BayBuzz Sep/Oct 2013 by BayBuzz

Hawke’s Bay’s

CHINA trade MAYORAL

candidates SPEAK TO

SOCIAL ILLS

MTG

SEP/OCT 2013

INCLUDING GST

Hawke’s Bay

PREMIERS What Is

LEADERSHIP? VOICES

David Trubridge, Paul Paynter Roy Sye, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins Robyn McLean, Louis Chambers Kay Bazzard, Phyllis Tichinin Brendan Webb

Oil & Gas Bonanza Or Green Disaster for Hawke’s Bay?

772253

262009

by keith newman

FROM THE EDITOR

From Good to Great! BY ~ tom belford

I didn’t move to Hawke’s Bay with my family to launch and edit a magazine. Nor to stand for local office. I came expecting I could maintain a ‘virtual’ consulting career (while dialing back from 78rpm to maybe 45rpm), step up my piano skills and learn to catch fish.

Reflecting on all this, here’s where I stand …

What went ‘wrong’?!

I believe councillors should be servants of you the people, not the council staff. I’m skeptical of staff-driven agendas … and their big projects that offer nothing but blue sky promises with under-stated costs and no risks … and their devotion to the same old encrusted and rigid ways of doing things.

Well, on arriving, we learnt that we couldn’t get broadband at our rural home. One thing led to another … BayBuzz was born, and here I am, standing for the Regional Council. If you’ve read BayBuzz for any length of time, the concerns that lead me to stand are probably clear. What might not be so obvious is that ‘my’ concerns come from listening to you. As editor of BayBuzz magazine, people approach me daily about their hopes and worries for Hawke’s Bay. What I hear is concern that Hawke’s Bay is at a fork in the road. The choices we make in the next few years about our water, about the risks we take (or don’t) regarding dams and oil/gas development, protecting ratepayer wallets and assets, maintaining infrastructure, lifting social wellbeing and growing sustainably, will define Hawke’s Bay for decades. Many express hopes about the future, sharing their ideas for improving our region on all fronts – environmental, social and economic – to ensure Hawke’s Bay is a truly special place where our children and grandchildren will return and thrive. But they worry that the Regional Council won’t get it right. You and I know Hawke’s Bay holds huge potential. We can go from good to great! And our Regional Council has a leadership role to play in that. However, our opportunities are jeopardised by outmoded thinking, lack of imagination, and limited perspective on the part of our present councillors. Shortcomings that are compounded when staffs actually drive the agenda, control the options and manipulate the information, leading elected councillors by the nose. And, while personally I’ve spent hundreds of hours – more than most people – immersed in the workings of this council, I’m not the only one to hold this view. This council has squandered its ‘public trust account’ turning its core constituencies – growers, cautious ratepayers, environmentalists, and Mäori – into opponents.

I’m committed to rebuilding trust and confidence in the Regional Council. That requires a new team of councillors. If elected, together we will ‘re-boot’ this council.

I believe it pays to listen first. We have deep talent and worldly-wise experience in our community that could inform council decision-making for the better, if given authentic opportunities to contribute. To be blunt, there are plenty of smart, experienced hands in Hawke’s Bay who know a helluva lot about what makes the world (including the Bay) tick; all wisdom doesn’t reside in council bureaucracies. I know that a better future for you in Hawke’s Bay requires building our region’s economy around a sustainable environment, not pitting one against the other in a false trade-off. In its ‘economy versus environment’ thinking, this petrified Regional Council is twenty years behind the times. We’ll improve our social and economic condition only if we protect and nurture our natural environment … valuable for its own sake, but also for the primary production it supports, and for its contribution to a lifestyle and reputation that attracts visitors, businesses, foreign markets and investors. I believe that a better future for Hawke’s Bay requires diversifying our region’s economy and making it more resilient, building on strengths we already demonstrate with spectacular companies operating outside the primary sector, even as we strive to generate more value from our land and water. Let’s go there. With the support of Hastings Constituency voters, I hope to join a refreshed Regional Council team – with more experience, energy, imagination, and open minds – to lift Hawke’s Bay from good to great.

ISSUE No.14 : SEP / OCT 2013

THIS MONTH Storm brews over oil and gas development in Hawke’s Bay. The region’s trade with China blossoms. Mayoral candidates address HB social ills. Are we asking too much of our schools? Pondering local elections – what is ‘leadership’? And what is ‘transparency’? How about a Fresh Soil Campaign? MTG Hawke’s Bay (formerly, HB Museum & Art Gallery) re-opens in grand style.

FEATURES

Green Backlash Over Black Gold Bonanza

Keith Newman reports on the state of play of oil and gas development in Hawke’s Bay.

FOLLOW THE LEADER By Mark Sweet As elections approach, what is ‘leadership’? Some local leaders comment.

TRANSPARENCY YOU CAN TRUST By Tom Belford Every candidate promises it, but what are the actual ingredients? And why does it matter?

Mandy Jensen Mandy manages advertising and store sales for BayBuzz. She's worked in print media in the Bay for 20 years or so (Wow!). In her leisure you can spot Mandy walking or cycling one of the numerous tracks throughout Hawke's Bay or sipping hot chocolates in any number of cafes.

Hawke’s Bay’s Blossoming China Trade Tom Belford talks with the road warriors blazing our commerce path to China.

Mayoral Candidates On Social Wellbeing

ISSN 2253-2625 (Print) ISSN 2253-2633 (Online)

This publication uses vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible papers. The document is printed throughout on Sumo K Matt, which is FSC® certified and from responsible souces, manufactured under ISO 14001 Environmental management Systems.

Do our councils have a role in dealing with social ills in the region? Jessica Soutar Barron inquires.

sep/oct 2013

contributors > JESS SOUTAR BARRON Jess is a wordsmith and project manager whose past gigs have included time with Sky TV, Hastings District Council and Band, as well as three years as a communications manager with the Metropolitan Police Service. She also produces Fruit Bowl Craft Jam and Pecha Kucha in the Bay.

IDEAS & OPINIONS

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

I’M RUNNING SCARED Paul Paynter

POSTCARDS OF NOSTALGIA David Trubridge

PARENT. NURSE COUNSELLOR. TEACHER. Roy Sye

A FRESH SOIL CAMPAIGN FOR HAWKE’S BAY Phyllis Tichinin

JOIN THE SILENT MAJORITY Louis Chambers

JUNGLE DRUMS CHANGE SOFTWARE DELIVERY Keith Newman

BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES: BRINGING ‘EM BACK Kay Bazzard

MTG HAWKE’S BAY – An INDICATOR OF OUR VITALITY Douglas Lloyd Jenkins

NO COBWEBBED DISPLAY CASES HERE Robyn McLean

chip off the block Brendan Webb

THE BAYBUZZ TEAM > EDITOR Tom Belford Senior writers Jessica Soutar Barron, Keith Newman, Mark Sweet, Tom Belford columnists Anthony Vile, Brendan Webb, Claire Hague, David Trubridge, Des Ratima, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Kay Bazzard, Paul Paynter, Phyllis Tichinin, Robyn McLean, Roy Dunningham, Tim Gilbertson editor’s right hand Brooks Belford photographyTim Whittaker creative, design & production Steff @ Ed art assistant Julia Jameson advertising sales & distribution Tracy Pope & Mandy Jensen Online Mogul business manager Bernadette Magee printing Format Print

KEITH NEWMAN Keith is a journo with nearly 40-years’ experience across mainstream and trade media. He’s won awards for writing about hi-tech, produces Musical Chairs programmes for Radio NZ and has published four books, one on the internet in New Zealand and three others on New Zealand history. MARK SWEET Napier-born, Mark worked overseas in Hong Kong and Scotland, before returning to Hawke's Bay, and establishing Pacifica restaurant. Re-creating himself as a writer, Mark's first novel Zhu Mao was published in 2011; an extract from his next novel, Of Good and Evil, has been short-listed for the Pikihuia Awards, and is due for publication early 2014. TOM BELFORD Tom’s past includes the Carter White House, building Ted Turner’s first philanthropic organization, doing heaps of marketing consulting for major nonprofits and corporates. Tom publishes BayBuzz and writes an acclaimed blog for professional NGO fundraisers and communicators in North America and Europe.

All BayBuzz magazine articles are available online. Visit BayBuzz at: www.baybuzz.co.nz

Letters to the Editor We encourage readers to criticize, expand upon or applaud our articles as you see fit. Each of our magazine articles is published online – www.baybuzz.co.nz – where you can always comment … at any length and as often as you like. But we are also happy to publish a limited number of readers’ letters here. You can email us at editors@baybuzz.co.nz or mail us at BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North.

The Dam I live in the lower area of Waipawa that would be under 4 meters of water if the dam proposed to be built on an active fault line were to fail. The Potential Impact category (PIC) assessment has determined that the category of risk is ‘High’. The weight of the water contained by this dam would greatly increase the stress upon this active fault line, and further increase the risk of an earthquake. If this dam were to fail, the lives and property of 1,000 people – half the population of Waipawa – would be devastated. As a ratepayer, I would be expected to help fund the $80 million dollars this dam will cost, and for that extra financial burden, I will, as a resident in the ‘High Risk’ area, experience a significant drop in the value of my home. The value of local properties not in the potential impact area however, will rise. The promoters of this dam obviously feel that the benefits to the owners ‘on higher ground’ outweigh the risks to those that live within the impact area.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

I do not feel that the promoters of this dam have the right to gamble the lives and property of those living in the impact area. I propose that the citizens of Waipawa be allowed to vote on whether they are willing to accept this risk. Thanks for the heads-up on this proposal Tom. Let’s hope for a rational outcome! Jay McCoy

I’ve just read the latest edition - it’s the best yet. The quality of the content and spectrum of articles is great. Well done. Nick Stewart

Engineers and “What, How and for Whom” What? Simple answer; 25,000 ha flat land, in need of some more water to produce more economic output. So the land is flat, but is it consistent in depth and soil type to be efficiently irrigated? Takapau Silt Loams (& similar adjacent soil types) are ‘Hydrophobic’ and following irrigation, a high proportion of the water evaporates. Takapau et al soil types have very high anion absorption, i.e. fertilise with Phosphate and less than 5% is plant available. Takapau et al soils are low in Organic Matter, coupled with shallow depth, and low bulk density. Causes three problems: low water holding capacity, limited ability to supply plant available nutrients, and extreme difficulty in achieving perfect irrigation events. A perfect irrigation event is that irrigation water is applied; the wave front of water moves through the soil profile, and this irrigation water wave front is fully used by the plant or retained in the soil’s water holding capacity. Irrigation water escaping the soil profile causes leaching of the expensive fertiliser that is only 5% available to start with. And remember the cow defecating throwing excess nitrogen at the soil, which then allows for Nitrates into the river systems and aquifers. To talk about the climate differences between the Ngatarawa Takapau Silt Loams and the grapes they grow

Great last issue of BayBuzz – some really good reading! Well done to all. Listening to a discussion on Media Watch it looks as if the future of print media may live in the sort of thing which BayBuzz does and which supportive and

compared to the much larger area of TSLs in Ruataniwha plains is another 500 words. For Whom? The existing landowners, Fronterra shareholders, Chinese consumers, Philippine and Sri Lankan dairy workers, or Pacific Island fruit pickers? My beef is that much more of the $22 million should have been spent on Agronomic analysis. In the real world, not a consultant’s computer. Takapau Silt Loam’s Dry Matter annual production under irrigation are averaging 9 tonne/ha and an average non-irrigated Waikato farm production is 11 ~ 12 t, including droughts. A dairy farm trying to be economic at 9 tonne/ha is very vulnerable to milk price fluctuations, unless they change their practices, e.g. adopting Biodynamic practices. (Note: biodynamic practices are not recognised as NZ Dairying Best Practices.) I propose that the most economic horticulture and arable land on the Ruataniwha plains has been identified and utilised. The over-allocation of irrigation water rights on the Ruataniwha plains does not need a $500 million dollar hammer to fix this problem. Any expansion of Dairy Farming must be very well modeled for economic benefit and environmental sustainability, without the umpire (i.e., HBRC) changing the rules during the game. Sam Averill

appreciative folks are prepared to fund. Newspapers, in the face of the onslaught of social media and decline in advertising revenue will become more and more purveyors of crap. Jeremy Dunningham

In October, as part of the local body elections, you will be asked to decide if fluoride will continue to be added

us nAtionAl AcAdeMy of sciences uK royAl college of PHysiciAns BritisH dentAl AssociAtion

World dentAl fed.

to the Hastings water supply. This is an important decision for everyone because it affects the future

AustrAliAn nAtionAl HeAltH And MedicAl reseArcH council

of oral health in your community.

BritisH MedicAl AssociAtion

nZ MedicAl AssociAtion

Your vote makes a difference to the future of oral health in your community. Fluoride has been added to the water supply since 1954. Evidence shows that overall rates of serious tooth decay

nZ cAncer society PlunKet PuBlic HeAltH AssociAtion centres for diseAse control And Prevention united stAtes surgeon-generAl

World HeAltH orgAnisAtion nZ dentAl council te Ao MArAMA (nZ MAori dentAl AssociAtion) nZ Ministry of HeAltH

amongst our children in the Hastings District are 28% lower than amongst those in non-fluoridated areas. nZ dentAl tHerAPist AssociAtion

Green Backlash Over Black Gold Bonanza

Keith Newman predicts a seismic reaction ahead as environmentalists and pro-business lobbyists go head to head over whether oil and gas could become the next economic frontier for Hawke’s Bay. An alignment of political will, high international oil prices, new technology and a greater awareness of what might lie beneath Hawke’s Bay’s shale rock formations has created a heady mix of excitement – and horror – at suggestions we might be on the verge of a black gold bonanza. Those charged with lifting Hawke’s Bay from the economic mire imagine employment, investment and cash registers ringing across the region. They expect permits to be dished out by Prime Minister John Key, who lured by potential annual royalties of $13 billion NZ-wide, aims to increase oil and gas production by 50%. Kevin Rolens, director of New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals (NZP&M), the government permitting agency, says central and local government must work together if the country is to capitalise

on “our big opportunity”, suggesting the East Coast is one of the world’s most under-explored basins. That’s provoked the green lobby into placard mode, invoking worst case scenarios of broken wells belching black ooze, seismic unrest triggered by ‘fracking’ and toxic waste contaminating our water supplies. It’s an emotional issue, full of assumptions and misunderstandings on both sides. Groundswell of interest Since the discovery of ‘unconventional’ shale formations; identical to those in North America where large commercial deposits of oil and gas were discovered, there’s been a rush on new onshore permits and to acquire existing rights along the East Coast and in Taranaki. The target areas include millions of acres containing Waipawa black shale

and Whangai source rock in the so-called East Coast Basin from Wairarapa to Gisborne, now tipped as a new frontier for oil and gas. Advanced surface and ‘downhole’ technologies, 3D seismic scanning, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’), mean it’s easier than ever to detect and extract oil and gas previously considered difficult or uneconomic. Scientists and geologists are in demand to help determine the exact nature of the resource and the investment needed, and formerly independent specialists are being snapped up by lobbyists and law firms. If Taranaki can record the largest economic growth in the country, a burgeoning 47% between 2007 and 2010, then it might be assumed oil and gas could be a shot in the arm for Hawke’s Bay, which desperately needs sustainable growth.

Hawke's Bay imports 250,000 tonnes of fuel per year through Napier Port

The reality however is that any commercial exploration in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s jurisdiction, if it’s proven viable, could be a decade or more away. As at mid-August no wells had been drilled, no consents applied for and no discussions were underway to suggest anything was imminent. A second Taranaki Oil is New Zealand’s fourth largest export commodity; oil and gas production contributes more than $2.5 billion to our gross domestic product (GDP), the bulk coming from Taranaki. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MOBIE) says about 42% of a petroleum company’s profit, including taxes and royalties, goes to the government. MOBIE believes a ‘second Taranaki’ could grow GDP by at least $2.1 billion or 1.7% annually over a 30-year development

period, creating around 5,500 jobs. Regional benefits are expected to include job creation and training, the use of local drilling, construction, engineering and manufacturing for infrastructure build, plus flow on impacts for trucking and other contractors and businesses. The contenders eagerly eyeing up untapped underground resources in the wider Hawke’s Bay region include American-owned Westech Energy New Zealand with permits in Wairoa, and Endeavour Energy, owned by Canadian firm Marauder Resources East Coast (NZ) currently investigating options at Rissington, Sherendon and Bay View, northwest of Napier. Two Vancouver, Canada-owned companies, New Zealand Energy Corporation (NZEC, previously East Coast Energy Ventures) and Tag Oil are active east of Dannevirke in the Tararua

“A Mexican stand-off is no way to approach this. All we’re seeing at the moment is a Government and an oil and gas position on one side and on the other, people standing on the street with placards.” lawrence yule District Council’s jurisdiction. All four are likely to have dibs on further permits in the current 2013 Block offering, to be announced before the end of the year. The East Coast Oil and Gas Development Study released in March, suggests the overall national economic benefits (GDP) could increase from Continued on Page 8

a black gold bonanza

Yule plans regional oil summit $360 million to $18 billion per year, increasing Crown revenue by $7.7 billion per year. Job gains in Hawke’s Bay (including Gisborne) could range from 200 to 2,300 depending upon scale of production, with a projected 39% increase in disposable incomes in the most optimistic scenario. The report, jointly funded by MOBIE and Business Hawke’s Bay on behalf of eight East Coast councils, was essentially a discussion starter, talking up the job and revenue numbers and exploring basic environmental risks, without making specific recommendations. The $130,000 report was described by green-leaning Gisborne and HBRC councillors as “a sloppy marketing campaign for the industry paid for by taxes and council rates”, containing “no worthwhile analysis of the economic …. social and cultural impacts”.

