Capital 65 by Capital

CAPITAL TA L E S O F T H E C I T Y

MAYORAL MATTERS OCTOBER 2019

The good issue

ISSUE 65

GREEN THUMB

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CAPITAL

Made in Wellington I

think that three years ago I exhorted all eligible voters to make sure they cast their vote in the local body elections. My plea is the still the same. Please take the trouble to vote, and exercise your democratic rights. Unused, rights are harder to protect and are more likely to be eroded or disappear. And in this issue, acknowledging the importance of the elections, two former city mayors tell us a few of the things they remember from their time at the helm.

SUBSCRIPTION Subscription rates $89 (inc postage and packaging) 10 issues New Zealand only To subscribe, please email accounts@capitalmag.co.nz

It is our annual eco/green/good issue. It is interesting to observe this designation becoming less and less significant as we embrace more and more environmentally friendly lives, almost seamlessly.

C O N TA C T U S

The strengths and virtues of passive homes are explored by Sarah Catherall, while Jessica Roden shares with us the beginning of her journey to a zero-waste life. Our test driver Roger Walker is thoroughly seduced by Audi’s latest electric car and shares his enthusiasm.

Phone +64 4 385 1426 Email editor@capitalmag.co.nz Website www.capitalmag.co.nz Facebook facebook.com/CapitalMagazineWellington Twitter @CapitalMagWelly Instagram @capitalmag Post Box 9202, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 Deliveries 31–41 Pirie St, Mt Victoria, Wellington, 6011 ISSN 2324-4836

The Shearers, Capital’s mother and daughter foodie duo, offer a sumptuous dish that hints at spring while fending off any lingering chill. Melody Thomas in her Wāhine column reminds busy women everywhere of the importance of enjoying special moments of respite.

Produced by Capital Publishing Ltd

Muso Tommy Benefield tells Sarah Lang about his long journey to clean living and his work helping other drug addicts. In the Southern states of the USA residents are finally opening up their segregated history to scrutiny. John Bishop takes a look. And of course all our regular columns and much, much, more. Alison Franks Editor

This publication uses vegetable based inks, and FSC® certified papers produced from responsible sources, manufactured under ISO14001 Environmental Management Systems

The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Although all material is checked for accuracy, no liability is assumed by the publisher for any losses due to the use of material in this magazine. Copyright ©. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of Capital Publishing Ltd.

PARTRIDGE & BESPOKE

partridge bespoke opening in october

Partridge Jewellers are proud to announce the soon to open Bespoke experience. Located directly across the road from the current Partridge Jewellers Wellington shop you will now be able to enjoy the relaxed environment of crafting your special piece of jewellery directly with their team of inhouse designers and goldsmiths.

O P E N I N G O C T O B E R , 2 1 7 L A M B T O N Q U AY.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Staff Managing editor Alison Franks

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

editor@capitalmag.co.nz

Campaign coordinators Haleigh Trower haleigh@capitalmag.co.nz Lauren Andersen lauren@capitalmag.co.nz Emily Wakeling emily@capitalmag.co.nz Factotum John Bristed

john@capitalmag.co.nz

Art director Shalee Fitzsimmons shalee@capitalmag.co.nz Designer Luke Browne

design@capitalmag.co.nz

Writer Francesca Emms

journalism@capitalmag.co.nz

Editorial assistant Benn Jeffries

hello@capitalmag.co.nz

Accounts Tod Harfield

accounts@capitalmag.co.nz

Contributors

M A D D I E TA I T- JA M I E S O N I l lu str ator Maddie Tait-Jamieson completed a fine arts degree at Beaux Arts de Montpellier in France. She is currently based in Wellington, probing the in-betweens of contemporary art, and, under the handle Madshrew, the wry world of comics.

J O H N B I SHO P Journ a li st John is a Wellington writer and advisor who helped out in the 1989 reorganisation of local government, and has been active in civic affairs in Lower Hutt and Wellington cities.

Stockists Pick up your Capital in New World, Countdown and Pak‘n’Save supermarkets, Moore Wilson's, Unity Books, Commonsense Organics, Magnetix, City Cards & Mags, Take Note, Whitcoulls, Wellington Airport, Interislander and other discerning region-wide outlets. Ask for Capital magazine by name. Distribution: john@capitalmag.co.nz.

Submissions We welcome freelance art, photo and story submissions. However we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches.

B R A DY DY E R Ph oto g r aph er Brady started his photography company while still studying at college in 2005. He has a five-year old daughter Scarlett, and wife Emma-Jane. Brady is an elected member of the Petone Community Board and is running in the October Hutt City Council elections.

J E S SIC A R O D E N Gu e st c olum n i st Jessica Roden is a journalist for 1NEWS, busy Wellingtonian, and recently a zero waste advocate. She knows it’s not easy making the right choices when it comes to the environment but wants to encourage others that it’s possible.

6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 NOVEMBER

The Opera House

SEASON SPONSOR

SUPPORTED BY

NATIONAL TOURING PARTNER

FEATURING

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MUSIC / CLAIRE COWAN

SET & COSTUME DESIGN / KATE HAWLEY

LIGHTING DESIGN / JON BUSWELL

BO OK N OW

rnzb.org.nz

CONTENTS

12 LETTERS 14 CHATTER 16 NEWS BRIEFS 19 BY THE NUMBERS 20 NEW PRODUCTS 22 TALES OF THE CITY 26 CULTURE

POWER POINTS

PERFECT ZERO

What Wellington needs – two former mayors tell us

Jessica Roden’s journey to zero waste

34 SWEET TO OTH Choreographer Loughlan Prior on his sweetest accomplishment

ECO BRIEFS

BAGS OF WELLINGTON

LET YOUR FEET D O THE TALKING

Maddie Tait-Jamieson looks at what we carry

A fashion photo trip down memory lane

RUYI ROOM A N E W E V E N T S PA C E B Y T H E T E A M A T M R G O’S L E V E L 1, DI XO N S T R E E T, T E A R O V ISI T U S A T M R G O S.C O.N Z A N D C O N T A C T U S T O B O O K Y O U R N E X T C H R IS T M A S PA R T Y H E A T H E R @ M R G O S.C O.N Z

CONTENTS

SHEARERS’ TA B L E

PA S S I V E A N D POWERFUL

Seafood chowder

Housing of the future is already here

54 LIFESTYLE BRIEFS 61 BUG ME 62 EDIBLES 67 BY THE BOOK 69 RE-VERSE

87 88

82 BL ACK MARKET

A bleak ‘tourist attraction’ in Southern USA with John Bishop

GOOD SPORT TORQUE TALK

90 HARD BOILED SWEETS Melody Thomas savours sweet moments

C OMING CLEAN How Tommy Benefield finally ditched drugs

93 WELLY ANGEL 94 CALENDAR 96 UPSKILL

LETTERS

G I F T HO R SE Thanks for your excellent September issue. However, I think it is wrong to call Ian Cassels a social developer. If he really was, he would make a contribution from every sale, not just those over $800,000 from which he makes a profit. Catharine by email (name and address supplied) WELL V E R SE D I would like to express my gratitude for the regular Re-verse section of your magazine. As a teacher of high school English, I enjoy sharing this section of the magazine with my classes. The types of questions that are asked of each text give a practical approach to dissecting and considering different works. It also shows that textual analysis isn't just some strange thing that is only done at school. Once we have dissected the text, the class's understanding of it grows in a similar way that one might to get to know and appreciate another person. We also gain insight to the author's intentions, which helps put a 'face' to work which can sometimes seem perfect and out of reach when presented in its pure published form. I relish the chance to read new works, and think the choice of works is spot on.

Comprehensive eye care and advice you can depend on

Thomas McGrath WÄ Ora Montessori School (abridged) BOOK WO R M Kia ora Doubting Tom*, You may like to know that the library lends tablets to customers so that they can test out the option of downloading books and magazines from our eLibrary collection. Tablets are able to be borrowed at Miramar, Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie), Newtown, Island Bay, Mervyn Kemp (Tawa), Johnsonville, Khandallah and Karori, so give us a call at 8014040 to reserve one. Thanks for the feedback about Arapaki, and we look forward to seeing you either at the He Matapihi library in Molesworth Street, or our largest CBD library in the Harbour City Centre when it opens early next year. Laurinda Thomas Wellington City Libraries, Manager * In response to a letter from last month â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cap #64

mgoptometrist.co.nz 77 Customhouse Quay

Send letters to editor@captalmag.co.nz with the subject line Letters to Ed

473 6275 12

REUSE IT OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER AGAIN

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;affare 27 College Street, Wellington laffare.co.nz

RD E R S E C TCI H OA N THT EE A

INK INC.

One

Home reno

CAITLIN SNELL Favourite tattoo and why? I really love my tramp stamp and the associations that come with it. It makes me feel like I have a rebellious bumper sticker. What led you to getting a tattoo? Playing with my appearance is something I've always done. I like to constantly change my hair and clothing, so tattoos are just another way to play with the presentation of my body. How did you choose the design? Many cultures associate butterflies with the soul. Every time I get a new butterfly inked on my skin, I'm marking a new stage of growth in my life. I have many butterflys, each has been designed and tattooed by a different artist. Family – For or against it? All my tattoos are placed within the shape of a full piece swimsuit, so my parents will remain in the dark. Any regrets? I regret the disappointment I would cause my Dad if he ever found out.

Following some ‘much needed TLC’ the Katherine Mansfield House & Garden will re-open on Sunday 13 October. The new Director Cherie Jacobson says, ‘The formal rooms of the house have had a total refresh inspired by the Aesthetic-style wallpaper recreated from original scraps found in the house. It has been a surprise to see how much people in the late1800s loved colour.' The 14th would have been Katherine’s 131st birthday, so there will also be a birthday cake. It will be served at 2pm and Cherie advises it’s a first-come-first-served deal – so maybe time your visit accordingly.

Tw o

Less is more Kate Meads is taking her Waste Free Living Workshop to Porirua on 11 October. She says the amount of waste going to landfill in New Zealand has increased by over 20% in just the past three years and it’s time to

take action. Avoiding the holier-than-thou messaging that can make it all seem just too hard, Kate’s workshops are presented with humour, and offer manageable ways to take control of your household waste.

S E C TCIH OANT H ADER TER

NEW IN TOWN

Think pink Wellington’s Twentyseven Names and Six Barrel Soda Co. have joined forces to create a Rose Lemonade syrup. It’s the perfect addition to your gin or sparkling wine. Or mix with sparkling water for a light floral lemonade with a pink blush.

