Te Awamutu News | June 20, 2024

Fieldays was fab

By Mary Anne Gill

Packed buses outside the door, phone call after phone call and no accommodation available in Te Awamutu.

That is how i-Site manager Roz Liddell is describing the information centre’s Fieldays experience.

The national agricultural event at Mystery Creek in Waipā wrapped up on Saturday with a four-day total of 106,000 people, up 1000 on last year.

Te Awamutu’s experience is in stark comparison to what Cambridge i-Site and Chamber of Commerce reported.

There they say the days of having a national event just up the road to boost retailers’ tills seem to have whittled into insignificance.

Liddell, who returned to the i-Site after two decades away following Waipā District Council’s decision to cut its $157,000 funding, said the biggest impact on their business was Fieldays’ decision to only sell tickets online.

That meant the i-Site – which always made a healthy income out of selling Fieldays’ tickets –had to do so on an agency basis.

But Liddell, an experienced marketer who stepped in to help initially for two days a week and now three days, said it was no good moaning about it.

The i-Site fielded call after call for details about the Fieldays free buses and because all accommodation was booked out, the only rooms they could get

were in Ōtorohanga.

“You make opportunities – you can’t wait for them at the door. You can’t sit back and wait for people to spend their money (with you),” she said.

Te Awamutu retailers spoken to by The News reported a steady week except on Friday when it rained heavily around the Waikato.

The Cambridge result has prompted a call for a more strategic retail approach to big events like Fieldays.

Fieldays Customer and Strategic Engagement head Taryn Storey said the event – which saw 106,000 visitors through the gates, up 1000 from last year – was a true celebration of the primary sector and its achievements.

“It’s more than just the primary sector, it’s a very important local and national event,” she said.

“If the vibe is anything to go by, it felt very, very positive.”

But the economic headwinds have produced a different event for this year’s 1069 exhibitors.

“Those cost pressures have meant they have had to turn up in a different way and that could well be they are travelling rather than staying local and eating local.”

Mystery Creek was a destination which had to cater for its visitors.

There were three food courts this year and more entertainment and dining options.

Tickets could only be bought online and there were plenty of free public transport options.

“We have to make sure we are providing a visitor experience, and we get a lot of feedback every year around ensuring there is a balance and a variety of food, seating, amenities generally,” said Storey.

Liddell recalls when she was i-Site manager several years ago putting a four wheel drive motorbike, hay bales and models dressed in rural gear into the i-Site to encourage people to come in.

She had no time to do that this year but is looking at every opportunity to get people in while they prepare for July 1 next year when there will be no council funding.

“We’re happy – retail is going well, and we’ve got four volunteers helping out.”

The council will give Te Awamutu and Cambridge i-Sites grants of $30,000 each in the 20242025 financial year to help recover from the loss of the council’s funding.

• That was Fieldays number 56… See page 5.

By Mary Anne Gill

Huge drop in building consents

A 44 per cent drop in income from building consents issued in Waipā paints a stark picture of the state of the construction industry, figures released to the council’s Finance and Corporate committee this week show.

Eleven months into the financial year, 1251 building consents worth $275.17 million have been processed. The previous financial year from July 1, 2022 to June 30 last year, there were 1665 building consents worth $488.77 million.

The other barometer comes with development contributions – money paid to the council by developers to fund growth related infrastructure. The council forecasts it will finish the financial year at the end of this month with $15.572 million, nearly $11.65 million shy of its budget. By the end of last month, it had only received $7.354 million.

In a financial report signed off by Business Support group manager Ken Morris, a drop of $14.9 million in fees and charges – most from a reduction in property sales and a fall in revenue from building fees – showed slower growth in the district.

And the fall in development contributions indicated growth projects were being deferred.

Overdue rates – from the $83.3 million levied - sat at $1.8 million on May 31 with $126,186 still outstanding from previous years. Water rates of $15.4 million were invoiced for the year with $1.5 million of that owing at the end of last month.

Prime position: from left Logan Wood, Christopher Luxon, Ioane Tierney, Duzza McJury and Sam Bellzy on day one at Fieldays where the prime minister was constantly being asked to take selfies. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

When words are hard to find

Allison Surtees has good reason to look forward to a fortnightly trip from Te Awamutu to Hamilton.

It’s there she joins with other members of the Waikato Kōrero Club – an organisation which supports her and other people who live with a condition called aphasia.

Aphasia can make it hard for people to say what they are thinking, understand what is being said to them, read and write.

Waikato Community Aphasia Advisor Christa Grbin says aphasia is a language impairment caused by damage to the

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language area of the brain and can be caused by a stroke or brain injury or a tumour.

“Aphasia can make it hard for people to say what they are thinking, understand what is being said to them, read and write. Aphasia does not affect intelligence. People with aphasia know what they want to say, they just have greater difficulty accessing their vocabulary to say it.”

June is aphasia awareness month.

“We want people living in the community who suffer from aphasia to know that there are support groups and resources that can help you and your family.”

Allison Surtees says “people don’t know how to talk to you when you have aphasia… it’s hard to make new friends”.

