BB#50-Nov-Dec-2019 by BayBuzz

N 50 • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 • HAWKE’S BAY UP CLOSE, IN DEPTH

Napier ahoy!

Cruising for a Bruising?

9 772253 262016

Nov/Dec

• Kirsten conquers • Busting food myths • Batteries: guilty as charged • Climate battle lost • Elections over … now what? • Urban Winery shines

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Darryl Buckley, Sales Associate at New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty in Hawke's Bay. Hawthorne Coffee is our spot - we catch up here for a debrief or to meet clients. It's like our second office and it has the best coffee in town.

Nic Goodman, Sales Associate at New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty in Hawke's Bay. Sometimes when I need to concentrate, Darryl can be a bit distracting - he gets banished here for some time out!

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50 BayBuzz November/December 2019 Local election results analysed. Kirsten Wise interviewed. Ubiquitous batteries, blessing or bane? Cruise ships, love’ em or leave ‘em? Busting some food myths. What’s a ‘smart city’? Defending red meat! Re-thinking our climate response. HB’s coastal property values. Trading cows online. The Urban Winery. Keirunga Gardens evolves. Bistronomy striving for sustainable foods. The book conundrum. Gliding over Bridge Pā. Cover photo: Florence Charvin. Above: Juliet Cottrell at Keirunga Creative Hub. Photo: Tom Allan.

Bee in the Know 8 Jo Throp 30. Kirsten Wise. Photo: Florence Charvin

10 Did You Know? Improving your Hawke’s Bay IQ.

12 Events / Lizzie Russell

18 The Heat Is On! Global Warming Update

Food Myths / Phyllis Tichinin Getting it right on what & how we grow and eat.

Features 22 Political Update / Tom Belford Reviewing the mixed bag of local election results & issues ahead.

58 Smart Cities Listen To People / Keith Newman How local bodies are using technology & data to act smart.

30 She Came. She Listened. She Conquered / Andrew Frame BayBuzz queries Kirsten Wise about her mayoral mandate.

34 Batteries Face Serious Charges / Keith Newman We can’t live without batteries. But consider their risks.

42 Cruising for a Bruising / Bridget Freeman-Rock Floating Napier’s tourist economy? Or polluting flotilla?

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Ideas & Opinions

StockX: The Trade-me For Livestock / Matt Miller Even livestock is bought and sold digitally these days

Omnivores / Tom Belford Red meat is making a stand.

Climate Change: The False Hope of Salvation / Paul Paynter Do we need a different response, or is the battle already lost?

72 Coastal Property Values Reflect Climate Change / Pat Turley Most coastal values still growing, but outpaced by inland properties.

Above: 72. Coastal property. Photo: Tom Allan. Below: 92. Exploring Bridge Pā Photo: Florence Charvin

Culture 78

The Urban Winery / Lizzie Russell

Bibliogrinch / Jess Soutar Barron

Phoenix Rising: Keirunga Creative Hub / Kay Bazzard

Exploring HB: Gliding Over Bridge Pā / Bridget Freeman-Rock

Sustainable Supplies / James Beck

Seeds / Nafanua Kersel

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 3

Featured Contributor

Articles online at: baybuzz.co.nz Editorial enquiries editors@baybuzz.co.nz Paul Paynter I’m a fairly extreme introvert, with an awkward personality and an unhealthy lack of social connection. This leaves plenty of time for reading and thinking. Somehow I’ve drifted into writing. Language is a living art form and there is nothing quite as beautiful or powerful as a good sentence. I never set out to provoke or offend but to create an ambivalence that hopefully makes the reader think a little deeper; a little differently. This time around I’m writing on global warming. It’s not an issue that worries me greatly…but I am more worried than our policy makers appear to be.

Advertising enquiries Mel Blackmore mel@baybuzz.co.nz 021 911 098 Reach BayBuzz by mail BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North

The BayBuzz Team EDITOR: Tom Belford ASSISTANT EDITORS: Bridget Freeman-Rock; Lizzie Russell SENIOR WRITERS: Rosheen FitzGerald; Bridget Freeman-Rock; Keith Newman; Sophie Price COLUMNISTS: Kay Bazzard; Andrew Frame; Matt Miller; Paul Paynter; Jess Soutar Barron; Pat Turley EDITOR’S RIGHT HAND: Brooks Belford PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Allan; Florence Charvin ILLUSTRATION: Brett Monteith DESIGN: Unit Design Max Parkes; Giselle Reid DISTRIBUTION: Mel Blackmore ONLINE: Mogul, Liz Nes BUSINESS MANAGER: Charleen Downie PRINTING: Format Print

Photo: Florence Charvin

BayBuzz Regulars

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

This document is printed on an environmentally responsible paper produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp sourced from Sustainable & Legally Harvested Farmed Trees, and manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

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Tom Allan Tom Allan is Hawke’s Bay born and bred. He’s a designer, photographer and videographer, and yoga practitioner. When Tom’s not behind the lens, he runs Studio Ossian, a co-working space in Ahuriri.

Florence Charvin

Andrew Frame Andrew Frame is a 41-year-old husband, father, and life-long Napier resident. He writes the www.napierinframe.co.nz website and promotes all things Hawke's Bay on social media.

Kay Bazzard Kay began writing as a late career move shortly after moving to Hawke’s Bay in 1999 with a focus on the arts and culture. Her other passion is figurative clay sculpture.

Bridget Freeman-Rock Bridget, Hawke's Bay grown, lived abroad in Australia and Germany before returning with her family in 2009. She has a fairly eclectic, free-range writing vocation, freelancing as a writer, copy-editor, translator and occasional performance poet.

Keith Newman Keith is a journo with over 45 years’ experience across mainstream and trade media. He’s won awards for writing about hi-tech, produced music programmes for Radio NZ and published five books, one on the internet in New Zealand and four on New Zealand history.

Hawke's Bay is the adopted home of French photographer Florence Charvin. Florence likes to photograph people and what they are passionate about.

10 ways you can help 1.

We all love lists. You’re reading ours! On what topic would you like BayBuzz to prepare a ‘Top 10’ or ‘Top 20’ of Hawke’s Bay list? Email editors@baybuzz.co.nz

Do you know someone who’s recently returned to Hawke’s Bay from overseas life? The more exotic their overseas adventure, the better. Email editors@baybuzz.co.nz

Do you know someone now overseas that you’d like to keep informed, even lure back to Hawke’s Bay? Best way is a $15 BB digital subscription. Sign them up at www.baybuzz.co.nz/subscribe In politics and government, like elsewhere, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Is there somewhere you think BayBuzz should shine its spotlight? Email editors@baybuzz.co.nz Have you ‘Liked’ our Facebook page? Check it out: facebook.com/baybuzzhb

Are you an exceptional writer and keen observer of the Hawke’s Bay scene? Send us a writing sample. Email editors@baybuzz.co.nz

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New to Hawke’s Bay? Need a back copy of BayBuzz? They’re now available at Wardini Books - Havelock and Napier.

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10.

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F R O M T H E ED I TO R TO M BEL FO R D

I am very curious to see what kind of reader reaction we get to this edition of BayBuzz. We’re offering some content that is likely to stir folks up and maybe elevate some blood pressure. But then, that’s what BayBuzz is supposed to do. Some would say even more so now that as editor I’m ‘unencumbered’ by elective office. As you’ve seen, our cover feature is on Napier’s cruise ship experience. Is it good (or not) for Napier retailers? Is it an energizer, or a seasonal pain in the butt for locals trying to go about their day-to-day activities? Is cruising a villainous industry, spewing tonnes of greenhouse gases, or a great way to give overseas visitors a taste of our region that lures them back for real visits? Bridget Freeman-Rock reports. Then there’s batteries … the new plastic. Now essential to most of the tools and appliances of our daily lives. We can’t live without them. But do we fully appreciate their dark side? And what are we prepared to do about that? Keith Newman investigates. And how about shattering some food myths? Phyllis Tichinin takes that on, offering kind words for cattle and red meat. A better choice than synthetic meats of still unexamined safety. Forget feeding the world, she says. Hawke’s Bay’s (and NZ’s) market is the affluent overseas consumer who will pay for a food story about safe and sustainable premium food products. Get used to ‘HB … breadbasket for the rich’. Speaking of red meat, consider that it might actually be good for you. In my health column, I report on the battle that is raging anew amongst the nutrition experts. Don’t toss out your BBQ just yet! [In fact, go to page 20 and check out our terrific Christmas promotion, courtesy of donations from Fourth Element,

6 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

The Organic Farm Butchery, Gourmet Direct and Bareknuckle BBQ. No better time to give the gift of BayBuzz … and lick your own chops as well!] While we’re talking meat, check out Matt Miller’s column on StockX, a Hawke’s Bay firm that’s changing the way NZ’s livestock is bought and sold. Seems like a heap of meaty stuff. But back to the brainfood. Paul Paynter challenges us once again. This time he questions all the hoopla around fighting global warming. Not because he’s a denier; rather, because he thinks we should focus on some problem where we can actually make a difference. I should note right now that Paul and I disagree, as BayBuzz’s ongoing global warming update, The Heat Is On!, illustrates. Not unrelated, Pat Turley looks at trends over the past 15 years in coastal property values. Sea rise or not, the seaside still attracts, although with slower-growing values. And Keith Newman looks at what it takes to be a ‘smart city’ these days, and how our local governments are trying to be leading edge, without overdoing the ‘Big Brother’ bit. We can’t forget politics. The recent elections have had their most dramatic effect in Napier, handing the city a brand new mayor. Our Napier columnist Andrew Frame and I interviewed Kirsten Wise days after her election; Andrew previews what to expect. And I offer a broader overview of how our local political landscape has changed (or not) as a result of October’s vote. Finally, Lizzie Russell and Bridget Freeman-Rock curate a great collection of inspiration in our culture and lifestyle section. The thrill of gliding over Bridge Pā. The evolution of Keirunga Gardens in Havelock North. The conundrum posed by books. Ahuriri’s wine, food and music magnet, The

Urban Winery. And Bistronomy’s quest for sustainable food sourcing. Before I leave you, I do have one other request (see below), in addition to my appeal that you consider gifting BayBuzz (and the goodies that come with it).

Tom Belford tom@baybuzz.co.nz

Tell us... Our Summer edition (January/ February) will be looking ahead … 20/20. What’s in store as Hawke’s Bay enters a new decade? As we plan our content, we’d like to hear your thoughts – who do you think will be making a difference, which person or issue deserves more attention, what changes are you expecting (or hoping for), what hallowed HB institutions need a shake-up? You are always welcome to send your advice and ideas ‘ free form’ to editors@baybuzz.co.nz. But to make it easier, we’re also conducting an online reader survey. Here’s your link to the survey: https://bit.ly/33YniMj Either way, I and the rest of the BayBuzz team hope to hear from you. Meantime we all wish you a very Happy Christmas and splendid New Year!

Tom has been a two-term HB Regional Councillor. His past includes the Carter White House, building Ted Turner’s first philanthropic organisation, doing heaps of marketing consulting for major non-profits and corporates.

We’ve got an amazing Hawke’s Bay Summer sorted 7 Days

The Bistro flings open its doors to the Summer courtyard for lunch under the vines or drinks at the bar. Dinner Wednesday to Saturday nights. The Black Barn Kitchen for packing a picnic, filling the fridge or filling a stocking for Christmas.

Sunday December 1

Sol Lounge from 4pm ~ K2K, Peach Milk & Aw B with local support ~ Bistro

Saturday December 7

The Black Barn Growers’ Market opens 9 ~ noon every Saturday of Summer

Sunday December 22

L.A.B, House of Shem & Tomorrow People ~ Amphitheatre

December 27 ~ 30 January 2 ~ 6

Black Barn Openair Cinema ~ Amphitheatre

Friday January 10

Drax Project, Paige ~ Amphitheatre

Saturday January 11 Sunday January 19

Nest Fest ~ Amphitheatre Sol Lounge from 4pm ~ Daniel Farley & Sam Lovli with local support ~ Bistro

Friday January 31

Fat Freddy’s Drop ~ Amphitheatre

Saturday February 1

Fat Freddy’s Drop ~ Amphitheatre

Thursday February 6

Waitangi Day Growers’ Market from 9am ~ Growers’ Market

Saturday February 29

Mid-Life Crisis ~ Summer Encore ~ Amphitheatre

Sunday March 1

Sol Lounge from 4pm ~ Peter Urlich with local support ~ Bistro

Sunday March 8

10cc with AutoMatic 80’s ~ Amphitheatre

Sunday March 29

Sol Lounge from 4pm ~ Frank Booker with local support ~ Bistro

Plus Cellar Door 7 days ~ Outstanding accommodation always blackbarn.com for all bookings and more info

BEE I N T H E K N OW

Photo: Florence Charvin

Jo Throp As race director of the Peak Trailblazer, Jo Throp has seen her share of pictureperfect arrivals on the race’s finish line. “I love hanging out there and welcoming everyone home, whether they’re fast or not-so-fast. The looks

8 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

on their faces, the tears, smiles, the odd nasty look they give me for the pain they’ve just endured!” Jo and the Peak Trailblazer team celebrate ten years this month. The original goal was to raise funds for a hall upgrade at HNPS. But as the Trailblazer has flourished, donations

have been made to two Christchurch schools, Te Mata Park, Heretaunga Women’s Centre, Hastings Giants Boxing Academy, Heart Kids Hawke’s Bay, Eye Care for Africa and Nourished for Nil. The Peak Trailblazer is on November 24. Enter at peaktrailblazer.co.nz

Oceans in Peril The major report recently released by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change somehow fails to surprise but succeeds in shocking with its new data on the state and the future of the world’s oceans. Written by some 100 international experts and drawing on around 7,000 studies, the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate represents the most extensive look to date at the effects of climate change on oceans, ice sheets, mountain snowpack and permafrost. A few highlights: • Sea level rise is accelerating, and the world could see 1.1 metres in total sea level rise by 2100 in a very high-emissions scenario. In 2013, the IPCC had estimated that value at around 0.91 metres. • In major coastal cities, what we think of as 100 year flood events will be happening annually by 2050, even in the most optimistic scenario. That includes large cities such as Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Lima, Singapore, Barcelona and Sydney.

• Permafrost, which contains huge amounts of methane and other hydrocarbons that will be released as it thaws, has warmed to record high levels. Summer Arctic sea ice is now probably lower than at any time in “at least 1,000 years,” and the oldest, thickest ice has already declined by 90%. • Marine heat waves are becoming more common, and are blamed for mass deaths of corals, kelp forests and other key ocean organisms. The majority of these events are already directly attributable to climate change, and by 2100, they will become 20 times as common in the best case, and 50 times as common in the absolute worst case, compared with the late 1800s. • If emissions continue to rise rapidly the maximum amount of fish in the ocean that can be sustainably caught could decrease by as much as a quarter by the end of this century. That would have massive implications for global food security as fish and seafood provide about 17% of the world’s animal protein, and millions of people worldwide rely on the fishing industry for their livelihoods. You can read the full, sobering report here: ipcc.ch/srocc/home/

3: EV subsidies and 2 Cheap Cars

Did You Know?

The government announced proposed subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs) and lower emissions petrol cars back in July, which could mean about $8,000 off the price of new or near-new imported EVs. Fuel-efficient petrol cars would also be cheaper, while the heaviest-polluters would cost $3,000 more. In the meantime though, local retailer 2 Cheap Cars is trying a different approach to helping consumers to help the environment while purchasing a car. The company’s recent initiative seeks to replant more than half an acre of native forest in a Northland reserve by the Native Forest Restoration Trust, a charitable organisation dedicated to protecting New Zealand’s native forests and wetlands. Daniel Buckley 2 Cheap Cars CEO says they expect to plant around 1,000 trees as a result of this initiative – and want to utilise the opportunity to encourage motorists to drive in a more sustainable way.

1: Run! November 24 sees the return of the Peak Trailblazer, and the race is celebrating 10 years! To mark the milestone, the organisers have come up with an idea they hope will entice many of the event’s quickest runners to return for another shot at the Hall of Flames sub 60 and The Scorchers sub 50 minutes clubs. Race director Jo Throp says the event has seen some amazing runners compete over the years, like Laura Nagel, Ruby Muir, Niam Macdonald and Eric Speakman, and they’d love for as many as possible to return to help celebrate ten years. “So we came up with ‘Double or Quits’. We’ve invited back everyone who has previously made it into the Hall of Flames and The Scorchers. They’ll be given a free entry into this year’s event to try to get their name back onto those leaderboards.” “But there’s the twist,” says Ms Throp, “If they don’t make it back onto the Sub 60 minute leaderboards they’ll then have to pay us double the entry fee.” Look out, Te Mata Peak!

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2: New Spots The local hospitality scene continues to grow and thrive. Newcomers in time for the summer season include the Piku Isakaya Japanese restaurant (previously out on Te Mata Road) and its adjoining cocktail bar in the new development on Havelock North’s Joll Road. Across the courtyard from there you’ll find the new digs for village favourite Alessandro’s Pizzeria. Over in Napier, there’s craft beer bar Rogue Hop on Emerson Street and the new restaurant and bake house Central Fire Station in, you guessed it, the old fire station at the bottom end of Tennyson Street. Photo: Florence Charvin.

4: $$$ Spent Hawke’s Bay’s mild winter was also one of big spending. Seasonal visitor spend in the region reached $127 million for the June to August period, an increase of $8 million or 7% over the same period last year. International visitor spend was the standout performer, increasing by 10%, while domestic visitor spend also rose 6%. Visitors to Hawke’s Bay spent an estimated $664m in the 12 months to August 2019.|

5: Bottled Ocean Congratulations to the Team at MTG Hawke’s Bay. The 2018 exhibition George Nuku: Bottled Ocean 2118 recently won the spatial design award in the exhibitions and temporary structures category in the 2019 Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Awards. The show was created in three weeks last year by the Hastingsraised, Paris-based artist George Nuku, including Perēri King, Patricia Nuku, Jack Nuku, George’s friends and whānau, 1700 school students, and members of the public, who brought in thousands of used plastic bottles. George, curator Jess Mio and MTG’s Design Team worked together to create an immersive underwater world using spatial design to communicate the artist’s unique perspective of plastic as a taonga, a beautiful and precious substance like pounamu or diamond, with unique properties and an incredible whakapapa. Visitors can still view a related video at MTG.

8 5

8: Chocolate for Good

7: Napier CBD Awards

6: Check it out We all have easy access to local environmental data on the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s website. You can find out about river levels and flows, rainfall, air quality measures in different areas of the region, groundwater levels and quality, and loads more data from the climate stations based in various locations including Bridge Pā, Waimarama, Waipukurau, Te Pohue and Kotemaori. www.hbrc.govt.nz/environment/ environmental-data/

While Napier’s inner city has a growing buzz about it as it heads into the busy retail and tourist season, at the recent CBD Awards there was a celebration of longevity. Chris Wiig from Chris Wiig Menswear in Emerson Street was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his more than 50 years of retail in the city. Other individual award winners were Karla Lewis from Two Lippy Ladies (Best Personality), Benny Fernandez from Georgia on Tennyson (Best Barista). Madison’s took out Retailer of the Year and Supreme Winner, while Spex Eyewear were Team of the Year. The new bar replacing the old Cri, Market St walked away with three awards – Best New Entrant, Best Customer Service and Best Improvement of a Physical Site.

Local chocolate company La Petite Chocolat has recently become an official fundraiser for national children’s charity KidsCan. As part of the ongoing support the small business gives KidsCan, chocolatier Anissa Talbi-Dobson has announced ‘Chocolate with a Purpose’ – a scheme which will see ‘a limited number of kind people’ receive a selection of seasonally-inspired handmade chocolates in the first week of each month this summer. “The holiday season is approaching and many of us will be indulging in a variety of treats, time off and gifts,” says Anissa. “At La Petite we want to give back to the community by supporting this charity which works to alleviate some of the stresses inherent to living in poverty.” Visit bit.ly KINDCHOCOLATE to see the beautiful chocolates, sign up, and share the link to go in the draw for a $200 Gift Card. Photo: Florence Charvin.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 11

BayBuzz Event Guide November 8 Come Fly With Me – A Tribute to Frank Sinatra at The Cabana Fans of ‘Old Blue Eyes’ are in for a treat with an evening of songs from the Great American Songbook performed by this talented five-piece band. eventfinda.co.nz

November 8 Swan Lake – Imperial Russian Ballet Company at Napier Municipal Theatre Enter the magical world of Swan Lake – the most loved classical ballet of them all – courtesy of the Imperial Russian Ballet, with subtle revisions and variations from artistic director Gediminas Taranda. eventfinda.co.nz

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November 16 & 17: Hansel and Gretel

November 9 & December 7 Saturday Night Session with Jess Atkin at Urban Winery Local favourites Jess and her crew offer up another night of soulful goodness, a perfect match for the Urban Winery’s cool and friendly atmosphere. theurbanwinery.co.nz

November 10 Walk 2 D’Feet MND at Napier Sailing Club Join the 3.5km charity walk to raise funds and bring awareness of Motor Neuron Disease in New Zealand. mndwalk.org.nz

November 10 Christmas at the Races ft F.A.W.C at Hastings Racecourse Welcome the festive season with a day at the races. Catering and hospitality options available, or take a picnic, keep it low-key and soak up the sun and fun trackside. eventfinda.co.nz

November 12 Pecha Kucha at MTG Hawke’s Bay It’s the last instalment for 2019, so head along and hear some tall tales and special stories from a bunch of Hawke’s Bay locals sharing their passions and taking on the 20 x 20 PK format. facebook.com/pechakuchhb

November 16 Run the Vines at Paritua Vineyard and Winery Walk or run the 5km or 10km track, and then celebrate your virtuous spring behaviour with a glass of Paritua wine at the end of it! runthevines.co.nz

November 16 Spring Fashion Parade in Market Street, Napier Get inspired by new season’s looks from collaborating local retailers. facebook.com/napiercity

November 24: Peak Trailblazer. Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography Ltd

November 16 Summer to Autumn with Fraser Mack at Abbey Cellars Fine wines, craft beers, good food and the acoustic stylings of Mack and his guitars. It’s starting to feel a lot like summer! eventfinda.co.nz

November 16 Pink Floyd Tribute at The Cabana HB band Revival presents their tribute show Comfortably Numb, featuring hits such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Money, Another Brick in the Wall, Comfortably Numb, Us & Them, Wish You Were Here and Learning to Fly. eventfinda.co.nz

November 16 & 17 Napier Wellbeing Market 2019 at Taradale Town Hall Check out this free community event and the range of natural health, healing and wellbeing stalls from on-site therapists to organic beauty and skincare. eventfinda.co.nz

November 16 & 17 RNZB: Hansel and Gretel at Napier Municipal Theatre The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Christmas show this year is the timeless tale of Hansel and Gretel, with a specially commissioned score by Claire Cowan. eventfinda.co.nz

November 24 Tahaenui Christmas Fete at Tahaenui Station, Nuhaka, Wairoa November 17 Scott Clinic Women’s Only Triathlon and Duathlon at Pandora Pond Enter as a team or an individual, whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a total novice, this event is a great introduction to triathlon. trihb.kiwi

November 23 Jazz Like We Used To at The Urban Winery Join local jazz vocalist and legend, Margot Pierard as she and her band relive the days of classic jazz. theurbanwinery.co.nz

November 24 Peak Trailblazer It’s the 10th anniversary of this iconic Hawke’s Bay race, and it’s promising to be the best yet, with former stars and winners being enticed back. This year the fundraising causes are Nourished for Nil, Havelock North Primary and Eyecare for Africa. peaktrailblazer.co.nz

November 24 Ossian Street Vintage Market at Ahuriri Check out this quirky, friendly market to hunt out vintage treasures and special collectibles. eventfinda.co.nz