Job numbers ‘rubbish’ Retiring HBRC councillor and green champion, Liz Remmerswaal, says claims of enticing economics and job prospects are “rubbish and not based on truth”. She insists the Government is in league with the oil and gas industry in pushing the spin around job creation, with former Tag Oil partner, Apache Corporation, admitting at an HBRC meeting last year that very few jobs would be created. Most local jobs would be temporary and the exploration companies would likely bring in their own teams. “It’s emotional blackmail for the business lobby to say we have to accept oil and gas because it’s all about jobs and trillions of dollars.” But what if there’s evidence of proven economic value to the region? “That’s lies. We don’t benefit, all the profit goes overseas and the Government gets a

Summary of Regional Impacts Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

% change versus baseline; $NZ million Large-scale, high volume

Scenario

Small-scale

Large- scale

GNDI

East Coast Study Region

160

15%

1,400

39%

3,600

The Rest of New Zealand

0.1%

100

1.5%

2,630

5.9%

10,500

Source: NZIER Employment Gains (employee counts) Oil and Gas

177

978

1,804

Other Industries

185

543

Total

199

1,163

2,347

pathetically small 3-5% royalty. We take all the risk,” says Remmerswaal. “If anything goes wrong, Marauder isn’t going to care. What’s the economic value of polluted water you can’t drink or farm with?” Hastings mayor, Lawrence Yule, agrees the development study cobbled together previously known material and wasn’t helpful. “It was so high level and holistic about the number of jobs and so bland, I couldn’t get a handle on what should or shouldn’t be done or what should happen next.” He’d like Business HB to commission a more detailed report on the regional impact for oil and gas, but not until the community is a lot better informed. Yule is covering his bases; he wants the Government to contribute to any roading needed to support any industry that might come here and for HBRC, as consenting authority, to exclude the Heretaunga Plains aquifer from any drilling. However, HBRC’s group manager of resource management, Iain Maxwell, says anyone can apply to have a bore in any permitted area although there would be “a high level of scrutiny and sensitivity applied to any of our most productive aquifer systems”. Regional symposium Yule is planning a regional symposium on 11 October, with a balanced mix of expert speakers, including Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright, addressing environmental and economic concerns. “It’s a forum for the region, I’m just trying to lead it and organise it and I'm not too precious about who’s involved.” He’s frustrated at the unsubstantiated stories doing the rounds. “A Mexican stand-off is no way to approach this. All we’re seeing at the moment is a Government and an oil and gas position on one side and on the other, people standing on the street with placards.” Yule’s main concern is the “high level of objection”, even to exploratory drilling, which he insists is the only way to determine the nature and value of any oil or gas resources. “If we cut it off at the knees it will be a huge shame for Hawke’s Bay; we owe it to the region to do far more investigation before any decisions are made.” He suspects that if fracking and environmental concerns were not an issue, people would support more jobs and better economic performance. “The debate has become so factionalised …We’ve got to get to the guts of what the facts are.”

a black gold bonanza

Remmerswaal applauds the plan for a public forum, “provided people listen to each other, the best people in the field are accessed and it’s not all spin and lies”. Although environmental groups have held a series of public meetings, she says the Ministry (MOBIE), in trying to tick the boxes with stakeholders, has been very selective about who it talks to. And she feels HBRC has rolled out the red carpet for the ministry and oil and gas industry, failed to engage with ratepayers, and left environmentalists feeling marginalised. “Well informed people with views contrary to the oil and gas and government agenda deserve the respect of being listened to.” Plan changes ahead HBRC’s Maxwell says the council’s not consciously keeping people in the dark, it’s just that there’s been nothing to talk about, as no-one’s even discussing consents. He does agree though that complex, fragmented and unclear regulations haven’t helped dispel misunderstandings and it’s time for some strategic thinking around policy in Hawke’s Bay’s regional and district plans to consider how any oil and gas industry might be expected to operate. Exploratory bores have been drilled around Hawke’s Bay for decades but the

“It’s emotional blackmail for the business lobby to say we have to accept oil and gas because it’s all about jobs and trillions of dollars.” liz remmerswaal only current activity is at Wairoa and north of Weber in southern Hawke’s Bay. Most people would have remained unaware of these activities until “the ‘f’ word raised the spectre,” says Maxwell. With increased awareness, it’s now time to have that conversation with the community. “We need to get that written down like we did with the land and water management strategy for Hawke’s Bay.” However, Maxwell says it would be a rarity if a significant commercial oil field was discovered by simply drilling one or two bores. “It’s not like the Beverley Hillbillies where it just comes gushing out of the ground.” Lawrence Yule, clearly excited about what oil and gas has done for Taranaki, Continued on Page 10

Oil and gas skeptic, Liz Remmerswaal

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

w w w. H aw ke s B ay R a c i n g. co. n z

A black gold bonanza

rolling dice for billion barrel gamble Tag Oil Ltd and New Zealand Energy Corporation (NZEC) are currently engaged in oil and gas exploration in the wider Hawke’s Bay, and logical candidates to bid on the latest Block 2013 offering, which closes in September. Who’s got the latest batch of onshore permits along 1,500 square kilometres of the East Coast will be announced in December. New Zealand Energy Corporation (NZEC) has a keen eye on “the untapped East Coast new frontier of New Zealand’s ‘unconventional’ oil shales” where it holds considerable onshore interests. While ‘conventional’ (standard) drilling tests have failed to yield a commercial discovery along the East Coast, NZEC remains confident of hidden ‘unconventional’ oil in shale deposits indicated by 300 known oil or gas seeps. While mainly focused on Taranaki, including reengaging with sites previously thought uneconomical, it may expand its East Coast interests, particularly if its southern Hawke’s Bay efforts prove as promising as early indications suggest. NZEC, which has permits across two million acres, including east of Dannevirke, has plans to drill at Castlepoint and Wairoa, before the end of the year. Tag Oil is already drilling high-impact prospects across more than 2.9 million acres of the North Island, with permits across nearly 1.5 million acres of the East Coast basin where it has identified about 20 prospective sites.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

It’s ‘encouraged’ by oil-rich readings from its Weber Formation, and the Boar Hill-1 well near Dannevirke. In May 2013 it announced ‘elevated gas readings’ at the neighbouring Ngapaeruru-1 well. Source rocks gave an indication of millions or possibly billions of barrels of recoverable oil. Tests are ongoing before a decision on commercial exploration is made. Tag Oil found an impermeable rock seal above and below its findings, and may need to create fissures through the shales to release trapped oil and gas, possibly by fracking with high pressure water and chemicals. Tag Oil denies it plans to drill hundreds of wells or that fracking would be widespread or even necessary. Before Tag Oil, NZEC and other players apply to extract they need some serious science to substantiate their claims of a billion barrel bonanza and to justify the hundreds of millions of dollars required for commercial extraction.

Should Hawke's Bay be importing or exporting oil? is keen to take a couple of busloads of influential leaders and open-minded business people and environmentalists across country to see for themselves. Stuart Trundle, chief executive of economic development agency Venture Taranaki, welcomes Yule’s proposed visit. He’d rather people have firsthand experience of an industry that has worked for the Taranaki economy for over 100 years, than web-based or anecdotal research. Venture Taranaki’s December 2010 report, The Wealth Beneath Our Feet, claims the oil and gas industry directly and indirectly employs over 5,000 people, contributing around $2 billion in GDP to the Taranaki region and $2.5 billion to the New Zealand economy. Jumping hoops Trundle told BayBuzz, the economic impact from oil and gas has only just begun, with record levels of exploration in Taranaki planned this summer. There’s a tendency for people to “jump several hoops in their mind” when NZ Petroleum and Minerals issues a licence to explore, assuming commercial activity is imminent. However many of the current opportunities were first discussed in the 80s and 90s. He says Taranaki had to look at how

to attract and retain talent which would ultimately drive economic growth; the 5,000 plus families now employed in oil and gas would never have found equivalent high paying jobs in the rural sector. “There are always compromises in any decisions that change the status quo; we have to balance the environmental concerns … and maximise the economic benefits for the local community through supply chains, clustering and local content.” Venture Taranaki’s role has been providing the strategic glue and thought leadership and the secretariat to facilitate the plans of those who create wealth, delivering hard science and academic research to ensure there’s informed debate. “We bring a degree of academic rigour to all the reports we produce so leadership teams can then make decisions based on full information.” Business Hawke’s Bay sees itself in a similar light, but given the criticism of the joint government report, much more will be expected of it in the future, if it’s to remain at the helm of regional economic development. Business HB chairman Stuart McLaughlan, says the bottom line is whether oil and gas measures up and is sustainable. “We don’t want an industry that ruins other industries because it contaminates water.”

A black gold bonanza

“There are always compromises in any decisions that change the status quo; we have to balance the environmental concerns … and maximise the economic benefits for the local community...” stuart trundle

tim.co.nz

decisions can be made, particularly in assessing consent applications. Confronting the ‘f’ word Serious scientific testing will need to confirm oil company confidence that Hawke’s Bay is indeed an accessible source of ‘bubbling crude’, with bulletproof data to satisfy the concerns of regional regulators and environmental lobbyists. Given the region’s propensity

for seismic activity, who’s to say the now emotionally charged ‘fracking’ procedure won’t be the catalyst for a catastrophe. And what about contamination of ground water or aquifers? Where will the high pressure water required for fracking come from, if it’s permitted, and how will waste water and contaminants be disposed of? Continued on Page 12

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

He agrees a public forum is needed to bring some balance. “There’s been a lot of biased comment and questionable information and we need to move on from that… challenge what both sides are saying and find out what is real and accurate.” Given the strong push by central government and the lack of local expertise in oil and gas, he’s urging MOBIE to provide Hawke’s Bay with specialised resources so informed

a black gold bonanza

what's the drill for consent? Hawke’s Bay and other regional councils are working alongside the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to align a raft of irregular regulations and responsibilities relating to oil and gas so they’re clearer and more consistent. Iain Maxwell, group manager of resource management at HBRC, says the objective is to achieve a high standard of regulations all regional councils must adhere to, that can evolve with technology and the industry. This includes ensuring the Resource Management Act (RMA) is in accord with how the oil and gas industry operates and evaluates its areas of potential investment and aligns with the Crown Minerals Act which became law in May, streamlining the permitting process so petroleum and mining industries have greater clarity when making applications. Once NZ Petroleum and Minerals allocates permits to explore for oil and gas, successful bidders typically reprocess decades of existing Government seismic data using modern software. Having identified likely locations where they might strike it rich, mostly on private property, commercial and access arrangements must be made with the property owner before running more seismic lines. Once there’s good reason to drill an exploratory bore, in itself a multimillion dollar exercise, a resource consent is applied for.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Council officers, based on legislation and impact, may decide this is a low impact, non-consentable, non-notifiable exercise, and simply grant permission. If there are impact concerns, it may become notifiable and need to be heard before a panel of commissioners. Once geological and scientific data, including rock and gas tests, confirm the quality and quantity of deposits a decision must be made on whether it’s commercially viable to proceed with drilling a well. Each well would require a separate consent; even then a company may decide to permanently cap an exploration or come back when it’s more viable. If they proceed, multiple consents may be required from both HBRC and Hastings District Council to build a gas pipeline, or build roads or culverts.

A recent Todd Energy report insists fracking, “the standard treatment for maximising efficiency of deep gas wells in Taranaki”, has been safely and successfully used onshore 65 times over 20 years. The report says groundwater contamination has been avoided because there’s typically a 2,500 metre seperation between impermeable rock and aquifers and our ‘robust regulatory framework’ ensures the highest safety and environmental standards are met. However, Remmerswaal, says that’s just the standard oil company line and fracking remains problematic, particularly with “the toxic waste it drags up from underground which has to be dealt with.” Genuine concerns remain. “You cannot say a well will never fail … ‘Trust me I’m an oilman’, just doesn’t cut it”, says Remmerswaal, who’s reluctant to allow direct comparisons with Taranaki. “They have a different climate and geology and are not on a fault line like we are here.” HBRC officials who visited British Columbia and Alberta in February to assess the effects of fracking, concluded that opposition was based on inaccurate information and there was minimal risk if wells were built to best standards. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, says despite a risk of water pollution and earthquakes, fracking can be done safely if well managed and properly regulated. While she rejected a call for a moratorium in her interim findings, she’s likely to demand stringent conditions in her final report later this year. So how do you get the so-called green agenda on board when it is fundamentally opposed to oil and gas exploration, inexorably linking it to climate change, greenhouse gases, carbon footprints and feeding our addiction to fossil fuels? HBRC’s Maxwell says the RMA only takes into account the effect of the extraction not what is being extracted

“... a high level of scrutiny and sensitivity [is] applied to any of our most productive aquifer systems.” iain maxwell or its subsequent use or impact on the environment, “that’s a completely different discussion”. So what is the real business case? What new jobs will be created and for whom? What are the hard numbers for the regional economy or does most of it end up in central government or foreign purses? To date there are more questions than answers about the actual benefits an oil and gas industry might bring to Hawke’s Bay, if indeed it can be convinced to invest here. Certainly a rousing discussion must occur.

resources Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s interim ‘Fracking report’ http://bit.ly/SrQ5ij The East Coast Oil and Gas Development Study http://bit.ly/Zsb46M The Wealth Beneath Our Feet, December 2010 by Venture Taranaki http://bit.ly/17OBrbg Todd Energy report http://bit.ly/1f62a5M

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Follow the Leader by ~ MARK SWEET

All over Hawke's Bay, wherever we drive, hoardings of candidates in the local body elections pepper the roadsides. Some names and faces we know, others are new, and most have a byline. Well, he invaded Persia, and his army reached as far as India. "But they wouldn't be considered effective leaders today, would they?" He's right. Brutally conquering territory and slaughtering your enemies isn't considered great leadership anymore. "What about Adolf Hitler?" We agree Hitler was an effective leader, but he was also a murdering psychopath. "And Winston Churchill. Was he an effective leader?" Neil asks. Churchill was a great war-time leader. "But not in peace-time," says Neil, "Churchill wasn't a collaborative man. The war was over and people wanted to have a say." The point he's making is that, "You have to put leadership into historical context. Leadership changes and what makes a good leader changes. It depends on the slice of history." And, says Neil Taylor, "In today's slice of history, collaboration has become critical." Collaboration is derived from the Latin, Collaborare, meaning 'to work together.' For Nicola Ngarewa, Principal of Tamatea High School, working together has been a key to her success. "Part of our belief is around it takes a whole village to grow a child," she says. "I rarely call us a school because we're a learning community – the kids, the whänau, the school, and the wider community – all working together to influence positive change." Nicola's leadership skills in education were recognised by the Sir Peter Blake Trust when she was one of six recipients in this year's Leadership Awards. As with many outstanding leaders Nicola Ngarewa is a visionary. "Imagine," she says, "if everywhere, our learning communities Continued on Page 16

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

'Proven', says a mayor standing for his fifth term. 'Your choice for change' announces a challenger. A Council hopeful says he's 'Speaking up for you', and 'Making things happen' claims a sitting member of fifteen years, and others offer positive change, experience, and trust. Their slogans and claims may differ, but what the candidates have in common is a belief in themselves that they can be leaders of their community in local government. But what does it take to be an effective leader? Neil Taylor, retiring CEO of Napier City Council has seen three mayors and scores of councillors come, and go, and the first thing he says is, "What makes a good leader is the fact that some other people follow them." And he steers the discussion toward historical context. "Definitely in my grandparents’ time, and even in my parents’ time, they lived happily being told what to do. They were very constrained by their leaders telling them how to live their lives. It's not the same today." He's right. Even 50 years ago, Church and State ruled with a heavy hand, unthinkable today. Pubs closed at six o'clock; divorce was frowned upon and had to be publicly notified; unmarried mothers were stigmatized; and prejudice against women, Mäori, and homosexuals was institutionalised. Reaching back further in history, Taylor asks, "Was Genghis Khan an effective leader?" For sure, he used guerilla warfare with mounted soldiers to successfully conquer his enemies. "And Alexander the Great?"

follow the leader

“You have to be transactional in managing the day-to-day business, and you have to be transformational in implementing changes.” daniel murfitt principal, colenso college

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

weren't just working together, but were producing students who excelled at whatever their endeavour, and they were all good people connected to their society. Imagine the change that would be. I know it's idealistic, but that's what drives me." Jenny Yule is one of Hawke's Bay's most successful entrepreneurs, and she too is driven by an ideal. "We are not individuals in this life," she says, "We're inter-connected, and it is through our relationships we forge our understanding of life." Relationship is at the core of Porse. The business is founded on providing in-home care for children in their most formative years. "The business aspect grew from recognising the need to grow our babies in natural environments, and in a very loving and held relationship, during the early brain development period." And, says Jenny Yule, "The vision for Porse was to empower people to establish that high trust environment (needed to care for babies)." Now, with 7,000 children, 3,000 educators, 2,000 plus students, and 5,000 families, supported by 250 community team staff, how does Jenny Yule manage it all? "No system can oversee or manage that many people, so we encourage people to be self-inspiring, and self-regulating." But how is that implemented? "We call ourselves a living-learning

organisation, and there's not a hierarchical approach. We've flattened the power base so there's no such thing as control; there's clarity of purpose, and clarity of responsibility. In Porse everyone has a leadership role, and the support we offer is a coaching style to management." Coaching isn't a style for Craig Philpott. It's his title. He's coach of the Magpies, but his point of view echoes Jenny Yule. "All the guys on the field have some degree of leadership. All the players have responsibilities individually, as well as for the team. So they have to lead themselves first and foremost in making the right decisions." But what about great rugby leaders? Like Richie McCaw. "He's pretty unique," says Craig, "People like him don't come along often. On the field he's tough and fearless, and he's prepared to put his body in places where other players wouldn't, and he's prepared to play through a pain barrier. He played the World Cup final with a broken foot. Most people wouldn't even get out of bed. But Richie's what I call a servant leader. Everything he does around his leadership is for the good of something bigger, whether it's the team, or the organisation he's associated with." Developing a culture of team before self is a hallmark of Craig Philpott's coaching style. Carved on a stone in the gym at McLean Park are the team values – family, sacrifice, passion, enjoyment, attitude and responsibility. And after last year's shaky start, Craig has introduced three principles to guide the team – no egos, team before self, and hand up, not out. "They're the values of servant leadership we want the team to have. If it's about individuals there are a lot of motivators. If it's about the team there's a single motivator, and wherever you go, you're heading in the same direction."

