Prime September

E E R F

ake t e s a e l p h you t i w e m ho y and enjo

Hamilton & Tauranga

September Issue

Chinese Scholars’ Garden Thames Museum – Keeping Our History Alive The Case for Employing Mature Aged Workers

e d i s n i also , Humour , , s e p i c Re ice History, rd, Events, Adv , , a i v i r T • g o C ro s s w e w s , G a rd e n i n Prizes, N ars, inment, Enterta sers, Health, C a Brain-Te d Much More! n A Shows,

e m o c l e W 2020

Hi Everyone Selling or buying a home can be one of the biggest and most significant transactions you’ll ever make, so it is absolutely vital you team up with agents you have the utmost faith and confidence in.

When you choose Team Hutchby you will enjoy working with two quite different yet highly complementary skilled professionals.

Michelle brings a wealth of local and national building industry experience and multi award winning real estate performance.

Tony adds building construction experience and years of top level sales/marketing management at The Radio Network.

You will experience a team highly skilled in communication, marketing and negotiating but most importantly simply superior customer service.

Our message While we are always pleased to achieve a good result for any of our vendors or purchasers, we are especially pleased and proud of the reputation we have grown for our work and results with the more mature market.

WE ARE YOU We are very aware that as we or our parents and relatives approach the twilight years and perhaps contemplate a lifestyle change, the most important word is TRUST. We believe that our reputation in this area is your guarantee that both you and yours will receive the levels of service, trust and results referred to below. We have many, many more to share with you anytime. As well as supporting grey power communications we offer a totally free advice package of recommendations of tradies, gardeners,

What customers are saying Michelle brings new meaning to the definition of hard work. She is dedicated and relentless in pursuit of the goal of selling the property.

Very focused and pays attention to detail. A person who is very easy to deal with. Her and Tony are both superb agents and we both have no hesitation in recommending them to any potential vendors. They sold our house well above asking price. Thank you both.

– MIKE & MARIE WOODS

legals etc who offer quality work we have experienced, at competitive prices. We believe our Harcourts totally FREE AUCTION MARKETING PROGRAMME (valued at over $3,000) is unparalleled and includes exclusive social media exposure, along with photography, top property websites, publications etc. You do not spend a cent.

Team for the Times

In the challenging times we now live in it has never been more essential to deal with Reputable Trusted Companies.

Harcourts is New Zealands biggest Real Estate Company and has been voted New Zealands Most Trusted Company for the eighth year in a row.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU Advantage Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008

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Heartfelt thanks for your support, guidance and good humour throughout the marketing process for our property. You put together a great campaign, kept us informed and took every opportunity to engage with prospective purchasers. It has taken a couple of days for us to “ digest” the successful auction result. Thank you, Team Hutchby, for a great outcome!

– ALWYN AND HELEN O’CONNOR

Michelle and Tony Hutchby Marketing Consultants

DD 07 579 9023 or 07 577 1336 M 021 901 504 or 027 442 7678 E michelle.hutchby@harcourts.co.nz E tony.hutchby@harcourts.co.nz

Team Hutchby . Your Team .

Disclaimer

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The views expressed in the articles and advertising are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Prime Hamilton and Prime Tauranga.

Prime Hamilton and Prime Tauranga reserve the right to accept, edit or reject editorial and advertising material. All endeavours will be made to ensure accuracy at time of publication.

Neither Prime Hamilton and Prime Tauranga accept responsibility for omissions or consequences that may arise from information published.

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Contact

Romano Manuel – 022 045 4892, romano@ manuelmedianz.com, www.manuelmedianz.com PRIME HAMILTON | PRIME TAURANGA

From the Editors

Spring is here! For the past few weeks, as I travelled through the Waikato and Tauranga districts, I’ve noticed the sporadic appearance of blossoms on trees and daffodils alongside the roads.

An annual delight to the senses, springtime sees us emergence from the dark and wet of winter to enjoy brighter mornings and longer evenings.

We increasingly look to spend time out-of-doors, watering seeds, listening for birdsong and patiently awaiting the arrival of those first, beautiful florals. Springtime is a perfect opportunity to lay the foundations of what you’d most like to invest in for this year – be it yourself, your business, or another shift in direction.

And with spring with us we also have to reflect on the changing world around us. Here in New Zealand, as elsewhere in the world, we are still confronted with the realities of Covid and lockdowns. Elections are now taking place in October – only the fourth time in this country’s history that an election has been delayed. Elections were postponed in 1917 and 1941 due to world wars, and in 1934 because of the Great Depression. In the US massive wildfires are raging in California and China is experiencing unprecedented flooding. Deadly storms are raging through the Caribbean and Europe is paralysed by the corona virus – and social protests are becoming a common feature of our daily news. So, even as the world is struggling with crises and challenges in diverse places spring is here as a reminder we can all renew and change for the better.

In this month’s issue we are pleased to continue our focus on museums in our backyard with contributions from the Thames Museum, as well as the Mercury Bay Museum in Whitianga. Our feature from The Conversation discusses whether vaccines should be compulsory – and we also have contributions from our regulars: Christine from Humbly Yours, Mark from Kiwi Pickers and Major Blunder.

I trust there will be something of interest for everyone. Enjoy!

(P.S. If you have any topics, or areas of interest that you would like us to highlight in our magazine, please let us know. You can either submit your own contribution or we will do the research. You can contact us at romano@manuelmedianz.com)

Romano and Lisa

We can all slow the spread We all need to work together if we want to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Unite against the virus now.

Be kind. Check-in on the elderly or vulnerable

Washing and drying your hands kills the virus

Cough or sneeze into your elbow

Make a difference by: • checking-in on any elderly or vulnerable people you know • dropping supplies to those at home sick.

Wash often. Use soap.

20 seconds. Then dry.

This kills the virus by bursting its protective bubble.

It keeps the virus off your hands, so you won’t spread it to other people and make them sick too.

Stay home if you are sick Call your GP before visiting them. Or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

Find out more at Covid19.govt.nz 3

Waikato’s COVID-19 Fundraising

Cookbook Wins International Awards The world’s most elite chefs have won these awards: Jamie Oliver, Paul Hollywood, Michael Roux and, closer to home, Josh Emett, Nadia Lim and Michael Van de Elzen.

And now Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) has won two awards in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for its The Mighty Waikato Cookbook, which it created during COVID-19 lockdown to raise money to help put food on the table for the region’s most vulnerable.

The Mighty Cookbook has won awards for the categories of Food Books Fighting Covid and Sustainable Books and will go on to compete for “Best in the World� in those categories at a ceremony in 2021. The Gourmand Awards have been compared to the “Oscars� for film.

Waikato CDEM group public information manager Nicola Chrisp said the awards certainly came as a surprise. “The cookbook came out of the Waikato region’s response to COVID-19 as a way to celebrate some of our favourite food establishments while they were forced to close and raise money to help pay for meals and food parcels for those who needed help. It was a fantastic communityled initiative – and I bet no one can say they’ve created an award-winning cookbook from scratch to design in two weeks flat. “At a time when the country is facing the possibility of a resurgence of Covid-19, this is a nice reminder that many hands across many agencies have worked tirelessly keeping the welfare of our community at the heart of everything they do.�

More than 40 restaurants and cafes contributed recipes to the cookbook, and more than $10,000 was raised towards Momentum Waikato and Wise Group’s community kitchen. The large commercial kitchen set up at Claudelands Event Centre produced over 457,514 individual meals.

Momentum Waikato chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton says funders in the Waikato came together immediately to help provide a one stop shop for the provision of food and winter essentials for vulnerable families and people.

“It was great seeing Waikato CDEM churn out that fundraising cookbook so quickly, and the many communities of the Waikato step up to play a role in providing a response or donating money or time.

This generosity is a core value of the Waikato, and it’s been recognised in a fighting COVID category of a cookbook award. Who would have thought?�

Wise Group Operations Manager Erana Severne agrees that a collective effort was the “secret sauceâ€? in delivering a successful local response during lockdown. “Innovative projects, resources and tools were developed to benefit individuals, whÄ nau, and the community. As we now face a possible resurgence of COVID-19 this powerful collective approach will be key in our ongoing work to support local people.â€?

The Mighty Waikato Cookbook can still be bought for a donation and downloaded at mightywaikatocookbook.co.nz. Donations are pay what you can, from as little as $5 to as much as you feel you can give.

(Images courtesy of WDC)

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Princess Anne at 70 The Princess Royal started undertaking public work at the age of 18, when her first engagement was the opening of an educational and training centre in Shropshire in 1969. Since then, she has established significant and ongoing relationships with over 300 charities and organisations across the Commonwealth and has one of the busiest working schedules of any member of the Royal Family.

As part of recognising Princess Anne’s contribution to the Royal family, the Queen has approved the promotion of her daughter in the Royal Army and Royal Air Force. The Princess was promoted to the rank of general in the Army and air chief marshal in the Air Force. The appointments bring her ranks in-line in the Army and Air Force with her rank of admiral in the Royal Navy.

About her promotions, the Ministry of Defence stressed that the royal has been “hugely supportive” of the British Armed Forces for a number of years.

They said: “This promotion on her 70th birthday recognises her invaluable contribution and commitment to the military.”

