IN SIDE
8,300 FREE
www.thewanakasun.co.nz
Thursday 17 March to Wednesday 23 March 2011
The boys are coming to town
Nine lives and counting Page 2
On the road again Page 3
By Sue Wards
“Our Lake Wanaka Centre has never seen anything quite like this before,” Red & Black Quake Relief Concert organiser Lynne Christie said of You-Tube sensation J Geek & the Geeks
(pictured), who will feature in next month’s concert. The Auckland group, which has had half a million hits on You-Tube for its song Maori Boy, will join a diverse line-up at the fund-raising concert. “Musically,
everything from bluegrass to geekstyles is represented, with some pretty phenomenal dance moves thrown into the mix,” Lynne said. “We’ve had a huge response from the Wanaka and Queenstown communities in
ensuring this event is a success.” The line-up features Cairo Knife Fight, Soul System and House of Mountain, The Slur-Tones, J Geek & the Geeks and MC KPz, Rhythmonyx, Liv McBride and locals Maenad, Mercury
Brigade and Jenn Shelton. The concert, which will take place on April 2, will run for ten hours and feature ten acts. Organisers hope to raise $10,000 for the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal.
Biofuel for Wanaka? By Sue Wards
Dream job Page 5
A&P roundup Pages 8-9
Viewpoint Page 13
Wanaka could be the first town in the country to have New Zealand-made biofuel available to the public at the pump. The Wanaka-based Centre for Sustainable Practice is attempting to build a biodiesel facility in Wanaka, following the success of their pilot programme which was launched in Queenstown in March 2010. Centre for Sustainable Practice director Steve Henry said the Queenstown pilot programme’s success has been demonstrated by the fact 66 commercial vehicles there now use as many as 15,000 litres of biodiesel per month.
The pilot programme, which is sponsored by local businesses, has received national recognition for its success. There were many lessons
“we’re delighted to report absolutely no issues in running vehicles on biodiesel” learnt from the Queenstown programme, Steve Henry said, and having fuel available to the public in a suitable location was
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
the priority. Some Wanaka businesses are already using biofuel, for example Wanaka Wastebusters, which currently runs its entire fleet with 100% biodiesel. Restaurants such as Wanaka’s Edgewater Hotel supply Biodiesel New Zealand with used oils for refining to make the product in Christchurch. Business owners in Queenstown are impressed. “The pilot has been very successful for us and we’re delighted to report absolutely no issues in running vehicles on biodiesel,” Tim Barke of Kiwi Discovery said. “We are most certainly prepared to increase our use of the fuel as much as possible. The next step there is to get biodiesel in
a truck stop so it’s easy for all big commercial vehicles to access. The ultimate goal for me is to get biodiesel available to the general public through mainstream fuelling facilities.” Leading fuel expert Andrew Campbell of Wellington will visit Wanaka and Cromwell next Thursday (March 24). Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn more about the use of biodiesel in commercial and private vehicles at a public forum organised by the Centre for Sustainable Practice, with the aim of creating a refueling facility in both places.