“It's about developing relationships of trust and shared knowledge, and a lot of the work is talking with the people you represent, interacting with them, and finding out what they think.” liz remmerswaal, hbrc councillor When Daniel Murfitt, Principal of Colenso College, talks of servant leaders, he paraphrases Nelson Mandela, saying, "A great leader will be at the front when the struggles are happening, taking the flack. But when the good times are happening, a leader should be at the back, letting others take the accolades." But, as Daniel points out, leadership comes in different forms, and to be most effective requires a blend of what he calls transactional, transformational, and transformative leadership. "You have to be transactional in managing the day-to-day business, and you have to be transformational in implementing changes, which in education are mostly external – qualification changes, structural changes, financial changes, curriculum changes. Then I think it's important to be able to shift into transformative leadership which is about seeing a big picture around societal change." A big picture for Daniel Murfitt is fostering appreciation of cultural richness and diversity, and part of the process is recognition that many of us, including some teachers, have entrenched deficit thinking toward racial minorities, which inhibit the development of some students. "Many New Zealanders don't see the cultural wealth

follow the leader

“[It's] raising self-awareness, because people often don't realise their skills. [A leader needs to] put their balls on the line, and be a risk taker.” craig philpott, coach, hb magpies

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“... the kids, the whänau, the school, and the wider community – all working together to influence positive change.” nicola ngarewa principal, tamatea high school as being, "a catalyst to help other people reach their leadership potential." When Daniel Murfitt started at Colenso, leadership roles were restricted to seniors, who went through a process similar to a job application, with references and an interview. "We've kept aspects because that's real life, but that process excluded people in the school who were already in leadership roles but unrecognized as such, like leaders of our production, or leaders of Continued on Page 18

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

sitting right in our community that the rest of the world embraces." Colenso College has seen a significant shift in raising Mäori achievement, but as Daniel points out, "For us to get true and sustainable gains for Mäori outcomes we have to be influencing what's happening in society." Daniel Murfitt's style of leadership has social justice at its core, and his initiatives for enriching the learning experience has encouraging results for all Colenso students, but especially for Mäori. Ngäti Kahungunu Inc is the prime leader

of Mäori aspirations in Hawke's Bay, and Dr James Graham sees exciting times ahead where: "Different challenges have to be woven into the whole process of education, and nurturing leaders." The remaining Treaty of Waitangi claims are being negotiated and with the settlements come more opportunities. "It makes sense in planning for the future to produce our own scientists to deal with marine ecology, water ways, and agribusinesses, and Mäori need to become the owners, and the CEOs, and the accountants and lawyers." At Tamatea High School, Nicola Ngarewa is priming her students to fill those roles, and more, and she tells them, "You're raised in a country where there are no socio-economic or cultural differences that should hold you back from achieving your ultimate goal in life." Her leadership prowess is in motivation and encouragement, and she sees her role

follow the leader

Leadership from a Mãori Perspective By Dr James Graham, Ngãti Kahungunu Iwi Inc.

Mäori leadership has its roots in the creation stories. We go back to Papatüänuku and Ranginui, and their children, who were gods born as manifestations of particular aspects of nature. So, Täne (god of forests and birds) for instance, was a leader in his own right. He ascended the heavens and acquired knowledge and bought it back, as well as bringing light into the world. Through those traditions we have legends that are spoken of, sung and chanted about, that represent those particular leadership feats or qualities. From Täne we have a 'leader who is a sheltering rata tree,' or is a 'totara tree standing tall in the forest.' They are metaphors representing characteristics of individuals who are able to stand in face of adversity, to defend, to stand tall as leaders and promote their cause, or the cause of their particular group, tribe, or organisation in times of need.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

While the Mäori language of metaphor dates back to the beginning of time, according to a Mäori worldview, interpretations transcend time and space where these very values and principles are key characteristics of contemporary realities of Mäori leadership today. Today, a leader has to demonstrate courage, and be able to manage different situations, and mediate different situations, and be able to maintain group unity, and to lead a community forward. Leaders have a broad vision, but also demonstrate those basic needs like care (manaaki) and love (aroha) for everyone. They have to be able to lead the community or group in big projects, as well as small projects.

Leaders have to know who they are; their tribal affiliations, and the context in which they reside, that is, knowing about themselves in terms of cultural background, but also knowing the wider environment. A leader has to first know who they are in order to know everyone else. The talents pümanawa associated with the traditional notions of Mäori leadership are considered inherited from the mother's womb. For the indigenous person, the sustenance a child draws from the placenta, whenua, is the same thing, but in a different context, as being sustained by the land, whenua, from which we are physically, as well as mentally and spiritually nourished. From a Mäori perspective we're all potential leaders, because of the belief we acquire innate talents prior to being born. While we might not have been born into a chiefly rangatira line, there's always potential, because we're complemented by what we gain from biology. Rangatira is a traditional concept which we know as a chief; a person who has been able to weave (ranga) a group (tira) into a position. Mäori leadership today is at the interface of te ao Mäori and te ao Päkehä (worldviews) and in some respects it's not too dissimilar from other periods in history. As Aparana Ngata said:

Kö tö ringa ki ngä räkau ä te Päkehä, In your hands the tools of the Päkehä. Kö tö ngäkau ki ngä taonga ä ö tipuna, In your heart the treasures of your ancestors.

“The talents pümanawa associated with the traditional notions of Mäori leadership are considered inherited from the mother's womb.” dr james graham kapa haka, or sports teams, or Pacifica." For Jenny Yule, "everyone has leadership potential," and part of her business model is to support all involved in Porse to achieve their ambitions. Magpies coach, Craig Philpot, says a big part of his leadership role, "Is raising self-awareness, because people often don't realise their skills." And being a rugby man, Craig thinks a leader needs to “put their balls on the line, and be a risk taker.” Neil Taylor did warn that, "defining leadership is grasping at straws," and he was sure Milton Friedman and Henry Mintzberg would agree. "Look at our leading cancer researchers," he said, "They don't get the QSMs or leadership awards, but they are leaders, and in 50 years they'll be recognised as great leaders in health research, who went unrecognised in their time." As noted earlier, leadership is defined in terms of historical context for Neil Taylor. "Slice of history," he calls it. But relevant right now, in today's 'slice of history,' are the elections for local government, and who our leaders should be. Liz Remmerswaal, retiring from the Regional Council after two terms, is clear about her approach to leadership. "It's about developing relationships of trust and shared knowledge, and a lot of the work is talking with the people you represent, interacting with them, and finding out what they think."

follow the leader

“We are not individuals in this life ... we're interconnected, and it is through our relationships we forge our understanding of life.” jenny yule, founder of porse in-home childcare

“What makes a good leader is the fact that some other people follow them.” neil taylor, retiring ceo of ncc opinions, you can’t have a good discussion, and you can't come to a balanced decision." So, as we ponder all the people offering themselves for election, deciding who will best represent us, your choices of who will make the most effective leaders are as good as mine. But as Neil Taylor pointed out, "It's not science, it's not complicated, it's not mathematical. A leader is no good unless they've got people who are prepared to follow them." And come 28 October we'll know the leaders who attracted the most followers.

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Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Clearly, as elected representatives, councillors need to make themselves available, and engage with the public. "When you're elected to Council you become public property," says Liz. "So, when I'm out and about people will approach me and talk about issues, or they ring me at home at night, and I give them my time. It doesn't matter when, or where it is, people want to discuss things."

And prospective councillor's might have to make some adjustments in their private lives. "My kids won't go to the supermarket with me any more because they know that I'll probably have a long conversation with someone. Same at parties. I can spend the whole time talking to people about council matters. I accept that as part of the role, and part of the service." Liz Remmerswaal's time on the Regional Council hasn't been easy, because she is often a lone voice on environmental and transparency issues, but she is reluctant to discuss the politics that saw her bullied and marginalised. Instead, she says, "Creating an atmosphere of good will and trust is essential for effective leadership, and healthy governance in any organisation allows for a diversity of opinions to be expressed. If you haven't got a range of

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Hawke's Bay's Blossoming

China Trade by ~ tom belford

China ruled the seas in the 15th century, only to withdraw in isolation. Now, the gates are open to Hawke's Bay traders.

Robert and Andrea Darroch in Shanghai

In the past 12 months, CEO Robert Darroch of Napier’s Future Products Group (FPG) has spent about 20 working days in China. He started doing business in China in 2006.

“The only ones who are successful [in China] are the ones who have made more mistakes than the others.” robert darroch Amanda Liddle replied: “Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. Don’t just go over, set up your distribution channel then leave it to the agent or whoever is working for you to run. You need to keep going back, visiting you customers and understanding the market.” HB Exports to China It’s frustratingly difficult to get one’s arms around the scope and size of Hawke’s Bay’s trade to China today (this

Percentage of exports that are exported to China by trade type Dairy Products

19%

Hides, Skins & Pelts

40%

Lamb

23%

Logs

59%

Sawn Timber

47%

Wine

Wool

52%

Total Exports (tonnage)

27%

Source: Napier Port

Continued on Page 22

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Darroch easily qualifies as one of Hawke’s Bay’s most astute China business practitioners. Does he know the ropes yet? “The more you go, the less you know”, he replies. “The only ones who are successful are the ones who have made more mistakes than the others.” Lawrence Yule has made 18 visits to China during his mayoral tenure, including two so far this year. He’s totally hooked on our China trading potential. Ngahiwi Tomoana, chairman of Ngäti Kahungunu Inc has made ten relationship-building trips to China over the last three years, and has hosted six Chinese delegations in that time. His China agenda is even more ambitious. And these veterans are joined by a small but growing band of Hawke’s Bayto-China road warriors, slowly gaining a toehold in that vast market. The spurt in New Zealand’s trade with China began with the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations in 2008. Today’s exports to China are valued at $5.8 billion, with $1billion growth for each of the last four years. By 2019, 96% of NZ exports to China will be tariff free. Importantly, this was the first FTA China had signed with any developed country. As such, the agreement carries huge political symbolic significance in China. And in China, where political favour leads, commerce follows. The higher the stakes, the more desperate the currying of political favour. Indeed, the NY Times recently reported in an article titled, Many Wall St. Banks Woo Children of Chinese Leaders, “bankers and lawyers said the practice of hiring the children of government officials was so widespread that banks competed to see who could hire the most politically connected recent college graduates.” That’s the extreme. However, to a person, every Hawke’s Bay exporter to China stresses that building personal relationships, while important to doing business in any situation, is vitally important with their Chinese associates. Asked about key ingredients for being successful in China, Export NZ’s

article is focused on our exports only). Overall, our export volume through Napier Port (all destinations) is about 3 million tonnes per year; 27% of that goes to China. However, businesses are reluctant to disclose commercial information, and government data is not broken down by regions. Our chief categories of traded goods to China present no surprise – logs and timber products, lamb and wool, hides etc, and wine. Trade types not in the adjacent table are inconsequential in current volume. The HB companies establishing our China presence include more familiar names like Ovation, Progressive, Apollo Apples, numerous winemakers, and less familiar companies like CSI Foods (processed veggies) and Darroch’s FPG. The consensus amongst those interviewed is that fewer than 100 Hawke’s Bay companies are presently trading in China. A major project of Business Hawke’s Bay (BHB), aimed at identifying Hawke’s Bay’s ‘export ready’ companies, and within that group, those pointing toward China, has been delayed awaiting the appointment (recently made) of Business HB’s new chief executive, Susan White. White says “international trade development including China is a high priority” and adds: “The goal for the China trade development project is fundamentally about supporting and accelerating market entry for those businesses who aspire for growth from China, or indeed other international markets. The theory is straightforward: identify interest and ‘export-readiness’ amongst potential Hawke’s Bay exporters to China, assist with building their trading know-how, identify collaboration opportunities, help make introductions into the market. In practice, not so easy. As one experienced China trader said: “Many Hawke’s Bay companies would have difficulty exporting to the South Island, let alone China.” Without exception, practitioners BayBuzz interviewed stressed the complexities of getting started in the vast and culturally unfamiliar China market. Most agreed that China was not the market where an eager new exporter should lose their exporting virginity. Robert Darroch, whose FPG Shanghai has earned ‘foreign-owned enterprise’ status in China, notes that even with a Chinese manager on the ground it took his company three years to sort out its supply chain, and as long to gain access to the lower ‘China price’ (as opposed to the price charged outsiders) on goods and

china trade FPG's Shanghai assembly line

When China Ruled the Seas In the brief period from 1405 to 1433, China ruled the world’s oceans. Under the command of eunuch admiral Zheng He, fleets of more than 300 ships, some nine-masted and as long as 400 feet (the ships of Columbus were 85 feet), made seven voyages through the China Sea and Indian Ocean, reaching the Red Sea, the east coast of Africa and perhaps even to Australia … aboriginal songs record the arrival of the golden-coloured “Baijini”.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

China was ruled at the time by Zhu Di, who also built Beijing’s Forbidden City. But then, with its navy prepared to round the Cape of Good Hope – leading to who knows what course of history – China turned inward, retired its navy, and rejected expansion. The Chinese emperor forbade foreign travel, and stopped all building and repair of oceangoing junks. A period of determined isolation began. In 1488, it was Bartolomeu Dias who rounded Africa, followed ten years later by Vasco De Gama, who reached India, and instead an age of European domination of the seas, world commerce and geopolitics followed.

“Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. Don’t just go over, set up your distribution channel then leave it to the agent or whoever is working for you to run. You need to keep going back, visiting you customers and understanding the market.” amanda liddle, export nz

Amanda Liddle, Export NZ

services. His 25 employees at FPG Shanghai manufacture food display cabinetry. So at the moment, no one really knows what the overall exporting potential of Hawke’s Bay businesses might be, let alone the China-focused component. And while there is steadily increasing collaboration amongst local councils, NZ Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), Export NZ, Business HB, the Chamber, EIT, as well as individual companies, there is presently no overall ‘China strategy’ for Hawke’s Bay. But help is available. NZTE is best positioned to make introductions and provide guidance to HB exporters seeking to enter the China market. Several current practitioners cite NZTE’s ‘NZ Central’ in Shanghai as an excellent facility – conference rooms, office

support, even a barbeque terrace – which Kiwi businesspeople can use as a hub to meet and entertain potential Chinese partners. Groups like NZTE and Export NZ routinely provide informational and training workshops and networking forums, but often these efforts are mostly focused on the largest companies. Wine sector ambitions Nothing Hawke’s Bay might export will dent the vast Chinese market in terms of volume. That said, for commodity products like logs and lamb, the Chinese can swallow everything we can provide. Mayor Yule notes that in five years China has become Hawke’s Bay’s largest market for lamb, starting from zero. Instead of volume, most Hawke’s Bay exporters to China will emphasize Continued on Page 24

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china trade

A People to People Relationship By Ngahiwi Tomoana, Chairman, Ngãti Kahungunu Inc

As far as Mäori delegations have been concerned, we have tried to establish ourselves firstly as a people with strong traditional links, even though ancient, with China, through our migration from the mainland to Taiwan, through Micronesia, Melanesia and to Polynesia and ultimately to Aotearoa. So in the first instance, we have reconnected on our cultural base. Secondly, subsequent visits have been around products with a cultural story, background and whakapapa. This is in the form of manuka honey, fish, herbs and spices, other primary products, meat, milk, and so on. We were on hand to launch the Miraka brand in Shanghai, a joint venture between Mäori dairy interests and Chinese wholesale and distribution networks. That one deal was worth $300 million dollars per annum. A lot more opportunities exist through tourism, and Mäori tourism have made a strong connection with Chinese Southern Airlines.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

But the main product is a people-topeople relationship, and understanding each other’s values and visions, so that when situations like the current Fonterra baby formula products issue flares up, there will be a high level of trust that can be resolved without too much agro or guilt from either side. My own aspiration is that our kaupapa systems be introduced into the ethnic minority groups, of which there are 120 million, within 30 or so tribes, mostly in southern-western China. These ethnic Chinese are being asked to leave their lands, leave their language and their culture to fit into the explosive Chinese economy. They are in danger of losing their cultural knowledge within a decade or two. Mäori have adjusted and fought for land, language and culture over nearly 200

years, and the systems we’ve developed to maintain these, such as Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Mäori Health, Whānau Ora, Wänanga and so on, could prevent huge cultural dislocation in the near future, for one tenth of China’s population. To me this would be Mäori/Ngāti Kahungunu’s greatest export achievement. We have referred to our visits as “Te Iti me te Rahi”, which means “all things, from the greatest to the smallest”. The Chinese nation is the largest in the world, and Mäori are one of the smallest. But we say that with our traditional kinship ties, this translates to TuakanaTeina relationships – an older sibling and a younger sibling. From these bases, that we will continue our overture into the Chinese commercial realms, using our culture and traditions to cement an enduring relationship. Ngäti Kahungunu is looking at forming a delegation visit to China mid-next year. Already, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tüwharetoa and Te Arawa are looking at a sister-city type relationship with two ethnic Chinese groups so far, namely the Miao and the Dong people of Guizhou province.

china trade China is Trinity Hill's #1 export market premium quality. Our wine sector is perhaps the best illustration. Although wine is NZ’s ninth ranked global export, it is not yet in the top 20 exports to China. Te Mata Estate first entered the China market in 2001. Today China is Te Mata’s second highest export market, and will soon be #1. China is #1 for Ngatarawa and Trinity Hill as well. What are these successful wine merchants selling to China? Superior red wines … red wines, with which Hawke’s Bay excels. Wine drinking in China is largely a prestige-linked behaviour – occurring in public in official, business and social settings, and often involving gifting – and the perception in China is that the prestige wines are red. Plus red wine, with its tannins, is much more suited to Chinese tastes and perceived as healthy. Consequently, Chinese wine consumption is dominated by reds, as much as 80% of the market. Voila! Hawke’s Bay’s red winemakers have exactly the right product for the market. Says HB Winegrowers Chairman Nicholas Buck, by 2014 China will be taking 1 in every 2 bottles of exported NZ cabernets/merlot, and Hawke’s Bay produces approximately 85% of NZ’s cabernets and merlots. Winemakers in the region recognize

the opportunity, and twenty or so have begun to plan greater collaboration to promote Hawke’s Bay reds in China. By Michael Henley’s (Trinity Hill) estimate, about 3,000 hectares of prime red wine grapes are planted in Hawke’s Bay’s best soils, which might yield 24,000 tones of premium grapes, producing 1.8 million cases of high value reds … more and more of them China bound. “No wonder”, says Buck, “that we are

