The Northern Advocate - 6 April 2023

The youth was taken by helicopter to Auckland Hospital in acritical condition on March 22, after he was hit crossing Whanga¯rei Heads Rd, about 4km from Onerahi.

The Police Serious Crash Unit is finalising areport on the incident.

Anearby resident, whose teenage children also catch the bus, said the bus stop near May Grove Lane was in adangerous spot, close to abend, in an area where drivers often speed.

“Even though it’s 70kmh, alot of people don’t go at that speed limit and it’s very heavy traffic, especially in the mornings and afternoons,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told the Northern Advocate

She wants to see signs warning drivers that children are crossing, as there is no such signage and the bus stop is not marked.

“High school kids are probably the worst at just not checking and being distracted,” she added.

The Whanga¯rei District Council is considering areview of speed limits and areduced 50 km/h limit is proposed on Whanga¯rei Heads Rd,

where the boy was hit.

The school bus stop is opposite the majority of Waikaraka houses, so pupils have to cross the road.

But issues with bus overcrowding meant students had to catch the bus before it went out to Whanga¯rei Heads and returned, in order to get aseat, so astop on the other side of the road would not work, the resident said.

James Meffan, group manager school transport at the Ministry of Education, said the ministry provided guidelines for school bus stop locations.

“Any accident on New Zealand’s roads is investigated by the NZ Police. However, when an accident happens at one of our school bus stops, we immediately check to make sure that the bus stop meets Waka Kotahi’s safe siting guidelines.”

The guidelines around the stops include visibility for aset length, depending on the prevailing speed limit. The requirement in a70km/h area is 175m of visibility. The Waikaraka stop meets this guideline.

“Depending on the nature of the accident, we may also work with the transport service provider to understand what other contributing factors may have been in play,” Meffan said.

“Our school bus providers are responsible for selecting suitable bus stop locations along each school bus route. Safety is of paramount importance, so we will not allow them to

Safety concerns after boy hit by car

continued from A1 operate abus stop that cannot be shown to be safe.”

“Each has an important role to play and responsibilities to meet. It is the caregiver’s responsibility to ensure their children get to abus stop safely and are supervised at the bus stop until the bus arrives, and the same in the evening.”

Whanga¯rei Heads ward councillor Patrick Holmes said consultation on the speed limit review was in the proposal stage and would go back to the council for approval later this month.

People frequently came to him with concerns about Whanga¯rei Heads Rd, he said.

“Whanga¯rei Heads Rd particularly has anumber of accident black spots the safety of the road is aconstant issue.”

There was afatal crash on aroad bend, near Wharf Rd, last November, just as the council began considering the speed limit review.

The driver was killed after his vehicle left the road.

“I’m still pressing for asafety barrier on the outside of that bend which will stop people going into the water,” Holmes said.

“We haven’t got that over the line but I’m still hopeful I’ll get it in the next budget. One of the issues is just physically finding aspace to put a barrier.”

The stretch of road where that crash occurred has since been resealed. Anew speed limit of 60km/ hhas been proposed as part of the review.

Joe Carr, Northland Regional councillor and Regional Transport Committee chairman, said child safety around school buses was “a real area of concern”.

He suggested school buses should have signage reminding motorists of the 20km/h speed limit when passing school buses.

Coroner Brandt Shortland recommended making flashing speed limit signs on school buses mandatory after aKaitaia College student’s death in 2008.

The Ministry of Transport trialled signs in Ashburton, but concluded they would not be effective unless accompanied by an awareness campaign and enforcement.

This was never implemented, despite another fatality near Houhora in 2019, when a12-year-old girl was hit by atruck. Aboy was also badly injured after being hit by avehicle crossing SH10 at Kareponia, near Awanui, in 2021.

School bus operator Ritchies declined to comment for this story.

Turner Centre survival plan

Performing arts venue needs ratepayer ownership, to continue

Far North ratepayers are being asked to have their say on a council proposal plan to take over ownership of aKerikeri performing arts centre.

The Turner Centre, which opened in 2005, was built on Far North District Council land but the building itself was paid for and is owned by acharitable trust.

It is said to be the best performing arts venue north of Auckland, and the reason many national and international acts make it to the Far North.

However, the trust is struggling to catch up financially after two years of Covid restrictions scuttled shows and slashed audiences, and its list of overdue maintenance work is continuing to grow.

Now the council is proposing to take ownership of the building, leaving the trust in charge of events and day-to-day management only.

The council wouldn’t pay for the building but would be responsible for ongoing costs such as maintenance, insurance and power, adding an estimated 0.3 per cent to the average Far North rates bill.

While 0.3 per cent isn’t muchabout $7.60 extra on the average Far North rates bill of $2542* –the proposal comes as an overall rates increase of 8.6 per cent is being mulled.

The wider context includes controversy about council funding of

visit the Far North.

Gerry Paul

facilities in neighbouring Whanga¯rei, such as the Hundertwasser Arts Centre, and possibly anew conference centre at Oruku Landing.

Far North Kahika (Mayor) Moko Tepania said the district risked losing the Turner Centre if there was no change to the way it operated.

The proposal, if adopted, would see the council take on ownership and operational costs.

Turner Centre general manager Gerry Paul said without council support, the venue was likely to close in the next few years.

Since 2005, the centre had presented more than 2000 shows and hosted thousands more community meetings, hui, rehearsals, festivals, trade shows, wa¯nanga, competitions and conferences.

However, in 2020-21, Covid-19 severely affected the centre’s ability to bring in revenue.

In 2022 the number of events reduced to 420 –with community groups given discounts worth $150,000 –but the centre still faced along list of deferred maintenance

and badly-needed upgrades.

Paul said community members rallied in the early 2000s to raise the money to build the “world-class” theatre and community centre.

Building asimilar facility today would cost about $150 million.

“Without the Turner Centre, many international and national artists wouldn’t visit the Far North. As with most performing arts and community facilities around the country and the world, the centre isn’t financially sustainable on its own and currently runs at adeficit.”

That deficit was roughly equal the centre’s annual maintenance and operational costs, he said.

The council is also consulting aproposed rates remission policy which would allow Ma¯ori freehold landowners to apply for reduced rates for aset period, if they intend to develop their land for housing.

Consultation on both proposals closes on April 24, with oral submissions on May 17. Councillors will debate the proposals and the total rate increase ahead of the draft Annual Plan being adopted on June 22.

● Go to www.fndc.govt.nz annualplan to find more information, make asubmission or take part in poll.

* 2022 average rates figure sourced from the Taxpayers’ Union’s Ratepayer Report. The Taxpayers’ Union is aright-wing lobby group.

Fathers provided their homes for childrens’ massive

11 search warrants across Northland in Morningside, Ra¯whiti, Ruaka¯ka¯ and Whananaki, as well as Rotorua.

including his daughter and her partner, the alleged ringleader of the group.

the Crown to have all the disclosure of evidence organised.

Shannon Pitman

Two fathers who helped their children by providing their homes to import drugs and cook methamphetamine in amajor drug dealing operation have learned their fate.

Todd Hilton has been sentenced to jail and Iti Arama to home detention by Justice Michael Robinson in the Whanga¯rei High Court on charges related to Operation Freya.

The 2021 police sting resulted in

Operation Freya intercepted 20kg of methamphetamine, 5.4kg of MDMA, and 1kg of pseudoephedrine being imported from South America and South Africa with astreet value of more than $8 million.

Hilton was earlier convicted of participating in organised crime, conspiring to supply methamphetamine, conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, and conspiring to supply cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale.

Arama was convicted of participation in an organised criminal group and had several charges dropped.

The court heard that in 2021 Arama had several family members living at his Morningside address,

Arama agreed to use his property as an address for importation as well as be the custodian of large amounts of cash.

At one stage, he was recorded in conversation with his daughter agreeing to give her $130,000 and when police did asearch, they found $70,000 in bundles.

Arama’s lawyer Wayne McKean said his client “dabbled” in meth in his youth but at the time of his arrest was in astable relationship and employment.

McKean said Arama wanted to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity, however, because of the size of the operation and the number of people involved, it took some time for

“There is no evidence he had any power in this organisation. He didn’t handle any packages and was at the lower rungs of this group,” McKean said.

Hilton’s son was the alleged leader of the group and Hilton assisted the organisation by providing his Takahiwai address as an importation and cooking site between March 2020 and November 2021.

Throughout that time, he received 9.5kg of meth and cooked an additional 2.4kg. His address was also used to attempt to import iodine which would have produced afurther 4kg of meth, but the iodine never made it.

Crown prosecutor Richard Annandale said Hilton had been re-

Peter de Graaf Withoutthe Turner Centre,many international and national artistswouldn’t

Police carrying out inquiries after the Hikurangi Four Square was robbed of cigarettes and other items.

meth dealing operation

leased from the Tu¯manako Mental Health Unit where he was an inpatient and while being reintroduced to the community, began consuming meth and got involved with the group through his son.

“He posed asignificant risk to the community,” Annandale said. His lawyer Julie Young said her client had long-term mental health issues and was under mental health orders throughout the operation.

In sentencing Hilton, Justice Robinson acknowledged his personal circumstances and said those factors must be reasonably reflected in the end sentence.

“You have been diagnosed for a long time with significant mental health and drug addiction,” Justice Robinson said.

Arrest after cops suspect raids linked

Aman allegedly involved in two separate robberies of commercial premises in Northland was arrested after apolice pursuit.

Police believe the aggravated robbery of the Hikurangi Four Square just after midday last Thursday is linked to asimilar incident at another commercial premises, believed to be adairy, in Paihia about 11.30am the same day.

Aweapon was used in the Hikurangi robbery but police wouldn’t disclose what it was.

“A number of items have been taken from the premises before the offender left in avehicle. Police have tracked the vehicle briefly as it travelled through the suburb before apprehending the offender who was on foot,” apolice spokeswoman said.

“While no injuries have been reported, the victim in this matter is understandably shaken and police are providing support.”

Supermarket owner Avi Lal said none of his staff was injured during the theft. Aman who looked to be in his 20s managed to grab cigarettes and ran out, he said.

Police spoke to Lal after aman believed to be responsible for both robberies was arrested in Tikipunga.

It’s understood CCTV footage from inside the supermarket was handed to the police.

Hikurangi Business Association member Shane Rouse saw the getaway car go past and said thefts and robberies were becoming common in the community, as they were everywhere else in Northland.

“We are working with police to have surveillance cameras upgraded in Hikurangi in the next five to six weeks,” he said.

Woman due in court over alleged hit-and-run incident

“Those things have worked together to make things very difficult for you. Those things go away to explain how you have come to be standing here today.”

Justice Robinson pointed out both offenders knew exactly what they were doing by getting involved with their children’s drug operations but neither had made any serious financial gain.

“You knew what was going on. You knew the extent of what your group was trying to produce. There’s so much money to be made but it does so much damage to our community.”

Hilton was sentenced to three years and five months’ imprisonment and Arama to 10 months’ home detention.

Nine alleged co-offenders are still before the courts.

Moviestar turns104

One of Northland’s oldest residents —and almostcertainly New Zealand’s oldest film star —has celebrated her 104th birthday. Isey Cross,who lives at home near Kawakawa withson and caregiver JamesCross, marked the milestone with wha¯nau on April 3. The fishing fanatic of Nga¯tiManu descent becameafilm star at the age of 101 with the release of the documentary James &Isey by Northland director Florian Habicht.

DriverReviver

AMI’s Driver Reviver —a public event to educate drivers on the connectionbetween driver fatigue and motor vehicle accidents —will take place today, from 11am to 4pm at Uretiti on the State Highway 1 northbound lane. Anyone on the road at the time is encouraged to stop in for acomplimentary snack and drink from the AMI BBQ Trailer, and abarista coffee from the coffee car. You can take arest on abean bag or visit the activities on-sitetolearn more about how to curb the effectsofdriver fatigue, particularly on long journeys.

Have asay on water

Far North residents will get to have their say on the council’sproposed water rating equalisation scheme today.The council wants to move to district-wide water and wastewater rating to share increasing costs among communities. Someratepayers will end up paying more for their water and wastewater services under the proposed change. Residents will be making oral submissionsto councillors about the proposal after the Far North District Council’s Thursdaymeeting in Kaikohe.

Trainsthis weekend

A55-year-old woman has been arrested after afatal accident north of Kaita¯ia.

The arrest comes 48 hours after police appealed for information about the death of apedestrian after what they initially said was ahit-andrun accident on State Highway 1, near the intersection with Wireless Rd, about 3km north of Kaitaia’s town centre.

Apolice spokesperson said the woman, who was due in the Kaitaia District Court today, had been charged with failing to report an accident causing death.

The man was taken to hospital in critical condition, after being hit by acar about 11.45pm on Friday,

March 31, but died ashort time later.

Police said their investigation into the circumstances of the crash remains ongoing and they continue to appeal to the public for assistance.

The accident was on ahighway with a100km/h speed limit. There is no footpath, and limited street lighting.

Police also want to hear from anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident.

● Call police on the 105 nonemergency phone service, quoting file number 230401/3048,orvisit www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and click Update My Report. Information can also be provided, anonymously, to Crime Stoppers on 0800555111

The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway will be running trains three times a day from April 7-23 for the duration of the Easterholidays. The roughly 90-minutereturntrip leaves Kawakawa Railway Station at 10am,12pm and 2pm.The trains also operate as abike shuttle between Taumarere and Lone Cow for cyclists riding the Twin Coast Cycle Trail.

Repeat drink-driver jailed

Aman up on his 18th charge of drivingwhile disqualified has been sentenced to prison.Ihaka PakietoJohnson of Whanga¯rei appeared in the Whanga¯rei DistrictCourt this week for sentencingonone charge of driving while disqualified and one charge of unlawfully taking a motorvehicle. Judge Philip Rzpecky sentenced PakietoJohnson to 14 months’ imprisonment, saying there was no other option.

Photo /NZME

Lots to do during Easter

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and here in Aotearoa New Zealand, that means Easter is near. Brodie Stone searched for activities the whole family will enjoy.

Head to Waipu¯on Easter Saturday

Saturday is shaping up to be warm, with ahigh of 20C on the cards, according to Metservice. So why not make the most of the warm weather?

From 9am until 2pm there are two outdoor events that are sure to entertain everyone.

Waipu¯Easter Carnival is an annual fundraiser for Waipu¯Primary School. The popular event at Waipu¯‘s Caledonian Park features arange of rides, games, market stalls, live entertainment, apetting zoo, art zone and food.

Entry to the event is koha (donation) and visitors are recommended to bring cash as there will be limited Eftpos.

Also on Saturday, is Waipu¯Street Market. Usually held on aSunday, the event features over 150 stalls that span the length of the main Waipu¯St, as well as the entrance to Caledonian Park. It’s afeast for the senses as there’s plenty to see, smell, hear and taste.

Local artisans will be selling their wares including paintings, clothing, photography, metal art, macrame, street food and so much more.

