remember that even spring can be all over the place and has the potential to bring harsh winter weather.

So, while it is okay to make a start, there will be more success by keeping a close eye on the weather.

There will be several periods in spring where it feels like we have been plunged back into the depths of winter.

But that isn’t a reason not to start, it is a call to proceed with caution.

Most of the summer vegetables can be started from seed now. Grab a good-quality seed raising mix and choose seeds of your favourite vegetables and get growing. You shouldn’t go wrong if you keep them warm, on a sunny window sill or in

a greenhouse, and make sure the soil stays consistently moist. It is also a good idea to label your seedlings so you remember what you are growing.

Once the seedlings germinate, make sure they have good access to the light, or they will stretch themselves out to find it and as a result won’t grow into vigorous plants. If you find your windowsill seedlings leaning off towards the window, then simply turn the pot so they face the other way.

While the contents of your garden are being nurtured inside, it is also important to make preparations for where they will grow outside.

Ideally, it is better to do it well in advance of when the garden will be needed to ensure nutrients are incorporated into the soil and opportunistic weeds are evicted.

The time taken to prepare the soil will be its own reward. If the ground is hastily prepared the morning before the seedlings are planted in the afternoon, chances are the foundation for health and vitality might not be as beneficial as soil carefully prepared over a few weeks.

Little and often is the key to soil preparation. If you are starting out

it is safe to plant out the garden — normally Labour Weekend — with strong and healthy seedlings ready to be planted into a garden that should have a productive harvest in the warmer days ahead. ● Sarah O'Neil is an author, blogger and passionate gardener, writing about growing food for her family. Her books Play in the Garden and Growing Vegetables are available at bookstores. sarahthegardener.co.nz

PODCASTS

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

D13

Podcasts: not just for the young inding himself out of work late in life led one job hunter to start his own podcast about the struggles older job hunters face.

The Redundancy Podcast has thousands of listeners around the world; including New Zealand, Australia, the UK, US and South America.

One reason for the podcast's popularity is that it appears to be the only English language one dedicated to job hunters aged in their 50s and 60s.

Dave Watts, who worked in a senior executive role for a regional police force in the UK was made redundant two years ago.

“It was the sixth time I had been made redundant,” he said.

The first five times Dave found himself out of work he landed a new job within a matter of months. This time though, now aged in his 60s, it's not been so easy.

“I've always managed, after a reasonable amount of time, to get back eventually to a senior management position,” he says.

“But when I was made redundant at the end of 2017, I was then 63. And I realised it was going to be wholly different. And I found out very quickly the jobs that I had been applying for in the past, where I [normally] got interviews, I wasn't.”

With time on his hands, Dave looked for a way to share his observations about life as an older job seeker and so started writing a blog.

The blog was put on ice due to a spell of contract work and when he went to start it again he changed tack and began recording a podcast instead.

“I listen to podcasts a lot, it seemed to be something growing and easily acceptable,” he says. “I thought, well, I'll use my voice to do it.”

Anyone hosting a podcast generally aims to produce one a week for the sake of continuity and to avoid being forgotten by listeners. However, Dave has gone against the trend and releases a new podcast every three or four weeks.

“It was just easier that way to think about the subject, mature it, and write it, because I wanted to keep the podcast down to about 10 minutes.”

With a career in corporate management, Dave has had little to do with audio production, websites or podcasting. But using a home computer and free software he began recording and taught himself audio editing. He uses a free account at SoundCloud to share and distribute his podcasts to places such as iHeartRadio.

“I suppose it was a bit of a muddle to start off with,” he says. “So technically, I knew how to do it. But I had no idea whether it would be successful. I learned on the way.

“It was the other bits and pieces . . . How do you find an audience?

How do you market it? What length

PODCAST TRENDS

Tips

Job hunting tips for older workers ● Remain digitally adept. ● Remain relevant. ● Demonstrate professional curiosity and lifelong learning. ● Even if you're unemployed, you have to be able to demonstrate that you're doing something in the community. ● At job interviews don't brag about knowing software that no one uses any more.

Source / Dave Watts

does it have to be? What message does it have to have? That took time.”

Dave's audience for each podcast is between 2500 and 3000 people and climbing. The largest area is the USA, the UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.