A new style of heat pump has arrived

Continued on Page 26

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

The Designer Series

seeing producers of Hawke’s Bay wine travelling to China, opening offices in China, developing Chinese joint venture partnerships, expanding their Hawke’s Bay production base, and engaging more closely with New Zealand’s Chinese business community.” With a 50 million person upper class wine market to target, it would appear the sky is the limit.

www.HBR.co.nz 06 878 8002 / 06 835 8002 enquiries@hbr.co.nz

Authorised Installer of

china trade

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Te Mata's Nicholas Buck, chair of HB Winegrowers

Chinese-owned COSCO freighters are a regular sight at Napier Port

HB’s trading advantages As the story of HB’s reds illustrates, there’s no marketing advantage greater than having exactly the product specific consumers are demanding. But Hawke’s Bay has two other trading advantages. First, the political involvement of Hawke’s Bay’s councils with China is a valuable string on the bow. Jim Poppelwell, who after ten years in China runs a China-focused business consultancy, credits HDC “as the most active council in the China space.” “Mayors are huge!” says road warrior Lawrence Yule. He observes that a New Zealand mayor representing a few thousand people will be treated as a peer by a Chinese host mayor who represents several million. Political introductions for Hawke’s Bay companies from mayor to mayor “effectively create a permit to do business”, especially in cases where prior relationships do not exist. Behind the scenes, council economic development staff, mainly Steve Breen, forward the leads that arise from city relationships to appropriate Hawke’s Bay companies for them to determine if worth pursuing on a company-specific or industry basis. HDC is pushing for a regional strategy, including support for the ‘market-readiness’ project of Business Hawke’s Bay. Indeed, for all the China enthusiasm that our councils show (including their ‘sister city’ exchanges), some argue that what is needed is a more pro-active and strategic approach from councils, with resources directed accordingly, rather than ad hoc reacting to each seemingly promising new door knock. Yule would like to see the day when Hawke’s Bay can provision a Chinese-

speaking business guide here in the Bay to assist local businesses aiming to export. [To say nothing of assisting inbound interest. One China hand asks: “If I represent a Chinese business or investor and am interested in exploring opportunities in the region, who do I talk to? What if I’m more comfortable communicating in Chinese?”] Secondly, on a broader level, Brand New Zealand offers a valuable platform that Hawke’s Bay, as a significant food producer, is especially well-positioned to leverage. Several interviewees commented in various ways: “The Chinese simply like us and our country.” Beyond that, New Zealand means green, authentic and, when it comes to food, safe and premium. As Robert Darroch puts it: “If your product goes in the mouth or on the skin, then Brand New Zealand is very important.” But in every case, he says, “They want the real thing.” Correspondingly, the NZ reputation damage stemming from our recent series of food contamination scares would more likely be threatening to food producers than those exporting logs or hides or wool. As several traders said to BayBuzz, as attractive and important as China is as a market, it wouldn’t be prudent to put all one’s export eggs in one basket. An action taken by a single Chinese official just to make a point about suspicious meat or dairy products could be devastating to a HB exporter. And others note that for all the same reasons Hawke’s Bay is interested in China, the rest of the world is as well, and most of our competitors are better financed. Still, Lawrence Yule reflects the prevailing sentiment amongst HB’s

China hands: “We have an exciting prospect to export to China. They are looking for quality food products in droves … Hawke’s Bay has things the Chinese people want.”

Ingredients for Success in China • Determine if you’re hungry enough to persist and overcome mistakes.

• Find the right partners. • Commit to serious relationship building.

• Get close and listen to the market … don’t assume Chinese tastes are the same as ‘western’ consumers.

• Don’t think ‘China’ … think one city in China!

• Be prepared to spend, and to spend face time in market.

• Bring someone on the team early with in-market experience.

• Use the Kiwi help that is already there. • Collaborate with other exporters to achieve better scale and intelligence.

• Take advantage of HB’s council/ political relationships.

• Use the extensive resources of NZ Trade & Enterprise and Export NZ.

• Exploit the NZ brand, especially for products that go ‘in the mouth or on the skin’.

Ratepayers deserve referendum on dam.

I’m Running Scared by ~ paul paynter

tim.co.nz

The Ruataniwha dam scheme is a brilliant idea. Whoever first started pushing it is a visionary of the highest order. The food industry in New Zealand has two major competitive advantages internationally – a mild climate and abundant water. Hawke’s Bay is seen as a dry spot here, but still our annual rainfall is greater than Paris, Beijing or San Francisco … even London.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Since we have high costs of land, labour and are a long way from our export markets, it’s important that we make the most of our climatic advantages. The key problem rural producers have with water is that it’s sometimes not where we want it, when we need it. For this reason, any talk of water storage immediately excites me. Where do I sign up? However, just a handful of things worry me. Scale The Ruataniwha dam scheme is eye wateringly expensive. The HB Regional Council has an annual expenditure of a little more than $60 million, while the dam is set to cost some $600 million, all in. Big numbers get bandied about in the news all the time, such that we tend to gloss over them. $600 million is a lot of money for little old HB though. It’s the equivalent of central government spending $680,000,000,000 on behalf of the taxpayers. If you’re going to take that sort of punt on behalf of ratepayers, you better do two things exceptionally well – get your

numbers right and take the community with you. Expert Opinions Major resource consent applications are always accompanied by reports from experts. They assess economic impacts, environmental effects, impacts on transport and the like. My first experience in seeking professional advice of this nature was with a valuer. In order to secure a mortgage on an orchard, my bank required an independent property valuation. The valuer was very thorough. I spent about 90 minutes with him looking at the well and fencing, the driveway, soil types, tree ages, varieties and every other attribute of the property. His approach was scalpellike in its precision. At the end of the visit he leaned over to me and, in a hushed voice asked, “So, what sort of number are you looking for here?” Clearly I was paying the bill and he was keen to scratch my back. Now I’m not suggesting these experts would compromise their professional integrity in order to satisfy their client – but anything just short of that they’re usually OK with. So it is with almost every resource

consent I’ve ever seen. If an economist works for a resource consent applicant, their assessment will be sunny indeed. If they’re working for an objector, they’ll prophesize doom. The economists are the worst at this and, invariably, completely wrong in their forecasts. In defence of the dismal science, an investment like the Ruataniwha dam is impossible to accurately assess. You’re trying to predict the actions of many people, over many years, selling goods at some mystical future price. Normally an optimistic report on behalf of a council, trying to get things done, is no great crime. The HDC for instance, quite predictably, has fallen short on the Sports Park, Splash Planet and Opera House numbers. It’s usually only a $10 million or $20 million project and just another $50, added to your rates bill for the rest of your life, will cover any shortfall. But when it’s $600 million, you’d want the experts to be incredibly evenhanded. And then you’d want their reports peer reviewed by the smartest brains in the country right? They aren’t and they haven’t been. The assessment of the Ruataniwha dam scheme remains as casually optimistic as it is for every other resource consent. The pipfruit industry for instance, is forecast to grow significantly once the dam is built. This is hard to fathom, given the industry in CHB has floundered over the last 20 years. The three biggest reasons for this have been frost, hail and lack of labour – not water shortages.

with the prospect of losing their orchards, homes, and likely their marriages – they cheated! Many, at great expense, trucked in water from wells down the road. A few probably cooked the books on their water meter returns. They still experienced emotional trauma and financial loss … and they are furious. Accountability In the private sector, management is accountable, as Fonterra demonstrated recently. That dirty pipe ended at least one poor bugger’s corporate career. Managers of Pike River Coal are in the docks for that tragedy. And there are quite a few former directors of finance companies hanging out at home, adorned with ankle bracelets, or otherwise being detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Justice may not be comprehensive, but at least there is some. Local government incompetence is not treated so harshly. The councillors of the Kaipara District, who ran up a $58 million debt on a sewerage treatment scheme, only seem to have resigned and slunk off into obscurity. CEOs and councillors have a habit of ‘resigning to seek new opportunities’ well before things go pear shaped. From a CEO’s perspective it’s a tested and proven strategy – be the visionary and shoot through to your next job before the numbers go up. Choice The HBRC currently has no intention of letting us vote directly on this $600 million project. It’s a startlingly arrogant position. The councillors are indicating they know best on this one. You’ll get to make a submission next year, but won’t get a vote. If it were private sector investment you would get a vote of sorts. If say, Mighty River Power were building a dam, they’d likely have a ‘rights issue’ in order to raise more capital. Shareholders could take up their rights, buy more, or opt out, depending on their enthusiasm for the idea. For the Ruataniwha dam scheme it looks like you’ll get no choice. The HBRC will make the investment on your behalf and as long as you own land in Hawke’s Bay, you’ll be a de facto shareholder carrying the can. Again for $10 million or $20 million I’d shrug my shoulders. But for $600 million? I’m running scared. You do get one vote though – a vote for your regional councillors. If you do share my concerns then I’d suggest it’s time for a wholesale clean out of sitting councillors – and probably the CEO too. People get the democracy they deserve. Like many, I’m paying for my apathy. It’s time for change.

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Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Competence With a project of this size you need to have complete confidence in the management – in this case the management of the HBRC and its investment company. You’d have to turn a blind eye to their new offices, which leak like a sieve. It’s hardly a compelling ‘dry run’ for prospective dam builders. You’d also have to believe that any adverse effects on the Tukituki River would be suitably managed. Their track record there continues to wallow in toxic sludge. The HBRC’s most recent environmental coup d’état are the water bans. Imagine you’re a small peach grower in Twyford, on the exquisite light soils that abound there. You toil away pruning, fighting frosts and hand thinning your crop. A month from harvest everything looks perfect. That final month is a critical one though. The peaches go through the ‘final swell’ where they grow very quickly and absorb a lot of water … Well, they would, if the HBRC hadn’t turned off the tap. The peaches are the reproductive embryos of the peach tree and the tree responds as do distressed mothers of all species. They think: “There is no choice but to sacrifice this year’s progeny, so that I may live and bear fruit for many years to come.” So the peaches do not grow; they shrivel and fall. If the drought continues for two more weeks, you can expect to lose a good deal of next year’s crop as well. Two more weeks and you may well lose your trees. After many months of investment, most growers have a thumping overdraft. If the revenue fails to arrive, the banks are quite likely to force them to sell their land and their family home. Any new buyer of this land will have to factor in a likely loss of crops in the future, and so the land’s value is dramatically eroded. Future investment is also fatally undermined. All this might be OK if there is a genuine crisis, but even the HBRC’s own reports do not seem to indicate this. Further the RMA, under which water rights are managed, talks about social and economic outcomes as much as it does environmental ones. A light switch mentality to water management smacks of an organisation that is terminally out of touch with the community it serves. How else might a water problem have been handled? Perhaps earlier notice of an impending crisis; a staggered step down in water takes; a case-by-case evaluation of the impact on individual growers – there are many options for a regulator with a brain and a heart. Instead, growers must contend with ivory tower robots (in raincoats), who play God based on some computer model no one understands. What did growers do in the face of brainless bureaucracy? What every right thinking individual would when faced

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Postcards of Nostalgia by ~ DAVID TRUBRIDGE

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Picture this scene. It is 13,000 years ago and Europe is still under a small ice age. A Paleolithic person is crouched by a river, which is already running high from autumn rains. She watches two reindeer swimming across, as they migrate south to warmer weather. The female leads with the male close in her wake almost touching her rear. They swim low in the water – only their raised heads are visible, keeping their nostrils clear, the male’s antlers pressed hard on his back. At the far side they shake their newly developing winter coats and head south. Over the following days and nights the cave-person carves this into a carefully preserved mammoth tusk. The two animals follow the curve of the bone as they did in the arc of their swim. The proportions are perfect, every detail is faithfully recorded, even though most of the animals were invisible under water: the male’s antlers sunk into his fur, the shaggy streaks of the female’s new winter coat, the flared nostrils. It is a remarkable achievement when we consider that it was all done by memory. There were no cameras or even sketchbooks then. The only carving tools were stone scrapers, and probably much

of it was done by firelight. It is estimated to have taken about 400 hours so the tribe must have supported the artist. Why? Why did the artist do this? Why did the tribe allocate such precious resources to enable it? According to archeological finds, humans have always made art, from the emergence of Homo sapiens roughly 100,000 years ago in Africa. The first humans arrived in Europe about 45,000 years ago when the climate was mild. But the first art did not appear there until about 40,000 years ago, which coincided with the start of an ice age that turned Europe into something like northern Canada today. Conditions were harsh for all creatures, and it is remarkable we survived. Without the physical attributes of animals, our culture saw us through by passing on survival knowledge and wisdom from generation to generation. Part of that culture is art. Art is a key component of our survival by giving us social cohesion and something to cling to. It must be vital to our existence if every single race has always done it ever since. But why did Paleolithic art usually depict only animals?

I was recently hiking alone in a forest in Utah. I avoid crowds and sometimes head off trail for seclusion. I don’t carry a tent, preferring to bivouac on the open ground. I was sitting quietly after my dinner in a glade of pine trees. Suddenly the still evening was shattered by a violent crashing of the dry undergrowth. The hackles on my neck rose, a surge of adrenaline shot through me in fear, and I hissed reflexively. But it was only a mule deer a few metres from me in the clearing. We had both frozen motionless and stared at each other, eye to eye, two creatures linked by the wide open gaze which was all that existed for us at that moment. Her big brown eyes were dilated and her expressive large ears were still, facing me like antennae. After what seemed an age, she slowly moved off with deliberate high stepping moves. Then she paused and turned back to peer, quizzically at me again from around a tree, before finally disappearing. Now I don’t have a very good memory. But I remember that deer perfectly! Her image is etched into my adrenalinefired brain. And it was such a beautiful experience that I am compelled to tell its story. This is what I believe explains the reindeer carving. It explains how the artist

Photo taken after the experience described

“Suddenly the still evening was shattered by a violent crashing of the dry undergrowth. The hackles on my neck rose, a surge of adrenaline shot through me in fear, and I hissed reflexively.” which are still getting worse. One solution is to swing our culture back to become more Romantic … one that values, even worships, Nature. We have to learn how to reconnect to our environment and to each other, and to express that to others so that they can do the same. If we all feel more care and empathy for Nature, we would be less likely to exploit and destroy it. In our cities, in our self-referential left-brain world, we are too abstracted from that which gives us life, clean air, fresh water and food from the soil; and which also takes our waste. There is a new kind of art arising. It is not object art, it is activism. Artists are planting vacant city lots with wildflowers; they are encouraging urban gardens, recycling trash into useful items, creating local currencies, uniting communities with music and events. You can do this! You don’t need to be able to draw, but you do need to care. Every dollar you spend, every action you make is a vote for what you want. Each tiny incremental action makes a difference accumulatively. With this activism, we can shut out the cold throttling glaciers of mega-corporations. We can create our own communities that are connected and caring. We can use our art as a social glue to make us strong and self-sufficient, like the Paleolithic artists did in the last ice age, so that we too survive. We are all in this together.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

could memorise what they saw with such detail. It also starts to explain the ‘why?’ One of the most powerful emotions I felt in that experience was empathy with this wild free creature, something so rare for us today. In that empathy lay a feeling for the beauty of Nature and the free intuitive spirit of the animal. It suggests to me that this is what the Paleolithic artist also felt. They could sense something in the reindeer that they had lost: an intuitive connection to Nature. The creatures were wild and free, they didn’t question or doubt, they knew

instinctively when to migrate south, what food to eat, etc. But humans now had consciousness, had to make decisions, were worried about their survival, knew doubt. So they tried to re-connect to the wildlife they revered by depicting it in their art, trying to find that essence, that spark of life they had lost. Anthropologists have tried unconvincingly to explain the amazing phenomenon of cave art as magic ritual to gain power over animals they hunted, or as a trance induced Shamanistic rite. But this belittles artists. We don’t need to use drugs or trance to create art. In contrast, Clayton Eshleman in his book Juniper Fuse beautifully described cave art as “post cards of nostalgia”. I think he was right. We have done this art ever since. Later, we included the natural forms of vegetation and geology with animals and humans. Art, in its enduring reference to Nature, is our eternal longing for something we know we have lost. It is an expression of our need to reconnect. It helped us survive then. We are in a new ice age: not climatic as the world is of course getting hotter. We are in the cold icy grip of globalised megacorporations which are so big that they control governments, especially those like ours … only too keen to oblige. They care nothing for you, me or the environment; they care only for their profit, which many then stash away in tax-free off-shore accounts with impunity. Within their own limited left-brain thinking, it all makes rational sense; any feeling or empathy is irrelevant. Global exploitation has become a relentless juggernaut that no one knows how to stop, even if we wanted to. It is destroying our environment; it will go on extracting fossil fuels, strip-mining mountains, polluting rivers and oceans as long as there is anything left to exploit, including people. It has shown absolutely no sign of being able to respond to the crises of global warming and pollution,

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Mayoral Candidates on Social Wellbeing by ~ JESSICA SOUTAR BARRON

Janet Toki, matriarch

tim.co.nz

Our population is booming in two specific areas: Mäori, and older people. It’s been called the ‘browning and greying’ of Hawke’s Bay by politicians and policy planners. Perhaps the single greatest influence on the social well-being and growth of our community. And both these groups put particular pressures on our region, because statistically they are the less well off in our community. Whose role? Looking at the stark numbers, our financial bottom-line suffers and the demands on our social services increase when our population gets browner and greyer. Our fastest growing population segments are also our neediest.

Increased pressures brought on by the many effects of poverty – family violence, poor health, lower educational achievement, mental health concerns – bring increased pulls on resources. Project our population to 2031 and there’s no doubt it’s getting older – over-

65s will increase from 14% to nearly 25%. Currently 23.5% of people in Hawke’s Bay belong to the Mäori ethnic group. That proportion is projected to grow to 30% by 2031. What this adds up to for Hawke’s Bay’s councils is a call to closely examine the role of our leaders in ‘bettering our lot’, not just for those two groups most affected, but for the wellbeing of us all. A strong future for Hawke’s Bay means improving the lives of older people and of Mäori. How we do that is much debated, and specifically whose role it is: central or local government? Mayors and councillors, or MPs and government departments? Do we create local solutions for local problems, or do councils stick to ‘rates, roads and rubbish’ and let Wellington look after jobs, housing and education?

