The Page by The Page

the pages 06 SNIPPETS 11

GIVING LIFE TO MINIATURE BROADWAY

MALT OF THE EARTH Stewart Brewing Co.

THE OVER-JUMP Brody Henricksen on clothing and getting on the bike again

A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN Sarah Cowan: The Herb Farm – living well

GUILTY AS SIN Moving chic fashion forward

20 BRIDGE CAFÉ Attention to detail is the heart of family business

THE PERFECT BLEND Andrew Tripe: Smoothies super smart

SHEDDING LIGHT ON SUPERIOR CROPS Dr Jason Wargent and Biolumic

THE X-FACTOR THING There’s more to Benny Tipene

PULLING THE EXTRA MILES Jakub Postrzygacz in some of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes

PHOTORAMA A pictorial pioneer

TAKING YOUR BIRD OUT FOR DINNER Nero’s Scott and Yvette Kennedy

SCHOOL OF JAZZ Old schoolhouse becomes back-country café

PASSION FOR SHARING KNOWLEDGE Te Manawa’s Manu Kawana

SPOTLIGHT ON EVENTO Secondary schools’ wearable arts

ORCHESTRA OF BEST AND BRIGHTEST Manawatū’s Youth Orchestra

A BIT LIKE PLAYING GOD Director and playwright Dr Angie Farrow

THIS IS OUR TURF James Watts connecting the community

60 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD Taonui Estate’s Janneke and Matthijs van Wagtendonk 64

A DAY OUT IN THE GARDEN Cross Hills Country Fair and Gardens

WILDBASE RECOVERY Collaboration for wildlife rehabilitation

pagemakers Graeme Beal Published by Destination Manawatu September Mahuru 2013

Level One, 478 Main Street PALMERSTON NORTH 4410

Graeme’s always loved a good cuppa – he is a bit of a tea nut. He’s half ginger-nut in fact – but don’t let his hard exterior fool you, he can be softened. He’s an old man at heart whose bark is worse than his bite – unless he really gets steamed up. He says editing this third Page has been as enjoyable as the first two.

PO Box 12005 PALMERSTON NORTH 4444 +64 6 350 1811 www.manawatunz.co.nz

Chief Executive: Lance Bickford Project Editor: Graeme Beal Creative Editors: Jemma Cheer Amy Shannon Contributing Writers and Artists: William Bennett, Lance Bickford, Julie Bowe, Tim Hamilton, Katherine Huynh, Warren Jones, Leah Meacham, Janet Reynolds, Zoe Stinson, Ellen Walden. Acknowledgements: James Bell-Booth, Rose Bourke, Frank Goldingham, Kelly Harris, Steve Leurink, Gerry le Roux, Andy Lowe, Manawatu District Council, Massey University, Christine Morrison, Palmerston North City Council, Te Manawa, Benny Tipene, Lynne Vautier, Dave Wiltshire. Printed by: Format Print

Jemma Cheer Jemma has a cup of tea every afternoon with cheese and crackers, because she’s never been one to conform. It may be a snack better suited to a glass of wine than a cuppa, but then, Jemma doesn’t whine, she just whips out her trusty tablet and sketches the chocolate finger. That’s telling `em.

Amy Shannon Amy’s a staunch and feisty brew in ornate, antique china – the kind you’d find in Grandma’s kitchen. With an eye for detail, particularly retro and collectible, Amy keeps a bunch of projects on the boil – nothing’s ever bigger than a storm in a teacup.

Zoe Stinson Zoe came to us as an intern from Massey University where she’s studying something to do with communications, and has relished the chance to meet the faces and places profiled in The Page. She’d never interviewed anybody before, but now it’s a piece of cake.

Some trees were repurposed to make this magazine. We chose only the ones we knew would be replaced, because we don’t ever want to run out. Kia ora! Ngā mihi ki ngā tangata me ngā whānau katoa. The publishers wish to thank the individuals and families whose support and enthusiasm have made this publication possible. ISSN 2253-5705 (Print) ISSN 2253-5713 (Online) © Copyright Destination Manawatu, 2013

Ellen Walden Ellen’s a Massey communications student too, who thought an internship with us might be her cup of tea. Writing for The Page has been a new experience for her and one she’s handled without cracking under pressure.

Tea seems to be having something of a renaissance these days, with trendy establishments serving steaming cups of eclectic blends to growing masses. Relaxing with a hot cuppa is what dreams are made of. It’s catching up with old friends at the local. It’s that drizzly Sunday afternoon on the couch, or a sundrenched beanbag with a good magazine. Here’s a good magazine. Infused with bright sparks, boundary-pushers and clever young things, it represents the best of us in a place that never fails to brew a good idea. It’s our eclectic blend.

SNIPPETS

Second World Food Prize nomination More than 30 years and $7 million were spent developing a system for seeding soil that has seen its inventor twice nominated for the World Food Prize. Dr John Baker’s unique no-tillage seed drill is sold throughout the world and was born from a 1967 PhD project at Massey University, in which he looked at improving seed drills. He’s since worked and, at times, fought hard to establish, protect and secure the technology, and see his company thrive. With ploughing said to be responsible for the loss of more than 13 billion tonnes of topsoil and accounting for up to 20 per cent of greenhouse gasses, the no-tillage method of seeding crops can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 per cent, John says. The World Food Prize is awarded to those who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world.

Dr Leonel Alvarado, image courtesy Massey University

Prestigious International Award for poet

Massey University’s Dr Leonel Alvarado’s book Retratos mal hablados was runner-up and received a Special Mention in Latin America’s most prestigious poetry competition earlier this year. In June he travelled to Cuba, read poetry at the Casa de las Americas Poetry Awards, and was interviewed by the organisation’s journal – one of the top-ranked journals in the field of Latin American studies. Several of his poems and an article on music and nationalism in Central America will also feature in the journal. “My previous trips to Cuba had been through its wonderful literature and music, so that as soon as I arrived all of these literary and musical references came to me. Streets and places I had read about or have discussed with my students over the years were suddenly all around me.” The Casa de las Americas Poetry Awards are based in Cuba and were established in 1960. Leonel’s book was selected out of 328 manuscripts by a panel of five judges from Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

MANFEILD CELEBRATES

One of Manawatū’s premier event venues celebrates 40 years of thrills and spills in November. Manfeild is known for its world-class motor racing circuit, and is currently the home of the New Zealand Grand Prix. The landmark Feilding facility has evolved into a unique facility capable of catering for a wide range of events, including the Central Districts Field Days, New Zealand Beef Expo, Manawatū and Feilding A&P Show, New Zealand Dog Show, Bates National Dressage Championships, Evento, V8 Super Tourers and the New Zealand Grand Prix/BNT NZV8s, and race meetings. Manfeild will host the Royal New Zealand Show, one of New Zealand’s biggest annual carnivals, in December as part of a two-year contract for the Manawatū based consortium of Performance Beef Breeders, Manfeild Park Trust, and the Feilding A&P and Manawatū and West Coast A&P Associations. www.manfeild.co.nz

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SNIPPETS

Food innovation partnership launched A collaboration of some of the country’s biggest food research organisations has been launched in Manawatu. The Palmerston Northbased FoodHQ is built on the research strengths of the city’s 700 scientists, and a strong heritage of innovation and discovery. The partnership of Fonterra, Massey University, AgResearch, Plant & Food Research, the Riddet Institute and the Bio Commerce Centre, supported by the Palmerston North City and Manawatu District Councils, Hon. Steve Maharey, image courtesy aims to double the value of Gerry le Roux Sciencelens. New Zealand food exports to $60 billion by 2025.Project Manager Mark Ward says a 20-year upgrade of the Palmerston North campus, costing $250 million, would ultimately have 4000 researchers involved in the agri-food value chain and boost the region’s economy by up to $230 millon a year. www.foodhq.com

Murals highlight Foxton

SANTA’S FOREST RAISING FUNDS

Foxton’s growing number of murals is one of the coastal township’s best-kept secrets, and a highlight for visitors exploring its streets before heading to the beach.

The Palmerston North Surf Lifesaving Club teamed up with the local Lions recently to plant 800 Christmas trees to be harvested in three years’ time. The trees are sold as part of a fund raising effort for the community, which began as an outdoor project for Lions members 42 years ago. It’s the second year the surf-lifesaving club, based at Himatangi Beach, has been involved.

Many of the murals, which include contributions from Feilding artist Eric Brew, have been created as part of the annual Foxton Festival of Murals, which involves eight artists over four days in April. The artists vie for a cash prize, and the artworks are sold after the event, which was started in 2007. •7•

SNIPPETS

US firm moving in United States pharmaceutical firm Proliant will soon call Manawatū home – adding the region to its more than 70 worldwide locations. Its new $24 million plant in Feilding will be the company’s first Australasian plant and first international site for its Health and Biologicals division. Proliant is the world’s leading producer of bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is used in the production of diagnostic/medical kit manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, veterinary medicines, vaccines and antibodies, and life science research. When completed, the plant will employ up to 30 highly qualified staff and contribute more than $90 million to the New Zealand economy during the subsequent ten years, with the added benefit of jobs created through construction and plant equipment supply.

Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor with Craig Nash, Proliant's Steve Welch and Randal Fitzgerald, and Manawatu District Mayor Margaret Kouvelis, image courtesy Manawatu Standard

Rogue Trader to hit streets There’s a rogue on the streets, serving soul food from a shiny, newly customised food truck in some of the innercity’s unexplored spots. Palmerston North’s Village Inn Kitchen launched a food truck during its second birthday celebrations. Under the guise of The Rogue Trader, it focuses on oldfashioned fun and soul food. Village Inn Kitchen owner Nigel Lynn says he has been planning the venture for months, which included fitting out the van, planning a menu and negotiating trading places with the Palmerston North City Council.

Homage to Skeptics One of New Zealand’s most influential 1980s bands, the Skeptics, has been honoured in a new film, featured as part of this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival. Sheen of Gold is an 80-minute documentary that tells the complete story of the Skeptics and the contribution they’ve made to Kiwi rock music. It’s the little-known tale of the band formed in Palmerston North in 1979, capturing their creative ambition, presence and sadness – their journey cut short by singer David D’Ath’s death from leukaemia in 1990. The Skeptics’ albums III (1987) and Amalgam (1990) have been remastered by former Skeptic Nick Roughan and were recently reissued digitally and on vinyl. http://youtu.be/BX2u7CQSQlU •8•

SNIPPETS

Anu Sefton, Lana Sklenars and Alex Bellad-Ellis as the Three Witches in Skin Theatre’s Macbeth

Back in the Dark

Young netballers from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ō Manawatū with their brand-new happy heart Socks

A popular and intimate theatre setting has returned to Palmerston North with the revival of Centrepoint Theatre’s Dark Room. The space, ideal for burgeoning artists and experimental productions, was originally situated backstage behind the theatre’s main auditorium. Now, it calls Te Manawa home.

HAPPY HEART SOCKS Lynne Vaultier has been in business for 25 years, and during that time has been a champion for community initiatives and budding sportspeople across Manawatū.

“It was great timing for us. Te Manawa is looking to build a museum without walls, and we were seeking to collaborate with other arts organisations,” says Artistic Director Jeff Kingsford-Brown.

Lynne owns four pharmacies in Palmerston North and is passionate about a mission she says her whole team has embraced. “We’d love to see Manawatū be the healthiest region in New Zealand,” she says.

The new Dark Room’s first production, Macbeth, produced by the Skin Theatre Company, received brilliant feedback and was full the night Jeff himself went to see it. The Dark Room – a space for “anything that’s good and interesting”, will also serve as home for Centrepoint’s Basement Company for Years 12 and 13 students.

For the past decade, Lynne’s produced more than 15,000 “happy heart socks” as part of sports team sponsorships ranging from the Manawatū Striders to the Future Ferns young netballers.

www.centrepoint.co.nz/dark-room.html

DAISY’S BIKES Tandem retro cruisers are “the new cool” for getting around Palmerston North. For caféhoppers, and casual riders exploring the urban landscape or the riverside pathways, Daisy’s Bikes offers a new way to get around. All bikes come with helmets, locks, puncture repair kits and lights. Daniel Farley – owner and founder of Daisy’s Bikes – says the city is the perfect place to offer a tandem experience. “Palmerston North is a flat, cycle-friendly city, full of picturesque places to stop for picnics,” he says. Daisy’s Bikes can be hired from the i-SITE in The Square. www.daisysbikes.co.nz •9•

SNIPPETS

Beneath the Heavens

Pizza, strawberry milk, no limits Formed in 2011, Beneath the Heavens is a Feilding alternative/metal band comprising of Sean Hume, Jesse Richardson, Matt Wright, Joshua Murray and Isaac O’Haggan, who describe themselves as “not held back by genre limitations, and pushing musical boundaries”. Sean and Matt met while they were studying music at UCOL; their shared passion for music inspired them to start their own band. Mutual friends introduced other members of the band to them and Beneath the Heavens was formed. The members have a shared working goal and commitment to the band and are good friends. “We all like to hang out, so after a gig we will watch a movie, eat pizza and drink strawberry milk.”

While the band mostly plays at venues in Palmerston North and Wellington, they have opened for Auckland band These Four Walls and are going on their first South Island tour early next year. “The exposure of playing in the South Island will be great and we are really excited about it,” says Sean, guitarist and general band manager. Beneath the Heavens is well known on the Palmerston North music scene, making it into the semi-finals for the “Battle of the Grand” and the “Jim Beam Battle of the Bands”. They are currently recording their first album in Levin. As well as being accomplished musicians, the band members write all their own material, which they regularly perform as well as various covers.

DORMANT HOPE: SAVING ALL SAINTS

The perilous future of Palmerston North’s iconic All Saints Anglican Church was the focus of a collaborative exhibition featuring the work of UCOL Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging students. The Year 3 illustration and video students’ works displayed at Square Edge’s Imaginari Gallery featured a unique and artistic perspective of the dilemma faced by one of the city’s oldest architectural treasures. Following the 2011 and 2012 Christchurch earthquakes, the 100-year-old building was rated as being at just 3 per cent of the building code as part of a city-wide investigation into the strength of buildings. The church closed to the public in April this year.

Willliam Bennett

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Giving Life to Miniature Broadway Interview Graeme Beal Image Tim Hamilton A commission to create Palmerston North’s Broadway Avenue in miniature form is something Rob Mildon didn’t have to think twice about sinking his teeth into. When he isn’t writing and editing community newspaper The Guardian, Rob can be found building and painting ornately detailed war-game models and figurines with precision. War games, military strategy games, are traditionally played with small figurines on tables and boards. While strategy games have advanced to gaming consoles and multiplayer online platforms, the traditional remains popular. Rob’s interest in model-making was sparked one summer 20 years ago, when he says he had nothing to occupy himself with.

Rob’s “stuff” includes a Tudor tavern he crafted on and off over 11 years. It attracted interest from an elderly couple during the recent Pulse Urban Arts Festival where the Broadway model was also on display. “Everyone who saw it thought it was wonderful. People don’t see this sort of thing very often,” he says. Rob uses a lot of “found and recycled” materials in his creations, and often stops by the Arts Recycling Centre at Square Edge to source materials.

“It was the end of my second year at high school and I was painting the house at the time. I used spray cans, mum’s acrylic brushes, even house paint and started dabbling,” he says. “There is a strong ‘do-it-yourself’ ethos with war-gamers, similar to the model railway guys. I’d always go to the model railway expo to talk to them and learn about how they made stuff.”

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Commissioned by Passion Art for the Pulse festival, the Broadway model was made with dowel and foam-board, with the addition of shredded foam and synthetic fibre for trees. Detailing was painted with the help of Google Street View and measurements were taken by holding a ruler to his computer screen, as well as using a measuring wheel on loan from the Palmerston North City Council. The model spent time on show at Te Manawa after the Pulse festival, and is currently in storage.

Tim and Simone Stewart

Interview Zoe Stinson Images Tim Hamilton

A local farmer at Hiwinui Country Estate, Tim Stewart is the only commercial craft beer brewer in Manawatū. He developed an interest in beer brewing after spending time in Turriff, the whisky region of Scotland, and began producing his own craft beer when he returned home. At 16 years old Tim left school and began working on the family farm, where he became interested in cropping. He left the family farm at age 18 to work as an agricultural contractor in north-east Scotland during their summer months, where he learnt a lot about the whisky distillation process, which is very similar to brewing unhopped beer. “We grew barley at home and I could see that I could easily make beer and get more value from the grain,” Tim says. Tim began brewing 15 years ago while working on the family farm, and designed a nano brewing system that enabled him to make and test different flavours. Success at the Central Districts Field Days in March this year marked the beginning of the family-owned Stewart Brewing Co. Tim and his wife Simone, who is in charge of marketing and sales, met through mutual friends as teenagers. After a long-distance relationship for two years, Simone moved to Palmerston North to complete her marketing degree at Massey University. They have been together for 15 years and have four children. Currently Tim brews his beer out of Massey University’s Microbrewery, at the food science and technology unit, where he is able to produce commercial quantities. While guests at Hiwinui Country Estate have been enjoying Stewart Brewing Co.’s craft beer for some time now, the increasing popularity and demand has meant that the beer is becoming more widely available. Tim has so far brewed two different types of beer. A German/ New Zealand-styled pilsner, called ‘Top of the Hops’ was Tim’s first commercially brewed beer and he enjoyed success at the Central Districts Field Days, where it sold out. The brewing process requires “a lot of time and a lot of waiting”, Tim says. The beer needs to ferment for 10-14 days while the brewing process takes about five to eight weeks depending on the type of beer. Once the brewing process is complete the beer needs to be bottled and labelled. “It’s all about timing. Being patient and letting the beer do its own thing in its own time is so important. Timing is everything.” www.stewartbrewing.co.nz • 13 •

Interview Zoe Stinson Image Tim Hamilton

When 27-year-old Brody Henricksen isn’t busy running his clothing distribution company, he’s travelling the world as a judge for international motocross competitions. Both allow him to continue to be involved in a sport that he is so passionate about. “When you find something that you love, you do everything you can to be involved with it,” Brody says. His interest in motocross riding began when he was just three years old. His dad, who owned a bike shop, bought him his first bike. His love of motocross evolved from there, with Brody competing in motocross competitions throughout New Zealand at a young age. He was 16 when, while he was doing motocross demonstrations in Hamilton, he “over-jumped a jump”, broke both ankles and shattered his wrist. “It was almost two years before I got on a bike again,” he says. These days, Brody rides for fun and focuses on his clothing supply company, which is “much safer”.