If you’re on the lookout for natural remedies, keep an eye out for stalls selling organic and homemade balms. Head to the beach before you head home, there’s plenty to choose from whether you’re driving north or south.

Motorheads unitefor two days of diesel, dirt and demolition

Kaikohe Speedway is hosting its Kaikohe Speedway Easter Stampede on April 8and 9. The whole family can

be entertained as stock, saloon and sprint cars fly around the quarter-mile dirt track.

Sunday will feature the demolition ramp derby for which Kaikohe Speedway is famous in Northland.

Saturday starts at 11am and Sunday at 10am. Day passes are $10 for adults, $5 for children aged 5to14, or afamily pass for two adults and three children is $30. Children under 5-free.

Food and toilet facilities will be available, and camping is also an option for those who wish to attend both days. The event is at 5416 State Highway 12, Kaikohe, 0472.

Party with cats

Yep, you read that right. Riding for the Disabled and Coast to Coast Cat Rescue is are holding their annual Easter party from 10am until 3pm on Easter Sunday.

There will be abouncy castle, games, araffle and an easter egg hunt. Tamariki (children) may even be lucky

Consideringa change in career this year?

Deon Henderson from Circus Kumarani at a previous Waipu Easter Carnival.

enough to spot the Easter bunny.

Don’t be surprised if you end up going home with acute kitten from the incredible people at Coast to Coast Cat Rescue either.

The event is at Bay of Islands Riding for the Disabled Arena at Showground Rd.

See the best of Northland’s art scene with Whanga¯rei Heads Arts Trail

Whanga¯rei is known for its thriving art scene and what better way to experience it than an art tour? Start in Onerahi and drive along the pristine coastline where you’ll stop off and see 36 local artists’ incredible work.

There’s arange of art to view including ceramics, jewellery, graphic design, painting, pottery, garden art, photography, flax weaving and sculptures.

You can find out more about the event and download amap at whangareiheadsartstrail.org.nz or on Facebook.

The event is on Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 5pm.

Headtothe famous Old Packhouse Market

It’s astaple if you’re in the area, or well worth the trip if not. Support local growers, makers and bakers. There are hundreds of stalls to choose from and definitely something for everyone. Grab ahot-cross bun and maybe a coffee from the market cafe too.

The markets will be on from 8am until 1.30pm on Easter Saturday, 9am until 1.30pm on Easter Sunday and a mini market will feature from 9am until 1pm on Easter Monday.

Photos /Michael Cunningham

Annaleise Nyhuis, 8, from Whanga¯rei at the Waipu¯Easter Carnival in 2021.

Wildlife sanctuary’s hefty tax bill

Big cat park has closed, but animals being cared for

Anne Gibson

The big cat park formerly known as Zion Wildlife Gardens has an outstanding $264,000 tax bill.

Northland’s now-shut Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary received $199,000 in government pandemic help but has run into serious trouble and entities including broadcaster MediaWorks are listed as known and potential unsecured creditors.

The company behind the nowfailed venture, Big Cats, was put into liquidation on March 1inthe High Court at Whanga¯rei for unpaid taxes.

The NZ Insolvency and Trustee Service’s first report is now out for the business which got $199,000 in a Work and Income Covid-19 wage relief subsidy during the height of the pandemic. It received an initial $88,000 for 13 employees, then a further $111,000 for 17 employees in August 2021.

Its big cats are being cared for, although leopard Mandla was put to sleep last month.

The Insolvency and Trustee Service said in its first report dated April 4: “The sanctuary houses 15 big cats and was open to the public including providing guided tours.”

The land and buildings are owned by Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary. Its shareholder Bolton Equities had assisted with operational costs, the report said.

Last month the Northern Advocate quoted director Janette Vallance who

said although the company was insolvent, the cats were taken care of. Vallance said: “The important thing is that the cats are fine and being looked after. Their welfare is unaffected.”

The park has African lions, Bengal tigers, and also Barbary lions, which are extinct in the wild. The service report said the cats’ welfare had been ensured.

“An arrangement has now been made between the director, Bolton Equities and the Ministry for Primary Industries for the ongoing care of the animals and Big Cats no longer has any involvement in the ongoing operation of the sanctuary.”

Leopard Mandla was just over 20 years old and had been active but “we made the very sad decision to let him sleep”, the park said in asocial media post last month.

“It was clear it was time to ensure he did not suffer and our options were very limited. This was an incredibly difficult decision but the best for Manni. We hope he’s enjoying his favourite coffee, and chillin’ in his hammock.”

The Insolvency and Trustee Services reported that sanctuary exemployees were owed $43,000 on top of the IRD claim of $264,000.

Alist of names of people from

Whanga¯rei appears, all as unsecured creditors. They are the former park staff.

But there could be good news for the employees owed so much.

It was expected there will be sufficient recoveries made from selling plant, equipment and amotor vehicle to provide afull repayment of employees’ claims.

Any funds remaining will be applied as apartial payment towards IRD’s preferential claim and it was unlikely unsecured creditors would receive adividend from this liquidation.

Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ) and

Newmarket-based Fujifilm Business Innovation New Zealand appear as potential secured creditors. MediaWorks, Mitre 10, Rentokil, Whanga¯rei accountants Sumpter Baughen, Pokeno’s Power Turf, Cortech Electrical of Whanga¯rei and Greenfingers of Hamilton are also listed as known and potential unsecured creditors.

How much they are claiming isn’t specified in this first report.

Assets listed include an ASB bank account with $2167, apossible insurance payout and miscellaneous items such as souvenirs. Other assets listed are $12,000 cash in the bank, motor vehicle assets estimated to be worth $32,000 and plant and equipment of $30,000.

“We have been advised that Big Cats was paying the insurance of a vehicle used by one of the directors. The vehicle was written off and there is apossibility of insurance proceeds being paid to the liquidator. The liquidator will be seeking confirmation from the insurance provider,” the service report said.

Big Cats’ directors and shareholders are Dale John Vallance and Janette Frances Vallance. The business operated from 124 Gray Road, Kamo.

According to the Northern Advocate,the sanctuary had reopened in December 2021 after being closed for eight years. There had been an upgrade of facilities, the building of significant new containment areas and staffing at alevel that could sustain public access.

The former Zion Wildlife Gardens was once owned by “lion man” Craig Busch. Tragedy struck in 2009 when big cat handler Dalu Mncube was mauled to death by atiger.

The liquidation’s estimated date of completion is not until next January.

Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary has had to close, just over ayear after it opened its doors to the public. Photo /Michael Cunningham

Photo credit -Amy Kate Photography

Slain teen’s family voice despair

Potential with gang in the community

Seven months on from the grisly killing of teen Ariki Rigby —and her body being torched in acar in arural carpark —her family have spoken of their anguish over the protracted investigation and alack of “confidence” in the police.

Police launched ahomicide investigation into 18-year-old Ariki’s death in September, and shortly before Christmas said they believed gang affiliations of those thought to be responsible were preventing possible witnesses from passing on vital information.

And today police say the inquiry is at a“sensitive stage”.

But the launch of the hunt for those responsible was abelated one.

Police were first alerted to the burnt-out car at River Road Recreational Reserve on September 3. NZME revealed officers who attended didn’t realise the charred remains inside that featured shoulder-length hair and anecklace —were human, instead thinking it was asheep.

It wasn’t until September 5that dog walker Kevin Monrad realised the remains were human after walking around the burnt-out car, then urged police to return to the scene.

By then, the crime scene had been traipsed through for 48 hours by scores of dog walkers, cyclists and others.

Seven months on from Monrad’s call, Ariki’s cousin and initial Rigby

family spokesman Michael Ngahuka said the slow progress had him questioning if those responsible would be found.

“You lose confidence in the police,” the Hastings-based pastor said.

“There was no confidence in the police, to begin with. You are hoping they will do their job —they probably are, but what does it look like for us?”

Police revealed last year that they were reviewing their initial response. The outcome has not yet been made public.

Police HQ has not responded to questions about any outcome of that review.

In arecent interview with the Felon Show on YouTube, Ariki’s sister Anahera¯Rigby said those responsible for Ariki’s death had chopped off her hands and feet before they torched her body and the car she was stuffed in.

She previously told NZME that she believed Ariki was killed by multiple “gang-affiliated” people.

“For them to get away with it, there must have been alot of them. If the police can’t find them now, obviously it [Ariki’s death] was not an accident.”

Ngahuka has also previously described his cousin’s death as a “heinous crime”, which he believed

“has to weigh on the soul, it has to weigh on your heart” of those responsible and those who know the truth”.

Seven months on, he said the Rigby family were desperate for the truth to emerge and for those responsible to face justice.

“It is the same message, if you know anything come forward,” he said.

On December 22, Detective Senior Sergeant James Keene made apublic appeal for those who knew who had murdered Ariki —and, in acompletely unrelated case, who beat Flaxmere man Eddie Peters to death in November 2018 —tocome forward.

“We know there are people who know what happened to Eddie and Ariki, and who was responsible,” Keene said at the time. “We also know there are afew reasons why people might not be talking —one of which is abelief that ‘narking’ is not the done thing. My plea is that people set aside that belief and focus on what the right thing to do is.”

Ngahuka said he had hoped police would share more on the potential gang involvement.

“There possibly is [gang involvement]. You just don’t know. Something like this [the nature of the crime], you have to say there is something wrong with you.”

Ariki’s social media posts contained many references to the Mongrel Mob, including staunch support for the gang.

One of her final posts in August featured her with several of its members.

Ngahuka said in some cases the links to gang members were blood based.

“All of our family are part of different gangs,” he said. “There are cousins, uncles [in gangs] and that is in more than the Mongrel Mob, other gangs.”

NZME put Ngahuka’s comments to police HQ for comment.

Aspokesperson said police remained committed “to holding the person or persons responsible for Ariki’s death to account”.

They were in touch with the Rigby family’s “nominated family spokesperson” with any updates.

“At the moment our focus remains on the active investigation into Ariki’s death, this includes analysis of all evidence to date. We reiterate that the investigation remains at asensitive stage and we are continuing to make progress.”

Photo /Neil Reid

Ariki Rigby

Happy to be ‘Neve’s mum’

Ardern bows out with final speech to Parliament

Fomer Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she will “happily be known as Neve’s mum” in her valedictory statement to Parliament —her last speech in the House and her first since announcing she would quit.

Ardern started her speech last night by remembering writing her maiden speech when she was 28. She looked back at her aspirations then and said she was proud she believed she had achieved those.

Ardern’s partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve were in the gallery for her valedictory speech, as are her parents Ross and Laurell Ardern.

Ardern said she got used to having her Prime Ministership “distilled down” to alist of priorities including adomestic terrorist attack and a pandemic.

The former PM recalls her 2017 campaign as “frenetic”, remembering asituation during those weeks when she fell asleep on aplane and woke up to ask if she was “still the leader of the Labour Party?”

“I know there is politics in almost everything,” Ardern said.

“When Icame here 15 years ago we spoke about climate change as if it was ahypothetical. But in the intervening years, we have seen firsthand the reality of our changing environment.

“Now Iknow there is politics in almost everything, but we also know when and how to remove it. When crisis has landed in front of us, Ihave seen the best of this place. Climate change is acrisis. The one thing Iask of this house is; please, take the politics out of climate change.”

Ardern said she has “enjoyed immensely” working with James Shaw and Marama Davidson.

She thanked the Green Party’s James Shaw and Marama Davidson and said she enjoyed working with them.

“The path we travel as anation won’t be linear and it won’t always be easy,” Ardern said, adding that she was happy she “took on the hilly bits” during her time as PM.

“In 2017 when we formed Government almost one in five children were in poverty. As Ileave, there are fewer than 77,000 children living in poverty,” Ardern said. “But now, we just need to keep going.”

“I’m not here to say now that everything is perfect, it is not,” Ardern continued.

“Politics has always been about progress. Sometimes you can measure it, and sometimes you can’t.

“There are very few things Ihave sought to do in politics that have an

end point politics have never been atick list for me.”

Ardern has described the years she presided over NZ’s history as a “heavy few chapters”.

She opined that most of her achievements would not feature in history books, excepting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ardern said there were still people that would ring her as PM that would reduce her to a“cold sweat”.

“I remember all too vividly avisit to Auckland University when Minister Hipkins got adreaded health call —the outbreak of Delta. Irang Clark and said, ‘code red’.”

“We had something better on our side [than luck]. We had science,” Ardern said of her response to Covid19. “We didn’t always get things right. Ididn’t always get things right.”

“You save people’s lives. Was it hard? Absolutely” Ardern said of the Covid-19 measures. She said she relied on the team around her and thanked them.

The former PM said the country lost a“sense of security” for robust discussion during the pandemic.

“I could physically see how entrenched [false information on Covid-19] was for people.”

Ardern spoke of her experience confronting anti-vax protesters, saying she once tried to correct aprotester who was talking to her about conspiracy theories. But she realised she could not get through to her.

“I was idealistic enough to think I could make adifference.”

Ardern said she still struggles to talk about March 15.

“On the way down [to Christchurch] Isaw the front page of the paper. Isaw amember of the Muslim

community covered in blood.”

The NZ Muslim community has “humbled me beyond words,’ Ardern said.

“I’ve often said, whatever Idid here, Ididn’t do alone,” Ardern said of Parliament.

She thanked her Diplomatic Protection Service staff and drivers telling astory of how amotion sickness kit had been fitted to her cars when transporting her family.

Ardern said her press secretaries must have had the worst job considering she so disliked being in the media. “My dad stopped watching the news for five years.”

“Gosh, Ilove how independent you are already,” Ardern said of her daughter Neve. “It means you won’t grow up being known as the ex-Prime Minister’s daughter. Instead, I’ll be known as Neve’s mum,” Ardern said to her daughter.

“I leave behind great friends among many of you.”

She paid special mention to Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

“It’s fair to say Itook the title of Deputy Prime Minister very literally.

“I did not take on [any challenges] alone. Itook them on with Grant.

Ardern made mention of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, and recalled conversations they had over the years.

“We’re all in good hands,” she said.

“I don’t consider myself to have had anything in my life that made me extraordinary.

“I’m sensitive. Iwent to Trevor Mallard on advice on how to harden up.

“I leave this place as sensitive as Iever was.

“I’m acrier and ahugger. It’s in-

stinctive to me.

‘I would rather be criticised for being ahugger than being heartless, and so hug Idid —alot.

Ardern spoke of her struggles conceiving achild.

Her message to others: “You can lead. Just like me.”

Parliament, including apacked public gallery, burst into song, singing Tutira Mai Nga¯Iwi at the end of a raucous applause.

Ardern then greeted individual members, embracing her colleagues as members of the Green Party and Te Pa¯tiMa¯ori sang another waiata.

As the personal greetings continued, parliament continued with a third and fourth song of farewell.

Former Labour leader Andrew Little told Newstalk ZB that Ardern would go down as “one of the greats”.