Three

F i ve

I am robot

We l l y w o r d s

Life-sized humanoid robots go head to head in a bare-bolt fight to the death in The Stupid Robot Fighting League. Robots are made from recycled parts and controlled by sticks like a puppet. The SRFL was created in 2017 by Te Puke’s John Espin and covered by America’s ESPN channel. On 20 October you can meet some of these fierce warriors in person at Wellington’s Maker Faire. Tickets can be purchased online at wellington.makerfaire.com

S W I M W I T H T H E F I SH E S If you’ve spotted bodies floating in the harbour don’t be alarmed as one Wellyworder was. After pulling over in his car to get a closer look, he watched as a coast guard boat sped to the rescue only to pull a plastic dummy from the water. There’s no word if the mannequin was revived but our thoughts are with their friends and family.

PG15 One Wellyworder reports seeing a lovely family outing turn horror film when the parents tried to buy tickets to the new movie IT chapter two with their baby in tow. 'It's a horror film sir,' the ticket seller could be heard saying. ‘She's a baby,’ the father argued, ‘she won’t understand a thing.’

SM O K EY HO K I At a community hāngī one Wellyworder overheard a small boy complaining to his mother, 'it all tastes like salmon, everything in the hāngī tastes like salmon.' There was no fish in said hāngī.

Four G l ow t i m e With light installations, live music and fireworks, the Highlight Carnival of Lights will make sure your Labour weekend is lit. Lower Hutt’s Riddiford Garden will be transformed with an array of interactive light art every night over the long weekend. Get lost in space and time, adventure through magical forests, and maybe even fall in love.

IT'S COOL TO KORERO Whakawetohia ngā raiti

Turn off the lights

NEWS BRIEFS

FIND YO U R W I L D Close to 300km of mountain biking, walking, and horseriding tracks weave through the Wellington region’s 40,000 hectares of publicly owned land. These trails stretch from Wellington CBD all the way to northern Wairarapa and the Kāpiti Coast. The Wellington Regional Trails project will make them more discoverable and accessible by gathering information from community groups and clubs, the Department of Conservation, and the various councils and putting it all in one place: wellingtonregionaltrails.com

WO R DY

HA L F C E N T U RY

Author Dame Fiona Kidman has added another award to an already substantial CV. Last month her novel This Mortal Boy took out the top prize at the Ngaio Marsh Awards (NZ’s annual crime writing awards). The book has already won the Acorn Prize for Fiction, the NZ Booklovers Award, and the NZ Society of Authors Heritage Book Award. Her first novel was published in 1979. Kidman is a finalist in the Next Woman of the Year awards in the Arts and Culture category.

Cuba Mall’s Bucket Fountain turns 50 this month. Originally named the ‘Water Mobile’, the kinetic sculpture has been splashing passers-by since it was created by Burren and Keen, and Graham Allardice in 1969 in the development of Cuba Mall. To celebrate this golden anniversary Wellington City Council will be running a number of events and activities in October.

N EW N E IG H B OU R S Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has moved to new offices within the National Library building in Mulgrave St. Ngā Taonga’s previous premises on Taranaki Street were assessed as earthquake-prone. Most services that were available at Taranaki Street will be offered at the new premises, however to view material on disc or tape is by appointment.

NEWS BRIEFS

SCHOOL RU L E S Last month the Ministry of Education published its 2018 school leaver attainment data. Of the school leavers in the wider Wellington region, 45% had achieved University Entrance in 2018. Nationwide there was a slight decrease in university entrance award attainment between 2017 and 2018. Dr Craig Jones, Deputy Secretary Evidence, Data and Knowledge, say a buoyant labour market appears to be leading some students to go straight into employment rather than staying on at school.

W E L L D E SE RV E D

R A M P R EVA M P

T H R E E’ S T H E C HA R M

Porirua nurse Sipaia Kupa has received the 2019 New Zealand Nurses Organisation Award of Honour. Of Tokelau, Cook Island and Tuvalu descent, Nurse Kupa is the Senior Systems Development Manager for Pacific Peoples at Capital & Coast District Health Board. The award recognises her passion for progressing the profile of Pacific nursing, her contribution to the work of nurses, and her positive impact on nursing in Aotearoa.

A revamp of Masterton’s skatepark is expected to be completed by 2021. Masterton District Council has engaged specialists Rich Landscapes for the redesign. The Auckland company specialises in skate facility design and won an award in 2013 for the Raglan Skate Park. The council wants to see designs for the $250,000 upgrade by the end of the year.

A third new central-city library will open early next year in the Harbour City Centre on Brandon Street. It will be the largest of the three CBD branches (He Matapihi Molesworth Library is due to open this month) at around 1,400 square metres on ground and mezzanine levels. The Brandon St library will focus on children and families, with a dedicated space for a children’s collection.

H O L I S T I C T H E R A P I E S , O R G A N I C H E R B A L T E A , N AT U R A L S K I N C A R E , A R O M AT H E R A P Y, B E S P O K E B L E N D S & W O R K S H O P S OPEN

DAYS

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801

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CUBA

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W E L L I N G T O N A P O T H E C A RY. C O . N Z

Get eco-friendly insulation from Sustainability Trust Mammoth™ insulation is made in NZ from 100% polyester and designed to create warmer, healthier environments. Mammoth™ includes fibres from recycled plastic bottles, are Red List Free and 100% recyclable. Sustainability Trust is the Wellington region’s energy efficiency expert, helping to warm up homes and reduce impact on the environment. Profits are invested in award-winning community programmes that empower everyone to live more sustainably. Book your insulation from Sustainability Trust today : customerservice@sustaintrust.org.nz 0508 78 78 24 EcoCentre, Forresters Lane (off Tory st), Wellington www.sustaintrust.org.nz

TICKETS ON SALE!

Maker Faire

Wellington 2019

Sunday 20 October

The Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth

10am–4pm | Shed 6, TSB Arena | wellington.makerfaire.com

SB EYC TT H IO E NN H UM E AB D EE RR S

In sustainability we trust

6000

142

52,000

estimated number of people hospitalised due to housing-related health issues per year in New Zealand

million $$$$ in government funding set aside to help fund insulation and heat pump installation across the country

houses expected to benefit from the funding between 2018 and 2022

amount you pay for advice to make your home warmer and more energy efficient from the Wellington Sustainability Trust

A good pumping

1:1

1:4

recommended temperature indoors to maintain your health

ratio of kilowatts of energy in, to kilowatts of heat out, for an electric or oil heater

ratio for a heat pump â&#x20AC;&#x201C; behold, the winner by a country mile

ideal size of room in cubic metres for a fan heater to work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; any bigger and the fan is working hard and using a lot of electricity

according to the World Health Organisation

Bags not it

750

154

100,000

estimated number in millions of plastic bags New Zealanders were using per year

average number of bags used per person per year

maximum fine in dollars for companies who flout the law

% of marine litter that consists of plastic waste

before the ban on plastic bags came into force 1 July

I knew it, renew it

0.1

50+

% of energy produced by renewable resources in New Zealand

number of renewable energy sources â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hydro, geothermal, wind, bio energy, solar, marine

percentage of our total energy output that is solar-generated

percentage of total output from hydro generation

number of wind farms in operation around the country

(marine is mainly theoretical in New Zealand at the moment, as the technology is still in development)

Compiled by Craig Beardsworth

NEW PRODUCTS

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Clear conscience

1. Marigold net baggu, $70, Mooma 2. Organic bergamot essential oil, 10ml, $12, Wellington Apothecary 3. Tourmaline Dome Ring, $POI, Partridge Jewellers 4. Peace lily plant, $20, California Home and Garden 5. Jati & Kebon belvedere teak coffee table, $595, McKenzie Willis 6. Saben odile bag, birch, $359, Tea Pea 7. Benoite leather heeled mule, $200, Shoe Connection, Queensgate 8. Ruru Morepork rimu earrings, $25, Natty 9. Mandarins, $9.99 kg, Commonsense Organics 10. Kaisa storage basket, $20, Trade Aid 11. Cove Hamilton modular suite, $10,225, McKenzie Willis 12. Radical Matter, $55, Unity Books 13. Single use cup t-shirt, $119, Kowtow

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TA L E S O F T H E C I T Y

Fresh and fizzy W R I T T E N BY F R A N C E S CA E M M S P H OTO G R A P H E D BY A N N A B R I G G S

MOVIES Aro Video

TOP SPOT Remakery

SWIMMING Princess Bay

SUNSET

FO OD

Petone Beach

Fresh vegetables

From her business to her bush home, Rebecca Hardie Boys is living a good life.

or 25 years Rebecca Hardie Boys has been making fresh fermented drinks and delivering them to local cafes. You’ve probably seen her effervescent ginger beers, lemonades, and limes. Rebecca’s pretty sure she’s the only person making perishable fresh drinks on this scale in New Zealand. ‘Some have tried but have given up because a fresh drink should and will always be limited to the maker’s local district. There is a distinct line in the sand: you decide to either make fresh drinks and have a limited local market, or make nutritionally compromised drinks for a large market.’ Every day Rebecca goes from Wellington to Wainuiomata to work and back again. ‘The light on the harbour is ever-changing. Early morning a sunrise bounces light off a dead calm sea and floods my van with elusive pastel hues. During the passage of the day as I work, the harbour, hidden from my sight by the Wainui hill, has often changed dramatically by the time I am driving home.’ Rebecca needs the van for her deliveries, but her home is walking distance from friends and favourite haunts. ‘I think this has moulded a lifelong community for me. A sense that all has not been lost to the motor vehicle.’ Rebecca loves her home, surrounded by the bush of Aro Valley, – ‘the song of the native birds, a fire burning in our hearth, rain on the iron roof ’ – which she shares with her daughters, partner George, and

sometimes also weta, spiders, and flocks of kākā, kererū, and tūī. They don’t have any common pets, as their friendly native insects and birds ‘do not co-exist easily with introduced pests’. The family grow their own vegetables and rely on them for most of their food. ‘So gardening is a little like necessary work, but I still find it deeply calming and therapeutic and it confirms a real link for me about what food really is.’ Rebecca always makes at least one meal a day largely from the veggie garden. ‘This is my daily wind-down activity, and has the bonus of producing food for the body and soul. I always make a big salad with our meal.' Recently, as part of a documentary about the New Zealand diet, Rebecca was asked to count the number of ingredients she had just picked for the salad – ‘Twenty-two!’ Rebecca wishes that time would slow down, saying the last decade ‘went in a flash’. She’s been trying to take Sundays off to have a lie-in and read. And in order to ‘break the bad habit of too much work’ she’s started hiring DVDs from Aro Video. Rebecca’s daughters confirm that their mum is most likely to be seen delivering drinks, wooden crate in arms, dashing across the street. ‘But hell, it's better than sitting with a group of people each with their noses buried in their smartphones,’ says Rebecca. ‘I think to work is healthy and keeps one alive and alert to other people.’

