N 64 • MAY / JUNE 2022 • HAWKE’S BAY UP CLOSE, IN DEPTH
Puti’s gift: the teller of our tales
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Our addiction to pokies HB’s labour gap Media fails to deliver Sumptuous stews Meet ‘Good Farmers’
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64 BayBuzz May/June 2022 Pokies, an addiction for gamblers and communities alike. Are we organised to deal with regional issues effectively? Meet some environmental policy advocates. How well are schools and parents communicating? Labour shortages afflict HB economy. Sven Baker’s ‘Good Farmers’. Puti Lancaster gathered stories and inspired. Climate update – big picture plus changing your behaviour. What’s next for EIT? Let nature heal you. Eat stew. Read local authors. Find joy. Beat boredom. Cover photo: The late Puti Lancaster by Florence Charvin. This page: Gambling gives and takes. Photo: Jack Warren.
Follow us at: baybuzzhb Articles online at: baybuzz.co.nz Editorial enquiries editors@baybuzz.co.nz Advertising enquiries Mandy Wilson 027 593 5575 mandy@baybuzz.co.nz Reach BayBuzz by mail BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North
BayBuzz Team EDITOR: Tom Belford C&L EDITOR: Michal McKay SENIOR WRITERS: Kay Bazzard; Tom Belford; Abby Beswick; Rosheen FitzGerald; Bridget FreemanRock; Michal McKay; Keith Newman COLUMNISTS: Charles Daugherty; Andrew Frame; Fiona Fraser; Kate McLeay; Katie Nimon; Paul Paynter; Dominic Salmon; Jess Soutar Barron; Nick Stewart; Ian Thomas; Louise Ward BUSINESS WRITER: Brenda Newth EDITOR’S RIGHT HAND: Brooks Belford PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Allan; Florence Charvin; Jack Warren ILLUSTRATION: Brett Monteith DESIGN: Unit Design Max Parkes; Giselle Reid ONLINE: Elizabeth-Marie Nes; Lee Tong BUSINESS & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Kathleen Botha PRINTING: Blue Star Group
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About the cover Puti Lancaster was a teller of tales – she harvested our stories and gave them mana. Every one of her productions elicited an emotional connection which was unique. We salute the treasure she gave us. See page 60 for Rosheen Fitzgerald’s story.
Bee in the know 4 6
From the editor BayBuzz hero – Pitiera Wainohu 8 Bee in the know 12 Climate update
Features 14 Rage against the machines Keith Newman Pokies – an addiction for both our communities and our problem gamblers. 20 Is Hawke’s Bay local government fit for purpose? Tom Belford How do we cope with regional issues, as a Government Review inquires? 26 Environmental advocacy – policy matters Bridget Freeman-Rock Meet some local advocates stuck into enviro policymaking. 34 Communication is the key Abby Beswick What do parents want to know about their child's schooling?
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Pitiera Wainohu. Photo: Florence Charvin
BayBiz … 40 Sven Baker, starting anew Fiona Fraser Meet the catalyst in creating a HB artisan food brand. 43 If only we had the people Brenda Newth Labour shortages abound, constraining our region’s prosperity. 48 Embracing green space Nick Stewart Improve your mental state … in nature.
Ideas & opinions 50 Doing good or doing harm? Dominic Salmon To avoid unintended consequences we must collaborate. 52 Climate Change? Just DO SOMETHING! Charles Daugherty Personal behaviours matter … we need to get on with changing them. 54 EIT becomes part of national vocational education network Chris Collins EIT becoming part of bigger entity … and it’s a positive for region.
56 Media fails to deliver Paul Paynter Looking for more depth on Ukraine, grocery prices, Wellington protests.
Culture & lifestyle 60 Puti Lancaster, harvester of stories Rosheen FitzGerald Theatre maven was a huge inspiration. 66 Living colour Michal McKay A home rebuild full of art and colour. 71 Who’s that girl? Louise Ward Try reading some of our local authors.
72 Nature’s way Kay Bazzard Georgina Langdale’s natural paths assist healing and grieving. 76 Finding joy Kate McLeay In these difficult days, where and how do we uplift ourselves? 78 Well stewed Ian Thomas Getting down to basics for winter. 80 Bored, bored, bored Jess Soutar Barron Are you bored with boredom?
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 3
F R O M T H E EDI TO R TO M BEL FO R D
As usual, this edition of BayBuzz opens with a flurry of ‘bits and pieces’ about cool stuff happening in the Bay. These nuggets are served up by Katie Nimon, whose radar never stops searching. But I’m sure she would welcome your ‘discoveries’ of new, inspiring or oddball at editors@baybuzz.co.nz Then it’s on to some heavier stuff. My article in this edition is about our local government arrangements, particularly as they relate to managing regional issues like economic development, spatial planning, housing, transportation, climate change and the like. The major issues we face beyond the ability of our four individual territorial authorities to address independently. I’ve interviewed a number of our political leaders for their views on this. No, relax, no one is expecting another amalgamation referendum anytime soon, but a Local Government Review currently underway nationally will, within the next year, make recommendations on how to make local government better fit for purpose. It’s a long article about power, collaboration, transparency and accountability both amongst our five HB councils, but also between them and central government. I hope you’ll wade through it, because the issues are crucial and do affect your wellbeing. I gave the last word to George Bernard Shaw: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” The issues are complex enough without introducing the additional consideration of co-governance, as between Māori and Pākehā. And so I didn’t
attempt to take that on in my article. But it will require equal attention as the Government has now announced plans to undertake a parallel nation-wide consultation later this year on that aspect of how we govern ourselves given Treaty commitments. One would think that these two reviews – each contentious in its own way – relate significantly and should be addressed in tandem. The Government originally commissioned a report on co-governance in 2018 under the stewardship of Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson, but then buried the resulting 2019 He Puapua Report until political pressure forced release of a heavily redacted version last year. Opposition parties and others have fueled all sorts of angst over Labour’s goals in this space. And meantime, co-governance mandates move forward in an ad hoc manner via legislative requirements (e.g., with respect to freshwater management), structural reorganisations (e.g, health care delivery) and individual Treaty settlements. When both reform proposals ‘hit the streets’ in the months to come, expect plenty of political fireworks. Our other features in this edition deal with gambling and its role in funding local ‘public good’ activities, our regional economy and the constraints it is facing, and local reflections on the effectiveness of school-parent communications. EIT finishes morphing into Te Pūkenga in coming months, becoming part of the largest tertiary education institute in New Zealand. EIT chief executive Chris Collins has helped
lead this process for the sector and explains what it’s all about and the educational benefits our region will continue to receive. Our environment-minded readers will find articles on climate trends, climate change action, local activists, sustainable investing and waste reduction. We’ve also profiled a number of fascinating individuals and their pursuits – Sven Baker and ‘Good Farmers’; Georgina Langdale and nature-based healing; environmental activists Ngaio Tiuka, Heather Bosselmann and Dom Salmon; and, posthumously, Puti Lancaster, theatre maven. And getting down to the nitty gritty of everyday life, Ian Thomas relishes stews and Jess Soutar Barron attacks boredom. Some new faces have joined the BayBuzz team writing these articles and columns – Fiona Fraser, Kate McLeay, Michal McKay and Rosheen FitzGerald – adding diversity and depth to our editorial bench. And more coming on board next edition. There’s heaps to write about in Hawke’s Bay! Enjoy!
Tom Belford
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.
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Photo: Florence Charvin
Pitiera Wainohu (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hotoa) Pitiera is a carver who is a seventh generation shearer, just as his father, also called Pitiera, but known as Frank, was a shearer and a carver. Pitiera was chosen by his marae to carve one of the pou at the Hastings Library to represent their tīpuna Taraia, and the oldest of the three marae at Pakipaki. Now he’s carving pou for the kura there. His community asked for them to represent pūrākau, stories that go back to the beginning of light and dark. Pitiera’s thinking is that the pou stand
for the future throughout the night. They’re six huge poles of untreated pine. He’s working on Papatūānuku in natural wood, for the colour of the earth. Frank chips in as well. The pou for the four elements will be undercoated in white as they get carved, then painted: Fire will be reds, yellows and oranges. They are colours to flame out for children below, learning the stories behind the stories of the atua on the pou above them. Pitiera’s marae, Taraia, is over the road from his family land. The wharenui is over 200 years old and very low; lower still is the old dirt floor, which
you can still see in the cool dim light. Across the road in the other direction is Houngarea, the principal marae. Pitiera was one of many who spent months restoring the carvings, then shaping and carving paua for new eyes. Pitiera and Frank had been doing their thinking around the carvings at Taraia, which is also being restored. Ditches for fibrefast stories have been dug right down to the level of the original floor, where Frank was the last baby to be born at Taraia marae, there on the earth itself. Moe mai rā, Frank. Story by Marty Smith.
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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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BE E I N TH E K NOW / K ATI E N IMON
The Wellness Platform Podcast – Libby Rainger Eight years ago, Libby Rainger was a year 13 student at Havelock High School. Now she’s a wellness coach and presenter, working with businesses like Lululemon, Whittaker’s, and our very own Tremain’s. Libby started The Wellness Platform in 2017, smack bang in the age of the influencer. She took her passion for mind and body health and combined that with her love for public speaking to start a business that delivers wellness events, corporate workshops, and one-to-one coaching. In 2021, with a knack for precise timing, Libby launched The Wellness Platform Podcast to share her advice with the masses. I know it’s niche, but I exclusively listen to wellness podcasts while I walk the dogs, or heaven forbid, go for a run. So, fast forward a year, and I happen upon an old podcast of Libby’s while walking along the greenbelt. It’s always strange when you’re not expecting to hear a Kiwi accent, so I gave her a google, and here we are. While everything is upside-down, when motivation is low and pressure is high, we need to be listening to the people who tell us the nice things. There are 31 episodes, with a new one every week or so. Next time you’re going for a walk, listen to Libby, it might just help. www.the-wellness-platform.com
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 9
B E E I N T HE K N OW / K AT I E N I MO N
How to catch a bus
BayBuzz challenges our readers to make a difference to the environment by using public transport! If you've never taken the bus before, now is the perfect time to try it out with half price fares. The flat rate fares are payable with cash or Bee Card only. A Bee Card gets you the best deal and they’re easy to buy either on the bus, at the library or order one Hawke’s Bay online. For bus services in Hastings, Flaxmere, Havelock North, Taradale and Napier go to www.gobay.co.nz to plan your trip. Easy!
Hi, we’re MyWay! We make getting around quick, easy and efficient
Doing it MyWay
Kick #5 plastics kerbside
Students say YES
Live or work in Hastings? Tired of driving your car around in circles and never finding a park? Or maybe you want to try going car free? Problem solved: go MyWay. On the 6th of June, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are launching a new ondemand public transport trial in the Hastings urban area to replace routes 16a, 16b, and 17, and extend the network across the whole city. MyWay connects with other goBay services too, all you need to do is pick a bus stop as your destination! The service will run three minivans on demand from 6am to 6pm weekdays, getting you closer to where you’re going. For more information on the service, and how to use it, visit the website and get on board. www.mywayhb.nz
Hastings has just announced the inclusion of number 5 plastics in its recycling scheme. Hallelujah! Now, all those ice cream or yoghurt containers, hummus pots, and every lid you forget to unscrew, can go in the recycling with the rest of it. Let’s be honest, you’re either using them as tupperware, or they’re going in the bin – but now, they’ll be going to a better place. Hastings District Council are going to be closely followed by Napier City Council, so don’t worry Napier, it won’t be too long! But don’t forget, it’s still better to reduce the need to use plastic, or at least refill the container if you can. I know you’re curious … Yes, the number 5 plastic can be recycled in New Zealand, and will be remanufactured into household tools and utensils, garden tools, and building materials.
Piper Body – a group of five Young Enterprise students at Taradale High School – took up the challenge to my article last issue (BB63, p44). I had mentioned how cool it would be for this year’s YES students to create products or services that worked with the Environment Centre to reduce, recycle or reuse more waste. They had. A ‘just add water’ body wash tablet, which reduced packaging waste, incorporated more natural ingredients and less fillers. Their slogan is ‘manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata’ – caring for the land and the people is their core purpose. So they got in touch with Emma at the Centre and offered a ‘koha’ – to them it made sense to donate some of their last year’s earnings to the Centre. Now that’s a real good news story!
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Cool cafes worth the call 1. The Coffee Corner – What’s cool about it? Comfy seats, and a little like a library. The owner is neat, and she’s a bit of a character too (follow her on Facebook). They’re open super early, so there’s no excuse! 17A Latham Street, Napier 2. Uncle – He’s just a cool guy who does good coffee at a pretty nice spot. It’s pink, you can’t miss it. 14 West Quay, Ahuriri 3. Sparrows – What’s cool about it? It’s a coffee education. If you want tea, it will be made from coffee cherries. They’re purists. Photo: Florence Charvin 1 Austin Street, Onekawa
4. Ahuriri Village Kitchen – They love dogs. Like, LOVE dogs. It’s a beautiful spot, with lovely people, yummy food, and great coffee! 6/15 Hardinge Road, Ahuriri 5. Ajuna – Awesome food, even more awesome people. If you know, you know. 53 Hastings Street, Napier 6. No.5 Café and Larder – Drink coffee, eat pancakes, and go shopping. It’s a place where you can hang out without getting kicked out. Not enough? Go and a whack a few balls at the driving range. 248 State Highway 51, Mangateretere 7. Café Norsewood – You heard me. If you’re heading south and want a stop, just veer into Norsewood for a cuppa and a bite. They’ve got great food, great coffee, and a little bit of local history too. 14 Coronation Street, Norsewood
8. Red Bridge Coffee – Get on your bike and earn that donut! Halfway around the Landscapes Ride, just off the Red Bridge (of course) is this neat little coffee container. You’ll find great coffee and treats from local bakers and makers! Waimarama Road, Tuki Tuki 9. Sutto Caffe Lounge – It’s close to anywhere you’re going in Hastings, with a great street side vibe and a new message on the chalkboard every week. Serving L’affare coffee and epic seasonal food, it’s the spot to kick back and watch the world go by. 105 King Street North, Hastings 10. Café DMP – Hand on heart, they serve the best date and orange scones in town. They’ve got heaps of other goodies too if you’re somehow not into scones. Great coffee too of course. 80 Dickens Street, Napier
Our man from Uncle – Ryan Huthnance (plus his wife Penny) – run their espresso bar in Ahuriri serving coffee, pastries and much happy chat. Photo: Jack Warren
Transport
Climate update
Transport 8.7%
Electricity Water+Waste 5.5%
Manufacturing 5.0%
Services 5.8%
Households 9.4%
Industries 10.5%
Forestry
As usual, the global news on climate change is gloomy … make that desperate! In April, the third report in the UN’s three-part massive re-assessment of climate change was released – Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change. Here’s the bottom line: “In the scenarios we assessed, limiting warming to around 1.5°C (2.7°F) requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43% by 2030; at the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third. Even if we do this, it is almost inevitable that we will temporarily exceed this temperature threshold but could return to below it by the end of the century. “It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F),” said Jim Skea, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group for this report. “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.” Meantime, two initiatives are being undertaken here in Hawke’s Bay that show a disappointing lack of urgency and perhaps a failure to recognise the inevitable massive consequences of climate change.
Climate ambassador First is the appointment by the Regional Council of a ‘Climate Ambassador’ – Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau, the first person in HB with an official role
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Primary Industries 74%
Agriculture 72%
Greenhouse gas emissions in Hawke’s Bay – 2019 Source: StatsNZ, Direct emissions only, CO2 equivalents
focussed entirely on mounting a regional response to climate change. Frankly, this is a baby step – and long overdue – in terms of the commitment HBRC and our region as a whole must make to addressing climate change. The work plan proposed gets on with some studies that should have been completed years ago. HBRC declared a ‘climate emergency’ in June 2019. The Climate Ambassador will produce an Action Plan by July 2023 … four years later. That Plan will inform HBRC’s next Long-Term Plan, presumably leading to serious resourcing in 2024 – five years into the ‘emergency’… and just as we hit the UN’s ‘drop dead’ date of 2025. Will Hawke’s Bay play its small – but morally obligatory – part in meeting the IPCC call for 43% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030? Yeah, right. Like virtually every other political fiefdom on the planet, our local political leadership has yawned at the threat. Fortunately there is evidence in Hawke’s Bay that other key players are moving with greater urgency – the Port, the Airport, leading businesses like Silver Fern and WineWorks – have significant sustainability programmes underway, which include addressing their climate impacts. Their plans and claims – and others like them – will need to be monitored and verified. But they will
Climate Ambassador – Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau
be, whereupon their progress can be leveraged to positively motivate other HB institutions, businesses and mere consumers – like you and me – to change our individual and collective behaviours. Indeed, you and I might be the biggest challenge for the Climate Ambassador. A survey on HB climate attitudes taken by HBRC in 2020 showed how far we need to move. Although 90% agreed that climate change is indeed occurring, only 47% attributed this to human activities and only 41% have done ‘a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ to reduce our impact on the environment. What to do? 43% say they have worked or volunteered for an environmental organisation, but only 12% of those who have not say they will do so in the future. Sure, not everyone is a joiner, but frankly real change requires collective behaviour
“It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F),Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.” Jim Skea, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group and political advocacy, not just a convenient bit of household recycling. And although we consider ourselves informed on the matter (49% ‘somewhat informed’, 26% ‘very informed’), we have a distorted view of where HB’s GHG emissions arise. 20% attribute our regional emissions to industry and manufacturing, 19% to transportation, and 11% say agriculture. In reality, about 11% of our emissions come from industry (including construction), 12% from transport (including air), while 74% 0f our region’s emissions come from agriculture (84% of that is methane – belching, farting animals). Indeed, all of NZ anxiously awaits the Government’s final decision on how farm emissions will be dealt with as the nation meets its binding carbon net zero commitment. It shouldn’t take years to identify in our small region where the opportunities lie for greatest impact on our carbon footprint. An ‘ambassador’ carries a torch for their cause. Let’s hope that our Climate Ambassador quickly moves beyond the bean counting to marshalling community energy and inspiration.
Coastal protection Meantime, perhaps the greatest focus so far on adapting to (not mitigating) the impact of climate change in the region has focused on coastal protection. The long-labouring Joint Committee on Coastal Hazards – representing the Hastings, Napier and Regional Councils – has done an excellent job, with extensive public participation, of scoping out the various protection measures that might be required over the next 50 years and beyond, but has stumbled over making a call on how to fund and control such efforts. The committee commissioned lawyer Raynor Asher QC to advise on the politically vexing matter of how to best strategise, fund and implement a programme to protect HB’s coastline from weather hazards, including the onset of climate change.
After 138 paragraphs of wellfootnoted analysis, Mr Asher QC came to a common sense conclusion: “I recommend that the HBRC takes charge of all aspects of the prevention and mitigation of coastal hazards on the Clifton to Tangoio coast including deciding on preventative, mitigating or remedial works … “…the HBRC should take charge of: (a) The collection of the rates that will fund the projects; (b) Deciding which rate payers should pay and in what amounts and proportions; (c) Deciding and controlling the projects to which the funds are applied; and (d) Implementation of the projects.” Amen! Thankfully the three councils involved have decided to implement this advice. But officially, the decision must be taken out for public consultation by HBRC, beginning midyear. Hopefully ratepayers will validate the common sense of this approach. That said, ‘coastal protection’ – attempting to fend off the sea, as opposed to managed retreat – might become a case of ‘whistling past the graveyard’ … and more quickly than we expect, given the latest scientific observations on global warming and sea rise. Moreover, adaptation – confidence that we can ‘beat’ nature with bandaids – distracts from mitigation, dealing with root causes.
Global trends In March, the UN released the second of its three IPCC reports, this one on the observed impacts of climate change, the work of 270 researchers from 67 countries, representing the consensus view of thousands of climate researchers from 195 countries. “With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Nearly half of humanity is living in the danger zone – now. Many ecosystems are at the point of no return – now. Unchecked carbon pollution is forcing the world’s most vulnerable on a frog march to destruction – now.” A key takeaway from the report is that governments have focused too much on adaptation and far too little on mitigation – applying band-aids instead of tackling root causes and behaviours. Sea rise is a good case in point. Something for our coastal protectors
to keep in mind. HDC is considering spending $3.4m on a seawall in Haumoana, about 85% funded by targeted rates on the affected 18 properties. Maybe this is a worthy bandaid, but it should be recognised as such … at best a temporary measure to slow the bleeding, not a cure. Recent observations of glacial, Arctic/Greenland and Antarctic ice melts have heightened concerns that sea rise will happen more quickly and sharply than previously thought. The IPCC science consensus is that global average sea level is now rising around 3.7 millimeters each year, and accelerating. The IPCC projected with “medium confidence” that it would rise another 15 to 30 inches by 2100, if emissions are cut aggressively, and will keep rising for centuries. Worse, sea rise could total two to three feet if emissions continue to increase, and under the worst-case scenarios – e.g., Antarctica’s tipping points are surpassed – that number could be higher still. If the planet warms 9ºF, a recent report from NOAA and other agencies projects a 50% chance of seas rising more than three feet by 2100 and a 10% chance of them rising more than six feet. One glacier in our part of the world – the Thwaites ice shelf in West Antarctica – holds enough ice to raise global sea levels two feet and is being studied intensively. Says one marine geologist: “It is the most important glacier in the world.” Developments there are particularly alarming, according to recent reporting by National Geographic. Says another glaciologist: “All by itself, it could change the story. It could change the game of what we need to do by the end of the century.” “By the end of the century” … that’s so far away! Today, it appears the only local political response we can muster to climate change centres on adaptation – build those sea walls, raise those stopbanks – as opposed to mitigation, which requires serious change in the ways we farm, transport ourselves, consume and build. Can it be done? The report observes that more than a dozen countries have enjoyed a shrinking emissions rate for more than a decade, with some seeing 4% annual declines consistent with a 2°C warmer world. The one optimistic theme in the report is: If there’s the will, there’s a way. Good luck, Climate Ambassador.