“As aprime minister over five years, the number of extraordinary challenges she’s had to deal with the natural disasters, the pandemic and what have you —itwould be testing for anybody,” he said.

“Absolutely every issue that comes across the table, she engages with the relevant minister in some considerable depth. She’s just been an extraordinary talent.”

National leader Christopher Luxon also paid tribute to Ardern.

“She showed exemplary leadership through the Christchurch massacre and she made all New Zealanders proud,” Luxon said.

“She obviously kept our profile internationally in agood place, which is important, and Iwish her nothing but success and wish her and her family the best for the future.”

Ardern’s last day as an MP is April 15. —NZHerald

Must be better

The Transport Minister says there needs to be improvement in the state of the Cook Strait ferries. Over the past couple of days Bluebridge’s Strait Feronia ferry has been out of actiondue to an engineering issue. The breakdown resulted in sailings being canned and passengers being left waiting at the Bluebridge terminals. Michael Wood says Bluebridgeisaprivate company —but providesan importantservice—sothe Government has arole to engage with them. It comes after the Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry has been off the strait since the beginning of March due to a gearbox issue.

Threw babyatpolice

AHamilton womanhas been charged with throwing an 8-weekold baby at police officers. Open Justicereports 21-year-old Esence Mackie has appearedinthe Hamilton District Court yesterday. Court documents state she was responsiblefor the baby’s care and this was a“major departure from the standard of care expected of areasonable person”. She has been remanded on bail to reappear later this month.The charge carries amaximum penalty of 10 years jail.

Risky items seized

Abag of live freshwater crayfishis one of manyrisky goodsseized at the border this year. Biosecurity New Zealand says almost 25,000 risky items were seized from 1.4 millionair passengers, between January and March —compared to 1000 last year.Almost 1700 notices were issued. BiosecurityNew Zealand is also lookinginto streamlining the process and ways to handle unaccompanied baggage. It’s also adding in extra protections for flights from Bali —where foot and mouth disease has been detected.

Restrictionsease

Normality is edging closer for Gisborne residents as water restrictions ease further in time for Easter. From yesterday the city moved to level 3, meaning only sprinkler use was banned —and handheld hoses could be used for outdoor watering. Council drinking water manager Judith Robertson says things aren’tentirely back to normal. She says if there’s asupply interruption at high demand there’sonly about one and ahalf days’ storage in the reservoirs

Woman arrested

Awoman has been arrested over a fatal crash between avehicle and a pedestrian in Kaitaia last Friday

The 55-year-oldisdue in the Kaitaia DistrictCourt today, charged with failing to report an accident causingdeath.

Ahug from Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and astanding ovation for Jacinda Ardern. Photo /Mark Mitchell

Spy activity rising

Warning foreign intelligence officers are targeting Kiwis

Adam Pearse

Foreign spies seeking to interfere with New Zealand’s politics and wider society are becoming “increasingly aggressive” as the country’s Security Intelligence Service reveals a“longrunning espionage and interference investigation” into anumber of individuals connected to aforeign state.

The SIS’ latest annual report references the investigation as one of three instances of foreign intelligence officers being detected targeting New Zealand and its people.

It comes alongside warnings more young Kiwis are consuming violent extremist material online and could be involved in discussions around New Zealand’s next terror attack.

The report included three case studies of foreign interference —the most concerning being a“number of individuals” connected to one country acting as intelligence officers undertaking “intelligence activity”.

“The NZSIS has identified increasingly concerning activity from these individuals over the reporting period, including the cultivation of a range of relationships of significant concern,” it said.

Fortunately, information was shared with relevant government agencies that were able to use the advice to limit the potential harm the individuals could enact.

Common activities by such individuals included monitoring people considered to be dissidents

and preventing them from expressing views “deemed subversive by the foreign state”.

Another case study spoke of aKiwi whose political views had attracted the attention of aforeign intelligence service. The report said the SIS intervened and engaged the person to provide advice around their safety and welfare.

The final example concerned “discovery projects” that used improved information sharing with international partners to enhance the agency’s ability to identify intelligence activity in Aotearoa, which assisted in the identification of “previously unknown individuals of security concern”.

Despite the progress in the last year, the agency described how some countries’ efforts to gather intelligence in New Zealand were “enduring and persistent”.

“We identified increasingly aggressive activity from some of those individuals.”

Heavy rain to hitNorth

Raphael Franks

Heavy rain is set to inundate popular northern holiday hotspots this Easter holiday weekend with ajetstreampowered rainmaker spinning towards New Zealand yesterday..

MetService has forecasted gales and downpours for Northland, northern parts of Auckland, Coromandel and Waikato from tomorrow Friday through Saturday, with arisk of thunderstorms.

The national forecaster issued a heavy rain watch for Northland from 6pm today to Friday morning, saying: “The impacts could be significant if [the rain] eventuates.”

And it was set to remain intermittently miserable for much of the country throughout the school holidays.

Gales and downpours are expected over the northern North Island for Easter weekend. Photo /MetService

“It’s certainly a‘watch this space’ sort of thing. We get some of our heaviest rain intensities with thunderstorms so they can definitely have an impact, for sure.”

The report also detailed the likely circumstances of New Zealand’s next terror attack and what motivations could prompt someone to facilitate such an attack.

“Terrorist violence in New Zealand is most likely to come from alone actor, recruited or inspired online and conducted using an easily obtainable weapon such as acar, knife or gun.

“These individuals may mobilise to violence rapidly, with little or no warning.”

The agency had become aware of an “increasing number of young people in New Zealand” who were consuming online violent extremist content, which could influence an attack.

In the 2021/22 period, the agency recorded an increase in the number of people involved in “anti-authority or conspiracy-driven violent extremist ideologies”, including those who were opposed to Covid-19 prevention programmes, public health measures, and the wider Government.

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan warned holidaymakers to follow forecasts closely as current predictions about the subtropical low’s movements were uncertain.

“We do know to areasonable degree places are likely to see some severe weather. The low-pressure system is evolving as it gets closer to us. It’s good to keep an eye on it because the forecast is likely to change as we hone in on it.

“When we get alarge amount of rain in asmall amount of time, that can put alot of stress on the land. We [could] see slips that can cause road closures,” Corrigan said.

Rivers could swell after rain fell in higher areas, and driving could become dangerous with risks of surface flooding.

“There may well be arisk of thunderstorms with this at the moment, [but] thunderstorms are one of those things where you can forecast areas where there is arisk but it’s difficult to say exactly where [they] will pop up.

Hauraki Gulf Weather said the subtropical low started to spin off the Australian coast and towards New Zealand today.

“Embedded lightning on the developing frontal boundary. It will head due east today towards Norfolk Island, consolidating multiple circulation centres to become [a] large jet stream-powered system on Thursday,” the forecaster said.

The heavy rain should skip Auckland City, Corrigan said, but could hit Gisborne and Manawatu¯asthe rotation of the storm brought southerly gales up the middle of the island.

The South Island, meanwhile, is forecast to have fine, settled weather for the first half of the weekend before souring.

“From Sunday and Monday, our low is tracking away towards the southeast and then it’s replaced by astrong sort of northerly/northwesterly flow. And that will bring more periods of rain,” Corrigan said.

“It’ll be mostly intermittent for much of the country. It depends on who you are and what your plans are [to say the school holidays are ruined].” —NZHerald

Security Intelligence Service (SIS) acting director-general Phil McKee (left) and Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) director-general Andrew Hampton. Photo /Adam Pearse

Opinion EDITORIAL Ardern aPMw had ap

When then-Prime Minister Ardern was one of the coronavirus media briefings whether she was afraid virus, she replied: “No, have aplan.”

It was that steady voice; clearly structured sentences; stare-down-the-barrel-to-thecamera that dragged us the early stages of Covid-19. capped with an empathetic New Zealand’s 40th minister will be forever with the challenges she country faced —a terrorist volcanic eruption and

Now, the plan has been revealed for Ardern’s She will be aspecial envoy Christchurch Call, on counter violent extremism.

She will also be on of the Earthshot Prize, nition-based campaign the big environmental

When Ardern became minister, she most likely anticipated tackling climate change and child poverty in measures admired and appreciated. Aderanged man with asemi-automatic arsenal on March 15, 2015 hijacked this; a phreatic eruption at Whakaari/ White Island on December 9 diverted energy from it; and a pandemic put paid to it.

Divisions that simmered online spewed into full frame as agitators whipped up anger at vaccine rollouts and mandates. Drawn into this also was afear of cogovernance and the revival of te reo Ma¯ori. It ended in the threeweek encampment on Parliament’s lawn that ended in fiery clashes on March 2last year.

Ardern’s early, incredible success at enticing New Zealand to compliance was her very undoing as the disenfranchised protested the length of time taken to lift restrictions and declare an impossible victory. Her attempted social reforms fuelled accusations of manipulation and duplicity.

While still lauded overseas as only the second leader of a country to give birth while in office; for the crackdown on automatic weapons; and for her eloquent oratory at international events, her core domestic support was in collapse. Yesterday afternoon, her abdication was completed with her valedictory speech in Parliament.

Herald political correspondent Audrey Young has pointed out Ardern’s legacies are there in child poverty reduction and climate change. She didn’t make the progress she wanted to in either, nor what the public expected. But Ardern put in place the legislative framework to ensure progress will be made by future governments.

In between crises, there was just enough time to lay the foundations for real change.. But achance is there for her groundwork, as asocial reformer and a young, child-bearing woman leader, to become the turangawaewae, the place to stand, for great leaders to come. —NZHerald

LETTERS

MP’s school attendance figures afail

In today’s paper (Advocate,April 3), MP Dr Shane Reti wrote apiece entitled “Let’s teach the basics brilliantly”.

Now nobody could argue that at all, but Isowish he had said that the important thing was teaching all the curriculum brilliantly including music, social studies, art, physical education, and as well doing our best to help many of our tamariki develop into whole, rounded, educated people, ready to handle our society and be able to make choices, not having to follow others’ choices.

However, the reason Iamwriting is that Dr Reti included the wording “that only 34 per cent of children in Northland are attending school regularly”.

Idon’t know where he got the figure from, or if it had adate beside it. It is the same figure that is being quoted ad nauseam by National leader Christopher Lux on and is totally incorrect.

The figure early last year for Te Tai Tokerau was 43 per cent regular attendance.

Even that figure is above the 34 per cent quoted. However, Imust enlighten Dr Reti in the hope that he can enlighten both his leader and his education spokesperson of the following:

1. Schools, principals and the Ministry of Education have worked extremely hard up here to change these figures and continuous quoting of erroneous figures is nothing but aslap in our faces.

2. Figures well in excess of 80 per cent attendance on average throughout Te Tai Tokerau have been holding since late last year.

3. Current figures are in excess of 85 per cent with amajority of schools close to if not over 90 per cent.

Ialso would hope that Dr Reti read the article also published today by alearned Professor of Education, that pointed out the massive

Northland’s student absentee numbers are not as bad as National Party MP Dr Shane Reti reckons, principal Pat

misconceptions in his party’s Claytons National Standards.

PatNewmanNMZM

Principal,HoraHoraSchool

Whanga¯rei

Ecstasy of fool’s gold

Yep, I’ve got to say you nearly had me there. Congratulations. There I was, metal detector in one hand and spade in the other, ready to walk out the door to go hunting for gold after your story on Saturday (“Is there gold in them there hills? Mystery over find”, Advocate,April 1).

Iwas so excited thinking Iwas going to find gold and ease all my financial woes. But no. As Iwas heading out to the car my wife gave me that look, you know, the one that says ‘what

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are you doing you idiot’? It seems I got gold fever, but the wife knows afool when she sees one and promptly declared that Iwas the biggest April Fool yet as Ididn’t realise your story was an April Fool’s Day joke.

So my plan for untold riches was thwarted before Ileft the house thanks to my clever wife but Ibet she’d have wanted acut if Idid strike gold out in them there Brynderwyn Hills.

R.Jones Northland

Fund the basics first

How many more venues is the Whanga¯rei District Council going to

fund and bail out when it is failing to provide the basics for its ratepayers now. There are multiple roads that need resealing and de potholing, the Aquatic Centre needs maintenance, and our suburban libraries still have limited opening times from since the lockdown, Riverside Drive still floods, trees from Cyclone Gabrielle still line the roads and Almond Court is still empty whilst our elderly fail to find decent accommodation.

Fund the basics first.

MarieKaire Ngararatunua

Newman says.

HOT TOPICS

Work ethic fulfils the need humanshave of belonging

It is askill developed early, usually from parents and other people in our lives

Rob Rattenbury

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the term work ethic as “a belief in work as amoral good: aset of values centred on the importance of doing work and reflected especially in adesire or determination to work hard”.

We learn our work ethic early, usually from our parents and other older people in our lives. The need to get up in the morning, to go somewhere, to earn money hopefully doing something that we enjoy and are competent at. Doing something that gives us aform of satisfaction and acceptance among others as a contributor, ataxpayer.

We go to school to learn the basic skills enabling us to obtain work as adults. We learn to read and write, to understand mathematics, to begin to think logically and critically.

Most of us drift through those school years absorbing those skills almost without knowing it.

That learning prepares us for life, prepares us to understand that work is honourable and adds to our sense of self-esteem and place.

We leave school and most of us eventually find ourselves work.

No matter what that work is, how seemingly humble or high-faluting, it’s just work.

It’s what we do. How we spend at least 40 hours of our week.

Some spend alifetime doing one job, others roam around the job market, continually upskilling or retraining.

We sometimes lose our jobs through no fault of our own.

Most workers find this humiliating

and somewhat distressing.

Our work is us, our job defined us. We then have to either find asimilar role elsewhere or head in adifferent vocational direction, sometimes later in life when we would prefer to be consolidating ourselves towards retirement.

Most of us, at times, groan about work, wishing we were elsewhere. But when that work disappears unexpectedly we can become lost.

My father taught me my work ethic. He worked most of his adult life in factories, either on the floor or as abookkeeper in the office. He was gifted with numbers but had avery limited education. Not his fault.

He left school during the depression after Form 2, or Year 8. His family needed him to be working so it was off to farm work —just like tens of thousands of children his age.

Dad worked 10- or 12-hour days, hard work, factory work, boring, heavy, well below his intellectual

Astrong work ethic can lead to asatisfying life, writes Rob

Rattenbury.

Quiz

1 Released in 2008, Electric Feel is the highest-charting single to date by what band on the NZ charts?

2 At FolsomPrison, IWalk the Line and Orange BlossomSpecial are albums by which country music singer-songwriter?

3 Nationwide protests haveerupted in France after the Government's plan to raise the pension age by two years —towhat age?

ability but he needed money.

He had eight kids to support and mums never worked much in those days.

He did get tired and frustrated but that was his lot. As he aged he managed to get office positions but still worked very long hours in factories.

We grew up as children seeing this, knowing Dad would be gone in the early hours and home late in the evening, knowing he would be working every Saturday morning of his working life on overtime to earn the money to support us.

One full day off aweek.