CREATING WEALTH. NATURALLY.

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CULTURE

OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN Two Wellington policemen once arrested Carmen Rupe (1936– 2011) for running a brothel. Just for fun, the LGBTQIA icon, strip-club owner, and drag queen invited the officers to her 70thbirthday party. Their present? A glitter-covered police helmet painted purple and wrapped in a pink feather boa. See that helmet at NZ Portrait Gallery exhibition Poutokomanawa: The Carmen Rupe Generation (18 September to 15 December). Sparked by the gallery’s acquisition of a portrait of Carmen, Poutokomanawa celebrates transgender women of Carmen’s generation. It’s co-curated by transgender woman and NZ Prostitutes’ Collective staffer Chanel Hati.

SHORT TEMPER

THE SPIRIT OF DANCE

BIG BREAKS

Good luck not tearing up (for both sad and happy reasons) during the 16-minute film Walk a Mile, about a grumpy, wheezy old man irritated by his noisy neighbours. What changes? Written and directed by Wellingtonian Judith Cowley, and produced by Anne Dudley, the film screens during the Show Me Shorts film festival (12 to 23 October, Light House Cuba).

A member of Wellington’s Le Moana Dance Company, Te Rau Owira Mitchell, choreographed and dances in short work Hononga. ‘It explores our connections to atua (spirits), whenua (land), whakapapa (genealogy), each other – and explores how important these connections are,’ she says. See the work as part of Pacific Dance New Zealand’s fourwork show (19 October, Te Auaha), which was previously performed in Auckland’s Pacific Dance Festival. Creative NZ is funding Pacific Dance NZ for three years to help expand events and programmes nationally.

Prosthetic artist Simon Rose got his big break aged 15, as an animatronics trainee at special-effects company Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in London – working on The Muppets, The English Patient, and 101 Dalmatians. Simon, now a sculptor/ prosthetic artist at Weta Workshop, speaks at Wellington Museum event After Hours: The Art of Prosthetics (25 October). See his creations, including prosthetic fingers used for the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s fingers got smashed with a hammer in the film Body of Lies.

Julia Holden Her Indoors

28 September 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 February 2020 A suite of over forty portraits by inter-disciplinary artist Julia Holden. These combine to form a singular collective portrait of the women Holden met whilst artist-in-residence at Tylee Cottage. Generously supported by:

Jillian and Raewyne, 2019

EXPAND YOUr MIND ONE CAN AT A TIME

MALTY

HOPPY

LIGHT

DArK

sweet

bitter

CULTURE

B J O R K TA L K Wellington musician Mara TK (Cap #56), the son of Billy TK, performs using his voice, video, guitar, bass, and beat machines. The longtime member of band Electric Wire Hustle (praised by the New York Times) has also recorded and performed individually with well-known international and local artists. He’s a guest vocalist at All is Full of Love: the theatrical chamber orchestra Blackbird Ensemble’s homage to Icelandic singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ Björk. ‘I take Björk’s multi-genre “out-of-thebox” approach,’ Mara TK tells Capital. ‘We’re [musically] aggressive.’ 17 October, Shed 6.

WIT-ERARY SHOWD OWN

CO CKOLDED

PUPPET LOVE

Be pun-ctual to witness the first NZ Pun Battle National Final (The Grand, 26 October) as eight regional champions face off. ‘Competitors pair up and respond to each other’s words using puns,’ says the competition’s creator/ host Hugo Grrrl (real name George Fowler). ‘It’s like a rap battle but with words.’ Hugo, a trans man, is an award-winning comedy and cabaret producer – and national drag-king champion. He recently won elimination-style reality-TV show House of Drag, where nine drag stars competed in challenges.

Why did Circa programme a play called Cock? Because it could and because it’s good. Written by Brit Mike Bartlett, Shane Bosher’s production of this risqué romcom comes to Wellington (11 October to 9 November) after success in Sydney and Auckland. With a new Wellington cast, it depicts a bisexual man (played by Jack Buchanan) torn between his on-and-off boyfriend (Simon Leary) and a fellow commuter (Karin McCracken). An award-winning director, actor, and producer, Shane has moved back to Wellington after 20-odd years away.

We’ve heard of running away with the circus, but this is the first we’ve heard of running away with the puppeteers. In Italy, Wellingtonian Anna Bailey happened upon a puppet show – and the puppeteering family taught her the craft. Anna, as ‘String Bean Puppets’, performs three shows in one day (Greytown Library, 19 October) during Wairarapa’s Kokomai Creative Festival.

80 Boulcott St

04 499 1636

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CULTURE

People, not sides

Out of the box

By Sarah Lang

In 2014, Kiwi aid worker Marilyn Garson volunteered for the UN’s emergency team during 50 days of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket attacks in the Gaza Strip (where two million Palestinians live behind an Israeli military blockade). The UN sheltered 293,000 of the displaced Gazans. ‘The bombing was heaviest at night. No one slept,’ Marilyn says. More than 2,000 Gazans were killed. Marilyn had been in Gaza since 2011 as Economic Director of NGO Mercy Corps, leading a Palestinian team. When Marilyn left Gaza in 2015, she finally told her colleagues she was Jewish. ‘They took it well.’ Why not tell them earlier? Marilyn was concerned that Palestinians might look her up online, and find information about or photos of her similar-looking sister, who chaired a bloc at the World Zionist Organisation. ‘This way, my colleagues could honestly deny knowing I was a Jew or knowing about my sister.’ The Wellington author’s book Still Lives: A Memoir of Gaza (Mary Egan Publishing) will be launched at Vic Books, Lambton Quay, 23 October. ‘We hear about Gaza so think we understand it, but we don’t unless we meet Gazans – or read about them. This is a story about people, not about taking sides.’

See artwork by 40 prisoners at the exhibition Huakina (‘To Open’) at Expressions Whirinaaki in Upper Hutt. The inmates, who are doing distancelearning creativity programmes through The Learning Connexion (TLC) School of Creativity and Art, accepted its invitation to respond artistically to identical wooden boxes (formerly scientific specimen containers). The results – from painting and collage to sculpture and mixed media – are showing alongside works by established artists including John Walsh, Wi Taepa, and Flox. Artworks are for sale with proceeds going to charity, and accompanying events include a panel of professionals involved in prisoner-art programmes. ‘This exhibition is the biggest public event Restricted Programmes has ever done by far,’ says Grant Barriball, TLC’s Distance Delivery Mentor, who organised the exhibition with coordinator Sharon Hall. Based in Lower Hutt, TLC delivers NZ Qualifications Authorityaccredited programmes at its Lower Hutt campus, through distance learning, and to Department of Corrections students via the Restricted Programmes team. There’s a Creativity certificate, diploma, and diploma (Honours). ‘Inmate students send us work each month,’ says Grant. ‘They can ring our 0800 number to talk through their work, and we often visit Rimutaka Prison nearby.’

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CULTURE DIRECTORY

Show Me Shorts Film Festival

A Celebration of Italian Film

The Pond - School holiday show

Enjoy a selection of the top short films from Aotearoa and around the world. The line-up is better than ever, showcasing 63 short films divided into seven themed programmes. We have also included a special Japanese focus section. Learn something. Feel something. Be inspired!

Fans of world cinema rejoice, for the much applauded Studio Italia Italian Film Festival is coming back to the Empire Cinema in Wellington for its fourth edition, bringing with it a sublime collection of inspiring comedies, documentaries, dramas and time-honoured classics.

A magical production with an environmental message. The creatures of The Pond are happy, but something is wrong. The water in the pond is growing foul and dirty. Something must be done. Suits ages 2-8 years $10 (under 2s on knees free). Performances in Paekakariki, Paraparaumu and Lower Hutt.

12–23 October. showmeshorts.co.nz

6–18 November. Empire Cinema, Island Bay, Wellington. cinemaitalianonz.com

2–9 October. Full details on website. littledogbarking.co.nz

Zina Swanson: For Vivian

Quadraphonics

A 1980’s artifact with a capital A, this tongue-in-cheek apocalyptic romp is a hidden gem from the year of Orwellian prophecy (Aro Video). Comet dust zombifies a town in this horror comedy cult classic that inspired Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Perms, mullets, and mayhem abound. $15.

Are plants trying to talk to us? Can they feel pain or fear, maybe even love? Drawing on the psychology of plants, Zina Swanson presents For Vivian, an exhibition that acts as a window into the world of the plant paranormal. Zina Swanson, Teary Flood (2017). Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery.

An immersive evening of cutting edge, sound art installations and live performance. Created on the back of last year’s Aotearoa Arts Festival, showcasing artists working with fourchannel loudspeaker configurations. It will stimulate the senses, engage your imaginations, and resonate with your soul.

Sunday 27 October, 7pm. Space Place, Carter Observatory, 40 Salamanca Rd, Kelburn. museumswellington.org.nz

28 Sept 2019–2 Feb 2020 45 Laings Rd, Lower Hutt. dowse.org.nz

Friday 8 November, 7:30pm. Wellington Museum, 3 Jervois Quay, Wellington. museumswellington.org.nz

Night of the Comet

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F E AT U R E

Sweet tooth BY F R A N C E S CA E M M S P H OTO G R A P H E D BY GA RT H BA D G E R

ancer Loughlan Prior says his brain urges him constantly to eat sugary food. So it’s rather fitting that the Royal New Zealand Ballet Choreographerin-Residence’s first full length production is a classic tale of not being able to resist a sweet treat. The world premiere of Hansel & Gretel will be performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet at the beginning of November. Choreographed by Loughlan, the show promises to transport audiences to a magical world, with designs by Kate Hawley and a specially commissioned score by composer Claire Cowan – the first full length ballet score ever commissioned from a female composer in RNZB’s history. Loughlan says, ‘I feel very lucky, as the chance to create a full length production like Hansel & Gretel really is “the dream”. Presenting a whole evening of your work is the pinnacle in any choreographer’s career.’ After graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance, Loughlan joined the RNZB. ‘I’ve now been performing with the company for a decade.’ Alongside his dance career he developed as a choreographer, initially making small dance works which grew into bigger commissions. In 2015 he won the Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award by the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand for his ballet Eve, and in 2016 received the Tup Lang Choreographic Award from Creative New Zealand. He’s also Creative Director of Prior Visual – a project-based film collective – and his dance films have screened here at the International Film Festival, and at festivals around the world, including New York, San Francisco, Denmark, and Cannes. Loughlan retired as a company soloist last month but will continue to perform with the RNZB from time to time in his new role as a Principal Character Artist. Loughlan is most likely to be found at the ballet's new dance centre beside the Michael Fowler Centre.

