Marlborough Weekly 4 October 2022

Sign of the times

assistant Eufrasia

A painful wait for surgery

PAULA HULBURT paula@topsouthmedia.co.nz

A pensioner struggling with debilitating pain is still waiting for hip surgery despite undergoing preop tests nine months ago.

The 74-year-old from Marlborough has been on the waiting list for a new left hip for 15 months. He had extensive preop tests in January this year and says he was led to believe his surgery was imminent.

Now the man, who has asked not to be named, is considering paying privately for x rays to see how badly his hip has deteriorated.

The condition has worsened considerably, causing him a lot of pain and impacts his daily life, he says.

“I’m in pain every day. Every step I take I get that jar of pain; it’s bone on bone.”

His concerns come in the wake of an announce ment from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand earlier this month.

More than 100 patients who waited more than a year for surgery have been given a date for their operations.

Dale Stewart

I have voted, and I just posted my neighbour’s vote as well be cause she’s away. I think people just aren’t that interested, espe cially young ones. I think it’s different to general elections - local body elections just don’t have the same interest.

Georgia Rhodes

No, I’m not that motivated. I probably should vote, but I just haven’t got around to it yet. We’re pretty new to Marlbor ough, so we don’t really know the issues. The advertising is just pictures of people’s faces, not what they’re going to do.

Mike Davey

No, I haven’t voted. I’ve just moved up here, I’ll go into council and do a special vote this week. I think people may be disillusioned with council. I think there’s stuff that needs doing which has been by passed, like infrastructure.

Cathy Hale

I have voted. I think people aren’t voting because they’re not sure what they’re voting for. Looking to the past, the people you vote in go into the system; they have to change to fit the system, instead of mak ing the changes they want.

PM opens national wine centre

A world-class wine research and innovation centre has been offi cially opened by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Funding of $3.79 million for the Blenheim-based New Zealand Wine Centre - Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa was one of the first substantial investments from the government’s Provincial Growth Fund in 2020.

And Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says investments like these give cause for optimism for the future.

The new facility, at NMIT Marl borough’s Budge St campus, provides offices, meeting rooms and co-shared space for wine growers and companies to meet and work with wine researchers from around New Zealand and around the world.

At the opening last week, a change to Marlborough Re search Centre’s existing funding agreement was also announced, reallocating $770,000 of the ex isting $3.79 million investment towards the construction and development of a new state-ofthe-art Experimental Future Vineyard.

The Experimental Future Vine yard is a system where vine yards can be studied to support sustainable growth and profita bility of the New Zealand wine industry. It provides a temper ature-controlled environment to allow grape plantings to be tested at varying temperatures, including those which will sur vive and thrive in the changing climate. It will make use of au tomation and robotics technol ogies to help prepare the wine industry for a digital future.

Economic and Regional Devel opment Minister Stuart Nash says wine exports, which bring in nearly $2 billion a year, will only continue to grow as new free trade agreements with the UK and EU come into force.

“The New Zealand Wine Centre will help our already world-re nowned wine producers stay

ahead of global trends in wine by developing new products and helping to tackle issues such as the impact of climate change on the sector,” he says.

“The winemaking sector has a huge impact on the national and regional economy, and accounts for one in five jobs in the Marl borough region. The most recent Marlborough Regional Work force Plan projects a job growth of 17 per cent for the wine in dustry, and the Wine Centre will support the development of specialist skills needed for new high-skilled jobs.

“The Wine Centre and Exper imental Future Vineyard con firm Marlborough’s place as the preeminent location for research and innovation for New Zea land’s wine industry, attracting local and international talent,” Stuart says.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ard ern opened the wine centre last week. Photo: Klint Vicedor.

Principal’s fond farewell

Mr Parsons, we will miss you, a chorus of children’s voices sang on Thursday as the region’s most experienced principal farewelled students at a special assembly at Riverlands School.

Dave Parsons has been a princi pal in Marlborough for 21 years, at Riverlands since 2004, and a teacher for another 20 years be fore that.

And now the community stal wart is making a change, taking a position with the Marlborough District Council emergency management team where he has been a reliable volunteer for the last decade.

Dave says he’s “stoked” to make the move, seeing the commu nity resilience role as an oppor tunity to use a lot of the skills he’s learned over his impressive teaching career.

