Te Awamutu News | February 29, 2024

New Zealand’s more than 3000 estimated leapers - people born on February 29 - are celebrating their first official birthday in four years today. Jeremy Smith catches up with one of them to chat about their special occasion.

It’s my birthday!

“She sometimes makes out she hasn’t got a proper day - truthfully I think she has more birthdays than most,” mum Marie says.

“It’s because I have to have one the day before and one the day after,” Zoe Kite responds. “One year I even had three birthdays.”

This year will also be a three-peat year.

Today is the Ōhaupō School student’s birthday.

Zoe is the fourth generation of the Kite family, after her great-grandad, grandad and her dad Zane, to attend Ōhaupō School.

The Ōhaupō dairy farm the Kites live on

down the road has also been in the family for five generations.

Birthday wise, it’s said the odds of being born on February 29 are about one in 1460 –and on that basis about five million people worldwide are celebrating today.

Zoe, born in 2012, is 12 today on what she calls her third “official” birthday.

In her case, the first of three planned celebrations this year to mark the occasion was a birthday party sleepover with four school friends on Saturday.

The News was there as the final party preparations - including pink balloons

spelling out the words Happy Birthday - were put in place.

Zoe even made her own vanilla cake with buttercream icing - adding meringues on top as a special touch.

The second planned celebration is a family dinner tonight, the third is the Pink concert in Auckland, which Zoe will attend with two friends early next month.

Zane said the thought of Zoe being born on February 29 first occurred to him about three months before she was born.

He got his wish with 45 minutes to spareZoe was born at 11.15pm.

As the Kite family goes, February is in fact somewhat of a “family affair” when it comes to birthdays and celebrations.

Zoe has three older siblings - brothers Brodie, 20, and Jonty, 18, and sister, 15-yearold Taleah. Jonty’s birthday is February 2, Marie’s dad Phillip - Zoe’s grandad - has a February 10 birthday and Zane’s birthday is the next day on the 11th. Then, of course, is Zoe on Feb 29 - though in non-leap years she tends to celebrate on March 1.

Zane and Marie’s wedding anniversary is also on February 22 - this year they celebrated 21 years of marriage.

“February 29 always feels extra special, because it means I get a proper birthday. “It never sneaks up on us either,” Zoe said. “I make sure we count down the years.”

Why the leap

Leap years occur every four years as a corrective measure because Earth does not orbit the sun in precisely 365 days.

The 365 days we experience are actually 365.2422 days, putting our calendar out of sync with the seasons over time.

Therefore, every four years the extra day, February 29, helps reset the calendar.

“I just thought it would be quite special given how unique the date is.”

Zoe shares her birthday with former Warriors and Kiwis centre Clinton Toopi, born in 1980, New Zealand percussionists Gareth Farr (1968), motivational speaker Tony Robbins (1960), Black Sabbath keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (1944), former Governor General Sir David Beattie (1924) and actress Dinah Shore (1916).

Leap year baby, 12-year-old Zoe Kite, is celebrating her third ‘real’ birthday today. At her first of three ‘birthdays’ this year, she celebrated with a party attended by four friends on Saturday. Photo: Jeremy Smith

Corridor for third bridge revealed

By Mary Anne Gill

A new bridge in town features in all three options unveiled by Waipā District Council today in its long-awaited multi-million dollar Cambridge Connections business case.

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Of the three, the preferred option C out for consultation to stakeholders is an ambitious plan which restricts Victoria (High Level) Bridge to pedestrians, mobility scooters and cyclists.

The option enhances the town centre, adds a 10-minute local bus service, optimises vehicle routes and introduces paid parking - but does not include additional Waikato Expressway on-off ramps at Tirau Road.

Transport manager Bryan Hudson and transportation planner Rachel Algar told The News this week Cambridge Connections would define the shape of the town’s transport infrastructure for the next 30 years.

The traditional solution to dealing with traffic congestion in the past would be to build more roads, make them bigger and provide more growth space, he said.

“We heard from people early on that the roads weren’t coping and they also said they needed a bridge that was out of town because there was a lot of thinking that was the logical place to put it.”

But when the project team analysed the data, it was clear the bulk of the people

On the

beat

“Cambridge is growing, we actually need a plan for transport as a whole. It’s not just about a bridge, it’s about main routes like Victoria Street, Hamilton Road, (Carters Flat) and Shakespeare Street which will all need some transformation over time,” said Hudson. Option C provided for broader walking and cycling improvement plans across the town and would keep commuter traffic out of the CBD.

There would be more frequent bus services to Hamilton, an around town commuter option and buses to and from Te Awamutu. People who needed to avoid the CBD – to commute to Hamilton for example - could use the new bridge.

wanted to still cross the river in town because a lot of their business was there – dropping children off to school, supermarket shopping, dining and entertainment as examples.

If a third bridge was built out from Aotearoa Park across Waikato River to near St Peter’s School and the High Level Bridge closed to all but cycles and pedestrians, that would put added pressure on Fergusson (Low Level) Bridge requiring a clip on solution or another new bridge.

The project team identified a site for a third bridge closer to town over the river from the Town Belt between Marlowe Drive and Ihimaera Tce across to an area south of Alpha Street and west of Haworth Ave.

with Constable Ryan Fleming

Keep the date free

On March 16 from 9am to noon Te Awamutu Police, Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade and St John will host a combined open day.

There are further details to come but we are looking at having static displays to share some of the work we do in our community. We would love to see you there.

Here’s how last week shaped up.

Monday - Police recovered a vehicle after it was stolen during a burglary. We received a report of wilful damage at a petrol station, an elderly male was reported missing and subsequently located, several vehicles were interfered with at private properties.

Tuesday - Police arrested a group of youths breaking into vehicles, and received a complaint of criminal harassment at a commercial premises, Police attended a family harm incident, a shoplifting, a burglary was reported, and we were called to an assault incident.

Wednesday - Police attended two shoplifting incidents, four males were issued Warrants to Arrest after failing to attend court, police attended a breach of protection order, a male was arrested for assault, we attended a burglary, a minor vehicle collision, a self-harm

incident and a family harm incident.

