Wanaka Sun | 07 - 13 May 2020 | Edition 973

Ginni Rutlledge

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‘Railroaded’ MAC Trustees resign Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

ount Aspiring College (MAC) Board of Trustees (BOT) chair Glenn Peat has resigned after just two months, it was announced on Monday. The following day, the BOT announced that parent representative of over seven years Tracey Gibson had also stepped down.

Peat and his family moved to Wānaka in 2018, and he joined the board in July 2019 before becoming chair in late February of this year. His term was due to expire in December.

Peat told the Wānaka Sun that he resigned from the board because he felt “misrepresented”, and experienced personal conflict in speaking for the board when he held a different view to the majority of his fellow trustees.

“I believe that as the governing body of MAC, the board should not only instigate change as required, but act with honesty, integrity and transparency,” he said.

“When I was elected to the board I felt motivated and excited to bring about positive change within the school. It became apparent that the board was continuing to take the same approach as the past while expecting a different outcome - which is not a logical process.”

The BOT thanked Peat for his contribution and said they were “sorry to see [him] go,” before announcing that parent trustee Ed Nepia would be the acting chair until a replacement is found.

In March, an Education Review Office (ERO) report identified MAC as a “developing” school, leading to the organisation of the group Parents of MAC. The group voiced parental concerns with the report and the school’s strategy, leadership and communication with the community. Parents of MAC now has around 75 participants.

Parent Aidan Craig was liaising with Peat to bring about change and improvement, and told the Wānaka Sun that his resignation had been a surprise - adding that the board “needed a fresh set of eyes, and to have him walk out the door is both concerning and disappointing.”

Comparing the board’s lack of direction to watching paint dry, Craig said that “over the past two months, there has been so little detail that it’s been hard to discern what work was being done. Glenn was fully understanding of this.”

Despite Peat officially resigning last Friday, May 1, parents and staff received no communication from the board until the following Monday - by which time the news was already in the media.

Following the resignation of Gibson the next day, Acting Chair Nepia wrote to parents saying that the BOT would be seeking outside help to “reorient” following the recent resignations.

“The board is currently engaged with NZSTA [New Zealand School Trustees Association] to help guide us through the process of electing new parent representatives and to assist us in our efforts to improve the board’s performance,” read the letter.

Nepia did not refer to Gibson’s reasons for resigning, however Peat told the Wānaka Sun that she had supported his views on the board, and as a result the two of them were “railroaded.”

“Hopefully the board and the Ministry of Education see this as a catalyst to create some change,” said Craig. “Fundamentally, the culture is not working, and they need to recognise that.”

MAC Principal Wayne Bosley had not responded to the Wānaka Sun’s request to comment at the time of publication.

M

PHOTO: Mount Aspiring College

Glenn Peat: “It became apparent that the board was continuing to take the same approach as the past while expecting a different outcome - which is not a logical process.”

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No sign of airport Southern agencies pitch feedback survey in for overseas workers Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

PHOTO: Pixabay

The report of the MartinJenkins airport impact assessment survey will be delayed until the second half of May.

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

The MartinJenkins airport impact assessment survey to gather public feedback on the social and economic impact of a controversial airport expansion in Queenstown and Wānaka closed on March 11, but the findings report has not yet been released - and will be delayed until the second half of May, according to Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

After councillors voted to accept a draft Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) statement of intent (SOI) during a QLDC Zoom meeting on April 23, their communications team responded to newsource queries about the whereabouts of the survey report - which was not included in the decision-making process.

“The report was expected to be released earlier, but the timeline associated with the report was severely impacted by coronavirus,” said a QLDC spokesperson.

“We are currently planning on sending the report to councillors in a workshop in the second half of May (the date of the workshop is to be confirmed). We expect to release it to the public shortly after the workshop. The report will be

made public as it is delivered to QLDC.” The announcement follows vocal criticism on the SOI’s approval. Community group Protect Wānaka expressed frustration at the result, “despite an almost unprecedented 80 something submissions in opposition... including one from us on behalf of 3,390 people in the Upper Clutha,” and councillors Nikki Gladding and Niamh Shaw also opposed the decision.

Councillor Shaw said the “self-declared ‘invalid’” document was not an accurate or fitfor-purpose reflection of the current situation given coronavirus, and that it “achieves precisely nothing in the way of governance or oversight and therefore presents an untenable risk to council,” before comparing it to a drawing by her 8-yearold daughter. She added that it was “completely unnecessary”; the current SOI was valid until the end of June.

In response, QLDC said, “The SOI was drafted pre-coronavirus; council took the pragmatic approach to adopt the SOI but recognises that it doesn’t reflect the current situation. The directive from councillors was for QAC to come back with a modified, updated SOI in October that better reflects the realities of the post-coronavirus situation.”

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Emergency Management Otago has been joined by 120 volunteers from public and private sector organisations across Otago and Southland to reach out to around 4300 foreign nationals and their families, who have sought welfare assistance due to the impacts of coronavirus.

Many have received help with day to day necessities from Civil Defence and Emergency Management in Queenstown. But the purpose of the calls was to gain a complete picture of welfare needs, current employment status, whether they intend to stay in New Zealand or return to their home country, and whether they required assistance contacting their government.

Volunteers making calls have come from councils across Otago, Emergency Management Otago, Emergency Management Southland, the Department of Conversation and tourism operator Wayfare.

“The first calls went out on Friday afternoon and continued over Anzac weekend and into last week,” said Otago Civil Defence controller Richard Saunders.

“We have managed to speak with over 1600 foreign nationals to date, which has allowed us to start to build a better picture of the ongoing welfare situation in the region.”

From the information collected so far,

Saunders said the majority of people wished to stay in New Zealand if possible, and over 60 per cent have indicated they still have employment. Fifteen per cent indicated they intended on going home, but most had not registered for a PHOTO: Civil Defence repatriation flight or Richard Saunders, Otago made contact with a Civil Defence controller. travel agent.

Saunders said information collected would be shared with Queenstown Lakes District Council as well as several central government agencies such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Immigration New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

In cases where the international visitor needed help to connect with their government to seek support or repatriation flights, the information could also be shared with embassies or consulates.

“One of the first things we can do is put those wishing to return home in touch with their government to help them arrange a flight back to their home country,” said Saunders.

Saunders said calls were completed last week but work to connect overseas citizens with the available support would be ongoing.

ORC approves funding for three Wānaka-based eco-projects Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Three Wānaka based community-led projects were amongst 14 approved funding from the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) ECO Fund.

The ECO Fund decision panel said community projects such as these would be invaluable during the post- Covid-19 recovery.

Chair of the panel Michael Deaker said: “We had a range of outstanding applications in this round, and I’m thrilled by the projects we’ve been able to support.

“It is always tremendous to support Otago groups doing great things in their backyard through ORC’s ECO Fund, but there’s extra significance to the funding decisions in this round, given the circumstances in which they were made.

“While most of these groups have had to put their projects on hold, this money will give them a real boost once they’re able to resume in the coming months.”

Applications for this round were open from March 1-20. Twenty-four applications were received seeking over $323,000 of funding, more than twice the $132,573.78 available.

Councillors also agreed to seek an alternative funding option for ORC to support the work of the Southern Great Lakes Programme, led by Marc Schallenberg.

While the project’s application did not meet the key ECO Fund criteria of community involvement and engagement, the programme was viewed by the decision panel to provide significant benefit to ORC’s work programmes and environmental outcomes for the Southern Great Lakes.

The Wanaka projects approved for funding were: • Makarora Catchment Threatened Species Project - From Ridge to River

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PHOTO: Wānaka Sun

Hawea songstress Anna van Riel has been awarded almost $12,000 for her Waste Free Wanda tour promoting environmental change in Otago schools.

$3,000 - ABT threatened species programmes are divided into four focal habitats from ridge to river and the species they support; braided river for wrybill, black-fronted tern, banded dotterel, blackbilled gull; beech/podocarp forest for kaka and long-tailed bat; upper river catchments for whio; and the alpine environment for rock wren and kea.

• Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust $10,000 - The project is to consolidate the work Te Kākano has done over the last 12 years, and to continue to increase the involvement of the community in local habitat restoration, to grow and plant eco-sourced native plants in the Upper Clutha Basin and to shift plans into, and streamline operations within the newly expanded nursery space and to advance stage 2 of the expansion (building facilities).

• Waste Free Wanda Tour $11,839.85 - Delivered by multi-awardwinning singer/songwriter and Hāwea-based Anna van Riel, the focus of this project is to provide fun, interactive and educational musical performances to 52 schools and approximately 6,033 pupils and teachers in the Otago region.

The shows will provide audiences with easy-touse tools that support positive environmental change around water and wildlife conservation, as well as offering an insight into how we view our waste on the planet, and how we can each take responsibility and be the change.

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Cardrona Alpine Resorts commits to open end June Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Cardrona Alpine Resorts is prepping both Cardrona and Treble Cone alpine resorts for an end of June opening assuming the country has reached Alert Level 2.