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 13
For most people a game of chance is a simple distraction, with rational limits; but for others it becomes a compulsive illness, endangering marriages, friendships and jobs. Keith Newman looks into the dilemma of gambling in Hawke’s Bay.
Story by Keith Newman Photos by Jack Warren
Rage against the machines Spin the wheel: chook, chicken or chocolates? Beadlebomb in the last race at Waipukurau on Saturday for a trifecta. Lotto, Powerball, Strike and a scratchy on the side. Or hours feeding grocery money into one-armed bandits hoping images and numbers align for that elusive win? Gambling turnover in Hawke’s Bay is among the highest in the country, taking around $50 million annually; over 50% from the pockets of those who can least afford it, with venues knowingly targeting vulnerable communities. The impact of problem gambling is often played down, with the well-worn argument that reinvesting a third of the profits back into the community somehow compensates for the harm. Don’t try that line with Vicki Berkahn, general manager of Te Rangihaeata Oranga Trust (TRO) and Hawke’s Bay Gambling Services, who claims that convenient narrative from councils, legislators, and venue owners turns a blind eye to the damage being done. The irony is gambling is a big earner for the government and grants issued from the profits sustain or subsidise many community groups and sports clubs known for their contribution to the common good. That makes it hard for TRO, the only specialised gambling harm provider for our region, to get a decent hearing. Moves are afoot to tighten regulations, gather more data on harm and reduce pokie machines, but Berkahn says it’s too little too late. TRO is funded from a $20 million industry ‘problem gambling levy’ via the Ministry of Health to provide counselling, health promotion and public health advocacy to individuals, whanau, and communities affected by gambling harm. What used to be termed ‘compulsive’
gambling is now classified as a psychiatric or personality disorder with victims caught in a vicious spiral chasing the next win that often ends up turning them, their family and circle of friends into losers. Recent figures suggest about 54,000 New Zealanders are gambling at a harmful level, experiencing “an uncontrollable urge to continue gambling” despite the toll it is taking on their lives and the lives of others. Another 110,000 are experiencing low levels of harm and at risk of further problems in the future. It’s estimated that 22% of New Zealanders aged 15 years and older will be affected at some time in their life by their own gambling or by that of members of their family or household. Berkahn, who has a master’s degree in pathological gambling, says gambling is addictive because it stimulates the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol and is the most common impulse control disorder worldwide. People get hooked after a big win, believing it’s easy money, then continue chasing that experience. “Those machines are geared to pay back 90 cents in the dollar so over time players are constantly losing.” And who does it harm most? Problem gambling is defined by the Ministry of Health as a health equity issue with Māori “disproportionately affected”. In 2011, 50% of pokie users were Māori and that number has continued to grow. TRO receives referrals from Probation, the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board Community Mental Health Service, general practitioners, the Police Family Harm team and individuals wanting help. In the year ending April 2020, 357 clients were referred in the Hastings area alone; 57% were Māori.
“People come to us, typically on a Monday morning after they have spent all their money or someone else’s money, realising enough is enough.” VICKI BERKAHN, GENERAL MANAGER TE RANGIHAEATA ORANGA TRUST
That “demonstrates an inequitable level of harm”, says Berkahn, 86% of which can be attributed to pokie machines. Failure to address this, she says, places “the government and its agents (local councils) in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi”. The problem in Hawke’s Bay is exacerbated by placement of gambling venues in areas “known for higher socio-economic deprivation”. Returning a portion of the profit to communities “does not wash away responsibility to prevent harm to the addicted gamblers,” says Berkahn. She says the Gambling Act, currently under review, “continues to fail our whānau in Hawke’s Bay”.
Pokie heaven or hell
Slot machines, poker machines or pokies first entered the market around 1987 and are common in clubs and bars and controlled by charitable trusts. Profits are shared in a three-way split by government, venue owners and communities. The requirement to return 40% of profits to communities was dropped in 2020. New Zealanders broke their own record in 2020 with the equivalent of every adult spending $572 on all forms of gambling – $128 at casinos, $160 on Lotto, $80 at the TAB, and a whopping $204 at the pokies. Despite the removal of 5,500 pokie machines since 2007, the New Zealand
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 15
“We have seen a slow move away from gambling revenue by some groups and organisations, especially faithbased organisations, deciding not to apply for gambling revenue any more.” KEV CARTER, CHAIRMAN HAWKE’S BAY FUNDERS FORUM
Community Trust (NZCT), which oversees licensed venues and distributes gambling profits, claims it’s had no impact on the percentage of problem gamblers, which it insists is only 1-2% of the social cost of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs and has plateaued since the 1990s. Regardless, the quarterly spend to March 2021 was $252 million across 14,781 poker machines, the highest since records began in 2007. In the 2020-2021 financial year Hawke’s Bay pokie players amassed a massive $45.9 million in losses across 44 venues and 650 machines. $19.8 million was chewed up by 281 pokie machines across 18 venues in Hastings and in Napier $21 million went through 289 machines at 19 venues. In Central Hawke’s Bay nearly $2.2 million was lost on 29 machines at two venues and Wairoa players lost $2.5 million at three venues. Both Hastings and Napier councils adopted sinking lid policies in 2011 agreeing to cap the number of venues or limit the number of machines allowed. Those policies are being updated.
Revised health strategy
The Ministry of Health says harm through high-risk gambling behaviour is of the same magnitude as high alcohol consumption and other health issues such as anxiety and depression, with the cumulative harm close to twice that of drug use disorders, bipolar, eating disorders and schizophrenia combined. The most harmful forms of gambling are the continuous use electronic gambling machines (EGMs or ‘pokies’). “Pokie machines in the 44 venues
16 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
around Hawke’s Bay are the biggest cause of harm in our region – 90% of our problem gamblers cite pokies as their main issue – well ahead of Lotto,” says TRO’s Berkahn. She claims gambling harm is well hidden in Hawke’s Bay with less than 10% of problem gamblers seeking help. That means around 2,500 people will experience either moderate or high-risk harm from gambling, with a further 5,000 at low risk but likely to experience gambling-related harm during their lifetime. The Ministry of Health says unregulated online gambling has become a significant issue with smart devices becoming commonplace. Covid opened that door much wider creating a new group of problem gamblers. NZCT says there’s inadequate data about offshore gambling websites, but based on UK numbers New Zealanders could be losing around $300 million annually. In 2019 the World Health Organisation (WHO) added video game addiction to its International Classification of Diseases database, claiming 10-15% of gamers exhibit the recurring behaviour that overtakes other life interests. An Auckland University study suggests up to three percent of New Zealanders have a problem, but health boards haven’t been keeping track so no-one knows for sure. The fact we have more game developers per head of population than any other country may be indicative, along with a Digital New Zealand study asserting twothirds of Kiwis play video games. China recently limited young people
to a controversial three hours online gaming a week; Singapore and India are working on legislation to curb gaming addictions. The Ministry of Health has called on the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), which regulates all gambling, to take all gambling-related harm into account in its Online Gambling Review alongside the government’s mental health action plan, when reviewing the Gambling Act 2003.
Hard making ends meet
The DIA approved more community grants in 2021 than previous years; 6,400 organisations received $132 million in grants, the largest category being sport ($70.6 million) particularly rugby, multi-sport and soccer (football). Auckland received $32.3 million, Wellington $15.3 million, Canterbury $15.2 million and Hawke’s Bay $5.3 million or 36% of profits taken from our region. Mark Aspden, CEO of Sport Hawke’s Bay agrees it’s an awkward issue as gaming trust funding means some activities now take place that otherwise would not have. “It can mean that a staff member is employed to run competitions, or a kid’s team has uniforms or a facility can be built.” Generally, he says, sporting, like many other community organisations, finds it challenging to get enough people and money “to offer a really good service or activity for their community”. It’s difficult at the best of times and Covid has “exacerbated the challenges”. While there are alternatives, Aspden says most sports organisations are run entirely by volunteers with day jobs. “There’s often a lot to do running a
Machine Numbers
Problem Gamblers %
20,500
10
20,302
20,000
20,018
9 19,739
8
19,500 19,115
19,000 18,500
7 6
18,484
5
18,000
17,943
17,500
4 17,266
17,000 16,500
Gaming machine numbers vs the prevalence of problem gambling in New Zealand
3 2
16,717
0.4
0.7
0.3
0.3
16,393
0.2
16,148
16,000
15,632
15,342
15,000 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
1
14,849 14,847
2019
0
2020
Some assert that while gambling machine numbers decline, the incidence of problem gambling remains steady ... so, they claim, don’t blame the machines.
sports organisation and it can be difficult hunting down alternative sources of revenue. Loyalty schemes have been tried but generally not been successful in the medium to long term.” He doesn’t think there is any magic solution. Some golf clubs sell firewood or graze sheep, some volunteer at events to get funding. In the end that often leaves the responsibility with a small number of volunteers. Some organisations are fortunate to have good sponsors, while others have bars or food service that bring in money. “Even if you do all of that, current regulation allows the use of gaming funding to do more or provide a better service.” Aspden concedes there are a range of views among members of sports organisations on the merits or otherwise of taking money from gambling sources. “If that funding stopped, without an alternative being put in place, there would be fewer sporting activities.” Trusts distributing Class 4 Gambling funds include Lion Foundation, Pub Charity, Grassroots Trust Limited, Four Winds Foundation (together comprising 54% of all grants totalling $71 million) plus local trusts Flaxmere Licencing Trust, Pub Charity Endeavour, First Light, Grassroots and Youthtown. In the first quarter of 2022, the New Zealand Community Trust returned $300,852 from pokie profits back to Hawke’s Bay. Major recipients were sports clubs including basketball ($85,000), rugby, rugby league, yachting, volleyball ($40,000), cricket, football, marching and waka ama, most of it for salaries, along with coaching, uniforms, equipment or venue hire.
Non-sport recipients included leasing a HB Rescue Helicopter ($25,000), a new boat hull for Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving club ($8,000), fencing for Bledisloe College, and stage, lighting and sound equipment for the Cancer Society Hawke’s Bay Centre ($8,743). Gaming venues contributing to these grants included Clive Hotel, Currizzas Tavern, Hastings, and the Water Bar, Napier.
Prevention and banning tools
NZCT insists it takes “takes seriously” its obligations, training over 500 venue staff a year in harm prevention and minimisation. It deploys the latest technology as part of its strategy, including the Kiwideveloped Guardian system which uses adaptable facial recognition software and a voluntary photographic database of problem gamblers to trigger alarms at gambling venues. Guardian is built into gaming management systems, which alert staff to check a person’s ID before they’re asked to leave. It works with the multi-venue exclusion (MVE) service pioneered by TRO five years ago, where gamblers ban themselves from pokie venues and the TAB, which Berkahn says is like going into “instant rehab”. MVE means problem gamblers are breaking the law if they enter any gambling venue, and the venue can be prosecuted if it ignores the alert. “People come to us, typically on a Monday morning after they have spent all their money or someone else’s money, realising enough is enough,” says Berkahn.
“If that funding stopped, without an alternative being put in place, there would be fewer sporting activities.” MARK ASPDEN, CEO SPORT HAWKE’S BAY
“It’s like an alcohol-locking device on your car... Once it’s in place “they walk out the door with a huge amount of relief.” TRO staff regularly visit HB’s 44 gambling venues to facilitate the MVE process. In March 2022, Berkahn says 130 people had banned themselves for either six months or two years. While legislation is in place to support MVE the entire gambling support network in the country is supposed to be engaging, but “not everyone wants to do the face-to-face counselling”. And she says venues rarely if ever ban anyone for problem gambling, something that should be a KPI (key performance indicator) in the framework of prevention.
Three-yearly council review
Every three years councils review their Class 4 Gambling and TAB Venue Policies which set the rules for operating pokie machines. Berkahn and her team regularly make submissions for improved controls but find “strong opposition” and a high level of vested interest. Many councillors have a conflict of interest because of their involvement in organisations that benefit from gambling and aren’t able to vote. In Central
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 17
Hawke’s Bay “they all had a conflict of interest so they all participated.” The only win in the 2020-21 round was official recognition of the disproportionate effect on lower income families and amended sinking lid policies preventing new machines or venues in Hastings, Napier and Central Hawke’s Bay. Wairoa was still reviewing theirs when BayBuzz went to press. TRO wanted councils to go much further, excluding Class 4 gambling venues from “high deprivation areas”, removing six machines per license renewal and no longer licencing venues where gambling was the main source of revenue. It wanted trial closure “at peak food and beverage service delivery times”, and for venues to train staff in approved assessment tools to identify and then refer problem gamblers for treatment. Berkahn says a sinking lid policy on its own will not decrease opportunities for gambling harm and found the response overall “pretty disheartening”. It was clear “elected members and community groups all want to protect the community grant money that comes from pokies.” At this rate she suggests it’ll be a lifetime before three-yearly reviews make a real difference in the region.
Funders centralise focus
The Hawke’s Bay Funders Forum, established in 2007, recently brought together gambling trusts and other funding groups as part of the first regional funding site (www.HBFunding.co.nz). Rather than multiple strategies and directions, chairman Kev Carter says the charitable sector and wider Hawke’s Bay region will benefit from improved funder connection, coordination and support for groups looking for funding. The forum is designed to act as a hub to support and work with charitable organisations, keep up with relevant funding policy, identify areas of development, discuss significant community projects and “collaboratively initiate or contribute to projects”. Carter says a lot of funding does go out to groups from gambling revenue and it would be a shock to them if that funding stream was cut off. “However, we have seen a slow move away from gambling revenue by some groups and organisations, especially faith- based organisations, deciding not to apply for gambling revenue any more.” He says similar changes are occurring in the move away from “alcohol
18 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
and fast-food sponsorship in the sports and recreation sector, especially in the kids sports space.”
Moral outlier struggles
Early in 2020, 50 Hawke’s Bay sports clubs met with a lawyer to encourage submissions against the sinking lid policies of local councils. Tamatea Rugby & Sports Club took a bold stand, determined to find funding that didn’t rely on gambling revenue. “Morally we made a call,” says club chairman and president Stewart Whyte. Initially there was strong support from members, supporters and other clubs, along with assistance from SportHB and Netball HB, to help train managers and coaches. The 100-year old Waipatu-based club raised over $20,000 from members to help restore the clubrooms which had been closed for 18 months. However, it needed about $50,000 a year to be effective. “We struggled and found ourselves in a really vulnerable position,” says Whyte. A hard decision had to be made. The new 2022 Rugby & Sports Club committee overturned its anti-pokie policy, and has returned to seeking revenue from gambling profits, at least until it can come up with a more sustainable funding model. While the long-term goal remains the same, Whyte says it will require more “community currency”. That means a return to naming rights, partnerships and other forms of sponsorship that supported clubs before they came to rely on the pokies.
Betting on law change
While the gambling industry argues pokies are safe because host responsibility polices are in place, Berkahan insists these fall far short of what is needed. The problem, she suggests, is that the DIA as policy advisor to the government on gambling regulation has its role limited to “encouraging and supporting” gambling venues to provide a “culture of care” towards gamblers. While there are over 30 different host responsibility policies for pokie venues she says none are effective at protecting the gambler and their whānau. For example, the law doesn’t currently require venues to collect evidence to support court cases. “A Christchurch man was allowed to gamble away hundreds of thousands of dollars at a casino without the venue being prosecuted for not providing a ‘culture of care’,” she says.
Problem gambling is defined by the Ministry of Health as a health equity issue with Māori disproportionately affected.
The presiding judge said this was a problem that could easily be fixed by a change in the law. Berkahn says until there’s a law change, gamblers will continue working the pokie machines for hours on end without a tap on the shoulder or an intervention. One of the challenges is that venues only see loss of income, and staff may be avoiding an adverse reaction, not wanting to add more responsibility while they’re on the minimum wage. The Ministry of Health’s draft Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm for 2022-2025 is expected to deliver tougher regulations and new levy rates to government and community from July 2022. TRO is hoping further tools to help curb harm, including more of a Health and Safety approach, and consistent policies requiring hosts to protect problem gamblers, will be included in imminent changes to the Gambling Act. As the DIA call for submissions, a banned person was found to have gambled continuously for 28 hours at SkyCity casino in Auckland with no enforcement action taken. A Newshub sting followed another gambler who played for six hours straight with no tap on the shoulder. Days earlier a local former All Black was outed for defrauding family and friends of more than $100,000 to fuel his gambling habit. The challenge remains, must public good organisations continue to rely the proceeds from harm-inducing behaviours or do communities, councils and businesses have to return to the generosity of old. Perhaps businesses can support causes, clubs and projects as part of ‘triple bottom line’ split of profits, one for the shareholders, one for the business and one back into the community? Regardless, gambling venues, councils and trusts need to more effectively monitor problem gamblers, and refer them to or alert the agencies that can help manage this mental health issue that not only damages the individual but creates much wider community harm.
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Is Hawke’s Bay local government fit for purpose? A ‘Local Government Review’ is underway, initiated by the minister who most strikes apprehension if not fear in the hearts of our 49 councillors and four mayors in the region – Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Local Government. Political update by Tom Belford
20 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
Minister Mahuta is notorious for proposing reform of how the nation’s critical water services – drinking water, stormwater and wastewater – should be delivered; reforms premised on the reality that our local officials have failed miserably to provide these services and now cannot equitably raise and spend the $185 billion it will cost to pay for this past neglect and modern improvements. Nowhere is this failure more established than here in Hawke’s Bay – CHB, Hastings, Napier and Wairoa each have their horror stories. But not surprisingly, our local elected officials have coalesced to shift this debate from an examination of learnings from past failures to an assault on local democracy, making this an issue of trust – who is less likely to screw up local water services going forward, those who already have (but whom you know and seem happy to forgive) or the agents of a pan-regional water conspiracy (faceless today and therefore automatically suspect). That battle continues, with the Minister putting the first tranche of $500 million (the total allocation will be $2 billion) in contestable funding for “better off” projects on the table. This package is intended “to support the local government sector through the transition to the new water services delivery system and position the sector for the future.” Says the announcement: “This ‘better off’ funding can be used for those projects communities feel they need the most, be it local parks and gardens, swimming pools, libraries and community centres, or investment in public transport and infrastructure to protect against extreme weather events and sea level rises.” Pretty transparent payola – using your right pocket (taxes) to pay for projects you’d otherwise pay for out of your left pocket (rates). How many of our mayors will refrain from applying for these carrots as a matter of principle?! And when will the mayors of Hastings and Napier inform the struggling masses of Havelock Hills and Bluff Hill that – one way or the other – they will wind up subsidising water services for their country cousins in CHB and Wairoa? But even more critical to the future of local governance is Mahuta’s Local Government Review. Here she is doubling down on the possibility that NZ’s local authorities just might not be getting much of anything right. The review poses these questions: 1. How should the system of local
governance be reshaped so it can adapt to future challenges and enable communities to thrive? 2. What are the future functions, roles and essential features of the New Zealand system of local government? 3. How might a system of local governance embody authentic partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi? 4. What needs to change so local government and its leaders can best reflect and responds to the communities they serve? 5. What should change in local governance funding and financing to ensure viability and sustainability, fairness and equity, and maximum wellbeing? Straightforward questions, but they hide a heap of politics and potentially threaten existing power arrangements and accountability pathways.
Where are we now?
