RT
Ryman Times New Zealand Edition
Apprentices’ new skills delight Devonport kids
Autumn 2019
"I'd just always wanted to win"
Joining the electric car revolution
Gemma wins the Cashin Scholarship
A note from Gordy Kia Ora and welcome to your autumn edition of the Ryman Times.
This is my favourite front cover of a Ryman Times of all time – don’t those faces on the front say it all! We’ve won some hearts in Devonport for sure. When we build a village in a new community we always like to see what we can do to help. The story of the way the team at our Devonport village managed to match our apprentices’ need to work on weatherboard buildings with Stanley Bay and Vauxhall schools' need for wooden playhouses is a great example of innovative thinking. Innovation has always been part of our DNA at Ryman. The need to innovate never changes, and it is clear we will need plenty of smart thinking as we face the challenges of a rapidly ageing population in a changing world in the years ahead. This was brought home to me when I flew to Nelson recently to check in with our residents and staff at Ernest Rutherford Retirement Village, which was about 20km from the Tasman fires. Flying over the region gave me a real appreciation for the scale of the emergency – the fires were the largest we’ve experienced for more than 60 years and it was the biggest aerial firefighting effort in New Zealand’s history. The way our team at Ernest Rutherford coped with the emergency was fantastic. About a dozen team members were affected by the evacuations, but they didn't miss a beat to ensure all our residents were comfortable. We’ve been through natural disaster emergencies before and we learn from each one.
We have great emergency backup systems in place and we’re always on standby. The fires gave me pause for thought about the climate and how events like this might be more frequent in the years to come. We know that our staff and our residents want us to make sure we’re doing our bit to look after the environment for the generations to come. We’re part of CEMARS – which is a carbon emissions measurement and reduction scheme – and it means we’re audited to make sure we are not just talking about doing better, we’re being measured on our success at reducing energy and waste. We’re introducing innovations such as electric cars and fast charging stations and looking for other ways to make savings. These measures are just a start, there’s plenty more to come. I hope you enjoy your latest Ryman Times, and I’m looking forward to catching up with as many of you as possible during the year. Regards,
In this issue 3
Apprentices’ new skills delight Devonport kids
4
"I'd just always wanted to win"
6
Rita Angus portrait wins over Wellington
7
Joining the electric car revolution
8
Lincoln Road blessing by local iwi
9
The Long Road Home’s charity trek ends in Hanmer
10 Gemma wins the Cashin Scholarship
11 Mark Williams, taking carpet laying all in his stride!
12 Tutus go on tour Ryman Healthcare Ltd Airport Business Park, 92 Russley Road, Christchurch PO Box 771, Christchurch 8042 0800 588 222 www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz Front cover: Vauxhall School students, celebrate in their playhouse.
Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive
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Stanley Bay principal Lucy Naylor is thrilled with the new playground addition.
Apprentices’ new skills delight Devonport kids Ryman Healthcare is usually known for its longstanding history of building and operating retirement villages. But two Devonport schools were recently thrilled to receive delivery of two beautiful playhouses, crafted by Ryman apprentices. Schoolchildren from Vauxhall School and Stanley Bay School watched on with excitement as the truck arrived to unload the new playground additions. And the reason? Building the playhouses was designed to help the apprentices complete their task list, with the added bonus of providing something for the local community at the same time. Project Manager at Ryman’s William Sanders retirement village in Devonport, Matthew Hutchinson, said the idea came about when construction bosses realised the apprentices wouldn’t be able to complete their task list without the required weatherboard experience. “Our villages are built using concrete, steel and brick, not weatherboard. So we decided to put it out to the community to ask for building ideas that we could help with.” “We received dozens of suggestions including these two schools who said they would love a playhouse to put in the playground and we thought that idea would work perfectly.”
Building something on site and then delivering the finished product turned out to be the best scenario once health and safety considerations had been factored in, and then it was over to the apprentices to get on with the job. Apprentice Rory Tai recently joined the team at William Sanders after working for three years at Ryman’s Bert Sutcliffe village and was one of those involved in the project. “It’s really awesome that local kids will get to enjoy these playhouses afterwards, I’m really happy about that. “And I’m really happy that I’ve now got that knowledge in exterior cladding, with weatherboard, which will get me closer to completing my apprenticeship,” he said. Vauxhall School was the first to receive theirs, which principal
Gary Lawrence said was greatly appreciated. “We are very lucky to have this – thank you very much to Ryman Healthcare.” Lucy Naylor, principal at Stanley Bay School, was equally thrilled when she saw their new playhouse being lifted into place. “The playhouse is absolutely amazing, it’s beautiful! I was expecting a slightly more budget version but this is the deluxe model!” Lucy said the timing was perfect as there had been a gap in the playground after the swing set that had been in that spot had reached the end of its life. “As well as being used as playground equipment we’re also planning to incorporate the playhouse into our classroom learning.”