Great excuse for a roadtrip! Stallholders from around the North Island set up in the extensive Tahaenui homestead gardens, offering an array of artisan wares, food and beverages. eventfinda.co.nz

November 24 & December 22 Mack and the Three Wise Birds What a combo – Fraser Mack’s bluesy, folksy sound and the relaxed environs of the Bay’s newest garden bar. eventfinda.co.nz

November 27 & 28 Legendary Divas at MTG Hawke’s Bay Ali Harper presents her touring show in support of the Napier and Hastings Women’s Refuge. The hit show celebrates incredible singers including Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Edith Piaf and more. eventfinda.co.nz

November 30 Landslide Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks Tribute Show at The Cabana Missed the real thing when the band came to NZ in September? Here’s your chance to delight in the music with a top tribute act. eventfinda.co.nz

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 13

December 14 - January 5: Fiesta of Lights

December 1 Summer Sundaze at Abbey Cellars November 30 Jingle & Mingle at River Park Events Centre, Waipawa

Kick back in the sun and relax to the stunning vocals, percussion and acoustic guitar of Ariana Henare. abbeywines.com

Ideal for the end-of-year work do, the Jingle & Mingle features buffet dinner and entertainment from legendary local act Sir Duke. riverparkeventcentre.com

December 6 – 8 Sanctuary Sounds Music Festival at Takapau

December 1 Harcourts Christmas Parade, Napier Starting from Clive Square, the annual parade showcases and celebrates the community’s artistic talents and cultures linking to the celebration of Christmas around the world. napier.govt.nz

December 1 & 9 East Pier Triathlon and Duathlon Summer Series Think summer – think triathlon. This series runs through summer, and the events feature a bunch of different races across multiple distances, including the Kids’ Aquathon. trihb.kiwi

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There will be 22 bands playing over the three days of this year’s Sanctuary Sounds, notably Raw Collective, Ghost Who Walks, Blue River Baby and The Rude Boyz. sanctuary-sounds.co.nz

December 7 & 14 Courtyard Pop-ups at Hawthorne Coffee Sip good coffee while taking in some special shopping in the village, with stalls including Piece-Makers - Italian leather accessories, Cotton Daily hand-embroidered cotton bedding & night-wear, Nia Home - Middle-Eastern homewares, Handmade by Karen natural skin care and more. facebook.com/CourtyardPopUps

December 11 Twilight Christmas at the Races at Hastings Racecourse Knock off early and enjoy a Wednesday afternoon at the races with the crew. The raceday also features live music and plenty of fun for the little ones, including a visit from the jolly red man himself! eventfinda.co.nz

December 13 & 15 Christmas Oratoria Bach at Waiapu Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Napier The Napier Civic Choir presents this rare opportunity to hear the complete Bach Christmas Oratorio. eventfinda.co.nz

December 14 Cox Partners Christmas at the Park at Anderson Park, Napier The annual free outdoor Christmas concert is a great event for the whole family, with various musical acts, a fireworks and a special appearance from Santa. christmasinthepark.org.nz

December 27-January 6: Black Barn OpenAir Cinema

December 14 Tchaikovsky Violin Concert – Mendelssohn Symphony at Waiapu Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Napier Again the Napier Civic Choir presents a very special Christmas musical experience, and Amalia Hall returns to delight the Hawke’s Bay audience with her virtuoso playing of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. eventfinda.co.nz

December 14 to January 5 Fiesta of Lights at Hawke’s Bay A & P Showgrounds The Fiesta is heading into its 21st year and offering loads to delight and inspire the young and young at heart. Not just lights, but also bubbles, a maze and more. Plus special entertainment and fireworks on New Year’s Eve. fiestaoflights.co.nz

December 15 The Sunday Sessions at Te Awanga Estate Sprawl on the Te Awanga lawn and enjoy picnic, pizza or platters in the sun, with live music and good wines. Sounds like the perfect antidote for Christmas shopping madness! eventfinda.co.nz

November 27 & 28: Legendary Divas at MTG Hawke’s Bay

December 31 New Year’s Eve Party at Urban Winery Get glammed up and kick up your heels at this very special Roaring 20s ‘do in the iconic Tobacco Building. theurbanwinery.co.nz

December 27 – 30 and January 2 – 6 Black Barn OpenAir Cinema – A Festival of Film under the Stars Listen out for the confirmed line-up for the 16th OpenAir Cinema, then book tickets and head along to relax on grassed terraces, sipping wine with friends, enjoying a nibble from the onsite caterers or your own picnic as the sun sets over Hawke’s Bay and the movie plays on the big screen. Word is some of the following hits may be included in the programme: A Star Is Born, Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Green Book, The Lion King (2019) and The Favourite. blackbarn.com

January 4 The Topp Twins & The Warratahs – Summer Series at River Park Event Centre, Waipawa Party in Waipawa! The ultimate heartland Kiwi summer concert with two classic New Zealand acts. eventfinda.co.nz

January 4 Los Phoenix – The Magician Tour 2020 at The Cabana The New Zealand MC Los Phoenix returns to Napier to welcome 2020 and share his highly anticipated sophomore album ‘The Magician’. eventfinda.co.nz

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 15

B E E I N TH E K N OW

Men Wanted Must age well. We hear it anecdotally, and we see it in the stats. Women outnumber men. Now, BayBuzz wants to help locals overcome the challenge of the so-called Man Drought, by identifying Hawke’s Bay’s eligible bachelors. But we can’t do it on our own! We’re calling for nominations from you, out faithful readers, for single men who would benefit from … a wider audience! The 2018 census showed that while among children (under 15 years), males outnumbered females, with about 105 males for every 100 females, the ratio declines and reverses with age. There’s an average of 104 males to 100 females in the 15–29-year age group, but only 95 males to 100 females at ages 30–64 years, and 87 males to 100 females at age 65+. Let’s face it … men are a fragile, sickly sub-species. So we’re looking for single men (of any sexual orientation) 30 years and over, for a BayBuzz story on the most promising, unattached talent here in the Bay. We think they’re out there, but shy and well-hidden from sight. Help us find them! Email editors@baybuzz.co.nz or private message us on Facebook with your nominations. We’ll need name and contact details and we suggest you ask permission of the subject before you nominate!

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TH E H EAT I S O N ! G LO B A L WA R M I N G UPDATE

Above: India aims to invest over $100 Billion in solar power.

Business leads.

How much?! According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, every day we emit more than 140 million tons of global warming pollution worldwide into the atmosphere.

What does HB think? Here in Hawke’s Bay, a recent BayBuzz survey showed: • 70% of us agree that “Global warming is a grave threat to our planet”. • 64% of respondents agree “Our councils should make addressing global warming a high priority”. • 73% plan to “make lifestyle changes to reduce global warming”. • 65% believe “Hawke’s Bay will be seriously affected by global warming”. • 65% agree “Human activity is responsible for the rate of global warming we are now seeing”.

18 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

NZ’s Climate Leaders Coalition has aligned with the government’s ambitions in its Zero Carbon Bill, pledging to help lower emissions to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The coalition was formed in July 2018 with 60 signatories and an aim to spearhead business action on climate change. Its signatories (now numbering 107) currently represent 60% of New Zealand’s gross emissions, employ more than 170,000 people and represent nearly a third of the private sector’s GDP. The coalition’s initial pledge was to support a lowering of global warming to 2°C. Its recent report updates the pledge and details progress over the past year, including news that 90% of the coalition’s signatories are measuring emissions, 71% are publicly reporting them, over 50% have set a public target to reduce emissions and 60% are working with suppliers to reduce emissions. Founding signatories include Z Energy, Fonterra, Westpac. The Warehouse Group, Ngai Tahu Holdings, KiwiRail, Vector, Ports of Auckland, Spark, IAG, Air New Zealand, Toyota and New Zealand Post.

Above: It's too hot for pistachios in the San Joaquin Valley

Bombing. The global accumulation of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases is now trapping as much extra energy daily as 500,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs would release every 24 hours.

The winds of change. In 2018, solar and wind represented 88% of the new electricity capacity installed in the 28 nations of the European Union, 65% in India, 53% in China and 49% in the USA.

Above: Ethiopia breaks the world tree-planting record.

Tech solutions.

Left: Shrimp faming in Bangladesh. Above: It's called solastalgia.

Getting to work.

Not the pistachios! Recent warm winter temperatures in the Californian pistachio-growing region have led to a collective billiondollar loss for growers. Pistachios require cool winters to spread their pollen and in the San Joaquin Valley the changes in winter climate means many male trees are no longer producing the pollen required by the female trees. ‘Small’ shifts like this will disrupt all sorts of crops and natural rhythms across the planet.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the fastest-growing occupation in that country is solar installer, followed by wind turbine service technician.

There’s a word for it. In recent years the NZ Psychological Society has reported cases of anxiety and depression relating to climate change. Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht has coined the term solastalgia to describe the depression and grief that results from the destruction or loss of loved places and landscapes.

New digital tools give us additional capability to mitigate the climate crisis. For example, Google has slashed by 40% the amount of electricity required to cool its massive server farms, by using artificial intelligence, rather than new hardware.

Trees are still number 1. The best way to pull CO2 from the air is still by using trees! Massive treeplanting initiatives around the globe include a recent effort in Ethiopia which saw 353 million trees planted in 12 hours, smashing the goal of 200 million!

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Climate change means farmers in many parts of the world are adapting by changing crops. As seawater rises in Bangladesh, some rice fields have been transformed into shrimp farms. Coffee farmers in Costa Rica are switching to oranges. Kenyan cattle herders are raising camels instead.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 19

BayBuzz Christmas Surprise! W IN ! Take advantage of our special Christmas package: For Subscribers … Gift BayBuzz by December 23

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Subscribe to BayBuzz by December 23 to … • Enjoy BayBuzz for one year. • Receive ONE $20 cash voucher redeemable at Gourmet Direct, Bareknuckle BBQ, or The Organic Farm Butchery. • Enter the BBQ draw.

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Political UpdateTom Belford

Tom Belford HBRC

Craig Foss HBRC

Chris Tremain Napier Mayoralty

Election Wrap-up

Kirsten Wise … WOW! Sandra Hazlehurst … comfortable win. Alex Walker … no contest … carried in on a throne. These ladies should have no trouble pushing around returning Wairoa mayor Craig Little and returning Regional Council chair Rex Graham at the monthly meetings of our region’s top political leaders! They commanded 31,684 votes to the guys’ mere 8,592.

Regime change

Without question, the biggest change afoot in Hawke’s Bay local governance will be in Napier. Those choosing ‘Wisely’ gave their new mayor 63% of the nearly 22,000 votes cast, a whopping mandate to clean house, restore due processes and set new direction for the Napier City Council. With five new councillors to assist. BayBuzz columnist Andrew Frame and I interviewed mayor-elect Wise the Monday after the election closed to hear her initial plans. Andrew reports on that interview separately in the following article, so I will leave the detail to him. Suffice it to say, a ‘reform’ candidate doesn’t win 63% of the vote because constituents are pleased with the status quo! The new mayor has been bestowed enormous political capital which she must now deploy, well, wisely. Perhaps Wise’s biggest immediate challenge will be sorting out her priorities and deciding what to tackle first. Some of the bigger issues will take time to sort, possibly testing ratepayer patience. From the outside looking in, but regularly hearing the complaints made, it would seem that ‘culture change’ should be her first order of business. The substantive issues NCC has grappled with in recent times, like the aquatic centre and before that the velodrome and handling of the War Memorial, have been surrounded by ‘process’ intrigue, even manipulation some would argue – who knew what when, reliability of information presented, lack of respect for public views and desultory consultation. And other complaints regarding personnel practices and the unresponsiveness of

Kirsten Wise Napier Mayoralty

services staff to ordinary citizens. While such dysfunctions fall on the shoulders of councillors, there’s no question that staff attitudes, starting with the chief executive, really drive the culture of the organisation. And with the mandate she has been given, and its roots, it is the staff – from chief executive Wayne Jack on down – who will be need to come to terms with the

new mayor and the values and modus operandi she wants to embed in the organisation, not vice versa. Her tone will prevail; it is not a negotiation. Once Mayor Wise deals with this issue, hopefully Napier citizens will find that, moving forward, good policy follows good process. The substantive issues to be revisited are familiar to Napier voters – having been well canvassed during the election (a credit to Chris Tremain as well): the aquatic centre, chlorine and water infrastructure generally, the aquarium, the War Memorial. See Andrew Frame’s article following for insight into how Mayor Wise intends to proceed.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 23

Peleti Oli HDC

Damon Harvey Hastings Mayoralty

Newcomer Peleti Oli was the new vote champion in Flaxmere. Dullsville

On the other side of the Tutaekuri River, the status quo prevailed. Incumbent Sandra Hazlehurst won 56% of the nearly 23,000 votes cast for mayor, as against Damon Harvey’s 44% … about a 3,000 vote margin. A laudable accomplishment, making this the first time in many elections that Hastings will have a mayor elected by a majority of those voting. That said, this was not a bad showing for Harvey, given the incumbency advantages that Mayor Hazlehurst fully exploited to deliver a barrage of ‘good news’ announcements, trophies and awards, and grand openings as the term ended. With no overriding contentious dispute or crisis to drive debate over the election window, the few issues that did arise – Lowe’s pit (aka lake) and Water Central (aka the water museum) were too little too late to stir rebellion. As a result, Hazlehurst’s Love Boat was not torpedoed. The status quo was reinforced by the re-election of all standing councillors, save one. No Hastings/Havelock North incumbent was defeated, accounting for eight of fourteen HDC seats. The

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Jacoby Poulain HDC and HBDHB

strongest showing non-elected contender was Rizwanna (Riz) Latiff, who has worked hard on many fronts to advance multi-culturalism in Hawke’s Bay. The only incumbent to lose a seat was Flaxmere’s Jacoby Poulain. Newcomer Peleti Oli was the new vote champion in Flaxmere, campaigning as a Labour candidate and topping Henare O’Keefe, who secured Flaxmere’s second seat by a scant 36 votes as of this writing over Poulain. Poulain was probably not helped by her high-profile dispute with colleagues at the HB District Health Board, where she also lost her seat.

Only two other newcomers secured HDC seats, Alwyn Corban of Ngatarawa Wines fame, who now represents the Heretaunga Ward (replacing retiring Rod Heaps) alongside returning councillor Ann Redstone, and Sophie Siers (replacing retiring George Lyons) who claimed the Kahuranaki Ward seat by default, facing no opposition. HDC can now move on to its important agenda, starting with sorting out who leaked what with reference to Water Central, an issue sure to bore most of the district’s ratepayers, and then finding another public building or room to name. If there’s a serious issue brewing at the Hastings District Council, it has yet to surface. And perhaps that suits Hastings district voters just fine.

Jerf van Beek HBRC

The big issue going forward for HBRC will not be championing the environment – that course is set – rather, it will be co-governance with Māori.

Fenton Wilson HBRC

Status quo

At the Regional Council, while six seats at the nine-person table changed, when the smoke cleared, the power alignment did not. And, from my perspective, that’s what counts. The pro-environment tilt of HBRC remains intact. Three incumbents peacefully retired – Alan Dick in Napier, Debbie Hewitt from CHB and Peter Beaven representing the Ngaruroro constituency. And three other incumbents were forcibly retired – this writer, representing Hastings/Havelock North/ Flaxmere, losing his seat to former MP Craig Foss, Napier’s Paul Bailey falling to Hinewai Ormsby and Martin Williams, and Wairoa’s Fenton Wilson losing to challenger Charles Lambert. However, as noted, the net effect overall is that the Regional Council’s current direction will be maintained. Winning incumbents Rex Graham (by now re-elected by his colleagues as chair), Rick Barker, Neil Kirton, Hinewai Ormsby and Jerf van Beek (replacing Beaven) – a core majority – can be expected to be on the same page most of the time.

Will Foley HBRC

Charles Lambert and Will Foley can be expected to advocate well for the interests of their opposite rural wings of the Bay, but look for both to have much warmer and productive relations to the core five than their respective predecessors, Wilson and Hewitt. Lambert, like Ormsby, brings a Māori perspective to the table; Foley is a recent convert to ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices on his farms, suggesting he is attuned to ‘best practice’ from an environmental perspective. That leaves self-proclaimed ‘environmentalists’ Craig Foss and Martin

Williams, both ardent advocates of the Ruataniwha dam, who will be hard-pressed to deliver on their claims that the Regional Council has under-performed in its core mission, protecting and enhancing the environment. God bless if they do! BayBuzz will be happy to recant when we see these two at the leading edge of Hawke’s Bay environmentalism, leaving the rest of their colleagues in the dust. The big issue going forward for HBRC will not be championing the environment – that course is set – rather, it will be co-governance with Māori. I’ll come to that in a moment.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 25

Charles Lambert HBRC

DHB re-charges

Kevin Atkinson remains a fixture at the Hawke’s Bay DHB, topping the ballot. Thankfully, in my book. This term will be his last as chair, making succession planning a key challenge for the biggest ‘business’ in Hawke’s Bay. Which makes the new composition of the DHB board – including its four members appointed by the Health Minister – rather important. Leaving aside Atkinson and Peter Dunkerley, who are expected to leave after this term arm-in-arm, the five other elected Board members are incumbents Ana Apatu and Heather Skipworth, previous incumbent and newly-returning David Davidson, and newcomers Anna Lorck and Hayley Anderson. Undoubtedly these five bring important skills and experiences to the table, but with all due respect none has run a half-billion dollar business. In fact, has anyone else in HB done so? [OK, Rod Drury, but he’s busy.] Yet underneath all the head-scratching and strategising about effectively dealing with mental health, an ageing population, an under-served poor population and so on, there sits a very complex $500 million business, the largest employer in the region. And what mix of business acumen and healthcare experience is best-suited to chair the board of such a socially and economically critical enterprise? Heaps of people advocating for this

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Paul Bailey HBRC

The HBDHB must demonstrate its readiness and ability to advocate to Government in this environment, while revamping its health delivery services in critical ways. or that better, more accessible, more culturally-sensitive, more patient-empowered healthcare regularly surface as DHB candidates, as they did in this recent election. But unfortunately, with the exception of recognised names like Garth Cowie, Claire Vogtherr and Graeme Norton, few bring business savvy along with their health perspectives. Moreover, the Board must deal pronto

Hinewai Ormsby HBRC

with a more immediate succession issue of equal importance and sensitivity – selecting a DHB chief executive to replace departed Kevin Snee. All of this during a political window when the government in power is demonstrating a willingness to deliver overdue funding to the resourcestarved health sector. The HBDHB must demonstrate its readiness and ability to advocate to Government in this environment, while revamping its health delivery services in critical ways, winning public support for those changes (and for the needed preventive changes in individuals’ own lifestyles), and organising a leadership team for the future. Perhaps these are the elected officials with the biggest challenge of all in Hawke’s Bay!

Anna Lorck HBDHB

Māori politics

Hawke’s Bay’s Māori community is undergoing a power realignment of its own. For one thing, more Māori are being elected into what has been the Pākehā governance structure of four territorial authorities, the Regional Council and the District Health Board. By my rough count, 12 elected Māori serve on these bodies. Two have just been elected to the Regional Council. For the most part, Pākehā voters and ratepayers seem to tolerate Māori representation that flows through the local electoral process. And not much angst is generated by the existence of Māori advisory committees, which most of our elected bodies have, given the emphasis is on ‘advisory’. However, controversy ensues when other steps are taken to incorporate Māori perspectives into councils’ decision-making – such as HDC’s decision to appoint un-elected Māori representatives to its standing committees with voting rights (already a practice at HBRC), or the prospect of dedicated Māori seats on the councils. Within the Māori community itself, the various sources of leadership legitimacy further complicate matters – including seniority-based kaumātua, marae and hapū leaders, appointees to various bodies, elected councillors, institution-based professionals, NGOs, and treaty claimant trusts. To paraphrase a point often made by Ngahiwi Tomoana, chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc (NKII), ‘Hey, we’re no more or less complicated than you white folks’. And when the official Pākehā-led governance bodies get it wrong (given their treaty and legislated obligations to consult), all hell breaks loose … the best recent example being the controversy over the aborted Te Mata Peak track. Here in Hawke’s Bay, the issue of Māori involvement in council decision-making is becoming most contentious at the Regional Council, where decisions on natural resource issues – such as freshwater management plans – must be passed through a Regional

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Government by the minority. The mayor of Napier was elected with 13,774 votes. The mayor of Hastings elected with 12,972 votes. The mayor of CHB with 4,938 votes. The mayor of Wairoa with 1,911 votes. The chair of the Regional Council with 6,681 votes.

Planning Committee (RPC) comprised equally of the nine elected councillors and nine Māori representatives, one appointed by each of the nine treaty settlement groups in the region. For any decision to be made, an 80% consensus is required, meaning that four votes can quash any action. This is the only such arrangement in New Zealand, required by special legislation passed during the last National Government after discussions with HBRC during the Andrew Newman regime. Aimed ostensibly at facilitating Māori participation in resource issues, arguably this is co-governance in the extreme. Effectively the legislation sets unworkable ground rules Parliament would never impose upon itself. I suspect few people in Hawke’s Bay would be aware of this arrangement. Unfortunately, the RPC has become a vehicle of paralysis – for example, delaying for over a year adoption of the community-driven TANK plan that would govern water quality and allocation for the Heretaunga Plains, and now halting its official notification progress. Unresolved arguments have raged over Māori members’ compensation, staff support and even the terms of reference for the RPC. The newly-elected Regional Council will need to sort out this co-governance arrangement if any natural resource decision-making is to proceed in Hawke’s Bay.

The Silent Majority

As usual, one of the most notable aspects of the recent elections is the number who didn’t vote! Even with a higher than normal turnout in Napier (which reached 50.04%), fully 60,000 eligible voters across the Bay did not vote, yielding their responsibility to the approximately 54,000 who did. With now-customary weeping and gnashing of teeth, pundits will attribute this poor performance of civic duty variously to defects in the process

28 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

(with calls for same-day, in-person voting; or heading in the opposite direction, online voting), inadequate media coverage, uninspiring invisible candidates, and/or lack of energising issue controversy. All of these factors are then summed up and cumulatively blamed for voter ‘apathy’. I disagree. Voter apathy begins with the voter. All the other ‘reasons’ are actually excuses made by should-be voters to fob off their civic responsibility. Most of the candidates work hard to bring attention to themselves, with brochure drops, advertising, door-knocking, appearances at the very few candidate meetings on offer, websites, and increasingly social media. As for whether they are uninspiring, any super-star is free to pay the filing fee and sweep us off our feet. As for issues, many really important issues are, sorry, boring. Infrastructure is the most glaring example … until 5,000 people get sick and chemicals must be added. That said, Napier had no lack of issue controversy and still barely managed 50% turnout. Yes, media coverage could be more extensive, and more challenging of candidates’ claims, in my opinion. But again, few should-be voters bother to read our resource-constrained newspaper at all. Hawke’s Bay holds in the neighbourhood of 115,000 voters. Less than 20% of them are reading Hawke’s Bay Today with any regularity, and fewer by the year. As for process, c’mon! A voting packet with candidate guide is delivered to your doorstep with a post-paid return envelope. How hard can it be to tick some boxes and drop off the envelope? While I personally don’t favour that process for various other reasons, I really cannot say it’s ‘too hard’. So, forget about blaming these factors. The should-be voters are themselves the root of the problem. Some

with plausible excuses, like illnesses or other family or personal calamities that happen to coincide with the voting window. Some with a view that politics and elections don’t matter … a self-fulfilling stance. Although Mark Twain famously said, “If voting made any difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.” But most have no legitimate excuse, instead sheer laziness, perhaps compounded by ignorance of the stakes involved in the selection of local leaders. On the other hand, we might come at the issue from an entirely different direction. Other than feeling a bit ‘uneasy’ about minority rule in what is supposed to be a majority rule democratic system, do we – should we – care whether only 40-45% of eligible voters in Hawke’s Bay call the shots? The mayor of Napier was elected with 13,774 votes. The mayor of Hastings elected with 12,972 votes. The mayor of CHB with 4,938 votes. The mayor of Wairoa with 1,911 votes. The chair of the Regional Council with 6,681 votes. Government by the minority. Maybe GK Chesterton was right: “Democracy says that the majority is always right. But progress says that the minority is always right.” Perhaps, like it or not, our local democracy is operating at its best social equilibrium and decorum. Maybe we’ve reached the optimal balance point between responsible students of the issues and candidates, and the wildly uninformed punters (judging from the social media rants I observed during the campaign), who are nevertheless passionate in their views. If somehow the process were jiggered to yield more voters, which kind would we gain more of? Whichever the result, the last word goes to George Bernard Shaw: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”

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She Came, She Listened, She Conquered! Story by Andrew Frame To say Kirsten Wise’s election win as Napier mayor was emphatic would be an understatement. Incumbent two-term councillor Wise beat her nearest rival, former National MP Chris Tremain by 8,000 votes, solely gathering more than 60% of the total mayoral votes. Everyone, including Wise herself, had expected a closer result, but the result was a landslide, or perhaps a ‘tsunami’ would be a more fitting metaphor, given water was the main issue facing all council aspirants.