In an online meeting of the Southern Lakes Business Response Group general manager, Bridget Legnavsky said; "Whether we open one field, two, or part of each is not entirely planned yet, but we are looking at all scenarios.

“We may open one, then part of the other later in the season.

"But it means we are now one hundred per cent committed to opening."

Legnavsky said the good thing about the ski industry was it’s “ robust domestic market." Sixty per cent of the clientele was local, and this could generate 25 per cent of the company's "regular business" in a Level 2 environment.

"That is based on locals and there being no inter-regional travel," she said.

"Because we are only looking at 25 per cent of our market, we have to be very conscious of our costs around delivery and making sure we fit our business to that market."

Legnavsky said she was hoping for Level 2 if not Level 1 by the start of the season. Both levels were quite different, she said.

If Level 2, they would be looking closely at how to operate in the 500 hectares of each resort.

"We should be considered more like a small town. We are almost a special (social distancing) classification based on the fact we have so much space to spread people out.

Mayor calls for ‘positivity’

PHOTO: Wānaka Sun

Cardrona Alpine Resorts: we are now one hundred per cent committed to opening.

"If we get into Level 1 that completely changes things because the domestic market will start to move again and we would expect to see North Islanders, Aucklanders back down here. We plan to open more facilities and get up to a business of about 50 per cent of our usual market."

Legnavsky said the ski fields closed down quickly after summer and the company was able to retain much of its staff, either on subsidy or wages. These were mainly people in comms, sales, HR and health and safety, she said.

With the transition to Level 3 last week, she was able to get teams on the mountain in preparation for the maintenance and critical works team starting this week.

"We had 36 staff start on the mountain. They are under stringent health and safety guidelines," she said.

"We are hugely hopeful that by July we will be in that Level 1 environment. But we are very aware we may not be there too."

PHOTO: DOC

If QLDC and DOC initiative In the Wild gets off the ground, we could see a reduction in wilding pines and feral animals in the region.

Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

In his second update to the Queenstown Lakes District business community via Zoom last week, Mayor Jim Boult put out a plea for "positivity" in the district.

"For some weeks now we have been listening to negative, and I am in that boat as well," he said.

"When you hear daily of things going wrong, it is difficult not to fall into the same trap."

The good news was that it had been one week (last Wednesday) since there had been a new coronavirus case diagnosed in the district. We are seeing the effects of coming down the other side of the bell curve, he said.

In total, 87 coronavirus cases were reported in the district, and 79 of those had recovered.

"It looks like we are on the way to beating this thing, and let's hope we stay that way after the restrictions start to come off.

"I have been in business for most of my life, so I have an understanding of what business owners are going through. We have been dealt a hand of cards and have no choice but to play with what we've got. As of now, I want to get away from hand-wringing and realise that we have the situation we have and let's look at what we can do to find our way out of it.

"It's a difficult situation – I was confronted yesterday with the news of Ngāi Tahu Tourism and the closure of its businesses, and that was a double-whammy for me. It's difficult not to get a dose of the negatives."

Last year New Zealanders spent $4 billion on overseas trips, Boult said. They aren't going to be travelling overseas this year, and while most New PHOTO: Supplied Zealanders will have had a "kick in the wallet,” “We were sent multiple travellers who had little or no money, and no plan of what to do.” let's hope they can be encouraged to come our on the gate and moved backpackers living in non- way. As soon as the opportunity is there, we need Joanna Perry self-contained vehicles into cabins and units newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz dropping their usual prices by around 80 percent.

“We allocated individual toilets/showers Over 60 backpackers and travellers left stranded when New Zealand went into lockdown last where needed and issued care packaged with month spent their four weeks of isolation at the cleaning products and emergency supplies Wānaka Lakeview Holiday Park, alongside six to everyone,” she said. Whilst maintaining a safe distance, the team kept in regular kiwi residents.

Manager Natalie Ward told the Wānaka Sun communication with guests with updated that alongside guests, the Holiday Park also opted guidelines and offers of support.

Ward still has around 40 guests staying in the to help Civil Defence and local council with housing freedom campers in the district who had park, with more asking to move in.

“We are very strict on who we are bringing into nowhere to go when the level four lockdown was announced. “We were sent multiple travellers our bubble, and make it clear they must stay for who had little or no money, and no plan of what the duration of what the level requires,” she said.

Of those who remain, some will go on to travel to do,” she said.

“We had a guy arriving the Wednesday again when the situation allows it, and hopefully evening of lockdown. He had been tramping others will benefit from the government’s and in the bush for over a week, and came out to automatic extension of visas due to expire in the find NZ going into full lockdown. He was quite next few months.

“I think everyone is taking it one step at a time shocked and unaware of just how serious the and waiting to hear the government guidelines situation was.”

To prepare for lockdown, Ward set up security before making any plans,” said Ward.

Holiday park houses 60 lockdown waifs and strays

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to launch into a campaign for those domestics.

"If we can get to Level 2 or Level 1 during ski season, I think we will see ski people in town."

Council is firmly behind the move to create a "trans-Tasman bubble", he said. And if Australia can continue to demonstrate that it is on the same trajectory as New Zealand- that would be an excellent thing.

"A number of businesses will be finding it difficult to operate. I am partway through a submission to the Minister of Finance asking for additional support, particularly for small businesses. I'm aware there is an initiative whereby banks lend businesses under certain terms but talking to some business operators I'm finding it's not a simple task to get money out of banks under this loan scheme."

Shovel ready projects are the significant initiatives that could stimulate the economy, Boult said. Council has put forward several projects plus is supporting some privately driven efforts. The intention is to inject cash into the marketplace; create jobs, and provide a pathway into the future to tide the district over until tourism numbers grow.

"I have had some good feedback from the government that it is taking our applications seriously and is hoping to have an announcement about that shortly. We are talking millions of dollars here - above $100m spent in the district."

There is also an initiative driven by ecologybased groups in the district called In the Wild.

This involves funding in conjunction with the Department of Conservation to provide jobs eradicating wilding pines, stoats, feral cats, goats, broom and gorse, and also for native planting. We have had great support from government here, Boult said.

"Most of all we need to get a positive message out there to fellow Kiwis- come here for a holiday."

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Government approves $160 million improvement programme for small and remote schools fast-tracking of shovel-ready projects Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Cabinet has approved the fast-tracking of large shovel-ready projects, largely by-passing the Resource Management Act. Queenstown Lakes District Council has proposed six projects for the region, one of which is an upgrade of the Wānaka waterfront.

The announcement, from Environment Minister David Parker, comes as the government continues to identify projects which could begin sooner with a large injection of public money.

The aim is to boost the economy as it enters a sharp downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new act, due to be passed in June, would take away the ability of the public and councils to have any input into whether projects proceed and instead hand this power to small panels of experts, chaired by an Environment Court judge..

Parker said projects that include transport, environmental benefits, and housing would be prioritised under the plan.

He said the changes were approved last week and new legislation was expected to pass in June.

"We are acting quickly to get the economy moving again and our people working. Part 2 of the RMA will still be applied. Projects are being advanced in time, but environmental safeguards remain," Parker said

PHOTO: Pixabay

Local beneficiaries include Wānaka Primary School, Makarora Primary School, Tarras School and Cromwell Primary School and College.

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

PHOTO: Wānaka Sun

Cabinet is fast-tracking shovel-ready projects; on the cards is an upgrade of the Wānaka waterfront.

Classrooms at hundreds of state schools and kura that are small or remote will be upgraded as part of a $160 million property improvement programme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced last week. Local beneficiaries include Wānaka Primary School, Makarora Primary School, Tarras School and Cromwell Primary School and College.

“The Government went hard and early on our package to support businesses, and we’re now bringing forward infrastructure projects to reboot the economy,” Hipkins said.

“Classrooms at almost 600 small or remote state schools will be tested to assess lighting quality, noise levels and temperature. All schools that need improvements such as LED lights, acoustic panelling and ceiling insulation will receive them, with work starting later this year.”

NZEI Te Riu Roa welcomed the investment

in regional schools and kura, with president Liam Rutherford saying the programme was a good example of spending that addresses a longstanding infrastructure deficit while providing much-needed economic stimulus during the coronavirus recovery.

"While the Government will be considering plenty of physical infrastructure projects, we'd also urge them to make sure the recovery includes investment in our social infrastructure,” he said.

“In education, the coronavirus recovery presents a huge opportunity to fund bold ideas that will create a world class, inclusive public education system that will meet the needs of all tamariki."

Principal of Wānaka Primary Wendy Bamford said the fund could help to cover projects that were currently on the agenda for their 10 Year Property Plan (10YPP), such as installing LED lighting.

“This programme may mean we can have this done by the MoE under the remote schools fund and use the 10YPP for other developments and improvements around our school,” she said.