Apprentices James Clarijs and Rory Tai. Ryman Times • 3
“I'd just always wanted to win” Yvette Corlett – otherwise known as our very own Yvette Williams – is jiggling her famous feet up and down as she sits in her Auckland apartment eating a snack and patiently waits for the Melbourne Open tennis coverage to start. Those feet are an important part of New Zealand history – propelling her to an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games and into our sporting history as the country’s first female to beat the best in the world. Yvette turns 90 on Anzac Day, and, although she’s had a number of health challenges over the years, she’s still as sharp as ever as she recalls those glory days more than 60 years ago. Sharp – but a little down in the dumps after staying up late to see her tennis favourite – Roger Federer – crash out of the Melbourne Open. Yvette is the namesake for our village in Roslyn, Dunedin, and we’ve given her a framed picture of her training at Dunedin’s St Clair beach in the 1950s for her wall. Her coach Jim Bellwood is in the foreground of the photo as she leaps off the sand dunes.
“Jim had been a prisoner of war and after he was released he studied physical education at Loughborough in the UK,” Yvette says. “He coached about 100 athletes at the time in Dunedin. He was an amazing coach always calm – he never roared at us – but he wanted perfection.” Yvette was a naturally gifted athlete who excelled at long jump, as well as discus, shot put and javelin. She was ranked number one in the world ahead of the Helsinki Games but she had tough competition from Russia and Great Britain. Things were a bit different back then. The 1952 team was the first to fly to the games – but the trip took a week with fuel stopovers each day. Yvette was a phenomenal competitor. Jim Bellwood put the secret of her success down to her commitment to training hard, natural ability and her “magnificent competitive temperament.” Asked what made her tick when she competed, she chuckles. “I just always wanted to win. That’s it really. I mean, why wouldn’t I?” She won a total of four gold medals at the Empire and Commonwealth Games, in the long jump, shot put and discus. She broke the world long jump record at Gisborne in 1954. Yvette Williams, still going strong at 90, an inspiration, still competitive, mad about sport and forever an athlete.
Yvette Williams’ medal tally: •
1950: British Empire Games, Auckland: Gold (long jump) Silver (javelin)
•
1952: Olympic Games, Helsinki: Gold (long jump)
•
1954: British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Vancouver: Gold (long jump, discus, shot put)
•
1954: World Record Jump
Yvette Williams practising the hitch-kick by jumping off a sand dune at St Clair beach in Dunedin. Her coach Jim Bellwood is in the foreground.
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Yvette Williams; proud to wear the New Zealand silver fern.
The Rita Angus mural enhances the down town setting.
Rita Angus portrait wins over Wellington A massive Ryman sponsored portrait of Rita Angus, completed in just over a week, has become quite a spectacle in Wellington, where she graces the western side of the iconic Dominion Building. The mural is based on a portrait of the artist - a photograph taken by her friend Theo Schoon circa 1947. As the photograph was in black and white with no visible background, the artist has cleverly used a similar colour scheme and background to Angus’s 1937 self-portrait, which conveys a feel of her own artwork in the mural. The idea of putting Rita Angus
on the side of this building was the brain-child of arts advocate Bruce Mahalski. On seeing the bare wall, he thought how amazing it would look with a Rita Angus mural on it. He wanted something that everyone could relate to and so he started the long journey of crowd funding and consents. He raised the funds through major sponsorship from Ryman Healthcare and funding from the Wellington City Council. Wellington Mayor Justin Lester explains, “We introduced our Arts on Walls public art programme in 2017
The Rita Angus reflected through the atrium of a Wellington tower block. Ryman Times • 6
to reflect the value accessible art provides. It creates a colourful and vibrant atmosphere, and a sense of place and pride in our environment. “The Rita Angus mural will be a great contribution to Wellington’s city canvas.” Bruce commissioned internationally renowned street artist Askew One (Elliot O’Donnell) to create the work. “It’s an honour to be creating this mural of one of our country’s most iconic artists, and a privilege to paint my first major large-scale work in Wellington,” says Askew One. Residents of our namesake Rita Angus Retirement Village in Kilbirnie have already been on a trip to view the mural. “We loved the idea of paying tribute to Rita Angus in a way that was accessible to everyone in Wellington,” Corporate Affairs Manager David King said. “It’s had an overwhelmingly positive response, and we’d like to thank Bruce Mahalski for his vision and determination to deliver the project. He’s created a great new Wellington landmark for thousands of people to enjoy and we were happy to be able to help.”
