Extra

On May 20, 2018. a group from a mineral club found a plank of wood protruding from a peat deposit along the high tide mark at Waipupu, near Riversdale. Recognising that it was a human-made object and could be of significance, they reported it to archaeologists Foss Leach and Janet Davidson.

When Haami Te Whaiti [Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa] first saw photos of it, it was not clear to him what it might be but it was definitely something he felt merited a closer look. With danger of further sea damage, there was urgency in removing it so on June 1, he, Horipo Rimene [Rangitane o Wairarapa], Janet Davidson and Tony Tomlin from the mineral club, set out to retrieve it.

“It was relatively easy to get out,” says Te Whaiti. “I wasn’t sure of its significance until we laid it on the ground, and I saw the toki [adze] marks on it - stone adzes make clear markings - and realised it was something special. It had a structure on it that was deliberate, but I didn’t appreciate what its structure was.”

Dilys Johns, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Tamata Ra, and an expert on the preservation of wooden taonga, was immediately consulted and identified the 5.5 metre 400mm wide plank as part of a waka strake, a plank that runs along the side of a dugout underbody. A further piece of it was subsequently found at the same site. Four ribs supported the curved shape of the plank and a central stringer provided longitudinal stiffness.

Because of the risk of wood cell collapse, the strakes were immersed in water before being submerged in polyethylene glycol to conserve the degraded wood cell structure. They are now drying out in an environmentally controlled case, under Johns’ supervision, which should take approximately 12 months.

Johns said the Waipupu find is significant. Without conservation expertise this important taoga would not exist. The strakes are not dissimilar in construction to the Anaweka River estuary waka which has a raised turtle motif and has been dated to approximately 700 years old.

The Waipupu strakes are an important part of the waka construction timeline which began with the arrival of the first humans in Aotearoa.

“Our in-depth research will follow together with hapu and iwi in an ongoing process,” said Johns.

“Dilys Johns has supervised,” said Te Whaiti, “but it has always remained here, locally. Iwi made the decision to have it on display at Aratoi which makes a lot of sense to us as everyone can see it, interact with it, and understand the process of conserving it.

“Where it was found there used to be a papakāinga [village]. Preserving taonga made of wood, in this case totara, by burying them in a swamp was a common practice among Maori. We are bringing it back into a form where we can have it amongst us and appreciate it. We are still some months, however, from organising a permanent home for it.”

The strake is at present in the Ngā Haerenga/ Journeys - Celebrating Matariki exhibition at Aratoi until August 21.

Waka is installed at Aratoi. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Bike company wins hi-tech award

Helen Holt

Electric utility bike company UBCO won the Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the year award at the 2022 Hi-Tech Awards in Wellington.

The bike company began from an electric prototype in a rural Martinborough shed. The company is now based in Tauranga.

The judges looked for a company that made the transition from a startup, had an exciting story of innovation, market opportunity, competitive advantage and planned to achieve the goals it set.

The UBCO team with their latest award. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

It also needed to demonstrate significant revenue growth, and a clearly articulated business strategy to support future plans.

The judges said UBCO possessed ambition, strong IP, and innovative high-quality product and long-term prospects.

“New Zealand now has a globally focused motorcycle company, and the product is green, fun to ride and targeting a growing market niche.”

There were 70 local and international judges who assessed a record number of entries across the 14 award categories.

The top prize, the Company of the Year award, went to Christchurch software company Seequent.

The gala dinner had a record crowd of up to 1100, including the prime minister and Wellington mayor.

New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust chair David Downs said it was great to hit so many highs this year. “Clearly, it’s still been a challenge for some of our tech companies to physically get in front of their customers, but this hasn’t stopped them from continuing to innovate and compete successfully on the global stage.”

UBCO has won several awards since it was founded, including the prestigious Fieldays International Innovation Award in 2018.

AUGUST UPDATE

It would be fair to say the weather gods have not been kind to our district this winter. I want to commend our roading staff and contractors, who have already been under pressure because of winter illnesses and have battled on regardless. When a big event such as this happens, information filters into our offices from all quarters. Our staff hit the roads to assess the damage, then direct contractors to wherever they are most needed, and our frontline team hit social media and the website. We feed back information as soon as we can. We are often asked about Martinborough’s Waihenga Bridge, which is controlled by Waka Kotahi (NZTA). If the bridge is closed, its status will be on the Waka Kotahi website. Questions have been raised recently about our decision to build a new dog pound. Councillors recently voted for extra funding for the project and many people have asked why the pound costs what it does or why we cannot go in with another council. The fact is, there have been extensive talks with other Councils which remain inconclusive, although discussions have resumed on some form of shared service with Carterton. Meanwhile, our dogs urgently need a pound that meets government animal welfare requirements. We have land at Featherston Golf Course we can use and with inflation sending the cost of materials into overdrive, we are worried that these costs will rise even further if we continue to delay. We will keep you informed on our progress. We want to commend the Martinborough Pump Track Project, a community-led project which is now fundraising to build a visionary facility in Considine Park. Council will work with the project as it proceeds. By the time you read this, it’s likely election campaigning for the local body elections will have begun in earnest. Postal voting papers will go out in mid-September and close at noon on 8 October. South Wairarapa has a very active ratepayer base and I hope everyone will take time to vote. It matters! Keep warm and well. Harry Wilson CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Plotbox

