BB#58-May-Jun-2021 by BayBuzz

N 58 • MAY / JUNE 2021 • HAWKE’S BAY UP CLOSE, IN DEPTH

Keriana Brooking Doing the toughest job in Hawke’s Bay

03 9 772253 262016

May/Jun

Vaccine plans for HB. Kids’ maths/science skills dropping. Māori seats debated. Shaky quake response. Fixing our water.

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58 BayBuzz May/June 2021 Covid jab coming to you. Kids’ math/science scores falling. Meet our DHB chief, Keriana Brooking. Can’t we get quake response right? Worried about water … you should be. Airport targets sustainability. Māori seats vexing. Mindset shifts needed on transport, diversification, housing. Improving arts accessibility. Matisse matures. Superfood myths, sleep, murder and meetings. Cover: HBDHB CEO, Keriana Brooking. Photo: Florence Charvin. This page: Nils Kühlsen making cocktails at Matisse, Napier. Photo: Florence Charvin.

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Moving to Hawke’s Bay to be with my partner was an easy choice for me – even though I’m Auckland born and bred. I did not escape the wrath of the virus, which left me jobless. Packing up my son, my dog and my cat and making the trip down here was a no-brainer. With the car filled to the brim, I remember thinking ‘we must look like the Clampetts’ as we entered Napier on a thundery afternoon, but I’ve never looked back and I now call Hawke’s Bay my home. Having worked across all media plafforms spanning a 20-year period, magazines will always be my passion. This is the first issue of BayBuzz I’ve worked on. May there be many more!

Reach BayBuzz by mail BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North

BayBuzz Team EDITOR: Tom Belford ASSISTANT EDITORS: Bridget Freeman-Rock; Lizzie Russell SENIOR WRITERS: Kay Bazzard; Tom Belford; Abby Beswick; Bridget Freeman-Rock; Keith Newman; Mark Sweet COLUMNISTS: Charles Daugherty; Andrew Frame; Paul Paynter; Dominic Salmon; Jess Soutar Barron; Hazel Thomas; Ian Thomas; Louise Ward BUSINESS WRITER: Sarah Cameron EDITOR’S RIGHT HAND: Brooks Belford PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Allan; Florence Charvin ILLUSTRATION: Brett Monteith; Israel Smith DESIGN: Unit Design Max Parkes; Giselle Reid ONLINE: Liz Nes BUSINESS & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Kathleen Botha PRINTING: Blue Star Group

Photo: Florence Charvin

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

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Photo: Florence Charvin

Photos above and right: Tom Allan

Bee in the know

4 From the editor 6 BayBuzz hero – Jammies for June 8 Did you know 10 Climate update

Features

14 Meet Keriana Brooking Bridget Freeman-Rock The chief executive of HBDHB is a relationship person. 18 Covid vaccination coming your way Bridget Freeman-Rock Where are we at with the roll-out in Hawke's Bay? 26 Shaky quake response Keith Newman Confusion reigned during recent tsunami response … why? 32 Is the school system failing our kids? Abby Beswick Science/math scores falling ... how concerned should we be? 38 Political update Tom Belford Wading through HB’s complex water quality and quantity issues.

BayBiz … 44 Lofty ambitions Sarah Cameron Hawke’s Bay Airport takes off with impressive sustainability programme.

50 Diversification … the economic gold standard Carolyn Neville A more diverse regional economy would shelter us from risk. 52 Economic factoids Business HB Latest HB economic indicators

Ideas & opinions 54 Regional Council considers Māori seats Martin Williams, Hinewai Ormsby, Tom Belford Views on governance and Māori representation. 60 Housing fix requires political courage Paul Paynter It’s a supply issue … full stop! 62 Low-carbon transport … can Hawke’s Bay lead? Dominic Salmon Yes, but it all starts with our individual behaviour. 64 ‘Back to normal’? Not so fast, Air New Zealand Charles Daugherty We need to rethink our personal readiness for air travel.

66 Culture 66 Arts accessibility in creative spaces Kay Bazzard Improving participation by people with physical, cognitive and health challenges. 70 Wine … Matisse style Lizzie Russell Wine bar expands to wine shop. 74 Square meals versus Superfoods Ian Thomas The argument to return to a simpler, fresher, plant-based diet is compelling. 76 Sleep and your health Hazel Thomas The less you sleep, the shorter your lifespan. 78 Let’s talk about death, baby! Louise Ward Books with murderous themes. 80 Well met Jess Soutar Barron Getting back to real meetings.

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 3

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

Ah … the joys of publishing a bi-monthly magazine! On Tuesday afternoon, April 20th, this magazine went to press. With a spectacular Cover and cover story … we thought. An indepth interview with the new CEO of Hawke’s Bay’s District Health Board, the single most important health official in our region. But then, on Wednesday morning, April 21st, the Health Minister announced a radical reorganisation of healthcare delivery in New Zealand … including elimination a year from July of all health boards! Making our lead story a day ‘behind the curve’! Frantic calls to printer and design team, but too late for any major re-do of a lead feature article. So here I am instead, re-writing – replacing, actually – my original Letter from the Editor. First, I want to note that our lead interview with chief executive Keriana Brooking is still quite important and illuminating. Over the next year, she will oversee Hawke’s Bay’s massive Covid vaccination programme, hugely critical to us all, and described here in a separate article. With that and myriad other challenges that won’t await reorganisation, for the next year she still has the toughest job in Hawke’s Bay! Moreover, as the nation’s first-ever wahine Māori chief executive of a DHB, I would venture she will be high on the candidate list for directing the new Māori Health Agency that will be created. I hope our three Labour MPs will lobby mightily for that … and for that agency to be based right here in Hawke’s Bay. In case you haven’t yet seen, the main features of the reorganisation include: • All DHBs will be replaced by one national health body, Health New Zealand which will fund and run the health system;

• A new Māori health authority will be created, with power to commission health services; • A new Public Health agency will be created within the Ministry of Health; • The Ministry of Health will become an advisory and policy agency only. Naturally, you can expect future reporting from BayBuzz on what this means for Hawke’s Bay health consumers. But this episode also raises the issue of how BayBuzz can best inform the community with both in-depth insight and timeliness. Our magazine has built a solid reputation for the kind of long-form reporting, analysis and investigation that is needed to deliver real understanding of complex regional issues – health, the environment, our HB economy … you name it. Magazines are the ideal platform for this kind of journalism. And only BayBuzz delivers that for Hawke’s Bay. And although we also publish those longer features – in some cases 3,000 words – on our website, for most people computer, tablet and smartphone screens are not the ideal reading platforms for lengthy material. Most people still like to ‘kick back’ with their favourite magazine and savour and digest its content at a leisurely pace. [That said, I am constantly impressed at the reading times these articles receive on our digital platforms.] So as frustrating as it is for fast-moving events to occasionally out-pace our bi-monthly magazine, we’re inclined to keep on cranking it out … if that’s what you indeed wish. We have built up our online reporting very substantially, and obviously that allows us to address breaking events like health reorgs in a much more timely fashion, but not in the same depth – 300 words online can keep you informed of the basics, but not provide a heap of analysis and insight.

The response to our online service has been enthusiastic and exciting. And some already ask, ‘Why do the magazine at all, Tom, get with the times, go digital-only’. It’s tempting. But personally, I still believe there’s a need and role for both. Especially at the local level where there is simply no other way than long-form writing and investigation to really examine and bring home the local relevance of the vexing issues and choices we face. Am I wrong? I’d really like to know your views on this, as we are at a critical juncture in planning our BayBuzz future. What should it be – print, digital, both? How to divide the editorial pie? What local/regional information do you most need … and how do you want it served up? I eagerly await your views and suggestions: tom@baybuzz.co.nz Meantime I hope you savour this edition of BayBuzz!

Tom Belford tom@baybuzz.co.nz

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.

BayBuzz is subject to the New Zealand Media Council. Complaints to be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to editors@baybuzz.co.nz. If unsatisfied, the complaint may be pursued with the Media Council at: info@mediacouncil.org.nz. Further detail and complaints form are available at www.mediacouncil.org.nz.

4 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

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Jammies for June Thanks to Gabby Allen, the month of June is now synonymous with gifting pyjamas to Hawke’s Bay children in need. She started her Facebook page, Out and about with kids in Hawke’s Bay, almost nine years ago as a safe place for mothers to both give and receive help. Running OAA by herself takes Gabby up

to 30 (voluntary) hours a week. Over the years Gabby has distributed over 70,000 warm winter items via local agencies, including clothing, pillows and blankets. Some call them jammies, or pyjamas or PJs … Gabby lovingly calls them “a flannelette hug”. As they are a gift, she asks for donations of new pyjamas only. “Small things help in a big way and every-

one can get involved,” says Gabby. You can either purchase kids pyjamas and drop at any Tremains Real Estate office across Hawke’s Bay from 1 May until 30 June, or, make a financial donation of any size and Gabby will purchase on your behalf. Account details on the OAA Facebook page, or email jammies4june@gmail.com Read Gabby’s full story at baybuzz.co.nz

Photo: Florence Charvin MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 7

Did You Know?

1 5

2021 Happiness index Despite the craziness of the last year of so, the top of the leader board of the annual World Happiness Index remains stable with Finland still in the top spot. Iceland has risen from fourth in 2020 to second in 2021. Denmark takes third and we have dropped from eight to ninth. For this year’s report, the researchers focused on the relationship between wellbeing and Covid-19. Since its inception in 2012, the report has been primarily based on GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption. 1. Finland 2. Iceland 3. Denmark 4. Switzerland 5. Netherlands 6. Sweden 7. Germany 8. Norway 9. New Zealand 10. Austria 11. Israel 12. Australia 13. Ireland 14. United States 15. Canada

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6 2

Local novelist Catherine Robertson launched Spellbound, the third in her Gabriel’s Bay series in Havelock North in April.

Rents in Hawke’s Bay rose 15% yearover-year as of February, compared to a 2% rise nationally, giving our region the second-highest increase in New Zealand. HB’s average weekly rent, according to Trade Me Property report is $520.

Our Hawke’s Bay wine country is made up of Over 200 vineyards including 58 independent growers, 98 wineries and 38 cellar doors.

Don something fuchsia or sherbet or magenta or salmon for Pink Shirt Day on Friday 21 May. Pink Shirt Day raises awareness and symbolises a stand against all forms of bullying.

This year, Matariki rises between 2-5 July.

One in seven New Zealand children and one in eight adults have asthma.

The NZ professional group representing GPs asked doctors to rank themselves on a scale of 0 to 10 regarding how ‘burnt out’ they felt, with 10 representing ‘extremely burnt out. 27% of HB GPs placed themselves in the highest 7-10 range.

Napier Rotary Pathway Trust and Napier City Council are proposing to install a new pathway from Dolbel Reserve to Ōtātara Pā. The new track will be funded by the Napier Rotary Pathway Trust and will be an important part of the Trust’s ‘Maggie’s Way’ and overall pathway network along the western hills of Taradale.

A series of delicious lights in the midst of the dark winter, FAWC returns from 4-27 June, serving up four weekends of foodie fun. Visit fawc.co.nz for all the details and to plan your escapades.

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In March, the national average asking price for New Zealand residential properties was $834,769 – costing on average $120,449 more than the same time last year. In Hawke’s Bay the average asking price was $738,828, up 23.7% from $597,179 in March 2020.

There are over 400 golf courses in New Zealand – the highest number per capita in the world. And they use a heap of water.

We’ve heard the dates are set for the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival – 18-31 October.

The median age of us, the people of Hawke’s Bay, is 40.6 years. The national median is 37.4 years.

The NZ Drug Foundation reports that 3% of secondary schoolers use cannabis on a weekly basis.

Fish lose their memories as they age, just like us. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth observed 6 and 24-month-old zebrafish swimming in a Y-shaped maze. What they discovered was that the older fish struggled, proving a decline in working memory over time. And while we’re on it, goldfish can remember things for up to three months – NOT five seconds as we’ve always been told.

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 9

CLIM ATE

The lucky country In late March, as floods raged through more-often-burning Australia, around 10 million people found themselves under weather warnings.

Thinking of moving to Australia? The future of the Lucky Country is looking seriously unfortunate. Climate scientists there are predicting a “catastrophic” scenario involving once-in-a-century floods every year, regular 50C days in Sydney and Melbourne, tropical diseases taking hold in the major cities, mass deaths of livestock and around a quarter of a million homes under water. Authors of a recent report for the Australian National University’s Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions see the aim to keep average temperatures to 1.5 per cent above pre-industrial levels as “virtually impossible”, with a 3C rise more likely. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, one of the report’s authors says that the 3C rise would see Australia “warmer and drier with more frequent and violent extremes”. One-in-100-year floods, like the ones just experienced, would be annual events. Huge bushfires

10 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

would be frequent occurrences. “What used to be thought of as extremely hot years will be cool years in the future.” Sound extreme? In late March, as floods raged through more-oftenburning Australia, around 10 million people found themselves under weather warnings. The weather event (just over a year after the disastrous wildfires in late summer 2020) saw every state and territory except WA affected, causing damage and disruption across an area the size of Alaska.

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton spoke to a Hawke’s Bay gathering in March. He proposes a distance-based departure tax, ranging from NZ$25 for an economy flight to Australia, to $155 for an economy flight to the United Kingdom to offset the carbon emissions from international

air travel, with some of these funds to be used for research by a NZled international consortium into alternative aviation fuels. What are your views on that?

Despite a global economic downturn courtesy of the pandemic, tropical forests around the world were destroyed at an increasing rate last year compared with 2019. The annual report from Washingtonbased research group World Resources Institute reported a 12% increase in the loss of primary oldgrowth tropical forest. More than 10 million acres of primary tropical forest were lost in 2020, adding more than two and a half billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the earth’s atmosphere. That equates to around double the CO2 emitted by cars in the United States every year.

“More than 10 million acres of primary tropical forest were lost in 2020, adding more than two and a half billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the earth’s atmosphere.” in March for the region’s first youth climate action camp. Regional Council environmental educator Sally Chandler says it’s been inspiring and exciting to be part of the camp. “The energy of the students has been fantastic to see, and hearing their goals for the future has been impressive. We had a great line up of speakers – including Sophie Handford who was the organiser of the School Strike for Climate and is a Kāpiti District Councillor, and the Regional Council’s very own Dr Kathleen Kozyniak, who’s our Principal Scientist Air.” The purpose of the camp is to build the passion, understanding, and skills of rangatahi youth to empower them to make changes for our future and help tackle the climate crisis.

21% of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies now have net zero commitments, according to a new report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and Oxford Net Zero. The report is the first systematic analysis of net zero commitments across countries, sub-national governments and major companies, and also found that 61% of countries, 9% of states and regions in the largest emitting countries and 13% of cities with over a population of 500,000 have now committed to net zero. Hopefully positive signs in the years leading up to COP26?

Students from William Colenso College, Tamatea High School, Taradale High School, Central Hawke’s Bay College, Hastings Girls’ High School, Napier Boys’ High School, Sacred Heart College and Havelock North High School came together

It wasn’t even April Fool’s Day when reports surfaced in the international media claiming Volkswagen was changing its name to Voltswagen to show its focus on electric vehicles. Debunked as a prank after a day or so, it did leave us wondering, why not, VW?! In March Volkswagen brand doubled its 2030 target for the share of full-electric vehicles in total European sales to 70%. In the US and China, the brand aims for a fully electric share of over 50%.

Researchers behind a new study out of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, in Kyoto, Japan have calculated the cost – in trees – of the average western diet, and the location of the damage caused, and it isn’t pretty. The average western consumer of coffee, chocolate, beef, palm oil and other commodities is responsible for the felling of four trees every year, many in wildlife-rich tropical forests. Highlights of the study include: • Coffee drinkers in the US, Germany and Italy are causing significant deforestation in central Vietnam. • UK and German chocolate consumers are driving deforestation in Ivory Coast and Ghana. • Beef and soy demand in the US, European Union and China are

leading to deforestation in Brazil. • In five G7 countries – the UK, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy – more than 90% of their ‘deforestation footprint’ was in foreign countries and half of this was in tropical nations. • US consumers sit above the western average, with a five-tree loss per capita.

Gas transmission and distribution company Firstgas Group has completed the Firstgas Hydrogen Network Trial report, which projects future hydrogen supply and demand in New Zealand and assesses technical practicalities and regulatory factors. Off the back of this report, Firstgas has announced a plan for decarbonisation of its NZ gas pipeline network. Hydrogen will be blended into the North Island natural gas network from 2030, with conversion to a 100 per cent hydrogen grid by 2050.

Currently just 2.7% of the planet’s oceans are highly protected, but if this could change, so could our global future. New research published in Nature says a 30% ocean protection goal recently adopted by the US and other countries is a positive – but minimum – target to “bolster marine biodiversity, significantly increase the number of fish available for harvest and boost the amount of carbon taken up by the ocean, aiding the fight against climate change.”

The Government has begun the rollout of its plan for a carbon neutral public sector by 2025, and for us here in the Bay that begins with a $63,000 grant to the HB DHB to install efficient heating and cooling. The health board will invest $94,000 too and the project will also reduce harmful hydrofluorocarbons used for refrigeration. Estimates suggest the project will reduce carbon emissions by around 66 tonnes over the next ten years (around 6.6 tonnes per annum on average over ten years).

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.

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 11

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Recovery

Jump Starters

There’s nothing like the whole world shutting down to refocus us on the benefits of buying and supporting local. BayBuzz talks to three Hawke’s Bay businesses who have moved swiftly to turn a crisis into a positive, and found strength in community spirit along the way. Story by Giselle Reid and Lizzie Russell.

Ultrella From small beginnings selling jars of natural deodorant at the Piecemakers Pop-up and Hereworth

Ultrella founder, Mel

Lewis. Photo: Florence

Charvin

entirely on online sales. Fortunately, Ultrella already had an online store, built by Aimee Stewart’s team at Connect Plus.

Christmas markets, Mel “When it looked like we were going into lockdown, Lewis soon realised she had I made a dash up to our to take her business to the next level if she was warehouse in Napier, and going loaded up my car with to compete with a growing as many boxes of products number of competitors in as I could fit in so we the personal care space. could dispatch from home if required. It was such The new business was a lucky move.” over a year in the planning. “My customers There were a couple of had told me the products nervous weeks as Mel they wanted to be using, but waited to find out if Ultrella I didn’t have the techniwas included on the cal skills to create them.” MBIE’s register for Essential Through the Hawke’s Goods. Once that was Bay Business Hub, she applied established, Ultrella was good to go. for, and won, a Callaghan Innovation R&D grant “Having the population at home, at the start of 2019. That spending a lot financial support enabled of time online, actually her to work with a leading worked in our favour during product formulator to bring those first few weeks. It gave us a chance to her ideas to fruition. connect with potential customers Ultrella Natural Deodorant and educate people about is the first deodorant in NZ and Australia (“and the our ethos and our products.” whole world, as far as we know”) to be able to reduce sweating The groundswell of ‘buy New Zealand’ made sennaturally. The hero ingreditiment on social media, ent is a natural Botox alternative and in particular the called IBR-Snowflake® now , 500,000 strong New Zealand a plant extract made from Summer Snowflake Made Products Facebook bulbs. page, provided a huge This ingredient has been kick-start for Ultrella. clinically proven to reduce The response to one unsponsored sweating by 36% ... up until now you’ve had post on that Facebook to use an page was “mental”, says antiperspirant to get results like this. Mel, “I had over 1,000 comments and questions Ultrella was launched to respond to. It took the Friday before lockdown. me days to “It go back to everyone. was a completely surreal I posted on the Saturday day,” says Mel. “I very nearly night. By Sunday lunchtime didn’t go ahead, but then it was obvious we were I kept thinking, ‘If I don’t going to do run out of courier supplies. it now, when will I do it? There’s never a perfect time to launch a business, so I It was really stressful just leapt in and went trying to get more down for it.” from Auckland. The support Prior to lockdown, she had been in negotiations from other local businesses was incredible.” with four major NZ retailers, Mel put out a call for but those conversahelp and Steve Christie from Blackroll tions halted immediately. In this instance, being NZ, Tom Ormond from Hawthorne Coffee, Nathan small worked in her favour, from Blackbird Goods quickly pivoting to focus and Shaz and Garon from Ecokiosk were among the

JULY/AUGUST 2020 • BAYBUZZ • 23

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Meet Keriana Brooking Chief executive, Hawke’s Bay DHB By Bridget Freeman-Rock Photos by Florence Charvin

“I wake up every day with the taste of expectation in my mouth.” It’s a loaded challenge, taking up the mantle of leadership in an overwhelmed, complex health system amidst a global pandemic – arguably the most important, some might say “impossible”, job in Hawke’s Bay. Answerable to so many constellations of need and demand, and not least, as the first wahine Māori CEO of a district health board in the country, to the full weight of the iwi’s hopes for change. But Keriana Brooking (Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Kahungunu) is waiting serenely in the hospital rose garden when we come to take her picture. Within her busy schedule, we’ve found this small wedge of time, which she inhabits with enviable ease and good grace. Born and raised in Otago, with frequent summers spent in Wairoa with her father’s whānau, Keriana is both intimately familiar with parts of Hawke’s Bay and a newcomer to its gravitational centres (until her appointment she had never been to Hastings, Havelock North). She comes to the job from years working passionately in primary health (she was the inaugural executive of the Tairāwhiti primary health organisation in the early 2000s), and a stint in the Ministry, most recently (and famously) alongside Ashley Bloomfield as the deputy director-general of the Covid19 Health System Response.

