WildTomato May 2018

Nelson Tasman and Marlborough’s magazine / ISSUE

142 / MAY 2018 / $8.95

A vintage time Harvesting the fruit of the vine

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Ageing Population Joinery & Design Awards GB Cookbook Tramping in Transylvania VW Polo MacMillan Family

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For the home you’ve always wanted...

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2018

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Nelson Tasman and Marlborough’s magazine

Features Issue 142 / May 2018

26 Viva la vintage Most of the grapes have been harvested so Sophie Preece checks out how the vintage is looking

30 An ageing population Helen Murdoch looks into the ramifications of an ageing population

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38 Wayne’s new cookbook Publishing his third cookbook is no mean feat for Golden Bay’s Wayne Green. Rebecca Hayter backgrounds his journey

43 Joinery and design awards Winners from the 2018 Nelson Marlborough Joinery & Design Awards, compiled by Lynda Papesch

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INTERVIEWS

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My Big Idea Nelson Tasman people are donning their dancing shoes for a good cause, Richard Carruthers tells us

18 The Interview Sadie Beckman talks women, politics and gender equality with Helen Clark

22 Local Connection Marlburian Paul Jackson knows about trains and tourism, as Sophie Preece explains

98 My Education NMIT’s new Director of Māori Education, Andrew Luke tells Eddie Allnutt that he’s ready for a new challenge 4

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First class surgical experience

We are proud to announce the opening of our stage one renovations Manuka Street Hospital is the Nelson Tasman region’s only private specialist surgical hospital.

Manuka Street Hospital is a joint venture partnership between a local Nelson trust, Manuka Street Charitable Trust, and Southern Cross Hospitals Limited. This combination of expertise, local knowledge and history, ensures the people of the

Nelson Tasman region are provided with a first class surgical hospital.

We endeavour to provide our skilled surgeons with modern, state-of-the-art theatres and equipment so that Nelson Tasman residents can have access to the very best in surgical procedures.

During your stay at Manuka Street Hospital, we aim to provide you with excellent quality

surgical care supported by exceptional nursing care and hospitality services.

Throughout your stay, our staff will strive to make your visit pleasant and comfortable.

The hospital offers a relaxing environment, which blends modern facilities with traditional personal attention. Manuka Street Hospital is certified by the Ministry of Health.

manukastreet.org.nz 36 Manuka Street, Nelson Telephone: 03 548 8566

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Columns Issue 142 / May 2018

FASHION

51 Yummy Mummy Style Stylist Sonya Leusink Sladen dresses six local mothers for a photographic essay. Photography

by Ishna Jacobs LIFE

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62 My Home Producing small, cleverly-designed and energy-efficient houses is Simon Collins’ philosophy. Brenda Webb visits his new build at Atawhai

68 Interiors Rebecca O’Fee looks at key pieces for styling industrial chic

70 My Garden The birds and the bees and lots of trees make Anna Poulsen’s garden special, Sophie Preece discovers

72 Wellbeing Nelson GP Ngaire Warner explores the often touchy subject of discussing death

73 Our History Christ Church Cathedral in Nelson has a direct line to Jerusalem, writes Britt Coker

74 My Kitchen Sticky date cake with maple caramel makes an indulgent Mother’s Day treat, from Madame Lu’s kitchen

75 Dine Out Brancott Restaurant near Blenheim delights reviewer Hugo Sampson with quality produce and consistent fabulous flavours

76 Wine Sophie Preece explores a new venture aimed at producing smallbatch, single-site wines

77 Beer An iconic Blenheim brewery is undergoing a renaissance, writes Mark Preece 6

ACTIVE

87 Books Some of the latest book releases, compiled by Renée Lang

78 Travel Tramping through Transylvania, Phil Barnes was careful to avoid vampires

88 Arts Poppy MacMillan is following in her artistic parents’ footsteps, writes John Cohen-Du Four

81 Sports Sport Tasman CEO Nigel Muir practises what he preaches, says Phil Barnes

90 Music Pete Rainey picks up his baton for Handel’s Messiah

82 Motoring VW’s new Polo is a very smart car. Motoring reviewer Geoff Moffett explains why

91 Film A classic Agatha Christie whodunnit Crooked House has film reviewer Michael Bortnick on the edge of his seat

84 Adventure Annabelle Latz follows the success of Top of the South teams in the recent 2018 GODZone event CULTURE

86 Author In the first of a new monthly column, Renée Lang profiles author Michele A’Court

REGULARS

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Editor’s letter & Contributors 10 Noticeboard 12 Snapped 89 Gallery Must-haves 92 Events

Nelson and Marlborough’s magazine

Subscribe to WildTomato Magazine now Subscribe, save and eat out on us!

Save 30% off the cover price of WildTomato and receive your magazine delivered straight to your door every month.

The first 20 subscribers this month will receive a $50 voucher for Jellyfish Restaurant & Bar. Great food from land and sea, located on the Mapua Wharf.

Last year they were selected as finalists in the Hospitality NZ Awards for excellence in customer service and best restaurant, and have been awarded a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence.

So come and enjoy some great food and service with million dollar views in paradise.

To receive a year’s worth of issues for $75 (retail price $107) head to wildtomato.co.nz/subscribe Terms and conditions: Subscriptions are $75 (including gst and postage) for 12 issues delivered in New Zealand only and are non-refundable.

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This promotion is not in conjunction with any other WildTomato subscription offer and expires 31 May 2018. The $50 voucher is available to the first 20 subscribers.

7 The product offer in this promotion is non-transferable for cash or other items.

Editor's letter

Editor

Lynda Papesch lynda@wildtomato.co.nz

Manager

Laura Loghry 027 378 0008 laura@wildtomato.co.nz

Design & art direction

Paperminx Collective design@wildtomato.co.nz

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everal of the topics in this month’s issue prompted coffee-table discussions about finances, wages and planning for the future. Debate often centred on the living wage, the minimum wage and the amount needed to live reasonably in retirement.

Of course it is different strokes for different folks and what some people deem to be essentials in life – annual overseas holidays, fine dining, new cars etc – are well beyond the reach of many New Zealanders, particularly the lower socioeconomic groups.

The Top of the South is home to many such workers, and employers here bring in others from overseas each year to help harvest local crops. Most are paid the minimum wage.

And while the Government increased the minimum wage rate by 75 cents to $16.50 per hour from 1st April this year, that rate is still far below what is deemed to be the living wage necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life. Currently at $20.20, the Living Wage will rise to $20.55 from 1st September this year. That’s more than $4 per hour over the minimum wage, which is what many employers pay. For a 40 hour week that equates to over $160 less than what has been calculated as essential to survive on.

The Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit recently completed the first full review of the Living Wage since 2012, when it was $18.40 per hour. The new Living Wage of $20.55 over 40 hours of work means a total gross income of $42,744.00, or over a household income of 60 hours, $64,059.

Moving from a strong focus on expenditure, new sources of data this year mean the calculation reflects more of the needs of workers to survive and participate in society, including food and rent costs, energy, health, communication and education. Life shouldn’t just be about work!

Some companies have stepped up to the podium, embracing the Living Wage as the minimum wage they pay and good on them. At the end of the day it is more disposable income that can be spent locally. More employers need to follow suit.

Ultimately the economy, and the regions, will reap the benefits!

LY N D A PA P E S C H

Love local

Contributors

Eddie Allnutt, Phil Barnes, Jessica Bay, Sadie Beckman, Michael Bortnick, Peter Burge, Richard Carruthers, Chelsea Chang, Elora Chang, John Cohen-Du Four, Britt Coker, Tom Davies, Ana Galloway, Rebecca Hayter, Ishna Jacobs, Renée Lang, Annabelle Latz, Sonya Leusink Sladen, Geoff Moffett, Helen Murdoch, Rebecca O’Fee, Sophie Preece, Mark Preece, Pete Rainey, Ray Salisbury, Hugo Sampson, Ngaire Warner, Brenda Webb, Dominique White, Susie Williams.

Sales executive

Chrissie Sanders 027 540 2237 chrissie@wildtomato.co.nz

Lead ad designer

Patrick Connor production@wildtomato.co.nz

Subscriptions

$75 for 12 issues wildtomato.co.nz/subscribe

Publisher

Jack Martin WildTomato Media Ltd 258 Hardy Street Nelson 7010 PO Box 1901 Nelson 7040 info@wildtomato.co.nz wildtomato.co.nz Find us on: WildTomato/ @wildtomatomagazine @_WildTomato Read online at issuu.com/wildtomato

If

you haven’t visited the Nelson Fringe Festival yet, there is still time. Running through until 6th May, the awesome line-up includes workshops, shows and visual art exhibitions. Visit nelsonfringe.co.nz Cover photo by Kevin Judd

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Contributor spotlight R E B E C C A H AY T E R Wayne Green profile (page 38)

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have returned to my South Island roots after more than 30 years in Auckland, where I developed my journalism career.

I was editor of Boating New Zealand magazine for more than 12 years, including the extravaganza of the America’s Cup and superyacht boom that we thought would never end. Mostly, journalism has taught me that the most inspiring stories often wait in humble places.

My books include Oceans Alone, published by HarperCollins, and What You Wish For, co-written with the late Paul Blacklow about alternative therapies.

Last year I took time off from my lifestyle property in Golden Bay to sail from UK to Greenland and back.

The acclaimed best seller.

Selling your home?

Each week, 859,700* property hunters nationwide seek out the Property Press.

A true page turner with its standout gloss colours and ease to read, it’s no wonder Property Press is New Zealand’s favourite property magazine.

Be seen where buyers are looking.

Ask your Real Estate agent about Property Press.

RENÉE LANG Author & Books (pages 86, 87)

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n Aucklander now resident in Nelson, for the last 14 years I’ve run Renaissance Publishing, a small book publishing business specialising in non-fiction. Previously I worked for several well-known publishing houses including Penguin and New Holland.

As an author I’ve written and contributed to various books, including Frommers New Zealand Guide (Frommers US), 101 Must-do Weekends and Auckland Harbour Bridge: 50 Years of a City Icon (both Random House NZ). I’ve also written for various Auckland-based magazines on a variety of subjects.

Food is my passion and when I’m not working or cooking, I’m out walking with my beloved Golden Labrador.

BRITT COKER Our History (page 73)

W

hen I meet someone for the first time, my natural instinct is to fire curiosity at them until they end up like a knife thrower’s assistant, pinned to the wall by question marks, unaware that at any minute they’re going to start spinning on a giant Wheel of Death. If I have the good fortune to meet you, don’t be afraid, just relax and tell me everything.

When I’m not writing, I’m dancing. In my lounge mostly, but I care less about conforming to societal rules than I used to. My son wishes I did.

Also available online at www.propertypress.co.nz

*Statistics from Horizon Research’s February 2017 survey, 2066 respondents aged 18+, weighted to represent the New Zealand national adult population. The survey has a maximum margin of error at a 95% confidence level of +2.2% overall.

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N O T I C E B OA R D

Congratulations

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ward-winning Nelson Tasman business Dove River Peonies has been named as one of the five successful ventures in the inaugural NZ SheEO funding allocation, announced recently. This means that the business will receive a share of the $500,00 available via SheEO’s financial model of providing interest-free loans to women-led businesses that are revenue generating, have export potential, and create a better world through their business model, product or service.

Dove River Peonies was founded and launched in 2013 by Dot Kettle and Georgia Richards, selling at the Nelson Saturday Market. Just five years later, Dove River Peonies is producing and selling Pure Peony crèmes and soaps for people with sensitive skin caused by eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis in more than 40 outlets around New Zealand, via their online store, and internationally.

an autographed copy

Groundbreaking dance

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olden Bay café owner/ author Wayne Green is launching his third cookbook this month and to celebrate, WildTomato has two autographed copies to give away. To be in to win one, email your name, address and phone number to editor@wildtomato. co.nz and say in 20 words or less what you like most about Golden Bay. Entries close Friday 11th May, 2018.

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ontemporary dance enthusiasts are in for a treat on Monday 14th May when the New Zealand Dance Company takes to the stage locally to perform Lumina.

Comprising three pieces of contemporary dance, Lumina has been described as a ‘tour de force of dance, music and light’ (DANZ). In Brouhaha (pictured) the dancers are explorers and artful unravelers of rawness and refined beauty. In Transit is a vivid reflection of the traces left behind in the Māori ritual of encounter, while the third piece is The Geography of an Archipelago in which a trio of dancers explore the emotions that accompany exile and belonging. Theatre Royal Nelson, 7.30pm.

Where do you read yours?

Former Nelsonian Helen Grattan now reads her WildTomato in Napier, New Zealand’s art deco capital.

Send your image to editor@wildtomato.co.nz ONLY JPG FILES ACCEPTED, MIN 1MB

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WIN

Trustpower Community Awards celebrate 25 years

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ocal community organisations have until 31st May to enter the annual Trustpower Community Awards. This year, the prize money for a Trustpower Community Award will double to $1,000.

Regional Supreme Winners will receive $2,000 – up from $1,500 last year – and a trip for two to the 2018 Trustpower National Community Awards. In a change from previous years, both Nelson and Tasman will each name a Supreme Winner, meaning two groups will progress to the Trustpower National Awards held the following year.

Enter online at trustpower.co.nz/ communityawards.

MY BIG IDEA

Dancing for a cause Nelson Youth Theatre is taking to the stage to fundraise for a special cause. Founder/director Richard Carruthers explains more…

What is the big idea?

A youth theatre parent approached us to stage a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ type event in Nelson as a fundraiser, initially for Nelson Youth Theatre. We felt it was more appropriate to stage it as a fundraiser for a greater cause, and ‘Dancing for a Cause’ was born. This year, the cause is Nelson Hospice and the date is 7pm on Saturday 26th May at the Trafalgar Centre.

Trust to support the work of Nelson Youth Theatre.

The goal is to raise $50,000-$100,000 for the hospice from this event, and many businesses and individuals are volunteering their professional services and skills to ensure that as much profit as possible will go to Nelson Hospice.

How do people get involved?

They can volunteer their time or skills to help us co-ordinate and prepare for the big night, or they can get a group of friends together for a fantastic night out in support of a worthy cause, either by purchasing a table or seats in the stadium, or by donating via our website in support of their ‘favourite’ contestant. There will be a silent auction with thousands of dollars’ worth of donated goods available for purchase on the night, and a wellstocked bar, snacks and food platters available for purchase.

For further information go to www.dancenelson.com or phone Caroline on 03 548 8414.

How does it work?

Eight well-known local personalities are paired with a trained ballroom dancer and given a number of lessons in a particular style of ballroom dance before competing in front of a panel of professional judges to try to win the coveted title of Nelson’s first ‘Dancing for a Cause’ trophy.

Local businesses are encouraged to sponsor corporate tables around the dance floor, being served a three course dinner courtesy of The Cod and Lobster, for a charitable donation of $2500.

‘No Frills’ tables are also available (without dinner or wine) for $1500, along with stadium seats for $80 A reserve, $60 B reserve and $30 C reserve, allowing everyone to donate at the level of their choice in purchasing tickets to this special event.

Our contestants this year are Mayor Rachel Reese, Ros Pochin, Rachel Boyack, Paul Hampton, Matt Lawrey, Pic Picot, Matt Bouterey and Richard Carruthers.

Our judges are Samantha Hitchcock, Peta Spooner, Derryn French and Laura Irish, and the MC for the night is well-known personality Murray Leaning.

Who will benefit?

This, the first of what is hoped will become a regular event, is presented as a major fundraiser for the Nelson Hospice, with 90 percent of all profits going to the Hospice and 10 percent being retained by the Inspiring Youth Theatre Charitable Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese gets in step with her ballroom dance partner Tony Hocking.

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Snapped WildTomato goes out on the town‌

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Motueka Kai Fest Decks Reserve, Motueka P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y T O M D AV I E S

1. Yuhei Wakuzawa & Taichi Hayakawa

5. Gregory Lupton & Stephanie Crampton

2. Francis Maxino

6. Adam Halling & Victor Brandt

3. Troye Evans, Lindsay Thompson & Robyn Wilks

7. Craig Fox, Stacey Pettman & Hannah Tschepke

4. Alice David, Jeremy Lahex, Maxime Gaudolin & Julie Salles

8. BoBo THE Clown

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Working alongside local businesses getting their

BRAND NOTICED

Call in and see Paul at 34 Bridge St, Nelson or phone 03 548 7233 nelson@embroidme.co.nz www.embroidme.co.nz 12

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MarchFest Founders Park, Nelson P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R AY S A L I S B U R Y

1. Jordy Hutty, Ruby Woodall, Amber Ford, Emma Knott, Hamish Bennie & Will Hemmingsen 2. Dan Little, Chrissy Lindorff & Shannon Surridge 3. Kellie Olson, Winnie & Harrison Field

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4. Adam & Sarah-Jane Styles, Kev Blom, Jacki & Paul Jackett

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Opening Celebrations

5. Luca Pomarico & Nigel Bain 6. Josiah O’Connell & Amanda Pearce 7. Mark Caukill, Nicky Davies & Hamish Caukill 8. Clare Noble, Daniel Kotua & Keelyn Duggan 9. Lea Boodee, Craig Boodee & Jen Web-Bowen

THURSDAY LUNCHTIMES, 12:30PM: Bryce Wastney Lissa Cowie and Mark Secker Aphra Trio Polly and the Minstrel Nelson Bays Harmony Chorus Goya Ensemble

Principal Sponsor, Nelson Pine Industries

OPENING GALA CONCERT Sat 9 June 7:30pm Sun 10 June 2:00pm HERITAGE TOURS WITH PROJECT ARCHITECTS Sat 9 June 2:00pm Sun 10 June 12:00pm

For more information and to buy tickets, visit ncma.nz

EVENINGS, 7:30PM: Diedre Irons and Andrew Joyce Nelson Civic Choir presents Messiah CMNZ presents Alex Ross with Bianca Andrew & STROMA Nelson Jazz Quartet | Tessa Quayle Nelson Jazz Club Big Band | Dan Moon

03/05/18 10/05/18 17/05/18 24/05/18 31/05/18 07/06/18 17/05/18 25-26/05/18 27/05/18 01/06/18

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National Geographic Exhibition Nelson Provincial Museum P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R AY S A L I S B U R Y

1. Nicki Green, Nils Pokel & Lucinda Blackley-Jimson

5. Margaret Jackson

2. Karen & Troy Stade, Rachel Reese, Grant Price & Victoria Guild

7. Lucinda Blackley-Jimson

3. Nick Allred, Nicola Harwood, Angela Craig & Don Harwood

6. Chris & Yvonne Bowater 8. Matt Lawrey, Tania Norfolk & Sally Kidson 9. Steve & Liz Richards

4. Sue & Stuart Walker

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9 We work for you

PROPERTY BUSINESS & ESTATES

Call Linda on 03 547 6050 | www.bamfordlaw.co.nz 14

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2 Forrest Grape Ride 2018 Marlborough PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSIE WILLIAMS

1. Diana Burton & Jeff Tatum

5. Simon Todd & Mary Young

2. David Craig, Chris Heywood & Julie Fry

6. Mike Crequer & Hilary Singlewood

3. Rex Whiterod, Cynthia Dixon & Ricky Field

7. Peter & Lesley Bath

4. Nancy Su, Sam Falk & Bernadette Falk

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8. Dave Bagshaw

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I said yes!

It’s a Jens Hansen.

Have your ring hand-crafted by Nelson’s only internationally acclaimed artisan jewellery workshop.

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Regional Joinery & Design Awards The Honest Lawyer, Nelson P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R AY S A L I S B U R Y

1. Leigh Jones, Emma Lancaster & Ben Dick

6. Kyle & Wendie Powell, Shelley Cantwell

2. Dean Machen, Vicky & Dave Shelling

7. Nigel Heine, Huw Morgan & Daniel Thorn

3. Grace Binnie, Leigh Kirby & Christie Rentoul

8. Rachel Dodd, Marc Barron, Phil Thompson

4. Jemma Gamble & Helen Bush

9. Clare & Phil Babbage

5. Hamish Drummond & Scott Ronald

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145 Bridge Street, Nelson Wednesday to Sunday 5pm to late Fully heated for winter.

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S NA P P E D

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2 Havelock Mussel Festival War Memorial Park, Havelock PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSIE WILLIAMS

1. Kate Asplet, Jemma McCowan, John Asplet & Sarah Bone 2. Bayly Templeton, Louise Renwick & Rachel Thomas 3. CJ Wilkins, Ben Wilkes, Johno Steele & Shaane Fulton

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5. Lyn Godsiff & Lynley Clegg 6. Eveline Apthorp & Pauline Fudge 7. Warren & Jane Ingram 8. Ted Culley

4. Trudy Treloar & Megan Boreham

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It’s the simple pleasures in life that matter.