Have you ever had difficulty finding a loved one’s resting place at a cemetery? We have installed a new service on our website that will direct you straight there. Plotbox is a cemetery management system used by many Councils here and overseas. Click on the Plotbox link on our cemetery page at www.swdc.govt. nz to easily search for the location of a loved one and be guided to it on the map provided. Plotbox has also allowed the Council to upgrade its cemetery management systems and digitise the original plot records, many of which are quite historic. South Wairarapa District Council operates four cemeteries - Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough and the closed Waihinga cemetery. Council staff spent many months painstakingly going through often decadesold records to check the names, details and other information associated with the plots and loading them into the Plotbox database. The Council’s Group Manager of Partnerships and Operations, Stefan Corbett, said Plotbox was part of an ongoing modernisation of the Council’s IT systems to provide more responsive services to the South Wairarapa community. “It will also make it easier and faster for people to explore the process of reserving a plot,” he added.

Better Off Funding

The Council has agreed to apply for the first tranche of Three Waters ‘Better Off’ Funding and use it to create a ‘South Wairarapa Community Wellbeing Fund’. The Fund will be available to support community projects and to accelerate projects with a strong wellbeing dimension that are already approved in the South Wairarapa Long Term Plan. In agreeing to apply for the $1.88m of funding, the Council recognised that the South Wairarapa community is under significant pressure at the moment. We are aware our community is feeling the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people are feeling isolated and disconnected and the pandemic has created fear and anxiety, particularly among some of the elderly and vulnerable. It has also been a wet winter with many communities feeling the impact of flooding, closed roads, and weather damage. Economic conditions in our communities are also tough at the moment, with interest rates, food costs, rents, petrol, and building costs all on the rise. The Three Waters funding represents an opportunity to get behind projects that reconnect people and strengthen the health of our communities. The Council still requires approval from the Department of Internal Affairs for its application and if successful, we will be working closely with mana whenua, community groups and Councillors to ensure the funding is equitably and constructively used. Accepting the funding does not inhibit the Council from expressing its independent view on the merits of the proposed Three Waters reforms. A further tranche of Three Waters Better Off funding may be available to Councils in July 2024.

Conservation week is back!

Get ready to take a moment for nature. Council is supporting Conservation Week from 5 to 11 September 2022. Last year, COVID-19 put a dampener on the week but this year organisers are looking forward to repeating the success of 2020’s activities. The programme is still being finalised but there will be something for everyone, including a talk on sustainable food production hosted by locals with proven success. For further information, keep an eye on our climate change page, https://swdc.govt.nz/ community/climate-change/ and on our Facebook channels, Climate Change Wairarapa and South Wairarapa District Council.

Community grants

The Creative Communities Scheme supports and encourages local communities to create and present diverse opportunities for accessing and participating in arts activities. Applications for the August funding round close Wednesday 31 August 2022. Further rounds for 2022/23 will be held in February and May. We are also seeking nominations for community representatives to sit on the assessment group that allocates funding. Forms and guidance are available from the Council libraries, Council reception in Martinborough or on the website at www.swdc.govt.nz/grants

NOTICE OF MEETINGS

Meeting agendas are available for inspection at least two days before the meeting at the district libraries, Council offices and at www.swdc.govt.nz. Public participation is welcome. If you wish to speak during the public participation session at any of the below meetings, please phone 06 306 9611 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting or email enquiries@swdc.govt.nz Masks are required for those in attendance and physical distancing is recommended at all times. If you have cold and flu symptoms, please stay at home. The meetings will be livestreamed on YouTube Channel, where possible. EXTRAORDINARY MEETING COUNCIL Wednesday, 24 August at 9.00am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough

SEPTEMBER MEETINGS

GRANTS SUBCOMMITTEE Wednesday, 7 September at 9.00am. Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough GRANTS SUBCOMMITTEE (reserve day if required) Thursday, 8 September at 9.00am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough MĀORI STANDING COMMITTEE Tuesday, 13 September at 6.00pm Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough FINANCE, AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE Wednesday, 14 September at 10.00am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough CEO REVIEW COMMITTEE Wednesday, 14 September at 1.00pm Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough GREYTOWN COMMUNITY BOARD Wednesday, 14 September at 6.00pm Greytown WBS Room, Greytown Town Centre, Main Street, Greytown WAIRARAPA COMBINED DISTRICT PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE Thursday, 15 September at 10.00am Hurunui o Rangi Meeting Room, Carterton Events Centre COUNCIL Wednesday, 21 September at 10.00am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough MARTINBOROUGH COMMUNITY BOARD Thursday, 22 September at 6.30pm Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas St, Martinborough FEATHERSTON COMMUNITY BOARD Thursday, 29 September at 7.00pm Kiwi Hall, 62 Bell Street, Featherston Harry Wilson CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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