She’s long had her eye on a DHB crown: “ a) It seemed like the lynchpin of being able to make changes and decisions; and b) given that there had been a particular, traditional way boards had appointed chief executives, what would you need to do to be appointed if you were Māori and a woman and didn’t have a hospital-career pathway?” She laughs, “I think it appealed to the competitive nature of my spirit.”

Big things on her plate

When Keriana started the job in August 2020, there was no way she could have anticipated, she says, that late this February there would be an expectation to vaccinate all of the eligible population above the age of 16 by Christmas. “Covid vaccination for this year, without a doubt, is our number one priority.” But equity in the way the DHB provides services, both from a care and an experience perspective, is another: “We can’t continue as a country to accept such large variations in things like access and experience, and life expectancy, principally based on ethnicity, but at times based on gender and rurality, and other demographic factors.” There’s a lot to weave together in order to get better integration between secondary services and community and primary services, says Keriana,

“We used to plan for seasonal busyness, for the surge in need over winter, and now it’s just busyness all-year-round.”

and “for more people to get consistent experience, access and outcomes.” Like her predecessor Kevin Snee, Keriana believes some of the integration activity required isn’t dependent on receiving additional funding, but can be resourced through creating more “efficiencies” in the system and changes in culture and ways of working. “We need to be adapting the way we design and develop services, and then deliver and assess those services in a way that more adequately meets the needs of the populations we want to serve… there’s quite a big re-engineering that needs to occur.” Long-term planning includes new facilities and things like workforce and technology. Regular day-to-day service priorities at the front of mind: “our ageing population, the importance the first 1,000 days have on your life, the growing mild-moderate to enduring mental health and addiction conditions.” And of course, the social

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 15

“If you’re a chief executive of a district health board, you need to be really clear you can see everybody in the system.”

determinants of health, which require a cross-regional, multi-sectoral approach. As signalled by Minister Andrew Little’s ‘scene-setting speech’ on the government’s impending reforms of the health and disability system when he visited HB in March, the direction from the ministry is towards “a more person-centred, whānau-centred, Te Tiriti world”. And while these concepts are not new, Keriana believes there’s more of a convergence around what that means and “a larger groundswell of people now wanting to work that through.”

A relationally-driven CEO

The DHB employs around 3,600 people; across the whole health sector in Hawke’s Bay (from primary care to aged-residential care and private laboratories) there are some 7,000 people employed. As Keriana notes, “that’s a lot of people to keep on the same page.” But essentially, for those working within the health system, “most want clarity, and they want to be recognised and valued.” In an organisation of this size, “it’s a never-ending pursuit of engagement”, managing the reciprocity and the “cascade up or down” of communication, which “will never be quite enough, (nor) as individualised and focused as we would like it to be.” She takes heart from the fact that she gets “emails and moments with staff about a whole host of things”, not just concerns but letting her in on the loop of what’s happening in their area. She works hard to keep that channel open. Presence. Visibility. “You have to keep your face up and out.” With her distinctive moko kauae, Keriana gets stopped a lot in her life: at the supermarket, walking down the street, out for dinner. Strangers introduce themselves, wanting to chat. “I spend a lot of time talking with people and hearing their story, and I think there’s incredible value in that, because a number of things that need to occur (in the health system) I’m not

16 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

going to see from my desk. Given the complexity, and given the sheer volume of information and knowledge that’s available, and misinformation too, you really have to get back to the people.” She says many (mostly Māori) would say, it’s not often in their normal everyday environment they’d have the opportunity to talk to the chief executive while she’s washing dishes at some event! “I haven’t changed the way I live my life, and that may in fact open up a whole range of people to have access” and feel seen at the table.

that the number of presentations may increase by a quarter or by a third or 100% – who knows?” There’s a “growing necessity” for health to interact with other local government agencies. An example of ‘interaction’ being the 24/7 mental health crisis hub the DHB has co-developed as part of a government pilot and set to open in May, offering walk-in integrated, wrap-around services, including peer support and emergency overnight beds. This will be one lever to help reduce pressure on ED and is the kind of model of integrated care, Keriana indicates, we can expect to see more of.

Current state of play

In the DHB’s March board meeting, Keriana referenced the “significant acceleration” of numbers coming through the doors of the hospital, with over 110 consecutive days of consistent high-levels of admittance. Similar upwards trajectories can be seen across all government services, both in Hawke’s Bay and around the country. In our interview, she acknowledges burn-out in the health sector is real, and unsurprising. “We are working harder than we ever have to catch up and we’re still seeing an increase in waiting times.” She continues, commenting on the ageing boomer generation and its healthcare needs and the surge in comorbidities: “...we have known for the last 20 years that the ‘tsunami of age’ was coming, it may just be that it’s arrived (at the same time as the virus), or maybe as part of the post-Covid experience it has been accelerated.” Across time, the need presenting has also become more highly complex, often tethered to what’s happening (or not) in the social space (for instance, the housing crisis, and lack of supported residential places, is directly impacting the DHB’s ability to discharge patients, and thus free up beds). “We are one of the few government agencies open 24/7, and so after 5pm or on the weekend … where is the door that is open for you to go? It’s the emergency department.” “We have 44,000 presentations to the emergency department a year, a department that was built to cope with 22,000. It’s not the community’s job to work out how to get a bigger hospital. But part of the conversation we need to have with the community is what does it look like, while we have the hospital we have for the next five years, maybe the next 10 years, when we expect

Broadening the metrics

BayBuzz editor Tom Belford, who’s accompanied me to the interview, notes that despite talk over many years from the DHB leadership about the social determinants of health, and the need for an “all-hands-on-deck” approach, the public at large have a more simple set of metrics by which to judge the DHB’s performance: “The public’s barometres are pretty much, what’s the emergency department story these days and can I get surgery, where am I on the list, or is the hospital too hot? … Does this bigger social-context thing mean anything to the potential client or patient on the street, does that get across?” “I’m also very thoughtful of the people on the unsealed road,” Keriana replies. “Because if I talk to the people of Tuai, they might not be necessarily using the metrics you’ve produced. I feel I have an obligation to stretch the metrics … We need to look to all four corners of our region.” For some communities, she notes, more pressing barometres are whether there’s even a dentist in town (in Wairoa, currently no), or a GP to see, or a pharmacy that’s open when you need it. Quantitative metrics are easier to get than qualitative; service metrics in the secondary and tertiary service easier to get than those from the broader primary/community service. “For a long time, there was an incredibly strong focus (in the DHB) on ‘hips & knees’, or on the emergency department waiting target. There was also focus on childhood immunisation and smoking, but we talk about that less.” In general, population health has been prioritised less, though efforts in that space have long-view, far-reaching benefits.

In the health sector, “We’re quite binary, and also we’re not experiential. In other service industries, people do spend more time really thinking about service insight. At some stage, Air NZ worked out how to get us all to check ourselves in and print our own boarding pass and drop our own bags off. At some stage, they put that real deep thought into what the experience should be, and they tested it in such a way we participated in the process, without realising we were participating in the process.”

Strengths and challenges

We locals like to know how people see us – I ask Keriana, fresh to the region, what Hawke’s Bay has going for it in our health sector. She names the rich tapestry of community-driven programmes happening around the region, and the fact that in every Hawke’s Bay community she’s visited there’s a strong group of people who are proud of the work they do, with or without government involvement. Hawke’s Bay has a pretty strong public health unit, she notes, that expands into a supportive broader team, contributing to the region’s success in managing its Covid response. The PHU has also risen to the task with the

“If you want to wear the crown, you need to learn to carry the cross. This is no small role. You have to be incredibly aware and conscientious about the way in which your actions and decisions, your inactions, play out. And you have to accept that that’s a privilege and a burden.”

Napier flooding, the hydrochloric acid spill into Napier’s waterways, the fire on the ship in the port – we are really quite quick to respond to events like that, she observes. “People will say, ‘that took longer than we thought’ but I see an awful lot of what I would describe as ‘cutthrough’, where by the strength of people’s relationships they are able to get what they need.” And she perceives a culture of pitching in that holds us in good stead. “If someone’s asking for help, I very rarely hear someone say, ‘well, that’s not my job.’ There’s a certain amount of leaning in that’s really helpful here.”

As for what surprises she’s encountered so far, “I had under-appreciated the amazingly complex decisions and rationalisations that need to be made by district health board CEOs every day, by the bedside, by the roadside and by the deskside. These are often, for privacy reasons, incredibly discrete and have a massive difference on people’s lives.” Keriana describes herself as an “actual optimist”, and eight months into the job remains undaunted by the road ahead. “When we formed as a new executive at the ministry of health, Ashley (Bloomfield) said in his change document, ‘we are who we are waiting for, nobody else is coming’. We often remind ourselves of that here (at the DHB) and that we just need to get on with it.” “I think the best thing to do is to go in with your eyes open. And ultimately you can’t do more than what everyone else is able to do as well. My grandmother counselled me when I was a teenager, about some teenage dilemma, and it’s stayed with me always: ‘This too will pass’. “That’s the bit I hold on to on the days when I’m the statue not the pigeon!”

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MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 17

Bridget Freeman-Rock looks at the Covid vaccine ‘big picture’, then reports on preparations here in Hawke’s Bay.

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It’s a coronavirus déjà vu, writing this. Trying to pin down a moving target. New studies, new developments, new news. The horror locus now Brazil, where the pandemic rages, more deadly there than in India (which has more cases) with over 3,000 people dying a day. Brazil’s worrying P.1 Covid variant, with its triple mutation spike-protein (started in the city of Manaus, which was devastated by Covid last April) is more virulent and capable it seems of “antigenic escape” (meaning vaccines might not work or as well), and is affecting pregnant women and the young more than other strains. Most patients in ICU are now under 40, says the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine. Women have been advised to delay getting pregnant. Meanwhile, a woman in her 40s has died in Australia of a rare bloodclotting syndrome as a result of an AstraZeneca shot. The chances of blood clot from the AZ vaccine are statistically minuscule (though for this individual catastrophic): about 4 in a million. By comparison the chances of blood clots as a result of taking the birth control pill are 150-800 per 1 million women; in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines there’s ‘no signal’ of this after hundreds of millions of doses given. But it’s a chance some won’t be willing to take. Weighing the tragedy of one life against a magnitude. Weighing the hope that vaccination will save the day and end the pandemic against the realisation that it’s complicated. Ongoing.

Covid vaccination in a Covid-free country There’s been a bit of scratchiness in the media about the Government’s vaccine roll-out: it’s too slow, too inept, we’re making it up on the fly, where is the urgency, etc. But on the ground,

there’s a huge effort happening, and, says vaccinologist Helen PetousisHarris, it’s the nature of the beast. Each country starts comparatively slow, encounters problems, irons kinks, adapts, before becoming more machine-like, slick. NZ’s doing great, she says. We need to keep perspective. And there needs to be more information. The Government’s clear, direct messaging during alert levels (Stay home, wash hands, be kind, etc), won’t cut the mustard here. Those who are vaccine-hesitant don’t want to be told in simple paternalistic terms that the vaccine’s safe; they want to see the evidential backing, to understand the science behind it. They have valid questions.

We need to keep perspective. And there needs to be more information. In Hawke’s Bay we feel safely removed from the border. That between us and any risk is Auckland. Our everyday lives are not affected, and if you’re not elderly or vulnerable or anxious, and there’s no circulating virus, it’s hard to feel the urgency or even the need. To be honest, hardly anyone I speak to is in a hurry to get the jab. That doesn’t make them (necessarily) antivaxxers or conspiracists. Vaccineambivalent, perhaps. I also don’t know anybody, really, who has had corona virus. It’s something happening elsewhere, still. Statistically, consistently, 20% of New Zealanders are in the ‘hesitancy’ category; 10% hardline nays. But the reluctancy percentage for the Covid jab amongst Māori and Pasifika has fallen – and that’s good news for the

campaign, which needs to work hard to build trust, both in communication and experience. Ashley Bloomfield believes there will be more uptake as borders open and risk grows, when the implications (of not vaccinating) become clear, when people want to travel, etc. Already the opening of the transTasman travel bubble is making some a little nervous.

Stories from Germany Every time we spoke with my fatherin-law in Berlin last year leading up to Christmas, another neighbour in his apartment block had just died of Covid – five in December alone. The threat was literally next door. In February my father-in-law’s wife had a simple fall with a nasty result and was admitted to hospital. It would be weeks before he could even see her as Germany then was in lockdown. She alone in a hospital ward, he alone in their flat, an hour’s masked trip away by public transport. When it became clear she was not coming home but was dying of cancer, he was granted compassionate visitor rights for what would be her final days. He spent Easter by himself during another German lockdown, organising her funeral by phone. He’s been vaccinated now, amidst Germany’s sluggish roll-out, as slowly restrictions start to lift again. In the end, in a community dogged by the virus, it’s as much about easing loneliness as it is about safety. Antje near Stuttgart, who’s a midwife, has also had her jab. She said when it came down to it, it wasn’t a question: “I know too many people personally who have long-Covid. Fit and healthy before, they’re now debilitated – can’t work, can barely walk (some). I’ll take the risk of side effects any day over that.” Again, it’s about perspective.

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 19

The risk is that new variants emerge and spread, outsmarting vaccines.

Not a silver bullet The new normal is not going to be herd immunity, say experts in the international journal Nature (‘Why herd immunity is probably impossible’). That threshold was once deemed possible if we vaccinated 60-70% of the population. The vaccine-willing, more or less. But Covid vaccines don’t stop infection altogether and it’s not clear if they stop the transmission of the virus. Nor is there a guarantee how long immunity (from vaccines and infection) lasts for. Perhaps only six months? And we’re not vaccinating the kids. The Pfizer vaccine, which New Zealand has begun rolling out has 90% efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease; with the more virulent variants, like Brazil’s P.1 its efficacy looks to be reduced (as per lab testing) to 60%. This all means you need as many people as possible to be vaccinated (the 100% Bloomfield is aspiring to), if you want that threshold, which means bringing everyone on board. The whole purpose is to go beyond our island bubble, but globally there’s huge variance in vaccination rollouts – mostly it’s wealthy countries attending to themselves first. And the risk in countries where the virus runs unabated, is that new variants emerge and spread, outsmarting vaccines, and the cycle repeats. Huge global inequities may ultimately mean no one wins. And yet. Vaccination will help in protecting our vulnerable and guarding our border. It will help to significantly reduce frequency and degree of severity, even if a variant like Brazil’s P.1 made it ashore. It will in time, enable the virus to “dissipate” of its own accord, to become endemic in due course like influenza, perhaps, without causing such havoc. But in a globally connected world, we won’t be throwing away the tools of distancing and mask-wear, vigilant testing and genomic sequencing, and follow-up contact-tracing any time soon, I’m told. Vaccination is not a silver bullet, but better than a lead one, my mother quips.

20 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

HB’s Covid vaccine roll-out

26 March 2021: the hospital’s Covid vaccination centre “is heaving” with clinical staff receiving their first jab from fluro-vested vaccinators. It’s the first day of the Tier 2 roll-out and there is a definite buzz in the air. It’s also a year and a day since the country went into lockdown, when overseas in places like Italy, health workers were making extraordinary decisions on who to treat and who to let die as colleagues around them succumbed. The anxiety on the frontline was real. Now, as Ngaira Harker, the DHB’s clinical coordinator of the roll-says, “the vaccine is another added layer to our protective armour”; “the next big step forward.” By all accounts, it’s a very quick prick, over before you know it. Rounded off with ginger nuts and cups of tea.

Border workers and whānau (Napier Port, the airport) have already been vaccinated, the focus now being on the health and disability workforce, beginning with just under 2,000 frontline workers (from nurses working in general practice doing swabs, to emergency doctors, to midwives and orderlies, security staff), before turning to a further 7,000 workers in the sector, which will take the roll-out to early May. Then priority “pounamu” members (the elderly, the more at-risk – Tier 3), then the general population (Tier 4), scheduled for commencement in July and consistent with the national timeline. New Zealand has purchased enough of the Pfizer vaccine to cover the country in the largest-ever public health endeavour in its history. The Pfizer’s considered one of the best and

The Pfizer’s a tricky, fragile vaccine to handle, which makes for creative logistics.

most effective of the Covid vaccines, but it’s a tricky, fragile vaccine to handle, which makes for creative logistics. Because of its rapid expiry date (5 days) after being taken out of the Ultra-Low Temperature storage facility in Auckland, distribution requires a careful pairing of supply to demand. It comes in multi-dose vials, provided in 30-dose packs that must be delivered

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 21

on the same site. Once a vial is opened it must be used within 2 hours. As Ngaira explains in her Covid-19 Vaccination Progress Report (March), it can’t just be woven into business as usual by providers, but requires specific training and discrete clinics; many community pharmacies and general practices won’t have the capacity, workforce or infrastructure to do this. The DHB’s Vaccination Project team are engaging with bigger providers who can (such as the Hastings Health Centre and Te Taiwhenua); will be setting up mass vaccination centres (Napier’s Memorial Convention Centre, Hastings Race Course have been proposed; churches, marae, community centres); and allocating vaccine and resource to Māori and Pasifika providers for older people and their whānau/carers living in harder to reach locations. Full vaccination requires two doses, given 21 days apart, so there’s call back and follow up, and overlapping schedules. One of the challenges is the need for a national booking system to support this, which (at time of writing) is not in place. Ngaira cautions: “There is risk in attempting to increase our delivery

22 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

By all accounts, it’s a very quick prick, over before you know it. Rounded off with ginger nuts and cups of tea.

too quickly. The roll-out needs to be managed in a controlled, safe and appropriate way which takes time to develop.” CEO Keriana Brooking (who worked alongside Ashley Bloomfield in the ministry as deputy director general of the Covid-19 Health Response last year) says “We won’t be making any decision in haste.” And that the DHB is “running a very collaborative model”. Community leaders are engaged and want to assist in getting the right number of people in at the right time, and there are plans in place to offer overflow vaccinations, so there’s no waste. “It’s a case of logistics and flexibility.”

For example, if more people arrive at a centre in a remote place like Mahia than have been prioritised, if there is enough vaccination, they’ll get jabbed too. “We’re not going to turn people away because they’re technically on the list for having it in three weeks’ time.” Regarding healthcare staff who are not keen on the jab. “There are some who are hesitant and want to be informed,” says Keriana. “But there’s a difference between hesitancy and not wanting to get vaccinated at all.” Providing good information will be key. For the general public the DHB will use a mix of national and local communication, with a strong Māori and Pasifika presence. A lot of on ground work, social media, face to face. “We will respect people’s choice. Vaccination is not compulsory in this country. We will be relying on people to be informed and to make the decision that’s best.” But Keriana is “confidently optimistic” that Hawke’s Bay has this in hand. “There’s an expectation from the Government for us to make every effort to vaccinate the population by Christmas, and we are.”

TANGAROA TOHU MANA, TANGAROA TOHU MAURI MARINE CULTURAL HEALTH PROGRAMME

Developed in partnership between Napier Port and participating marae and hapū of Ahuriri, the Marine Cultural Health Programme launched in April 2021. As early as 2016, momentum was building for a new wharf. Regional growth over the past decade was prompting more cargo flows through Napier Port, and this ultimately led to the IPO to fund construction of a new 350metre-long wharf for the region – 6 Wharf. During Napier Port’s engagement with the community prior to resource consent, Ahuriri marae and hapū recommended a cultural impact assessment to identify and pre-empt any impact on marine wellbeing associated with the construction of a new wharf. The cultural impact assessment contained recommendations, inlcuding cultural monitoring of the Ahuriri marine area. Napier Port proposed to support cultural monitoring and information sharing as part of 6 Wharf’s construction and made resourcing available to support the creation of a marine cultural health monitoring programme. The programme would be led by marae and hapū of Ahuriri and in 2019 the Mana Whenua Steering Komiti and the origins of the Marine Cultural Health Programme were created. The Programme is based around a monitoring framework and is an attempt to see the world through Māori eyes; recognising that spiritual, sensible and energy worlds are connected and that Māori share common ancestry with the environment and all living things. The framework embodies Kaitiakitanga or guardianship, an obligation to care for the environment and maintain it for future generations. It also acknowledges the marine environment of Ahuriri contains taonga of deep cultural significance to the marae and hapū of Ahuriri through the sea maiden Pānia and her son Moremore. It was critical this was protected during the building of 6 Wharf and beyond.