So seeing that and knowing there was an expectation that work was going to be my life too, Ijust accepted it. My lot.

Icould not wait to get afactory job in the school holidays.

When Iturned 15, Dad presented me with apair of leather safety shoes, terrible-looking things, clumpy,

brown, and heavy, not for dancing in.

Every school holiday break from 15 on Iworked as an oven-hand and fork-lift driver at Winstone’s Gracefield factory where Gibraltar Board, or gib board as it’s widely known, was made for the housing industry.

I’d leave from home with Dad in the factory van; asmall Bedford crammed with guys, most smoking, at 6.15am Monday to Saturday for the trip to work after aworking man’s breakfast at home. Afry-up of course.

I’d get the same van home at 4.30pm, 10-hour days. Iloved it. The work was hard and, at times, boring but Iworked with interesting characters.

Many men like Dad, working to support afamily. Locked into this work through alack of secondary education. Men not well from war struggling to still maintain the pride of work. Too stubborn to give up.

In time, it became clear to me that for me factory work was not alife plan. But that work gave me so many skills for use in later life.

Truck-driving, fork-lift driving, people skills: dealing with truck drivers all day long who delighted in giving schoolboys driving forklifts heaps when loading their trucks.

Too big and tough to fight so you learn to take it.

Character-forming.

Learning to know grown men and how they think. Learning tolerance. Learning good stuff from those men too.

Having pride in being aworking man, even though still akid.

After alifetime of work Ireally feel for those who missed getting awork ethic, for whatever reason.

SHOT OF THEDAY

Advocate photographer Michael Cunningham couldn’t resist capturing this sculpture 'Maia Maia' by Susan Dinkelacker in bronze and wood, that is in place at Whanga¯rei Town Basin.

4 The 2004book My Sister's Keeper was the 11th novel by what American author?

5 Paraire is aMa¯ori word for which day of the week?

6 What is the name of Hankand Peggy's son on the animated sitcom King of the Hill?

7 Peter Fraser served as the Prime Minister of what country from 1940to1949?

8 The name of themonth of October originates from the Latin word for what number?

9 Does the Tour de France consist of 21, 23, or 25 stages?

10 The SinisterSix are agroup of villains thattypically team up against what superhero?

History

1864 Near New Plymouth, Pai Ma¯rire ambush asmall British force intent on destroyingMa¯ori crops, killing and decapitating seven soldiers and wounding 12.

1896 The first modern Olympic gamesformally open in Athens, Greece.

1909 US explorers RobertPeary and Matthew Hensonand four Inuits become the first men to reach the North Pole.

1917 The US enters World War I officially declaringwar against Germany.

1919 The Maori (Pioneer) Battalion, one of only three NZ Expeditionary Force formations —and the only battalion —toreturn from World War Iasacomplete unit,receive a huge welcome inAuckland.

1943 Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is first published by Reynal & Hitchcock of New York.

1974 Swedish popgroup ABBA win the Eurovision SongContest in Brighton,England, with a performance of Waterloo.

2020 British PrimeMinister Boris Johnson is transferred to the intensive care unit of aLondon hospital where he is being treated for Covid-19

Birthdays

● Nobel Prizewinning scientist JamesDWatson is 95

● Rock singermusician Black Francis (The Pixies)is58

● Actor Paul Rudd is 54

● Actor-producer Jason Hervey is 51

● ActorJoel Garland is 48

Quiz Answers

1. MGMT 2. Johnny Cash 3. 64 4. Jodi Picoult 5.Friday 6. Bobby 7. New Zealand 8. Eight 9. 21 10. Spider-Man.

Questions set by Believe it or Not

Complaints

This

satisfied,

Photo /Mark Mitchell

Photo /Michael Cunningham

Anew work boat for Project Island Song was officially launched at the end of March in anaming ceremony, or whakaingoatia, with wha¯nau, mana whenua and the community present.

The boat is named in memory of Ra¯whiti kuia Ma¯rara Te Tai Hook, in recognition of her support of, and commitment to, Project Island Song since its very beginnings in the early 2000s.

Richard Robins, general manager of Project Island Song, said it was particularly special having Ma¯rara’s wha¯nau leading the significant day.

“Keeping the islands of Ipipiri pestfree is critical in ensuring they flourish and the species, whether reintroduced or not, remain safe on these island sanctuaries.”

He said work on pest management and surveillance on the islands was previously undertaken by the Department of Conservation (DoC). The project now had to take astep up, and the boat was vital to that process.

The new Kingfisher Catamaran will enable the organisation to respond urgently to any incursions that may be detected.

“Thanks to the considerable support from donors who have connections to the islands, or who want to ensure the longevity of the island wildlife sanctuaries, having our own boat has now become areality.”

The work boat will give Project Island Song greater independence and flexibility in running volunteer programmes on the islands and developing the ecotourism opportunities which will help local and international visitors to engage with their work.

Project Island Song is awildlife sanctuary. The seven main islands in the eastern Bay of Islands have been free of mammalian pests since 2009, and their natural ecosystems are being restored. Thousands of trees have been planted, and rare and endangered species have been reintroduced, with more species planned.

Kerikeri Bridge Club enticing learners

It’s billed as “the best card game in the world” and Kerikeri Bridge Club is enticing beginners to learn.

Lessons start on Sunday, April 7at

Sandy Myhre

The new work boat for Project Island Song, called Ma¯rara, was launched at the end of March at anaming ceremony in Russell. Photo/Project Island Song

continued from A12

7pm. It’s a10-week course which includes comprehensive notes and membership to the club for $30 for the remainder of the year. Lessons are held at the Bowling Club in Cobham Rd, Kerikeri.

Kaye Dennison from the club says bridge is agame alittle like Five Hundred and is derived from the card game Whist. It involves two partnerships playing against each other to win tricks and gain points.

“There are two parts to each hand of bridge, the bidding and the play. During bidding each pair decides if they would like to have atrump suit or if they want to play the hand without atrump suit. The pair then try to take the required number of tricks.”

She said once the lessons are completed the beginners can start playing, but it is not agame to be mastered quickly.

Club sessions are usually about three hours long and, if you don’t have apartner, there is ahost on a Monday from 1.30pm. The Social

Size does matter in 100x100 art exhibition

An exhibition of art at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri in April is billed as 100x100

It features 102 small works of art by 80 artists and each piece of art is sold for $100.

The exhibition is curated by Kerikeri artist, teacher and musician Mike Nettmann, and Kerikeri artist Joan Honeyfield.

Three months ago they issued an invitation to the artists and it has taken that time to gather enough works to put on the show.

The artists are primarily from Northland but there are some works

by artists from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Nettmann says it’s impossible to tell how many of the artworks will sell but, if past experience is anything to go by, it will be successful.

There was an effective online version of 100x100 in 2020 and, based on that positive result, the first “hard copy” exhibition was held at the Turner Centre in 2021. There was no exhibition last year because of Covid. The 100x100 art show runs until April 28, or earlier if all art is sold. Most of the artists were there on opening night yesterday.

Another of the 102 small works of art on display at the 100x100 art show in Kerikeri. The artist is from Christchurch.

Tuesday session is from 7pm to 9pm and caters for all levels from beginner to expert. It’s designed to ease a beginner into the world of club bridge.

For the lessons, there is one facilitator and two assistants, and the club expects anywhere between 14 and 25 new players to register.

The club has been in operation since 1964 and has 90 members who all play regularly.

The Children of Rangiand Papa

Gracing the bookshop of Russell Museum Te Whare Taonga o Korora¯reka is ahandsome, largeformat, hardcover book. It’s called The Children of Rangi and Papa, The Ma¯ori Story of Creation,and is by Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury.

It’s an absorbing portrayal of the creation legend, accompanied by 15 of Pauline’s original artworks. It has been recommissioned, with permission, from the original limitededition book of 1976, which is still in the museum. Back then there were 350 numbered and signed copies, bound in goat skin, stamped in gold

with endpapers of handmade Japanese rice paper. There was also a hardcover version.

Pauline was born in Matauri Bay. She attended Russell School and eventually enrolled in Elam School of Art where she was both apupil and, later, atutor. It was there that she met husband James (Jim) Yearbury. They moved to Russell in 1951 and opened agallery on the corner of York St and Chapel St. In aunique partnership, they produced most of the paintings, sculptures, pottery, handcrafts and antiques for sale there.

Wood panels depicting Ma¯ori myths and legends, designed by Pauline and incised, dyed and varnished by Jim, were an important part of their work. They later had a gallery next to their home in Matauwhi Bay.

When Pauline died in 1977, the Russell Museum mounted atribute to her consisting of her sketches and their wood panels, as part of the 2005 Matariki exhibition.

Now the book is for sale again in hardcover format.

The Children of Rangi and Papa, the front cover of abook by Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury and available at the Russell Museum.

One of the pieces of art that is for sale in the 100x100 art show at the Turner Centre. The artist is simply described as being from Kerikeri.

Trumpplednot guilty to thefelony charges, his mugshot wasnot taken

ProsecutorssaidTrump conspiredtounderminethe 2016presidential election by tryingtosuppress information

trying

Aconviction wouldnot preventhim from runningfor or winning thepresidencyin2024

Trump faces 34 felony counts

Former president utters just 10 words in courtroom, before lashing out in speech

Astone-faced Donald Trump made amomentous courtroom appearance yesterday when he was confronted with a34-count felony indictment charging him in ascheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in aManhattan courtroom was astunning —and humbling —spectacle for the first expresident to face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for apossible criminal trial in the city where he became acelebrity decades ago.

The indictment centres on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to

his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off aporn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

“The defendant, Donald JTrump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws,” said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, sombre and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said “not guilty” in afirm voice while facing ajudge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before yesterday arraignment had assailed the case against him as political per-

Donald Trump

secution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for aperiod at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case. Outside, onlookers, protesters, journalists and afew politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park across the street from the criminal courthouse. Ultimately, though, hardly anyone got aglimpse of Trump: He entered and left the courthouse out of view of demonstrators gathered in the park.

The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests and security was loose enough that plenty of passers-by walked through the park just to see what was going on.

One woman went through what looked like aTai Chi routine,

steadfastly ignoring the reporters.

Meanwhile, as he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered aprimetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the “hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises,’ and therefore, no case”.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric.

In asign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into abroadside against aseparate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

“I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” Trump said of the New York indictment. “This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.”

Trump’s wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

The indictment amounts to aremarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings.

It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behaviour in the two prior elections.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, afelony, is punishable by up to four years in prison —though it’s not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted.

Aconviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to afederal election and prosecutors’ likely reliance on akey witness, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centres on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump, as well as to aTrump Tower doorman who claimed to have astory about achild he alleged the former president had out of wedlock. —AP

*

Former President Trumpis escorted to acourtroom, left, and, right, in court forhis arraignment.

Inever thought anything like this could happen in America.

Soldiers stabbed

Two Israeli soldiers were reportedly stabbed by aPalestinian man near a military base outside Tel Aviv yesterday, as tensions simmered in the Holy Land on the day before Passover. Both soldiers were taken to hospital and were in astable condition, emergency workers said, after the attack in Tzrifin. The attacker is reportedly aPalestinian from Hebron in the West Bank. He was taken in for questioning by Israeli security forces. Such incidents are rare in central Israel. It comes at an already tense time in Jerusalem and the northern West Bank amid attacks as Israelis prepare for Passover and Palestinians observe Ramadan and Easter.

Fake audition

ARussian art graduate unwittingly murdered aprominent Kremlin propagandist during afake audition for ajob in journalism, Russian media have reported. Darya Trepova believed she was taking part in a “propaganda resistance” test for ajob at aKyiv-based website when she handed Vladlen Tatarsky the bomb that killed him, Fontanka, aSt Petersburg news site, reported, citing leaked transcripts of her interrogation by Russia’s FSB security service. Prosecutors yesterday charged Trepova with terrorism. The investigative committee said Trepova had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine. Her husband has said that she was framed. The bomb was hidden in agolden bust of Tatarsky.

Key meeting

Taiwan pushed back against threats of retaliation by China, ahead of an expected meeting between the island’s president and the US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy today. President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing a

tour of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. She will meet McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home. China has threatened countermeasures if Tsai meets McCarthy.

Nato change

Finland joined the Nato military alliance yesterday, dealing amajor blow to Russian President Vladimir

Camilla gains title

King Charles III’s wife has been officially identified as Queen Camilla for the first time, with Buckingham Palace using the title on invitations for the monarch’s May 6coronation.

Camilla, who until now has been described as queen consort, is given equal billing on the ornate medieval style invitations that will be sent to more than 2000 guests and were unveiled yesterday.

The new title is another step in the remarkable transformation of a woman once derided as a homewrecker because of her role in the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana.

Charles and Camilla met long before the future king married Diana in 1981 and their relationship continued throughout the tumultuous marriage. That made Camilla an object of scorn among Diana’s fans.

But Camilla has won over much of the British public with her warmth and down-to-earth humour since she married Charles in acivil ceremony in 2005.

Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband on May 6at Westminster Abbey. —AP

said that the 66-year-old American radio host would be his “last” wife. She was seen last week wearing an 11-carat diamond engagement ring, said to be worth about $3.9 million, and awedding was planned for midyear, but sources have confirmed that the whirlwind romance is now over. Vanity Fair magazine claimed that Murdoch had become “increasingly uncomfortable” with his fiance´e’s outspoken evangelical views. According to other reports, the couple came to a“mutual decision” after aheart-to-heart discussion during which Smith said she was struggling to cope with being in the public eye. Murdoch divorced his fourth wife, model and actor Jerry Hall, last year.

UN worker ban

Female Afghan employees of the United Nations have been banned by the ruling Taliban from working in the country. The UN mission expressed “serious concern” after its female staffers were prevented from reporting to work in eastern Nangarhar province. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said officials were told through “various conduits” that the ban applied to the whole country. The Taliban did not issue astatement.

In good health

Putin with ahistoric realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signalled they wanted to join Nato after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine sent ashiver of fear through its neighbours. “The era of

nonalignment in our history has come to an end —a new era begins,” President Sauli Niinisto¨said before his country’s blue-and-white flag was raised outside Nato headquarters.

Engagement off

Rupert Murdoch has called off his engagement to his prospective fifth wife, Ann Lesley Smith. The 92-yearold media tycoon announced his engagement afortnight ago, when he

Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met him in a Moscow prison yesterday for the first time since his detention last week and said “his health is good,” according to his employer, the Wall StreetJournal.Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested last Friday in Yekaterinburg. He is the first United States correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges. The reporter is being held for two months pending an probe.

King Charles IIIs wife has been officially identified as Queen Camilla.

OCR jumpaboutholding homeratesflat

Shock rise hawkish move from Reserve Bank governor

Liam Dann comment

Mortgage rates need to stay where they are, the Reserve Bank has told New Zealanders.

Yesterday, it delivered asurprise double rate hike to ensure they do just that.