Ryman residents and staff in Auckland will soon have access to a fast-charge network for their electric cars.
Joining the electric car revolution Ryman Healthcare is joining the electric car revolution by installing a fast charging network at five of its Auckland villages and moving its fleet to electric vehicles. Fast chargers will be installed at Edmund Hillary, Grace Joel, Bruce McLaren, Logan Campbell and Evelyn Page as part of New Zealand's drive to cut carbon emissions by switching to electric cars. The chargers will be available to residents and their families as well as staff and members of the public visiting the villages. Ryman will also be switching its car fleet to electric cars with the purchase of Hyundai Konas and will be piloting car ride and sharing schemes for its residents.
Switching to an electric vehicle fleet is one of the measures planned to reduce the company's carbon footprint. Gordon MacLeod said there was growing interest from residents in
using electric cars and Ryman wanted to make sure it had a charging network in place to enable them to make the switch. “A number of our residents have switched to electric cars and we want to make sure that we have a fast charging network to support them. While we're designing our new villages to incorporate charging points. The fast chargers will allow residents to top up with power quickly and conveniently.” Last year Ryman Healthcare signed up to the CEMARS carbon reduction scheme and has measured its carbon footprint across its village network. Switching to an electric vehicle fleet is one of the measures planned to reduce the company's carbon footprint. Ryman already used hybrid vehicles and moving to electric cars was a logical next step, Gordon said. “We know the world is changing quickly and we want to make sure we're adapting to use any new technology that's available to reduce our carbon footprint. We think enabling the use of electric cars is a perfect way to do this. We'll trial the network at five of our Auckland villages before considering a further roll out to the rest of our villages
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in New Zealand and in Australia.” Ryman's fast charging network was one of a number of schemes to win support from the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, which is a joint public and private sector initiative aimed at reducing emissions.
Ryman's fast chargers will be installed at: • Edmund Hillary Retirement Village, 221 Abbots Way, Remuera. • Grace Joel Retirement Village, 184 St Heliers Bay Rd, St Heliers. • Logan Campbell Retirement Village, 187 Campbell Rd, Greenlane. • Bruce McLaren Retirement Village, 795 Chapel Rd, Howick. • Evelyn Page Retirement Village, 30 Ambassador Glade, Orewa.
Project Manager Ben van Heerden, left, with Te Kawerau ā Maki kaumātua George Taua at the Lincoln village site.
Lincoln Road blessing by local iwi Work on Ryman Healthcare’s newest Auckland village is set to begin following a blessing from local iwi, Te Kawerau ā Maki. Te Kawerau ā Maki kaumātua George Taua performed a karakia to acknowledge the people who had gone before and to bless the workers who would be constructing the village, as well as those who would eventually live and work there. George said he was pleased to see the Lincoln Road site, which had been previously used as student accommodation for the nearby Laidlaw College, would be used to support Waitemata’s tupuna. Te Kawerau ā Maki Heritage and Environment Officer Robin Taua-Gordon said the blessing was a way of ensuring the cultural safety of the land was preserved. “Initially it’s about being present in this space. We like to keep an eye on developments in West Auckland as another protection over the land. Eventually we’ll be gone but the mana of Kawarau ā Maki will remain.” The 4.5-hectare site will be developed into a retirement village which will include independent homes as well as a care centre with resthome,
hospital and dementia care beds, and serviced apartments. The village will also include an indoor swimming pool, movie theatre, hair and beauty salons and a café. Ryman’s villages offer residents the chance to live independently in purpose-built retirement homes, with the peace of mind of knowing there is full care available if their health needs change over time. There are more than 107,000 people in the immediate area, including more than 10,000 retirees. West Auckland has a growing retirement population and the village is likely to free up hundreds of houses in the local market as retirees move from family homes into the village. “Wherever we build we find a lot of people come to us because they love the area and don’t want to leave. We think it is a great site and will be popular because it is handy to a whole lot of amenities,” Corporate Affairs Manager David King said. “Our next job is to find a name for the village. Ryman villages are named after respected local people, so we’d love to hear from anyone with any suggestions. Needless to say West Auckland’s favourite daughter,
Cheryl West, has already been suggested!” The village is Ryman’s tenth in the Auckland region. As well as providing construction work the village will create long-term jobs for the area. There will be roles for registered nurses, caregivers, housekeepers, activities co-ordinators and gardeners once the village is built.