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

(Vision)

2016 Napier Port anticipates future growth as part of its Master Planning. A new wharf is now needed.

STAGE 3

(Scoping)

A Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) is completed by mana whenua Ahuriri.

STAGE 4

(Consent)

2017

2018

A resource consent application is submitted and granted for 6 Wharf construction.

An illustration of the six planned stages of the Marine Cultural Health Programme.

STAGE 5

(Design)

A Cultural Monitoring Framework (CMF) and marine cultural monitoring website are created and launched.

(Monitoring)

STAGE 6 (Outcomes)

2021 Marine cultural monitoring is initiated and enhanced. Napier Port’s 6 Wharf expansion is due to be completed.

Analysis of monitoring data is used to support effective decisionmaking that will protect the Ahuriri marine environment and influence ‘whānau’ wellbeing outcomes.

STEERING KOMITI ENTITIES

MEASURING MARINE CULTURAL HEALTH Qualitative and quantitative approaches will be used to measure, record and assess changes in the health of marine ecosystems within Ahuriri. A traffic light system, based on 10 different shades of colour indicates changes in health ratings.

Weak

Struggling

Healthy

Qualitative data provides a rich human perspective and three main types will be used - oral interviews, kōrero tuku iho (traditional stories) and conventional survey questionnaires. This will be collected annually by participating marae/hapū members who have appropriate training and knowledge development experience in these different areas.

Kahungunu Ki Te Matau-a-Māui (Customary Fisheries)

Examples of qualitative survey questions QUALITATIVE QUALITATIVE

QUALITATIVE

How do you rate the site for divability due to sediment/visibility for mahinga kai harvest?

How often is kai gathering closed due to toxic algae blooms?

Do you hold knowledge of your whakapapa links to Pānia and Moremore?

Do you go to the moana to heal and clean cuts or wounds?

Health

Trend

Health

Trend

Quantitative scores will be generated using (i) real-time data loggers, (ii) fisheries quota management records, (iii) dive surveys, (iv) sample analysis and (v) scientific modelling. Much of the quantitative data needed is readily available from the Napier Port’s environmental monitoring programme; the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC); the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI); the Napier City Council (NCC) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Participating marae/hapū also undertake their own monitoring activities in a way that fills any gaps in publicly available data.

TANGOIO

MARAE

Timi Kara Marae

Wharerangi Marae

MARINE CULTURAL MONITORING WEBSITE marineculturalhealth.co.nz To find out more, please visit the marine cultural health website. The programme is a live tool and ongoing refinements will be made to improve and extend the monitoring framework.

Shaky quake response Story by Keith Newman Photos by Florence Charvin

The trio of east coast quakes on March 5 stirred up more waves of confusion than it did in the tsunami red zone as people wrestled with mixed messages. Bringing to mind the lyrics of the aptly named English band The Clash … ‘Should I stay or should I go?’ Fearing the early morning rock ‘n roll might trigger a tsunami, thousands of Hawke’s Bay coastal residents headed for higher ground, although far more slept through the first quake at 2.27am. On determining subsequent shakes weren’t ‘long or strong’ enough – based on the maxim ‘if it’s longer than one minute or hard to stand up’ – most carried on with life as usual. I was shaken awake in our Haumoana home 30 metres from the beach. At first I thought my wife Paula was having a fit then I realised she was in the bathroom. The bed shook, the room swayed from side to side, then it eased and stopped. It all lasted maybe 40 seconds. She hadn’t felt a thing. I checked Geonet; a 7.1 quake 100 km east of Te Araroa was felt widely across the country. I missed a phone call from our neighbour (we switch ours off at night), although I do recall the flash of car lights heading out our shared drive. He and his family had headed up the hill to Haumoana School, the long

LEFT: Councillors Neil Kirton (HBRC) and Ann Redstone (HDC), Ian Macdonald (CDEM), Tom Evers-Swindell (Cape Coast Community Group)

designated Civil Defence safe area. The earliest media reports suggested any tsunami threat would be north of Mahia and didn’t mention Hawke’s Bay. HB Civil Defence and Emergency Management (HBCDEM) suggested little local risk. I went back to sleep. HBCDEM group controller Ian Macdonald says he didn’t receive correct approval from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the ‘little risk’ social media post was removed 10 minutes later. Some claim it was longer. The new message urged all people in the ‘red zone’ to evacuate, leaving many scratching their heads. A “Know Your Zone” public education campaign had allegedly been delayed due to Covid-19 lockdowns and the Napier flooding. CDEM’s processes have now been reviewed and ‘clarified’ to prevent future information conflicts and the zone message education will happen “over the next few months”.

Haumoana high point

When locals arrived at the Haumoana School there were no wardens or coordinators to open the school gate or hall. That had previously been the Haumoana Fire Brigade’s role, but with CDEM in charge they’d been sidelined. Shortly after the first quake Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) asked the brigade to move all its appliances to higher ground. When they did arrive at the hall,

Fearing the early morning rock ‘n roll might trigger a tsunami, thousands of Hawke’s Bay coastal residents headed for higher ground, although far more slept through the first quake at 2.27am.

FENZ stood them down as there had been no incidents. They advised the 150 or so people at the Haumoana highpoint to head home. The national all-clear wasn’t given until 6am, but 40 minutes later a second quake of 7.4 magnitude struck off the Kermadecs. A new tsunami warning was issued for the Bay of Islands to Whangārei around 7.30am. A third, 8.1 quake at 8.28am escalated calls to evacuate coastal areas as close as Tolaga Bay and Great Barrier Island. No mention was made of Hawke’s Bay and yet the CDEM red zone evacuation alert remained. I checked Facebook around 7am and there were clusters of chaotic social media chatter as people learned over breakfast that an evacuation was in progress. ‘If the radio says the action is north of Gisborne why are we being asked to

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 27

Some of the confusion about zones may have been resolved along the Cape Coast through earlier distribution of around 500 ‘Cape Coast Community resilience plan’ pamphlets discussed for a year and printed weeks before the quake. They remained in a carboard box at CDEM headquarters weeks after the event. Macdonald says the pamphlet was released digitally and hard copies were available for “anyone who requested them”. On acquiring a copy a week after the quakes, I was told they were being held back from release. The pamphlet, “a living document” is currently under review between “community champions and CDEM staff,” says Macdonald.

evacuate? ... Who’s in charge? Surely we would get a loud Covid-style smartphone warning? What do they mean red zone?’ The regional CDEM web site, normally ticking along at around 150 visitors a day, struggled under the strain of inquiries ... after 32,000 views of interactive maps, it crashed. A 2016 map was posted showing the worst case impact of a tsunami on coastal areas which added to the fear and confusion. When the site recovered there were maps and links to complex maps being posted everywhere. In the days following Macdonald admitted the website was “under-resourced” although the problem had been resolved with increased server capacity and stress tested. Peak traffic on March 5th had been 6,600 page views an hour or 110 per minute. Testing shows it can now handle 26,000 views or 435 per minute.

Obstacles to retreat

Neil Kirton, Hohepa Homes business manager, called for an evacuation from the low-lying Clive site at 8.20am, which can take up to two hours. Van loads of residents on their way up Poraiti Hill came to a halt when they found Unison had closed the road for routine maintenance and the power was off at their safe site. Kirton was exasperated, not only for his charges, but trying to understand how essential service providers weren’t on stand-by in case urgent infrastructure repairs were needed? CDEM should have had agreements in place, he said. “We missed a trick there on our capacity to respond.”

28 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

At an educational briefing in Taradale an observer noted a number of staff who lived in Ahuriri received a phone notification to evacuate and ironically headed home to retrieve pets, and essentials. The tension and uncertainty continued throughout the morning; Napier Port evacuated with a siren and loudspeaker message at 10.20am: “This is not a drill”. Wave activity, possibly one metre above sea level, was still being predicted at 10.45am. Finally after nine hours everything was downgraded – Keep away from beaches and rivers in case of strong, unusual currents and unpredictable surges.

Answerphone angst

After 8.30am Neil Kirton, also Napier’s representative on the HBRC, tried to call people who he imagined would be at the forefront of emergency response. “To my horror I found everything went to answerphone”, even local council switchboards. He believes council operators should have been fully briefed so people didn’t have to rely on the internet. And CDEM should have a dedicated person providing accurate real-time updates across multiple platforms to help calm people’s nerves. From a Regional Council perspective he says, “We were caught with our pants down”. It was embarrassing. “We have this perfect emergency system that doesn’t work when there’s an emergency.” Kirton claims mixed messages around ‘long and strong’ and “the scramble to identify zones” exposed shortcomings in the present system that relied too much on CDEM to cover all the bases.

Change management lacking

The Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes and latterly Covid have been a real test for emergency management in New Zealand, compounded by the restructuring of two frontline defence organisations. The NZ Fire Service transitioned to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and Civil Defence and Emergency Management merged into the lead agency in civil emergencies. In Hawke’s Bay that meant additional cultural changes, with Civil Defence and HB Emergency Management Group coming under HBRC, but all its alert directives coming from the national body. One of the pre-requisites for the ‘civil defence’ merger, according to a December 2017 report, was good information, communication and resource sharing that “makes the most of local knowledge” balanced by the need for specialist expertise and national capability. CDEM has been working on ‘resilience plans’ with 26 geographical communities across Hawke’s Bay plus migrant and church, older people, children and disability groups. “Some of our work is with communities who only want one plan, for example the Porangahau plan covered Porangahau, Te Paerahi, Wanstead, Flemmington and Whangaehu communities,” says Macdonald. Some of that work will continue “as resources and priorities allow” while other efforts have been scaled back due to Covid and other events. “We will be reviewing the programme once we have more certainty around our continued role in the national Covid-19 response.”

Out with the old

Step back a couple of years and Haumoana Fire Brigade would have used speaker systems on its vehicles to alert locals of a flood or other emergency, kept locals updated and managed a Civil Defence command centre at the Haumoana School. The brigade and Civil Defence, as it was then, had consulted on and championed a clear plan of action for a range of emergencies and distributed a kit of material, including recommended escape routes, to every household from 2013. However, Macdonald says set evacuation routes or safe areas often don’t work as the community will make its own decisions on the day. “We prefer to work with and advise communities to help them make their own decisions.” At a ‘community resilience’ meeting in the Haumoana School Hall back in August 2019 it was made clear the community had to start from scratch. The Haumoana fire brigade only heard about the meeting through the grapevine and decided to attend anyway. Worst case scenarios were graphically depicted. Many questions were asked but few answers offered, other than the standard: ‘If it’s long and strong get gone’ and don’t expect us to be there for you. The frustration was as tangible as it had been at an earlier meeting in Clive after another tactless approach caused two Hastings councillors to walk out shaking their heads. A sub-committee of the Cape Coast Community Group (CCCG), formerly the Te Awanga Progressive Association,

put its hand up to fill the gap. Initially all it could do was echo CDEM; no sirens or speakers, possibly alerts on newer phones, know your escape route, take medicine and supplies and an emergency kit to higher ground. You may have less than 20 minutes. CCCG president Tom Evers-Swindell agrees the original HBCDEM meeting was contentious. The group, “a bunch of volunteers with day jobs” took on the resilience role because they wanted to help remind residents of the dangers that come with living on the coast. “A full page in our last newsletter to all residents gave clear and specific advice that still remains current.” Evers-Swindell says the real messaging urges people to evacuate on foot. “That’s not going to happen. If people can drive they will unless it’s such a dangerous quake that it brings down the power lines and opens up the road.” Once on higher ground he says, people should stay in their cars and be patient. It may be an hour or so before someone in a hi-vis jacket turns up to coordinate or open the gates and the hall. “Volunteers might be busy looking after their own families in the first instance or they may not be around at the time.”

Challenge for champions

CCCG convener Irene O’Connell confirms nearly two years on, a plan is still being formulated ... they’re looking at models of resilience in other communities. There’s much work to do and too few on the team. They’re hoping for six volunteers to be trained up by HBCDEM to help

coordinate, check people in, give directions and look after people with pets, medical or other needs during an emergency. They’d like to have bins containing blankets, canned food, dried milk powder and hi-vis vests for coordinators. Every emergency is potentially different says Evers-Swindell. “You have to be ready for this within your own household ... People shouldn’t expect others to provide for them.” An important step forward might be community fundraising for a substantial generator with 72 hours of diesel to run the lights and water pumps and flush the toilets. “We’ve suggested that to the school.” Ian Macdonald says communities will have to raise their own funds for emergency resources. “Stores such as food and generators, etc., would need to be secured, checked and tested regularly with goods replaced as they expire.” A couple of settlements in the Wairoa area are collaborating to create an emergency container. CDEM will however fund signs “consistent with national guidelines and messages...if the community wants them”. These may point to evacuation routes or safe areas and are usually the last part of the community resilience process.

Reinventing the wheel

Haumoana senior fire officer Graeme Arthur says a lot of things have been lost in the mix during the eight or so years since Civil Defence moved under Regional Council and central government direction.

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After the 2011 Te Awanga floods former Haumoana fire chief, the late Bill Tims, arranged the purchase of a generator and heater and had the school hall wired up for emergency use. That equipment remains the property of the brigade and part of its emergency trailer now prioritised for members and their families. Arthur generously reassures it will be made available “at our discretion”, although he’s frustrated “everyone’s having to start again. It seems silly really, like trying to reinvent the wheel.” Neil Kirton remains concerned that CDEM is constrained by Wellington before it can act locally. “They won’t sneeze without that directive, meanwhile (hypothetically) the water’s come over the stop bank.” He wants to see a more resilient approach with each cell in the wider community self-motivated, self-operating and able to function on its own in an event. “Wide distribution of capacity is a vital element in civil defence. That’s why I complained bitterly about Regional Council taking it over.” And he’s worried about the constant message that everyone’s left to their own devices. “If that’s the case then give back the $2 million we rate for civil defence infrastructure ... perhaps we can give it to the local fire brigade?” Kirton says there needs to be more accountability to the stakeholders who are paying for this service, “It’s simply not good enough”.

Change management

The changes, challenges and responsibilities around community engagement, emergency responses and even terminology and branding are far from over. Dropping the term ‘civil defence’ is under discussion at a national level despite media preferring it to all the new acronyms. “The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management was replaced by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) a couple of years ago. We would take our lead from any national decision,” says Macdonald. Irene O’Connell suggests the transition from traditional ‘civil defence’ to ‘emergency management’ may be contributing to people’s uncertainty as they “try to understand a new language (and) a different way of doing things.” Regardless, she says “people have to learn to stand on their own feet, particularly when you live right in front of the ocean. It’s not rocket science really.” Macdonald says people should know

30 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

Irene O’Connell suggests the transition from traditional ‘civil defence’ to ‘emergency management’ may be contributing to people’s uncertainty as they “try to understand a new language (and) a different way of doing things.”

their zones. “Hawke’s Bay was only ever under a beach and marine threat which is essentially our red zone ... That was where our focus was.” Those zones; Mahia, Westshore, Haumoana-Te Awanga, Ocean Beach and Waimarama “have a small number of dwellings”. Macdonald says council staff, FENZ and Police informed as many people as possible on and around beaches in the Napier area and emergency services patrolled coastal areas including Central Hawke’s Bay and Waimarama. He understood the Haumoana fire crew and Hastings council staff were deployed along the Cape Coast, although senior fire officer Graham Arthur says they “didn’t do any patrolling”. Macdonald insists the post-quake feedback from the communities in red zone areas was positive. “Our community champions felt empowered to actively check on and support the more vulnerable in their community.” Hastings’ councillor Ann Redstone went up to Haumoana School early in the morning “because that’s what leaders do” then did her utmost to keep people informed on social media. She rang local camping grounds asking them to evacuate (none of them did) and was countering rumours and speculation, explaining who was responsible for what. For the most part her message was ‘steer clear of the beachfront and rivers’, a stance eventually affirmed by NEMA at 11.50am.

What does HBCDEM do?

Post-quake there were hurried meetings between councils and stakeholders investigating how things got so messy and how to do better next time. Councillor Redstone called a meeting with mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and HBCDEM staff but said all the talk was around the Cape Coast. “Clive and

Whakatu seem to have been missed out and yet they’re by the river and the ocean.” She’d like to see Civil Defence more involved with at-risk communities. “They haven’t really been doing that and in some cases that has created unnecessary confusion.” She’s frustrated at their lack of response. “People need to feel confident and have clear and ongoing communication in an alert like we had.” Like Neil Kirton and others, Redstone wonders what the real role of civil defence is. “If they keep telling people they’re on their own and they won’t be there at the evacuation zones what are councils really investing in?” Only acting on “what the community wants” with no clear guidelines or resources for so-called ‘community champions’ places pressure on amateurs to consult, hold public meetings and come up with random proposals. CDEM’s dismissal of previous Cape Coast plans and defensiveness in handling the so-called handover only served to alienate locals and fire volunteers and undermine trust. Losing three key CDEM’s liaison people didn’t help with continuity. Telling people they’re on their own may be accurate, but it’s a negative that feeds fears and fuels ongoing concerns. Graeme Arthur reassures the Cape Coast his Haumoana brigade will “definitely be there (and) do what’s necessary”, even offering to assist CDEM by adapting its own operational and action plan for near and distant tsunamis, earthquake, flooding or pandemic. Arthur says, depending on the event, the brigade can still take a leading communications role including “using the Civil Defence radio in our truck”. They are however proposing a new command post away from the Haumoana School to focus on core fire-related responsibilities and avoid confusing people about who’s in charge. In a late twist to the story BayBuzz heard CDEM had asked FENZ HB area commander Ken Cooper to ensure the Haumoana brigade is present at the school in any evacuation event. While they and the champions are still working out the details, perhaps if there’s another early morning rock and roll event, locals should alert sleepers by blaring car horns long and loud on the way to higher ground to broadcast their answer to that lyrical question, ‘should I stay or should I go?’ Tsunami evacuation zones: www.hbemergency.govt.nz/hazards/ tsunami/.

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Is the school system failing our kids?

Story by Abby Beswick

The results from the latest round of education surveys are in, and they make for grim reading. Kiwi kids’ academic performance is slipping dramatically. In fact, for the past 15 years, primary and secondary school students’ achievements in maths, science and reading have fallen well behind their international peers, according to the three reports. Yet, in spite of this decline, NCEA pass rates and the money spent on our education system have never been higher. The surveys – Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – tracked students’ achievements over several years. They found the performance of our students has declined over recent years, causing our international rankings in reading, maths and science to drop. However, not everyone is convinced by the results, as BayBuzz found talking to local principals. While they do provide some cause for concern, education experts and principals say LEFT: Science teacher, Olivia Dol, with students at Napier Girls’ High School. Photo: Florence Charvin

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particularly in maths. In 2000, our maths score, 537, was among the highest in the OECD, but by 2018 it had fallen 43 points to 494. Our science and reading scores also fell by 22 and 23 points.

Curriculum change

“It is also about turning out good people, but without good academic problem-solving skills they are going to have barriers to success.” ROBERT STURCH, HEADMASTER, HASTINGS BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL

they only tell one part of the story. They say the surveys only offer a narrow, skills-based focus that isn’t representative of students’ achievements, and stress that there’s plenty to celebrate in our school system.