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“Stick at it when the going gets tough.”

Interview

Smashing through glass ceilings Former prime minister Helen Clark visited Nelson recently to help celebrate International Women’s Day. Sadie Beckman talked to her about gender equality, politics and what lies ahead.

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elen Clark is as busy as ever, and that’s no mean feat for someone with a long political career, including three consecutive terms as prime minister, under her belt, plus four years in one of the most important positions at the United Nations.

Ranked as the 21st most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in 2013, she was the first female Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), where she was recognised for her managerial leadership style and where she tackled the organisation’s bureaucracy, advocating for more transparency.

After a crack at the UN’s top job, secretary-general, and coming up painfully hard against a glass ceiling she could not smash, Clark now has a packed schedule of speaking engagements, lectures and conferences on weighty topics including international and sustainable development, climate change and health, as well as addressing head-on an issue she has lived and breathed her entire career, either by choice or circumstance – gender equality.

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In fact, she seems more determined than ever to reject gender bias and is steadfast in her opinion that women have a right to expect they will be judged on their merits and not their sex.

Surrounding the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage and 2018 International Women’s Day, Clark was on home soil completing a schedule of events that included a governorgeneral’s reception, parliamentary breakfast, ministry visits, a lecture for students at Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology and a special Women’s Day dinner in Mapua, along with multiple Q&A sessions, where ‘everything under the sun’ came up, she says.

Clark talked of her experiences around women and leadership and what she learned through her time at the UN, where she walked into one of the most patriarchal organisations she has come across, and found that the omission of women from prominent roles was, in fact, increasing.

“I loved UNDP, and it was definitely ready for a woman boss,” she says.

“Around the UN you did notice that there weren’t so many women in the top jobs.

“When I came, there was a woman head of UNICEF, a woman head of the World Food Programme and a woman head of the UN Population Fund, which are the core development agencies, but then that changed.

“By the end of the time I was there I would go to a chief executives’ board meeting [and there would be] hardly any women at all, so it was a very different environment to what we’re used to in New Zealand, where women break every glass ceiling.”

Despite this, she feels New Zealand still needs to focus on gender equality.

“We need more, but let’s bear in mind that for eleven and a half of the last 21 years, women have been prime ministers of NZ, so if we can keep this up, women will be PM more or less half the time, which is great.”

Conversely, Clark says the UN’s most important development agency, of which she was the first and only woman administrator, brought in yet another male replacement when she left, and statistics show gender equality rates at the organisation are languishing.

“The organisation was founded 73 years ago and it’s never had a woman [secretary-general]. They’re not being elected to the top positions.”

A ceiling of steel So did the UN present a thicker glass ceiling than Clark has been used to breaking?

“Well I say ‘steel’ really. In New Zealand I could eventually break through every glass ceiling that was in the way, but the UN was a tougher proposition.”

Clark has certainly pondered why this was, and concludes that most countries have not properly experienced women’s leadership.

“Women heads of state, which could be queens or presidents, make up just over seven percent of the total, and women heads of government – prime ministers like Jacinda Ardern – make up about five percent of the total. These are pathetic figures.” Besides New Zealand, only Iceland has had

“… women heads of government – prime ministers like Jacinda Ardern – make up about five percent of the total.”

three women in the top job, while Bermuda, Britain and Norway have had two each – statistics Clark calls ‘pretty thin’.

At the UN itself, only 21 percent of countries’ ambassadors are women and she says their voices are just not being heard well enough.

Her own tilt at secretary-general, accompanied by resounding support from many quarters, saw her fall to what she terms the ‘image’.

Despite campaigning on a gender-neutral platform of being the best person for the job, she feels that as a woman with a reputation for being a strong leader she did not fit a required stereotype.

While this was not the only quality looked for, Clark points out that she was not the only strong woman candidate.

“There were others, and none of us were in the top league of

those polling,” she says.

“You would be blind to reality if you didn’t say there was a gender factor.”

Clark believes, though, that women are really starting to fight back, assisted in part by popular culture’s backing of the new ‘Me Too’ movement, which calls out an extreme form of gender discrimination – sexual harassment.

“I think women are really interested in this now. We’ll never deal with these issues of a small minority of men believing they can do whatever they like to women, unless it’s exposed. So bring it on. Bring it out and deal with it, that’s my view.”

Judged on merit How exactly should women deal with situations where they may not be experiencing harassment, but find themselves butting up against those glass ceilings? How can we make the current awareness around gender equality stick? Clark advises having a solid set of expectations that you will be judged on merit as a person, and requiring everyone else to fall into line with that.

“With respect to women rising up the ladder, they have to be very professional, very task-focused.

“I didn’t ask for people to vote for me because I was a woman, nor would I have expected people wouldn’t vote for me because I was a woman. I was going up as the best candidate for the job.”

Clark urges other women to adopt the same attitude. “You expect to be judged on your merits and you’re going to fight for all women to be judged on their merits.”

She also advocates the importance of women forming strong support networks, both personally and professionally.

“You can’t do it on your own. For me to get all the way through to being PM I needed a lot of good people around me who were going to push with me. You just have to keep those networks strong around you to keep going.”

In fact, our present PM has done a good job of that too.

Jacinda Ardern makes no secret of her admiration for Clark and the influence she has taken from her. However, Clark says the key to Ardern’s success is her ability to truly empathise.

“Everyone who meets her feels – and this is the reality – that she is generally interested in them, their wellbeing, their family, their community. She empathises and she expresses that. She’s very inclusive in her style. That’s appealing to New Zealand. An election campaign can be very polarising, and someone who can rise above that and exude empathy, I think she’s done very well.”

And while Clark is certainly a far more experienced politician 19

I N T E RV I E W

Gaylene Preston’s cameras followed Helen Clark campaigning for secretary-general of the United Nations in 2016 while also carrying out her work as administrator of UNDP. Preston filmed Clark in Botswana, Britain, Spain and Ukraine as well as the UN’s New York headquarters. The resulting documentary was My Year with Helen from which some of these stills were taken.

and prime minister than Ardern, there is one gender challenge the younger woman faces that her predecessor did not – motherhood.

Clark believes Ardern will excel at role-modelling a working mother, and that most people will either support or accept her choice to take on parenting and lead the country simultaneously.

“My experience is there’s always a hard core who won’t accept anything about you, and probably all politicians would say that, but I think Jacinda has most people with her. She has the young women excited because she’s showing that it can be done, so good on her. She’ll have a deaf ear to those who don’t accept that women should be out in the workforce when they’ve got a small child. For God’s sake, women’s lives are about doing both increasingly.”

“I’m flat out. I tend to be away a lot of the time.”

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Busy international schedule So what about Clark’s own life these days?

When I spoke to her she was on her way to Manila to deliver a significant lecture on gender equality to the Asian Development Bank, after completing a whirlwind tour of International Women’s Day events.

“I’m flat out. I tend to be away a lot of the time, but I plan on staying out there and very engaged.”

Despite that hectic schedule, Clark does manage to fit in a little downtime, including enjoying the Top of the South.

“I love Nelson. I love the region. You might see me getting the tramping boots on, going for a hike at some point.”

And during those times she can steal a minute to reflect, what would Clark take from her own life experience and offer as one pertinent piece of advice?

“Stick at it when the going gets tough,” she says.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That’s always the way I’ve operated.”

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21

Local connection

Full steam ahead A nostalgic rail journey is part of bigger plans to boost Marlborough tourism. Sophie Preece meets the driving force.

P

aul Jackson’s childhood train set had cabooses and carriages, locomotives and tracks, much like those of all his friends. His adult version has a trail of steam, a resounding whistle, up to 250 passengers onboard, and more than a century of history.

It’s perhaps a long leap from pushing toy trains to running a heritage locomotive and carriages on the main trunk line between Blenheim and Picton, but Paul has clearly fallen, coupling rods and all, for the charms of the Marlborough Flyer.

“You cannot resist the drama, sound, sight and majestic nature of a 102-year-old steam locomotive with a full head of steam,” says the managing director of Pounamu Tourism Group.

“I can’t say that I have always been madly passionate about trains – until recently, because now the bug has bitten.”

Since its launch in December, the historic Marlborough Flyer has travelled the route about 40 times, moving more than 13,000 people between the towns, while giving them a taste of yesteryear travel. “It is a blast from the past, not to mention an appreciation for the engineering achievements that these trains represent,” says Paul.

The Marlborough Flyer was built in Christchurch in 1915, the first Ab608 off the line at Addington, and was renamed the Passchendaele after the horrendous World War One battle in 1917 that killed thousands of New Zealand soldiers. One hundred years later, the train is still running sweetly, thanks to a team of dedicated engineers at Steam Incorporated, a charitable trust run out of Paekakariki (see sidebox). The train is shipped across Cook Strait and back to its home station at the end of the season, to be preened by steam-train experts passionate about their work, says Paul.

“In one season we have doubled their activity. They are the busiest and most successful heritage train operators in the country.”

22

“We have seen many visitors from Nelson, Christchurch, the West Coast, Wellington and Auckland coming down specifically to enjoy an authentic steam-train experience...”

An extended OE Paul grew up in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, but set off on his OE as a young adult. His was an extended journey, starting with a year in Ireland and four in England, before ending up in South Africa, where he met his wife Kirsty and spent seven years in Cape Town and another two in Johannesburg.

The couple moved to the Middle East in 2012 and Paul’s background in marketing and promotions saw him create major events and exhibitions in the premium market, including as CEO of World Luxury Expo, which showcases luxury and lifestyle products at The Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Over that time they repeatedly visited Marlborough, where Kirsty’s parents now live, and decided they liked the climate, pace and lifestyle, says Paul. “We didn’t really picture ourselves living in a smaller town, but the more time we spent here the more we loved it.”

When they decided to move to New Zealand to raise their children, they zoned in on a life in Blenheim, and established Pounamu Tourism Group, which subsequently invested in the Marlborough Flyer.

Tourism was a ‘natural progression’ for the couple, says Paul, who still splits his time between Marlborough and Abu Dhabi.

“It’s a sector we are passionate about. We also believe in the future of New Zealand as a premium destination, with abundant

“You cannot resist the drama, sound, sight and majestic nature of a 102-year-old steam locomotive with a full head of steam.”

PAU L JAC KS O N

opportunities for development.”

Marlborough in particular is in an ‘exciting position’ with wonderful growth prospects, he says. Upwards of 270,000 people visit New Zealand every year on cruises, injecting about $700 million into the economy. Some 80,000 of those passengers visit Port Marlborough, and that number’s growing, says Paul.

“The amount of cruise ships has the potential to double in the next three to five years, and if it does it will have a major economic impact.”

Tapping into a boom Tourism is ‘booming’ in New Zealand, and Marlborough is still a well-kept secret, he says. “But that’s changing. Marlborough as a brand name is getting better known.” The region is already under pressure in terms of tourism products and transport for cruiseship passengers. That made the train, which can offer 250 of them both travel and experience in one nostalgic journey, a perfect first step.

Paul says the Marlborough Flyer is an added drawcard for tourists, whether they are from cruise ships or independent travellers – domestic and international – excited by the opportunity to travel by steam.

“We have seen many visitors from Nelson, Christchurch, the West Coast, Wellington and Auckland coming down specifically to enjoy an authentic steam-train experience, as there are not many left that are operating in the country.” The Marlborough Flyer is also attracting international attention, and was recently

LEFT, RIGHT & ABOVE: The Marlborough Flyer has become a familiar sight steaming through the province.

23

“D

ABOVE: The Wine Station at a fully renovated Blenheim Railway Station.

listed in British newspaper The Telegraph’s Top 10 for Best Train Journeys in Australasia 2018.

The venture has been a striking success, but Paul and Kirsty had a bigger plan. They also wanted a destination that celebrated the best of Marlborough’s wine and food. In February this year, they joined forces with Michael and Angela Wentworth to open The Wine Station at a fully renovated Blenheim Railway Station.

With 80 premium Marlborough wines to sample by the glass, along with platters of local produce, it’s a central hub for the region’s wine and artisan food industries, and an added incentive to visit, says Paul.

Targeting the premium market The appetite for the Flyer and Wine Station signals the potential of tourism to further buoy the local and national economy, he says. “The opportunities to explore other tourism products and ideas are endless, especially in New Zealand where we are blessed with base ingredients such as our natural beauty, creative, warm people and our hospitable culture.”

Paul would like to see New Zealand tourism focus more on the premium market, saying ‘high-yield travellers’ are the key for a country of limited size and tourism infrastructure. “As we grow we will need more infrastructure at the premium end of the market to meet the demand.”

The train and station are a good start, and they do more than boost regional tourism, Paul says. “The emergence of the Marlborough Flyer is in many ways symbolic in that it pays tribute to the men and women who have come before us; those who have played a key role in this great country’s rail infrastructure.”

24

uring the steam era, the Ab class was the largest type of locomotive operating on the Picton to Blenheim route,” says John Bovis of Steam Incorporated. The charitable trust, based in Paekakariki, is dedicated to restoring ex-New Zealand Government steam and diesel locomotives, for operation on the KiwiRail-owned railway lines.

They rebuilt the Passchendaele in 2014, getting it shipshape for the main trunk line. Since then it has covered 10,000km, and is getting plenty more miles under its wheels with the lease to Pounamu Tourism Group.

Steam Incorporated is just one of the groups Paul Jackson has had ‘the pleasure of working with’ to get the Marlborough Flyer on track. He also tips his hat to KiwiRail, the New Zealand Transport Agency and Port Marlborough. “All have been very supportive of the initiative and shared vision to promote tourism in the regions.”The Rail and Maritime Transport Union was instrumental in helping with a ‘groundbreaking collective agreement’, Paul adds. “This allows our heritage train on the main line to use ex-KiwiRail crew, trained on steam with local route knowledge, which is a major step forward for the heritage industry as we look to build our own crew.”

The Marlborough Flyer also has support from local businesses, with Port Marlborough, Saint Clair Family Estate, The Ned of Marisco Vineyards, Lawson’s Dry Hills, Peter Ray Homes and Harcourts Marlborough taking ‘ownership’ by sponsoring carriages. That has allowed Paul’s team to offer ‘Super Sunday Specials’ for locals at discounted rates, “and our local supporters are our best brand ambassadors”.

He says the Marlborough Flyer is an ‘exemplary example’ of what can be achieved when private enterprise, state-owned enterprise, the government and the union work together. In addition, the outcome – more people in Marlborough and job opportunities in tourism and engineering – fits nicely with rail’s historical role, he says.

“Trains connected communities and economies on an unprecedented scale during early years when other infrastructure was limited.”

For more details, see www.marlboroughflyer.co.nz

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25

Vintage 2018

Making the most of the 2018 vintage Harvesting the fruit of the vine and turning it into great wine can be a difficult task with some years proving harder than others, as Sophie Preece explains.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN JUDD

“I

’m not known for looking on the bright side,” says Marlborough winemaker Kevin Judd laconically, standing in an empty vineyard in the wake of his 40th harvest. “I am a bit of a worrier and this was a stressful vintage.”

With perfect December flowering conditions, the hottest January on record, the wettest February by far, and the insidious spread of rot, it was a season that certainly merited concern. But as the mud settles on harvest 2018, Kevin and others are confident they met nature’s onslaught with everything they had, ensuring clean, ripe and intense fruit in the tank. “At the end of the day I think we have dodged a bullet compared to what some people have got,” says Kevin, the winemaker behind Greywacke, with a nod to both good work and good luck. “I am pretty damned happy.”

Whatever the year, good viticultural management pays dividends, says Dog Point’s Ivan Sutherland, who is also happy with how his grapes held up to the season, particularly on organic blocks. “At the end of the day what won through was lower cropping and open canopies.”

Being ‘in control of your own destiny’ is also a huge help in a vintage like the one just past, with the ability to harvest fruit at optimum ripeness in a very short time, he says.

Thinking there’s a recipe you pull out each year

26

definitely won’t work in cool climate viticulture, he adds.

“You couldn’t say any one season is the same as another. You need to have the ability to adapt.”

Like Kevin, Ivan was involved in the industry from its earliest years, and has seen a number of unique iterations in the 40 years since, including 1995, which blows 2018 out of the water in terms of challenges, thanks to rain so relentless they were pulling harvesters out of rows with 4WD tractors and the odd bulldozer, he says. “This was a testing vintage that’s for sure, but it’s not the worst vintage Marlborough has had.”

However, it is a concerning pattern, he says. “You learn something from each vintage and we are experiencing global extremes in weather. To me it is another warning shot across the bows of the industry here. We need to think very carefully about where we are at and where we are going. It comes back to two key factors – canopy management and crop level.”

Villa Maria viticulturist Stu Dudley says the unseasonable conditions kept winemakers, viticulturists and growers thinking on their feet, but he too is happy with the potential. “There are some great flavours because of ripeness. The chardonnay is brilliant and the sauvignon, as usual, has shown that this is the right region to grow it in.

The wines look fantastic in what was a challenging year.”

INITIAL SIGNS GOOD The first predictions for the 2018 vintage were made after a cool bunch initiation in December 2016, which would typically lead to lower bunch numbers than usual the following year. That seemed sound reasoning come spring 2017, when bunch number counts came in approximately 15% below average.

But flowering in 2017 was blessed by huge sunny December days that created big bunches, assessed by some to be 25% up on usual, offsetting the low bunch counts and leading to forecasts of nicely balanced yields – not too big and not too small – with which accountants, growers and winemakers could all rest easy. Ripening looked like it’d be a breeze, with harvest tracking around two weeks early, shimmied along by the hottest January on record.

However, nature had other plans in mind, including 315.4mm of rain in January, February and March, which is 245% of the average for that period. Rob Agnew, from Plant & Food Research Marlborough, says February alone had 181.4mm of rain, which smashed the previous high of 129mm, recorded in 1936. Cold rain is a headache but warm rain can be heartache, nurturing the likes of botrytis and slip skin, fungal diseases that thrive on sweetening grapes in warm wet conditions. It’s weather that demands absolute vigilance in the vineyards, and pressure in the wineries, with tight picking windows across multiple blocks, meaning an onslaught at the winery ‘throat’.

The harvest ran hard on the heels of an exhausting 2017 vintage, during which big crop loads struggled to ripen as the

“At the end of the day what won through was lower cropping and open canopies.”

I VA N S U T H E R L A N D

weather turned grey and drizzly. Those with lower yields, tighter management and/or good luck came through tired but victorious, while others had fruit rejected and left on the vine.

Saint Clair Family Estate winemaker Hamish Clark says this vintage was as challenging as 2017, but the quality of fruit is far better. “Some of our top blocks are looking exceptional this year,” he says.

Speaking from Godfrey’s Creek vineyard, amid some of the best noble riesling he has seen since the 2013 harvest, he admits it was a ‘funny old season’ that required careful management.

“We came out of one of the wettest winters and early springs, when there were blocks we couldn’t get onto with machinery for quite a bit. It’s not very often you see helicopters applying prebudburst sprays as witnessed this season, which underpins just how wet things were.” From there they went into ‘the most perfect December’, heralding a near 100% result at flowering, followed by the ‘huge growing degree days’ of January, which meant vines were well advanced, promising an early vintage.

27

“Some of it is the best tasting fruit in the winery that I have seen.”

FIONA TURNER

RAINY DAYS February’s rain from Cyclone Gita brought a bit of disease pressure to the region, but he says rainfall the week before Easter weekend is when the real damage started ‘ramping things up’ for both botrytis and slip skin. To remain nimble, Hamish kept his picking schedules to within 48 hours, and sometimes as little as 12 hours, aware that if there was the least sign of disease, those blocks would need to be prioritised.

He says that while the rain created headaches and, through botrytis drops or berry shrivel, reduced quantity in some cases, the region was lucky to get long extended periods of dry in the lead-up to the main push of harvest. “If we’d had another rain around Easter it would have been a totally different story to what this vintage has been.” Even with that reprieve, he is hopeful for fewer challenges in vintage 2019. “We could do with an average season – hopefully next year, fingers crossed.”

Tinpot Hut winemaker and owner Fiona Turner agrees 2018 was another challenging vintage but she is very happy with what she’s working with. “Some of it is the best tasting fruit in the winery that I have seen.” Fiona says every vintage is different, and “knowing how to respond to the weather you get and the fruit you get is probably the key to it. Perhaps some people have responded better than others.”