“I'm quite pleased with that, because it's me. I'm in my room in Stratford upon Avon, my equipment is my MacBook and a microphone.”

He has been approached by recruiters and CV writers wanting to feature in his podcast, but he is careful to select people who are a good fit for his show.

“I have turned people away be-

Photos / Getty Images

F

Steve Hart

cause they are not talking about my core subject, which is the challenge of finding work as an older person.

And that is a global problem,” says Dave.

“It seems to be that recruiters are typically younger and conflate youthfulness with performance, and give a negative correlation to someone who's older. And I think a number of assumptions are kicking in.

“There is both covert discrimination and overt discrimination, and unconscious bias as well. You walk into a room for a job interview and you can see people's faces go ‘oh, they're older'.

“Older workers can and do get good jobs. But it's difficult. I have spoken to a lot of people now and there is no silver bullet or resume for old workers. You're in there against younger competitors, you have to show that you have exactly the same relevance and skills for the job.”

Dave says making the podcast is his way of contributing while job hunting.

“It keeps me motivated, it keeps me interested,” he says. “It makes me think creatively about the subjects that I want to discuss. It makes me contact people that I think will be interesting to interview.”

The podcast landscape is changing fast as it moves out of geek zone to mainstream.

According to a July Bloomberg report, Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes) is looking for strategic partnerships and is prepared to pay for shows exclusive to the Apple platform. This is clearly a move to differentiate itself from the competition and deliver content exclusive to Apple.

Spotify is nipping at the heels of Apple when it comes to market share and new distribution platforms are emerging as podcasts — covering every subject under the sun (from education to entertainment) — compete against broadcast radio.

In 2018, more than US$600 million ($925 million) was spent by North American firms advertising in podcasts.

Some hosts have gone from the bedroom “studio” to perform at live events and getting their own TV shows.

These include Mark Moran's WTF podcast and Jamie Morton's My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Edison Research is probably the leader in podcast listening data. In a telephone survey of 1500 people conducted in the US in February it concluded that 70 per cent of the population had heard of podcasts (up from 45 per cent in 2010) and that 51 per cent of the population listen to podcasts every month. Of those, it found 16 per ent were aged 55-plus.

The most popular podcasts feature (1) music; (2 )news; (3) celebrity gossip; (4) history and (5) sports.

According to a survey by Roy Morgon (released 22 July 2019), 1 million Australians downloaded a podcast every 4 weeks last year. Today it is 1.6 million. By way of comparison, 2.2 million Aussies visit a music streaming site every 4 weeks.

Downloads of podcasts to mobile phones has tripled since 2015 to 1.3 million.

According to Roy Morgan, the most avid podcasters are millennials (40 per cent); Gen Z (29 per cent) and Gen X (21 per cent).

— Steve Hart

D14

TRAVEL

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Need a break?

Cruising is the fastest way to slow down, says Tiana Templeman

C

ruising offers one of the fastest and easiest ways for travellers to slow down on holiday. Once you start sipping that first tropical cocktail, there is no need to worry about how you are going to get from one destination to the next, whose turn it is to cook dinner or how to keep the kids entertained. Your biggest decision will be whether to treat yourself to a massage at the onboard spa, curl up with a book or soak up the sun on your balcony.

No passport is required for sailings that don’t visit ports outside New Zealand, you don’t have to learn a new language and there is no need to buy foreign currency.

Pack your bags, not your passport, for a comedy cruise from Auckland and you’ll be laughing – especially when it comes to the price you paid for your holiday.

Buying tickets to see up to a dozen comedy shows featuring some of the country’s best comedians would cost a fortune on land. On a comedy cruise, they’re included in the cost of your fare, plus you get delicious dining and can enjoy a few drinks without the hassle of deciding whose turn it is to drive home.

P&O Cruises also offer short food and wine cruises, which are the perfect quick fix for when you need a holiday but haven’t got a lot of time (or perhaps money) to spare.

If you’re a foodie who can sail for longer, Radiance of the Seas includes nearly every signature Royal Caribbean restaurant in the fleet. Take a culinary journey around the globe as you sample Brazilian fare at Samba Grill, Italian cuisine at Giovanni’s, juicy steaks at Chops Grille or sushi at Izumi.