Brody Henricksen

He started importing and distributing clothing out of his garage as a hobby when he was still at high school. Once he completed his Bachelor of Business Studies at Massey University, he began taking it more seriously and established a clothing distribution company called Division X Ltd. “Like most businesses we went from one room and that evolved into two rooms,” Brody says. “I have always had the drive and motivation to try to build something of my own and I liked the idea of being my own boss.” His dedication to motocross riding crosses over into his business, which is the New Zealand supplier for popular action sport and fashion brands such as Metal Mulisha, Famous Stars and Straps and Ethica. While Brody has had to compete against a general decline in retail, he has gone from strength to strength with Division X growing every single year. Brody now supplies to 60 stores across New Zealand, including Ocean and Ice in

Palmerston North. “I want to keep progressing, I don’t like to stand still for too long.” As he was born and bred in Manawatū, establishing Division X in Palmerston North was the obvious choice. “It is such a central location and is accessible, which makes it easy to travel to other cities for business. There are also about 15 different places that I can ride my bike in the weekend, all within a half an hour radius.” In addition to running and owning his company, Brody travels internationally as a judge for the Red Bull X-Fighters, an international freestyle motocross motorbike stunt competition. Judging the highest level in the sport has allowed Brody to travel to Moscow, Tokyo, Mexico and London amongst other international destinations. “I love everything that I do. Being able to wake up every morning and do something that I love is amazing.” www.divisionx.co.nz

Sarah Cowan

Interview Zoe Stinson Images Adam Cowan

After growing up on a herb farm where living naturally was a way of life, Sarah Cowan travelled overseas as an international model for three years.

is in charge of distribution, marketing and the overall running of the business, while Lynn is able to focus on new product development and look after Sarah’s 16-month-old son, Taj, while Sarah is at work.

She lived in Milan, London, Belgium and Tokyo before returning home to Manawatū in 2006 and completing her Bachelor of Business Studies degree at Massey University. “It just felt like the right time. I had been away from my partner (now husband) and I was given the opportunity to work doing something that I love,” she says. “Manawatū offers a lovely laid-back life style, a good place to bring up kids and everyone is so supportive and gets behind each other.” Sarah spent her childhood in rural Manawatū after her mother and father, Lynn and Bill Kirkland, established The Herb Farm as a place where people could experience pure, natural and effective products.

Sarah's and Lynn’s commitment to living naturally is the real deal. Many companies are aware of the value of using natural ingredients in their products, so they use a technique of “green-washing people”, Sarah says. Green-washing is the act of promoting a product as natural but not actually delivering a pure, natural product. It’s why Sarah and Lynn pride themselves on developing products that are “truly natural”. The products are formulated on-site using 100 per cent natural ingredients, of which many are grown in The Herb Farm organic gardens. “I believe it is important for people to be given information about harmful ingredients and toxins so they can make informed decisions.”

Now she’s a business partner with her mother, at The Herb Farm and combines her passion and skill to “make the world a better place to live in”.

The Herb Farm won both the Sustainable Business and Integrity and Ethics in Business categories at last year’s Westpac Manawatū Business Awards, and continues to grow with The Herb Farm products being stocked by more than 100 New Zealand retailers. The opportunity has also arisen to begin exporting their products internationally.

The family values a commitment to the natural way of life, something that is translated in every aspect of their business. “It was something I had always been passionate about. I knew that natural was the way to go forward and I had a good understanding of the products.” Sarah and her mother have a close working relationship. Sarah is the Managing Director at The Herb Farm, where she • 17 •

Sarah and her team of 15 work hard to promote sustainable living and making a positive difference in the world. www.herbfarm.co.nz

Hannah McLaughlin’s original career path did not include owning her own clothing store; however, studying law and psychology just wasn’t sticking. “I was at university and what I was studying wasn’t overly inspiring. I also had a really bad habit of buying too many clothes, so it was an easy move,” she says. Interview Ellen Walden Images Tim Hamilton

Hannah’s store Guilty as Sin is a chic, fashion-forward clothing boutique, which stocks New Zealand and Australian designer brands such as Ruby, Juliette Hogan and Coop amongst others. Born and raised in Manawatū, Hannah started Guilty as Sin on Palmerston North’s George Street about five years ago, before moving it to its current location on The Square. She is looking to provide a market for more unique fashion options as an alternative to the mainstream. “Lots of brands have huge online markets already, so we want to bring in clothing that’s not so well represented. Just things people don’t have so much access to here,” she says. As far as the buying goes, that all takes place at Auckland Fashion Week. “There are all the shows and the glamorous side of it, but really for us it is still work. They present us with a collection, we choose the pieces we want, and about six months later they turn up,” Hannah now spends most of her time at her second store in Napier, where she admits she is hands-on at times. “I’m in there every day, as I am when I’m in Palmy. I just like to keep an eye on things and keep things fresh.” Going forward, Hannah says the main focus for Guilty as Sin is picking up new brands from Australia for the next few seasons. They are also working on building a new website, which she says will be a huge job. Hannah says she’s glad she decided to pursue the business even though it wasn’t initially in her plans. “There have been a lot of challenges and a lot of ups and downs, but I’m definitely glad I did it.” www.guiltyassin.bigcartel.com • 18 •

Hannah McLaughlin (right)

Interview Janet Reynolds Images Brenda Wormgoor and Mike Watkins

Rebecca Algie loves diving off Wellington’s southern coast whenever she has the chance, but it was in taking on the Bridge Café near the Manawatū Gorge that the former scuba instructor says she threw herself in the deep end. “I never really imagined myself owning it,” she says. “But when my grandmother saw it as a great opportunity and pushed me to buy it, I thought, ‘Why don’t I just give it a go and see if it works?’.” Like her parents, Rebecca grew up in Ballance, on the eastern side of the Manawatū Gorge, and after an OE that included 18 months in Britian and a year in Australia, she came back to be closer to them. She says her family is close-knit, and aside from one brother in Dunedin her other relatives all live close by.

The café’s greatest challenge came in 2011, not long after Rebecca purchased the business, when the Manawatū Gorge was closed due to a major slip. In the ensuing months it traded only during weekends before closing altogether until the gorge reopened. “We tried to keep going by trading in weekends, especially for the staff. But in the end it just wasn’t feasible,” she says. “We’ve been lucky to have such great support and to have opened again, re-establishing a place that, I think, is pretty special.” In summer, Friday’s pizza nights are a huge hit, with an outdoor pizza oven the main attraction.

The business side of operations was new to Rebecca, but it has become the part she says she enjoys the most.

Rebecca is a foodie by nature, and while she has a strong influence on the menu, her chef takes the reins and creates interesting, hearty dishes. The menu uses local produce and products wherever possible.

She has a keen eye for style and design, and the Bridge Café reflects this. Hessian coffee sacks adorn the walls, vintage artwork creates discussion and the small touches make the atmosphere cozy and unique.

A quirky attention to detail that includes tea served in vintage teapots complete with hand-knitted cosies, and milk shakes served in genuine glass milk bottles keeps locals and visitors drawn to a place close to Rebecca’s heart.

“My hobby is going around cafés and getting ideas. I’m creative and decided to have a crack at it. I’m no different from anybody else though. Anyone could do this if they just applied themselves and wanted it enough.”

www.bridgecafe.co.nz • 20 •

Rebecca Algie at work in the Bridge CafĂŠ

Interview Ellen Walden

Although the name is still being decided on, the aim of Andrew Tripeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business venture is clear: to create a healthy fruit beverage that is natural, nutritious and environmentally friendly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and free of sugary and unnatural additives.