She says December provided the best flowering she has ever experienced, with big bunches and big potential berries. “Then the rain we had was consistent enough through the season to make us realise that by the time we got to harvest there could be issues. We decided early on to drop fruit and bring yields right back. We didn’t want to take the risk of a large crop hanging for a long time.” She also worked with the company’s growers “who are all exceptionally good and also wanted to manage their risk”.

28

Winemakers need to know their blocks, know their growers, and have long-term established relationships, “so you trust them and they trust you”, she says.

As well as fruit thinning, Tinpot dropped some diseased fruit before harvest, meaning there is a lower quantity in tanks than normal, “But what has come in has ripe flavours, it’s clean, it’s intense and I think it is as good as the 16s we did, and in some ways it is better,” she says. That’s saying something, given the 2016 Tinpot Sauvignon Blanc was rated ‘exceptional’ by Decanter Magazine, scoring 98 out of 100.

Grower Simon Bishell, also on the Marlborough Winegrowers board, says 2017 was a wake-up call for many, and while the industry at large hoped it would not be repeated, most had taken its lessons to heart. “2017 taught us a lot and this experience made 18 a better vintage.” The big learning curve of V17 took growers out of a ‘mode of complacency’, he says. “It was fresh in my mind and this season my saying was to ‘ensure we left nothing in the tank’, so that when we came into the ripening period I had done absolutely everything I possibly could.” That meant rigorous canopy management, fruit thinning and careful spray programmes, with his sprayers set up to give total coverage.

Simon says the sunshine in late March was ‘an absolute godsend’ that helped dehydrate fruit and concentrate sugars.

“Then there was pressure to get everything off before the weather had a chance to turn again.” With two challenging harvests in a row, he too is “looking forward to an easy vintage in 2019”.

NOT DISAPPOINTED Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens says it’s early days to be talking of the finished product of vintage 2018, but from what he has heard from winemakers, “We won’t be disappointed with the quality that comes out.” He agrees the ‘magnificent’ run of good weather in the lead up to harvest was a last-minute reprieve, “and got us home really”.

Marcus adds that forecasts were highly accurate, so that people had the opportunity to work around weather interruptions.

The take-home message from this vintage, as with 2017, is the vital importance of the wine industry maintaining its reputation, he says. “If last year has taught us anything, it is about focussing on the highest quality and getting the grapes off the vines in the best condition to make that happen.”

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29

“As you age, time with older family members – and the next generations - becomes even more precious.”

PA M E L A R O S E - M Y T TO N

Ageing population

Grey Wave engulfs us all The Top of the South is ageing rapidly, with fewer young people to support those retirees. Helen Murdoch looks at the wide ramifications.

P HO T O G R A P H Y BY I S H NA JAC OB S

30

A

n ageing population sends ripples of change across everything from labour supply to housing, health, services, growth, productivity and business. The demographic shift also comes with opportunity, however – and the challenge of attracting and retaining young people to form the next generation and workforce.

The Top of the South is front and centre when it comes to ageing. Demographer Natalie Jackson told Nelson City councillors last year those over 65 years will one day account for all the city’s projected population growth.

Marlborough currently ranks sixth among the 67 territorial authorities with the ‘oldest’ population. Tasman is 14th and Nelson 22nd. By 2043 Tasman is expected to reach second place, with Marlborough 9th and Nelson 14th.

Mark Rawson, chief executive of the Nelson Regional Development Agency, says the ageing population’s greatest impact will be felt in the region’s workforce and housing.

“We should be taking serious note of the demographic shift, which is different to many places in New Zealand,” he says.

“The issue is not just about having more older people in the community leading to a reduced workforce in an economy that already has a very tight labour market. Current projections indicate there will be fewer younger people as well.”

The expected 8.5 percent decline in the working-age population over the next 25 years is not likely to be covered by births and immigration, he says. “With a growing economy and a very tight labour market this is a major issue, and one we all need to be considering.”

The shift will hit companies looking for talent to compete on the national and world stages in times of unprecedented technological change, Mark adds.

Wide-ranging effects Councils’ planning for environments and the stimulation of investment around housing and facilities for a more active aged population will also be affected. The education sector is likely to need retraining opportunities for older teaching candidates.

But older people being in the workforce and community longer also provides economic opportunities, says Mark.

“We need to begin thinking about how to plan for this shift.

This includes being very open to the attraction and retention of younger talent and embracing an environment catering for their future demands, including balancing the infrastructure and facilities’ needs of the older population with that of young and growing families.”

Tasman District councillor Dana Wensley is most concerned about the ageing population’s impact on regional productivity. “Quite a lot of our growth is consumption-based, and our productivity is 25 percent below the national average, which is huge,” she says.

“What are we going to do about productivity and how are we going to attract younger people – and get them to stay?”

Communities and organisations will have to step up. “Councils need to think about levels of service, but they cannot do everything.”

Transport is a challenge for Tasman which, like Marlborough, has numerous small rural communities.

TOP: Four generations of the Rose family, from left matriarch Dawn Rose, daughter Pamela Rose-Mytton, with Quinn Mytton (3), daughter-in-law Chloe Mytton and seven-month-old Oakley Mytton.

FAR LEFT: Dawn Rose.

LEFT: Chloe and Quinn Mytton.

Dana Wensley

“What are we going to do about productivity and how are we going to attract younger people – and get them to stay?”

DA N A W E N S L EY, TA S M A N D I S T R I C T C O U N C I L L O R

Richmond’s Queen St upgrade will cater for older people with wider paths and easy crossings, but rural communities do not have the same luxury. Costs stall the council’s trial of a bus service beyond Richmond’s boundaries.

“We have a large rural population, and people want to age in place, but loneliness, isolation and transport are an issue,” says Dana.

Urban pocket reserves, rural transport options and intergenerational community involvement are ideal targets. “The possibilities are endless – but the budget is finite.”

An inter-agency steering group is being formed to look at the issues around an ageing population, she says. The Nelson-Tasman Accessibility for All Forum has already produced a checklist brochure for businesses.

Attitude is crucial Age Concern Nelson-Tasman manager Caroline Budge says ageing well is largely about attitude. “Seventy is not old today.

People have to stop looking at retirement as a negative.”

Planning is crucial, and not just financial planning, she adds.

“For some people giving up work can be a shock. They don’t know what to do with themselves and get depressed.

“People have to think about what they are going to do with 31

their lives when they retire and embrace it as an opportunity to give back and get involved, because that is the key to positive ageing. “What kind of Nelson-Tasman do we want to live in?”

Caroline asks. Age Concern Nelson-Tasman has launched AgeConnect, after a survey of members revealed that 77 percent felt loneliness and social isolation are the biggest issues facing older people. The project, led by co-ordinator Breffni O’Rourke, aims to create community connections and social opportunities.

Caroline says the shortage of suitable housing and rental properties is hurting retirees. “We have cases most weeks of pensioners in their 70s and 80s who have been legally evicted and cannot afford market rates.” Pensioner housing is a national problem and councils are very aware of it, she says.

Age Concern Nelson Tasman also supports about 100 people a year suffering elder abuse. One of the main issues is financial abuse – and the culprits are usually family members.

Community connections are the solution to many hurdles facing older people, Caroline says. “It’s about relationships with your neighbours, your friends, your family, as a community and as a region.

“Talk to your elderly neighbour. Look out for each other. It’s about the strength of community and people working together.”

The isolation of technology Marlborough’s scattered small rural communities mean plenty of travel time for Catherine Donnelly, Age Concern community support worker.

Such isolation can be a problem – but so can isolation through modern technology, she says.

“The census is a case in point. Those without computers had to ring an 0800 number. Sometimes the forms did not turn up.

“Everyone sends off invoices by email today and mail is only delivered three times a week.”

For those waiting on a postie the cutback is unpalatable.

Catherine says Marlborough’s older population is generally happy, positive and resilient, and the wider community is tightknit and supportive.

“But they often don’t understand why they cannot just go into a rest-home. Some are scared to live in their homes alone in case they have a fall.”

Catherine says some older people, who have moved into the region, or never been sick, do not have a doctor.

Easy access to a GP can be difficult and the cost of $90 for an after-hours appointment out of reach for some.

Catherine’s workload has grown in the last two years.

“We are only a little office – but we have been told we punch above our weight.”

Planning for retirement Financial security is high on the list of essentials heading into retirement and the experts all advise starting young. Meredith Cornelius of Totara Wealth says its clients range from those in their ‘earning’ years planning for retirement to those already enjoying retirement and who are typically drawing down a regular amount from personal savings and investments to

“Talk to your elderly neighbour.

Look out for each other.”

CAROLINE BU DG E

32

Meredith Cornelius

supplement NZ Super.

“Even though our core work is concerned with investing, when we talk with clients about retirement, the focus is almost always on everything but money as clients share with us their dreams about retirement, their concerns, and challenges. Money is just a tool, a means to an end. And, for our clients, that end is a comfortable and financially secure retirement where they can spend their time doing the things they love – while not worrying about money.”

Totara Wealth advises that everyone start with a written plan, a line in the sand from where the real work around longterm retirement planning starts.

Semi-retired Golden Bay resident Pamela Rose-Mytton is in her 60s, and works part-time. Her husband Hugh still works fulltime but both enjoy the thought of full retirement.

“It’s a topic everyone needs to think about; to start planning for no matter what age. But as you get older you need to take a good look at your fitness and health and of course your finances.

“For me retirement is about family and security. My father Alan died earlier this year, and it is good to be able to give my mother Dawn support. Dad was in his 90th year, and so is she; still living in the family home.

“As you age, time with older family members – and the next generations – becomes even more precious.”

Communal retirement Abbeyfield NZ provides alternative housing for older people.

Today the charity has 13 houses nationwide, with demand outstripping supply. Residents pay for food and accommodation and share a nine- to 14-bed family-style home with an on-site housekeeper.

No capital charge is required, residents have their own rooms, share facilities and two meals are provided daily.

Chief executive Susan Jenkins says each house costs up to $3 million, so funding is the greatest barrier to establishing more homes.

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A record 60 applicants made up the waiting list at the beginning of March, which “gives you a sense of why we are so concerned about the growing demand”. Older residents prefer sunny, low maintenance two-bedroom homes, yet just 48 of the 1638 homes built in Nelson in the decade to 2006 were one- or two-bedrooms.

Nicky says council staff are drafting rules on the city’s future housing mix to promote efficient land use and encourage higherdensity cluster housing and good design.

Nelson is also a strong supporter of the AgeConnect programme and recognises businesses, places and organisations focusing on making the city accessible and friendly for older people.

The city and Tasman District Council together provide the annual Positive Ageing Expo and Nelson supports a summer recreation programme for older residents.

Marlborough housing revamp

Susan Jenkins

“When they are not lonely, older people are more likely to have improved wellbeing, be happier, eat better and look after themselves.”

S U S A N J E N K I N S , A B B EY F I E L D

Seed funding from Housing NZ no longer exists and construction now depends on the energy, dedication and drive of local volunteers.

The Abbeyfield Society, founded in Britain in 1956, is a nonprofit charity providing support and accommodation for older people facing loneliness and isolation.

Abbeyfield does not provide aged-care, but about half of its residents live out their lives in the homes.

“We think it is because when they are not lonely, older people are more likely to have improved wellbeing, be happier, eat better and look after themselves,” says Susan.

The housing challenges facing elderly renters are huge and will only get worse, she adds. Upper South Island councils know they must start planning now.

Work at Nelson City is already underway.

Mayor Rachel Reese says more vulnerable older residents will need to access both social and affordable housing.

“I’ve met with senior staff from Housing New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development to discuss ways the government can partner with the council to increase supply.

“They have been very positive about this initiative and we are currently working together to try to identify a pilot project.”

Nicky McDonald, the council’s acting group manager, strategy and communication, says Nelson has 142 community houses and about 15-20 vacancies a year.

34

Gerald Hope, Marlborough District councillor, NelsonMarlborough District Health Board member and Marlborough Research Centre chief executive, has a pretty good handle on how the community is ticking along.

Around 24 percent of Marlborough’s population is now over 65 years, he says. “It’s not a negative – I’m among them.”

A member of the council’s Housing for Seniors subcommittee, Gerald says its 180-plus pensioner units are wellmaintained, but no longer fit for purpose.

“We are keen to reinvest and build better-quality modern homes and are exploring funding options with the Ministry for Social Development,” he says.

The plan is to replace the existing pensioner housing with more intensive, modern, two-level units.

The lag and cost of suitable housing for older people, the price and suitability of existing homes and the shortage of tradesmen and cost of building all worry Gerald.

“We have not got on top of our housing stock.” He is keen for Marlborough to maintain a vibrant economy while keeping its older population mobile, active and in their own homes.

“People have to look at their own health needs,” says Gerald.

“It’s about exercise, diet and keeping yourself healthy for as long as you possibly can.”

In recent years Marlborough has built Stadium 2000 and the aquatic centre. A new library/gallery is also planned for Blenheim.

“All the Top of the South has a fantastic network of cycleways and walking tracks and I see people out every day, which is a sign of a healthy community.”

Gerald says older people are consumers, have spare time, volunteer and provide a loyal and experienced workforce.

All developed countries are moving towards having greater aged populations, he adds. “What we are facing is nothing out of the ordinary.”

But he is also well aware of the need for young, talented workers to drive business and industry.

The research centre’s focus has been supporting research and development in Marlborough’s food and beverage sector, “and we have achieved some outstanding results”. Included are NZ King Salmon’s Omega Plus pet food range and VinWizard’s technology installations in wineries in Ningxia, China.

“We have tapped into all the existing business and are finding a shortage of those prepared to take the next step up.

“We need to attract young people into the region.

“How do we get young people who are going to form the next generation?”

The best financial advice starts with independence Call Richard Grimes, Richard Harden or Meredith Cornelius on 03 548 9000 or find out more at totarawealth.co.nz

Wealth Management

Independent Financial Advisers

Nelson College for Girls Preparatory School

ENTRY 2019

Interviewing Term 2, 2018

Come and see what you can achieve!

03 548 2194 | www.ncg.school.nz 35

Unique and individual lifestyle village living

BY RENÉE LANG PHOTOGRAPHY DOMINIQUE WHITEF

F

or Kristin Nimmo and her family, their development of the Olive Estate Lifestyle Village is very much about honouring the heritage of the land.

Over just a few short years a large tract of semi-rural land in Richmond has sprouted an attractive low-rise lifestyle village development comprising individual streets studded with trees designed to attract birdlife and architecturallydesigned homes that allow their occupants to display their individuality.

Welcome to Olive Estate, the lifestyle village that likes to do things a little bit differently and where the residents are a healthy mix of singles and couples, men and women, many still working and some retired. The range of housing reflects this diversity: two and three bedroom villas, terrace houses and, in the not too distant future, apartments.

Anyone contemplating a move to Olive Estate is actually getting much more than a home. Olive Estate offers a caring and active community that general manager Kristin Nimmo, of the Integrity Care Group, has worked hard to establish.

It’s paid off, too, as the development 36

which comprised just 12 units three short years ago has now evolved into 85 completed units, with 26 currently under construction, and it’s still growing.

Kristin’s family has been in the care industry since 1992, which adds up to many years of experience between them.

“We really enjoy the excitement of developing something new, challenging ourselves and challenging the market as well.”

So what are the differences between the Olive and some of the other independent villages in the Nelson region?

“We wanted to create a village that’s more like a residential subdivision, more individualised, so that moving through its streets you could appreciate its differences, unlike being in a gated community at the end of a road, where everything looks the same,” Kristin explains, adding that while they would like to encourage people from neighbouring communities to visit the development, she and her team are equally keen that the village’s residents themselves go out and about as much as possible.

As well as designing attractive homes,

there’s an emphasis on making the street frontages look equally beautiful so that even though the development is only a few years old, the number of trees and shrubs and the amount of green spaces is truly impressive. Then there’s the community garden with its three large vegetable plots, all of which were established early on so that they are already producing bountiful harvests for the residents to share and enjoy. There’s no shortage of willing gardeners to tend the plots, either, and Kristin notes that whenever a harvest of vegetables is announced, people tend to linger after collecting their vegetables to chat so that a harvest has become something of a social event as well.

Kristin notes that she’s become aware of a high level of communication between neighbouring residents. “We’ve got back to that old-fashioned neighbourhood community where everyone is looking out for each other, not in a nosy way but in a genuine caring way.”

There is no shortage of interest groups, too – book clubs, mah-jong groups, cycling and walking groups among others.

W T + O L I V E E S TAT E

The land on which Olive Estate is situated was for many years a berry farm, complete with an irrigation pond.

At the time Kristin and her family bought the land they could see the potential of that pond, and the land immediately surrounding it, so that later this year, after extensive landscaping and construction work, the Lakehouse Centre will be officially opened. It will offer extensive facilities including a gym, swimming pool and spa, theatre, library and conference rooms, plus a café and beauty salon, both of which will be open to the general public. In the meantime, though, people are happy to meet in each other’s homes or outside the village to pursue their various interests but Kristin reports a rising level of excitement as the Centre takes shape.

Other facilities currently on the drawing board include a dedicated workshop space. Here residents will be able to build, paint and undertake other craft-related activities.

Input into the development of these kinds of dedicated spaces is an important part of the process, notes Kristin. “I can have a great idea about something and what it should look like, but as I’m not living here it’s important to me that the residents have buy-in to whatever it is I’m

“We wanted to create a village that’s more like a residential subdivision, more individualised …”

KRISTIN NIMMO

ABOVE: General Manager Kristin Nimmo with the village share car.

BELOW: Village residents enjoying a friendly game of petanque, community garden in the background.

suggesting.” Feedback comes in different forms, such as the village’s quarterly residents’ meetings, but her open-door policy in the complex’s show home allows residents to pop in for an informal chat.

But wait, there’s more. On moving in, each household is given a tablet with a unique concierge app called Touch Town, which was developed in the US specifically for use in village communities such as Olive Estate. This app allows Kristin’s team to quickly and efficiently disseminate village-related information to all the residents. It also has a full directory featuring each household’s names and contact details.

Maintenance issues can be logged on the app, which then provides management with an electronic record of day-to-day matters. There’s a bonus, too, in that the tablet can be used for other purposes, such as email, social media, etc.

Then there’s the share car, an HPV Toyota Prius which is available for residents to book and use at their leisure. Yet another unique feature pioneered by Kristin and her team, it’s not only useful for households with just one car, but it also offers the opportunity to save money on vehicle expenses.

It’s clear that Kristin takes her job of running the complex very seriously so much so that residents are encouraged to call her with any concerns at any time, night or day. Being responsible to so many people – residents and staff – is something she’s learned since first becoming involved in a care facility.

“We’ve made a conscious decision to make every one of our residents and our staff an extension of our family. And the message we try our best to get across is that we genuinely care about them.”

Contact Sales enquiries to Vanessa Taylor 0800 825 565 or 027 228 5016 oliveestate.co.nz

37

“I’ve always had an idea that I could sing and I never had the confidence.”

38

Character

Wayne does it his way From reinvention to writing, from cooking up a storm to hitting the high notes, Golden Bay’s Wayne Green, mainstay of the renowned Wholemeal Café, has a reputation for doing things his way, as Rebecca Hayter discovers.

T

akaka’s Wholemeal Trading Company was already the centrepiece in Golden Bay’s creative hippie vibe when businessman Wayne Green took it over in 1989, but it was small and understated.

“I knew I had to make it a little off-beat,” he says. Through his vision, the renamed Wholemeal Café is a chandelier of bohemian chic on the main street, and even has a musical theme.

Two years ago, Wayne bought the rights to a Frank Sinatrathemed show and performed it with local talent. He belted out ‘I did it my way’ to his audience in the Wholemeal Café – which he has indeed done his way – and yet he describes the day-to-day Wayne as shy and reclusive.

Perhaps both sides of his character explain the success of the Wholemeal. It exudes personality but it also minds its own business and welcomes anyone who makes a purchase, whether they come for a big lunch or loiter over a coffee for three hours.

Wayne has just published the Wholemeal Café’s third recipe book. The first two have sold 20,000 copies combined, but recipe books, he says, are becoming less relevant so, in this version, food and stories are equally important ingredients.

On page five, he pays tribute to Eelco Boswijk, who inspired the Nelson café scene with Chez Eelco. On page 14, he tells the story of the chairs in the Wholemeal that support diners every day. Some of the chairs are 135 years old and none newer than 65 years. All were made by Vospers of Nelson.

“They stopped making them in 1951. I got offered some from local band-rooms who were upgrading them. I snapped them up and an auctioneer came in, disappointed that he’d missed out.”

That prompted Wayne to research Vospers chairs and buy others whenever he could. “Over the years I have learnt that these Vosper chairs have two significant qualities that no other chairs have – they rarely break and they don’t wobble.”