It’s easier at the Kōrero club “because we’re all the same”

Katrina Smit, who attends the club to support her mother Miriam says “being here has made us feel not so alone.”

Letters

Why are we paying?

Do you think it’s right that Waipa ratepayers are funding private developers to convert 79ha of rural land to industrial use?

APL is the massive factory, associated with the largest land developers in Cambridge. With Fonterra, they want to convert the farm block bordering Zigzag, Swayne, and Victoria Road into large-scale industrial sites. This would usually be a private plan change at the cost of developers. But Fonterra have said they can’t fully fund the private plan change because they are not legally developers. So Waipā District Council has agreed to help out, with your rates.

At the recent Strategic Planning and Policy Committee, the mayor said “I am very uneasy about this, why should the ratepayer be funding a private plan change?”. All ratepayers should feel equally uneasy. The council has agreed to take on all cost and risk to complete this plan change. We have reason to worry, given all the expert advice legally required for a plan change has been sponsored by the developers. There is no independence or impartiality for a proposal council is now responsible for progressing.

The processing cost is estimated at $50,000. Council has committed all of their 24-25 budget. Fonterra has also deposited $25,000 to get the job done, with no formal agreement for ongoing payment if things go pear-shaped. The financial risk now sits with

the council.

When something sounds this dodgy, it’s usually because it is.

This land is not earmarked for industrial use for at least another decade. Is this fiscally responsible? Is this good land stewardship? What are the other costs and impacts on our community and have these even been assessed? The council needs to explain.

Lesley Dredge Hautapu

Mountain of a problem

Sanctuary Mountain’s cash flow woes (The News, June 13) are a sad reflection of the times and the Trust should be wished every success with their fund raising efforts. But it must be a cause for concern that before their financial woes have been stabilised a desire has already been expressed for a new $2.5 million (at today’s prices) visitor centre. Really? Surely the immediate aim should be to fund the Trust’s day to day operations for the next few years as expressed (if not beyond) before aiming for a “nice to have”. Is it possible that such blue sky thinking may have contributed to the financial woes?

But what is more worrisome is that, given Waipa DC’s involvement with the sanctuary, ratepayers will end up bailing out the Trust. That would be totally unacceptable given the already great burden that ratepayers have

On the beat

to contend with as council waste money including on sending elected members on foreign holidays and bringing foreigners here whilst at the same time failing in their duty to properly provide basic services such as unblocking drains, sweeping gutters and fallen leaves where needed. The better option is for local iwi to back up their oft trumpeted cultural mantra regarding the mountain by stumping up the necessary lifesaving cash.

Kelvin Dunn

Leamington

Council numbers

I agree with Mayor Susan O’Regan that it would be great to have fewer high-quality councillors, after all many large successful corporates have fewer board members than we have councillors.

Unfortunately, the local body democratic system does not guarantee the quality of those who stand for election. Populist candidates often appear to have much less substance than those they stand against. Until there is a system for vetting potential councillors (who would decide that?) I prefer safety in numbers. After all, two or three poor quality populist councillors on a council of 11 can do far less damage than two or three out of eight.

Ray

Milner

Cambridge

Lock those cars, please

Last week was busy with lots of visitors for the annual Fieldays event. It went off without problem, although things did at times get a bit soggy! It was great to see so many people using the park and ride facility to avoid traffic hassles.

The first topic this week is car theft. We have had a spate of thefts from vehicles, where offenders are targeting dashcams and related electronic items. Please ensure that any valuable items are either removed from your vehicle or stored out of sight to prevent your vehicle becoming a target. Leaving things in view not only provides opportunity, perpetuating the attraction of the area to criminals, but also the inconvenience caused around insurance claims including having your car out of action or repaired. Replacing stolen items can be considerable. If you hear a car alarm go off in your neighbourhood, pay attention and check for suspicious activity. Sometimes

we can get a bit complacent which limits their effectiveness as a deterrent. As always, please report any criminal activity to police at the time.

Next on my list is a reminder to parents about cybersafety. A couple of local schools have recently hosted cybersafety awareness evenings for their parent communities. I hope many took the opportunity to go along. Sadly online bullying, sextortion and unsafe online behaviours by young people continue to come to our attention. I would again like to remind parents to strongly consider how much they know about their children’s online activities – do you know what content they are watching - and therefore being influenced by - and who they are talking to? If you allow access to social media, what guidelines are in place around that? What exactly are your children posting and to how wide an audience? Back in the day, school place bullying usually stopped at

the home door . With today’s online world, it can be hard to escape from name calling, public shaming and humiliation coming straight to the mobile phone however. For the perpetrators, it is easy to say incredibly damaging things to a person online, without seeing the emotional impact it has on the person being targeted - that impact can be huge, including leading to anxiety and depression.

It is equally stressful for our young people to feel the need to respond to messages 24/7 or feel left out, to feel the pressure to live up to false standards perpetrated by online portrayals of body image, beauty and ‘highlights reels’ of other’s lives. The best way we can protect our children is firstly to be aware of the risks. If you get the opportunity to attend a cybersafety talk, take it up. There are plenty of excellent resources available to parents online.