But despite his demanding work, he finds time to enjoy the city. He loves City Gallery, going to the Embassy Cinema (especially during film festival time), and jogging around Oriental Bay. For someone who works in such a body-conscious industry Loughlan’s love of food is surprising. He says Cicio Cacio does the best Italian in town and Sixes and Sevens ‘make the most delicious lunchtime sandwiches.’ Loughlan obviously doesn’t always win the struggle against his sweet tooth because he’s a fan of TomBoy for Kate Marinkovich’s ‘incredible cakes and goodies.’ Incidentally Kate created the gingerbread house that features on the poster for the ballet. Loughlan was drawn to the story of the lost siblings ‘because it is a fantastic short tale stuffed with so much magic!’ And because he remembers his mum reading him the story when he was little. ‘It's a relatively dark story with a nice, happy and uplifting ending.’ The simple plot means there’s been room for Loughlan to explore and expand the characters beyond the page. While the production will appeal to all ages, Loughlan reckons kids make the best audiences because they’ll tell it to you straight. ‘I am always really humbled when children watching my work respond positively. Young kids give the most honest opinions.’ Loughlan’s version of Hansel & Gretel champions Gretel as a heroine. He says it highlights resilience, resourcefulness, and the ability to think quickly on your feet. But the most important lessons are ‘not to trust strangers’ and ‘that things that seem wonderful at first sight might not be as alluring on closer inspection.’ Hansel & Gretel premieres in Wellington on 6 November, with the specially commissioned score performed live by Orchestra Wellington.

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Made in Wellington 36

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F E AT U R E

Power points We asked two previous Mayors of Wellington, Dame Kerry Prendergast and Celia Wade-Brown, to reflect on their own time in office and offer some advice for the incumbent and his challengers.

ou should have received your voting papers for the local body elections. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you can apply for a special vote â&#x20AC;&#x201C; talk to your council. The last day for voting papers to be received is election day, 12 October. Your completed voting papers need to be in the mail before 8 October, or you can drop them into the electoral office in your area. Preliminary results will be announced after the polls close on 12 October.

F E AT U R E

Celia Wade-Brown Mayor of Wellington 2010-2016

Currently: Biodiversity Manager, Duntulm Farm. National Secretary, Living Streets Aotearoa. Trustee, Walk21 Foundation. Advisory Board Member, Biophilic Cities Network. Director, Predator Free Wellington. Trustee, Te Araroa Trail. Co-chair, Wellington Sea Kayak Network.

Can you think of things you wish your council had done or hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done?

Being able to see different points of view, appreciating cultural and gender diversity, fairness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example, giving all councillors some responsibility, a passion for Wellington, a sense of humour, and being a fast reader.

I wish we hadn't collectively wasted time even considering amalgamation. I never supported a super-city but some saw it as inevitable. Our regional economic development agency and water entity were a much more sensible response. The most frustrating political loss was losing safer speed limits in the CBD by one vote. Despite continuing and speeding up essential council housing improvements, partly due to Government refusing to permit income-related rents for council tenants, we didn't build enough additional housing.

What was the single biggest challenge you faced as Mayor?

Briefly, what skills do you believe Wellingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next Mayor needs?

Facing down internal and external critics of the Living Wage from councillors, senior staff and some business organisations to make sure lifeguards, cleaners and other low-paid workers have a chance to thrive in this wonderful city. Our staunch response to the Living Wage Aotearoa movement meant many other councils have joined us since.

Compassionate leadership, scientific and cultural competence.

What are you most proud of about your time as Mayor?

In order of priority, what are the three most important decisions facing the city of Wellington?

What do you feel were your most useful qualities?

What advice would you offer to the next Mayor? Be ambitious for Wellington, think globally (for ecology, economy and an open society) and act locally with speed.

The dramatic improvements in biodiversity, planting and predator control, showing humans can live in harmony with indigenous species of land and sea birds, plants, lizards, in a vibrant economically successful city. This is a very good example of hope in the twin global crises of species extinction and human depression.

What two things that councils under other mayors have done do you admire?

In Auckland, Goff 's got support for light rail. In New Plymouth the Coastal Pathway is great but our Great Harbour Way will be even better!

Reform of the District Plan to increase density in more places (while keeping good amenity, reserves and community facilities), to give affordable housing to buy and rent without urban sprawl so we can end homelessness. Serious planning for adaptation to sea level rise as well as strengthening mitigation efforts. Deciding between light rail and trackless trams so we can more rapidly improve public transport.

F E AT U R E

Dame Kerry Prendergast Mayor of Wellington 2001–2010

Currently: Chair, NZ Film Commission. Deputy Chair, NZ Conservation Authority. Deputy Chair, Wellington Free Ambulance. Director, Oceania Healthcare Ltd. Trustee, NZ Community Trust. Trustee, Wellington International Arts Foundation. Trustee, Victoria University Foundation. Member, KiwiRail Tourism Advisory Board.

What two things that councils under other mayors have done do you admire? Dame Fran Wilde pushing through the Westpac stadium; Mark Blumsky changing Wellingtonians’ perception of the city from a grey bureaucracy to an entertaining and eventful city. Can you think of things you wish your council had done or hadn’t done?

What do you feel were your most useful qualities? Strategic thinking; ‘Can-do’ attitude forging a way through the difficult decisions; good chairing; working collaboratively; hard-working; having personal integrity and honesty; being adept at understanding how to progress issues through Council processes.

Should have embedded the route for rapid transport between the CBD and airport. Briefly, what skills do you believe Wellington’s next Mayor needs? Honesty, integrity, strong ethics, can-do attitude, and hard work.

What was the single biggest challenge you faced as Mayor?

What advice would you offer to the next Mayor?

Having to find an agreed path along which to steer council to get the best outcome for Wellington, while councillors each had their own political agenda, and then getting majority support for moving the city forward.

Get the road to the airport sorted and bring forward the tunnel for vehicles – critical for access to the airport, hospital, and eastern suburbs. Bring back the soul to the Civic Centre and strengthen the library.

What are you most proud of about your time as Mayor?

In order of priority, what are the three most important decisions facing the city of Wellington?

The Pohutakawa trees from the stadium to Taranaki St, The ASB Indoor Sports Facility, all of the sculptures over that decade, Oriental Bay Beach, three inner-city parks, the waterfront and its promenade, having Wellington called ‘The Coolest Little Capital’ in Lonely Planet, embedding the ethos ‘Cultural Capital’ into the DNA of Wellingtonians and the consciousness of all Kiwis.

1. 2. 3.

The roading network from the Basin Reserve to the airport. Bring back life and soul to the Civic Square. Sort out the cruise and ferry terminals.

ECO BRIEFS

FA R T L E S S GRASS New Zealand needs to get on with a mature national conversation about genetic modification, says Federated Farmers. AgResearch has had to go to the United States to run their trials of environment-friendly GM ryegrass, because New Zealand law forbids them here, which is ‘bordering on ridiculous’ according to FF President Katie Milne. Initial test results from the new potentially environmentally sustainable grass show it may reduce the methane emissions from animals that eat it.

CH-CHCHANGES

LONGER LIFE

WHAT A SOFTIE

Each baby goes through approximately 5,500 nappy changes during its childhood. Using even one cloth nappy a day instead can dramatically reduce the number of disposables that go to landfill. A Waste Free Parenting Workshop at Southern Cross on 8 October will provide information about minimising home waste when babies are around.

Extending the life of your clothing by just nine months reduces your carbon, waste, and water footprints by 20–30%. This month The Formary is hosting On The Mend, a class with a focus on sashiko and jean mending. Textile teacher Sarah Wirth will demonstrate sashiko stitching, patches, and fun darning for upcycling and renewing your jeans and other pre-loved items. On 3 October.

Soft plastic recycling is making a comeback. The scheme stopped last year because there was nowhere to process it all. But now there are two offshore processors, Second Life Plastics and Future Post, and bins should be back in the Wellington region this month. Statistics from Auckland show we are already using less soft plastic, and contamination of recyclable waste (from dirty or non-recyclable items) is not as bad as it was.

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Drink it your way Use a reusable cup. Come in, sit down, relax and enjoy a coffee in our ceramic cups. Or if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on-the-go, use a KeepCup, join the Again Again reusable cup system or bring in your favourite mug. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll happily fill it with our great coffee. mojo.coffee

E C O F E AT U R E

NEW COLUMN

Pe r fect ze ro BY J E S S I CA RO D E N

ero waste. It’s a lofty goal and rather overwhelming if you ask most people. But it’s a change more Kiwis need to make. In Wellington our rubbish dump will be at capacity in four years’ time; the council is looking at expanding it by over two million cubic metres. And while people are fervently trying to reduce their plastic use, according to National Geographic 91% of plastic won’t be recycled. Most people I know want to make better choices but figuring out where to begin is a nightmare. I’ve done it, or at least am in the process of doing it, so it is possible. I’m now that person who takes their own containers to the butcher’s, makes my own almond milk, and refills the cleaning products. But it’s not always as glamorous as it looks on Instagram. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying natural deodorant in a recyclable glass jar. They say your body adjusts but, without going into too much detail, mine hasn’t. For now I’ve had to go back to the nasty supermarket stuff. I suspect my boyfriend and colleagues are grateful. The best way to start is pick one or two easy changes. Switch to Keep Cups, reusable drink bottles, or stainless straws. Once they’re habits they won’t be a chore. Or pick an area that you feel strongly about. One the first things I tackled was my kitchen and grocery shopping. I was astounded by how much unnecessary packaging I was using a week. Admittedly it isn’t easy. I largely have to avoid supermarkets. And I’ve also had

to avoid some food entirely, like cherry tomatoes, telegraph cucumbers, and grapes, because they come in plastic. But addressing things bit by bit is far less overwhelming than trying to overhaul your house in one weekend. The next things I want to tackle are my beauty products and food waste. A good habit to get into is to relook at things when you run out. When you go to buy something consider these possibilities: Can I use something I already own? Can I borrow from a friend? And if I have to buy it, is there a low-waste option? Last week I needed a new razor so decided to invest in what’s called a ‘safety razor’. It’s essentially an old school metal razor that, if you take care of, lasts for years, only the blades needing to be replaced (although as I discovered the hard way it’s very very sharp). With swaps like this over the past six months I’ve reduced my waste by about half. I’d say it’s cost me roughly the same but over time I’m told I should save money. (We’ll see about that). But there’s still a way to go for me. My life, like most people’s, is busy. I’m a journalist at Parliament which means long exhausting days when a scandal is going down (like the week I’m writing this). Sometimes I get lazy and go for the easiest option, not caring about the waste. It’s a process and my life is absolutely a work in progress. But I’m encouraged that what I once thought was impossible is slowly becoming a bit more realistic. So call it zero waste, call it low waste. It doesn’t really matter, I just call it doing my best.