As part of aregular Monetary Policy Review, rather than afull Monetary Statement, yesterday’s 50-basis-point rate hike didn’t come with apress conference or aReserve Bank report full of new forecasts and assumptions.

But the message was still loud and clear: inflation is too high and we can’t afford to offer mortgage holders any respite yet.

Reserve Bank Governor Adrian

Orr and the monetary policy committee say they needed to push harder against the market in order to ensure borrowing rates stay at current levels.

In other words, yesterday’s announcement isn’t likely to send fixed-rate mortgages to much higher levels.

This might be some small relief for concerned homeowners but any expectation that rates could be falling again in the near future has been blown out of the water.

Financial market pricing for twoyear rates rose, as did the kiwi dollar.

It was ahawkish move from a governor who, just ayear ago, was being accused of being too generous with stimulatory policy and too soft on inflation. He will likely now face criticisms that the economy is being squeezed too much and the risk of ahard landing —and deep recession —istoo high.

Jarden economist John Carran described the move as “myopic”, adding it was “with little consideration of the lags with which

monetary policy influences the economy”.

Had there been apress conference the counter-argument would likely be that having come this far we need to ensure the job on inflation is done.

Clearly, the RBNZ was concerned about markets —and borrowers relaxing too early.

“Wholesale interest rates have fallen significantly since the February Statement, and this could put downward pressure on lending

SHARE MARKET SNAPSHOT

sooner rather than later.

rates,” Orr said. “As aresult, a 50-basis-point increase in the OCR was seen as helping to maintain the current lending rates faced by businesses and households, while also supporting an increase in retail deposit rates.”

Basically, the global banking woes of the last month have pushed the US Federal Reserve into amore cautious monetary policy stance and eased rate pressure around the world.

The RBNZ noted that those banking woes don’t extend to our part of the world and we aren’t in a position to enjoy those lower rates.

“The committee’s assessment is that there is no material conflict between lowering inflation and maintaining financial stability in New Zealand,” it said.

The hike takes the rate to 5.25 per cent, the highest since 2008, but it is the fastest hiking cycle in history.

Despite the market shock apeak of 5.25 per cent was already priced into the outlook. It appears the RBNZ decided it might as well get there

THE NUMBERS

In fact, it said as much: “Members agreed that the sooner supply and demand were better matched in the economy, the lower the overall cost of reducing inflation.”

It raises the possibility that this could be the last hike in this cycle, although that hangs on how economic data lands in the next two months.

On Tuesday, Australia’s Reserve Bank paused its hiking cycle leaving the OCR at 3.6 per cent.

But inflation in Australia has also shown more signs of easing —down to just 6.8 per cent for the year to February.

In New Zealand, the latest data we have is to December 31 —anannual rate of 7.2 per cent. However, the Reserve Bank cited fears that we will likely see further inflationary pressure come on in the wake of the summer’s flooding and cyclone.

“The recent severe weather events in the North Island have led to higher prices for some goods and services,” Orr said.

Cin7 joins line of tech firms laying off staff

Chris Keall

The string of local tech layoffs continues. Auckland-based e-commerce firm Cin7 is culling staff, with aconsultation process due to wrap up this week.

The firm and owners did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but according to staff and documents sighted by the Herald,the company is laying off around 15 per cent of its staff.

Insiders put total staff at just under 300 —with around two-thirds in New Zealand and most of the balance in the US.

Cin7, founded in 2011 by Vietnamese refugee turned entrepreneur Danny Ing, assists firms that want to sell through Amazon.com and other e-commerce platforms.

The firm was bought by US private equity outfit Rubicon Technology Partners in 2019 in adeal that an Overseas Investment Office filing put at $133.3 million (ahead of the deal, Ing owned 40.3 per cent of Cin7 through adirect stake, and afurther 10 per cent through atrust.).

At the time of the Rubicon deal, Cin7 had around 150 staff. It bulked up by buying two smaller companies in 2021 and “went on ahiring spree” as the e-tail sector boomed during the first two years of Covid.

Cin7’s layoffs follow aspate of redunancies in the tech sector worldwide at the likes of Xero and MYOB.

Deal with Meridian to aid supply when grid under strain

Jamie Gray

Meridian and NZ Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) have struck adeal for the Tiwai Pt smelter to reduce electricity demand when the power grid is under stress.

The smelter is easily New Zealand’s biggest power user, taking about 12 per cent of current generation.

The deal will involve Meridian paying NZAS, which is majorityowned by mining giant Rio Tinto, for the power that it does not use over 2023 and 2024.

NZAS had previously signalled the ageing Southland plant would close next year but it could stay on for longer, particularly in light of its lowcarbon-emission credentials.

The agreement terminates at the end of 2024, the same date as the smelter’s electricity agreement.

Meridian and NZAS are in discussions about apossible new agreement to kick in after that date.

The power generator, Tiwai’s main supplier, said yesterday’s deal is conditional on approval from the Electricity Authority as it was a“materially large contract”.

Meridian was due to make the application yesterday.

If approved, Meridian will be able to require NZAS to cut consumption by 15-50 megawatts.

The different levels of demand flexibility have different ramp-down and ramp-up requirements.

“This is likely to be valuable at times of hydro shortage or when the electricity system is otherwise under stress, for example over winter peak periods or when generation or transmission is on outage or not available,”

Meridian chief executive Neal Barclay said.

“New Zealand needs to build more flexibility into its electricity market and we believe demand response has an important role to play,” he said.

Meridian would pay NZAS afixed price for each megawatt reduced.

Meridian and NZAS have also agreed to delete from the current electricity agreement the ability for Meridian to terminate the agreement if the smelter’s electricity use falls below 540MW for three months or more.

NZAS chief executive Chris

Blenkiron said the move would allow greater security across the power grid.

“We are proud to contribute to greater security across the electricity system by reducing our demand at times when the system is under stress,” he said.

“NZAS has reduced consumption in eight out of the past 10 years and will continue to do so to ensure there is areliable supply of electricity for New Zealanders when they need it most,” he said.

“This conditional agreement will

give Meridian the flexibility it needs to manage demand at critical periods, and we are pleased to continue to play our part as aresponsible electricity user,” he said.

Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian mining giant, has not been averse to playing hardball with governments and power companies around the world when it comes to securing the best deals for its energy-hungry smelters and New Zealand has been no exception.

In Southland, NZAS’ site remediation and treatment of toxic

waste have been hot issues. Around 10 per cent of Tiwai’s production is used domestically and the rest is exported to Rio’s partners. Aluminium produced at Tiwai is among the least carbon-intensive in the world.

“Right now –all eyes are on how the world energy sector is grappling with this transition,” Blenkiron said last year.

He said then that the smelter can dial back production to help the grid during adrought or in times of peak demand.

Blenkiron said the next two years would be critical for Tiwai.

The plant has been going for more than 50 years, which is when most smelters reach their use-by date, but Blenkiron said Rio’s Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania has been going for much longer.

“We are still working hard with the generators to find our future, and that’s been the big focus.”

NZAS chief executive Chris Blenkiron (right) says the deal will help Meridian manage national electricity demand at peak times.

Photos /Sylvie Whinray, ODT

House sales leap buyers retur

March 86% better than Feb for Barfoot &Thompson

Anne Gibson

Barfoot &Thompson sold 86 per cent more residential properties last month than in February in apattern its boss says is asign of arecovery.

The Northland, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga agencies sold 765 places last month, up on the 410 of February.

Managing director Peter Thompson said buyers were starting to return to the Auckland housing market, with sales reaching their highest number in 10 months and prices holding firm.

“March showed amodest but positive improvement in trading. Buyer confidence lifted,” he said.

The numbers are still well below last March, when the agency sold 1180 properties so this year’s transactions are well down.

Average prices are also down from last March’s $1.2m to $1.1m last month.

The agency listed 1460 extra properties for sale last month, which was strong in comparison to the first two months of this year but not as strong as in previous years.

“The number of listings at month end at 4751 are in line with where they normally are at the end of March and means that those buyers who are prepared to make acommitment have agood range of properties from which to choose,” he said.

Agents sold 60 places for more than $2m last month and 11 places for $3m+.

“The pipeline of conditional sales we made in the month also increased significantly, indicating that there is likely to be astrong flow of sales going unconditional in April,” he said.

Barfoot &Thompson’s data came out before the RBNZ's hawkish decision yesterday to raise the OCR by another 50 basis points.

February had been almost the slowest month in aquarter century, as Aucklanders brace to pay

$900/fortnight more on mortgages and mortgage defaults rise.

On Tuesday, credit business Centrix found 1.29 per cent of mortgages, or 18,900, were recorded as late or past due in February. This is up 23 per cent annually and could be attributed to people rolling off fixed home loans and being unable to service higher interest rates, it said.

Unsecured personal loan arrears had fallen back month-on-month to

8.9 per cent in February, but remain up annually as household cost pressures continue to rise.

On March 25, Barfoot &Thompson marked acentury in business with a sit-down three-course black-tie dinner for 3800 people in Auckland in amarquee the size of three rugby fields at the Ellerslie Events Centre.

Thompson said 2800 staff and managers from the agency’s 80 outlets in Northland, Auckland, Ham-

ilton and Tauranga attended.

The agency has its fourth generation of family members: Thompson’s daughter Paula, 26, is asales agent in the Grey Lynn office and his nephew Matt Thompson, aged in his early 30s, is arelieving manager, Peter Thompson said last month. Garth Barfoot and daughter Kiri, who heads the property management division, also work there, as well as Stephen Barfoot.

Thursday, April 6, 2023 www.northernadvocate.co.nz 21

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Ku¯mara bosses try to keep staff

CYCLONE: Ku¯mara growers were already facing tough times before Gabrielle even hit, Sam Olley writes.

K

u¯mara packers have had working hours slashed after this year’s crop was ravaged by Cyclone Gabrielle —but packhouse bosses are doing their best to keep staff on for next year’s season.Growers are nearing the end of a dismal harvest in Kaipara, losing about 70 per cent to rot.

Kaipara Ku¯mara in Ruawai normally washes, grades and packs about 7000 tonnes of ku¯mara per harvest.

This year it is tracking to less than 2000 tonnes.

Managing director Anthony Blundell said that tally “goes back to what we were packing 30 years ago, so it’s quite acatastrophic drop for us”.

He had been hoping for a“normal” year after Covid protocols disrupted operations —but the packhouse has about 35 staff and supply has been “turned upside down” by the cyclone.

“We’re probably going to have 21⁄2 days of production each week instead of four or five we’ve already had just acouple of staff members that have moved on or are looking for other jobs. We’ve got some staff members that are going to hang in there.”

Blundell said the business was “managing the best we can and topping up people’s wages, understanding the fact that in January 2024, we’ll be harvesting the 2024 crops so we’ll need everyone back on board”.

Grower Doug Nilsson suffered damage not only to his crops but also to sheds and housing for recognised seasonal employers (RSE workers), just outside of Dargaville.

“Every bit of our [plantation] flat went underwater here. So we had close to 7hectares of ku¯mara that had been underwater for four to six days. Anything longer than aday-anda-half, two days, and you’ve lost them.

“So it [floodwater] has been through our accommodation block down here. So [Cyclone] Bola came up to the level of our shed floors. This one was at least three-quarters of a

All of asudden, the projected income we had for the next 12 months is not there.

herbicides. But after that, we handweed.”

Grower Andre de Bruin was harvesting apaddock at Aratapu last week.

Rows of upturned dirt have scattered patches —where ku¯mara have been dug up, alongside compacted patches, where rotten ku¯mara have been hoed back into the ground.

“It wasn’t much fun —onthe scale it is, this is pretty unprecedented,” he told RNZ.

metre through all our cool stores. So we’ve lost the capabilities of our cool stores.”

He was granted $10,000 in government relief funding but that covered very little of the repair costs so far. Insurance is helping pay for infrastructure damage but not crop loss.

“If we get over the financial hurdle for the next 12 months, we can have acrop again,” he said.

“We’ve been [spending] three or four weeks cleaning subsurface drainage at the moment, silted up with the flooding. So that’s just an ongoing thing we’ve lost all our

pasture, we’ve had to sell off all our lambs that we normally take through and fatten.”

Nilsson was also regrassing paddocks and will “basically be a sheep farmer again for winter”.

“All of asudden, the projected income we had for the next 12 months is not there. So we’ve got to go 12 to 14 months now, with no income virtually at all, alittle bit from sheep, maybe abit off grass silage. And we’re determined not to have to cut our staff hours down, or lay anyone off.”

He said: “One of the hard things for growers this year is with the last two seasons —we’ve been selling below the cost of production. So already we’re under alittle bit of financial pressure and growers were borrowing money to put this crop in and then spent 90 per cent of the money on their crop. And just prior to harvesting —that’s where it’s been lost.”

Nilsson said growing ku¯mara was “very expensive”.

“We bed out our seed by hand. Once those plants are grown, we harvest them by hand, we take them to the shed, we store them and when we sort them, that’s all done by hand. Then we take them back out into the fields and they are all planted by hand. We have afew chemicals that we can spray little weeds with,

of rural

He said the most similar situation was after Cyclone Bola, “but there is areally big difference that people don’t realise”.

“Cyclone Bola hit towards the end of March. This Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February. So there was nothing harvested when Gabrielle hit. With Cyclone Bola, there was alot that was already harvested in the store sheds. So it was already good quality, sitting ready for market.”

However, de Bruin said “no matter how difficult” the situation was for Kaipara growers, “it’s still nothing compared to what some colleagues have had down in the Hawke’s Bay just atotally different scale”.

He was concerned about how well the ku¯mara would store before getting to shelves over the coming months.

“There’s alot of crop that’s going into store sheds that might have 10 per cent rot, 20 per cent or 30 per cent. Some won’t be very good at all, and so won’t make it to market. So at the moment, the overall impact is —individually, you kind of have afeel for it, but over the industry, it’s still ahard one to predict exactly.”

ers

Floodwaters completely covered Dargaville ku¯mara grower Doug Nilsson’s land as he picks up his RSE workers after their accommodation block flooded.

—Doug Nilsson

Below, rows of flooded ku¯mara.

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From gumboots to high heels

LIFESTYLE: Afarmgirl is taking to the catwalk as aMiss NZ finalist, writes Renae Lolohea

Depending on her role, you might see 26-year-old Zaley Tamihana-Brown in gumboots feeding her farm animals, in scrubs in alab, or strutting her stuff in high heels on acatwalk.

The Tolaga Bay resident is one of 18 finalists vying for the title of Miss New Zealand 2023.

Tamihana-Brown grew up in a farming family of seven and has lived in Muriwai, Manu¯tuke¯, Tolaga Bay and Cape Runaway.

When she decided to enter her first pageant, her family couldn’t believe it.

“They laughed so hard, especially my brother and my dad —myfamily isn’t used to seeing me wearing makeup or high heels, and one time my dad was like, ‘Who’s that?’, because he didn’t realise it was me.”

Mastering high heels took abit of practice and coaching.