Setting aside the ‘3 Waters’ reform, which aims to remove local authority in a core area, it’s instructive to look at who makes which decisions for us citizens of Hawke’s Bay, and how. Arguably, the most important decisions are inherently regional and are made through a hodgepodge of bespoke arrangements. Some are ad hoc regional inventions; others statutorily mandated. Civil defence – all the heavy lifting is planned and coordinated by the HB Emergency Civil Defence Management Group (HBEMG), whose activities are rated for and overseen by HBRC. Tourism – tourism promotion is now funded entirely by HBRC, with the efficacy of those efforts assessed by the Regional Council. Economic development – by July councils will have created a new regional economic development agency, jointly funded initially to the tune of $1.7 million. The planning is led by a HBRC staffer (whose ‘day job’ is running HBRC’s ‘right tree, right place’ programme) working with an ‘Establishment Group’ of Lawrence Yule, Brendan O’Sullivan and Robyn Rauna. Details are under wraps as I write (“much like HB Tourism” said one mayor), but the entity will have an
independent, skills-based (hopefully) board that represents councils, iwi and business. Will this stop individual councils from hot-stepping it to Wellington to get their own slices of job creation or housing funds? Not a chance. Social & economic development – here we have Matariki, a regional strategy most of the non-political, non-bureaucratic public has never heard of. This framework has a high level governance group, but no implementation capability. Spatial development – at least for much of the Hastings/Napier territory, shaped by HPUDS (Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy), overseen in turn by a joint councillor committee. Transportation – planned by a broadbased Regional Transport Committee, traditionally chaired by HBRC. Coastal hazards – Councils are following the advice of a QA they asked to referee the matter. He recommended that “the HBRC takes charge of all aspects of the prevention and mitigation of coastal hazards on the Clifton to Tangoio coast including deciding on preventative, mitigating or remedial works …” Climate change more broadly – Councils seem happy to defer to HBRC leadership on this one, with the Regional Council’s new ‘Climate Ambassador’ charged with organising cross-council collaboration. So how do all these ‘regional’ plans, initiatives, joint committees and working groups come about? In recent years, through the HB Leaders Forum – the four territorial authority mayors and the Regional Council chair, who meet monthly to make the big decisions on regional direction. CHB’s mayor Alex Walker is the current chair. No public agenda or published minutes or reports are provided on what is discussed and decided. Of course they say, no ‘decisions’ are made. The Leaders are supported by a weekly Monday 4pm Zoom meeting of their chief executives … the source of most knowledge and power. And these two groups are supported
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 21
We all know that amalgamation failed (unfortunately IMHO) by a 2:1 margin in the 2015 referendum. Arguably, what we have now instead is amalgamation by stealth. Where the really big issues are dealt with by regional band-aids of one sort or another, conditional on the positive personal relationships that happen to exist amongst the five individuals (and their CEs) presently leading their councils. in their collective roles by one person, Toni Goodlass, regional programme director. Lately, her key responsibility has been helping organise the mayors’ collective opposition to the Government’s ‘3 Waters’ reform, but she basically becomes the point person for whatever joint initiatives the mayors and CEs decide need some poking and coordination. That has included, for example, joint council input on new national drinking water standards, progressing the economic development agency, initially coordinating regional Covid response, and more mundane matters like joint procurement and shared IT services. One chief executive comments: “Toni’s role is the glue that binds the CEs in commissioning and delivering collaborative projects between the councils on matters where we are strong together as a region. She provides an important support function to the HB Leaders Forum and coordinates the advice of CEs to the Leaders.” Personally, I think she has the coolest job in HB local government. Goodlass sees great value in the informality of these top-level collaborative processes but doesn’t dispute that more transparency might be warranted given the seriousness of the matters discussed. The CEs deliver a monthly report to the Leaders Forum updating on all key initiatives of regional significance. These are not routinely in the public domain, but discoverable. BayBuzz has reviewed several of the most recent reports. They are extremely illuminating, indicating a very wide range of cooperative activity that most ratepayers would be gratified to see was occurring. We all know that amalgamation failed (unfortunately IMHO) by a 2:1 margin
22 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
in the 2015 referendum. Arguably, what we have now instead is amalgamation by stealth. Where the really big issues are dealt with by regional band-aids of one sort or another, conditional on the positive personal relationships that happen to exist amongst the five individuals (and their CEs) presently leading their councils. That doesn’t seem a stable recipe for good governance. In recent memory, there have been instances where individuals then holding these positions have been sharply at odds, personally and policy-wise.
What our leaders think
Seeking reactions to the Local Government Review and its implications, I discussed these issues with a few mayors and others ‘in the know’. Naturally the mayors are stout defenders of their councils’ prerogatives, arguing that in all instances the formal ratification of ‘non-decisions’ by the HB Leaders Group must be secured from the respective councils. So, in practice no council can be committed to a policy direction or expenditure that it disagrees with. Looking at that through the opposite lens, major regional policies still cannot be advanced without unanimity, increasingly a disadvantage in our modern faster and faster-changing world. The mayors point to two core foundations of council consensus for the region – the Triennial Agreement (required by law and adopted by each council at the outset of each electoral term) and the Matariki Strategy mentioned above, a unique Hawke’s Bay invention. The Triennial Agreement adopted in 2019 (try to find it on any council website!) outlines these shared priorities in very general terms: • Water – includes drinking water safety, Three Waters Review, freshwater management; • Climate Change – includes Coastal Hazards Strategy, development of a coordinated regional response to a changing climate; • Social Inclusion – a thriving society where everyone can participate and make a significant contribution; • Housing – regionally focused housing strategy; • Economic Development and Tourism • Transport – regional transport planning through the Regional Transport Committee; • Information sharing and strategy
development – regional Elected Representatives’ fora (workshops) on topics of regional priority will be held as required, and at least twice per year. None of this represents specific policy agreements or spending commitments; rather they are simply agreed areas for collaboration. The agreement also includes these commitments (among others): • Develop joint approaches to the development of annual and longterm plans and, where appropriate, to engagement with central government, iwi governance bodies and tribal entities, national agencies and community organisations. • Provide early for notification of, and participation in decisions that may affect other local authorities in the region. • Make draft strategies, policies, and plans available to other local authorities in the region for discussion and development, where they may have regional implications or implications beyond the boundaries of the decision-making council. The Matariki Strategy aims to meld social and economic objectives – and actions to meet them – into on over-arching strategy. Its vision: Every whānau and every household is actively engaged in and benefitting from growing a thriving Hawke’s Bay economy. All councils, relevant government agencies and EIT are represented in Matariki’s governance, with Mayor Walker and Leon Symes (chair, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa) as co-chairs and Robin Hape (CE, Ngāti Pāhauwera Development Trust) and Nigel Bickell (CE, HDC) co-chairing the Executive Steering Group. Frankly, a review of Matariki’s website suggests an initiative long on aspiration and short on delivery. Its Action Plan, described as a ‘living document’, doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2019. If any of the 50 or so projected actions have been completed, certainly no one has shouted them from the rooftops.
Alternative funding
While our local councils grope toward regionalism, the current Government – the Local Government Review aside – is already demanding regional approaches through legislative initiatives like RMA reform and the soon-tobe-tabled Strategic Planning Act, which
INTEGRITY COMMITMENT RESULTS
would require long-term regional spatial strategies. I asked Lawrence Yule, former patron saint of amalgamation, for his assessment. He observes, “There’s a lot more regionalism going along for a lot of significant things… and it is relationship-driven. It’s not perfect but it’s addressing a lot of things that need addressing.” He notes that legislation over time is requiring this in several areas and that is not likely to change if/when there’s a change in Government. “Central government do want a regional approach and they want to know what they are dealing with and they literally don’t have the ability to deal with every individual local authority on something that might span the region.” “Neither National nor Labour have the appetite to do massive amalgamations, but what they both have an appetite for is to do things that make sense more regionally.” Both parties, he believes, are similar in how they regard local governments capability. The preference for regionalism is here to stay. “Big local projects require a funding partner – central government – and the money is going to come with strings.” He suggests the Regional Council might take on a wider range of responsibilities in spatial planning and transport and be resourced to do that. Yule is a supporter of block funding from central government that allows local government to sort out how it will
address regional challenges. “There’s a quid pro quo there. You need more central government resources, but for that you need to deliver against specific outcomes. Then let the regions make decisions and get on with doing it, as they might be more effective than people from Wellington trying to do it.” The public service is the biggest impediment to that happening, he notes – “unique” approaches is not their preferred style. That said, Yule believes if a region in the future came up with a long-term integrated plan with a number of strategic projects benefitting the entire region requiring, say, $1 billion of central government funding, that proposition could be political feasible. “Local personalities will still matter,” he says, “but money focuses the mind.”
Always room for improvement
Most of my interviews for this article related to how the councils manage issues of regional significance and how the five councils engage central government in concert (or not). In this regard, I spoke to Mayors Walker, Wise and Hazlehurst. Walker and Hazlehurst supported amalgamation back in 2015, but (like Yule) no longer would … confirming the political adage ‘where you stand depends on where you sit’. Mayor Walker is the current chair of the Leaders Forum. She describes regional decision-making as a work in
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Frankly, a review of Matariki’s website suggests an initiative long on aspiration and short on delivery. Its Action Plan, described as a ‘Living Document’, doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2019. progress: “We’re trying really hard to work together to ensure our communities get the best outcome out of the local government system that we can, and we’re having to do this in a way that hasn’t been done before and so we’re building it as we go along.” She concedes that more formality and transparency would be appropriate: “We need strengthened clarity around how we should and do work together at a regional level in terms of accountability, because currently we do it almost voluntarily.” Earlier I referred to the chief executives’ Monthly Report to the Leaders Forum. Hopefully the Leaders Forum might see the value of releasing these to the public routinely – unsanitised – as a matter of both civic education and political accountability. Mayor Wise gives high marks to current arrangements for dealing with regional matters. “There’s always room for improvement, but we’ve made some huge gains in the last 2-3 years on a number of regional initiatives”, citing the new economic development agency and the ‘3 Waters’ space as examples, with a regional spatial development plan to follow. “Since the amalgamation debate, we’ve come a long way, and the number of issues on which we collaborate has to be acknowledged.” And like her colleagues, Wise cites the Triennial Agreement as a binding statement of regional priorities … “more than words on a page”. Are today’s informal processes too dependent on current conviviality at the top? She emphasises it’s not just the individual mayors and CEs who support regional collaboration, but that commitment must be part of the culture throughout “all of council including the senior management team”. As for transparency around Leaders Forum and CEs collaboration, she disputes there’s any visibility or accountability issue, since all ‘decisions’ come back to individual councils to make. Mayor Hazlehurst is focused on growth within the framework of the region-wide Matariki Strategy. She believes every activity related
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to growth – RMA, spatial planning, economic development, housing, transportation – should be handled regionally. She laments that “Matariki hasn’t a delivery arm … We need management for Matariki” and proposes that a Regional Growth Unit should be created, modeled on the Growth Unit now in place at HDC and led by former HDC chief executive, Ross McLeod. “We need a proper regional staffing team,” she says. For Hazlehurst “real aspirational change” in Hawke’s Bay governance would involve crafting a truly comprehensive regional plan – like Matariki – taking it to Government and asking for a block funding grant to implement the relevant programmes region-wide, whether those be housing, youth jobs, transportation or mental health care. “Knowing our communities, we can help you address all these issues and challenges.” That’s a profound ‘big picture’ view and sounds quite rational, given the continuing failure of current ‘silo’ approaches from central government (whatever Government in power), but also would require an enormous leap of faith by the current Government and a minister who, for starters, doesn’t believe local bodies can even handle the ‘basics’ of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater management. Asked if there were a political agenda behind the Local Government Review, the mayors perceive a certain level of distrust – or at least “misunderstanding” in the Government’s perception of local governments’ ability to deliver. As one mayor put it, the Review should also be considering how government agencies can be held more accountable for what they do (or fail to do) in our communities. Each council has had the opportunity to present individually to a Commissioners Panel that is travelling the country seeking input. It’s fair to say our mayors see themselves at the coalface dealing with issues like jobs for youth and housing – issues not normally seen as core functions of local authorities. But the reality is that as elected representatives charged with improving the wellbeing of their communities, the mayors and their councils are effectively pressed into service. “We are passionate about our communities,” says Hazlehurst. But in these areas, the ‘default’ approach locally is still to go it alone. Each of the mayors is proud of the funding deals they have won
independently with government agencies to deal with local job, education and housing initiatives – $170 million to HDC from this Government, for example. As one mayor put it: “I sign an oath to deliver for the people of [X], I don’t sign an oath to place nice for the region.” Another said: “Joint approaches and individual ones are not mutually exclusive.” So back to square one. When central government puts contestable money on the table, the competitive race to get today’s slice of the pie is irresistible … aspirations for regional plans and intelligent local/regional governance are put on hold! And that is the conundrum the Local Government Review must address. As the mayors see it, governance reform is a two-way street, re-defining the central/local partnership. • What responsibilities can safely and effectively be devolved to local bodies, particularly in ‘non-core’ areas like housing? • How will central government break down its own ministry silos that stymie holistic, locally-informed approaches to community ills, while avoiding local accountability? • What mechanisms should be in place to ensure regional approaches are in fact taken on matters where scale, efficiency and equity must be optimized? • What funding mechanism should be created to ensure equitable financing of those local government activities that must be delivered to all citizens equally? The original schedule for the review forecast an ‘initial thinking’ document to be released in September. However, this date has been pushed to 14 October, just after local body elections. God forbid local government effectiveness become an election issue! Hazlehurst cites “reform fatigue”, while Walker says: “This is one of the most important pieces of work that will happen for local communities and local government, but it’s happening in the middle of every other reform initiainitiative … How can we do it justice?” “We do lovely small things, but struggle with the big grunty ones … There’s a better model than stealth and better than amalgamation … There’s got to be a better way,” says Hazlehurst. George Bernard Shaw gets the final word: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”
HAWKE’S BAY FUTURE FARMING TRUST Launched with seed funding from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, the Trust’s mission is “To promote, inspire and celebrate profitable farming systems that enrich the environment and the community”. The Trust aims to expand Hawke’s Bay hands-on knowledge of best, restorative farming practices, focusing on innovation, science insights, new technologies and farming systems change. Supporting the Trust’s work are lead Sponsors Bayleys Country and Napier Port. Recently, for the HB Regional Council’s regional water demand assessment, Trustee Phil Schofield completed a desktop analysis of worldwide research on the rainwater infiltration rates and water holding capacities of healthier soils. Here’s how he summarises the research. “From the various groups who have measured infiltration rates in conjunction with changed land management practices we are now calling Regen Agriculture, it is
reasonable to assume that we could increase infiltration rates by 20mm/ hour by adopting management practices that improve soil health. An increase of 20mm infiltration means that we can expect 200 cubic metres more water per ha/ hour to be soaked up by soils in a rainfall event where significant rain happens. The climate models can tell us how often to expect that, but even if it occurs twice a year we would have 400 cubes of water per hectare per annum either in the soil supporting plant growth or adding to the shallow groundwater and recharging aquifers.
“If we can improve soil function on half the area of the Ruataniwha and Heretaunga Plains (28,000 ha) to 600 mm depth or greater and increase soil carbon by 1% we could store between 2.8 million and 14 million cubic meters more water in the soils than we currently do.”
“If we can improve soil function on half the area of the Ruataniwha and Heretaunga Plains (28,000
ha) to 600 mm depth or greater and increase soil carbon by 1% we could store between 2.8 million and 14 million cubic meters more water in the soils than we currently do. “This option is much easier to do and less risky than building dams, but we need to advance the proof rapidly and make it easy for land owners to buy into changed management of their soil.” Important food for thought as Hawke’s Bay considers how best to achieve greater water security. Current trustees are: Liz Krawczyk, Phil Schofield, Scott Lawson, John van der Linden, Tim Aitken, Will Foley and Tom Belford. We encourage you to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to learn about leading edge farming practices in Hawke’s Bay. To learn more about HB Future Farming Trust, visit our website: www.hbfuturefarming.org or email us at info@hbfuturefaming.org
BayBuzz is pleased to support Hawke's Bay Future Farming Trust
Environmental advocacy – policy matters
Story by Bridget Freeman-Rock Photos by Jack Warren
‘Consultation’ has become something of a dirty word amongst those who take the time to participate in council and government engagement processes. There is a definite sense of jadedness shared by many environmental and social advocates, that their contributions are not genuinely taken on board and it’s merely a box-ticking exercise.
And yet, most agree that to effect change, engaging with councils and legislation and influencing policy is work that has to be done. One of the problems is the very structures of power, which are formed and informed by western, neoliberal assumptions. Unless we challenge the paradigm itself, then consultation remains an add-on, and voices outside the rigid BAU frame (business as usual) remain unheard. The other problem is the way the role of local government has been socially positioned. As a society, “we’ve managed to somehow frame councils as boring and not important, and presented the work they do as very dry in a way that makes it seem not worth engaging with,” notes Heather Bosselmann (see profile). And yet what happens here matters, she says, impacts the very fabric of our lives. Perhaps if more of us claim the civic space, the juice, then we can redefine the terms of the relationship, make councils (and consultation) work with us – “it cuts both ways”. In part two of our series on environmental advocacy, we profile three advocates who are working at the interface of policy and legislative frameworks for transformative change, from their respective positions within iwi, business and council.
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Ngaio Tiuka: Fighting for the mana of the water
“You have to look at what is needing a voice as opposed to who is making the most noise.”
Te taiao is central to the very notion of living as Māori, part of whakapapa, and in Ngaio Tiuka’s role as director of environment and natural resources for Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (accountable to some 85,000 iwi members, 90 marae and generations to come), he’s “advocating for tangata whenua in Kahungunu to be tangata whenua”, as is their right. With so many moving pieces, from the mountains to the sea, it’s a massive job: the new wastewater treatment scheme in Wairoa, whack-a-mole water storage scenarios in CHB, numerous river management plans, river and marine dredging, gravel extraction, mining of our ground water (Heretaunga aquifer), 3 Waters and RMA changes. “There’s a lot of sifting through the bullshit to be honest. We’re constantly being lobbied and told what’s good for us and how our values will be catered for.” He is not afraid to say what needs to be said, and he’s resolute, which doesn’t always make him popular, but “the habitat and cultural survival of Ngāti Kahungunu outweighs any popularity contest”.
crucial step before co-design, co-governance or co-management”, and advises, “We can co-exist but not when tangata whenua are treated as an afterthought and inconvenience.” With TANK, for example, “we’ve had 10 years of talking openly about our values, goals and concerns, the receding waters, the dropping water table, yet water use is increasing. The status quo has been more than enabled; securing irrigation has become the priority. We should be prioritising and safe-guarding our waters, their mauri, their mana, their actual existence, and phasing out over-allocation and over-abstraction. Instead measuring over-allocation is being phased out, it’s sly and illogical. You can’t monitor what you don’t measure.” He finds hope, however, with new legislation and policy such as Te Mana o Te Wai (putting water and ecosystems first). And in his optimism that more Māori and communities are becoming better informed, and that through their increased participation and reclamation of processes, the mahi will continue – there is no other choice.
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He’s been accused by some of wanting to ruin the region’s economy, for saying it’s “time to put the lid on the lolly jar” – too much water is being taken. Ngāti Kahungunu “want hard environmental and cultural limits and targets, solid bottom lines, with hands-on management of land use and activities to avoid pollution, rather than mitigation and costly schemes. We don’t have that.” Instead, we have cases like Bridge Pā, where in summer the stream where kids once swam and people fished, dries up, stagnates, and communities lose access to drinking water while surrounding irrigators continue apace. The iwi has supported whānau and hapū to undertake their own monitoring of the situation. As it has invested in research, such as Te Whakaheke o te Wai – a 5-year project combining flow source and pathway data, geology, a range of science disciplines modelling and mātauranga-a-iwi/hapū. Ngaio, who has come to view council stakeholder engagement processes with a cynical eye, says “Tangata whenua need equity and space to think amongst and for ourselves first; this is a
NGAIO TIUKA
Heather Bosselmann: Building a mandate for action
“We need to be doing all of it together.”
Heather Bosselmann has taken up the brand-new climate change role on Napier City Council (official title: senior policy analyst – climate resilience), as councils around the country move towards the thorny question of how to adapt to the climate crisis. It’s not just science, says Heather, a former family lawyer, “it’s also about how we run our society and the values that we hold.” While climate mitigation is straight-forward in the sense that we know what we have to do, she says, adaptation requires big conversations. “We talk about things like the circular economy, for example, we bandy it around, but a true circular economy is transformational – huge change. So, if that’s where we are going, how does that society look? Who and what are we protecting? And what are we letting go?” The Napier floods in 2020 “were a really clear indicator of what the future looks like” and one of the risks highlighted then is the issues of inequity within the system – those that will be most affected are often those that are already struggling. “I am keen
transport network, says Heather, separate cycle-ways in streets – so that the majority, not just the privileged, can make the move off fossil fuels. There is a mandate building for taking climate action, she believes, but “while I know people care, we don’t have that yet. If people want things to change, they need to be reflecting back to Council”. Heather is passionate about forging relationships and pathways of connection and engagement; she sees her role as ambassadorial as much as policy-focused and has been networking with her peers around the country and Hawke’s Bay. She sees opportunity for councils in sharing power, with Māori (honouring the Treaty being a bare minimum), with people, and in being open for ideas and collaboration – with community organisations, with business; “absolutely, there’s space for additional knowledge and skill”. “Climate change requires such extraordinary change that we need to work together, finding solutions that are different to the way we’ve been doing things up til now.”
to be addressing that inequity, to be front-footing it, ideally.” While individual change is important from a ‘believing you can make a difference’ perspective, says Heather, and should be encouraged for the positive cycle it creates, there is no value in punishing or judging people who don’t have the capacity, energy, or wherewithal. Impetus has to come from government to make it easier for people, for ultimately, it’s those in power who can make that change. “And when we’re making changes (as a government or council), we have to be really conscious of who is going to bear the burden of this the most.” In terms of the most effective locus for action, Heather recommends waste and public transport as the big areas: key touch-points that impact everyone in their daily lives and where the value in making changes can be readily understood. “It’s great that there are subsidies on electric cars, but EVs are only part of the solution.” In the end, we’re going to need a strong, joined-up regional public
HEATHER BOSSELMANN
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Dominic Salmon: steering conversations to best outcomes
“The key thing about advocacy is talking with people. You can have the best ideas but if they’re not shared, nothing changes.” DOMINIC SALMON
So, what’s the better eco-choice: beer in aluminium cans or glass bottles? It’s a question Dominic Salmon can’t generically answer, he says, because it’s complex and contextual with too many variables to consider. We sift the variables, and while I conclude that from where we sit, refillable glass flagons from Brave brewery across the road is best option, it’s a different answer for a company exporting their product or for a consumer in Auckland where kerbside glass is comingled. And it’s these contextual complexities Dominic works with across industry and councils to come up with outcomes for products and process that are environmentally, socially and economically viable. He’s business development manager – sustainability for 3R Group (specialists in the design of product design stewardship programmes), which also sees him educating industry players and writing submissions on the government’s new Waste Strategy and Waste Act legislation “to ensure we can influence the conversation positively” – in itself “a big body of work”.