Thursday - Police arrested a female for wilful damage and being unlawfully in a building and attended two family harm incidents. A male was found to be driving with excess breath alcohol. Police attended a road rage incident, an assault, two shopliftings, two scams were reported, there was a wilful damage and a vehicle was reported stolen.

That would allow some streetscape refinements in the CBD – possibly even closing parts of it to pedestrians only – while increased parking management and shorter time limits were also an option.

“In terms of what it could deliver Cambridge in the way it looks and feels and the living space people value, it’s (Option C) got more potential,” said Hudson.

The options are being presented to stakeholder groups from today. Staff will take feedback and prepare a business case for the council to endorse in June.

The business case relies on New Zealand Transport Agency and ratepayer funding across the whole district.

Warning lifted

The public health warning for Lake Arapuni has been lifted by Health New Zealand due to reduced cyanobacterial levels.

Friday - Police attended an assault, a self-harm incident, a theft from a residential property, a threatening behaviour incident, a male was arrested after threatening to kill and being in possession of a knife, a burglary at a residential property and a family harm incident.

Saturday - Police received a report of a burglary, a family harm exacerbated by alcohol, an assault, two breach of protection orders, threatening behaviour and a minor motor vehicle collision.

Sunday - A male was found driving with excess breath alcohol, Police attended three family harm incidents and a motor vehicle collision.

Waipā transport experts Bryan Hudson and Rachel Algar will hit the road to consult with stakeholders over Cambridge Connections. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Briefs…

Plan delay?

Waipā council could follow its neighbour Waikato district’s lead in recommending work on the 10-year Long Term Plan is paused in favour of an enhanced annual plan for the 2024-25 financial year. Significant policy changes driven by central government, coupled with a lack of clarity around funding and affordability issues have made it impractical to accurately plan the next 10 years of budgets and work programmes. Waikato chief executive Gavin Ion said.

Libraries busy

Waipā libraries in Cambridge and Te Awamutu are maintaining their consistent post Covid growth with nearly 40,000 visitors in the three months since November

1. They signed up 497 new members – 266 at Cambridge bringing their registered patrons to 22,888 and 231 in Te Awamutu taking patronage to 17,271 – and issued nearly 113,00 items, including books, magazines and e-material.

More commissioners

Alan Withy, Richard Knott and Greg Hill have been added to Waipā council’s approved list of independent hearing commissioners. Fourteen other commissioners - Robert van Voorthuysen, Philip Mitchell, Simon Berry, Steven Wilson, Richard Blakey, David Hill, Dave Sarjeant, Karyn Sinclair, Poto Davies, Peter Kensington, Tim Manukau, Alan Pattle, Vicki MorrisonShaw and Sharon De Luca –were appointed in October.

Appeal lodged

Hamilton City Council has lodged an appeal with the Environment Court over Waipā District Council’s decision to grant Wattyl Ltd a resource consent to build a paint storage and distribution centre at 16A Wickham Street, Hamilton. Independent hearing commissioner Rob van Voorthuysen granted the consent on December 12 and the city council appealed on January 25. The Frankton property is in the Waipā district.

Schools: 350 plans in doubt

By Mary Anne Gill

The Government’s move to restrict spending on education projects – revealed six weeks ago by The News – will have implications for the construction industry and families’ moving decisions.

A lead story in The News’ sister paper the Cambridge News on January 18 revealed “fiscal constraints” were responsible for delaying the school and had thwarted the marketing for Bridleways Estate built around the school’s presence at the heart of a “vibrant, intergenerational community”.

The penny has now

dropped that it is not the only victim of the coalition government’s announcement this week to put education construction on hold.

Education minister Erica Stanford said a national blowouts appeared to have been a result of “bespoke and over ambitious” construction plans.

Upgrades for up to 350 schools were now at risk and “exciting building projects” might not be delivered, she said.

The list of those schools was not available when this edition went to press.

In response to The News’ questions, Stanford confirmed there were fiscal

constraints for the Education ministry’s property delivery schedule.

Cambridge Primary School principal Mike Pettit, also a Waikato district councillor, told councillors last week he had been told buildings loaded onto trucks for roll-challenged schools around the country had been stopped from going anywhere by the government.

He told staff to get alongside education officials to find out what was going on with stage two of the new school in Cambridge because so many families were moving to the subdivision in anticipation of its completion.

to cater for developments either side of the road.

Construction was to have started soon at the unnamed school on a twostorey 1354m2 building with 13 teaching spaces, an administration building,

construction industry arrives the Cambridge school would be an important asset for Cambridge to help manage the demands of a growing population.

“I will be doing everything I can as local MP to advocate for its delivery.”

Expo will have news on stream

By Viv Posselt

Information on the progress being made on an ecological corridor linking Maungatautari and Pirongia maunga will form part of an Ecology Expo taking place at the Te Awamutu Museum on Sunday.

The event brings together groups working to revitalise Waipā’s natural ecology. This year’s lineup will include Project Echo, Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain, Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society, Waipā District Council Waste Minimisation and Predator Free Te Awamutu/Taiea te Taiao.

The latter is a funded fiveyear project aimed at linking Maungatautari and Pirongia via an ecological corridor straddling the roughly 40km distance by planting along the Mangapiko Stream as it meanders through farmland and other properties. It was started in late 2021.

Bexie Towle, Taiea te Taiao Ecological Corridor project coordinator, said things are going well.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from landowners, even more than expected,” she said this week. “By its nature the project will take generations … forests don’t grow overnight, but we’ve been so pleased to see that the community is willing to take the first steps, whether retiring land, fencing waterways,

planting trees or installing predator control. That’s been really positive.

“Considering all of this takes time and money, we are making progress much faster than expected.”

The project brings together several working groups, including from the Waikato Regional Council, Waipā

District Council, NZ Landcare Trust, Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society and local iwi, and is aimed at increasing biodiversity, enhancing native species and boosting water quality.

An update on the corridor will form part of Sunday’s ‘Tui and

Tama’s Eco Expo’ at the museum, a free Children’s Day event running from 10am to 2pm.

The expo will show locals what is being done in the area to help boost native plants and animals and outline ways in which families can get involved.