“I did fall over quite alot, but it took me watching lots of videos and being coached to be able to strut my stuff on the runway,” she said.

As ashy child, Tamihana-Brown saw pageants as achance to grow her confidence, after noticing other contestants’ personal growth.

Her best friend Jasmine Dave, whom she met at university, suggested she try out for asmaller

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pageant first.

“In the smaller pageants, the audience is smaller. The [level of] judgment and the negative comments that come from doing pageants is a bit smaller,” Tamihana-Brown said.

Her first pageant was Miss Asia Pacific International in 2019. She was awarded the Miss Mia Belle award, named Miss Scuba International New Zealand, and went on to represent New Zealand in Miss Scuba International in Malaysia.

However, with the bigger pageants came bigger critiques and criticism.

She says her family keeps her grounded when it comes to dealing with criticism and bad comments.

“I have alot of wha¯nau that are really supportive of me. They remind me of who Iamand how far I’ve come in life. That’s what helps keep my head on straight,” she said.

Tamihana-Brown focuses on turning any negative online comments into positive ones.

“I’m not perfect, Ihave flaws and I’m okay with those flaws. Having people saying negative things to me [when] they have never met me —I take their negative comments with a grain of salt.”

In the Miss New Zealand pageant, the main category revolves around an interview and charity work.

Tamihana-Brown’s chosen charity is Brave, which raises awareness about sexual harm prevention among rangatahi in Aotearoa.

Other Miss NZ categories include appearance-based classics like the catwalk, swimwear, and evening gown brackets, along with newer

rounds like social media, which judge contestants’ ability to promote the show and themselves to get votes.

Tamihana-Brown is using her platform to allow her followers to get to know her more.

“I’ve decided to share things about me that are pretty raw, things that I know people would be able to resonate with and [which would allow them to] be able to relate to me, and hopefully draw some inspiration and motivation from me.”

As achild, Tamihana-Brown spent alot of time in and out of hospitals as her older twin sister was born with chronic renal failure.

This inspired Tamihana-Brown to enrol in nursing. She spent two years in Dunedin hospital working on a surgical ward in 2018, but then returned home to Gisborne to look after her grandmother, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2020.

She continued her study in Gisborne and is set to graduate at the end of this year with abachelor of nursing.

“I’m very passionate about Ma¯ori health, so Iwould really like to work somewhere out in the community, she said. “It’s no secret that Ma¯ori are over-represented in some of the poorest health statistics in New Zealand, and I’ve always wanted to help change that.”

The final of Miss New Zealand will be held on Friday, June 18 at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna. ■

Zaley Tamihana-Brown comes from afarming family but is now doing anursing degree and is passionate about Ma¯ori health, Photo /Miss NZ LTD

Ma¯ori growers to export kiwifruit

HORTICULTURE: MK partnership with Zesp exportstoHawaii

The country’s biggest group of Ma¯ori kiwifruit growers is to start exporting fruit to Hawaii this year with Taiwan next in its sights in afirst for Zespri-Maori collaboration.

Ma¯ori Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (MKGI), whose 40-plus members contribute about 10 per cent of New Zealand’s annual kiwifruit export volumes, has signed acollaborative marketing partnership with industrydominant exporter Zespri, to send Zespri-branded kiwifruit to Hawaii from May.

Global marketer Zespri, which has the statutory right to export all New Zealand kiwifruit, except to Australia, said the new partnership was its first with Ma¯ori growers.

MKGI chair Anaru Timutimu said the organisation supported the “single desk” exporter structure —“it’s been great for Ma¯ori landowners and Ma¯ori communities” —but Ma¯ori growers had been keen to export for several years.

“The history and genealogical links —that’s the exciting part.”

MKGI was eyeing Taiwan next, Timutimu said. Ma¯ori have common ancestry with indigenous Hawaiian and Taiwanese people.

MKGI, whose members are amix of Maori land trusts and Ma¯ori

incorporations, would export about 80,000 trays or 13 containers of fruit this year, he said.

Zespri’s chief grower, industry and sustainability officer Carol Ward said the Hawaiian market was relatively underdeveloped, with sales of about 80,000 trays of green and SunGold fruit ayear. Under the MKGI programme, which Ward said was apilot, MKGI would supply kiwifruit directly to Zespri’s distribution partner Fresh

Aloha Direct.

Timutimu said MKGI planned a cultural links marketing programme for its new venture, but not until next year.

“We’ll base it around an arts festival held in Hawaii next year about June. We’ll build our campaign towards that.

Asked if there was scope in the collaborative arrangement to make a financial premium for Ma¯ori growers, Timutimu said MKGI would make its return through the exporting, not fruit-growing, side of the initiative.

“To acertain extent we’re setting it up as aseparate export business. We’re still trying to figure out how we share in that opportunity. Initially, we will be drawing the fruit from the general [Zespri supply] pool, the fruit won’t necessarily be Ma¯ori grown. But in time we plan for the provenance to be end to end.”

The challenge with the Hawaii market was that consumers were attuned to smaller kiwifruit than Maori orchards produced.

“So we’ll initially source from the general pool and then hope to grow the market and change the [fruit size] profile, so consumers want bigger fruit. Ma¯ori growers don’t grow to that smaller fruit profile at the moment. Our goal is to sell more volume of bigger fruit.”

Timutimu said MKGI growers were “realistic”. “We are essentially a startup. We want to build our knowledge of exporting and logistics and marketing.”

About 85 per cent of MKGI member orchards were in the Bay of

Plenty, with the balance in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, the top of the South Island and Northland, he said.

The venture would help MKGI achieve awider view of the kiwifruit supply chain than it now had.

MKGI was formed in 2016 at the urging of Ma¯ori elders who wanted to develop Ma¯ori land and create a voice for Ma¯ori in the industry.

Zespri’s Ward said the company was involved in about 23 collaborative marketing programmes with 15 other companies to export New Zealand-grown fruit to arange of global markets.

The collaborative marketing process was overseen by industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand to provide grower choice of exporter and incentivise innovation, she said. It also helped develop new markets while allowing Zespri to focus its efforts more fully on export activities that delivered the strongest returns for growers.

The MKGI programme would be reviewed by the regulator annually to consider whether the programme helped to increase the overall wealth of New Zealand kiwifruit producers.

Earlier this year Zespri created the role of head of Ma¯ori alliances. ■

Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated chairman Anaru Timutimu at the Otama Marere Trust orchard in the Bay of Plenty.

Photo /Andrew Warner

The history and genealogical links —that’s the exciting part.

—Anaru Timutimu, MKGI chairman

Puzzlesandhoroscopes

Cryptic crossword

ACROSS

1. Is quick to get change paid right at the beginning (5)

4. Menial who ran about with vest (7)

8. About beginning of centuryisright as fightingstops (5)

9. Lie will be concerned with ahundred on the row(7)

10. Travelling-wrapmay be put on the floor (3)

11. It may be amusing, its making people go roundabout way (9)

12. Sir Thomas was wanted by Oliver (4)

13. Hare's last appearance axed afterstart of Spring (4)

18. Finish with expression in ahalfofthe test (9)

20. Teeoften encourages beginners to use front of club (3)

21 Item of baggageseemingly indicates none other is needed (7)

22. French woman given aplace in Florida(5)

23. Resist changes made to the South by the Pleiades (7)

24. An anthem explicitly showing subject to be developed (5)

DOWN

1. Give back lights for second engagements of same teams (6,7)

2. One diving gets control being depressed (7)

3. Doctor Sade was upset, which one is horrified by (6)

4. Struggle to burst the rivets (6)

5. In rigorous extremes work out cure thatkeeps happening(6)

6. ALiberal oneclaims one wasn't there when it happened (5)

7. Conforming to the start of adistance event? (6,3,4)

14. It is included in alarge boxofsalt (7)

15. Face six differing ages (6)

16 They arewrong to be served out of court (6)

17. Alady'sinstruction to her hairdresser in document form (6)

19. Turns over and over,socar begins to move (5)

Quickcrossword

Puzzled by real estate? Tait Real Estate have the solutions! Tait Real Estate (Est 1960) Limited -Licensed REAA 2008 Phone 09 438 3519

Simon Shuker’s Code-Cracker

Your Stars

ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): While it's fun to hear the very thing you wanted to, getting the exact feedback you desire is rare. Provide it for yourself. You're the one most qualified. Youdon't need approval when youalreadyapprove of yourself.

TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): Don't be concerned with what the other person is trying to say. Everything said is bound to other contexts and therefore incomplete. To listen well is to listen without jumping to fill in the blanks.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21): Youmay look confident to an outsider,but you're inwardly wonderingif you're in over your head. It's OK if you are. This is more of aswimming pool than an ocean. Hold on to the side until you get your bearings.

CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 22): You'll get an opportunity with acaveatthatcould make or break the deal for you. Whatdoyou really want? If you're willing to lose all, you'll probably walk away with exactly whatyou wanted in the first place.

LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Dig to the root of an issue. It will be different from whatyou assume it to be. Feel your waythere. When it doesn't make sense, let it stay as nonsense. This one doesn't belong in the intellectual realm.

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): You'll walk afine line between being direct and being harsh and manage to deliver apointed message with asofttouch –impressive!This is askill you'll be admired and possibly employed for

LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): Some say friendship with yourself is needed before you can be friends with anyone else, but it's hard to knowhow to befriend yourself without amodel. Whether you need it or not, you'll have such aperson today.

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov21): Relax while you can. Now you're floating down aquiet stream, but you don't knowwhatkindofrapidsawait just beyond the river's bend. Soon it will be time to brace yourself for the excitement.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov22-Dec 21): The lines of territoryand responsibility are like boundaries on amap.It's easier to agree on where they are in theory. Things are alittle different on the ground. Stay cool, calm and collected and all will work out.

WordWheel

Insert the missing letter to complete an eight-letter word reading clockwise or anti-clockwise.

N E E L ? N A T

www.thepuzzlecompany.co.nz

Sudoku Fill

ACROSS

7. Worn down (6)

8. Interfere (6)

10. Inactivity (7)

11. Claw(5)

12. Female sheep (4)

13. Risky (5)

17. Faithful (5)

18. Visit (4)

22. Social status (5)

23. Hearing distance (7)

24. Beginning (6)

25. Casket (6)

DOWN

1. Invented (7)

2. Cringed (7)

3. Divine being (5)

4. Refined (7)

5. X-rated (5)

6. Intends (5) 9. Drooled (9) 14. Strengthen (7) 15. Depart suddenly (4,3) 16. Very obvious (7) 19. Thespian (5)

20. Flavour (5) 21. Evidence (5)

How many words of three or more letters, including plurals, can you make only once? No words beginning with a capital are allowed. There’satleast one Good 8 Very Good 9 Excellent 12

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Your talent for organising will extend to projects, items and people. You'll sort andcategorise. This puts everyone at ease. People know where things are and what they're expected to do. Youleadlike apro

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): Your priorities have changed, and you'll adjust your thinking to anew hierarchy. Your aim is big enough to excite you and motivate you, but not so big as to be unattainable.

PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Some memories come back sweetly, others come cringingly back and then there are the ones thatnever come back. Youcan make sure today's events make the round trip by adding something strange, bold and novel.

Previous cryptic solution

Across: 1. Earthquakes8.Paged 9. Lingers10. Reddens 11. Lance 12. Saying14.Adores 18. Defer19. Recover 21.Distort23. Loose 24. Restriction

Down: 1. Exports 2. Rigidly 3. Hedge4.Unless 5. Kindled 6. See 7. Paste 13.Nervous15. Ravioli 16.Surgeon 17.Grater 18.Dodge20. Colic 22. Sir

Previous quicksolution

Previous solution: ahs, ash, ats, has, hast, hat, hats, haw,haws, sat, saw, shaw,swat, swath, taw,taws, thaw, thaws, was, wash, wast, what

Across: 6. Pairing7.Crate 9. Beg10. Bellicose 12. Frontrunner 15.Wear andtear 17.Ancestors 19. Mad 21. Retch 22. Bangers.

Down: 1. Lazed 2. Ire3.Once 4. Draconian5.Stashed 8. Claret 11. Prurience13. Ninety 14.Seances 16.Cairn 18. Rear20. Ugh

grid so thateverycolumn, everyrow and 3x3 box contains the digits 1to9

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

the

VS MA JO RU TK EDS FJ

TC AAA LI OO ZN OO KJ

ST RI PX PCK IT WL ZC

AD TR EV ERY SW FO GA

RE IN SX NK OP IN IO N

UX NK GJ QT WF NS SP D

EV IL DT AN GL EX TO L

XI ADP VM FE KPX QS E

DDR OP WA TE RO DE SS

EE QG RH ZC QR ZH AR I

PO LI OU IL AB OA RDC

OA JD VH NN RQ NM AM U

SI NG IN GJ CO ER CE S

YM OG SB KGE ZS WHW E

OT RI OP PA DV IS EP R

SOLUTIONS

NUMBER CRUNCHER

6am Breakfast 9am Lingo 10am Tipping Point

11am The Chase Noon 1News at Midday

12:30 Emmerdale PG

1pm Attitude

1:30 Coronation Street PG

2pm MillionaireHot Seat

3pm Tipping Point

4pm Te Karere

4:30 Mike and Molly PGC

Molly is not pleased with Mike and Vince’s newfound bond.

5pm The Chase

6pm 1News at 6pm

7pm Seven Sharp

7:30 The Great British Sewing Bee PG

8:45 HardQuiz M

TomGleeson puts self-proclaimed experts through the wringer on Second World Wartanks, He-Man and the Mastersof the Universe, girl group Bananarama and Woody Allen’sfilm, Manhattan.

9:20 Coronation Street PG

10:20 1News Tonight

10:50 Shortland Street PG

11:15 Doctor Doctor M

12:10 20/20 1am Te Karere

1:25 F Grace MVC

4:30 Britain’sMost Expensive Home PG 5:35 Te Karere

6:32 Christmas on Wheels 2020

Romance

7:55 Jurassic World Dominion MV

2022 Action. 10:17 Separation MVLC 2020 Horror

12:01 Vfor Vengeance 16VLS 2022 Horror

1:23 Uncharted MVL 2022 Action.

3:15 Agent Game 16VL 2022 Action.

4:44 The 355 MVL 2022 Action. Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz.

6:42 American Underdog PG 2021 Drama.

8:30 Elvis MLSC 2022 Drama. Austin Butler

TomHanks.

11:10 Operation Mincemeat ML 2022 Drama.

Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen.

1:15 Spider-Man: No WayHome MV 2021 Action.

TomHolland, Benedict Cumberbatch.

3:40 Our Ladies 16LSC 2021 Comedy

5:25 The CardCounter 16VLSC 2021 Thriller

6:50 L Football: Premier League West Ham United v Newcastle United. 9am Rugby: Women’sSix Nations (RPL) Ireland vFrance.