Measuring up

The trend of our slipping student performance is evident across PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA. These well-respected international surveys have examined New Zealand’s education system from the mid-1990s to 2019, providing snapshots of primary and secondary students’ performance in reading, science and maths every three to five years. They indicate both primary and secondary students’ performance has declined, sometimes markedly, over recent decades. PIRLS is conducted every five years and measures trends in reading literacy among middle primary schools. In the latest survey, held in 2016, 41 countries participated. Results showed New

34 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

Zealand was ranked only 26th out of 29 OECD countries. Our Year 5 average literacy score sits well below many of the countries we usually compare ourselves to, including Australia, Canada, England and the US. The TIMSS survey is conducted every four years and measures maths and science among middle primary school students. The latest survey was held in 2019 and showed New Zealand is also lagging behind our OECD peers in Year 5 maths and science. Our maths performance has been below the international average for the entire period, placing us 30th out of 32 countries in 2019. While our science performance peaked in 2003, it has since declined to 29th out of 32 OECD countries. PISA surveys are conducted every three years and cover reading, maths and science performance of Year 11 students. Around 80 countries take part. Between 2000 and 2018 there was a marked decline in our student achievement across all three subjects,

New Zealand schooling changed significantly when our national curriculum was revised in 2007. Prior to this it was a very detailed, tightly controlled document that made teaching a “machine-like” process, says New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) national president, Perry Rush. The updated document, in contrast, has high-level goals but leaves the detail up to teachers. For this reason, the document is admired around the world for its innovative, unique approach that gives every school the capacity to localise their curriculum. This has had a positive impact on student engagement by allowing teachers and students to create content through contexts that are meaningful to their own community. “It’s much more engaging for young people; it’s more interesting. It helps young people find those areas of interest and application in their learning,” says Rush. However, it has also been detrimental to the national consistency around the teaching of important knowledge that “can’t be left to chance”, he says. “The negative of this approach is that the curriculum can come to mean different things to different people.” He points to this change in approach to the way we teach as a contributing factor to the results we’re seeing now.

Spending more hasn’t helped

Following the survey findings, The New Zealand Initiative (NZI) released its report, Educational Performance and Funding in New Zealand: Are our children getting the education they deserve? Co-author David Law said the overall results weren’t surprising, but the extent of our performance decline was. “It’s a worrying trend and it’s going to continue unless we think hard about it,” he says. The report supports the view that the prevalence of child-centred learning has contributed significantly to the decline. Interestingly though, while our performance has been slipping, NCEA pass rates are rising. The report doesn’t specifically address this issue, but the implication is NCEA isn’t capturing the same skills tested in the surveys, says Law. The report goes further, suggesting NCEA results are masking our decline in

“For us it’s the whole person – do they have a good skill set to go out into the world? Are they empathetic? Are they kind? Can they manage change? Can they work as part of a group? Are they good problem solvers? Are they good critical thinkers?” DAWN ACKROYD, NAPIER GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

performance and contributing to a lack of awareness of the situation. Further compounding our poor performance are recent figures showing an alarming number of New Zealand students don’t attend school regularly. Data released by the Ministry of Education in March showed in term one of 2020 only 50.5% of students attended school regularly. While Covid has had an impact, attendance levels were already declining prior to the pandemic and even when regular attendance is at its highest, 30% of students do not regularly attend. If children aren’t in school, their achievement levels will continue to suffer. Yet, alongside our slipping performance, per student spending has increased dramatically in New Zealand. Between 2006 and 2019, spending rose by $2,100 a year per primary student and $2,700 a year per secondary student, according to the NZI report. Incredibly, this additional investment has had little impact on our educational achievement. The report

found “there is virtually no relationship between per-pupil spending and achievement beyond a certain level of spending, a level which New Zealand has surpassed”. Despite the funding increase, the loss of curriculum advisory services and professional leadership that was previously provided to schools have both had a significant, detrimental effect, says Rush. Since these services were disestablished, there has been no mechanism for the Ministry of Education to help schools improve around key areas. Without senior thought leadership and the appropriate support to enable teachers to use it effectively, the national curriculum has been poorly understood and managed. Ultimately, students have paid the price.

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Should parents be concerned?

It seems principals have differing views. Hastings Boys’ High School headmaster Robert Sturch says yes. There’s

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been an evident decrease in maths problem-solving, science and reading skills in most secondary schools over the past 10 years, says Sturch. The school’s performance results mirror the findings, with a decline in entry level data compared to 10 years ago. Sturch points to a greater need for family support and engagement, as this “has one of the strongest impacts on a child’s learning”. School’s also need to adjust how they engage with students to ensure material is relevant and meaningful, alongside improved teacher training and greater emphasis on effective practice. Schooling is about more than just maths, science and reading, however, he says. “It is also about turning out good people, but without good academic problem-solving skills they are going to have barriers to success.” New Zealand still has a world class education system, but we need to go back to basics to address the falling performance, says Sturch. However, Napier Girls’ High School principal Dawn Ackroyd urges parents not to be alarmed by the survey findings. While they have some validity, they don’t tell the full story, as New Zealand has a more holistic education system than the narrow measures assessed in the surveys, says Ackroyd. “As a school we have a responsibility to look at the research but it’s more important to be constantly looking at the students in front of us.” Ackroyd says staff are constantly evaluating students’ performance, identifying their needs and structuring the curriculum to meet these. “We want the best for them, as do their parents.” In contrast to the survey findings, Napier Girls’ students continue to perform strongly in reading, maths and science, supported by a “fantastic” curriculum and meaningful NCEA assessments, she says. However, setting up students for future success is about more than achievements, says Ackroyd. “For us it’s the whole person – do they have a good skill set to go out into the world? Are they empathetic? Are they kind? Can they manage change? Can they work as part of a group? Are they good problem solvers? Are they good critical thinkers?” Rush agrees that the survey findings should be viewed in a measured way. We should worry less about our performance against other countries, given the different contexts and approaches to teaching used, which make it difficult to compare results, he

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says. Instead, we should focus on our performance against our own historical patterns. “Within our own context we’ve seen a decline, we have to be concerned to ask hard questions about why that is the case.”

Making inroads

It’s clear we need to address declining student performance, but the good news is, we’re already making steps forward. The Government, professional bodies, principals and teachers have acknowledged the issue and conversations are taking place about how we can improve. An indication of this is the number of collaborative workshops that have been held this year between the Ministry of Education, NZPF representatives and principals around the country focusing on how to improve the national curriculum and positive outcomes for students. A national road trip is also due to take place in Term Two to engage principals and lead teachers about their ideas for improving the current model. Perhaps the most significant development is the Government’s commitment to establish a nationally-based curriculum centre to provide leadership and expertise. The purpose of the centre is to support schools to develop and deliver the curriculum in a way that provides national consistency. Schools are also altering the way they teach, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), to ensure positive outcomes for students. At Napier Girls’, in addition to student-centred and effective assessment practice, teachers bring real life context into the classroom to make learning meaningful. They also encourage students to have high expectations, removing barriers and challenging unconscious bias – e.g., “I’m hopeless at maths”.

Where do we go from here?

So, if spending more money isn’t the answer, what is? Rush says we need a nationally consistent way of teaching the curriculum, so schools are more connected, and students aren’t missing out on important knowledge. “But we also need to be careful that we don’t swing the pendulum too far, back to a very tight, outcome-based, traditional, top-down type curriculum. Because then we run the risk of damaging that capacity to engage young people in contexts that are meaningful.” Rush also advocates for more

curriculum leadership and support for schools to deliver it effectively. “It has to be a handshake between being clear about what the curriculum requires, but still maintaining some ability to contextualise that curriculum locally.” It’s important not to underestimate the role of parents in their children’s success, says Ackroyd. By being actively involved, such as reading to children from a young age, parents lay the foundations for their children’s future. Changes in society, including the use of digital devices have had an impact on early literacy and we need to ensure reading is encouraged from a young age, she says. Improved teacher training and greater emphasis on effective teaching in maths, English and science would be a good place to start, says Sturch. Ultimately, a return to basics is needed, if we’re going to turn things around. The world of work is changing rapidly due to changes in demographics, globalisation, and advances in technology. Employers are seeking different skills from candidates compared to previous generations. The way our education system prepares them for this changing landscape is also evolving, and rightly so. New Zealand’s holistic curriculum remains an exceptional platform for teachers to provide children with a quality education before they go out into the world. In particular, we can feel proud about the way our schools honour the identity of students and include their ideas in learning, within a local context. The value of this method is continually demonstrated by the significant impact Kiwis have on the world stage, says Rush. “We believe we can achieve big things and I think that comes from our approach to schooling.”However, while we should continue to be excited about what the New Zealand system offers, it is clear the status quo is not serving our children as well as it should. It’s also clear that additional financial investment is unlikely to have any impact on student performance. Principals, teachers, the Ministry of Education and the wider community need to keep asking the hard questions, to find the areas that require improvement and address these. And what do parents want? An empathetic child able to work well with others, or a child who can multiply and divide, read with insight, and understand basic scientific principles … or both?

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Save, store, swim, sell, protect, drink, dirty: it’s all water Political update by Tom Belford This update is entirely about water. Some Hawke’s Bay issues – like water and the condition of our health care – simply require revisiting over and over because of their crucial significance to the overall wellbeing of our population.

38 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

In the case of water, our situation is full of ironies … Some days we have too little water to meet our multiple competing needs. Other days (it seems whenever it rains heavily in Napier) we have so much water it floods our streets, sometimes with sewage. We’re now spending millions on long-neglected water infrastructure, but can’t spend it fast enough or without significant cost overruns … and chafe at our rates. We’re excited about storage schemes, but unwilling to embrace serious conservation measures that would curb consumption. We’re thrilled to live by the sea, but nonchalant about dumping waste into it, whether intentionally (wastewater disposal) or accidentally (industrial discharge, stormwater). We hyperventilate about water uses we find particularly galling (like exporting it in plastic bottles in pure versus adulterated form … think juice), but resist any regulatory attempts that might assign societal priorities to water use. We want it safe and pure, but public health measures considered routine by some – like chlorination and fluoridation – are seen as toxic by others. What is a poor councillor to do?! Here’s the state of play of the key water issues immediately challenging the region.

Water quality/safety

As much as we care about native fish, trout, macroinvertebrates and swimming in clean rivers, let’s begin by cutting to the chase … providing safe drinking water for humans. Havelock North’s most enduring ‘gift’ to the nation was a gastro-disaster that triggered an overhaul of drinking water regulation, with a new operational and enforcement structure planned, and placed a spotlight of decades of malfeasance on the part of local councils throughout NZ who neglected their water infrastructure. Later this year, a dedicated national regulator of the three waters, Taumata Arowai, will take over, a Crown agent empowered last year by enactment of the Water Services Regulator Act. Further clarification of responsibilities, for example regarding rural drinking water schemes, will be set out in a Water Services Bill later this year.

A study conducted for our region conservatively estimates that $605 million will be required to bring HB’s ageing water systems up to modern standards.

The functions of Taumata Arowai will be to: • Oversee and administer, and enforce a new, expanded and strengthened drinking-water regulatory system, to ensure all New Zealand communities have access to safe drinking water, and if need be hold suppliers to account. • Provide oversight of the regulation, management, and environmental performance of wastewater and storm-water networks, including promoting public understanding of that performance. In the meantime, a government infrastructure review now underway at last count has estimated our defective water systems – drinking, waste and storm water – will require up to $46 billion to bring to First World standard … and maybe more. Consistent with this, a study conducted for our region conservatively estimates that more like $605 million will be required to bring Hawke’s Bay’s ageing water systems up to modern standards in terms of safety, reliability and environmental performance. So, between Havelock Northidentified need, the preceding Labourled Government’s broader urge to support the provinces (i.e., Provincial Growth Fund), and the subsequent flood of Covid recovery money, millions are now allocated for infrastructure upgrades ($50 million so far to Hawke’s Bay councils). So much money that councils can’t find enough construction workers and materials to spend it on.

As BayBuzz has reported online, these millions are coming with significant shifts in political control. In addition to creating Taumata Arowai, the Government is planning reorganisation of 3 Waters implementation, putting this spending and operational control in the hands of five or so pan-regional authorities. The Department for Internal Affairs is analysing detailed information provided by each council in NZ to arrive at a more reliable – and sure to be higher – estimate of cost. Cabinet should be reviewing this bad news about now, and the final reorganisation plan is expected soon. The Government has made clear it believes local councils have bungled their responsibility by failing to make the needed investments for decades. And moreover, that equity (every New Zealander deserves the same water safety) requires a different funding approach (i.e. rural residents in CHB shouldn’t have to pay grossly more for safe water than their cousins in Napier … and can’t afford to). While policy-makers ponder, we see disturbing headlines with regularity – a key water main bursts in Central Hawke’s Bay, cost overruns in Hastings for new drinking water infrastructure, and Wairoa at odds with the Regional Council over wastewater discharges. So, while councils have been told they would have the opportunity, after consultation with their respective constituents, to opt out of this new governance scheme, who would dare do so? Perhaps Napier, in its quest for chlorine free water. NCC’s recent review of options concluded it would take some 20 years and cost ‘only’ about $100 million more to be chlorine free than the $178 million required to build a fully health-compliant drinking water system, still using chlorine. A key caveat to these costs was the study’s observation that Napier had some 487 kilometres of antiquated underground piping, so the repair bill could easily climb. And after all that, shutting off the chlorine would require a Government exemption. Speaking of who’s calling the drinking water shots, it appears the fluoride debate is over. The Government has announced it is placing that call in the hands of the Director General of Health, the revered Dr Ashley Bloomfield. When the necessary Bill passes later this year, there’s little doubt what he will decide.

MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 39

Water ecology

Meantime, the fate of our waterways in terms of healthy ecosystems sits in the hands of current (for the Tukituki catchment) and pending plan changes (for Heretaunga waterways, Mohaka) initiated by the Regional Council, but now needing to conform quickly to relatively tough national environmental standards. The Tukituki rules are well into implementation; a second round of updated Farm Environmental Management Plans (FEMPs) were due at the end of May. In addition, some 150 CHB farmers in catchments with high nitrate levels were required to apply for farming (production land use) consents by 26 February, a first in the region. At last report, about 50 had done so. On the Heretaunga Plains, it’s pretty much business as usual. The infamous TANK process, begun in 2012, filed its recommendations in 2018. This proposed Plan Change 9 got bogged down in HBRC’s Regional Planning Committee, and was not publicly notified until March 2020. Then came Covid delays. Finally, submissions on the Plan Change will commence 24 May and continue in June. The waters were further muddied by a separate request from some environmental and Māori parties for a Water Conservation Order as an alternative means of protecting the Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers. The resulting process before a Special Tribunal essentially

replayed the same evidence and arguments as examined by TANK. The Tribunal’s Order is now before the Environment Court, with a hearing set for 14 June. So the wheels turn slowly and the waterways of the Heretaunga Plains await their environmental rescue. A key issue that all parties seem to agree must be addressed is soil erosion, causing severe downstream sedimentation in the catchment. While rule-making is stalled, the Regional Council has embarked on a major $30m programme (region-wide) of erosion protection via fencing and planting. So far, $4.3m of this funding (with farmer matching) has been spent for on-farm improvements, with more committed. And, as a band-aid, to deal with the sedimentation of the Clive River, HBRC is presently consulting on a recommended $2.8 million dredging proposal. Down in CHB in the upper Tukituki, gravel build-up is the problem, in this case a natural not man-made phenomenon. Climate change induced high rainfalls could exacerbate the gravel build-up and combined with higher rain volume itself increase the flooding risk to Waipawa and Waipukurau. HBRC is presently consulting on a recommended $2.54 million gravel extraction proposal that would match $4.51 million from Government. In Napier, the prime water quality issue centers in the Ahuriri Estuary, which with regularity is violated by illegal industrial discharges and

stormwater overflows. NCC is stiffening its by-laws regarding run-off from the Pandora area, and violators occasionally get prosecuted; however, resolution of the stormwater pollution unfortunately awaits the multi-year programme of infrastructure upgrades. It’s hard to see what a $20 million plan to create a Ahuriri Regional Park, as presently proposed in NCC and HBRC pending LTPs, can achieve until known pollution sources are seriously dealt with. Important to that goal will be the ambitious new Marine Cultural Health Programme to be led and implemented by marae and hapū of Ahuriri, supported by Napier Port. Heading north, a bit of good news recently when HBRC lifted its health warning against swimming in Lake Tutira. However, farther up the road, Wairoa wastewater discharges into the Wairoa River, and associated consents, are an ongoing matter of dispute (two years now) between WDC and the Regional Council. Meantime, the discharges continue.

Water use/availability

As tough as the water quality issues are, water supply issues are even more politically fraught, as here we find competing users and economic interests determined to duel over limited – and perhaps diminishing supplies. Surprising as it might be, as the region argues over dams, aquifer recharge, irrigation takes and bans, summer municipal water restrictions,

Freshwater Demand and Supply

Demand

Volume (M m3)

Supply

Time Data What are our current sources and uses of water?

40 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

Scenarios What will happen to the supply and demand for water in the decades ahead?

Policy What choices will we make to plan for a climate resilient and secure supply of fresh water for all?

and exporting water, we still lack a definitive assessment of the region’s projected water demand and supply. The water supply (or security) issue has centered on CHB and the Heretaunga Plains. Starting with the latter, ‘best information’ at the time of the TANK review suggested that the Heretaunga aquifer was in delicate balance, at about 100 million cubic metres of water used annually, and in danger of being ‘mined’ beyond its recharge potential. With, surprisingly, no opposition from commercial and municipal water users, a ban was placed on any new water consents. The legal basis for such a ban is questionable, but it has been observed. A victory, one would think, for the environment. However, when modeling suggested users could reduce their use by another 10 million or so cubic metres a year, and Māori sought to have that lower ‘cap’ written into the TANK Plan, a political impasse ensued. At the same time, an estimate was produced suggesting the mid-term annual gap between supply and demand might be around 5-10 million cubes, not a huge number in the scheme of things. Which raises the question of whether saving

“The economic and social effect of pulling the water ‘rug’ out from our community is simply not an option...” REX GRAHAM, HBRC CHAIRMAN

water might be a better (or initial) strategy instead of harvesting and storing more. And indeed the TANK Plan specifically barred any dams on the Ngaruroro River and its key tributaries. So that’s where matters stood, putting mighty pressure on HBRC to come up with a more rigorous assessment of present and future water needs. Consequently, a formal Regional Water Assessment has been underway since 2019. As stated in a HBRC paper, here is the philosophy guiding it: “If developed in isolation, water

storage has proven to be a complex and divisive endeavour … and gives rise to fears that water storage only delivers ‘more of the same’. However if developed as part of a package of solutions, storage can and should rightly be included in the use of the region’s freshwater over the next 30-50 years.” At the same time, the PGF – full of coin and in the building business – came along and was awarded $11.2 million for investigating water storage options on the Heretaunga Plains. Eagerly sought by HBRC, fresh questions were raised as to whether storage once again won the inside track over savings. So now the HBRC is pushing hard to complete its water assessment (aiming for spring), diligently quantifying ‘accounts’ for all water uses, present and future, while also consulting in its proposed LTP on spending $1 million to investigate non-storage options and their potential for filling some part of the expected gap the assessment will more reliably establish between long-term supply and demand. In this context, such options include water conservation, efficiency measures, farm systems and land-use change, allocation policies, and recycling and re-using water.

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MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 41

Managed aquifer recharge

Common sense and smart politics are aligned on this enlightened approach! While the ‘savings’ side of the equation unfolds, leading the pack as a water ‘supply’ option for the Heretaunga Plains, with fresh money ($5m) allocated for feasibility study by Government, is a proposal to expand an existing private lake. Using harvested high flow waters from the Ngaruroro, it would provide greater water flow for depleted streams in the Bridge Pā area, ultimately feeding into the Karamū Stream. The concept was initially developed at his own expense by owner of the lake, Mike Glazebrook, and was first mooted during the TANK process. At the time, all the relevant parties in the TANK process — environmentalists, Māori, water users, council planners — visited the site, heard the case, kicked the tyres and, it appeared, were positively inclined toward it. The scheme would store water at little incremental cost, and release it into lowland streams typically depleted in summer, a significant environmental gain. Now, however, with some Māori and environmentalists digging in against water storage, we’ll see if the ground has shifted. Down in Central Hawke’s Bay, the original epicentre of dam controversy, the waters seems calmer. Efforts to revive the original Ruataniwha Dam have failed, and a Tonkin+Taylor review of other smaller scale storage sites offered little prospect. The Regional Council closed (or parked?) the matter, passing this resolution:

42 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

“Council acknowledges that staff will not progress, at this stage, a business case for pre-feasibility for above ground water storage sites, but will progress cost and benefit assessment of smaller scale storage and the Managed Aquifer Recharge Pilot Study.” So, sitting on another $14.7 million of PGF ‘water storage options’ funding, HBRC has moved on to Managed Aquifer Recharge, or MAR. The concept is simple: harvest high quality river and stream water during high winter flows, settle and filter that water, and then recharge it into the aquifers below the Ruataniwha Plains. MAR is widely used in other parts of the world and is being trialled in Gisborne and the Hekeao/Hinds catchment of Canterbury. The pilot project to which HBRC is committed in CHB will probably use two approaches: shallow recharge using a wetland and recharge basin system, and deeper aquifer recharge using an injection well system. A potential site has been tested and appropriate pre-consultations and negotiations are underway. Consents would be required, affording opportunity for public comment. Once a site is up and running, the pilot would be run for twelve months. If all goes to plan, the first data from the scheme would be available by the end of 2022. Lots of fingers crossed on that one!