“Teachers are people who give,” he says.

“It’s a profession where we serve. When you volunteer, you serve. “Teachers give a lot to the kids, the families, the community. “Those skills are transferrable.”

A volunteer firefighter in Picton for 16 years, Dave says he enjoys

supporting the community.

“To serve is in my DNA.”

Dave jokes that he’s never left school.

“I started at five and never missed a beat,” he laughs.

After high school, teachers’ college – then his first post in Christchurch in 1984.

He made the move to Marlbor ough in 1990, taking a position at Waikawa Bay School. He had a brief stint as principal at Canvas town School, before being lured back to Waikawa where he was the principal for about five years. “It was a promotion, so I grabbed it.

“Then I arrived at Riverlands in 2004, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Dave says one of the best things about being a principal is the privilege of seeing kids grow up.

“As I’ve got older, meeting past students as adults – some who have their kids at school now.

“To know them. To see them [children] walk out of the school as young adults.”

He says one career highlight was at Waikawa, being immersed in

ally and professionally.”

Trips with kids – camping, going to the city. He says he loves seeing kids have a chance to see and feel different experiences; experienc es that some children never get.

Dave says the shift in career is dif ferent, but not too different.

“I’m sad to be leaving education, but in saying that – I’ll always be a teacher.”

He says there have been many

changes in the education sector over his career, and those changes need to happen.

“The fundamentals are still there.

The three R’s; they’re learning to read and write and to communi cate.

“We go through patterns and phases but because the kids are changing and families are chang ing - society is changing.

“Education tends to mirror the needs of society.”

But Dave says the challenges are becoming more complex and the resourcing is getting more stretched.

“There’s a challenge to the gov ernment to keep the schools a place of learning.”

Dave was quick to reveal the se cret to being a good principal.

“He tangata – it’s the people,” he says.

“Building relationships with the people you work with. Building and maintaining those relation ships is the secret.

“Be true to yourself.

“Maintain your self-belief. It does get tested.

“You’re an advocate for the chil dren. Keep the children at the center of decision making.”

Tracy Null is now acting princi pal at Riverlands School.

Riverlands School principal Dave Parsons farewelled the junior school at a special assembly on Thursday. Photo: Matt Brown.

Sign language star sparks interest in learning

PAULA HULBURT

Standing at the door, a big smile on her face, Kmart retail assistant Eufrasia Middlemiss-Peneres happily welcomes customers.

A young girl walked in wearing hearing aids and the talented em ployee immediately switched to sign language.

Their chat was spotted by a fellow customer who posted on social media, praising Eufrasia for her efforts - sparking a wave of in terest in New Zealand Sign Lan guage (NZSL).

“I love Sign Language, it connects us with people who are deaf, it is a special language.” Eurasia says.

“The girl was so happy when she saw I could sign.

“Sign language in Brazil is differ ent from sign language here. In Brazil we use one hand and here it is two.”

Originally from San Paulo in Bra zil, the former teacher taught her self how to sign to communicate with a 16-year-old student who was in juvenile detention.

“I was teaching maths in prison

and there was this boy who didn’t speak, he wouldn’t look me in the eye.

“I asked my boss who told me the boy was deaf. There was no trans lator coming for him and that was no good, I wanted to study sign language to help.”

Eufrasia studied on the bus going to and from the prison every day; a round trip of about three hours a day.

“The first time I said ‘hello’ to him there was a huge smile on his face and he thanked me for help ing him.”

Eufrasia, who married a Kiwi, has lived in Blenheim for five years and is learning English at the Marlborough Multicultural Cen tre four times a week.

She started working at Kmart two years ago and says she has enjoyed meeting people through work and getting the chance to improve her English.

Getting the chance to use NZSL with a customer was “wonderful”, Eufrasia says.

New Zealand, I could understand a bit how deaf people felt as I could not understand anyone.

Eufrasia is a tutor at REAP Marl borough where she is currently teaching NZSL classes.

Eufrasias’s evening class, due to start on 20 October, has been ful ly booked.

Eufrasia Middlemiss-Peneres welcomes customers to Kmart Blenheim where her signing skills came in handy. Photo: Paula Hulburt.