The idea for the perfect smoothie was sparked in Andrew Tripe’s mind after watching tonnes of “beautiful on the inside” pears being shipped off his father’s farm for next to nothing because they didn’t meet the stringent “appearance” requirements for export and of supermarkets. “I wanted to find a way to add value to these products rather than sell them for next to nothing,” he says. Having lived in many places abroad and in New Zealand, Andrew has now settled back where he grew up, with his wife Carolyn and three children, Jonty, Theo and Phoebe. Currently the company is in start-up mode and his time is spent making sure that the right flavours, textures and colours are developed that are appealing and true to the vision of building healthy products.

Andrew’s fruit smoothies have a variety of colour and flavour combinations that include blueberry, boysenberry, blackcurrant, pear, kiwifruit, peach, watermelon, apricot and orange. Each is dairy free. Andrew says he is keen on using New Zealand produce direct from growers. The product is currently being made in a commercial kitchen in Whanganui and tested in markets all over the lower North Island, including the Whanganui and Feilding Farmers' Markets.

“It comes down to healthy options for people of all kinds.”

“We want to refine the recipe and try to find ways to gain a reasonable shelf life without ruining the integrity of the product,” says Andrew. He is working closely with the Bio Commerce Centre in Palmerston North through a 90-day acceleration programme, which seeks to validate quickly the company’s product and concept with the market. • 23 •

“Feedback so far has been brilliant,” he says. “All the flavours are equally popular, there’s something for everyone. It comes down to healthy options for people of all kinds.”

The next step for Andrew is to add superfoods such as goji berries, kelp, quinoa, maca root and infused herbs, and eventually go global – branching into the Asian markets especially. “The world wants healthy options that are also convenient. There’s a massive opportunity to add value to food – particularly for people who care about what they put into their bodies.”

Interview Zoe Stinson Image Warren Jones

A Manawatū-based start-up company is developing ultraviolet (UV) lighting systems for large-scale horticultural produce companies around the world. Founded in November last year, Biolumic is building technology that will enable people to produce highly nutritious food of a consistent quality all year round. It enables the growing of in-season, quality, fresh produce at a stable year-round cost, without the need for sunlight in any form.

“We are in a globally important time where there is uncertainty about being able to feed ourselves in the future. We need more sustainable food techniques to grow crops that can defend themselves from disease and pests. My research has shown that UV is a powerful tool that can change the see the way a plant grows,” Jason says.

“To actually technology used to grow better crops for people all over the world would be pretty awesome.”

Dr Jason Wargent, a plant physiologist in Palmerston North, developed the science behind Biolumic. Based on research carried out at Massey University he has developed a method for providing UV light treatments to plants. The research shows that technology in controlledenvironment growing increases yield and controls disease, colour and flavour. “Our aim at Biolumic is to provide tools for the growing of better crops, and growing more of those crops without using harmful chemical sprays,” Jason says. UV light, he says, is a tool that can unlock colour manipulation, increase nutrient quality and improve shelf life by having complete control over what a crop does from start to end.

Originally from Britain, Jason has been a plant scientist for 10 years. He came to Manawatū when he was offered an academic position at Massey University.

“I was aware that Manawatū is a great place to be in terms of science and innovation because of the critical mass in agricultural scientists, which is unique in New Zealand.” The company is operating out of the Bio Commerce Centre, which is supporting the company through its critical start-up period. Biolumic is currently in its first round of commercial trials focused on leafy green vegetables. Already the company has been invited to present its products and technologies at global forums where controlled growing is becoming critical, including the Middle East and Asia. “To actually see the technology used to grow better crops for people all over the world would be pretty awesome,” Jason says.

Benny Tipene is a musician whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s put in some hard yards in his home-town, writing original music, supporting local venues and playing gigs in student flats, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a staunch ambassador for the local music scene â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something he says needs more support.

Interview Jemma Cheer Images Tim Hamilton

“Oh you can,” Benny says. “If you want the inside scoop, now’s the time to do it.”

“I love Auckland, there’s a lot of cool people in Auckland, but I think I’d be an asshole if I grew up there. I was born in Henderson, but I’m thankful for growing up in Palmy. I think there’s an environment here that creates really nice people, genuine people, and really creative people.

There’s no denying his legion of newfound fans would relish an inside scoop from the young man who won their admiration, simply by being himself – although Benny admits there were times when he felt awkward and out of place on telly.

“We make our own stuff to do, we hang out in beautiful spots with our mates and we can push boundaries. Sometimes you think, ‘There’s nothing to do today so I’m just going to try to do something a bit more creative than what I usually do’,” he says.

There’s more to him than his recent stint on TV3’s local incarnation of X-Factor, that it almost seems dull to bring it up again.

He’s also a strong advocate for pushing the boundaries further in support of creative people. Benny says Palmerston North is full of emerging talent that could use greater support and encouragement. It’s not an issue he believes is limited to the city, but one that he believes is seeing a drop-off in new artists coming through.

“This isn’t what I usually do.” “You like to think that you put your whole heart and soul into a performance, but at the same time, 70 per cent of it wasn’t live,” he says. “What I love doing is the whole live stuff. That’s what music is all about, you know? Taking it to an emotion at a certain point, or not taking it there because you’re not feeling it. “So in that sense I was like, ‘This isn’t what I usually do’, but I don’t regret doing it. “The only thing I regret is not enjoying the moment as much as I could have. I should have gone out more, or had that extra beer with Tom, or coaxed Whenua out more, but yeah. Other than that I had a really good time, it was cool. “The whole point of being on X-Factor is like, ‘This is me. If you don’t like me you need to vote me off’, you know.” Benny, who came third, says Auckland is probably the next step for him – he “needs to go where the work is”. There’s the EP, tours, and an eventual album on the horizon. He’s signed to Sony and has already released his first single under the label. He didn’t write this one – it was to be his winner’s single if he had taken out the competition – but he was given the option to release it and went for it. “It’s well written, I worked with the guy who wrote it. Yeah it’s a catchy song, and you need those songs to draw people to new music, and that’s the plan. “I kind of knew what the music industry was like before I stepped in to the X-Factor. You’re not going to get the glitz and glam of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, because they are in a country that puts them in a position of being celebrities. Here, you sort of need to separate them both.

“I’ve been to council meetings – 30 of us sitting there to support funding and investment for The Stomach. It means a lot to the music community here. It’s our base, it’s where lots of us got started.” When Avalanche City played a free concert in the city earlier this year, he was frustrated that cover bands were chosen to support them instead of original songwriters. “It took me `til the finals of X-Factor to actually do a show [with them], whereas there was an opportunity in Palmerston North for somebody to open, and they chose a covers band! The covers bands need to stay in pubs. That’s why they’re covers bands. Imagine the little kid, or like, Sam Morgan, or all those people, there are just so many people out there now, imagine them being like, “Yeah, I opened for Avalanche City and I’m so inspired, and stuff. “If the X-Factor thing had not happened, I would still be the same as I was on the show. It’s nice when people say to me, ‘Oh it’s amazing what you can do with your voice and your guitar’ and all that, but I would have been just the same if I wasn’t on the show. TV bumps you up, but I don’t think that people in Palmerston North realise that there are some other, just as talented people here.

“There are some other, just as talented people here.”

“We’re lucky in New Zealand because it’s a really chilled place to live, but there’s still that whole tall poppy syndrome, where it’s like, ‘You can’t do that, you can’t be cool, you can’t be different, you can’t be famous, I’m better than you’, which sucks, but it also means that there’s no mass ‘celebrity-ism’.” The whole experience, he says, has been worthwhile and he has a lot to give back to New Zealand. Benny’s ready to see what happens next in Auckland.

“More people like [young local musicians] Abi Symes and Shayla Armstrong need to play those bigger gigs. When someone like Stan Walker comes to play here, maybe they’ll have someone organised or maybe they won't, but it should be a platform for a new artist, because if they boost someone like that, it means they can go on to something else. They would be so proud to do that.” • 28 •

Benny Tipene with a cuppa

Interview Ellen Walden Images Jakub Postrzygacz

Jakub Postrzygacz has traversed some of the world’s most dramatic and unforgiving landscapes by bike. He says it’s the physical and mental toughness that helps pull the extra miles.

• 30 •

Jakub Postrzygacz

a long journey. Quite often you would ride for the whole day and cover 20 or 30 kilometres and you'd look at your speedometer and know there were another 1500 ahead of you before you'd finish.”

Ten years ago, Jakub Postrzygacz came across a group of journalists who were travelling in a four-wheel-drive convoy across Australia’s Canning Stock Route, the longest off-road trail in the world. He says he was mesmerised by what he saw, and later completed the first unsupported crossing of the Canning by bike. The experience changed his life. With a total distance of around 1850 kilometres, the Canning Stock Route is one of the toughest and most remote tracks in the world. It runs from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to Wiluna in the mid-west region.