What vision for HB?

HBRC chairman Rex Graham recently wrote: “As climate change and a growing

economy places increasing pressure on freshwater, all levers must be pulled to secure fairer access to freshwater and protect our streams while protecting the Hawke’s Bay economy.” Not everyone will agree that continued intensive use of our water resource to benefit economic activity can co-exist in Hawke’s Bay with a safe, sustainable environment. From the Māori perspective, we are simply over-exploiting and depleting the natural ecosystem when protecting that ecosystem must be our paramount responsibility. Interventions like MAR and water harvesting are merely band-aids that futilely seek to cover the wound, while continuing the source of the injury. However, Chairman Graham further writes: “Having built two cities, major export industries and world leading horticulture on this water resource, the economic and social effect of pulling the water ‘rug’ out from our community is simply not an option and we will not do this.” At bottom, that’s a statement that economic growth rules over all. Many in Hawke’s Bay would not subscribe to that view; the more optimistic probably hope that trade-off can be averted. So it is understandable that the Regional Council is pursuing a path that aspires to ‘do good and do well’. At this point, I believe the Council is proceeding – with broad support from most other political leaders in the region – prudently, transparently and fairly. And BayBuzz readers know I wouldn’t hesitate to say otherwise if I didn’t believe so!

Photo: Kirsten Simcox

METHUSELAHS DAZZLE AT CHARITY AUCTION Not often do you see enchantment and compassion bind people together, but when it does combine there are few things more powerful. Such was the response from a captivated audience at the recent ‘Night Of Us’ charity auction, that those who attended left with a renewed sense of benevolence to give back to the region they call home. At a meeting in early 2020 between the Foundation’s founder Jules NowellUsticke and local entrepreneurs John (Mac) Macpherson and Kim Thorp, the idea to auction off three gargantuan methuselahs was conceived – with the Hawke’s Bay Foundation prime beneficiary. The idea would turn out to be a stroke of genius. “We knew the Foundation was a brilliant, proven vehicle for charitable giving,” said Jules, speaking on behalf of fellow Hawke’s Bay Foundation Trustees. “We also knew there was limited awareness of its success. Mac’s concept of pairing local artists with local winemakers for auction, combined with Kim’s vision for a ‘Night of Us’ to spread the word about the Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s approach and share stories of grantees, would change all that.” On March 19, 450 people from around the region made an emotional connection to the Hawke’s Bay Foundation and its life-changing community work. Three high bidders,

totaling $50,000, took home stunning 6-litre methuselahs, transformed into art by Dick Frizzell, Martin Poppelwell and Freeman White, and filled with the best from Tony Bish Wines, Te Awanga Estate and Te Mata Estate. Winemaker Rod McDonald and Martin Poppelwell’s partnering presented a methuselah containing Syrah from the 2019 vintage. The Foundation was thrilled to see the bottle achieve a top bid of $17,500.

“Helping Hawke’s Bay Foundation reach new supporters, raise awareness within the community and add to their fund was the perfect outcome for us.” Rod McDonald “Helping Hawke’s Bay Foundation reach new supporters, raise awareness within the community and add to their fund was the perfect outcome for us,” said Rod. Martin added “I am proud to contribute to the Hawke’s Bay Foundation endowment fund, a great local charitable foundation.” Another success story from the night – five anonymous donors giving $25,000 to endow and further the work of Hawke’s Bay based Nourished for Nil, the local leader in food rescue. “There is a simple secret of community foundations around the world,” shared Jules. “Pool the resources of everyone who wants to give back, protect and manage

those resources, and distribute only the income that the pool produces.” In 2012, ten local families did just that. Pooling their resources to endow the Hawke’s Bay Foundation with $1 million. Today that endowment has grown to over $4 million. Only the income is distributed, and only to Hawke’s Bay approved charities. Last year, the Hawke’s Bay Foundation granted a funding boost of $250,000 to fiftynine carefully vetted charities. If you would like to learn more about the work of the Hawke’s Bay Foundation, check out the recent stories from donors along with the following grateful grantees: Leg Up Trust, Raukatauri Music Trust and Environment Centre Hawke’s Bay at www.hawkesbayfoundation.org.nz

HAWKE’S BAY FOUNDATION: Hawke’s Bay Foundation provides a simple way for you to support your local community for generations to come. We receive gifts and bequests from individuals, families and businesses – these are pooled and invested forever, with the income used to support local charities. Words by Alisha Neilson

BayBuzz is pleased to support the Hawke’s Bay Foundation

SA RA H CA M ERON

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At a time when domestic air travel is on life support and airports find themselves in the midst of economic recovery, Hawke’s Bay Airport is in expansion mode. A new terminal is about to open and its quest to become New Zealand’s most sustainable airport and to achieve carbon neutral status by 2030 is gaining traction. Story by Sarah Cameron Photos by Tom Allan

Lofty ambitions In the 2018-19 financial year, more than 750,000 passengers moved through Hawke’s Bay Airport (HBAL) and every year around 400,000 visitors will come through the doors and 20,000 aircraft will land on its runways, numbers earning it the title of third busiest airport in the North Island and seventh busiest nationally. Passenger numbers dropped in the 2019-2020 financial year to just over 541,000 due to Covid interruptions – the worst month saw just 149 passengers use the airport. However, Covid was not the only challenge HBAL faced in 2020. Its terminal expansion plans were put on hold following the voluntary administration of lead contractor, Arrow International; Jetstar ceased its regional services; and Airways announced its intention to withdraw staff from Hawke’s Bay’s control tower. Despite these challenges, HBAL is

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moving forward and the airport is still regarded as an important economic enabler for the region. Expanding its physical footprint while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint is a feat being piloted by airport CEO, Stuart Ainslie. “It’s still a challenging environment, there’s no denying that,” says Stuart. “While the airport is not immune to the effects of natural disasters including pandemics, we are a resilient business and a driver of economic recovery. “In general, the airports that better weathered the 2020 storm did so because of a diversified revenue mix not solely based on aeronautical activities. Whilst no planes or passengers equals no aircraft landing fees or passenger parking charges, it is essential that our future revenue diversification such as solar and commercial property minimise the effects that we’ve seen

“While the airport is not immune to the effects of natural disasters including pandemics, we are a resilient business and a driver of economic recovery.” STUART AINSLIE

from the recent pandemic. Focusing on this we can ensure that we are able to move forward with our plans to be come carbon neutral and New Zealand’s most sustainable airport.” Carbon neutrality and sustainability are terms used in high rotation in any conversation with Stuart. Carbon neutral refers to balancing the amount

Sustainability Project Manager, Michelle Duncan.

of emitted greenhouse gases (carbon emissions) with equivalent emission offsets or sequestration (carbon storage). While several other New Zealand airports have been on their sustainability journey for a decade or more, HBAL has just left the starting blocks. Carbon emissions from airports (as opposed to aeroplanes) are surprisingly low, despite the aviation industry often attracting negative headlines about its carbon footprint (however, see Charles Daugherty’s article in this issue on international air travel!). Domestic aviation contributes just over 3% of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, airports contribute less than 5% of aviation emissions and in New Zealand, this is likely to be even less as the country utilises more renewable electricity sources. Over the last three years, HBAL’s carbon emissions have been less than 50 tonnes per year. Putting that in perspective, the average annual emissions per person in New Zealand are around 18 tonnes. A large portion of the emissions at HBAL come from sources not directly controlled by the company, including fuel used in aircraft during take-off and landing, passenger ground access, contractor vehicles, waste to landfill, staff

46 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

travel and water consumption. “We recognise that our current emissions are comparatively low compared to other infrastructure organisations, but we are also very keen to do what we can to reduce the impacts of climate change – both in Hawke’s Bay and across the globe.” In order to get to a neutral carbon status, Stuart says sustainability must be embedded in every HBAL activity and project, and external providers and partners must also be aligned with the philosophy. “The carbon economy is now part of everyday conversations. We have a unique opportunity to set the tone now for any future developments and it’s vital our sustainability strategy and objectives are entrenched in everything we do. For example, any future land development will be done with the expectation it will align with our sustainability strategy.” HBAL is integrating decarbonisation into all its asset and efficiency planning with an aptly named Decarbonisation Plan, which has identified more than 38 projects and initiatives ranging from small operational changes to large scale projects. One such initiative has been to join the international Airport Carbon

Accreditation (ACA) programme. ACA is the international gold standard for airport carbon management and the certification recognises an airport’s commitment to emissions reduction, climate change mitigation and sustainable development. More than 330 airports around the world have joined the programme including London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. In New Zealand, HBAL is one of only five airports that has committed to the ACA. “We could have benchmarked ourselves in our own back yard, but we decided to do it on a global standard and joining the ACA programme is a key driver for us to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. It’s a stringent process with everything verified by independent and qualified experts. It shows that our commitment to sustainability is more than just words – we’re actually on the way to making a real difference.” Recently, HBAL achieved Level 2 ACA certification which required the airport to show that it had made meaningful change in its emissions. And it had. Every passenger’s carbon emissions were reduced by 12%

through a range of initiatives including switching to 100% renewable and CarboNZero-certified electricity as well as moving away from fossil-fuel run vehicles, adding electric and hybrid vehicles into its fleet of safety vehicles and fire appliances as older vehicles are retired. Stuart is now looking ahead to the next level of certification. “Achieving Level 3 requires us to look beyond our own operation, so the next phase for us is really about partnerships. We’ll be working with our tenants and contractors to help bring their emissions down, and we’ll also be looking to key partners in our community to collaborate on some larger-scale projects. “We are working hard to integrate sustainable solutions right across our operations but also to go above and beyond – our investigations into the feasibility of a solar farm is a great example of that.” As reported previously, the project is a joint venture between HBAL and Centralines, who are currently scoping out the feasibility of building a largescale solar farm on HBAL land, and

if green-lighted, construction would start in 2022. Carbon emissions from electricity usage, which is the primary internal source contributing to the airport’s carbon footprint, would be offset and the project has the potential to supply the airport with 100% renewable energy. If the decision is made to proceed, the farm would occupy between five and 20 hectares of land and is estimated to generate between 10% and 20% of New Zealand’s current solar power. “This return provides obvious environmental outcomes and will also provide significant renewable energy to export back into the grid. We would also need to offset indirect emissions so longer-term we’d be interested in exploring its use to supply our current and future tenants,” says Stuart. HBAL has also adopted a ‘sustainability framework’, which underpins its desire to “build back better”; the structure supporting the business’s growth. “Traditionally, sustainability was only referred to in an environmental context. We have expanded that to include operational efficiency, social

“Traditionally, sustainability was only referred to in an environmental context. We have expanded that to include operational efficiency, social responsibility and financial return.”

responsibility and financial return. A healthy and prosperous airport is great for Hawke’s Bay as a whole and will lean into the regional economy.” Stuart has started some preliminary work looking across three strategic pathways: aeronautical, property and renewable resources. “It’s important because we’re sitting on 223 hectares of land and need to take a business approach to the whole land mass to realise its commercial

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potential over the longer term and the economic impact for the region.” The multi-million-dollar revamped airport terminal is due to welcome its first visitors mid-year. Many aspects of the new building are in line with HBAL’s sustainability vision. “Increasing the terminal size from 2,500m2 to 4,340m2 while simultaneously trying to reduce emissions has meant improvements in both simple and complex ways. We’ve introduced a raft of efficiency improvements including a new waste management system, a more efficient heating and cooling system and sensor-controlled lighting. Other fixes are simpler, like installing automatic taps to reduce water waste and hot air hand driers in the bathrooms that use the new renewable ‘ecotricity’ and avoid paper waste. We are also working with our partners and suppliers – an example of this is Bay Espresso, our new café tenant to reduce single use plastic.” Outside, the car park will soon have upgraded solar and LED lighting and the company is currently looking at installing EV charging stations. “We are committed to new technology and solutions, but they must be in line with the region’s transport strategy. We’re talking with the Regional Council about its vision for transport

48 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

The Bikeport will provide a place for locals and travellers alike to stop, park, assemble, maintain or fix their bikes. There’s also charging capability for e-bikes. “The region’s cycleways go right past our door so this is a facility that everyone, not just airport users, can access.”

and getting people to the airport. We might see more car sharing, more EVs or buses. It’s about looking at how people use our facilities and making sure we’ve got the right services in place. But all the while keeping commercial balance and reality.” HBAL continues to work closely with Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay to improve its surrounding wildlife habitats and a new Bikeport has just opened that will connect to the region’s cycleways. A partnership between Willis Legal, HBAL, HBRC, HB Trails and EECA (the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), the Bikeport will provide a place for locals and travellers alike to stop, park,

assemble, maintain or fix their bikes. There’s also charging capability for e-bikes. “The region’s cycleways go right past our door so this is a facility that everyone, not just airport users, can access,” says Stuart. Airlines also have skin in the carbon neutral game. HBAL has already had conversations with airlines about how to reduce carbon emissions. “Maybe there’s an opportunity to do something cutting edge like emission-free ground services or supplying electric power solutions. We are open to all discussions.” Stuart says HBAL has made “good progress” but recognises it’s only the beginning of the carbon neutral journey. “When it comes to creating a greener future for Hawke’s Bay, we want to show that we can address climate-related risk and resilience while also growing our regional economy.”

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.

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Recovery

Jump Starters There’s nothing like the whole world shutting down to refocus us on the benefits of buying and supporting local. BayBuzz talks to three Hawke’s Bay businesses who have moved swiftly to turn a crisis into a positive, and found strength in community spirit along the way. Story by Giselle Reid and Lizzie Russell.

Ultrella From small beginnings selling jars of natural deodorant at the Piecemakers Pop-up and Hereworth Christmas markets, Mel Lewis soon realised she had to take her business to the next level if she was going to compete with a growing number of competitors in the personal care space. The new business was over a year in the planning. “My customers had told me the products they wanted to be using, but I didn’t have the technical skills to create them.” Through the Hawke’s Bay Business Hub, she applied for, and won, a Callaghan Innovation R&D grant at the start of 2019. That financial support enabled her to work with a leading product formulator to bring her ideas to fruition. Ultrella Natural Deodorant is the first deodorant in NZ and Australia (“and the whole world, as far as we know”) to be able to reduce sweating naturally. The hero ingredient is a natural Botox alternative called IBR-Snowflake®, a plant extract made from Summer Snowflake bulbs. This ingredient has been clinically proven to reduce sweating by 36% ... up until now you’ve had to use an antiperspirant to get results like this. Ultrella was launched the Friday before lockdown. “It was a completely surreal day,” says Mel. “I very nearly didn’t go ahead, but then I kept thinking, ‘If I don’t do it now, when will I do it? There’s never a perfect time to launch a business, so I just leapt in and went for it.” Prior to lockdown, she had been in negotiations with four major NZ retailers, but those conversations halted immediately. In this instance, being small worked in her favour, quickly pivoting to focus

entirely on online sales. Fortunately, Ultrella already had an online store, built by Aimee Stewart’s team at Connect Plus. “When it looked like we were going into lockdown, I made a dash up to our warehouse in Napier, and loaded up my car with as many boxes of products as I could fit in so we could dispatch from home if required. It was such a lucky move.” There were a couple of nervous weeks as Mel waited to find out if Ultrella was included on the MBIE’s register for Essential Goods. Once that was established, Ultrella was good to go. “Having the population at home, spending a lot of time online, actually worked in our favour during those first few weeks. It gave us a chance to connect with potential customers and educate people about our ethos and our products.” The groundswell of ‘buy New Zealand’ made sentiment on social media, and in particular the now 500,000 strong New Zealand Made Products Facebook page, provided a huge kick-start for Ultrella. The response to one unsponsored post on that Facebook page was “mental”, says Mel, “I had over 1,000 comments and questions to respond to. It took me days to go back to everyone. I posted on the Saturday night. By Sunday lunchtime it was obvious we were going to run out of courier supplies. It was really stressful trying to get more down from Auckland. The support from other local businesses was incredible.” Mel put out a call for help and Steve Christie from Blackroll NZ, Tom Ormond from Hawthorne Coffee, Nathan from Blackbird Goods and Shaz and Garon from Ecokiosk were among the

Ultrella founder, Mel Lewis. Photo: Florence Charvin JULY/AUGUST 2020 • BAYBUZZ • 23

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Diversification … the economic gold standard Diversification. When it comes to investment portfolios, it’s the gold standard. Any financial advisor worth their salt would recommend a strategy that spreads risk by holding a range of assets. Tempting though it might be to invest it all in a stock market darling, too many ‘apples in one basket’ is a risky approach that can backfire in the face of unexpected shocks or global downturns. The same diversification principles apply to economies, too. Covid-19 has exposed areas of weakness in global, national and regional economies, particularly where there has been reliance on a single or just a few key industries. Here in Hawke’s Bay, our economy has fared better than most over the past 12 months, for several key reasons. Our strength in agriculture, horticulture, and viticulture – as well as not being overly exposed to international tourists and students – has seen our economy remain close to the top of the leader board for regional economic performance. Spare a thought for places like Queenstown and the West Coast that have suffered without international visitor dollars. Without significant secondary industries to fall back on, the going has got a lot tougher in our tourist towns. Combine that with falling populations as workers chase employment in other regions and you can see that it will take many years for these towns to recover. Recent measures of consumer confidence showed those from Otago to be the second most pessimistic in the country; with the Otago Daily Times calling the region “among the gloomiest.” Is economic diversification the silver bullet to regional prosperity? Brad Olsen, senior economist with Infometrics says economic diversification is important to helping local economies navigate periods of volatility by having a range of economic ‘engines’ to keep the wider economy powering ahead though uncertain periods.

50 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

Our strength in agriculture, horticulture, and viticulture – as well as not being overly exposed to international tourists and students – has seen our economy remain close to the top of the leader board for regional economic performance.

Ensuring a spread of economic focus can increase economic resilience by limiting the exposure of local areas to sharp blows to part of an economy. As seen during Covid-19, many parts of New Zealand can have a heavy economic focus on primary sector activity and tourism activity – our (previously) largest exports. However, areas are starting to look to diversify their local economies, with increasing focuses on film and creative outputs, technologybased enterprises, and weightless exports (like software and services). Economic diversity can also require a diverse trade focus for an area’s export goods, including a wide array of destinations for goods and reducing overreliance on a single or just a few markets. Hawke’s Bay already has a diverse economic mix but with a larger share (compared to the national average) of strong manufacturing and food processing and primary sector activity. Our diverse economy, coupled with strong demand for primary sector products, has helped keep economic momentum locally at a higher pace. After all, pandemic or not, people still have to eat. Olsen says there’s still scope for Hawke’s Bay to expand its focus on high-value services further to add more layers of diversity and differentiation to the local economy, which will further enhance and shield the economy from substantial sector hits.

Our growing capability in technology, a non-traditional sector not subject to the volatility of the international commodities market, or reliant on borders being open, is one way that Hawke’s Bay economy is diversifying. Another is Foodeast, a planned a centre of excellence for food, beverage and agri-tech innovation, will foster innovation and is projected to generate $100 million of additional regional gross product over 10 years, and create more than 500 skilled jobs. It will build capability and pave the way for branded products that foster strong customer relationships and command a price premium over commodity products. Economic development consultant, Dr David Wilson says the European Union and the OECD in particular have put their minds to addressing regional inequities brought on by non-diversified low productivity regions – commonly, rural regions that are primary sector based, have smaller populations and lack the resources for continued research and innovation. Innovation in government circles is also often framed as hi-tech, with cities getting all the attention. So what’s the answer? How do you diversify and increase productivity and prosperity at the same time? Obviously it is not easy, but innovation is key to diversification. Recognising that not all regions are the same, setting up regional innovation systems to support tailored efforts

can be achieved. But it requires commitment from government, researchers, tertiary training and business together. Known as the triple helix of innovation, this collaborative model fosters both economic and social development This is hard work and it is a long game, but it works. Building strong regional innovation, specialisations and commercial clusters requires an organisation to be the connector, the facilitator, the conductor that brings the pieces together to focus on particular opportunities for the region. In other words, a regional development agency. An organisation that does not profit from activities and can be an honest broker is essential to gaining trust and building collaboration, often amongst competitors, but also between the public and private sectors, officials, researchers and businesses. Diversification can come from new technologies and new sectors but it can also come from building on existing strengths, such as Foodeast.

An artist’s impression of Foodeast centre of excellence for food, beverage and agri-tech innovation.