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COVID-19 Response Fund responding to growing need Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Otago Community Trust has awarded $25,000 to the Queenstown Lakes District Council as part of its dedicated COVID-19 Response Fund.

The Trust has awarded nearly $400,000 of grants to date.

Trust chief executive, Barbara Bridger said the trust has had a range of applications come in; a number are to assist with technology, whereas others are related to increased demand for essential services and the increased costs associated with these.

We have had to decline a number of applications as they did not meet the criteria of the Response Fund. The Fund was not established to compensate for loss of income due to COVID-19, we have had to reiterate that at times, Bridger said.

“We know that these are particularly challenging times, the fund is very much focused on supporting community organisations to meet the additional costs of delivering services, projects or activities to members of the community ‘most in need’ as a result of COVID-19.”

We are also providing funding support to those community organisations who are incurring or have incurred additional costs related to expansion of services as a result of COVID-19, said Bridger Brian Lowe from Youthline Otago said with support from the COVID-19 Response Fund it had been able to employ a second dedicated triage staff member to support the Helpline Counselling team during peak times. In April, client interactions increased 105 per cent above usual levels and support for mental distress

increased 68 per cent.

“This allows us to safely manage the increased volume of work that has resulted from COVID-19; we anticipate a reasonable period of ongoing PHOTO: oct distress related Otago Community Trust to various issues chair Ross McRobie: including schooling, Councils faced extra financial pressures, job costs as they respond to the immediate welfare loss, domestic issues needs of their individual including domestic communities. violence and mental health issues such as increased anxiety and depression.

“We know we are making a difference when we receive notes of thanks that simply say ‘thank you for talking to me, you make me feel worth something to the world,’” Lowe said.

Otago Community Trust has also granted $25,000 to each of the five territorial local authorities that reside within the Trust’s funding area.

Trust chair Ross McRobie said this is in recognition of the fact that while much of the costs of the Civil Defence and Welfare efforts are being met by central government at this time, councils faced extra costs as they respond to the immediate welfare needs of their individual communities.

“Overall, we are pleased with how the Response Fund is tracking and we encourage community organisations to contact the trust if they have any questions around funding support.”

To date, the Otago Community Trust has awarded $397,434 to 29 community organisations since the dedicated COVID-19 Response Fund opened in early April.

BRG navigates economic storm in the wake of coronavirus Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

The economic development team at Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), Destination Queenstown (DQ), Lake Wanaka Tourism (LWT), Ignite Wanaka and the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce are working together under the collective banner of Southern Lakes Business Recovery Group (BRG) to respond to the economic challenges facing the district's business sector.

The priority has been the gathering and sharing of information, listening to immediate business needs, and providing access to the support and resources businesses have required to get them through the initial response phase and subsequent challenges of the Alert Level systems in place.

"At a time when businesses have been under enormous stress, the BRG has played an integral role, disseminating a huge amount of information and getting it out in a concise and timely fashion," said BRG response manager Peter Harris. He is also QLDC's economic development manager.

The BRG has sent regular communications to businesses in the Queenstown Lakes District providing information on wage subsidy, and business mentoring opportunities as well as mental health, wellbeing support and access to online training.

The training sessions provide opportunities for the business community to connect and navigate their way through the current situation. Webinars held by the Chamber of Commerce, DQ, Ignite Wanaka and the Otago Regional Business Network have been heavily subscribed, with a combined reach in the tens of thousands.

"While we have focused on getting through

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this together it is now important that we look at the future, what this might look like for the region and how we can help our business community transition," said Harris.

"It will take a coordinated community approach to reimagine and rebuild our economy, and as a group, we are already starting these conversations with businesses, other groups and individuals keen to help. The Mayoral Taskforce is in the early stages of development and members of the BRG will be offering our assistance to this process, along with the expertise of the wider business community."

LWT and DQ are also working with national partners TNZ, TIA and RTNZ on scenario planning and forecasting to help tourism plan for a reimagined industry. They will be asking local businesses for their thoughts in the coming weeks.

The Chambers of Commerce and council's economic development team continue to look at labour force challenges and opportunities including redeployment solutions, shovel ready projects to kickstart the economy and how to retain key individuals to ensure a thriving community - socially and economically.

"The Queenstown Lakes District is renowned for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, and we know there are many who'd like to be involved in reimagining our future, and we encourage any groups that are out there thinking in this space to get in touch," said Harris.

He said he was excited to have seen many ideas raised throughout the community.

"After we collate the ideas received by QLDC, we will create some criteria to evaluate them and be in touch with those who have contributed. We are also keen to explore how we can help support ideas suggested via other organisations."

NEWS IN BRIEF Wanaka man charged with murder A Wanaka man appeared in the Queenstown District Court yesterday charged with the murder of Christchurch woman Angela Blackmoore in 1995.

Blackmoore was 21 and pregnant when she was bludgeoned to death at her home in Wainoni. Her two-year-old son was asleep in the room next door.

The man is one of three people accused of Blackmoore’s murder.

The murdered remained unsolved until last October when police charged two people.

coordinated rescue of a kayak fisherman, a nautical mile (1.8 kilometres) off Motuwi Island on the Coromandel Peninsula.

That’s a long way out!

Te Kākano update Just to advise that the nursery will remain closed under alert level 3, so there will be no voluntary volunteer sessions... yet.

The native plants are all doing fine with the nursery manager able to visit and attend to any urgent work.

There are things to do at the nursery but nothing is urgent. Te Kākano will consider starting the nursery sessions again with Bridge closures Works have recommenced on the single alert level 2. They also hope to start community plantings under level 2 with lane Makarora River Bridge.

From Sunday, 3 May, the bridge will be specific H&S procedures. closed from 9pm to 5am on Sunday through Hāwea School Track closed to Thursday evenings. Overnight closures The Hāwea School Track will be closed are expected to be used for two weeks, from the Hawea Domain to Camp Hill Rd concluding at 5am on Friday, 8 May. from April 29 till May 20 (approx). The northern end, Cemetery Rd to the Hāwea Watch where you walk With the government easing lockdown Domain will remain open. Crankingfine restrictions, there are more people taking Ltd is finishing off the maintenance, and to Queenstown Lakes District (QLDC)’s resurfacing works started pre-lockdown. trails and paths. While it’s good to get It is working hard to get the track open for some exercise, it’s also important to pay families to be able to commute to school in attention to your surroundings and follow Level 2. signposted instructions.

Safe domestic travel should be considered Ending up in a zone that is off-limits can at level 2 put both yourself and others in danger. There The New Zealand Professional Hunting are a variety of tree works underway across Guides Association and Game Animal the district; please be particularly cautious.

Council are joining other tourism and There have been cases of people not recreation organisations in calling for an easing following instructions and putting of domestic travel restrictions at Alert Level 2. themselves at risk. For the safety of trail “Hunting guides, helicopter operators, users and everyone else, always follow the accommodation providers and outfitters directions posted on signs. have suffered considerably through the Updates about tree works and other parks lockdown,” said New Zealand Professional matters will be posted to QLDC’s Facebook Hunting Guides Association president page, as here: https://www.facebook.com/ James Cagney. “Domestic travel will allow QLDCinfo/ some of these businesses to restructure their Do you really need to go out on the water? offerings to New Zealand customers and Rescue Coordination Centre NZ keep operating.

“Alert Level 2 can provide a much-needed (RCCNZ) is asking people thinking about recreational activities on the water to opportunity for people to undertake consider if it’s necessary for them to go out hunting and other recreational activities while New Zealand continues its heightened after many weeks of severe lockdown restrictions,” said Game Animal Council response to coronavirus.

RCCNZ manager Mike Hill said while general manager Tim Gale.

“We believe under Level 2 domestic travel saving lives remained the number one priority, rescuers could be put at risk by can be undertaken safely and contact tracing coronavirus as they may have to ‘burst their and rigorous limitations of interpersonal contact are achievable in the remote setting bubble’ to provide assistance.

The call follows the RCCNZ- of hunting activities.”

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Mayor Boult backs calls to extend jobseeker benefit to migrants Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult has backed calls to help migrants access the government’s jobseeker benefit during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Queenstown branches of the Salvation Army and Citizens Advice Bureau and the Queenstown and Wānaka Chambers of Commerce have lobbied Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni to extend the benefit to migrants on essential skills, working holiday and student visas until they are able to be repatriated or placed in new roles.

Mayor Boult said the benefit would help the district’s migrant workers, who make up a sizable portion of the area’s workforce, to keep their heads above water.

“Due to their visa conditions, migrant workers are some of the worst affected by the lockdown around the COVID-19

outbreak,”Boult said.

“Making the jobseeker benefit available to migrant workers would go a long way towards helping them make it through this extremely tough period. The government has done a commendable job recognising the scale of the problem and the challenges it has posed for those with fewer avenues of support; however, despite their assistance there are still thousands of people without many places to turn.”

