Air Chats
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Kia ora tātou
Welcome
to
the Autumn edition of our Air Chats magazine - and a very happy New Year to our customers old and new!
While it has been a windy holiday season for the aviation and wider travel industry as a whole, it’s great to see the ‘summer surge’ in demand from Kiwis wanting to get out and about around Aotearoa and internationally. With this in mind, our team have been working harder than ever to deliver the kind of service our family airline has built a reputation for.
Our scheduled flights over the warmer months have been in demand and our private charter service - AC Charters - has gone from strength to strength since launching late last year, with group flights to destinations like Queenstown, Kerikeri, Dunedin, Napier and more. With a diverse fleet of private aircraft, AC Charters specialise in tailoring flights to your unique needs, whether it’s a scenic escape, a business trip, or an exclusive retreat.
So, as we move into Autumn it is the perfect time to explore our beautiful country. If you’re looking for a private charter to make the most of these late summer months, AC Charters has you covered!
Also, as we jump headlong into 2025 it’s good to take a minute to savour 40 Years of Air Chathams serving the South Pacific, a monumental milestone that we certainly celebrated!
Air Chathams has quite a remarkable story, born from a vision to provide a remote island community with reliable, safe and frequent air services with mainland New Zealand so as to create connections and relationshipswhakawhanaungatanga - and to support island growth. So ‘Cheers to 40 years’, and a massive thank you to all our whānau and customers over that time!
If you are indeed travelling to the Chatham Islands this year please practice kaitiakitanga and help protect the Islands’ unique wildlife by checking your belongings for any contaminants BEFORE arriving. It takes both visitors and locals to preserve the amazing ecosystems of Wharikauri Chatham Islands for generations of Kiwis to come!
On a sadder note, Air Chathams has officially announced that it will not be extending its flight service to Norfolk Island past April 2025. After this date any flights to Norfolk Island will operate on a charter basis only, working directly with tour companies wanting to fly groups over peak travel periods for predominately the leisure market. As with so many challenges in aviation, since the pandemic, rebuilding passenger numbers on the Norfolk Island route has proven difficult, as travel costs and operational expenses have increased significantly.
In this edition we have an eclectic collection of stories from music talent grown on the Chatham Islands with Black Robin, to the amazing new vision for Auckland’s old commercial waterfront, and tales of ‘crazy characters’ lamented from Whanganui’s younger days. I’m sure there will be plenty to entertain you in this issue!
Ka kite anō and safe travels!
Duane Emeny, Chief Commercial Officer
Each year Air Chathams carries more than 100,000 passengers around New Zealand, and in each edition of our inflight magazine Air Chats we celebrate the very best of the regions we cover: from art and culture, to business, history and lifestyle, Air Chats tells the stories of the people who make those places great. If you’d like to be a part of Air Chats, get in touch - the team would love to hear from you.
marketing@airchathams.co.nz airchathams.co.nz fb.com/airchathams @airchathams linkedin.com/company/ air-chathams-limited
Publisher Plenty Limited - airchats@plenty.co.nz
Editor/KaiwhakatikaTuhinga
Andy Taylor - info@plenty.co.nz
Design & Production/Kaiwhakatauira Sarah Lane - design@plenty.co.nz
Advertising Enquiries airchats@plenty.co.nz +64 (0)27 932 5515
Cover image
Chatham Islander Ajay Peni Ataera aka Black Robin
Air Chats is published by Plenty Limited on behalf of Air Chathams Limited. Copyright 2025 by Plenty Limited. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior consent of the publisher. Advertising statements and editorial opinions expressed in Air Chats do not necessarily reflect the views of Plenty Limited or Air Chathams Limited. ISSN 2624-4179 (print), ISSN 2624-4861 (digital).
AIRCHATHAMS.CO.NZ // AUTUMN 2025
04 EVENTS/NEWS
The airline that brings New Zealand together. 10
THE BIG FOUR OH
For 40 years Air Chathams has been connecting Kiwis, and an upcoming book charts the journey.
GLASS ACT
Meet Graeme Hitchcock artist, painter, sculpture of glass: “In life, your path finds you.”
20
CHARACTERS AND CAPERS
36 FORE!
When your regular greens are feeling a bit familiar, take a walk on the wild side with the Norfolk Island Golf Club.
40 ON THE WATERFRONT
Auckland rediscovers its waterfront, its past and also possibly its future in Wynyard Quarter.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Author Murray Crawford charts the weird and wonderful of Whanganui’s historic identities. 26
Surtees Boats was born in the Bay but are going global - one perfect weld at a time.
HOME AGAIN
After more than 15 years in Perth, Chatham Islands musician and storyteller Ajay Peni Ataera is home.
46
OUR FLEET
From single engine light aircraft to our turbo-prop planes, we’ve something for every occasion.
48
DESTINATIONS
Air Chathams is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, flying to some of New Zealand’s best regional destinations.
Events
Chatham Islands Day Out 2025
Saturday, 8th March, 11:30am till 4:30pm
More information on Facebook, search
Chatham Islands Day Out
Join us and get ready for a day that resonates with community spirit and shared joy. In years to come, this event will be one of the golden days that our children remember fondly. Let’s continue to cherish these moments and look forward to making more beautiful memories together as an island.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifier
Monday, 24th March 2025
Eden Park, gates open at 5:30pm kick off at 7pm
www.edenpark.co.nz/fifa-world-cup-2026-oceania-qualifier
With the All Whites making strong strides in their qualification campaign, we look forward to seeing fans at Eden Park for these pivotal qualifiers where they’ll have the chance to witness top-tier football on home turf.