George Taua spoke on preserving the cultural safety of the land. Ryman Times • 8
The service reflected respect for those who have served.
The Long Road Home’s charity trek ends in Hanmer A memorial service to celebrate the end of The Long Road Home charity trek brought a tear to the eye for many involved in the walk, organised to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). The early new year trek from St Arnaud in Marlborough along 110 km of high country station roads ended in Hanmer Springs, on January 12, with a memorial service at Soldier’s Block in the township. Dozens of onlookers gathered at the block to hear accounts from the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust team that took part in the horse-ride and walk. They had followed the route taken by soldiers returning from World War I, 100 years ago, but with the benefit of blue sky days and a support team. Organisers Bernard Shapiro, Murray Hill and Mark Appleton, president of the NZMRT, said the group was raising funds for people suffering PTSI that had suffered as the result of traumatic events. There were wreaths laid at the memorial on behalf of Ryman, a sponsor of the trust and its work. The event remembered that soldiers returning from WWI were
often left to make their own way home. Many felt abandoned, hopeless and segregated from their fellow Kiwis after witnessing the horrors of war. Mark said he now wanted to make the trek an annual event. The trust was also in contact with overseas groups, so the idea of supporting PTSI spread to countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. PTSI continues to impact on the lives of soldiers that have served in arenas including Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Timor and Afghanistan. “I think there are 800 people a year exiting our current forces … some of those will definitely be suffering from PTSI,” Mark said. Hurunui Mayor Winton Dalley said the venue for the trek’s conclusion
at the Soldiers’ Block at Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer Springs was very fitting. “This is the only remaining WW1 Soldier Rehabilitation facility with its unique design still remaining.” Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association Canterbury president Stan Hansen said the trust members and supporters were doing a great job to bring better awareness to PTSI and suicide prevention. The National Anthem was sung by Rebecca Nelson who has sung at services in Gallipoli and for the All Blacks. The use of horses by the trust fitted well with Ryman connection, Mark said. Village residents loved to connect with the friendly animals.
Wreaths were laid at the memorial service. Ryman Times • 9
Gemma Ballantyne is Ryman’s 2019 Cashin Scholarship winner.
Gemma wins the Cashin Scholarship Gemma Ballantyne's year has got off to the best start possible thanks to the 2019 Cashin Scholarship. Gemma, 18, will use the scholarship to fund her pharmacy studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin. She was thrilled to get the news. “It's awesome to win. It means that it will ease the financial stress this year and allow me to focus on my studies so that I can be the best that I can be.” Gemma has been part of the Ryman family since 2016, when she successfully applied for a job as a part-time receptionist at Anthony Wilding Retirement Village in Christchurch. She says she loved the job from the very start. “I was 16 and it was my first job and I couldn't have had a better place to work. I loved talking to the residents, they were always interested in what I was studying and it was like having 200 grandparents.” In 2018 she began her first year at university, studying health sciences at Otago University. She worked at Yvette Williams Retirement Village in Dunedin part-time to support herself. She found her first year tough, and had some health issues during
the year, but had a successful first year. She has opted for a pharmacy degree, which is another four years at university followed by an internship. Her dad works for St John Ambulance and her mum works at a medical practice, so healthcare is in the family.
“I was 16 and it was my first job and I couldn't have had a better place to work. I loved talking to the residents, they were always interested in what I was studying and it was like having 200 grandparents.” Gemma's looking forward to starting back at university and says the scholarship will be a big help with a busy year of learning ahead. “I'm thrilled to win and I'm honoured that the Cashin family selected me,” Gemma says. “I'm really grateful.”
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The Cashin Scholarship was set up in 2012 in memory of Mike Cashin, who was a Ryman director at the time of his death in 2010. Each year Mike's family select the winner for the $5,000 award. The scholarship is open to Ryman employees and their families who are taking on tertiary study. Mike was a huge believer in the power of education to I improve lives, and the scholarship is intended to provide support for people who need it. Blair Cashin, Mike's son, said the family wished Gemma all the best with her studies. There were 100 applicants this year, a record for the scholarship.