Members of the Waikato Kōrero Club; Emiliana Khoury, Katrina Smit, Miriam Smit and Allison Surtees.

Security steps

A security guard and bag checking protocols were in place at this week’s Waipā District Council Service Development committee for the controversial Cambridge Connections paper and ongoing alleged threats to mayor Susan O’Regan.

Karāpiro

contract

The management contract for Karāpiro Domain is over budget by $282,000 this financial year and details of the total cost of the serviceapproved in public excluded last year - have been released to The News. GL Events Ltd, owned by deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk and husband Andrew Reymer, have managed the reserve for 20 years and in December secured a new $4,247,500 contract for five years with rights renewal for a further five plus five years. Further details were unavailable.

Scottish trip

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation is representing the National Agricultural Fieldays Society at the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth’s biennial conference in Edinburgh from today. He will visit the Royal Highland Show.

Let’s play

Another $560,571 has been approved for the district’s play spaces renewal and development contract taking it from $5.51 million to $6.112 million. The extra money is needed to maintain the existing playground assets and in line with Waipā councillors’ mandate not to decrease services during the cost of living challenges.

Te Awamutu

Te Awamutu’s Citizens' Advice Bureau is observing Volunteer Awareness Week, which runs to Saturday, by celebrating the work of its team. “We’re a small team of 25 at the Te Awamutu CAB, and we are proud of the difference we are making in our community with over 6500 people supported in some way over the past 11 months,” manager Jessica Brown said.

Sanctuary solutions sought

By Chris Gardner

The operators of the world’s largest predator proof fence at cash-strapped Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari have turned to conservation minister Tama Potaka for help.

Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger joined Potaka and Department of Conservation representatives at the mountain on May 4.

“We went out there and they explained the situation,” Kuriger said.

A cash flow crisis could force the closure of the $5000 a day project that provides habitat for endangered species such as kākāpō, kiwi, takahē, by the end of August. The loss of the contestable Department of Conservation Community Fund had cost the organisation $300,000 a year over the last four years and other sources of funding had dried up in the worsening economic climate.

“It’s such a taonga and we’ve got to find a way through this,” Kuriger said. “I don’t know what the way through is yet, but we’ve got to find a way.”

Of last month’s visit, Kuriger said: “I thought maybe they’ve got into some discussions that may be fruitful, but it doesn’t appear that that’s the case at this stage.”

Since then, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari general manager

Helen Hughes had been in touch with Kuriger, and the pair planned to meet later in the month.

“I’ll talk to Helen and then potentially see who I can meet with to see if we can find a way through.”

Asked whether she was hopeful for Government help, Kuriger said: “We’ve got to ask that question because it is a beautiful place and the last thing, I want to see is this tip over. We have got to remember our biodiversity’s a big chunk of our value as a country. People come along, and they love this place. We have got to do everything we can to keep it. It might be a combination of government and other funds, but we need to look and see what is available, and we need to make it work.”

Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council have both supported the project since its inception in 2002.

Waipā Finance and Corporate committee chair Andrew Brown declined to comment but Waikato Regional chair Pamela Storey called it an extraordinarily successful conservation project.

“Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain is currently receiving $1,467,275 over four years ($350,718 plus GST in 2022/23; $361,240 plus GST in 2023/24; $372,077 plus GST in 2024/25; and $383,240 plus GST

in 2025/26) through the council’s Natural Heritage Fund,” Storey said

“We have recognised the importance of investing more in mahi to protect and restore biodiversity in our region, so we are increasing the per property natural heritage rate from $5.80 per annum to $15. It will provide an additional $1.403 million per annum, enabling us to fund more work to protect our region’s unique plants, animals and marine life, and the indigenous ecosystems they live in.

“For the trust to be granted more funding, a formal request would need to be received, assessed and considered by councillors.”

Former Waipā mayor Jim Mylchreest, who managed the project from its inception in 2002 until 2009, said funding had always been a challenge.

“Preserving the wildlife and dealing with the people is secondary,” he said. “It would be a real shame if it got to the point where they had to close it down.

“It would be an absolute crime if all that money, time and commitment from so many people was at risk. It really does need a combined community effort to keep it going. It’s too valuable an asset for the for the nation to let it fold.”

Ōtorohanga caravan park to close

By Andy Campbell

A decision to close Ōtorohanga’s caravan park and holiday camp (pictured) on June 30 has come as news to some residents.

Ōtorohanga District Council said this week the lease expired a year ago, June 30, 2023. Chief executive Tanya Winter said the council had since confirmed that no new operating lease would be established for the camp in the immediate future.

The Domain Drive park was given five months’ notice on in February.

Camp resident Peter Tredo, who has been at the camp “for a couple of years” said lease holder Tasha

Smith put the notice on the camp noticeboard in late April.

Smith said via Facebook messenger campers were all told six months ago and she had been struggling with council to keep the camp open. She said the neighbouring Ōtorohanga Kiwi House wanted the

land for a car park.

Tredo said residents knew Smith was seeking an extension to the lease, but were under the impression the lease was going to go to somebody else.