Provenance, product and market diversification, moving up the value chain and smart specialisations are examples. Looking for connections between sectors, like robotics and apples for example, in the way that Hi-Tech Hawke’s Bay does (an initiative of Business Hawke’s Bay) is another. Occasionally new ideas and businesses spring up or new industries are attracted to a region, and it is fantastic

when that happens, but usually businesses are attracted to a region for a reason; they have strong innovative clusters of activity. There’s a reason why you can only buy Cognac from world leading brands such as Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin and Courvoisier from the region of Cognac. What are, or will be, the products and services that Hawke’s Bay can command premium prices for?

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MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 51

E C O N O M I C I NDI CATORS /

BayBiz

HAWKE’S BAY ECONOMY IS

NEW CAR SALES IN DECEMBER ’20 QUARTER

1,494

EQUAL FASTEST GROWING REGIONAL ECONOMY

UP 15% COMPARED TO 12 MONTHS AGO

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICES REACH

704k UP 36.4% IN THE YEAR TO FEBRUARY ’21

A NET

23%

OF RESPONDENTS THINK OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY WILL IMPROVE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, THE HIGHEST EQUAL IN THE COUNTRY

78,426 FILLED JOBS AT FEBRUARY ’21: UP 1,264 OR 1.6% COMPARED TO FEBRUARY ’20

NZ FARMER CONFIDENCE IS AT ITS HIGHEST LEVELS SINCE

HB PIPFRUIT NOT HARVESTED

2018

14%

(SOME ORCHARDS HIGHER)

1. ASB REGIONAL ECONOMIC SCOREBOARD, DECEMBER ’20 QUARTER 3. REINZ FEBRUARY ’21 4. WESTPAC MCDERMOTT MILLER REGIONAL ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE MARCH ’21 5. STATISTICS NEW ZEALAND 6. RABOBANK RURAL CONFIDENCE SURVEY MARCH ’21

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by Martin Williams, Hinewai Ormby and Tom Belford

Regional Council considers Māori seats Delivering on the promise By Martin Williams A fair question on the issue of Māori seats is why should some people have special rights to vote for councillors? Afterall, aren’t we all one people, every one of us with a head, heart and hopes for the future? The ‘sound bite’ answer to this question is, the Treaty of Waitangi. To some though, this answer isn’t that helpful. What is it about the Treaty that means we should have Māori seats on the Council? To really explain why I believe Māori constituencies demand very serious consideration, I need to step back a bit and share some context. About these islands we all live on. About our history. I have heard it said that the missionaries to whom I whakapapa were a spearhead for colonisation, even that Henry Williams, who was given the task by Governor Hobson, deliberately mistranslated the Treaty in exchange for land, in order to trick Māori into signing it. In mounting such an argument, reliance could be placed on the apparent discrepancies between the English version of the Treaty, and the Māori version, better known as Te Tiriti, in suggesting the Māori version was cunningly crafted to get Māori across the line. The truth as I perceive it is, however, to the contrary, and no such trick was intended, at least not by Henry Williams. For example, the wording of Article 1 of both the English version and Te Tiriti is actually very similar, when you understand the context it was drafted and translated in. “Sovereignty” as ceded to the Crown in Article 1 of the

English version was not, to Henry’s understanding of the constitution at the time, an absolute right to rule without constraint, but instead on behalf of those governed. For them. In that sense, sovereignty better aligns with the term kawanatanga, more closely meaning “governance”, as ceded in Article 1 of Te Tiriti. The English version also includes another important word. Guarantee. Article 2 guaranteed Māori the full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands, estates, forests, fisheries and other properties for so long as it was their wish to retain them. Think of what you expect when you receive a guarantee when you buy something, say a new car, TV or laptop. You expect it to be honoured. You expect redress if that guarantee is not met. If ever a guarantee was breached in law or in history, it was that contained in Article 2. A great many injustices have been perpetrated throughout the world’s history, and I agree that what happened in our land is perhaps not the worst example. I do not however buy the argument that we should forget our history and pretend we are like Scotland or even Great Britain as a whole, just another invaded nation; where both conqueror and the vanquished should simply ‘build a bridge’ and get on as if one people without a past. In any event, Aotearoa was not conquered. A deal was done. The Crown then reneged. This part of our nation’s story is a bit like one of newcomers being invited in by the locals for dinner, and after dessert is over, when the host’s defences are down and an assumption of trust forged, the guests pull out a gun and tell their hosts to clear out as

Simply put, Māori seats would be a step towards delivering on the promise of this nation’s founding constitutional document.

trespassers in their own house. The Crown and colonising Pākehā pretty much did that. There was immense pressure on both the Crown and New Zealand Company to provide land as immigrants arrived without anywhere to settle, perhaps on a false promise in its own right. Land confiscation by military force aside, from the latter part of the 19th century, over 300 separate pieces of legislation were deliberately and strategically framed by the Crown to extract land from Māori, by hook or by crook, and against their will. Within Hawke’s Bay alone, in 1867, some 295,000 acres of Māori land between the Waikare and Esk Rivers was confiscated following the “Battle of Omaranui” and then later returned to Māori loyal to the Crown, but in many cases not the original owners. That flagrant breach of the Treaty was not finally remedied (or at least partly so) until Treaty settlements were reached in the past decade. Across New Zealand, a thriving Māori

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Martin Williams with the Tukutuku panels in the Māori chapel Waiapu Cathedral, Napier. Photo: Tom Allan

economy was destroyed as the result of Crown practices, and an entire people nearly decimated. The social, economic and cultural consequences of that history are still felt today, compounded in effect by subsequent forces of urbanisation, forced welfare dependency, and globalisation. If you are wondering why we have a gang, drug and Māori incarceration problem to this day, you need look no further. With respect, we as Pākehā must face that history, without guilt so much as acceptance of fact, and not some other colonialist fantasy. This brings me back to the take or issue at hand – direct Māori representation in local government decision making. Article 2 of Te Tiriti (or Māori version) guaranteed a much deeper and profound relationship than simple possesion of the land, forest and fishery resources referred to in the equivalent clause of the English version of the Treaty. Specifically, it guaranteed to Māori the critical bond with those resources revealed through the mana of that relationship: rangatiratanga. In Henry Williams’ own words, on later explaining his intention for using the terms he chose in Te Tiriti, Article 2 guaranteed those Māori who signed it, “their full rights as chiefs”. Not surprisingly therefore, it is Article 2 which is generally relied on by Māori as the basis for seeking a direct and secure decision making role

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in local government. Afterall, aren’t the very resources which councils are responsible for looking after – “lands, estates, forests, and fisheries” – precisely those which Māori retained ‘full rights as chiefs’ over, in the guarantee of Article 2? Simply put, Māori seats would be a step towards delivering on the promise of this nation’s founding constitutional document. And when Māori see our natural resources going backwards through decades of poor management decisions made by local government, affecting vast swathes of land confiscated off them in the first place, is it any wonder they seek to now call in that guarantee? So, there you have it. Yes, we all may have a head, a heart; with luck two hands and a wallet from which there will be enough putea to cover our annual rates bill from Council. To that extent we are but one people. But in Treaty terms there are two partners, and again we cannot ignore our history, and pretend otherwise. Nor can we remain reliant on the current system where Māori representation on Council is not guaranteed, but at the whim of the general electorate, undeniably dominated by the Pākehā world view. Before I finish, I need to say this. It was reported once in BayBuzz online that I had made my mind up about this issue. That is wrong. My intention with this article is to

help people understand why Māori seats are important, indeed why they would even be considered in the first place. While I may be predisposed to Māori seats for the reasons I have shared in this article, I have by no means have a closed mind on the subject, and my legal background reveals one universal truth; there are always two sides to the story. I must say that some of my fellow councillors have given me a lot of food for thought around this complex issue. I do have concern as to whether Māori seats would in fact better secure representation of mana whenua in decision making at regional council level, here in Hawke’s Bay. I will want to be reassured that Māori are firmly behind the proposal, if I am ultimately to vote for it. Equally, I would need to be very clear about the position of the broader communities of Hawke’s Bay regarding this constitutionally important question for local government in the region. I do however believe that we will be better placed as a region to face the very many significant challenges ahead, with the place of Māori firmly secured as decision makers at the governance table. The real question is how this is best achieved. The promise of the Treaty heralds hope for a better future together, provided only we honour the bargain made. My hunch is that this was Henry’s hope all along.

Māori representation ... choosing the right way By Hinewai Ormsby I am 100% supportive of the need for Māori at the Council decision making table, particularly in order for our region to prosper and reach its potential environmentally and economically into our collective future. As Māori we have signficant potential to effect change for the better where the common values of manaakitangi (care for others) and kaitiakitanga (care for our natural world) underpin our world view. Too often the modern way is to compartmentalise or break things down and manage each part without acknowledging what connects the whole system. Whereas, in te ao Māori consideration is given to the interconnectedness and reciprocal nature of systems which drive to create balance with particular emphasis on the natural world. Often viewed in te ao Māori as ‘mauri’ or ‘lifeforce’ it is this understanding that enhances activities and behaviours wherever mauri is considered. Naturally, Māori at the decision

making table would make a massive contribution for all of Hawke’s Bay in future proofing the outlook of our region. However, because the concept of Māori constituencies is complex, there is the potential for unintended consequences particularly for mana whenua, but also for all local Māori. At a local and regional level I believe significant consideration is needed to prioritise ‘which Māori’ (mana whenua or those Māori who have migrated from elsewhere) are more suitable in terms of exercising both manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga when it comes to decisions over the management of our region’s taonga (natural treasures). At present a number of different avenues for Māori representation are before the Regional Council for consideration, both voting and non-voting. The voting avenue includes nine Post-Settlement Governance Entitities that are hapū based and sit alongside nine democratically elected regional coucillors to vote by majority on the region’s management of our taonga. At the non-voting avenue we have our Māori committee which is comprised of twelvemarae-based appointees from our four taiwhenua who provide advice and direction to Council on

matters pertaining to Māori interests. While Māori committee members can’t technically be included in binding votes, signficant consideration is given to their direction. I foresee challenges with Māori wards through the Local Electoral Act 2001. The Act is ambivalent when it comes to who can stand in a Māori ward seat if created. There is no requirement that the person descends or has whakapapa to the region in which they’re standing. They don’t even need to be Māori and just need to be nominated by two Māori persons registered on the roll. Ridiculous I know! The creation of Māori constituencies therefore has the potential to undermine these already established mana whenua-based decision making committees. My whanaunga (relatives) in Ngāi Tahu have considered this possibility and instead have pivoted towards working with Environment Canterbury to seek a more meaningful approach to safeguarding mana whenua interests through a legislative mechanism. This better ensures the ‘right Māori’ in the ‘right seat’. Let’s not forget Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed by chiefs

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Hinewai Ormby. Photo: Florence Charvin

on behalf of their people of that land, mana whenua. In short Ngāi Tahu said ‘no thanks’ to using the Local Electoral Act to meet their peoples’ needs for representation. Another consideration is that not all Māori in Hawke’s Bay are on the Māori electoral roll. For those who are, their choice of who they can vote for, if a Māori constituency is established, is restricted to just those standing in their geographic Māori constituency only. Looking through a vague crystal ball, and based on the Māori electorate hot spots being Heretaunga and Napier, it could be that Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay lose out in local representation for those Māori-roll voters. I certainly know in the context of my hapū Ngāti Paarau, based in Waiohiki, we would consider very carefully whether somebody from outside our rohe/area was mandated with the elected ‘Māori’ voice when it comes to speaking on behalf of our perceived interests. So if we were to establish 1 or 2 Māori constituencies (a ‘detail’ yet to be decided upon) within the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council ready for the 2022 elections, here will be the highlights. If a council doesn’t already have Māori councillors at the decision making table (in my view mana whenua is best), and need this to establish Māori with voting rights, creating a designated constituency is one possible way

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“When I first decided to run for the Regional Council in mid-2019, I was said to be at a distinct disadvantage because I was young, a woman and Māori.” HINEWAI ORMSBY

to achieve it. To me, a more worthwhile proposition for the outlook of our region is constitutional transformation toward meaningful ‘built by Māori for Māori’ representation, which the Local Electoral Act will struggle to give in its current form. It’s more likely this Act may suck the energy out of larger productive conversation for mana whenua aspirations. A fit for purpose approach should be something for the Local Government Minister to ponder with her cabinet colleagues in future amendments. In late March I ran a two-day wānanga/workshop with Hastings District Councillor Bayden Barber,

about how to run and be elected to local government. This wānanga had 16 incredibly talented and voracious Māori attend from both the North and South Islands where they learned everything from how to design and erect a billboard, to how to best present your views and ideas so that it builds consensus and agreement with both your community and other councillors. During the wānanga I shared my personal experiences in both running for the Regional Council and sitting on it. When I first decided to run for the Regional Council in mid-2019, I was said to be at a distinct disadvantage because I was young, a woman and Māori. However, I knew that I had been nurtured by whānau in my upbringing giving me suitable skills in my toolbox to get there. When I needed to deliver pamphlets into people’s letter boxes to tell people the reasons to vote for me, I had 200 friends and whānau willing to door knock on my behalf. I had dozens of aunties and uncles calling me up asking me to use their fence for a billboard, and I had nine friends and family willing to drive around town with my billboard plastered on their back windscreens. My own experiences prove that the narrative of Māori being unelectable doesn’t stack up. My view is that if you are good enough and do the mahi you will succeed, and I’ve proven it.

At the conclusion of our wānanga there was a collectiveness of thought that tino rangatiratanga is best exercised for ourselves as Māori people, and us alone. We have the skills, connections, and abilities most suited for politics, all we need is to give it a go. Regardless of my personal views, we as a council are undecided at this point because we want to hear from our public both Māori and non-Māori as to how we best give effect to our Treaty of Waitangi obligations. We need to hear from our communities on such an important constitutional matter, so I am looking forward to hearing the public’s submissions and views on this very topic in early May. We will as Hawke’s Bay regional councillors, by 21 May, decide on whether to establish one or two Māori constituencies across Hawke’s Bay ready for the 2022 Local Government Elections, or wait to discuss it again in 2024, or explore other avenues. This decision will not be made lightly, nor should it be for any council or councillor in Aotearoa. For me personally if as a council we vote to establish Māori wards for the 2022 Local Government election, I’ll choose to run in a general seat.

Face the future By Tom Belford I respect enormously the points of view and underlying values reflected in Martin and Hinewai’s columns. On the issue of Māori participation in governance, my strong inclination is treat addressing the future as far more important to the nation’s well-being than interpreting the past. Like other attractive magnet countries, New Zealand is destined to become an ever more multi-cultural society, whether any of our racial or ethnic groups like it or not. We will need to welcome, respect and celebrate each other’s histories, cultural mores and embedded values. In our democratic system, the future is not the place for identity politics and policies, whatever their historic or other rationale. From social equity to environmental survival, we need to embrace a larger common good filled with lofty aspirations and work together – as equals – to achieve it. To be sure, unconscionable injustices were inflicted historically on this country’s Māori population and, as Martin notes, the effects linger. But the avenue for redressing those

wrongs – as much as they could be and with fairness acknowledged by the aggrieved parties – has been the Treaty Settlement process. There, the nation has appropriately looked into its past and sought to make amends … morally and materially. Martin says we should not “forget our history” – the Treaty Settlement process clearly has not been about forgetting history. He also says we should not “simply ‘build a bridge’ and get on as if one people …” I say we must. Equality in every sense – socially, culturally, economically, politically – will require far more personal investment and commitment for years on the part of every New Zealander as the nation becomes more diverse … so much more than token seats on local councils. Hinewai, as I read her, addresses the ‘Māori seats’ from that perspective. Yes, representation must be authentic, but, facing forward, how is that best accomplished? I don’t know; that requires more dialogue. And as she makes clear, Māori themselves aren’t agreed. Ensuring equality for all New Zealanders going forward deserves a far more robust solution and shared commitment than the divisive band aid offered by dedicated seats.

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IDEAS + OPINION PAUL PAYNTER

Housing fix requires political courage The housing crisis is politically unique. I can’t even recall an issue for which every political party and every voter agrees on the solution – build more houses. It is well known that one of the biggest drivers for house price appreciation is migration. If you see net migration on the rise and if making capital gains is your objective, it’s a good time to buy a house. In the five years to December 2014 the average net migration was a paltry 7,500 people annually. In this postGFC world house price growth was reasonably muted. In the subsequent 6 years to December 2020 net migration averaged more than 57,000 a year. We’re at an interesting juncture because we’re about to cross the point where we’ve had more migration to New Zealand under Ardern’s Labour government that under the previous administration. It’s officially Labour’s housing crisis. Like many others I was critical of the John ‘do nothing’ Key government, but the current lot have severe limitations too. The failure of the Right is that they ‘don’t care’ and can be too accepting of problems in society. Conversely the Left think they can ’fix everything’ and usually leave us with cumbersome bureaucracy and unintended consequences. We should be content, as lurching back and forth between the two is probably not a bad way for a country to make progress. I have a soft spot for Labour because in my pimply youth, David Lange’s government came to power and boldly restructured our economy. They got plenty wrong but showed vision and courage I haven’t seen since. I much prefer politicians who take some risks rather than just try to hold onto the job as long as they can. One of the greatest delusions of the

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Left is that justice is their motivation and the outcome they seek. History often reveals that jealousy and revenge are motivators and a desire for power the objective above all else. This is most eloquently surmised by Nietzsche: “Let it be very justice for the world to become full of the storms of our vengeance” – thus do they talk to one another. “We shall wreak vengeance and abuse on all whose equals we are not” – thus do the tarantula-hearts vow. “And ‘will to equality’ shall henceforth be the name for virtue; and against all that has power we want to raise our clamour!”

student my landlords were a retired couple, who supplemented their superannuation by owning a rental property. They were lovely people and even mowed our lawns for us, which served the dual purpose of keeping them fit and allowing them to keep an eye on us. Down the road, there were two two-story flats that had been constructed by a late-career builder, who fancied managing these four flats would provide him a path to early retirement. The residents loved him because he was the ultimate maintenance man. Ordinary people invest in rentals because they fancy it’s better than bank interest and they don’t trust the sharemarket. They are mostly ordinary people who own just one rental property. None of the landlords I’ve encountered could be described as ‘rich people’.

The issue is too many people and not enough houses. Who owns the houses is not the primary problem.

Not enough houses … full stop The issue is too many people and not enough houses. Who owns the houses is not the primary problem. My rent has gone up a couple of times in the last year and I can’t say I’m happy about it, but I keep paying. Landlords are in the business of making money and are universally thrilled with the recent house price boom. It makes sense to me that, if you have one rental and ten prospective tenants, a landlord might ask: ‘Who wants to pay me the most?’ That doesn’t make them bad people. Many are spending a great deal on improvements, such as insulation upgrades, which may be unaffordable to a firsthome buyer. Recent changes to legislation, most notably removing the tax deductibility of interest costs, might encourage some landlords to exit the property market, but this won’t make houses cheaper or put a roof over the heads

It seems that Labour is heading this direction, essentially lashing out at landlords and changing the rules of the game without public consultation. This is also a tried and proven political strategy – find someone to blame that isn’t the government. The problem is that history shows you don’t make the poor better off by making the rich worse off. Landlords are not the problem. I’d suggest they are more likely part of the solution. I’m a renter and have been for most of my life, preferring to put my money toward productive capacity. I’ve had eight landlords and known a great many more. All of them have been a middle-class battlers. When I was a

of the homeless. The doubling of the brightline test to 10 years is actually likely to make many landlords hold on to properties, which I doubt was its objective. It strikes me that the government wants to hurt the landlords that are making money, rather than actually address the problem. Demand and supply is the key factor that’s driving house prices. Auction prices go crazy when there are many bidders and few sellers. The triumph and tragedy in the room is palpable and it can be fabulously entertaining for the casual observer. Demand looks set to remain strong so the only meaningful solution is to build more houses. Kiwibuild failed to achieve this in the last term and my bet is they’ll fail again this time. We have a shortage of skilled tradespeople in New Zealand

and if you want a house built, most builders will pencil you in for sometime next year. So, in a market where the building industry is working at full capacity, how are you going to build more houses? The momentum here and abroad is towards pre-fabricated homes or ‘off-site’ building. They are faster and cheaper to build. The government have made some progress here and is in the process of passing specific legislation to streamline prefabs. The problem is that the leaky homes crisis still lingers and they are concerned about building quality. Once the legislation is passed the Government doesn’t plan to bring it into force for about 15 months while they work out the finer details. Legislators have known for years that our regulations are hopelessly unfriendly

to prefab buildings and that’s a key reason they are not commonplace here. Another barrier is the builders themselves, who would rather build in a traditional way rather than be trapped on a production line building the same wall 15 times each day. This remains an area in which Government could put in place game-changing incentives. If you really want to build houses fast, the best solution is to bring in 5,000 Filipino builders. They have good skill levels and not enough work at home. While accommodation is short here in Hawke’s Bay a great many tourist facilities are available in other regions of the country, so housing them is possible. Labour simply isn’t going to do this. The E tū union has complained previously about Filipino workers exploitation and Labour are in most respects ideologically opposed to migrant labour. Regulatory oversight is the only thing required to ensure workers are not exploited. Given a choice between managing the risk of exploitation and continuing to have people living with their children in the park, I know which I’d choose. Labour were elected on their handling of Covid-19, but their track record on housing will surely be a critical factor in the next election. There are plenty of levers for them to pull but it seems they lack the vision and courage to do so. Paul Paynter is our resident iconoclast and cider maker. Sometimes he grows stuff at Yummyfruit.