Page 17 has a piece of Wayne’s childhood: Mum and Aunty Dot’s Awaroa battered fish – a recipe that will take many Kiwis back to holidays at the beach.

Wayne’s favourite Indian fast-food is masala dosa, a pancake made from soaked rice and dal, then filled with dry potato masala. That appears on page 24 and is a dish to be made over two days. Kshirika, a blend of rice and lentils that is helpful when aiming for spiritual enlightenment, glows on page 28.

When Wayne bought the Wholemeal Trading Company in 1989 ‘it was a tiny little thing’, a health food shop with a little kitchen that turned out ‘one salad and one quiche’.

He was looking for a place to make vegetarian fast-food with a café on the side, but the people of Golden Bay had seen cafés emerge in Nelson and wanted one of their own. “I lost motivation for the bulk-food side and went straight into the café,” he says.

Initially it was vegetarian cooking, but after two years he started serving meat dishes to give his customers choice.

The building had opened as a theatre in 1910. Locals still remember it in the 1970s when children took their tentative ballet steps on stage there and brother-and-sister duets trembled through ‘There’s a hole in my bucket’ at annual talent quests.

When movies showed, the older girls in town got dressed up in the latest fashion – purple culottes and flares of the time.

The rise of television doomed the theatre in 1977 and the building was refigured as retail space – but the sense of theatre remained in its walls and allowed Wayne’s inner-self to emerge.

The colours – bright yellow, rusty brown, deep purple – burst onto the walls from Wayne’s paintbrush with the grudging blessing of the landlord. Wayne pulled down the false ceiling and found treasure – a pressed-tin ceiling that he painted bright orange. He collected old posters of movie stars and placed them high above the dining tables: James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart still bestow their star quality over the dining tables.

Visitors to Golden Bay got it before the locals did, Wayne says. “They’d come and stay with people who lived here but who had never come in, and they’d say to their hosts, ‘Have you seen this amazing café?’.

“Takaka is quite different from other towns. There are no franchises here because it’s quite a hard business climate so the shops and restaurants have their own character. It’s even busier in summer but still not big enough in winter and it doesn’t build up gradually. One day it’s 300 people and the next day it’s 1500, so it’s hard to plan for that.”

Mostly, Wayne has worked in the kitchen. “I’ve never really liked being front-of-house in the café,” he says. “I guess I’ve had to overcome a lot of shyness as the place has got bigger.”

In the 1990s, queues for lunch regularly trailed down 39

“Visitors are not looking for mainstream. They can get conservative cafés anywhere else.”

the street. Wayne needed more room and started buying the surrounding shops already sharing the building – a crystal shop, a hairdresser’s and a large secondhand furniture shop – allowing a major renovation in 2000 to expand the café. Three years ago he bought the final section and now owns the entire building.

He wrote the first recipe book in 2000 and found a new calling. “At the book launch, I sang a few lines and it was the thing that everyone seemed to remember. I’ve always had an idea that I could sing and I never had the confidence.”

Wayne started training with a local voice coach and found his rhythm in the 1960s jazz songs of Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

The pinnacle was buying the rights in 2016 to the Sinatrathemed show My Way, performed by two men and two women, highlighting Ol’ Blue Eyes’ life, personality and songs.

“It was a lot of work and I think My Way has only been done in New Zealand a couple of times,” says Wayne. “I also acted in a play and was quite comfortable on stage. I just seem to be able to be someone else.”

Developing the Wholemeal Café has been an art as much as a science. “What I did, I don’t think you could do today. I came in with no money and bought this ramshackle health-food shop and I had no qualifications as a chef or business qualifications. I just sort of got away with it. I live and breathe it.”

Along the way, he has learned some tough lessons – like being too relaxed with credit – and earned some loyal followers.

These include ‘The Mafia’, a group of gentlemen – a former doctor, farmer, policeman and forestry worker among them – who meet at the Wholemeal for lunch every Thursday, as they have been doing for 15 years. It started when one of them visited Malta and saw the elderly gents meeting at cafés for a chat.

The women’s equivalent is ‘The Knits of the Round Table’.

They bring their knitting to gossip over lunch on Tuesdays. You can imagine it: knit one, purl one, slip one, lean forward and tell another yarn ...

“My philosophy has always been that if someone makes a 40

purchase, there should be no rules as to how long they can stay,” Wayne says.

Five years ago he travelled from downtown Takaka, as he calls it, to the poverty of coffee plantations in East Timor. He had spent time in what was then a Portuguese colony when he was 21.

“I remembered the coffee was pretty good and the Portuguese were shipping it back to Portugal.” By the time he returned to East Timor, coffee was firmly entrenched as the new black in New Zealand.

“I was floored at the level of poverty,” he says. “I’ve had this whole thing going with importing coffee from East Timor, buying it off the growers and shipping it back here, so my last lot, three months ago, I got six tonnes. I like the angle of what I’m doing.”

Wayne thinks he may have been one of the first to bring coffee to New Zealand direct, rather than through a big agency. “I was shocked at how poor they are and how little money they get.

A lot of people are making money off it.”

Wayne wanted to pay the growers direct and give them guaranteed income. “Coffee is like wine,” he says. “You can have good years and bad years – low yield.”

The wish to make the world a better place for coffee-growers, among others, is perhaps an extension of Wayne’s spiritual bent, most apparent in his involvement with ayurvedic medicine. He has made several trips to India to attend retreats dedicated to the holistic-style health therapy that encompasses mind, body and spirit.

“It’s an ancient form of medicine; it’s about slowing myself down and it seems to work for me.” He describes it as gaining a better understanding of the body than may occur with traditional medicine. “They look at deeper causes and seem to treat things quite differently through simple methods; it’s not complicated.”

These days, Wayne’s daughter Aydee is handling the day-today running of the café, allowing him to step back and reflect.

“When you come to Takaka, the Wholemeal is one of the things that pops out,” he says. “Visitors are not looking for mainstream. They can get conservative cafés anywhere else.”

WHY NOT HAVE THE BEST …

Best kitchen 2018

Proud winners of 3 regional awards at the 2018 Joinery and Design Awards

Regional recognition of excellence in workmanship & expertise • Best kithen • Best use of timber • Best fitment

Award-winning, custom-made joinery for residential & commercial projects

Nelson Showroom, 6 Tokomaru Place, Stoke T: 03 544 0087

baysjoiner y.co.nz

Marlborough Showroom, 25 Redwood St, Blenheim T: 03 579 2520

41

PROMOTING EXCELLENCE THROUGH JOINERY We would like to congratulate all the winners for their quality workmanship at this year’s joinery and design awards.

nelsonpine.co.nz

Häfele Connect BLE box.

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The Häfele Connect App makes it possible to control individual lights and electronically operated fittings. The app controls the switching status (on/off), the brightness (0-100%) and also the colour temperature (with multi white lights) and the light colour (with RGB lights).

Even time-controlled alteration of the brightness, the colour temperature, the light colour and the position of fittings is possible.

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42

Download the ‘Häfele Connect’ app.

Plug the BLE box inline between Loox lights and driver.

Select the desired product or room and connect to it.

Then follow the on screen instructions.

Joinery and Design Awards

Simply the best, better than all the rest

Clever design, attention to detail, colour and lighting all proved to be winners in the 2018 Nelson Marlborough Golden Edge Joinery and Design Awards. Announced recently, the awards included three new categories, taking the total to 14 this year.

Judges this year were Janet Cowper (interior designer for Q Design), Peter Cowper (chair, Centre for Fine Woodworking Trust), Marc Barron (director at JTB Architects) and Rachel Dodd (director at Arthouse Architects).

Convenor Philip Thompson, secretary of Master Joiners Nelson Marlborough, says the entries were of a high standard and it was rewarding to see such creative use of materials, colour and design from apprentices through to seasoned designers.

“The winners were spread across the Top of the South, with large and small companies being successful this year. As a judging group, we were very impressed by the quality of work being produced in our region.”

The awards were created to give more confidence and greater exposure to joinery companies across the Top of the South Island.

THIS YEAR’S AWARD WINNERS Supreme Award Simply Joinery Best Design Simply Joinery Best Kitchen Bays Joinery Best Kitchen $15k to $30K Simply Joinery

Best Kitchen under $15K Complete Kitchens Best Colour Cantwell Joinery Best Use of Timber Bays Joinery Best Fitment Bays Joinery

Best Use of Lighting Cooper Webley Emerging Designer Wendie Cantwell, Cantwell Joinery Best Timber Door or Window Casey’s Joinery

Best Spacial Innovation The Sellers Room Best Benchtop Nazareth Joinery Best Commercial/ Retail Fit-out The Sellers Room

Best Apprentice Callum Simonsen, Orange Joinery

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Supreme Award, Best Design, Best Kitchen 15k to 30k

Best Colour

Simply Joinery Supreme Award, Best Design, Best Kitchen 15k to 30k With the renovation of their 1920s bungalow, the clients’ wish was to integrate a modern, practical family kitchen with crafted points of difference, all the while keeping in tone with the areas already renovated. The brief was to create a light, modern, open-plan kitchen that maximised on storage and functioned well within the relatively small confine of the kitchen area. This was achieved by the removal of partial walls into the dining space, removal of one of two access points to the home’s hallway/bedroom area and making use of timber as a feature to enhance the modern lines of the kitchen cabinetry.

Bays Joinery Best Use of Timber This staircase is in the centre of a three-level inner city apartment-style house. The clients’ brief was to create a waterfall effect to the staircase and for it to appear light and airy in the space and still allow easy transition to all levels for their busy family. They also wanted to keep a timber look and feel to tie into the rest of the house design.

44

Best Use of Timber

Best Kitchen

Bays Joinery Best Kitchen The clients’ brief was to create a ‘punchy’ and ‘bold’ kitchen that would suit the overall design and layout of the apartment style, three-level, four-bedroom inner city family home. They also required it to be functional and have good flow from the feature entrance staircase through to dining, day living and onto the outdoor covered entertainment area.

The challenge was to make the kitchen look like it was built into the building envelope and not simply added afterwards.

Cantwell Joinery Best Colour ‘The Wine Station’ is one of the newest businesses to open in Blenheim in February this year. Situated inside the historical Blenheim Railway Station, the brief was to create a stunning feature. The café counter was to be the main focal point for when customers walk through the doors. The newly-launched ‘Marlborough Flyer’ Steam Train brings hundreds of tourists and locals through its doors each week.

SIMPLYJOINERY F IN E T IM B E RC R A F T A RC H I T E C T U R A L | R E S I D E N T I A L | C O M M E RC I A L

WINNER

OF 3

AWARDS

Best Kitchen Design | Best Kitchen $15,000 to $30,000 | Supreme Award

B E S P O K E K I TC H E N S & I N T E R I O R S S O L I D T I M B E R W I N D OW S & D O O R S

( 4211 c o m p lian t )

S TA I R S & B A LU S T R A D E S 924 Queen Charlotte Drive, Havelock • 021 126 2514 03 579 3147 • simplyjoinery@rocketmail.com

ORANGE JOINERY PRESTIGE JOINERY A K JOINERY LTD BAYS JOINERY LTD RUBY BAY JOINERY NAZARETH JOINERY LTD COOPER WEBLEY (2006) LTD ITM JOINERY WAIMEA WEST JOINERY LTD MOTUEKA JOINERY MATAI JOINERY LTD WALKLINS JOINERY LTD THE SELLERS ROOM SIMPLY JOINERY JAMES NEAL JOINERY RE SPACE LTD TH JOINERY LTD CANTWELL JOINERY BRIGHTWATER CABINETMAKER & JOINERY LTD VIKING FURNITURE & JOINERY LTD CASEY’S JOINERY COMPLETE KITCHENS

Trust your local registered Master Joiner Master Joiners Nelson Marlborough

Proud winners of two awards at this year’s Regional Joinery & Design Awards Best Use of Colour Emerging Designer Award Come and see us for: • Home and kitchen joinery • Aluminium joinery • Furniture • Wardrobe systems • Installation • Fabrication and design

Cantwell Joinery A: 15 Bristol St, Blenheim E: cantwell_joinery@xtra.co.nz W: cantwelljoinery.co.nz P: 03 578 3375

45

Best Kitchen under $15K

Best Timber Door or Window

Casey’s Joinery Best Timber Door or Window

Cooper Webley Best Lighting

These custom-made single-hung sash windows were designed to replicate those of an English country cottage. They replace a large bay corner window that the client felt had no personality and looked out of place in the 1930s villa. The client was extremely thrilled with the joiners’ attention to details.

The owners entertain regularly in the evening, so this kitchen still needed to create impact without the aid of natural lighting.

The use of LED strip lighting under the island and above the pantry and cupboards created impact and ambiance.

Downlights over high-use areas help focus the lighting where it was needed most. And with the high ceiling over the island, pendent lighting was used to direct the light while adding another beautiful design element. An additional benefit to this lighting design is that it adds a different dimension to this white kitchen during an evening.

Complete Kitchens Best Kitchen under $15K Downsizing from a larger property, the client wanted all the features of previous larger kitchens on a much smaller footprint and budget. This was achieved by clever design, maximising the usable storage and bench space and using price appropriate materials. Melteca and Bestwood products for the cabinetry together with a Laminex bench top with Euro edging created the look the client wanted without the price tag. The client’s Scandinavian heritage features throughout the house and in the new kitchen where inlaid handle style, warm white cabinetry and subtle oak features embody the Scandinavian principles of clean lines, warm tones and functionality.

Bays Joinery Best Fitment The client brief was to construct a room divider using a combination of polished concrete block, gib wall and joinery to incorporate storage and display, the wall mounted TV and a large tropical fish tank.

The finished unit is a multi-purpose entertainment unit zone with cupboard storage for DVDs and other TV hardware, firewood storage for the adjacent fireplace, display shelving and a home for the fish. It is as much a design installation as a functional piece, enhancing the open-plan living space.

46

Best Lighting

Best Fitment

PROUD WINNERS at the 2018 Joinery & Design Awards BEST KITCHEN UNDER $15,000

Complete Kitchens create custom-made kitchens and wardrobes using quality products at competitive prices. Our experienced team will work with you every step of the way, from planning and design to removal of the old and installation of the new. We have in-house builders and can arrange plumbers and electricians on your behalf. Managing your kitchen renovation has never been so easy – we do it for you – free of charge.

completekitchens.co.nz

CALL US FOR YOUR FREE

DESIGN & QUOTE

03 539 0055

Phone: 03 539 0055 Email: contact@completekitchens.co.nz 47 Showroom: 2 Fuji Court, Stoke, Nelson

The Sellers Room Best Spacial Innovation In this award-winning entry, the clients’ need was for storage solutions throughout the house to cater for the many items they had collected in their travels. The brief included provision for their young children’s collectibles.

Storage space was utilised wherever possible, including in the stairwell with bi-fold doors and also under the stairwell with a book shelf that acted as a door as well.

Nazareth Joinery Best Benchtop An intricate yet large benchtop using an acrylic product was created to replicate a marble effect. Although lightweight, the benchtop was multi-layered and included complicated grain matching, finished off with a high polish.

Best Spacial Innovation

The Sellers Room Best Commercial/Retail Fit-out This project required consultation with local and national management to ensure its completion within time frames and adherence to regulations needed for a public venue, including those who were staying at the hospital. This fit-out was on a second level, and joinery including steel bulkhead needed to be transported after hours to the site.

Noise levels were required to be kept to a minimum and health safety was a big priority given the number of patrons Best Commercial/Retail Fit-out

Best Apprentice

visiting the premises. New booth seating was constructed with recycling stations on the reverse. Steel bulkhead and laminate tops both required precision installation around the existing vertical support beam. Fixings for the bulkhead were required due to the suspended ceiling.

Cantwell Joinery – Wendie Cantwell Emerging Designer

Emerging Designer

Wendie Cantwell was judged best emerging designer for her innate understanding of materials, context and good kitchen planning. Judges commented on her consistently high standard in entries, and also her ability to listen to clients and to provide solutions for them. She also rated tops for her confident use of colour and sometimes outrageous use of contrasting materials.

Orange Joinery – Callum Simonsen Best Apprentice –The Centre for Fine Woodworking Trophy Judges commented that Callum was a fantastic example of the journey required as a young apprentice when producing early work. He showed the ability to listen to a client’s brief and used clear and simple communication. He produced a very fine piece of joinery for the client, and his entry was a well-presented board telling a great story of the project.

48

Best Benchtop

WINNER

E R T SG EXP A N SF O RM IN IN TR

at the 2018 Regional Joinery and Design Awards including the

COMMERC

IA L

S PAC E

Best Fit-out and Best Spatial Innovation

Best Fitout

THE SELLERS ROOM

2018

Nelson Hospital Café

Re sid ent ia l & C ommercia l Joinery

Freephone 0800 469 537 Phone 03 547 7144

It’s what’s

inside that counts

Email msellers@thesellersroom.co.nz View our showroom at 9 Echodale Place, Stoke

www.thesellersroom.co.nz

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50

FA S H I O N S H OWC A S E

Mother knows best B Y S O N YA L E U S I N K S L A D E N

W

hen it comes to style, my mother was one of my greatest influences.

She always liked to be a little bit different, and encouraged me to do the same. She took great care in her appearance, and even though her makeup only consisted of a little lipstick, her hair was always ‘just so’. To Mum, how she looked was a source of self-esteem and expression of her individuality.

These values are now mine too.

As primary carers to most of us, it is not surprising that many women attribute some of their key influences of their style to their mums.

We were curious to find out what some of those were, stylishly speaking, and to discover what advice would be passed on to the next generation. We asked four of our model mums to share.

Judy Kouka, mother of three, grandmother of five Our mother was a seamstress and she made all of our clothes. We always were well-dressed, with hats and gloves and white socks. I inherited her love of style. As teenagers she sewed whatever we wanted and never questioned our individuality. My advice to my own children is this, “Buy one quality piece every season, and wear it. Don’t save your clothes for best, wear them all of the time.”

Emily-Rae Madsen, mother of one Since becoming a mother, dressing well has become even more important! Our son is just ten months old, and there’s nothing like a good outfit and some flawless make-up to make you feel great on those tired mornings. My own mum encouraged me to play with different looks to express myself, she would say “Wear what makes you feel good.” She allowed me to experiment and play with fashion to express myself.

Dianne Haworth, mother of four Anthea Shearer, mother of three I am very aware that I do not want to completely lose my own identity in this busy season of motherhood. We have three children under four years old, so my personal style is a way that I can express myself outside of being a mother. My own girl is still so little, but I will be encouraging her to be adventurous, to try on things that don’t necessarily look good on the hanger, and to not overthink it. I will be saying to her that if she loves it, she should wear it.

The only thing that comes to mind from my own mum was to ‘always tuck yourself in’! But my advice to my girls has always been to dress for who you are and what you love. I think that looking good makes one feel good and so it is very important. I say to them, “Always shine and be comfortable.”

“Buy one quality piece every season, and wear it.”

J U DY KO U K A

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New Season Linen Clothing

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AUTUMN H OURS: 10am - 4pm Thursday & Friday | 10am - 2pm Saturday or by appointment 205 Paton Road, Hope www.beaconhillestate.co.nz www.facebook.com/BeaconHillCountryStore

Locally made blown glass and jewellery by artists Ola & Marie Höglund and their family.

Makers of Nelson art glass since 1982.

VISITORS WELCOME – OPEN DAILY 10 TO 5

HÖGLUND GLASSBLOWING STUDIO 52 Lansdowne Road, Appleby, Richmond Ph 03 544 6500

www.hoglundartglass.com 52

Yummy Mummy style To celebrate the month of May and Mother’s Day, WildTomato pampered and styled six beautiful mothers from Nelson Tasman region and asked them to share some style wisdom they have passed on to

their children.

PHOTOGRAPHER I S H NA JAC OB S STYLIST S O N YA L E U S I N K S L A D E N HAIR CARDELLS HAIR DESIGN MAKE-UP I N D I E W E L S H , M I C H AY L A ADDISON-SAIPE AND F R A N K I E R O S E K E L LY O F PRICES PHARMACY

“If you love it, wear it.”

ANTHEA SHEARER, M OTHE R OF TH REE

Clothing, Dotti Earrings and bracelet, Shine Shoes, Taylors…we love shoes Handbag, Trouble & Fox Glasses, Kuske

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“Pick and choose from fashion, and then make it your own.”

B R O O K E WA N OA , MOTHER OF THREE

Clothing, shoes and jewellery, Shine Bag, Trouble & Fox

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“Invest in one piece of the highest quality you can afford each season.”