The Toki Family

Local everything Satellite training facilities linked to EIT would also help, Janet believes, saying that a local answer to social issues is better than one coming from central government. “Local everything, is what we need,” says Janet, using as an illustration changes to Housing New Zealand when they moved from local offices to a centralised call centre. HNZ has now gone back to casemanagers based locally. “Working near where you live would be ideal because we’re all about eliminating costs,” explains Janet. “To get by in life you need a plan and these kids can’t do that on their own, we’ve got to back them.” Janet believes our councils could learn a lot from families like hers. “We have to ask ourselves constantly: Is this something we want or something we need? We have to weigh it up. Schools should do that: Do we want a new playground? Or should we buy a van? Council could be thinking that way too – fix it, don’t replace it.”

Seniors Issues of connectivity, isolation and mobility dominate the challenges of

being an older adult in Hawke’s Bay. Bus routes that fully consider the needs of the user, roads and footpaths that are safe and accessible, communication links, and community hubs that support people in actively engaging in the world around them – all have heightened value when you’re over 65. Many of the issues are a series of tiny needs that cumulatively affect an individual’s quality of life. They might seem insignificant to others, but are in fact essential to that person’s wellbeing. It’s not a case of ‘grumpy old men’ (and women), but more one of when you’re older, holes in footpaths and seats in busstops are all-important. But there are also some more weighty issues involved, mainly connected to health. Vulnerable and isolated Marilyn Scott is the pastoral care coordinator at Heretaunga Seniors. The day centre provides meals, entertainment and activities to older people from across Hastings four days a week. In her role Scott sees a whole range of older people living with the full gamut of challenges. Scott’s experience is that there are many vulnerable older people in the community, and many living a very isolated life, so things like social gatherings, and transport to get them there are literally life-savers. One of the really good things Hastings District Council has done in the past is to provide Heretaunga Seniors with vans, now it’s down to the centre to keep them running. “That was enormous for us because a real inhibitor to people coming along is transport. Our main goal is to support Continued on Page 36

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Janet Toki has a greater understanding than most of the effects of poverty, unemployment and poor housing. As the mother of an 18 year old and a 17 year old, she can also see first-hand how challenging it is for young people to move from school into work or training. And with eight other children at home, every day is a series of decisions directly connected to the necessities of life. She is an articulate and thoughtful matriarch of a large Mäori family caught in the middle of a tangle of classic social challenges. All exacerbated by having 11 children and a husband recently let go from his job as a truck driver. The story of the Tokis is perhaps an extreme case, but there, within one family, is a snapshot of many issues surrounding families all over Hawke’s Bay. They’ve recently moved from two units owned by a private landlord in Hastings to a six bedroom home in Napier, owned by Housing New Zealand. “One of the single biggest questions in Hawke’s Bay is housing,” explains Janet. “Among houses owned by HNZ many are empty, but those in private dwellings are really suffering. Rents have skyrocketed and conditions are pretty bad.” After husband Conrad lost his job the family couldn’t keep up with rent payments and were evicted. They were homeless until a Hastings District councillor got involved, working closely with the family to get them a place to live. “It was a fluke we found him because I don’t know who any of our councillors are or what they do.”

Education and employment Education is another area where Janet believes Council could step in and help out. “There’s a lot of families out there struggling to get their kids to school. If there were minibuses or vans that could pick up children and take them to school that would really help.” Janet puts her older children on a 7.30am bus to get them to school in Havelock North. They get home at 5.30pm. She drives her other children across to their school in Hastings. “It’s important to me that they don’t move school because that is where their bonding and their self-esteem is being built. Don’t look at my 18 year old and try and find a solution for him, look at my little ones – if we can find solutions for them, we have 10 years, 20 years to put them in place. Self confidence and security are very important and a lot of that comes from the school. Prevention is better than a cure when it comes to social issues.” Janet describes how many people living in poverty would rather keep their kids home than admit to difficulties such as a lack of transport or food for school lunches. “Council could also help with employment for our youth. There’s so many parks and gardens they could get young people working in them, that would give them a good start.”

Rachel Dailey rachel.dailey@sothebysrealty.com

M: 027 487 1231 D: 06 877 0903 Each office is independently owned and operated. SHB Ltd (Licensed Under The REAA 2008) MREINZ.

social wellbeing

“Among houses owned by HNZ many are empty, but those in private dwellings are really suffering. Rents have skyrocketed and conditions are pretty bad.” janet toki

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

people to live independently in their own homes, that is made much easier because we can go and pick them up and get them home again,” But annually Heretaunga Seniors receives limited funding, and no support from the council. “We get nothing from the DHB or from HDC, but we provide assistance for many issues including nutrition, depression, isolation. I’d like to think that Council would come to talk to us. I don’t think they even know we exist.” Heretaunga Seniors sees 100 people through its doors every week and relies on the goodwill of 30 volunteers who work with seniors alongside two paid employees. “It’s up to little agencies like us – but it can be very hit and miss. For every one we see there are probably five or six who should come. But we’re dealing with a generation that’s self-reliant, independent and they won’t ask for anything. We have a real cross section of people, some can afford to come to every session, some can only afford to come once a week.” Sessions cost around $12 and included is a two-course hot meal. Some attend, but leave before the meal because they can’t afford it. “I’ve visited homes in winter where the power is off. People have no energy, they get depressed, they are less inclined to feed themselves properly,” says Scott. Health needs Trends in health in the community at large, alongside an increasing older population, mean the needs traditionally associated with age are being seen in younger people.

“People in their 50s and 60s are experiencing issues connected to old age, including diabetes, arthritis, obesity, depression, so they’re older, younger,” explains Scott. An added complication in the lives of some older people is younger generations who move in with them. “Quite regularly the elderly are subsidising their children – people in their 80s have their children moving in with them, and they may be in their 60s, and there’s often health issues involved too, and that can be a real strain on that older person.” There are also many seniors who are primary caregivers to grandchildren, yet another set of issues. In some cases additional pressures come hand in hand with abuse and violence. “Some of our elderly are at risk from their own family members. We often know there are problems at home because we see that person on a regular basis and we flag it if they don’t turn up, then we can do home visits.” Greater sharing of information between doctors and other health professionals could mean older adults are referred to places like Heretaunga Seniors. Issues with isolation, loneliness, depression and poor health could be alleviated, at least a little bit, by people attending social hubs. “Our local representatives should be meeting with medical practitioners and asking ‘Where are the gaps for our most vulnerable?’” A lack of connectedness is a theme, in terms of councils’ knowledge of what’s happening in the community, and the

community’s knowledge of what services and help is available. “I believe councils can never forsake that role of social wellbeing. It is not enough to just stick to rates, roads and rubbish. Vunerable people can also fall through the cracks between local and central government as they bandy about whose role it is to help. “One of the challenges is that social spend is hard to budget, unlike roads and rubbish, because councils can’t get quotes on what the issue will cost them to fix. But the real test of a society’s health is how they treat their most vulnerable – their young and their old.”

MAYORAL CANDIDATES RESPOND Come October when local political candidates become our mayors, chairs and councillors, an eye to the needs of the most vulnerable will be key to growing the strength of the whole region. Local solutions targeting the current and predicted needs of our very particular community will be paramount in ensuring we have a future that sustains all of us. Connectedness will be vital, across agencies, but also between agencies and the people they are there to help. At the top of the pyramid will be our mayors. Decisions on spend, priorities, direction and long-term planning will come from them, so their stance on councils’ role in social wellbeing is all important. We asked the nine mayoral candidates in Hastings and Napier what they saw as the responsibility or role of local councils for dealing with these issues (as opposed to central government). We also asked each how they, as mayor, would address poverty in our region. Candidates’ responses are published verbatim, with no amendments or deletions. Continued on Page 38

social wellbeing

John Cocking

napier city mayoral candidates John Cocking

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Poverty is obviously a problem for Hawke’s Bay. Many of our citizens live on much less than the average wage and we have a high percentage of beneficiaries. Councils are restricted in what they can do to alleviate that poverty. The recent 2012 Local Government Act I feel will further restrict their ability. The answer to poverty is jobs. Not everyone can work but full employment for those who can, would make a huge contribution to solving the problem. Local bodies can help create those jobs. Assisting small business start-ups, using local businesses wherever possible and promoting Tourism to increase the wealth of the city and therefore job opportunities are examples. Community development also has a large role to play. Helping communities help themselves. I would see Napier City Council encouraging community based schemes to pass on skills to young people to help them into employment. Similar schemes in Otorohanga have proved very successful.

Bill Dalton I don’t do anything with BayBuzz, so I’m not interested in being part of the article.

Rob Lutter Education is one of the long term solutions, stronger schools providing a better education for all students so they can reach their true potential. We also need to have a stronger impetus for further education at our very own EIT, with a push

Bill Dalton

Rob Lutter

on much needed trades and IT courses. Health services that is proactive in prevention and more affordable doctor and prescription fees for our lower families. Councils providing our communities with first class open spaces, amenities & infrastructure. All making our cities better places to live. Job creation through economic development is the solution. We need to be encouraging more growth of our current businesses and nurture up and coming new businesses. With the expectation that this will provide much needed new work for Hawke’s Bay.

the hardship is real. Left unchecked, poverty leads to complex social problems that impact on us all. Local Government can and should be more responsive and proactive about this issue. People need hope, help and opportunities; as Mayor I would do everything possible to provide all three. We need practical, positive initiatives that tackle both the cause and results of poverty. We need to start with the basics such as food and shelter. Addressing the 100+ vacant state houses in Maraenui would lead to positive change, as would lobbying Central Government to ensure better co-ordination of social spending in our region. Improving Council partnerships with existing community groups should be a core focus for the future. Seeking World Health Organisation ‘Age-Friendly’ designation would maximise the health and wellbeing of our current and future senior population. Driving economic growth/job creation through streamlined systems and a ‘can do’ solution-focused Council approach is also required.

Michelle Pyke As Mayor of Napier City my primary focus will be ensuring that my Council team is both proactive and reactive in terms of community engagement and social wellbeing. The most critical factor for improving the situation for many in our city is the creation of sustainable jobs that pay at least a living wage. The Council’s planned business park is a wise investment that will contribute support for new business growth, the source of new jobs, and EIT will strive to educate people for those jobs. However, too many people are losing hope of achieving a better life, or worse, any life at all. As Mayor of Napier City I will provide strong leadership on issues that affect our vulnerable communities – my area of both expertise and experience, from all perspectives. I have a blueprint for achieving better reach and engagement at no more cost, through better cross-sectoral and political collaboration at the top, across the region – as Mayor of Napier I can lead that change for a better Napier and HB.

Roy Sye Poverty is a real issue in Napier. Though many people may have no insight into the way poverty negatively impacts on every facet of everyday life, for those who live ‘below the breadline’

David Trim I see Council’s role as that of being a positive influencer in regards to addressing poverty. Council has the ability to change behavior for the better through partnering with others and encouraging positive behavior to bring about social change. An example would be using leaders within local iwi to take on the main task in supporting and providing role models to disadvantaged young Mäori. Council could have a positive influence on this process by providing support, training and opportunities for organisations that help these young people. For example, Council could offer a partnering scheme whereby willing unemployed people would be placed alongside willing council workers to provide work experience opportunities and help our community at the same time.

social wellbeing

Michelle Pyke

Roy Sye

David Trim

We have to explore all ideas as the situation of poverty is very complex and I believe the solution will have to include many facets in order to be successful.

I see local government’s role in this area as a facilitator, rather than a principal provider. To be truly sustainable, social service delivery must be driven by the community itself – by the people who best understand the need. In my own experience, as initiator of the Kai Collective in Flaxmere, board member of Rugby League Hawke’s Bay, and Chair of Age Concern Havelock North, it comes down to finding the right people for community leadership roles and giving them the resources they need to do their job. As mayor, I would work towards greater sharing of knowledge and resources among community organisations to ensure that the central government funding we do receive reaches those who need it most.

Simon Nixon

HASTINGS DISTRICT mayoral candidates Wayne Bradshaw Social service delivery is almost always hampered by organisational issues, rather than the skills or commitment of people on the ground – be they medical professionals or community volunteers.

Insufficient income contributes to social issues and Mäori and Pacific people are 3 times more likely to be unemployed. I don’t believe it is the HDC role to provide direct support for people in need, but rather it must create the environment for an expanded economy. Instead of projects that increase debt and council spending such as the $8-$9 million for Civic Square upgrade, we must concentrate on things that will expand the economy. Fruit picking and other low wage, limited skill, seasonal and uncertain jobs are not the solution. We must improve the education and skill levels in our community and I propose a Continued on Page 40

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

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social wellbeing

Wayne Bradshaw

maximum effort to get 1000 a year more Government-funded local tertiary positions, as well as expanding other meaningful, skill creating options. We need to rebuild our tourism industry, and for this to happen a better air service including direct flights to Australia is essential.

Lawrence Yule The issues around low GDP growth, poor health statistics and job opportunities are the biggest challenges facing the region. In simple terms we are falling way behind. The region currently operates in a completely fragmented way without truly identifying the size of the challenge. If I was able to make changes I would do the following:

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

1. Appoint one Chief Executive to manage the complete Government spend in the region across health, education, welfare, housing and employment. Currently the region receives nearly $900 million per year from the Crown. It is my view that a significant portion of this is wasted on short-term, non-sustainable contracts that are not connected. Equally there is no regional Master Plan to prioritise this spend around agreed outcomes. 2. Put significantly more resources into competing for business activity to stimulate job growth. 3. Reorganise the Councils to a Unitary Authority to allow one Mayor and Council to systematically approach the problem.

Simon Nixon

Lawrence Yule

Brown & Grey in the Bay Statistics • By 2031 over-65s will increase from 14% to nearly 25%

• Median income nationally for those 65+ is $15,500

• In Hastings, there will be more elderly than children somewhere between 2021 and 2026. Currently there are just above 6 elderly for every 10 children

• Median income for Mäori in Hawke’s Bay is $19,200

• By 2031 people in Hawke’s Bay belonging to the Mäori ethnic group will grow from 23% to 30% • In Hastings, 56% of Mäori males and 49% of Mäori females are under 25 • HB’s median income is $22,600, set against the NZ median of $24,400

• In Hawke’s Bay, 45% of Mäori and 31% of all ethnicities over 15 have no qualification • In Napier and Hastings, about 15% of youth (15-24 years) are not in employment, education or training • Among working people, 12% are Mäori, whereas among the unemployed 30% are Mäori

Barbara Byford with Marilyn Scott, pastoral care coordinator at Heretaunga Seniors

Transparency You Can Trust by ~ tom belford

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

of transparency. The HBRC’s process has With the election season upon us, sown nothing but distrust. undoubtedly the clever candidates, So, what kind of practices do constitute especially amongst the incumbents, will genuine transparency … the kind that can again pledge themselves to ensuring improve outcomes and trust? What should council ‘transparency’ if they are elected. candidates commit to? It’s an easy promise … a throwaway line. But what does ‘transparency’ really First, Zero will they come out of the closet mean? How might you tell if a candidate by ~ Louis Chambers, Generation with respect to their decision-making is sincere in his or her promise? What processes? concrete measures might give his or For example, would the candidate ban her campaign promise some grunt? I’ll the use of public-excluded ‘workshops’? suggest some possibilities. Workshops are meetings behind closed But first, why does transparency matter? doors for councillors to deal with politically risky issues. Instead, workshops – open to Better outcomes the public – could be used to help educate Weird things happen in secrecy. The the public on vexing issues … especially if more public business is conducted in the made available for online viewing. open and the more elected officials know Will the council publish periodic they are being watched, the better the reports on their use of public-excluded outcome. Or, at least, the more likely that sessions and on denials of all Official outcomes will be arrived at for justifiable Information Act requests? These reports reasons and based on reliable evidence. would help document the ‘openness The entire ‘game’ is lifted. Councillors quotient’ of our councils. can’t afford to look foolish or churlish or unprepared. But those who are foolish, Second, will they use technology to make churlish or unprepared can be readily their decision-making and themselves spotted … and ideally replaced. more available to the public? For example … full, unedited Greater public trust webcasting of council proceedings. Let Frequently our elected officials need to many more people witness the decisionmake tough calls and balance competing making process firsthand, at their own values. Not everyone will be happy with leisure. Many of us thought we had secured every outcome. But, everyone should be this online window into the Regional satisfied with the process. Council. However, HBRC has backed Was the investigation thorough? The off full webcasting and archiving to save data and reasoning sound? Were various $10,000 … “the cost of our hot lunches”, points of view heard on a level playing noted one councillor. field? When the process is transparent, Will the councillor maintain a website voters or ratepayers can be educated and led in directions they might not at first have or Facebook presence to report on his or her official activities, explain issues and considered or endorsed. decisions, and seek public feedback on The Regional Council’s railroading of matters before the council? its dam scheme is the perfect antithesis

Third, will they actively seek public engagement? Will they hold at least some council meetings in the evening, to convenience the working public? Will they sponsor public forums or town meetings on key decisions Hawke’s Bay is facing – such as HDC’s forums on GMOs, fluoride and, coming in October, oil development? Not propaganda sessions to sell a council party line, but serious examination of pros and cons. Ask candidates to identify an issue that might merit a council-sponsored public forum. Will they allow meaningful citizen deputations on major issues – not the current 5-10 minute drop-by’s, but serious presentations by informed community groups? Fourth, will they support council amalgamation as a way to simplify public engagement with decision-making? Those who seek to understand – let alone influence – council decision-making are overwhelmed by the redundancy, inconsistency, and buck-passing of multiple councils. Wheeling and dealing amongst our five councils further obscures what is going on and prevents accountability, while frustrating effective involvement by community leaders from all sectors as well as the broader public. The ‘transaction costs’ are huge. Amalgamation is a friend of greater transparency. Support for measures like these separates those council candidates who are just mouthing the word from those truly committed to transparency. A good starting point for deciding which candidates you can really trust … and a great indictor of which candidates are likely to listen.