Princess Anne is married to Tim Laurence, who is a naval Vice Admiral, for nearly 30 years now. Anne’s love for horses is, of course, well-known – as Prince Philip once said: “If it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested.” It is curious, therefore, that Anne’s husband should not be too fond of horses, given Anne’s near obsession-like passion.

“It’s not something I share with her. Sadly, I’ve never been bitten by the horse bug.” However he also noted: “We are both map and chart people. “We like to know where we are and see where we’re going.

The queen’s daughter has turned 70. Princess Anne, also known as The Princess Royal, celebrated her 70th birthday on Saturday, August 15.

Princess Anne Survived a Kidnapping Attempt – with the Best One-Liner!

Princess Anne. Notice the first medal – the New Zealand QSO (Extra Companion of the Queens’s Service Order)

The then 23-year-old year royal foiled a kidnapping plot by a lone gunman after being “scrupulously polite” during the dramatic ordeal outside Buckingham Palace.

On March 20, 1974, Anne was returning to Buckingham Palace by car after attending an evening charity event with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, when their chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce was forced to stop by another car that had blocked their route.

When the would-be kidnapper started firing shots that injured both her chauffeur and her private detective, he climbed into the front seat and ordered the princess to get out, to which she reportedly replied, “Not bloody likely.”

Ron Russell, an incidental bystander and one time heavyweight boxer came to the rescue. “It was very fast moving – [Anne] was very, very together, telling him (the attacker): ‘Just go away and don’t be such a silly man’... He stood there glaring at me with the gun and I hit him. I hit him as hard as I could and he was flat on the floor face down.” Disaster was avoided and those who were wounded recovered.

The assailant was sentenced to life imprisonment and placed in a psychiatric hospital. In a 2006 interview, Ron Russell recalled what Queen Elizabeth said as she presented him with the George Cross medal: “The medal is from the Queen of England, the thank you is from Anne’s mother.”

Pétanque at Club Mount Maunganui Anytime is Petanque Time • Tuesday’s from 1pm • Thursday’s from 11am • Saturday’s from 1pm • A French Game played with Kiwi Flair • Pétanque is social • Pétanque is fun • Pétanque can be a game of strategy • Anyone but anyone can play Boules and all the help you need are available all we ask is that you wear fully covered shoes. petanquetauranga@gmail.com Tauranga Bay of Plenty Pétanque Association

Prime Puzzles 1. In how many equal pieces can you cut a round cake using only 3 slices?

2. You have 10 fields and keep 1 haystack in the first one, 2 haystacks in the second one, 3 haystacks in the third one and so on. How many haystacks will you have if you combine all of them in your first field?

3. You are walking alone on the sidewalk.

There are no stars on the sky, no moonlight, all of the lamps on the street are broken, you don’t carry any source of light with you and there aren’t any cars or other people approaching. A silent black cat tries to cross your way, but you somehow spot it and turn around in order to avoid bad luck. How did you see the cat?

Answers on page 27

7. Imagine you are driving a bus. On the first stop 3 people get in the bus, on the second one 5 more get in, on the third stop 2 get out and 4 get in, on the last stop everybody gets out. How old is the bus driver?

8. 16, 06 ,68 ,88 , ?, 98.

What is the ‘?’ ?

9. I am the first on earth, the second in heaven. I appear twice in a week, though you can only see me once in a year. What am I? 10. In what country can a man not marry his widow’s sister?

4. Before Mount Everest was discovered, which was the highest mountain in the world?

5. A teacher enters the classroom and sees on the first row two students sitting next to each other, looking completely identical. She asks them if they are twins, but the students simultaneously reply that they are not. After checking in the records, the teacher furthermore discovers that the two children have the same mother and father. What is the explanation?

6. I have holes in my top and bottom, my left and right, and in the middle.

But I still hold water. What am I? 5

Prime Walks in the Waikato

By Ceana Priest

MAROKOPA FALLS

Explore a vibrant green forest trail leading to one of New Zealand’s most photographed waterfalls.

From the car park wander through an established tawa and nīkau forest. The path is well graded, however stairs mean this walk is not suitable for buggies or wheelchairs.

But because it is so short, little ones should be able to tackle this adventure on foot or grab a piggy-back ride.

FACILITIES: No toilets.

TIME: Allow 20 minutes

Look out for the impressive wizened tree that looms over the path – perhaps take a moment to do a little ‘forest bathing’ on the nearby seats. There are some huge buttresses behind the tree to marvel at too.

return.

ACCESSIBILITY: Well graded dirt and gravel paths with stairs.

This is a popular waterfall. It’s on the tourist circuit due to being so accessible and photogenic. You may have to jostle for space on the viewing platform.

DOGS: No dogs.

HOW TO GET THERE:

There are often vibrant rainbows created by the spray from where the Marokopa River cascades 35 metres over greywacke rock.

From Waitomo travel west for approx 30min (31km) on Te Anga Road.

On windy days bring a rain jacket! You can get pretty soaked on the viewing platform. It’s worth bringing a lens cloth for your camera too.

KAKEPUKU TRACK

FACILITIES: Rustic toilet near car park.

TIME: Allow 2 to 3 hours return.

ACCESSIBILITY: Well graded

y paths that are steep and slipper s. at times, boardwalk and step

DOGS: No dogs.

BIKING: This is also a Grade 2 | Easy mountain bike path. But no l bikes past the stairs for cultura reasons.

: The car HOW TO GET THEREunt ain park off Kakepuku Mo Road near Te Awamutu.

This old volcano perched on lush countryside provides a great workout. Luckily the amazing views compensate for the burning lungs!

From the car park, stroll beside farmland before the path starts to gently switch-back up the mountain. The first section is relatively open with a steady incline and it’s not long before you get a bird’seye-view of the surrounding countryside. The trail has sections of clay which are slippery in winter and after rain, so for younger or less confident kids this might be better suited for a summer adventure.

Walk through an avenue of ferns before the trail gets steeper. It’s about here little kids will probably ask for a piggy-back ride. A short flat section gives you some respite but then it’s back to getting stuck in with some stairs leading up the final stretch. At the junction turn left to the trig – which sits at 460 metres above sea level – and on a clear day take in the sights of all the region’s mountain peaks.

This volcano was formed about 2.5 million years ago. The boardwalk under the trig just loops back to the main path. Māori legend says the maunga was named by Tainui tohunga Rakataura in memory of the shape of his pregnant wife, Kahurere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ceana is a Hamilton mum raising an explorer called Finn who adores bugs and splashing in forest streams. After struggling to find accessible adventures, she has published family-friendly guidebooks for Auckland, Central North Island and Hamilton & Waikato.

CONTACT: hello@outdoorkid.co.nz, www.outdoorkid.co.nz

TranzAlpine to resume service KiwiRail is delighted to announce the return of its acclaimed TranzAlpine train service between Christchurch and Greymouth.

“This will be an ideal time for New Zealand families to try something new, and together experience what Lonely Planet has described as one of the world’s 10 most amazing rail journeys, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller says.”

During August, the TranzAlpine will run on weekends, departing Christchurch at 8.15am, and spending an hour in Greymouth before leaving at 2.05pm on Saturdays and Sundays. All fares will be changeable, fully refundable and available at the winter special rate of $75 per seat one way.

“Covid-19 has taken a heavy toll on tourism everywhere and unfortunately, like other tourism providers, KiwiRail and the communities we serve have suffered the impact,” says Mr Miller.

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Waipuna Hospice and participating local solicitors are offering you the chance to make a lasting difference in your community with a

FREE WILL Simply select a participating solicitor and they'll draw up a basic Will or amendment to an existing Will. In return, they would ask that you leave a bequest gift to Waipuna Hospice in your Will to help ensure we are here to support future generations.

For more information on how to receive a FREE basic Will call 0800 4 WAIPUNA (0800 492 478) or email info@waipunafortomorow.org.nz before Friday, 18 September 2020 7

Prime Crossword

Answers page 27

Across 1. Governance (14) 10. Malicious burning (5) 11. Ceramic ware (9) 12. Male ruler of an empire (7) 13. Far beyond a norm (7) 14. Utilizers (5) 16. Cutbacks (9) 19. Circumference (9) 20. Hair net (5) 22. Pretentious (7) 25. Antiquated (7) 27. Association (9) 28. Discrimination against the elderly (5) 29. Achievement (14) Down 2. Vanish (9) 3. Not outer (5) 4. Crucial (9) 5. Half of six (5) 6. Vigilance (9) 7. Absurd (5) 8. Convent (7) 9. Boat (6) 15. Conference (9) 17. Pennants (9) 18. Separation (9) 19. A mild powdered seasoning (7) 21. Leave suddenly (6) 23. Melodies (5) 24. Oar (5) 26. Allegation (5)

BEE CARD IS HERE

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GET A CARD Bee Cards are free for now, and available from beecard.co.nz, via 0800 205 305, on the bus or from the BUSIT counter.

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REGISTER YOUR CARD Bee Cards need to be registered to support contact tracing, to enable online top up, and to protect your balance if you lose your card.

And you can load your SuperGold concession directly onto your Bee Card.

Registration is quick and can be easily completed online at beecard.co.nz.