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Wellington Thu, 10 Oct, 7.30pm Michael Fowler Centre Auckland Fri, 11 Oct, 7.30pm Auckland Town Hall

Frankenstein!! NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PODIUM SERIES

HK Gruber Conductor & Chansonnier Håkan Hardenberger Trumpet & Conductor

Unknown Kindersinfonie: Toy Symphony Stravinsky Circus Polka: For a Young Elephant HK Gruber Aerial Haydn Symphony No. 22 The Philosopher HK Gruber Frankenstein!!

Book at nzso.co.nz

THE MAD SHREW

Letting

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FASH ION

Strap on those heels and pocket your Nokia 2280. It’s a trip through the decades – for better or worse.

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FASH ION

Trippen poise black, $557, Shoezies London boots by Magnini in pewter galaxy, $289, Willow Shoes Schwarz shoes, $199, Gubbs

Fabric backdrop: Quiltens shadow grey, $30 per metre, Wellington Sewing Centre Motorola brick phone courtesy of Memory Lane, Thorndon

FASH ION

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LIFESTYLE

NOT STINK When her son suddenly turned into a smelly teenager Amber Van Vlerken couldn’t find a natural deodorant that actually worked for him. So she decided to make it herself. That’s how her business Hempalchemy NZ was born. Her deodorants are particularly suited to sensitive skin, because the omega 6 fatty acid and GLA in hemp oil can help soothe the skin and encourage cell regeneration.

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SCENIC SNAPS

Aunty Dana’s Op Shop is a secondhand clothing store with real op-shop prices. Dresses are just eight dollars, and you can get a hat for four bucks. Named after Dana de Milo (pictured, a beloved kuia of the rainbow community who died last year), the Newtown business raises funds for transgender support and advocacy organisation Gender Minorities Aotearoa.

Local photographers will share their best hidden and iconic photographic hot spots for the Wellington Heritage Photo Walk on 29 October. Part of Wellington Heritage Week, the free event is open to people with any level of photography knowledge and any camera equipment. Each location will include information about its historic importance and history. Booking via eventfinda.co.nz

THERE SHE BLOWS BlowUp Hairdressing has a shampoo and conditioner dispensary to save on plastic. The Boulcott St salon uses Wella Professionals and CHI hair care products, which are created with technology based upon ‘education, environment and ethics’. Take your old bottles in and they will refill them with either brand. The products are sold by weight, and it works out cheaper than buying in plastic bottles.

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Jewellery for Wearers of Makers

Open 10 - 6 Wednesday to Friday and Saturday 10 - 4 65 Abel Smith St, Te Aro, Wellington www.themakersjewellery.co.nz FLOWERSMANUELA.CO.NZ

Artefact ring by Natalie Salisbury Jewellery

Committed to Conservation Our goal is to restore the life essence (mauri) of the forest. We achieve this by removing pest species so that our native species will thrive. In fact we like helping native birds get back into the wild. It’s what we do. Take the tūturuatu (shore plover) for example. A little known native bird on the brink of extinction seven years ago, numbering only 150. As part of our captive breeding program we have released over 90 into the wild. Today, there are now 250 found throughout New Zealand. It’s slow, hard work and it doesn’t happen by itself. But if you want to be a part of the team on the frontline of conservancy making a difference; Haere mai. Welcome.

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Listen up

obert Leonard is never bored. ‘Art feeds my head,’ says the curator. ‘One day I’m researching gangs in New Zealand, the next it’s anti-matter annihilation experiments in nuclear research. Art makes me want to live longer, so I can see more.’ Robert did an art history degree in Auckland before being accepted for the inaugural curatorial internship at the National Art Gallery. ‘It had me working with collections, rather than artists. I became addicted to selecting and hanging shows as I pleased. I was lucky to get that internship. It set me up for life.’ In 2014 Robert became the Chief Curator at City Gallery Wellington. ‘The first thing I wanted to do was curate an epic Todd show, filling the entire City Gallery.’ He’s hesitant to name Yvonne Todd as his ‘favourite artist’, but admits it was love at first sight, ‘and I’ve never fallen out of love.’ What about a favourite exhibition? Well, last year Robert saw Eavesdropping at the Ian Potter Museum of

Art in Melbourne. He describes it as ‘a brilliant group show about the politics of earwitnessing post-Snowdon. It’s tragicomic.’ And now he’s brought it to the capital. Evesdropping is an ongoing collaboration between Liquid Architecture and Melbourne Law School. It explores the politics of listening in and listening back. The exhibition includes historical texts and law books, videos, and audio recordings. In one video Hong Kong artist Samson Young has singers suppress their vocals, so only the incidental sounds their bodies produce, their breathing, and the rattling of their scores can be heard. In a comfy spot in the main gallery an Amazon Echo, a Google Home Assistant, and an Apple Homepod chat to each other. Melbourne artist Sean Dockray calls it a ‘philosophical dialogue.’ Eavesdropping is at City Gallery Wellington until 17 November.

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BUG ME

Mole Cricket Name: New Zealand Mole Cricket

mole crickets live underground and are nocturnal, they are rarely seen. Also, where other mole crickets produce sound by stridulation of their wings, this species is silent – and scientists haven’t yet figured out how honi signal to potential mates.

Māori name: Honi Scientific name: Triamescaptor aotea Status: Endemic, declining. Description: The New Zealand mole cricket looks a little different from your usual cricket – it’s 20–30mm long, brown, with protruding antennae and long rear processes (or cerci – the two appendages attached to its rear, similar to what you’d see on an earwig). Because it’s a digger rather than a jumper, it doesn’t have the enlarged rear legs of other crickets. Honi also stand out from mole crickets found elsewhere in the world as they have no wings.

Tell me a story: Somewhere in the Wairarapa, the moon shines down on a flat, flooded paddock. There is no-one around for miles, because since famous movie director James Cameron bought this land in 2012 no-one else is allowed here. But if you were here, in the distance you might hear a quiet splash from the beautiful Lake Pounui. You might see, right there, if you looked closely, a small, rarely-spotted creature emerging from her underground burrow to feed. Only tonight she is the prey. No sooner has she stepped from her burrow when a slimy, muscled tuna slithers up behind her and sucks her into his mouth, before returning to the shores of his lake and dropping quietly back in. (Long story short: New Zealand mole crickets have been found in the stomachs of Lake Pounui eels, which forage for the insects in flooded paddocks at night!)

Habitat: New Zealand mole crickets live underground, and while they were once widespread are now found only in the lower North Island. Around these parts you’re most likely to find one near Lake Wairarapa or Lake Pounui, where they emerge from their burrows after rain or flooding. They’re omnivorous and feed on the roots of plants and other small insects. Look/Listen: Because New Zealand

EDIBLES

TA G I T If you do like to eat your own weight in bread, at least you can feel the virtue in saving the bread tags. Bread Tags for Wheelchairs collects the tags, sells them to a South African plastics moulding company, and then uses the funds raised to buy wheelchairs (which you might need on your 10-loaf-a-day habit). Five hundred kg of tags funds 2 or 3 wheelchairs. To find a collection point near you email nzbreadtags@gmail.com. Guesses as to how many loaves are needed to fund a wheelchair should be sent to hello@capitalmag.co.nz. Best Wellington loaves will be despatched to the entries we like best.

BREAKFAST FOR DESSERT A classic kiwi breakfast is one of the dishes in the four-course dessert degustation event, Childhood: Reimagined. The fundraiser for Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month showcases four ‘re-imagined’ dishes from the childhood of creator VickiEats (Cap #63/Cap #53), including an interpretation of jellytip ice cream (see image). Guests receive a pink drink and are encouraged to wear pink. For more information email vickieatsnz@gmail.com

TOAST Y WARM Luna Estate Wines is offering a North Africa and Turkey inspired ‘Oasis on the Terrace’ for this year’s Toast Martinborough to be held on 17 November. The longstanding event celebrates the Martinborough wine region with wine, food, and music all set amongst the vines. Toast 2019 will include a rosé tent, and at Vynfields a cooking with fire menu using coal grills, fire pits, and spit roasts. Tickets are on sale at toastmartinborough.co.nz.

TURN BABY TURN Named after our iconic Brooklyn windmill, Turbine Pale Ale is a new brew from Garage Project made using 100% certified renewable energy. They partnered with Meridian, producers of electricity from 100% renewable recourses, in order to brew in a more sustainable way. The result is full flavoured with citrus and tropical hop characters. It’s highly drinkable, and pretty much guilt free.

YO U R D R E A M C O M E T R U E

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EDIBLES

FOOD MILES A new restaurant with a menu that changes daily has opened on Customhouse Quay. Atlas prides itself on offering a fresh menu that ‘reflects seasonal sensitivity’. Chef James Pask works with local organic growers, and the menu details the distance the ingredients have travelled to reach your plate. For example, it specifies native herbs (within 10km), wild venison (20 km) and sea urchins (1028km).

OH NO, NOT NUTS

HUT T CUPS

B O OSTED

Is it appropriate to ban all nuts at kindy? That’s one of the topics nutritionist Fiona Roberts and dietician Morag WrightMcNaughton will tackle at their Allergies and Intolerances Workshop on 7 October. Their purpose is to help cooks, managers, and educators who work in early learning services to develop best practice regarding food allergies. The session will touch on topics including cross-contamination risks, alternatives and alternative products, and the signs and symptoms of food allergies.

Eight Hutt City cafés officially joined CupCycling last month. The nationwide reusable cup initiative was developed in the Hutt Valley by IdealCup in 2017. Kanteen, a Wellington café already enrolled in the programme, says it’s prevented more than 25,000 single-use cups from ending up in landfill in just over a year of operation. CupCycling also operates in Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa.

Mushroom chips, freeze-dried tramping meals, takeaway breakfast bowls, and 100% NZ apple juice are the winners of the 2019 Wellington Good Food Boost programme. They were selected for their potential to promote ‘good food’ with a focus on health, nutrition, contribution to local economies, reducing waste, and helping protect and restore the environment. The winners receive mentoring and business development support.

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S H E A R E R S ' TA B L E

Seafood chowder BY N I K K I & J O R DA N S H E A R E R

pring is upon us and our backyard gardens are showing new growth, heralding the summer harvest ahead. This is the time to make the most of the last of the winter vegetables – perfect for the creation of a creamy soup that pays homage to the outgoing season, but with hints of the freshness of summer. Seafood chowder is a real favourite with our families and tastes even better with freshly caught, thick, fatty fillets of hāpuka.