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To tackle waste collectively, he says, we need to change the level of awareness about what we buy and use, looking at choice of packaging and materials through the lens of their whole life-cycle, which comes down to clear messaging and workable regulations. And for industry, looking for the value and opportunity in waste, and, “where sustainability is attainable, taking it to the next level”. Such as harvesting post-juiced orange skins for enzymes and fragrance. Ultimately, “It’s about doing more with less” and asking the questions that have needled Dominic from an early age: “Why are we chucking that away and what more could we do with it?” He tries to live what he preaches (“you have to have substance behind what you say”): proudly operating a worm farm, cycling to work, growing food and swapping produce with his neighbours, getting milk in refillable glass bottles, planting trees, donating to conservation charities, observing and enjoying time in nature.
But he believes change also happens at the level of these personal choices, as communities seek meaningful solutions, and that it’s a case of going back to basics: “looking back to the future”. He sees initiatives like Hawke’s Bay’s Magic Beans group on Facebook (a platform for the neighbourly sharing and exchange of gardening resources) as a brilliant example of localised, positive solutions, while there is growing consumer demand for refill options, such as Swap-a-crate beer and Again Again cups for coffee, and for innovations that re-inspire old school ways of doing. “There’s been a massive shift towards positive behaviour change over the last two decades, it’s really exciting. Sustainability is becoming more mainstream as opposed to being a Helen Clark, 2008, word. That word by itself was too big to understand. But now you realise it’s how you get around, how you wash, how you drink, how you grow things – every aspect of your life has an impact on the environment. So just choose something and make a start.”
How to get involved in shaping policy Climate change Start with waste and transport issues, as these are points of daily contact for everyone so getting change happening here has broad impact. Get serious about local government, engage – translate the activism that happens at a central government level to your councils and local body electorates. Meet with a councillor, tell them what you think, share your ideas, get together with like-minded others, help build a mandate for strong action. Take the time to look at and submit on your council’s longterm plans. The Local Government Position Statement on Climate Change can be found at www.lgnz.co.nz
Freshwater Adopt a local stream – observe, monitor, document what’s happening over time, species counts, water
levels, take photos. We need to build evidence to fight for the rights of water, we can’t rely on councils to do that for us. Hold Regional Council to account and push for substantive change. Be sharp to the raft of proposals and schemes for water security being brought to the table – listen out for ‘weasel’ words and measures. Become au fait with the government’s new freshwater legislation: environment.govt. nz/what-government-is-doing/ areas-of-work/freshwater/workprogramme/ For more on freshwater issues in Hawke’s Bay and ways to take action, see Action Station’s webinar Returning to the River: Te Mana o te Wai Te Mātau a Maui (October 2021), on YouTube: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=yUkxPWe3mi0
Waste Head to the Hawke’s Bay Environment Centre to learn about recycling and repurposing options for various materials and what to avoid, and other innovative ways for minimising waste. Contact supermarkets and companies to push for better product stewardship. If you have a business, visit 3r.co.nz. If you’re in Hastings District, sign up for the council’s waste minimisation e-newsletter. Have your say on the government’s proposals for ‘transforming recycling’ (public consultation runs to 8 May 2022) – there are a series of webinar presentations on this too, if you want to learn more. Also keep an eye out for the government’s new waste strategy, which is set to go before Cabinet by June: environment.govt.nz/whatgovernment-is-doing/areas-ofwork/waste/
We all breathe what you burn
Protecting our air this winter hbrc.govt.nz
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Communication is the key Communication between schools and parents is more important than ever before. We speak to education representatives about the complexities of communicating effectively in an everevolving pandemic and parents tell us what they really want to know about their children’s school life. Story by Abby Beswick Photos by Florence Charvin Communication between schools and parents is a crucial aspect of education. All parents want the best for their children and getting the information they need from teachers and principals helps parents support their offspring through school life. When schools communicate well with parents, it builds trust, creates peace of mind, and can result in powerful collaborations. Our children also reap the rewards. Research shows effective two-way communication between schools and parents can boost student engagement and is a strong indicator of future success. But how do schools ensure the information they give parents is effective and meets their needs? And are they telling parents what they really want to know? In a constantly changing pandemic landscape schools are facing new territory. With the loss of face-to face interactions, educators are having to find new ways to fill the gap. One thing is certain — school communication has never been more important than it is now.
Choosing the right platforms
When it comes to school communication, no one size fits all. Schools approach it very differently, and utilise a range of platforms depending on the preferences and needs of their families. School websites, social media, email, internal platforms such as Seesaw and school apps are the most common ways schools share information with parents. While the platforms are linked, they all have a slightly different focus. School websites and email are
typically used as a formal platform for school-wide notices. Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are popular for celebrating student success and inspiration. Internal platforms like Seesaw, ClassDojo and Google Classroom are a direct line of communication between teachers and parents — used for admin, sharing news, video clips, advice for supporting children and Q and A. School apps are used for instant alerts relating to the whole school. Some schools opt to use all of these platforms for different functions, while others use one centralised platform, such as the school app, where parents can find everything. The approach adopted is specific to a school and parent preferences. What works for one school might be very different to what works for another school down the road.
The impact of Covid
In the current climate, school-parent communication now fills a bigger and more important role than it has before, says New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) president Cherie Taylor-Patel. “Since the onset of the pandemic, communication has really stepped up and become a focus for schools around the country.” Since the start of the pandemic, schools have changed their communication dramatically. Pre-Covid there was more opportunity for face-to-face and informal communication between parents and teachers. Now, schools are relying on online methods of communication to step up and fill that gap, says Taylor-Patel. All schools have adapted to meet the changing needs of their families
and these systems are constantly being refined, says Taylor-Patel. “Communication is evolving and it’s becoming more fine-tuned to the community that you serve.” The pandemic has had a positive and negative impact on communication, she says. It’s resulted in strengthened online communication with parents, which schools have worked really hard to do. On the flip side, the pandemic has meant a loss of face-to-face connection between parents and schools. To minimise risk, parents can’t enter classrooms, drop their children off at the gate, and have lost the opportunity to have informal conversations with teachers. Getting relevant Covid information to parents remains a focus. Principals understand the anxiety families are feeling and the role of relevant information in helping to reduce this, says Taylor-Patel. She notes that it’s important to remember that while schools want to be as transparent as possible, they’re bound by legal parameters that restrict what information they’re allowed to share.
Two HB schools
At Flaxmere Primary School, staff have adapted their communication methods to reflect parent preferences. The school uses a range of platforms including, Seesaw for classroom communication, school notices printed and posted on Facebook for key schoolwide updates, the school app to push out notifications and Facebook for news and events. Principal Robyn Isaacson says regardless of changing external factors,
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including the pandemic, their focus remains keeping school as normal as possible for students and ensuring parents are well informed. Like other schools, their approach to communication has changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Facebook has become a primary communication tool, as a reflection of parent preferences. Staff regularly post Covid information on the social media site, often in the form of videos, as the number of hits they received indicated they were reaching more parents this way, says Isaacson. “For example, when we shifted phases or we shifted levels we would upload a video explaining what that means. Often there’s a lot of information and particularly on Facebook, people don’t want to read it so it’s easier to listen to a video.” Events like prize giving are held virtually and when parents can’t be present, the school posts photos and videos to capture the spirit of the day. Since the first lockdown, teachers have maintained regular contact with families including phone calls, to check in
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“Since the onset of the pandemic, communication has really stepped up and become a focus for schools around the country.” CHERIE TAYLOR-PATEL, PRESIDENT, NEW ZEALAND PRINCIPALS’ FEDERATION
and make sure they have everything they need. When students move into a new class, parents receive written bios of their child’s teacher in place of the usual face-to-face introduction. The changes they’ve made since the first lockdown have paid off, says Isaacson. “That relationship has been established and it’s been maintained over that time and that’s why for us, communication is really important. We need that relationship, so we’ve worked quite strongly on fostering that and being transparent and open with our parents.”
Over at Havelock North Primary School, principal Nick Reed is reflecting on the changes they’ve made in their communication and a significant transition underway. The school uses a wide range of platforms to get information to parents — from social media to email, newsletters and the school app. Finding the right balance is always a challenge, says Reed. The goal is to provide parents with meaningful content, without overloading them. Taking centre stage this year is the school’s app, which will become a centralised information hub. The goal is to streamline all of the platforms and provide a one-stop-shop for parents. There’s no doubt Covid has had a significant impact on the way schools communicate, and it’s been difficult losing that community-wide engagement, says Reed. “That’s the most disappointing thing for me because as a school we like to be really inclusive with our whānau and involve them in events.” A number of school prize givings, sports events and celebrations have relied on livestreaming to help keep a sense of family involvement. While it’s the best option under current restrictions, there’s no substitute for in-person contact and the important connections it creates, says Reed. “It’s much more powerful when it can be done in an authentic way with parents in classrooms and those faceto-face conversations. Those relationships between home and school are just so vital.”
What do parents want?
In a nutshell, we want to know our children are safe, happy and learning. New parents of school children want to know how the school works, routines, key people and systems. We want to know who our children’s teachers are, how the class programme works and what our children do in their day. When it comes to their learning, we want to understand how subjects are taught and assessed. What can we do to support our children’s learning? Most importantly, as parents we want to know about the emotional and physical wellbeing of our children. Are they happy? Are they forming friendships? Are they safe at all times? Parents spoken to for this article were generally happy with the communication they receive from their children’s schools, with some suggested adjustments. At Te Mata School, a number of different platforms are used to
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“It’s much more powerful when it can be done in an authentic way with parents in classrooms and those face-to-face conversations. Those relationships between home and school are just so vital.” NICK REED, PRINCIPAL, HAVELOCK NORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL
communicate with parents, all with different functions. Parents spoken to generally liked having separation between the platforms and the different functions for each. Parents liked being able to message teachers directly though the Seesaw app. Parents were supportive of the various platforms and planned move to a centralised school app at Havelock North Primary School. “I hope it will bring cohesiveness to the communication and be the place to go when you want to know something,” says one parent. The school has worked really hard to understand what parents want to know and to deliver, says parent and member of the Havelock North Primary School Home and School Committee, Jess Cranswick. Due to current restrictions, they provide new parents with a welcome booklet instead of the usual parent evenings. The school sends out regular, detailed emails with Covid information, which were really appreciated during a stressful time, says Cranswick. At Mahora Primary School, parents were supportive of the school app as the main information hub. “I find this is an excellent way to communicate as you get the alert straight away, you can choose which information to receive alerts for and it’s on my phone,” says one parent. The school also sends a Friday newsletter which covers schoolwide updates and uses its Facebook page to show photos and videos of school events. School reports are twice a year and very holistic, says the parent. “As well as the usual literacy and maths progressions, there is emphasis on relationships, behaviour, problem-solving skills etcetera … I find the reporting systems very reflective and more aimed at what parents want to know.” Several parents across different schools suggested a move from printed newsletters to digital, to reduce the environmental impact and keep things progressing. Some also said they’d
38 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
like written school reports to include interpersonal skills such as social skills, problem solving, negotiation etc.. as well as traditional information around reading, writing and maths. A few parents said too it can be hard to decipher what information is urgent and needs to be dealt with now and what can wait, without reading everything fully. Some parents commented that the number of platforms and duplicate messaging across various platforms was frustrating at times. However, often schools explained that duplication was often necessary to ensure they capture everyone as not all parents use every platform. In spite of schools’ best efforts, for many parents the impact of Covid has left them feeling robbed of key moments and events in their child’s school life. A parent from Iona College says not being able to get out of the car on school grounds or going to all of the usual school events has been a “major disappointment”. “For us, school is a significant part of our community and the school events are as much an opportunity to bond with other families as it is knowing what our daughters are doing at school.”
Striking a balance
Parents want to feel informed, but it needs to be relevant and regular, without becoming overwhelming. Finding that balance is a constant juggle for schools. In the Ministry of Education’s latest Parents, families and whānau and their information needs report, parents outlined two key areas they wanted schools to focus on in their communication. These were access to independent, comprehensive information and having regular communication that showed their child’s progress and any wellbeing issues. Research for the report involved parents of students ranging from primary through to high school, and particularly targeted Māori and Pasifika parents. Feedback from parents said they needed school information to be accessible, relevant, easy to understand, up-to-date and presented in a range of methods including, texts, email, phone, online, hard copy and face-to-face. When it came to content, parents indicated they want communication about their child that is: • Specific to their child, but allows them to understand how their child is doing compared to what
they should be achieving and other students; • Broad and comprehensive; • Objective, balanced and fair; • Gives them an excellent insight into their child’s learning progress, achievement, next steps and wellbeing. While these things were important to parents, they also did not want to compromise teaching and learning by increasing teacher workload. The pandemic continues to impact the way schools and parents communicate. Families we spoke to emphasised the need to feel involved in big school events and to have access to videos and photos if they couldn’t attend for any reason. Having these resources available makes parents feel part of key moments in their children’s lives, when they can’t be there in person. Getting parent feedback about what they really want to know about their child’s school life is invaluable. In Covid and non-Covid times, schools need to engage with parents in a meaningful way, says Cranswick. “I think communication is effective when it’s regular and consistent.” Effective communication creates a dialogue between the parents and schools, and is a strong indicator of the child’s success, says Taylor-Patel. “It’s got to be pertinent, succinct, but with enough detail to be useful, and ongoing.” There are examples in our region of schools and teachers being proactive, frequent, innovative and comprehensive in their communication approach and of the significant value this represents to parents. Engaging parents in the education of their children is much more than a nice-to-have. When parents are involved and engaged in their child’s learning, it’s a strong indicator of future success. Carefully planned, regular and well executed two-way information between schools and families therefore benefits everyone. Schools are continuing to navigate Covid restrictions and better understand the ways parents want to be engaged with beyond the pandemic. We need to keep moving forward, says Taylor-Patel. “In the last two years the ways we communicate with parents has changed. It has strengthened and it will continue to evolve as we go forward, beyond the pandemic because there’s been some really great gains that we don’t want to lose.”
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Sven Baker, Starting Anew You trip over smart, successful people every day in Hawke’s Bay. It’s like we breed them here. You’ll probably know the names – Drury, Wallace, Nimon, Bostock, Buck, Whyte and White. But what about the names you’ve never heard? The businessmen and women who flock to the region or return home from somewhere fantastic and far away, ripe with ideas? Or those who never left, but dreamed up a scheme, a service, a product or a project that took off? They might be injecting millions into our regional economy, or helping put New Zealand on the world map, all from a tin shed, home office or dusty industrial estate. As a public relations consultant and writer, I have the amazing privilege of interacting with Hawke’s Bay’s sharpest minds and most creative souls on a weekly basis. Some are clients, others inspiration. Sven Baker falls into the latter camp. Beginning his career as a graphic designer, he spent most of his life – over 30 years – as one of four partners at preeminent brand and marketing agency Designworks.
40 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
The role took him across the world, earning him a host of accolades, including the coveted Best Awards Black Pin for design achievement in 2012. But towards the end of his tenure, before selling to global communications agency WPP, it also sparked in him a yearning to invest in others’ journeys, and he began getting involved in start-ups (including his current project, Good Farmers NZ goodfarmers.nz and a few remarkable failures, which we’ll come to later). “A pathway of accidents” is how Sven, a chatty bloke who loves old cars and new businesses, rather humbly describes his career to date. Like so many of our most interesting folk, he’s new to Hawke’s Bay, having moved here with wife Lara and their tribe of boys three years ago. They purchased the stunning Glen Aros Estate in Raukawa, where Sven spent his time pootling around the country roads in his 1956 General Motors Company truck, taming the mad garden, and hatching fresh plans.
Enter Good Farmers Just don’t call him an entrepreneur. “I have a problem with that term,” he begins, “because if an entrepreneur is what you set out to be, you’re probably going to fail. People tend to see it as glamorous work. But there’s nothing glamorous about it.” So, how would Sven Baker –
definitely-not-an-entrepreneur – define himself? He takes a beat, and a sip of coffee. “At my heart,” he says, “I like creating new things. Possibly because I’m naturally impatient. I’m bored easily. Having said that, the thing about any enterprise is that you can’t afford to get bored. You have to persevere.” Driven, he says “by an intoxicating combination of adrenalin and fear,” Sven established Good Farmers in mid 2021 with $100,000 in capital and a good many more hours’ worth in labour. The concept is simple – take the best small food producers in New Zealand, cosset them under Sven’s umbrella of premium branding assets, marketing expertise and exposure, and deliver a Good Farmers proposition of New Zealand’s most delicious meat, muesli, honey, eggs, coffee – and more – to retailers around the country. There are, he says, criteria to join the collective – not every Mom and Pop producer can automatically become a Good Farmer. First, they need to pass the taste test (this is something that tends to happen in his own kitchen, with Lara and sons Ike, Joe, Abe and Ezra each throwing in their two cents). Importantly, each supplier must also demonstrate a firm commitment to measurables like sustainability, regenerative agriculture, land care management and workplace ethics to
“But it’s not a franchise, rather, a community platform including assets in exchange for a small proportion of revenue. That revenue goes towards a shared fund that helps build and grow the platform.” access the community. But, he acknowledges, it’s a focus on constant improvement he’s really looking for. “It’s called Good Farmers, not Perfect Farmers, because we’re realistic – we want our community to be on the pathway to good, and better. It’s also recognition that despite what you read in the newspapers, which is that all farmers are environmental criminals, the majority care very much about their land, their produce and their stock and are actually incredibly frustrated with a perception that is, in many cases, unjustified.” The dollar investment from producers to access Sven’s Good Farmers collective is a commercially guarded secret. “But it’s not a franchise,” he points out, “rather, a community platform including assets in exchange for a small proportion of revenue. That revenue goes towards a shared fund that helps build and grow the platform.” It also pays for things like the trademark, a public relations and social influencer campaign that rolled out at launch, and trade show attendance. Sven acknowledges his format is unproven. “But it’s an interesting model because it’s really about building a strong community rather than one successful business. And, right now, it’s not very capital intensive. However to move to the next
42 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
level, which is being mass market, promoted via mass media, with a marketing budget and eventually export, there’s work to do.” Ah, marketing. It’s the bane of many a young business – viewed as spendy, difficult to quantify, complex, and overwhelming. It seems that having a Good Farmer logo slapped on the front of your single origin chocolate bars would come as a welcome relief to a start-up struggling to make noise in a crowded market. “Sure” Sven says, nodding in agreement. “Most are very small producers who just don’t have that marketing sophistication in terms of their scale or resources.” Is it liberating to hand that side of their business over to a known expert? He thinks, in some cases, it might be. Sven references Lindsay Farm, a passionate local organic A2 milk producer that hit the headlines after becoming embroiled in a battle with MPI over its farmgate sales of unpasteurised product. “When you’re faced with a fight to the death like that, you’re either likely to go out of business, or you need to think of a different strategy. In this case, that meant coming on board with Good Farmers and installing a pasteurised processing solution.” It’s too soon to say whether the leap has saved the business … however it might have. Or, it might be an unmitigated disaster, he ventures. He’s had a couple of those, too. Four years ago, Sven founded a company called Zero C, which sought to provide a zero carbon B2B transport option. “We worked with corporates and businesses, predominantly in the main centres, offering transport services which could count against a company’s carbon reduction targets.” Users could book transport via an Uber-like app that was fully integrated with their online calendar. “It would intuitively know if you were going to the airport, for example. It was a really cool model, and it had smarts. And we were just getting going, with around a dozen cars in the fleet, and a number of full-time employees, when Covid hit.” With companies closing their office doors and locking down, bookings dried up overnight. “It was a prime example of an extreme impact. And it was heartbreaking – devastating – as well as financially damaging, and I’m still wounded by it. Because the concept was brilliant, and I was truly passionate about it.”