The West End Wiggle
Friday, 11th April, 11am till Sunday, 13th April, 5pm www.whakatane.com/ westendwiggle2025
The West End Wiggle was born out of a love for surfing. From humble beginnings, the surfing competition has now grown to just shy of 100 invitational competitors and freefor-all fun in the Tag Team Surf Off. West End, Ōhope Beach is a dreamy longboarder’s paradise, with gentle peeling peaks year-round. Surrounded by the natural beauty of native bush-covered cliffs and a pristine beach, it’s the perfect spot for a longboard surf festival.
Supergroove is back at the Opera House!
Wednesday, 9th April
Royal Whanganui Opera House, Whanganui
Tickers from www.eccles.co.nz/ supergroove-2025
Legendary New Zealand band
Supergroove is back and ready to light up stages across the country for their highly anticipated reunion, The Phenomenon Tour, coming April 2025!
Featuring the original ‘95 lineup of the iconic group, the band will come together for a rare series of shows, marking one of the few times they’ve played together in recent years. Known for their high-octane live performances, this is a special opportunity for fans.
WHANGANUI
WHAKATĀNE
Ōtaki Kite Festival 2025
Saturday, 8th - 9th March, free event, Ōtaki Beach
To find out more and plan your kite festival visit check out www.visitkapiti.co.nz
New Zealand’s largest kite festival returns delivering a free family extravaganza on the beautiful Ōtaki beach. The Festival is renowned for sparking imaginations young and old, as world class kites of all shapes and sizes take to the skies along the coast.
The New Zealand Kite Flyers Association and Peter Lynn Kites will be on site flying their huge inflatable kites together with a host of international guests, so the skies will be full of colourful kites, from inflatable whales and dragons to artistic kites.
Enjoy a day out relaxing in the sun while absorbing the atmosphere, which includes live entertainment and a delicious array of food trucks and market stalls, slides, bouncy castles, and other roving entertainment to keep the little ones amused while you sip a coffee.
Two Guitars – Musical Journey to the Kāpiti Coast
Wednesday, 12th March, 7:30pm Te Raker ki Kāpiti, Coastlands Theatre, Paraparaumu
Tickets from www.teraukura.nz/event/twoguitars
Combining theatre and live music, Two Guitars, the latest production from awardwinning playwright Jamie McCaskill, wrestles with “Māoriness” through comedy, song and outstanding showmanship.
Following a successful premiere season in Palmerston North in 2023 and Wellington’s Circa Theatre last year, Two Guitars heads to Te Raukura ki Kāpiti.
Filled with laughter and touching moments, Two Guitars is a musical journey that follows the winners of a kaupapa Māori music competition who are about to play their showcase gig - but the plot thickens!
Exhibition - The Holtom’s Art Studios
Saturday, 22nd March till Sunday, 20th July, 2025
10am - 4pm, Tuesday - Sunday
Toi MAHARA, Mahara Pl, Waikanae, free entry
Art in a wide range of media by a collective of 13 artists whose studios occupy the upper floor of the landmark Holtom’s Buildings in Paekākāriki. It began as the home and studio of artist Gary Freemantle, who ran One Eye Gallery there from 1997 to 2004. He was followed in 2008 by Alan Wehipeihana, a self-taught mixed-media artist, who also lived there and ran a working art studio. Since moving out Alan has offered more of his studio space up for the diverse artists who work there now.
Dianna Fary, Holtom’s Buildings, 2025
12th Māoriland Film
Festival
Wednesday, 26th till 30th March 2025
For more information visit www.mff.maorilandfilm.co.nz
The Māoriland Film Festival is Aotearoa’s international indigenous celebration of film, held each March in the vibrant community of Ōtaki.
The MFF is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous storytelling with five days of screenings, interactive installation and art exhibitions, industry events and more.
News
Air Chathams last dance means your last chance to savour Norfolk Island!
Sadly, Air Chathams has officially announced that it will not be extending its flight service to Norfolk Island past April 2025. After this date any flights to Norfolk Island will operate on a charter basis only, working directly with tour companies wanting to fly groups over peak travel periods for predominately the leisure market.
The ever-increasing operational costs flying this route between Auckland and Norfolk Island were simply not financially sustainable and the key reason for our decision to cease this route service beyond April.
Also, Air Chathams’ turboprop aircraft not being able to match the lower operating costs of jet aircraft (that serve other nearby South Pacific destinations) prevented the airline from discounting airfares further to boost customer demand without negatively impacting route affordability.
So this is your last chance to get onboard this summer and visit one of the most beautiful and unique destinations only a short flight away. Norfolk Island offers all the things you love about the South Pacific, with its own unique twist that is unforgettable once found. It’s a place where natural beauty, rich history, and genuine community spirit come together to create an experience unlike any other.
William Bligh - A Stormy Story of Tempestuous Times
Both author and illustrator have brought the tempestuous story of William Bligh to life in this superb new history book, which informs, intrigues and involves the reader by asking questions and upturning incorrect ‘facts’ and prejudices. It’s a must-read for any history buff, with this complex character brought vividly to life though words and illustrations.