The camp has operated on a temporary basis since the formal lease expired on June 30, 2023.

The council is now embarking on the development of a Reserves Management Strategy for the Ōtorohanga Domain.

This decision (to close the camp) marked a transitional phase as the council focused on the holistic development and management of the Ōtorohanga Domain, a press release stated.

The camp is on Ōtorohanga Domain land which is designated a Recreation Reserve. According to regulations, the reserve land cannot be used for long-term accommodation.

“We understand this decision affects the long stay campers of the Ōtorohanga Caravan Park, and we’re

sympathetic to their situation. However, it’s important for us to follow lease agreements and land use regulations” Mayor Max Baxter said.

Finding a place to move to has been difficult for residents who have been placing ads on face book housing groups local community groups, Tredo said.

He’s been looking as far as Thames, Pukekawa, Rangiriri.

“I’ve got my doctors here, my grandson’s here – they are getting ready to have another baby,” Tredo said. But the numbers are thinning. There are about half a dozen campers left, mostly of retirement age.

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The predator proof fence at Sanctuary Mountain.

Waipa Workingmens Club

Great people, great food, great atmosphere. Enjoy what the club has to offer!

We need more hee haw

Phil Strong, Senior Leader, Zion

There’s an interesting story in the Bible I want to point you to, but before I do, I really need to set you up. You see, I read the news and listen to the goings on in our community, and I’m left wondering where the voices of reason and wisdom are. Wise words are not ubiquitous—perhaps that’s because you are quiet.

Often, if wisdom remains silent, an ass speaks.

The Bible story I refer to occurred around 1450BC and features a man named Balaam who is employed by a King to speak a curse on God’s people. Everyone knows this isn’t a good idea (except the King) and it doesn’t go to plan. Amidst the journey, an angel blocks the way causing the man’s donkey to bolt, then buck, and finally squash his rider against the wall. If you were the donkey you would have done the same, for an angel of God is an awe-some and awe-ful creature.

Frustrated by the beating from a prophet who can’t see things of God, the donkey retaliates with a sharp retort. Not a “hee haw,” but a profound question. Without a blink, the rider responds to the question, finding himself in dialogue with his ass.

As I said, when wisdom is absent, an ass speaks.

Where are the wise words of guidance to help me and all the other confused people? We all see the benefit of having us all practicing proper recycling for the benefit of the planet.

I recently enjoyed a coffee with Ange Holt, Chair of the local Community Board, and we shared our common goal of seeing positive change embraced publicly. We shared new ideas for community engagement and committed to working together as best we could. I commend the work of the Community Board to be a spokesperson for the people.

Did I just call Ange a donkey? Of course I didn’t, but I’m glad for the “hee haw” that happens in meetings like this.

I often joke God looked for a wise person and none were available, so he chose an ass like me to stand in stubborn, faithful, Godhonouring obedience. And when the beating comes, I give my “hee haw”.

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in touch or simply fill out our online

Club Opening Hours

Monday 1pm – 8pm Tuesday 1pm – 10pm Wednesday 1pm – 8pm Thursday 1pm – 11pm Friday 1pm – 11pm

I admit to struggling recently as I read the ridiculous recycling rituals and rules required of residents. I’m confused by the impractical instruction, (and probably stubborn), and therefore refuse to clean my refuse, fold cardboard like bed sheets, or inspect the inside of plastic to find specific codes.

God is always looking for willing partners to be directing others in wise ways; that is, ways of His design for the benefit of others, that people might see Him more clearly and know Him more nearly.

Be the voice of positive change for our community— for the sake of the people. Speak up, speak wisely, speak with honour, and contribute to the change you wish to see.

Balaam needed the voice of his ass to redirect him in profitable ways that pleased God. And so do we, friends, so do we.

TALKING ECONOMICS

The horrors of Stagflation

By Peter Nicholl

That horrible word stagflation has appeared in the New Zealand media recently.

Stagflation is the simultaneous appearance of slow or negative economic growth and high or rising unemployment with high or rising inflation. New Zealand is on the cusp of stagflation. Our growth is flat, unemployment is starting to rise and inflation is still well above the Reserve Bank’s target range. The dilemma with this mix of economic problems is that fiscal and monetary actions that would ease one of the problems tend to make the other one worse.

Economists used to think it wasn’t possible for this set of economic conditions to exist together. But it did happen in the 1970s and the term stagflation was coined. Stagflation’s initial debut on the world stage in the early 1970s was due to a major oil price shock, the US going off the gold standard and loose monetary policy and excessive government spending.

But since then, stagflation has arisen in a number of countries in many different circumstances. There is now no consensus on the causes of stagflation. It is usually blamed on poorly designed or implemented economic policies but there is little agreement on what poor policy elements are the biggest culprit. The finger of blame has been pointed at intrusive and costly regulation, excessive monetary growth, excessive and poorly-targeted fiscal expenditure and supply shocks.

New Zealand has elements of all four of these ‘culprits’. Regulation has added enormous costs to a lot of our businesses over recent years. Much of this regulation has been in the name of health and safety. Health and safety is a laudable goal. But we need to remember that all regulation adds costs and if those extra costs become excessive, activity will decline and prices

will rise. In other words, you get stagflation.