Jakub grew up in Poland, and moved to New Zealand eight years ago “for a woman”. His wife Adrianna came here as a child then moved back to Poland again, where she met Jakub in high school. She always wanted to can really come back and live here, so that’s what they did.

“Nothing prepare you for such a long journey.”

“We decided to do a cycling trip around New Zealand that was about 600 kilometres long just to experience the country a bit more. Then we decided that this was the place to be.”

“I asked one of the journalists I met during the expedition, whether it would be possible to do such a trip by bike and he basically just burst out laughing and said forget about it,” Jakub says.

His reason for coming to Palmerston North, however, was business. Having worked with the Avanti cycling company for a number of years, he was asked to open up a new shop in the area. “They needed someone to look after the existing customers and provide good service, so I ended up here.”

However, Jakub was determined. It took a couple of years working with different companies to develop a bike that could ride in difficult, sandy terrain and from there he completed the trip. “It took 33 days and I lost 18 kilograms, which was a pretty good diet,” he says. “Nothing can really prepare you for such • 33 •

In the store, Jakub’s quite obviously in his element. This is a man for whom cycling is not merely a sport or a hobby. It is a passion. He lives and breathes it.

“It’s the fittest people who can suffer the most because their bodies require more oxygen to work the muscles. You can be super fit at sea level but at 4000 metres above sea level that can change.” – Jakub Postrzygacz

Cycling in the Himalayas

The whole family is interested in cycling to a certain degree. “All three children have bikes and we have a family bike with the kids on a trailer on the back and my wife on the back behind me,” he says. While Jakub has been cycling ever since he can remember, his cycling expeditions really began when he was a teenager.

In terms of training, Jakub says he was too busy with family and work and had to “pull some extra miles on the trip”. He says the biggest challenge was the altitude. “It’s the fittest people who can suffer the most because their bodies require more oxygen to work the muscles. You can be super fit at sea level but at 4000 metres above sea level that can change.”

“Back in high school there was a priest who was very much into cycling, who was one of the teachers in the school. Together we In taking on these sorts of trips, Jakub has become well versed formed a club that would organise in the challenges that come along bicycle tours around Poland and with them. He says both long“When your body is pushed later in Europe.” term endurance and psychological strength are essential. “When to its extreme and out of Jakub went to Italy and France – your body is pushed to its extreme among other places – and says it and out of your comfort zone, it’s your comfort zone, it’s no was his first taste of adventure. no longer a physical exercise but a His interest kept growing. He and longer a physical exercise but mental exercise too,” he says. his wife travelled around Ireland a mental exercise too.” on bikes they built themselves at a In cycling Manawatū, Jakub scrap yard just outside Dublin. The says the best thing is that there bikes are still intact. “We spoke to our friends last year and are many fantastic rides within an hour or two hours' drive they say they are still using those bikes,” he says. of Palmerston North’s city centre. “Proper, world-class, wonderful trips.” Jakub has taken on challenges that have never been completed before. He was motivated to do more, because he says “you get He says some of his favourite trails to ride in New Zealand hungry and you want to look for more adventure”. are in the Central Plateau and the Bridge to Nowhere in Whanganui National Park. He cycled in the Himalayas. It all came about when one of his good friends called him asking for advice regarding going to “If you enjoy meeting new people, great food and great wine Tibet. He came back and told his wife about it, and she said; then you can’t beat the rail trail.” “You didn’t ask to go with him?”. Looking to continue his impressive portfolio of cycling “So I asked if he needed a logistical supporter and mechanic expeditions, the trip he’s planning next is certainly an and he said ‘hell yeah’,” Jakub says. ambitious one. “We’ve been working on a big project for quite a few years now to go and cycle the South Pole." It was a big call. At the time his daughter was only about three weeks old and they were just starting the new business, but it Jakub was once lucky enough to meet Sir Edmund Hillary and was too good an opportunity to give up. was given some sound advice over a cup of tea and some homemade biscuits. “We put the party together and went through China, and across Tibet to Nepal, through the Friendship Highway and “He said you should search for adventure. If you find one you the base camp of Everest. The base camp was actually closed should take all you’ve got, all your strength, experience and to visitors due to political tension before the Olympics, so passion. If you succeed you will have the privilege of doing there was a lot of sneaking past checkpoints at night and something for the first time.” things like that. Luckily nobody was shot or arrested!” Jakub says it’s made him a different person. The trip took place in 2007. The whole journey took about a month including acclimatisation, but consisted of about three weeks' riding. • 36 •

Nepal

A rare collection of monthly publications, which give unique insights into Manawatū’s history, are a special treasure. Frank Goldingham’s Photorama, first published in 1959, featured snippets and submissions from enthusiastic photographers, from Feilding to Levin, and covered everything including bridal fashion, traffic mishaps and public events. Printed on Main Street in Palmerston North, much of the work was Frank's and was available in most bookshops and dairies. It was a popular means for people to stay abreast of the latest news, images and trends, until the advent of television forever changed the way communities were connected to the world.

• 39 •

Taking your bird out for dinner Interview Lance Bickford Images Leah Meacheam

Scott Kennedy is happy in the kitchen – so happy in fact, that he doesn’t mind being in there every day.The time came when he and wife Yvette – also a trained chef – wanted a real business, and to own the building it was in.

The pair, both Manawatū locals, met while working at Periwinkles restaurant, which used to be in George Street in Palmerston North.

to meet the people behind it were coming thick and fast via front of house. Yvette transitioned to front of house and says it was important the couple got to know their customers.

“We were young and enthusiastic, and both in head chef positions,” Scott says. “We were doing all the work and thought, why not do it for ourselves?”

Ten years later the building was sold and is no longer there. Nero followed quickly. When Scott and Yvette took it on, it was a 10-room homestead that had been housing business offices. Renovating the premises was extensive and financially tough.

With their respective savings, they decided to open a restaurant together. Scott was 21 years old and Yvette was 18. Their first venture started after the couple purchased an old student flat called “the Brothel” next to the Catholic cathedral – a far cry from the popular Nero Restaurant the couple own today. “It was a neat, French, provincial-type building with really ornate features on the outside,” Yvette says. “Scott would go there every day after work and look through and visualise how it would all look.” Opening in 1991, “the Brothel” had been transformed into Vavasseur restaurant where the couple, again, both worked in the kitchen. The restaurant gained recognition, and requests

“The problem was that we were chefs, not business people,” Scott says. The couple hired business consultants and learnt the business side of things – everything from how to run a good kitchen and a good front of house staff, down to costings and what works. “We’ve never looked back,” Scott says. “You’ve got to love this industry or you couldn’t do it,” Yvette says. In 2011 the couple travelled to Argentina to attend a friend’s wedding: Mark Grace, owner of Rathmoy Estate in Rangitikei, • 42 •

married Argentinian television presenter Andrea Vijande, who had fallen in love with the wider district while in Palmerston North for the Rugby World Cup. Scott spends time at Rathmoy in his spare time, pheasant shooting and “helping Mark out running the drives”. His sons Jack (15) and Harry (12) are keen shooters too. Yvette is slowly acquiring gear each Christmas and birthday. It was while he was away in Argentina that Scott became a New Zealand Beef and Lamb Ambassador. With only five ambassadors he calls it the gift that keeps on giving.

culinary standard in beef and lamb. Since being awarded the beef and lamb ambassadorship, they’ve had chefs Martin Bosley and Simon Gault into Nero, and were in the top five for the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge, “up with the likes of Logan Brown”.

“Thank God for Scott, I never have to cook another bird again!”

Prior to the game season the couple run an autumn clay bird cup at Rathmoy, where they hold a clay bird shooting competition and a traditional Scottish luncheon, return to Nero to host a degustation game dinner, with a prize-giving and guest speaker. The restaurant runs “take your bird out for dinner” events, where punters can bring in their game; Scott cooks it and turns it into a dish, then presents it back to them as a meal.

“Palmerston North has got some fantastic restaurants; they don’t know how lucky they are. For a small town, there is some very good quality food out there,” he says. “Assessors come through and see what your standard is. They don’t just look at one year, you have to be consistent.” Nero was last year awarded the New Zealand Beef and Lamb Hallmark of Excellence Award for achieving the highest • 43 •

“Lots of women think, ‘Thank God for Scott, I never have to cook another bird again!’,” Yvette says.

www.cafenero.co.nz

Interview Zoe Stinson Images Tim Hamilton

An old converted schoolhouse, tucked in the Tararua Ranges at the end of a country road, not only boasts fantastic views of a stunning countryside, but plays host to some of the biggest New Zealand and international folk, blues, jazz and country musicians. The Bent Horseshoe Café, with country cooking and coffee, may be the most remote music venue in New Zealand. It manages to draw large crowds and packs out almost every weekend. Owners Steve and Robyn Tolley opened the converted schoolhouse, situated in Tokomaru, in 2007. Steve, a relief teacher and Robyn, a part-time psychiatric nurse, who have been married for 37 years, decided to take advantage of the beautiful position they had and share it with other people. “It is such a beautiful spot out here. We have Horseshoe Bend right around the corner from us. We have magnificent views of the river and the hills; everyone should have the opportunity to experience that,” Steve says.