The district’s QLDC-led Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has received more than 7,000 requests for welfare assistance from members of the community facing significant hardship due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Regardless of where they’re from they are a part of our community and will be an essential part of our road to recovery. We all need to do everything we can to help people in this unprecedented situation,” Boult said.

Upper Clutha midwives deserve support in May budget Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

“Wanaka’s isolation and distance from Dunedin has put additional pressure on midwives who work many hours in a critical role, yet are poorly paid,” said Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean.

“In the Waitaki electorate alone, over the last couple of years many midwives in the Upper Clutha have left the profession, because they felt unsafe and unsupported in their role. Young mums are having to travel long distances to Dunedin Hospital for anything but a normal birth.

“They’ve also expended considerable energy mobilising about maternity care, which is one of the critical issues contributing to the rural health crisis.

“They deserve better than this.”

There were already fears for the future of maternity services in Wanaka and Central Otago before the pandemic, especially with the delay to the development of Wanaka’s Maternal and Child Hub, said Deans.

“Midwives deserve support from the Government in the upcoming May budget.”

Last year, the National Party called on the

Minister of Health to apologise to midwives for failing to provide for them in the previous year’s budget, Deans said.

This followed the High Court case where the Minister and the New Zealand College of Midwives reached an agreement to settle the college's pay equity claim, which is still unresolved. Working with the college of midwives, the previous National government was ready to sign off on a new model of care for funding and contracting of community Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwives. However, the new funding model was not adopted by the incoming Labour Government and no additional funding was provided in last year’s budget.

“Coronavirus has added an extra layer of stress to an already stressful situation, not to mention extra expense with the need to provide their own PPE equipment, without clear guidelines about how this might be reimbursed by the government,” Deans said.

“My hope is that this Labour Government will finally acknowledge that midwives need more funding support as the previous National Government did, and support them in budget 2020.”

Penny Fisher RN MBA

027 343 4776

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Enjoy a little more of the outdoors

PHOTO: Supplied

Any outdoor activities should remain local, be limited to shorter local tracks around three hours, and visitors need to maintain two-metre physical distancing.

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

Wānaka residents will be able to enjoy more of the great outdoors starting this week, but we still shouldn’t be hiking Roy’s Peak. Department for Conservation (DOC) deputy director for general operations Mike Slater has advised that restrictions are still in place, and hikes should be kept to a three hour maximum.

“We’re still encouraging New Zealanders to spend time in nature, but at alert level 3 there will be limitations – any outdoor activities should remain local, be limited to shorter local tracks around three hours, and visitors need to maintain two-metre physical distancing,” said Slater.

DOC has resumed some of its fieldwork activities this week, but campsites, huts, toilets and visitor centres remain closed, so whilst visitors can enjoy local DOC tracks, overnight activities are not permitted - and all activities should only be done with people from the

same bubble.

“For places to remain open and to ensure everyone’s safety, we must all must stick to the government’s guidelines outdoors, keep travel to a minimum and plan activities to avoid the need to use public bins and toilets,” said Slater. “People should continue to avoid activities that expose them to danger or may require search and rescue services,” he added.

Wānaka search and rescue chairman Aaron Nicholson echoed these sentiments, advising people not to rush their return to recreation, and to remember the five point outdoor safety code: 1. Plan your trip well.

2. Tell someone reliable where you are going and when you will be back.

3. Check the weather forecast.

4. Know your limits (no one intentionally goes into the backcountry to get lost or injured).

5. Take adequate supplies for a worst case scenario (including a reliable form of communication).

Lakefront development: save the grebes Ollie Blyth

journalist@thewanakasun.co.nz

The founder of the successful Lake Wānaka southern crested grebe project, John Darby, has been working with the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) in planning the Wānaka lakefront development. His concern comes primarily from the breeding of southern crested grebes and black-billed gulls in the lakefront area, both of which are vulnerable species.

“Grebes have a notorious reputation for poor breeding success,” said Darby in his comments to council on Monday, “They also have a huge reputation for having one of the most beautiful courtship dances and a complex breeding strategy that mostly fails in a modern world. It has been identified as a rare and vulnerable species in NZ with probably less than 600 birds all in the South Island.”

The grebe project works with the community in preserving the life of our local grebes and gulls, and has been a great success in the numerous years that it has been running. “We have now recorded the highest breeding success of this species in New Zealand and in the first six years have fledged 238 chicks from 155 breeding attempts with a huge amount of help from children and schools,” said Darby.

Darby wants to ensure that the birds have the

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

PHOTO: Wānaka Sun Archive

John Darby is giving local vulnerable bird species a voice.

highest chance for breeding success, and said that it is important to consider this while thinking about the development of the lakefront area.

One of his suggestions is, “the planting out of a wetland ecosystem similar to what may have been there a few hundred years ago. ...eventually it will not only provide additional cover for the existing species but undoubtedly attract others.”

A QLDC spokesperson said that, “We have been talking to Mr. Darby and appreciate and value the advice he has provided on the matter.

An ecological report has been completed as part of the resource consent. We will follow recommendations in the report, and from Mr. Darby, to remove any disturbance to the grebes in the breeding season during the construction of the boardwalk.”

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Mull away the In physiotherapy for life, despite last of the level the coronavirus set-back three blues Meeting our local achievers

Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

Ginni Rutlledge is a Wānaka long-stayer who has been working in the town as a physiotherapist since the late 80s. She talks to the Wānaka Sun about her career, how coronavirus has affected her business and life in general.

So how has Wānaka Physiotherapy coped with the effects of coronavirus?

Coronavirus has been tough for us – a different kind of challenge. It was so unexpected, and there was no way I could prepare for it. Usually, you can put the finger on a problem, but not this. It's nobody's fault.

I had to say goodbye to five of my staff who have been with me for years. We don't have a high turnover of staff at Wānaka Physio. They were family and so qualified, and they'd come and live in our house and look after our dog.

We'd play together and bike together and they'd go to the Olympics as physios- they were highly qualified.

It must have been very tough laying off staff?

Yes but I just don't have the work for them. We are in a drought, and it has been such a challenge.

You have to treat it like a drought where the sheep are just sitting on the paddock, but when it rains, you have to let the grass grow before you can get going again. My husband Dan (Rutlledge) has been such a rock- he has been amazing. But we are no different from anyone else in town, and we will get back on our feet.

The thing is with the staff I had to let go, they are amazing people and made it so easy for me.

I would re-employ all of them in a heartbeat; it's just that for now if we don't make the break we are unfair not allowing them to go and find something else in the meantime.

So what is the history of Wānaka Physiotherapy?

I arrived in Wānaka in the late 80s as a physio.

I had been skiing but had just wrecked my knee.

They had speed skiing in the upcoming Olympics, and I was trying to get on the team but got this injury. I was rehabbing in Wānaka with my parents and started as a locum at Wānaka Physio for Ruth Hunt two days a week. I stayed on as that locum and eventually bought the practice. It was in the medical centre in Russell Street back then. Over time I bought the house two doors down and had a little clinic there. Then in 2011, I moved to the Lake Wānaka Health Centre, of which we are incredibly proud.

It must be great to have such a premise?

We moved from Russell St in about 2011 to the Wānaka Lakes Health Centre, which was an exciting time because it was a big deal for a physio clinic to shift into an environment like that. The joy of that place has been the beautiful people doctors, admin, cafe staff. It's been a wonderful thing for the Wānaka community, and Dan and I were part of the start-up of this.

Tell us about your husband, Dan? Dan was a farmer when we got married, and when he moved to Wānaka, it was what to do, what to do? We weren't in the financial position or age bracket to go back into farming, so Dan started in real estate. He does enjoy this – mainly rural residential, but now he can sell anything. He has been excellent at the Health Centre because his background was in accounting initially. He has a good financial head.

He is working for Sotheby's Real Estate – and is also very much beside me in the Wānaka Physiotherapy business as although we are in the Health Centre, we own the physio clinic.

THE WĀNAKA SUN

PHOTO: Kim Mills

Ginni Rutlledge: Then you come back to little Wanaka, and you just go, wow!

What is it with physios in your family?

Interestingly my mother, who is now 85, has just given up her physio licence. I think she was the oldest physio in New Zealand. She only sold her practice five years ago and has been working as a locum since and a busy one. She stopped because my father wanted to go skiing and she was always working. He is 90 and still ski races. Mum had to give up her licence because she couldn't go on ski holidays with him down to Wanaka.

My brother Anthony is also a physio, and he came to the 2010 Olympics with me – we were part of the team as physios- and he has a practice in Christchurch. He owned Queenstown Physiotherapy and then went to Australia with his wife and young children, and they have just recently moved back to NZ So tell us the history of your famous knee?

I got a knee injury in the late eighties. The history of my knee has been interesting. I was skiguiding at the time at the Remarkables, and I was in that lifestyle bracket where I was very much into sport, very much in a personal way. I was hit badly by that injury- it didn't do well, and there were a lot of complications. I went on to have six surgeries, but I still haven't had a knee replacement.