A thorough cost-benefit analysis has to be a central part of every proposed regulation. We have also had extraordinarily high rates of growth of money and fiscal expenditure in recent years. Most articles on the current situation see it as relatively short-term. The scenario is that central banks just have to be firm for a little bit longer, then they will start reducing interest rates and economic growth will come back. Stagflation will disappear. I call that a hopeful view as many people thought interest rates would start coming down in early 2024, then the expectation shifted to late 2024 – and now they are saying we might have to wait until 2025.

I think inflation is going to be more sticky in New Zealand than in many other countries. We have some local price pressures that are just at the start of their upward cycle such local body rates and insurance premiums. There are wage pressures in a lot of sectors, stoked by comparisons with Australia and the number of New Zealanders who are shifting there. But wages in New Zealand can’t rise unless productivity rises too. We have become a low productivity country. Unfortunately, that means we are doomed to be a low wage country too.

The other major problem we have in New Zealand is a lack of competition in many key sectors. Our Commerce Commission is good at writing reports and pointing the finger at anti-competitive behaviour but seldom takes action.

We have become a high-cost economy. The combination of being a low productivity and high-cost economy seems like a perfect recipe for stagflation to me.

That was Fieldays number 56…

The 56th edition of Fieldays wrapped up on Saturday with the traditional townies’ day. More than 1100 exhibitors and thousands of visitors spent four days at Mystery Creek in the Waipā district. Guests included prime minister Christopher Luxon and Opposition leader Chris Hipkins. The News senior writer Mary Anne Gill was there too.

Waipā mechanic Shawn Luxton was the overall winner of this year’s Weight Transfer Class at the Fieldays Tractor Pull.

The purpose-built Fieldays Tractor Pull track is a hard clay-packed area running parallel alongside the Waikato River. At 100 metres long, it stretches the length of rugby field.

Some consider Tractor Pulling –first run at Fieldays in 1975 - as one of the oldest motorsports, tracing back to the 1860s where farmers engaged in friendly competitions to showcase the strength of their draft horses.

Today it features state of the art machinery mostly four-wheel drive and computer-assisted tractors. Luxton, who works at John Deere in Cambridge, continued his success at Fieldays where he has been competing since 2008.

Te Awamutu’s Dana Lile was one of the few female entrants and she was hoping to back up her success from last year’s event where she placed third in both the weight transfer and weight adjusted classes and was given the first-time entrant award.

But she missed out in a crowded field of veterans.

Meanwhile St Peter’s School, Cambridge student Penny Ranger won the Young Innovator title for entrants in the Fieldays Innovation

awards for entrants 19 years old and under.

Penny’s Mark-It is a tool designed to streamline the drenching process for sheep by leaving an ink mark on the side of the sheep’s mouth.

Judges said Penny showed wisdom beyond her years and is well down the road towards commercial success with a product that solves a sheep farming issue in a simple way.

“It is a classic Kiwi solution that simplifies an important task while helping save money and waste,” said head judge Peter Dowd.

The Fieldays Innovation Awards provide a platform for creative problem solvers to launch, test and promote their ideas to a large group of their ideal target market.

The 56th Fieldays enjoyed mild weather conditions – with heavy rain on the Friday.

The event was opened with a pōwhiri and the raising of flags, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Fieldays chair Jenni Vernon, Agriculture and Trade minister Todd McClay, and Tumuaki o te Kiingitanga Hone Thompson.

Guests included Sonny Karena - and other representatives of Ngāti Hauā - mayors from Waipā, Hamilton, Waikato, Matamata-Piako and Waikato Regional Council chair Pamela Storey.

Rachel is an expert on medicines. She is available for appointments, and also works alongside our doctor and nursing teams behind the scenes.

• Review your mix of medicines for different conditions

• Help you understand how your medicines work and why you have been prescribed them

• Help you to use your inhalers, along with other respiratory medicines

• Discuss any problems with your medicines, e.g. dosages, side effects

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• Help you to understand any potential drug interactions and recommend changes

Rachel has 30 minute appointments - more time for your questions and explanations Same fee as for a single GP consultation. Phone to book on 872 0300

Tractor Pull Competitor Dana Lile was looking forward to competing. Photo: Stephen Barker.

Giltrap AgriZone staff from Ōtorohanga, Cambridge, Rotorua and Taupō branches were at Fieldays. Chatting to Ōtorohanga agricultural contractor Malcolm Boggiss, left, were Graham Anderson of Ōtorohanga and managing director Andrew Giltrap. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger loves Fieldays saying she’s “like a pig in muck”. “I’ve jokingly been called ‘The MP for Fieldays,’ she told The News. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

On the Beat: Te Awamutu constables Ryan Fleming and Richard McDermott at Fieldays. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

ON SHAKY GROUND

Great fountains of lava

By Janine Krippner

Eruptions in Iceland and Hawaii produce beautiful and sometimes destructive scenes of molten rock shooting into the air in a style that we call lava fountaining.