Pensioner’s painful wait for surgery

1

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand issued a directive for hospitals to have all patients who had waited more than a year to be scheduled for their surgeries by 31 August 2022.

While 52 patients in Nelson Marlborough don’t yet have confirmed surgery dates, Te Whatu Ora district director Lexie O’shea says they will be booked as soon as possible.

One hundred and two patients on the longterm waiting list are set to have their surgeries done by 19 December 2022.

The pensioner says he does not blame hospital staff and is set to see his GP this week to see if they can provide any answers.

“My main concern is that I had all the pre op work done and that’s a lengthy procedure,” the man says.

“I had bloods done, an ECG, spoke to an anaes thetist and filled out a lot of paperwork.

“I thought surgery would happen within the month but haven’t heard anything since.”

The Marlburian is one of many patients facing delayed surgeries as local health districts strug gle to make up time lost through the pandemic, staff illness and shortages.

Latest health figures show that as of the end of May, orthopaedic intervention delivery is 334 joints against a plan of 486, which is 152 under plan.

There are currently 320 joints waitlisted for sur gery.

The Health Authority have been approached for comment.

Pandemic project

Iwi and Māori health providers in the top of the South have launched a research project to better understand the voices of Māori and their experiences throughout the Covid-19 pandem ic. The Te Tauihu Covid-19 Research Project is part of the Te Tauihu Covid Māori Action Plan 2022, which aims to reduce inequities for Māori in the local Covid-19 response. All Māori across the rohe are being called on to take part in the study. For more information, see the Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Trust website.

Above and beyond in the name of science

SARA HOLLYMAN

A rural school has been given special rec ognition at this year’s Cawthron Scitech Awards for going above and beyond to get their projects completed, even after they were cut off from each other.

Following severe flooding that devastat ed Rai Valley in August, Rai Valley Area School went above and beyond to ensure their projects were completed.

Science teacher Lisa Hooker was left stranded at her Moetapu Bay property when flooding destroyed the bay’s access road.

After touching base with the students, many of whom were helping clean-up the devastation at their own homes, she realised they all wanted to continue with their entries for the science awards.

“The simplest thing would’ve been to say no, but the students were invested in it and being in a small rural school, the value of them coming to an event like the science fair and seeing where the work they’re doing sits in the larger pro file of students in their year group, they had set their hearts on it.

“It was just trickier,” she says. Once school reopened Lisa began catch

ing a water taxi to Havelock – a roughly 15 minute journey. From there she was picked up by the school’s principal and driven to Rai Valley. But being expensive and time consuming, it wasn’t feasible to complete every day.

She made a couple of trips a week to help the students complete their projects.

Lisa’s property was still affected by slips when the expo rolled around on Sep tember 6, but she again caught a water taxi to bring the students and their pro jects through to Nelson for the expo.

This year’s expo saw nearly 60 science, research, technology and art projects submitted from Year 9 – 13 students from Nayland College, Nelson College for Girls, Nelson College, Waimea Col lege, Rai Valley Area School and Home School students.

Organisers said they were impressed by the lengths that Rai Valley Area School went to participate in the expo when they had more reason than most to with draw from the event.

“We were blown away by the commit ment that Rai Valley Area School made, submitting four entries and also having their students present to be interviewed by judges about their projects,” says co

ordinator Karen Goodger.

“We offered video conferencing, but their teacher was keen for her students to get the full experience of being there in person. The effort she made to do this is really quite incredible.”

One of their students, Electra Maisey, also received two awards; Highly Com mended Science and the Aquaculture Award sponsored by Soroptimist Inter national Nelson for her project, Ocean Temperature and Byssal Threads.

This year’s four Supreme Awards went to Edward Henderson from Nelson Col lege for his science project Krazy Kōura, Brooke Robinson from Waimea College for her research project, Why Do We Dream?, Max Foy from Waimea College for his Radio Telescope technology pro ject and Keshia Linyard for her art pro ject, Fight or Flight.

Ministry of Inspiration, Plant and Food Research and Cawthron meet with all the entrants and discussed their vast ar ray of projects. All students receive writ ten feedback from the judges and then a select group of entrants were invited to the Scitec Prizegiving at the Pūtangitan gi Greenmeadows Centre in Stoke on 27 September.