But the important take-home message for me when I look back on it is the timing. The timing is what we see in young sportspeople who are doing their best at a high-performance level who get an injury and how challenging it is for them mentally. I'm sitting here at the grand old age of 57, and I still have a wrecked knee, but I have a happy wrecked knee, I can handle it. But at the time it's the complications you have with your mental life and your social life – everything around you seems to fall to pieces, and things seem incredibly wrong. These days I am just glad not to have cancer. But when you are in your early 20's it is way different.

My whole life as a physiotherapist I have specialised in these sports types of injuries and the arthritic knee. I do have empathy for young people, particularly in the high sporting arena, who go through these injuries, and it breaks my heart to see them because I know that feeling.

You must have seen a lot of change in Wānaka over the years?

I don't want to be political, but there are some things in Wānaka I love, especially the power of the community and the fight people have to protect this beautiful place. Things that make me very sad include the subdivision in Northlake where young families all shifted there very excited about the green areas, and these have been taken away from them.

I love Wānaka, and it would be a challenge to live anywhere else, and I don't take it for granted living here - I appreciate it every single day. I spend two months of the year working with the USA ski team offshore on the world cup circuit, and Europe is hectic and exhausting. Then you come back to little Wānaka, and you just go, wow!

PHOTO: Pixabay

This cold weather calls for something warm and strong.

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

It’s officially cold, and the English in me is craving potatoes and endless, gigantic mugs of tea. Unfortunate, then, that I write this in the midst of a Wednesday morning powercut.

Nevertheless, in the hopes of warming your spirits and getting you through one final, cold weekend of level three lockdown, I offer my tried and tested (a lot) mulled wine recipe. It could also be made with grape juice or a cordial of your choosing, although I can’t guarantee the same level of enjoyment.

You will need: • Red wine - any basic bottles will do, or even a mix of all the half drunk ones you have in the cupboard. If you’re going for a decent batch I’d recommend using at least two.

• Fruit - sliced orange is preferable but apples or plums also work a treat.

• Spices - cinnamon is a must (sticks or ground will work), and then throw in some or all of the following: cloves, cardamom,

star anise, ginger and nutmeg • Sweetener - a few tablespoons of sugar, maple syrup or honey all work well.

• Extra spirits - this is optional, but worth it in my opinion. Brandy is the classic addition but I’ve tried it with a good slug of whiskey, gin and vodka, and each adds something a little different.

To make: • Combine the ingredients in a large saucepan.

If you are using ground spices, you may wish to wrap them up in a muslin cloth and tie with an elastic band or string, but you could also sit them in a tea strainer, or just stir them in.

• Heat the wine over a medium heat until it simmers, but never let it boil as this will evaporate the alcohol. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover and leave for a minimum of twenty minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more sweetener to taste.

• Strain the spices if needed (but leave the mulled fruit in).

• Serve and enjoy!

We’re always here if you need us..

Any Health concerns?

Your GP is just a phone call away. 03 443 0710 www.WanakaMedical.co.nz 23 Cardrona Valley Road, Wanaka

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

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Wasties goes online Mixed recycling and green waste still on hold

PHOTO: Wastebusters

Wastebusters is collecting and sorting recycling from business customers during alert level 3, but asks customers to be patient when dropping off recycling at level 2.

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

Alongside getting back to work collecting, sorting and baling recycling from all their business customers under level 3, Wānaka Wastebusters has been busy setting up online sales of winter gear for the very first time.

Wastebusters communications manager Gina Dempster told the Wānaka Sun that customers can search ‘Wanaka Wastebusters E-Shop’ on Facebook and join the group to “get your Wasties winter fix.” They’re uploading ski jackets and other warm winter wear every day.

In the physical world, Wasties staff are back on site performing maintenance and cleaning in preparation to reopen at Level 2, whilst practicing social distancing and working in small staff bubbles.

“Behind the scenes, we’re planning processes to handle drop offs of donated goods and recycling, and are getting information together for customers on how to visit Wastebusters safely in Level 2,” said Dempster.

Looking forward, Dempster also had some advice for customers getting ready to return to Wasties. She advised recycling customers who normally drop off household recycling with Wasties to hold onto clean, dry recycling until they can reopen - especially cans, plastic bottles, plastic containers and dry cardboard, which have the most recycling value.

“If you have goods you’re planning to donate to Wasties, you can help our staff out by giving your stuff a quick “once-over” before putting it aside for us,” she added.

“Treat Wasties like a friend by only donating items you’d be happy to give to a friend (e.g. no broken items, or stained or holey clothes).

“When we do reopen, please be patient as we are expecting a big wave of drop-offs. If you can wait a few days before dropping off stuff for reuse or recycling that would really help us out too,” she said.

Wastebusters is also working with Community Networks and Civil Defence to provide blankets and warm clothes to those in need. You can contact Community Networks on 03 443 7799.

New library services

Composting Week

Library members can now enjoy free access to the full version of genealogy website, Ancestry.

Heaps of new eBooks and eAudiobooks for all ages are also now available online for free, and adult readers are invited to a new book group every Thursday morning via Zoom. For full details head to codc-qldc.govt.nz/ or call Frankton, Queenstown or Wānaka libraries between 9.00am-5.00pm, Monday to Saturday.

3-9 May is International Composting Week.

Composting food scraps and greenwaste is great for your garden and an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. Find out how you can up your composting game – head to the Dr Compost facebook page or

Love Wanaka, Supporting local

If you’re looking for work or new staff, take a look at the New Zealand Government’s Job Seeker Portal. You can advertise jobs for free or find work supporting business to deliver essential services across the country. Find the right job or staff member in your region at www.jobs-during-covid.

co.nz/lovewanaka-supporting-local/ for more information.

Transfer Station – Level 3 access Our Transfer Stations will be partially open during Alert Level 3 to those who have made an online booking. Access to the transfer stations will limited to 9.00am - 3.00pm Monday to Friday, there will be no weekend access.

For full terms and conditions and a booking form, go to www.qldc.govt.nz/services/ rubbish-recycling and click on Transfer Stations.

PAGE 8

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

The contents of your yellow recycling bin will still be going to landfill under Alert Level 3, as Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) Material Recovery Facility is still closed.

Although collection will still run as normal, QLDC confirmed that in order to protect the staff that sort recycling by hand, any decision on when to reopen the facility would likely be made ahead of a move to Level 2.

However, in better news, glass is being recycled into new glass bottles and jars by O-I New Zealand under Level 3, “so long as we keep it free from contamination.”

If you set yourself a lockdown home improvement project, Frankton and Wānaka transfer stations have also partially reopened, under strict terms and conditions. Limited access will be provided via online booking for members of the public who are struggling with excess waste or not eligible for the kerbside collection service, but the transfer stations will only be accepting waste into the pit for disposal at landfill.

Areas for diversion of items such as green waste, scrap metal, and hazardous goods will not be accessible during alert Level 3.

For now, bookings for the Wānaka Transfer Station can be made here: www.wanakatransferstation.qldc.govt.nz.

CAMERA CLUB ‘IN FOCUS’

www.wastebusters.co.nz

Looking for work or staff?

workandincome.govt.nz/hello

Recreation water use in Level 3 Alert Level Three brings with it new rules for recreational water activities, with a number of options now allowed. If you’re heading into the water, please keep close to the shoreline.

And remember, no motorised options are allowed currently, which includes boats, jet skis and sailing yachts. More on this at

www.maritimenz.govt.nz/recreational/

Council services For an updated list of Council services running under Level 3 restrictions, head to www.

qldc.govt.nz/community/emergencymanagement/covid-19/council-services

www.qldc.govt.nz

Joanna Perry

Tune in to a triptych

The Council Word

Wānaka is renowned for its community spirit.

LoveWanaka, Supporting Local is all about showing your local pride by supporting Wānaka businesses, whether that be when buying food and drink, to shopping and heading out for an activity (when allowed). Help get in behind your community and head to www.lakewanaka.

PHOTO: Pixabay

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) Material Recovery Facility is still closed, but glass is being recycled.

Pulsatilla Vulgaris triptych.

B BOB MOORE

Wānaka Camera Club

Photography is a visual communication: sharing stories, ideas, events and feelings through pictures.

A triptych is three images or parts of images combining to make a powerful storytelling tool.

Look for thematic, compositional and other visual synergies to give the triptych impact. A triptych can be of an identical subject or three different ones with a common theme.

There is nothing wrong in creating a triptych of random photos but three pictures with a common theme help to make storytelling a lot easier.

Triptychs can be made of virtually any subject including nature, symmetry, movement, portraiture /human study, weddings, events, architecture, still life and wildlife. These are all themes that make great triptych stories.

We also don’t need to take three separate photos. Splitting a single photo into three parts can be very effective. For example, if we take a single picture of a person, we could split between their posture, hair and clothing to make an intriguing triptych. A portrait of a person or animal showing three different poses can

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

PHOTO: Jacquie Scott

showcase a variety of expressions.