Luckily, Sven and family were already here in Hawke’s Bay, and Sven had other matters to distract him, including designing stables on the property for the family’s ponies. Hawke’s Bay also provided an exciting environment for fostering his Good Farmers brainwave and establishing initial partnerships. So far, the coffee, meat, eggs, dairy, relishes and many more ranges are primarily Hawke’s Bay producers entering a new phase of business progression. “You start where you are, right?” offers Sven. “But the aim is to have producers from across New Zealand.” And there are many other benefits to being here. “In other cities, it can be like swimming in a lake of alligators. Here, it’s a gentler pace, and much more informal in terms of how you develop a conversation.” For instance, none of Sven’s partners so far have signed licensing agreements. “We’re giving the relationships six months, and then if things work out, we’ll formalise the partnership. Forcing producers into a legally binding document on day one just wouldn’t work in a place like Hawke’s Bay.” Of course, it also helps to be surrounded by the tight knit Raukawa community and his supportive family, although Sven says he remains “selective” about what he shares with those closest to him. “You don’t want to bring them down when you’re having a tough time. Having said that, I’m not sure my family’s all that interested in what I do,” he adds, laughing. “Instead, I like a bit of chainsaw therapy to counter frustration. If I just need to chill, I get on the ride-on.” His main priority these days, he says, is only working on that which brings him pleasure and satisfaction. “I’m approaching the latter part of my career now,” he says, “and although I’m a long way from the corporate world I left behind, and the battering and bruising that came with it, my main priority these days is to have fun. “I just want to work with people who are passionate, and create something good.” Fiona Fraser is the director of Contentment PR & Communications. A consultant, coach, journalist and former editor. Know a person of interest who should feature in Fiona’s column? Contact fiona@contentment.co.nz and tell her all about them.
B R E N DA N E W T H /
If only we had the people
BayBiz
In April 2020, a few weeks into New Zealand’s first nationwide lockdown, our team of five million rallied behind the efforts to eradicate Covid-19. In the weeks that followed we were secure in the knowledge New Zealand had one of the lowest infection and death rates in the world. Borders were closed, MIQ was in place and it was harder to get into New Zealand than it was to get a ticket to the Met Ball.
An economic report written around that time crystalballed that our local economy would lose 8,000 jobs to the pandemic. But in the two years since, our diverse export-led economy, with its relatively low reliance on international tourists and students, has gone from strength to strength.
While it’s true that some sectors, hospitality, tourism, and horticulture with its huge reliance on the RSE scheme, have experienced enormous pain, on the whole our economy is doing well. We could be doing even better, if only we had the people. This is the story of the economic consequence of Aotearoa’s pandemic response – some would say unintended, some unforeseen, some unavoidable. We are experiencing a critical shortage of workers, and there are none to be found. Unemployment is at a record low. Everyone who wants to work is in work. According to SEEK, in February 2022, vacancies in Hawke’s Bay were 81% higher than they were three years ago. Every sector – not just horticulture – is crying out for people. There are skills shortages everywhere, at every level, from the low skilled to the highly skilled. Yet despite the buoyant employment market, the Bay has a surprising number of job seeker support recipients. Rob Heyes, senior economist with Infometrics, says Jobseeker Support work-ready recipients were in December 2021 17% above December 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Over the same period, the number of temporary work visa migrants employed in Hawke’s Bay fell 18%. Calls to the Government to open the borders for workers fell on deaf ears for a long time, and when it finally came, the new accredited employer work visa scheme has been criticised for raising the work-to-residence threshold, which will exclude many migrant workers from settling here as residents. The new process has been described by NZ Immigration Law – a legal firm specialising in immigration – as more difficult and costly for employers, offering fewer opportunities for migrants, benefitting no one other than Immigration New Zealand.
44 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
To say that Hawke’s Bay is scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding workers, is an understatement. BayBuzz spoke to a recruiter for the temporary labour market, who described the situation as being “10 inches into the dirt beneath the bottom of the barrel” with many workers hired “woefully unprepared for the realities of a 40-hour work week”. And true to the laws of supply and demand, with workers in short supply, wages are on the rise. Economist Heyes warns: “If current inflation translates into ever rising wages, New Zealand runs the risk of creating a wage-price spiral where wage rises designed to meet the increasing cost of living feed into higher prices.” Heyes says the key to inflation is to change people’s expectations. “If employers and workers think inflation will moderate, they will moderate their pay increases. Some economists, Infometrics included, think interest rates should go higher, quicker, to get on top of inflation and solidify people’s perception that the Reserve Bank is on to it.” Erin Simpson is the co-chair of our local Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG), one of 15 around the country, created to identify and support better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs. He says RSLG does the “deep dive into skill needs and priority areas” and gives “really good advice on training needs for the region”. Construction and health are two areas of high priority for Hawke’s Bay, along with support for wāhine Māori who have been significantly affected by pandemic job losses. In construction, Hawke’s Bay could take more young people into apprenticeships, but Simpson says we don’t have enough trades people with the skills to be mentors, and that RSLG will recommend leadership training to help fill this gap. Fundamentally the current skills shortage issue is about not having enough people, and Simpson knows this well; in his day job he is manager, labour and capability for New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc, the industry body for the sector. “Normally, we’d have 50,000 migrant workers in New Zealand,” he says, “there’s only around 5,000 and that’s not even touching the sides.” With borders closed, there’s no quick fix, and once they open, Simpson predicts an exodus of 22 year-olds wanting to do their OE.
Photo of Erin by Jack
“If we can’t man our industries, our port, the pack houses etc, it will impact on the growth of the region.” ERIN SIMPSON
He says that incentives to get people into training are bigger than ever, and the schemes are “really good, but overall we are digging deeper than we have for a long time.” Training needs to change, to make it more appealing to all ethnicities, especially Māori, as a big percentage of career seekers are Māori and Pasifika, he says. “The training doesn’t have to change too much for it to be far more accessible and culturally appropriate.” Simpson wants to see better accessibility for migrant labour to continue growth in health, construction, meat processing and infrastructure, and worries about the impact on exports. “If we can’t man our industries, our port, the pack houses, etc, it will impact on the growth of the region.” Julien Leys, chief executive of the Building Industry Federation – representing the building industry supply
chain – says the accredited employer work visa scheme needs to be amended to remove the disincentive to bring people into New Zealand. “It (the scheme) is an impediment at the very time when people will be leaving the country in droves, and our labour shortages will only get worse,” says Leys. James Truman, general manager Tumu Timbers, says their manufacturing businesses are about 10% short of their ideal staffing level, and that’s been the case for a long time. As for the immigration changes, he says that now is the worst time to go through an immigration reset. “When the labour market is in crisis it is not the right time to put the brakes on letting people into the country.” Truman is critical of Immigration New Zealand’s recently announced staged reopening of the border to migrant workers, that in the early stages appears to link skill to pay rate, and therefore only allows those earning more than $40.50 per hour into the country on skills visas. “I would like to see an immigration official come and drive a forklift in a fast-paced production environment and then tell me it is an unskilled role. The focus on highly paid migrants only
“The Government’s one size fits all approach to immigration has been mindbogglingly stupid.” LUKE IRVING
is ill-thought out. Yes, we certainly need these highly qualified workers and they will be welcomed, but we need many more workers across all role types including those not paying $40.50. There are numerous, critically vacant roles paying the median wage of $27.
“There is no relief on the factory floor. We need the foot soldiers to do the hard graft, the often repetitive, but skilled work that is necessary to enable the rest of the business to thrive.” Tumu set up its own academy, Building Futures and works closely with a very supportive MSD to encourage rangatahi into work, bring people on, and get them work ready. “It’s rewarding when you get someone off long-term unemployment and into work,” Truman says, “but the reality is that there simply aren’t enough Kiwis who are available and willing to do the work.” Simpson says that currently, young people are in the driver’s seat. “We’re in a (labour) market where young people can get free training, a good salary, and all the benefits they could dream of,” he says. The catch is “knowing what you want”. Mark Hamilton, managing director of Alexander Construction, a large regional building company, says that Alexander is affected by the skills shortage. “We are turning away opportunities, and a number of key subcontractors in our network are not keeping up with their commitments on our projects. “It’s more about struggling to meet
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63 z BayBuz ril 2022 March/Ap
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 45
The numbers
2021
2019
Unemployment Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Dec quarter
3.8%
4.3%
Māori unemployment Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Dec quarter
9.6%
8.1%
Underutilisation Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Dec quarter
11.1%
12.2%
What businesses are doing to combat labour shortages and competition:
ROB HEYES
• Flexibility: Offering reduced hours/4 day weeks • Secondments to fill critical processes • Extending notice periods • Offering incentives to extend notice periods • Offering more training
timelines and the need to be planning well in advance and accurately.” Hamilton says the skills shortage is the worst he has experienced and that in previous cycles they have been able to pull people in from other regions, but as this is a nationwide issue, he hasn’t been able to do that this time. Luke Irving, founder of international technology business Fingermark, says that finding people in general is now a struggle. The company used to import talent; 85% of engineering and development staff were from offshore, but with borders closed that’s all changed. Due to business growth, Fingermark is currently trying to fill 30 new roles globally, and has expanded its team by 20 over the past six months. Locally there’s an EIT IT student internship programme that Fingermark is part of, and the company regularly hires its interns into permanent roles. Irving says there is a lot of energy in the Hawke’s Bay economy, with businesses competing for talent, and with it an increase in remuneration packages, which is “great for the employee”. But he notes that the strategy around hiring has to change. “It’s more than just the dollars. People’s expectation of workplaces and wellbeing has changed. A lot of people are struggling over the past two years, and they will take time to recover.” Fingermark offers competitive salaries, and benefits that include health insurance, and puts on a good party every now and then. Irving says: “It is just the start of where we need to be.” He concedes that being a high growth company is now not as attractive as it used to be: “It can work against us in a lot of ways.”
He says that the Government’s ‘one size fits all’ approach to immigration has been mind-bogglingly stupid. “We need people to keep the economy going. Industries like technology, horticulture, farming, and health. All are crying out. It’s creating more and more frustration. “We have to learn and we have to remember what has happened.” Council are not immune to the skills shortage. The HB Regional Council’s workforce has expanded by nearly 80 in the past two years (mostly new roles to deliver to the Long Term Plan), but it is finding that its highly employable specialist staff are being targeted by other councils, as well as government agencies and private consulting firms who can offer attractive salaries and more flexible working arrangements. CEO James Palmer says that HBRC is experiencing difficulties attracting skilled candidates for some technical roles, such as in IT, finance, science, policy planning, consenting and engineering, and is currently recruiting for 25 roles. “We are doing our best to remain competitive and are in the process of implementing a number of initiatives to make HBRC more attractive as an employer, and be a place where people are more likely to stay. “Like many other organisations, we wish to ensure our people are well developed, with the capabilities to ensure our people can deliver their work with confidence. In all of this, it’s worth remembering that governments don’t create wealth, businesses do. New Zealand has long relied on imported talent for jobs that Kiwis can’t
“New Zealand runs the risk of creating a wageprice spiral.”
46 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
• Cross training so that staff can cover more than one role • Developing workplace culture • Wellness/wellbeing programmes • Offering childcare • Keeping pay and benefits competitive • Leader development
“I would like to see an immigration official come and drive a forklift in a fast paced production environment and then tell me it is an unskilled role .” JAMES TRUMAN
or won’t do. The new 2021 Resident Visa could see up to 165,000 working migrants who have been in the country since borders closed get residency, but it won’t do anything to increase the number of workers, which is desperately needed. Completely closing the borders, turning off the tap of migrant workers, has severely constrained economic activity. So not surprisingly, business owners are frustrated, and businesses are hurting. Timelines are slipping, produce is going unpicked, opportunities are going begging, businesses can’t open for lack of workers, growth is stifled, and those staff who are available to work are under more pressure than ever. In its Covid response, the Government thus far – and not unknowingly or naively – has deliberately chosen to prioritise health over economic growth. And still we’ve grown, but now the challenge is to address the blockages, workplace stress and inflation caused in part by labour shortages.
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www.dalecarnegie.co.nz MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 47
BayBiz / NI CK ST E WA RT
Embracing green space It was only a few months into the pandemic when the images of Olivia Grant hugging her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo, were published around the world. What was so interesting about these two women from Wantagh, New York hugging? They were doing it through a plastic sheet. There have been many confronting or strange scenes over the past two years. If you thought the plastic hug sheet would be an isolated event, it wasn’t. It became more common around the world, as hospitals, nursing homes and families with vulnerable loved ones, attempted to offer and maintain some closeness while avoiding the virus. Arguably it was a nice touch that offered some human contact in a terrible period, but the plastic sheet also signified how many of us have been cut off, couped up and quarantined for an abnormally long time. Unfortunately, we’re not at the end yet, and as societies start to open back up, the quarantines have shifted from government mandated to self-mandated. Some people are responding by doing their best to avoid Covid on their terms. The streets seem barren, while retail and hospitality businesses are very dormant, many reporting a hefty decline in trade. People are limiting their movements. Some are only venturing out during low trafficked hours to visit the supermarket. We say this because we work with and are related to people who are taking such precautions. If someone isn’t getting out, which is rational and understandable given the circumstances, it’s also worth being aware of how one might find an environment which contributes to better health and wellbeing. The most discussed health impact of Covid, after deaths and ongoing symptoms, has been the mental one. There has been widespread discussion about our collective mental health going downhill, while a study found
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cognitive performance across all ages was affected by lockdown restrictions. It was found to be longer lasting in those most isolated due to their higher risk factors. Socialising and maintaining relationships are generally the best way to address the issue, but in their absence what kind of environment at least offers some health and wellbeing benefits? Nature – or at the very least, the perception of nature. An often-cited study on this topic is Roger Ulrich’s “View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery” from 1984. Ulrich, a professor of architecture, found an interesting phenomenon among hospital patients who were recovering from surgery. Those who had the benefit of a hospital window facing green space recovered faster, were less reliant on pain medication, and had more positive comments recorded by nurses about their condition than those who were confronted with a view of a brick wall from their window. More recent studies have delved into this from all manner of angles. One in Bulgaria that studied medical students, who generally have a high level of stress and demands on their time, found having greenspace nearby meant lower levels of anxiety, depression, and negative thought patterns, while being more resilient. Another study in Toronto found, after controlling for demographic factors, the people who lived in the areas with more, or larger trees, reported better health perception and had significantly fewer cardio-metabolic issues. The authors suggested the increased health perception was equivalent to being 7 years younger, while the decrease in cardio-metabolic issues was equivalent to being 1.4 years younger. A study of university students in California compared participants who walked 50 minutes through paths taking in grasslands, shrubs, and oak
trees, against those who were sent on a walk along a busy street with 3 to 4 lanes of traffic. Those who strolled through nature were less anxious and performed better on memory tests than those who walked along the busy street. Arguably though the busy street may have played a role in increasing anxiety! These are just a handful of examples from hundreds of studies that show exposure to green space is very beneficial. Unfortunately, not everyone can get to green space. Not everyone has a backyard, while newer urban areas are often short on trees, visible green space, or even a park. What to do in that situation? A forest on a TV screen might be nature’s equivalent of the hug through a plastic sheet, but modern TVs can run slideshows. Filling them with nature scenes could be a decent substitute if someone doesn’t have ready access to green space or nature, such as a backyard or park nearby. A study in the Netherlands looked at whether viewing nature images could support recovery from stress. Participants were wired with monitors to record their heart rate and stress levels as they completed various maths problems on a computer. At the completion they would view one of two pictures, either an urban street filled with low rise buildings and cars, or a green parkland area. Upon seeing the green parkland on completion of the maths problems, the participant’s parasympathetic nervous systems responded, and their heart rates lowered. Those who saw the pictures of the urban streets didn’t experience the same response. What’s going on here? Mostly it’s speculation that we came from nature, so we respond favourably to it, making it akin to a restoration process and a calming state where there’s no demand for our focus. This lowers anxiety, helps with cognitive function, and restores our batteries, so to speak. The reason we invest is to support
us when we hopefully live a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, Covid has taken a toll on health in many ways and potentially even life expectancy. Maybe embracing green space can be a strategy to help keep us healthy and in a positive frame of mind until we see the back of this pandemic
The information provided, or any opinions expressed in this article, are of a general nature only and should not be construed or relied on as a recommendation to invest in a financial product or class of financial products. You should seek financial advice specific to your circumstances from a Financial Adviser before making any financial decisions. A disclosure statement can be obtained free of charge by calling 0800 878 961 or visit our website, www.stewartgroup.co.nz Nick Stewart is a financial adviser and CEO at Stewart Group, a Hawke’s Baybased CEFEX certified financial planning and advisory firm. Stewart Group provides personal fiduciary services, wealth management, risk insurance and KiwiSaver solutions. This article was created in conjunction with Mancell Financial Group. Photo: Florence Charvin
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 49
IDEAS + OPINION DOMINIC SALMON
Doing good or doing harm? Humans can be wonderful problem solvers – just look at the modern world of comfort and convenience we have built for ourselves. However, while we are good at tackling individual issues, taking a holistic, system-wide approach isn’t always the norm. Unfortunately, pulling one lever seldom changes the system and can have unintended consequences. Examples abound When LVR (loan to value ration) restrictions were imposed in Auckland to try and cool the house market it resulted in investor money moving out to the regions, driving up prices there. When early European settlers in New Zealand tried to tackle the issue of rabbits (which they had introduced) they brought in stoats and ferrets, only to have them become a huge problem for native species to this day. A more recent example is compostable packaging. Growing demand by consumers to tackle packaging waste, and impending government bans of some plastic types meant many manufacturers and retails have begun turning more and more to compostable packaging as a solution. However, the fact there isn’t a national collection system or adequate processing capacity in New Zealand for compostable packaging hasn’t been factored in. The intention – to reduce plastic pollution – may have been good, but the result has been tonnes of compostable packaging going to landfill (where it creates greenhouse gases) or contaminating recycling streams. It can become a classic chicken and egg situation, which is why analysis of the whole lifecycle is so important. Going it alone works (to a point) There are some great examples of
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“The intention – to reduce plastic pollution – may have been good, but the result has been tonnes of compostable packaging going to landfill (where it creates greenhouse gases) or contaminating recycling streams.”
businesses which have led the charge and set up their own systems to return and process the waste their products generate, or to help reduce waste in the first place. However, their success is dependent on their control of the supply chain and the percentage of the market they hold. One good example is coffee cup sharing scheme, Again Again. It has built up a network of nearly 150 cafés around New Zealand, including in Hawke’s Bay, which offers a standardised, reusable coffee cup through a deposit system. A mobile app helps customers keep track of their borrowed cups, how much waste has been avoided and their account balance. Again Again has also branched out to offer takeaway food containers too, using the same principle of a standardised, reusable container and a deposit to incentivise returns. Its achievements are commendable both in terms of preventing waste from going to landfill, and changing consumers’ attitude to reusable options. Innocent Packaging is one example of a producer which has set up a collection and processing system for its products. Its ‘The Full Package’
service offers its customers a system to collect and return their packaging and return it to Innocent Packaging to be composted. More often than not though, in a free-market system such as ours with multiple players, industry-wide collaboration is vital to tackle a problem at scale. Start at the end When you tackle the problem, sometimes you must begin at the end – what waste is produced and where does it go? We can then look back up the pipeline to see where systematic changes need to be made to achieve a truly sustainable end-of-life solution. This means looking at all aspects of a product. Where and how is it produced, what does the supply chain look like, where is it used, what use it can have after disposal and what can we learn from others around the world who have been successful in tackling the same problem? Why work together? Working with multiple stakeholders to reduce waste is our forté. Bringing competing businesses together to tackle a common problem isn’t always the simplest or quickest method but is the best way to create system-wide, lasting change. This change isn’t just about environmental best practice either. Through collaboration an industry can reduce costs, improve efficiencies and increase social license to operate. Two examples which we have been involved in are regulated product stewardship schemes for tyres and refrigerant gases. Both have overwhelming industry support for tackling major issues – end-of-life tyres, which can create significant harm to people and planet, and refrigerant gases, which are some of the most potent
“One good example is coffee cup sharing scheme, Again Again. It has built up a network of nearly 150 cafés around New Zealand, including in Hawke’s Bay, which offers a standardised, reusable coffee cup through a deposit system.” Again Again cups have been adopted by cafes like Hawthorne.
contributors to climate change. Both schemes take a whole-of-lifecycle approach and will manage not only what happens to the products at the end of their life but the entire process. For refrigerant gases, for example, this means ensuring installations are compliant, proper training for technicians, and correct transport, collection and disposal to prevent leaks into the atmosphere.
For tyres it means not only ensuring they are collected at the end of life, but there is a standard recycling fee, safe storage, end markets for the old tyres, and accurate record keeping, among other considerations. Forging a more sustainable future is of paramount importance and, while the solutions may sometimes seem simple, it takes collaboration to make them work and to make them stick.
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.