Since that first concert the Bent Horseshoe Café has expanded into having live gigs weekly and blues jam sessions on Thursday nights. Jam sessions give anyone the opportunity to get up and play or sing. “I play the guitar myself and I do a bit of singing, so the jam sessions had an ulterior motive,” Steve says. The café is now tapping into the international touring market with bands from America, Canada and Britain all wanting to share their music with punters at the Bent Horseshoe Café who travel from Wellington, Palmerston North, Otaki, Levin, Sanson and Bulls to experience the unique venue’s live music. With this year fully booked, Steve is already booking 2014’s line-up. “Musicians just like to play here. We really look after the bands. We feed them and we offer a relaxed, cosy atmosphere. They are very important; without them we couldn’t operate.”

"The jam sessions had an ulterior motive."

The converted schoolhouse, with blackboard still intact, was moved on to the land from Dannevirke. It has a country feel, with every inch of the building showing a love of and dedication to music. There is a wall plastered with posters of almost every musician who has played there and a shelf of various knick-knacks that have been given to Robyn and Steve by musicians over the years. Both Robyn and Steve share a love of music, so turning the Bent Horseshoe Café into a live music venue was always a goal. However winter caused the goal to become a reality much sooner than expected. “Winter was really quiet and we had to do something, so I approached my friend Bullfrog Rata to do a gig here.” Bullfrog Rata was the first musician to play at the Bent Horseshoe Café, quickly followed by Sue Pugmire, and both were very successful. “It sort of just grew from there and we became more and more popular.” • 45 •

For Steve, in addition to sharing his love of music with people each week, the real upside of opening the Bent Horseshoe Café has been seeing how supportive the Manawatū community is of local, national and international music. “People really get behind each other here; the support that we have received from individuals and businesses alike has been amazing.” While their main audience demographic is people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, the café is attracting younger crowds depending on the type of band. Steve and Robyn welcome all musicians, old, young and new, but would love to have Midge Marsden play a gig at their venue in the future. “The sky’s the limit. I would love everyone to play here.” While the concerts are generally quite relaxed, Steve does have one rule. “No talking while the band is playing. People come here purely for the music, so we have to respect that. “At the end of the day it all comes down to a love of music and allowing us to share that with other people. There have been hard times but our love of music always carries us through.”

www.benthorseshoe.co.nz

Manu Kawana is a man of many hats. As a Māori Advisor at Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History, he is heavily involved in the Māori community. He takes great pride in his culture and works hard to have it reflected in many aspects of his life.

Manu Kawana grew up in Manawatū, attending Oroua Downs School in Himatangi. After moving to Masterton for a time, Manawatū called him back in 1984 and he has been here ever since. He belongs to both Rangitāne and Ngāti Raukawa iwi. Together with his wife Diana and seven children, he calls this home. Manu has worked at Te Manawa for the past 15 years. He started as a Māori Educator in a part-time position. “My role was to develop and deliver education programmes with a Māori flavour to them.” He stayed in this role until about five years ago when he moved to being the museum’s Kaihautu. “I work with all departments in Te Manawa to provide guidance, advice and support on Māori issues right across the board.” His passion for Māori language and culture is clear in all the work he does in the Māori community. He has built up strong relationships as a Māori advisor within community groups and schools.

Manu not only has a lot of experience in these areas, he also shows such passion for Māori culture and language. He says he gets called on from “preschool level right up to tertiary” for advice and information on history. His role in education reaches much further than just the walls of Te Manawa. He is involved with Mana Tamariki, one of two Palmerston North-based Māori immersion schools. In Māori immersion schools, “Māori is the only language used,” Manu says. Pupils go from Te Kōhanga Reo, preschool level, right up to Wharekura, secondary school level. “When they get to Years 7 and 8 they start getting English lessons with an onsite English teacher, and that runs through right up until Year 13,” he says. Manu believes this sort of education is extremely important for the development of Māori language, and without it “it’s a real struggle,” he says. Immersion, he says, is an undertaking that needs to be seen through both at school and at home for children to have the ability to speak Māori as their first language. • 46 •

Manu Kawana

“It comes back to the parents and how much they want their children to speak Māori and not just rely on the school to do all the work.” Mana Tamariki is one of the only schools in New Zealand with an entry requirement that one of the parents has to be a 24/7 speaker ofMāori to the children. Manu and Diana have brought their children up under the same principle. All of their children have gone through Māori immersion education. Their two eldest children went through Māori immersion in mainstream education at Takaro School and their next five children are all in Māori immersion schooling. “For my wife and me it’s 24/7,” Manu says. “Māori is our first language at home. It takes a bit of getting used to though, especially with all of our non-Māori-language relatives and whanau. But the kids have the ability now to converse with us, and if non-Māori-speaking people are part of the

conversation, they can change straight away back to English,” says Manu. Manu is talented in many areas of Māori art. Weaving is something that has been passed down through generations of his family, originating with his great-grandmother, whose work can be seen in the Māori gallery at Te Manawa. “My parents – my mum in particular – were weavers, so I learnt most of my stuff from them, and my grandmother as well. I did an exhibition here about four years ago talking about my mum, my grandmother and her mother as well.” It was something that was always going on at his house, Manu says – something with which he was raised with. “We’d participate in those jobs, even when it was just fetching flax. Then they showed us how to strip it and prepare it and they showed us how to weave simple things and it sort of built from there.” Manu describes it as an activity that is “very therapeutic”. • 48 •

Manu is also a carver. He has been carving since he was in high school, but now takes it as more of a hobby because he is so busy with everything else he does in the community.

“...I carve on request when somebody wants something for a birthday present for example. I just go out there in my spare time and chip away at things.”

that they are very creative in their Māori art and design.”

Manu’s eldest son Tawaroa is a talented musician. Last year he was a finalist in TVOne’s New Zealand’s Got Talent and he is now continuing with a music career. He was asked by the Māori Language Commission to write a song for Māori Language Week, which he performed on Māori Television, and, toured the country with the group JGeeks, another New Zealand’s Got Talent finalist.

“I have my little hide away at the back of my garage where I go and start carving away. I don’t carve in the sense that I take on a whole project; I carve on request when somebody wants something for a birthday present, for example. I just go out there in my spare time and chip away at things.”

“Our children all have their special points about them and, for Diana and me, it’s just about providing that ongoing encouragement and support wherever we can.”

Manu recently made a pair of whalebone Roman dice for Te Manawa’s Roman Machines exhibition. When talking about passing on his weaving and carving skills to his children, he says it may come with time. “I don’t want to force it upon them. For me it’s just good to be able to see • 49 •

For 17 years weird and wonderful creations from secondary school pupils have taken centre stage in an annual event that started as a local high school fundraiser.

Evento Wearable Art Awards has become a major event featuring the work of pupils from multiple schools in and around Manawatū. Attracting an audience of thousands each year, the show includes music, dance and performance art, as well as wearable art; all created by secondary school pupils. Pupils from Feilding Agricultural High School, Freyberg High School, Palmerston North Girls’ High School, Queen Elizabeth College, Nga Tawa Diocesan School, St Peter’s College, Awatapu College and Taihape Area School, and two home-schooled students this year made up the 60 entrants who strutted their stuff before a judging panel and an audience of thousands at Manfeild stadium in Feilding. Funds raised from Evento in recent years have been reinvested into the event to build a spectacular showcase of wearable art, performance art, lighting and sound. www.evento.org.nz • 50 •

Ted’s bedtime dreams

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Good enough to eat

Spotlight on Evento

Four squared

Read all about it

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Three’s a crowd

Supreme Winner 2013: Forest to fashion

• 51 •

Isaac Henderson (right) conducts the Manawat큰 Youth Orchestra during rehearsal at the Regent Theatre