Fish deaths a factor as NZ King Salmon posts $24.5m first-half loss

New Zealand King Salmon has deepened its interim loss as it faced increased fish deaths, a low er harvest and a fall in biomass at sea.

Key numbers for the six months ended July compared to a year ago:

• Net loss $24.5m vs $5.6m

• Revenue $80m vs $80.1m

• Operating loss $18m vs $1.1m

• No dividend

Company chair John Ryder said the high fish mortality as a result of warmer sea temperatures cost the company $22 million in the first half.

"We then had to begin rebuild ing our biomass and according ly we restricted our harvest and

sales. We introduced a number of cost-saving initiatives, and our financial performance has im proved although there is more work to do," he said.

Chief executive Grant Rosewarne acknowledged it was a tough start to the financial year, but said the outlook was improving with price increases implemented across all markets.

"We introduced our new aqua culture strategy as outlined at full year with three farms in the Pelorus already fallowed. We also made the decision to moth ball our Waiau freshwater facility which is surplus to current re quirements.

"We successfully completed a

$60.1 million pro rata rights offer and proceeds were used to repay debt which has left us with net cash of $15.6 million. We now have to rebuild biomass from 3700 metric tonnes back up to around 5000 metric tonnes," Rosewarne said.

The company made 23 positions redundant as the business was downsized, which was fewer than anticipated due to staff shortages.

NZ King Salmon now employs 452 people down from 580, large ly through attrition.

The company has also reduced capital expenditure to be between $6.5m and $7.5m, compared to $13m last year.

On the likelihood of another

potential marine heatwave this summer, the company said the change in its aquaculture strategy was designed to mitigate the ef fects of warmer temperatures.

Looking ahead, the hearing for its proposed Blue Endeavour ocean farm was formally closed at the beginning of September and the company expected a decision by the end of the year.

"This project is expected to have multiple benefits including an increase in scale of operations, a reduction in operating costs and improvements in fish health," Rosewarne said.

NZ King Salmon said it was on track to deliver a full year oper ating loss of between $8m and

$12m.

It said mortalities continued to improve in the post-summer months but tracked above ex pectations for the first half of the 2023 financial year.

The company was also facing in flationary pressure, including for the cost of feed.

In its production model for 2023, it has 400 tonnes of seasonal fish coming from Ruakaka. The com pany said it was not planning to take the fish through the summer, therefore it would be harvested smaller than its average size.

It said there was uncertainty over pricing due to the risk around the size of the fish.

This article first appeared on RNZ.

Rai Valley Area School students Weston Maisey and Elliott Hatcher with their science project, Fling It. Photo: Sara Hollyman.

Motor industry stalwart Grant Stubbs gives

a peek in to his mancave and at his lovingly restored 1961 Austin Healey Sprite

PHIL BROWN

Every now and again you meet someone who you recognise as an absolute stalwart of the motor in dustry – Grant Stubbs is one of these people.

When Grant left school, he did an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic and went on to own the Caltex Ser vice Station in Grove Road then lat terly the Caltex in Main Street.

Grant is now “retired” but retains his passion for classic motor cars. I hear a rumour that the cars that he has owned over the years number in the hundreds.

His current fleet includes a 1961 Austin Healey Sprite, a 1977 Vintage Hilux flat deck, a 1969 Cortina Mk 2 Savage and a Toyota Starlet Race car. His pride and joy is the 1961 Aus tin Healey which was born the same year as him.

This car he has lovingly restored in his immaculate workshop/mancave. I was left wondering how much

work actually got done there with the presence of a lazyboy chair and a coffee machine…but the results speak for themselves.

The Austin Healey was once de scribed as the little car that you kept in your bicycle shed that you could use on a rainy day (with the lid on of course).

The original NZ owner purchased it from an ad in the Thames Valley Times, UK – severely rusted and in generally poor condition. This was then brought into NZ in pieces on pellets.

Grant bought it in this condition from a man in Nelson about five years ago.

This fun little car is closely related to the Morris Minor – in fact originally sharing the same 950cc engine.

Grant claims to have motor me chanic in his DNA and I seriously doubt that this will be his last pro ject.

We will have a closer look at the Cortina Savage V6 in a later issue.

The original ad for the Austin described the ve hicle as ideal for spares, or a lunatic.

the vehicle has been lovingly re

Grant Stubbs with his 1961 Austin Healy Sprite in his Blenheim work shop. Photos: Phil Brown.

protective gear is a must, for every ride.