 TOMForBELFORD Regional Council Speaking up for YOU!

As BayBuzz editor, people approach me daily about their hopes and worries for Hawke’s Bay. I listen. I hear concern that our current councillors won’t make the right choices about our water, about risky dams and oil development, protecting ratepayer wallets, maintaining our assets, and growing sustainably. To tackle these issues, I’ll bring fresh energy, independent thinking, creative solutions, and genuine teamwork to the table.

LET’S LIFT HAWKE’S BAY FROM GOOD TO GREAT! HERE’S THE WAY ...

  

Yes, if we’re smarter about it, we can have both more and better jobs, AND protect our environment. We’ve got to get it right on water! We’re not ready to gamble on fracking, GMOs or a $600M dam … their risks haven’t been adequately assessed, let alone accepted.



Councils must treat our citizens with respect … that means full information and genuine consultation before making major decisions.



We need a unified vision & efficient planning for Hawke’s Bay … and that includes amalgamation.



On these counts, our current Regional Council isn’t delivering.

visit Tom at: www.tombelford.co.nz Authorised by T Belford, 40 Raratu Rd, Havelock North

TechFocus

Jungle drums change software delivery Keith Newman talks to a computer coding company that’s encouraging businesses to close the server room, outsource their software and get on with what they were there for in the first place.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

It’s a technology jungle out there, with annual software upgrades, clunky business processes demanding gruntier more expensive servers, and a snake pit of twisting cables and connections that require a gaggle of geeks to keep everything compatible and communicative. Ahuriri-based Red Jungle is one of a new breed of developers cutting through the complexity of the old school computing model, using the internet to deliver software and services to the desktop, notebook, tablet computer or smartphone. Like many others letting light in to the new world of ‘cloud computing’, the company is identifying gaps between traditional software and a more efficient and effective approach to business technology, for clients across the country and in Australia, the US, UK, Netherlands and Singapore. Red Jungle founding director Phil Gale, says software as a service (SaaS) is a natural progression for many companies. Locallybased Xero accounting software has been one of the trailblazers. “Internet banking was a major hurdle people had to get over, the next one is accounting where a lot of sensitive information is shared. Once we get past the trust aspect and discover the convenience and ease of connecting, it will pave the way for software in general.” Gale, a self-taught software architect and graphic designer, didn’t really have a clear career direction when he left school. A fascination with computers; initially games on the Sega and then Amiga computers, saw him drifting toward the technical side. Drawn into the web Born and raised in Hastings, he ran the Phoenix BBS; one of the first bulletin boards in Hawke’s Bay, for many years. “That was in the early 90s before the web was viable for most people; it ran over Dad’s phone line and it used to drive him mad.” Gale and his wife moved to Havelock

tim.co.nz

Red Jungle founding director Phil Gale North and then Napier where he was initially employed as a web designer and ‘a one man band’, consulting and eventually taking on larger projects including working on the Hastings District Council intranet. As web sites moved from brochure -ware to more interactive and functional places, he found himself engaged in writing the code behind the scenes that made things happen. Around 2006, it became obvious the software market was going through major changes, and as the demand on Gale’s skills grew, he took on a couple of likeminded developers and founded Red Jungle at the dawn of what was becoming the SaaS or cloud computing industry. The name was whittled down from a list of ‘slightly funky’ options, ultimately chosen through domain name availability; the logo, at first glance a red weta, had to fit the jungle theme. “It’s some kind of bug which is slightly ironic for a software company.” Questions were being asked. Did companies really need a computer room full of servers and back-up systems humming away in the background

connecting a network of desktop computers with their own suite of business software? Online anywhere software Growing confidence in fast internet as a robust infrastructure meant information could be accessed from a browser anywhere at anytime. With secure hosting sites looking increasingly bulletproof, why couldn’t they also back-up and remotely deliver business data and applications to any device? The Microsoft .NET development house with a focus on Microsoft’s Azure online cloud computing platform, quickly found its high end skills in demand creating business to business (B2B) software for clients who identified a need. “It’s a symbiotic relationship. They see a problem in their industry and then call on us to take what’s in their head and turn it into software,” says Gale. Havelock North-based Wallace Developments, a property development and management company, with offices in Auckland, Tauranga and Palmerston North, used Red Jungle to completely re-engineer its Re-Leased software package.

The property management software helps people manage their commercial portfolios; the latest cloud-based version launched in January is now being used in four countries. A similar niche was identified to help assess and manage claims on behalf of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). “Companies of a certain size are able to manage their own claims processes and self-insure but it has to be done to an industry standard and meet all the right regulatory requirements.” After listening to what a client wants, and doing ‘due diligence’ on what they’d like to achieve, Red Jungle presents its take on what software as a service can deliver. “Typically clients say they want to build X but after talking to them it turns out they actually need Y.” Red Jungle admits it can’t help some clients who are encumbered with legacy software written in older languages unless they consider ‘migrating to the cloud’ as part of their overall software strategy. “That way you’re not dealing with legacy systems or people who are used to developing desktop software; it’s a very different skillset.”

A team effort The founding Red Jungle team, including Gerard van de Ven, a former employee of Royal Philips Electronics in the Netherlands and US software engineer Matthew Hintzen, brought not only top level skills but existing clients. Napier Port uses van de Ven to maintain and support its main in-house applications, including Port Control, which manages all movements of ships, tug boats and mooring gangs. Red Jungle is also involved in a number of other systems at the port, including developing an application that runs on mobile scanners over wifi to track the movement of palettes of wood pulp as they come off trains and into the sheds for export. Hintzen continues to work with North American safety consultancy firm BST, after designing its core Windows desktop system. Red Jungle has now upgraded that software to become cloud-based and is helping it expand internationally with foreign language and IT support. Singapore-based Mioraki, which has its main software development centre in Hastings, also outsources to Red Jungle for its online content management system for publishers and newspapers.

Taking its own advice Earlier this year Red Jungle moved into new premises in Waghorne Street, a few hundred metres closer to the centre of Ahuriri, to gain more space and to get ahead of what it believes is boom time for the edgy suburb. “Everything is outsourced or in the cloud. We put in a half-size rack because we knew we wouldn’t have all that hardware hanging around. I don’t want to spend my time playing around with hardware, I’m a software developer and that’s what I’m good at,” says Gale. Being freed up from having to manage the technology also means the company can be more focused on doing what it’s there for. In other words Red Jungle is taking its own advice. He says SaaS has changed the game entirely and for many traditional software development houses presents a window of opportunity. “If you identify a niche where no-one has developed a ‘software as a service’ application you can do that quite quickly without having to manage and migrate existing users.” Red Jungle now employs nine developers, including interns from EIT, and is always on the look out for skilled coders. “Ahuriri is a vibrant place, the communications infrastructure is fine and while we’re here for the lifestyle, all the young developers seem to take off for Auckland or Wellington.” Ideally Gale would like to see more opportunities for software careers in Hawke’s Bay. “If you look at the job market in New Zealand for ASP.NET developers versus Linux or PHP or Ruby on Rails web tools or Java developers, people are falling all over themselves to find .NET developers — salaries are skyrocketing and there’s huge demand.” While Red Jungle can’t keep pace with the current workload, Gale is sure he could “rattle up more work” without too much difficulty, if the right skills were available.

Founded in 2007 MOGUL IS

HOMEGROWN and proudly independent

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Elegant interfaces While much of Red Jungle’s work is down at the zeros and ones level where most people’s eyes would glaze over, it’s Phil Gale’s job to use his design skills to transform lines of code and complicated processes into what he hopes is elegant simplicity. “The user interface experience is really important and the bar has been moving steadily upwards.” He says the gold standard is Xero, which has the tagline ‘beautiful accounting software’ presenting a challenge in a world of ugly competitors. Gale says the user interface (UI) needs to keep things simple and get things done in the least number of clicks possible. “It’s got to be like a swan which appears graceful on top but underneath its legs are going flat out.”

Red Jungle was one of the first Xeroaccredited developers, creating add-ons and integrating the accounting package for on-premise use and connecting online services to each other. “We’re not turning out throwaway code, we’re designing solutions that are robust and fit for purpose for a long time.” Of course mobility is driving much of the business, creating mobile html (web) interfaces that are accessible on tablets and smartphones. “It’s a big growth area and that’s where things step up. Rather than having to build three or four interfaces for a desktop and mobile devices we develop one set of code for everything.”

Parent Nurse Counsellor Teacher by ~ ROY SYE, Principal, Tamatea Intermediate

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

special needs, cyber safety, road safety, When the Government announced the thinking skills, values, vocational guidance, $1.9 million a year deal expanding the behaviour initiatives, new technologies… Sanitarium and Fonterra ‘Breakfast in and the list goes on. Schools’ programmes, it was met with cries This presents boards, principals and from both ends of the political spectrum. staff with a challenge to work out how to From the Left that it wasn’t enough and prioritise what we spend our money and from the Right it was an abdication of timeZero on, what we can realistically and parental responsibilities. by ~ Louis Chambers, Generation successfully deliver, and most importantly, For schools the answer is never black what is best for our students. and white. Social issues such as poverty But increasingly this is only part and hunger directly impact on a student’s of the equation. The current focus ability to learn and operate successfully and attention on the social roles and in a school environment. A hungry child responsibilities of schools is an additional can’t concentrate. If that same child and growing pressure. can’t concentrate they can’t learn. And The other day we had a social worker if they aren’t learning they typically end come in to our school as part of their up disrupting the learning of others. In classrooms around the country and around training requirements to observe a ‘typical’ day for pastoral care in an intermediate our region it is increasingly difficult to school. We are a reasonable sized midseparate the social dimension of students’ decile school, and we encounter various lives with their learning. challenges on a daily basis, but we do For educators, it’s impossible to stand by not have to cope with the larger or more and do nothing. Perhaps it’s the nature of extreme demands of some of our high our chosen nurturing profession, where school or lower decile ‘cousins’. After the welfare and wellbeing of children is about two hours of what was a ‘quiet’ paramount. We can’t ignore the very real morning, the social worker came to see challenges some of our students face, but me with a glazed expression, struggling this means we are caught in a political noto comprehend the range and volume of man’s land – the more we do, the greater issues that had arisen in that short time. the expectation becomes; but if we don’t For my team and the many others in act, children will suffer. similar situations all over our country this volume is just the ‘new’ norm. But it Multi-tasking got me thinking about what is now being Schools are busy places. Our primary expected of our schools. A quick check responsibility is the delivery of effective around my colleagues and it is clear our teaching and learning programmes. school is not alone. There has been a In addition to the delivery of core steady growth in the types of issues schools programmes there is a constant flow are dealing with and a general expectation of requests and demands for increased from families, the Government and society curriculum coverage, languages, that we will provide the support and achievement targets, financial literacy, solutions necessary to resolve any issues as reporting , planning, drug education, and when they occur. physical activity, sexuality education,

Range of social roles Getting a better understanding of the range of ‘social roles and demand’ currently impacting some of our Hawke’s Bay schools has been eye-opening. As one colleague put it, “We are now supposed to be the mother, the father, the nurse, the doctor, the counsellor and the police officer – all on top of being the teacher!” Recently there has been plenty of conversation and media coverage around the voluntary ‘Breakfast in Schools’ programme, which offers food items to schools free of charge. It is then up to the schools to sensitively manage the running of the programme using staff, parents or others in their community to ensure it effectively reaches the students who need it. Implementation varies between schools – in some it is a daily offering, while in other schools breakfast is provided two or three mornings a week. One principal whose school provides breakfast twice a week said, “We have to be careful that what we start providing is manageable and sustainable otherwise it can be confusing for the kids. It would be great if it wasn’t necessary, as it does tie up a fair bit of time and energy, but the need is definitely there.” And it’s not just breakfast that is being provided to some students; in many cases schools are also providing additional food supplies for emergency lunches from their operational grants. Another increasing social demand is caring for sick students. Schools are reporting a higher incidence of ill children being sent to school as parents struggle with getting time off work or finding alternative care options. As a result, many school sick-bays are regularly full to overflowing, tying up staff involved in their care or requiring time dedicated to tracking down

Parenting versus schooling There will be many who will simply view this as an abdication of responsibility by parents who become increasingly reliant on schools (aka The State) to pick up their roles and duties. But where does it end? Questions are asked about the short and long-term impact, including what happens during school holidays and weekends? Who will provide the breakfast? The medical care? The clothing? The key question: does this set the benchmark of parenting responsibilities for future generations? Ideally we need more stable families raising resilient children, supported by stronger communities. But the key word here is ‘ideally’. Economic factors and lack of parenting knowledge and skill are all contributing to blurring the line between parenting and schooling. The message is clear from our school and others like us – we care about the health and wellbeing of our students, but we wish we didn’t have to focus so much of our resources on dealing with social issues. We wish we could instead redirect this time, energy and resources to teaching and learning. But to do this we need students who are ready and able to learn. Is there an alternative? Ultimately, like most things in life the reality relates to money. We are constantly told that the ‘cupboard is bare’ and we’ve got to be more creative and efficient in how we do things. So perhaps it is now time to rethink how social services to children are delivered across the whole region. Social service spending in Hawke’s Bay as a whole is significant … in the range of $800 million, with hundreds of providers. Schools provide a natural point of contact at which many of these services could operate – children are together in one place for extended periods of time, we have established relationships with families

and whanau, and we can provide valuable information and background on the spot. So rather than families and schools having to go out to access these services on behalf of children, would it not make more sense that providers proactively screen and target their delivery as an integrated part of all our schools? Not only would this approach provide better access to help, less chance of children ‘falling between the cracks’ and improved data sharing, but it would also ensure that any duplication and wastage of services is reduced. Perhaps clustering schools geographically and providing a sliding scale of personnel, intervention, screening and support based on ‘need’ could be the initial model. This would involve regular, ongoing visits, sessions and screening by social workers, counsellors and nurses who could deal with those things and then they could escalate issues appropriately. Current systems – especially with counselling support and interventions – are occurring too late, when the problem has already become severe. There is a stigma about going for help from the likes of Child Youth and Family or even a medical professional. Providing easy and free access to these same services in a school environment could help break down some of those barriers and provide better outcomes for our children. Many schools would welcome the opportunity to have funded social services and agencies pick up the support workload in their schools. It just requires a different approach to delivering services that are already funded, to better meet the needs of our children. If our schools are to be our community’s one stop shop, we need a new approach. We need proper resourcing so teachers can teach and students can learn. We need much more than just a few free weetbix!

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

emergency contacts. There are also cases of schools taking students to doctors or nurses, to address infections, infestations or illnesses that parents are either unable or unwilling to address, usually due to cost or the logistics of getting to a doctor or clinic. Another reported trend is more students seeking first aid for injuries received out of school, requiring dressing, strapping and treatment. Pastoral care and guidance, traditionally the domain of high schools is now central to school at all levels. Many primary schools must now provide staff to help support and counsel students through family issues, friendship issues, self-harming, substance abuse, Facebook disputes, or help students cope with trauma or tragedy. This may involve direct help and assistance from school staff, or trying to coordinate social agency support. Attending Family Group Conferences, Restorative Justice meetings, writing reports for Family Court lawyers, CYFS referrals and advocating on behalf of students are all forms of additional support schools are providing. Yes, there has always been an element of this type of work for teachers, but the anecdotal information from schools is that it has increased dramatically in recent years. Financial hardship in many communities has seen more schools having to provide support to cover some of the essential learning tools like school stationery, uniforms or subsidising educational activities like fieldtrips. These additional expenses are either being absorbed from school budgets or time is being spent seeking sponsorship or external assistance. This is just a ‘snapshot’ of the types of additional support occurring in our schools. But all take time, energy and resources away from the core activities of teaching and learning.

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Sponsoring insight into smart farming in Hawke’s Bay

A Fresh Soil Campaign for Hawke’s Bay by ~ phyllis tichinin

Let’s ‘grow’ humus (on right)

Hats off to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council! On second thought ...

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

HBRC actually has a Resource Management Plan Objective 38 that states there should be no long-term degradation of the physical or biological properties of the soil. This would be truly commendable if something was actually happening on the ground to make this goal the important reality that it needs to be. I mean, if we don’t have natural, functioning, fertile soils eventually we don’t eat and the water quality kills us. With the 600% increase in NZ urea use in the last 20 years and a five-fold intensification of farming slated from the proposed Ruataniwha Dam, it’s time for a rethink. How could we do this better? Farmers don’t want to be the black hats in the environmental quality shootout. In fact they can be – are meant to be – the good guys, growing ever more soil humus to produce medicinal quality food while purifying the water and making more money. Regrettably, this is not the current view

of what agriculture is capable of. But biological farming experts, like Arden Andersen and Graeme Sait, are transforming the mind set and performance of farmers around the world. Fruit and vegetable growers in South Africa now must pass a four-day sustainable agriculture course and show improvements in soil humus levels and nutrient density if they want to sell to the Woolworths food chain. Global food giant Dole, once synonymous with massive pesticide applications on fruit, is moving its production to a biological programme. The City of Los Angeles is adopting a biological fertiliser approach for all its park and recreation areas. The shift is definitely happening. Let’s steer Hawke’s Bay agriculture into the OK corral. So, what could a Fresh Soil Campaign for Hawke’s Bay look like? First, we need to enhance farmers’ understanding of soil so that everyone ‘gets’ that there are now better ways to achieve cost-effective farm results. The Association of Biological Farming is a great place to start a paradigm shift (www.biologicalfarmers.co.nz)

Second, the agency responsible for environmental quality, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, needs to realise that how we fertilise absolutely determines water quality. Given the ongoing examples of entrenched attitudes on this important point, it’s probably time for a complete change of faces around the Regional Council table. The councillors need to be open to cutting-edge science and willing to see the links between excessive fertiliser use and their core environmental mandate. With the commitment to fantastic soil quality firmly entrenched at the HBRC, the third step is a farmer outreach programme. This could be modelled on the Regional Council’s successful campaign to shift householders to proper wood burners. Farmers could be encouraged to attend a course that covers the basics of soil microbes, mineral balances and farming for root depth and humus. Hawke’s Bay is well endowed with traditionally qualified soil consultants who are also biological farming specialists and could offer this education. Once the basics of real soil fertility are conveyed it would be time for farmers to learn how to tell whether they’re making headway or going backwards with their

So how might farmers work toward achieving these soil humus increases? Well, through best farming practices – annual green manure crop incorporation on cropping soils or every fifth year fallow to pasture, reduced use of urea and Super P, full spectrum soil remineralisation, use of humic acid buffers for all synthetic fertiliser applications and a preference for liquid foliar fertiliser applications. Elaboration of these techniques could be part of the farmer education programme. This is the farming of the future that solves, rather than creates, environmental problems. We can be the first region in the world to officially, actively encourage best practice humus farming. What are we waiting for?