This is when lava ascends to the surface very quickly, then sprays into the air as gas is rapidly released from the molten mixture and expands then bursts.

Above this incredible spectacle you often see a dense plume of volcanic gases appearing white, light grey, or slightly brownish or blue, which is often wrongly called smoke in the media. Some lava fountaining, like at Etna volcano in Italy, produces a much denser grey to black volcanic ash plume made up of solid fragmented rock (still not smoke). This gas and ash can cause significant issues if high concentrations are blown by winds towards populations.

Lava fountaining involves the more fluid, low viscosity lava compositions and often lava flows form at their base, carrying the hot, fluid rock far away from the vent. The fountains often reach about 10 to 100 metres in height but can be much higher during more energetic eruptions. In 2013 a lava fountain at Etna reached a stable height of around 25,000m, peaking at around 34000m. The height of the Auckland Sky Tower is 328m and the heigh of Pirongia is around 960m. Can you imagine lava shooting 2.5 kilometres into the air?

Fountains sometimes erupt at a single vent, and at the start of many eruptions in Iceland and Hawaii they span a row or multiple rows of long vents called fissures, where it has been referred to as a “curtain of fire”. There is no fire or smoke

involved unless the lava ignites something like vegetation, but it is understandable that this name stuck with the bright orange, red, and yellow colours that are especially bright at night. These colours are incandescence due to the high temperatures often exceeding 1000 degrees celsius. This is similar to how a stove element starts out black when cold, then glows red to orange as it heats up. We can see the light energy emitted because of the intense heat of the lava.

There is of course the dark side. You would never want to see one of these erupting near your home. Lava fountaining in May 2018 heralded a very destructive eruption on the island of Hawaii on the flank of Kīlauea, ripping through Leilani Estates.

As with Auckland Volcanic Field activity, we often don’t know exactly where these eruptions will begin, and once the eruption starts there is a rush to figure out where the lava, gases, and ash (if present) will go. Evacuations can be chaotic while residents grab what they can and get out before the lava reaches their homes.

To witness a tall lava fountain and to hear and feel the roar of the jet of gas and lava is near the top of my ‘must see before I die’ list. This incredible process of rock so hot that it is fluid, rising from tens to hundreds of kilometres below the ground then blasting into our atmosphere is one of the most amazing processes our planet has to offer.

A famous ‘field hand’

By Meghan Hawkes

To keep young Catherine Scott and Frederick Germann apart, Catherine’s father took the extreme measure of moving his entire family from Canada all the way to Paterangi, New Zealand.

It was 1867 and Scotsman William Scott, the founder of New Hamburg, Canada, would not have his daughter involved with one of his estate field hands. Scott, with a long list of achievements to his name, was left reeling after his wife died. He sold up everything and walked away from a prosperous future in Canada, appearing to direct most of his grief-stricken rage at Catherine. He also told her siblings they would be disinherited if they ever returned to Canada.

On arriving in New Zealand, after a short time spent in Auckland, the family journeyed to Te Awamutu, a trip which took them a week. In 1871 William relented and allowed 28-year-old Frederick to come to New Zealand and marry Catherine, 25, at the Scott’s Paterangi residence.

In the years since the Scott family’s departure from Canada Frederick had worked as a bank keeper and a merchant. Whatever disapproval William Scott may have had of Frederick, his new son-in-law would go on to more than prove himself.

He and Catherine lived at their Paterangi property, ‘Fernie Bank’, and were to have six children. Frederick took a prominent part in local affairs, becoming a member Mangapiko Highway Board and the Waipā County Council. He was known as upright and a man of integrity, earning him the respect of all.

He was active in farming matters and introduced the successful farmers’ mutual fire insurance scheme. He was with the Paterangi Football Club since its foundation, and was

also a member of the cricket and lacrosse clubs, his keen interest in sport making him a favourite with the younger generation.

The energetic Frederick also took a leading part in an attempt to establish freezing works in Ōhaupō and was involved in arranging for the main telegraph line between Auckland and the terminus at Ōhaupō to be erected. Somehow, he also found time to write regular contributions for the Waikato Argus and become a well-known player in Waikato chess circles.

Catherine and Frederick had a full and active life in Paterangi but by 1907, when Frederick was 64, they moved to Auckland.

Before they left, the Paterangi Football club held a social to farewell the Germann’s. Despite the wet weather, there was a large attendance from all parts of the district. There were toasts and speeches and Frederick, rising to respond, was greeted with cheers. He was presented with a beautiful personally inscribed ivory-handled ebony walking-stick, a gift which took him entirely by surprise.

Two years later, while on the Grey Lynn bowling green, Fredrick suffered a stroke. He was transported home where he died. Frederick was taken back to Paterangi by train, the funeral leaving from the Nga Roto railway station. The reverend enlarged upon the good qualities of Frederick and held his life up as an example to be followed.

His beloved Catherine lived another 18 years. She died aged 80. They are buried next to each other at Paterangi cemetery.

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Memories flow of Garry Edge

By Viv Posselt

He was one of the country’s finest jockeys, a wonderful farmer and all-round Mr Nice Guy.