Once we have chosen our triptych, we can have fun choosing from a wide range of formats in which to present it. Try from vertical, horizontal, square or round formats.

We can choose whether we want one picture to be bigger than another and how we space the images. This can be three distinct images with spaces between each of them or with the photos merged without any borders. The choice is ours to make.

A triptych presentation is great fun to create and can add a new dimension to our photography.

A great example of a triptych is Jacquie Scott’s image “Pulsatilla Vulgaris.” Jacquie set the flower and seed head up in a lightbox by a window to get reflective light. Each image was taken on a different day with her camera (Olympus EM5mark11) set on a tripod. Jacquie used a macro lens with an aperture of f20 so she could capture all the details of the flower and seed head. The club’s adjudicator awarded her picture an ‘honours”.

Wanaka Camera Club is dedicated to improving the skills of anyone interested in photography. Come along and see what we can do for you. Date of our next meeting at St John’s Room, Link Way is yet to be announced.

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Reading challenge a hit among students Ollie Blyth

journalist@thewanakasun.co.nz

Erik’s Reading Challenge is working with Gecko Press, a New Zealand book publishing company to offer a wide range of prizes to schools and teachers.

Erik’s Reading Challenge was launched during lock down to encourage local primary school children to read and be rewarded with a treat after lock down. Students need to read – or be read – five chapter books to receive a free kids fish meal. Already there has been a large number of students who have received vouchers for free kid’s meals.

The challenge will now run until the end of 2020 and there are monthly prizes for teachers and students plus prizes for schools, teachers, and students at the year’s end. The major prize is $500 of Gecko Press books for one school and a fish and chips meal for all staff.

The organisers of the initiative have

EDITORIAL

Overseas travel out so make the most of what we have

PHOTO: Supplied

Get your kids reading with some fishy motivation.

received other offers of prizes, including Altitude Tours, Kiwi Birdlife Park, Wānaka Puzzle World, and I Fly. Anna Arndt is currently working on plans to expand the challenge to encourage regional and then domestic tourism back into the region and is keen to hear from other businesses who are interested in being part of the challenge.

In response to our editorial "The strongest lockdown in the world."

Jon: Strongest lockdown, but only just, as slightly more relaxed rules in Australia are far more rigorously enforced. The best results on the planet, though.

Andy: Wrong Jon, Australia generally has been all over the show. The interstate grandstanding has been like a State of Origin contest. No cohesive approach at all, quite the opposite.

David: Disagree, and I live in Aussie. Currently, most states in Aussie have lower rates of infection and deaths per million people than in NZ; we closed most inter-state borders almost five weeks ago with strict quarantine and our international borders over four weeks ago. In contrast, NZ's were still open, and there was no quarantine in NZ. Aussie does have strict social distancing and hygiene, and we still have business and commerce by comparison to NZ. The exception being in NSW where there is a police investigation on how the guests on the Ruby Princess were allowed off, and their higher density living than the rest of Aussie is harder to manage.

Jon: Victoria has draconian enforcement of only slightly less stringent controls than here in NZ. David: I don't agree with that. The enforcement is mainly around blatant lawbreakers, similar to the article on NZ media recently about the police hassling members of the public. Later it was revealed they were patched gang members who had no valid reason to be out and owned goods they shouldn't have had. My support office is in Melbourne, and none of my colleagues has had any issues at all. Describe it as relaxed.

PHOTO: Wastebusters

Wastebusters is collecting and sorting recycling from business customers during alert level 3, but asks customers to be patient when dropping off recycling at level 2.

Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

If you are a big traveller like I am the next year or so is looking rather bleak. My mountaineering expedition to Afghanistan in June, then pushed back to August, is looking extremely unlikely.

Even though the team hasn't said a collective 'cancel', I think we are all aware that we won't be going.

So, nothing for it but to take advantage of those places closer to home that I love. By that, I mean places in the South Island. I'm a true blue south islander. And I don't mean the hustle and bustle of Queenstown and Wānaka.

One of the unsung, unrecognised diamonds of the South Island is the Banks Peninsula.

Having spent most of my life living in Christchurch, I know it intimately. I have spent many happy days puttering around the steep winding gravel roads of the Peninsula on my motorbike. Cruising along the volcanic hilltops with their glorious views north over Pegasus Bay and south towards Antarctica and dropping down into the little bays with their rocky headlands and tiny sandy beaches. And the fabulous thing about the Peninsula is that you see absolutely no one. Not so at Akaroa of course- turn up there on a day a cruise ship comes in and its chaos. But otherwise…no one.

Another favourite of mine is the Acheron Road from Hamner Springs through Molesworth Station and down the Awatere Valley to Blenheim. Two hundred and twenty kilometres of dusty gravel road but entirely

do-able in any old car if care is taken. In fact, the last time I went through on my motorbike I was passed by an old green V-Dub Beetle puffing smoke. The landscape is phenomenalarid, mountainous and vast. The Awatere Valley leading down to State Highway 1 is quite beautiful, with surreal views of Mount Tapuaeo-Uenuku on the northern horizon. The road closes during winter because of snow so head in there sometime between Labour Weekend and Easter and you won't regret it. Again, you will see no one.

My third suggestion, and well within reach of Wanaka, is the Maniototo, the high arid plain that stretches south from the St Bathans Range to the Old Man Range and east to State Highway 1. The Maniototo and the mountain ranges that surround it are riddled with rugged gravel roads and tracks that are a joy on a motorbike or 4WD. The views from the Old Woman or Old Man Ranges are sublime. Spend a night at the 100-year-old Vulcan Pub at St Bathans and then drive the Omarama Saddles through to Omarama and back. Fantastic views of Mt Cook. And I have to emphasise…you will see no one.

So, with these kinds of trips in mind on my moto, perhaps I won't feel utterly distraught about not getting to Afghanistan. It's about making the most of the situation we have and the fabulous country in which we live.

Postscript: A few sentences from the editorial “Strongest Lockdown in the World” should have been attributed to Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, Executive Development at Massey University.

Louisa: Australia also has a far higher hospitalisation rate which points to potentially higher community figures than currently reported.

Darryl: Australia has a higher hospitalisation rate because they put people in the hospital more often than in NZ where you are more likely to be given a couple of panadol and told to go home and rest which happened to my wife who shortly after had her gall bladder removed over the ditch.

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Also designer splash backs & appliance packages.

Louisa: As a health professional who has worked in both Australia and New Zealand, I would strongly disagree with your assessment of the two health systems. Australia can do it Australia's way, and we will do it our way here in NZ. It's not a game of cricket; we are not here to win or prove we are better. We just want to save our citizens.

Daniel: In Australia, $1600 fine for driving for non-essential purposes. In Spain, E1000 for travelling in a car with another person. Our lockdown is a picnic

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PAGE 9

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HOBBIES

Spending lockdown in stitches

journalist@thewanakasun.co.nz

If you’ve got time on your hands during lockdown days, try your hand at something new.

Sewing could be that activity. Being an economical experience, the world of sewing can be pretty rewarding, given that all of us wear clothes. And even if you’re not one of the clotheswearing variety while stuck at home, it is nice to imagine all of the events you’ll be able to head to in brand spanking new clothes (once it’s allowed, of course).

Even if you don’t have a sewing machine, there’s still a way in. All you need is a few needles, some thread, an old bed sheet and you’re away.

It’s a little less speedy, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Admittedly, it is a slow process to hand stitch a garment, but at the end of the day, it’s pretty darn satisfying. Besides, if

it ends up not working out, you can call it avantgarde couture.

One project that has been going viral in recent times has been creating facemasks and other forms of PPE to donate to charities, or to send to whānau.

As with anything else, there’s no quick and easy way to ascend to world class seamstress level in a few weeks. But once you finish your first piece, it can quickly become an addictive hobby. My recent hand sewing adventures have certainly given me an appreciation of the many thousands, if not millions, of fast fashion workers (including child labourers) who risk their livelihoods to clothe the masses. Not to mention that fashion is one of the most destructive industries in the world, contributing to pollution and climate change.

Perhaps it’s time to take one for the team and pick up your needle and thread?

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Phone: 03 443 8000, Top of Helwick Street, Wānaka OPEN: MON-SAT 8AM TO 6PM  SUN 10AM TO 6PM PAGE 10

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

by Emily Herbert, www.emilyherbertsays.com

Six weeks of silver linings

PHOTO: Pixabay

Sewing could be the hobby you’re looking for.

Ollie Blyth

thewanakasun.co.nz

Now, I think merely surviving is an excellent start.

The emotional modulations of coronavirus have left me a little tired. Oscillating between profound gratitude for what I have and small touches of melancholy for what is missing; the fluctuations are real and constant. The full spectrum of what it is to be human often grazed over in the busyness of doing has come barrelling out of its kennel like a snapping dog that has burst its leash. The highs and the lows, usually swept up in the current of checklists and appointments and deadlines and planning, have been peeking their shining heads above the parapet.