The book can be purchased online from www.goodreads.com and www.norfolkonlinenews.com
Some exposed pieces of the waka have already recovered from the site, with larger pieces expected to be uncovered. Photo: Manatū Taonga
Chatham Island waka discovery prompts conservation efforts!
The partial remains of a waka have been found on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island.
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage said it was working closely with landowners, as well as the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, Ngāti Mutunga ki Wharekauri, Moriori Imi Settlement Trust, Heritage New Zealand and the Department of Conservation, to ensure that the recovery and conservation of the waka was undertaken appropriately.
After some tender loving care the Durie Hill Elevator is back!
One of New Zealand’s longest continually operating services, the elevator has been carrying passengers for over 100 years.
Set into the hill, a 213 metre tunnel and 66 metre public transport elevator - staffed by an operatorcarry you between Whanganui and Durie Hill for spectacular views and a walk back into history.
Today, Durie Hill Elevator remains a valued means of transport, a living inspiration for how we design, build, and move around our cities, and a wonder in its own right. Go to www.duriehillelevator.co.nz for operating hours and to book in on the excellent guided tour.
Farewell
to a friend
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END, and that is true of our time as proud custodians of the DC-3. We’ve loved sharing our passion for this plane with Kiwis up and down the country but now it’s time for it to start the next chapter of its journey in its new home in Australia.
‘Our’ DC-3 began life under the command of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and then served as a passenger commuter for the National Airways Corporation, which was the national domestic airline of New Zealand until 1978 when it amalgamated with our international airline,
Air New Zealand. Following that it put in many years doing that most-Kiwi of aviation chores – top dressing!
While in National Airways service, the DC-3 was originally named “Pouwhaitere”, the te reo name for a red-crowned parakeet found on Chatham Island and other remote Pacific islands, and has returned to National Airways Corporation colours in recognition of its long and extensive history with domestic flights in New Zealand.
Left: Another group of kiwis, young and old from around the motu enjoying their flight back in time on the DC-3.
The DC-3 is a dream way to travel, with wide doors and aisles, large ‘skyliner’ windows, comfortable seating, and great in-flight service options available.
We gave the DC-3 a huge send-off over summer, travelling around Aotearoa New Zealand, and even included a stopover on Norfolk Island on her way to her new home. Farewell old friend – we’re sure Trent Robinson Aviation in Darwin will treat you with as much love as we did!
The Big Four Oh
For 40 years Air Chathams has been keeping Kiwis across the country in touch, supporting small businesses and larger industries, and connecting remote communities with vital supplies and whānau. It’s been a wild ride, with challenges and opportunities, ups and downs - and now an upcoming book is set to tell the story of the little airline that could.
Respected author
Dr Stephen Clarke is a history graduate of the University of Otago and the University of New South Wales as well as being a professional historian. His previous works have covered the Returned Services Association and Rotary Clubs in New Zealand, and he is the founder of Making History Ltd, which has been making history accessible, interesting and impactful since 2015. For the past two years Stephen has been carrying out hours of research and interviews with the founders of the family-owned airline, staff and Chatham Islanders, and his upcoming journey through the first 40 years of Air Chathams charts its rise from one man band to the current company that employs more than 150 people and carries over a hundred thousand passengers a year. So how did it all start?
“It really came about because Craig Emeny had a real love of flying,” Stephen says. “His father was a distinguished WW2 fighter pilot who took part in the Battle of Britain and then later in Burma, so that love of planes was in his blood. It was no surprise Craig went into the air force, but he then trained as a commercial pilot and was looking for his ‘next flying gig’.”
This part of the story begins, like all good Kiwi stories, in a pub. Conversations over a beer at the Hotel Chatham in 1981 between some visiting Mid Canterbury farmers who owned a plane and Reg Wills, the owner of the Chatham Island Packing Company, who identified the need to get live crayfish from Pitt Island to Chatham. Reg, being a larger than life character, decided flying them was the modern thing to do and an advertisement was duly placed in an aviation magazine.”
“This first island-based airline completely changed the crayfish industry and, indeed, the Chathams.”
CEO Craig Emeny sporting a classic aviation mustache in the early days of the airline.
This was just the gig Craig was looking for (although 40 years on, his father’s sage advice to not stay more than three months on the Chathams seems to have been wasted!) and in no time at all he was flying a rented‘really, really, really old aeroplane’ - Cessna loaded with extra fuel on a recce mission.
“From the moment he lands on Chatham Island, after a 880km flight from Canterbury, Reg, ‘a million miles an hour sort of bloke’, is plotting and planning, even telling Craig ‘we’ll get you married on the Island’! They ended up using the Waitangi Racecourse as the first landing strip and the very next day Craig made the first flight to Pitt Island where he met prominent local family Boe and Ted Lanauze and whose daughter he did indeed marry!”
By 1984 Craig had bought his own aircraft and was flying live crayfish into Gisborne for the lucrative overseas Asian markets. “Very quickly – just two years after landing on the Chats - Craig is becoming a part of the community and has been welcomed into it.
Left: The 1953 Cessna 180 ZK-BEZ that Craig landed on the Chathams in January 1982
Below: Craig with Cessna T337G Super Skymaster II ZK-TSH
It’s a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship; Air Chathams needed the Islanders and the Islanders needed Air Chathams. This first island-based airline completely changed the crayfish industry and, indeed, the Chathams.”