Sunday’s farewell to Garry Edge at Cambridge Raceway was a reflection of the man himself – one of a kind.

The celebration of his life was attended by some of New Zealand’s racing luminaries and emceed by race commentator George Simon. It was spliced with stories of Garry’s rise to the top, with tales told by industry stalwarts – drinks in hand – of time shared in an era when things were quite different from today.

‘Edgy’s’ era was one where jockey apprenticeships were far more demanding, said George Simon, where race meetings were held once a week, unlike the five or six days a week as is the case today. Against that backdrop, Garry’s achievements were nothing short of remarkable, he said.

Over 41 years of racing, Garry did 7763 rides, had 743 winners, paid dividends on every four rides, he won 20 cup races and 80 group races, entered three Melbourne Cups, two Caulfield Cups and three Cox Plates. George rattled off

a raft of other statistics, including Garry’s injuries over that time – leg and wrist breaks, three rib breaks and five concussions – and said the presence of some of the racing industry’s big names was an indication of the esteem in which he was held.

Garry died in Cambridge – the town of his birth - at the age of 84. He was born to Marge and Frank Edge in 1939, the eldest of four boys – jockey Garry, accountant Richard (Richie), the late Wayne, and food industry man Max. Wayne followed his father’s footsteps into barbering.

Garry’s interest in horses began early, his daughter Steph Alderwick said.

He sat on his first horse, Foxbridge, at age four and when the family moved to a place opposite Bill Townsend’s stables, the die was cast. He learned to ride and after early musings on a career in rugby, decided his future was as a jockey.

He took up his apprenticeship with respected trainer Wallace Townsend, and in March 1955 came in eighth in his first official ride. That was followed in April the same year by a win atop Sweet Wren – a name he later gave to

the agistment farm he turned into a showpiece on St Kilda Rd, purchased in 1968 for the princely sum of $30,000. The years that followed brought him acclaim throughout New Zealand and in Australia.

He became known for the ‘clock in his head’, his tactical genius and penchant for riding the rails, and even after his retirement as a jockey, his continued involvement through part-ownership of horses. One of them, Waihi Warrior, ran

third in a race at Cambridge the day after he died.

Among the luminaries at Garry’s farewell were Ron Taylor, Keith Haub, David Peake, Earl Harrison, Ted McLachlan, Ann Browne, Richie Fallon, Chris Wood and Jim Gibbs.

They spoke of him as a ‘wonderful farmer, a great guy’, called him a talented horseman, one of the best riders they had seen, always chipper and good to be around, and always willing to help others.

George Simon remarked on the extraordinary way Garry had recorded his races.

“Every Sunday after lunch, he would write down all the rides he had done the previous day. I thought that was unlikely for 41 years, but sure enough, all those 7763 rides are recorded in his writing in scrapbooks … there are 10 huge scrapbooks,” he said. “His was an extraordinary career.”

Fujitsu

Garry Edge on his agistment farm in Cambridge.

Community Connect

20 June 2024

Ute gifted to support Cambridge Tree Trust

Hard working Cambridge Tree Trust has been gifted a ute to support their community planting and maintenance work.

The ute was granted to the not-forprofit organisation by our Finance and Corporate Committee in recognition of the extensive number of volunteer hours spent looking after the ‘town of trees’.

Deputy chief executive Ken Morris said while it was not usual for us to consider such requests, this was seen as a special case as the vehicle was crucial to their operations.

The trust had been searching for a suitable vehicle for the past two years.

“The group is well-recognised in Cambridge for their dedication and commitment to make the town a beautiful place to live,” Morris said. Cambridge Tree Trust’s Chairman Pete

Registration time for all Waipā dogs

Registration fees are due by Friday 30 June.

If you’re wondering what your dog rego covers, here’s what you need to know.

These go towards paying for:

• Our 24-hour dog control service and pound facilities, keeping our community protected from roaming dogs, and keeping those furry friends safe when they have lost their way.

• Maintaining dog exercise areas, agility equipment and doggy doo bins.

• Public education activities.

• Re-homing dogs!

getting stuck is a great relief and reassurance for us,” he said.

Welcome to our first edition of Community Connect

The aim of this fortnightly page is to tell you about some of the things happening across the district that you might not otherwise be aware of.

We’ve heard from some parts of our community who have asked for some more traditional ways of sharing council information, and this page aims to help do that.

I am now halfway into my first term as Mayor of this great district. It is fair to say the past 18 months have been incredibly busy and somewhat challenging as we deal with a lot of uncertainty around the future of Local Government.

“This ute will enable us to get to places and do our work that we couldn’t before. Having a more reliable vehicle without the fear of

Fees this year have increased by 9.4% for rural and 9.8% for urban. On the flip side, the cost to deliver these services has gone up by 35%! We’ve heard some concerns about the increased fees, and we have tried to keep the increases as low as we could.

Win FREE dog rego! If you register your dog by 30 June, you’ll be in to win FREE dog registration for the rest of your dog’s life while living in Waipā!

“We are very thankful to Council and staff who have been amazing to deal with,” Fisher said.