My friends and I have been talking about the things we’ve learnt from this period of uncertainty.

One mentioned she had realised how little she needed to be happy. Another laughed and said he had enough jeans to last him 10-years of wearing; that the scales of materialism had fallen from his eyes in an extended period of uggs and tracksuit pants. A dear friend of mine, the most ambitious person I know, said she felt content for the first time in a decade, the burning fire of her ambition at last tempered by the sweet gratitude that she had a job among a growing circle of friends losing theirs. Every single person I have spoken to when we rootle around in the details for long enough has come out grasping a silver lining that seems altogether worth it.

One of my more significant learnings has been a growing aversion to the commodification of our time. The memes about coming out of isolation with a six-pack and a completed screenplay

PHOTO: Pixabay

and an organised wardrobe have wrestled on my social media daily with those detailing days drinking and leg hair length.

At first, I was so anxious to make the most of this time. To make the most of a pandemic.

I mean, really. No wonder the millennials are the generation of burnout. Now, I think merely surviving is an excellent start. Doing the best you can. Maybe you meditate one day, perhaps you sleep till noon another. Progress bundled up entirely in taking another breath and staving off apathy. Taking an online pilates class because you are pleased to move your body, then eating some cheese.

We are grateful. And we are also tired. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can be both. The arcing rainbow of what it feels to be a human being in 2020; the noise and clamour and scrum of the media and your Facebook feed and the silence of Times Square and the shuttered windows of your favourite café. The terrible deaths of somebody’s loved ones and the utter aliveness of a wren hopping past your window.

Yawning hours ticking by, businesses crumbled and lost, while new opportunities spring up in the void like daffodils after a thaw. Fortunes lost, loo paper shares soaring. A lethargy wrought by the uncertainty of what a new world could look like and swans returning to the canals of Venice.

Lost clients and sharing a cuppa with my family on the deck every afternoon in the autumnal sunshine. And. Both. All.

Heading into winter, go see your doctor Dr Stephen Graham, WellSouth Medical Director, said “it is really important as we head into winter that people don’t put off contacting their general practice. Now is the perfect time to check in with your practice if you haven’t for a while, especially if you have waited while we were in Level 4”.

Both Wanaka general practices are backing Graham’s call. They want locals and visitors

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

to know that if they are concerned by any aspect of their health they should call Wanaka Medical on 03 443 0710 or Aspiring Medical on 03 443 0725.

Because of COVID-19 things are a bit different, so the consultation may be by phone or video. If, however, the doctor feels a person needs a consultation in person, they will organise this.

THE WĀNAKA SUN

Sun Views

thewanakasun.co.nz

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In response to last week's letter “Is local government providing public service?”

Last week’s letter to the editor stated QLDC has been “conspicuous by its absence” over the lockdown period. While it’s unfortunate the author feels this way, the reality of the situation is very different.

On the contrary, QLDC staff have been extremely busy. Many have been putting in long hours dealing with the COVID-19 response and recovery programmes, as well as delivering a wide range of essential services such as 3 waters, solid waste and roading.

QLDC staff make up the Emergency Operations Centre team, which is warranted under the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management provisions. It has a team of 70 people responding to the welfare needs of our district.

We have regularly been providing assistance, social support and direction for people throughout the district and will continue to do so going forward. Updates and advice can be found on our website at qldc.govt.nz, and our phone lines are always open if assistance is required.

Increasingly, council’s focus is also turning to the big task ahead of economic and community recovery, including facilitating conversation around diversification of our economy alongside partners such as the chambers of commerce and regional tourism organisations.

QLDC

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Unnecessary vets COVID surcharge

I have just taken my dog to the vets for a non emergency problem.

They, as always, are very good and professional. But on looking at my bill, I was astonished to see a surcharge of just about $5 for coronavirus biosecurity OTC. It may not be very much, but any surcharge in these times of hardship is too much. We are all this together. I would even go so far as to expect a discount, certainly not a surcharge.

Thank goodness New World doesn't add a surcharge for all their extra security, masks and sanitisers etc, otherwise we would really be out of pocket.

I hope the take-aways don’t catch onto this idea, for that matter I hope all businesses don’t start doing this otherwise we will never get out of this situation.

Mark Hadida

Crimeline I Ian Henderson

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Lest we forget...

In the case of the recent editorial from the Wanaka Sun it certainly seems we have.

April 24 1915, the day before the Gallipoli landings, saw the commencement of the Armenian genocide that lasted a further eight years and the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans.

April 24 is now the remembrance day for this human tragedy.

If we are going to remember all cultures at this time of the year the hundreds of thousands of murdered Armenian men, women and children would be a much more appropriate choice than the army that instigated their demise.

I would hate to think that in a few more decades we will be commemorating Nazi culture, or ISIS culture because we had forgotten what misery those cultures created.

Instead let us remember the sacrifice our servicemen and women made and have a much better historical appreciation of the evil they were fighting against.

Darryll Rogers

Senior Constable, NZPD

As the whole country works through the period of Level 3 in the coronavirus lockdown, most locals are doing a wonderful job of abiding by the provisions set down by the Health Act, Level 3, 2020. It’s a shame to see a few out there who think the provisions don’t apply to them now that Level 4 is behind us.

Now that the country has come so far and the numbers are so low, it would be devastating to see the numbers go up again just because a few are thinking about themselves rather than those around them. Those who think Level 3 or Level 2 parties are OK are sadly mistaken and irresponsible.

Level Three restrictions remain and are outlined under the Health Act (Covid-19 Alert Level 3) Order 2020: get Google to search on your computer.

The provisions state clearly what is allowed.

The new Level 3 restrictions are mostly about remaining at home except for essential movement, maintaining physical distancing, controlled gatherings within your bubble or your extended bubble, extending your recreational criteria safely, and getting essential businesses or services up and running in a safe manner.

The last week have seen local police conduct checkpoints to gauge how many are breaching the provisions of the lockdown and it was good to see that most people are abiding and being responsible.

Further checkpoints will pop up around the district

THE WĀNAKA SUN

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PHOTO: Wanaka Sun

at times over the next three weeks.

Police have also attended a number of incidents where groups have merged their bubbles with other peoples’ bubbles - parties, and this has resulted in final warnings being issued; further breaches by these people result in court proceedings.

On April 30 an attempt was made to break into a vehicle in Hawea where tools may have been the target, so we ask trades people to make sure their valuable tools are locked away securely.

A 14-year-old male was spoken to when riding his motorbike along Domain Rd-Kane Rd, in breach of coronavirus rules and being unlicensed at the same time.

Police attended at two car crash at the intersection of Beacon Point Rd and Aubrey Rd, one driver failing to give-way. There was almost no traffic on the first day of Level 3 so no excuse.

A reminder that walkers have the same rights to space on tracks as runners and cyclists, so everyone please keep your physical space to at least two meters - to slow down or stop is actually being responsible.

More cycle tracks around Wānaka please

There is a call for more cycle tracks in and around Wanaka. Perhaps the first thing to be done is to repair the damage to the present cycling tracks so they can be used safely. The worst section, which has been blocked off for the past 6 weeks, is just upstream of the Albert Town road bridge.

We hear Council and Community Board members extolling the attractions of the walking and cycling tracks in our area but little has been done to keep up track maintenance. With the upsurge in locals using the tracks for both walking and biking and visitors hiring bikes, they can become quite congested and consequently quite unsafe.

The other matter needing attention is the speed of some cyclists who seem “hell bent” to break the record they set last week. These tracks are recreational tracks NOT race tracks. These speedsters, mainly men, need to slow down and show some consideration for the walkers and others exercising with their families and their dogs.

Some e-mountain bikes can now be programmed to do up to 50km plus -those using these bikes at speed should be required to ride them on the roads. They buy expensive bikes but for some reason can’t afford a bike bell to warn walkers and slower cyclists that they wish to pass.

Please slow down, it would show that they are considerate of others and thinking about safe cycling.

D Kerr

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

PAGE 11

Sun Classifieds

thewanakasun.co.nz

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We’re the big pharmacy at the top of Helwick Street - open from 8am until 7pm every single day. Ph 443 8000.

Community Networks continues to be open in Level 3 (behind closed doors and on the phone!). We’re operating essential services to support our community, including help with the costs of counselling and connecting people.

Visit our website for more details: www. communitynetworks. co.nz or phone 03 443 7799 or email info@ communitynetworks. co.nz.

SEEKING WOOD: ”Do you have wood/ logs that could be donated to help us supply wood to families in need?

We have a volunteer who has offered to split and cart wood.

Please contact info@ communitynetworks. co.nz<mailto:info@ communitynetworks. co.nz> or phone 03 443 7799 if you have wood to donate”.