Louise Upston

Mike Pettit

Bexie Towle, project co-ordinator on the Taiea te Taiao Ecological Corridor, with Puahue School children on a planting day held last year at the Kakepuku farm of Waipā District Mayor Susan O’Regan and her husband John Hayward.

Photo: supplied

Land surplus

A 1.57ha rural zoned recreation reserve in Taotaoroa Road, 7kms east of Karāpiro could revert to the Crown with proceeds potentially coming back to the Waipā council which administers the land and leases it for a peppercorn rental. The property is only suitable for grazing.

Ōhaupō work

Staged kerb and footpath replacement has allowed Ōhaupō village businesses and parking to continue amidst the construction of kerbs, footpaths and asphalt parking shoulders.

Praying for victims

A World Day of Prayer service tomorrow (Friday) morning at Te Awamutu’s Methodist Church will focus on the war in Gaza. The World Day of Prayer is being marked in 170 countries. Services are prepared and written each year by women in different parts of the world who share the hopes and needs of their country through non-denominational services, stories, music and artwork.

The Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board have identified the need to complement the work of council staff by organising some additional rubbish collection in and around the parks and streets of Te Awamutu. The additional work is headed by Community Board Deputy Chairman Kane Titchener.

If you are looking for an opportunity to do a little community service here is your chance. We will give you a cuppa and a snack too. Save the date March 17, 8.30am to 11.30am. There will be light refreshments from 11:30am. Meet at the Te Awamutu Sports carpark at 8:30am.

We will supply gloves and bin bags for picking up the litter – we just need the many hands of the community to make light work for everyone. Helpers will receive a map of the area they are to cover.

Areas that have been identified to cover at this stage include:

• TA Sports fields and surrounding areas such as the brass band area and Pioneer Walkway near the sports field.

• Pop’n’ Good playground from opposite TA Sports below the Scout Den, through and around the Livingstone pools, Library, Walk of Fame.

• Anzac Green, Victoria Park, Tennis Courts, Back entrance to TA Primary.

• From TA Sports head towards

Triangle shopping area, head up past Caltex to the entrance of the town at former Zion Church, return on other side of road back through Memorial Park including by the river opposite Memorial Park.

• Warehouse, McDonalds Carparks, George St Carparks, heading up main street to the College and back the other side.

• From TA Sports head down Hazelmere Crescent, Playground opposite the shops and down to the Intermediate and back.

If you have noticed any other locations where rubbish is lying around, please let us know.

Waste Management have offered to sponsor two tandem trailer loads of general waste and they have two staff interested in being involved in the clean-up. So a big thank you to Te Awamutu Waste Management for their support.

Kane says, “the day is an opportunity to clean up the town and connect with the community.”

He says depending on the success of the day, future events could be held, including at Kihikihi.

How can you help: Register your intention to help by contacting Kane.

We hope to see you on the day.

Two weeks ago a man died in mysterious circumstances.

A brave man, only 47 years old, who had fought for years to provide an alternative view in a country where alternative views are actively discouraged. He survived one attempt to silence him. After a long and difficult recovery, he picked up the fight again and was imprisoned in the Arctic on spurious charges. He died after taking a walk.

I am referring, of course, to Alexei Navalny, the chief thorn in the side of Vladimir Putin. Not a lone voice, but the most consistent voice of opposition who called out Putin and his oligarch collaborators for the harm they do to Russia and the Russian people.

Alexei Navalny is not the only example. Jimmy Lai, the owner of the last independent newspaper in Hong Kong, Apple Daily, is in a Chinese prison, probably for the rest of his days, because he dared to do what a newspaper ought to do – investigate and call out abuses of power and maintain the freedom of the press to do just that.

You might wonder what relevance this has in New Zealand where there is a healthy opposition to the government and media which are able to investigate, report on and invite opinions on any and every aspect of our society.

Well, democracy and freedom of the press are both at risk in a world where influencers on social media carry more weight with many than an independent press.

These are the people who are seduced down the proverbial “rabbit holes”

and believe what is demonstrably untrue.

Witness the twothirds of Republican supporters in United States who apparently still believe that Donald Trump was cheated out of an election victory in 2020. They are like those in the parable who built their house upon the sand.

More than at any other time, we need to make sure of our facts, as far as we are able. I am reminded of Nicodemus, the learned rabbi and teacher of the law in the days of Jesus.

In John 3, we read of how he wanted to find out for himself who Jesus was and what he stood for.

He sought Jesus out at night when they could both converse without distraction. Jesus explained to him about baptism, rebirth, the nature of God and the difference between believers and unbelievers.

It is in this account that we find the basis of Christian faith, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John’s account does not reveal exactly how Jesus unpacked this for Nicodemus, but the key message was, and is, God loves, God gives, and God saves.

We do not know what Nicodemus did after this conversation, whether he believed Jesus’s words or whether, as part of the establishment, he continued to oppose him, but at least he had all the facts.

RIP Alexei Navalny 1976 – 2024

Moves to stall housing plan

By Mary Anne Gill

Waipā wants to hit pause on a controversial housing intensification plan but the legislation which would allow them to do so is not yet in place.

The coalition Government agreed to make Medium Density Residential Standards optional for councils as part of its 100 day action plan and Going for Housing Growth policy.

the council with recommendations for consideration by councillors at their March 27 meeting.

The process was not an opportunity to review the merits of the plan change or impose standards.

“By waiting for the legislation to be changed, there will be more information to assist council in making its decision,” she said.

St John gets a grassroots bonus

Two new ambulances are ready to support Waikato communities - and one of them is based in Te Awamutu.

The ambulances have come thanks to funding from the Grassroots Trust, a long-time supporter of Hato Hone St John.

A Generation 4 emergency ambulance will operate from Te Awamutu, and a Health Services vehicle, which will be based in Chartwell, Hamilton, were blessed during a ceremony at St John’s Te Awamutu ambulance

station last week.

The new frontline emergency ambulance is fitted with a powerload electric stretcher and stair carry chair, which makes it easier and safer to move patients in and out of the vehicle.

St John South Waikato Operations manager Craig Scott says the new vehicle bolsters the ambulance service’s resources.