Ingredients 100g butter 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced 1 cup white wine 20 mussels, beards removed and washed thoroughly 2 Tbsp flour 2 carrots, peeled and diced 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 1 litre chicken stock (or fish stock) 600g firm white fish, diced 200g prawn meat 1 Tbsp preserved lemon, thinly sliced Juice of 1 lemon ½ cup cream 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped 4 Tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped 100g cold smoked salmon (optional) 100g wood smoked salmon (optional)

If you are not a huge seafood fan, remove the prawns and mussels and add a 200g fillet of diced fresh or wood-roasted salmon at the same time as the white fish. Chowder is best served with warm crusty bread to mop it all up, and any leftover freezes well for a quick meal. We promise you, it will become a weekly favourite in whatever form it takes. Serves 6–8

Method 1.

In a large pot, heat butter and oil on a medium heat. 2. Sauté leek, fennel, and garlic for 5 minutes until soft. 3. Increase heat to medium-high and add mussels and white wine. Cover with lid, steaming mussels for 3 minutes, shaking once, until the mussels are just opened. 4. Remove mussels from pot with tongs and set aside. 5. Add flour to leek, fennel, and wine mixture and stir in. 6. Add carrots, potatoes, and stock and simmer covered for 20 minutes. 7. In the meantime, take half of the mussels out of shells and roughly chop. Reserve some mussels in shells for serving. 8. After 20 mins add prawns and diced fish to chowder; continue to simmer for 4–5 minutes, until seafood is just cooked. 9. Add chopped mussel meat, preserved lemon, lemon juice, cream, and half of parsley and dill. Stir and season. 10. Divide into bowls, adding 1 or 2 mussels in shells to each bowl and topping with cold smoked salmon (optional) and fresh herbs.

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BY THE BOOK

FA M I L I A R FA C E S Who knew Paper Plus was a co-operative, not a faceless brand? Rob Clarke, who ran Paraparaumu’s Coastlands Bookshop with his mum from 1979 to 1982, became a founding member of a national co-operative of bookshop/ stationers owner-operators in 1983, initially called Nationwide Stationers. Since then, local owner-operators have run their stores under the co-operative franchise business model, with ‘Nationwide’ renamed Paper Plus in 1997. Rob and wife Kaye have run the store now called Paper Plus Coastlands for 40 years. They received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Book Trade Industry Awards.

HAVING WORDS

ON THE GRASS

IN HER NAME

Greenie Danyl McLauchlan (Cap#55) will discuss neoliberalism with right-wing columnist and commentator Matthew Hooton at Customs Ghuznee (9 November) as part of LitCrawl Wellington (choose from 27 events across three timeslots). Might ‘Reclaiming the Neoliberal’ get heated? ‘I hope the tone of the discussion will be one of amicable belligerence,’ Danyl tells us. The six-yearold LitCrawl is now part of their wider Verb Wellington festival, 6–10 November.

Celebrating Lauris Edmond: A Grass Street Tea Party on 10 November will include the unveiling of a plaque outside the late poet’s former home, 22 Grass St, Oriental Bay. Authors including Fiona Kidman will read Lauris’ poems and share memories over morning tea (on the lawn, if the weather’s nice) in a free event hosted by Verb Wellington. The Lauris Edmond extract used in the writers walk on the waterfront, calls Wellington ‘the world headquarters of the verb.’

The late Dame Kāterina Mataira worked tirelessly to promote the use of te reo Māori. Now a new annual award, the Storylines Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award (worth $1500) for an unpublished manuscript originally written in te reo Māori, has been set up by the Storylines Children’s Literature trust. Wellington publisher Huia, which produces books in both English and te reo Māori, will publish the winning manuscript. The deadline for submissions is 31 October.

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RE-VERSE

Re-verse I N T R O D U C E D BY C L A I R E O R C H A R D

Why read it: If you’re a David Attenborough fan, I reckon you’ll love this poem. The wry, matter-of-fact tone of the unnamed speaker has the feel of a script for his next show, working title Aliens on Earth. Attenborough’s distinctively detached manner is exemplified in the understated menace of the offhand beginning: 'The aliens didn’t entirely wipe out / humans, or any species'. The aliens’ impact on the earthlings they encounter, both globally and more particularly at Wellington Zoo, is dispassionately described, as if it were just another natural phenomenon being observed by the God of Wildlife Programming. Fortunately for humanity, the aliens’ purpose is ‘very much to avoid extinctions’. Whew. But it turns out even ‘star hopping / demigods’ with the best of intentions have budget restraints. And we all know that means something will have to give. Only this time, that something is us. Why I like it: The speaker’s insouciance makes me contemplate what it must be like to be on the receiving end of this degree of detachment towards the mistreatment of another species. Considering the impacts of humanity’s past and continuing actions on this planet upon the creatures we share it with, putting us somewhere we can do no more harm may be precisely what the Earth needs to protect it from the tragically inept choices we continue to make. The most surprising part of this poem for me is its ending, where I marvel at the restraint of those chimps, known for their ferocious strength, that they don’t tear their human cell-mates limb from limb the moment they get the chance. Best moment to break out this poem: In conversation with someone who is trying to convince you market forces will take care of all this. More like this: This poem is one of a series of Wellington Zoo sonnets, so there are plenty more to read and think about. Get a copy of Beach’s book and devour the entire sequence (sonnet 44, about a small boy about to be fed to the lions, is particularly delicious.)

W E L L I N GTO N ZO O 4 9 The aliens didn’t entirely wipe out humans, or any species. Their purpose indeed was very much to avoid extinctions and zoos were retained and augmented. But there were limits to the resources even of star-hopping demigods, and such economies were made as at Wellington Zoo where, since the chimpanzees had a spacious enclosure, the humans were held there too; the chimpanzees proving generally benign company, though they did possess an extremely annoying habit of rolling around on the ground pointing at the new inmates. By David Beach, from Jerusalem Sonnets, Love, Wellington Zoo, VUP 2015.

F E AT U R E

Coming clean P H OTO G R A P H E D BY A N N A B R I G G S

How did Tommy Benefield transform himself from a recovering drug addict to a mental-health worker and musician? He speaks to Sarah Lang.

t age 11, Tommy Benefield started smoking marijuana. ‘Cannabis transformed me almost overnight to someone who lied, stole, broke promises, and was too busy fiending for drugs to attend class. By 14 years of age, I was also drinking [excessive] alcohol, taking all sorts of pills, even shooting up drugs. The whole time I was using, I was essentially miserable, apart from a few fleeting moments of anticipation just before I got high. By the time the drug was peaking I was normally already anxious about how I’d get my next fix.' He was 14 when he first tried to get clean, going to 12-step counselling programmes like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. (The 12-step model involves people sharing their stories and supporting each other in order to achieve and maintain abstinence). Four attempts to get clean failed. ‘I got kicked out of two high schools.’ Tommy, a Pākehā, lived in Aro Valley with his mum, older sister, and his adopted Māori brother (just a year older). ‘My dad left when I was a baby. I saw him on and off until I was five, then he had another family and stopped seeing us. For a time, Mum had three kids on the DPB, and was an alcoholic. Mum and her friends smoked marijuana – that was just what you did. I thought the feeling [being high] was magical.’ His mother got sober the same year Tommy started using. ‘Her example is possibly why I'm still alive when many of my friends are dead or in prison. I put her through four years of hell – she was sure she'd get a call from the hospital one day telling her I wasn't coming home. She studied up on co-dependency, enabling and tough love, and

eventually made the heartbreaking decision to kick me out.’ He flatted with drug dealers. ‘Six months later I got clean and moved home.’ How? At a 12-step meeting, a stranger, John Savage, approached Tommy. ‘John had been clean two months and his family had just set up the Little Flower Trust to help addicts and support recovering addicts.’ The trust lent Tommy money for rehab at the well-regarded Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer Springs. At age 17, Tommy was off drugs. ‘The first year or two was hell. I craved drugs constantly.’ Attending 12-step programmes helped. He hasn’t touched alcohol or drugs for 22 years. Nope, not even champagne for a toast. Tommy, 39, is eternally grateful to John (who became a close friend) and the trust. When Tommy was 20, the trust wiped the debt because he’d been clean for three years. Then the trust paid for Tommy’s one-year training course in addictions counselling and, later, for Tommy’s three years of psychotherapy training. ‘Without the trust’s support in getting me clean, I'd be dead or in prison. Without its support of my career, I wouldn't be able to support my family.’ He has sons Cassidy (six) and Shiloh (four), with Nicola Bell, who runs earlychildhood centres. ‘I fell in love with Nicola when I was 18. We dated for a month, then remained friends for 10 years before getting together.’ Meanwhile, his career had progressed quickly. At 21, Tommy got a counsellor’s job at WellTrust Drug & Alcohol Health School for Youth, and stayed nine years as a counsellor then a team leader. He’s since been an addictions specialist and

F E AT U R E

manager for various mental-health and addictions services. Tommy also spent a year and a half as the Department of Corrections’ Principal Advisor for Addictions. ‘I quickly learned I couldn’t make a big difference that way.’ Tommy now works at Te Paepae Arahi, a Lower Hutt-based mental health and addictions service. Beginning as a counsellor, he progressed to team leader, service manager, then operations manager, and is now clinical manager, overseeing 11 staff including clinicians, counsellors, social workers, and support workers. ‘If there’s a risk of suicide, self-harm or domestic violence, staff run those things by me.’ He’s also Growth Manager: trying to get more funding – largely from the DHB, Ministry of Health, the Department of Corrections, and the Ministry of Development – so Te Paepae can shorten the waiting list. ‘Some tangata whaiora [clients] have anxiety, or depression, or schizophrenia, or bipolar. Some are on benzodiazepines like valium, and opiates [including morphine, codeine, heroin] but it’s primarily marijuana, methamphetamine, alcohol.’ Te Paepae, which welcomes tangata whaiora of any ethnicity, uses a Kaupapa Māori approach of connection to whanau, whakapapa (genealogy) and whenua (land), based on the values of tika (fairness), pono (sincerity) and aroha. Referrals come from DHB Community Mental Health teams, crisis service Te Haika, GPs, police, and Corrections (released prisoners, inmates, people serving suspended sentences). Working with ever-younger tangata whaiora, Te Paepae also gets many referrals from Oranga Tamariki and agencies dealing with struggling families. There are some self-referrals. That’s his day job, but Tommy’s also a musician. At 20, he started a band, ‘Tommy’, with John Savage, releasing two reggae/hip-hop albums through Loop Recordings Aotearoa. They performed at music festivals and co-headlined gigs with bands including the Phoenix Foundation and Kora. ‘We got a loyal – but not a big – following.’ Tommy disbanded in 2006, partly because Loop