Cashin Scholarship
Scholarship entries for 2020 open in October.
Mark Williams and his son Xavier at work at Ryman’s Russley Road office.
Mark Williams, taking carpet laying in his stride! Mark Williams has been laying carpet in Ryman villages for 20 years, starting when Ngaio Marsh was built in the late 90s. Mark is a proud tradesman and loves the variety and instant progress on the job, as well as the people he meets. When he’s refurbishing an apartment, he likes to get the work done in time to allow the residents to step back in and cook an evening meal. Ryman listed in 1999 and Mark says he has been a shareholder since the mid 2000s, happy to see the stunning share price growth since then. “It’s like a double whammy. I get paid to lay the carpet but I’m also helping the shares go up by laying the carpet. It’s win, win – you just go that little extra bit,” Mark says. He works as a contractor for Carpet Court, which introduced him to Ryman. The team also do refurbishment of existing village townhouses and units. Residents could choose from the latest range of cut pile carpets, quite often opting for a cream or neutral colour, he said. When he started with Ryman there were
blue and green options, that have now disappeared. His son Xavier is a second-year apprentice and has become a vital co-worker. Nick Woodhouse is another employee and has clocked up more than seven years with Mark.
“The beauty of working for a well-oiled group like Ryman is that he has got to know the other tradies, like the plumbers, painters and electricians, over the years.” Together the guys work the Christchurch villages. They also sometimes jump on a plane to work with contractors on carpet jobs around the country at different Ryman villages from Jane Mander in Whangarei to Rowena Jackson in Invercargill. “It’s a matter of when Ryman rings
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we say we can do it now. They’d say we need you to jump, and we’d say how high!” Mark said. The beauty of working for a welloiled group like Ryman is that he has got to know the other tradies, like the plumbers, painters and electricians, over the years. Mark has been in the carpet laying business for more than 30 years. He remembers getting his start by placing a newspaper advertisement asking to join an experienced layer. He has seen changes including the move away from the longlasting wool floor coverings. There is a positive side to the new styled carpets as they are more often recyclable and so are environmentally friendly. Carpet tiles used in offices can be replaced. While the job keeps him fit, he also loves soccer and is looking forward to the upcoming season with Parklands Football Club.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet Tutus on Tour promises to be outstanding.
Tutus go on tour Tutus on Tour 2019 may conjure up images of ballerinas stuffing their exquisitely sequinned tutus and ballet pumps into a suitcase for a road trip! But it’s much more than that. The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s much-loved regional touring programme supported by Ryman Healthcare, brings highlights from an extensive repertoire to the regions of New Zealand and offers a fantastic opportunity to see the company perform your favourite classical and contemporary works. The RNZB has expanded the number of regions to be visited this year due to the success of the 2018 sell out tour, and will visit eleven regions between March and May 2019. The performances are one hour long and suited to all age groups, bringing family-friendly performances to heartland New Zealand. Ryman Healthcare Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod said it was a pleasure to be able to support the Tutus again this year.
“Tutus on Tour is a practical way to get this beautiful art form out to provincial New Zealanders and we’re pleased to see the tour growing. We know our residents love the ballet, and the dancers are guaranteed to delight thousands of older Kiwis and their grandchildren with these beautiful classical performances. They’re in for a treat!” This year’s programme offers something for everyone, whether you are a seasoned ballet enthusiast, or just there to enjoy the ballet with family and friends.
“They’re in for a treat!’’ The programme includes excerpts from Bournonville’s Napoli and Flower Festival at Genzano, in beautiful traditional costumes designed by Gary Harris. Part of the RNZB’s repertoire since the 1950s, these are true classics sure to delight young and old alike. Flames of Paris pas de deux – a virtuoso show-stopper for dancers at
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the top of their game, a favourite in ballet galas worldwide. Fairy Doll pas de trois – a beautiful doll comes to life in a magical toyshop, an enchanting miniature from 19th century Vienna. Nae Regrets – RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker is excited to introduce this work by young US choreographer Brian Enos to New Zealand audiences in 2019. Nae Regrets blends Scottish folk music with techno rhythms to create a new soundscape. Last year was a sell-out season so be sure to book tickets early. The performances will be held in: Ashburton, Whanganui, Oamaru, New Plymouth, Nelson, Hamilton, Taupo, Gore, Kerikeri, Whangarei and Gisborne.
Find out more:
www.rnzb.org.nz/tutus