Give delivery a go

Dear ed,

I want to thank your company for the gift pack of brownies that was awarded (unexpectedly) to me for Deliverer of the Month.

It was most generous and the Brownies are su perb!

I was hoping that in the caption below the pic ture of myself for the award that I could have appealed to others of my age to give it a go.

I am supplied with a baby buggy, so no weight to carry.

My two rounds, like most of Blenheim, are on the flat. I do one round in the morning and the other after lunch. I took on the second round

when the previous deliverer gave up; that suits me just fine as they both start and finish almost at my door!

It is good to get out into the clean fresh air for an hour and a bit each time, time to look at peoples gardens as I pass. You do not see much of that driving past and meet up with folk some days .

I am 79 years (young!) and manage the rounds very well, and once a month I can buy another book or two without raiding the pension tin. So, all you reasonably active retirees , please consid er giving it a go, exercise IS good for you and even better when you get paid to do it.

David Green

ComicBY @YEEHAWTHEBOYS

A main player in the region's hotel and restaurant industry for nearly 50 years, owners of Tides Hotel Bar and Eatery, Garry Munro and Lexie Wil son, are excited to launch the rebrand of the iconic build ing situated along the banks of the Maitai River. Tradition ally known as Trailways Hotel, Garry and Lexie say the new branding better reflects the story of the hotel. “We want to position the hotel for the next twenty years and want the name to tell the story for what the hotel actually is. ‘Tides’ tells the story of the water, of things coming and going. We wanted the name and the brand to say more about what we are about.”

A main player in the region's hotel and restaurant industry for nearly 50 years, owners of Tides Hotel Bar and Eatery, Garry Munro and Lexie Wil son, are excited to launch the rebrand of the iconic build ing situated along the banks of the Maitai River. Tradition ally known as Trailways Hotel, Garry and Lexie say the new branding better reflects the story of the hotel. “We want to position the hotel for the next twenty years and want the name to tell the story for what the hotel actually is. ‘Tides’ tells the story of the water, of things coming and going. We wanted the name and the brand to say more about what we are about.”

The hotel has been in the Mun ro family for over 30 years, says Garry. “Lexie and I purchased it outright just over a year ago. The rebranding is as much about putting our own mark on the place as it is about car

The hotel has been in the Mun ro family for over 30 years, says Garry. “Lexie and I purchased it outright just over a year ago. The rebranding is as much about putting our own mark on the place as it is about car

rying on as being part of the Nelson vibrant landscape, and community.” The hotel and res taurant industry runs through the couple’s veins, with Garry growing up in it and Lexie be ing a member of the original hotel for thirty-five years. “We just love it. No two days are the same. We love the people, the long-standing guests that

rying on as being part of the Nelson vibrant landscape, and community.” The hotel and res taurant industry runs through the couple’s veins, with Garry growing up in it and Lexie be ing a member of the original hotel for thirty-five years. “We just love it. No two days are the same. We love the people, the long-standing guests that

have been coming through our doors for many years, and the staff. Tides Hotel Bar and Eat ery is about the people who work here, and the people who want to dine here – they are the most important components of the business – not ourselves.”

have been coming through our doors for many years, and the staff. Tides Hotel Bar and Eat ery is about the people who work here, and the people who want to dine here – they are the most important components of the business – not ourselves.”

A huge amount of work has been poured into the building with the couple redecorating,

A huge amount of work has been poured into the building with the couple redecorating,

redesigning and rebranding in a very short amount of time.

redesigning and rebranding in a very short amount of time.

“So much work has taken place behind the scenes. We made the decision for the rebrand in July and we set a goal for Oct 5. The rooms have been re decorated, and we have taken a whole, new fresh approach to the hotel's online presence with the new website having been launched – new sites, and new branding with a fresh, crisp and clean new look. The transition has been smooth, we wanted it to take care of itself and be a gentle rebrand, and it has been.”

“So much work has taken place behind the scenes. We made the decision for the rebrand in July and we set a goal for Oct 5. The rooms have been re decorated, and we have taken a whole, new fresh approach to the hotel's online presence with the new website having been launched – new sites, and new branding with a fresh, crisp and clean new look. The transition has been smooth, we wanted it to take care of itself and be a gentle rebrand, and it has been.”