If you need assistance, give us a call on 0800 205 305 or visit us at the BUSIT

SuperGold Card holders still receive free travel in off-peak hours.

It’s easy to load your SuperGold concession at beecard.co.nz.

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counter inside the Transport Centre.

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USE IT!

But there’s no rush, you can still show your

Have your Bee Card

SuperGold Card to the bus driver to receive free

ready to tag on and off

off-peak travel until later this year.

the bus.

Hamilton and Cambridge

A squadron of Waikato Mounted Rifles soldiers on the platform at Frankton Junction railway station. It is possible that they were preparing to leave to fight in the second South African Boer War of October 1899 to May 1902, circa 1900.

(HCL_08841)

iro Dam The Waikato River in Cambridge in April 1947 when the Karap A192) 2143_P on Collecti was being filled. (Cambridge Museum Betty Stewart

A hairdresser and tobacconist shop in Ward Street. The proprietor was J.A. Emerson. There are two unknown gentleman posing in the doorway who could be the proprietors, circa 1927. (HCL_09920)

Te Koo The Cambridge Railyard was once located between Queen Street and Lake Utu. It is now Lakewood Cambridge, a new shopping and entertainment area.

construction in 1903.

Magnificent and rare – Cambridge brick water tower during Decommissioned circa 1926. (Cambridge Museum 2958/38)

Train Crossing Victoria Street, circa 1950’s. (HCL_0884

4)

(Cambridge Museum 2958/25)

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Why there is no such thing as an ordinary life…

It was Mark Twain who said: “There was never yet an ordinary life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.”

Sometimes in my work as a life story writer people will say: “Well, my life was just very ordinary.”

They seem to think that because they didn’t scale mountains, invent a cure for cancer or become multi-millionaires, somehow their stories are not interesting – or worth preserving. But that’s not the case and simply not true!

You see, even a so-called ‘ordinary life’ sixty, seventy or eighty years ago starts to look pretty interesting when you view it through the lens of what is ‘ordinary’ today. While your childhood might seem ordinary to a person of your generation and social class who grew up in a similar area to you, I can tell you that it won’t seem ‘ordinary’ to a child of today.

To them, you grew up on a different planet!

Consider for a moment some of the differences compared to today…

For starters, most people born in the 1940s or earlier got married before turning twenty-five.

The median age for women getting married in 1960 was twenty-two years and almost everyone got married. In 1971 only five percent of all women aged thirty to thirty-nine years had never married. Nuclear families were the norm, divorce rates were low and there were few single parent families. In 1961, the peak year for births, New Zealand’s fertility rate was 4.3. Today it sits at 1.8.

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Consider, how you travelled to and from primary school? Today a few children walk, some catch the bus or cycle, and many are driven by their parents. If you’re aged seventy or over, I’ll bet that you walked or biked much further to school than a child of today would be expected to. Maybe some of you even rode horses! (How many schools these days have horse paddocks?)

And the differences don’t stop there. Did your teacher carry a strap or use a cane? Did you ever receive ‘six of the best’ or have a piece of chalk or duster thrown at you? Were you made to stand in the naughty corner? To school children of today, these practices would no doubt seem rather extreme and shocking.

What did you do after school? Did your parents organise play dates for you or drive you to organised after-school activities? Did you sit on the couch watching television? If you’re over seventy I’m guessing, it’s much more likely that you were out catching tadpoles or climbing trees with the neighbourhood kids with no parents in sight.

Maybe you even had chores to do like chopping firewood or cooking dinner?

These are just a handful of the many differences I’ve picked up from talking to people aged seventy and older. There are hundreds more! So please, don’t dismiss your life as ‘ordinary’ – you grew up in a different world compared to today – your life story is worth preserving. It’s never too early to start writing your life story but it can easily become too late!

No New Changes to Hamilton Council Services for Extended Alert Level 2 Hamilton City Council’s services and facility operations remain unchanged from what was previously in place now that COVID-19 Alert Level 2 has been extended.

For the Council, there is no impact to what was implemented for its facilities and services when Alert Level 2 began on Wednesday 12 August.

“This is a matter for the experts, with years of training, research and experience informing the decisions they are making and advice they are giving. If you need to know something, please go to the website in the first instance. In the meantime, we got through this last time and I’m confident we’ll do it again.”

Residents will be informed if there is any change on Our Hamilton and the Council’s Facebook page.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate is continuing to emphasise the importance of relying on official information only about COVID-19.

Mayor Southgate also urged those who have not done so to download the NZ COVID Tracer App, or at least keep a record of their movements.

“The Ministry of Health COVID-19 website (www.covid19.govt.nz) should be your mosttrusted source of information about what you need to do under Alert Level 2,” she says.

Library Collects Covid-19 Experiences To Capture History In The Making (Hamilton City Council)

Hamilton City Libraries is collecting stories from the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure our community’s personal experiences are recorded for future generations.

Libraries Director Stephen Pennruscoe says the stories will become part of the archive Hamilton City Libraries maintains on behalf of the community.

The process of documenting Hamiltonians’ experience of COVID-19 will be ongoing, but items received by 28 August will be included in an exhibition at the Central Library in Garden Place.

“The social history of Hamilton can be traced through the community archive. It’s important we document not just events in the life of the city but also what they mean for people personally – how they reacted and how they were affected,” says Mr Pennruscoe.

The collection will also be on digital display through the Hamilton City Libraries website.

“These highly personal and individual stories bring the history of a community to life for future generations.”

The Heritage team is also recording COVID-19 oral histories for the archive so the voices of Hamiltonians are captured as well as their memories.

Drawings, paintings and diaries are also welcome – anyone who wants to share their story can send it to the team at heritage@hcc.govt.nz

Hamilton Recycling: easy as 1, 2, 5 International restrictions on importing and exporting recyclables are currently affecting nationwide council recycling services.

These restrictions mean that not all plastics that will be collected under the new service are able to be recycled.

The plastics which currently cannot be recycled are types 3, 4, 6, and 7. This means that councils around the country are now having to temporarily stockpile these plastics or send them to landfill.

Only plastics 1, 2 and 5 are able to be recycled as part of the new rubbish and recycling service that begins on Monday, 31 August. These plastic types are not affected by the restrictions because they have healthy markets and export opportunities.

1

2

From the start of the new service from 31 August, Council will collect all plastics 1-7 in the new yellow recycling wheelie bin, but will need to send plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7 to landfill until another recycling solution is found or the international restrictions change for these types of plastics.

“The new service will not only add type 5 plastics to our new recycling service; it will also allow the Council to reach its target of a 25% decrease in the per capita kerbside rubbish to landfill within four years and achieve a 50% increase in the per capita kerbside recycling within four years. Together, reaching these targets will divert more than 100,000 tonnes of anticipated waste from landfill in the next 10 years.”

Hamilton City Council’s City Waters Manager, Maire Porter, says while the delay in being able to recycle all plastics types under the new service is frustrating, the Council wants to be transparent and honest with the community about this issue.

“With organic food scraps currently accounting for almost 50% of Hamilton residents’ landfill waste by weight, the new food scraps bin will also help significantly reduce the amount of waste the city sends to landfill,” adds Ms Porter.

3

“Recycling is very important, but our priority should be to reduce our waste as much as we can.”

4

5

6

7

PET

HDPE

PVC

LDPE

PP

PS

OTHER

Polyethylene Terephthalate

High-Density Polyethylene

Poly Vinyl Chloride

Low-Density Polyethylene

Polypropylene

Polystyrene

Other

Drink bottles, produce clamshells, cooking oil, vinegar

Milk bottles, shampoo bottles, detergents

Chemical containers, packaging, piping, electrical tape

Plastic bags, squeeze bottles, bread bags, bin liners

Plastic bottle tops, buckets, yogurt pottles, straws, potato chip packets

Disposable cups, take-out containers, foam packaging, packing peanuts

Other plastics includes acrylics, polycarbonates, nylon, fiberglass 11

Here’s to Volunteering Yes, volunteering, Gentle Reader; no, not that sort, the OTHER volunteering, wherein you put yourself forward to perform a needed task for the benefit of others, usually without any thought of reward other than the warm glow produced by a job done as well as one is able. The thing that makes small communities in this nation hum smoothly rather than splutter along fitfully, struggling to achieve anything more than the minimum. The very thing that enables non-corporate charities to make the smell of an oily rag perform like a Trojan, and if given actual money then very miracles can be squeezed forth from the effort.

Once, not too long ago, still within living memory, it was generally considered to be the Duty – terrible word that, goes along with Responsibility, Integrity and all their uncomfortable bedfellows – of everyone to “put their hand up” like a dutiful student and do whatever their community needed, large or small.

One can well-remember the regular gatherings at the district hall, the school or the church, for working bees, fundraisers for “the poor people in somewhere-else” – odd, as we were not exactly well-to-do ourselves – or to celebrate communal events (the rural triumvirate of births, deaths and marriages, with 21sts, wedding anniversaries and dances thrown in for good measure). Of course, there were always those who never helped anyone if they could avoid it, but most would have been shocked to even consider not helping where needed.