“This ambulance is a wonderful gift to our community,” he said.

The new Heath Services vehicle will serve the Hamilton

community and the surrounding district.

Since 2022, the Trust and Grassroots Trust Central have granted more than $2 million for vehicles and equipment to St John, including Generation 4 ambulances for Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Whakatane and Gisborne, an Event Health Services ambulance for Hamilton, Major Incident Support Team vehicles for Dunedin and Gisborne, and lifting chairs for Northland.

Waipā’s Plan Change 26 would enable three houses, up to three storeys high, to be built on a site, and aims to increase housing around the district.

The council was to notify the government of its planning process by March 31.

District Plan and Growth manager Wendy Robinson asked councillors this week to request a delay until February 27 next year.

That would allow time to consider the wider implications and signal any changes of legislation which would apply to Plan Change 26.

The council’s independent hearing panel was due to provide

Waipā will work with Hamilton City Council and make a joint request to Environment Minister Penny Simmonds to put the process on hold.

Robinson said without knowing how any new legislation would look, it was difficult to know what the council could do.

“However, we assume that council may be able to review Plan Change 26 and in doing so fully consider … if the mandatory standards are fit-forpurpose in our residential zone.”

Waikato District Council has already decided to proceed with the March 31 date while Hamilton had already obtained an extension until December due to flood hazard work.

Penny Simmonds

Pictured at the blessing of the new ambulances were, from left, Ken Williamson (Knight of the Order of St John), Craig Scott, ambulance officers Nigel Whibley, George McQuillan and Scott Gardiner and St John District Operations Manager Ross Clark.

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Reporting for bloody duty

It has been years since The News’ senior writer Mary Anne Gill has given blood but sometime in the next few days, she will rectify that.

Gill was one of the many New Zealand residents who lived in the United Kingdom, France or Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 1996 for six months or more during the ‘mad cow disease’ outbreak.

They will all be finally able to donate blood or plasma from today (Thursday).

The restriction that prevented people donating was implemented in 2000.

The News revealed in 2022 the New Zealand Blood Service was considering changing the rule which was a precautionary measure amid concerns about the risk of acquiring human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (also known as Mad Cow disease) via blood or plasma transfusions.

But it took another 24 months before last week’s announcement and Gill’s persistence in highlighting the change saw her feature in a New Zealand Blood Service video in front of the Cambridge Town Hall.

“For years I’ve felt guilty about not being able to give blood here in New Zealand. The irony is I’m registered with the blood service in the UK and have given blood there when I’ve visited.”

The recommendation from the Blood Service to lift the restriction in New Zealand was approved by Medsafe following a review and detailed risk assessment.

When it was lifted in

other countries, there was an immediate increase in numbers, including Australia where numbers went up eight per cent.

With those previously impacted by the restriction finally being able to book an appointment to donate from today, they’ll first be encouraged to check their eligibility online.

“I’ve checked and I can so I can’t wait,” said Gill.

Supper is provided

Te Awamutu Menzshed has been coming to dinner at the town’s RSA on a regular basis recently. The popular men’s groups has been providing fresh produce to supplement the club’s pensioner lunches.

Pictured behind the counter was Richard Cato from the shed with RSA kitchen manager Louise Chidlow – while John Byett and Freda Cavanagh were on the other side of the counter.

Louise said the Menzshed had started providing vegetables - such as tomatoes, broccoli and potatoes, at the start of the year and it was “really appreciated”.

She has been at the RSA for a year since switching from Southern Cross Hospital in Hamilton and lives in Ōhaupō.

The RSA provides Thursday meals for about 50 pensioners each week.

Meanwhile, the Menzshed team will also be helping the RSA this weekend, renovating the cemetery flagpole – a task they are familiar with having renovated the one on Anzac Green in the town centre.

Mary Anne Gill features in a New Zealand Blood Service video announcing the end of the mad cow disease ban.

Photo: NZ Blood Service.

Mary and the death germs

Mary Ryburn put her headache down to an attack of biliousness. It was the end of August 1899 and 54 year old Mary, along with the rest of her Paterangi family, had eaten some tinned salmon the night before. The next day she felt slightly worse, although everyone else felt fine. Mary deteriorated the following day and Dr Pairman was called in, saying at once it was a case of food poisoning. Mary could not keep anything down and was becoming very weak.

Two days later she seemed a little better, but the next morning the doctor had little hope and Mary gradually became weaker before seeming to just slip away.

Mary was of a most cheerful disposition, a kind friend and a good neighbour, who always had a pleasant word of welcome to anyone who came near her home and hers was a great loss to Paterangi. She had come to New Zealand with her parents from Devonshire at the age of 12, living with them at Tamaki until she married James Ryburn, a Scotsman, in 1867. After a few years in the Auckland area they moved to Te Awamutu, and then to a Paterangi property called Greenbank. James was a farmer and later a seed, manure and grain merchant at an Ōhaupō store. The Ryburns had 11 children. One son died as an infant in 1879. More tragedy lay in

wait with the death in 1892 of Louisa, 19, then two years later the loss of Blanche, 17. Four years later there was a near miss for their son Douglas who made a miraculous escape from death when a dray capsized in a swamp while he was carting water.

Mary’s death, the Coroner thought, did not need an inquest – he concluded the cause was blood poisoning, leading to questions of ‘was it the salmon?’ in national newspapers.

There were several cases over the years of ‘tinned salmon’ or ptomaine poisoning – a term now known as food poisoning. Ptomaine was described as a ‘mighty atom’ which loved to lurk in various parts of the human diet.

Housewives were warned to be on their guard, particularly in hot weather. Food stored in dark, damp, airless larders or cupboards, and the keeping of milk, butter, meat, fish, and butcher’s sausages close together meant each gave its own gases to the other, becoming centres for colonies of ptomaines. Housewives were cautioned, before buying any canned food, to look carefully for the ‘bulging tin’ and reject it as there were ‘death germs’ inside at work.