11am Rugby: Women’sSix Nations (RPL) Scotland

vWales. 1pm Rugby: Women’sSix Nations (RPL) England vItaly 3pm Football: Premier League (HLS)

3:30 Rugby: Champions Cup (HLS) 4:30 Between

TwoPosts 5:30 Aotearoa Rugby Pod

6:30 Hoop Heads

7pm L Basketball: NZNBL Franklin Bulls v Hawke’sBay Hawks. From Franklin Pool and Leisure, Pukekohe. 9pm UFC on Sky 9:30 Crowd Goes Wild

10pm Inside Netball 10:30 Super Rugby Pacific

(RPL) Hurricanes vForce. 12:30 Aotearoa Rugby Pod

1:30 Crowd Goes Wild PG 2am Super Rugby Pacific

(RPL) Moana Pasifika vHighlanders. 4am Basketball: NZNBL (RPL) Franklin Bulls vHawke’sBay Hawks.

Dream Kitchens and Bathrooms 30

6:45 Praise Be 30

7:15 Eat Well for Less 30

8:20 Susan Calman’sGrand Day Out 30

9:05 Lingo 0 10am Tipping Point 30 10:50 The Chase 30 11:40 The Repair Shop PG 30 12:30 Emmerdale PG 0

12:55 Country Calendar 30

1:30 Coronation Street PG 30

1:55 India Unplated 30

2:25 MillionaireHot Seat 0

3:10 Tipping Point 0

4pm Te Karere

4:25 Mike and Molly 30

5:10 The Chase 30

6pm 1News at 6pm 0

7pm M The WizardofOz 3 1939

Fantasy Adventure. Judy Garland. 0

8:45 M Judy M2019Drama.

Renee Zellweger,Jessie Buckley 0

10:40 M Best in Show M2000

Comedy Eugene Levy 0

12:10 Good with Wood 30

1am Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby 30 2:05 Te Karere 3

2:40 Infomercials

5:35 Te Karere 3

in Space PG 0 5:05 F Bird’s Eye View 30 5:10 Friends 30

5:30 M Wallace and Gromit: The Curse Of the Were-Rabbit PG 3 2005

Animation. 0 7pm M Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 1971

Fantasy 0 8:35 M Snow White and the Huntsman MV 2012 Action

Adventure. 0 10:40 Hartland US With Leigh Hart M 30 11:05 Taskmaster

ML 30 11:55 Tell Me aStory

16VL 0 12:35 United States of Tara

16LC 0 1:05 Emmerdale PG 30

1:25 Infomercials 2:25 Smash MS 0

3:55 F Harry Potter: Hogwarts

Tournament 30 4:45 MasterChef

Australia: MasterClass 30

5:30 The Big Bang Theory 30

7:20 Belfast MVL 2021 Drama.

9am Scream 16VL 2022 Horror

10:55 Joe Bell MVLSC 2020

Drama. 12:30 Emily the Criminal 16VLC 2022

Thriller 2:05 Everything EverywhereAll at Once 16VLSC 2022 Action.

4:25 Downton Abbey: ANew Era PGL 2022

Drama. Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith.

6:30 South of Heaven 16VLSC 2021 Action.

8:30 Fortress 16VLC 2022 Action.

10:10 The Outfit 16VLSC 2022 Crime.

Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch.

11:55 Infinite Storm MLC 2022 Drama.

Naomi Watts, Billy Howle.

1:30 Cry Macho MC 2021 Drama.

3:15 Malignant 18VLC 2021 Horror

5:05 Stillwater MVLC 2021 Drama.

6am Gold Rush Marathon PG 0

11:20 House Crashers 30

11:45 M Faith Heist PG 3 2021 Comedy Jonathan Langdon, Dalmar Abuzeid. 0

1:30 Cutthroat Kitchen PG 30

2:25 House Crashers 30

2:50 Yard Crashers 30

3:15 M How to Train Your Dragon 3 3 2019 Animation. America Ferrera, GerardButler 0

5:05 Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine PG 0

6pm Newshub Live at 6pm 0

7pm M Dragon Rider PG 2020 Animation. Ayoung silver dragon teams up with amountain spirit and an orphaned boy on ajourney through the Himalayas in search for the rim of heaven. Freddie Highmore, Felicity Jones. 0

8:40 M Rush 16 3 2013 Drama. Based on the true story of the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde. 0

10:40 LA’s Finest 16 30

11:30 Yard Crashers

6am L Darts: Premier League Night 10.From Birmingham. 9:30 UFC on Sky

10am Aussie Rules: AFL (RPL) Brisbane Lions v Collingwood. From The Gabba, Brisbane.

1pm Inside Netball 1:30 Aotearoa Rugby Pod

2:30 Rugby: Champions Cup (HLS) 3:30 Rugby

Heaven Aweekly show from Australia, talking all things rugby 4:30 Crowd Goes Wild PG

5pm All Access: A-League 5:30 Rugby Heaven

6:30 L Super Rugby Pacific Crusaders vMoana Pasifika. 9:30 L Super Rugby Pacific Reds vBrumbies. Midnight UFC on Sky 12:30 Rugby Heaven 1:30 Cricket: IPL (HLS) Kolkata Knight RidersvRoyal Challengers Bangalore. 1:50 L Cricket: IPL Lucknow Super Giants vSunrisersHyderabad.

2pm The Late Show with Stephen Colbert PG 3pm Wheel of Fortune

3:25 Jeopardy

3:50 Football: A-League Men (HLS)

5pm Rural Delivery

5:30 Prime News 6pm Storage Wars

PGL The buyersencounter new auctioneersinCosta Mesa; Darrell defends his turf; Ivy Calvin finds atool he has never seen before.

7pm Pawn Stars PG

7:30 Celebrity Bake Off PG TanFrance, Caroline Quentin, Joel Dommett and Johanna Konta arewelcomed to the tent to bake for their charity

8:35 What Happened, Brittany Murphy

16VLC Not long after Brittany’sdeath, Simon dies from similar causes, shedding light on Simon’spast and the couple’s relationship.

9:45 FBI MV

11:40 Crowd Goes Wild PG

12:10 UFC on Sky MVC 12:35 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert PG

1:25 Closedown 5:30 Go South

5pm Mysteries at the Museum PG 6pm American Pickers PG 7pm Shipping Wars PG 7:30 Bondi Rescue PG

8pm Border Security: Australia PG 8:30 The Great Pottery Throwdown PG The pottershave to make abowl of ceramic fruit and face ablindfolded throw down with atwist. 9:30 Highclere: Behind the Scenes 10:30 My Big Family Farm 11:30 Flea Market Flip Midnight Bake Off: The Professionals PG

12:45 Bake Off: The Professionals PG

1:35 Bake Off: The Professionals PG

2:20 Bake Off: The Professionals

Friday April7

6am Bake Off: The Professionals PG

6am Go South 3

Journey from Auckland to the deep south in an immersive soundscape, making it feel like you arethere.

5:30 Prime News News, sport and weather,with updates through the night.

6pm F The Middle PGC

The Heck family prepares for Axl’sbig move to Denver 0

6:20 Storage Wars PGL 3

The Harris Brothersgointo stealth mode; Jarrod and Brandi find their charitable sides; Barry unearths abag that has him hitting the slopes.

6:45 L Super Rugby Pacific CrusadersvMoana Pasfika. From Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch.

8:55 Pawn Stars PGC 3

The team checks out atoilet seat form the Nasa space shuttle programme; Corey is offered asigned copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

9:20 Rugby League: NRL (DLY) Bulldogs vRabbitohs.

From Accor Stadium, Sydney

11:05 Raw PGV The latest WWE action. 11:55 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert PG

12:45 Closedown 1am Infomercials

6:55 Bake Off: The Professionals PG

7:50 Restaurant: Impossible

8:30 The Pioneer Woman 9am Valerie’s Home Cooking 9:25 Everyday Italian 9:50 Choccywoccydoodah

Bondi Rescue PG Newcomer Max attemptstoimpress the team; abeginner surferlearns apainful lesson; Bondi’snewest celebrity makes an appearance. 7:50 Border Security: Australia PG 8:20 This Time Next Year UK PG 9pm Twice the Life for Half the Price PG 9:45 Undercover Big Boss PG

©TVNZ 2023© TVNZ2023

Afront moves northwards over central New Zealand today,while a trough approaching from the north Tasman Sea approaches Northland this evening. Aridge of high pressuresits over the South Island tomorrow.Meanwhile, acomplex low to the north of the country approaches the far north tomorrow,then slowly moves southeast during weekend, while northerly flow covers the South Island.

NORTHLAND FIVE DAYFORECAST

Today: Cloud increasing, with rain spreading from the northeast from late morning,possibly heavynorth of Paihia from afternoon. SE.

Tomorrow: Showers, rain from afternoon. SE, strong from morning.

Saturday: Rain, easing to isolated showers in the evening. Southerlies, turning to fresh westerlies in the afternoon.

Sunday: Isolated showers, turning to occasionalrain. Fresh NW

Monday: Afew showers. Northwesterlies.

NEW ZEALAND TODAY

Hamilton mainlyfine 20 10

Tauranga mainlyfine 20 14

Rotorua mainlyfine 19 10

Taupo cloudy 18 9

Napier mainlyfine 24 12

NewPlymouth cloudy 20 10

Palmerston Nth mainlyfine 20 11

Wellington mainly fine 19 11 Nelson mainly fine 20 10 Greymouth showers 17 5 Christchurch drizzle 16 8 Queenstown clearing 13 1 Dunedin clearing 13 6 Invercargill few showers11 5

Cape Wiwiki -Cape Brett and Poor Knights Islands-Bream Head

Today: Variable 5kt, SE 15kt developing, rising to 25kt gust 35kt in the afternoon. Sea becoming rough in the afternoon. Eswell half to 1m. NE 2m developing. Fair visibility in showers, poor in rain in the afternoon.

Tomorrow: SE 20kt, rising to 30kt. Easing to E20kt in evening. Nswell 2m. SE swell rising to 2m. Rain.

Saturday: E20kt, turning S15kt early.Turning W15kt. SE swell rising to 2.5m. Nswell 2m. Rain, clearing later

Sunday: W15kt. Rising to NW 25kt early,easing to 15kt. SE swell 2m, easing to 1m. Nswell 2m, easing to 1.5m. Afew showers, clearing later

WHANGAREIMARINE FORECAST

Today: Variable 5kt, E10kt developing around midday,rising to SE 15kt but 20kt about Colville Channel in the afternoon. Sea becoming moderate about Colville Channel in the afternoon. NE swell 0.5m, rising to 1.5m. Partly cloudy with fair visibility in scattered evening rain.

Tomorrow: SE 20kt, rising to E30kt. NE swell 1.5m. Rain.

Saturday: E30kt, easing to 20kt early.Changing S15kt, then turning W15kt late. Nswell rising to 2m, then easing to 1.5m. Eswell 2m developing, then easing to 1m. Rain, easing.

Sunday: NW 25kt, easing to 15kt late. Nswell 1.5m. Eswell 1m, easing to 0.5m. Afew showers, clearing later

to date this month to date this year average for Apr

THE RUNWAY AT iD FASHION

Showers, turning to rain in the afternoon. Strong southeasterlies. SATURDAYSUNDAY max 19 min 15 max 21 min 16 max 20 min 13 max 23 min 17

with northwesterlies. The odd shower possible.

Partly

20/12 18/14 18/14 19/15 20/15 20/14 21/14

Good Good Good R7:11 pm S8:21 am R6:42 pm S7:17 am R6:16 pm S6:16 am S6:08 pm R6:41 am S6:09 pm R6:40 am S6:11 pm R6:39 am Good R7:45 pm S9:28 am S6:07 pm R6:41 am am pm 369 369 noon Apr 8 Saturday am pm 369 369 noon Apr 7 Friday am pm 369 369 noon Apr 6 Thursday Whangarei Mangawhai Marsden Point Tutukaka Russell Whangaroa Houhora Pouto Point Cape Maria V. D’n Opononi Te Kopuru Whangarei Mangawhai Marsden Point Tutukaka Russell Whangaroa Houhora Pouto Point Cape Maria V. D’n Opononi Te Kopuru Whangarei Mangawhai Marsden Point Tutukaka Russell Whangaroa Houhora Pouto Point Cape Maria V. D’n Opononi Te Kopuru H L 8:04am 8:28pm 1:40am 2:07pm H L 7:45am 8:12pm 1:30am 1:57pm H L 7:41am 8:08pm 1:28am 1:55pm H L 7:26am 7:53pm 1:18am 1:45pm H L 7:41am 8:08pm 1:32am 1:59pm H L 7:50am 8:15pm 1:40am 2:05pm H L 8:11am 8:38pm 1:58am 2:25pm H L 10:41am 11:03pm 4:31am 4:51pm H L 9:18am 9:38pm 3:14am 3:33pm H L 10:00am 10:20pm 3:59am 4:18pm H L 11:49am 6:25am 6:44pm H L 8:43am 9:08pm 2:21am 2:47pm H L 8:23am 8:52pm 2:09am 2:35pm H L 8:19am 8:48pm 2:07am 2:33pm H L 8:04am 8:33pm 1:57am 2:23pm H L 8:19am 8:48pm 2:11am 2:37pm H L 8:26am 8:53pm 2:17am 2:41pm H L 8:49am 9:18pm 2:37am 3:03pm H L 11:16am 11:38pm 5:07am 5:27pm H L 9:50am 10:11pm 3:46am 4:07pm H L 10:32am 10:53pm 4:31am 4:52pm H L 12:09am 12:21pm 6:57am 7:18pm H L 9:22am 9:49pm 3:03am 3:28pm H L 9:03am 9:33pm 2:49am 3:15pm H L 8:59am 9:29pm 2:47am 3:13pm H L 8:44am 9:14pm 2:37am 3:03pm H L 8:59am 9:29pm 2:51am 3:17pm H L 9:03am 9:31pm 2:55am 3:18pm H L 9:29am 9:59pm 3:17am 3:43pm H L 11:52am 5:43am 6:04pm H L 10:23am 10:45pm 4:20am 4:42pm H L 11:05am 11:27pm 5:05am 5:27pm H L 12:42am 12:54pm 7:31am 7:53pm am pm 369 369 noon Apr 9 Sunday Whangarei Mangawhai Marsden Point Tutukaka Russell Whangaroa Houhora Pouto Point Cape Maria V. D’n Opononi Te Kopuru H L 10:03am 10:31pm 3:45am 4:09pm H L 9:44am 10:15pm 3:31am 3:55pm H L 9:40am 10:11pm 3:29am 3:53pm H L 9:25am 9:56pm 3:19am 3:43pm H L 9:40am 10:11pm 3:33am 3:57pm H L 9:42am 10:11pm 3:34am 3:57pm H L 10:10am 10:41pm 3:59am 4:23pm H L 12:14am 12:30pm 6:20am 6:42pm H L 11:00am 11:22pm 4:56am 5:19pm H L 11:42am 5:41am 6:04pm H L 1:16am 1:31pm 8:07am 8:30pm 2.9 2.6 2.2 96 137 152 122 94 82 87 19/16 1 1 1 1 Temperature °C 6pm temp max yesterday min yesterday grass min yesterday Rain mm 24hrs to 6pm Pressure hPa mean sealevel Max Gust kmh directionand speed Evapotranspiration mm daily average for week READINGSTO6PM WEDNESDAY WHANGAREI PROTECTION REQUIRED SUNPROTECTIONALERT Data provided by NIWA –Even on cloudy days 9:35 3:10 AM PM Tides: ©Copyright OceanFun Publishing, Ltd Maori Fishing Guide by Bill Hohepa MIDDAYTODAY

17.3 20.9 9.9 8.7 0.2 6.4 678.2 1014.2 SW 17 16.1 19.9 8.6 10.3 0.2 7.2 895.6 NE 28 16.4 12.9 0.0 4.8 582.8 1014.5 21.6 17.8 21.1 9.1 0.0 5.7 871.0 1014.2 N26 16.8 20.1 8.7 0.0 18.4 716.8 1014.5 N26 36.6 477.8 16.8 19.6 10.8 0.0 1014.6 16.4 20.8 8.4 1014.4 NE 28 0.2 12.6 493.8

Family Notices

Deaths

BEER, Paul Harry.