In today’s world it seems a great deal of time and effort is spent on recognising Volunteers, and well-deserved most of it is, but one cannot help but feel that perhaps we now make a little too much of people doing what, by rights, they should perhaps just be doing in any case. Working for the hope of reward is what employment is for; volunteering provides its own rewards. Perhaps this is more a measure of the size of our communities where there are so many folk that you cannot hope to know all of them and the needs they might have. On the other hand, there are still those who, when they see a problem, feel that urge to help, to support, to protect, to conserve, or perhaps just to listen when a shoulder is needed to help lighten the load.

The face of volunteering has certainly changed with time, but the volunteers are still there, often striving in silence, for little or no thanks whatsoever. The problem seems to be the sheer volume of things that need to be done, that noone else is taking any sort of responsibility for, particularly not elected officials. Worse, the level of bureaucracy has risen to such a point that volunteers are put off helping anyone without the proper Health and Safety documentation, a full Risk Assessment, a 2000 page written plan, consent of all and sundry from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and Public Liability insurance in case anyone else should be offended when one helps the elderly pedestrian across the street.

Fear not, Gentle Reader, to paraphrase Churchill in the extreme “We Will Never Surrender” and volunteering will carry on, often in spite of socalled support, continuing the grand tradition of small communities everywhere. After all, even the largest metropolis is made up a myriad of villages in which everyone knows your name.

Major Blunder, Officer Commanding Fifth Waikato Dragoons Regiment Northern Command, Alf’s Imperial Army Humour in Uniform Phone 07 855 3851, email alfs@hnpl.net www.alfsarmy.hnpl.net

LOCAT ION | SERV ICE | ST Y LE

Brand New Apartments FROM J UST $395,000 Our new Hikurangi Apartments are more than just a beautiful and functional space. These well-appointed one and two bedroom apartments are designed to be at the heart of our resort style community and provide flexible support options for residents who would like some assistance with everyday domestic tasks such as cleaning and meals so they can enjoy the things they love while we take care of the details.

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Private viewings are available

07 572 3029

pacificcoastvillage.co.nz

r e b m e t p e S IN YOUR GARDEN

As the soil warms up spring bulbs and plants begin to flower and sprout their fresh new spring growth. It’s time to get stuck in and plant all your favourite spring/summer flowers and get your vegetable garden underway.

Flower Garden

Complete pruning of Hydrangea and Roses.

Prune deciduous trees straight after flowering.

Feed roses, trees, shrubs and flower beds then mulch with Kolush Manuka Mulch and Seaweed.

Around The House Plant hanging baskets and terracotta pots up for a bright and cherry summer display.

To protect roses new growth from pests and diseases, spray regularly with a certified organic liquid fertiliser.

Lawns Now is the perfect time to sow new lawns. We have a great range of lawn seed from hardwearing for playground areas to easy care options.

For more inspiration and gardening advice head to PALMERS.CO.NZ

Now is the time to plant easy care, sure to grow Dahlia tubers and Gladioli corms for summer display.

Plant your favourite seedlings of spring and summer flowering annuals including Petunia, Alyssum, Snap Dragon, Begonia and Lobelia.

Plant new Perennials like Petunia, Federation Daisies, Impatiens, Geraniums. Take care with tender plants in cold districts and wait until the danger of frosts are over.

Provided by

Complete your vegetable garden prep by digging in plenty of quality compost.

Edible Garden

Prune Passionfruit vines by removing some of last seasons excessive growth remembering that they fruit on last year’s growth.

Refresh your herb garden with new plants in your garden or pots.

Protect seedlings from slugs and snails with Slug and Snail Pellets or Tui Quash.

Repot and feed houseplants with a certified organic liquid fertiliser.

Plant Brambles, Strawberries, Blueberries and Rhubarb for delicious pies and crumbles.

Feed berry vines, citrus and fruit trees with Palmers Citrus Fertiliser or a liquid organic fertiliser.

Spuds for Christmas!

Spray now for Onehunga weed and broadleaf weeds with a turf or prickle weed killer and be prickle free this summer.

In warmer districts early Tomato, Capsicum, Courgette, Cucumber, Pumpkin and Celery can be planted directly into your garden, use a protective cloche in cooler areas.

Place your seed potatoes on a tray in a sunny position for at least a month before planting. When the sprouts on the seed potatoes are 2 to 4cm long, plant out in the garden in a large plastic pot, or in a planter in a warm and sheltered position.

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October

This is one of the most exciting gardening months on the calendar!

It is the traditional time to plant tomatoes and vegetables and with the temperature rising all garden plants start springing to life.

Flower Garden

IN YOUR GARDEN

Sow seeds of your favourite flowering annuals directly into the ground such as Sunflowers, Alyssum, Marigolds, Cosmos and Nasturtium. Sow into trays for transplanting later; Carnations, Dahlia, Petunia and Gerberas.

Add a layer of Tui Mulch & Feed around all plants to conserve moisture and check that your watering systems are working.

Plant new roses and use Garden X Compost and a long term slow release fertiliser like Tui Enrich Rose Fertiliser at planting time.

Plant up hanging baskets and terracotta pots with flowers for summer.

Kitchen Garden

Plant perennial and summer flowering bulbs such as Dahlia, Begonia, Gladioli and Calla Lily.

Plant your favourite seedlings such as; TOMATOES, BEANS, PEAS, CARROTS, RADISH, BEETROOT & SPINACH, EGGPLANT, LETTUCE, CUCUMBER, COURGETTES, CAPSICUM, PUMPKIN & CAULIFLOWER. These seeds can be sown directly into trays or directly into the ground.

Plant new herbs, including basil and parsley, so that new plants are established before existing plants go to seed.

Plant passionfruit, rhubarb and tamarillos.

Control slugs and snails with snail and slug bait or Quash, which is safe around kids and pets.

Liquid feed all plants with Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic which gets absorbed by plants quickly.

Container Gardening Increase watering of all plants in containers or pots as the weather warms up. Adding Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic at each watering will give you healthier plants and flowers.

Repot houseplants if you haven’t already done so including orchids after flowering.

All our plants are of the highest quality, but if something fails to grow in your garden, we’ll simply replace it for you – that’s our Palmers Promise.

For more inspiration and gardening advice head to PALMERS.CO.NZ 14

Feed all citrus trees with Tui Citrus Food.

Lawns Sow new areas of lawn now. Tui Lawn Force range of lawn seed has varieties to suit dry or hard wearing areas, or easy care for those who want to mow lawns less.

Mercury Bay Museum The Mercury Bay Museum in Whitianga stands on very historic land. Initially it was the site of Ngāti Hei’s large palisaded urupā (cemetery) Hukehuke. This urupā was in use for over 300 years. The last burial was of Maggie Kupae in 1875.

Our natural history exhibition is currently being updated and will be ready for the October 2020 school holidays. This exhibition is in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and will be called ‘I te ao tūroa – In our Backyard’. We will have informative text regarding some special species that are in our backyard and as always interaction will be a big part of this exhibition. This is an overly exciting time for us in the Museum and it will give us a very good educational space for the students who attend our education programme.

In 1881 the Mercury Bay Timber Company built a timber mill on the site. The mill was in operation until 1922 when large scale kauri saw-milling ceased in the area.

In 1934 the art deco building now housing the museum was erected by the Mercury Bay Dairy Company. With the closure of the Mercury Bay Dairy Company in the 1970’s the Lions Club of Whitianga, through fundraising, bought the building to be used as a museum in perpetuity.

The Mercury Bay Museum Trust Board governs the running of the museum with a management team running the museum on a day-to-day basis. The museum has a large team of volunteers who greet our 6500 visitors annually and take care of our vast collection of taonga and research archives.

Inside the Museum, seems to be in a state of change.

In 2019, the new ‘Twelve Days 1769’ exhibition opened in conjunction with Tuia 250 and the commemoration of Cook’s visit to Aotearoa in 1769.

The exhibition displays twelve objects for twelve days and tells of some of the momentous events that took place here in Te Whanganui o Hei Mercury Bay, between Ngāti Hei and the crew of the HMB Endeavour including Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks. While in this space you can sit to view a somewhat informative but funny documentary that delves deeper into the stories from 1769. These events are just the beginning of our rich history.

The Dairy Factory is a large part of the region’s history and we are lucky enough to still house the original Anderson 65 Butter Churn that stands in its original working spot. There is now a highly informative exhibition surrounding the churn to tell the stories of the time the building was the dairy factory. It shows the timeline of the factory that includes some milestones for the community too. Some of the equipment that was used in the process of making the butter are on display along with footage of what the inside of a NZ dairy factory looked like.

The other very notable exhibition is that of the HMS Buffalo that wrecked off the beach in July 1840. The beach is now named after the ship – Buffalo Beach. This exhibition tells the story of the ship itself and that fateful day where sadly two lives were lost. We also have recent dive footage showing what the wreck looks like today.

There are several artefacts taken from the ship on display in the exhibition too.

As you move through the Museum there are more areas to discover – the 1950’s school room, the kauri room with a gum digger who is asleep on his manuka stretcher in his hut and then on to the replica milking shed complete with ‘Mercury Belle’ being milked.

We have an education programme available for schools or groups who wish to visit us.