Keeping up with changing times and being adaptable is key to a successful business, say the couple. “Every day is different, and trends are con tinually changing and evolving. Always evolving every day is our point of difference. If you stand still, you go backwards. Adaptability in this industry is key and Lexie and I can be

Keeping up with changing times and being adaptable is key to a successful business, say the couple. “Every day is different, and trends are con tinually changing and evolving. Always evolving every day is our point of difference. If you stand still, you go backwards. Adaptability in this industry is key and Lexie and I can be

Congratulations Garry, Lexi and Team

Congratulations

Proud

Tides

We are excited to continue our support to the Team at Tides Bar and Eatery on your next 50 years of business and beyond

e

Tides Hotel owners, Garry Munro and Lexie Wilson.

Tides Hotel owners, Garry Munro and Lexie Wilson.

very dynamic and ever evolv ing to keep up with demands.”

Just like the tides of Nelson, the hotel has seen its changes, but one thing has remained the same, the couple's dedication to their clients and their staff. “We have many longstanding staff who have been with the hotel for over 20 years, many have re tired from here. The staff have evolved, where we have had generations of family members who have worked for the hotel, children, siblings, cousins, etc, it is very much a family envi ronment.” The vibrant rebrand seems to have come with the blessing of a regular visitor to the business. “Our new logo has a kingfisher in it. The story behind it is that every sum mer we have a kingfisher visit us and play in the palms of our outdoor area. He is a very im portant part of the building, and he visited us again, for the first time, just the other day. We

felt that was a very timely and welcome omen!” Creating sub tle cosmetic changes across the bar and eatery, guest rooms and conference rooms, has made all the difference, say the cou ple. “We are getting away from the more traditional look with

new uniforms and a new look venue.” The Tides Hotel Bar and Eatery has also seen changes to the outdoor dining area, which has been transformed into a more spacious, grassed setting, perfect for enjoying a drink or a platter in the sun. “It is a

key area and a more conducive space where kids can play lawn chess and people can dine or enjoy drinks by the river while enjoying the view along the riverfront.”

Open for bookings seven days a week, Tides Hotel Bar and Eatery is the perfect place to get away for a night, meet up with friends, or enjoy a roman tic dinner for two. Offering a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu using fresh local ingre dients, Tides Hotel is just a few minutes' walk from the CBD making it the ideal location to stop in for a coffee or catchup in the afternoon. “We get people walking in off the street to have a coffee or enjoy a platter out side in the sun. Come for casual drinks, a nice dinner, or even choose to stay the night!”

Bookings can be made by call ing 0800 HOTELS (0800 468 357) directly or emailing: enquiries@tideshotel.co.nz

Tides

Maitre

Mako season is over

PETER JONES

The Tasman Mako will not fea ture in the Bunnings NPC quar terfinals this season.

After reaching the past three premiership finals, and winning two of them, Tasman found the going too tough in 2022.

The absence of a swathe of key players, either on All Blacks duty or injured, proved too big a hur dle for the Mako to overcome.

They managed wins over South land, Manawatu, Taranaki and Northland, who ironically pipped them for the fourth quarterfinal position in their group.

They were competitive in losses to Auckland, Otago, Hawke’s Bay, North Harbour and Wellington, their only heavy defeat coming at the hands of competition favour ites Canterbury.

On the bright side, a large number of younger players got a chance to show their wares at provincial level, their promising efforts set

to provide much-needed depth in the coming years.

Tasman’s fate this season was sealed on Sunday when North land, who had upset Bay of Plenty midweek, downed winless Mana watu 41-24 in Kaikohe to grab the fourth play-off position in the Evens section.

On Friday, the Mako travelled to Napier with their ability to pro gress in their own hands but were unable to get the job done against a handy Magpies side, also des perate to make the play-offs af ter relinquishing the Ranfurly Shield.

The home side came away with a 25-17 victory after something of a helter-skelter affair in pouring rain.

Both teams struggled for conti nuity but, when they were able to put it all together, some scintillat ing rugby eventuated, although it was few and far between.