MANAWATIA A MATARIKI HAPPY MAORI NEW YEAR
Unison is proud to support Atea A Rangi Educational Trust in celebrating Matariki 2022. For details of events happening in Te Matau-a-Maui this Matariki head to www.atea.nz or follow Unison on Facebook @UnisonNetworks
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 51
IDEAS + OPINION CHARLES DAUGHERTY
Climate Change? Just DO SOMETHING! After completing university in 1968, I undertook junior officers’ training. Military service was mandatory for young men in the United States then, and most of us wished to be anywhere else doing anything other than fighting a meaningless war. We continually frustrated the drill sergeants who trained us. We didn’t want to be soldiers, so time after time these sergeants would try to inspire some commitment in us, yelling “Gentlemen! Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do – JUST DO SOMETHING!!!” Many things I learned in the army have proven useful, and that directive is burned into my memory. Sometimes, especially when the task seems too big, what matters is just doing something. Today’s young people are as trapped by circumstances as my generation. They and their descendants inherit the consequences of two centuries and more of greenhouse gases (GHGs) being spewed into the atmosphere. The insult to that injury is knowing that they will pay the price for the inaction of their parents, who knew better but did little to stop the accruing environmental damage. These memories returned for me with the March announcement of the appointment of Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau as the new Climate Action Ambassador for Hawke’s Bay. I welcome the appointment. Councillor Hinewai Ormsby calls climate change “the most urgent and profound environmental issue of our time.” Council has a responsibility to act that acknowledges the climate change emergency it declared. This is one such step. Can one appointment address a challenge of this magnitude? Tom Belford (BayBuzz, 11 March 2022) calls Ms McKelvie-Sibileau’s proposed work plan a “yawner”. Her tasks in-
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What’s been ‘normal’ for the past 200 years has been highly abnormal in the history of life on earth. Overloading the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, harvesting wildlife to extinction, and destroying habitats for the species with whom we share the earth are no longer acceptable. clude ensuring the Council is carbon neutral by 2025, leading development of a Regional Climate Action Plan, and having “a key leadership role” in the region’s push to carbon neutrality by 2050. Belford has a point. The Labour Government’s lethargic leadership on reducing GHG emissions undercuts our international commitments on both climate change and biodiversity. Ms McKelvie-Sebileau’s challenge is to demonstrate the commitment of regional government to meeting these challenges. In that spirit, I offer three thoughts about how I’d like our new ambassador to approach her role: First, ACTION. Action is the key word in the ambassador’s title. New Zealanders are tired of talk – it’s time to walk the walk. Be the Action Ambassador – get runs on the board quickly. Climate change is a bigger challenge than Covid-19 – act with the same urgency. Second, nature-based solutions. Of course, what one does matters. The menu of choices to address climate change is huge. Thousands of different changes can make a difference. One action ambassador can’t do all
or even many of them, but the public can be inspired to help. How best to choose what actions to pursue? Nature-based solutions (NbS) are an emerging framework to simultaneously address the twin challenges of our time, climate change and biodiversity restoration. Restoring biodiversity repairs damaged ecosystem services and helps address the harmful effects of climate change. Our Ambassador can advocate NbS actions for natural spaces, cities, and individuals. Restoring habitats along shorelines and rivers protects communities and infrastructure from flooding and erosion, sequesters carbon, and enhances biodiversity. Restoring and expanding every patch of remnant bush can have similar effects. Increasing green spaces and planting trees in urban areas sequesters carbon, mitigates floods and air pollution, cools urban hot spots, and provides recreation and health benefits. Individuals can reduce carbon footprints and restore biodiversity simultaneously by reducing consumption, using appliances and phones longer before replacement, traveling less, growing a vegetable garden, planting insect-loving plants like lavender, using public transport, and replacing lawns with nature-friendly plants that don’t require mowing or pesticides or fertiliser. When possible, replace petrol vehicles with an EV. Third, banish the dangerous phrase “return to normal.” This meaningless term reflects lazy thinking. And it’s not alone. ‘Business as usual’ is strong competition for the lazy thinking award. What’s been ‘normal’ for the past 200 years has been highly abnormal in the history of life on earth. Overloading the atmosphere with green-
Know what’s in your water.
Water Testing Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s leading regional, IANZaccredited bacteriological water-testing and analysis laboratories. We’re local and independently owned, and with scientific rigour, reliability and consistency, we provide certainty and peace-of-mind when it comes to knowing what’s in your water. Water Testing Hawke’s Bay also holds IANZ Accreditation for our potable water sampling, a range of field tests, and our Hastings laboratory. We test most types of water with a focus on these key water types: Photo: Florence Charvin
house gases, harvesting wildlife to extinction, and destroying habitats for the species with whom we share the earth are no longer acceptable. Future environmental standards must be far different. Let’s stop compromising our children’s futures. The Covid-19 crisis has shown how quickly humanity can respond to danger. Environmental leaders need to respond with the same speed and resolve. So, I wish our new action ambassador well. Plaudits to our councillors for Doing Something! And I hope the appointment expresses an understanding that the ambassador’s
success requires Council’s long-term support and commitment. This battle is for all of us. Each of us needs to Do Something, Many Things, to address these catastrophes. Please. It IS an emergency.
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Drinking Water Surface & Groundwater Effluent & Trade Waste Swimming & Spa Pools
Phone 06 870 6449 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.
www.watertestinghb.nz
MAY/JUNE 2022 • BAYBUZZ • 53
IDEAS + OPINION CHRIS COLLINS
EIT becomes part of national vocational education network Most people are aware of the major reforms Government has announced, such as in health, Three Waters and local government. All have attracted media attention. People are often less aware, however, of major reforms announced for vocational education. These represent the most wide-ranging education reforms seen in a generation. They are complex and bold in aspirations. The reforms address growing issues and concerns across the vocational education sector. These reforms involve 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP), 11 Industry Training Organisations (ITO), and close to 250,000 learners. I’m often asked how these reforms impact EIT and our education delivery in our regions.
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EIT has been widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s leading ITPs. It’s grown into a genuine example of a ‘world class’ regional education institution. EIT has been financially strong and sound. We have extensive outreach into Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, along with national and international reach around highly regarded niche specialist areas. This includes delivery into offshore university partnerships. Student success is strong. Industry engagement and partnerships are active. Māori participation and success are some of the highest in the country. Prior to Covid-19, we had increasing numbers of international students choosing EIT – in 2019 some 1,450 students from 45 different countries studied at EIT. While there are always areas for improvement, EIT has been
widely held up as an exemplar of success in the sector. Despite our success, the reality also was the vocational education sector needed reform. We had two separate, unintegrated and blunt funding and delivery systems. Collaboration was difficult or next to impossible. Learners, industry and educators found it difficult to bridge these different systems. Many learners, who may have already been seriously disadvantaged in prior education, found themselves continuing to be disadvantaged. The underpinning funding system was seriously creaking and flawed. It was blunt, unnuanced, based mainly on volume – ‘bums on seats’ – and like EIT, most organisations were forced to pursue other revenue streams to fund core educational activities. The need for major reform was clearly evident, which the Minister subsequently announced in 2019. As a result of these reforms, on 1 April 2020, EIT became a subsidiary of a new national education institution, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. Just to declare openly my own connections, on 1 April 2020, I was also appointed as interim CEO to begin the stand-up process, until Stephen Town, the incoming CEO took up his role in July 2020. Joining 15 other ITPs and up to nine ITOs, Te Pūkenga will become the largest tertiary education institute in New Zealand, and one of the largest in the world. The goal of Te Pūkenga is to create an integrated national network of provision that brings together on-job, on-campus and online learning to give learners more choices and flexibility in what, where and how they learn. At the end of 2022, as part of the transition process, EIT along with others, will dissolve as a separate en-
tity, and become fully integrated into Te Pūkenga. Hence, from 2023 all EIT learners will be enrolled with Te Pūkenga to bring together and integrate the best of the ITP and ITO provision into one integrated institution and system. There is still much to be done to turn this aspiration into a reality – the complexity should not be underestimated. This is what staff at EIT, and staff across the wider Te Pūkenga network have been actively working towards since 2020. What is really important to us here at EIT, is that regional voice, needs, perspectives and decision-making are fundamental to the operations and design of Te Pūkenga. The Minister has hard-wired this commitment into legislation in Te Pūkenga’s Charter. EIT continues to strongly champion this to ensure that Te Pūkenga lives up to these Charter commitments. A highly centralised ‘command and control’ organisation, in our view, will not work for the needs of regional New Zealand. Also fundamental in the Charter commitments are meaningful partnerships and engagement with Māori as genuine Te Tiriti partners. These commitments are a lot to live
up to – to ensure as Te Pūkenga we ‘walk the talk’. Considerable activity is occurring to develop the organisational design of how this new networked national institution will operate and live out its Charter commitments. I often also get asked about the future of degree-level provision at EIT, as the vocational reforms focused on sub-degree level vocational education. As most know, EIT has built extensive degree and post-graduate provision into its portfolio, right through to Masters degree. What people often don’t realise is that more students at EIT are enrolled in degree-level programmes than in any other qualification level. This wide-ranging education portfolio will continue in Te Pūkenga. The primary focus will continue to be applied, professional and vocationally orientated, and to grow and strengthen all qualification levels from foundation through to postgraduate level. A key future focus will be on building more work-integrated and work-based learning that best aligns with the needs of professional groups, business, and industry. EIT’s applied research commitment into our region will also continue. EIT is currently attracting more applied
research contracts than ever before, particularly related to regional health and Māori health initiatives. This will continue on into Te Pūkenga. For Te Pūkenga to be successful, it must be highly engaged into all regions, with iwi and hapū, business, industry, social services and communities. Deep and meaningful regional and local engagement, alongside leveraging off a nationally integrated institution, are all keys to building a successful future. My time as CEO of EIT, after over 18 years in this role, draws to a close when EIT fully dissolves into Te Pūkenga at year end. But I can assure you, in the time remaining, I am very focused on continuing to advocate strongly for the needs and aspirations of the people and communities of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti. I want to ensure that the strengths that EIT brings into Te Pūkenga, are also strengths of Te Pūkenga – and that we go on to build a truly integrated national institution that effectively meets the education and training needs of all New Zealand regions and communities. Chris Collins is EIT Chief Executive.
Kate Smith | Bachelor of Business Studies Student (Hawke’s Bay Campus)
EIT IS NOW PART OF TE PŪKENGA While EIT’s name may be changing, quality education and delivery will not. The services EIT offer will not only remain, they will be strengthened by being part of the extensive Te Pūkenga network around the country. This will give learners more options in choosing where to study and what career to embark on. As part of Te Pūkenga, we’re working closely with our colleagues across the network to ensure our strengths become the strengths of Te Pūkenga.
eit.ac.nz | 0800 22 55 348
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Illustration: Antonia Neville
IDEAS + OPINION PAUL PAYNTER
Media fails to deliver Life was more fun without war and pestilence. After a decade without local TV, we now have the 6 o’clock news again and I wish we didn’t. It makes me weary, and I think briefly that ignorance is bliss – but it isn’t. In a busy, overstimulated world, rather than wrestling with the issues in all their nuance and complexity, we too often accept the soundbite narrative offered by our increasingly banal media. The television and press seem to take a simplistic editorial position that will satisfy ‘consumers’ while allowing them to opt out of actual thinking. The journalists are too often filled with righteous indignation where more nuance is needed, or shrug their shoulders when righteous indignation is required. Let me raise three examples: Grocery prices The Commerce Commission’s ‘pithy as a puddle’ final report into supermarket competitiveness was released recently and, unsurprisingly, struggled to hold the headlines. True to form their snarl has turned into a whimper and in their 14 recommendations there is little sign of courage. Boldest amongst the recommendations was the elimination of restrictive land covenants which supermarkets use to keep out competition. This ignores that the future of groceries is online, either with delivery, or click and collect. At present most online orders are picked from the supermarket shelves by hand, which hardly seems efficient. The first player to present a truly revolutionary direct sales system could create a ‘winner takes all’ position, much like Trade Me has for secondhand goods. Further amongst the Commission’s recommendations is the setting up or a new grocery regulator. If the
The journalists are too often filled with righteous indignation where more nuance is needed, or shrug their shoulders when righteous indignation is required.
Commerce Commission has failed to address the issue, a ‘mini-me’ regulator isn’t likely to be successful either. The supermarkets are multi-billion dollar businesses and will have better lawyers and spin doctors than any regulator. Expect our expensive supermarket prices to look the same in 5 years time. This is seriously good news for other industries like building supplies, fuel, banks, electricity, and others that avoid profit-eroding competition. The Commerce Commission should have been given a merciless thrashing by the media and the public alike – but so tedious was their report that it was quickly forgotten. War On the other side of the world the Ukraine war rages on. Reporting of the Russian invasion has the tone of baffled indignation. Putin is portrayed as an unfathomable madman. He might be bad, but he isn’t mad. The west have been luring the Ukraine towards NATO for years now and the US has been undermining pro-Russian politicians, while pumping pro-west politicians. There is a great game at play trying to make the neighbours of China or Russia pro-western, pro-democracy. That’s that usual geopolitical chicanery, but
the Ukraine and Belarus were never going to be allowed to join NATO and expose Russia to rival military bases 500 kilometres from Moscow. They were always going to roll in with the tanks before that point. The Russians justified the invasion on national security interests, which is the same basis on which the US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m not saying Putin was justified – all these wars were technically illegal. When the west is the aggressor, you just get the more muted version of Putin’s propaganda and might be inclined to be more sympathetic. People say that as a free and independent country, Ukraine should be able to do whatever they like. That’s idealistically true but not the experience of history. The Cuban Missile Crisis was caused by Cuba getting too friendly with Russia and installing nuclear missiles 140 kilometres from the US mainland. The only reason they were removed is that Russia became certain that the US would engage in bloody war if they weren’t. There are three sharks in the world – USA, Russia and China. Europe could be a shark but when a shark is run by committee in Brussels, it’s more like a beached whale. If you threaten any of the sharks in this world, justice gives way to power and only power matters. The sharks all adhere to and defend the niceties of the civilised world while it suits them, but when it doesn’t, they’ll rip your head off. None of this is a surprise and by the time you read this a solution will be found. Like Finland, Ukraine will put in their constitution that they’ll not enter into any NATO-type pacts; likely Russia will keep the Crimea and a bit more and the tanks will roll back out again. Surely it would have been better if this outcome was achieved without
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ripping the Ukraine apart. The sharks have no qualms about making their point with a brutal body count. In any event, we deserve more insightful coverage of the situation and pathways to resolution. Woe to the minority Similarly, the press were unkind to the anti-mandate protestors in Wellington. We should be as open as possible to protestors, because anyone who is so upset that they’re prepared to give up a comfortable life and to live like ferals might have a legitimate grievance. Sure some are anti-1080 protesters, Trump supporters, or crazy anti-vaxxers, but some have lost their careers due to the vaccine mandates, maybe their houses and their friends too. I know someone in this position; a passionate teacher with a congenital heart condition and medical advice that she shouldn’t have the Pfizer vaccine (the only option at the time). But even a medical exemption wouldn’t have made a difference. The ministry was not going to allow unvaccinated teachers and she had her career unceremoniously ended. There are genuine people who have copped a rough deal and have a right to feel aggrieved. Justice Cook’s ruling on the Bill of Rights Act’s ‘right to refuse medical treatment’ is something that many felt strongly about. The principles of personal sovereignty when it comes to ‘medical experiments’ dates back to the Nuremburg Trials and states that humans should be ‘able to exercise the
free power of choice without … force… duress… constraint or coercion’. You might claim it isn’t a medical experiment, but that’s exactly what the vaccines are. They have been given emergency approval and we’re running a grand experiment. Medical drugs usually take the best part of a decade to be approved for mainstream use and about 30% of them are withdrawn due to major side effects discovered during phase-3 trials. When it comes to safety there is no substitute for time. In 10 years we’ll find some variation between the life outcomes of people who took each of the vaccines and those who contracted Covid unvaccinated. Most likely the disease will be worse than the cure, but that is far from certain. Politicians should accord protestors with both respect and an audience. Often protestors feel much better if they think their grievances have been genuinely listened to, even if they don’t get what they want. Curiously the occupation was no more illegal than that at Ihumatao, where the iwi had settled their treaty claim, seemingly without concern for the land in question. Here the government were extremely accommodating and ultimately brokered a solution. They did this because they saw it as a political win and maybe because they had greater sympathy for the protestors. To treat protestors differently depending on your subjective opinion of their legitimacy misses the point. All protestors believe in their cause and sincere dissent should not be met
with contempt by politicians – certainly not politicians who have built their brand on kindness, empathy and inclusiveness. I’m no fan of anti-vaxxers or Putin, but it’s important to try to see the argument through your adversaries’ eyes – to try to understand them. It’s essential the Fourth Estate hold these principles close and allow both sides of the debate to rage in the public arena. Instead they put out articles like the one that suggested the protestors were rife with antisemitism. The group were incoherent and their message confused, but when they put a swastika on the cenotaph I think they were suggesting the government were Nazis and they were Jews, not the other way around. In any event, if I were a reporter I would have been down with a clipboard trying to get a handle on the insane potpourri of miscreants they appeared to be. For a time, I heard many suggest they should all lose their jobs and be shunned by society for daring to have an alternative view. Similar things were said in the early days of many totalitarian regimes. A free society – informed by rigorously inquiring media – must respect the freedom of minorities to hold unusual positions and to dissent or we risk an ongoing descent into tribalism.
Paul Paynter is our resident iconoclast and cider maker. Sometimes he grows stuff at Yummyfruit.
BayBuzz Online 1. The Buzz e-newsletter 2. Expanded website: baybuzz.co.nz 3. BayBuzz digital magazine
You can find it all here: baybuzz.co.nz/digital
63 z BayBuz ril 2022 March/Ap
mayors gue. Our motion intri Centre ironment es offer slow driving. Env water issu te can be lists? HB ABCs of EV iting? Was ronmenta ily violence. omic calamity awa local envi rising fam ivates our advice. Econ space. ing to HB’s What mot 's Omicron re. Respond need DHB ts futu s. the Artis look to tion for tyre as a person. Local solu en. Nature n. tapp is buzzing. Charvi s Ters Florence Meet Rick Nelson by page: Tyne valuable. Cover photo:
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Tom Allan.
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Culture & Lifestyle Hawke’s Bay abounds with unique, gifted individuals. Particularly in the creative space. In this issue discover ... the genius that was Puti Lancaster, Georgina Langdale’s natural healing talents, Kate McLeay’s replenishing mindfulness, the architectural style of newbies Maggie and Graeme Walker, plus reflections on boredom, sumptuous stews and brilliant books.
Photo: Owen McCarthy
Above: Freedom is Behind My Breath, by Puti Lancaster and Owen McCarthy. Hawkes’s Bay Arts Festival 2018
Hastings District Council is proud to sponsor BayBuzz culture and lifestyle coverage.
Puti Lancaster Harvester of stories Story by Rosheen FitzGerald Photos by Florence Charvin
RO SH EEN FI TZGERA LD /
On Christmas Day Hawke’s Bay theatre’s brightest star shone its last. A master of storytelling, Puti Lancaster was taken before her time, right when her creative luminescence was at its zenith.
Culture
“Puti was like water - she goes and flows and finds where to go deep where it allows to go deep.” PITSCH LEISER
“She kept a really childlike perspective on the world. She always championed people being soft, as artists. Listening to people and giving them a voice is really important. She wasn’t going to do therapy she was going to do theatre.” OWEN MCCARTHY, DESIGNER AND PERFORMER
In the following days and weeks those who were privileged to collaborate with and witness her genius were left reeling, pondering her singular process of coaxing ordinary stories into theatre, profoundly touching and intimately relatable. Puti came to the stage from social work and her theatre was an extension of her therapy. Hers was work with purpose far beyond mere entertainment. It was curative, not just for the audience but for all those who came together to create it. She often harvested stories from those with whom she came into contact as clients. She found more freedom in healing through theatre than within a system that reduced real people to statistics on a screen. She spoke of “the service of theatre, to grow us as people…the huge spiritual work of stories…talking directly to the human condition.”
“That is the power of her work. She goes in and shines some kind of light on some small thing that is deeply human and deeply shared by all of us.” PITSCH LEISER, ARTS FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
From the types of experiences she chose to highlight, to the way she gathered her words; from how she developed a piece, to the manner in which it was presented, everything was done with loving intention. She had an unconventional technique, often challenging to collaborators and audiences alike, but done with such gentle reverence that people could not help but push past their boundaries and respond in kind. She would begin with an idea, a curiosity, she liked to call it. It’s about ‘home’ or ‘hopefulness’ or ‘what it means to be a family’, she might say. From this starting place she would wait for people and stories to manifest themselves. She was incredibly intuitive. Instinctively she knew the right people would come at the right time. Nothing was ever rushed, and her faith and patience invoked others to trust in her method.
Those who worked closely with Puti respond with marked similarity when pondering her process. There is always a pause for breath as they try to articulate something so much more than words in scope, depth and breadth. They allude to shapes, to texture, repeat a fluid gesture, hands flowing through the air as if to grasp something just out of reach. Certainly her way of working was unique, non-linear, layering images and feelings, mapping the topography of the heart and mind. She drew heavily on the whenua, the physical landscape of the Heretaunga plains from the mountains to her beloved moana. The coastline formed a foundational framework to cradle the stories of its people. Puti was invested in giving voice to the voiceless, of amplifying the ordinary experiences of those often overlooked, particularly by the middle-aged, middle-class white people (amongst others) her theatre reached.
“She couldn’t say what she was looking for, but she could visually see it in the body or in her mind –it had a shape or a certain texture. She wanted me to see the shape and create the piece based on using my body and using my voice to project from that picture out to the audience.” KRISTYL NEHO, ACTOR
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It’s a way of working that both preserved authenticity and supported her personal predilection for silence. She measured every word, reluctant to give opinion, preferring to reflect questions back on the asker, to make them do the work. “What do you think?” “I’ll leave that with you.” “You’ll work it out.” Frequent phrases rolled from her lips, often infuriating those doing the asking.