The only way of avoiding risk appeared to be meticulous cleanliness, and eating only food that was

Get Gardening

With Autumn nearly upon us it’s a great time to hit reset on your garden. Tasks like moving shrubs, dividing perennials, resewing or starting a new lawn, planting spring bulbs, trees or a hedge can all be done in the coming month but do keep in mind you need to water these consistently as temperatures will still be warm. Now is also a great time to prune any fruit trees which have just finished fruiting, make sure to do it on a dry day. You can also get your Winter colour sorted for your garden or pots. There are the perfect P's like; Poppy, Primlet, Primula, Polyanthus and Pansies or try Snapdragons, Foxgloves, Cyclamens or Dianthus. And lastly grab some punnets of your favourite winter brassicas for the vege garden.

Happy Gardening!

absolutely above suspicion.

The can opener too, should be kept scrupulously clean and scalded with hot water. Nearly 30 years after Mary’s death the cause was still not understood - the ‘germ’ being thought one of a rather mysterious group, and how they got into the tinned foods and why they were so poisonous was something of a puzzle. Much time was spent investigating one case where the ‘germ’ was believed to have got in through a hole in the tin.

About a dozen buggies and over fifty people on horseback joined in Mary’s funeral procession and by the time it reached St John’s Church, Te Awamutu, it had increased to nearly 200, many coming out from the town on foot. Her coffin was covered with wreaths, crosses and other floral tributes of affection. Mary and her daughters Louisa and Blanche are all buried together.

The added danger of water

By Janine Krippner

Magma is complicated enough. When water enters the scene and mixes with it, things can go haywire.

There are different ways to classify eruption styles. One of these ways is through whether water is involved, or if magma is even part of the action. A magmatic eruption definition is simple enough – magma reaches the surface then comes out of the ground as some sort of product like lava, spatter, ballistic ejecta, ash, or pyroclastic flows. When we don’t have magma at all, but instead an eruption is driven by steam within the volcanic system, we call this a phreatic eruption. An example of this is that awful day at Whakaari in December 2019. A sort of mix between the two is when we have magma interacting directly with water, and this is a phreatomagmatic or hydrovolcanic eruption.

A good example of how phreatomagmatic eruptions can go wild is the enormous 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai eruption in Tonga. The magma mixing with seawater once the vent had found itself below the ocean surface added explosive power to this already-large eruption phase. It wasn’t the only reason it was such a big eruption, but it was what I was first discussing with my colleagues as the satellite images were coming through and we were trying to grasp the scale of the ash plume. We know that water can make eruptions much more dangerous. Even a lava flow mixing with water can cause an explosion.

During a phreatomagmatic eruption the water source can be the ocean, a lake (like Te Wai ā-moe /Crater Lake at Ruapehu), glacial meltwater, or groundwater that we can’t see at the surface. Magma mixing with water

TALKING ECONOMICS

has made many of the 53 known eruptions within the Auckland Volcanic Field more explosive. This makes a problem eruption much more of a dangerous situation.

Instead of producing lava flows and forming a new scoria cone, we can get deadly steam-rich pyroclastic flows called “base surge” racing across land or water. This is a complex process, how effectively the magma mixes with the water is important. Eruptions can also progress from phreatomagmatic to magmatic once the water is removed, or the magma is no longer able to contact the water source.

Phreatic eruptions might sound much milder, and comparing them to magmatic eruptions this is true, but there is one major problem here. When an eruption is driven by steam, we don’t get the same signals as we do when magma is moving towards the surface. This can mean very little or no warning, or warning signals we can only see in hindsight when we look much closer at the data. They can surprise us. Even a small eruption in a location where a warning hasn’t kept people away can be catastrophic. Phreatic eruptions can also occur during unrest where magma rising is adding heat to the system but hasn’t reached the surface yet, they can BE the warning at volcanoes that aren’t well monitored.

These are important factors that dictate what sort of warning signals we get, how violent the eruption is, how the eruption changes through time, and how much volcanic ash might be produced - basically, how the eruption might impact us.

What economists really think

I attended an economics conference at Waikato University on February 15 and 16.

The topics discussed included the future of agriculture, the state of the health sector, demographic changes, the tax system, social investment, trade in a divided world, monetary policy, Treasury and the state of the books, unclogging the infrastructure arteries, climate change and the future of Fintech.

All big issues. Clearly economists believe they have something useful to say about everything. I am an economist. I think economists are justified in having that view.

However, the mistake a lot of economists make is that they think economists are the only ones who have anything useful to say on many issues. That is never the case. Debates on all economic and policy issues are always improved by hearing a wide range of views.

There were many interesting points made at the conference – but also a lot of alarming ones.

As economics is often called the gloomy science, I will give some of the points I found alarming.

The Reserve Bank is oblivious to the enormous negative impacts of their low interest rate and quantitative easing policies.

Inflation has been above their target range for 11 quarters (and will be for at least three more), their quantitative easing policies will end up costing the country at least $12 billion (and one

speaker said the policy had delivered no demonstrable benefits).

Despite these terrible outcomes, the Reserve Bank has congratulated itself and intends to keep these instruments in its policy arsenal to use again.

Government expenditure ratchets up dramatically when there is a crisis. That is usually appropriate. New Zealand’s problem in recent times is that it has only come back slightly when the economy improved.

When government expenditure rises rapidly in response to a crisis, the quality of the expenditure gets forgotten.

Government agencies are often chasing accounting targets rather than focusing on the impacts and outcomes they achieve.

We are told now that NZ has an infrastructure deficit of at least $200 billion. This gap hasn’t suddenly developed. It’s been building up for decades.

Why didn’t economists (and politicians) see it and start talking about it much earlier?

New Zealand has got very bad at getting things built. Big projects require vision, leadership and perseverance. We now have little vision, little leadership and has frequent changes rather than perseverance.

The Reserve Bank’s operational expenditure rose by 137% over the last six years.

This was at the same time as the Reserve Bank was lecturing people on the importance of constraining

By Peter Nicholl

expenditure in order to reduce inflationary pressures. It was certainly a case of the Reserve Bank saying ‘do what I say, not do as I do’.

What were the control agencies, the Reserve Bank Board, the Treasury and the Minister of Finance doing? I remember the first time we had to renegotiate our funding under the new financial arrangements put in place in the late 1980s.