Te Awamutu wastewater upgrades on track

Construction started last month on a new wastewater pump station in Te Awamutu’s Pekerau Reserve to meet current levels of service and increasing demand and support new growth in the area.

Water services manager Martin Mould said it was important to keep up with growth and ensure the network supports development.

“Making sure our networks can keep up with the higher demands, is why we have invested in water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades,” Mould said. Two manholes have been constructed, and 273 metres of pipe have been installed. The project is expected to be completed by the end of October.

We have also faced some financial challenges as we prepared our Enhanced Annual Plan, and we’ve tried to strike a balance between meeting the costs of necessary renewals and maintenance and planning for the future. Those challenges are likely to continue for some time yet. As we now start preparing for our 2025-34 Long Term Plan, we will need to continue to be deliberate in our thinking as we plan the future for Waipā, while being mindful or our financial restraints and the impact on our ratepaying community.

That’s where you come in.

We often hear that people don’t feel heard when it comes to council decision making. I can assure you that is not the case. During the Enhanced Annual Plan deliberations, even under the tight financial constraints currently facing us, we heard what was important to the community and made the changes to the draft plan.

Some may say we don’t always get it right, but we are responsible for not only meeting legislative compliance, but also meeting the varied needs of our communities. Striking a balance between these needs means we simply can’t please everyone. This is amplified in a financially constrained environment.

We have an extremely busy consultation phase coming up on a range of topics as we begin preparing the next Long Term Plan.

We will be asking for feedback on a Local Alcohol Policy and associated bylaws, the draft 30-year Ahu Ake –Waipā Spatial Plan, the way you are represented around the council table, and how we can ensure the economic wellbeing of the district.

The great thing about local government is that it is local people making local decisions. I encourage you to have your say. Together, we can continue to shape a district that we are all proud to call home.

Fisher said the group was delighted with the outcome.

Waipā District Mayor, Susan O’Regan

A WORD FROM THE MAYOR:

Across 1. Broadcasting (2,3)

4. Gloomy (6)

7. Large bird (3)

8. Travel fatigue (3,3) 9. Take away (6)

Literary group (4,4) 12. Become weary (4)

Hi-fi (6)

(6) 16. Sweetheart (4) 17. Anxious, jittery (8)

Last week

19. Beverage (6)

Knickers (6)

(3)

Stick to (6)

Everyone (3)

Majestic (5)

Across: 1. Format, 4. Tomcat, 9. Rodeo, 10. Endless, 11. Retreat, 13. Arch, 14. Clothesline, 17. Solo, 18. Implore, 21. In depth, 22. Adapt, 24. Aurora, 25. Seller.

Down: 1. Furore, 2. Red, 3. Above, 5. Oddball, 6. Crescendo, 7. Task, 8. See the light, 12. Tall order, 15. Trooper, 16. Pester, 19. Place, 20. Pita, 23. Ail.

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PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE Clause 5 of Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991

CLASSIFIEDS

of Proposed Reserve Revocation and Disposal Section 24(2) Reserves Act 1977

District Council.

Written objections should be addressed to: Reserve Revocation, Waipa District Council, 101 Banks Street, Te Awamutu. Attention: Property Projects Specialistinfo@waipadc.govt.nz

The following Plan Change is proposed to the Operative Waip-a District Plan: PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE 14 MANGAONE PRECINCT & C10 INDUSTRIAL GROWTH CELL – HAUTAPU

In summary, the proposed plan change request seeks to amend the Operative Waip-a District Plan by:

• Rezoning approximately 79 hectares of the C10 Growth Cell from Rural Zone to Industrial Zone;

• Inclusion of a new Structure Plan (Mangaone Precinct Structure Plan);

• Amendment to existing Structure Plan (Bardowie Industrial Precinct Structure Plan)

• Addition, amendment and/or deletion of definitions, objectives, policies, performance standards within Sections 7 and 15, and assessment criteria and information requirements within Section 21 of the District Plan; and

• Amending both the Zone and Policy Maps.

The subject land is comprised in three existing records of title legally described as Section 1 SO 499872, Sections 4 and 7 SO 499872, and Lot 2 DP 529042. The land is located to the west of Swayne Road, south of Zig Zag Road and north of the Waikato Expressway (Cambridge Section) at Hautapu.

The proposal may be inspected:

• Online at www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/waipa-district-plan/waipa-district-planplan-changes

• At Waip-a District Council offices in Te Awamutu and Cambridge

Any person can make a submission by sending an electronic or written submission to Waip-a District Council by one of the following methods:

• Online: Download Form 5 on the Waip-a District Council website at www.waipadc.govt.nz/ our-council/waipa-district-plan/waipa-district-plan-plan-changes

• Send to: Freepost 167662, Waip-a District Council, Private Bag 2402, Te Awamutu 3840

• Email: districtplan@waipadc.govt.nz

• Deliver to: Waip-a District Council, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu OR 23 Wilson Street, Cambridge

The submission must be in the form as set out in Schedule 1 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees, and Procedure) Regulations 2003 and must state whether or not you wish to be heard on your submission. Copies of this form are available from Waip-a District Council.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 19 July 2024.

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