Water, water everywhere

“‘Water’ is the first word out of every person’s mouth in Napier at the moment,” Wise says. “And we now have a council resolution that water is our top priority, so that has to guide where you are putting your money.” “The first priority with water is the dirty water, as opposed to the chlorine. We’ve got the likes of Tamatea, Onekawa and Pirimai where residents are reporting dirty water incidents three to four times a week and that’s unacceptable. It’s something we need to get moving on and get resolved as soon as possible.” Wise has said in previous interviews that she thinks chlorine-free drinking water is an option for the community and is keen to catch up with Christchurch City Council to see how they have been going in their process of dechlorinating their system, following the chemical’s introduction to their network after the city’s 2010/11 earthquakes. And potentially following their lead.

“At one stage someone was saying ‘Chlorine out by Christmas!’ Well that’s not going to happen, that’s not the reality.” KIRSTEN WISE

But she says it’s really difficult to talk timeframes. “At one stage someone was saying ‘Chlorine out by Christmas!’ Well that’s not going to happen, that’s not the reality.” “I’ve spent the last two years talking to local water industry experts and what I’ve learned from them has given me the confidence that we can remove the chlorine,” but there is some work that needs to be done. She wants to get a group of water experts together from both sides of the chlorine debate and have them present their cases to Hawke’s Bay councillors, which will then give councillors an opportunity to ask the experts questions directly. Wise says she has “been careful the whole way through my campaign never to promise the removal of chlorine from Napier’s water system, because you can’t make that promise.” But she wants to invest in testing Napier’s water infrastructure in relation to the dirty water and chlorine. “We are saying that our pipes are all rubbish at the moment, but we don’t actually know that. There is technology we can invest in that will run through your whole network and then you actually do know what you’re dealing with and then you can cost it, take

that information to the community and move forward from there.” “If we can’t be chlorine-free we will at least know why.” NCC has already identified $8 million worth of water projects than can be brought forward in the next 12 months. When it comes to other end of the ‘Three Waters’ puzzle NCC management has been at loggerheads with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council over the release of stormwater and wastewater into Pandora Estuary and NCC’s speed of remediating this problem, so the new mayor and council’s relationship with the likes of HBRC will be very important.

Culture clash

One of the biggest criticisms of Napier City Council over recent years has been from the perceived mishandling of public consultation and interaction. Council’s ‘we know what’s best for you’ mentality over issues like the future of Onekawa Pool, Napier’s War Memorial and Sk8 Zone have badly tarnished the Napier public’s perception of their council and elected officials. Wise acknowledges that many of the sticky situations NCC currently finds itself in, like the recent High Court case over public pool consultation, “are because of the council’s processes”. Those ‘processes’ predominantly

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 31

relate to how council management and staff operates and interact with the elected councillors. If there is a culture issue within Napier City Council’s staff and management, that starts and ends with the CEO. Wise says she has been very open about how she thinks the council needs a full culture review, “So that’s a conversation I will be having with the chief executive to get the wheels in motion on that.” “As a mayor and councillors, we employ one person – that one person is the chief executive. It is his role to take direction from us and that is what I’m going to ensure is happening going forward.” With such a clear democratic mandate from the community it is surely very hard for management to argue against that. She is “100% confident in the new council that has been elected” and has plans to get them all together as soon as possible in a councillor-only strategic retreat. The new council has a significantly lower average age compared to its previous incarnation, with three new councillors in their 30s and has a 50/50 male/female split. There was no space available for councillors to work or meet in the current council buildings, which made it “difficult for us as a group of governors to be unified.. So, the first step for me is working on the culture and unification on this new group of governors and that will flow onto building a relationship with the CEO and the rest of the senior leadership team.” “To move forward as a council we all need to be far more unified.” And it’s not just an introspective unity mayor Wise has in mind. When it comes to working together with Hawke’s Bay’s other councils she thinks “we have come a long way in working together as a region in recent years and it’s vital we’re all on the same page.”

Re-writing the playbook

When it comes to NCC’s contentious ‘gagging’ Code of Conduct, Wise has alterations in mind to put forward at the first full council meeting when the city’s elected officials take their oath of office and have the once-in-threeyear chance to alter the code and standing orders. She says these changes will “unmuzzle” what elected councillors can and can’t say and to whom.

32 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

Wise also says the result of the legal action over the Onekawa Pool consultation, which is due in the new year is “quite a vital decision, as it then gives us the answer to our current consultation processes. If council is found to have under-consulted, or miss-consulted and we have a legal ruling on that it’s very clear.” Even if the ruling comes back as NCC having met the minimum requirements she says “from my perspective doing the bare minimum of consultation to meeting your legal requirements isn’t good enough. That’s not the way I want to engage with my community.”

“As a mayor and councillors, we employ one person – that one person is the chief executive. It is his role to take direction from us and that is what I’m going to ensure is happening going forward.” KIRSTEN WISE

Disarming tourist traps

With so much focus on the pool consultation (or lack of) and legal challenges, another big-ticket item seems to have fallen off the radar recently. ‘Project Shapeshifter’ is the $51 million redevelopment of Napier’s National Aquarium of New Zealand which we are led to believe is to involve, or be backed by, tertiary institutions, government agencies and Weta Workshop. Wise says she “has reservations” about the project including its location so close to the coast in light of sea-level rise calculations and does not want to commit any further ratepayer money into upgrading the facility beyond NCC’s originally planned $10 million contribution. With HBRC declaring they have no interest investing in the redevelopment and most of the project’s funding supposedly coming from central government and private business she is sceptical as to the project’s future. NCC was developing a business case (sales pitch) that was going to cost $700,000 to produce with the coalition

government’s Provincial Growth Fund and council each paying half, but that figure was secretly raised to $1.2 million at a public-excluded NCC meeting earlier this year – a motion which Wise says she voted against. She says the drive for, or information behind, getting support for Project Shapeshifter hadn’t “trickled down” beyond NCC’s CEO and previous mayor to councillors. When it comes to Napier’s tourism industry in recent years, it is hard to ignore cruise industry. Napier has become a popular stop for cruise liners and over 90 ship visits are expected over this 2019/20 season. But, as illustrated elsewhere in this issue of Baybuzz, the industry’s effect on local economies and the environment may not be all wine and dollar signs. While Kirsten agrees the true financial benefits and environmental impacts of the cruise industry on Napier needs further investigation, she says the tens of thousands of tourists who visit on the ships each year bring a vitality to the city and are a vital source of income for many around Hawke’s Bay.

100-day plan

While issues like the water and pool process won’t be fixed overnight and realistically require a bit more public patience, Wise has two things she intends to make happen very quickly. The first is “removing the name ‘Napier Conference Centre’ off Napier’s War Memorial Centre”. “The other thing is showing my commitment to being an open, transparent council”. Wise intends to have far more community involvement in council and “tap into all the incredible people who want to offer assistance. That is where I can make some quick gains in implementing better consultation processes.” “We are going to be very clear that this council will engage differently with the community. We will have an open-door policy. We will talk to the community first, not last. We will look at all the different ways we can engage with the community and ensure that everyone feels they have had an opportunity to be involved.” Mayor Kirsten Wise certainly has the public mandate to effect some much-needed change upon Napier City Council and Napier city. BayBuzz and the rest of the community will be watching with great anticipation!

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Batteries Face Serious Charges

Photos: Florence Charvin

Behind the dream that we’re heading into a less-carbon tainted techno-utopia are some dirty secrets. Consider batteries – how they are made, who’s mining what to make them, and what happens when they’ve run their course.

Story by Keith Newman While breakthroughs in affordable storage are accelerating the shift to electric vehicles, bikes, solar storage, and increasing our reliance on battery-powered gadgets and gizmos, the toxic footprint of their manufacture and disposal raises serious concerns. The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Battery Alliance says the raw materials for many batteries are extracted at high human and environmental costs in an industry that seems to care little for health and safety and the pollution caused. Battery manufacture now accounts for 60% of the 125,000 tonnes of cobalt mined annually from the Congo (DRC), China, Russia, Canada, and Australia. The bulk of this is used for EVs and comes from the copper belt in the Congo and Zambia where Amnesty International has identified human rights abuses, including the use of child labour. And there’s mounting concern over the environmental cost of mining lithium in Chile’s Atacamas Desert. Amnesty says most lithium-ion battery manufacture occurs in China, South Korea and Japan using coal and fossil fuel-generated electricity. From a disturbing birth, batteries too often face an equally unsavoury ‘death’.

In Hawke’s Bay a concerted effort has been made over many years to keep batteries from mainstream rubbish, with a plea for consumers to set old batteries aside for separate collection.

Dire disposal future

According to WEF there are few systems in place for reusing, recycling or disposing of the eleven million tonnes of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries expected to be discarded by 2030. It wants manufacturers to disclose the carbon footprint of batteries so consumers can make a more informed choice. Like the unintended consequences of plastic manufacture, governments and local authorities, producers, importers, distributors and consumers are being challenged to look more closely at end-of-life consequences. New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment is currently processing submissions to strengthen the Waste

Minimisation Act (2008) by prioritising compulsory stewardship schemes. Associate environment minister Eugene Sage says we’re “still losing the war on waste” and more decisive action is needed on e-waste and batteries, particularly lithium-ion, EV, household-scale and industrial renewable energy power systems. In Hawke’s Bay a concerted effort has been made over many years to keep batteries from mainstream rubbish, with a plea for consumers to set old batteries aside for separate collection. While scrap metal companies typically pay to receive old lead car batteries, Hastings District Council still collects 2-4 tonnes a year.

Toxic landfill leaching

Although most standard alkaline torch and appliance batteries still end up at the dump, councils prefer to encase them in concrete to prevent toxic ingredients leaching into landfills, soil and groundwater. Rechargeable batteries are also being dumped, often with little consideration for their recycling value. “There’s a lot of valuable material in them” says Angela Atkins, waste planning manager at Hastings District Council. These types, including nickel metal

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 35

Across Hawke’s Bay there are drop-off points for all types of batteries – the main Hastings council building, Henderson Rd Refuse Station, the Environment Centre in Karamu Rd, Hastings, the Flaxmere, Havelock North and Napier libraries and Napier’s Redclyffe Rd dump.

hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion and nickel–cadmium (Nicad or NiCd), contain heavy metals and toxic substances and present a fire risk even in storage or landfills. When the casings get damaged or squashed against the side of rubbish compactors they can become a heat source which can ignite other material, says Atkins. Napier waste minimisation manager Rhett van Veldhuizen says a number of fires in the waste industry are now being attributed to high-power lithium-ion batteries. A huge toxic blaze ripped through a large stockpile of unrecyclable plastics at a Smart Environmental depot near Thames in March. Although the cause is still being investigated the company “is fairly sure” it was caused by lithium-ion batteries. Across Hawke’s Bay there are dropoff points for all types of batteries – the main Hastings council building, Henderson Rd Refuse Station, the Environment Centre in Karamu Rd, Hastings, the Flaxmere, Havelock North and Napier libraries and Napier’s Redclyffe Rd dump. Between them the councils annually

collect around 2,700kg of batteries at these drop-off points and another 1,200kg through the annual Hazmobile Hazardous Waste collection day and transfer stations.

Buckets of batteries

The majority, once there’s a pallet load of 20 litre buckets, end up with E-Cycle in Auckland, which sends them on to “sophisticated” facilities in Australia

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for recycling or disposal. E-Cycle director Jon Thornhill says his company, which brokers battery disposal for 15 councils and community groups, believes education and mandatory stewardship are the only way we’re going to keep batteries out of landfills. He’s looking at a deal to pre-process or shred certain batteries before export and agrees we need to look at options for further onshore processing, urging councils to ensure contracts with rubbish collection firms specify separating batteries. While there’s been a decade of talk about improving e-waste recycling, Thornhill says there’s not been much progress and he’s disappointed one of the main targets in the latest government e-waste plan is on EV batteries, when that market hasn’t yet emerged. About 90% of the batteries sent for disposal are alkaline or handheld, and he says we need a lot more education to ensure lithium-ion and other recyclable batteries aren’t included in household rubbish. Currently Hawke’s Bay councils don’t charge for battery collection.

Age Concern HB, Age Concern Napier, Arts & Crafts Corner Otane, Arts Inc Heretaunga, Barnados, Big Brothers Big Sisters HB, Birthright HB, Brain Injury Association HB, BudgetFirst, Camp Kaitawa, Central Connect Whare Manaaki, CHB Budget Service, CHB Parents Centre, Christian Lovelink, Citizens Advice Bureau Napier, Connecting for Youth Employment, Disability Resource Centre HB, DOVE HB, English Language Partners HB, Environment Centre HB, EPIC Ministries, Equippers Hastings Trust, Family Violence Intervention + Prevention Trust, Family Works HB, Got Drive Community Trust, HB Multiple Sclerosis Society, HB Youth Trust, Hastings Citizens Advice Bureau, Hastings Riding for the Disabled, Heretaunga Women’s Centre, Insolidarity Charitable Trust (Tu Mai Awa), Leg-Up Trust, Napier Community Food Bank, Napier Family Centre, Napier Riding for Disabled, Nga Tukemata O Kahungunu, Nourished for Nil, Victim Support HB, Orokohanga Music Trust, People’s Advocacy Society, Prima Volta Charitable Trust, Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, Sherwood School, SPELD, Taradale Primary School, Te Mata Park Trust, Cranford Hospice, The Parenting Place, Parkinson’s HB, The Paul Hunter Centre, Waiapu Anglican Social Services - Heretaunga Seniors, Waiapu Anglican Social Services - Pakeke Centre, Westshore Surf Life Saving Club, Wharariki Trust, Yoga Education in Prisons Trust, Youth Development Trust HB, ZEAL Education Trust

Over the past three years Hastings has collected and paid for processing 4,830kg of batteries, costing ratepayers $28,785. “It is expensive to ship and process” so councils are keeping an eye on the costs, says Napier City’s van Veldhuizen. He says the stewardship approach would take some of the pressure off councils. “Like Europe we may find in the future that there are collection bins in the shops where they’re sold and we pay a little more to help fund those return systems.”

Cost down, waste up

Between 2010 and 2018 the cost of lithium-ion batteries plummeted 85%, with Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Energy Storage Outlook 2019 predicting a further halving in cost by 2030. That’s largely due to the increasing demand for EV and household solar storage that can deliver excess electricity to the power grid. That demand is already evident in New Zealand through the uptake of Tesla Powerwall and other household and commercial storage products. In our increasingly cordless, wireless

world there are batteries in just about everything from watches and calculators, to torches, laptops, keyboards, mice, remote control units, cameras, smartphones, drones and power tools. We have back-up batteries for our computers and our phones and the gaggle of gadgets will only escalate through adoption of 5G mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT). Some last for hours or days, others rabbit on like the Energiser bunny for weeks, but in the end all get tossed, even the rechargeable ones, which are often retired early as the devices they power become fashionably obsolete. Angela Atkins says there’s increasing use of lithium ion batteries, but most cellphone batteries only last two to three years. “We really need to move away to a circular economy where we don’t rely so much on virgin materials to create them.” The problem is exacerbated through built-in redundancy which artificially limits battery life, and the fact some manufacturers are sealing them in so they can’t be replaced.

Fading with age

The job of disposing and repurposing

batteries is only going to become more complex and demanding as larger industrial, household or commercial batteries, including solar units, age and fail to hold a full charge. The options to repurpose, recycle or refurbish are only going to work if there’s a buoyant market to counter our tendency to toss out the old and go for the new. After a decade of EV use, the owners of Nissan Leaf and other models are increasingly aware their batteries are no longer going the distance. Although some Japanese factories offer reconditioned batteries, replacing a small hybrid can cost between $NZ2,000 to $7,000 and a full EV replacement significantly more. Reconditioned batteries for some older e-bikes, slowly slipping back to peddle power, can cost up to $1,200. Regardless, we remain firmly on a course toward a battery charged world. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predicts that by 2040 nearly 60% of all new car sales and around a third of all cars will be electric. It claims passenger EVs will accelerate from two million in 2018 to 10 million in 2025, nearly trebling by 2030

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and soaring to 56 million by 2040. The New Zealand Government set a target of 64,000 EVs on the road by 2021, but we’re well short of that with only 15,000 registered across all types, mostly second-hand imported passenger vehicles driven by Aucklanders.

Solar storage boom

Meanwhile there’s a massive effort underway to improve the prospects for solar, renewable energy and battery storage. Australia is viewed as the test case with up to 60,000 homes expected to add systems this year. The industry ideal is to ensure this new generation of EV, home and commercial battery units can hook directly into the grid, enabling reversible charging. Under political and environmental pressure to reduce fossil fuel generation, electricity suppliers are at a challenging crossroads with consumers looking to make a little cash or at least get a power bill rebate for their contribution. For example, electric buses with huge batteries are now rolling off US production lines with two-way grid connections as a standard feature. Uber Technologies and other large fleet

38 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

The job of disposing and repurposing batteries is only going to become more complex and demanding as larger industrial, household or commercial batteries, including solar units, age and fail to hold a full charge.

operators are also angling to plug into the grid when vehicles are idle. Car makers, including Renault, already see themselves as part of the ‘electricity ecosystem’ with two-way transfer in their EVs and, like Tesla, Nissan and Volkswagen AG, are investing in energy-storage products for homes and small businesses. Oil giants including Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and Total are hedging their bets for the emerging fossil free future investing billions in electric power and residential storage,

including industrial-scale batteries and charging facilities.

Generational challenge

Bloomberg suggests that by 2050 solar and wind will supply almost half the world’s electricity based on sustainable storage, something Tesla is pushing the boundaries to achieve across the Tasman. The Hornsdale Power Reserve, north of Adelaide is the world’s largest operating lithium-ion battery facility with a city block full of two-metre high Tesla batteries connected into 99 wind turbines. The French energy company Neoen SA invested NZ$97 million in Hornsdale, which can power 30,000 homes, although its principal function is to stabilise fluctuations in Adelaide’s power supply where renewables account for half the power generation. Green Mountain Power Corp based in Vermont, has worked with Tesla to provide 2,000 residential batteries. Its CEO Mary Powell believes storage can be “a leapfrog technology ... the killer app” to move us away from bulk electricity providers to community, home and business-based energy systems.

Although batteries are relatively low volume, the issue is more about toxicity and impressing on importers and distributors the need for stewardship.

C L E ARV I E W E S TAT E WINERY

CELLAR DOOR CELLAR DOOR RESTAURANT RESTAURANT s isince n c e 1989 1989 brunch | lunch | coffee platters | wine sales tours | tastings | groups weddings | celebrations While all this leapfrogging is going on the question remains who’s monitoring the environmental impact and how are we going to safely dispose of each new generation of this barrage of batteries when they fade, become unfashionable or redundant? Dominic Salmon of Hastings-based 3R Group says we need to keep asking the same question about batteries that we ask about all waste product, “Why are we doing what we do and how can we do better?” Although batteries are relatively low volume, the issue is more about toxicity and impressing on importers and distributors the need for stewardship.

Shifting responsibility

In New Zealand, he says, we only have one Act which needs to be far more proactive and come more in line with the European Union where the legislation is “far more draconian”. Being party to the Basil Convention means we have to track and trace our hazardous material, which is going to require more detail around e-waste and battery exports, including lead acid and nicads. Salmon suggests EV or lead acid batteries can be repurposed as solar storage for homes so they’re not necessarily a waste product. But we need to start thinking about ramping up our own processing capability and how to recover some of the valuable materials in rechargeable batteries. That, he says is part of the current conversation around stewardship and

who’s accountable. “We shouldn’t be dumping on other shores; we should be dealing with our waste onshore.” So what about parallel importers who bring in volume packs of 12 cheap AA or lithium ion batteries that don’t last a third of the time as the four quality batteries you get for the same price? A product stewardship option would place responsibility on importers and distributors and may prevent this type of battery coming into the country. E-Cycle’s Jon Thornhill, who handles the bulk of Hawke’s Bay’s battery disposals, can’t understand why New Zealand remains one of the few first world countries without stewardship schemes. After all the talkfests, he suggests it’ll take at least three years for mandatory stewardship to be enacted, meaning councils and consumers must continue to prepare for that advent and do their part. That might come down to conducting an inventory of the number and types of batteries used in our homes and businesses, investing in rechargeables, and having a collection bin to separate them for collection at end of life.

Unison is pleased to sponsor robust examination of energy issues in Hawke’s Bay. This reporting is prepared by BayBuzz. Any editorial views expressed are those of the BayBuzz team and do not reflect the views of Unison.

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Cover Story Bridget Freeman-Rock. Photos: Florence Charvin

Cruising for a Bruising? For a long time cruise was viewed unquestioningly as the goose that lays the golden egg, but as cruise has boomed, so too have budget cruise packages, bringing a changing, rapidly growing demographic of those who can afford a luxury holiday upon the high seas. And with it challenges.

Hamish Saxton, the new head of Hawke’s Bay Tourism (who brings with him 30 years’ experience of working with tourism in Wanaka and Dunedin) is impressed with the slick running of what he terms cruise “events” here in Hawke’s Bay, of which there are some 80 a year.

Cruise growth

Cruise ships arrive early and leave by afternoon, or arrive in the afternoon and are gone by evening – it’s a brief 5-6 hour window of time that Hawke’s Bay “gets to entertain them”. And entertain them, we do, so successfully in fact, that Napier (one of the leastknown ports to passengers beforehand) “delightfully surprises”, earning top-NZ-destination status online. While Napier is unlikely to ever become a Dubrovnic or Barcelona, with mass cruise ship calls numbering 600900 a year, or even like Akaroa, whose population of 600 has to deal with the influx of 4,000 cruise visitors during peak season, cruise numbers to Napier are forecast to increase. “The ratio is changing,” says Saxton, “whereby we’re not seeing, so much, more cruise ships coming to our shores, as an increase in larger cruise ships. A big day used to be 1,000 visitors, but we’re now seeing cruise ships

42 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

travelling around with 3,000 passengers or more.” It only takes two big ships, as when Ovation of the Seas (one of the world’s largest cruise ships) along with the Maarsdam docked in last Art Deco Weekend, to have 6,000+ cruise tourists moseying through town. On that occasion, the region’s limits were tested, and for the coming cruise season there’s been a concerted effort to make sure there are less concentrations of cruise visitors at any one time. Napier is limited geographically, being a breakwater port (tendering is not an option), and by its supporting infrastructure (available buses, etc), so cannot expand much more beyond 90 cruise ships a season (the current cap until the new wharf is built), says Port CEO Todd Dawson. He suggests we’ve almost reached peak cruise. “Rather than doubling down,” Saxton says, “the potential for cruise is rather to expand and extend the cruise season.”