BEST BAR IN THE BAY PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF HASTINGS ALL CONSUMING SINCE 2013 MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 61

IDEAS + OPINION DOMINIC SALMON

Can Hawke’s Bay lead in low-carbon transport When faced with the reality of climate change and rising carbon emissions many simply feel there isn’t anything they can do personally to help. However, with the rise of electrified transport and a willingness to rediscover the simplicity and efficiency of the humble bicycle, there are options which not only benefit the planet but your health and even your wallet. Transport makes up 21% of New Zealand’s annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is also the country’s fastest growing source of emissions, according to the Ministry for Transport. It’s also something we as individuals have a great amount of control over. Do I buy a big, emissions-heavy vehicle, or one that produces low or no emissions? Do I get in the car to go to corner store, a few blocks away, or do I walk or ride a bike? Even a ride of a few kilometres to work is no sweat on an e-bike. Simply changing the way we get around can have a big impact on our individual, and therefore national, GHG emissions. One study by the University of Auckland study estimates if just 5% of all short, vehicle-based urban trips were done by bike it would save about 22 million litres of fuel and reduce GHG emissions by about 54,000 tonnes. This would be the equivalent of permanently taking 18,000 cars off the road. When you consider the country’s total transport emissions are around 16.6 million tonnes, there is no denying these individual actions are only a small part of the solution. However, they are a critical step in making an impact. On a larger scale, transport emissions need to be cut drastically if New Zealand is to affordably achieve carbon net zero. The positive news is the Climate Change Commission’s recent

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In Hawke’s Bay we have every reason to walk or bike more instead of driving. We have great weather, a huge network of cycleways (with more being built), and unless you live on Te Mata Peak or Napier’s Bluff Hill, there’s hardly an uphill in sight.

report on this target shows it can be achieved at a cost of just one percent of GDP a year between 2025 and 2035. We should lead the way In Hawke’s Bay we have every reason to walk or bike more instead of driving. We have great weather, a huge network of cycleways (with more being built), and unless you live on Te Mata Peak or Napier’s Bluff Hill, there’s hardly an uphill in sight. The physical and mental benefits of cycling are well known, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better way to exercise that suits all ages. If a traditional bike isn’t appealing, e-bikes are quickly becoming the staple among commuters and recreational riders alike. The most recent import data shows the number of e-bikes brought into New Zealand is rising rapidly year-on-year and is expected to overtake new passenger car sales within the next few years. This surge can only mean prices begin to drop in the new and second-hand markets. A big part of making a change in how we move around is simply to start. Since moving to our new office, the 3R team have found parking far less convenient, prompting those of us who live in Hastings or Havelock North to cycle to work more often – myself included. Now it’s become the norm for me, there’s little hesitation in hopping on the bike rather than in the car.

If cycling doesn’t appeal then the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council may have a convenient solution in the near future, with the proposal of a trial ‘on demand’ bus service. With access to a ‘virtual bus stop’, everyone in the trial area would be no more than 200 metres away from a bus stop and have an average wait of around eight minutes. We’ll always needs cars and trucks In a country like New Zealand we are always going to need vehicles to get ourselves and our stuff around. The question is, what type will they be? Vehicles which use alternative energy sources are undoubtedly the future, with major advances being made in battery technology, providing EVs with ranges which are comparable to their internal combustion forbears. Hydrogen technology, while not yet having the commercial viability of electric vehicles, has shown great promise too. Car manufacturers are also investing more into this sector, particularly as governments in key markets such as the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, some states in the USA, China, India, Japan, and other Asian countries ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The majority of these bans will kick in from as soon as 2030. Back at home in the Bay, Firstgas Group announced last month a facility in the region to produce ‘green hydrogen’ as zero-carbon alternative to natural gas. In its media release the company said, “the change to hydrogen could create dozens of jobs in a potential new regional energy industry: making hydrogen to power factories, homes and transport as well as to store energy for periods of high demand.” New Zealand has undoubtedly been behind the rest of the world in terms of adopting alternatives to ICE vehicles though, with few incentives

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Dominic Salmon loves cycling to work at least four times a week. Photo: Giselle Reid

to help offset the high purchase price of electric vehicles. The Clean Car Standard, set to kick in from 2023, is expected to go some way to lowering the price of electric vehicles, but more is certainly needed to incentivise the public. The heavy transport sector, which predominantly uses high-emitting diesel engines, is also seeing progress towards alternative drive trains. As one example, last month SEA Electric in Australia announced volume production of its first locally-assembled electric trucks to be sold through 15 dealerships. In New Zealand we have also seen companies trialling electric trucks in their fleets. It’s about cultural change Reducing transport emissions goes beyond technology or infrastructure – as Bernard Hickey recently put it “Our love of suburban homes and double-cab utes is an enormously powerful cultural force.” He goes on to say that meeting our emissions targets would need significant changes in how we make short trips (under 10km) and heavy investment in high

density housing and public transport infrastructure. At a recent breakfast put on by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, summed it up something like this: “This is the year of reckoning for climate change. We’ve spent three decades talking about it, but emissions have just gone up. Things are doable but whether they get done is up to us.” So perhaps it’s time to pump up those tyres or lace up your walking shoes, and not only improve your health but help us downshift our emissions. It might be a cliché, but there’s no denying small changes make a big difference. Dominic works on sustainable solutions at 3R Group. 3R design, implement and manage product stewardship schemes for individual businesses or industry-wide groups. They also help businesses take a fresh look at their waste to first minimise and then recover what would otherwise be wasted.

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IDEAS + OPINION CHARLES DAUGHERTY

‘Back to normal’? Not so fast, Air New Zealand Covid-19 has been tough on our National Carrier, Air New Zealand, shaving hundreds of millions off the bottom line and turning it into a primarily domestic airline. The hit was brutal. Earlier this year, Air NZ reported that international flights dropped from over 30,000 in 2019 to under 10,000 in 2020. Despite a strong domestic recovery, passenger numbers decreased from 17.6 million in 2019 to 8.4 million in 2020. Declining international passenger numbers proved challenging to our domestic tourism industry generally, which had experienced a decade and more of unprecedented growth. The losses were balanced by relief for those regions which have experienced unsustainable demands on infrastructure and the natural environment. The future of air travel generally is vexing from an environmental perspective, as described in considerable detail by Paul Callister and Wallace Rae (BayBuzz, February 2020). Contributing “to 4.9% of human-caused climate change,” Callister and Rae call air transport “New Zealand’s emission elephant in the room.” Our nation’s disproportionate dependence on international transport means added responsibility for its adverse impacts, yet the 2021 Draft Advice for Consultation of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) simply defers consideration of this topic until at least 2024. So, I am pleased that the report on sustainable tourism by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton proposes a distancebased passenger tax on air fares. Increased air fares could raise as much as $400 million annually, while reducing visitor numbers. Sir Jonathon Porritt, a British environmentalist and Air New Zealand’s chief environmental adviser, supports

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higher airfares, telling Newsroom that reducing “thoughtless, heedless tourism” would be a positive step. Porritt proposes that funds raised by the price hike be used to purchase offsets for greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to environmental initiatives in New Zealand and the Pacific region.

Pumping enormous and growing fossil carbon emissions into the atmosphere was never normal, and it wasn’t a good thing.

‘Normal’ … a good thing? This discussion is occurring as public media are full of stories about people and businesses desperate to return to normal. I propose we banish the phrase ‘back to normal’, especially with respect to air travel. What was normal anyway? Was it a good thing? Pumping enormous and growing fossil carbon emissions into the atmosphere was never normal, and it wasn’t a good thing. Instead of working to climb out of the disastrous hole of climate change, we were simply digging in faster. As one of five million shareholders of Air New Zealand, I’m concerned about the revenue reduction of almost $5 billion in 2020. As a New Zealander, I’m deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the 4,000 staff who lost their jobs. However, as one of almost eight billion citizens of the world, I’m even more deeply worried about the disasters that climate change will impose upon the future and our descendants. The world changed in 2020, as it always does, and the world of 2019

won’t return. I’m pleased, because the pandemic offers an opportunity to create a new, better, changed world, and a better national airline. Let’s not waste this extraordinary opportunity by failing to listen to the voices and wisdom of people such as Upton and Porritt. But we must go beyond their recommendations. Post-2020, in a world of climate emergencies, growing Air New Zealand’s business in its traditional form means growing carbon emissions. That’s no longer acceptable. Both the CCC report and the sustainable tourism report make clear that planting more forests is not sufficient to replace fossil carbon emissions. Our national responsibility is to stop injecting fossil carbon into the atmosphere. Carbon-free flight is a dream now, but the only acceptable pathway for growing air passenger numbers to pre-2020 levels requires major emission reductions. Air New Zealand needs to recognise that planting trees no longer meets their environmental obligations. Then, they need to commit to joining international collaborations to achieve carbon-free flight by 2050, while reducing emissions dramatically between now and then. Carbon-free flight is not too high a target. Air New Zealand’s business model now must prioritise the environmental bottom line and aim to leave our descendants a decent world to live in. What about flying? One last point: Only if we look at our own behaviours and re-think our travel futures, is it fair for commentators (i.e., me and many others) to pontificate about airline emissions. I’ve missed travel as much as anyone. I’ve missed my family, most of whom live in Australia and the US. It feels urgent to see them again, to hug them. But like businesses that changed in

2020, I and millions of others learned that technologies like Zoom can connect us with people important to us easily, frequently, and cheaply. The need for international travel is reduced. As a result, I saw and spoke to family more than during the previous 40 years since I moved to New Zealand. We feel closer as a family.

The urgency to be with family remains, and I’ll continue to talk with them more than ever via the web. But before flying internationally to be with them again, I’ll think harder than I did pre-2020 about the costs my travel might impose on nature and future generations. I won’t be going back to a heedless, thoughtless normal.

Charles Daugherty is Emeritus Professor of Ecology, Victoria University. Awarded an ONZM for his work on tuatara ecology and management. A former trustee of Zealandia, he’s involved with Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay since retiring to Hawke’s Bay, serving as chair of the trust board, but writing in his personal capacity.

We felt like a change, do you? navigatoraccounting.co.nz

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Lee Bowler, weaver

Culture

Arts accessibility in Creative Space Story by Kay Bazzard. Photos by Tom Allan The recent announcement by Minister for Culture and Heritage, Carmel Sepuloni of an $18 million injection of funding for the Creative Spaces Initiative brings into focus accessibility to the arts for all. This is a new fund offered in two rounds over three years that is designed to remove barriers to participation in the arts and culture and support community groups struggling with limited funding to grow and expand their services. Creativity through art often enables people with physical, cognitive and health challenges to express themselves and their perception of the world with a high degree of competence, not otherwise available to them through language and usual community interactions in daily living. Provision of creative spaces for this community in Hawke’s Bay is Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay, RealPeople@Mosaic and more recently, by Raukatauri Music Therapy – these being the only ones listed on the Arts Access Aotearoa website. It begs the question how well are mental health or rehabilitating stroke sufferers, the homeless, those struggling with poverty and overcrowding being catered for in Hawke’s Bay? Is ‘arts for all’ available locally in low-decile communities or elder-care facilities, for example? Can physically and mentally disabled people join in on an equal level as they do at facilities in Auckland and elsewhere? At this point it is difficult to know, but this announcement may signal a turning point for wider provision of free arts access for all.

What is ‘creative space’

The Arts Access Aotearoa website says: “Creative spaces are organisations and places where people who experience barriers to participation can make art, or participate in artistic activities

such as theatre, dance, circus, music, film and creative writing. Barriers to participation include intellectual or physical disability, neurological conditions, mental ill health, age-related vulnerability (elderly or youth at risk), cultural isolation or poverty. These organisations and groups provide space, resources and assistance in ways that will lead to self-expression, empowerment and self-development through making art or participating in artistic activities.” Hōhepa’s Creative Works provides an example. The Napier studio is part of the extensive Rudolf Steiner community comprising a fully functioning school, organic dairy farming and horticulture, numerous residential homes and workspaces based in Poraiti, Clive and Napier. The workshop-cum-studio was opened three years ago in Tennyson Street, primarily focused on weaving and candle making. It is a large and beautiful space providing work and art therapy for about 40 people with special needs, supported and mentored by four full-time staff Julia Scholl, Yasmin Dubrau, Ruth Schirge, Danny McKellow and Toni Mckie. It’s a great place to work – light and airy with natural wood floors and exposed brick walls and with a cheerful collegial atmosphere. There are 24 looms of various sizes and levels of complexity, producing beautiful woollen products. The processes being engaged in are satisfying and creative and a number of their service-users are long-time members with a high level of weaving experience and skill. In the candle shop 12 people are engaged in the manufacture of pure beeswax high-quality candles. Everyone here is incredibly proud of their work and they love to welcome in visitors and members of the public. Some may reside in Hōhepa housing located at Clive and Poraiti, others live in sheltered housing in the community

or are living with their families and quite a number are referrals by the Ministry of Social Development for ‘community engagement’. The joy of coming to work each day and the companionship provided by working together is evident. The work is meaningful on many levels – creatively, productively and socially. Wood and stone carving also feature in the Hōhepa creative activities as well as kapa haka, eurythmy, choir singing, music, speech and drama as forms of therapy.

Hōhepa’s future projects

Hōhepa HB has submitted a Creative Spaces funding application for two projects designed to extend their creative activities. The focus for both projects is on creativity as an everyday experience for people who are otherwise overlooked and excluded through a narrowed vision of their capabilities and aptitudes. The first is in dramatic performance with the expansion of the existing Hōhepa drama club to become a drama school. The goal is developing performance skills, with a large-scale annual production and workshops throughout the year in collaboration with Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ (SGCNZ) employed as part of the programme delivery. The second project is developing skills in ceramics as a creative enterprise. It is intended that both will be developed into a permanent resource for the region’s disability sector. A percentage of spaces in both projects will be reserved for students not supported by Hōhepa. Māori with disabilities will be specifically approached and there will be an emphasis on ensuring te ao Māori is recognisable to improve service uptake. The ceramics studio and the drama school will be easily accessed by people with intellectual disabilities from the wider community, alongside other interested people and groups willing to support the studio on a voluntary basis. All activities operate within the Rudolf Steiner philosophy, a holistic and spiritual way of looking at the world that Santiago DeMarco, Hōhepa’s general manager, describes as “the art of being human” – to engage in meaningful work by participating and contributing to the community as a whole.

Hastings District Council is proud to sponsor BayBuzz culture and lifestyle coverage. MAY/JUNE 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 67

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Megan Chui, weaver; James Parkinson, candle maker; Ruth Schirge, candle studio manager (left) and Julia Scholl, weaving studio manager (right).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Caroline Wilson, candle maker; Emma Lawson, weaver; Angus Perret, weaver; Greta Dinneen, candle maker.

“Every life fully lived,” is the Hōhepa mission statement. Historically, ‘creative spaces’ is not a new concept. Helen Clark’s Labour Government saw creative spaces blossom around the country thanks to generous arts funding and were open to all. Some still operate like that, but under John Key’s National Government, adult education was scrapped in the 2009 budget along with community funding for the arts and creative spaces, narrowing access.

More creative spaces

Other local groups that fit the description ‘creative spaces’ include RealPeople@Mosaic and Raukatauri Music Therapy. The latter, recently extended to Hawke’s Bay, was founded in Auckland 20 years ago by Hinewehi Mohi, who has since returned home to live in Hawke’s Bay. The Auckland group serves 500 people and was named for Hine’s daughter Raukatauri. Born with severe cerebral palsy, she responded so well when exposed to music therapy in the UK, Hine sought out music therapists here and established this much valued service.

Locally, music therapist, Will Darbyshire is working mainly through Tamatea High School a few days a week and one day is spent at Havelock North Function Centre. He is also working with participants at Mangaroa Prison. RealPeople@Mosaic in Taradale is the distinctive mosaic-clad building in Gloucester Street adjacent to the residential home, Rowan House, run by Enliven for people with disabilities. Mosaic offers ACE (adult & community education) courses to students with different abilities in the areas of numeracy, literacy and computer literacy, plus art and craft activities, music therapy and pottery. It was originally conceived as a ‘creative space’ in the widest sense – i.e., all-inclusive access to all with artist volunteers in support, but that is no longer the case due to funding cuts. With the new ‘Arts for All’ Creative Spaces fund now available, there may be groups within the Hawke’s Bay region that qualify – groups that are already supporting people with mental health conditions or those who for other reasons are socially isolated and unable to participate in creative activities. Funding applications for the next round opens early in May 2021.

Creative spaces More than 11,000 people use creative spaces throughout Aotearoa. The Ministry estimates the fund will grow that by an additional 2,000 people. There is great diversity; some spaces are part of community daycare programmes, hospitals or training centres, but most are community-based and operate as independent trusts. This is the first funding opportunity as part of the $70 million Te Tahua Whakahaumaru Creative Arts Recovery Employment (CARE) Fund announced in May as part of Budget 2020. Arts Access Aotearoa is an agency partnered with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to facilitate access to funding. It has appointed two specialist advisors whose role is to support the application process and the recipients over the longerterm. Potential applicant groups are encouraged to take advantage of the Arts Access advisory assistance. fundingsupport@artsaccess.org.nz

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Caption. Photos: Florence Charvin

Culture

Wine … Matisse style Story by Lizzie Russell Photos by Florence Charvin It’s mid-March and I’m at a third birthday party. Smoke rises from the Asado and twists up into the fairy and festoon lights, Malbec flows and the Argentinian-style beef is succulent and moreish. The mad, bright colours on the wall glow as dusk descends. We’re not singing the Happy Birthday song, but for the few dozen of us there, it’s a happy moment, representing three years of a changed Herschell Street in Central Napier – three years of Matisse Wine Shop and Bar. A couple of weeks later I’m perched at the bar, chatting with owner Nadia Nazaryeva about the establishment of this – one of the city’s favourite food and drink spots – and more recently the retail solution to all our take-home wine desires. The barn-like space was once the Napier Club, and then vacant for over a year before she brought in a structural engineer and began work to transform it into its colourful, spacious-but-cosy and totally unique current iteration. In such a visual setting, the story comes as a series of striking images. Nadia back in Moscow, as a student, sitting on a museum bench taking in the Matisses. And later, tearing about the city as a marketing exec for a real estate development firm. Wide-eyed travel through Australia and New Zealand in 2008 and 2009. Nadia on a beach in Koh Samui, glass of rose in hand, realising that to move to New Zealand, she’d need a skill more transferable than Moscow-style marketing … So how about retraining as a winemaker? Fast forward a couple of years and Nadia is on the EIT one year

Then come the tougher second year. Then the pandemic lockdown. Like many local restaurants, it was a time to innovate and reach out. Matisse Bar had always had an offlicense, but now was its time to shine.

post-grad winemaking course, doing the 5-day practicum at Sileni and realising she is NOT made to make wine. “I realised very quickly that is wasn’t for me,” she says with a smile, “But I thought, I absolutely still love wine!” The idea to create a bar celebrating New Zealand wines while introducing the local audience to interesting styles from overseas firmed itself up on the end-of-course trip to Gisborne

and Auckland. But of course, even with encouragement from her mum back home and her new contacts here, Matisse was to be a couple of years in the dreaming and planning. Two years of cellar door work and vintages at Linden Estate in the Esk Valley and a lot of sleepless nights, immigration stress, wine study, renovation and paint and then, splash – the place opened to an enthusiastic crowd in March 2018. The first year was the honeymoon, Nadia says. Then come the tougher second year. Then the pandemic lockdown. Like many local restaurants, it was a time to innovate and reach out. Matisse Bar had always had an off-license, but now was its time to shine. The team offered wine package delivery and kept in touch with their locals. Since then, the focus on retail has continued to grow. Head past the wine chiller and you’re greeted by the sunken space that was seating in the

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Two Napier hospo stalwarts Gaston Sarlangue (putting his extensive wine knowledge to use focusing on building the retail arm of the business) and Nils Kühlsen (name a better cocktail bartender in the Bay, I’ll wait…) have the front of house covered. “My right and my left hands,” Nadia calls them. past (and rumour has it, a pool way back in the day) and you find the wine shop. Every wine on the bar’s extensive list is here for sale to take away – around 300 and growing. Nadia says decisions are made for the most part in a half rational/half emotional manner. And the overall objective is to build a library of wine, so the two questions to ask of each potential wine are: 1. Is it good? And 2. Does it fill a gap? The vintage library ladder, the mural of Matisse’s The Dance, the stacks of wine from truly ALL over the world … you could spend hours just reading labels. But then again, you’re likely to be lured back up to the seating area to taste something interesting (and I don’t think we’re really meant to climb the ladder without supervision).