J U DY KO U K A , M O T H E R O F T H R E E , G R A N D M O T H E R O F F I V E

Clothing, Trouble & Fox Glasses, Kuske Shoes, Taylors…we love shoes Jewellery, Jens Hansen 55

“Dress to your own style and comfort, and don’t worry about what others think.”

LIBBY BRU MWELL , EIG HT MONTHS PREG NANT WITH FIRST CHILD

Clothing and scarf, Portmans Shoes and handbag, Taylors…we love shoes Jewellery, Jens Hansen 56

“Experiment and explore ways to express yourself.”

E M I LY - R A E , M O T H E R O F O N E

Clothing, Trouble & Fox Shoes, Taylors…we love shoes Jewellery, Jens Hansen

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“Looking good makes one feel good, so it is important.”

D I A N N A H AW O RT H , MOTHER OF FOU R

Clothing, jewellery, handbag and shoes, Shine

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Surprise Mum

on May 13

Mother’s Day Giveaway

weloveshoes.co.nz 2 GREAT LOCATIONS 245 Trafalgar St, Nelson 211 Queen St, Richmond

Spend $30 or more in any Morrison Square eatery or store between 7 -13 May and receive a Living Light candle or Global Soap soap.

Offer limited to the first 100 customers, one giveaway per customer*, original receipt must be shown on redemption. Morrison Square Centre Management office is located above the Morri St CafĂŠ and is open Monday-Friday 9am-3.30pm. *Gift

redeemable until Monday 14 May 2018.

Morrison Square gift vouchers are available at Centre Management.

Nothings fits better than a made to measure suit

Surprise

SHOPPING & DINING PRECINCT

www.morrisonsquare.co.nz

59

Latest Nelson Tasman forestry mechanisation enhances worker safety

BY JOHN COHEN DU-FOUR | PHOTOGRAPHY TIM CUFF

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s a company at the very forefront of the New Zealand forestry industry’s drive towards safer work practices, Nelson Management Ltd (NML), who manage Nelson Forests, is continuously seeking new ways to ensure worker safety.

Two recent innovations embraced by the company are at either end of the size spectrum: massive cable-assist harvesters, and small, lightweight drones.

James Appleton, a harvest planner at NML, explains the company’s attitude to forestry safety: “Our region has always been ahead of the game, and NML are known to push things along when it comes to safety. We’ve been early adopters of new technologies, and have contractors willing to run with our safety-focused agenda.

“A big part of risk mitigation,” says James, “has been the move to mechanisation. Keeping crew off the ground, within reinforced steel cabs with safety glass, strapped in a fourpoint harness – that’s a whole lot safer environment. It has also dramatically increased production from the forests.”

Typical of those benefiting from 60 60

this win-win situation is contractor Ken Green, whose crew is one of twenty-one harvesting teams working full time in NML’s estate.

“Safety is critical to the team,” says Ken, “with each person in the crew playing their part. Everyone has a role, everything has its place – all have real capabilities, but also limits. Excellence in planning is vital.

“Take monitoring, for instance,” he continues. “It’s critical we keep developing our auditing processes. For example, we jointly sign off each and every mechanised felling plan, between regional manager, harvest planner and contractor. Three sets of eyes across the job means we clearly identify and control risk factors.”

Cable-assisted harvesting is forestry mechanisation’s latest technological breakthrough, allowing greatly improved steep slope harvesting. Mechanical felling machines have been limited, until recently, to slopes no greater than twenty degrees. But once attached to the mighty torque of a purpose-built, cable-assist machine that’s been driven and placed

strategically uphill from the mechanised harvesting machine, harvesting can occur on slopes as steep as forty degrees.

“This helps keep manual crew off the ground in potentially dangerous challenging terrain,” says Ken. “Ten years ago, I would have had at least four or five workers on the ground with chainsaws working flat tack. Now, with just one mechanised felling machine, one cableassist machine, and one mechanical log processor, there’s often only one chainsaw on the go.”

Ken’s locally-assembled cable-assist machine features sophisticated on-board computers enabling it and the attached felling machine to talk to each other.

For example, they electronically share information about the weight being pulled, so adjustments can be made instantaneously.

“Everything is monitored,” Ken says. “Should any slipping of the felling machine occur, it is detected and autobraking immediately takes over to ensure safety. On-board TVs allow visual monitoring of the cable on its drum.

There are alarms for everything.”

WT + NML

Ken explains that in steep terrain anything can unintentionally come downhill, either onto the skid site, or into environmentally safeguarded areas, so identifying and classifying high risk spots into ‘Red Zones’ is another way of mitigating risk.

“We never appreciated just how advantageous this particular safety aspect of cable-assist mechanisation would be – its ability to greatly speed up and reduce operational time in Red Zones,” says Ken. “There’s always risk,” he stresses. “It doesn’t just go away because someone’s in a cab. So every morning we share sets of risk assessment plans on site at tailgate meetings.”

Considerations include: a skid site plan; a breaking out plan covering cable attachment to felled timber for extraction to the skid site; a felling plan for any manual cutting; and a slash plan for woody debris. Cable haulers, who operate cable pulling to extract timber from the forest, also have their own plan.

“There’s continuous monitoring of operations,” adds Dan Jenkins, Ken’s crew foreman, “because many of these plans unfold simultaneously. This is why Ken conducts monthly behaviour audits, where every aspect is reviewed to assess how our planning actually unfolded,

“Ten years ago, I would have had at least four or five workers on the ground with chainsaws working flat tack.

Now, with just one mechanised felling machine, one cable-assist machine, and one mechanical log processor, there’s often only one chainsaw on the go.”

K E N G R E E N , CO N T R ACTO R

identifying anywhere there’s room for improvement.”

At the other end of the mechanisation size scale, yet increasingly useful, is drone technology. James Appleton explains: “Drones are allowing us to quickly and with minimum impact evaluate the condition of a terrain, the site we’re heading into next, the quality of roading in and out. This proved especially valuable after last year’s drenching cyclone event.”

He continues: “Another example is whenever we break out trees down a hill – we always need to instigate a minimum safety retreat area of twenty metres.

Overhead drones allow us to assess how best to achieve this, and monitor that it is completed according to plan.”

“The risk reduction due to all the new mechanisation is fantastic,” says Ken.

“The fact is,” he adds with a smile, “the worst injuries to affect my crew in the past four years have been a pinched finger and a cut finger.”

Yet for all the increasing innovation and mechanisation, Ken still emphasises that something as simple as the wide age range within his crew brings its own safety advantages. “We have two in their sixties, one in his fifties, two in their forties, and four in their twenties,” he says. “That’s a great mixture of knowledge and experience, youth and vigour. Everyone’s got something to offer, everyone’s got each other’s back.”

Contact nelsonforests.co.nz

Greens Logging Ltd’s crew – looking out for one another: (L to R)—Ken Green (Director), Dan Jenkins (Foreman), Brenton Coleman (Loader Driver), Ryan Green (Breaker Out), Robin Ramsay (Waratah Operator), Blair Jukes (Breaker Out, Pre-Fall), Bruce Tunnicliff (Logmaker, Skidder Driver), Mike Calder (Hauler Driver), Logan Huxford (Breaker Out).

UPPER LEFT: Powerful cable-assist machine allows felling operator Ryan O’Hagan to safely tackle steep, rugged terrain.

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MY HOME

Clever design combines with low energy consumption B Y B R E N D A W E B B | P H O T O G R A P H Y T O D D S TA R R | H O M E S T Y L I N G R E B E C C A O ’ F E E

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1. Sitting proudly on a hillside section in Atawhai is Space Craft NZ’s new show home.

2. Classic white contrasts with wood in the kitchen.

3. Sheltered outdoor deck areas are perfect for entertaining.

4. Sliding doors open to an expansive deck area.

5. Large north facing windows provide endless sunlight.

6. Oak plywood ceilings with negative details feature in the living areas.

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4

MY HOME

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roducing small, cleverly-designed and energy-efficient houses is Simon Collins’ philosophy.

It’s a philosophy stemmed from more than 30 years in the construction industry, a passion to minimise built areas and maximise space and a desire to build beyond the New Zealand Building Code.

“As New Zealanders we deserve better – thicker walls, better insulation and higher spec materials which all result in a warmer house and a healthier and better place to live,” he says.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Simon noticed when he came here that New Zealanders generally had one source of heating in one room and houses had a woeful lack of insulation.

He and his partner Keile Johns realised they could change attitudes around building big homes, challenge conventional design and create new standards using premium quality materials.

“Our focus is quality and so what you get is a warmer, dryer and healthier home that takes up less space, lasts longer and is more durable for our New Zealand conditions,” he says.

Three years ago Simon and Keile set up Space Craft NZ and built the company’s first home in Atawhai based on the above principles.

The couple drew up the floor plan and took it to Simone Wenk from Architecture Studio Mapua which focuses on resilient design and low energy consumption homes.

“Our focus is quality and so what you get is a warmer, dryer and healthier home that takes up less space, lasts longer and is more durable for our New Zealand conditions.”

SIMON COLLINS

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The Atawhai house is 187sqm on two levels and while considered small by New Zealand traditional standards, Simon says clever design makes the house spacious. “There are no corridors and minimal use of doors, while the living space is the hub of the home which is our ethos about how we should live,� says Simon.

With three bedrooms and two bathrooms plus a separate self-contained apartment the house packs a lot into a small space.

Where it comes into its own is in use of materials.

Framing is LVL (laminated veneer lumber), an engineered product with many advantages over traditional timber in that it doesn’t warp, is stronger and of a consistent size.

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10 7. Stunning oak flooring and sleek oak kitchen cabinetry gives a Scandinavian look.

8. Attention to detail, including taps and other fittings, has been key.

9. Open timber shelving provides extra storage space in the kitchen.

10. Smart appliances in the modern kitchen.

Building more of what matters.

Proud to put the roof over your new home

Locally owned & operated | Obligation-free measure & quote New roofs & re-roofs | Wall cladding

.

P: 0800 781 000 or 027 436 9501 E: geoff@roofingtasman.co.nz www.roofingtasman.co.nz

Nelson's own small house company, specialising in the design and construction of beautifully-crafted, multi-functional spaces and homes. We provide the market with a refreshing alternative, based on client focus, clever design and a premium build.

022 365 3847 spacecraftnz.com

Professionals working with professionals

Proud to have worked with Simon and the team from Space Craft NZ.

Architecture Studio in Mapua is pleased to be associated with Space Craft NZ

Since our inception, insite has been recognized as an industry leader. We have placed ourselves at the forefront of aluminium window and door design, resulting in a portfolio that reflects our pursuit of excellence.

insite

2 Braeburn Lane Stoke, Nelson 03 547 0562 insitenelson.co.nz

Simone Wenk

Registered Architect (Germany) LBP Design 2 (NZ)

03 540 3292 | 021 1049 039 Shed 4, Mapua Wharf architecturemapua.co.nz

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A 140mm stud allows for a much higher ‘r value’ – the r value is a measure of heat flow through walls and ceilings. The Space Craft house has an r4.1 value in the walls (recommended 2.0 in the New Zealand Building code) and 5.2 in the ceiling (3.3 Building Code).

Earth wool recycled glass fibre insulation is used and the outside of the house is braced in 7ml structural ply.

Windows are double glazed and the aluminium joinery is thermally broken meaning less heat loss and no condensation.

A concrete retaining wall provides a thermal mass and while the house doesn’t require any extra form of heating there is an ultra-low emission log burner.

“It’s total overkill and really for aesthetics – it won’t be needed,” says Simon. “This house will cost a lot less to run than normal houses – savings in winter will be huge,” says Simon.

The house has been beautifully finished with oak floors, oak veneer ceilings with negative detail which is repeated in the kitchen cabinetry.

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11. White subway tiles feature in the shower of the en-suite bathroom.

12. Lie in bed and soak up the sea views from the guest bedroom.

13. The master bedroom has its own private upstairs deck area.

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13

Another Quality

DOING THE HARD WORK FOR YOU

Job Done Plumbing Drainlaying Domestic Commercial

/ Resource Management / Surveying / Geotechnical Engineering / Civil Engineering / Structural Engineering / Environmental Science

03 548 4425 0800 999 333 nelson@do.nz www.do.nz

PROUD TO WORK WITH SPACE CRAFT NZ ON THIS PROJECT

S hayne C lough

PLUMBING LTD 85 Cambria Street, Nelson M. 027 434 5242 A/H. 03 545 8344 E. shaynecloughplumbing@xtra.co.nz

It’s not what you SEE,

WE SUPPLY & FIT Warmup Undertile & Undercarpet heating

it’s how it makes

you FEEL NELSON TILE & SLATE CENTRE 40 Vanguard Street, Nelson neltile@xtra.co.nz www.nelsontileandslate.co.nz

Ph: 03 548 7733 OPEN - MON to FRI - 8am to 5pm SATURDAY from 10am to 2pm

2 hours’ FREE parking

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INTERIOR

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M A K I NG A N I N DU S T R I A L S TAT E M E N T

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BY REBECCA O’FEE

An industrial interior style incorporates existing building features and other materials such as exposed steel, rustic wood and leather to achieve a raw, unfinished but functional design.

Selecting the right colour palette is essential to establishing the foundation of your interior. Think earth-toned neutrals – browns, greys, blacks. If you have any existing exposed brick or other building structures you can work with then you are off to a great start.

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Industrial furniture relies heavily on raw, unfinished wood. Choose at least one raw timber item to include in your space. This can act as a statement piece.

Add homemade and upcycled touches.

Look around the home for inspiration and collect items that can be reinvented as shelving, tables or accessory pieces.

Giant floor lamps are one of the most iconic pieces of the industrial design. Invest in one for the living area and mix it with a table lamp of the same family.

1. Magazine stand from Moxini: $179.00 2. Pratt Street pendant from Lighthouse: $932.00 3. Brick conversational wallpaper from Guthrie Bowron

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Motueka: $121.99 per roll 4. Cushion from Guthrie Bowron Motueka: $69.95 each 5. Concrete cube from Moxini: $199.00 6. Legend batea bowl from Darby & Joan: $280.00 7. Dining chair from Darby & Joan: $250.00 8. Concrete clocks from Darby & Joan: $70.00 each

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Anything Ordinary

◊

Floor planning

◊

Design & decor advice

◊

House staging

◊

New builds, spec homes

◊

Renovations

12 John Wesley Lane, Richmond

027 469 8840 | interiors@ofeeinspo.com WWW.OFEEINSPO.COM

(off Queen St, behind Avanti Plus)

Phone: 03 544 1515

www.moxini.co.nz

STOREY L

hom e collection

by Lighthouse Nelson

R ES I DE N TI AL & C OMME RC I A L

new homes • re-paints • roof spraying water blasting • wallpapering plasterboard stopping commercial moss spraying scheduled maintenance contracts Come and see us at 1 Echodale Place, Stoke.

Ph 548 8383

shuttleworthpainters.co.nz

Sustainable Designer Furniture 65 Collingwood St, Nelson | (03) 548 4945 www.storeycollection.co.nz | www.lighthouselighting.co.nz

69

MY GARDEN

Enticing the birds and the bees When she needs a workout, Anna Poulson digs holes, returning home with a satisfying ache, a calm state of mind and 50 more trees in the ground. She explains her gardening philosophy to Sophie Preece.

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igging holes is a fitness routine Anna Poulsen takes seriously, because 12 years after she and Chris Shaw bought a Marlborough Sounds deer farm of gorse and grass, there’s now a beautiful wilderness of native bush, productive orchard and mixed species forestry, created one deep hole at a time.

In autumn, the Linkwater hillside is thick with fantails, flitting amid kanuka, kowhai and Muehlenbeckia, while silvereyes peck at fat grapes above the deck. “There’s enough to go around and they are just gorgeous,” says Anna who loves her burgeoning avian population.

Come winter, the tui and bellbirds will return, and by spring, the garden will be a battleground. “We wake in the morning and hear the tui fighting over the flowering flax.”

The transformation began in 2006, when the couple sat on each of the hillside’s three knobs and chose the one with the best views – the still waters of the Mahikapawa arm on one side and Mt Stokes on another – for their bespoke timber home.

Before the pad was cleared or the driveway carved, Anna had started 70

Top left: Plenty of flowers for pollen and pollinators.

Top right: A perfect view to the Mahakipawa Arm, through Muehlenbeckia, kanuka trunks, cabbage trees and flax.

Above: There’s a vast chicken coop, but Anna’s ‘ladies’ wander the property at leisure.

Left: Gorgeous art throughout the garden.

pulling down fences and digging holes.

By the end of that winter, small natives climbed the hill around the house site, with another 10,000 trees – totara, Tasmanian blackwood, eucalypt, macrocarpa and lusitanica – in a mixed species forestry block across the top of the hill. “We just planted, planted and planted,” Anna says, having opted for a five-year plan of bulk coverage.

The sprayed gorse provided excellent soil for new plants, and toetoe played a similar role. “They grow massively in the first year and have beautiful flowers.

But after a few years they collapse and die and create this beautiful mulch.” The young natives ‘sat’ for a few years and then took off, so that the view is increasingly obscured, forcing a tough stance in recent winters, with Anna pruning and chopping to create windows through the wilderness.

The Marlborough Sounds is an amazing climate in which to grow natives, says Anna, who is race director of this month’s Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon. “It is wet and hot, and this summer you could just hear everything growing. It’s been incredible.” Last year she planted another 500 natives on the

lower climes of the hill, and has plans for more this winter, returning in from digging days exhausted and relaxed, with trees in return for toil.

After the pressure of organising the vineyard half, it’ll be some welcome ‘training’, she says with a laugh. For those more inclined to run than dig holes, the Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon is on May 12. See www.vineyardhalf.com for more.

TOP TIP

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ree-ripened kiwifruit are the best thing ever says Anna, standing beneath the rampant plant stretched above her deck. They look good to go right now, fat and brown on the vine, but she will leave the fruit until September, having pruned the vine around them over winter. Come spring and she’ll have hundreds of pieces that are unlike anything you’ll buy at the greengrocers, she says.

W T + R E NA I S S A N C E O R G A N I C H A I R

(L to R) Sonja Hamilton, Hitomi Nagahama, Angie Marshall and Vicki Chapman.

Enjoy holistic, organic, personalised hair care

BY R E N E E L A NG P HO T O I S H NA JAC OB S

S

tep through the tall wooden doors out of the bustle of the city, climb the elegant staircase, and you’ll find yourself somewhere special. Somewhere you’ll not want to leave in a hurry.

Renaissance Organic Hair is a salon like no other. Flooded with natural sunlight as you enter, beautifully handpainted ceilings and native timber flooring, your senses will be treated to clean air, refreshingly free from the usual harsh chemical fumes. Your hair will be nourished with high quality, ethical, organic and natural ingredients that offer superior results to their full-chemical counterparts. Your taste buds will enjoy delicious flavours from a selection of local herbal teas, organic coffee, tasty snacks and even a complimentary glass of wine, if the hour is right! And you will be pampered by talented stylists who care deeply and put all their efforts into ensuring your experience with them exceeds your expectations, every time.

“Between us we’ve clocked up 27 years working at Renaissance,” explains owner Sonja Hamilton. “Since 2007 we’ve created an exceptional environment within the salon. Our team thrives here and that culture reflects how passionate we all are, especially with respect to hair

care. Take our famous ‘Wet Stretch Test’ for example. In a matter of minutes we can inform our clients whether their hair requires protein, moisture, a combination of both or no treatment at all. If it’s the latter then this is an indication that the Organic Colour Systems shampoos and conditioners are working in harmony with the hair follicles. “I invite you to come and see for yourself,” says Sonja.

Stylist Angie Marshall was particularly happy to train at Renaissance five years ago – and she can’t begin to imagine working with any other range of products.

“Organic Colour Systems actually offers better results than full chemical colours,” explains Angie. “We have the tools to remove years of product build up, that can have hugely detrimental effects, and to genuinely repair damaged hair.

The difference in colouring healthy locks is mind-boggling. It’s such an exciting journey to take your hair on.”

Always ready to discuss a change in colour or cut, senior stylist Hitomi Nagahama has been working alongside Sonja for more than eight years. Her experience using the Organic Colour Systems range combined with her empathetic approach, particularly to those who are contemplating a dramatic

change, has made her very popular with her client base.

“We’re all about ensuring our clients leave feeling and looking good, inside and out!” says the fourth member of the team, senior stylist Vicki Chapman. “I’ve never worked in another salon where client care is as much a focus as it is here at Renaissance. And when our clients are happy, we’re happy so it’s a win-win.”