The science behind biological farming Reinstate balanced fertiliser, emphasising calcium and trace elements, pamper your soil microbes, feed them well and they grow dark, rich, water holding humus at ever increasing depths. This boosts production and reduces the need for pesticides while pulling greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere for long term storage in the soil. It means we can grow more crop on less fertiliser with markedly less irrigation. The cheapest, most efficient water storage scheme is to hold water in the soil, in humus. This could be integrated with smaller scale and on-farm water storage to create a multihub, reliable and flexible source of water that doesn’t force existing farmers to sell, or tempt fate with a single large dam on multiple earthquake faults.

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In contrast, the standard dry applications of synthetic nitrogen, potassium and phosphates fertilisers scorch soil microbes; pull crucial minerals off the soil matrix; prompt leaching of these nutrients; contribute toxic elements like uranium, fluoride and cadmium; and burn up soil carbon. The way fertilisers are being applied to farms now IS the cause of the water quality deterioration in the Tukituki. 21st century science demonstrates that it is possible to produce greater volumes of nutrient-dense food, with a fraction of the fertiliser and pesticide use and with negligible nutrient loss to the environment. This is achieved by focusing on meeting ALL the plants’ nutrient needs in a balanced fashion and in a manner that boosts soil microbe activity and soil carbon/ humus levels. The farm management changes needed to achieve this are minor and profitable. There is nothing to fear from adopting a soil biology-centric approach to farming, even if one is a conventional fertiliser company. A Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer floored me with this admission several years ago, “Phyllis, the reason we all farm like this and meekly take the 250 kg Sulphur Super recommendation from the fert rep every year is because we don’t know enough about soils to challenge them and we’re afraid to admit our ignorance, so we just go along with it.” Graeme Sait is teaching a four-day biological farming course in Napier in November. See the Nutri-Tech Solutions website at www.nutritech.co.nz

JM Bostock is committed to sustainable, GE-free land use, leaving fertile soils and clean water supplies for future generations. We also believe in creating solid business relationships, securing a healthy future for Hawke’s Bay agriculture.

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Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

most valuable farming asset, their soil. Dr Graham Shepherd of Palmerston North has developed an elegantly simple procedure for determining progress onfarm at next to no cost by grabbing a spade and using your eyes and nose. It’s called the Visual Soils Assessment (VSA) and it is widely admired overseas. Many biological farmers and firms already use the VSA for charting soil progress over time. The VSA could form the basis for a regional council soils incentive programme. Farmers would receive a subsidy to switch to a fertiliser and cropping regime that grew soil humus levels as documented by reaching and holding VSA scores of between 1 and 2. They would soon find that the reduced pesticide costs and increased yields would be incentive enough, but a bit of a sweetener to get the ball rolling wouldn’t go amiss. A 1% increase in soil carbon levels every three years would be an easily achievable goal. Ideally, we’d want soil carbon levels to be at 12% plus and holding. Dairy farmers in CHB have already shown that it is possible to boost soil carbon levels by 2-3% in 18 months. Seeing as bank research in Australia found that the most powerful overall indicator of farming profit was the level of soil carbon, everyone should want to grow humus in their soils. At some point in the future, if VSA or soil carbon readings weren’t rising, then Regional Council penalties or rates increases could be imposed for not reaching soil improvement targets. Or Fonterra could get on board and add achieving soil improvements to its list of milk pick-up criteria. After all, ‘FontTerra’ means a productive source, a fountain, of the soil or earth and their ability to produce quality milk rests on humus levels.

New Zealand excels at renewable energy

Join the Silent Majority by ~ Louis Chambers, Generation Zero

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Editor’s Note: In August, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser announced that “New Zealand has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2020”, a weakening of the Government’s previously stated target range of 10-20% below 1990 levels. Scientific advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates developed countries like New Zealand should be making reductions of 25-40% below 1990 levels on average to put the world on track to protect the globally agreed two degree warming limit. In a 2012 survey by Horizons Research of just under 3,000 New Zealanders, 64% said that Parliament should be doing more about climate change, and 68% said that businesses should be doing more. This is the silent majority who are concerned about the issue and who believe that New Zealand ought to be doing its fair share. Unlike the vocal minority of environmentalists, the voices of this silent majority are not often heard. They’re simply ordinary New Zealanders who care about the world that we hand to our children and who want to be part of the solution. They know that climate change is too important to be left to a fringe group of environmentalists, and they know that

confronting it will require leadership at all levels from all ends of the political spectrum. This silent majority no doubt takes heart from the increasing evidence that countries around the world are taking climate change seriously. China, whose per capita emissions are far less than New Zealand’s, has launched a price on carbon which will cover 700 million tonnes of carbon emissions, almost double the 380 million tonnes of carbon emissions covered by Australia’s price on carbon. President Obama, after difficulties passing climate change legislation, is taking the initiative and using his executive powers to roll out limits on emissions from coal-fired power plants and a host of other measures to promote clean energy and energy efficiency. In Scandinavia, they’re a long away ahead of this curve. Denmark has a fully costed plan out to 2050 for how they will transition to a fossil fuel free country – one where they use no coal, oil or gas for their energy needs. After peaking in the early 1970s, the Swedes have been reducing oil consumption year on year, and achieving sustained and positive economic performance at the same time.

What happened to ‘fast follower’? These developments give the lie to the line that New Zealand is being a ‘fast follower’. As we continue to bury our heads in the sand, with our Government in fact reducing its commitment to rolling back greenhouse gas emissions, it’s looking like we’re being left behind. What’s at stake is New Zealand’s share of the growing global economy in low-carbon goods and services. Price Waterhouse Coopers valued New Zealand’s market share of this economy at $7.5 billion to $22.5 billion. Investment New Zealand was even more optimistic, suggesting New Zealand could create a $150 billion highvalue, low-carbon export economy by 2025. Behind these big numbers lie big opportunities – using our established skill with renewable energy generation to help countries around the ‘ring of fire’ exploit their geothermal potential. Or offering skills and resources to support the Pacific nations who were promised $635 million for renewable energy investments at this year’s Pacific Energy Summit. In a country awash with renewable energy potential – our wind energy potential alone is three times our current electricity demand – we could also seek to attract energy-intensive industries to New Zealand, lowering their carbon footprint at

“The risk ... is that, in an increasingly carbon constrained world, we’ll be late to the party and face heavier costs when we are forced to change our infrastructure at the last minute.” then. And each individual who fought in the war was just one individual. Our army was small compared to that of the United States, Great Britain or Australia. Our participation did not guarantee the success of the war effort, nor did it guarantee its failure. And yet thousands died and thousands more gave years of service for a cause that was greater than themselves. We could have chosen to free ride on the work of others. We could have sat by and hoped for the best and, if the allies had still won, enjoyed the peaceful aftermath, albeit knowing that we’d done nothing but cheered from the sidelines. The war was won because countries like ours didn’t let the cynicism of individual action undermine the urgency of the collective challenge facing the West at that time. This time, the collective enemy isn’t a foreign country. But as a young person looking ahead at the next 50 years, the challenge feels just as important. That’s why I’ll stand with the silent majority and say that it’s time we got on board. Generation Zero is an organisation of young New Zealanders promoting solutions to climate change through smart transport, clean energy and healthy liveable cities. http://generationzero.org.nz www.facebook.com/GenerationZero

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

a time when triple bottom line accounting and business sustainability are becoming the new mantras of the corporate world. An inspiring example of business collaboration exploiting this renewable potential is the recently announced biofuels partnership between Norske Skog and Zed Energy. Norske Skog is a paper processing facility already leading the way in low-carbon energy – they’re the world’s largest direct user of geothermal energy. They also have lots of leftover wood waste. Zed Energy, who acknowledge that they are currently at the ‘heart of the problem’ see that wood waste as a potential source of biofuel to replace imported oil at the pump.

Ignoring the warnings The risk of not getting on board is not just that New Zealand farmers will be hit with more severe droughts, or that extreme weather events will become more frequent. The risk that really matters to New Zealand is that, in an increasingly carbon constrained world, we’ll be late to the party and face heavier costs when we are forced to change our infrastructure at the last minute. In 2007, we were given our first big fright when United Kingdom supermarket chains like Tescos started thinking seriously about ‘food miles’, and choosing local produce over imported goods on the basis that this would lower the carbon footprint of the product. Knowing the consequences of being locked out of even a small part of the European market, we scrambled to point out that there’s far more to the carbon impact of food than how far it travels. The next warning came when, in 2011, the European Union launched plans to make aeroplanes flying in to the European Union pay the carbon cost of their travel. Should measures like this expand to other commodities, New Zealand would be forced to pay the carbon cost that we’re currently avoiding. Whether the push comes from heightened consumer consciousness or from governments, it seems we are heading towards a world where the ‘carbon intensity’ of your supply chain really matters. The factors driving this global shift are diverse; often it’s concern about climate change. Sometimes it’s based on the pragmatic recognition that oil, coal and gas are limited resources. Other times, it’s a concern for energy security. As a country that spends $8 billion per year on imported oil, New Zealand knows the costs of oil dependency all too well. But fundamentally, when New Zealand decides whether to join in this global effort or not, we are also making a moral decision. In 1939, Nazi Germany’s fascist policies posed a threat to global stability and fundamental principles of human dignity. New Zealand was just one country back

tim.co.nz

THE BEST YEARS OF

OUR LIVES

The Whelan family

by ~ K AY BAZZARD

Bringing ‘em Back

– A Return Worth Making A recent Statistics New Zealand report describes as a popular myth the belief that half of the New Zealanders who move overseas for a few years for career experience return home. In fact, many more stay away, and the report concludes that there are no clear reasons that might entice more New Zealanders to return. Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Over half a million Kiwis are living longterm or permanently overseas and they are likely to continue seeking stimulating overseas work with no certainty of returning. All rather disappointing. In order to understand better the motivations of these adventurous Kiwis, I surveyed several who were still overseas as to why they stayed away. Staying away There are no real surprises here: Exciting work opportunities (and big salaries) not available in New Zealand, a love of the cosmopolitan big city life, proximity to holiday destinations for short travel trips. Coming home is less likely when Kiwis reside in their partner’s

country and culture, and the longer they are away the harder it is to leave their new networks abroad. Noticeably, single people and those whose identity is strongly tied to their overseas career are inclined to see Hawke’s Bay (and NZ as a whole) as a backwater with little to offer. Returning feels like a very unrealistic thing to do. I also spoke to returnees to survey their decision. Returning Priorities for returning include: Homesickness in all its forms; for Hawke’s Bay weather, the region’s beauty and lifestyle and the ease of commuting; the network of old friends; a powerful

sense of identity and wanting children to be brought up as Kiwis; valuing extended family relationships, siblings, grandparents and especially the joy of the kids forming sibling-like bonds with their cousins; affordable housing compared to elsewhere. However, with the decision to return comes acceptance that wages will be lower than they are used to, fewer work opportunities, the need to be adaptable and innovative in finding good jobs. This group frequently mentioned that a good work-life balance was possible in Hawke’s Bay. Parents getting on with their lives When adult children who live elsewhere think of their parents, they may be viewed as ‘young-olds’ and ‘old-olds’. Many ‘young-olds’ lead vibrant, independent lives free of family responsibilities and obligations. If they can afford to, they travel to visit their family overseas, pursue work interests and recreational passions and devoting themselves to themselves. For parents whose adult children are not living locally this is the best option for personal happiness, although it may not be a choice they would make themselves. It is also noticeable that children admire their independent parents, encouraging them in their lifestyle and love the

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opportunity to come on a holiday visit with the kids or vice versa. ‘Old-olds’ are an altogether different matter. The nagging doubts emerge when Mum has been widowed or Dad as had a stroke and Mum is struggling to keep it all afloat. The backwash of these major events falling on the stronger partner – finances, house maintenance and the sheer loneliness of being trapped and isolated. Suddenly health makes the difference. They are now vulnerable and this is when parents seriously need the support of their children. This is the clincher – will the family rally and will the kids come home? My elderly neighbour, whose family members all live elsewhere, has lived a fiercely independent life for the past 20 years since her husband died. She wanted to avoid worrying her family and was proud of her ability to manage. After several falls and mishaps, she now has various members of her family constantly at her side and is gently being manoeuvred into a resthome villa with all services laid on, something she has resisted with great ferocity until now. When frail elders are able to accept this move by reconciling themselves to the change, they make it easier for themselves and their adult families, but it is daunting to sell up and admit to a ‘geriatric’ status.

“It seems from my informal research that the event of having children and being unsupported by family with only your partner to rely on is one of the most common triggers for coming back to New Zealand.” Finding work in Hawke’s Bay Obviously, returning families can’t live on air, so a job must be found pretty quickly. For some, like the entrepreneurial Miranda Smith, founding director of MS Homecare, starting up a hugely successful business means making your own good fortune. Chris O’Reilly, Tina Symmans and quite a number of others, qualified by successful corporate careers, now operate business consultancies from here unlimited by being in the provinces. Fiona Conroy of Conroy’s Removals came home to take over the family business to allow her Dad to retire. Many more returnees find work with the big employers of skilled workers – the hospital, Heinz-Watties, the local authorities such as the Hastings District Council, the education sector and the primary industry research organisations. For some, returning feels like a risky decision needing careful planning. For others it is simply time to come home, just packing the bags and turning up in the Bay, hoping that life will fall into place. Whichever way it is done, for those I spoke to it was a return worth making.

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Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Life events make the decision for you Returning to New Zealand after many years away can be a huge wrench unless there is a powerful trigger that forces a change of thinking. When a serious life event occurs, thoughts are likely to turn to home and the loving support of one’s parents, the extended family and old friends.

It seems from my informal research that the event of having children and being unsupported by family with only your partner to rely on is one of the most common triggers for coming back to New Zealand. Another is the sense that “we can’t do this any more” – when a career reaches a plateau, or loss of a job, a debilitating accident or depression, being in debt from the London lifestyle. Add to this the pressure of overcrowding in the big cities, high cost housing, the demands of life in places like middle-class Britain or Auckland … not the type of environment they want their children to be brought up in. Then Hawke’s Bay seems like a dream worth aspiring to. The four Whelan girls left Hawke’s Bay for extended periods; now all but one are settled in Hawke’s Bay. Jae lived in England and France for ten years; Kim was in Australia for four years; Claire lived in Ontario, Canada for five years. Claire describes the nature of family connections as being different from when you live nearby: “It’s more intense when your parents come to stay with you for weeks at a time.” She says “But we love being back and our kids have wonderful memories of being snowed in.” The plus side is that close family and friends in Canada come here for visits. In September 1965 my parents waved me off at Princes Wharf in Auckland believing they had seen the last of me; yet fifteen years later I returned with my family. Similarly, my middle daughter Megan and her husband Ryan left for England in 2001, found exciting jobs, bought a house, had two children, were embraced by the English Bazzard clan … and still returned to Hawke’s Bay. I was ecstatic!

a TRIP down

gemco road Renaming two iconic Napier streets as their own maybe bold and a little tongue in cheek, but when you consider the road travelled by the Bay’s leading construction business in ten years it’s by no means a misnomer.

Any discussion with the personable and focused Gemco head Darren Diack is always, always about three things: people, attitude and quality. They’re the foundations of Gemco’s everyday growth, determiners and success, why staff turnover is almost non-existent and projects are always completed to agreed timeframes, within agreed budgets and to the highest quality standards. Gemco was conceived from the Pratley Project Management Company which Terry Pratley and John Sarten had started in 2001. They had identified a sizeable gap in the commercial construction market and approached

Diack in 2003 to join them to start up a fully-fledged construction company. Diack had 20 years leadership experience in the local building industry working for Carters in senior management roles and knew just about every carpenter in town. He was over the corporate red tape and wanted to be part of a business where staff came first. Together they assembled the best team of builders, quantity surveyors and project managers with 90% of them still an integral part of Gemco today. New staff members are selected both on attitude and skill – but attitude first, that’s what drives successful outcomes. There is a structure in place but there is

no hierarchal emphasis. Everyone is as important as each other. “In fact” says Diack, “the most important people in Gemco are the loyal hardworking team of guys and girls out there doing it, building the museums and grandstands, painting the schools and offices and doing all of the other physical work that pays for us in the office”. “We have 106 Hawke’s Bay families earning their living and playing their part in our region’s economy under the Gemco brand. Ten with multiple family members; dads, sons, siblings, cousins engaged within our construction, trades or administration teams.” Gemco enjoys strong relationships with

advertorial

“We have 106 Hawke’s Bay families earning their living and playing their part in our region’s economy under the Gemco brand.” darren diack

its subcontractors, consultants and clients alike. The culture of the organisation is well known in the industry and attracts like-minded business partners who enjoy working with Gemco in a collaborative working relationship. The culmination of the first ten years of the journey is the opening of the new MTG (Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery). Two years in construction and the most prestigious and rewarding project to date for the company. Napier Mayor, Barbara Arnott, when asked about Gemco’s performance on the MTG stated, “Gemco’s strength is the partnership they create with the client. Gemco worked with the Napier

City Council on the $18 million MTG project to get the best possible results, professionally and financially.” Diack has history to burn in the new MTG. “My grandfather’s company, George Diack Builders, won the tender for the major 1953 extension to the museum and my father and uncles worked on the project as building apprentices. This extension was massive at the time and was opened by the Prime Minister, Sydney G Holland. Gemco returns the support they receive locally in to a multitude of community based sponsorships; the annual Gemco Ocean Swim, associate sponsor for the Art Deco Weekend,

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Gemco's major presence in Napier CBD

gold sponsor of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union, major sponsor of the Hawke's Bay Primary Principals Association, plus a wide range of community activities based around staff and clients. Add to that, the fact that over 70 apprentices have completed their training under the Gemco banner in the first decade, this shows the commitment Gemco has to the HB community. Families love to celebrate, Gemco’s no different. The handover of the MTG happened to coincide with Gemco Construction's General Manager Ashley Hartley’s 65th birthday and Gemco’s 10th birthday, so over 200 staff, business partners and friends joined in a memorable birthday bash at Sileni Estates. The second decade has started with the ‘establishment’ of Gemco Street and Road in the centre of Napier (known to many as Hastings and Dickens Street). Having completed the MTG, the Masonic Hotel and the Art Deco Trust shop all adjacent to each other on one corner, during construction the corner was known internally and externally by the media as Gemco corner. And now with Gemco having six projects under construction in Hastings and Dickens St, it fits with the company’s professional but fun approach to rename the location as Gemco Street and Gemco Road.