Our programmes are delivered on site or at an off-site location. We do deliver some of the education programmes in collaboration with DOC and can tailor a programme to suit your current curriculum interests. You can find out more information on what we have on offer on our website.

The Mercury Bay Museum is situated on the waterfront of Whitianga with a view of the wharf and the newly built playground. The museum is open 7 days a week from October through to May. Contact details: Phone 07 866 0730, email info@mercurybaymuseum. co.nz, facebook – Mercury Bay Museum, Instagram – @mercurybaymuseum, www. mercurybaymuseum.co.nz 15

Kiwi Pickers

PRIME PRIZE GIVE-AWAY

It is good to be back seeing people, giving quotes and buying some wonderful antiques and collectables. The biggest surprise to me is how well antiques are selling nowaday – the prices auction houses are getting are in some cases staggering and the antique shops are doing a brisk trade.

Why is this so you may ask?

There are a lot of theories out there and I think the biggest contributor to the good run we have had is that the people that normally go on their overseas trips have spare cash after all the cancellations od Covid – and why not buy antiques? I did take some items up to Cordy’s in Auckland and congrats to them, for they have a much better place to hold their auctions, they also said how things have improved.

A new antiques and collectables monthly fair has started in Hamilton and it’s going to be a ripper, The old Tamahere markets have finished now and this has evolved from that with more dealers and a great venue, unfortunately the first market was cancelled because of the covid rearing its ugly head. The next date is 19th September at the Barn Claudelands Gate 3, Brooklyn Road Hamilton.

I have been adding plenty of old coins and banknotes to my collection lately and after hearing about the chap who found a gold sovereign in Tauranga using a metal detector (It was an incredibly rare 1855 Australian date) which sold at auction for a staggering $46k.

This gave me hope there are still very rare coins out there.

My favourites are early New Zealand coins and banknotes, especially pre-decimal.

New Zealand coin history is very young, having their first coins produced in 1933 and the half penny and one penny coins in 1940.

Before those dates Kiwis used UK and Australian coins. Kiwi coins have only a couple of rare coins.

Most people have heard of the 1935 threepence – these are hard to find as only 40364 were minted when the normal mintages were a few million on average. These coins seem to sell for about $100 (used), and for coins in good condition about $150 to $250. The hardest coin to find is the elusive 1935 Waitangi crown with a crazy low mintage of only 1128. This is a stunning coin and the holy grail for New Zealand coin collectors. The price for these in the 5k to 10k range.

I do think coins are a good investment as they don’t perish like, say stamps, and they are often made from silver – and even gold – like sovereigns that have 22 carats of gold. If you have any old coins and banknotes please feel free to get in contact with me.

Let’s hope the Hamilton Collectables Market gets up and running on the 19th September, as I will be there selling – and hopefully buying.

Cheers, Mark Holwerda, Kiwipickers 021 392 913

The Mad Sisters are back!

After a season cut short by lock-down, Detour Theatre’s hysterical hit “Mad Sisters” is back in Tauranga! The delightful comic romp is on a theme close to our hearts – our mad sisters. Writer and director Devon Williamson describes the show as, “A hilariously wacky comedy with a big heart”.

Daphne adores her sister Anne. To Daphne, Anne is beautiful, successful and smart – all the things Daphne longs to be. Anne, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with her sister and is intent on working her way into a small clique of indulgent and pretentious wealthy women. When Daphne’s wacky friends convince her she can be like Anne if she tries, Daphne sets off on a madcap adventure to do the impossible and win her sister’s acceptance. Mad Sisters is an uplifting and joyful comic romp that reminds us just how wonderful and truly mad our sisters can be.

“A good comedy is a fusion of the ridiculous and the true”, says Devon.

“We find ourselves laughing at a madcap situation that is playing out before us, while also recognising a little of ourselves or the people we know in it… which makes it all the funnier and personal. Most of us have, or are, sisters, so a play about sisters seemed like it would provide an abundant amount of comic material and opportunities to see ourselves in the comedy”. Mad Sisters doesn’t disappoint with the laughs coming thick and fast as it tears along at breakneck speed towards its big-hearted climax.

Yes, sisters can be a mad breed and their relationships can be complicated, but at the end of the day, there is no stronger bond than sisterhood.

The play boasts an impressive cast that includes audience favourites Susi Jansen, ,Kim Williamson and Lisa Thorne.

This is Devon Williamson’s latest and his fifteenth comedy play.

His past hits include “Murder on the Menu”, “The Jailhouse Frocks”, and “The Old People Are Revolting”. With over 100 theatre’s having produced his plays worldwide, including in the UK, USA, Australia, and Canada, Williamson has established himself as a popular and topical comedy playwright with international appeal.

The Detour Theatre is located at the Historic Village on 17th Avenue West, Tauranga. Enter via driveway opposite the new St Johns Ambulance Station.

We are the big cream and green building behind the Montessori “Little Sweethearts” Preschool.

To go in the draw to win tickets simply email us at marketingsalesmm@gmail.com

WOW! $500 18-month First Time* MEMBERSHIPS to 28.1.22 Old China Kitchenalia Glass Old Tins Military Instruments

Old Toys Coins Stamps Garagenalia Tools Figurines

Australiana Records Anything Old/ Interesting Single Pieces or Whole Collections

MIXED WEDNESDAYS 10am SHOTGUN for VETERANS, GUESTS and VISITORS: $10 GREEN FEE plus $5 optional haggle.

* First Time: Never had a Prebook or pay online

KIWI PICKERS Antiques & Collectables

Lic No 17-039031 | Mark Holwerda 021 392 913 | 07 549 0139 | mark.holwerda62@gmail.com 16

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540 Te Ohaki Rd between Huntly & Rangiriri Bridges

Phone 07 8288305 | TXT 027 311 0256 Email: huntlygolf@xtra.co.nz

Tauranga

FIRST AVENUE, TAURANGA, c. 190 7 – Looking east down First Avenue from Cameron Road, with Devonport Road crossing First Avenue. The willo w trees have been neatly cropped by cow s which are grazing on the verge.

(Tauranga City Libraries Image 99-1304)

Looking north, after 3 June 1908, THE STRAND, TAURANGA, c. 1910 – le businesses are Rawles Draper, when Rawles took over from Blick. The visib at the far end.

W. H. Poole dentist and Guinness Brothers (Tauranga City Libraries Image 04-216)

AND DEVONPORT ROAD, CORNER OF ELIZABETH STREET of Elizabeth Street on the Devonport TAURANGA, c. 1935 – The north side e 02-297) Road corner. (Tauranga City Libraries Imag

HARINGTON STREET, TAURANGA, c. 1885 – Showing the office of the Bay of Plenty Times, the Tauranga Hotel, and Victoria Wharf.

(Tauranga City Libraries Image 02-280)

SPRING STREET, TAURANGA, c. 1911 – Look ing from the Grey Street corner towards Tauranga harbour. (Tauranga City Librar ies Image 99-742)

WILLOW STREET, TAURANGA, c. 1945 – Looking south west showing Iles and Co.’s store and the Economic Cash Drapery on the corner with Grey Street.

The National Bank of New Zealand is also using the building.

(Tauranga City Libraries Image 99-803)

COWS GRAZING ON CAMERON ROAD, TAURANGA c. 1925 – Licensed grazing on Cameron Road ceased in 1932 but before then cows were a common sight on Tauranga’s main road. (Tauranga City Libraries Image 99-740)

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CHEVROLET CORVETTE The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced late in the 1953 model year and produced until 1962. It is commonly referred to as the “solid-axle” generation, as the independent rear suspension did not appear until the 1963 Sting Ray. The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalise on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled.

Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car’s early years. The programme was nearly cancelled, but Chevrolet would ultimately stay the course and Harley Earl and company would transform the Corvette into a true world-class sports car.

From its first documented racing entry at Mexico’s deadly Carrera Panamericana in 1954, the Chevrolet Corvette matured into a high-performance sports car, and a competitive and fierce racing contender by the late 1950s.

It dominating SCCA B-Production road racing competition and captured the GT 5.0 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960. The Corvette’s popularity received a further boost by its starring role in the popular Route 66 TV series, which debuted in September 1960 in the US. The total Corvette sales for 1960 hit 10,261, marking the first time they exceeded five figures.

The Chevrolet Corvette would accelerate 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 15.9 seconds. Only 18 of the Corvette 1960 models are still to be found in New Zealand.

Take A Tour Take in award-winning wineries and local sights. Come on a delectable tasting tour, a Sunday Lunch or mid-week tour.

There’s something really special about visiting the terroir where grapes are grown and hearing the passion in the wine-maker’s voice as he explains the special characteristics of his wines.

NZ wines are stunning and it’s well-worth travelling to experience and savour them. Come on one of our regional winery tours or choose the destination yourself for your group and we’ll suggest venues for your consideration. We guarantee you’ll have a great time! A full itinerary is available on request for all of our winery tours.

Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters September 4-5: Sculptureum, Morris & James & more!