Don’t forget the crew

Karla, from boutique clothing store Two Lippy Ladies, says it’s difficult to pin-point in advance how a cruise day will go from a retail perspective, some days are great, other days pretty quiet. “But we do need them. And it’s nice to have the city full of people. Usually on an ordinary Saturday we wouldn’t see customers til lunchtime.” She gets vintage enthusiasts who come through, who tend to buy little things like pins or trinkets that don’t take up much luggage space. But there are a couple of families that do the same cruise every year who always come to the shop and buy clothing – they love her shop and so it’s on their itinerary. Karla herself worked as a pursier for 15 years on board cruise ships all around the world, and understands both sides of the equation. She says crew spend more than the passengers – they’ve got disposable income and they’re not after tourist experiences (and with a ratio, on average, of almost one crew member for every two passengers, are a sizable market in their own right). Usually crew are not seeing port destinations for the first time, and have developed their own rituals for each place, such as a friend of hers who, whenever she’s in Napier, will call in to see Karla, stock up on snacks and personal items from the supermarket and then head down for a kebab from Kilim. Every time.

“You have to see the positives. We’re just not used to it, but go to Paris, or any European city and you’ll see tourists everywhere.”

Our cruise visitors

KARLA, TWO LIPPY LADIES

When a cruise is in, town is busy, and that’s a positive thing, says Karla. “You have to see the positives.” She believes Napier has plenty of capacity. “We’re just not used to it, but go to Paris, or any European city and you’ll see tourists everywhere.”

Cruise strategy

Hawke’s Bay Tourism, Napier Port and Napier City Council are working on a cruise strategy that enables a more proactive, managed response and more streamlined collaboration between the different cruise interfaces. There’s an emphasis on communication – not only between each other and with independent operators, but with the public. And a desire to capture more data and detailed information on different cruise demographics (including the needs of crew), which will help local businesses to better cater for, and extract the best value from, cruise calls. The strength, however, is in creating a solid tourism experience in its own right and building capacity into that for cruise, Saxton says. Such as Mohaka Rafting or Gannet Safari tours have done. They’re not just exclusively there for cruise but rather have created that capacity within their business to take cruise visitors. “The thing that I’ve always felt about cruise, is that we are very, very lucky indeed to have it. Cruise is the cream on top. You do not build a business specifically around cruise – like that old saying, you don’t build a church for Easter Sunday.” While cruise is growing exponentially, Saxton has one eye cocked to global influences and vulnerabilities, such as economic downturn, or even terrorism, and the impacts of climate agitation. “If you benefit from cruise, count every visit as a blessing,” he advises.

Travel shaming

In the search for new frontiers of entertainment, and a perverse kind of disaster tourism, there’s been an explosive growth in cruise ‘expeditions’ to the

Barbara and Dave (Sydney) have done a cruise to NZ before – “We love New Zealand.” They say cruise is “a good, easy holiday; everything provided, everything catered for by amazing, attentive staff.”

Gail and Pamela (Orange, California), have arrived back from a ride through Ahuriri in a vintage car. Gail says the cruise ship is just a means of transport to him – a way to see the country, meet new people, enjoy the town. Pamela says everyone here is so friendly, welcoming.

Michael and Marjorie (Adelaide, originally Manchester, UK) are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Marjorie has just bought herself a jigsaw puzzle. They say there is lots to do on board the cruise ship.

Yus (Jakarta), and Kaetut (Bali), have been working on the cruise ships as waiters for several years. They’re keen to “observe” Napier, they say, and get a sense of the place.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 43

Arctic, offering passengers a chance to see rare (endangered) wildlife and to watch the ice caps melting (glass in hand) while contributing directly, if unthinkingly, to their demise. Cruise may be a booming industry, but in this context it feels like the last hurrah. During the Venice Film Festival in September there were noisy protests on the red carpet against cruise tourism, highlighting not just the overweening size of these “behemoths

Debunking some myths 1. Cruise ships take up car parks and congest our roads. 2. Cruise ships take our precious water. 3. Cruise ships dump crap in the estuary/choke our landfill. When cruise ships berth in Napier, passengers can’t just disperse on foot – it’s a working port – but have to be bussed to and from the wharf. Thus, there’s a concentration of people arriving at various ‘hot spots’, namely the iSite on Marine Parade, where the coaches disembark. But no one’s driving cars, unless they

44 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

of consumption”, dwarfing the port and spilling ever-more people into an already jaded, tourist-crowded city, but their environmental impact. In Germany, 50 climate activists swarmed a cruise ship docked in Kiel, preventing it leaving the harbour for more than six hours, to raise awareness about shipping pollution and the expansion of an industry they claim is unsustainable. The world’s largest cruise operator, Carnival Corporation, in cruising Europe’s coastlines in 2017 produced

10 times more sulphur emissions than all Europe’s 260 million cars, reports Brussels-based NGO Travel & Environment, and is being pursued through the courts for flouting environmental regulations in Alaska’s pristine waters. Closer to home, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions expert, Dr Gerda Kuschel calculated emissions from a single cruise visit in Wellington equates to the emissions of 200,000 extra cars (roughly the sum-total of

hired them, and in the scheme of things it’s a small stretch of parking space along the city foreshore that’s reserved for buses. Often passengers are chauffeured or whisked away on tours all over the region, barely even touching ground in Napier. The height of cruise season, though, coincides with school holidays during the summer period, concerts, events and festive shopping, when there’s a natural congestion in Napier, with out-oftown visitors and family hosting family – it’s a busy time on the roads. Cruise ships coming to Napier produce their own water using desalination technology. They don’t take any water from the municipal

supply. They’re also self-sufficient in that most of them treat their own sewerage to (theoretically) potable standards before discharging into the sea (or alternatively emptying at a larger ports where there are facilities to process it); nonetheless it’s illegal to dump waste water, however treated, within the 50-mile port zone. Cruise ships plan their provodoring well in advance. Napier isn’t suited to rubbish and recycling unloading, for instance (the stern of the ship is difficult to access); that’s usually done in Tauranga, which has specialised facilities. Likewise with other waste disposal requirements and securing supplies, the ship will have key shipping hubs lined up.

remote island nation dependent on tourism and export, travel miles are an uncomfortable topic. But what’s clear is that in today’s climate-woke world, demand for mitigating the environmental impacts of every facet of our lifestyles is growing at a faster rate than can be met by our infrastructure.

Greening cruise

The international cruise line association, CLIA, says it’s working constructively and proactively on sustainability investment and innovation, and is “leading the way in recycling, new technology and alternative fuels.” Cruise ships recycle 60% more waste per person than the average person on land, it claims, while condensation from air-conditioning units is often reclaimed and reused to wash decks. More than one third of newbuild cruise ships in the pipeline (there are at least 125 reported to be under construction) will operate on liquified natural gas (LNG) as their primary fuel. (Although LNG is far cleaner than traditional ‘bunker fuels’ – with virtually no soot, nitrogen or sulphur, and 20% less CO2 emissions, it’s mainly obtained by fracking, which is also problematic.) Comparing the US Friends of the Earth 2016 and 2019 score cards on

Is a packaged cruise holiday any more environmentally questionable than an ‘eco-conscious’ wellness retreat in Bali (organised by a yoga studio here), for instance? cruise ships (which grade cruise ships/ lines on their air pollution, waste-water, emissions, transparency and criminal record), there’s been a clear step-up in the greening of cruise (although many, including ships that call into Napier – Seven Seas Voyager, Crystal Serenity, MSC Magnifica – still rate ‘F’). But the reality is, cruise ships are too big and energy hungry to be powered by renewables. ‘Cold-ironing’ – essentially plugging into the on-shore grid with a massive extension cord when in port (which is 40% of the time) rather than running on fuel – is an option (currently offered in Norway), but it’s costly and requires a resource capacity that’s near-impossible for smaller destinations like Napier to provide. Hamish Saxton is confident that we

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daily traffic in the capital). In the prestigious Science journal, climatologists have crunched the numbers showing a direct correlation between carbon emissions and the melting of Arctic sea ice. By their calculations, taking a flight from Auckland to Melbourne, for instance, will make me individually accountable for 10m2 of ice melt. But me taking a cruise ship to Australia instead would equate to 30-40m2 – even the most efficient cruise ships emit 3-4 times more carbon dioxide, per passenger, than a jet, reported the New York Times in June this year. Hamish Saxton say that’s an unfair comparison, as cruise ships are not just transport but essentially “floating hotels”, providing high-end accommodation and resort-level service as well, which is not factored in when transport is judged in isolation. And in the context of global travel, cruise (though rapidly growing) represents just 2%, while commercial flights take up a whopping 60% slice of the pie, contributing overall far more to GGE. Is a packaged cruise holiday any more environmentally questionable than an ‘eco-conscious’ wellness retreat in Bali (organised by a yoga studio here), for instance? As a

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 45

will find solutions, through innovation and necessity. He muses, whether, as a great sailing nation, we might one day see a return to larger sail boats that rely on trade winds, as people search for more sustainable, socially acceptable ways to fulfil their travel desires. That’s something Katie Nimon, general manager of Nimon’s Transport, arrives at too, as we try and philosophically untangle the conundrum. She believes we should be focusing on attracting smaller, premium “intrepid traveller” cruise ships that have perhaps more environmental integrity. But the reality there is that we’re not in a position to decide who comes. The Port’s CEO Todd Dawson is perplexed by the focus on cruise, pointing out that we need to look at the bigger picture of shipping. While cruise is visually ostentatious, there’s no significant difference, he says, between a cruise ship’s footprint and any of the port’s other large vessels – and cruise, after all, represents less than 10% of ships coming in (in 2018 there were 627 ship calls to Napier, excluding cruise). Why pick on cruise?

Dirty fuels

Ships use heavy fuel oils – the cheap and dirty residual by-product of crude oil processing (the consistency of marmite) – which along with emitting significant amounts of CO2 are high in toxic substances, such as sulphur oxide (about 2,000 times more than ordinary diesel) and carcinogenic nitrogen oxide, fine dust and heavy metals. Shipping emissions have documented health-impacts, contributing to global rates of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and childhood asthma. The United Nations’ International Marine Organisation has capped sulphur emissions in the open sea at 0.5%, down from 3.5%, which comes into effect in January 2020, along with the international MARPOL Annex VI treaty,

Cruise facts • Globally, cruise passenger numbers have more than doubled in the last decade with forecasts of a threefold increase within the next 10 years to an annual six million cruise passengers. • Cruise ship passengers and expenditure to NZ increased by more than a quarter from 2018 to 2019.

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There’s been an explosive growth in cruise ‘expeditions’ to the Arctic, offering passengers a chance to see rare (endangered) wildlife and to watch the ice caps melting (glass in hand) while contributing directly, if unthinkingly, to their demise.

container or log vessels, “will be from countries signed up to MARPOL so will be transitioning from high-sulphur to low-sulphur fuels anyway or have retrofitted scrubbers and other mechanisms to meet the standards on the international scene.” If NZ doesn’t sign, obviously it can’t enforce the regulations or inspect ships to ensure they’re complying. And while ships may be fitted with scrubbers, they won’t be obliged to use them in our waters.

The issue with scrubbers

to reduce air pollution in ports and harbours. In North America and Europe, SOX in fuels was capped at 0.1% some years ago. The treaty has been ratified by all 91 OECD signatory nations except Mexico and New Zealand. The government consulted with the public this time last year on whether to accede, but has yet to make a decision, although the overwhelming majority of submissions were in favour, including Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, the NZ Shippers Council, Generation Zero and many key cruise ports and associated regional councils, such as Wellington and Marlborough. Dawson says NZ’s ports as a collective have signalled their support for the treaty, recognising the need to address climate change and pollution in ports and the benefit to New Zealand’s international reputation. It’s the government now that’s dragging the chain. Whether we sign or not, from January all shipping will be impacted by MARPOL across the globe with a flow-on effect for NZ. Our ships will have to comply with the standards in foreign ports where they berth (although not in domestic waters). Effectively, all shipping lines coming to NZ, says Dawson, whether it’s cruise or

The majority of ships (of which there are some 50,000 globally) are switching to lighter, cleaner (more expensive) marine fuels. In contrast, most of the world’s 300+ operating cruise ships (which represent less than 1% of the global commercial fleet) are committing instead to exhaust cleaning systems, otherwise known as ‘scrubbers’ (or euphemistically “advanced emission purification”), which strips out the SOx when burning heavy bunker fuels. Globally over US$12 billion has been invested in open-loop scrubbers, with almost 4,000 ships fitted out with the systems, according to DNV-GL (the world’s largest ship classification company). Scrubbers use sea water to ‘wash’ dirty fuels, resulting in a sulphuric acid by-product that, diluted, is then pumped back out to sea (or alternatively, in a more expensive closed-loop system, contained and disposed of on land at regulated sites – so far only 23 ships in the world have installed these systems). Many in the shipping sector see scrubbers as an emissions dodge, which simply displaces pollution from the air to the ocean itself. According to the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), for every tonne of fuel burned, 45 tonnes of warm, acidic, contaminated washwater is released into the ocean.

• Napier is the second most-preferred cruise destination in the whole of Australasia. • 87 cruise ships will be coming to Napier this season (October 2019 – May 2020), up from 72 last season, and 56 the season before. 93 are already booked in for the 2020/21 season. • There will be 13 two-ship days (in each case one big cruise ship and one smaller). • Estimated number of cruise visitors

to Hawke’s Bay this season: 150,000 • Average crew to passenger ratio: for every 100 passengers, 41 crew members. • Cruise represents 3-5% of the Port’s revenue. • Australians make up 49% of cruise passengers to NZ (with 20% from the US, 11% domestic, 6% UK, 4% Canada, 11% other). • Three-quarters of all passengers to NZ are over 50 years old, with the median age being 64.

PRICING REFORM CURRENT PRICING APPROACH: Unison, along with other distributors, has a goal of reforming distribution prices so that they are more reflective of the costs incurred and services provided to different consumers.

This year Unison commenced its Pricing Reform Project to identify a new price structure for residential electricity prices. As part of that project, we will be engaging consumers throughout 2020 to get feedback on distribution pricing . Our expectation is that substantive pricing reform is unlikely to commence until the year beginning 1 April 2021, due to the level of billing system changes and consumer engagement associated with price restructuring. Any change would be preceded by a transition period between current and future pricing structures.

THE NEED FOR CHANGE: While current network prices are easy for consumers to understand, they do not show consumers the value of using the network at different times of the day. It is not the amount of electricity delivered that determines the cost of providing the network services (which prices are currently structured around). It is the capacity and infrastructure required to meet the peak demands of consumers. Network demand is typically the highest on cold, wet, winter evenings when people have high heating requirements. The more electricity people use at the same time, the more power lines and electrical infrastructure is required.

We deliver power to your property.

PRICING OPTIONS: It is important that prices signal the economic cost of the service provided. The price options Unison is considering: • Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing, which means paying less to use the network when it is not as busy and more when it is busy. Because TOU approaches are still based on the amount of electricity used, not the capacity required to meet demands, we think it is at best a transitional option. • Capacity pricing where a consumer nominates an agreed maximum of electricity supply at any one time. • Demand pricing, which means charging based on a consumer’s highest hours of use over, for example, the previous month. • A higher level of fixed charge, which is currently capped at 15c per day for small users. Retailers will package our prices together with the cost of electricity in different ways. Changes to our prices relate only to the distribution portion of consumers’ overall electricity bills.

Your retailer packages it up and sends you a bill which includes transmission and distribution costs as well as the cost of the power you have used.

MIDNIGHT

OFF-PEAK PEAK OFF-PEAK

NOON

PEAK

7AM

Unison has been actively involved at an industry level in pricing reform since 2017. Through working groups with the Electricity Networks Association (ENA) and Electricity Retailers’ Association of NZ (ERANZ) we are aiming for fairer, consistent and more sustainable future pricing for all electricity consumers.

The power is transmitted to Unison by Transpower, who owns the national grid.

Traditionally, distribution prices are the same per unit (kWh), regardless of what time of day or night or season people use it (peak or off-peak). It is the peak demand that strains networks and brings forward the need for distributors to invest.

Your power is generated around New Zealand, with the majority coming from hydro-dams, wind farms and geothermal sources.

5PM

Distribution prices cover the costs of the local distribution network (Unison’s network) and our share of using the national grid for transmission (Transpower). Unison’s distribution line charges account for approximately 40 percent of consumers’ overall electricity bills .

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TOU pricing rewards consumers for using electricity at times when demand on the network is lowest (off-peak).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Consumer research already conducted by the ENA with UMR Research has shown consumers value simplicity in pricing and don’t want to think too much about their electricity pricing options. Unison is currently undertaking modelling of the above options to assess the bill impacts at the consumer group level, taking into account the desire for simplicity and accessibility for any options decided upon.

During 2020 we intend to conduct Unisonspecific consumer research. We will post notifications on our website when opportunities to have your say emerge. In the meantime, we welcome any comments or suggestions regarding our Pricing Roadmap.

Retailer and consumer engagement will then progress to understand consumer acceptance of different options in our network areas, how further consumer engagement can progress, and how options can be practically implemented.

For further information, please contact: future.pricing@unison.co.nz

View full Pricing Roadmap at: www.unison.co.nz/pricing-reform

A number of countries, including Germany, China and Singapore, have banned washwater from scrubbers being discharged in their waters. While global NGOs, concerned about the impacts on the marine environment, wildlife and an already acidifying ocean, are calling for a ban altogether on scrubbers. “Scrubbers are effectively cheat devices,” says environmental campaigner Lucy Gilliam (quoted in The Independent, UK), “in that they satisfy environmental legislation, while allowing ships to continue to pollute.”

Port sustainability

Napier Port is very conscious of its social licence to operate, say Dawson, and is taking steps to ensure that it is upholding both this and its environmental stewardship. There’s a ban on all maritime waste water (including ballast water) and scrubber discharge within the port’s 50-mile zone. “At a national level, unfortunately, each port has its own views in thinking which direction they take in this area … There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each port has a different environment that it’s working within and different concerns from their community … Regionally, we’re hoping to see some

Emissions from a single cruise visit in Wellington equates to the emissions of 200,000 extra cars (roughly the sum-total of daily traffic in the capital). DR GERDA KUSCHEL, AIR QUALITY EXPERT

alignment of thinking in the frameworks we look to.” Napier Port is drawing on the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (a shared blueprint and “an urgent call for action” that were adopted by all UN member states in 2015) in putting together a “robust and comprehensive” sustainability strategy (with input from HBRC, Napier City Council, and major regional stakeholders) predicated on the four pillars of “people, planet, prosperity and partnership”, that will inform, and align, all its activities. A framework document outlining where the port will focus its energies

We’re working with our community to protect and manage the region’s precious environment for health, wellbeing and connectivity.

For info visit hbrc.govt.nz

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should be available by year’s end. Next year the Port begins construction of a new wharf (expected to be operational by 2022) to expand its growing log and general cargo trade, and to accommodate larger cruise vessels that are currently too big to enter the port. Building infrastructure will also be updated to enable more refrigerated containers to be powered by electricity rather than diesel generators. The government’s latest marine report confirms NZ’s marine environment is being adversely impacted across the board by shipping traffic and climate change, as well as coastal development, with dramatic declines in marine ecosystems, biogenic habitat and native species, and increases in non-native marine species (by 43% between 2010-2017). At the very least, we need the government to ratify MARPOL, but further to look at how that will be regulated, and to explore what other protections or measures (eg, banning scrubbers) to implement. In the case of cruise, if we want to continue welcoming cruise into the future then it’s not enough to just receive cruise as an economic gift; we need to be clear-eyed about what we are, ecologically speaking, willing to accept.

FLYING THE HAWKE’S BAY FLAG Jetstar’s decision to pull its regional flights is disappointing, says Hawke’s Bay Airport senior management, but travellers shouldn’t be discouraged – there are exciting plans in the wings.

It’s been a period of unprecedented growth for Hawke’s Bay, and for its airport, which is in the final stages of completing Stage Two of its $20.2m Major Terminal Expansion Project. Unfortunately for domestic carrier Jetstar, however, there were considerable challenges with operating a regional turboprop service, something Chief Executive Stuart Ainslie says eventually forced it to abandon its Napier-Auckland route. “Jetstar accounted for less than 15% of passenger movements in and out of Hawke’s Bay,” explains Stuart.

“Business travellers were more inclined to use Air New Zealand, due to its connectivity, convenient schedule and Koru Lounge access, and Jetstar found it progressively difficult to build loyalty.” Meanwhile, Air New Zealand continued to grow its capacity, putting on more flights and increasing passenger numbers – something Stuart and his team feel confident will continue. “Yes, the competition on one route has gone, which is really disappointing due to the potential for this to impact fares, but we have clear signs from Air New Zealand that they remain fully committed to developing their services in and out of Hawke’s Bay,” continues Stuart. He says that Jetstar’s presence here has proven that there is strong demand for flights in and out of Hawke’s Bay – but they’re not the only airline in town. Now, the Airport company will work closely

on route development and connectivity with Air New Zealand, and will continue to focus on working with a number of the independent airlines operating across the country. “That might include smaller air services bringing in flights to the smaller centres. And we’ll continue to focus on improving connectivity, so passengers can reach their destinations quickly and conveniently.” We can also look forward to a future that possibly includes regular jet services. Currently, Air New Zealand operates a turboprop fleet on its regional routes. However, it’s likely that they’ll assess their fleet capacity over the next year or two – and if and when that happens, the Airport is ready to act. “Our Expansion Project design has been scoped to meet any future demands such as possible passenger and baggage security screening requirements,” says Stuart. There may well be an initial softening of the air travel market – and we need to be realistic about the reasons for this, he cautions. “It’s been in the wind for some time, long before the Jetstar decision. There are economic factors at play, and there’s been a slowdown in international and domestic tourism. But we remain positive about Hawke’s Bay’s position and popularity – we’re the seventh busiest airport in the country. We’re seeing continued growth in our NapierChristchurch and Napier-Wellington routes. And we’re working hard with our business partners, councils and their economic development teams to develop a robust regional air services strategy.

“Who knows? A year or two from now we could be flying Napier-Tauranga direct, or even Napier-Queenstown. Imagine that!”

Food Myths Here’s the truth about growing food. We can farm our soils so they actually grow in fertility, environmental function and their ability to produce food, with consistent ‘knock your socks’ off flavour, capable of healing people.

Story by Phyllis Tichinin And soon we’re going to have to document for consumers in real time that our agricultural practices actually deliver these social goods. I make no bones about it – I think that if we screw over our soils by nuking their microbe communities, we screw ourselves, the climate and our grandchildren’s chances for a healthy, satisfying life. The documented loss of carbon from our farmed soils tells us that we’re on the wrong track with chemical agriculture. We need to adopt cutting-edge biological practices that revitalise soils. Our luxury markets are making it very clear that they understand the difference and they want food that regenerates the planet. This is our big New Zealand opportunity for rapid uptake and profit – playing to our strengths in a niche market for verifiable quality and environmental excellence. To achieve this holy grail of food marketing, we need regenerative farming practices that increase soil humus and food mineral content, while reducing fertiliser and chemical inputs. I know the thought of farmers using fewer inputs gives a big section of the food production economy the willies,

but in my book it is soils, farmers and food quality first. The rest can get with the programme or drop out. This is a journey for NZ agriculture, but it is not a long, arduous, nor costly process. It does, however, require a change in perspective and the willingness to really see what’s happening on our farms. We’re told that the world population will reach 10 billion by 2050 and NZ needs to contribute to feeding those people to avoid social and ecosystem collapse. At the same time, we all want to contribute to a better environment, fewer greenhouse gases, and less human and animal suffering. These two concerns have evolved into a narrative that goes like this: 1: Population pressures will increase, because human fertility rates and longevity are increasing. 2: Humans’ greatest dietary need is for protein. 3: Farming can only produce enough food, specifically protein, if we shift away from grazing animals and focus instead on growing plants. 4: Animal sources of protein damage the environment.