preferred reggae to Tommy’s newer folk/ country songs. In 2009, Tommy founded a new band, Tommy and The Fallen Horses. Tommy is songwriter, lead singer, band leader and manager, with John on drums, and five others including Clifford Leatherbarrow on bass, and Finn Johansson on guitar. Their well-reviewed first album Isolation Is The New Party was followed by a hip-hop album, Sons Of The Easter Rising. ‘One song called Parihaka got more attention in academic circles than musically. I guest-lectured at university about tino rangatiratanga [sovereignty] and Māori land rights, from a Pākehā perspective.’ Tommy then took a five-year break from music to focus on his sons, wanting to be the dad he never had. ‘Nicola did year one with Cassidy [as primary caregiver], then I did year two.’ Tommy was warmly welcomed as the only dad at playgroups. ‘Then baby number two came along, and we both parented at home until we ran out of money, five months later. Shiloh was still breastfeeding, so it made sense that I go back to work.’ They did attachment parenting: think child-led weaning, baby-wearing in slings, co-sleeping. It doesn’t suit everyone, but it suits them. ‘I knew beforehand that parenthood would be harder than I could imagine, and I was right. But nothing – even music – beats the joy and reward they bring me.’ After emerging from the most intense period of parenthood, Tommy began writing songs for a new album. Tommy and The Fallen Horses released Openhearts in September. Thirteen tracks are available on iTunes, Spotify and so on, and CDs at record shops. ‘I'm proud of my other records, but the music of my soul has always been stuff like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. This album is about moving on from the dreams of your 20s. Initially I turned down work promotions, because I was just paying the bills until I made it musically. It took a long time to accept I wouldn’t be a full time musician or global star. I mean, I’d still love that to happen, but I no longer believe I’ll achieve that. Still, what fun to try!’

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I N D U L G E YO U R F E E T

HOME

Passive and power ful P H OTO G R A P H E D BY DAV I D ST R A I G H T

Passive housing is flavour of the month or perhaps decade in New Zealand eco sensitive building. Sarah Catherall talks to builders, architects and most importantly, those enjoying the benefits of living in a passive home.

n their Kapiti home, Diane and Ian Christison can sense the fresh, filtered air circulating through the rooms, even when the doors and windows are closed.Their new Waikanae beach house is a passive home – the most healthy, comfortable type of building being built in New Zealand. In the debate about healthy homes, passive homes tick all the boxes, and the idea is gaining momentum among New Zealand architects and some builders: they’re ventilated with fresh air, are completely airtight, have maximum insulation, windows of a high standard, doors and glazing with no leaks, and a thermal fabric. A passive home ideally enjoys a temperature of about 20 to 25 degrees in summer and winter. According to Elrond Burrell, a Wellington architect and passive home specialist, about 20 buildings in New Zealand are currently certified as passive buildings or passive homes. A passive house is different from one which is solar-powered or eco-friendly. ‘There is no such thing as passive house principles. You either meet the standard or not.’ For a number of years, the Christisons lived in a beachfront house on Waikanae beach. Says Ian: ‘We got sick of the sand, the salt and the wind.’

HOME

Diane and Ian Christison's Waikanae home

Their house was also expensive to heat, costing about $800 a month in power bills. When a block of land by the river came up for sale, they bought it and hired architect Guy Shaw, and their builder, Mike Craig, to design and build them a passive home. Moving in a year ago, they hoped to get by without any heating, but installed wall heaters last winter to top up the temperature. Diane is battling cancer, so needs the house to be particularly warm. Today, it is about 21 degrees throughout.‘I’ve spent winter in my shorts inside,’ says Ian. In their pantry, a small ventilation machine the size of a wall oven and using the energy of a 80 watt lightbulb pumps fresh air through vents opening into each room. Every three hours, the system takes moist, stale air from the kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms and quietly circulates filtered, fresh air through bedrooms and living spaces so the air never gets stale. Metal curtains attached to the external facade

drop down over the triple glazed windows in summer to ensure the rooms don’t overheat. They have halved their power bill. Says Ian: ‘It’s slightly more expensive to build a passive home, but we’ve worked hard all our lives and we wanted a home that was really comfortable.’ Their architect, Guy Shaw, says ‘in an ideal world, a passive home would have minimal windows and a compact design with a limited roof and surface area to retain heat. He says designing the house challenged the rules. It faces north towards the sun, and is a complex, sprawling design with a lot of windows. Guy, who is working on a number of other passive homes around New Zealand, says: ‘The health benefits are huge because you have this constant exchange of fresh air, and also low humidity. For people with health problems like asthma, this is huge. The whole idea of designing a new home is to create places of health and wellbeing.’

HOME

According to Elrond, New Zealand has 15 different climate zones, which designers have to consider when they’re designing a passive home. The building code has just three climate zones. Wellington is defined as warm temperate – the same as Taupo – which means it doesn’t get extreme cold or heat like Central Otago, for example. An Auckland passive home –Auckland is classified as ‘warm’ – can get by with double-glazed windows, while triple-glazed windows can be needed in Wellington, depending on the home’s orientation. However, a typical 200-square-metre passive house would use two kilowatts of energy per day to heat – about the same as a hairdryer, about a quarter of that used by a standard home. Some owners don’t even install heating. ‘Designing a passive home for Wellington and the region is relatively straightforward. But the thing that can catch you out is that if your view is out to the west, if you are angling the house to that view, you can end up cooked in those rooms.’ One of the key things about a passive house is the

insulation, and here it comes down to the climate zone the home is in. While 90mm of typical wall insulation may suffice for a compact, multi-storey apartment building in Auckland, the Christison’s house has 200mm of insulation in the walls, and 320mm in the ceiling. According to their builder, Mike Craig, homes like this don’t lose heat. ‘The great thing is that once the house gets to a level of heat, that heat doesn’t escape,’ he says. Mike says New Zealand joinery isn’t airtight, although airtight windows and doors are now being made. ‘In a normal house, you have hot and cold temperature swings all the time. An old villa will have about 25 air changes every hour, while the Christison’s house has just 0.27,’ he says. Mike has four passive houses to build in Kapiti next year. The owners of one house he has recently finished haven’t turned the wall heaters on yet, and are comfortable with the 19-degree constant temperature inside. It takes patience to build homes like these. ‘But I’m really passionate about it,’ says Mike.

Salmont Place, Kelburn

HOME

On Salmont Place in Kelburn, two contemporary townhouses by Parsonson Architects were designed using passive methods. According to architect Craig Burt, the owners ‘had lived in an old draughty villa at the top of the cable car, so they came to us wanting something very different’. Architect Nicolas Zilliox, also at Parsonson’s, is a trained passive house architect. He says the aim is to keep the house at 20 degrees celsius, in both winter and summer. At times, the house can get too hot, as the west-facing windows let in a lot of sun in the summer. Also the north-facing front of the house is about 50 per cent windows, which leak heat, like most homes. The back of the kitchen, living and dining area has a long, heavily insulated wall to keep the heat in. A sunroom is like a suntrap out the front of the house, where the couple love spending time in winter. ‘It’s like the old conservatory model but it’s

treated in a much smarter way,’ says Craig. A ventilation system the size of a small washing machine sits in the pantry, circulating fresh air through the house. 'It’s warm, and the air is fresh, plus it’s also very quiet because you’ve got heavily insulated, thick walls and double glazing,' says Nico. He is trying to encourage clients to consider a passive home, although it does add cost and so can be the first thing to go under cost pressure. ‘In our view, though, these homes are around for 75-plus years, so you want them to perform as well as they can.’ The townhouses – which won a local New Zealand Institute of Architecture award – may not get the tick as passive homes. However, the owners, who did not wish to be named, are so happy and comfortable that they no longer escape to their Mount Maunganui apartment over winter. They have sold it.

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ABROAD

Black market It seems odd, even bizarre, that a history of brutal oppression and violence against a whole race of people should be presented as a tourist attraction, and perhaps even more bizarre that it should be a successful strategy. That is precisely what’s happening in many Southern cities in the United States as Americans show a new willingness to confront their own past and come to terms with it. John Bishop explains.

he museums and other displays about the civil rights struggle are attracting record numbers of Americans in the Deep South, the home of slavery, segregation, the suppression of rights for African Americans, and strong, often violent, resistance to change. ‘Everyone wants to know about it now,’ the young black ticket seller told me at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. That’s a big change, she said, from even ten years ago. And it’s also good business for rundown towns like Montgomery. New hotels and other facilities are being built on the back of the surge in tourists. I have been absorbed by the civil rights struggle, as a young man I saw on black and white television James Meredith, a black ex-serviceman, being blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi. State governor Ross Barnett, an avowed segregationist, stood in the doorway of the registry building and told him he could not enter. That was in September 1962. Meredith was later enrolled by court order, the first person of colour allowed entry. There was a riot in which two people were killed and more than 300 injured as whites, angry at having a black man in ‘their’ university, battled federal and state police. I’d been to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis in 2014. It’s built around the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was staying the night in April 1968 that he was killed by James Earl Ray, a white negro-hater who fired from across the street at King as he stood on the first-floor balcony of his motel room.