By the 1990s, and now married to Air Chathams co-owner Marion Emeny, Air Chathams is expanding, but there was a much wider social impact in addition to the economic one; medical supplies, search and rescue, and the odd mercy dash were all in a day’s work for the fledgling airline.
“In 1996 local man Vaughan Hill had to be lifted off Pitt Island following a shark attack. Air Chathams’ long-time pilot Darron Kyle had to be talked in through low mist to make the landing and return Vaughan to Chatham Island, and then the Air Chathams Metroliner flew him up to Wellington - with blood transfusions being carried out enroute! Without that flight he would have died.”
As if life or death situations weren’t enough, the airline was also involved in heated competition described as ‘Air wars over the Chathams’ with a much larger player, Mount Cook Airline (owned by Air New Zealand), who were willing and able to run at a loss to secure a market share. Craig had taken on some of the Chathams stubborn determination by this stage however, and quitting just wasn’t an option.
“Craig had a great loyalty to the Islands, to the crayfishermen and to the community as a whole, and in return the Island was behind him, so he hung in there and by the late 1990s the airline was the sole provider to the Chathams, and now playing a significant role in the establishment of the Islands tourism industry with its muchloved Convair aircraft. I think to this day it’s fair to say Air Chathams is probably the only airline to have taken on the national carrier and survived.
What comes out strongly from this formative period is that Craig is not someone to burn bridges; he makes sure, no matter what, that relationships survive. It’s never personal and he’s always thinking about the bigger pictureof what’s best for the Islands’ airline and always the Chathams.”
Stephen’s history of 40 years of Air Chathams will be out later this year - we’ll let you know how and when you can get your copy!
Old fire station at Tuuta Airport
Father and son team Craig and Duane Emeny in the cockpit of the mighty Conviar 580
Glass Act
KĀPITI-BASED ARTIST
Graeme Hitchcock’s work is both vibrant and somehow sombre, whimsical yet thoughtprovoking. A painter and sculptor, he is perhaps best known for what he calls rough-cast glass, and he has been exhibited extensively throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and sells internationally as well. And yet the road to respected artist was neither straight, nor clear cut.
“I had so many jobs over the years,” he says. “I’m one of those people that as soon as they get bored, they need to move on. But I always think that in life, your path finds you.”
“In life, when someone says something to you – often with quite simple words – it can point you in a completely different direction.
These are signposts
but a lot of people don’t want to know or don’t really listen.”
“I wanted to be an artist, but never went down the route of art schools. To be honest I didn’t even really know what a university was when I left school!
I wasn’t allowed to do art in high school because it was thought that it ‘had no future’. I wasn’t even allowed to do School Certificate art because my father, who was a sparky, thought there was no future in it. He didn’t really push me in any other direction, but he said you’re not doing art and that was that.”
“My first job was actually in a menswear shop. Everyone was over sixty and couldn’t climb into the shopfront window. . . so I started doing the window displays. A coworker’s sister worked in a bookshop and I got a lot of books about display and learnt through that – and then at the tender age of 18 I got placed third in the national window display competition.”
In the age of internet shopping this may sound like no big deal; but when the high street ruled retail, window dressing was considered an artform in itself, and the win helped take Graeme to Wellington’s legendary institution, the Kirkcaldie & Stains department store.
“I used to make props to go into the displays, and one of the managers told me, y’know you can find stuff in the store to use, but I always preferred to make my own.
I moved on to work in the food industry, and while I’d always dabbled in art, I never really took it anywhere at the time. Then somebody told me that if you are not doing what you want to do by the time you are 40, then you’ll never do it. So at 38 I put an advert in the Evening Post that said ‘Frustrated artist seeks one-to-one tutor’. I had three people respond. One had just graduated from art school but only worked with straight lines – and I couldn’t see the point in that! – the second sort of painted chocolate box lids –which also didn’t appeal to me – but the third person’s work I loved so much I just said how much do you charge. I was also studying pottery at the time, but thought it was just too messy and that I’d stick with painting. Like so often though, I just got busy with other things – life got in the way – but at least I had set in my mind that I was going to paint.”
“The road to respected artist was neither straight, nor clear cut.”
‘Life’ in this case was a string of jobs, like managing delicatessens, being the first person to employ a chef in a major New Zealand supermarket, and also the first person to introduce bagged coleslaw in NZ. (Think about that the next time you are in the veggie section). Then, following a move to Auckland, Graeme broke a collar bone, which took him out of the workforce but also gave him the opportunity to finally paint full time.
“The first year I did two exhibitions and was just blown away by how people received my work. It was wonderful. I also ended up doing painting classes with Mathew Brown at Art Station, and it was him who said that I should try sculpture, because my paintings are so sculptural.
“The first year I did two exhibitions and was just blown away by how people received my work. It was wonderful.”
“I reckon in life, no matter what you do, when someone says something to you – often with quite simple words – it can point you in a completely different direction. These are signposts but a lot of people don’t want to know or don’t really listen. But I thought I’d heed the signpost, and there was a glass casting course at Art Station, which I did. And now I’ve been doing it full time for around 15 years.”
Unlike glass blowing, which is a comparatively instantaneous art, glass casting is a process of medieval complexity. Each sculpture comes from a wax model, which forms the basis for a mold that must withstand glass heated to its melting point of 800 degrees, before being slowly cooled over a week to avoid cracking or shattering. It is an exacting art to which Graeme adds the certainty of chance: he never records the exact makeup of the glass colouration, so while each piece emerging from the mold is physically identical, the colours are never the same.