Interview Zoe Stinson

From violins to bassoons and French horns, the Manawatu Youth Orchestra has it covered. With more than 60 members, the orchestra showcases the best and brightest of young musicians in Manawatu. One of those bright young musicians, Isaac Henderson, is currently studying aviation management at Massey University Palmerston North. He has been conducting the youth orchestra for two years after taking over from John Schwabe, who retired after 47 years at the helm. The 19-year-old, who is originally from Hamilton, began composing at age 12 and began conducting when he was just 15. While in Hamilton, Isaac put his passion into practice by conducting the Waikato Schools’ Orchestra and the United Youth Orchestra. “Every form of music evolved from classical music. By being involved with the youth orchestra I can provide young players with these musical roots,” Isaac says. Living in Manawatū for the past couple of years has allowed him to become heavily involved in the orchestral community. “It was great coming to Manawatū to find such a strong orchestra. We have more than 60 musicians, which rivals Hamilton and Wellington.” The Manawatū Youth Orchestra has been operating for more than 50 years and has become the main training ground for the region’s orchestral players under the age of 25. The orchestra supports young musicians throughout the community by providing them with a programme that fosters a life-long love of orchestral music. “Everyone in the orchestra is extremely talented in their own right. We all have a love of classical music and want to share it with the rest of the community. That is what brings us together as a group,” Isaac says. The orchestra provides members with the opportunity to show their enthusiasm for orchestral music and play pieces by famous composers such as Tchaikovsky and Bizet, at their regular performance concerts. The concerts give the young musicians a chance to show their talents at charity and school performances, where they hope to pass on their love of classical music to others in the community. Isaac also conducts the Saturday Morning Orchestra, which is a training orchestra for young musicians who are just starting out. In addition to the youth orchestra, Manawatū is home to the Manawatū Sinfonia, which has been dubbed "your community orchestra". The sinfonia currently has 35 members and performs up to five times annually. www.manawatuorchestra.org.nz

Dr Angie Farrow, image courtesy Massey University

Interview Zoe Stinson Image David Wiltshire

Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, and she was voted Lecture of the Year in 2011 by Massey University students.

“I love writing plays because you get to invent just about everything within the world of drama. Theatre works in three dimensions, so when you see your play in action, you are watching a living, breathing experience that you have created. It is a bit like playing God.”

“Teaching is a great privilege. I feel very lucky to be at Massey and to be able to teach the things I love. At best, teaching is an art form because you have to be instinctive as well as have a strong knowledge base.”

“The arts help us to know each other more deeply.”

Author, playwright and teacher, Dr Angie Farrow has been involved with theatre since she was a student when she became addicted to the process. “I think theatre chose me. It is addictive because it is such a total, all-consuming process. Nothing short of dedication will do. It grabs you by the throat and won’t let go until the work is over. Then you think you will never do it again. A few weeks later, you find yourself searching for the next theatre ‘fix’,” says Angie.

Angie has won numerous national and international awards for her theatre and radio plays. Some of these awards include first prize in the Canadian international playwriting competition. Her theatre works have been performed in Canada, Singapore, Australia and India.

After becoming involved in the process of theatre-making when she was a student, teaching was a natural progression for her. “Writing develops my curiosity and my creative instinct. Teaching lets me share what I know with others.” After completing her teaching degree in Britain, Angie moved to Manawatū, where she focuses on theatre and creativity at Massey University in Palmerston North. She has won several awards that recognise Angie’s enthusiasm and dedication to her students and the arts. These awards include the National • 55 •

She has been an advocate for the arts both at Massey University and in the community for many years. Her creative interests led to the development of the Festival of New Arts, which gives artists in Manawatū a forum for presenting their work. Angie is also the driving force behind Summer Shakespeare, a production that gives people in Manawatū a chance to perform on stage. “The arts help us to know each other more deeply,” she says. “They can be a gateway to new knowledge, new directions; they give us an anchor into the world or the imagination; they help us to dream and make some of the dreams happen.”

Interview Julie Bowe Image Leah Meacheam

James Watts

James Watts says he built his first computer in a cheesecake container when he was around 10 years old. “It could only do simple math like a calculator, but this was well before the modern generation of kids born with Xboxes attached.”

Entrepreneur and local Internet mogul James Watts says he’s always had a passion for electronics and computers. An apprenticeship as an electrician stirred his interest even further and turned what had been a hobby into something much bigger than he’d planned.

“So we made Inspire.net – it came about one weekend when we built some servers and put in a couple of phone lines.”

Locals “in the know” talk about how Inspire.net started out of James’s garage, but the company’s Managing Director says that isn’t quite true.

“We set a goal to have 2000 customers in five years and we did it in three and a half months – the timing was right. This was on the cusp of the Internet becoming popular and we hit a price point that people were happy with,” James says.

The company eventually outgrew the garage. By the time the sixth or seventh staff member was on board, things were becoming a squeeze.

“The servers sat on a concrete slab under a tarpaulin,” James says. “The garage wasn’t there yet, but was eventually built around them. “One of my mates bought Paradise.net in Wellington and I was involved in that – watching and learning, and helping out. At that stage we would have just brought Paradise.net to Palmerston North, but we couldn’t buy circuits from Telecom at any kind of sane price,” he says. • 57 •

“I wanted faster Internet at home, so I put my hobby and my skills to work.” Today the servers are based in Inspire’s Palmerston Northbased headquarters – a bright blue building the company has slowly filled floor by floor over the years. The concrete slab where it all began now belongs to somebody else, perhaps unaware they’re parked on a slice of the region’s history.

James Watts

“We’ve just moved to a lifestyle block in Colyton,” James says. “I’m not a big city person, I like to have space – I suppose I’m a bit of a recluse.”

“We have our fibre in smaller towns, and have built wireless networks for farmers in the wider region. It is a massive growth industry for us.

James’s wife Raelene is a “Colytonite” and teaches at Ashhurst and Colyton Schools. The couple enjoys the country life close to Raelene’s parents, with their two young sons AJ and Benjamin.

“We said, if 10 people approach us from a rural community, we’ll build them a Wifi tower. So far we’ve built around 280 on that scale all the way through the wider district, bringing broadband Internet to places that otherwise wouldn’t have access.”

“This is a great place to raise kids,” he says. “Nothing appeals to me more at the end of the day than going home and having space to relax and unwind.” Inspire.net now boasts 25,000 customers and 99 per cent customer satisfaction. “In the first consumer survey we had about 92 per cent customer satisfaction. "We ranked first, while Telecom’s Xtra had 27 per cent. They’ve raised their game and have around 70 per cent now – so what can we do that’s different? Sooner or later they’re going to get as good as us.” Inspire’s community championship programme is a serious example of being good.

The company’s primary footprint is from Levin to Raetahi, and Waitotara to Akitio. “No-one else is willing to invest in those communities, so we stood up and said, 'We’ll do it', and we’ve done it well. This is our turf now. “We have connectivity that you wouldn’t believe. We can move data quickly and easily across the world – and that’s important for us as a central hub. We want our kids to be savvy, and our schools and our businesses to have every advantage. “Businesses should invest in the communities in which they’re based. Loyalty counts for something and service is one thing I think we’ve always done well.” • 58 •

Free Wifi grows Inspire.net will maintain and grow Palmerston North city's and Manawatū’s Wifi service after a successful trial of "Central Free Wifi" was well received. "Use of the free Wifi service exceeded the expectations of those responsible for the service, which James says is changing the way people do business in the community. “More mobile devices are being used in cafés, and business people are taking advantage of having Internet access during meetings. Inspire is passionate about connecting people in our region, and we see this network as a vital piece of connecting our communities, as mobility starts to take preference over being tied to a PC on a desk,” he says. Inspire Free Wifi is available at locations around Palmerston North, Manawatū and Tararua, covers Waiouru Army Museum and the YMCA camp at Kakatahi, and is expanding into the Whanganui district.

• 59 •

Janneke van Wagtendonk keeps sane by only spending half a week in Auckland. General Manager of ViaLactia Biosciences at Fonterra, Janneke spends the other half near Feilding at Taonui Estate, which she owns with husband Matthijs. Interview Graeme Beal Images Leah Meacheam

Janneke and Matthijs van Wagtendonk met in their native Holland, as rowers, and came to New Zealand 12 years ago with their three sons. Matthijs says the family was looking for something different. “We were living in Holland, the boys were growing up and we needed more space,” Janneke says. “We lived in a suburb and when they started kicking balls around, they’d hit the window, the neighbours – it was very small.

“The company I worked for at the time bought a company in Brazil. I love Brazil, but didn’t want to live there. Then we had a project, where I worked with Livestock Improvement here in New Zealand and my counterpart was leaving to spend more time with their family. I said, ‘Do you think they’ll have me?’. "I phoned Matt and asked him what he thought about New Zealand. He said, ‘Yep’ – and that was it!” “All I knew about New Zealand was that it had green space, was on the other side of the world, and English was spoken – making blending in easy,” Matthijs says.

“So we said, ‘We’ve got to get out, we’ve got to get more space’.” When the couple started looking around, it became clear that lifestyle blocks in Holland were very expensive and difficult to find, so they decided to try looking abroad for a couple of years.