“When you’d ask Puti ‘what do you think about this?’ she’d go quiet and she’d think and she’d say, ‘I’ll leave that with you’. What she does in that process is she puts it back on you. She encourages you to figure it out for yourself. She might have not been able to articulate what she was doing in words but she showed. The framework of conventional theatre is to articulate so you don’t have to think.” PITSCH LEISER
Once her subjects found her, she would work on building relationship. Cups of tea, lying in the sunshine and comfortable silences are memories that resurface again and again. While she listened, silent and reverent, her pen flew, sketching images, grabbing hold of a word or phrase to make little poems, devising in her mind how to capture the raw material and craft it into something magical. Her gentle respectful presence and way of being with people, of making them feel seen, valued, worthy, allowed her to peel away surface layers to reveal the vulnerability beneath. She treated these stories as taonga, received in reverence as koha. People turned to her like flowers to the sun, gently unfurling to expose the essence of their truth.
“She had the capacity to harvest from people from their real tender parts. Parts that we don’t really want to expose about ourselves. She did it with love.” TERESA WOODHAM, WCO-WRITER AND PRODUCER
Once her stories were harvested, she would painstakingly listen back over hours of audio, picking out the parts of speech that spoke to both the core of her subject’s character and the heart of the narrative she wanted to elicit. Every word spoken on stage was verbatim, first formed in the mind and voice of her subject.
She spoke not of a script but a score, underlining the almost synesthetic way she worked. She had a talent for looking at things differently – the fragrance of light, the texture of song. With wondrous childlike eyes she knew how to make things anew to get through to people in ways they least expected it. Her words refined, she would enter the devising stage, working intensively with her crew in a way both creatively collaborative and led from the front. Her preference was to spend a week at the beach together, actors and designers all. Away from the world, they would live into the piece, diving deep into both the material and their own wellspring of vulnerability.
“She loved to push people out of their comfort zone, but not in a provocative way. Her main mission was around seeing past people’s first surface. She would really like to see you without pretence.”
“Puti would just sit there and be deeply, deeply present. There was something about her presence that made people just open, her silent quiet power. There was something about her capacity to enable people to really relax, her ability to be with people on a really deep level that was beyond words.”
“She knew what she wanted and when she saw it she held on to it and then finetuned. She was really good at acknowledging and drawing out of a person. The same with the audience she acknowledged and then drew through actors, through lighting, through sound. But she never imposed her belief or her thinking.”
OWEN MCCARTHY
TERESA WOODHAM
JANIS CHENG, LIGHTING DESIGNER
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“As a practitioner she would get under your skin. She touched you in your trauma places. What a harvester of creativity! She wanted me to process my trauma so I could live lighter.” PERĒRI KING, ACTOR
Worlds apart from the business-like nine to five, these sessions were structured like breathing, like the ebb and flow of the ocean – frantic activity interspersed with quiet contemplation. Connection with the material was facilitated through play. She encouraged open expression with joyful exuberance – laughter, song and silliness were as much a part of the process as digging into one’s own heart of darkness. From this place of free exploration actors would generate ‘makes’ - snippets of theatre, parts of the whole. Though she could be vague about articulating what she wanted, she knew it when she saw it. Sometimes all that was retained from an hours-long expulsion of blood, sweat and tears was a single tiny gesture. Actors spent hours listening over recordings of the real voices they were bringing to life, coming into intimate relationship with their cadence, “capturing the essence of the experience of meeting them”. Slowly and painstakingly, the piece would be built. In the quiet times, hours were spent walking and exploring, feeling the grass at their backs and the sun on their faces, endless cups of tea. This space to exhale was essential for her practice. These were deep stories requiring profound self-inquiry. If she was asking her people to mine their depths she was also invested in their pastoral care. Her goal was not merely to produce shows that made a difference in the world. Equally important was the growth and development of her subjects, cast and crew. It’s the reason everyone who worked with her speaks of her not as a colleague but as a friend.
Her style of staging was deceptively simple. She allowed her actors to take ownership of the story and shine. Props and costumes were minimal. Where used they were imbued with symbolism, elevated from mere objects to tools of communication. Little things became big things, just as ordinary stories and small voices were amplified into profound universal truths. Plain paper folded into origami houses becomes a suburban outline, a motif of a longed-for home. String delineates coastline. A measuring tape is at once the tool of a reformed man’s honest labour, used to demarcate time and space, and a reflection on the binary, definite nature of his character. An echoey voice replayed on an op-shopped tape recorder is passed through the audience from ear to ear, whispering authenticity like a slow rippling wave. She was experimenting with smell, working with a Wellington scent artist to add a further sensual element to her theatre. She showed a preference for sun colours in costuming,
“All of her work goes back to her roots as a Māori practitioner in terms of the philosophy, the framework, the understanding, the energy. That’s why she was able to deliver these hard stories in such a dignified and respectful way that your heart can’t help but open.” JANIS CHENG
clothing her characters in hope, even as they traversed the valleys of adversity. Lighting design and soundscapes were an integral part of her devising process, embedded in the works’ creation rather than tacked on. Though her work couldn’t be more different in feel and impact to the showy artifice of musical theatre, many of her performers displayed feats of song and dance that would not have been out of place on the Broadway stage.
“She pushed me in different
directions to create more diversity in my work. I will take her into every process I have. She wasn’t just a director, she was my best friend. I’d like to dedicate a lot of my career to Puti. I’ll always take her with me.” KRISTYL NEHO
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“Puti’s process was not as
linear as traditional theatre directors work. She would have an idea of something and then she would start collecting bits that fit that idea and then she’d bring it together and edit and edit and edit and strip it back to what was often quite a simple story line. She would not add extra words or extra anything unless it was absolutely crucial to communicating the story.”
In her quest to engage she was relentlessly innovative. For Freedom is Beneath My Breath, she transformed the foyer of the Blythe into an interactive installation, in collaboration with Iwi Toi Kahungunu, spreading a cloak of te ao Māori over what could have been an intimidatingly large white space. On its conclusion, the audience was invited to cast their wishes into the installation, to be gathered up with care. These wishes formed the basis of her Arts Festival installation the following year, Come Home When The Lights Are On. Her work was constantly building on itself, as she developed as a practitioner. The notion of installation appealed to her passion for access. She wanted her work to reach more than just the privileged few who felt welcome in a traditional theatre space. She worked hard to ensure money was no barrier to those who needed to see her work. She always took care to make everyone feel entitled to take up space in her audience, as on her stage.
She knew how to roll with the punches. When her actors fell away for A Fragrant Tone of Light she and designer Owen McCarthy took to the stage themselves, so determined were they to honour the stories they had discovered. In doing so she exposed a whole other facet of self, inhabiting the wairua of the narrative even as she operated the lights from her phone while on stage. When restrictions not once but twice stymied her efforts to stage what would have brought to conclusion the trilogy of whānau stories, Speargrass Skies Run Run By, she co-opted the narrative into a phone line and interactive website. Here participants navigate time and space to hear snippets of story that come together to create a bigger picture. Her wish was to have the show performed at the Waimarama Marae, in the heartland of the stories’ genesis, and her collaborators are working towards this goal. This final show aside, she was not particularly interested in the longevity of her works. The touring circuit did not hold much appeal. With the exception of The Contours of Heaven, which earned the top prize at Auckland Fringe then took wings and flew all the way to New York, her stories were very much rooted in the here and now. Her legacy lies in the lives she touched, and they were legion – a constellation of whānau under one big wharenui. Her tender, gentle way of being with people, the respectful reverence with which she treated their stories was an education for many. Everyone who worked alongside her was changed both in their practice and their personhood. Though she has passed, the waves she made will roll and grow in scope as wide and deep as the ocean, as multitudinous and radiant as the stars.
“She knew what she wanted from the audience and she knew how to get it. She was a director not just for the actors and the designers but for the audience. She had cast them already in her head.”
“She wasn’t necessarily interested in the long life of pieces. She was interested in the life of it being here and now.”
“The things it takes to tell stories, things going back to bare bones. Those are important to be revealed. How do we have that accessible for everyone to see so that we can remember those things in our ordinary lives?”
JANIS CHENG
TERESA WOODHAM
PUTI LANCASTER
PITSCH LEISER
“In the mapping process there was some structure we always returned to: marae structure, the pōwhiri. She would tailor the whole experience of bringing people into the room and really connecting. The pōwhiri process is about meeting authentically.” OWEN MCCARTHY
She approached the practice of performance with a singular eye. She was always reaching for novel ways of staging. Rejecting received conventions of how theatre ‘should’ be done allowed her to induce vulnerability in her audience, coaxing them into a liminal space, opening them to receive. Tikanga Māori underpinned everything she did. Her pieces were pōwhiri in essence but universal in their impact. She would greet each audience member at the door, touch their hands, look them in the eye. She thought about the audience a great deal. Their inclusion was important to her. “By the time they leave they know they are in this conversation, they feel they are… it’s not about being a voyeur.” Just as she cared for her collaborators, so too did she care for her audience. She was a master of whakamārama, expertly holding space at the end of a performance, applying the still, focused listening quality with which she gathered material to those who had received it. Often those whose stories featured in performance were present, reinforcing the notion of kotahitanga, that we are all going on a journey together.
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Timeline
2016 Edge of a Raindrop, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival The importance and fate of Hawke’s Bay water as exemplified through the diverted Makirikiri river.
2019 Come Home When The Lights Are On, White Night, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival Interactive installation around the theme of home and wishes in response to Freedom is Behind My Breath.
2017 The Contours of Heaven, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival Six rangatahi navigate their hopes and dreams.
2020 As the Day Draws In, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival Six kaumātua and kuia reflect on life as it was and as it is.
2016 River Seeds, Hastings City Art Gallery A women’s history of Heretaunga in response to an exhibition of female artists, Waitangi Wāhine.
2018 Freedom is Behind My Breath, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival Three generations explore the notion of home and what it means to be a family.
2016 Atapō, Hastings Community Art Centre Collaborative performance exploring the rediscovery of Māori wisdom regarding water and stars.
2019 A Fragrant Tone of Light, Parlour Projects, Kai Tangata, Mangaroa Prison, Hastings Stories of men and their whānau, in and out of prison.
2021 Whare Kōrero, Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival Kristyl Neho (A Thousand Thoughts a Minute) and Eru Heke (The Hunger Strikes Me) each tell their coming of age stories.
2013/4 Allow Me To Mend The Broken Ends Of Shared Days, Hastings City Art Gallery A performance of poetry commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hone Tuwhare’s No Ordinary Sun.
In Development… Speargrass Skies Run Run By Whānau stories from Waimarama of a grandmother raising mokopuna.
M I C H A L M C KAY /
Living colour Relocating and rebuilding in Hawke’s Bay was a thirty-year dream for Maggie and Graeme Walker. Their luminous vision is now complete. Story by Michal McKay Photos by Florence Charvin Chalk and a kaleidoscope of colour sit side by side in Maggie and Graeme Walker’s home. Outside a cloak of crisp white, framed with black defines a building which took two years to adapt to its current lines. The only color being a definitive clear blue stroked onto the entrances of both gate and door. Cool and calm. Giving no hint of what lies behind. Inside a phantasmagoria of hues in furniture, fabric, lighting, and an enviable art collection plays against plain white. The effect? Welcoming. Warm. An invitation to “stay a while.” Pivot slowly for everywhere finds a treasure perfectly positioned. Placed with imagination, ingenuity and not a little whimsy. Maggie and Graeme, both Kiwis – he from Christchurch, she from Auckland – have had many homes. In Sydney where they lived for 27 years; then back in Auckland. Maggie views life as “a matter of timing.” Which was how they found Greenwood Road. “Moving to Hawke’s Bay was always in the game plan,” she explains. “We are great friends with Kim
Culture
ABOVE: The living room which opens out to the garden juxtaposes old pieces and new - typical of Maggie’s style. OPPOSITE PAGE: A signature Karl Maughan of riotously hued rhododendron bushes greets guests at the hallway.
Thorp. We met through working in similar fields and with his encouragement we decided about thirty years ago that this would be our destination come retirement. We filmed a lot here during the years and just loved it.” (Maggie at that time co-owned Sydney Film Company – recognized for its brilliant TV commercials.) It was that timing she talks about which found them buying some five years ago. ‘We came down for a wedding – which was 3 March 2017. Originally, a friend had spotted the house on Trade Me and then we physically went through on the day before the wedding – tender was closing at 5pm that day. We had to act quickly and had no idea what to offer even though we had looked at real estate here over the years. We were a bit nervous,” she admits smiling. “Went to dinner at Pipis at 6pm. Next thing the phone goes. We had won the tender.” They were introduced to architect Brigit Christie. “Brigit got our vision immediately,” says Maggie. “She was and is fabulous. She found us the best builders, Dave Madden, Jason Kupa, and Cameron Barber. Between them and us the house just took on its own life.” She also confesses they did much more than they originally intended. “Well, we weren’t planning on doing another reno in the future, so it had to be done properly.” Anyone who passed by the construction site it was for those two years will vouch for that. They are collectors of art and furniture and having a home to showcase such a corpus was paramount in planning the move.
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It was a virtual rebuild. And the interior of the house as it stands now is unrecognizable against any old photographs of it in original form. Built in 1918, Maggie implies that it needed a lot of help. “The fireplace was out of proportion. We disliked its small grate under the elegant curve of the fireplace. A signature Chapman Taylor feature. The fire was hot, but the house was freezing – so we extended the grate. The house has now been double glazed as well as having underfloor heating. And it’s cosy. The ceiling in the living area was raised to allow for the chandelier – otherwise you’d have knocked your head against it every time you moved – and spatially what a difference that made.” It’s become a room that is what it should be – the centre of their living. Chapman Taylor charm meets stylish modern lifestyle. For two years they commuted, spending a week at a time here overseeing the rebuild with help from Tony Tvrdeich who managed the project. Maggie also had an exceptionally large folder filled with ideas. A mood-board of sorts. This was her go-to guide and constant companion. And although much of the furniture is new, many of those kept gems are still making a statement. Maintaining the memories that old treasures hold, helping make their house a home. Staunch support also came from “the talented team at Little and Fox who just knew what I wanted, found fabrics and furniture which went perfectly; often very much of the opposites-attract-mode which is my style.” But it was Maggie’s vision which led the creation. An interior designer per se was definitely not part of the equation. The walls, hung with an outstanding collection of mainly New Zealand artists – Karl Maughan, Dick Frizzell, Reuben Paterson, Barry Lett are examples – dominate. Radiating brilliance and lustre. Mirrors also reflect light and shade. “Interestingly this is the most neutral house we have owned,” comments Maggie. A surprise perhaps to those who upon entering encounter a huge hit of riotously hued flowers – a signature Karl Maughan. Yet the walls throughout function as a backdrop. It’s the fabrics, furnishings and art which provide that illumination (the ice-cream coloured cut velvet drapes and a significant number of seating arrangements of similar shade are a foil). A mutual love of art has been one of their shared passions – “Graeme has a very fine eye,” says Maggie. “And art to us is much like excellence in any of the performance forms – theatre, music – it just uplifts the soul.” It is also exudes comfort. Luxurious showpieces abound, but an all-embracing serenity emanates like a heartbeat from every room. No sense of ‘do not sit’ for fear of marking the furniture – Bessie their muchloved little schnoodle puts paid to that myth. Toys – unmistakable evidence of a four-legged canine also in residence – are brought out as fast as Maggie and Graeme store them away. Maggie has a canny design sense. She devours interior magazines. Will spot an eye wateringly expensive piece and then set about having an identical copy made. Such as the gleaming Cerulean blue French style chest rubbed with gilt over the intricately carved edges typical of the era. She spotted the
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ABOVE: Vases reflecting the colours of the artwork by Mary Shackman were originally found in Europe – and magically rediscovered in Sydney.
original in a glossy, and had it made locally which a friend hand painted. Great cooks live here, so a cutting-edge kitchen was a prerequisite – it is a chef’s dream; but again, the practical is peppered with witty punctuation. On first impression what could be a Warhol decorating the wide length of working space turns out to be the splash back acting as a canvas to an array of brightly packaged tuna cans. “It’s a special brand of tuna we love.” On a sunny morning, the combined kitchen and dining area opens out to a garden bursting with brilliance – reflecting the clever interplay of colour inside. “We are so grateful to our friend Frayne DykeWalker for helping to create such a gorgeous garden.” Two stunning vases in contrasting hues of blood orange and cumquat sit beneath a dazzling work by Mary Shackman highlighting particular patinas. Blending in behind the living area, a new master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe plus bathroom were added downstairs with a secluded spot for early morning repast opening out to the perfectly planned garden. “We were aware that someday we may not find walking up the stairs so easy,” Maggie acknowledges. Those stairs leading to the guest floor are new. “They had to be moved to fit with a new layout for the two guest rooms and bathroom.” The wing is now a haven for friends who love to visit with its mix of the quirky and the traditional. Fabrics, lighting, and furniture sit eclectically side by side. Harmonious and intimate. Wit, whimsy, and wonderment could well sum up Maggie and Graeme’s Havelock North home. But according to Maggie ‘good timing’ could not be discounted.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Gustavian sofa (late 1800),of long fine lines is from Designers Guild; ‘The Fat Boys’ by Joanna Braithwaite sets the scene for the snuggery with its bold brilliant colours; the bedroom reflects the clever mix of modern and antique; the guest bathroom is lined with wallpaper by American designer Kelly Wearstler.
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CLOCKWISE: Maggie with beloved Bessie besides the Cerulean blue chest she had copied; a typical example of Chapman Taylor in the elegantly curved fireplace with sculpture by Paul Dibble above; the cook’s kitchen including the still life of tuna cans and highlights of pieces from Little & Fox; a secluded spot for early morning repast.
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Culture B O O KS / LO UI S E WA R D
Who’s that girl? Do you know who just walked past you in the street? The literary talent just noodling around your local supermarket, vaping on a street corner, putting their bin out in their nightie? Could be the next big thing lives next door. Hawke’s Bay specifically, and New Zealand in general, is home to some absolutely cracking writers and recent press says we don’t read them very much. I do, but that’s my job. If you find yourself wondering where to start, let’s take a look at who could be loitering in your local pub, or walking their poodle down Cuba Street. Hawke’s Bay has a really good publication offering opportunity to local voices. Erice Fairbrother and Valerie Thompson are the founders of EV Books and their journal, Vines, has just seen its third edition. Vines #3 features awardwinning writers Nafanua Kersel and Rosheen Fitzgerald, both Hawke’s Bay Slam Champions, and Nafanua’s poem, ‘Names ‘n’ Shit’, gets special mention in poet Leonard Lambert’s foreword: “Now, I have to confess I hesitated on the brink of this one because anything with a title like ‘Names ‘n’ Shit’ is likely to be going for the quick hit, the easy gasp factor. Boy, was I wrong.” I’m not going to quote from the poem, because at $15, Vines is an absolute steal and deserves to be bought, but ‘Names ‘n’ Shit’ is a funny poem with a core of steel, straight from the heart of a Samoan woman keen to tell you how things are. Apart from Vines, Nafanua has just had pieces
published in Vā: Stories from Women of the Moana, edited by Sisilia Eteuati and Lani Young. She’s a writer attracting attention in Aotearoa’s literary scene and remember, you heard it here first. Also featured in Vines #3 is Napier’s Phoebe Wilton-Stuart, winner of this year’s Peter Wells Short Fiction Prize. Her story, ‘Tweezers’, is a chilling tale of close observation and fascination depicting an encounter between a little girl and her neighbour that is quite unsettling. Very nice work indeed. Charity Norman is a familiar name in the Bay, having lived here for many years. Her novels are greatly anticipated and her brand-new one, Remember Me, is a cracker, set right here, nestling and lurking in the nooks and crannies of the Ruahine ranges. Central character Emily has lived in London for years. She’s a renowned illustrator of children’s books, has a flat, a lovely grown-up son, a life. Back in New Zealand her father, Felix, is ailing, dementia tangling his brain, threatening his independent life on the family property. A long distance, frank phone call from Raewyn next door finds Emily fronting up to family responsibility and flying home. Emily arrives home and finds Felix living in a foggy world; when the mist fades he knows Emily, beats her at chess, works in the garden and walks the dogs. When it rolls back in he is distressed, confused, grasping at the edges of thoughts and verbalising memories to do with vibrant, clever Leah, missing for many years. What happened to Leah, and what does Felix know about it? This is a story of a missing woman, a mystery to crack with the clues stacking up for Emily to follow. It is also a story of family in all its glory
and complexity, of the thorny issue of ageing and illness, preserving a person’s dignity, doing what’s right, for everyone. Charity Norman strikes the perfect balance of riveting storytelling with keen psychological portraits of recognisable people and situations that so many families live through. The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are always fraught with controversy. Everyone’s got an opinion, right? There are those who mutter suspiciously about the politics of it all, about who pissed off who and didn’t make the list, one journalist describing the list as peopled by ‘wild cards and nobodies.’ Entertaining as this is, the list, and the surrounding think pieces, are worth a look to see who’s out there and what they’re writing. Two novels that I thought were outstanding were longlisted, but not shortlisted, so now I have to read the short list to see what the wild cards and nobodies have done. She’s a Killer by Kirsten McDougall and Loop Tracks by Sue Orr missed out, but read them anyway. Fabulous storytelling, social commentary, minds you might meet and be immediately inspired by. Of course read your Marian Keyes, Hanya Yanagihara, John Grisham, James Patterson (who has just released a very entertaining novel with Dolly Parton), whoever floats your boat. Let’s also awhi our own writers, so they continue to write, to grow, and to inspire others. Neil Gaiman has been spotted in the area, but you’re more likely to bump in to Nafanua and Charity in the pub.