It was a very short negotiation. Minister of Finance RuthRichardson said the increase in the Reserve Bank’s funding for the next five years was going to be zero – end of the discussion.

Not everything said at the conference was doom and gloom. There were some positive points made and even some glimmers of hope for the future. I might put some of them in a future column.

to a remarkable Waipā woman who would love to create a global revolution

‘I was outraged…and still am’

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

Like her, they were children. Unlike her, they were living in slums, starving.

Pieta Bouma is as outraged now by her first experiences of extreme poverty – witnessed as a child travelling through Tanzania, Malaysia and Zimbabwe with her parents – as she was then.

“As a young kid seeing a slum, you don’t have the emotional capacity to justify it, and I think that’s really shaped who I am and my mission in life,” she said.

“Here were kids that were just like me, running around in a slum, super happy to be playing with a plastic bag stuffed with other plastic bags as a soccer ball, and I’m going home to my football training with my $50 football, my coaches and games every weekend.

“As an adult, people find ways to justify that. You know, they’re like, ‘oh, it’s just politics’ or ‘they’re poor because they don’t work hard enough’ or ‘it’s nothing to do with us over here’. But as a kid, I was absolutely outraged and still am. I’ve never lost that.”

Now, the 22-year-old University of Auckland student, who loves travel and adventure sports, is on a mission to change the world.

“I just have to make money to live while I go surfing and create a global revolution,” she said.

“If anyone wants to pay me to burn down the system, let me know.”

Pieta comes from “a big Dutch, Catholic, farming immigrant family” and grew up on a lifestyle block in Ngāhinapōuri. Her parents, David Bouma and Monique Reymer, met at Te Awamutu College and now live near Ōhaupō.

David works as an engineer in Hamilton and Monique teaches Japanese at Cambridge High School. Pieta went to Sacred Heart Girls’ College in Hamilton and took a gap year after she finished, travelling to Ecuador to volunteer as a teacher and environmental worker.

Her life took an unexpected turn when, as she was showing her family around her village nearing the end of her six-month stint there, she slipped off a rope swing and fell onto concrete below.

The impact broke her back and left her paralysed from the waist down.

She quickly discovered

there were two popular narratives the nondisabled world placed on disabled people – pity and inspiration.

“I’ve had to learn I can exist as a disabled woman, without needing pity and without being an inspiration,” she said.

Always a keen writer, she has been sharing her experiences through opinion pieces for online culture magazine the D-List and All is for All, an agency set up to challenge the way the world sees disabled people.

“I’m aware of how it feels to be in a marginalised group now,” said Pieta.

“I know what it feels like to have stigma, to have

disadvantages, to have people be like, ‘oh well you can’t come and work here because actually we don’t have a lift in our office, sorry’. And I just have a more nuanced and in-depth understanding now of what it feels like to be in a group that’s systemically oppressed.”

Aotearoa’s Māori and Pasifika people, she says, are also “systemically oppressed and discriminated against”.

“We’re trying to force them to live in white institutions when they have a completely different culture,” she said. “They’re not English. And I understand what systemic oppression, marginalisation

feels like, now, and so I absolutely cannot stop showing up.”

A passionate environmentalist, disability rights advocate and social justice campaigner, she regularly lobbies politicians and attends protest marches.

“I want people to feel empowered to change the injustices they see around them,” she said.

This year Pieta was selected for Y25, a group of 25 young women and non-binary people aged 15-25 who are “raising their voices, challenging the status quo and fighting for a fairer Aotearoa”.

The one-year programme is run by the YWCA, which

describes members as “doers, makers, shakers, change-makers and community leaders doing incredible things to wake up and change their world”. Now, as she prepares to finish her conjoint degree in global studies and health science in mid-2024, Pieta is determined to find a career that makes a difference.

“I am not willing to spend my work hours doing anything that isn’t contributing to equity, equality and the well-being of humans everywhere,” she said.

“I absolutely refuse to spend 40 hours a week doing anything that doesn’t help. That’s my mission.”

Steph Bell Jenkins talks

Pieta Bouma in Hamilton’s Fairfield Park.

Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins.

Fresh look at our history

By Mary Anne Gill

Elizabeth Harvey and Karen Payne always know they have got their exhibits right when they see people standing in front of a case and talking about the contents.

“That’s what we want; to stimulate conversation and excitement about what’s happened in the past and also the implications of what lies in the future,” said Harvey, who manages Cambridge Museum.

At a launch last week to celebrate the new displays – including a timeline from 1300 to present day – Cambridge Historical Society acting president Jeff Nobes said the building’s recent earthquake strengthening was an opportunity for a museum refresh.

The committee briefed a designer saying it wanted a display which would cover early Māori settlement, to the military presence, dairying and energy developments but focussing on important dates for a timeline.

“We did have quite a few issues deciding what to put in the timeline and the dates,” he said.

“We are a very community focussed museum,” said Harvey. She and Payne, the museum administrator, wanted to take visitors on a journey showing the multi layers of Cambridge’s history in a people centric way.

The timeline provided a grounding for those who had been here for decades and to those who had only been in Cambridge two weeks, she said.

The relaunch provided Friends of the Museum members, deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, Waipā Community Services manager Brad Ward and other invited guests with the chance to see the redesign.

Cambridge Historical Society was

established on October 29, 1956 by a group of local historically-minded residents to collect and preserve Cambridge’s history.

The museum moved from the Town Hall into the old courthouse in 1983. Exhibits include Cambridge Bowling Club, a printing press and one of the oldest square pianos in New Zealand.

Next month, in partnership with the Cambridge Town Hall Community Trust, the museum will be presenting a week-long show of Reg Buckingham’s photography –Capturing Cambridge.

HE WHAKAWHITIWHITINGA WHAKAARO

Talking about context

By Tom Roa, Tikanga Advisor, Waikato University

We are often challenged in how we interact with and relate to matters of interest and issues of importance. Often with matters of mere interest it’s simply a quick and easy reaction to and/or with an opinion voiced. Issues of some importance however require attention with time, and effort given to careful reflection on the matter at hand.

It appears to me that the coalition government is calling for all citizens of Aotearoa-New Zealand to consider carefully the principles implicit and explicit in Te Tiriti/ The Treaty of Waitangi which is variously described by many commentators as the foundation of law-making and formal government of our country.