And it’s obvious, when you see how many clients have been returning for their cuts and colours for so many years now, that the Renaissance team is getting it right.

“People know they can relax here and enjoy the comfort we offer,” explains Sonja.

“This is largely because we don’t rush our clients through like a lot of other salons.

Coming here is more of an experience than a quick hair cut or colour. We want every client – men and women – to leave feeling revived and refreshed.”

Every appointment includes an indepth hair analysis and personalised hair care and styling prescription.

Contact 210 Hardy Street Ph 03 548 9887 renaissancenelson.com

71

WELLBEING

Death matters

Photo by B Bernard/Shutterstock.com

B Y N G A I R E WA R N E R

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eath and taxes, the so-called certainties in life, cannot be ignored nor avoided. We have little control over taxes, however endof-life planning can provide a wonderful opportunity to manage how we are cared for if, due to illness or incapacity, we cannot make those decisions ourselves.

Right about now you may be feeling uncomfortable reading this and thinking about death? I implore you to read on.

Avoidance of this subject results in scrambled family meetings, harried middle-of-the-night phone calls and rushed decisions in hospital hallways when someone becomes seriously ill. Such stressful times are not the best times to have others making these decisions on your behalf.

Confronting yes, complicated no.

Having a conversation and noting down your wishes goes a long way to ensuring your loved ones have the knowledge and confidence to act on your behalf without guilt or worry. The best advanced-care planning happens well before it’s actually needed, and applies to all adults, whether you’re fit or frail, in your 20s, 40s or 90s.

Four years ago, Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal, took its place among medical literature as essential reading.

Now mainstream in its appeal, it’s proven something of a beacon for more books about managing our end-of-life care. Such reading can supplement the conversations 72

“The best advanced-care planning happens well before it’s actually needed, and applies to all adults, whether you’re fit or frail, in your 20s, 40s or 90s.”

that need to be had.

In practical terms the first step is actually having that conversation.

Broaching it with an elderly parent can be difficult, but couching it in terms of wanting to ensure their wishes are respected and emphasising that talking about it when they are well is far easier than when they are not, will help. Using the Advance Care Planning – to tatou reo (our voice)1 – brochure is helpful to get things started. As GPs it is also important we are involved in the discussion because it ensures we deliver responsive, and personalised, end-of-life care. Having an advanced care plan (an Advanced Directive or ‘living will’) means loved ones and health professionals can understand and incorporate your personal, cultural and spiritual values, life goals and preferences with respect to future medical care.

Understanding how this is different from your Last Will and Testament is important, as the latter deals with the way in which your assets will be distributed and utilised following your death. It can

include your funeral arrangements and needs to include your appointed executor who will manage your estate. For an adult with children, your will can include the name of a person(s) appointed as their guardian in the event of your death. This is quite different from an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA). An EPA for Personal Care and Welfare (you can also have an EPA for Property) is a legal document that gives your nominated trusted person the power to look after your health and welfare if you are unable to due to illness or incapacity. This is when your EPA will really appreciate you having made an Advanced Care Plan as it will give both you and your EPA peace of mind that your preferences are respected and decisions are made in your best interests.

Not talking about death won’t make it go away, so find inspiration in your mortality and harness it to plan your end-of-life care.

Dr Ngaire Warner is a GP at Toi Toi Medical with an interest in elder care. www.toitoimedical.nz

O U R H I S T O RY

Ask yourself: “Do I have the courage to move on?”

Nelson’s path to Jerusalem

BY BRITT COKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOMINIQUE WHITE

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erusalem is quite a walk from here.

Considering also, the vast stretch of water between us and Israel, surely only a second-come Jesus could contemplate it. In the Middle Ages, devoted pilgrims around the world faced similar situations; a desire to head to the holy land to pay homage to their saviour, hindered by geographical limitations.

They got around this conundrum by travelling to their nearest cathedral – often a great distance – and walking around a purposely created labyrinth inside. We have one in Nelson.

A labyrinth is not a maze. It’s a single path, designed for contemplation.

It curves around in decreasing circles, requiring you to switch direction and dominant brain hemispheres several times. The Nelson Cathedral has an information panel offering advice on what to focus on before you begin to follow their seven-circuit labyrinth painted on the floor. ‘At the threshold of the labyrinth, embrace the words, “This is my opportunity.” Ask yourself, “Do I have the courage to move on?”’ I did. I moved on.

It turns out that my mind is a lot fuller than it sometimes appears. People on my periphery, even in quietude, were also distractions from my thoughts.

I fashioned some blinkers out of two cupped hands but focussing on nothing was still difficult. For some reason, it was also hard to walk the narrow, curving path without wobbling a little. I needed blinkers and a tightrope walker’s pole.

There go the stained glass windows.

As I paced, I recalled other judicious information written on the panel.

‘Generally there are 3 stages, releasing on the way in, receiving in the centre, and returning, taking back out into the world, that which you have received.’

So I tried to release at the start, in my case, to let go of mild apprehension I had about doing something that was outside my comfort zone. But by the time I got to the middle, I felt nervous

instead of unencumbered because I had inconveniently held on, rather than let go. Normally this kind of frustration would end in a little cussing, but I am relieved to report I remained silent. I looked up from the floor and patiently waited for the something that I should receive. Unmissable, carved in bold letters on the table in front of me, were the words ‘Be prepared’. I was hoping for more like, ‘Be brave’ but I was in a church, not shaking a Magic 8 Ball. Be prepared it said, but for what – Judgement Day? A civil defence emergency? I realised then that it was not celestial advice but the international motto of the guides and scouts. I felt a sense of relief knowing the message was referring to unexpected calamities after all, rather than damnation to hell.

Unless that’s what Baden-Powell wanted us to think.

I turned around and slowly walked back out the way I came. Be prepared.

Being prepared would give me more headspace to face my fears. Embrace the words, ‘This is my opportunity’. I stepped out from the labyrinth and into the world again. ‘Do I have the courage to move on?’ I did. I moved on.

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MY KITCHEN

Make Mother’s Day special A heart-warming indulgent treat perfect for Mother’s Day, and without all the white sugar.

BY MADAME LU’S

Sticky date cake with maple caramel Ingredients 3 cups of tightly-packed dates 250ml water 130g coconut oil or 150g butter 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp mixed spice 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup ground almonds 1/2 cup gf flour Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 and line a loaf tin.

2. Place the dates in a saucepan

with the butter and water, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes until dates have broken up and you have a paste-like mix.

Leave to cool for five minutes.

3. Add the baking soda, the mix should foam up a little.

4. Add the eggs, then fold through

the ground almonds and flour.

Transfer to the loaf tin and cook for 40 minutes.

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Caramel Ingredients 1/2 cup cream 1/4 cup maple syrup 1tsp vanilla Method:

1. To make the caramel, place

the maple syrup in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then add the cream and reduce to a simmer. Add the vanilla. Cook until the caramel coats the back of a spoon. Serve warm with the warm loaf, sliced figs and mascarpone.

To serve Fresh figs Mascarpone madamelus.co.nz

DINE OUT

A great Kiwi wine and food experience at Brancott

BY HUGO SAMPSON

M

ake no mistake; there’s an international edge to Brancott Estate. Part of the Pernod Ricard stable, the epic scale of the vineyard, its low, discreet building, nestled on top of a long escarpment; even that you have to park away from the building, take the courtesy van to the restaurant and tasting room, or if you’re feeling energetic, stroll up the path, catching the majestic, bowlyou-over views as you go. (I’d definitely recommend the walk.) All this lends a great sense of occasion to a visit that continues to deliver from start to finish.

A restful, dark charcoal interior welcomes inside, with central service area like a backbone down the centre, tasting zone on one side, dining tables nestled behind an immense glass wall on the other, with stunning vistas of the Marlborough landscape as a backdrop. The chairs are leather, the most comfortable I can recall settling into in decades.

With such a huge space I was expecting noisy but the acoustics deliver a welcoming thrum without demanding more. The service is friendly, discreet and informative.

A small, seasonal menu with dining exclusions catered for, along with local specialities, it’s clear from the start that chef Bryan Herbert and his brigade know what they are about, delivering quality produce and consistent fabulous flavours.

“… it’s clear from the start that chef Bryan Herbert and his brigade know what they are about, delivering quality produce and consistent fabulous flavours.”

My manuka-smoked salmon, wasabi mascarpone and lightly pickled vegetables were a deft and full-flavoured nod to our New Zealand king salmon, paired perfectly with the Letter Series ‘O’ Chardonnay. My dining companion chose the duck rillettes with dark cherry jam, apple and fennel salad, toasted rye. Again, big on flavour, elegantly textured, with subtle hints of star anise. The Signature Rosé matched with a dry finish.

Our mains continued to deliver.

My pan-fried monkfish on courgette and feta fritters with salted lemon and thyme oil, was unctuous and satisfying, paired with the Brancott 2016 Showcase Fumé Blanc. And on the other side of the dining table, a perfectly-grilled rosé lamb rump, over a medley of roasted kumara, courgette, and capsicum, with a punchy chimichurri sauce. The chef recommended the Brancott Estate T 2016 Pinot Noir,

although the word was it was a bit light.

After a suitable pause sighing over the view, our dessert to share – a warm, perfectly-formed, fig and almond tart with rich eggy custard and generous ball of vanilla bean ice cream. Died and gone to heaven? Definitely. Especially with a glass of 2014, Letter Series ‘B’ Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Great match! All honey and passionfruit notes.

There’s no doubt Brancott perfects a great Kiwi food and wine experience.

Don’t miss out!

Brancott Estate Winery Restaurant 180 Brancott Road, Brancott Vineyard RD2 Blenheim. Lunch only.

Cost: $170.90 for two entrées with matched wines, two mains with matched wines, one dessert with matched dessert wine, plus two espresso coffees.

Prego & Comida - two of Nelson’s finest ingredients in one location. Buxton Square, Nelson

Wine & cheeses for autumn Prego banner – Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône, locked spot Promixo Rioja, Tom’s Block Pinot Noir.

Camembert, Brie de Meaux, Gruyère, Tartare, Taleggio, ViaVio, Thorvald, Kaikoura Cheese.

Nelson’s Mediterranean Pantry In the giant seal & squid building, Buxton Square, Nelson

75

WINE

Ben Glover and Rhyan Wardman.

Sharing expertise in a new venture

BY SOPHIE PREECE

W

ith limited land and increasing demand, Marlborough’s wine industry needs to do better with less, say the founders of a niche contract winemaking facility.

Ben Glover and Rhyan Wardman have bought the iconic and organic Seresin Winery, which is now The Coterie, described as a hub for innovative and collaborative winemaking, and a champion for small-batch, single-site wines. “If we step back and look at the future of Marlborough and how sustainable it is on its current path, this region must ‘premiumise’,” says Rhyan, former general manager of Giesen Wines Marlborough. “It must strive to do better and better.”

Ben, who is the winemaker behind Glover Family Vineyards and Zephyr Wines, says the winery will become home to a small selection of single vineyard labels, including Seresin, which will continue to be made and aged at the winery. He also hopes to see ‘kitchen table collaborations’ with the winemakers involved, helping extend Marlborough’s global reputation. These are not producers that look at Nielson data to find a trend, he 76

adds. “We are making trends and pushing boundaries. We don’t like beige.”

He says the region needs both the big sauvignon blanc producers, who undoubtedly open routes to market and attract attention to Marlborough, as well as the small players, who opt for unique parcels of fruit, chosen for soil, aspect, variety, clone, management and season.

“The small guys are nimble when it comes to decisions and innovations, and they’re not driven by a volume-based model with price as its mechanic,” he says. “They create a better fabric for the industry by offering diversity and showcasing the depth and breadth of what the Marlborough wine region has to offer.”

Rhyan says the timing is right for such a venture. While Marlborough’s industry continues to expand at pace – with 6800 hectares of new and expected developments predicted by 2020 – there’s also a groundswell of independent winemakers making their mark on Brand Marlborough. As well, there’s an increasing number of large producers with a main label as well as premium single vineyard wines, satisfying the world’s appetite for Marlborough sauvignon blanc,

“We are making trends and pushing boundaries.

We don’t like beige.”

BEN G LOVER

while delving into the opportunities of certain sites. Trying to balance the two is hard work, and those companies may be interested in using boutique facilities like The Coterie for their premium lines, Rhyan says.

The growing interest in single vineyard sites likely has something to do with the limited opportunity for continued development, says Ben. “I think we are starting to see that the geography is finite.”

That makes Marlborough’s ‘gems’ even more valuable. “We want to be known as a facility that helps producers make the most of out of those gems and tell their story … we are trying to create some cohesive noise for those people.”

They are stories consumers want to hear, as people start looking for provenance in what they eat and drink, he says. “They increasingly want to know where their wine is from, who has made it and how.”

BEER

Marlborough brewery undergoing a renaissance

BY MARK PREECE PHOTO BY PETER BURGE

I

t’s not quite business as usual at Renaissance Brewing Limited, says operations manager Brian Thiel following the Marlborough brewery’s recent sale.

“At Renaissance Brewery, we have good people who brew good beer, but the thing we are lacking is sales,” says Brian.

“That’s where the new owner Brandhouse steps in, as it has a well set up network for distribution. One of its aims is to ensure a broader distribution of Renaissance products, and that will please Renaissance fans throughout New Zealand,” he says.

“We need to get back to where we were – 2014 was a good year, 2015 was better – and we want to keep trending this way.

There are so many breweries out there that you have to be in people’s faces a bit, and our new owner has some exciting changes to help us in this area.”And of course, there are other improvements being mooted. Brandhouse loves what Renaissance is doing, but there’s also an opportunity to develop a sub-brand. The sub-brand becomes valuable to the market mix. “It’s able to satisfy a price point and sell volume,” says Brian, “and this will help subsidise some of the fun stuff we do in the brewery and keep it interesting.”

Brandhouse is also getting Renaissance beer to front more food and beer shows – the likes of GABS, the New Zealand and Australian Beer Awards and Beervana – to get in their customers’ faces.

Chrissie Sanders NELSON ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

027 540 2237 | chrissie@wildtomato.co.nz

Brian Thiel of Renaissance Brewing.

“We have good people who brew good beer, but the thing we are lacking is sales.”

BRIAN THIEL

Rest assured, the Renaissance production team will continue to keep the favourites coming.

Paradox Pilsner, 4% ABV. They say: As soon as you flip the top off the bottle you know you’re in for something special. A great quaffing beer, the explosion of passionfruit and citrus aromas leaves you in no doubt you’re in for more than mere refreshment. This beer is flavour-packed yet crisp and thirstquenching – that’s the paradox!

Discovery American Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV. They say: This APA was designed to showcase the unique resiny fruitiness of American hops. This beer displays honeyed characters and the subtle hop flavours lead to a slightly sweet finish on the palate.

Voyager India Pale Ale, 6% ABV. They say: We generously hop it with two Kiwi hop varieties for bitterness then finish it with Fuggles (as a nod to IPA’s British origin) and New Zealand-bred Riwaka hops for a spicy floral finish. The result is an ale that will coat your palate with hops and leave you in no doubt that you have had a beer!

Stonecutter Scotch Ale, 7% ABV. They say: We use nine malts blended together to produce layers of caramel, toffee, liquorice, chocolate and roasty flavours. These layers are balanced by a tart, raisiny fruitiness that gradually gives way to give this dark beer a lingering dry finish. And for those of you who want to know where the name Stonecutter came from, you will need to know the secret handshake.

Call Chrissie to enhance your profile!

77

T R AV E L

Tramping in Transylvania Heading off the beaten track, Phil Barnes follows in the footsteps of communists, vampires and more adventurous tourists while visiting Romania.

BY PHIL BARNES PHOTOS BY PHIL BARNES

W

elcome to Transylvania, a region of fairy-tale castles and superb tramping, with well-marked tracks set in scenery reminiscent of the Swiss or Austrian Alps.

We travelled to Romania with an open mind in terms of what to expect and were pleasantly surprised.

Prior to the collapse of the communist bloc in 1989 few tourists visited Eastern Europe. Even today countries such as Romania attract far fewer visitors than their counterparts in affluent Western Europe.

So, while the tourism infrastructure is much less developed, it is also much less crowded – and far cheaper.

At the time of writing there were 2.9 Romanian lei to the NZ dollar, and Euros were also widely available. Our money certainly stretched much further than it would do in Western Europe.

We started our tramp from the affluent ski resort of Sinaia, which lies in the southern Carpathian mountains 120 kilometres north of the Romanian capital, Bucharest. It is one of the oldest mountain resorts in the country and known as the ’pearl of the Carpathians’.

Romania has a reputation of being one of the poor countries of Europe. Certainly, large numbers of its 20 million population have migrated across Europe in search of work, and some areas are still very poor. However, the country has clearly benefited from joining the European Union in 2007. Romania’s economy grew 5.5 percent in 2017 – the fastest rate of the 28 countries in the EU. We spent most of our time in the Transylvania region, which seemed positively affluent.

78

Sinaia was clean and gleaming with wealth like any Western European ski resort.

The town has the added attraction of the ornately decorated Peles Castle, which is very recent as castles go since construction didn’t start until 1875.

Peles is the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs, including King Carol I, who died there in 1914. Every room is packed full of artefacts and its publicity claims that many people consider Peles one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.

That may be so but its popularity means you can only visit by taking a 40-minute guided tour where you pay extra to take photographs. This was one time in Romania where the experience was ruined by the crowds of visitors.

Cable car scales the heights From Sinaia we were fortunate to get a head start with our tramp by taking a cable car high above the town to the Bucegi Plateau at over 2000 metres.

Leaving the ski slopes, we hiked above the treeline and across a plateau for four hours until we reached Omu Peak at 2505 metres. Along the way, some rocks have turned into spectacular natural features thanks to centuries of wind and rain.

One giant rock looks uncannily like the Egyptian Sphinx.

We eventually reached Omu Mountain Hut, where we spent the night. This hut is accessible by four-wheel drive and like many in the European mountains, it is serviced with permanent staff over the summer months.

The hut was basic and involved a long torchlit walk in bracing mountain air to the toilet at night. However, hot meals, beer and spicy gluhwein were available and much appreciated.

The following day we descended on a scree path to the Bran Valley, with stunning views of the Piatra Craiului mountains.

I’m no botanist but as we hiked into the valleys, the alpine flora was most impressive – a sea of colours, including lateseason edelweiss and wild mountain rose idyllically set amongst the occasional barns and haystacks in the meadows.

ABOVE: Omu Hut. LEFT: Peles Castle.

PREVIOUS PAGE: Spectacular views on high.

Bears on the loose The Carpathians are home to the European brown bear and although visitors are unlikely to see one, our guide and many of the locals had encountered them.

More than 6000 brown bears are estimated to live in the mountains and until recently hunting associations would cull them to prevent the population expanding further, and kill problem bears accused of damaging crops, attacking livestock and even people.

The government has now made bears a protected species.

Some people in rural Romania decry this as they say attacks on humans have doubled since the hunting ban, and bears are now venturing into farms and villages.

After descending 2000 metres we reached the farmhouses and orchards of Moeciu. Revived by a much-needed hot shower and night in a guest-house, we spent the next morning visiting Bran Castle, often referred to as Dracula’s castle.

However, its links to both Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century ruler of Wallachia whose life is thought to have been the inspiration behind Dracula, are tentative to say the least.

There is also no connection with Bram Stoker, author of the

1897 Gothic novel Dracula, as he never came near Transylvania, but that’s not prevented a healthy tourism industry flourishing around the Dracula myth.

Despite the hype, the castle, rising above the town on its rocky promontory, is spectacular – an island of medieval fantasy and enchantment sheltered from the 21st century outside with its tourist buses and traffic.

Perched on a crag in a valley between two high mountain ranges, the castle controlled trade between Transylvania and Wallachia.

It was also once the home of British-born Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Leaving Bran, we had a seven-hour climb through spruce forests on high-quality trails up into the Piatra Craiului mountains, where we eventually reached the impressive Curmatura Hut, set in a stunning location with a limestone ridge towering above.

We spent two nights there. Once again the hut had permanent staff with food transported in and bedding provided.

It also has its own friendly St Bernard dog, which is so large it fears no one and seems to consider itself part of the staff.

Wildlife aplenty Our guide said Piatra Craiului, which means the King’s Rock, is probably the most popular mountain in the country, largely due to its spectacular shining ridge.

The national park also claims to have a wide diversity of wildlife, including black chamois on the high cliffs and brown bears, wild boar, deer, foxes, wolves and even lynx in the forests.

Certainly there were plenty of goats dancing nimbly across

“… many people consider Peles one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.”

79

“Our money certainly stretched much further than it would do in Western Europe.”