5: Growing vegetables is better for the environment. 6: We know enough to synthesize nourishing, safe protein cheaply. 7: ‘Printer’ food is a good investment – eco-friendly, humanitarian, profitable. I challenge all of the above myths.

Feeding the world

The UN’s FAO 2018 publications indicate that world hunger is not a production problem, but a distribution and social equity issue. Forty percent of food produced doesn’t make it into people’s mouths. We already produce enough food to feed 10 billion people. I assert that we don’t need to feed the world. The world was quite capable of feeding itself until its traditional food structures were hacked by food corporations to grow exotic cash crops. The result is that people who used to be in balance with their resource base, growing crops suited to their environment, are now near slaves on factory farms. They are subsisting on processed foods foreign to their ancestry and health. We don’t need to feed them. We need to eat more locally ourselves, reduce

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When tarring cows with the ‘bad for the climate’ brush we ignore the fact that most of the GHG’s emitted in the last 300 years have come from tillage, cropping and deforestation, not grazing. our use of exotic foods and encourage developing regions to do the same. NZ needs to focus on two things: nourishing ourselves to health, and delivering quality food to the luxury food market, which will always be there. Actually fertility rates, even in less developed countries, are falling. Eastern Asia, Italy, Britain, France, Germany have fertility rates of 1.6 or less – so negative population growth. According to the UN 2015 report on World Fertility Patterns, more than 50% of the world’s population lives in low fertility countries. Infertility is the scourge of millions of couples. Population growth rates are in decline. We’re not living longer or better. In 2006 the US Centre for Disease Control stated: “Those being born now are the first generation in history likely to be outlived by their parents.” That is not indicative of a population that is healthier or living longer. And last year the CDC indicated that in 1970, 6% of the US population had a chronic illness, while in 2017, 44% of grade school children suffer from a chronic disease. Asthma, obesity,

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cancer, ADHD, autism – all of which are chronic inflammatory diseases of nutritional origin. Agriculture and the processed food industry have not been delivering the clean, medicinal food needed for health, fertility and longevity.

Need more protein

I disagree. Our most pressing health need is for food that fulfils our evolutionary requirements – the stuff that powers our metabolism, feeds our gut microbes and supports our brain cells. That stuff is saturated animal fat. Our biology is Paleolithic, from the Ice Age. Our food options then were fat woolly mammoths, tiny tubers, bitter greens and really sour fruit. We need the fatty acid hormone Vitamins, A, D and K2 in natural animal fats to thrive, and above all to produce healthy, intelligent children. We haven’t been getting adequate levels of these fat soluble vitamins for millennia due to lack of big game animals and more recently due to our acquired cholesterol phobia. The lack of fat-based vitamins plays a key role in widespread chronic

illnesses and conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, cancers, macular degeneration, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.

Grazing animals damage environment

In fact, ruminants historically have created the planet’s richest, deepest soils: the Steppes, the Mid-Western Prairies (think bison) and the Serengeti. Ruminant animals are an indispensable part of a natural, productive ecosystem that harvests sunlight. We need grazing cows to prompt year-round green grass that transpires water and cools the earth’s surface. Agriculture, and dairying specifically, now use massive amounts of energy-intensive synthetic fertilisers, such as urea, because we’re not following the core planetary principles that underpin all plant and soil growth: biodiversity, constant soil cover and pulsing root growth. Mimicking the grazing patterns that formed the world’s richest soils, it is possible for us to grow each of these: soil carbon levels, water holding capacity, ecosystem resilience and farm profit.

NZ can be carbon negative within several years if we move powerfully now to adopt the regenerative agriculture practices that grow the soil carbon sponge. These are less tillage, more diverse pasture species, fewer fertiliser and chemical inputs, cover crops and tall grass, higher density grazing.

Soil consultant Phyllis Tichinin says data show 1 to 10 tonnes/ha/yr of carbon can be sequestered by proper grazing.

Local and international indications of how much carbon can be sequestered by grazing range from 1 to 10 tonnes per hectare per year. Specifically, conservatively, here in NZ, our 11 million hectares of improved pastures could be capable of sequestering at least 1.5 t C/ha/yr in the soil. That would pull 61.1 Mt CO2-e of carbon out of the atmosphere each year. According to the Ministry for the Environment, our 2016 net emissions were 56.0 Mt CO2-e, which means we

could sequester more through grazing than all our NZ greenhouse gas emissions. But clearly, to achieve that we would need to change some agricultural practices, because presently we’re losing around 1 ton of carbon per hectare from our soils each year. Various NZ soil scientists disagree and contend that our soils can’t sequester more carbon. In part they’re right: we cannot increase soil carbon using the current chemical ag approach. Soil carbon sequestration is

a biological process that only occurs in healthy, microbe-rich soils. NZ can be carbon negative within several years if we move powerfully now to adopt the regenerative agriculture practices that grow the soil carbon sponge. These are less tillage, more diverse pasture species, fewer fertiliser and chemical inputs, cover crops and tall grass, higher density grazing. Ruminants get a bad rap from global consumers based on their impression that red meat only comes from intensive

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Is importing GMO soy from the US or Brazil to NZ to be intensively processed into ‘meat’, then reexported around the globe, a wise energy choice, consistent with environmental concerns?

feedlots known as CAFOs – which are animal prisons (or worse) and environmental disasters producing depauperate food from animals fed corn and soy. Soil and chemical run-off from the monoculture crop lands of the US Midwest have created a dead zone of up to 22,000 square kilometres in the Gulf of Mexico and a ‘Cancer Alley’ along the banks of the Mississippi River. These are the same crops and ag practices that provide the starting materials for synthetic meats. Do we really want to be perpetuating that ecological destruction? When tarring cows with the ‘bad for the climate’ brush we ignore the fact that most of the GHG’s emitted in the last 300 years have come from tillage, cropping and deforestation, not grazing. We have been ignoring the fact that the methane emissions from ruminants vary, depending on the nitrate nitrogen levels in their diet. Our over-simplified rye grass and clover pastures, fuelled by fertilisers, are unnaturally high in crude protein. This loose nitrate nitrogen in the grass shifts the rumen towards higher populations

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of methanogens that generate abnormally high levels of methane. We have also ignored the natural presence of soil methanotrophs that feed on exhaled animal methane. However, these helpful microbes only occur where they haven’t been suppressed by agricultural chemicals. Grazing cows can provide the phytochemically rich, quality protein and the fats crucial to human nutrition without costly petrochemical inputs, while pulling excess CO2 out of the atmosphere. Grazing animals enable us to productively utilise and enrich parts of the landscape that can’t be used for cropping. But we have to do it following Nature’s ecological principles. As a country we need to move from ‘reducing the negative impacts of agriculture’ to using biological sciences to actually improve natural soil capital, landscape function and food quality, without chemicals. That’s what our luxury market wants. That’s what we need to document and sell with pride.

Synthesising protein is better

The USDA’s research indicates that for every bushel of corn produced in the

Midwest, 2 bushels of top soil goes down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. For soy it’s 3 bushels of soil lost for every 1 bushel of beans harvested. US chemical cropping and food distribution is energy intensive, soaking up 30% of total national petroleum consumption. We’re eating fossil fuels due to extensive tillage, excessive fertiliser and pesticide use and extremely long food transport chains. Is importing GMO soy from the US or Brazil to NZ to be intensively processed into ‘meat’, then re-exported around the globe, a wise energy choice, consistent with environmental concerns?

We can create safe proteins

Proteins are complex substances. Can we accurately reproduce all those amino acids chains from beans and grains using GMO techniques? Might we be creating wonky proteins that will cause us immune problems down the track? Have long-term human consumption studies been conducted to ensure full consumer safety? Reflect on what has happened with A2 milk. A very small difference in protein structure, one amino acid

Despite the very small sample size in a study paid for by Impossible Burger, nine statistically significant adverse effects were documented. These included weight loss and blood changes indicating inflammation, kidney damage and anaemia, as well as decreased uterus weight. This was after only 28 days!

by Impossible Burger, nine statistically significant adverse effects were documented. These included weight loss and blood changes indicating inflammation, kidney damage and anaemia, as well as decreased uterus weight. This was after only 28 days! Impossible Foods dismissed these as “non-adverse” or as having “no toxicological relevance.” Maybe, but would you want your children consuming them? This second submission by Impossible Foods resulted in the FDA issuing a “no questions” letter. This is not FDA saying SLH is safe. It is the FDA protecting itself from liability if something goes wrong by merely stating that the company says the food is safe. It does not protect the public from unsafe novel foods, nor the company from consumer suits.

Endorsing synthetic proteins as ecofriendly relies on people not understanding actual cropping practices or grasslands ecology. Nature needs grazing animals to maintain healthy, carbon sequestering, cloud-creating, climate-moderating prairies and veldts. If we graze animals in ways that don’t mimic nature, our grasslands do turn to deserts and we and the planet lose, big time. But as argued above, it is not fair to demonise all cows on the basis of CAFOs’ environmental impacts and their immoral treatment of animals. Eco-sensitive grazing in regenerative ag systems is the fastest way to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere, restore the global hydrologic cycle, enrich soils and reverse global warming. These soil building practices can be applied anywhere to increase people’s capacity to feed themselves and reverse desertification. General Mills, Danone and even the Buffett family are investing big time in regenerative agriculture because it makes ecological and economic sense while appealing to consumers. US investment to date is estimated at tens of billions with projected returns of $10 trillion. At the farm level, regenerative agriculture is becoming a true underground insurgency. Regenerative agriculture is not just a new technique, a patentable technofix or a great investment opportunity. It is the foundational shift in human perspective required to pull our species back from the brink of the environmental collapse. It requires us to realise that Nature, specifically

C&C001665SummerB

change in the entire casein chain, has prompted huge consumer response and the eye-watering growth of one of NZ’s most highly-valued companies. The opposite could happen, with novel protein companies being sued for contributing to a variety of illnesses. That is happening in the courts with Monsanto/Bayer right now concerning glyphosate. In 2015 the US Food and Drug Administration, notorious for being soft on commercial interests, denied Impossible Burger’s first GRAS (‘Generally recognized as safe’) application for self-declared safety of soy leghaemoglobin, or SLH. This GMO yeast is foundational to synthetic meat. Impossible Burger returned to FDA in 2017 with a study of 20 control rats and 20 rats fed SLH. Despite the very small sample size in a study paid for

Plan B … regenerative ag

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Mothers using their smartphones to protect their children from pesticides will drive the recovery and regeneration of agriculture.

microbiology, is in charge and we piss her off at our peril. Ultimately, what we do to Nature we do to ourselves. Our focus needs to be on education for biocide-free, nutrient-dense, planet-enhancing food production as NZ’s niche. More than genetics, soil microbes determine the ultimate value of food to us. Those crucial, complex microbe communities mostly do not exist in chemical agriculture. To find a regenerative pathway for the planet we have to look to how Nature grows soils and microbes. Even that bastion of monocultural corporate farming, the USDA, agrees – their Healthy Soil Principles encourage farmers to follow these ecosystem principles: > Minimise disturbance of tillage and biocides/pesticides. > Keep the soil surface armoured with crop residues, mulch or grass. > Keep a living root in the soil at all

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times to feed the microbes. > Maximize diversity. > Provide animal input – through grazing or manure. These ‘farm as ecosystem’ principles increase soil water storage, carbon sequestration and the food nutrient density our health depends on. This will require a big mental shift which the petroleum-based agrichemical industry and some ag scientists will resist because their expertise and pocketbooks lie elsewhere. But food consumers will drive the change in ag practices through their use of the emerging phone apps (using mass spectrometer technology) that measure, not only terroir, but more importantly, biocide residues and nutrient density. Mothers using their smartphones to protect their children from pesticides will drive the recovery and regeneration of agriculture. Nature is complex but generous. It is cheaper, easier and safer to work with

General Mills, Danone and even the Buffett family are investing big time in regenerative agriculture because it makes ecological and economic sense while appealing to consumers.

Nature than trying to manipulate her. Grazing ruminants are an integral part of her modus operandi. Ultimately this is a choice for us all between: > Producing commodities versus producing luxury foods. > Patents versus natural processes. > Nitrate fertiliser poisoning versus clean water. > Chronic illness versus robust health. So what is it that we as Kiwis want for our children?

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Smart Cities Listen to People

In the near and not so sci-fi future, smart cities will deploy intelligent analytical systems fed with streaming data from electronic sensors and closed circuit TV (CCTV) to deliver more responsive governance and enhance the connectedness and wellbeing of residents.

Ideally, a ‘smart city’ will have real-time feedback on its infrastructure, environment, assets and resources through networks of sensors and monitoring devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Story by Keith Newman Unleashing this holistic hi-tech vision will require councils and businesses to collect and release masses of non-personal data so that entrepreneurs, software developers, analysts and tech teams can better align cities to meet 21st century aspirations. The outcomes might include enhanced water and waste management, smoother traffic flows, improved health and crime prevention, more targeted community services and better communication and transparency. Imagine for a moment all five Hawke’s Bay councils pooling their purchasing power to order goods and services, co-operating on essential services and visitor information and delivering a common look and feel across their websites and social media? Does that sound like Big Brother, marketing spin or utopia in the making? This amalgamation by stealth is already happening as part of an organic revolution driven by council information and communications technology (ICT) leaders, without any top-down directive. They’ve already laid the framework for a more cohesive cross-council collaboration than any political plan has been able to achieve.

Five council focus

Hastings, Napier, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay are working seamlessly under a

Imagine for a moment all five Hawke’s Bay councils pooling their purchasing power to order goods and services, cooperating on essential services and visitor information and delivering a common look and feel across their websites and social media?

Smart Charter, have staged their own Smart Cities Forum, and are continually learning from smart cities including Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. They presented a progress report at the Christchurch Smart Cities Innovation Expo in September, the same month the Napier City IT team took away the ‘best digital project’ award at the ALGIM (Association for Local Government Information Management) annual conference. Their award was for designing and hosting the five council’s websites. “The key is around simplicity, ease of use, consistency of navigation, consenting, on-line forms and web services across council sites,” says

Hastings IT manager Andrew Smith. In May the five councils agreed on a common procurement platform “so we don’t have to do things five times”. That created a shared network so key people can now work from any council location. Smith, who came across from the health sector in Sydney two and a half years ago, was determined “to challenge the norm” and look for “opportunities to improve and innovate”. He did this by establishing inter-council relationships to share resources and ideas with the goal of learning from one another. He talks aspirationally about a Smart Hawke’s Bay brand, believing the potential is there once early projects are more advanced and there’s been more engagement around community needs and “tangible results”. That branding might revolve around good governance across councils, citywide LED street lighting for power saving, a smart CCTV network to keep people safe, connecting with people through the website and mobile apps and free public wifi in the CBD. NOW Broadband which provides data and network services for all five councils is increasingly seeing its role as an enabler of smart cities. “A smarter city places more and more reliance on data, communication and the ability to get the most out of it,” says NOW CEO Hamish White. And, he says, as more data is produced and sent across a smart city, the

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infrastructure – fibre, wireless and cellular – needs to be robust and capable enough to manage the sheer volumes expected in the decades ahead.

5G connection key

One of the new world triggers will be widespread deployment of 5G wireless interfacing with a massive network of sensors with data managed and analysed so the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. InternetNZ chief executive Jordan Carter says successful 5G networks will mean faster wireless speeds helping New Zealanders unlock emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and telehealth services. It could also provide new opportunities for Government and local councils “to plan smart cities and enhance the quality of living for residents”. Early in September the annual GovHack competition saw top technical minds across Australia and New Zealand gather to test their mettle on challenging problems. EIT in Taradale hosted 106 techies, more than the rest of the country combined, and I got to chair a smart city brainstorm with about 12 of the more senior thinkers who are eager for councils, government departments and businesses to release non-personal data into the public domain. EIT lecturer Dr Emre Erturk says Australia has changed its legislation to facilitate this and we need to do the same, making it clear what data and meta-data developers can access legally so they can get on with the job. “My gut feel is that half the things we talk about from the technology side aren’t that hard; it’s just logistics and the people to put it in place. If you want a smart city, focus on the people and the technology will come,” he said.

What’s the problem?

Before heading in the smart city direction, Paul Stone, lead for the NZ Open Government Data Programme, says local authorities should ask, what is the problem they’re trying to solve. “Is it more efficient parking, cleaner air, energy and fuel efficiency, sustainability ... We can have all these sensors available, but what are we trying to do with them?” Akash Jattan, big data and AI consultant from Auckland’s Computer Concepts says a smart city is a city you can measure; it’s about connected people and resources and represents the DNA of a community.

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Akash Jattan, AI consultant, Computer Concepts

“You can’t apply the principles that made one city smart to another city. It has to be based on what people want, not what is forced on them; it needs to happen more organically.” AKASH JATTAN, BIG DATA AND AI CONSULTANT

“It’s about a continuous evolution of data that gets better and better, a city that can self-heal and self-evolve without human intervention.” That’s the challenge anyway ... and it needs innovative, like-minded people, technology and investment “to figure out how to do that”. So what’s a self-healing city? “It’s a city that knows its traffic lights have gone off and immediately changes the timing of other lights and reduces congestion or redirects that traffic to another place.” Jattan warns, however, that you can’t apply the principles that made one city smart to another city. “It has to be based on what people want, not what is forced on them; it needs to happen more organically.”

Quid pro quo

Kathryn MacCallum, associate

professor and programme coordinator within EIT’s School of Computing, says the idea of the smart city needs to be demystified. People need to know where the value is for them, how it’s going to make life easier, and why they would want to contribute their personal data. “I would give up my data to Google if it was going to make my trip quicker or to Facebook so adverts for example were tailored to me and not about stuff I don’t need or care about.” Napier City Council IT manager Duncan Barr says he could come up with 101 solutions but Napier isn’t quite ready for the smart city discussion until it understands the “business and community centric” outcomes. If using technology to manage the rubbish collection wasn’t business-led then it’s a waste of time. “We’re the enablers not the drivers.”

More responsive apps

‘How to navigate our region’ is an informal conversation underway with the HB Business Hub. The GovHack group agreed the way forward was not trying to bundle everything together in a big list but responding to individual user preferences, creating an experience around questions like ‘what can I do today?’ The idea is to provide a different experience by creating a location-based mobile app ‘eco-system’ including a schedule of products and services. For cruise ship tourists that might

Know what’s in your water.

Paul Stone, NZ Open Government Data Programme

be a package of where they can shop, have a meal, be entertained, plus transport options to get to wineries or other destinations. And 5G sensors informing smart signs or apps suggesting alternative routes might help locals avoid congestion if 2,000 passengers are disembarking at Napier at the same time, or when five blocks are shut down over Art Deco weekend. In a day-to-day sense, having access to the right data could help optimise travel routes between home and work or enable smart public transport so passengers could make alternative arrangements if they knew the bus was full. That, says Jattan, could be done using sensors or CCTV. “Las Vegas takes camera images using machine learning to identify objects and understand carparking lots, measuring ... whether they should invest in more car parks in an area or charge more.” Another application examined the logistics of rubbish collection, “reducing the time it took from ten hours to four hours per truck by optimising those routes”. That idea already has traction in Palmerston North where a rubbish contractor has access to council data and knows where their trucks are at any time.

Sensing the feedback

From a Regional Council perspective, ‘smart’ would surely mean finding new ways to use data from soil, water and air quality sensors, monitoring stations

and satellite imaging to improve quality and track and predict environmental change. It might be helpful to know which areas have the highest use of public transport, who is generating electricity from their houses and the neighbourhoods that are self-supporting with solar-powered hot water generation. Ian Purdon, a 30-year IT veteran and Bachelor of Computing Systems lecturer at EIT suggests such solutions, including analysing water to see where the most drugs were being consumed, could be key to developing a healthier or more energy-efficient city. Lower decile homes monitored through a network of cheap sensors to detect dampness, for example, might reduce the impact on the health system and create an awareness among landlords and the kind of housing that is prone to this kind of problem. “If you used data in the right way you might see communities competing with each other for sustainability, efficiency or healthy activity.” Stone suggests being a smart city doesn’t have to involve technology, just doing things smarter – using buildings better, creating spaces people can get involved in, gardens all around the city, giving people vegetable spaces. Helping people become more aware of the resources around them could be beneficial, promoting better use of the Regional Sports Park or Park Island, school halls and other sports and recreation facilities.

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Activating visionaries

However, Purdon says the reality is councils are busy doing the day-today things rather than looking for new ideas. “You need visionaries who are prepared to put up money and passion to bring people together.” Smart Christchurch has a number of projects that align with its mantra to be a smarter, safer place to live, work and play. Its smart-city web champions aggregating and visualising data, leveraging “the collective genius”, removing barriers to access, inspiring fresh thinking, proving “benefits without borders” and sharing what it learns with whoever might benefit. Its Sensibel app with a 3D button device attached to bike handlebars focuses on the cycling experience, “the least-understood and potentially most transformational mode of movement in cities”. Rather than just route, time, distance, GPS or numbers, feedback is captured from cyclists through a positive or negative “experience point” and pinpointed on a map which can later be annotated with text and images. Cyclists might identify a pothole or a section where merging with cars is difficult and recommend changes to cycleways. The same approach can be used for buses or commuters. The Christchurch SmartView project pulls “scattered” real-time data from a range of public and private organisations into one simple site, making information about the city easy for locals and visitors to access on any browser or device.

SmartView Hawke’s Bay

The five Hawke’s Bay councils are collaborating with the Christchurch City IT team to develop their own SmartView so regional data is easier to find and interact with. The Hastings council ‘technology innovation strategy’ adopted in June 2017 – promising more efficient use of technology and a stronger focus on the community – is now embraced under the joint council Smart Charter. One outcome of this is the regional road closure map which could provide the basis for adding other layers of data. “If you’re travelling around Hawke’s Bay you don’t want different maps you want it all aggregated into one location that’s easy to find on all the web sites,” says IT manager Andrew Smith. This and other innovations are possible because the councils have adopted

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Christchurch’s smartcity web champions aggregating and visualising data, leveraging “the collective genius”, removing barriers to access, inspiring fresh thinking, proving “benefits without borders” and sharing what it learns with whoever might benefit.

unwelcome. “There’s a lack of knowledge of what the culture is and where those cultural centres are” and he says a number are looking to move to centres where there’s “cooler stuff”. He reckons there’s scope for an app to help newcomers with the basics like how to buy a car, find a rental property or get to know others. “It all comes back to connecting people; it needs to be fun to be here.” Gallant suggests a TripAdvisor style app with pre-approval to help filter out the tyre kickers and bring some relief to genuine tenants or homebuyers.

Opposite of smart an open data approach with content available on each web page in a format the community can use. Hastings Council has also invested heavily in a leading-edge CCTV network across the district including Havelock North and Flaxmere. Currently it’s a passive network for incident management and has been pivotal in reducing criminal activity, including identifying the person responsible for the Flaxmere bottle store murder last year. Footage from the cameras is currently only available through a police request but there’s extensive work underway to “better use the analytics” to monitor traffic flows including bicycles, buses and cars to create “more intelligent information for planning purposes”.