A late consolation try showed what could have been for the Mako. Sevu Reece broke out

from inside his in-goal area with an outrageous dummy, before of floading to Macca Springer, who was pulled down 10 metres short of the Bay’s tryline. However, quick ball and a cross-field kick to reserve forward Viliami Napa’a on the left wing saw him slide in

for the try.

But the damage was done well before that, Tasman unable to handle the famed Magpies line out drive, which set up two tries, while winger Neria Foma’i picked up a brace. Not to be outdone, Tasman

scored a superb team try in the first spell, finished by Noah Hotham, with Springer sprinting into space and offloading after a precise pass from second fiveeighth Alex Nankivell.

As halftime approached with the scores locked at 10-10 it seemed Tasman would carry some much-needed momentum into the sheds, but the Bay had the final say, flanker Marino Mi kaele-Tu’u crashing over. The second half was more stra tegic, with both teams opting to put the ball on the boot and play for field position, but it was the home side who prevailed in the games of force-back, stretching their lead to 25-10 before Napa’a had the final say, putting a full stop on what was a disappointing Mako season in terms of results but may pay dividends going for ward.

Scores: Hawke’s Bay 25 Tas man 17 (Viliami Napa’a, Noah Hotham tries; Willie Havili con, Taine Robinson con, pen).

Alex Nankivell was one of Tasman’s best this season. Photo: Shuttersport.

Cricketers pad up on Saturday

PETER JONES

On Saturday the first shots in the 2022-23 Marlborough cricket season will be played.

The new season’s format is similar to last year, involving a mix of shorter and longerform cricket, although without a competition that has become familiar in past seasons.

The top of the south Tasman Premier League [TPL] will not be played this season, the Nel son clubs preferring to look at other options this time around.

The new season begins on Saturday with the first of six senior 40-over clashes, lead ing into a final, for the Grove Tavern Cup, contested as usual by Wairau, Celtic, Renwick and Wairau Valley.

In early December the regular senior Twenty20 competition begins, with the abovemen tioned sides, plus Marlborough Boys’ College, doing battle over 10 rounds.

CLUB SQUADS

The second grade competition will begin after the senior 40over programme ends, with six teams expected to contest for titles pre and post-Xmas.

The ever-popular second grade midweek T20 competition will also be staged, with possibly eight teams involved.

The third grade competition will run on similar lines to last season, with a mix of 40-over and T20 games. A women’s so cial grade competition will take place on Wednesday evenings with a girls’ league being con tested at fifth grade level.

Junior cricket begins in the first week of November.

The Marlborough senior men’s rep side, under head coach Jar rod Englefield, will again be kept busy.

They start their season with a Newman Shield challenge against Nelson at Saxton Oval on Sunday, November 13.

The reps then play three Hawke Cup qualifying matches -

Wairau squad (from): Nick Weaver, Tarin Mason, Harrison Boyce, Alex Kennedy, Chris Turkington, An drew McCaa, Baxter Croad, Mike Croad, Cooper Rob erts, Griffin Carter, Josh Alexander, Sam MacDonald, Colin Wood, Tim Petrie, Hunter Ruffell, Carter Aitken. Celtic squad (from): Josh Poole, Liam Young, Logan Robinson, Jayden Adams, Joel Logan, Greg Know les, Jack Holdaway, Ben Holdaway, Andy Fitzpatrick, Matt McCormick, Fergus Shaw, Tom Sutherland, Ben Blackman, Jared Stewart, Greg Hegglun, Chris Bart holomeusz, Carl Bulfin. Ethan Gleeson, Tom Sloan. Renwick squad (from): Corey Bovey (co-captain)

against Buller in Blenheim on December 3-4, then taking on Canterbury Country in Ran giora on December 10-11, fol lowed by Nelson in Blenheim on January 14-15.

In February they will travel to Palmerston North for the an nual Chapple Cup tournament, from 17-19.

The women’s rep side begin their season on Sunday, Octo ber 16 with a match at Horton Park against Nelson.

An early season highlight will be the participation of the Marlborough Boys’ College First XI in the national Gillette Cup play-offs. They take place in Palmerston North from Oc tober 31-November 4.

A welcome addition to the 2022-23 schedule is the New Zealand over-40s tournament, a hotly-contested event in volving some of the nation’s former cricketing stars. It will be staged at Horton and Oliver Parks from November 24-28.