Bucharest has Parisian charms

near-vertical ridges, but we were too pre-occupied with the climb to see anything else.

The Piatra Craiului mountains are also known for their abundance of flowers and plants.

The next day we made the steep 800 metre climb from the hut to the top of the ridge, which is about 25 kilometres long and offers superb views over the surrounding country.

The climb was steep and challenging. After scrambling over rocks or through dense forest sections, we occasionally needed to hold onto chains drilled into the rock to climb or descend steep sections with few footholds. The walk along the top of the ridge was very narrow in parts with sharp falls on both sides, but the views of the southern Carpathians were indeed spectacular.

The following day we descended into the equally stunning Zarnesti Gorge, a deep limestone canyon formed by the collapse of a cave roof. Massive rock walls are sheer on both sides and many natural caves have formed in the limestone. The setting is dramatic enough to attract major film-makers. The closing scenes of Cold Mountain were shot there, for instance.

After a week of hiking we then headed back to Bucharest.

Like all good tramps, it left you wanting to go back and explore more.

TOP: The author makes it to the top.

ABOVE: Bran Castle.

ABOVE RIGHT: Tramping on the 25km-long Piatra Craiului Ridge.

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If you are flying to Romania, going through its capital, Bucharest, is almost unavoidable. The city has a fairly poor reputation but it is well worth spending a day or so looking around.

Like much of Eastern Europe, Bucharest is dripping with history.

Not surprisingly, it is often referred to as the Paris of Eastern Europe thanks to many parks and wide boulevards.

The main street, the Calea Victoriei, is deliberately built just wider than Paris’s Champs Elysees. It even has its own mini Arc de Triomphe.

The buildings range from a mixture of 18th and 19th century architecture to the wild excesses of the communist regime.

Although much of the old town has been destroyed by wars and earthquakes, the area has recently been revamped.

Many historical buildings and Orthodox churches are scattered among trendy outdoor cafés and restaurants.

A highlight is the Palace of Parliament, which after the Pentagon is the world’s second-largest administrative building.

One of the craziest expensive projects of the communist regime, construction of the palace started under former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. It has more than 3000 rooms and covers 330,000 square metres.

Today the building houses Romania’s parliament and hosts a variety of guided tours.

Other attractions include the city’s many lakes, plus the Village Museum, featuring wooden churches, windmills and peasant dwellings from different regions of the country.

SPORTS

Let’s get physical Sport Tasman chief executive Nigel Muir is taking the benefits of sport to young people. Phil Barnes reports.

N

igel Muir aims to use sport as therapy to aid youth suffering from issues such as depression, anxiety and obesity. The Sport Tasman head and staff are liaising with community groups and five councils in the region spanning as far south as Kaikoura on the east coast and Buller on the west.

“We are working to create more vibrant, connected communities by using sports and recreation as a tool.”

Current projects include assisting the Kaikoura and Marlborough District Councils on the planned 220km PictonKaikoura cycle trail, and building a new community swimming pool in Kaikoura to replace the one destroyed in the 2016 earthquake.

Other plans include increasing the number of coaches and teachers available to lead sporting events, increasing the hours children spend in the wilderness, and creating more community events.

With the nearly 10,000 secondary school students in the Top of the South, there is a strong focus on youth with these projects. For example, Kaikoura High School, Whenua Iti Outdoors and Sport Tasman have joined forces to introduce a pilot outdoor education

programme at the school involving eight one-day sea kayaking trips, two five-day waka ama expeditions, a six-day rafting trip down the Clarence River and bush camps.

Benefits of exercise Nigel says college sport and recreation are under threat as students come under pressure to perform academically, but the two aid each other. Evidence shows that physical activity helps to improve academic performance as well as reducing absenteeism and levels of obesity.

Sport Tasman has been working with the Rata Foundation and Sport Taranaki on creating a better way for schools to communicate with their students. They are in the midst of surveying students to find out if they play sport at school, outside the school or not at all.

“We are working to create more vibrant, connected communities by using sports and recreation as a tool.”

Sport Tasman also wants to work with government agencies involved with youth. “We have a quarterly meeting of the Top of the South Impact Forum where key government people can look at ways agencies and councils can come together and synergise their resources.

“We don’t want to just be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”

Nigel says another bonus for the region is Saxton Field, where the new velodrome means cycling has joined athletics, cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, netball, softball, table tennis and shooting at the complex.

Walking the walk – and run Nigel, who took on the top job eight years ago, has always been a lover of sport and the great outdoors. He played rugby and football at representative level in Wellington and Marlborough. Today, at 51, he’s as active as ever.

As well as being a keen tramper, hunter, mountain biker and football player, Nigel competes in kayaking and running events.

Last year he was first over-50s runner in the annual 25km Alpine Loop the Lake off-road race around Lake Rotoiti, finishing the rugged trail 13th overall among 310 competitors in 2hr 1min.

In 2016 he ran the challenging 85km Old Ghost Ultra-race while accompanying six Burmese refugees in a relay team, completing the race in 10hr 35min.

81

MOTORING

Bigger Polo even better

BY GEOFF MOFFETT

T

ake a second look. That new VW in the car park is a Polo, not a Golf. The supposed ‘supermini’ Volkswagen has grown to fool us with its new size. It’s now as big in its sixth edition as the Golf was in 2002. At 4.053 metres, the Polo is 81mm longer than the outgoing model, 63mm wider and has a 92mm longer wheelbase, at 2.548m.

That’s a lot more car and that translates to a roomier interior. Front seat room, especially, is commodious for a little car with excellent headroom, decent enough legroom in the back if you’re shortish and a boot that’s about 25 percent bigger than the old model. The Golf is built using the VW group’s MQB platform that also underpins Audi, Seat and Skoda.

Size apart, the other big difference with this new generation Polo is the engine line-up. The newly-developed petrol is three cylinders, instead of four and one litre, instead of 1.2. It’s turbocharged, too, giving 70kw of power versus 66kw for the former four. By the time we go to print, VW NZ is expecting delivery

“… use the manual mode gears and it’s an impressive little unit with a nice, raspy sound under acceleration.”

82

of an R-Line version with 85kw and a two-litre GTi which promises to be a stonking little machine with 147Kw and320Nm of torque.

While the Polo is almost Golf-like in size, VW clearly has a different market in mind for the smaller car and especially its ‘Beats’ model which has a 300watt sound system with sub-woofer, exterior stripes, colourful interior contrasts and bigger wheels. No doubt which demographic it’s targeting.

All models have their extra length emphasized by a so-called ‘tornado line’, a contour line, running the length of the car.

A smart car But it’s not just size the Polo can boast about. It’s also got bigger car bits like blind spot monitor, pedestrian and rear traffic alert, driver fatigue alert, cruise control and LED daytime running lights. You have keyless start as standard, too, and electric folding exterior mirrors. So, what about this new 3-cylinder turbo-charge engine?

Using the DSG auto transmission, it potters about, needing a boot full of right pedal to stir it into action. But use the manual mode gears and it’s an impressive little unit with a nice, raspy sound under acceleration.

Inside, the Polo is a gem with a likeable cockpit and is the first VW to have a new-look, digitised glass-

encased 8-inch touchscreen as the centerpiece – and nicely integrated with the instrument cluster. The screen is swipeable, just like your smart phone.

Seats are comfortable and the overall feel is of a well put-together car. Around town, it’s everything you want; easy to park and nimble and fun to drive. It’s a very good cruiser as well, surprisingly civilised and quiet and torquey from low in the rev range for passing. Again though, best to use the manual mode for a swift overtake.

It’s a rewarding drive with its taut handling and while the ride is firm, it isn’t so jangly that it’ll rattle your dentures. The Polo is a big seller story for VW with more than 14 million sales and this new version will surely add to its success story.

Tech spec Price:

TSI 6spd manual $25,490; TSI DSG $27,990; TSI Beats DSG $29,990; R-Line $32,990; GTi $38,490 Power: TSI, Beats 3 cylinder turbo charged 1.0 litre, 70kw @ 4,5005,500rpm, 175Nm torque @ 2,000-3,500rpm; R-Line 85kw @ 5,000-5,500rpm, 200Nm torque @ 2,000-3,500rpm; GTi four-cylinder 2.0 litre, 147kw @ 4,387-6,000rpm, 320Nm torque @ 1500-4387rpm Fuel: 4.4-4.7l/100km combined Car courtesy of Haven Motors

All new VW Polo

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fresh food people.

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Cnr Champion & Salisbury Roads, RICHMOND Mon - Fri 8am - 6:30pm Sat/Sun 8am - 6pm

83

A DV E N T U R E

Taking it to the limit Rugged Fiordland tested the toughest of adventure racers. Annabelle Latz was there to record the action.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS HELLIWELL & KARN CHRISTIAN

P

erhaps it’s something in the water up here, or the mountains – the muster of top-class adventure racers from the Nelson-Marlborough region is huge.

GODZone Chapter 7, An Adventure Like No Other, kicked off on March 1 in the depths of the Fiordland bush and waters.

Nearly 500 athletes in teams of four navigated and hurled their bodies around this challenging wilderness for days on end.

In both the Pure and Pursuit events (unsupported and supported versions) of the 550km race (430km for the Pursuit) racers are given just 10 days to complete the course, which involves trekking, mountain biking, navigation, pack rafting, kayaking, abseiling and caving.

Dan Busch, part of the Yealands Family Wine team, winner of the Pure event, finished second in Chapter 6’s Queenstown contest.

The Nelson builder grinned a mighty grin from his seat under the marquee at the finish line, which he and teammates Chris and Emily Forne and Aaron Prince crossed just five days, 13 hours and 34 minutes after setting off from the streets of Te Anau.

Dan’s tough, but as he cupped his hands around a hot chocolate at the finish line, he’d be the last to tell you that.

Dig deep and you hear of chronic trench foot and the fact 84

that his body had been rejecting most food from both ends for the past three days.

A seasoned campaigner at such expedition-length races, he’s ‘lucky’ to strike another awesome and fun team.

“You sure know each other well by the end of the adventure, including strong points, weaknesses and race strategies. You want to race with people who are fun and bring happy thoughts to the team.”

Dan says the Fiordland course was always going to be epic, with long wet stages, cold conditions and slow travel. Good gourmet food, looking after one another, and steady going were the keys to getting to the end.

Rapt with the region Rival team Swordfox had another cracking race, finishing second, one place better than in Chapter 6.

Three out of the four members are based in Nelson. Georgia Whitla moved to the region a year ago and regards it as a fantastic place for any adventure racer to live. Local teammates Brent Edwards and Ash Whitehead agree, encouraging fourth member Stu Lynch to move south from Auckland.

“You have mountains, rivers, forests, rocks and ocean all

“It was a chaotic, well-planned, crazy kind of love we all felt at every transition ...”

B E K S C H E R P P R A I S E S T H E I R S U P P O RT C R EW.

OPPOSITE PAGE & ABOVE: Local teams in action during the 2018 race.

“I didn’t have a choice – Jodie insisted.”

N AT H A N FA’ AVA E J O K E S A B O U T R A C I N G W I T H H I S WIFE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

within 45 minutes of home,” says Georgia. “It also has a great community and a good-sized support network. Everyone does everything here and it is very easy to get involved.” Swordfox are a tight-knit team, and loved the rigors of Fiordland.

“We enjoy the harder navigation, technical paddling and off-track travel. We were also lucky enough to be stuck in a fairly close battle with Yealands for most of the race so we never had any problem with motivation to keep pushing,” Georgia says.

They finished just shy of 2hr 30min behind Yealands.

Marlborough Sounds competitor Dan Moore has often shared the same race number as Dan Busch, but this year joined famous racers Nathan and Jodie Fa’avae, plus Mark Rayward, in Team Avaya. They finished fourth, a fantastic result for a brutal course, where Jodie was taking part in her first race of this length and technicality.

It was Dan’s fifth GODZone. ‘The people and the places’ keep him coming back.

“Adventure-racing is basically eating, sleeping and racing,” he insists. Fiordland and added “the excitement of seeing what was around the next corner – the remote wilderness.”

Tasman residents Nathan and Jodie are synonymous with the sport. Nathan has graced the top podiums in all corners of the planet, and together they are the founders of the allwomen’s Spring Challenge.

This was Nathan’s fifth GODZone. He relished being able to experience Jodie’s first GODZone with her, and says she did really well physically and mentally.

When asked what keeps him coming back for such epic events, “I didn’t have a choice – Jodie insisted,” he jokes.

Fiordland was one of the three toughest ever for him.

“A lot of the race was in valleys and waterways, so maintaining healthy feet was a big challenge.”

Jodie appreciated that Nathan, as head navigator, spent much of the race with his head buried in maps, while she kept

pace with the experienced Dan and Mark.

“I have supported Nathan for more than 20 years so it was great to race with him – tick it off the bucket list before I get too old.”

She says Team Avaya were very relaxed, though she admitted being nervous as to whether her body could do it – mentally she was fine.

“The first five days were all about team management.

On day five Nathan said, ‘The race is on now’.”

From supporter to racer Support-crew members can catch the adventure racing bug too. Marlborough‘s Kieran Hickman has earned his stripes supporting cousin Brendan for the past two years and decided Chapter 7 was his turn to give the Pursuit event a crack. Team Marlborough Tuatara Structures (Kieran, Bek Scherp, Glenn Blackmore and Andrew Jones) finished third – an astonishing result for a newbie team.

“Stick to your morals and sleep only when necessary,” was the code of conduct according to Bek, reflecting on their six-day 6hr 20min slog.

Surrounding themselves with experienced GODZone folk was a major factor in their preparation, as were overnight missions.

Those ‘morals’, says Bek, were “to give it our absolute best, keep moving forward as a team, stay positive, support what is best for each other and the team, and at the end of the day, remember that this is just a race and something that we chose to do and enjoy.”

Bek lauded their support crew.

“They cooked, cleaned, set up camp, took down camp, gave us foot massages, fed us [literally], applied ointment to all sorts of spots ...” all done with smiles on their faces.

“It was a chaotic, well-planned, crazy kind of love we all felt at every transition and we would not have changed a single thing.”

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AU T H O R

Exploring love’s spark In the first of a new series, Renée Lang profiles author Michele A’Court, who will be in Nelson in October for the Nelson Arts Festival, talking about the genesis of love.

B

ooks, columns, comedy shows – it’s all about storytelling according to well-known comedian and writer Michele A’Court.

Now with two books under her belt, the award-winning comedian finds it hard to make any great distinction between her live performances and her writing – whether it’s books, freelance features, or her weekly columns.

“That’s kind of what it’s like in New Zealand – you have to do more than one thing,” she says. And if lined up against the wall, could she choose one writing activity above all the others? “No,” she laughs. “You’d have to shoot me.”

Her first book was the enormously entertaining Stuff I Forgot to Tell My Daughter, published in 2015, which was based on a solo comedy show and dealt with all the big (and small) issues we forget to tell our kids.

Her latest book, How We Met: The Great Ways Love Begins, has just been published and over the next few months she’ll be talking about it at no less than six writers’ festivals around the country, including our own Nelson Arts Festival in October.

The idea for the book came about when Michele and her husband, fellow comedian Jeremy Elwood, were holidaying in Rarotonga and were hugely entertained over dinner one night with a local couple by the story of how they met. As Michele saw the possibilities in a collection of stories based on what brings people together, she also learnt more than she thought she’d ever need to know about the neuroscience of memory as the various couples who appear in the book each recalled how they met.

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“Memory is not about recordkeeping. It’s about making sense or meaning of the things that happen to us. We can only do that retrospectively,” she explains.

Rekindling the fire The writer in Michele especially enjoyed watching the reaction of each individual as they recalled how they met their partner. In many cases she couldn’t help but notice that as memories were brought alive a definite spark was also rekindled. “It’s what happens when there’s a story about two people, rather than just one.”

Michele spent a year of what she laughingly calls her spare time doing the research for the book, followed by a year of writing. She’s pretty serious about the writing part and whenever her schedule allowed she’d put in a full day. “I treat writing like a job,” she says.

“I love writing; it’s such a wonderful occupation. It’s almost like a hunger for me, to be able to sit down and write undisturbed.”

Given that she’s been penning a regular newspaper column for 10 years now, writing comes easily to her. As for reading, she freely admits

she’s voracious but usually has a slight fiction bias when she’s looking for a book to relax with. Despite this, out of the 18 books currently residing on her bedside table, most happen to be non-fiction, with a good number of them being local memoirs. “I love non-fiction too. It makes me want to go off and do my own writing.”

As for what’s next, Michele is writing a new solo comedy show that she will tour next year. Watch this space.

BOOKS

What to read in May COMPILED BY RENÉE LANG

Letting Go

Volume II: Essential

How to plan for a good death

Sweet treats for every occasion

Dr Charlie Corke

Annabel Langbein

Available now, $37.00 Penguin Random House

I

t’s a fact. People today are living much longer than their previously allotted three score and ten years, which is great news. But somewhere down the line complex medical decisions often have to be made – so wouldn’t we rather give some thought sooner rather than later to developing a plan that allows us to retain our dignity and autonomy for as long as possible? This important and timely introduction to – and discussion of – the kinds of decisions that many of us face in a medical crisis shows us how to start thinking about our end-of-life stage before we get there.

Available now, $65.00 Annabel Langbein Media

W

ho doesn’t love a good cookbook, especially when it’s packed with sweet treats from New Zealand’s leading food celebrity? Building on the success of her bestselling book of savoury dishes, this second volume offers a delicious and occasionally indulgent range of recipes that will suit all lifestyles, appetites and dietary needs.

Young Queen

The Ruin

Available now, $34.99 Mary Egan Publishing

Available now, $36.99 HarperCollins

Parris Goebel

F

ans of hip hop will love this honest memoir of a young Polynesian girl who got her big break choreographing for Jennifer Lopez. She has since worked with some of the biggest stars in music, including Janet Jackson, Rihanna and Justin Bieber. It’s a fun and inspiring read for anyone with a dream.

Dervla McTiernan

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ost of us enjoy a good piece of crime fiction to keep us entertained and this debut from Irish writer Dervla McTiernan delivers depths as well as twists. Drawing readers into the dark heart of Ireland, it asks who will protect you when the authorities can’t – or won’t?

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ARTS

Mike, Jackie and Poppy in their gallery.

Upper Moutere creativity a family affair

BY JOHN COHEN-DU FOUR | PHOTOS DOMINIQUE WHITE

U

pper Moutere’s Mike MacMillan has literally carved a name for himself as one of NZ’s successful sculptors, creating works particularly in demand by international buyers.

With his photographer wife Jackie, the couple have worked hard to establish their home-based gallery and workshop as a must-stop on the Moutere Hills artisan trail.

Mike’s initial creative background was as a potter, training with his brother in their parents’ pottery in Monaco.

“I always loved the sculptural side of pottery,” says Mike, “so it was a natural progression.”

Mike’s work is inevitably informed by where he lives, so his earlier sculptures, when he and Jackie lived in the Sounds, were inspired by water – both in form, and in the case of water features, in function too.

“But after we moved to Upper Moutere in 2000, I began to work with timber from old wine barrels, supplied by our neighbour, Neudorf Winery – pieces we sell even today.”

Mike is convinced the key to success is to maintain the ability to adapt: “It makes you stay creative with your thinking.”

He began experimenting with aggregate concrete, cutting and polishing it. Living in historic Upper Moutere, his influences reflected his new locale.

“The large disc sculptures I make 88

reference the plough discs that furrow these hills – furrowed-earth textures can even decorate outer surfaces.

“I sometimes texture the concrete with tufts of string, inspired by bird nests we find embedded with bits and pieces,” he says. “And I’ll incorporate prunings into works, celebrating our area’s wine and cider harvests.”

As Mike’s concrete works grew in size, interior steel armatures became necessary.

“So welding became another discipline I had to get my head around.”

He works with cast bronze too, yet another avenue of creativity.

Mike explains that even the sculptures’ mounts offer inspiration. “The right plinth makes all the difference to a final piece, elevating it, giving it greater presence.”

Cue more creative experimentation: Mike is now exploring partially swathing the timber plinths in CorTen steel, which rusts beautifully, and inlaying the wood with concrete.

“It’s all part of my passion – this creative journey I’m on.”

Jackie is excited about the recent changes to their creative set-up: “We’ve purpose-built an all-new workshop space, turning the old one into a lovely gallery for displaying our work.”

And now – work by their 14-year-old daughter, Poppy.

“I’ve always loved to draw and paint,”

“I realised people like what I make, so I began to take my art more seriously.”