Connecting people

Another solution is ‘smart lights’, installing LED street lighting across Hastings to reduce power consumption and provide better management down to individual light level. Smith says Hastings is still in the early stages of its smart city planning; rather than trying to be cutting edge it’ll continue to adopt, adapt and innovate based on the work of other councils. While a smart city might actively campaign to attract certain kinds of businesses, like Hastings did with wrap-around services and incentives for Kiwibank’s helpdesk, attracting and keeping good staff is something we need to get smarter about. Ben Gallant, product manager with Fingermark, which relocated dozens of people from Auckland, Argentina and Brazil to help develop its hi-tech customer solutions, says the company “struggles to keep the smartest people in the room”. They often feel isolated and

The opposite of a smart city might well be a stupid city or one that is inefficient, overly bureaucratic and at the mercy of guesswork because decades of data gathering is failing to inform critical decision-making, including planning for change and growth. Going the clever way, however, there’s always the risk of function creep when monitoring people and their activities, raising privacy and security issues, or concern that the enabling technology could be hijacked to squeeze every drop of revenue from carparking, water consumption, rubbish collection and other services. And if all the talk is about efficiency and cost saving, it can sound impersonal and bureaucratic, which might be contrary to getting community buy-in to appealing benefits like increasing participation, improving the environment, and enhancing the quality of life and creativity of communities. Like Ian Purdon says, a smart city requires a paradigm shift into “people connectedness” rather than commercial interests and “efficiency at all costs”. For him the focus should be on equality of access rather than a competitive model. “Somewhere we need a shift toward being more sharing and giving” and that comes back to wanting “a networked city that is aware, knows its people, is welcoming to newcomers and culturally alive.”

NOW sponsors the BayBuzz Technology Series to enhance public understanding of our region’s technology achievements and opportunities. Analyses and views presented are those of BayBuzz and its editorial team.

Marielle Haringa, General Manager Enviroment Hawke's Bay, with loyal volunteer, Peter, hard at work in the background. Peter's dog, Mini, enjoys helping with this important work. Photo: Florence Charvin

“IT’S ONLY ONE STRAW,” SAID BILLIONS OF PEOPLE Environment Centre Hawke’s Bay is one of 57 local charities to receive a grant in Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s latest funding round. The ‘one-stop shop’ for sustainable living provides education, information and a range of services, including recycling of household items, upcycling of electronics, e-waste recycling and a product refillery. As more and more Kiwis seek to reduce their environmental footprint, the demand on their services has increased significantly, prompting the centre to increase its opening hours to five days a week. “As a not-for-profit charity, the grant from Hawke’s Bay Foundation has helped with paying staff wages, which has in turn helped our community by providing many of our services free of charge,” says general manager, Marielle Haringa. The Centre also runs free workshops and events, and offers specialist recycling for everyday household items, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, batteries, bottle tops, plastic wrap and bread tags. The demand for electronic or e-waste upcycling has seen the centre safely dispose of 3,782 e-waste units in the past year alone, with up to one e-waste unit processed every 2 minutes on their busiest days.

A dedicated pool of volunteers attend community events, such as the Hawke’s Bay Marathon, to educate the public and divert rubbish that would otherwise end up in landfill. And every week, ‘waste warriors’ volunteer at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Market – resulting in a 90% reduction in waste going to landfill. “People now recognise that we have to make changes and go about our lives in a more environmentally responsible manner,” says Marielle. “I love the quote on our centre’s wall – “It’s only one straw – said billions of people.”

TV TAKE-BACK SCHEME In April 2019, Environment Centre Hawke’s Bay launched a TV Takeback scheme with the support of Hastings District Council. The initiative offers Hastings residents the ability to recycle old televisions for a fee of $5, compared to a usual charge of up to $35. The scheme has been extremely well used, with 500 televisions recycled in just six months, representing approximately 7 tonnes of material diverted from landfills. Electronic waste is the fastest growing form of toxic waste, with New Zealanders generating a whopping 80,000 tonnes of e-waste every year. Televisions are one of the worst offenders, containing materials

such as lead and mercury that can damage precious ecosystems if released into soil or waterways. Unwanted televisions are sent to the Abilities Group in Auckland – a non-profit organisation that provides meaningful work to people with disabilities. Here they are dismantled and disposed of in a safe and environmentally responsible way, with the added bonus of some elements being recycled. “TVs contain some valuable elements such as copper, gold, steel, aluminium and silver in e-waste that can be extracted and re-used, offsetting the need to mine new raw materials,” says Marielle.

HAWKE’S BAY FOUNDATION: A better and more lasting way to give Hawke’s Bay Foundation is a simple way you can support your local community. Our smarter giving model turns your initial donation into a growing fund, with the income being used to support local charities for generations to come. To find out how you can make a lasting difference in your community, visit hawkesbayfoundation.org.nz

BayBuzz is pleased to support the Hawke’s Bay Foundation

I DE AS A N D O P I N I O N TO M B E L FO R D

Omnivores A major controversy erupted last month in nutrition circles. The subject was red meat, and the risks (or not) consumption of red meat pose for us humans. On the one side was the longstanding convention holding that red meat is a ‘no-no’ to be avoided as a threat to heart health. On the other side was release of four new ‘meta-studies’ (i.e., a review assessing all major related studies on a given topic … in this case the health effects of eating red meat) published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The three-year effort by researchers in seven countries reviewed 134 studies inquiring into whether eating red meat or processed meats affected the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Their finding was that the warnings about red meat consumption were over-stated and indeed not grounded in the hard evidence. As the NY Times summarised: “In each study, the scientists concluded that the links between eating red meat and disease and death were small, and the quality of the evidence was low to very low.” “That is not to say that those links don’t exist. But they are mostly in studies that observe groups of people, a weak form of evidence. Even then, the health effects of red meat consumption are detectable only in the largest groups, the team concluded, and an individual cannot conclude that he or she will be better off not eating red meat.” The authors of the new studies assert that there is no compelling evidence that reducing consumption of red or processed meats will be beneficial to an individual. Supporting this assertion, a

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“In each study, the scientists concluded that the links between eating red meat and disease and death were small, and the quality of the evidence was low to very low.” NY TIMES

past editor of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition observed, referring to longstanding dietary guidelines urging people to eat less red meat: “The guidelines are based on papers that presumably say there is evidence for what they say, and there isn’t.” Meantime, critics of the studies used terms like “fatally flawed” and “irresponsible and unethical”. A group of Harvard scientists warned that the new conclusions “harm the credibility of nutrition science and erode public trust in scientific research.” Other commentators concede that while any individual might not be at higher risk from higher red meat consumption, over large populations one can begin to see public health impacts. According to the review, if people were to reduce meat consumption by three servings a week, there might be one to six fewer heart attacks per 1,000 people. But there would be no effect on deaths resulting from heart disease or any cause over all. For cancer, the group reported that decreasing meat consumption by three servings a week might result in seven fewer cancer

Photo: Florence Charvin

deaths per 1,000 people. But there would be no effect on the risk of getting breast, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic or prostate cancer. In other words, eating red meat might not pose any greater cancer risk to you individually, but it might adversely affect 35,000 out of 5 million New Zealanders, with broader consequences for the health system and social costs. The American Heart Association challenged the review methodology and called the conclusions “questionable”. More on the methodology issue below. And commented more generally:

“We build our guidelines and our consumer-friendly programs and information on the preponderance of scientific evidence. All American Heart Association guideline-writing committees actively review information from the science community, government agencies and others regarding new developments to ensure American Heart Association guidelines, statements or other updates will clearly and thoughtfully address the issue. We support the call for more high-quality research studies and ongoing dialogue that will help the medical community continue to provide the best possible

science-based advice to consumers and patients.” New Zealand’s Heart Foundation hasn’t chimed in. The media abroad have had what one might call a feeding frenzy on this dispute. And it’s not likely to end soon. Nutrition experts and scientists will have a field day digesting and explaining the conflicting claims. But most seem to agree that coming up with rock solid evidence is nigh impossible. The core research problem is methodological. How do researchers actually conduct the kind ‘controlled studies’ where the participants can be

subjected to rigorously enforced constraints (e.g, no or low red meat diets) over sufficiently long periods of time to discern causal effects? And even if this can be managed, how can the single factor (e.g., red meat consumption) be isolated from other factors that would influence the effects – was that red meat with or without fries, cheese or mayo, or a bun? And what about exercise patterns? And so on. Given the evidential difficulties, what are we omnivores (Oxford: an organism that eats both plant and animal matter) supposed to do?

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First Light co-founder Jason Ross.

Moderation

Nutritionists generally prefer to treat their clients as individuals – their mantra, in a nutshell, is different strokes for different folks … nothing in excess … meet essential nutrient needs. Says local nutritionist Hazel Thomas: “I would evaluate my client’s needs based on their health condition, their dietary preferences, culture and nutritional needs.” She gives the example that many people are deficient in zinc. “The two best sources are oysters and red meat. Adopting a diet low in sugar, eating lots of vegetables, sleeping enough and exercising, will have more benefit in the long-term than giving up your grass-fed beef, if it’s something that works for your constitution.” She notes the limitation of research that looks at the collective rather than the individual. “Some people are better suited to eating red meat, while others aren’t. The Plains Indians had a diet predominantly based on buffalo and had the highest number of centenarians in history. There are other cultures who mainly eat vegetarian and live to ripe old ages.” But also cautions: “Making a broad statement that people should continue their current consumption of meat is ill informed, particularly when it comes to processed meat. We should be considering the quality of our meat, whether it is grass fed, organic

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"We have evolved to eat red meat. A person’s relationship to red meat is being redefined … We aim to deliver the very best version of red meat” JASON ROSS, FIRST LIGHT

or processed. Bacon, ham, salami and cheap sausages are usually filled with salt but also preservatives and additives.”

Fake meat

Consumers should be aware of the trade-offs if they choose meat alternatives for health reasons. Elsewhere in this BayBuzz (see her article, Food Myths), local soil expert Phyllis Tichinin takes a crack at synthetic meat. Her concerns are echoed by Mary Ellen Camire, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine. Commenting on the AHA website, Professor Camire says: “Iron from beef is very well absorbed, but plant iron not so much so … The big thing is vitamin B12 because you can only get that from animal products or supplements. So for

some people, that is a risk factor. They may be at risk for developing anemia.” She continues: “A lot of them (synthetic meats) are designed so that they are more comparable to some of the more structured proteins, but they’re a blessing and a curse. It might have as much protein as the real meat, but it probably has a lot more sodium, and it may even have more saturated fat … Some of the fake burgers are actually putting little globs of coconut fat in there to make it juicy when you bite into it.” A NY Times health reporter comments: “The Impossible Whopper has 630 calories versus a traditional Whopper’s 660. It also contains similar amounts of saturated fat and protein, and more sodium and carbohydrates. No one should think they’re improving their health by making the switch.” As Phyllis asks in her article: Is that what you want for your kids?

A better red meat?

Which brings us to First Light, Hawke’s Bay very own premium red meat merchant. Literally the day after the NY Times launched the US kerfuffle, I received a First Light media release titled: Heart Health in Men Unaffected By Eating 100% Grass-Fed Wagyu Beef, Study Finds. My news appetite whetted, I went to learn more from First Light’s

Adopting a diet low in sugar, eating lots of vegetables, sleeping enough and exercising, will have more benefit in the long-term than giving up your grass-fed beef, if it’s something that works for your constitution.” NUTRITIONIST HAZEL THOMAS

co-founder, Jason Ross, whose starting premise is clear: “We have evolved to eat red meat.” That said, he continues: “A person’s relationship to red meat is being redefined” and “we want to help them redefine that relationship … We aim to deliver the very best version of red meat” recognising that some will simply opt out entirely. The “very best” to First Light involves flavour, health attributes, and environmental stewardship. Here we focus on health. The First Light study was conducted by the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland as part of a High Value Nutrition (HVN) National Science Challenge (NSC) project, led by AgResearch and co-funded by First Light. Exclusively focused on middle-aged men, each participant was given a total of 500g of either grass-fed Wagyu beef, regular beef, or soy protein, spread over three portions per week. Participants were told to avoid other red and processed meats during the trial. At the end, all three groups had improved their cholesterol. The group

consuming the 100% grass-fed Wagyu measured the greatest cholesterol drop, a bit over 20%, from an average of 7.0 to 5.5 mmol/L. The study concluded: “… eating Wagyu three times each week for eight weeks had no negative impact on the risk factors of heart disease, including cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Our research demonstrates that as part of a healthy lifestyle, enjoying premium New Zealand grass-fed Wagyu beef is not detrimental to heart health in men.” I hear all the reservations: co-funded by First Light (obviously commercially interested in the outcome), short term, limited scale, unclear control over other factors, self-reported data, did they adhere to diet, what else affecting cholesterol might they have eaten or not eaten while participating, did their exercise change. So, not the most robust nutrition study ever conducted, with the same fundamental limitation as every other such nutrition study – humans can’t be controlled and tested like lab rats!

But First Light was ‘hands-off’ and the “indicative” results, as Jason Ross would put it, are supportive of the marketing story First Light wants to tell as it expands in the discerning high-end West coast US market. Another study conducted for First Light indicates that its grass-fed Wagyu beef has the best Omega 3:6 ratio of any beef in the world tested. More Omega 3 is deemed to reduce the risk of depression, Alzheimer’s and early-onset dementia. A lot here to digest. And then there’s the environmental impact of red meat production versus other synthetic and natural protein foods. A worthy subject for another BayBuzz article! But as for health, for me, a dedicated omnivore, I’m prepared to go with the wrap-up offered by local nutrition guide Ben Warren: “For me the issue is a lot more complex than whether we should just eat meat or not. What’s the quality of the meat, how was it grown? What’s being eaten with the meat? Does an individual have a well-functioning stomach to break down the proteins in meat? Etc. The short answer for me is I think meat can be eaten in a way that contributes to our health for most individuals.”

Royston Hospital is pleased to sponsor robust examination of health issues in Hawke’s Bay. This reporting is prepared by BayBuzz. Any editorial views expressed are those of the BayBuzz team.

www.royston.co.nz

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I DE AS A N D O P I N I O N PAUL PAY N T E R

Climate change: The false hope of salvation If I mention climate change will you stop reading? I think a lot of people would. The reason is that it’s too often predictable, preachy and grim, long on rhetoric and short on practical solutions. When someone does say something controversial and thought provoking, they incur the brutal retort of an army of trolls. A good example is Jonathan Franzen’s recent New Yorker article, ‘What If We Stopped Pretending?’ Franzen points out that we’ve known about global warming for about 40 years, but in spite of the growing evidence the CO2 emissions keep going up every year. We’re short-sighted and selfish and don’t show any sign of the personal and political will to halve (2010) CO2 emissions by 2030, which the IPCC suggests is necessary. Franzen’s writing from a US perspective where the Democrat/Republican vote has been split roughly 50/50 for a generation. The Republican party don’t seem concerned with climate change and so the US cannot be relied upon for a suitable climate policy framework. Perhaps that is true of most democracies. Other big polluters like China and India claim that as emerging economies they should be allowed a few more years of bringing the masses out of poverty before they go green. Vladimir Putin isn’t putting his hand up for Russia either and these four countries together comfortably make up more than 50% of global CO2 emissions. Franzen notes that respected journal Nature says that “the carbon emissions from existing global infrastructure, if operated through its normal lifetime, will exceed our entire emissions ‘allowance’.” Given the wall of new infrastructure being built in the emerging world, we’re going to blow the IPCC targets and run the climate catastrophe experiment. To some extent we’re victims of our

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own success. About a billion people have been lifted out of poverty over the last 20 years, mostly because their governments permitted capitalism. The emerging middle class in these countries aspire to live with western conveniences: a TV, air conditioner, smartphone and car. Their CO2 emissions are increasing in line with their wealth.

He proposes that rather than spending vast sums preventing global warming, we put some funds towards disaster preparedness and humanitarian relief. Franzen is told he’s not a scientist and should keep his mouth shut, but he’s not arguing with the science. He’s observing human nature and that of our political systems and indicating that meaningfully controlling CO2 emissions is most unlikely. Franzen thinks we should try to reduce emissions. But he’s suggesting that peddling the false hope of salvation may be actively harmful. He proposes that rather than spending vast sums preventing global warming, we put some funds towards disaster preparedness and humanitarian relief. In a world of finite resources that’s not a bad idea, particularly if governments make bad investment decisions. They have some history. The US subsidy for corn-based ethanol made farmers richer and people in the third world hungrier, but didn’t actually reduce CO2 emissions. It turns out you burn a lot of fuel to grow corn. In New Zealand we have the billion trees initiative, which sounds like a gargantuan carbon sink, unless the trees

are all planted by capitalists who then cut them all down in 30 years – just when the planet is really heating up. Some things we should try, but they probably won’t work. Top of the list is you personally actually halving your CO2 footprint. That means halving your car usage, having fewer showers, halving your meat and dairy consumption and buying a $2 carbon offset each time you fart. You see, realistic economists say that we can only meet IPCC objectives if we meaningfully reduce our standard of living. No politician is yet brave enough to tell you that. They know you only want to cut by 5%, not 50%. Some argue that green energy from solar or wind could allow us to retain our creature comforts, but so far these make up less than 1% of global energy production and are only forecast to make 3% by 2030. We should also try to establish a global carbon tax, but that will take decades and may never be achievable. This message might sound as gloomy as a Greta Thunberg Christmas carol, but there are actually some potential solutions to climate change. I can’t promise you’ll like them though. There are two realistic pathways to address climate change. The first is something NZ can really do well. We should plant trees that we won’t cut down. New Zealand already has 29% of its area in forests and 80% of that is indigenous, but we could do so much more. One initiative already embraced by our regional council is to plant riparian strips alongside rivers. Instead of demanding the fencing-off of rivers, subsidise them being hedged-off and for the planting of trees and shrubs beyond the hedge. There is a great deal of relatively unproductive farmland too and many of our farmers have invested in revegetation projects. Government should provide further incentives to encourage such initiatives.

Extinction Rebellion Hawke’s Bay draw the line. Photo: Peter Tang

The other strategy is to invest in technology. The ‘Sceptical Environmentalist’ Bjorn Lomborg thinks conventional initiatives like the Paris Accord are probably not good value for money. His modelling suggests it will cost us something north of US$100 trillion by 2100 but only moderate global warming by about 0.25C. He suggests investing in technology instead. Perhaps sensible, as putting money toward things that could make you rich while fixing the environment is politically more palatable than paying fines and reducing our standard of living. Radical new technologies are emerging, but while we wait for them applying old tech could also work. In the US natural gas has now supplanted coal as the leading source of power generation. The new natural gas plants do deliver the magic 50% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to old coal plants that are being decommissioned. Burning less damaging fossil fuels isn’t going to get the positive press it might deserve, particularly in this US example where it has been significantly facilitated by fracking. But if the dire consequences of global

Still, if you really think this is a climate emergency or the beginning of mass extinction, what are you prepared to compromise to avoid it? warming are so important, then maybe we do face ‘the lesser of two evils’ scenario and unpalatable options should be put back on the table. Of all the big polluters, I’m the most optimistic about China addressing their issues. Implementing difficult policies is a lot easier in a totalitarian state. My recommendation to them is ‘Go Nuclear’, a suggestion that makes idealistic Kiwis gasp in despair. Nuclear energy is probably the only existing technology that can radically change global CO2 emissions and it should happen in China. China runs on coal, which is by far the most polluting of energy sources. China produces and consumes vast

quantities; more than the next ten biggest coal producers combined. They are the biggest CO2 emitters on the planet and the World Economic Forum says they are heading towards double the CO2 emissions of USA. What few understand is that, of the main energy sources, nuclear is statistically the safest; safer even than biofuels. When you include the impacts of air pollution there are 962 deaths related to coal for every 1 caused by nuclear. The statisticians are careful to point out that coal deaths are small and often, while only one single nuclear event might change these statistics quite dramatically. Still, if you really think this is a climate emergency or the beginning of mass extinction, what are you prepared to compromise to avoid it? In the first instance, let’s give a little air to Franzen and other heretics. Casting the net wide in terms of ideas and opinions is a good idea – even if it riles us a little. Paul Paynter is our resident iconoclast and cider maker. Sometimes he grows stuff at Yummyfruit.

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I DE AS A N D O P I N I O N MAT T M I L L E R

StockX – the TradeMe for livestock Jason Roebuck is the managing director of StockX, an online livestock trading platform based in Havelock North. He says that StockX is “better for the environment. It’s better for the animals. It’s better for the buyer. It’s better for the seller. And everyone is welcome.” It sounds too good to be true, but Jason doesn’t strike me as a new-economy hype merchant. After living in the UK for eight years, Jason returned to New Zealand in 2008, ran a rural transport company, and started sketching out an idea that he had long been itching for … an online rural marketplace. It had the working title ‘Agritrader’, but he was aware that New Zealand’s internet infrastructure wasn’t sufficiently advanced to make it work. In 2015 a group of Hawke’s Bay investors approached him with a plan for an online livestock marketplace called StockX. He saw that it was pretty much the same as Agritrader, and presented with a choice to collaborate or compete, it was an easy and sensible decision to collaborate so he joined as a shareholder and director. Now, four years later, StockX as a marketplace business is a reality, with 1,700 farming businesses and circa 360 livestock agents ready to trade livestock on the new version of the platform (kicked off on 14 October). The initial strategy was to provide a platform that would enable farming businesses to trade livestock directly with each other, without requiring an agent or needing to incur the cost to transport the animals to and from the saleyards. This is known as disintermediation – i.e. removing the need for a ‘middle man’ or agent in the transaction. This has been a common business model

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for online platforms like Uber, Airbnb, Booking.com and TradeMe. According to Jason, StockX is the only digital livestock marketplace within New Zealand that has independence and openness as a core offering. In fact, one of the characteristics of a platform business like this is the ‘network effect’, which means that the value of using the platform increases the more people that are using it. For this reason, it is essential to get lots of people to join your platform as soon as possible and start participating in the market, before a competitor notices what you’re doing and tries to head you off. StockX has confronted this challenge head-on with direct sales, approaching farming businesses directly, attending trade shows, agricultural events, and working tirelessly to build the StockX brand. At the start, there was no auctionbased trading on StockX. It was a simple open-tender system, in which buyers submit a price they are willing to pay. They could see what other buyers were offering, and they could keep raising their offer. All users can also see up-to-date market information to gauge what price they should be paying for the livestock. The seller then makes a deal with one of the buyers. It’s very similar to buying a house. Open tender was an easy way for StockX to enter the market. It meant they didn’t need to build a sophisticated real-time online auction system, sellers were under no pressure to commit to the sale, and it gave first-time users an introduction to the safety of online livestock trading. The open tender system worked. Some of the 1,700 farming businesses using StockX are closing in on 100 trades. The trouble with these types of platforms is that, by cutting out the

agents, they run the risk of removing a lot of experienced experts from their networks. In the rural sector, agents do much more than simply match buyers and sellers. They often have a wealth of experience, have deep social and regional relevance and give more than

“The new marketplace enables anyone to participate and, adds certainty, security, greater reach and transparency to the transaction.” JASON ROEBUCK

They have a 4-year product roadmap of features they are planning to build … features that customers are specifically asking for. StockX has planned a customer advisory panel to test new ideas, to guide the growth of the marketplace and to ensure its customers are truly at the centre of the business.

just transactional advice to their clients across the seasons. StockX has long recognised that the agents are an integral part of the New Zealand livestock industry and add depth and liquidity to the market. Leading agency businesses across the country have seen the value online trading can add to their and their client’s businesses. In early 2018, StockX began to develop a new marketplace platform. This new version of the platform much more closely resembles the traditional auction-based market that has served New Zealand so well for over a hundred years. This enables agencies to provide their clients with a complementary online trading channel, farmers an opportunity to participate and trade directly and, for processors, an additional procurement channel. Jason says the new marketplace enables anyone to participate and, adds

certainty, security, greater reach and transparency to the transaction. Now, instead of being a disruptor, an outsider, StockX has rapidly become a legitimate, mainstream channel for agents to do their work. “It’s another channel where they can conduct business for and on behalf of their clients, much the same way that real estate agents and car dealers have embraced TradeMe, without needing to build their own private online marketplaces.” Despite the success of the StockX platform so far, there are no immediate plans to grow outside New Zealand. Jason tells me that they have their hands full creating the ideal platform for New Zealand and there is plenty of room for growth here before they look further afield. They have a 4-year product roadmap of features they are planning to build … features that customers are specifically asking for. StockX has planned a

customer advisory panel to test new ideas, to guide the growth of the marketplace and to ensure its customers are truly at the centre of the business. This is especially important in the crucial area of platform integrations, i.e. deciding which other software platforms to work with and how. StockX has no plans to move its offices out of Hawke’s Bay. It allows easy access to a huge part of the North Island, and Christchurch as the gateway to the mainland, is only an hour and a half flight away. In fact, Jason thinks that the Bay is the ideal place for the company. It looks like StockX will be here for a long time to come.