Much commentary centres around the ‘Three Articles’ which, it would appear, are a genesis in the ‘Three Principles’ (Partnership, Protection, Participation) which have been espoused and promulgated by a number of local and national organisations in particular Ministries of the Crown.

Interestingly, to me, there would appear, in too many commentaries, to be but a passing interest if not a complete ignoring of certain contexts.

The Māori population of Aotearoa-New Zealand in 1840 was an estimated 70,000 to 90,000. The estimate of Pākehā in NZ at that time was 2050, and rising rapidly.

This begs the question of how it could possibly be presumed that 70-90,000-odd Māori would willingly cede their Mana Māori Motuhake, their Tino Rangatiranga, their ‘sovereignty’ to 2-3000-odd Pakehā?

In 1831 a group of Ngāpuhi chiefs wrote to King William IV of the United Kingdom seeking of him an alliance and a sponsorship, recognising particularly their right to trade internationally without interference from

other foreign powers.

The Declaration ‘He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tirene’ proclaiming that sovereign power and authority in the land resided with the confederation of united tribes was signed by 34 northern chiefs in October 1835 and sent to the King, and was formally acknowledged by the Crown in May 1836. Waikato and other notable tribal ariki added their signatures later.

This again begs the question of how it could possibly be presumed that having declared their independence, these rangatira would then a mere four or five years later cede that independence to a kingdom that had formally already acknowledged their sovereign power and authority.

And the importance of ‘He Whakaputanga’ captures but a passing interest in the context of the lead up toward Te Tiriti/The Treaty of 1840.

Furthermore, the Māori Language version of Te Tiriti asserts that Māori retained their Tino Rangatiratanga, variously translated as ‘Sovereignty’, and gave their permission for Queen Victoria’s representatives to govern, that is to make just laws, and to ensure particularly that the riff-raff amongst her British citizens who were causing trouble, acting unlawfully, out of control, would be brought into line, and that Māori would continue to follow and reinforce their ‘tikanga’ thus ensuing that the rules of law/ lore would be maintained and proper social controls would be administered

Next week I will offer some perspectives on the contexts of the Preamble of Te Tiriti/ Treaty and the oft neglected Fourth Article.

Payne and collections assistant Kate Elliott were recently going through a collection which belonged to Mavis Harris, a music teacher in Cambridge during the 1940s and 1950s who subsequently married Syd Aitchison of Ōtorohanga.

Among her music notebooks, certificates and photographs, they found a small cookbook with two used envelopes inside addressed to Spencer Westmacott and Mrs Westmacott.

Elliott, who was formerly regional collections manager at Waikato Museum,

recognised the name and understood the importance of the objects.

Spencer Westmacott (1885-1960) who was an officer with the 16th Waikato Regiment, was the first sculpture depicted in Te Papa’s Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War.

The Westmacotts farmed at Rangitoto, south east of Ōtorohanga and north east of Te Kuiti, and she knew the museum already had a Westmacott collection. She contacted the donor who was more than happy for Cambridge Museum to pass them onto the Ōtorohanga Museum.

It's Paddy's festival too

By Mary Anne Gill

Alana Mackay is convinced having the Cambridge Autumn Festival’s Main Street carnival and art market on St Patrick’s Day will be a huge boost for the event.

The nine day festival, entering its 14th year, starts on March 15.

There are more events –concerts, bands, children’s events, comedy, art and photo exhibitions, open studios art trail, hands on workshops, activities and literary competitions – than ever before.

Mackay, who chairs the festival, said the highlight for her was usually the Main Street carnival which packs Victoria Street.

For the first time, it will happen on St Patrick’s Day.

An Irish band will be playing in the Rouge courtyard while other musicians, dancers and entertainers perform. Art, photography, jewellery, pottery, sculpture and woodwork will line the street while there will be face painters and have a go activities.

Originally the vision was to provide an arts festival for Cambridge with an opportunity for the town’s talented artists to show their

wares.

In recent years out of towners have also participated in the festival.

Last year there were more than 200 entries in the writing competition.

The theme of the photo competition this year is Capture your Waipā

Adventure theme.

“The festival and the brand are pretty well established in people’s minds now,” said Mackay.

The News is the festival’s media partner and will provide ongoing print and online information. See teawamutunews.nz

Alana Mackay is distributing the Autumn Festival programme.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Memoriabilia associated with Spencer Westmacott of King Country, as depicted in the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibit at Te Rapa, was recently found by Cambridge Museum staff and donated to Ōtorohanga. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

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BUCKSKINGINGHAMFYM WWOOLPOPLINOTTOCNI

AZNAGROETEXTILEGAR ENNGYPALCXDAMASKGC DCOACTNOYAROGNANES AILBHRUOLEVGKFUGRZ CTAEIAIALISLETVEBQ

OSRRFTCNCSITNSATIN RADDFEQPOSVAEMMVFI BLAIOFLIRLHMNRVNIL YEINNFLTDSIWIEEXUS CRMEOAIEUCZNLZGNTU HARIXTWRRKAVEIRYUM IQMENXTJODELWAELLE

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Down

1. Hot topic (4,2,3,4)

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Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

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CAMBRIC CHIFFON CHINTZ CORDUROY COTTON

CRINOLINE

DAMASK DENIM

DRALON ELASTIC FABRIC FELT

FIBRE

GABERDINE GINGHAM HEMP

HIDE

Sudoku Wordsearch

The inside story of the invasion that shook the world and made a leader of Volodymyr Zelensky

by Simon Shuster

LMTROPICALGBRIDNFC IFRIVSRGNIDLACSEEA GVYALEGEMICROWAVED HLSEWETSDUQXEWCOJC TSUIWRNPCLHRJNQTUH EFLSZGEIAHUTROASTA RQTPGEMCCTJORCPYAR TORRIDEYAFANMADSUR RTYKETLRLSLBRSENFK UEMXDTEFDIHKLHFHBE DZKSXPEHKWLECAEXET ESGOMLRMOAKTSCZMAT SEWEOOEEOTAZABAEEL CFTENCKCKMPNLLHMLE OBOILEREGCRLFASBDO RIIZNTINNUIEAGEENA CETARGEIFRKLHTERIF HSINGEIRGJCZFTESKE

the former Soviet Union.