September 13: Henley Hotel Lunch September 25: Wingspan – Birds of Prey Centre

October 4: Irresistiblue Sunday Lunch October 15-18: Hawke’s Bay Winery Tour October 24: Whangamata Craft & Farmers’ Market

October 30-November 2: Taranaki Powerco Garden Festival November 12: PlentyFlora Gerbera Growers November 25: Waitakaruru Arboretum December 10: Blewden’s Lilies Ph: 07 544 1383 ❦ Mob: 0275 224 607 ❦ tgatastingtours@xtra.co.nz

NB: Our revised Local Tasting Tour is up and running!

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www.tastingtours.co.nz

THAMES MUSEUM – Keeping Our History Alive Thames Museum tells the town’s and its people’s story from the arrival of Polynesian settlers in the 1300s, to the discovery of gold in 1867 and on into the 20th century.

Photo credit: “Bev’s Cracking Shots” Founded in 1967, the 100th anniversary of gold being discovered in Thames, the museum stands in a garden setting on the site of Waiokaraka (Central) School (1879-1971). The school’s stone World War I memorial archway is an imposing entrance to the museum.

Museum displays begin in Reception, where the front desk is a glass counter from Hetherington’s Drapery store (1874-1971). Its open-topped drawers hold a gorgeous array of haberdashery: hatpins, corsetry and gloves. Another feature from the store is the overhead wire which, by a spring-loaded mechanism whizzed cash and dockets from the counters, across the store to the clerk who calculated the change and wrote out the receipt. Although museum volunteers only pull the spring-release cord several times a day they comment on what strong arm muscles the shop assistants and clerks must have built up operating this device.

The vestibule space is also dedicated to small short-run displays. On show until late September visitors can enjoy Crossing the Waihou. A working model of the historic Kōpū Bridge’s swing span was recently constructed by Thames-born craftsman Ted Egan. This intricately detailed replica won Ted first prize in Thames Bowling Club’s Lockdown Competition. Since opening the display, visitors have shared their memories of the old bridge: at 463m long and single lane with only 5 passing bays, driving across could be daunting for drivers. Today it seems unbelievable that this was, until 2011, the main road between Thames and the Hauraki Plains and Auckland.

Therefore people flocking to the area in the late 1860s called their destination The Thames.

Within a few years of the first gold finds, there were churches, two volunteer fire brigades, several newspapers, and a hospital built on land donated by chiefs Hotorene and Wirope Taipari.

As well there were over 100 hotels, some of them providing top class entertainment. In 1873 Shortland and Grahamstown amalgamated as the Borough of Thames.

In summer visitors enjoy the garden picnic area, with an edible garden of pick-your-own salad greens, and memorial patio to Women’s Suffrage.

The museum’s outdoor space hosts fund-raisers during the warmer months with the events team always busy planning innovative functions.

The Museum’s main gallery is home to two displays. In Printers, Photographers and Projectionists younger visitors are amazed by the cameras and typewriters – a far cry from modern technology. Domestic Pioneer Life invites us to contemplate how much our homes have changed too – there is everything here from an ornate icebox, to a much-loved doll’s pram donated by one of the Museum Society’s two life members and a glass butter churn.

Building Thames in the Ted Egan Gallery is perhaps Thames Museum’s star attraction. The room glows with the warmth of polished kauri.

Visitors marvel at Ted’s woodworking skills and admire over 30 models of long-gone pioneer-era buildings. Thames Museum is extremely grateful to Ted for his contribution to this unique gallery.

'Domestic Pioneer Life at The Thames' glass butter churn

A new gallery, Thames Through the Ages, will open soon. It is a timeline of our area’s history told in storyboards and key artefacts.

Historic Kopu Bridge swing span model by Ted Egan Lockdown 2020

Thames Museum is run entirely by volunteers – a friendly band of people who enjoy welcoming Thamesites and visitors from out-of-town, and sharing their knowledge with them. Since reopening post-Lockdown, the number of visitors from all over New Zealand has been truly heartening.

Thames artist Jen Hawkeswood’s floor to ceiling giant kauri painting forms the backdrop for the forestry and logging artefacts. This section also features a magnificent three-dimensional picture frame made of hundreds of small, interlocking kauri spikes.

When the goldfields opened on 1st August 1867, there was no township for the miners to come too – just a mission station and a cluster of houses around a trading post on the Kauaeranga River bank. Soon there were hundreds and then thousands of miners and their families in the area. Two main settlements developed – Shortland near the south of modern-day Thames and Grahamstown a little further north. Because James Cook was reminded of London’s river when he visited in 1769, he named the waterway the River Thames.

A volunteer on reception duties behind Hetherington's drapery store counter

Thames Museum, Corner Pollen and Cochrane Street. Open Friday to Wednesday 10am to 3pm.

Admission adult $5, child $2, family $10. Phone 07 868 8509, email thamesmuseum@xtra.co.nz, Facebook.com/thamesmuseumnz 19

Tauranga City Council Services and Facilities: Return to Alert Level 2 Under Alert Level 2, Council services and facilities will remain open with measures in place to protect the health and safety of our community and Council staff.

People are asked to practice safe physical distancing, stay home if they are sick, wash their hands, and call their doctor or Healthline if they have cold or flu-like symptoms.

What you need to know: Transfer stations:

Playgrounds:

Transfer stations will continue with regular services. There will also be physical distancing and contact tracing processes in place.

Playgrounds will remain open.

To protect your family and others: stay home if you’re sick, keep your distance from others (ideally 2m), and ash your hands before and after using the playground.

Mauao and Matapihi rail bridge are open: However, these are COVID-19 high-risk areas due to the number of visitors, the inability for them to maintain safe physical distancing, and an inability to contact trace all users.

Parks and reserves: Parks and reserves will be open, including Oropi Mountain Bike Park and McLaren Falls Park. The McLaren Falls Campground will be closed while at Alert Level 2.

People are asked to keep their distance from others (ideally 2m) and give way on narrow footpaths, walkways and bridges.

Contacting the Council: There will be a limit on the number of people allowed in the 91 Willow St Customer Service Centre at any one time. Physical distancing and contact-tracing measures will also be in place. Opening hours are: Mon: Tue, Thur and Fri: 8.30am – 5.00pm Wed: 9.00am – 5.00pm Weekends: Closed The Customer Service Centre will also be closed daily from 12.00 – 12.15pm for sterilisation.

To avoid unnecessary contact, people can also pay their rates, invoices, dog registrations, building consent fees or fines online at Tauranga.govt.nz The call centre is also available 24/7 and the phone number is: 07 577 7000.

Libraries: All Tauranga city libraries will remain open. However, programmes and events are postponed until further notice. This includes individual lessons and justice of the peace (JP) services.

To reduce the time of visits, customers can also reorder books online. There will be no charge for holds.

Bay Venues: Public venues and programmes will remain open with strict health and safety practices in place, including contact-tracing to record who is coming into our venues and when.

Infrastructure Grant Will Propel Progress In Tauranga A $45 million grant announced today under the Government’s ‘shovel-ready’ infrastructure programme will spark wide-ranging transport improvements along Tauranga’s key Cameron Road commuting corridor and enable longer-term development throughout the Te Papa peninsula.

Answers on page 27

Mayor Tenby Powell said the announcement was an “absolute shot in the arm which will propel progress in Tauranga. The strength of the relationship developed with Central Government throughout the year has paid dividends and this project alone will deliver 200-plus jobs in construction and professional services in the short-term, with a second wave of employment to follow via the housing and commercial development facilitated by the infrastructure investment.

1. Which Williams sister has won more Grand Slam titles?

6. Which animal can be seen on the Porsche logo?

2. What year was the very first model of the iPhone released?

7. Which European nation was said to invent hot dogs?

11. What is the name of the thin, but a long country that spans more than half of the western coast of South America?

3. Who discovered penicillin?

8. Which New Zealander reached the men’s singles final at Wimbledon in 1983?

12. Which country celebrates the Storming of the Bastille?

9. What or who is the Ford Mustang named after?

13. Which town in New Zealand celebrates Gumboot Day each year?

4. Which planet is the hottest in the solar system?

5. What was Superman’s birth name?

20

“This will be a catalyst for progress on multiple fronts, enabling housing intensification, promoting transport choice and implementing a raft of roading, amenity and environmental improvements,” he said. “In essence, this will put in place the first major building blocks for urban growth in this part of the city, which over the next three decades, could result in around 19,000 additional homes for 29,000 additional residents, and allow the creation of employment hubs providing for up to 15,000 additional jobs. Physical works will roll-out progressively from mid-2021, and be completed by September 2023.

10. What is your body’s largest organ?

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This is not an accepted install and we can help correct these issues.

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Over the years, we have insulated over 4000 properties in Waikato, BOP and even Hawkes Bay. Some of the properties we have insulated: • Netherville Retirement Village • Aparangi Village • Hamilton City Council

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21

Humbly Yours

By Chris Packer

I always feel a tinge of sadness when I find old family photos (some of them beautifully framed) in op shops and vintage shops like Humble. Who are these people posing for the camera in their finest clothes? Who are those wedding couples, radiant brides, babies and children and soldiers in uniform about to go abroad to war? Who is this family displayed on the lawn in front of their homestead?

Their names, their identities are missing. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photos.

Then I wonder who has relegated them to the anonymity of the second hand shop?

In Maoridom the picture is different. Photos of ancestors adorn the walls of the Marae and the people are remembered through them. They are acknowledged always in prayers and gatherings on the Marae.