Matt Miller co-owns web company Mogul Limited, based in Havelock North, but serving clients around the world, including BayBuzz. His beat for BayBuzz is digital trends and cool businesses.

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I DE AS A N D O P I N I O N PAT T UR L EY

Coastal property values reflect climate change Hawke’s Bay’s coastal strategy has become a pressing topic. Storm surges have wreaked spectacular havoc at Clifton beach, coastal Te Awanga and Haumoana. Hohepa has decided to retreat from low-lying land near Clive for its residents’ safety. And inland residential property is outperforming coastal locations, as could be expected given climate change. The September United Nations Outlook Report is dramatically entitled, The Heat Is On. The report says: “The impacts of climate change have been growing; often with terrifying results, ranging from wildfires, droughts, flooding, and hurricanes to sea-level rise, ocean acidification [and] the melting of the permafrost.” The UN reports that temperatures have increased about 1.0°C compared to “pre-industrial [levels]” and that “the last four years were the warmest on record [and] July 2019 was the hottest month of all.” It further reports: “There are ever starker signs of harm caused by climate change. Coral reefs are dying, Arctic sea ice is shrinking, sea levels are rising, [and] droughts, floods, and hurricanes grow more severe.” Climate change is a tough reality and Hawke’s Bay is far from alone in its coastal plight. Coastal challenges and retreat are worldwide topics, including in the United States. In July, the US organisation Climate Central published its updated report, Ocean at the Door: New Homes and The Rising Sea. The report addresses sea level rise-related coastal flood risks to US housing. It rather grimly prophesises that “unchecked greenhouse gas emissions would expose 3.4 million homes worth US$ 1.75 trillion to a 10% or higher annual risk of flooding by 2100.”

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Recently Hohepa decided its low-lying land is increasingly unsafe due to more regular severe flooding, and that retreat is prudent for its 60 residents. The Hohepa relocation to Poraiti will take five years and is budgeted at $10.5 million.

Local background

The Hawke’s Bay Coastal Hazards Strategy sets about to address the next century of climate change effects for our coast. It considers coastal hazard mitigation initiatives, including sea walls, groynes, and beach nourishment. An intergenerational coastal defence ‘contributory fund’ for NapierHastings communities has been suggested by a councils’ joint committee developing a Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy. The committee mooted a $15 annual rates charge by each council to fund community infrastructure protection. Given the nationwide scale of the threat, it is hoped that central government will eventually come to the table as a coastal defence funding partner. The three Councils meanwhile continue refining their planning work. In December 2016, Hastings District Council committed to a Clifton beach seawall at a cost $2.8 million over 35 years, financially partnering with the Clifton reserve society, the marine club, and the adjoining landowner.

The seawall, or rock revetment, is a ‘hard engineering solution’ and part of Hawke’s Bay’s coastal protection plan. Clifton’s rock sea defence was completed this year. The Walking on Water pressure group made a case to Hastings District Council for a Clifton style revetment at Te Awanga to protect private properties and public infrastructure, including services and road access. Dr William De Lange, of the University of Waikato Earth Sciences facility, says engineered sea defences are “at best a temporary solution”, as they ultimately need to be rebuilt. That said, some sea-facing structures in the world have been enduring the elements for centuries, including Netherlands’ sea defences since 1250. In 2017 an impasse between Hastings District Council and a Haumoana landowner concerning a potentially illegal seawall ended without prosecution. The wall, which was considered to be unconsented, will be allowed to remain. Some suggest that Clifton and Te Awanga coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon due to a lack of replenishment material from collapsing Cape Kidnappers’ cliffs. It is possibly the result of about 1.0m subsidence following the 1931 earthquake, and less frequent severe north-easterly swells. The hypothesis is the beaches’ realignment is a natural occurrence. Westshore Napier beach erosion causes are not agreed. The weight of science-based opinion says the 1931 earthquake is the primary culprit. Others suggest Napier Port’s 1983 breakwater extension and dredging of the main shipping channel are possible causes. Hohepa has occupied 22 hectares near Clive since 1960, situated between

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Ocean Beach (photo Rosa Turley); private seawall at Clifton Beach; HDC new rock revetment at Clifton Beach; NCC beach nourishment at Westshore (photos Tom Allan).

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9 Clifton Road, Haumoana 11 years ago in July 2008. Photos: Pat Turley

2003 Median Sale Price Rank

Locality

Median

Waimarama

Napier Hill

2018 Median Sale Price Rank

Locality

Median

$385,500

Waimarama

$890,000

$357,500

Te Awanga

$690,000

Bay View

$350,000

Bay View

$640,000

Westshore

$315,000

Westshore

$605,000

Haumoana

$261,000

Napier Hill

$575,000

Te Awanga

$253,000

Taradale

$517,500

Taradale

$232,000

Mahora

$405,250

Mahia

$210,000

Haumoana

$400,000

Mahora

$162,600

Mahia

$342,500

Flaxmere

$95,000

Flaxmere

$230,000

The rate of value growth for relatively scarce Hawke’s Bay beachfront property has generally not – as might have been be expected – outperformed more abundant inland competitors.

the mouths of the Clive and Ngaruroro Rivers. Recently Hohepa decided its low-lying land is increasingly unsafe due to more regular severe flooding, and that retreat is prudent for its 60 residents. The Hohepa relocation to Poraiti will take five years and is budgeted at $10.5 million.

Property value impacts

Clifton Road Haumoana’s dramatic oceanfront challenges have attracted considerable attention. The location near East Road has five sections in the land title system that are increasingly beach. In high-tide stormy weather, Pacific Ocean surges inundate private land, morphing it from dry land to submerged land to an ever-increasing degree. The property at 25 Clifton Road purchased in 1997 for $160,000, transacted for $135,000 in late 2018 (a value decline over 21 years of $25,000 or 15.6%). It was one of nine Clifton Road residential properties accumulated by a single owner. Regardless, real estate situated right

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by the ocean – if not almost in the sea on some days – regularly transacts. At Haumoana, since late 2018, five righton-the-beach properties changed hands for $75,500 to $188,000. Compared to most Hawke’s Bay residential property, however, the values are modest. A 15-year coastal property study conducted by Turley & Co land economists and valuers, shows that many Hawke’s Bay coastal locality property values have performed well, but several inland urban locations have performed better. At Haumoana in 2003 and 2018, residential property transactions were 10 and 11 sales respectively. The value of sales though was higher by $2 million or 72%. The median sale price over 15 years increased from $261,000 to $400,000 (53% total change or 2.9% per annum compound). Beachfront property generally outperforms adjacent non-beachfront real estate. However, the performance of Clifton Road beachfront properties unsurprisingly trailed Haumoana’s

overall housing price growth. The settlement’s beachfront-only property values at Clifton Road decreased by 12%, for 5-years’ sales samples 19992003 and 2014-2018. Neighbouring Te Awanga property values have tracked differently. Benchmarking again 2003 and 2018, Te Awanga’s residential property median price increased by 173%. For immediately coastal property, however, this was lower at 151%. Compared to oceanfront Haumoana, Te Awanga’s coastal stretch has performed considerably better, although Te Awanga’s beachfront properties growth has not outperformed adjacent non-beachfront real estate, as could have been expected in normal circumstances. As for other Hawke’s Bay coastal residential property sales, our analysis shows that for coastal Bay View, Westshore, and Waimarama, median residential values over 15 years escalated by 83% to 131% (4.1% to 5.7% per annum). This value change falls short of Te Awanga, although are much stronger

Current erosion at Clifton Road Haumoana adjacent to East Road. Photo: Tom Allan

than Haumoana and Clifton Road’s negative growth beachfront stretch. Mahia beach over 15 years shows 3.3% per annum median value growth for residential properties, including baches. The annual value of sales was higher by $3.7 million (2003 v. 2018). For other Hawke’s Bay coastal locations, including the Central Hawke’s Bay’s beaches, the sales samples are insufficient for meaningful analysis. The studied inland and elevated housing areas of Napier-Hastings, reflect 15-years annualised residential property value appreciation for Napier Hill (3.2%), Taradale flat areas (5.5%), Flaxmere (6.1%) and Mahora Hastings (6.3%). Taradale and Hastings suburban areas growth, including Flaxmere, outperformed residential property at Mahia beach, Bay View’s coastal appellation, Westshore and Haumoana overall. Our study of 10 coastal and non-coastal Hawke’s Bay residential localities 20032018, shows that Haumoana has the lowest property values growth rate whilst growth for many inland urban

localities outperformed their counterpart coastal appellations. Of the ten localities studied, a median prices table shows that Waimarama ranked consistently first at $385,000 (2003) and $890,000 (2018). Whilst Flaxmere has the lowest median at $95,000 and $230,000 respectively – 15 years apart. Napier Hill moved from second place to fifth. Mahora moved up and Mahia moved down. The residential property market drivers are nuanced and influenced by many factors. The rate of value growth for relatively scarce Hawke’s Bay beachfront property has generally not – as might have been be expected – outperformed more abundant inland competitors. The prospects of superior price performance for close-to-coast property could in some cases be fading. It is fair to say for acutely affected coastal locations’ residential property, the tide has been outgoing for over a decade. Market competition increasingly is discounting for the threat of erosion and inundation in oceanfront

situations, relative to other housing options for Hawke’s Bay. The increasing frequency and severity of storms and flood events is a headache for coastal and ocean-affected riverside communities everywhere, as well as councils, central government, and the whole community. If rising sealevel predictions become reality, the double-whammy effects could cause the headache to morph into a migraine of epic proportions. Many Hawke’s Bay communities are feeling this already, including tragically the wonderful cause that is Hohepa. The cost financially and socially is great.

Pat Turley is a Hawke’s Bay-based property strategist and valuer at Turley & Co. He is a volunteer organisations board member and chair of the Maraetōtara Tree Trust. The property stats cited are a portion only of data assembled. The contents of this article are not for property decisions reliance. Refer to www.turley.co.nz

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Culture

BRID G ET F R EEMA N - R O C K + L I Z Z I E R US S E LL

System change

BayBuzz 76 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

Global warming poses unprecedented – radical actually – challenges to our prevailing lifestyles. As BayBuzz’s lifestyle and culture editors, here’s our view of the conundrum. The last couple of months have felt noisier. School Climate Strike, Extinction Rebellion (XR), Greta Thunberg’s UN rebuke. Young people have a lot to be restless about, and they’re making themselves heard. But not without equally noisy backlash. At first glance it looks like a generational chasm, but it’s not so cleancut. Many of those marching with the youth in recent strikes have been adults (a roughly 50/50 split on Napier’s streets); pensioners are being arrested for XR disruption in unprecedented numbers. The gap seems rather to be between those for whom the system thus far has been working well and who wish to protect that benefit, who believe economic growth is unnegotiable, and that all shall be resolved through trickledown effect, individual merit and technocratic solutions – or who believe conspiracy myths – and those who recognise that the current model (built on a backbone of industrialisation, colonisation and consumerism) is broken.

Napier climate strike. Photo: Peter Tang

Major system change will be required to alter the course we are currently on, and that’s going to take more than bamboo toothbrushes and eco-bags, and voting every three years. It will take a social revolution, a paradigm-shift in thinking, beyond simply lifestyle choices. Every aspect of how we do things will have to be questioned, challenged, re-thought, re-designed. It’s as much about culture as politics. The youth-led climate strikers are demanding our political leaders, here and around the world, “do everything in their power to limit warming to 1.5 degrees to safeguard our right to a future on Earth.” They’re calling for the government to declare a Climate Emergency, to enact an ambitious Zero Carbon Act into law that puts in place a legally enforceable plan to get to net zero carbon by 2040, and to cease all

exploration and extraction of fossil fuels while investing in building a “renewable, resilient and regenerative economy, and energy and transport systems now.” Many, however, have lost faith in the political system altogether (including people we know who chose not to vote in the recent election following years of conscientiously exercising their voting rights – it’s not just the young and the disenfranchised). The grassroots XR movement is calling for nonviolent mass civil disobedience to “stop planetary extinction” (or at least minimise it – there’s a certain fatalism here) and are busy exploring creative, regenerative, de-centralised, inclusive ways of system transformation. From the notion of the commons and consensus building to bio-cities, indigenous connections and

‘donut’ (i.e. circular) economies. Their demands are simple, yet far more radical: tell the truth; go net-zero carbon by 2025 (mobilising wartime efforts); genuine participatory democracy, with citizen rather than consumer engagement. The fledgling local XR group, for example, is targeting Hawke’s Bay Today to stop publishing climate denial material and to give proper, scientific coverage to the climate crisis; it’s supported the 350.org campaign to pressure ANZ to stop bankrolling oil companies; made submissions to our local councils; mobilised for a colourful bicycle action. Recently, UK journalist George Monbiot was arrested in London for defying the government ban on Extinction Rebellion ‘assemblies’ and claiming his right to protest. “I know this action will expose me

to criticism as well as prosecution,” he writes. “Like other prominent activists, I will be lambasted for hypocrisy: this is now the favoured means of trying to take down climate activists. Yes, we are hypocrites. Because we are embedded in the systems we contest, and life is complicated, no one has ever achieved moral purity. The choice we face is not between hypocrisy and purity, but between hypocrisy and cynicism. It is better to strive to do good, and often fail, than not to strive at all.” (Or as Jonathan Pie more bluntly puts it: “If you do nothing, you’re an arsehole.”) That’s an observation that particularly struck a chord with both of us, as we wrangle, daily, with questions on what disruptive actions and sacrifices to take in our personal lives and how to justify our compromises.

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Culture

LI ZZI E RUSSELL / P H OTO S: TOM A LLA N

Culture

The Urban Winery Jane Jacobs, the mid-century architectural critic and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities wrote that “New ideas need old buildings.” And while making wine, selling it, serving it with good food and music on the side aren’t NEW ideas per se, there is certainly something fresh going on in one of Napier’s favourite Art Deco classics, The National Tobacco Company building in Ahuriri.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Event manager Shelby Rowlett and Bar Manager Gaston Sarlangue outside The Urban Winery.

Culture The Heritage 1 listed building was designed by Louis Hay, built in 1933 and is owned by Big Save’s McKimm family. It now houses craft brewery B Side Beer, the soon-to-be-opened National Distillery, and for the last two years Tony Bish Wines and The Urban Winery. Walk in through the Bish Wines and Urban Winery main doors and you’re just a glass wall away from the magic of the barrel room, with its iconic large oak egg tank at the far end, standing tall above the other fermenting wines, like an ovoid queen.

A place isn’t much without people though, and the team that’s assembled around Tony and Karen Bish’s vision of an urban winery really makes the place hum. Directly in front of you is the welcoming bar, displaying the array of chardonnays made right here in this old ciggy factory, and a range of specially selected wines from around New Zealand and the world. The space opens up to the right and tall tables, sofas, Tony’s family piano and Richard Brimer’s large format photographs on the walls invite you to park up and wile away an afternoon or an evening. A place isn’t much without people though, and the team that’s assembled around Tony and Karen Bish’s vision of an urban winery really makes the place hum. Shelby Rowlett, a bubbly American import who looks set to stick around a while has taken on the job of events manager, and with bar manager / sommelier Gaston, new chef Jo, Oscar Bish coming and going from Wellington as needed and a line-up of summer wine and fun enthusiasts, the crew is set for the big season ahead. “It’s just an incredible place to

work,” says Shelby. “There’s such a family, community atmosphere here.” Wandering through the space with Shelby, hearing the plans for summer events, you get the distinct impression that this place is becoming a hub for the community. Or communities. The Ahuriri locals, the wine lovers, the live music fiends, the salsa students. That’s the freedom that comes with starting something new, and making up the rules as they go along, she says. “We each have our areas of interest, and we bring them to the table and Tony generally just says yes, and we give it a go!” The ‘why-not’ attitude sees The Urban Winery now blurring the lines between cellar door, wine retailer, bar, music venue, restaurant and event space. “We even had our first wedding in here recently!” says Shelby “A local couple, who have become regulars, who made the space beautiful and then had their reception next door at Smith’s.” Shelby finds the big key and we venture through the ornate, oft-photographed main doors of the Tobacco Building. The domed stained-glass ceiling in the foyer offers a taste of the former grandness of this place. And in the boardroom (sometimes used for special small events by The Urban Winery) there are photographic portraits of the tobacco barons and full staff line-ups still hanging on the walls. There’s an eeriness to some rooms, a whiff of the abandoned history, but then you’re through another door and surrounded by Urban Winery staging, and restaurant supplies and gin distillery gear and you could be in almost any old warehouse. But that’s the treat about this place, it’s not any old refurbed warehouse. While we’re outside admiring the façade, and checking out the alfresco space (yes, licence-wise one is legally allowed to enjoy a glass of wine out on the beanbags), Australian tourists head in as part of their exploration of Art Deco architecture, and a young German couple on a New Zealand wine adventure arrive for a tasting. Later that week the roomy indoor space seems to shrink into a new intimacy as a couple of dozen of us hunker down to relish the musical offerings of guitarist Ralph Gannaway. Another week or so later the place is filled right up with music-lovers facing forwards to Stretch, Paula Sugden and Joe

Dobson as they play on the moveable stage. Somehow the acoustics work just right, the lighting gives the place a living-room vibe, and the chardonnay helps with the flow of a rich, rustic, warm evening.

The ‘why-not’ attitude sees The Urban Winery now blurring the lines between cellar door, wine retailer, bar, music venue, restaurant and event space. “We even had our first wedding in here recently!” says Shelby The coming summer season promises more memorable nights too. From the now-regular Salsa Thursdays – culminating later this month with Salsa Bueno when Latin Roots Hawke’s Bay Salsa Academy will bring about an evening of Latin fun – to local music showcases and the highly anticipated New Years Eve Party. Can’t you just imagine it – welcoming in the Roaring 20s (Mark II), sipping and nibbling on delicious things and meandering through the rabbit-warren back rooms of this gem of a building, then heading back to hear live music in the main bar, all while glammed-up Gatsby-style in a night of transformation?! This place has had a special transformation, not just in terms of décor, and the way walls have been moved around. It’s the life that the team and all the guests and collaborators have breathed into this old barn of a building with the pretty door. That’s worth celebrating. An iconic, vintage building that for a long time sat empty and unused, neglected except for its striking exterior, is now the home of so much fun, and so much productivity. Cheers to that, and cheers to new ideas in old buildings.

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Culture

“We have resolved that the doors must open a lot wider; to a more diverse group of people; with more diverse arts endeavours, and, for the place to be absolutely buzzing, all the time.” JULIET COTTRELL, KEIRUNGA SOCIETY PRESIDENT

Caption. Photos: Tom Allan

KAY B A Z Z A RD / P H OTO S: TOM A LLA N

Phoenix Rising: Keirunga Creative Hub Being involved in the arts is good for us – good for our mental health and emotional wellbeing, good for the economy, for children’s educational development, for community engagement. A win-win for everyone. The research, and our leaders, clearly say so. But traditional pathways for involvement are changing as the boomer generation ages, with memberships for hobby, sports and social clubs in freefall. As in Britain and America, trends in New Zealand show younger people are not joining clubs, with studies suggesting several reasons: younger people are unaware of clubs that would be of interest to them, or don’t find value or relevance in existing ones, and whether they join depends on whether they feel included. Here in Hawke’s Bay, beautiful Keirunga Gardens is a bit of a secret despite the community arts centre’s best efforts to publicise itself. Run by a society on an ‘old-fashioned’ membership-based model, Keirunga has been the home of art and crafts for decades, but to flourish and thrive, it needs to attract a wider spectrum of the community and to evolve to meet the changing needs of those with creative inclinations.

Keirunga’s history

The Keirunga homestead and gardens were gifted to the people of Havelock North in the 1960s by George and Elizabeth Nelson, who were part of an arts and cultural community known as the Havelock Work that flourished in Havelock North until the Second World War. Here Elizabeth, who was an amateur water colourist and painted in the gardens, hosted afternoons for her friends, including garden walks, providing a meeting place for ‘serious talk’. Hastings District Council owns Keirunga Gardens and is responsible

So, although the Keirunga fire was catastrophic, it’s also been a catalyst for change, an opportunity for a massive rethink in how the facility could be used in the future and the changes required, but most importantly, how to ensure a sustainable model. for the upkeep of the grounds and buildings, which along with the original homestead and cottage, includes a memorial garden for the Nelsons, along with concert circles, a courtyard, handsome old trees, English-style lawns and rose-covered arbours. By the 1980s the homestead and cottage was in high demand by artists, stitchers, weavers, and it was decided to build a new art facility adjacent to the homestead. The whole community got involved in restoring the gardens and grounds that had become neglected. Fervent amateur thespians, weavers, artists and potters fundraised with fairs and activities, developing building plans and doing voluntary work until the building – Frank Bacon Studio – was complete with a theatre, painters’ studio and pottery that opened in 1986. Over the years, the Keirunga Society has been the umbrella for a diverse array of cultural pursuits and creative camaraderie, with regular, active meetings of the Hawke’s Bay Folk Artists Guild, Heart of the Sun Morris Dancers, Creative Fibre Crafts, Keirunga Artists, Quilters, Writers, and Embroiders groups (amongst others).

Catalyst for change

In August 2016 a devastating fire (a suspected arson) seriously damaged the main art studios, theatre and pottery, bringing a sudden drop in members and halting all painting, drama and pottery activities. But membership at Keirunga had been static for years, as the Society struggled with limited funding and too few members prepared to take on governance roles. Many are older, like Richard Moorhead, aged 79, who sits on the board and convenes the Painters group and has been an active member for the last 17 years. Voluntary directors also perform operational duties, but for some, other business and family commitments means attendance at meetings can be patchy. So, although the Keirunga fire was catastrophic, it’s also been a catalyst for change, an opportunity for a massive rethink in how the facility could be used in the future and the changes required, but most importantly, how to ensure a sustainable model. On the other side of the Bay, for example, the Waiohiki Creative Community Trust supports artists by offering them affordable studio space rather than membership – 13 artists currently. The studio rents pay for building maintenance and a paid part-time administrator, but importantly, it offers the artists solitude to work, freedom to focus on ideas and explore new and exciting creative possibilities, and opportunities to collaborate with others. Also based at Waiohiki is the Taradale Pottery Club. With 80+ members and growing, it is defying the trend of dropping memberships, reflecting perhaps the growing interest in ceramics and the outreach of regular events like the free Fire Nights that bring the public into the creative arts village.