POPPY MACMILLAN

says Poppy, “funny little scenes, rows of birds, quirky houses. I just go with whatever comes to mind. Last year, we decided to display some in the gallery.”

To Poppy’s delight all her works sold.

“I realised people like what I make, so I began to take my art more seriously.”

Handy with a sewing machine, Poppy also tried turning her art into small sewn patches – fun stitched artworks featuring baby rabbits, cute cats, love hearts, on floral or polka dot backgrounds. “I liked the idea that people could wear my art,” she says.

So did gallery visitors. Poppy sold everything she made.

“I’m in Year 10 now at Nelson College for Girls, doing school art, which inspires me,” she says. “I’m intrigued how this will affect my work, where my art ideas might go.”

As the saying goes – the apple never falls far from the tree.

For further information visit: michaelmacmillan.co.nz

In the Gallery If you’re a bit of an art collector, you’re certainly living in the right place.

The Top of the South boasts a wealth of high-quality galleries featuring creative superstars.

Check out this month’s pick of must-have artworks.

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1 | Roz Speirs, Fractured, fused glass platter, Art @ 203, Nelson, 027 500 5528, $245 2 | Russel and Charisse Papworth, Stainless steel kiwis, Forest Fusion, Mapua Wharf, forestfusion.com, 03 540 2961 3 | Bill Burke, Maria of Eclectic Antiques, pastel, 870mm x 980mm, Bill Burke Gallery, 03 546 6793, billburke.co.nz 4 | Jens Hansen, 9ct gold crown setting ring with facetted stone, Jens Hansen, Nelson, jenshansen.co.nz, $2,399 5 | Georgie Hoby Scutt, Nelson Harbour II, 900mm x 1200mm, Red Gallery, Nelson, 03 548 2170, redartgallery.com, $1200

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MUSIC

Messiah – fast birth for a masterpiece

BY PETE RAINEY PHOTO BY DOMINIQUE WHITE

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rtistic creativity can be expressed in an unending variety of ways.

For centuries humans have grappled with the complex issues of how to express themselves, and invariably have struggled to find the inspiration or the driving force to produce great works of art.

Musicians, especially composers, are no exception, which is why it’s astonishing to wonder how George Frideric Handel could have composed his greatest work, Messiah, in just 24 days.

He was driven by an amazing motivational force, as some scholars have concluded, to write around a quarter of a million notes in just over three weeks – this meant he was keeping up a continuous pace of 15 notes a minute for 10 hours a day.

Messiah is an oratorio – essentially an unstaged, concert version of an opera that draws on sacred themes – and is now acknowledged as one of the greatest works of art, and arguably the most wellknown and recognised compositions of all time.

Handel said he cried and saw angels when he wrote the Hallelujah Chorus.

Although this hints at some kind of divine inspiration, the fact that he was almost destitute, and heavily indebted, would suggest other motivations. He wrote his opera Samson in the following three weeks – Handel simply needed some new music to earn him a living.

He was a dab hand at operas, with 90

more than 40 flowing from his pen, and this may be why he chose to premiere Messiah in Dublin at Easter in 1742.

Perhaps he was a little anxious that a work based on sacred texts, but performed by opera singers in a concert hall, would be looked upon with distaste if he had produced it in London.

Premiere a smash hit Whatever the reason, the premiere in the Great Music Hall in Fishamble St was outrageously successful – they even sold tickets to the rehearsals.

Expectation and excitement were such that after the rehearsal local newspapers reported ’the oratorio far surpasses anything of that nature which has been performed in this or any other kingdom’.

Advertisements requested that ladies attend ‘without hoops’, and that ‘gentlemen are desired to come without their swords’ in order to increase the capacity of the hall. Handel estimated that the venue could hold 600, but an extra 100 people were crammed in.

I’m sure there’ll be no hoops or swords at the Nelson Civic Choir’s performances of Messiah in the Nelson School of Music Auditorium, however the enduring popularity of this amazing work should ensure full houses. Recent tradition has seen the work performed more often at Christmas, but it is entirely appropriate just after Easter as the texts, taken from the Old Testament,

tell the story of Jesus from birth to resurrection and beyond.

The Civic Choir will be joined by the Chroma Chamber Choir to form a group of more than 120 singers. Add a chamber orchestra and soloists and this will be a performance in the tradition of the great choral societies, who have incorporated this work at the core of their annual repertoire for years.

It will also be one of the first public performances to use the restored Cawthron Organ, which will be heard from subtly sensitive recitatives through to the grand choruses Hallelujah, Worthy is the Lamb and The Amen Chorus when, as they say, there will be an opportunity to pull out all the stops.

I have enjoyed bringing these performances together to celebrate the re-opening of the Auditorium. The choir members have taken to the opportunity to perform this great work with relish, and that enthusiasm will undoubtedly be passed on to the audiences. If you have never experienced Handel’s Messiah, here’s your chance.

Messiah, May 25 and 26, Nelson School of Music Auditorium.

Tickets through TicketDirect or Nelson Centre of Musical Arts, 48 Nile St, ph (03) 548 9477.

FILM

An entertaining two hours

BY MICHAEL BORTNICK

91 Trafalgar Street, Nelson - Ph: 548 3885 Crooked House Crime, Drama, Mystery Directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner Starring Max Irons, Glenn Close, Terrance Stamp, Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks 115 minutes | Rated PG-13

A

gatha Christie wrote mystery novels on a Shakespearian level, at least 75 of them. She describes Crooked House, a drawing room mystery, as one that satisfied her the best.

And now it is a film.

Set in 1947, Aristide Leonides, a wealthy and ruthless tycoon, is poisoned in his own bed. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man’s young widow, Brenda (Hendricks), 50 years his junior.

Private detective Charles Hayward (Max Irons), is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather’s murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.

Like the audience, Charles is overwhelmed when he arrives at the Leonides estate, which seems positively palatial, with closets big enough for a cemetery of skeletons, all connected by a cavernous pea-green stairwell watched over by a giant portrait of their freshly-poisoned patriarch. In a surreal touch, the late Aristide Leonides, who looms so large in his absence, turns out to have been little more than a dwarf.

Hayward encounters three generations of the dynasty, including a theatre actress (Gillian Anderson), the family matriarch Lady Edith de Haviland (Glenn Close, only slightly less over-the-top than she was as Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmations), and a host of despicable potential murderers.

He interrogates them all and finds that jealousy, bitterness, and greed have infected the whole clan. Fortunately, he is assisted by the mischievous Josephine, (Honor Kneafsey) a child with a proclivity for spying and detecting. This young actress absolutely steals the film and her performance is worth the price of the popcorn.

The audience will not be able to resist playing along, scrutinising clues and speculating whodunnit before the final surprising and shocking reveal. Always remember in these sorts of stories, the murderer is never the one you initially suspect.

Crooked House is a pleasurable and entertaining two hours at the movies. We all love a guessing game and it does not disappoint.

Here are a couple of other whodunnits to whet the appetite.

The Usual Suspects (1995) A sole survivor (Kevin Spacey) tells of the twisty events leading up to an horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police line-up.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) One of the best Tarantino films ever. After a simple jewellery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Movies Screening in May ISLE OF DOGS

3 MAY • PG | 1hr 51min The voices of Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson and Edward Norton star in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated comedy about a Japanese boy who sets out on an adventure to find his dog.

THE BREAKER UPPERERS

3 MAY • M | 1hr 30min Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami are two romance cynics running a business breaking up unhappy couples in this New Zealand buddy comedy. Written/directed by van Beek and Sami, the film also features James Rolleston.

LIFE OF THE PARTY 10 MAY • M | 1hr 55min Dumped by her husband, housewife Deanna turns regret into reset by going back to college; the same school as her daughter. Deanna plunges headlong into the campus experience; embracing the fun, the freedom and the frat boys.

SOLO: A STAR WARS...

24 MAY • TBC | TBC Han Solo leads Disney and Lucasfilm’s second standalone Star Wars film, passing Harrison Ford’s role down to Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!). The film follows a young Han and Chewbacca before they joined the Rebellion.

For more information, go to our website:

www.statecinemas.co.nz

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EVENTS

What to do in May NELSON/TASMAN Find out more details on Nelson/Tasman summer events at itson.co.nz

Sat 19 ZULU LOVE (South Africa) Featuring incredible music and musicianship from South Africa, ZULU LOVE embraces a unique ‘Isicathamiya’ singing style – a type of African acapella music that focuses on achieving perfect rhythm and harmony between the singers.

Wed 2

Sat 12, Sun 13

THEATRE ROYAL

Home Sweet Home

Move Your DNA Weekend

Sat 19 to Mon 21

A four small plate menu and fundraising event organised by NMIT Nelson Level 5 Culinary Arts students. The funds raised will go towards starting a scholarship in the name of former tutor Catherine Dunkley (Code Purple) and help pave the way for the future chefs of Nelson. 6pm to 10pm.

A two-day intensive workshop designed to give you handson experience with all of the exercises taught in the book Move Your DNA. The only prerequisite is having read the book. Visit nutritiousmovement. com/mydna-weekend.

WELLNESS MOVEMENT

NELSON GOLF CLUB

Thurs 3 Stand-up Comedy Workshop Part of the Nelson Fringe Festival, this collaborative workshop will focus on creating and developing material, either from scratch or refining a piece of already established material and making it punchier. 1pm to 4pm.

Sun 13 Mother’s Day Fun Run/Walk Run, walk or have a leisurely stroll with your friends and family this Mother’s Day in the nationwide Jennian Homes Mother’s Day Fun Run/Walk.

Each entrant will receive a souvenir Dick Frizzell event T-shirt. 10am to 12pm.

SAXTON STADIUM

GHOST LIGHT THEATRE

Sat 5 Footnote Dance Company National Tour Shimmering light and captivating movement fill the universe of Search Engine, an exciting new show touring in Nelson for one night only.

FOUNDERS HERITAGE PARK

Mon 14 Lumina Dance Set to a visceral and charismatic soundscape, and complemented by bespoke AV design, Lumina reveals the depth and vivacious energy of the dynamic talent involved. Lumina will feature six of the New Zealand Dance Company’s most impressive performers.

MOTUEKA RECREATION CENTRE

Thurs 24 Darren Watson Too Many Millionaires Album Release The great Wellington blues man unveils his latest work. Show from 8pm.

PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, MAPUA

Fri 25 Hopetoun Brown and the Genius of Finn Scholes Ex Super Groove members bring musical magic to the Playhouse stage. Show from 8pm.

PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, MAPUA

Sat 26 Pink Ribbon Brunch A fundraiser for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, with raffles, spot prizes, goodie bags and a yummy brunch. 11am to 2pm.

GRAND MERCURE MONACO APARTMENTS

Wed 16

Sat 26

Four NZ Opera colleagues present an evening of music from the worlds of grand opera and musical theatre.

THEATRE ROYAL

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Celebration is the theme to mark the group’s 20th anniversary, open daily from 10am to 4pm.

THEATRE ROYAL

Opera Unboxed

Quilt show

Motueka Quilting Connection Quilt Show Adam Noughton

Sun 27 Richard Gilewitz Gilewitz returns to Nelson with folksy medleys of traditional and American, original pieces, a trip with Bach and the Beatles, while spurting out takes on the travelling musician and life in general. From 7.30pm.

FAIRFIELD HOUSE

Mon 28 Developing a BullyFree Culture Bullying is a significant workplace hazard that affects employee health and business productivity. This course helps you to identify bullies and put in place practical steps to make your workplace safer for everyone. Contact training@ businesscentral.org.nz.

TRAILWAYS HOTEL

REGULAR MARKETS Every Saturday morning The Nelson Market.

Dancing for a Cause

MONTGOMERY SQUARE

A glamourous evening of entertainment, with eight local personalities partnered by trained ballroom dancers vying for the coveted title of Nelson’s first Dancing for a Cause winner!

Starts 7pm.

Every Sunday

TRAFALGAR CENTRE

Motueka Market 8am to 1pm.

DECKS RESERVE CARPARK

Every Wednesday Nelson Farmers’ Market.

MAITAI BOULEVARD

MARLBOROUGH Find out more details about Marlborough summer events at marlborough4fun.co.nz

Thurs 3

Fri 11

Broken Lexicon – South Island Tour

Friday Night Feast

Wellington based indie-acoustic duo Broken Lexicon produce a sound that is part folk-funk, part gypsy-jazz, part indie-pop and entirely compelling to listen to. Starts 8pm.

Marlborough’s finest produce coupled with incredible local talent, live entertainment and festive vibes, in a giant street party. From 3pm to 7pm.

MARKET SQUARE, BLENHEIM

LE CAFE, PICTON

Sat 12

Sun 6

Destination – The Wine Station

More FM Duck Derby Make sure you secure your duck for the quackiest race in town.

Ducks cost five bucks which goes directly to Life Education Trust Marlborough. Prize for first duck across the line is $500 cash. 11am to 1pm.

TAYLOR RIVER RESERVE

Thurs 10 WK Gala Feast A veritable flight of fancy with outstanding Marlborough food and wine dished up with song, dance, comedy and visual and performing arts.

Email: liz@arbour.co.nz to book your tickets.

ASB THEATRE MARLBOROUGH

Looking for a relaxed tour of Marlborough wineries without having to leave your seat? The Wine Station in Blenheim is the first and only stop you need to worry about! Starts at 6pm.

BLENHEIM RAILWAY STATION

Sat 12 A Brew-tiful Thing One for all the beer lovers out there, it features a series of small plates boasting an abundance of Marlborough produce, each one paired perfectly with a matching brew from a beer tasting board.

5.30pm to 10pm.

MARLBOROUGH PUBLIC HOUSE

Friday Night Feast

Sat 12

Wed 23 & Thurs 24

Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon

Beyond the Barricade

A unique off-road journey through 21 Marlborough vineyards, with stunning scenery, autumn colours and tasty treats along the way. From 9am to 3pm.

SAINT CLAIR CELLAR DOOR, SELMES ROAD

Sun 13 Jennian Homes Mother’s Day Fun Run Join in for a 5km run, walk or stroll this Mother’s Day. All participants will receive an event T-shirt designed by Dick Frizzell.

10am to 2pm.

RIVERSIDE PARK, BLENHEIM

Sun 13 Moscow Ballet La Classique – The Nutcracker Moscow Ballet La Classique returns to New Zealand to present the jewel of classical ballet, Tchaikovsky’s spectacular masterpiece The Nutcracker.

Starts 7.30pm.

ASB THEATRE MARLBOROUGH

Enjoy the best-loved songs from the world’s greatest West End and Broadway musicals in one glittering concert. The blockbusting two-hour show features hit songs from The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Wicked, Miss Saigon, West Side Story, Chicago, Crazy for You, Mamma Mia and many others, climaxing with a spectacular finale from, of course, Les Misérables.

ASB THEATRE MARLBOROUGH

Wed 30 Heath Franklin’s Chopper - Bogan Jesus Star of 7 Days and Chopper’s Republic of Anzakistan, Heath Franklin’s Chopper brings his new show Bogan Jesus to Blenheim.

ASB THEATRE MARLBOROUGH

REGULAR MARKETS Every Saturday Marlborough Artisan Market.

WYNEN STREET POCKET PARK

Every Sunday Marlborough Farmers’ Market.

A&P SHOWGROUNDS

Search Engine, Footnote Dance

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Breast Augmentation Breast Lift or Reduction

Dr Greg Taylor offers surgery locally in Nelson.

We see patients preoperatively to discuss the procedure in detail.

Join our sisterhood to build a life and business you will love.

Check out some of our members

Surgery is carried out as a day case under light general anaesthesia and takes less than two hours. An overnight stay in our local Manuka St Hospital is also an option if preferred.

Many people are able to return to work within a day or two.

We provide 24/7 post-op on call, and post-operative care indefinitely to ensure you’re well looked after.

Breast Augmentation | Fixed price offer: $10,800

We also offer the following procedures:

Food | Drinks | Music

Facelift and necklift | Breast surgery | Otoplasty (ears) Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) | Liposuction Crow’s feet | Frown lines | Dermal fillers Cosmetic/Medical tattooing; eyeliner, eyebrows, lips, areola/nipple

Appearance Medicine Cheena is available in both our Nelson and Richmond clinics offering personalised assessments and treatments.

Dermal fillers Frown & forehead lines Crow’s feet around eyes PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Payment programmes Contact Cheena on 027 255 2426

. . . . .

Visit www.yourtribe.net Hook up with us on FB Call Caron 021 1457 162 or email the team info@yourtribe.net 94

Level 2 - 105 Collingwood St (The Collingwood Centre) Phone: 03 548 1909 Email: nelsonplasticsurgery@outlook.co.nz Visit nelsonplasticsurgery.co.nz for more information

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Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

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D I R E C T O RY

223 HARDY ST, NELSON

Thai with a twist

PH 546 8623 WWW.623.CO.NZ

CAFE

RESTAURANT

BAR

NAHM.CO.NZ

How well do you know your people?

Find out what is below the surface with Intepeople Psychometric Testing.

Develop your team’s skills or gather in-depth insights into new recruits.

Find out more at intepeople.co.nz

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D I R E C T O RY

Anything Ordinary

12 John Wesley Lane, Richmond (off Queen St, behind Avanti Plus)

Ph: 03 544 1515 www.moxini.co.nz

WWW.

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CO.NZ

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fresh food people.

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fresh food people.

Cnr Champion & Salisbury Roads, RICHMOND Mon - Fri 8am - 6:30pm Sat/Sun 8am - 6pm

180

| 3 SIZES AVAILABLE | FREE SAME DAY DELIVERY TO THE NELSON REGION e: info@thanksabunchbouquets.com w: thanksabunchbouquets.com

Höglund Glassblowing Studio 52 Lansdowne Rd, Appleby

www.soktas.co

www.hoglundartglass.com

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0800 54 55 15

270

Bo Mansfield

Advanced Electrical

0800 54 55 15

ONE STYLE OF BOUQUET DAILY

022 079 0550 info@anagalloway.co.nz www.anagalloway.co.nz

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Advanced Electrical

Designed & made

by Oliver Höglund.

Advanced Electrical 0800 515 0800545 54 55 15

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YOUR ONE-STOP ELECTRICAL SHOP

027 540 2060

Nelson-Tasman 104.8 • Nelson Central City 107.2 Takaka 95.0 • Blenheim 88.9

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Listen to Trinketbox on Sundays

Home Control Control4 & C-Bus approved installers Heat Pumps | PV Solar

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VINING REALTY GROUP LTD, BAYLEYS. LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

Nelson-Tasman 104.8 • Nelson Central City 107.2 Takaka 95.0 • Blenheim 88.9

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M Y E D U C AT I O N

Giving back to education P H O T O B Y A N A G A L L O WAY

Andrew Luke is NMIT’s new Director of Māori Education.

He grew up in Blenheim, near Spring Creek, and has whakapapa to many of the Te Tau Ihu iwi, including Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Toa Rangātira and Rangitane. After 18 years of central government positions in the natural resources sector, he explains to Eddie Allnutt that he’s ready for a new challenge.

What attracts you to this role in education?

The last time I was in this sector, I was a university student. The opportunity came up with the NMIT and I wanted to give back to education from the skills and experience I’ve gained over the last 14 years being based in Wellington and being a father. Those days of playing rugby and being a uni student – doing a degree in resource studies at Lincoln – was a special time. I also did a post grad in marine studies in Tauranga. Had to do a lot of scuba diving for that one!

What’s important for you?

How can I support this organisation so it is working in harmony with the whānau, hapū and iwi of the Top of the South and Māori in general. We, at NMIT, need to be mindful and engage correctly, especially when it’s faceto-face as this is when trust is built. NMIT is committed to the Treaty of Waitangi and it’s a partnership for Māori and non-Māori.

What we do as an organisation does reflect externally.

The achievement rate for students as a whole is at a certain level across the education sector. Māori and Pacifica achievement tends to be lower, so we need to help improve these rates. We have to recognise that there are different ways to learn and what might work for someone might not work for another. However, the achievement rate is trending upwards, which is positive.

From your background, how do you approach this role?

I look at things from an environmental perspective first. Ways of learning may need to change like studying online, remotely. Then there’s emerging disruptive technology. Are we ready for it? We have to understand the next generation of learners and be prepared for what the future of work is going to be. As I’ve found in the last six months, the younger generation, the youth, think quite differently.

It’s not all about owning a nice car or a big house. They think about the environment and what’s happening to it and what it might mean for them in the next ten years.

Tell me a little about the Māori language evening class?

We have really good numbers with some of the NMIT staff from other departments enrolled. It’s great to see this enthusiasm.

When you learn a language you also learn about a culture. Learners bring and share food, which brings everyone together as one family on one journey.

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