Harvesting summer

With an abundance of delicious summer produce available, it can be difficult deciding which taste treat to enjoy next. Stone fruits are in full flush together with sweetcorn, rocket, mint, basil and coriander. Mix the whole lot together with some cold, cooked pasta and a curry dressing and you have the ultimate summer salad.

To prevent sliced stone fruit from turning brown (oxidising), you can add a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Or — a great trick from the dark ages when we froze everything from peaches to pumpkin — add a dash of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder.

Dissolve a quarter of a teaspoon of the powder in a cup of juice, syrup or water to prevent a kilogram of fruit from discolouring. It’s also excellent for ensuring fresh fruit salads stay bright and appealing. Ascorbic acid isn’t as acidic as lemon juice and is readily available from health food stores. Many herbs can be frozen for later use — although fresh is always best. Parsley can be washed and dried and packed into plastic bags. It becomes crisp once frozen. Before serving, just slap the bag with your hands and the parsley will disintegrate. Basil leaves are best puréed with a little oil, frozen in small containers and used in sauces or pesto.

CORN, COCONUT & CORIANDER FRITTERS WITH PEACH SALSA

Fritters: 2 cups whole kernel corn 2 eggs, separated 1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons self-rising flour

1-2 tablespoons rice bran oil

Peach Salsa: 2 ripe peaches, halved, stoned, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped rocket pinch sugar

1/2 teaspoon chilli paste

Blanch and drain the corn. Cool. Combine with the egg

yolks, coconut milk, coriander, salt, pepper and flour. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Take heaped tablespoons of the corn mixture and place in the pan. (You will need to work in batches.) Cook on low heat until bubbles appear on the top. Flip over and continue cooking until the undersides are golden. Keep warm in the oven while cooking the remainder. You should have 12 fritters.

Combine the ingredients for the salsa.

To serve, place 1 fritter in the centre of each of 4 serving plates. Top with a little salsa. Top with another fritter, more salsa and a final fritter. You will have 4 stacks.

Great drizzled with a sweet chilli sauce. Serves 4.

WATERMELON & AVOCADO SALAD WITH BASIL DRESSING

Basil Dressing: 6 large basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup each: olive oil, cider vinegar

2 teaspoons diced shallot

dash each: flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Salad: 600g watermelon, peeled

1-2 avocados, peeled and stoned

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup rocket leaves

a few basil leaves

Purée the basil and olive oil in a blender. Place in a bowl

and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Stand for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to combine.

Cut the watermelon into 3cm wedges. Slice the avocados and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Combine with the rocket and place on a serving plate. Garnish with the basil leaves. Drizzle with the dressing just before serving. Serves 4-6.

LITTLE NECTARINE SALADS

Sautéed scallops or prawns can be added to transform this side salad into a light meal.

Dressing: 3 tablespoons lemon juice pinch sugar

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salad: 2 cups baby salad greens

3-4 large ripe nectarines

1/2 red capsicum, seeded and diced

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

Whisk the dressing ingredients, until well combined. Place the baby salad greens in the centre of four salad plates.

Halve and stone the nectarines. Slice and arrange over the greens. Top with the red capsicum and spring onions. Drizzle with the dressing and serve. Serves 4.

Corn, coconut and coriander fritters with peach salsa

Watermelon and avocado salad with basil dressing

Another Hart has ’em in a spin

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

Josh Hart dreams of playing for the Black Caps one day –and he certainly has the sporting pedigree for it.

His father Matthew played 14 tests and 13 one-day internationals for New Zealand from 1994 to 2002 – and represented Northern Districts for 15 seasons from 1990.

Adding to the genetic launching pad, Josh’s mother Sheree is a former badminton international who represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in 1994 and 1998.

But there was “zero pressure” on the 13-year-old to play cricket from his parents, Matthew said.

“He’ll create his own path. But he loves it so, you know, while he’s loving it and he’s doing well at it, training is never an issue when you love something.”

Josh lives with his family in Cambridge but goes to school in Hamilton, where he is in year nine at St Paul’s Collegiate. He played for Cambridge Junior Cricket Club from 2020 until starting high school this year and joining the St Paul’s Colts XI.

Matthew, who has coached Josh’s teams since his son started primary school, praised Cambridge Cricket Association club captain Steve Carter for the effort he put into the junior game.

“The Cambridge junior numbers are outstanding,” he said. “There are lots of teams playing lots of cricket on Friday nights and Saturdays, so it’s a testament to the effort that people like Steve put into it.”

Matthew said becoming a Black Cap was all his son wanted to do.

“His plan B is to be a cricket commentator at the moment, but I think you’ve got to get plan A sorted to become a cricket commentator...”

Josh’s skills were on display when The News snapped his St Paul’s team playing the Cambridge High School Colts recently, where he took four for 10 from five overs with spin.

Cambridge, chasing 200 runs following a superb knock of 102 by St Paul’s opener McKay Murray, were all out for 59.

“Our team bowled really well to keep Cambridge under 60,” Josh said.

“Cambridge bowled quite well, it was just McKay was the difference, probably, in today’s game.”

Josh’s family moved to Cambridge a few years ago to be closer to St Peter’s School where his older sister Tayla, a keen swimmer, is in year 13.

Matthew, who owned New World Matamata with Sheree for 10 years until April last year, said he was “between gigs’.

“I’m having a bit of kids’ time and doing other things”. He recently joined the Tīeke Golf Estate board as an appointed member for three years.

Earlier this month he teamed up with friend Mark Brittenden to compete in the Coast to Coast multisport event, where the pair finished 75th out of 80 in the male veterans’ two-day relay in 18 hours and 38 minutes.

His contribution was a 7.5-hour, 30km run/hike over Goat Pass on day one and a 70km bike ride into Christchurch on day two.

He had never done anything like it before and is not planning to repeat the gruelling event again next year. “But never say never.”

Josh Hart with his dad Matthew, pictured at a recent cricket game.

Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins

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