THEY'RE
BEE in the KNOW
BACK!
Think Global, New Head At Act Local Racecourse ‘Think global, act local’ sums up recent returnee Georgina Langdale. After an illustrious career spanning PR, policy and planning, including stints at the United Nations and Kew Gardens, Georgina is now applying her eco-know-how to her own small business, a medicinal apothecary, Archeus, in Poraiti, making beauty and health products. Georgina grew up in Central Hawke's Bay and returned in 2011, but was still working for the UN, so weeks were spent in Ethiopia and weekends here in the Bay. She moved back full time about a year ago. "With the UN I found myself thinking 'This is amazing work but I want to do the doing - I want to go home'", she explains. "I have five acres here and I want to look after that in a way that works with nature not against it, so my global thinking is informing my local action." With her work for the UN, Georgina developed tools for economies to determine their conservation and environmental bottom line. "We wanted to ask 'What is the value to society of nature?' And 'What is the cost if we degrade the eco-system we rely on?'" Living in London, Georgina was running a PR business working on cultural projects. The opportunity arose to use her skills at Kew Garden and her focus moved from the arts to the environment. "I'd been a conduit for culture and I thought I'd like to do this for nature because she needs a lot of voices," she says. That commitment is at the heart of her cottage industry Archeus. "I'm really enjoying being back. Hawke's Bay is a great place. It's got everything going for it to be a great region," says Georgina. "I just wanted to get my hands back in this soil because this is the landscape that nurtured me."
Butch Castles is the new CEO at Hawke's Bay Racing. He's a Bay boy through and through who snuck down to the races when he was in high school and is now thrilled to be back, in a more official capacity. "Anyone who's grown up in the Bay yearns to get back, because it's a great place to live and work," he says. "This role is an excellent opportunity for me to broaden my skills and challenge myself." Butch believes Hawke's Bay is vital to New Zealand racing. "Spring Carnival has an extremely important place in the racing calendar. We have a better surface than most places in the spring because of the climate," he explains. "That can spring board the horses into Australian campaigns and provide the New Zealand horses a run early in their season." Butch has worked at the Hawke's Bay facility before. Twenty three years ago he helped organise some events there. "Those were the halcyon days of the $2 million stakes. There were some wonderful horses back then," he says. Butch left the Bay in 1988 and has worked in racing ever since aside from a stint in a brewery. Most recently he's spent ten years at Auckland Racing Club at Ellerslie as executive manager of racing. He is a regular panelist on Track Side racing television show, Weigh In.
Page 12 • Issue 25 • Sep / Oct 2015 • BAY BUZZ