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Nature’s way
KAY B A ZZA RD /
Culture
Georgina Langdale has experienced a long personal awareness of how nature’s energies can support people through life transitions. Story by Kay Bazzard Photos by Florence Charvin As a seven-year-old child she underwent a traumatic episode and, being unable to articulate the event, she was able to find solace in the natural world. Throughout her life, this memory of receiving nature’s support and how it helped process her trauma has stayed with her, leading to a lifelong search for connection with plants, landscape and ancient knowledge. She grew up on a farm in Wiltshire as an only child.In 1976 her parents Jane and Philip made the decision to move to New Zealand. They had fallen in love with the Hawke’s Bay region when they visited it the previous year and met some wonderful people who would become their lifelong friends. So they upped sticks to New Zealand where they began a new life of farming, first in Argyle and later in Raukawa where her parents continued to live until her mother died in 2014 and her father went into care. As a young adult Georgina left New Zealand with no intention of returning here to live. She worked and studied in London, successfully building up a cultural communications agency with a client list that included the British Museum, the Royal Festival Hall plus individual artists, writers and singers across a range of genres. Meanwhile, her connection to nature was a private passion that propelled her to search for more knowledge. “The incident as a child cracked the world
open for me,” she says, “I had no siblings, I couldn’t talk to my parents, but nature had brought me through and helped me to rebuild. So, I sought out ways of informing myself about how, throughout time, humans had worked with nature for health, wellbeing, and healing, growing our spiritual and creative life through myth and legend.” It has been her life-long odyssey – the study of ancient herbal medicine, energy works, and different kinds of spiritual practices related to the land, myth, and legend. It has entailed digging deep into plant knowledge and medieval concepts. “I loved the arts, but the environment kept calling to me and in the 1990s I undertook extramural studies in environmental science and sustainable development. I had always wanted to work at Kew Gardens in London as it is one of the biggest and oldest botanical gardens and research institutes in the world,” she says. “Then, I was appointed to a senior role in the Kew Foundation and was part of the senior management team at Kew, and I was thrilled.”
Landscape and medicine
“Kew was instrumental in helping me to cement the links between modern plant use and the historical uses of plants as medicines, with its lore, myth and symbolism. In the Kew library, wearing conservators’ gloves I pored over many
books including the Hortus Sanitatus, the beautiful illustrated manuscript on herbal knowledge from the 15th century. It was intoxicating for me to see these very early texts describing our relationship with nature and the uses of the plant world around us.” Another inspiration was Renaissance physician, philosopher and priest, Marsilio Ficino who lived in Florence under the patronage of the Medici family. “Ficino’s writings describe our relationship with nature and the cosmos and how we can work with that for our health and wellbeing. He was drawing on ancient texts, but they have a very contemporary feel to them. Today we might describe them as a form of ecotherapy. For example, he would prescribe nature cures, like going for a walk at night in a scented garden. He worked with herbs, landscape, seasons to help address the health of a patient’s physical constitution and soul state. I really love his holistic views. I think aspects of them have value in today’s world and so that is key to the work I now do,” Georgina explains. While at Kew, she was shouldertapped by the UN Environment Programme as communications manager for a study called TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity). The study’s final synthesis report was released in 2011 at the Convention on Biological Diversity
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COP10 Conference in Nagoya Japan and made the economic case for the conservation of nature. “Working at the UN was an incredibly intense experience,” she says. “Day after day after day, I saw data coming across my desk about ecological destruction and biodiversity loss. There were also examples of initiatives to help support and restore functioning ecosystems so there was hope in there, but mostly it was stressful and heartbreaking. We have done so much damage to this planet. It grieves me that twelve years later the data is still heading in the wrong direction for biodiversity, the health of this planet, and ultimately our health and wellbeing too.” In 2011 she returned to Hawke’s Bay primarily to care for her parents, but continued working with the UN project from the farm at Raukawa. But managing the workload from the opposite side of the Earth was a crazy working life. After two years she resigned to focus fully on just being here, in this landscape. Georgina had come full circle; from her idea of landscape being a very internal relationship with nature for her own health and wellbeing, to the macro-level environmental concerns within the UN. “I’m glad I came home,” she says.
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“Over the years I’d had incredibly powerful visions of the Hawke’s Bay landscape – the rivers and ranges, Te Mata Peak and the coast. It is all within me now, I eat vegetables grown in its soil, so it is me.” The actualisation of her belief in the power of nature to heal and the insights she had gained from her UN experience compelled her to set up a business that ‘walked the talk’. Archeus was established in 2013, making herbal skin care products and remedies. The term ‘archeus’ used by Paracelsus in the 16th century – meaning ‘the vital force that runs through us, nature and the universe’ – captures the essence of her nature-based practice. The company has evolved into three distinct areas – NatFem Botanics, a range of products for women going through menopause; Atelier Signatum Naturalis, a high-end offering of exquisite products and perfumes; and a range of training opportunities online and at workshops.
End-of-life care
About the same time as Archeus was launched Georgina’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “Supporting my mother during the 18 months until she died, at a time when I had just launched a business
and was going through menopause myself really formed the way I work in helping others to navigate their major life transitions. I came to see how nature-inspired ways could provide a bridge between the people who are going through somebody’s final illness together – the loved ones, family, friends, and medical support staff who gather to bring support.” So, she started developing products that could be of help during these transitions. Many of the products, such as her range of plant essences are made with plants growing organically in her garden. “I love them because they embody the energy of this landscape as well as the plants themselves,” she says. “It comes back to this connection thing. You discover that they can support you through difficult times at a soul level. I began to teach people how to make and use plant essences within the context of end-of-life or life transitions.” Her mother’s death had showed her how challenging such life events can be; how with all the love in the world communication can break down. “We live in a death-phobic society so it’s hard to talk about the reality of death and dying, to find the courage to ask the deep questions – asking, what do they want while also feeling scared of
“Working at the UN was an incredibly intense experience. Day after day after day, I saw data coming across my desk about ecological destruction and biodiversity loss. There were also examples of initiatives to help support and restore functioning ecosystems so there was hope in there, but mostly it was stressful and heartbreaking.”
asking how we can help – or what may not help.” So, what help might be given to somebody through final illness or the grief of those who love them? “Support can be conveyed through verbal and non-verbal listening and communication,” she believes. “Drawing on the help of plant energetics and learning the ways of working with landscape and nature can also be a huge aid – it might be the use of visualisation or the artworks or the flowers we bring into the room, introducing
floral or herbal aromas, ritual, prayer, or ceremony and working with the seasons to feel supported by the world around us. I work with those ancient ideas of the deep connections between people, place and nature.” She has also been collaborating with others, working with institutes for compassionate end-of-life care based in San Francisco, Colorado, Santa Fe and New York. “By the time my father died in 2019 I had been working in this area for some years and I was so much better equipped to help him through that journey. I felt profoundly connected to him in a beautiful way as he was dying. In fact, those last few days taught me more about love than I ever thought possible.” With a lifetime of reflection, research and study Georgina has developed an extraordinary understanding of why as a child she found solace in nature – the significance of connecting to landscape, plants and the cosmos. Today from her home in Havelock North, she uses her knowledge to help others through their life transitions, offering training that is being sought out by people here and overseas. What initially started out as a 12-week online course with a mix of
online content and weekly Zoom calls has been broken into bite-sized modules accessible through the website, so people can choose a topic module relevant to the time they need it. Or it can be completed as an entire series giving a more well-rounded understanding of the philosophy of nature’s connection and end-of-life care. An in-person workshop will take place in Havelock North in August. Georgina observes that although most take her end-of-life care courses to prepare to help with someone else’s dying, many are surprised to learn so much about life and living. One woman said, ‘It makes living so vibrant and I feel alive to life in a way I was not before’. “When someone makes a comment like that after going through a course or workshop with me, it makes me feel that there was some sort of purpose in my own story, to be able to be doing this work, right here, right now.”
‘Inspired by Nature - End of Life Care and Planning’ Workshop Saturday 13 August, 9.30am - 4pm (lunch is included) $195 Location: Demeter Room, Taruna College. Bookings available at: georginalarcheus.com
Changing the face of dentistry. Neuroplasticity – we now know that our brains are constantly rewiring themselves. What does this have to do with dentistry? Often people do not visit the dentist because of negative past experiences. At Smilehaus we aim to help everyone achieve optimal oral health. So we focus on recreating positive experiences in a dental environment. We go to great lengths to help people replace old dental memories with new reassuring ones; where the patient is in control and the dental team is there to help in whatever way they can. That’s why we do things like have our therapy dog Rewa on site, to help ease any dental anxiety. Whatever it takes to help you take back control on your journey to dental health.
Smilehaus, keeping Hawke’s Bay smiling FAMILY DENTAL / COSMETIC / HYGIENIST 92 Te Mata Road, Havelock North
06 877 7278 | smilehaus.nz
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Finding joy Let’s face it. The last two years have held more than their fair share of potential joy-busting events. If you’ve had some moments where joy felt scarce then rest assured, you are not alone. When my gorgeous friend, Culture and Lifestyle editor for BayBuzz, Michal McKay, called to ask if I’d write some words around ‘finding joy’ I immediately agreed. The joy mission had begun. Read on to imbibe fully in this god-given, immune boosting, life-enhancing gift. JOY. Photo: Florence Charvin
Scouring the length and breadth of beautiful Hawke’s Bay I began my research, asking those who crossed my path the question: “What brings you joy?” The first thing I can report is that this question has also brought me much joy. Filled my cup to overflowing. You should try it. I sit here tapping away filled with the visceral memory of this gift that keeps on giving. Finding Joy. The Good News? It would seem that the old adage – ‘the best things in life are free’ – is true. Let me report back on a few joyful gems from some of the people you might meet when you are walking down the street in Hawke’s Bay. Linda Calder, Havelock North safari designer at Getaway Solutions, talked of friends and family, humour, tunes and travel. She reflected on the retrospective joy of getting out of her comfort zone. Piri Galbraith, owner of Pōrangahau Dairy and ketone queen, said she wakes up every morning with gratitude for all that she has ... her home, the
view, whānau, exercise, her businesses and having a sense of purpose and passion that drives her to fulfil each day. Suzi Wright, Elsthorpe mumma and beautician, said she’s been finding joy in quiet moments where she can sit in wonder and awe of nature. She shared a story of sitting at Kairākau Beach with her two children watching the waves. Aaron Gregory, Puketapu Welding contractor, finds joy in being content in the moment. His happy places are the bush and forest and the ocean. His tools to get there are deeply rooted in his spiritual practices. These include allowing space and time to connect with his breath and reside with his heart centre and energetic clearing, cleansing and charging practises. Science-backed practices that he has studied and practiced for many years. Bronson Tither, Wairoa founder of youth organisation Motorv8shin Aotearoa, shared the feeling of daily deliberately flooding his system with gratitude.
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.
Culture Of being present appreciating the simple joys of family and serving community. Daily yoga, meditation, exercise, reading and studying are central to his life. Pia Russell, Bayview caterer, said she gets joy from everything she can lay her hands on. Walking her dogs. Cookbooks. Foraging food from her garden. Cooking and sharing food with family and friends. Her happy place is her home and in anyone else’s kitchen. Suse Robinson Gardener from Haumoana said she gets joy in a garden. She shared the saying “Plant a garden and watch it grow”. She also added with a cheeky grin some other things that I won’t go into right now. Jack Jensen, Hastings founder of MSFT Productions, said being in the moment, extreme sports missions (motor cross, mountain biking, surfing and snowboarding), ‘frothing’ in the outdoors and ‘sending it’ with his epic tribe. Raina Ferris, Pōrangahau founder of Kurawaka Retreat, said stepping out with her hair dyed multi colours and watching people greet her with a smile. Living with a heart filled with gratitude for all things and bringing joy to others. Cuddles from her mokopuna, being able to be just her. Sharing her wisdom. Having faith with all things. While I delved deep into the research of lettered academics from esteemed universities on the science of joy, it seems we already know. Being in nature. Spending time with uplifting
W ELLB EI NG / KATE M C LEAY
“Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.” MAXIM GORKY
people. Taking time to reflect. Pray. Be still and notice. Living with a purpose. Music. Movement. Living off the land. Serving others. Taking time to breathe and be. Consciously committing to looking for joy. The hardest part? To remember to do this when life feels intense. Joseph Campbell tells us to “find a place inside where there is joy, and the joy will burn out the pain”. Your mission if you choose to accept it is to look for joy. In the mundane and the miracles. To wrap it around you like a blanket. To marinade in the health giving properties it carries. You know what to do. You’ve done it before. Go to it, treasures. Do the world a favour … find joy. And leave a trail of it in your wake. Kate McLeay a mindfulness mentor, yoga teacher and retreat host based out at Cape South Country Estate and Wellness Retreat near Waimarama in Hawke’s Bay. www.katemcleay.com
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Culture FO O D / I A N T H O M AS
Well stewed Long nights, crisp days and the smell of wood smoke are indications a hot, substantial meal is very much in season. With that in mind I’d like to acknowledge the time-honoured stalwart of campfire and kitchen, Old Stew. The gamut of meal offerings requiring a bowl – or at the least a deep plate with a prominent lip – is vast. Consomme at one end of the spectrum, hearty ragout at the other … the ‘wet dish’ genus is as ubiquitous and varied as the weather. Not all spoonable delights, however, are created equal. Should we be able to see through the soup? Clarity is often to be admired but I really want to get my teeth into something more substantial. For me, a robust fusion of meat, vegetables, herbs, stock, wine (or beer) cooked together for a couple of hours hits a mark that a chilled Iberian concoction of tomatoes never will. If you can’t be bothered to cook it, can you actually call it soup? Keep your lettuce and nettle, your French onion, and your cock-a-leekie! Give me a drum-roll for the casserole. A woo hoo for the stew. A hooray for the curry! When it comes to variety, the alphabet of stews is as replete as a gourmands’s gut. From Bourguignon to Yahni – originating in every corner of our spherical homeworld; flavoured with ingredients steeped in historical significance – each stew speaks of the culture from which it was born. Stews were big in the BCs. No wonder they taste so good today! We’re benefitting from 8,000 years of recipe development. From earliest known origins in Japan to the handy “cookin-the-shell” turtle stew enjoyed by Amazonian tribes … (Could be a solution for ol’ Terry over at the Aquarium?)
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Stews were big in the BCs. No wonder they taste so good today! We’re benefitting from 8,000 years of recipe development.
... our slow-cooked kai is delicious. And perfect for feeding a crowd. The 8,000-year-old story is punctuated with signposts as to how civilisations ate, hunted, farmed, gathered and lived. History of the people by the people, ever since the folk of central Eurasia – in an early version of the sous vide – put cross-cut blade steak into the paunch of the yak, added water, then cooked it over a fire made of the same beast’s bones (recipe not supplied). And I thought that My Hello Food Bag was innovative! It’s safe to assume the development of stews grew out of a need to avoid excessive chewing of dry, burnt meat during a time of poor dental hygiene practices. Think pulled pork, but even more problematic. Additionally, a large pot of steaming goodness was then, and is now, a great way to make a little go a long way. The award for best supporting role in the story of stews goes to the invention of pottery cookware. I can easily imagine how much easier cooking a daube became rather than having to rely on tribal celebrity chef Heston Neanderthal’s ingenuity with animal parts to make a stew. My genetic casserole is a mixture of Irish stew and Welsh cawl. Two of the many dishes that grew from cooking locally farmed and foraged ingredients way before it was fashionable.
Lamb neck and vegetables are the main ingredients in cawl. The seasonings: salt, pepper, and parsley, speak of an isolated culture the spice route completely bypassed. Similarly neck chops, potatoes and onions are – so the purists maintain – the only three ingredients of Irish stew. I suggest that stews the world over are folk dishes and as such recipes vary from family to family, pantry to pantry, house to house, village to village, a bit like folk music, but easier to digest. Necessity is mother to many a recipe variation. A good rule of thumb is: a cheap bit of meat, the vege you have to hand, herbs and or spices, liquid, and a slow, low cook. Not everything works. Thirty-five years ago, my idea of a cheap way to feed the flat was a cauliflower and turkey thigh stew boiled for at least two hours. What a sulphuric affront to the senses! Wiser – and undeterred by my youthful mistake – I now make a pretty good casserole. I love this way of cooking. It’s a highlight of the cooler months for me. A wholesome, one-pot shared meal made more deliciously complex by today’s shopping lists. And so much easier to cook by the advent of cast iron. In 1940 a patent was taken out on the slow cooker, the Croc Pot, and with that, unattended cooking blew minds and filled the air with delicious aromas to come home to. Whether you are a slow cooker or a Le Creuset pot user – or even a paunch-stuffing, bone-burning traditionalist – a one-pot, slurpable ambrosia is therapeutic in both cooking and in sharing. A simple pleasure to enjoy during the darker evenings.
Culture MO U T H Y B R OA D / JES S S O UTA R B A RRON
Bored, bored, bored It won’t be the bugs that’ll get us, it’ll be the boredom. In a recently circulated excel spreadsheet of what one needs to make it through Covid, there’s a column that tackles the sore throat, a column for the fever, a column for aches and a much longer column for ways to cope with the boredom. As all sage mavens have told us since forever: “Only boring people get bored”, so why would boredom get to all of us when we’re holed up with the lurgy? A comprehensive investigation into boredom has thrown up some findings, which, while not exactly scintillating, certainly border on vaguely interesting. Critical analysis of this plethora of academic research gives insights into why it’s paradoxical to say only the boring are bored. None of us is immune. There’s no real way to protect ourselves against it. The best we can do is prepare ourselves - mind/body/soul - to meet boredom face on. By seeing boredom for what it is, perhaps we can become stronger, wiser and healthier because of boredom, not in spite of it. What we see, what we hear, our environment, our situation, all these we could call ‘boring’, but there’s more at play here. Officially, the most boring colour is Pantone 448 C. You aesthetes will know what that is. For the philistines, it’s “drab dark brown”. Being so boring, it’s the colour selected for use on tobacco and cigarette packaging. Boring here therefore means something that’s ugly and unattractive, at the extreme end repulsive, at best uninviting. To keep us safe our brain tells us that something is boring when it wants us to keep away from it. The most boring fact ever is this: From 1977 to 2011, the national flag of Libya was green. It’s boring because unless you are Libyan or a viridiphile then it really has no connection to you;
80 • BAYBUZZ • MAY/JUNE 2022
In a recently circulated excel spreadsheet of what one needs to make it through Covid, there’s a column that tackles the sore throat, a column for the fever, a column for aches and a much longer column for ways to cope with the boredom.
it has no context. Things we call boring aren’t any of our business. Brain thinks boring when Brain knows to move on to something it clicks with. When my kids tell me they are bored, I hit back with one of those genius retorts mothers have been scripting and delivering since Moses had a mum: “I wish I was bored. I’d love to be bored. If I was bored right now I bet I could think up lots of things to make myself unbored.” Or better still, “If you’re bored, I know a fun game you can play, it’s called Doing The Dishes.” Children feel bored for lots of reasons. Mostly it’s a feeling of being a bit lost, having no connection to the activities, people or environment around them, a need to relate to something or someone. “Bored” comes about when we lose interest in things, and that can be because of ennui, fatigue or that “can’t be faffed” feeling. Weltschmertz is the very best word for this: world weariness. One expert in these things (thanks Google) explains: “The word ‘boredom’ could be interpreted as ‘I need to be with someone who loves me’.” That feeling is an important rubicon in the quest for creativity. Pushing beyond the boredom barrier takes us to the real goodies. It’s in that necessary stretch that we tap into inventiveness. Our brain gets so bored with
being bored it goes looking for things to do and if there’s nothing it creates stuff. Shoving a device at a child who tells you they’re “bored” suffocates the genius about to be unleashed. Actually, the same applies to grown-ups. Fuel your boredom with endless Facebook scrolling and that book you thought you’d write before you turned 50? Forget about it. The most boring book ever written is the one I’m currently reading: Thoreau’s Walden, 115,000 words about a guy living by a pond. Nothing happens. He takes five pages to explain the hooting loon is a metaphor for “(nature’s) divine laughter at human endeavors”. Walden is boring because of its simplicity. That’s also why it’s beautiful, satisfying, reassuring. It’s a panacea to the busy-ness of Now. Boredom, then, is your brain shutting down, as it moans “Stop, it’s too much”. At its most excessive and all-consuming, boredom is a symptom of an arsenal of angst. A feeling of boredom is a documented characteristic of ADHD, Borderline Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder and drug withdrawal. So too are “Exciteability” and “Risk Taking”, interestingly enough. So boredom’s bed-fellows are crazy party people who freak out their friends. A list of Most Boring Songs gives a hint too at what boring really means. “Boring” songs include descriptors like ‘repetitive’, ‘endless’, ‘monotone’, ‘dull’, ‘formulaic’, ‘tedious’, ‘cliched’. Through music we see that boredom comes about when things are too familiar, when the brain has nothing to latch on to. As we ride this rocky road that insists we pivot and adjust, be resilient, innovate, we must find moments to relax into the boring bits when they crop up. It’s our brain telling us to chill, simplify, connect, find a routine, stay safe and just be for a bit.
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