Two Napier hospo stalwarts Gaston Sarlangue (putting his extensive wine knowledge to use focusing on building the retail arm of the business) and Nils Kühlsen (name a better cocktail bartender in the Bay, I’ll wait…) have the front of house covered. “My right and my left hands,” Nadia calls them. The third year has seen the operation steady itself. Like many Hawke’s Bay hospitality and retail businesses, there has been a bit of a boom post-Covid-19. Maybe it’s the natural progression of being around past the two-year mark, Nadia muses. Maybe it’s the fact that we all wanted to get out after lockdown, and we’ve kept going out, more. Much of it must be down to the lift in visitors from around New Zealand while the borders remain closed.

Bound to be a mixture of all of that, plus the Baby Bandito Stay Brave orange Chenin Blanc from South African winery Testalonga that’s currently on glass pour. (When it’s served in the special orange wine glasses – stemless with little finger divets – your weekday after-work tipple is automatically elevated to a special occasion.) And the lamb kofta. That sprinkling of juicy pomegranate seeds. And the house-made focaccia. So, it’s a combination, a long list of ingredients, and time. But there’s plenty of that to come. As the wine store grows, so too do the hours. Matisse is now open from midday (previously 4pm) until late, Wednesday to Saturday and midday until 7pm on Sundays.

with our new head chef we invite you to enjoy our Autumn menu a contemporary taste of Aotearoa | classical influence & local inspiration fabulous brunches from 10am | full & changing lunches from 12 noon superbly matched with our renowned range of wines Te Awanga Hawke’s Bay

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Culture O P I NI O N / I A N T H O M AS

Square meals versus Superfoods My grandfather – Thomas Thomas, of the Tonypandy Thomases – lived to a ripe old age of eighty-something, despite being oblivious to the existence of Superfoods, unless you include the odd spoonful of cod liver oil. He worked in the meat department at The Coop and claimed to have given rides on his bacon slicer. He stopped that practice when he started getting a little behind with his orders. Previous to that he’d made two trips overseas, both times to France during WW1, having been sent home wounded in between. His preferred mode of transport was a pair of highly polished black leather boots in which he went about his business and took his morning constitutional up Thistle Terrace. A non-smoker, his alcohol intake was minimal and his diet was nutritionally sound, if repetitive. The goji berry and avocado supply to the Rhondda Valley was notoriously poor back in granddad’s time, but he was never heard to complain about it. So I wonder then, how many extra years he could have lived had he gained access to today’s myriad Superfoods? My guess is none at all. You see, the diet of one hundred years ago was all real food, much of it super and very little of it processed. Tinned fish and leafy greens were staples. Moderation was forced by circumstance and exercise was had daily due to the lack of a car. Superfoods back then were combined in a meat and three veg combo in order to cover all of the bases. This was often referred to as a good square meal. Smoothies were freshly shaved chins. The food processing industry was just starting to use thickeners, fillers and added colours. The race to offer the cheapest processed foods was only beginning.

Living on a diet of spirulina, wheatgrass, flax seeds, and green tea won’t make you live longer BUT it will seem like a lot bloody longer.

Gradually since then, our diets have become a mess of processed food and ever changing recommendations. They’ve been infiltrated by ingredients that are not nutritious at the expense of the goodness that only real food can provide. It’s our own collective fault, because we want cheap food. So we’re getting, quite literally, what we’re paying for. Add the swinging pendulum of nutritional advice to the mix. Fat is good, fat is now bad, eggs are bad, eggs are now good. And the result is a confused populace convinced that food should be cheap, but oblivious to the fact that cheap food is not usually nutritious food. Confuse and conquer is the marketer’s plan. Sugar is ubiquitous, sweet as! Cheap and easy and a good preservative. Our dietary predicament is real. Enter then, Superfoods. The foods that will save us all. Instead of mending our ways and our menus we now lean on Team Super, when surely a return to the good square meal and a little moderation would be a better idea. Peel back the lid on a tin of sardines and eat your greens! That sounds so much more palatable than a turmeric latte. Living on a diet of spirulina, wheatgrass, flax seeds, and green tea won’t make you live longer BUT it will seem like a lot bloody longer. We strike deals with ourselves. A burger

and a few beers today and I’ll go to the gym and eat blueberries tomorrow. One good cinnamon yoghurt trumps a cheeky drive-through. Like the citizens of Metropolis or Gotham City we’re relying on the Super(food) heroes to fix what we’ve neglected. It seems so much easier than addressing the problem. We’re too far removed from our food supply and holding any notion of what we should eat. Just beware that all Superfoods are not made equal. While some of the Supergroup are clearly dense, delicious bombs of goodness others have less convincing biographies. The buzzwords and catch-phrases used today to convince us of the need to add a little Super to our diets are often spurious and allude to nonspecific quantities of miracle components – ‘loaded with’, ‘thought to be responsible for a multitude of health benefits’, ‘brimming with antioxidants’. It’s easy to imagine a cheeky Victorian era potion pedlar using these very words. There has always been a gullible market at the ready for elixirs. Something to fix what ails you and lengthen your life is just what the ‘Doctor’ ordered. Michael Pollan (look him up if you’re not aware of him) said “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Seems sensible. Thomas Thomas never heard of Michael Pollan, but ate in that way through necessity as did a large majority of his contemporaries. The argument for us to return to a simpler, fresher, plant-based diet is compelling, but what then of the food processing conglomerates and snake oil sellers? We can’t worry about them if we’re to turn back from eating foods that are killing us and killing the planet. The Superfood alliance is not going to save us. Actually, no one is going to save us. Photo: Florence Charvin

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Culture WEL L B E I N G / H A Z E L T HO M AS

Sleep and your health I’ve heard many of my friends and clients say that they don’t need a lot of sleep. You may be surprised by the consequences of too little sleep. Habitually sleeping less than six or seven hours a night suppresses your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer. It is also a lifestyle indicator of whether you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Bottom line, the less you sleep the shorter your lifespan. In my book, that’s something to take seriously. We are the only species that intentionally deprive ourselves of sleep without any benefit, according to Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep. How do we benefit from sleep? It keeps our weight in check. Lack of sleep also switches off a hormone that tells us we are sated and boosts a hormone that makes us feel hungry despite being full. If you don’t sleep enough, you will eat more, which is a recipe for weight gain. How often have you gone to bed with a problem and woken up feeling clear headed about the direction you need to take? Sleep enhances many functions, including resetting our emotional brain pathways, helping us to deal with the many challenges we face on a daily basis, calmly and with clarity. As a nutritionist, I believe that having a resilient immune system is vital to our health. Sleep replenishes our immune system, which helps us to resist cancer and infections. Sleep is essential in balancing our blood sugar. Sufficient sleep helps to keep our gut microbiome in good shape, which is the hub of our nutritional health. Sleep is also essential to keep our hearts healthy. Getting enough sleep should be easy, so why is it that so many of us are sleep deprived? Sadly, most of us are stressed,

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Habitually sleeping less than six or seven hours a night suppresses your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.

super-busy and are over-caffeinated. We live in a society that values productivity and activity above rest and relaxation. Sleep takes a back seat. What about your circadian rhythm? We all have one, but they differ from person to person. Your 24-hour clock will help you to determine when you want to be awake and when you want to sleep. Most people are either ‘larks’, early to bed and early to rise, ‘night owls’ who prefer to go to bed late and get up late or you may fall somewhere in the middle. Our modern world dictates that we should start work early and leave at a reasonable time. For the night owl’s rhythm, this can be challenging. If you are a night owl and trying to fit in, you may not get enough sleep and could be subject to higher rates of disease. Combine this with a dash of stress, poor diet and not enough play, the odds aren’t in your favour. The good news is that you can adjust your body clock if you want to. Managing stress is key, since this causes the circadian rhythm to go haywire. The problem with coffee as a solution, is that it gets you through your morning but messes up your sleep pattern at night. The causes of sleep disorders are wide and varied. To find the solution for you, you may need help in identifying what the underlying cause of the

problem is in the first place. What can you do to sleep better right now? The first step is to make sleep a priority. Set a goal of getting at least eight hours of sleep a night. Ways to achieve a good night’s sleep include: • Aim to have a regular schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time creates a sleep rhythm. Only use your bed for sleep and intimacy. Remove the television from the bedroom, since artificial light can disrupt brain activity and alter sleep hormones like melatonin. • Avoid digital devices and television for around two hours before bed. • Avoid alcohol as it causes interruptions in sleep and poor quality of sleep even though it will initially help you to fall asleep. • Avoid tea and coffee since both disrupt sleep rhythms. • Avoid eating three hours before going to bed. • Aim to get at least 20 minutes of sunshine every day, preferably in the morning since this will trigger your brain to release hormones that regulate sleep cycles. • Switch you phone and WIFI off at night and keep devices in a different room to your bedroom. • Write down anything that is on your to do list or worrying you in a notebook next to your bed and let yourself know that tomorrow you’ll feel more refreshed to come up with clear and practical solutions. • Perform light yoga or stretching before bed. • Do meditation, guided visualisations or breathing to calm your mind and help you to drift into sleep. These are the basics to kick start better sleeping patterns. On the supplement front, magnesium is a good place

blueberries, green tea, almonds and other colourful vegetables. Look at why you may be stressed and how you can manage this better on a day to day basis. Getting enough sleep is a great way to start working on your gut and mental health. Sleep is an essential part of our lives. It helps our body to rest, recharge and repair. If you want your immune system to work optimally, you need to sleep optimally. Sleep is a gift. Combine sleep with good nutrition and sufficient exercise, you could be beating the odds to living a long and healthy life. Sleep is the essential ingredient that nourishes our brain and body every day. Hazel Thomas is a registered clinical nutritionist with a special interest in gut health, food sensitivities and children’s health.

to start. Most people are deficient in this mineral and it’s not toxic at daily doses up to 800mg. If you are still struggling to sleep and need advice on other supplements, I would recommend that you talk to a qualified nutritionist or healthcare practitioner for advice. You may have food sensitivities, thyroid problems,

hormonal imbalances and other factors interfering with your sleep. It’s never too late to make changes to your lifestyle. Include foods in your diet that are healthy and will boost your immunes system such as leafy greens, garlic, broccoli, ginger, mushrooms, healthy fats (olive oil, fatty fish and seeds), turmeric, organic chicken,

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.

100 years of holding hands Since 1921, Royston Hospital has prided itself on its superior healthcare, and its comprehensive range of surgical services. We’re proud to be part of Hawke’s Bay’s medical past - and lead its innovative future for our community.

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Culture B O O KS / LO UI S E WA R D

Let’s talk about death, baby Murder, murder, murder. With a fairly loose look at world statistics for print fiction sales, crime thrillers appear to account for a huge chunk of it. Why are we so fascinated? Is it our obsession with our own mortality, the pacey procedural cat and mouse plotting, or the macabre instinct to peek at others’ misfortune, much as we might a car crash or a celebrity break up? Whatever it is, there are many such books to choose from, so let’s … Err … pick the eyes out of them. Historical fiction is pretty popular and in City of Vengeance D.V. Bishop presents us with an intricately woven plot that has characters striding and stalking the streets of Renaissance Florence. There is all the drama, squalor and corruption you’d expect of a city that swills its blood and guts into the Arno each evening whilst its ruler, Duke Alessandro de Medici, drinks and whores (author’s word, not mine) his privileged life away. The beacon of light in the darkness is more of a flickering candle in the form of grumpy and grizzled Cesare Aldo, officer of the criminal court, charged with at once protecting a Jewish moneylender, then with investigating the brutal murder of a courtesan (and later the death of the moneylender – whoops!). There are many more beatings and stabbings and bodily fluids swilled into the river, political machinations and a god-awful weasel of a filthy cop. Cesare stalks, strides and stomps (my one irritation with the writing – why can’t he just walk?) through the plot, following clues and solving crimes with 16th century technology: his eyes, his ears, and his nose for a lie.

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Bloodlust doesn’t confine itself to books for grown-ups. Even if we’re going to be nostalgic, The Chronicles of Narnia is full of lion torture and sword related injuries and the Brothers Grimm still have the monopoly on imprisoning and torturing children. I recently read a 2020 novel, Jefferson by Jean-Claude Moulevat, a chapter book intended for children of about 8 or 9 years and up. Jefferson is a sweet little hedgehog. He’s mild-mannered and likes to leave his cosy cottage neat as a pin and cook for his best friend, Gilbert the pig. He has a soft spot for Sophie the badger, niece of Mr Edgar who owns Cut and Dye hair salon. Jefferson is off to get his quiff trimmed (with the agenda of seeing Sophie) when he disturbs the scene of a murder. Found, quite literally, with blood on his hands, Jefferson flees and goes on the run with Gilbert to try and track down the real murderer and clear his name. What a conundrum of a book. It’s fabulous – gripping, funny and really rather sweet in its description of the friendship between Jeff and Gilbert and the animals they meet on their adventures. But there Mr Edgar lies, brutally murdered in cold blood, with a pair of scissors sticking out of his chest, and later on Gilbert is trapped in an abattoir overnight and traumatised by pigs crammed into pens with no room to move and sheep who know their throats will be slit in the morning. It’s pretty grown-up stuff. My daughter as an 8-year-old would have loved it and regaled us with all the gory bits over dinner. My son at that age (and possibly now) wouldn’t have a bar of it. I’m all for children meeting their heroes and demons in print, therefore being prepared for the best and worst of reality, and I’m all for matching the child with the book. Let them read

Jefferson, if they’re a macabre little reader with a strong stomach and a bent toward activism. For a society that reads so much fictional unpleasantness, we tend not to talk much about, or prepare for, our own demise. When I Die by Kathryn Perks is a book that can help with that. It’s a planner, so you fill in all sorts of things, the most useful of which are those you never would have thought about. Yes, there’s who do you want to have what, but there’s also space for what you would like done with your social media accounts, where all your financial stuff is, who’s currently got your copy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. If I’d had this when clearing out my mum’s house (she’s not dead, bless her, but has dementia), I would have known what her grand plan for all that string she’s collected for the past 60 years was. It doesn’t replace a will, but complements it greatly and this latest version even mentions such things as Sharesies which is bang up to date. So there you go. Food for thought and conversations to be had whilst we are still gloriously alive and able to read deliciously plotted murder mysteries in front of our roaring fires. Stay safe out there.

Culture MO LIZU Z ITEHRYUS B RSOA E LD L / PH JES OTO S S :OLUTA E E WA R B RREN A RRON

Well met We emerged from hibernation a year ago hungry for human contact beyond our own bubble-mates. Yet we were also enamoured with our newfound ability to ‘work from home’, ‘zoom in’, cyber this and virtual that. As we reentered the rat race we were faced with a dilemma: did we really need other people? We needed our family and close friends (those we were still talking to after five weeks in quarantine), but did we need actual contact with those other people: ‘colleagues’, ‘acquaintances’, ‘friends of friends’. Couldn’t we just continue to zoom and skype them, rather than share air IRL? How many of us went back to actual meetings after Lockdown? I tried. I put on grown-up clothes at the beginning of last May, found a pen that worked and my car keys. Then realised 70% of the other people attending the meeting were in out-of-the-way locales – The Catlins, Lower Hutt, Ponsonby – and would be attending virtually. I slipped back into my PJs, messaged I was stuck in Wairoa and zoomed in from the couch. I had to ease myself in to kanohi ki te kanohi. But now a year has passed and I’m ready to face the people again. Problem is I’m out of the practice of being in actual meetings: what to wear, where to sit, what to bring, when to write, when to listen. I had only just mastered the ability to watch episodes of Shameless on my phone while attending zoom meetings on my laptop and now I have to show up again and be present. I’m out of practice too at spotting a meeting when it’s heading my way. We’re all easing ourselves in by rebranding meetings: ‘meet-up’, ‘catch-up’, ‘reach-out’. Watch out for

80 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2021

The agenda and the minutes are not the important bits of a meeting. It’s being in the presence of other humans. It’s spotting the microgestures to see how people are. Having a zui isn’t the same as getting together in person. We miss out on the sharing of space and time.

the euphemistic ‘Coffee’. If you meet a ‘friend’ for a ‘coffee’ and they bring a pen and paper, just know you are actually meeting a ‘colleague’ for a ‘meeting’. If you don’t come away with a list of action points it’ll only be a matter of time before one arrives in your inbox. In the creative industries you are more likely to be invited to a ‘jam’, a ‘brainstorm’ or a ‘hang’ than a meeting. They are meetings, just in jobs too cool to use the power structures of the establishment. No minutes taken, just someone doing infographics on a smart board. When I worked in a high-pressure public servant job in London we regularly had ‘stand-up’ meetings: We literally stood up for the duration. Our boss had read a Be-A-Better-Boss book and his takeaway was that meetings were faster and more efficient if no one was comfortable. He also ran micro-meetings that were 15 minutes long and involved him telling us what we thought and us agreeing. We worked out that at the height of the project we could fit in 16 micro-meetings before lunch, as long as no one sat down. A year ago, us humanoids realised we could have a meeting without actually meeting. But we missed the point. The

agenda and the minutes are not the important bits of a meeting. It’s being in the presence of other humans. It’s spotting the micro-gestures to see how people are. Having a zui isn’t the same as getting together in person. We miss out on the sharing of space and time. Meeting is from the Old English metan: to fall in with, encounter, come into the same place with. Being in the presence of others is the most important bit. The rest can be done in other ways. The nuts and bolts of any meeting can happen via email. It’s the other bits that make meetings a worthwhile endeavour. For many of us work is our primary social interaction. Making meetings matter then is wellness work. Start by shaking hands. Make eye contact. Try a compliment, share a joke, ask after each other’s health, kids, hobbies. Use meetings to make contact that’s valid, to bolster the team, to strengthen the connections between workmates so they are more than just the people you share the water cooler with. The paperwork isn’t the point, the point is people. One year to the day after lockdown started, meeting a colleague for a catch up turned into lying on the grass under a tree in Cornwall Park having a chinwag. We abandoned the paperwork, no agenda sent the day before, no expectation of minutes tomorrow, just the two of us with the great expanse of a potential project unrolling in the space between us. More actual work was done in that hour than I’d accomplished in the four other meetings I’d had that day. Stand-up meetings might get us from agenda to action point, but liedown meetings speak directly to our human souls.

2021 HOME GAMES

SUN 2 MAY 3:00PM CANTERBURY RAMS

SAT 8 MAY 7:30PM SOUTHLAND SHARKS

SUN 16 MAY 5:00PM NELSON GIANTS

SUN 6 JUNE 3:00PM AUCKLAND HUSKIES

SAT 12 JUNE 7:30PM OTAGO NUGGETS

FRI 18 JUNE 7:30PM WELLINGTON SAINTS

SAT 26 JUNE 7:30PM FRANKLIN BULLS

SAT 10 JULY 7:30PM TARANAKI MOUNTAINAIRS

BAY HAWKS BAYHAWKSBASKETBALL NZBAYHAWKS HAWKS.ORG.NZ

THUR 15 JULY 7:30PM MANAWATU JETS

AWAY GAMES MAY 20 TARANAKI

MAY 21

MAY 30 CANTERBURY

JUNE 4 FRANKLIN

JUNE 20 MANAWATU

JUNE 27 WELLINGTON

JULY 3

JULY 4

THE TONY AWARDS

AUCKLAND OTAGO

MAY 29 NELSON SOUTHLAND

W I N N I N G C U LT C L A S S I C

EQUUS Story by

Peter Shaffer

DirecteD by

Anthony Collier

original MuSic coMpoSeD by

Craig McKinnon

“A GALVANIZING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER” -TIME MAGAZINE

Sep. 24 - Oct. 2

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