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Win win and a new wing

When the country’s most successful rally driver gets back behind the wheel in July, he will be watched closely by an engineering students at Waikato University.

Tom Miller spent 11 weeks in Cromwell on a summer placement with Hayden Padden.

The fourth-year student at the University’s School of Engineering quit his job to commit to four years’ studying at the start of 2019.

He emailed Hayden Paddon in 2020 for an opportunity which came last November.

Paddon takes on student placements every summer and says working in motorsport “is an engineer’s dream.”

The placements are a great initiative “a win win for everyone involved.”

“Motorsport is all about engineering new ideas and concepts. It’s also an environment that encourages outside the box thinking as it’s about having the competitive advantage while in the most extreme of conditions,” says Paddon.

Miller has two specific interests – the machining and manufacturing side of engines and aerodynamics - both of which he was able to pursue at the Paddon workshop.

Paddon says there are many aspects that are important to a car’s performance. He pointed to his team’s electric powered rally car, the Hyundai Kona EV.

During his summer placement Miller helped in completely redesigning the rear wing on the Kona.

When Paddon’s electric powered car featured and won last October’s Waimate 50 Horsepower Hillclimb on gravel it was heralded as a world first.

Paddon announced this month he and longtime co-driver John Kennard would compete in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car in the World Rally Championships starting at Rally Estonia in July.

He last competed at the elite level in 2018.

The pair won the 2016 WRC Rally Argentina and have teamed up with Hyundai New Zealand to race in WRC2 category of the 2022 and 2023 FIA World Rally Championships (WRC).

WRC2 is the main support category to WRC and runs alongside.

Hayden Padden, left, with Tom Miller.

Keeping up the war on Covid

A renewed call is being made by health authorities to encourage people to get boosters to combat Covid 19.

It comes as the country observed the second anniversary of the first strict lockdown announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“If you are over 65 or have a chronic illness like diabetes, cancer or cardio-vascular disease and haven’t had your booster, now is the time to go and get it,” Southern DHB Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Programme Lead Karl Metzler.

“As a district, Southern did a fantastic job of getting our two shots. However, we know our immunity reduces over time, so we need to pull out all the stops to do it again by getting boosted.”

“The booster dose can make the difference between life and death for some people and will give you the best possible protection against serious illness and hospitalisation,” he says.

He said the protection from two doses of the vaccine reduces.

“It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection against COVID-19, so the time to act is now.”

Mr Metzler also made a plea to younger people.

“We know that younger people are less likely to experience serious illness from Covid, but high rates of infection among these age groups are putting older and more vulnerable people at risk. If you have had your booster, you are less likely to infect other people in your whānau and the community.”

“Everyone who is over 18, and who had their second vaccination at least three months ago, should go and get their booster now. If you are between 12 and 17, please make sure you have had both doses.”

He also issued a reminder for parents and caregivers.

It had been more than eight weeks since a number of our 5 to 11 year olds in the Southern region had received their first dose.

“Please check when your tamariki are due for their second dose and make an appointment or find a walkin clinic to ensure they have the best protection possible against Covid. It is also a great time to get a first dose if you haven’t already done so.”

The best way you can protect yourself, your whānau, and your community is by getting vaccinated, getting your booster shot if you are eligible and following public health guidelines: wear your mask, wash your hands, get tested if you are sick and stay home until you receive a negative test result.

Lists of the clinics offering vaccinations can be found at www.southernhealth.nz.

Latest vaccination data released by the Southern Districts Health Board.

Wānaka’s film incentive

Lake Wānaka Tourism is spearheading a short film award which offers a $10,000 first prize package – and a budget to produce a film in Wānaka.

New Zealand and Australian and filmmakers are being invited to submit entries that centre on a place – any place - where they feel most connected.

Their short story' should be up to five minutes long - but can be as short as 30 seconds.

Films will then be judged by a panel of industry guests - Ben Briand, Kai Neville, Lula Cucchiara, Benn Jae and Dylan Rivers.

Lake Wānaka Tourism Marketing and Communications Manager Gizelle Regan said the project is a departure from traditional tourism marketing campaigns to a model that takes a more holistic approach.

The organisation is working with Monster Children Group and the winner will receive a

Wānaka is an incredible place for film making, says Kahli Scott. $10,000 prize package, products from Sony, plus a production budget and mentorship to create their short film in Wānaka.

Regan, who is leading the project said, it had been a huge piece of work with many moving parts and a few disruptions thanks to Covid.

“Short Stories is a celebration of storytelling, originality, and provides a platform to encourage work that creates a powerful connection between people and place and supports the economic diversity of the district by highlighting the depth and breadth of the local film industry,” she said Kahli Scott, Film Queenstown Lakes Coordinator, said Wānaka was an “incredible” place for filmmaking and storytelling. “It has strong local film industry base and is an exciting hub for new talent, too. Cultivating local storytelling that draws on our district’s strong sense of place is a focus area for the film office right now, so we’re excited to support this project. The competition winner will find no shortage of inspiration and expertise to draw on here” said.

Green on the green

Val Ransom got into the theme of St Patrick’s Day at the Wānaka Bowling Club. The bowlers wore green and there was green on Queenstown’s lakefront last Thursday during traditional St Patrick’s Day observations

The annual festivities were significant enough for Mayor Jim Boult to acknowledge “the deep connection between Ireland and the district” following a Celtic-themed light show in Queenstown.

The display, a joint effort between Queenstown Lakes District Council and event and audio-visual company TomTom Productions, was created after a nationwide request from Irish ambassador Peter Ryan to ‘green’ some of the country’s iconic landmarks on Ireland’s national day. "We enjoy a great relationship with the Irish Embassy and were very happy to support the Ambassador’s request," Boult said.

Meanwhile back at the Wānaka Bowling Club, there were no results to report from the day – but photographs suggest there was no shortage of Guinness and green.