MTG hawke’s bay

tim.co.nz

an indicator of our vitality by ~ douglas lloyd jenkins Writing 600 words on ‘why we need a museum’ seems a rather strange thing to be doing only days before the doors are due to open at the new MTG Hawke’s Bay. This process seems to belong to the other end of things; the beginning, when no one else (well perhaps just a few) believed that a strong and vital museum was a good idea, let alone the cultural lifeblood of the city and the region in which it sits. So there it is, my argument – that a strong museum (theatre and art gallery) is a key indication of the vitality of the

region in which it sits. It is the place from which we as a community and culture can measure our progress, and the place others will collect in order to examine our achievements and our failures. This in a nutshell is why we need museums and indeed art galleries. Yet some are, I hope, only now realizing this. The delay, in part, is because they have only recently encountered the exterior of the new MTG Hawke’s Bay building and realized its potential and that it makes them feel rather good about the place in which they live.

I write those lines knowing that, following this another writer has taken up the exploration of some of the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust collection’s finest holdings. This is a glimpse of museum content and the visuals always win out in the argument for why museums matter. No one really takes the ‘community treasures’ proposition seriously until you put items, rather than figures, in front of them. Museums are a case in point – where balance sheets can never be a true expression of value. It is through the display of its collection that the concept of a museum really comes to life. Our collection – that of the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust – is one of the region’s largest publically owned assets. The collection is owned by the people of Hawke’s Bay, governed on their behalf by a Trust. The collection has been built over 150 years, through gifts, bequests, loans and deposits from all types of New

Douglas Lloyd Jenkins

Zealanders who, in a myriad of different ways, have felt a connection to Hawke’s Bay and who have decided to deposit their treasures with us for the benefit of all. Over the years that tradition of giving has built into not only one of the largest, but also one of the most admired and respected collections in the country. Where MTG excels is the way in which we’ve learnt to make the collection work for us. We see the collection as a way of bringing together endless expressions of wonder, aimed at both locals and visiting audiences. Right now, as MTG reaches completion, it is a good time to recall that the new building was always promoted as an opportunity to create an exterior package that expressed the wealth that lay within. If a museum celebrates all that a place can do – affirming our collective beliefs and acknowledging our collective achievements – then an art gallery can be seen as a place of collective creativity.

Art galleries create spaces accepting of new thinking, or at least with the willingness to engage with complex, challenging or abstract ideas. This is a space that illustrates to the country (and to the world) that it can handle ideas, creativity and innovation at the highest level. These are attributes that move outside of the sphere of creative production; qualities that attract business, investment and tourist attention. Art galleries can speak of the past, present and future, and of the possibilities of a place. That MTG Hawke’s Bay not only brings museum and art gallery together in the same space, but also incorporates a theatre – an iconic space in its own right that brings its own vitality. This trifecta makes the MTG project unique, not only in this region but anywhere in New Zealand – an innovation of which Hawke’s Bay should be immensely proud.

“No one really takes the ‘community treasures’ proposition seriously until you put items, rather than figures, in front of them." douglas lloyd jenkins mtghb director

no cobwebbed display cases here Think of museums of old and images of dark, dusty display cases filled with relics of times gone by probably spring to mind. Dim lighting and oppressive wooden paneling were also frequently on-hand to add an unintended sense of heaviness to the historical hoardings on display. by ~ robyn mclean

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

The role of museums is multifaceted. They are the keepers and protectors of objects, many of them gifted, which have importance and interest – not only locally, but also nationally and sometimes internationally. They educate us, enriching our knowledge about who we are and where we live. They are gateways not just to the past but also to the future. While it might sound slightly ironic given their content, museums need to move with the times to stay relevant. There’s no doubt museums now compete with the Internet – where curiosity can be satisfied via a simple Google search. Does that put museums at risk of extinction? Absolutely not, but it’s essential museums of today establish their own identity and provide something not just for those who live in its surrounds, but also to visitors and academics from afar. Here in Hawke’s Bay our museum and art gallery is set to reopen its doors after a sojourn of more than three years. It’s set to be reborn as a jewel in Hawke’s Bay’s crown – offering a bright, modern space

that also includes a theatre. You won’t find any cobwebbed display cases here. The big reveal It’s never ideal for a city to be without one of their cornerstone attractions for such a long time and sitting in his temporary office in Ahuriri, MTG director, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, is counting the days till the big reveal. The rooms behind him are a hive of activity. White-gloved specialists are preparing collection items for the opening in late September. A moa skeleton is being painstakingly reassembled, while the famous bronze maiden known as ‘The Bather’, by Italian sculptor Emilio Greco, stands in a packing case solemnly waiting for her admirers to return. Jenkins thinks the new purpose-built MTG will offer a fulfilling experience to anyone who walks through its doors, from locals to tourists. “I am pretty confident that everyone will find something they like.” While there’s nothing like a grand opening to Continued on Page 60

1 Bell from HMS Veronica, on loan from Napier City Council [69643] This bell was presented to the citizens of Napier by the Lords of the Admiralty in 1937. It acknowledges the crucial assistance provided by the sailors of HMS Veronica, who were in port at the time, after the earthquake, and is rung from the Veronica Sunbay twice each year to commemorate the event.

Napier Technical College uniform, 1930s, made for McGruer’s (Napier) Ltd, gifted by the Pond family, collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, 2009/44/1-3 When the 1931 Napier earthquake struck, student Harold Pond was trapped and buried in rubble at the Napier Technical College for more than an hour. This shirt was cut from him by medical staff tending to him. While Pond survived, eight boys and two teachers died at the school. Jenkins says the shirt and the story it represents is a poignant reminder of the earthquake. “This was cut from him in the hospital. He survived, but when he died his family found this shirt neatly folded up in the hotwater cupboard.” 3

2 Portrait of Annette Stiver, 1931, Christopher Perkins (b.1891, d.1968), purchased by Friends of the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust, collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, 2013/37 Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

A recent acquisition, Jenkins says he hopes the painting will become an iconic work for MTG. “Christopher Perkins was a very major 1930’s painter and this painting was created in 1931, the year of the Napier earthquake. The woman, Annette Stiver, was either his major patron, his mistress or both.” Jenkins says it’s unclear whether she’s wearing a dress or the artist’s red dressing gown, but regardless, it depicts a stylish 1930’s woman.

mtg hawke's bay

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

set butterflies aflutter, in even the most composed museum director, Jenkins seems to have his wits about him. He is confident MTG exhibitions will demonstrate the depth and complexity of the collection, which contains more than 100,000 objects. Aside from trying to secure funding streams, the challenge of a provincial museum, Jenkins says, is to not be provincial. “This collection presents an enormous asset to the region. What we are putting in here are all things that are treasured in a lot of different ways and I think that shows how kind of complex our thinking really is. Around the world, the quality of an art gallery or museum is a big thing in what makes a city attractive. “I remember talking to a couple in the gallery before we closed. She was a lawyer and he was a pilot and they were about to retire. They were Aucklanders, but had decided to retire out of Auckland. She said ‘we’ve got a short list and it’s Napier or Queenstown’ and I said ‘how are we doing?’ And she said ‘you have an art gallery, they haven’t’. I thought about that and I think it is quite key to how you think about a town and a region. This is a very old collection and it is a very rich one. You know things we are putting in front of you, but it’s [also] a weird eclectic mix, but that’s us and it’s what the region is. The Hawke’s Bay region is not like every other region and it should be proud of that.” Worldwide, museums and galleries cop criticism for being ‘icebergs’ – only displaying a fraction of their collection. Jenkins understands the frustration. It’s not uncommon for him to receive calls from people saying they have an item they would like to gift to the museum, but only on the condition it goes on permanent display. Jenkins says he’ll never make such a promise, as it’s essential the collection is circulated as much as possible. MTG will have a minimum of nine new shows every year, ensuring the collection’s turn-around time quicker than most of its counterparts. So with such a large haul of treasure, how did Jenkins and his team select what would be in the opening exhibitions? The wry smile that crosses his face suggests it hasn’t been an easy road, but in the end they decided they wanted to create a loose theme of ‘home’ to run through all nine exhibitions. “We [came up with] the notion of home because we are coming home to the building, the collection is coming back in front of the people who it belongs to.” MTG will be open from 21 Sep 2013, every day 10am – 6pm, except Christmas Day For more information on MTG visit:

www.mtghawkesbay.com

4 Tahä huahua food preserving gourd kua noho pani te taonga nei unprovenanced kua takohatia e Lady Florence Maclean gifted by Lady Florence Maclean te kohinga taonga o Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, 38/252 This rare container was once used by Mäori for preserving food. There are very few surviving examples of such vessels left and Jenkins says this piece has been included in the opening show because it is in keeping with the idea of care and nourishment which he hopes will resonate throughout all the pieces on display in the opening exhibitions.

5 Horse and Rider, c1935, Chrystabel Aitken (b.1904, d.2005), purchased by Hawke's Bay Museums Trust, collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, 2011/27 Made of plaster of Paris, this Art Deco-era hand-carved New Zealand sculpture will be the centerpiece of the museum’s art deco exhibition. In the late 1930s, Aitken was part of a team of sculptors commissioned to carve individual works for the Centennial Exhibition Buildings at Rongotai. Her work from the exhibition cemented her reputation as a sculptor of excellence. Jenkins describes the work as: “a lovely piece by a young sculptor in the Art Deco style.” A similar work is held in Te Papa’s collection.

mtg hawke's bay

6 Grande Bagnante III, 1957, Emilio Greco (b.1913, d.1995), memorial to Leo Bestall, collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, [47922] Affectionately called ‘The Bather’ this striking bronze by internationally acclaimed sculptor Emilio Greco is the most valuable and internationally important work in the museum’s collection. One of three, Napier's statue was bought in Europe in the 1960s by art historian Peter Tomory with funds raised by Hawke’s Bay residents who wanted to create a memorial to former museum director, Leo Bestall. The statue recently went through a cat scan so museum staff could devise a secure way to mount the work to protect it from potential earthquakes.

7 Kiwi and Kaka feather muff, date unknown, gifted by E J Herrick, collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tä-ü-rangi, 64/137 An example of European influence on Mäori tradition, this beautiful nineteenth century muff has been in the collection since the 1960s. Jenkins says they’re not sure whether the muff was made for a European or Mäori woman but, regardless, it’s an excellent illustration of the fusion of two cultures to create a fashion piece.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

Ngä Raukura o Ahuriri, 2013, Rakai Karaitiana, commissioned graphic design project. 8

ANDREW LOGAN SMART, CREATIVE GARDEN DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION • Urban, rural, hillside, seaside & flat sections • Professional on-going garden management • @ one with the environment and your tastes Over 20 years creating practical & workable gardens Andrew Logan DIP HORT MASSEY Phone 06 835 8177 Cell 027 627 3465 Email: robroymajorum@hotmail.com

opening exhibition programme MTG Grand Opening Saturday 21 September 2013

Decorate – Design stories from the HBMT collection From 21 September 2013

Architecture of the Heart 21 September 2013 - 2 March 2014 Architecture of the Heart throws open the doors of the homes in our art collection, inviting the viewer to explore the spaces and places that shape the artistic view of home in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

1931 Hawke’s Bay Earthquake From 21 September 2013 At 10.47am on 3 February 1931 a devastating earthquake struck Hawke’s Bay. Rich with memories of New Zealand’s worst natural disaster, MTG takes visitors inside the story that has indelibly marked a place, and its people. Ūkaipō – ō tātou whakapapa 21 September 2013 - 3 August 2014 Uncover the fascinating stories of Hawke’s Bay hapü showcased through the significant taonga Mäori collection at MTG. Ukaipö – ö tätou whakapapa is an exhibition defined by identity, upbringing and homeground. Take these with you when you leave – Treasures of the archive 21 September 2013 - 21 April 2014 Unique and rare objects selected from MTG’s archive reveal intimate, personal glimpses to life in 19th and early 20th century Hawke’s Bay.

The way New Zealanders think about style and design has changed radically over the past century. Decorate celebrates stories of New Zealand craft and design using the decorative art collection in a spectacular exhibition spread across the new building.

SPRING PROMOTION August 1 – September 30

Purchase art over $100 and have an opportunity to win a beautiful glass vase or a stunning two piece glass art set.

A Glorious Uncertainty – Elizabeth Matheson’s life in craft 21 September 2013 - 8 June 2014 A Glorious Uncertainty explores the life and work of pioneering studio potter Elizabeth Matheson (1890 - 1978). Presenting rare examples of Matheson’s metal and wood work alongside the most significant group of her ceramics ever to be assembled, this is a must see for enthusiasts of New Zealand craft and design. Graphic Design Project 21 September 2013 - 4 July 2014 In the foyer of the MTG Century Theatre you will find a slice of the best of New Zealand graphic design. In a long-term graphic design project, leading off with a new work from Hawke’s Bay’s Rakai Karaitiana. Karaitiana’s design is on an impressive architectural scale and is inspired by riches of the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust collection.

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Chip off the block

Paving the way to posterity.

Bee in the know ~ sep/oct 2013

In a couple of thousand years, archaeologists will dig up fragments from sites that I once inhabited. I like to think they will be completely baffled by the large number of broken pieces of concrete they find that don’t relate to any building that once stood on the land. They will conclude that along with the stone, bronze, and iron ages, there must have been a broken concrete age in New Zealand. Should they manage to piece the fragments together, they will have assembled one of my crazy paving paths, circa 1985. Wherever I have been, the tranquility of my backyard has often been shattered by the dull thud of iron on concrete and the sound of stone fragments ricocheting off neighbouring roofs. I have taken long straight paths and smashed them up to make shorter, crooked paths. I have put Rome’s legendary roadbuilders to shame. I have paved my path to posterity. The most ambitious project has been the lifting and breaking up of a concrete driveway that ran the length of the house to the front gate. Once again the neighbourhood rang to the cracking of concrete and rattling of my fillings as our backyard turned into a giant jigsaw puzzle patio. We hired a large steel bin. The patchwork of corrosion in the bottom of the bin wasn’t reassuring, but eventually our own Mount Concrete had arisen outside the front gate, blocking out the other side of the street. I hid inside when the pick-up truck arrived. The driver hooked chains to the bin. The truck roared. The chains strained. The bin sat. Then with a loud creak, the cab and front wheels of the truck reared into the air. I ducked as the driver slowly turned his gaze on our house. His lips were moving. Later I heard him slowly drive away.

“Through various marriages, my family is directly linked to Durandus of Moulham and I have Mowlem as my third Christian name.” The crazy paving courtyard took three months to finish but the intricacy of my design, the subtle geometric harmony underlying the whole back-breaking project, was lost on the house’s new owner who uses it as a parking lot for his boat and jet ski. Bricks in the DNA Today, on a new house site high on a hill, I am making my masonry mark once again. But the sledgehammer stands idle. This time my medium is bricks, pallets of them. They have been salvaged from boilerhouses, factories and chimneys, some hard as rock, others bright orange and as brittle as fine china. A handful have their makers’ name stamped into them, such as the Wellington firm of Overend and Clarke, who had a quarry in Newtown in the late 1800s. The late Norman Kirk once told a TV interviewer the exact number of bricks that had been used to build his house. When the reporter asked how he knew, Kirk replied he had laid them himself. I have wheelbarrowed and laid all 785 of ours. The next step is to get them all level. That won’t happen. Life’s too short. Like any real bloke, I am relying on my eyesight to get the whole lot level. I keep a spirit level nearby, as a prop. My Anglo-Saxon and Norman ancestors were builders and stonemasons. The most illustrious of them was a Frenchman called

Durand (Durandus in Latin) employed by William the Conqueror, according to the Doomsday Survey, to maintain the royal castle of Corfe, near Swanage on England’s Dorset coast. He was given the nearby manor of Moulham or Moleham in return. In 877 AD Corfe castle was part of Alfred The Great’s defences when his ships drove 120 invading Danish longboats on to rocks off the Swanage coast. A decade later Corfe Castle was the scene of regicide when the 17-year-old King Edward the Second, later to be known as Edward the Martyr, was stabbed to death at the instigation of his stepmother Elfrida. The De Moulhams and the manor parted company during the reign of Henry the Fifth when the last family heiress married and the property went out of the family’s hands. A royalist stronghold during England’s Civil War, it held out under siege for six months in 1645 until its garrison was betrayed from inside. Cromwell ordered the castle’s destruction. The Moulham surname has varied in spelling over the centuries. Its most recent Anglicised form is Mowlem. The dust settled on the Mowlem lineage for a couple of hundred years until the appearance of John Mowlem in 1788, one of six children, who rose from humble beginnings to become a prosperous contractor. He mixed with royalty while his company paved London’s streets, rebuilt Billingsgate and Smithsfield Markets and Blackfriars Bridge. It has built docks, railways, tunnels and airfields, the new London Bridge, London City Airport and the Docklands Light Railway. John Mowlem died childless in 1868, but a branch of the family eventually moved to New Zealand. Through various marriages, my family is directly linked to Durandus of Moulham and I have Mowlem as my third Christian name. Corfe Castle may be in ruins, but the DNA of Durandus lives on.

The ruins of Corfe Castle in Dorset, England.

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