Graeme has travelled extensively – last year for example he was awarded a residency in Finland – but his best known piece, Man Looking, was inspired by that most mundane of chores, his daily commute. “People think it’s me, but it’s not. As I was waiting at the lights in Auckland one day I saw these guys with their hands in their pockets looking up so bored and waiting for a bus. It just struck a chord. And those two guys in suits and ties, in one form or another, are all over the world now.”
Characters &CAPERS
& W
E OFTEN LOOK BACK ON THE PAST
as being staid and straitlaced; the serious faces in old black and white photographs appear incapable of humour, the prim and proper clothing pointing to quiet, regular lives lived in sleepy streets. In reality, many of our forebears went through exciting times indeed, with more cinematic characters and comical capers than we give them credit for. For evidence of this look no further than the work of author Murray Crawford, who for more than two decades has been charting the weird and wonderful stories of old Whanganui. Murray has published numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, for readers young and oldand yet he never really set out in life to be an author.
“Well, I kind of bumbled through life,” Murray says with a laugh, “and finally found something I enjoyed doing at 60 years of age!” That something was reporting for Whanganui community newspaper River City Press; it brought him into contact with the online resource of Papers Past, a treasure trove of archived New Zealand newspapers that stretches back to the 1840s and which has been beguiling writers and researchers since its inception.
Murray had previously written a novel based on the exploits of his great-grandfather, James Nixon, who had a fleet of launches he ran on the Whanganui River. “That book took about ten years to write,” Murray says, “as we were bringing up a family at the time. Writing a book takes a fair bit of concentration and with a family things often come up so you shelve it, meaning you have to get your head around it all over again.”
Eventually published in 1994, this was just the beginning; since then Murray has published seven books in total, many of them – like Whimsical Tales of Old Wanganui – charting the colourful characters and history of the city.
“When I retired, I concentrated on the Wanganui Herald, which is long since defunct, and the Whanganui Chronicle , which started up in the 1850s and is very much still going. Back in the day Whanganui was New Zealand’s fifth largest city, and it attracted a very diverse group of people. There is a huge amount of material in Papers Past, often quirky and humorous - sometimes quite tragicstories that make up the fabric of local history.”
“There is a huge amount of material in Papers Past, often quirky and humorous - sometimes quite tragic - stories that make up the fabric of local history.”
One story concerns what Murray refers to as the ‘not very bright con artists’. “They tried to make out that a gas explosion had occurred in a jeweller’s shop beneath the Rutland Hotel, which is an historic Whanganui landmark. It burnt down the Hotel. Then a couple of weeks later there was an actual gas leak at a boarding house they were staying at and the gas inspector searched the attic and found the gas leak alright but also all the watches and jewellery that had supposedly burnt in the fire! They ended up getting seven years hard labour.”
Other characters include Mr Whitlock, of Whitlock’s pickles and sauces fame. “The company originated right here in Whanganui, but the problem was that Mr Whitlock was known not just for his pickles but for his moonshine and got himself in a bit of trouble with the authorities. And then there was Tommy Atkins, who was our first petrolhead; in 1905 he was charged with travelling in excess of eight miles per hour in a 1903 Cadillac. ‘The Speed of the Motor Car!’ screamed the headlines and the judge described him as a ‘somewhat confirmed offender.’”
“But I guess my favourite would be Granny Dalton,” Murray says. “Nearly 40 years ago I saw a photograph of her in the paper and thought what a wonderful looking old lady she is. I put a framed picture of her in our hallway – and only recently found out that my daughter raced along the hallway terrified in the morning because Granny Dalton would be staring at her! And there was a saying from the early days that children better behave themselves or Granny Dalton will get you!”
Portrait of Granny Dalton. Ref: 1/2-032245F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23143005z
The Wanganui Herald, 6 April 1903, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10917. Credit paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Bridget ‘Granny’ Dalton was an Irish immigrant who arrived in Whanganui in 1874, one of a consignment of passengers on the ship Woodlark. Most of these passengers ended up before the courts on one charge or another, prompting the Resident Magistrate to declare: “A worse selection [of immigrants] could not have been made without going to the public gaol.” Granny eked out a poverty-stricken existence in hovels on the outskirts of town, appearing regularly before the magistrate both as a defendant and in some cases a plaintiff, followed around by her flea-infested menagerie of cats, dogs, ducks, geese – even a goat. She was looked after by the Sisters of Compassion, the Salvation Army, members of the public as well as the mayor and borough councillors, who took a paternalistic interest in her well-being, particularly when she became homeless; this happened often due to her propensity for accidentally burning down her shanties on a regular basis. “Perhaps”, says Murray, “cheap gin and candles were not a good combination.” And that is surely a lesson from history that still applies today.
Granny Dalton died in 1903 aged 80, but her story, like so many others of Whanganui’s rich past, lives on.
Located in Whanganui Hospital (next to ED) 100 Heads Road, Gonville, Ph (06) 348 1300
YOUR URGENT AND AFTERHOURS HEALTHCARE
Whanganui Accident & Medical (WAM) operates 8am to 8pm seven days a week, including public holidays. WAM provides urgent and general medical care to local whanau who are unable to access their General Practice, people new to Whanganui, and visitors to the region.