The museum tells of slavery, but also of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. It was sparked by Rosa Parks, of the Freedom Riders, groups of black and white students who rode interstate buses to provoke a court ruling about de-segregation. The buses were attacked – one was firebombed – and the riders beaten. This was just one of the many civil rights campaigns, led by Dr King and others. On this trip I went to Memphis again, and then to the scenes of many of the battles in the civil rights struggle: Nashville, Birmingham, and Montgomery in Alabama, and Jackson in Mississippi. From Memphis I went on bus and train journeys, from 90 minutes to five hours long, to the other cities. It’s not practical to fly and I did not wish to drive alone. I visited over a dozen sites and seven museums in five states, but there is a lot more. The Civil Rights Trail, with more than a hundred locations across 15 states, is promoted by the tourist organisations of the various states involved. In the South, after the loss in the Civil War, slavery was replaced by segregation as a way of affirming white supremacy. From the 1870s to the 1960s whites and ‘coloureds’ had separate facilities at train and bus stations, sat in different parts of the buses and trains, ate at separate counters in restaurants, went to different schools, and in most states could not legally marry each other, live together, play together, or even be buried in the same cemetery. And the system was all legal, sanctioned and ratified by the Supreme Court of the United States

Top: White and black passengers had separate waiting rooms until the court ruled it unconstitutional Bottom: National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis

ABROAD

in the 1890s, and enforced in practice by violence including false arrests, beatings, and lynching. Amendments to the US Constitution enacted after the Civil War ending slavery and giving equal rights to African Americans were simply ignored and never enforced in the South. Quite the contrary; it was about maintaining white supremacy. As a local saying goes, ‘In the South no one questioned white supremacy any more than a fish thinks about the wetness of the water.’ The law was made by whites; they were the police, the judges and the jailors. Among these people were also the Ku Klux Klan, white men robed in white sheets and hoods, who set burning crosses on the front lawns of those said to have transgressed, and shooting, beating and lynching at will. Now the Legacy Museum and the associated National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which documents lynching across all states in the USA, are serious drawcards to the town of Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama. The civil rights struggle was never just marches and sit-ins. Lives were lost. ‘Ten sticks of dynamite’ was the headline in the Birmingham News of 16 September 1963, reporting the murder of four black girls at the 16th Baptist Church. KKK sympathiser Robert Chambliss was eventually convicted of murder in 1977 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Klansman Ray Killen organised the killing of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in January 1964. Killen was convicted only in 2005 (of manslaughter) for organising the killings. Black rights activist Medgar Evers was shot in the back in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi, shortly after midnight on June 12, 1963. An all-white jury deadlocked in the two murder trials of Byron de la Beckwith, but he was eventually convicted of Evers’ murder in 1994. In Montgomery, the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice are

the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, headed by a white lawyer called Bryan Stevenson who campaigns against racial injustice in the judicial system. The museum’s displays link slavery to the Civil War, lynching, segregation and civil rights, and tie these histories to current controversies over police shootings of black people and the mass incarceration of African American men. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice documents over four thousand lynchings of African Americans between 1880 and 1940. The names are etched onto long sheets of copper, which hang from the ceiling of a large open-sided structure, and are repeated on horizontal sheets outside. The descriptions are brief. Example: ‘Seven blacks were lynched near Screamer, Alabama, in 1888 for drinking from a white man’s well.’ Or ‘Stephen Sasser was lynched in 1884 in Early County, Georgia, for living with a white woman.’ And, ‘Bud Spears was lynched in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, in 1888 for protesting the recent lynching of another black man.’ The New York Times reported in May, ‘Since they opened in April 2018, the monument and museum are responsible for attracting 400,000 more visitors to Montgomery and selling 107,000 more hotel rooms in 2018 than the year before, according to city figures.’ Birmingham also reports a similar revival; and Jackson Mississippi has also felt the same effect, although not as strongly. The path to reconciliation with one’s history is never an easy one. Think Northern Ireland, South Africa after apartheid, Australia with the aboriginal people, New Zealand with the Māori. All our histories demonstrate that reconciliation is slow, painful, controversial, expensive, and difficult. After years of denial and refusal to even look at itself, America is finally making the effort to confront this difficult aspect of its history.

Top: A popular depiction of African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s; large, happy and smiling, and enjoying food. Bottom: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery

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GOOD SPORTS

ATEAM The Hyundai A-League kicks off the 2019–2020 season this October. The Wellington Phoenix has plenty of new faces including veteran striker David Ball from Rotherham United and young blood Reno Piscopo, who has spent the past eight years in Italy after being recruited to Inter Milan’s youth team. The Wellington squad plays two home games at the Westpac stadium, the first against Western United on 13 October, then Perth Glory on 27 October.

FLYING FISH

WET AND WILD

WORLD CUP MADNESS

Emirates Team New Zealand has launched their boat Te Aihe – Māori for dolphin – in preparation for the America’s Cup in Auckland. The 75-foot monohull looks more fighter jet than boat and is expected to hit speeds of up to 50 knots (92km/h). With the race a good year and a half away, Wellington sailor Josh Junior (pictured) is a member of the team that now has to learn to actually sail the hydrofoiling bullet.

If you’ve ever walked along the waterfront and thought those dragon boats slicing through the water look like fun, Sunday 6 October is your opportunity to give it a try. Boat, paddle, life vest, and instructions are all provided by the Dragon Boat Association. All you need to bring is something warm and prepare to get wet. The open day kicks off 11am at Whairepo lagoon and runs through to the early afternoon. Register online at eventfinda.co.nz

It’s finally here! October sees the Rugby World Cup play out in Japan. New Zealand’s first game is against top contenders South Africa, with three more pool games over the month. The final will be on 2 November at the International stadium in Yokohama which will hold over seventy thousand rugby-heads.

SECTION HEADER

T O R Q U E TA L K

New generation power BY RO G E R WA L K E R

he commercial beginning of fully electric vehicle propulsion began with that battery bard, Elon Musk, who begat Tesla. Now Audi have moved his work to a whole new level, with its next generation E-Tron Quattro EV. Let’s begin with the spectacular new green factory in Belgium which builds these cars. Obstacle-sensing moving platforms and scores of robots shuttle the parts silently from station to station around the sprawling stateof-the-art assembly centres. High-efficiency heat exchangers control the temperature in different areas of the factory. A 37,000 square metre photovoltaic farm on the roof reduces the factory’s grid electricity consumption by 95%. The factory is certified carbon-neutral by the European Commission. Audi is investing $23US billion in electric mobility and autonomy and will have 10 EVs on offer by 2025. Audi is the only EV manufacturer in the world to assemble its batteries under the same roof as the car itself. The e-Tron’s batteries are warranted for eight years and 160,000km. Sprouted in Brussels, the cars travel to far-flung destinations by sea, just like youthful activist Greta Thunberg. At Armstrong Prestige, Mike Pointon, the enthusiastic brand manager, introduces me to their new pride and joy, the high-spec e-Tron 55 Quattro Advanced. (There is a mechanically identical and slightly cheaper e-Tron Quattro, which is still pretty advanced). Mike tells me the first 100 imported into New Zealand have already sold out. The radical change in propulsion is not expressed in the body design, which is smoothly transitional, so as not to alienate Audi’s loyal customers. It is familiar Audi, smiley-lipped, but with zingy side mouldings and wheel arch trims and sills emphasising its ‘off-road’ look. The build quality is exemplary. Like the Q8, it seats five in sumptuous comfort, with ample leg room, a huge 605-litre boot, and the ability to tow 1.8 tonnes. Two electric motors, sited on the axles, the rear slightly more powerful than the one on the front, effect an optimum 40:60 torque split. The heart of the beast, the battery, is all muscle. Weighing 700kg, it has

432 cells and its 400 volts, delivers 95 kwh, and nestles between the front and rear motors. Pushing the start button of a car with only 52km on the odometer, I feel like a baby snatcher. I was impressed with how familiar the controls felt. Audi ensures there are no real surprises and the transition from petrol is painless. I take my time studying the controls, and admire the plush and modern high-tech interior. There are no gears, so in place of the lever is a comfortable flat metal plate with a toggle used to select drive, park and reverse. There are paddle shifters on the steering column for selecting ‘coasting mode’, and two modes of battery regeneration. The dedicated off-road setting sits the vehicle the highest off the ground, while the ‘dynamic’ mode hugs it. The steering is perfectly weighted, with a lovely feel, and the car is no slouch, getting to 100km/hour in 5.7seconds. There is even a female voice on board, (think Lucy from the House of Travel). Contacted by pushing a button, she takes verbal instructions as to what music you want, at what volume, and what seat setting and air temperature you prefer. The car also has an airquality sensor which detects harmful gases and activates recirculated air mode as necessary. Since the battery is good for a WLTP-rated 400km, range anxiety hardly exists. The car itself rides like a magic carpet, eerily quiet with obedient input from the controls, cosseting you almost seductively. Its four-wheeldrive keeps the car very much glued to the road. It has the best regenerative ability I have ever experienced in an EV, and there is a clever dashboard readout telling you in which direction the juice is flowing. Audi offers various home and on-the-move charging processes. All are accessed via your smartphone with the ‘myAudi’ app. I returned the car to Armstrong reluctantly, after trialling motorways, hills, city streets, and even a bit of dirt! I didn’t realise how noisy the outside world is in comparison. Is silence the new luxury? I came home thinking of a new Audi slogan: ‘Four rings to rule them all’.

WĀ H I N E

Hard boiled sweets BY M E LO DY T H O M A S

ave you ever been reading a book, and you come across a sentence so perfect you need to pause and just mull it over, savour it like a hardboiled sweet? Or been walking down the street minding your own business when the beauty of a tree gently moving above your head stops you in your tracks? Or even just sat for a moment, cradling well-made ceramic in your hands, inhaling the scent of early morning coffee? No, I’m not high. Actually I’m on the tail end of a month of relentless illness (I know it’s been a month because, cruelly, when I was bedridden with flu I was also bent over with period cramps and today the bloody old devil returned and STILL I’m snotty and sore from coughing), and the kids have only just gotten over the ‘100-day cough’ that somehow feels even longer than its name attempts to prepare you for. But of course, life doesn’t stop just because we’re ill. We still have to keep it together at work, fight back the tsunami of washing and dishes at home, keep the kids happy, healthy and fed, pay the bills, call our parents, and keep our relationships from falling apart (plus, if we want to be engaged citizens, actively contribute to the dismantling of the patriarchy, racism, homophobia and ableism, while attempting to live sustainably and engage with our communities). Is it any wonder that we’re facing epidemics of loneliness, stress and burnout? But then, just when we get to thinking we can’t go on like this any longer, spring appears – pushing her shining, yellow daffodil face above the soil, her vibrant green fingers from the ends of long-barren branches. Her lambs kick up their legs in paddocks, her birds chirpity-chirp and even though spring in this city inevitably means wind, rain and heaving tides, it feels exciting

rather than depressing, because we all know we’re officially on our way to summer again. The other day I got home about 15 minutes before the sun was due to set. My room was toasty and warm. I pulled off stockings and blazer and bra and threw on a loose cotton dress, collapsing on my bed under an open window. I could so easily have pilfered that time, turning to my phone or choosing to tidy, but instead I lay there with the sun on my face and arms, grinning like an idiot as my body lapped up the onslaught of Vitamin D. Then the sun disappeared, and it was time to don track pants and jersey, to head downstairs and attend to dinner and lunches. But in that short window I had reminded myself how much joy there is just waiting for us to snatch it up, in the small moments. Watching the swell of the ocean under the changing light of dusk. Kissing the warm, soft pillow of a child’s cheek. Riding the front, top seat of a double-decker bus. A warm baguette. Coffee with cream. The message we get from the world we live in is that productivity is one of our greatest assets. That there’s always a better place to be or a better thing to be doing – something big and new to work towards. But what about the small and familiar? In constantly striving to get somewhere, to be someone, what do we miss about where and who we already are, and who else is right there with us? As the weather warms and we enter the final months of the decade, keep an eye out for these quiet, everyday moments which beckon for us to pause. Our big plans and lofty goals will wait for us, and with a little time spent in rest and reflection, we might just find ourselves with new energy and enthusiasm for their pursuit.