I was heartened recently to discover a ‘rogues gallery’ (a term often used in respectful fun for these family displays) lining the hall wall of a friend’s house. This type of ancestral gallery is often created by one family member who takes an interest in the photos from the past and collects them up, researches who they all are and hangs them in their home. It takes just one person to create this record for all the family.

A single photo in its original frame can become a tribute to a remembered and loved ancestor. A customer recently came searching for old velvet for the restoration of an oak framed, convex shaped, hand coloured photo of her grandmother.

It will take pride of place on a wall of her home.

Behind the counter at Humble there hangs a photo of my own great grandmother who owned a haberdashery shop in Wellington in the early 1900’s. It is a pleasure to have her there.

Humble Gifts & Collectibles (the little shop in the corner of Cafe Fresca garden), 78 Alison Street, Hamilton Lake. Phone 0210 2334 7606.

Open Wed-Sun 10-4 and Thursday until 6pm.

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The Case for Employing Mature Aged Workers As we work our way through these challenging times, one segment of New Zealanders that needs support now more than ever is our pool of mature aged job seekers. What we don’t want to forget is the fact that there are thousands of job seekers in their mid-50’s and over who are looking for work, including many who have or will lose their jobs.

These are mainly good people who have made a great contribution to society, families and businesses in Aotearoa over many years and who have built up a great array of experience together with life and transferable skills, which will stand them, and businesses, in good stead in these difficult times.

Seniors@work, https://seniorsatwork.nz/, is totally about helping our mature aged job seekers – it is set up as a jobsite by a Senior totally dedicated to assisting job seekers in their mid-50’s and over to find work opportunities as a tool to connect employees with a fantastic pool of talented, skilled and experienced people who can add real value to the workplace Our key goal and objective is to make a small but meaningful difference for those job seekers.

As advocates for mature job seekers, we strongly believe that employers should bring older people back to work and give them meaningful work. There is a myth, often espoused by recruiters, that people over the age of 65 should simply retire and go and play golf, travel the world and spend more time in their gardens, but research shows that many people, particularly those who have enjoyed long and meaningful careers, do like to work.

Whilst for most people, our physical strength and prowess starts declining after we reach the age of 30, knowledge and expertise keep increasing even beyond the age of 80…which are surely key requisites and components of job performance??!!

Let’s also acknowledge that older workers make for fantastic mentors to more junior team members and that an age-diverse workforce gives companies more insight into the marketplace, including the vast segment of older consumers.

Mature aged workers have so much to give and contribute to the workplace – our plea to employers is to at least consider a mature aged job seeker for an upcoming position that they need to fill and remember that it doesn’t have to be full time work, it could be part time, a shortterm contract, or project based.

22

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I mainly knock on employer’s doors, talk about what we do, highlight the values and merits of mature, experienced workers and seek their support. It is time-consuming and challenging but rewarding when an employer agrees to meet… these days with a Zoom call! I feel I have an opportunity to “tell our story” and get that support.

If you are looking for work, which could be fulltime, part-time, casual or project, at least have a look at our jobsite, https://seniorsatwork.nz/, register, drop in your CV and create an email job alert. It will cost you nothing – we have a Work Readiness info pack and the employers who list with us want to take on mature workers! You can also follow us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SeniorsatworkNZ/ Ian Fraser – Seniors@work

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Remembering VJ Day Victory over Japan Day – or VJ Day – was celebrated on 15 August 1945 and it marked the end of World War Two. In the United States, President Harry S Truman broke the news at a press conference at the White House at 7pm on 14 August. Later at midnight, Britain’s new prime minister Clement Atlee confirmed it, saying: “The last of our enemies is laid low.”

The following day, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito was heard on the radio for the first time ever when he announced the surrender.

The fighting in Europe ended in May 1945, but many soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Allies – which included the UK, USA and USSR – were still fighting against Japan in east Asia.

An estimated 71,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth (including 636 New Zealanders) died in the war against Japan, including more than 12,000 prisoners of war who died in Japanese captivity.

The Japanese city of Hiroshima was bombed on 6 August and the city of Nagasaki was targeted three days later, on 9 August.

Around 214,000 people were killed in the blasts and Japan was forced to admit defeat. Japan’s emperor Hirohito described the atomic bombs as, “a new and most cruel bomb”.

Millions of people from the allied countries took part in parades and street parties.

Crowds celebrating in Auckland

The news of the Japanese surrender arrived in New Zealand at 11am on 15 August. The sirens immediately sounded, a national ceremony was held, and the local celebrations followed. Once more there were parades, bands playing, thanksgiving services, bonfires, dances and community sports. Once more the beer flowed, and there were streamers, whistles and dancing in the streets.

The official surrender documents weren’t signed until 2nd September aboard the USS Missouri battleship in Tokyo Bay. But as welcome as victory over Japan was, the day was bittersweet in light of the war’s destructiveness. An estimated 65 million people worldwide – had died in the conflict. For those who had seen the face of battle and been in the camps and under the bombs – and had lived – there was a sense of immense relief. The war was over.

New Zealand Economy in “Good Shape” The Planning Forecast for the June 2020 quarter shows the NZ economy ploughing through unchartered waters in the wake of the Covid crisis, with the worst impacts yet to come.

The forecast reveals large reductions in output in the June quarter, significant impacts on key sectors, and deeply negative business sentiment. However despite concerns, the economy remains in relatively good shape compared with many other countries, with the ability for the Government to take on more debt if needed. NZ’s net debt, forecast to increase from around 20% of GDP at the start of 2020 to around 50% by 2022, is still one of the lowest in the developed world.

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23

Should A COVID-19 Vaccine Be Compulsory?

And What Would This Mean For Anti-Vaxxers?

Claire Breen Professor of Law, University of Waikato

With COVID-19 vaccine developers reporting promising results, it is probable we will one day face a major public health question: can the government compel New Zealanders to be vaccinated?

Just as inevitably, some people will refuse a vaccine. As we have seen overseas with debates over the wearing of masks, and more generally with anti-vaccination activists everywhere, compulsion is not a simple matter.

There are competing rights and duties on both sides. Forcing an individual to be vaccinated is a violation of their fundamental right to personal autonomy, which informs the more specific right to bodily integrity.

Basically, those rights mean every person can make decisions for themselves and what can and cannot be done to their bodies.

The state’s duty to protect While international human rights treaties support this, they do not specifically talk about the right to refuse medical treatment. Rather, they state that everyone has the right not to be subjected to medical experimentation without free consent.

And here we see how quickly the stakes are raised. These rights are part of the broader right to be free from torture, cruel and inhuman degrading treatment or punishment. The specific reference to medical experimentation is a response to what happened under the Nazi regime during the Second World War. But it’s the fundamental right to life that throws the COVID-19 vaccine issue into stark relief because it also means governments must make some effort to safeguard citizens’ lives by protecting them from life-threatening diseases.

Although everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, this includes the right to be free from non-consensual medical treatment. But this in turn may be subject to the state’s obligation to prevent and control diseases.

The right to be free from non-consensual treatment can only be restricted under specific conditions that respect best practice and international standards.

The introduction of mass immunisation programs, therefore, requires quite a balancing act.

In New Zealand, the courts and their English predecessors have long recognised and protected the right to bodily integrity. The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 also clearly states that everyone has the right to refuse medical treatment.

Public health can trump individual rights Any restriction of that right, any intrusion into the individual’s bodily integrity, would require explicit statutory authorisation. Such legislation would have to be interpreted very strictly and, wherever possible, consistently with the Bill of Rights Act. There are examples of how this would work in practice. A recent decision from the Supreme Court of New Zealand addressed whether the fluoridation of water as a public health measure was a violation of the right to refuse medical treatment.

The court found it was. But – and it’s important but – the court decided some public health measures could override the right to refuse medical treatment where these measures are clearly justified.

Clear justification would mean there must be a reasonable objective to compulsory vaccination that justifies the limits placed on the right to refuse medical treatment.

Such limits must be no more than are reasonably necessary to achieve the desired public health outcome, and they must be proportionate to the importance of mandatory vaccination.

Consequences of refusing vaccination?

In the end, should a COVID-19 vaccine become available, New Zealanders would have the right (but not the absolute right) under international and domestic law to refuse to be vaccinated. And the government could – and might even be obliged to – override that right.

So, no definitive answer. Furthermore, just because the government could make vaccination compulsory doesn’t mean it should.

It might not even have to. A person could still exercise their right to refuse vaccination but the government could then impose limits on other rights and freedoms.

In practical terms, this could mean no travel or access to school or the workplace if it placed the health and lives of others at risk.

Similarly, a refusal to be vaccinated could limit jobs or social welfare benefits that depend on work availability.

But, again, the government would have to present clear justifications for any such restrictions.

Public consent is vital Without a doubt, this would be highly controversial and the government would need to engage in another balancing act.

But a purely voluntary approach can have mixed results, too, as the 2019 measles outbreak showed. The main problem appears to have been a poorly designed immunisation program that missed various ethnic, socioeconomic, and regional targets.

The success of a voluntary approach will be dependent on a highly performing vaccination program that is accessible to all New Zealanders and backed up by a strong public education campaign.