There is a cost to access WAM and Community Service Card holders are discounted. For further information on our service please visit this website: www.wrhn.org.nz/wam
Are you a Medical Officer or Nurse Practitioner interested in living in a diverse and vibrant city, and working in a fun and motivated multi-disciplinary urgent care team? Contact Gina at ghalvorson@wamc.org.nz and Mon at mwhite@wamc.org.nz
Family
Affair
Whakatāne is known as a fisherman’s paradise, and on any day the weather is good and the tide is right you’ll see a steady stream of boats heading out across the bar to catch kai moana. And there is a good chance that many of them will have been made just up the road.
SINCE 1993 SURTEES BOATS has been turning out some of the smoothest riding fishing boats in the world, thanks to their deep V hulls and rigid construction. The Surtees factory, located between Whakatāne and Kawerau, has workshops to handle pretty much every aspect of boatbuilding, but central to it all - and to the boats themselves - is aluminium welding, more of an artform than a trade, and not something for the faint-hearted!
Surtees boats have an incredibly strong and robust hull construction, with six fully-welded under-floor stringers running the length of the hull, a fully welded tread plate alloy floor and fully sealed buoyancy chambers along the length of the hull. Expertly welded aluminium means weight is kept to a minimum but strength is retained, and we don’t use the term ‘expertly’ lightly: each and every Surtees boat is built by one welder from start to finish, who then signs the hull proudly with his own initials.
Where it all began: Neil Surtees launches his first aluminium fishing boat in the early 90s.
“Back in the day most boat builders gave you a couple of bungs and a slap on the back,” says Cliff, “But when you buy a Surtees boat it’s not the end of the story it’s just the beginning.”
These boats are built with pride and passion, and not pushed through a production line; as the company motto goes, “Surtees are making their way around the globe, one perfect weld at a time”.
The story of Surtees going global begins however, like all good Kiwi stories, in a shed. Neil Surtees, the man behind the name, never set out to build an internationally renowned company that employs nearly 50 people - he just wanted a boat to go fishing in. “I was a boilermaker by trade,” Neil says, “and I just wanted a boat that was capable of crossing the Whakatāne bar to get out fishing. I knew welding and I’d built a couple of jet boats. So I knew what I wanted and just went for it.”
What he’d noticed from studying other boats was that most manufacturers just transposed a design from one material to another. “Most people just built a wooden boat in aluminium, but the difference in weight means that doesn’t really work. To take advantage of the benefits of aluminium you need a new design, something that means the boat is smooth at high speed and stable at low speed or at rest because of the stabilising ballast system.”
These boats are built with pride and passion, and not pushed through a production line.
Normally this would involve months of computer assisted design and prototyping, but Surtees came up with the ballast system and deep V hull combination all by eye and, remarkably, he was on the money first time. “If it looks right, then it probably is right,” he says with the enviable understatement of someone who really knows what the hell they are doing. That first boat caught the eye of a local who commissioned one for himself, word spread, and the rest as they say is history. The company has now picked up numerous international awards and last year alone they turned out around 350 boats that are chasing tight lines locally and abroad.
And yet Surtees Boats remains a very down to earth, very Kiwi company at heart. The ‘head office’ is in fact the former Surtees family home and so instead of corporate glitz there is a smoko room with fishing magazines, and
on a doorframe there are dozens of marks charting the heights of Surtees kids and kids of staff members who have been part of the Surtees story.
One of those staff members is Cliff Schick, who has been with Surtees for more than 20 years. When Cliff arrived the site was an apple orchard and his first job was knocking that down; he has now left the chainsaw behind and assumed the role of General Manager. “So much has changed,” he says, “and so quickly. Take the state-ofthe-art router cutter for instance. They are all computer controlled and work to a preprogrammed template that is accurate to 0.1mm accuracy. In the old days we used to cut the plates on the floor with a Skilsaw!”
Another thing that has changed is the level of after-sales support. “Back in the day most boat builders gave you a couple of bungs and a slap on the back,” says Cliff, “But when you buy a Surtees boat it’s not the end of the story it’s just the beginning. We kind of like to think that when you buy a Surtees you’re joining the family - so much so that customers are warned not to be surprised if they see someone sticking their head under their boat at the boat ramp - it will just be one of the welders checking to see if it’s one of theirs!”
Home Again
After more than 15 years in Australia, musician and storyteller Ajay Peni Ataera is finally back home on the Chatham Islands; with a new family, material for a new album, and a whole new chapter in life about to begin.
His band Black Robinnamed after the flightless Karure native to Little Mangare Island off Pitt Island in the Chathams.
Born and bred on the Chathams in a family ‘with salt in their bones’, it would have been easy for Ajay to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a fisherman, but there was another common strand running in the family that beckoned. “A lot of my uncles were amazing guitar players and singers,” Ajay says, “and all self-taught. I definitely think music is integral to the Chathams, not just playing it but even the essence of how music can create a whole feeling and energy that sticks in your memory. I’d loved music since I was really young, and my brother Pedro gave me my first guitar when I was 13 and it just kinda got under my skin. Then after we went on a family trip to Australia, Perth kinda got under my skin too and the two came together.”
Gigging in a covers band followed and before too long Ajay and his band Black Robinnamed after the flightless Karure native to Little Mangare Island off Pitt Island in the Chathams - had become a firmly established fixture in the local music scene. “Perth’s a really kind place for musicians, and in general, and I got a niche there. There’s a real boho, gypsy vibe there and though my style is a bit more raw it chimed over there too.”