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Culture

Photo: Tom Allan

Fibre artists working in the Keirunga Homestead

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Culture Future directions

Keirunga Society’s president, Juliet Cottrell, has overseen the $1.3 million redesign and rebuild of the new ‘Creative Hub’, which includes art studios and a new revamped black box theatre, with Stage 3 (gallery and workshop space) still to be completed (subject to funding). She is upbeat about Keirunga’s future. “With the advent of the fire we had to come together to work a new way forward to make some decisions about where we wanted Keirunga to go and how we wanted it to be,” she says. “We took our vision out over the next 5-10, even 50 years. We have resolved that the doors must open a lot wider; to a more diverse group of people; with more diverse arts endeavours, and, for the place to be absolutely buzzing, all the time.” As a step in that direction, a permanent tenant now occupies the former pottery, helping to provide an income stream. While the Society still has a strong membership of 300+, there’s now provision for ‘Friends of the Arts’ groups too, such as the Drama Workshop and Pencil Room – groups committed to taking on longterm leases, that fit with the spirit of Keirunga (arts, crafts, performing arts) without being directly affiliated. “We also want to make room for emerging and established artists in the studio spaces,” says Juliet, “and for people who want to try new things. There are lots of nooks and crannies here that people can inhabit, even if it is just for two hours as a one-off, or a two-week block.” But the highest priority, Juliet says, is restructuring Keirunga to separate governance from operations, and employing a part-time facilities

Smarter Thinking Online.

manager and administrator. This has happened, but for only six hours each per week and it is hoped that future funding will pay for more hours. “All this requires money, which means we spend hours filling out endless funding applications to charity funders.”

Striking a balance

Striking a balance is difficult between the social and community needs of members, many of whom are in the retirement-age bracket and may risk isolation and loneliness but for Keirunga, and the commercial imperatives required to survive into the next generation. The changes described are necessary to avoid an otherwise inevitable subscription hike (currently $50pa, plus GST and a variable group fee). But not everyone is happy. There is a sense that Keirunga risks becoming a commercial art centre, as most community art centres have become around New Zealand, and that it will lose its important place in the hearts of its members. The camera club has moved out and into a church hall in Hastings, citing the increase in rented space, and the potters – always an independent-minded group, who could not accommodate, or be accommodated by, the new changes – have gone too, moving on to alternate premises in town. This marked the end of an era for Keirunga and was deeply disappointing for many. Eyebrows were raised when a commercial business moved into the pottery as a permanent tenant. Fortunately, disquiet over the Sewing Room is lessening as members recognise it brings people into Keirunga who were not aware it even existed. People

who then ask about what is going on, what it’s used for, and are delighted by the beautiful surroundings. Juliet Cottrell says one of the biggest challenges going forward is ensuring “We’re respecting the history of this place. Absolutely. We must honour the origins of Keirunga, how it started, which is why the membership body is so important, of equal importance to other people using this place.” Now that Keirunga is again fully operational, public workshops, short-term courses and evening classes are being scheduled. The membership numbers for Keirunga Painters are growing again and children’s art sessions introduce new parents to the facility. The quilters have a full muster of members and new groups such as the U3A and independent theatre and performing groups are using the theatre. The Society desperately wants to attract new and younger members to carry it into the future and happily reports that recent new residents to the Bay and younger members have joined. They are making it known they are looking for new board members with IT and marketing experience and hope that from this new blood, new directors may be recruited at the AGM in March. Ultimately it will be these members and locals who determine Keirunga’s future. And that depends on how well the Creative Hub caters for the community’s needs and interests. But one thing is for certain, Keirunga is a taonga, and I am not alone in thinking so. Local people love this place and will fight for it, as with the recent kerfuffle over the Keirunga Oaks. www.keirunga.org.nz

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • BAYBUZZ • 85

Culture FO O D / JA M ES B E C K

Sustainable Supplies Napier’ Bistronomy won Best Restaurant at the 2019 Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards, and it holds two Cuisine Award hats. Owners James Beck and Amber Linter-Cole are working towards sustainability in all aspects of their business, including the supplies used to prepare Bistronomy’s renowned food.

Seasonal cooking and local supplies are what we’re talking about when we talk about sustainable food here. Really seasonal and really local is an interesting way to cook – it constrains you in some ways, which can be really good for creativity. We don’t actually have to put on a mango dessert – which may taste incredible, but the mangoes are being flown in from god knows where. You have to be pretty critical about where your food’s coming from. Some restaurants go much further than we do, in that they only use NZ ingredients, which is cool, but we’re a way off that yet – we still use peppercorns! What’s become really clear to me while I’ve been working on this sustainable restaurant thing is that buying local is absolutely the way to be more sustainable. And that’s down to food miles of course, but it’s also about supporting the local economy. That’s really important; they in turn support us. The

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money moves around the community. These are no-brainers really. It’s also about being able to tell a story to the customers and having that transparency about where things come from. We point some suppliers out on our menus, and that creates interest and conversation from the diners. We do it in particular with our meat, chicken and fish. The fish is called 12 Kilometre Fish, and it comes from Better Fishing. We use them about 90% of the time. Diners read ‘12 Kilometres’, and can’t help asking what that’s about. What it means is that mostly our fish is caught within 12 kilometres of the restaurant. And that leads into conversations between guests and our staff about how it’s caught. Carl at Better Fishing right here in Napier has devised a special cage system, where smaller fish can swim out, and that’s reduced his bi-catch massively. This issue with commercial fishing

is becoming more of a concern with chefs and with diners. Part of the issue is that with the big operators, and the industry on the whole, there’s no traceability and accountability. They don’t want cameras on the boats – there’s no honesty there. Whereas if you keep it truly local, you can go out – like I have – with Carl, and spend the whole afternoon throwing up over the side of the boat! No one seems to be able to tell the truth about the fishing industry. There are questions currently around the scampi catch, whether the bi-catch of other immature species that start their life in the same environment is too high. I’d love to use scampi, it’s a beautiful product, but I’m choosing not to at the moment because I don’t know the true story behind its harvest, and no one seems willing to tell it. That’s where we are on salmon too. We don’t serve it yet, because I’m unhappy not knowing enough about the supply and what’s really going on there. At the same time we are asking these questions we’re aware that this is abut people’s livelihoods, the men and women who go out fishing for us. So how do we find a balance between making a living and sustaining our fisheries? We’re able to go down to Central Hawke’s Bay to Patangata Station to see where our beef and lamb comes from. Duncan and Annabel Smith really look after their animals and there’s real traceability there, and they’re local. They have Waipawa Butchery down in CHB and now in Havelock. I speak to the butcher every week, and he’s always

James Beck with Carl from Better Fishing at Ahuriri Wharf. Photo: Tom Allan

With the big operators, and the industry on the whole, there’s no traceability and accountability. They don’t want cameras on the boats – there’s no honesty there. Whereas if you keep it truly local, you can go out – like I have – with Carl, and spend the whole afternoon throwing up over the side of the boat!

happy to do whatever cuts we need. And the other main supplier we highlight on the menu is Bostocks Chicken. They’re doing a great job. Their product is incredible. They’re the only true organic chicken producers. Before them we were using certified free range chicken, but who knows what that really means, whereas these chickens – we’ve been out to see the farm, seen them chilling under the apple trees, they grow naturally, they’re really tasty and they’re incredibly good value for money. We’re lucky that the main proteins we use are from right here, and the ducks come from not too far away – Cambridge. For the produce we use Epicurean, Norton Organics. For some of the bulk

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Better Fishing, photo Tom Allan; Bostock organic chickens, photo Brian Culy; meat from Patangata Station, photo Florence Charvin.

supplies we still use a bigger produce company, but we’re always talking to them about how their supplies are coming in and where from. We’re really lucky that we’ve got a great mushroom producer here – Bruce from Hillcroft is our mushroom guy, he’s out in Eskdale. He’s super passionate, certified organic, his mushrooms are the most beautiful I’ve even seen. He grows shiitake, oyster and a native mushroom called pekepeke kiore (a stunning, coral-like fungi we serve just with a vinaigrette), and he cultivates them all himself. He’s growing an incredible product right here, and battling a lot of imported mushrooms coming in from China. The key thing is that it takes a bit of effort to get out there and get to know

the suppliers and learn their stories. It’s really interesting, not just for me but for the staff. The food suppliers and the wineries too. We’re seeing more wineries now in conversion to organic or sustainable, which is great. At this stage we’re not choosing organic and sustainable over anything else yet, but we are starting to have that as more of a focus when we think about and select wines for the restaurant. We’ve got two pillars really – the first is our focus on casual, fun dining with great quality food. The other is to do things as sustainably as possible. We’re not there yet, and we’re not telling anyone else how to do things. We’re just trying to work through this ourselves, with a great team and a great bunch of suppliers and producers.

Wine: Stories from Hawke’s Bay Mark Sweet. Photographs Tim Whittaker

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An engaging read that I heartily recommend for the depth and character it adds to the Hawke’s Bay wine experience. Alwyn Corban, Ngatarawa Wines

A must for those wishing to know more about the Hawke’s Bay wine industry – its history, wine pioneers and current producers and their outstanding wines. Graeme Avery, Sileni Estates

I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in a well-researched piece of important wine history, a glimpse into many of the characters who have helped build a thriving wine industry, a winemaker’s view of what makes the region and its wines special, or a beautifully illustrated adornment for a coffee table. Bob Campbell, Master of Wine

A splendid new book … an extraordinary trove of images. John Saker, Cuisine

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Culture MO U T H Y B R OA D / JES S S O UTA R B A RRON

Bibliogrinch Silly-season shenanigans have crept up and we are scrambling to fill stockings for littlies and oldies and Uncle Roy, who’s so hard to shop for because he’s so dull. We reach for what’s easy, like books. Easy to make decisions, thanks to Top Ten lists. Easy to wrap, or get wrapped thanks to eager Bookshop Elves who do it for us. Books look substantial and meaningful thanks to all those words and ideas and stuff. I mean books are valuable, right? On the other side of town our city libraries are selling off our book collection, one item at a time, 50c each. It signals the devaluing of books in favour of other reasons for being. Libraries are becoming Information Hubs, pamphlets beat out books for space, there’s a JP permanently tucked in the corner, a scrabble club and holiday programmes. Computers are front and central, not just to track down Dewey numbers but to check email, surf, look for jobs; there’s one in the children’s

The Little Red Bookshop, Hastings. Photo: Tom Allan 90 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

section that kids play games on. Taking the lead from our libraries – and from our civic leaders who set their priorities – perhaps books aren’t as important as they once were. Who needs Whittaker’s Almanac when you have Wikipedia? Who needs the Guinness Book of Records when you have BuzzFeed? Don’t need to have read it, when there’s Reddit, right? If you must read books, Kindles make actual books superfluous. Stitchery and Audible mean we don’t have to read at all, we can let experts read for us, then listen to them doing it instead. Be honest, of the last ten books you bought how many of them did you actually finish…let alone read again? Books are piling up, they are jamming back doors, making do as night-stands. I even have a coffee table made from coffee table books! The most important job they have is insulating our thin and draughty houses. Books may be full of the sum total of human knowledge, imagination and consideration, but if

you buy them then shelve them, books are the new single-use plastic bags, but not as useful. You can’t easily pick up dog poo with a book. Getting the books here to NZ and on the shelves is a wicked problem too: 10,000 books printed in China, on trees, with ink made from chemicals tested on animals probably, guillotined to size – imagine the waste all those strips of paper create – palleted, wrapped in plastic, shipped here… Then those books are driven around the country, unloaded, six months later slickered with SALE stickers, dumped in the remaindered bin. Unless You buy them. Which is what they want you to do, but not out of free will, that would be catastrophic! Most bookshops are in on this con. A woman in an office in Auckland, who doesn’t know you, decides the books you want. She decides which books need to go to which shops and where in the shops they need to sit, so unsuspecting You will mooch in and pick

Culture Chew over reviews, take your time, because like puppies after Christmas that book is going to be with you for some time.

up the first thing that comes to hand. And buy it…for Uncle Roy or whoever, because underneath it says, ‘Gifts For Uncles’ or ‘Best Book for the man who has EVERYTHING’. That’s how stockings end up stuffed with Shit Towns of New Zealand, the latest Jamie Oliver and the 5-million Storey Treehouse. Very few bookshops have staff who read the books past A for Al Brown. So, when you say, “I’m looking for something for my Uncle Roy who has everything and only ever talks about the weather” they stare blankly and suggest Al Brown. Thankfully here in Hawke’s Bay we have some exceptions. Bookshops where the scene is somewhat different. Ask the staff something tricky, like “I’m looking for a book for my uncle who doesn’t read, maybe something to do with weather?” and they’ll suggest A Cloud A Day by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. And that’ll be perfect. If it’s not, give the giftee the freedom

to gift it on – see sidebar. And when you buy a book for yourself, luxuriate over the choosing. Chew over reviews, take your time, because like puppies after Christmas that book is going to be with you for some time. Then when you’ve picked one, read it! Carve out the time, skip sleep, take it to the beach, ditch the digital. Don’t let it gather dust with other half-read tomes on the bookshelf. Every other year when you prune your bookshelves, pick out the faves and pack up the detritus in banana boxes, haul them down to the second-hand bookshop in town, Siobhan’s only going to take the best ones. Her shop’s not a dumping ground for your bad life choices. She’ll choose the best, those books whose true value you didn’t see, rare gems, or volumes of cultural significance. Take the remainder on then to an op shop. Most will say no. Shelf space there is at a premium and no one’s buying books. Where next? Landfill I’m afraid. There are a few options beyond op shops. Every year the Lions Book Sale gets together 90,000 books and 5,000 biblio-bargain hunters. Some communities have their own ‘book cupboards’, upcycled wardrobes, sometimes fridges, where books are left to be shared with others. If your neighbourhood doesn’t have one, make one! Every kindy, rest home, bar and community centre could have its own micro-library.

A ‘library’ takes its name from the Latin root: Liber, book. But it shares that root with libre and libere, which give us liberty and libido, and the German ‘liebe’: love, freedom, desire. That’s a book. So be thoughtful when you buy books. Don’t panic buy. Apply the rules of all consumption to books too: Do I need this? Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Once it has served me will it have three or four more purposeful jobs still to do? What does its end-of-life journey look like? Books deserve our love, because in them lie the ideas and imaginings of our species. In books lies our freedom. But all that’s locked up in another ream of useless paper unless you take it into your own hands to release it.

Inscription for gifted books: This book is for you to lighten your day Read it, enjoy it, then give it away. Or if you’ve had a soul connection Treasure it and keep it in your collection.

Sponsored by Tennyson Gallery in collaboration with thehook.nz

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Culture

EX P LO R I N G HAW K E ’S B AY

Bridge Pā Aerodrome

B R I D G E T FR EEM A N-RO C K / P H OTO S: FLORENC E C H A RV I N

Culture

EX P LO R I N G HAW K E ’S B AY

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B R I D G E T FR EEM A N-RO C K / P H OTO S: FLORENC E C H A RV I N A photo in the archives shows a man in a glider at Bridge Pā, 1903. But for all the posturing, it seems he never lifted off the ground. As local records have it, the first person to fly in Hawke’s Bay was 15-year-old Tye Husheer in Napier, 1915, who built himself a rudimentary flying machine from plans in a boys’ own annual. The Husheer family had immigrated from Germany four years before to pioneer the tobacco industry (first trialled in Paki Paki, then grown out in Haumoana), but with the country at war were now deemed enemy aliens. For reasons of ‘national security’, police ordered the teen’s ‘suspect’ handmade glider be destroyed. The NZ Gliding Association was formed in 1931, with an active local contingent, but it was not until after the Second World War that gliding became an established hobby. The Hawke’s Bay Gliding Club (est. 1957) operated nomadically from Beacon’s Airfield (now Napier Aerodrome), Roy’s Hill, Ocean Beach and various farms, such as Joll’s (behind Te Mata Peak), before settling at Bridge Pā in the ‘70s. Aero-towing (by tiger moth) was expensive, so launching initially involved a Studebaker station wagon, then a modified Bren Gun Carrier and winch. Luckily today there’s a sweet little 1950s Champion Citabria to fly us like a kite into the blue. Florence settles in the plane behind Bruce to take photos, while, with a tonne of joking and some basic instructions, glider pilot Grant straps me into the fibre-glass Grob 103 two-seater. Tied to the plane with a rope, we jounce across the grass behind it before lifting into the air. It’s a strange feeling being airborne in this toy-tiny capsule, pulled behind an aircraft that’s still gaining speed on the runway – wind whistles through an open window slot. The plane in front jerks upwards, its wings dip and shudder as it navigates the textured air – seconds behind, our glider mimics those same motions. The rope goes slack then pulls taut as we bounce our way up to 3,500 feet. We pass over the back of Paki Paki. On ground level it’s riddled with poultry farms and equestrian history (race horses, former stud farms and dressage arenas), spring lambs and cottage gardens. But all that I pick

Culture

ABOVE: Gliding in 1903 at Bridge Pā. Courtesy: Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank.

out from here are Bostock Brothers’ distinctive mobile chook ‘chalets’ and large bare paddocks waiting for onions. New Zealand is one of the largest exporters of onions in the world; Bostocks alone grows 300+ hectares of onions in Hawke’s Bay each year. From high above, Heretaunga flattens out into a patchwork of patterns and circles. It really is like a flat-bottomed fruit bowl. The plains chequered by a criss-cross of manmade fencelines and horticultural rows, rectangular houses, all held geographically within concentric rings of hills, mountain ranges, ocean, the convex curve of the horizon itself. The view is stunning, but I am also struck by how treeless Hawke’s Bay appears, how vulnerable. Orchards and vineyards are yet to bud into leaf – blossom is but a colourless haze – and the hills are bare, bare, bare. There’s a narrow ribbon of river; more visible, though, the limestone scoured bike trails. Suddenly, the rope connecting to the tow-plane ‘snaps’; the plane becomes a speck in the distance then disappears, the world quiet but for the rush of wind as we soar like a seagull on currents of air, dropping down over Hastings’s urban sprawl and back over towards Mangatahi. What stands out above the horticultural paddocks and neat rows of leafless orchards and vineyards, are two enormous covered blocks, ‘wrapped’ in what appears from this vantage to be an opaque white plastic. Blueberries – 79 hectares of them. I have always considered blueberries in more boutique dimensions and am astonished by this aerial reveal. Gourmet Blueberries Ltd

on the outskirts of Flaxmere, I discover, produces over 600 tonnes of fruit per season (November – May) in these greenhouse-like, netted enclosures. We hover for a moment directly over Mangaroa Prison – military, mandala-like arrangements of buildings. I’m told you can get good airlift here (the concrete radiates off pockets of warm air) but today, no luck. We continue in a steady descent, circling Hastings’ Omahu industrial zone as we zero down towards the broad canopied tops of trees and the manicured green at what was once described as a “howling wilderness of sand and pumice” but by 1974 had been “tamed” into one of the nation’s top-ranked golf courses. We’re skimming low over Hastings Golf Club now. Handsome mature trees rapidly ‘refresh’ in ever-sharper definitions of colour and structure; specks emerge as fully formed people, with golf clubs, caps and caddies, glancing up. We clear the wire fence, and there’s an exhilarating rush of grass and speed before we land with a clean bump back on Earth. Focus adjusts back from bird’s eye to street view, the semi-rural open space of the aerodrome bordered by buildings, a road, a haze of distant trees, the Ruahine mountain range in profile, and above a fearless blue September sky. I step out and let 14-year-old Hazel, who’s learning to fly solo, take the controls. The Hawke’s Bay and Waipukurau Gliding Club (based at Bridge Pā Aerodrome, www.glidinghbw.co.nz) welcomes new members. Trial flights, ranging from 20-40 minutes in the air, cost $100-200, suitable for age 10 and up.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Bridge Pā Aerodrome – take off; tow pilot, Bruce Chambers; Bridget posing with the two-seater fibreglass glider before being strapped in; glider instructor, Grant Jarden in the club caravan office; gliding low towards Hastings Golf Club; the Champion Citabria tow plane.

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Culture L ET T E R FR O M T H E C O UN T RY / NA FA NUA KERSEL

I delight in the thought that these envelopes, which once held rates notices, appointment reminders and bills, now hold tiny promises of a golden summer of fresh tomatoes and beans. For me, these packets become small gestures of poetic justice.

Seeds It’s the time of year when the light changes. Shining bright and white, it bounces off spring blossoms and new growth, extending its reach into the farthest corners of our whare. This springtime light highlights the dust and ash, settled deep from winter fires, and the scale left by rain on our window panes. It’s no wonder that we feel a primal urge to spring clean our homes and bodies. Now, I’ll admit here that I’m not the kind of person who rushes towards housework, no matter how glaring. So, possibly as a convenient distraction, this time of year also sees me reaching into a dark upper cupboard of our kitchen for an old, warped Weetbix tin. Battered as the tin is, it holds treasure. I pull out a pile of brittle packets containing seeds that have been saved by our children and friends. Most of the packets are brown paper bags or repurposed window envelopes. I delight in the thought that these envelopes, which once held rates notices, appointment reminders and bills, now hold tiny promises of a golden summer of fresh tomatoes and beans. For me, these packets become small gestures of poetic justice. Every year as I pull the packets out, I cluck with worry that I have left this task a fortnight too long. Before I can chide myself too far however, I watch our children reacquaint themselves with the shapes and textures of the seeds. They so easily reach for memories – of the perfect pod of peas, or that year we had sweet melons daily, or the rhyme they invented when planting butter beans. Stories flow quickly from them and not one of the three children ever remember the hours of weeding and watering. It may be that in this moment of heaped potential, they know that the work will be worthwhile. Or more likely, it’s that gardening doesn’t actually feel like work to them at all.

96 • BAYBUZZ • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

In our seven years of creating a whānau-scale garden here at Mangatahi, we’ve fallen into a natural rhythm with other whānau in town. It’s simple really: we share the mahi of the garden, and then the spoils. Whānau come to help dig and plant, then harvest and preserve the fruit and veg. Our produce goes into these homes and beyond, to other whānau who want or need it. This is the unspoken exchange that we’ve fallen into together and has grown to be our collective way of being here, together. So much so, that many of our town whānau turn up with gummies, spades or seedlings in their car boot, and even a quick cuppa ends with us in the garden. Though this loose arrangement is fairly simple, the value is multi-layered. While we weed, dig, plant or pick; the alchemy of soil-on-skin brings good humour and perspective to even the most barbed topics of conversation. Our growing kai hears so much raucous laughter, along with waiata, political musings and our quiet hopes for the future. Our soil is fortified with spilt tea and tears, and the play of children. All of our collective children join forces in hunting slugs, making mud cities and pondering over eternal questions such as: “Is this one a weed?” and “Can I eat it?” From summer through to autumn, a couple of the families bring back seeds from our harvested produce. Carefully collected, dried and resplendent in

their revolutionary window envelopes, the seeds for another spring are stored away in the trusty, rusty Weetbix tin. Even as I write this, at our kitchen table littered with the last of our winter citrus, avocado toast and the contents of our seed tin, I marvel at the forethought of those seed savers. It’s here where the cycle actually ends for us, not at harvest. The cycle of our whānau garden cannot begin again in earnest without our seeds. It cannot begin without the stories and the memories in those seeds. On this same kitchen table, lies two bright sealed window envelopes. Filled not with seeds, but with voting papers. As I work my way through the pamphlet of candidate statements, I think about how it reads like the back of store-bought seed packets. Each one with their ideal growing conditions, and potential yield. I think about what I want to see growing in our region. I think about which corners of our community are highlighted by this active springtime light. I think about what yields we’ve had in the past, and what’s not grown well. Mostly, I think about the stories and the memories. Then I ask myself, who will save the seeds? In due course these orange coloured envelopes will be filled and tucked into the Weetbix tin as well. What stories will come with the seeds they contain, come next spring? We’ll have to see this cycle through, see what there is to harvest, and watch well over our whānau garden, together.

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