“What we tend to think of in Holland is that New Zealand is one big bridge of farmland – well it is, to be honest, except for Auckland,” he laughs. Although a stark contrast to where she spends the other half of her week, Janneke says Auckland isn’t really that bad.

“A lot of our friends at the agricultural university used to go to the tropics – I said, ‘No we’re not tropical people’. • 61 •

“It isn’t half as bad as I thought it would be,” she says. “Actually it’s quite nice – but every time you land at Palmerston North Airport, drive along the rural roads home and come up the driveway, it’s beautiful, fresh, green – it gives you thinking space." The couple originally bought a lifestyle block surrounded by a dairy farm. Matthijs says the plan was for him to stay at home at least half the year and help get the whole family settled in. “That half-year became 12 years,” he says. “Some of the people around us thought we were mad – but we just made a decision and if you make a decision you go with what it takes. “My neighbour was a share milker and we clicked quite well, so I started doing relief milking at his place. Later I bought some calves and reared calves for four years. A friend had a blueberry farm, and I worked there for a while too. “It is a down-to-earth environment here,” he says. Meanwhile, Janneke has a more corporate occupation, with demanding jobs at Fonterra as acting General Manager of Innovation and before that Research and Development Manager based in Palmerston North. “I couldn’t do what I do if Matt were working as well,” she says. “Every Christmas we ask, ‘Are we happy?’ and if someone’s not, then something’s got to change. I’m serious. I think that’s really important.

“Some of the people around us thought we were mad – but we just made a decision and if you make a decision you go with what it takes.” – Matthijs van Wagtendonk “That’s why this is so great,” she says, gesturing to the extensive gardens of their home. “Coming here after all the talk and meetings, we can go into the garden, with the lambs and the daffodils – it’s so important to keep yourself balanced and healthy.” Matthijs surveys Taonui’s extensive garden, which surrounds the historic homestead. It’s part of four hectares of fields surrounded by dairy and sheep farms and with the Tararua Ranges as the backdrop. “This area here, as soon as the sun comes out, whether it's midwinter or high summer, it's just beautiful,” he says. When they first took Taonui on, the property had been neglected. Landscaper Alan Cleland told the couple they had to clean up the homestead’s overgrown landscape before he’d take on any work. “He needed to know he was dealing with people who were serious,” Janneke says. “He told us: ‘Get your spraying pattern

Janneke and Matthijs van Wagtendonk

right, put some sheep here in this paddock and tidy it up – then I might be interested in working with you.’ It took us a year!” Alan later told the couple he thought he’d never be back after the first time. He thought the task would be too big for them. Now, the gardens are a magnificent showpiece for all seasons, and the homestead is a boutique bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue. “Since we only have one more child left at home, that makes this work as well,” Matthijs says. “It’s a nice place to raise a family – but only one!” The couple’s three sons, now aged 21, 19 and 17, all attended Palmerston North Boys’ High School. The school, Matthijs says, had an excellent cycling team, which made it an easy choice. “It’s very different from Holland,” Matthijs says. “Uniforms, single-sex schools didn’t exist where we were from, and the discipline was absolutely non-typical Dutch!” The “non-typical Dutch” is something the couple have enjoyed – and even describe as euphoric. “We’re in a luxurious position in that we came here by choice, and we’re here to live the life of New Zealand. “The reason people came here after the second world war was irreversible, – it was almost fleeing and I think, to survive, those people had to stick together,” Janneke says. • 63 •

“When we came into Hamilton all those years ago, we were sitting in our motel having lunch on our balcony in August – the middle of winter, in our t-shirts, and we thought, ‘Wow yeah, this is a new country’.” With her work calling the couple halfway around the world, first to Hamilton, then to Manawatū, she now looks specifically at on-farm innovation for Fonterra. “How appropriate eh?” Fonterra, she says, realises how important “on the farm” is, with 85 per cent of assets, safety and sustainability being centred on farms. “The rest is downstream. If you don’t start with high-quality, sustainable milk, you won’t add anything downstream – so it’s very exciting work.” With long-term planning such a core focus of Janneke’s daily routine, particularly working in innovation where it can take years to see results, trimming the hedges is something that brings immediate gratification. “I love it,” she smiles. “We often say this is the best decision we could have made.”

www.taonuiestate.co.nz

Interview Ellen Walden

To the markets! Alt.Shift.Craft Market: Do, Be, Do, Be, Do 12 October 2013 “Out-there” crafters, artisans and artists interacting with the public via curated market events.

There’s something special about a patch in rural Manawatu that attracts a slew of people to shop and share at Kimbolton every year. The Cross Hills Gardens Country Fair is an opportunity for people to peruse some of the best craft and artisan products from around the country in a stunning outdoor setting. Cross Hills Gardens in Kimbolton boasts a large seven hectare, parklike garden that includes a significant collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, totalling more than 2000 varieties. Angela Wilson, who is the key organiser of the event for the family business, thought that Cross Hills was such a good place to have an event like this – it seemed like a natural fit.

Alt.Shift.Craft Christmas Market 29 November 2013 Palmerston North City Library

The Country Road Market 7 December 2013 The Square, Palmerston North

Cross Hills Gardens Country Fair 16 November 2013 | 9am - 4pm Cross Hills Gardens

“It’s a good way of getting more people to see the garden as well as utilising it for something more,” she says. The country fair, now in its fifth year, takes place in November, the peak time to see the gardens in full bloom. Originally with 70 stalls in 2009, the fair now showcases 140 stalls with a variety of clothing, jewellery, food, crafts and more. Cross Hills Gardens also sells plants from the on-site nursery that can be grown at home. Angela hand-picks the stalls herself, wanting a range of high-quality goods on show each year. “There’s a mix of everything and it’s unique,” she says. This year live music will add to the atmosphere, and with 4500 people attending the last country fair, Angela is hoping it will be just as popular this year and that the weather will put on a good day for everyone. The feedback they have received so far has been nothing but positive. As the fair continues to grow, Angela says she still wants it to keep its genuine country feel, and for it to “keep its spark”. “It’s a good event for people to enjoy coming into the warmer months, and to get a bit of Christmas shopping done early from the range of quality craft and artworks.” Angela says they really just aim to keep it going as a great day out in the garden. www.crosshillsfair.co.nz • 65 •

The Magic of Christmas Night Market 10 December 2013 | 5.30pm - 10.30pm Te Manawa, Palmerston North The best independent and contemporary artists, crafters, gourmet food producers and local businesses – a carefully curated Christmas shopping extravaganza.

Wildbase Recovery: New Zealand’s leading wildlife health centre When a little yellow-eyed penguin suffers and survives a massive predator attack resulting in fractures, wounds and loss of feathers, his injuries will be treated at Wildbase Hospital. His rehabilitation will happen over several weeks at Wildbase Recovery in the Victoria Esplanade, where visitors will be able to see his progress on a daily basis. Once his feathers have grown back and he is 100 per cent waterproof again, he will be returned home. Transforming the aviary in Palmerston North’s Esplanade into a worldleading wildlife rehabilitation educational facility is being worked on behind the scenes by a team of community-oriented organisations. The Palmerston North City Council and Massey University together with Rangitāne, the Department of Conservation, Rotary and numerous community investors have recognised the importance of providing worldclass physiotherapy facilities for injured wildlife – helping them to recover before being returned to the wild. Project funding co-ordinator Pete Leach says Wildbase Recovery will feature a series of rehabilitation-focused aviary spaces, public viewing blinds and an education space. The specially landscaped environment will allow each animal to regain its strength and agility, while fitted glass, vegetation and sound screens will mask the presence of visitors. Pete says interpretive media will play a major role in helping visitors to understand how each bird was injured, and the processes and procedures for helping it to heal, caring for it and releasing it back into the wild. Individual birds will stay for varying lengths of time and new "patients" will arrive every day. Pete says the exotic birds currently at the aviary will also be on display. Wildbase Recovery will host more than 100,000 visitors a year. “It will provide a unique Kiwi experience. You’ll be able to view wildlife as they recuperate, hear about the latest veterinary surgery and medicine and learn how to keep wildlife wild,” says Pete. “It will also be a treasured learning tool for students, including veterinary and veterinary nurse trainees. It is expected that more than 200 educational visits will be made each year.” Pete Leach says the team is confident that Wildbase Recovery will rapidly become a much-loved local facility as well as the foremost attraction in the city and Manawatū as a whole – “It’s an exciting project”.

An artists impression of Wildbase Recovery as it will appear once constructed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; image courtesy Palmerston North City Council

Surveillance Van: Open brief third-year UCOL BAVI assignment

WILLIAM BENNETT UCOLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s William Bennett, a third-year digital illustration student, says that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until after high school that he found he could really make something out of his passion for art and drawing. The illustrator, whose work also features on pages 4 and 10, has already met with Weta Workshop in Wellington. drednorzt.blogspot.co.nz