Ajay has released music under both Black Robin and 44 Degreez - a hat-tip to home as the Chatham Islands are on latitude 44° South - and it’s easy to see how his raw, bluesy but also strongly melodic music would fit in with our Aussie cousins’ ‘boho, gypsy vibe’.
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“I’m setting up a studio on the Island, for my own work but I’d also like to host other musicians.”
“What I try and capture in the music is the Island and the rawness and wildness, the incredible characters and the landscapes – it’s the wild south east not the wild, wild west! When you grow up on the Island you have to be self-sufficient and it gives you a whole different way of seeing things. You’re treated like an adult from a real young age but there is also a great sense of freedom. It’s a wild, wild paradise, and it’s been the main influence on everything I do, from the whole ‘living on a rock in the ocean’ thing, to the life there with things like how typical it is to sit around the kitchen table yarning. I sort of call what I do ‘fisherman’s blues’ and just try and paint pictures in my head that reflect the Island life and the landscape but also the people. We’re a bit of a mixed bag down there bro, Moriori, Māori, Pākehā from all over, but we fly under the title of Chathams, that’s the glue that sticks us together, kinda how ‘Kiwi’ is the catchall on the mainland.”
The result is at the same time raucous and contemplative, music that moves the heart just as much as the feet. But Ajay has also been working on something much more monumental that’s filling a Perth dance floor.
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When you grow up on the Island you have to be selfsufficient and it gives you a whole different way of seeing things.
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one from the Moriori project and one of my own stuff - and I’m focussing on that now.” But coming home is also really about my family, my family on the Island and my wife and son, who was born late last year. I feel blessed to have grown up here and want that for him too.”
Check out Ajay’s Black Robin on your streaming platform of choice - and you can also hear it in the cabin on our Air Chathams flights!
Cadastral Surveyors, grew up in the Chatham Islands and makes regular visits home to assist the community.
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The mix of tree-lined fairways and open areas offers something for every golfer.
Fore!
Images supplied
There comes a time in every golfer’s life when the course you’ve played for years has been conquered, you know its every quirk and, well, the greens seem greener on the other side of the hill. You need a changeand there is nowhere else in our neck of the woods that offers golfers a change and a challenge like Norfolk Island.
The Norfolk Island Golf Club offers a nine-hole course with dual tees, providing variety and a challenge for 18-hole play. It is a par 72 layout featuring fairways that blend open links style golf seamlessly with coastal breezes, kikuyu grass and the island’s welcoming climate and natural landscape.
And what a landscape it is. The Norfolk Island Golf Club is one of the only golf courses in the world to be located within a UNESCO World Heritage site, and set in the heart of Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area, it offers sweeping ocean views and a backdrop of Georgian convict-era buildings. Golfers can enjoy panoramic vistas of Cemetery Bay and the rugged coastline, making it a course unlike any other. And the mix of tree-lined fairways and open areas offers something for every golfer.
The course exudes a relaxed, welcoming island vibe, with no rush or pretence - perfect for golfers of all levels - and a setting steeped in a colourful history. Surrounded by the remnants of Norfolk’s convict past, it offers a unique blend of sport and storytelling, with the clubhouse and pro shop area once being home to the Stipendiary Magistrate in convict times during the 1840s. Visitors also often remark on the surreal experience of playing next to Kingston’s historic cricket pitch (the oldest cricket pitch in the southern hemisphere) and the surrounding old stone buildings.
But there’s more to it than just sweeping views and walking with history. Norfolk Islanders are avid golfers - the game has been played there for over one hundred years, though the course was closed in 1914 for rifle practice! - and the club is a hub for the community, offering a welcoming atmosphere for visitors, including opportunities to join in local competitions or social games with friendly residents. It has been called the friendliest golf club in the world for good reason.
Surrounded by the remnants of Norfolk’s convict past, it offers a unique blend of sport and storytelling.
Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau
Norfolk Island
The highlight of the Norfolk Island golf year is the annual Norfolk Island Pro-Am Golf Classic, held each August, while the Governor’s Cup in November is a unique event with players entering as a pair and playing three different types of games over the three day event. Regular mixed tournaments and open days are a highlight for visiting players, and remember that clubs and gear are available to hire on the island to make a quick trip even more hassle free.
There’s nothing quite like sipping a cold one after a round and looking out over the fairways.
And the hassle-free, island life is what a golfing excursion to Norfolk Island is all about. The clubhouse, set in a stunning location, is perfect for unwinding with a drink and a bite to eat after a game; there’s nothing quite like sipping a cold one after a round and looking out over the fairways with Emily Bay and Government House on one side and the rolling surf and Phillip Island on the other. There’s also no post-game traffic to fight (but do remember that on Norfolk waving to fellow motorists is virtually compulsory, and cows get the right of way!), and what better way to top off a round of golf than with a beach walk or some snorkelling at nearby attractions such as the beaches at Emily and Slaughter Bays.
But be careful; it’s well known locally that golfers who visit Norfolk Island Golf Club nearly always come back! So this could be the start of a lifelong love affair.
On the Waterfront
Sitting in motorway traffic or listening to the hissing of summer lawns in south Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, it’s hard to believe that the whole city owes its heritage to the harbour. Some Kiwi settlements were built on beef, some on wool, some on coal and some on gold, but the City of Sails owes its very existence to the harbour that brought tall ships and trade to the fledgling colony and that fed its growth with cargo and containers and cruise ships. Simply put, without the Auckland waterfront, Auckland would be a very different place.