Ultimately, as the collective effort of the “team of 5 million” has already shown, the effectiveness of any law really depends on each one of us and the decisions we make.

Consumer Survey: Trustpower Trustpower rated as the worst performer in Consumer NZ’s latest survey of satisfaction with power companies.

Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said its annual survey found just 43% of Trustpower customers were happy with the service they were getting.

“Trustpower’s rating was significantly lower than the industry average of 52%. It’s the worst score any of the big five power companies have earned in our past three surveys,” Mr Duffy said.

24

Contact Energy also scored below average with a satisfaction rating of only 45%.

The top three places went to smaller brands. Flick Electric got the highest rating with a satisfaction score of 76%. Nova Energy (74%) and Electric Kiwi (71%) were next. Flick Electric and Electric Kiwi are recipients of Consumer NZ’s People’s Choice award.

Consumer NZ’s survey found the cost of electricity remained a major cause of complaint for consumers.

Chinese Scholars’ Garden The development of the Paradise Garden Collection at Hamilton Gardens began with the Chinese Scholars’ Garden.

Its prime location utilises a stunning view of the Waikato River, which visitors enjoy after following the winding pathway through the gate and courtyards, around the pond, over the wisteria-laden bridge, and up through the bamboo glade.

Its large size encompasses many small details which evoke the tradition of Chinese gardens, one of the world’s oldest and most influential art forms.

Construction of the Chinese Scholars’ Garden began in the late 1980s. By the time it was officially opened on 28 February 1992, the piles of rubble and dirt had been transformed into an interpretation of a 10th-12th Sung Dynasty garden. Much of the labour was carried out by locals employed

by PEP (Project Employment Programme), a government-subsidised work scheme, lead by supervisor Jack Jordan. Many supplies were donated by the community, such as old fencing wire which was used to reinforce the concrete structures within the garden.

The splendid bronze turtle sculpture that overlooks the Waikato River represents the Celestial Yuan of Taihu Lake. This enormous turtle was said to inhabit the region around Taihu Lake and protect the local people. The statue in Hamilton Gardens is based on a similar, but much larger, statue in Wuxi, Hamilton’s sister city in China. In the years since it was installed alongside the Ting Pavilion, the bronze turtle has been polished in places to an almost golden appearance by the hands of the many visitors who pass by or stop for a photo.

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Blowing Up Reservoir a Highlight of 50-Year Career in Flood Management How many one in 100-year floods would you expect to experience in your lifetime?

Ian Sara with his baby, the Reservoir pump

Ian Sara, who retires this month as Waikato Regional Council works supervisor after working in flood protection for over 50 years, will tell you he’s witnessed “two of the buggers” during his career – and they were in the space of just five years. But he didn’t just witness them, he was in the thick of them.

“I got heavily involved in Te Aroha. I blew the reservoir up; it was full of blocked timber, trees, and they were worried it would flood the town again. I took the top level off.

They were going to bring the army in and evacuate the town, but I said we could do it with our own staff. We had choppers overhead while drilling for the explosives.”

The first one was in 1981. Ian had just become deputy works supervisor, “out of the gang, no more dirty hands”. Or so he thought.

It was a highlight of his career, he says. And the explosion, conducted before all the health and safety regulations of today, was successfully contained within 100m.

“It flooded Paeroa big time. They brought the army in for the cooking – better than any homemade cooking I can tell you, except for my wife’s – but it was back out again, physical works, sandbagging.”

Things have changed a bit in Ian’s time, and not just in health and safety. While he still can’t sleep when there is heavy rain, telemetry and mobile phones means he doesn’t actually have to go out and about to see what’s going on. “But we had more fun in the old days because of the unknown.”

The flood hit halfway through the construction of the Waihou Valley flood protection scheme, which Ian had started working on in Te Aroha in 1970 as a leading hand with construction and pipe laying experience. “A stopbank under construction failed.

It took several months of cleanup; there was trouble getting in and out of Paeroa; we had no power.”

(Supplied by Waikato District Council)

Then in 1985, another one hit. “We never thought we would get two in five years. It’s a 100-year event!

“That one did devastating damage to Thames and Te Aroha. It went through Thames Hospital and the shops; blew out all the front windows.

The Kauaeranga River went up 6 metres in a 12-hour period.

“Three people died in Te Aroha and a young girl, a 4-year-old, got washed away and clung to debris; she was found in a willow tree. They called her the miracle baby.

! w o N k Boo

Ian Sara at Captain Cook’s landing on the Waihou River

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manuelmedianz.com 26

Prime Recipe

This comforting dish of layered pasta sheets, meat and spinach is topped with gooey, melted cheese – freeze now for entertaining later.

INGREDIENTS • • • • • •

boneless skinless chicken breasts (around 700g) ½ medium onion, sliced 2 bay leaves 200ml white wine 100g butter 100g plain flour

• • • • • •

500ml milk 140g sliced smoked ham, cut into strips 200g young spinach (or silverbeet) leaves Dried lasagne sheets 200g ready-grated mozzarella (or any other cheese) 25g parmesan, finely grated

Chicken and Ham Lasagne

METHOD 1. Put chicken breasts in a medium saucepan with onion, bay leaves and wine. Pour over just enough water to cover, around 200ml. Bring to a gentle simmer with lid on top. Poach gently for 15mins or until chicken is just cooked. Transfer to a board and strain liquid into a jug.

3. Cut chicken into small chunks and stir into saucepan. Add ham and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted. Spoon a third of chicken mixture into the base of a 3 litre lasagne dish (about 26x18cm). Top with lasagne sheets. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with lasagne. Scatter top with mozzarella and parmesan and season with black pepper. The dish can be frozen at this stage (see below). Bake for about 25mins or until lasagne is tender, topping is well browned and filling hot.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Stir in flour and cook for about a minute. Gradually add milk, stirring well between each addition to ensure the sauce stays smooth. Once all the milk has been added, stir in the reserved cooking liquid and continue cooking for a further 2-3mins. Adjust seasoning to taste. Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

TO FREEZE: Follow the steps up to when the lasagne is baked, then leave to cool and cover with a double layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, unwrap the frozen lasagne and cover with cling film. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove the cling film, cover with foil and bake as above for 40 mins.

Remove the foil and bake for another 10 mins.

Improve Wellbeing By Spending Time In Nature Conservation Week is a key annual project for the DOC, which has a long-standing partnership with the Mental Health Foundation (MFH) through Healthy Nature, Healthy People. This year’s ‘Nature through new eyes’ theme stems from New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdowns when people slowed down and looked at their lives and the world around them in different and more reflective ways.

Shaun Robinson, MHF’s Chief Executive says: “This year’s theme is a timely reminder that while the world has changed, nature is there for us to help us recharge and reconnect. Being in nature improves your wellbeing considerably.”

“It’s clear that 2020 has delivered many challenges to people’s wellbeing, but one thing remains constant; our natural landscape is accessible, bountiful and helps to heal us when we’re distressed.”

Lou Sanson, DOC’s Director General, welcomed the MHF’s endorsement of the Conservation Week message.

“Our two organisations share common goals – most importantly, improving people’s wellbeing and mental health.” Lou Sanson says the Conservation Week message encourages people to immerse themselves in nature, “and embrace what’s always been there – look, listen, breathe and feel – and explore the relationship with nature and how it can benefit you”.

New Zealand’s current COVID-19 Alert Levels do place some restrictions on the movements of Auckland residents, with the city at Alert Level 3.

You can do low-risk recreation activities in your local area, for example go for a walk or a run, a swim at the beach or a day walk.

You can do recreational activities by yourself or with people from your bubble.

People enjoying time in nature should stay within their bubbles and ensure they maintain social distance from others.

Across the rest of New Zealand, COVID-19 Alert Level 2 rules allow for usual outdoor activities, with appropriate social distancing.

Puzzle Answers

Crossword Answers

1. Eight pieces. Cut the cake into four identical pieces with two vertical slices and then make a third horizontal slice through the center.

Answers 2. 2007

8. Chris Lewis (defeated by John McEnroe)

3. Alexander Fleming

9. A fighter plane from WWII

4. Venus

10. The skin

5. Kal-El

11. Chile

6. Horse

12. France

7. Germany

13. Taihape

1. Serena

2. You will have one big haystack.

3. All of this happened during a day (which is cloudy).

4. It was still Mount Everest (even though not yet discovered).

8. ‘78’. All the numbers, when read upside down, are the numbers 86-91.

9. The letter ‘E’.

10. In no country, because he would be dead.

5. The students are two of a triplet.

6. A sponge.

7. You are imagining the story, so the bus driver is as old as you.

27

Illustration by Darcy Woods

with players from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The roaring ’20s were wild and carefree – a time of dramatic social change that also marked the beginning of the modern music era… filled with risk and adventure.

Chamber music of a bygone era is brought to life by six outstanding performers from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Led by concertmaster Andrew Beer, and playing alongside powerhouse of the piano, Sarah Watkins; prepare for an evening of music bursting with novelty, modernity, and a break with tradition – full of the spirit from a decade rich with contrast.

Sun 27 Sep, 5pm Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts 0800 383 5200 Core Funder

*Ticketing fees apply

chambermusic.co.nz