Unable to get out to the shops yourself? If you need assistance getting essential supplies, please register using QLDC’s online form at www. qldc.govt.nz/covid19#need-help. You can also phone the Otago COVID-19 Help Centre on 0800 322 4000 for assistance with getting supplies, 7.00am 7.00pm every day, or email them at help@ otagocdem.govt.nz

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PAGE 12

10/26/2017 11:38:28 AM

JUST NEWS www.thewanakasun.co.nz

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SUN TEAM

WĀNAKA’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER ISSUE 973 Free delivery to Wānaka, Cromwell and surrounds, PO boxes in Makarora, Cromwell, Haast, Wānaka, Albert Town and Hāwea. Also distributed to businesses in the Wānaka business district Average circulation: 15,000 weekly.

Phone: 03 443 5252 • Fax: 03 443 5250 Editor: Pat Deavoll • 0274 487 741 editor@thewanakasun.co.nz Journalist: Ollie Blyth • journalist@thewanakasun.co.nz

Joanna Perry • 021 736 740 newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz Advertising: 03 443 5252 • marketing@thewanakasun.co.nz Admin: Benn Ashford • 021 956 740 admin@thewanakasun.co.nz Mail: PO Box 697, Wānaka THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

Deadlines: Display Advertising 4pm Friday prior to publication. marketing@thewanakasun.co.nz

03 443 5252

Classified Advertising

5pm Monday prior

admin@thewanakasun.co.nz Subscriptions:

$175 within NZ (including GST)

per year. Overseas rates on request.

Remittances to PO Box 697, Wānaka, NZ.

WWW.THEWANAKASUN.CO.NZ THE WĀNAKA SUN

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Sun Sport / Classifieds

Wānaka snowboarding Otago Community Trust funds coach Richie Johnston Wānaka tennis and golf looks forward to winter

PHOTO: Supplied

Alongside coaching, Johnston is also an avid snowboarder and reigning champion of the Treble Cone banked slalom male masters division, securing the fastest overall time in 2018 and 2019.

The Wānaka Golf Club has received $10,000 in funds for upgrades.

Pat Deavoll

editor@thewanakasun.co.nz

PHOTO: BRENNAN METZLER

Wānaka Tennis Club, Wānaka Golf Club and Alpine Community Development Trust have all received grants from the Otago Community Trust’s April funding round.

The Trust approved grants of just over $525,000 in support of a wide range of community projects throughout Otago.

Wānaka Tennis Club Inc was awarded $30,000 to support court resurfacing and an upgrade of lighting at the club.

Wānaka Golf Club received $10,000, and

PHOTO: Wānaka Sun

the Alpine Community Development Trust received $30,000.

Two of the Wānaka Tennis Club's artificial turf courts require resurfacing after 15 years of use.

At the same time the club intends to install LED lighting on these courts to provide longer playing hours during spring and autumn and to a lesser extent winter. This will benefit the junior and working members.

The Wānaka Golf Club hopes to replace the irrigation system of the "front nine" side of the course. This irrigation project has been ongoing and the Trust has supported earlier investment in it.

SITUATION VACANT

PHOTO: Supplied

Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

Like many here in Wānaka, New Zealand Snowsports Instructors Alliance (NZSIA) Coaching Pathway Representative and Treble Cone banked slalom winner Richie Johnston is itching for the ski season to come back around.

The past two years have seen NZFIA gaining momentum across the world, training and certifying instructors in New Zealand, Japan and China, and this year Johnston is due to take up a training position at Cardrona x Treble Cone - all being well. Cardrona Alpine Resorts have confirmed they will open in some capacity, provided the country is at coronavirus alert level 2 or lower come June.

“I’m watching closely to see how the government will plan to allow local ski areas

THE WĀNAKA SUN

to operate in some capacity,” he said. “I’ll be very grateful if the lifts are spinning and we can go ride.”

Alongside coaching, Johnston is also an avid snowboarder and reigning champion of the Treble Cone banked slalom male masters division, securing the fastest overall time in 2018 and 2019.

He hopes to compete again this August.

Whilst he waits for the snow to come and alert level 3 to ease, he is spending his time in Wānaka with his fiance, doing “lots of biking and running, balance activities, and building things.”

He’s also running a live Q&A chat series on the NZSIA Facebook page. ‘Chat with a pro’ runs every week and aims to “help share the knowledge and experience of New Zealand and international snowsports professionals and industry leaders.”

More information can be found on the NZSIA Facebook page

Board of Trustees: Casual Vacancy for an Elected Trustee A casual vacancy has occurred on the board of trustees for an elected parent representative.

The board has resolved under section 105 of the Education Act 1989 to fill the vacancy by selection.

If ten percent or more of eligible voters on the school roll ask the board, within 28 days of this notice being published, to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy, then a by-election will be held.

Any eligible voter who wishes to ask the board to hold a by-election should write to: Colette Kelly Chairperson, Board of Trustees Holy Family Catholic School PO Box 592, Wanaka 9305 Or Email colettek@holyfamilywanaka.school.nz By: 4th June 2020

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

PAGE 13

Sun News

Back to work: industries under level three Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

Wānaka feels much more alive as tradies, takeaway workers and some of Wānaka’s beloved baristas return to work, but it’s far from business as usual. Real Estate office Ray White Wānaka and CDL Building give us some insight into their day-to-day work under level three - from virtual house viewings to sociallydistanced smoko - and what the future might hold for their industries.

Real Estate - Ray White Wānaka Ray White Wānaka is lucky in that we have used cloud-based systems since inception, so moving the team into a remote working situation was very easy - although we did have to bring on a couple of new providers to simplify some tasks, like digitally signing documents and remote video viewings.

During alert level four, the Ray White Wānaka team sold four properties (three homes and one section). One of the homes was put on the market just days before the lockdown and was sold after a remote video viewing.

Transitioning to level three has really helped as we are now able to photograph properties, install signage and arrange private viewings.

We have had to create a system to ensure that all parties are aware of how to safely undertake viewings during this time, part of which is our contact tracing system and checking the health status of everyone that would be involved in the viewing.

During alert level three, there are also strict nationwide rules on how inspections can be completed. These rules include a maximum of two viewings at a property per day and a limit of two customers per inspection. The owner must not be present at the property in order to ensure that we do not compromise people’s bubbles.

Ray White Wānaka's physical premises are still closed, and the team are continuing to work remotely to ensure we minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19. Although this does create

some inconvenience, the team is committed to helping eliminate the virus.

A lot of the systems and tasks that we put in place prior to lockdown and during levels three and four will form the basis of our systems during alert level two, and once there is more clarity around level two we can finalise our new operating procedures.

We have had a large uptake in online enquiries and internet views since transitioning to alert level three, which is promising. We have been able to get numerous homes and sections on the market, and so far have an additional two homes under contract.

Construction - CDL Building The first thing we have to do when we arrive on-site is sign in with our names, phone numbers and time of arrival as a way of contact tracing, and we sign out again at the end of each day.

While at work, we have to keep a safe distance from one another. That’s been a bit of an adjustment. Not being able to work within two metres of each other on anything where more than two pairs of hands are needed definitely poses some challenges, but we’re paired off so that two of us can work closer together (within one metre). Each pair is spread out around the site so there’s only ever two people working on any specific job at any given time.

We don’t share tools, and we’re cleaning our tools and hands all the time. There’s heaps of hand sanitizer and soap on site.

On smoko and lunch breaks we all sit spread over the whole courtyard, two metres apart, yelling s*** yarns at each other.

– Jackson Reardon, Builder It’s been positive to see the industry enforcing Covid-19 safety with sites being checked and audited to ensure that the industry in general is keeping to the guidelines around distancing, etc.

The impact of Covid-19 on construction had been reasonably immediate. There are a significant number of people already without employment locally, and a number of firms with

thewanakasun.co.nz

PHOTO: Supplied

Tradies, takeaway workers and some of Wānaka’s beloved baristas return to work, but it’s far from business as usual.

a lot of uncertainty ahead.

It is reassuring that the government has recognised the importance of the sector; allowing us to go back to work at level three means a number of jobs will have been saved, but I don’t believe we’ve seen the true effects on the industry yet.

The real impact will be seen when current projects are completed in the next six to twelve months. It’s likely a number of firms will go through a period of reduced workload.

Companies that are proactive and make calculated decisions will find themselves in the best shape in the months ahead. The focus on growth pre-covid is being forgotten about, and many firms are focusing on holding on. There will be a holding pattern for quite some time.

This will bring some competitiveness into the industry, though, and that’s a positive. Clients will choose to build given the competitive nature of the market.

– Justin Carnie, Managing Director

DURING LEVEL 3 THE WĀNAKA SUN WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE EVERY THURSDAY BUT ONLY IN A DIGITAL FORMAT. You can find the digital edition by: • visiting www.thewanakasun.co.nz • liking us on Facebook • emailing hello@thewanakasun.co.nz to join our distribution list

Thanks for your support during this uncertain time. Stay safe.

PAGE 14

THURSDAY 07.05.20 - WEDNESDAY 13.05.20

THE WĀNAKA SUN