Images supplied Eke Panuku
That we have forgotten the vital role the waterfront played in the city and the country is partly because waterfronts are not pretty places; they are noisy and smelly with brutalist architecture, and the ‘wharfies’ who worked them were a tough lot who didn’t really welcome visitors. They - and the waterfront itself - played a crucial role in our national economy, so much so that in the 1951 Waterfront Dispute the government declared a national emergency and sent in troops to load ships and keep the country running. But the wharfies - and again the waterfront - were not celebrated or championed; they were avoided and overlooked.
Now that is changing and the Auckland waterfront is getting the love, recognition and resourcing it deserves. The Viaduct has been up and running for some time, Wynyard Quarter has been redeveloped into a vibrant place to be - and you ain’t seen nothing yet, there are even bigger plans to reconnect the city and its harbour that are just around the corner after years in the making.
“What a lot of people may not realise is that the wider regeneration of this part of our city has been underway since the early 2000’s,” says Frith Walker, Head of Placemaking at Eke Panuku Development Auckland.
Artist’s impression of the proposed new Auckland waterfront park
“At that time, city leaders were very keen to realise the opportunities presented by the waterfront and wanted to rejuvenate the area, but knew that you also had to look after all the marine industries that are vital to the city – if that could be done it would create a jewel in Auckland’s crown.”
“Re-establishing public access to the water was crucial. You’ve seen it happen in many cities all around the world that have come to the realisation that they have turned their backs on the waterfront or the waterfronts have been taken over by industrial zones – and of course industry is really important, but is there a way to incorporate public spaces into that? The thinking in Wynyard Quarter was focused on mixed use; how do you make sure you have enough diverse users to make the space really thrive? And that kick-started this transformation - one of the largest urban regenerations in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The jewel in the crown was starting out as a jewel in the rough however.
“The site previously housed a tank farm,” says Frith, “with huge containment tanks that stored and processed all sorts of things that were crucial to the Auckland economy, and relocating that was a really gnarly conversation.
There are even bigger plans to reconnect the city and its harbour.
One of the largest urban regenerations in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The space is heavily contaminated reclaimed land and a lot of work continues around making sure all the nasty bits are properly removed or contained and of course relocating the industrial sites.
“We’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with some incredible, clever, dedicated people attached to this project who believed in its potential and worked really hard to find solutions. It’s been a pretty inspirational thing to be a part of.”
As new homes and businesses have arrived, activation of the public spaces has been key to support this growing neighbourhood. While home to many major events over the years, such as the America’s Cup, World Rally Championships, boat shows and more recently Sail GP, the Wynyard Quarter has come into its own as an interesting and unique family-oriented place. Regular community-oriented activities, such as the hugely-popular Silo Cinema outdoor movies have become firm favourites for whānau from across the region, along with the interactive play spaces, new manu platform and outdoor pool, and even a book swap library. There is always something new to discover.
The best is yet to come however. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the regeneration of the headland (formerly known as Wynyard Point) will draw on learnings across the past 25 years of work to create a mix of thoughtful development and new public spaces.
While home to many major events over the years, Wynyard Quarter has come into its own as an interesting and unique family-oriented place.
“We’re working together with Mana Whenua on the Te Ara Tukutuku project so it’s going to be something special. I think for most people the real attraction will be the park, which will basically be the most democratic way in town to get out on the harbour! Walking out to the tip of the headland will feel like you are on the Waitemata. There is a long way to go yet but this park will be the first significant piece of public space to be built in Auckland for 100 years – so it’s pretty exciting and we think Aucklanders and Kiwis everywhere are going to love it”.
What do you get when you mix an Interior Designer and a Real Estate salesperson?
Rachel Gray
As an expert in both industries, I have a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable when buying or selling your home. If you are thinking of making a move, talk to me today!
Rachel Gray Residential/Lifestyle Sales Consultant M 027 323 3636 E rachel.gray@pb.co.nz rachelgray.pb.co.nz
Our fleet
Air Chathams has a fleet of 9 aircraft, ranging from single-engine light planes to turboprop passenger aircraft capable of speeds of over 500km/h. With this diverse fleet we can offer everything from scenic flights to charters, passenger services and freight.
ATR 72
Our newest regional airliner
Speed
500 kilometres per hour
Max Altitude 25,000 feet
Pressurised Cabin Yes
No. of Pilots 2
No. of Flight Attendants 2 No. of Seats 68
Inflight Catering Available Toilet Yes
Saab 340
Our Swedish princess
Speed 470 kilometres per hour
Max Altitude 25,000 feet
Pressurised Cabin Yes
No. of Pilots 2
No. of Flight Attendants 1
No. of Seats 34
Inflight Catering Available Toilet Yes
Cessna 206
The Chatham Islands workhorse
Speed 230 kilometres per hour
Max Altitude 10,000 feet
Pressurised Cabin No
No. of Pilots 1
No. of Flight Attendants 0
No. of Seats 5
Inflight Catering No
Toilet No
The airline that brings New Zealand together
Air Chathams is family owned and operated and is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, flying to some of the country’s best regional destinations. For more than 35 years we’ve been bringing New Zealand together.
Auckland
Whakatāne
Kāpiti Coast
Chatham Islands
Christchurch
Wellington
Whanganui
Norfolk Island
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