It’s possible to dine at a different restaurant each night on this ship.

If you would like to sail close to home, New Zealand has plenty of “don’t miss” natural wonders, such as Akaroa’s harbour, which is home to more than 15,000 Hector's Dolphins, the rarest oceanic dolphin in the world.

If you have ever wanted to spot

Relax, unwind — take a cruise

Holland America's MS Noordam cruise ship (top); iFly instructor Byron Blane on The Ovation Of The Seas.

Photos / Supplied; File

dolphins in the wild, this is the place.

Natural beauty abounds at Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound, all of which can be seen in one day on a cruise ship. Milford Sound was dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world” by Rudyard Kipling and is beautiful in rain, hail or shine.

If you want to see more of the South Pacific and have time to spare, why not try a repositioning cruise? These longer cruises happen each year when ships that are based in another part of the world during winter sail to the southern hemisphere to commence their summer season.

When our cruise season ends, these ships sail back again, usually in March or April, with cabins sold at a bargain price. Larger ships such as Ovation of the Seas are ideal for repositioning cruises as there is

plenty of onboard fun to be had.

With activities ranging from bumper cars and roller skating to a surf simulator, wine tasting and flying trapeze classes, there is little chance of getting bored on a mega-ship. You also get to experience some great ports on these cruises such as Moorea and Bora Bora in Tahiti, the jewels of the South Pacific.

Holland America’s Noordam offers a 40-night journey from Vancouver to Auckland, stopping at not one but three Hawaiian ports and some of Fiji’s most beautiful but lesser-known islands such as Dravuni and Savusavu.

Queensland’s cruise ports offer plenty of fun in the sun, even in winter.

Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises sail here year round, making it tempting to book a cruise to escape the last of the chilly weather. Airlie Beach has an impressive array of active shore excursions such as Segway tours, jet ski safaris, sea kayaking and day trips to Whitehaven Beach. Or you could

simply soak up the sun at Airlie’s free swimming lagoon.

Nearby Cairns is famous for being the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef but this tropical port offers visitors so much more. Soar high above one of the world’s most significant rainforests on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or travel on the charming Kuranda Scenic Railway, which first opened to passengers in 1891. Independent travellers can hire a car and go in search of the perfect latte among the picturesque Atherton Tablelands’ coffee plantations.

Tropical South Pacific ports offer a quintessential cruise experience and are the perfect spot to work on your tan. Vila, the sleepy capital of Vanuatu, offers a charming slice of Pacific island life.

Lifou has excellent snorkelling or you could enjoy a do-it-yourself mud spa at one of Lautoka’s natural thermal pools in Fiji.

With a few sea days at the end of each South Pacific itinerary, you will have time to ease your way back to reality before the ship docks.

BUSINESS AND ANALYSIS FROM HAWKE’S BAY TO HARVARD. GET THE BEST OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE WORLD. JUST $2.50 A WEEK FOR THE FIRST EIGHT WEEKS. NZ Herald Premium includes a selection of content from: Terms & Conditions apply.

Your global update × nzherald.co.nz/premium

D15

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

OP

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EN

• Imagine preparing meals in your stylish modern kitchen • Be impressed by the generous size of both bedrooms and bathrooms • Close to pool, lawn bowls, pavillion, greenhouse & café

Step in to our Sales Office to see Jan and Michelle or call to make an appointment to view Show Home on 0800 005 877

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Life’s Warmer at Summerset

Summerset homes are built for warmth Come in from the cold and experience Summerset warmth. All our new homes at Summerset at Heritage Park come fully insulated, with thermal curtains, double glazing and heat pumps. And now, they’re even more appealing than ever, thanks to our wonderful winter offer*.

Open 7 Days Summerset at Heritage Park 8 Harrison Road, Ellerslie

But we don’t just build warm homes - we build warm, welcoming communities too, where our residents live life however they choose, with easy access to community spaces, village facilities, activities and support.

Come home to warmer retirement living at Summerset at Heritage Park.

For a free information pack, with details on our wonderful winter offer, visit summerset.co.nz/warm or call 0800 SUMMER

SUM1707_8X8

*Offer valid for specific villages only, terms and conditions apply.