Luke Frankland (co-captain), Kirk Nicholas, Joe Timms, George Kenny, Max Armstrong, Max Brydon, Piers Landon-Lane, Isaac Briggs, Blair Timms, Kieran Gaudin, Hayden Gaudin, Cody Golding, Jake Zill wood, Mark Zillwood, Blair Timms, Akhil Bhardwaj, Michael Anstis, Eden Pettigrew, Paddy Dawkins. Wairau Valley (from): Sam Boyce (co-captain), Mat thew Stretch (co-captain), Tom Leonard, Joel Pannell, Luke Pannell, Benjamin Ivory-McCullum, Jethro Mo ran, Rikki Bovey, Damian Sexton, Sukhman Aulakh, Greg Stretch, Danny Knox, Michael Dillon, Paddy Wilkins, Tim Abrahams (T20 only).

Everyone was a winner at the Marlborough Kids Duathlon.

Photo: Robert Duff Photography.

Kids duathlon a success

More than 300 children ran, walked and cycled their way to the finish line of the ever-popular Harcourts Marlborough Kids Duathlon on Sunday, September 25.

After a two-year COVID-enforced hiatus, what organisers described as “a great event” returned with a vengeance. It was contested at the Brancott

Vineyard over various courses by 6 to 18-year-olds, with the smiling faces of the entrants at the finish underlining what the event was all

Squash referee relishes Games experience

PETER JONES

Success came in various forms for New Zealand’s representatives at the Birmingham 2022 Common wealth Games.

This country’s athletes claimed a record 20 gold medals, while their overall precious metal haul was the best at a Games outside New Zealand.

However, Marlborough squash referee Janet Udy’s Birmingham achievements will be measured in memories, not medals.

Janet, one of the country’s leading officials, joined Kiwi No 1 Glenn Carson as part of the 16-strong Games refereeing team.

While not part of the official NZ team, she proudly represented her country at the University of Birmingham squash venue, of ficiating on each of the 10 days in “about 25” matches, including several stints on the main court.

“Most of the matches I did were either on the glass court or as vid eo referee — I had been expect ing to be mainly working on the back courts so it was an amazing experience to be given so much

“I was nervous to start with. You are sitting among the crowd … the pressure is certainly on you there. You are making all the match announcements, you are making all the decisions and you have the audio equipment to deal with as well.”

Being seated among the crowd produced a couple of amusing moments for the officials. On one occasion a referee was all set to begin a match, their mic switched on and preparing for the prematch announcements, when a member of the public tapped them on the shoulder and sug gested the ref was sitting in their seat — the referees’ seats having mistakenly been allocated to the public. On the show court match officials had the option of refer ring a decision to the video refer ee to decide contentious calls, of ten ruling on appeals vociferously demanded by the players.

“The players are very passion ate,” explained Janet, “but that is all part of the match referee’s job, that match control … it’s very im portant.”

She enjoyed being part of the re women in Birmingham, Janet former top-ranked junior, and enjoyed soaking up this nation’s success.

“One of the highlights was watch ing Paul [Coll] win gold and Jo elle [King] and Paul taking out the mixed final, that was fantas tic.”

Although Janet has officiated at plenty of major tournaments,

such as Pacific Games and world junior champs, her Common wealth Games experience was “a whole new level”.

“There were so many highlights. Just being part of it, being in that big hall with all those people for those final matches … the atmos phere was terrific,” she added. There was no shortage of big names in attendance either. She had the chance to meet World Squash president Zena Wool dridge and spied Pakistani leg end Jahangir Khan in the squash complex.

Although they operated outside the NZ team’s sphere, Janet and Glenn sampled some of the fa cilities when they were invited by Sport New Zealand officials, including chief executive Raelene Castle, to visit “New Zealand House”, a temporary venue set up at a Birmingham golf club.

“They were sitting in front of us during one of Paul Coll’s matches so we got talking to them … help ing them understand some of the decisions, and they asked us to drop by,” she explained.

Janet’s refereeing career has been on a steady rise since she began officiating in 2007 and there is more to come. She has been in vited to attend the NZ Open in November, a PSA Silver event, once again occupying what she describes as “the best seat in the house” when some of the world’s squash elite come to play.

Janet Udy on centre court. Photo: Supplied.

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