Born 18th January 1931. Passedaway peacefully on 3rd April 2023 on his 66th Wedding Anniversary.

Dearly beloved husband of Joy, loving Father of Deborah, (deceased) Son Evan and daughter in law Michelle. Funeral will be held at Broadwood Hall Wednesday 12th April 1pm. Followed by burial at Broadwood Cemetery.

LocalClassifieds

In Memoriam

Public Notices

HETA, Ada Ira (ne´e Petera) 08.07.1938~07.04.2019

Mum, four years have passed. Miss your smiling face when you say "Kia Ora."

Much loved mum, nana, and karani nana. Always missed, never forgotten.

Arohanui Hone, Tamariki, and Moko’s.

THOMSON,

In Memoriam

Passed away April 6 2022, aged 79 years. Daughter of Walter & Jean Snell, Sister of Kathleen Price & Maureen Donaldson, Wife of Don, Mother of Craig &Denise, Nana June of Blake & Ivy. Dearly loved, respected, and missed. Rest In Peace.

Funeral Arrangements

Geards Funeral Home

AUCTION!

TIMBER, ROUNDWOOD, BATTENS

A/C Mt Pokaka Timber Products Ltd 1213 State Highway 10, Kerikeri

Starts: 10am 15th April 2023 (Register from 8.30am)

TIMBER

Assortment of H3.2 &H4Timberincluding decking, landscaping, palings, TG&V and RS retaining, fence rails, stockyardrails,assortedmixed packs.

ROUNDWOOD

Quantities of H4 Round, Quarter Round, Half Round Posts and Strainers

Volume of 1.8m, 2.4m &2.7m mixed seconds RW secondssold at $1 RESERVE

BATTENS

H3.2 50x40x1.14m

H3.2 50x50x1.14m Seconds Battens

Catalogue available from 5th April BIDDING WILL COMMENCE 10.00am SHARP.

REGISTRATION

Email: sales@mtpokaka.co.nz

Phone: 09 407 7271 or 0800 POKAKA ext.1 Or on the day from 8.30am.

PAYMENT TERMS

Accounts, Cash, or Eftpos

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GOLF OPINION

Doug Ferguson

The Masters should be above all the clamour caused by 18 players from LIV Golf and this feeling of “us versus them” in the first major championship of the year.

But just wait until names and numbers start to fill the white scoreboards around Augusta National tomorrow. Try to see only names without considering their allegiance.

No one wants to talk about it. That doesn’t mean no one is thinking about it.

The Masters is areal chance for LIV Golf because with few exceptions, its members have not mixed it up with anyone but themselves over the last nine months while piling up generational wealth provided by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

And now they’re all in the same arena. It’s not about relationships on the range, in the locker room at the Masters Club dinner —it’s about performance.

“I think it’s just important for LIV guys to be up there because Ithink we need to be up there,” said Cameron Smith, still known more as the ”champion golfer of the year” from St. Andrews than team captain of LIV’s Rippers.

“I think there’s alot of chatter about: ‘These guys don’t play real golf. These guys don’t play real golf courses.’ For sure, I’ll be the first one to say the fields aren’t as strong,” Smith said. “But we’ve still got alot of guys up there that can play some really serious golf.”

Dustin Johnson in agreen jacket on Monday? That would surprise no one.

Johnson has been No 1inthe world longer than any player since Tiger

Cameron Smith

Woods, and everyone knows his current world ranking of No 69 requires an asterisk. He hasn’t played atournament with ranking points since he tied for sixth in the British Open.

Brooks Koepka is coming off a victory last week in LIV Golf-Orlando and is starting to regain that swagger that made him “Big Game Brooks.”

He’s won four of his last 20 majors. Koepka was so excited about his prospects after winning last weekend that he said, “It gives me chills thinking of the capabilities of what Ican do when I’m healthy.”

All this give Greg Norman chills just thinking about it.

Norman, the CEO and commissioner of the Saudi-funded league, sounds as though he would consider aLIV player winning the Masters

even sweeter than if the Shark had won it himself, which he famously never did.

“I would be the happiest man in the world, the first to ring and congratulate and pay for what would be an incredible party,” Norman told the Daily Telegraph last week in Florida.

“They’ve said that if one of them wins, then the other 17 will hang around and be there to congratulate him around the 18th green,” Norman said. “Could you imagine what a scene that would be, all these players hugging the winner? You only see things like that in the Ryder Cup, although it’s happening in our events more and more.”

With the Masters on the horizon, LIV Golf offered aclever reminder of the players it has on its 48-man roster

with interviews and images of Phil Mickelson putting the green jacket on Charl Schwartzel, who ayear later presented it to Bubba Watson. And then there was Sergio Garcia passing along the green jacket to Patrick Reed.

But it also raised questions about where these guys are now. Mickelson hasn’t made acut against afull field on the PGA Tour since September 2021. Since joining LIV, he has finished in the bottom half of the 48-man fields eight out of his 10 tournaments.

Watson is coming up on five years without awin. It’s hard to move past Rory McIlroy referring to LIV as the “pre-Champions Tour”.

And now consider the flip side. What happens if none of the LIV players contend this week?

It’s asmall sample size, for sure.

The best measure of LIV players and suggestions they lack sharpness or serious competition to be considered among the elite in golf —will be an entire season of majors, if not longer.

The Masters is only the first test.

And depending on apotential winner, the reputation of LIV Golf has more to lose than it does to gain. If it were to be Johnson, Koepka, Reed or Joaquin Niemann? These guys are good players. But if no one contends? That’s all the ammunition needed for critics who believe LIV Golf has no relevance.

LIV Golf promotes how its players often look at leaderboards at their events to see how their team is doing. The Masters might not be any different. —AP

Fox among the later starters forfirst roundatAugusta

Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox will be among the late starters tomorrow morning when the Masters gets underway at Augusta.

Fox, who has been grouped with Americans Billy Horschel and Harris English for the first two rounds, is at golf’s biggest stage for the first time.

He’ll start at 4.36am New Zealand time before a1.24am tee-off on Saturday for the second round.

The Masters have largely decided against grouping the outspoken PGA Tour stars with their LIV counterparts for the opening two rounds.

Tiger Woods is featured alongside Viktor Hovland and Xander

Schauffele (2.18am NZT) while another group will see defending champion Scottie Scheffler teeing up alongside Max Homa and amateur Sam Bennett (5.36am).

Two other featured groups include Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Cameron Young (2.42am) and Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau (6am).

Fox told the DP World Tour website that he felt like he was in Disneyland following apractice round with Tyrrell Hatton and fellow Augusta debutant Adrian Meronk.

“I feel like this is the reward,” he said.

“There was alot of reward last year, but this is Disneyland as a golfer, right? It’s abucket list thing to come to either watch or play in.

“Playing well last year all culminated in getting to here. That’s been agoal of mine for along time and I’m pretty chuffed to be here, to be honest.”

Fox got to first experience the Augusta course last month.

“There aren’t many places that you build up that exceed your expectations, and this place did,” he said.

“I got lucky, Iwas the guest of a member and got to stay in the clubhouse, have dinner there and do all of that. It was asurreal first experience and my first experience on the golf course, Iplayed awful and loved every minute of it.

“It’s the only time I’ve had when I’ve not even tried to hit agolf course, just walked around and thought ‘this

is amazing’, remembered all the holes and seen that this is what it actually looks like.

“I found it really, really hard to actually focus on playing golf.

“I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s happened to round here, but it hasn’t happened to me much as apro. It shows how special this place is.

“I came back the next day and had amore enjoyable day in terms of playing golf.

“It was hard to beat the first day, Iplayed 18 out here, played the par three and stayed overnight. It was probably the best 24 hours I’ve had in my life.

“To come back the next day and get the novelty of it out of the way, it was easier to focus on playing golf.”

Woods and his limp are back —but for how much longer?

GOLF Doug Ferguson

Tiger Woods is back at the Masters, along with his slight limp. It is not every step, every minute. But it is there.

Woods conceded that each trip to the Masters —athis age (47) and with surgeries on both legs and his back over the last decade —makes him wonder if it’s going to be the last one.

“I don’t know how many more I have in me,” Woods said yesterday. This will be his 25th time playing the Masters, and Woods still is surprised there was a24th. He was still recovering last year from crashing his car off asuburban Los Angeles road at 145km/h, crushing bones in his right leg so badly he said doctors contemplated amputation.

“I didn’t know if Iwas going to play again at that time,” Woods said. “For some reason, everything kind of

came together and Ipushed it alittle bit and Iwas able to make the cut, which was nice.”

Woods has an enormous presence at Augusta National because of his impact on the game, not to mention the five green jackets he has won, the last one in 2019. Ayear ago, the internet lit up with aviation tracking sites that followed his flight plan to the club for apre-Masters scouting report.

And yet now he gives this Masters asense of normalcy.

Golf has been consumed with the great divide between the establishment and Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which has 18 players at the Masters who are suspended from playing regular PGA Tour events. There is speculation how players on both sides will get along.

And then there is Woods at the Masters. Azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom. Thousands follow him in

practice rounds. And tomorrow will bring afamiliar refrain from the first tee: “Fore please, Tiger Woods driving.”

From there, no one is sure what to expect, Woods included.

“He looks good,” said Rory McIlroy, who played this week with Woods, 63-year-old Fred Couples and 20-year-old Tom Kim. “You know, if he didn’t have to walk up these hills and have all of that, I’d say he’d be one of the favourites. He’s got all of the shots. It’s just that physical limitation of walking 72 holes, especially on agolf course as hilly as this.”

Woods has matured, through time and too many surgeries, from the relentless champion to aguardian willing to pass along some of the local knowledge he picked up as ayounger man from Couples and Raymond Floyd, from Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.

He still wants to compete. There would be no point in staying after the Masters Club dinner if that were not the case. And he still thinks he can find alittle magic.

He has said everywhere he has played over the last year —a total of 11 rounds in four tournaments, one of them a36-hole exhibition in acart that hitting shots isn’t the problem. It’s getting to the next one.

“Yeah, mobility, it’s not where I would like it,” Woods said. “I’ve said to you guys before, I’m very lucky to have this leg —it’s mine. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough. The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. Iunderstand that.

“That’s why Ican’t prepare and play as many tournaments as Ilike, but that’s my future, and that’s okay. I’m okay with that.” —AP

Cameron Smith is one of 18 players from LIV Golf at The Masters.

Photo /AP

We’ve still got a lot of guys up therethatcan playsome really serious golf.

Ryan Fox. Photo /AP

The hills at Augusta National are tough on Tiger Woods.

Black Caps not in panic mode yet CRICKET

Black Caps coach Gary Stead says it’s too early to rule New Zealand’s most prolific run scorer, Kane Williamson, out of October’s World Cup in India. Williamson arrived home on Tuesday after suffering a serious knee injury while fielding for the Gujarat Titans in their seasonopening IPL match.

Williamson leapt for acatch on the boundary but landed awkwardly, with his knee giving out from under him.

He was left clutching his knee and needed on-field treatment for several minutes before being helped off. Williamson was thought to have torn ligaments in his right knee but Stead said he would have further scans to confirm adiagnosis.

Speedster Milne much too quick for Sri Lanka

CRICKET

Adam Milne's maiden fivewicket haul led the way for the Black Caps as they restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 141 and levelled the series in the second T20 international of the series against Sri Lanka, played at the University Oval in Otago yesterday.

New Zealand won the match by nine wickets, passing Sri Lanka’s score with more than five overs to spare.

Milne (5/26 off four) was steady at

the top but lethal at the death as he claimed three wickets in his final over —including two with searing yorkers —tobowl the tourists out in 19 overs.

Ben Lister picked 2/26 in asolid four-over spell while also taking three catches in the field.

Rachin Ravindra mixed up his pace and lengths well as he picked up 1/24 off three overs with Henry Shipley and Jimmy Neesham also chipping in with awicket apiece.

Sri Lanka will have been disappointed to have let astrong foundation slip away.

At 91/2 in the 12th over they ap-

peared to be on track for a180+ total after Dhananjaya de Silva (37) and Kusal Perera (35) put on 62 for the third wicket.

After Perera's wicket, strike rotation went out the window and poor shot selection by anumber of Sri Lanka's middle order left them well short of acompetitive total.

In reply, Black Caps opener Chad Bowes rocketed out of the blocks with seven boundaries in his 15-ball innings, making 31 before he was out with the total at 40.

With his dismissal, New Zealand caught their breath briefly before Tim

Seifert and Tom Latham began to accelerate from watchful starts. Seifert, in particular, was severe on the bowling, smoking six 6s in his innings of 79 off 43 balls. Latham was more circumspect in compiling 20 off 30.

Seifert ended the game with a flourish, two consecutive 6s in the 15th over seeing New Zealand to a very comfortable victory.

Sri Lanka won game one of the series in aSuper Over after scores were tied. The deciding game three will be played on Saturday in Queenstown.

“He’s been taken straight to sports doctors and to specialists in Auckland and, from there, we will get alittle bit more understanding of the extent of the injury.”

Until they have aprognosis on his injury, Stead isn’t contemplating what it means for the Black Caps and the World Cup.

“It’s too early to know about Kane and where it’s at.

“The World Cup is six or seven months away and until we get that (medical) update we won’t consider any of the options until we know for sure.”

● Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will return to international cricket after four months after he was included in Pakistan’s white-ball squad for this month’s home series against New Zealand.

The left-arm paceman helped Lahore Qalandars successfully defend its Pakistan Super League title last month with arich haul of 19 wickets in the tournament after recovering from aknee injury. Afridi missed Pakistan’s five home test matches against England and New Zealand since the T20 World Cup in Australia as he was still rehabilitating the injury.

Adam Milne had career-best T20 figures when he took 5for 26.

Photo /Photosport

Kane Williamson