BB#59-Jul-Aug-2021 by BayBuzz

N 59 • JULY / AUGUST 2021 • HAWKE’S BAY UP CLOSE, IN DEPTH

Need a tradie? Good luck!

9 772253 262016

$10.00 INC. GST

Jul/Aug

HB rental nightmare Stop wasting food Ahuriri Estuary tipping over Stunning Walk of Wonders Councils evade scrutiny

OF HAWKE’S BAY

505 Karamu Road, Hastings (06) 872 8222 lexusofhawkesbay.co.nz

59 BayBuzz July/August 2021 Forget finding a plumber! Finding a rental just as hard. Accountable councils ... an oxymoron? Indulge your eyes and ears at Walk of Wonders. Touch everything at the Faraday Centre. Ahuriri Estuary suffering. Meet Pan Pac. Stop wasting food. Will new arts $ ignite HB? Plus alcohol, bail-out morphine, feasting, books and DIYing. Cover: Apprentice joiner, Aroha Allison. Photo: Florence Charvin. This page: Ralphy Watkins and friend at the Faraday Centre. Photo: Tom Allan

Featured Contributor Follow us at: baybuzzhb Articles online at: baybuzz.co.nz Lizzie Russell Assistant Editor and Senior Writer

Editorial enquiries editors@baybuzz.co.nz Advertising enquiries Sarah Hoffmann sarah@baybuzz.co.nz

It was 2012 when Tom Belford met me for coffee and asked me to write my first story for BayBuzz. Fresh-faced and nervous, I composed a piece on ‘the state of the arts in Hawke’s Bay’. Since then, my involvement has ebbed and flowed, but my enthusiasm for the magazine, the region, and the arts has remained. These days I’m mostly perched at Tennyson Gallery in Napier, selling the art, playing with the jewellery, working on other writing and event projects, and wrangling bits of BayBuzz copy. I like to focus on local people, passions and happenings, and have been re-jigging the Bee In The Know pages to show more of Hawke’s Bay. Feel free to feed into that!

Reach BayBuzz by mail BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North

BayBuzz Team EDITOR: Tom Belford ASSISTANT EDITOR: Lizzie Russell SENIOR WRITERS: Kay Bazzard; Tom Belford; Abby Beswick; Bridget Freeman-Rock; Keith Newman; Lizzie Russell; Mark Sweet COLUMNISTS: Charles Daugherty; Andrew Frame; Paul Paynter; Dominic Salmon; Jess Soutar Barron; Hazel Thomas; Ian Thomas; Louise Ward BUSINESS WRITER: Sarah Cameron EDITOR’S RIGHT HAND: Brooks Belford PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Allan; Florence Charvin ILLUSTRATION: Brett Monteith; Israel Smith DESIGN: Unit Design Max Parkes; Giselle Reid ONLINE: Liz Nes BUSINESS & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Kathleen Botha PRINTING: Blue Star Group

Photo: Florence Charvin

Bee in the know 4 From the editor 6 BayBuzz hero – Vaccine rollout 7 Bee in the know by Lizzie Russell 14 Climate update

ISSN 2253-2625 (Print) ISSN 2253-2633 (Online)

This document is printed on an environmentally responsible paper produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp sourced from Sustainable & Legally Harvested Farmed Trees, and manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System. Photo: Tom Allan 2 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Photo: Florence Charvin

Features

BayBiz

Culture & lifestyle

18 Lit up: Walk of Wonders 2021 Lizzie Russell Sound and light extravaganza at Black Barn. 24 Faraday Centre: tinkering with the past Jess Soutar Barron Touching gadgets & history at the HB Museum of Technology. 30 Holding councils accountable Political update by Tom Belford How do we get more accountable councils? 38 Struggling to find a home Abby Beswick Finding a rental in Hawke’s Bay. 44 Ahuriri Estuary … at the tipping point Andrew Frame Recent times have seen the estuary deteriorate severely.

50 Hawke’s Bay construction industry staggers under workload Sarah Cameron Huge backlogs, from major construction to your plumber. 56 Pan Pac: a quiet giant Brenda Newth Major regional economic player becoming more visible.

70 No more ‘sizzle then fizzle’ Kay Bazzard Major arts funding coming to region. 74 Demand and (eventual) supply Louise Ward Waiting for a brilliant book. 76 Food festivals Ian Thomas Feast over something authentic … Matariki. 78 What’s your relationship with alcohol? Hazel Thomas Alcohol is nobody’s best friend. 80 A perch is not a home Jess Soutar Barron DYI-er versus the council.

Ideas & opinions 64 When business life support ends Katie Nimon Danger of getting hooked on bailout morphine. 66 Coping with three crises at once! Charles Daugherty Climate change and biodiversity trump Covid. 68 Opportunity ripe for the taking Dominic Salmon Let’s stop wasting food.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 3

F R O M T H E ED I TO R TO M BEL FO R D

Where are we, exactly, on the Covid recovery pathway in Hawke’s Bay? Anecdotally, we hear that a flotilla of boats have been sold. That art is being bought. That upmarket auto dealers can’t meet demand. And certainly builders can’t, as our feature article headlines: Hawke’s Bay’s construction industry staggers under workload. We’ve lurched from a labour shortage in the orchards to a labour shortage in construction. Housing demand continues to outstrip supply, with rentals nearly impossible to come by, as reported in Struggling to find a home. It would appear that we’re ready to have fun and entertain ourselves … events are well-attended; bars and restaurants seem booked. But then all of a sudden there’s a surprisingly quiet one on a Friday night. Meantime, one business steams along (read our Pan Pac article), another one folds. Some farmers/growers do quite well thank you, even in drought, while others struggle to make ends meet. Some businesses and municipal bureaucrats are planning on the basis of a rising Hawke’s Bay population; yet one of NZ’s premiere demographers tells me HB’s population ‘growth’ will soon flatline. So … who’s keeping the scorecard? And is there a shoe about to drop, as Katie Nimon warns in When business life support ends, when Government subsidies for economic recovery expire? Who will turn out to be overleveraged when interest rates rise? Meantime, our councils chug along, financially secure. Our councils have just completed their long-term planning processes with nary a scratch, although their

workloads and challenges ahead are daunting. And they are confronted by a Government that has been cash generous on the one hand, but is signaling on the other hand clear displeasure with the current local structures that have delivered (or not) key services in the past. This is most obvious with respect to water services management – drinking water, stormwater and wastewater. But consolidation is underway in health care, education and perhaps other areas. And an overall review of local government and whether it is ‘fit for purpose’ has been announced … presumably because someone in authority believes it is not! Our councils will try to rally us to their defense, claiming that as dysfunctional as they might be, they are the devil we know … whereas who knows what evil lurks in Wellington?! I’ve written about Holding councils accountable in this edition. If local councils want our loyalty, they’ll need to up their game when it comes to transparency and performance accountability. In the midst of all this unsettledness, our BayBuzz conscience-keepers nonetheless keep prodding us to do better. Dom Salmon wants us to stop wasting our food. Charles Daugherty wants us to get serious about climate change. Andrew Frame warns that the Ahuriri Estuary is at a tipping point. Hazel Thomas wants us to drink less. Ian Thomas wants us to feast better. Kay Bazzard wants more sizzle from our arts community. Louise Ward wants us to read more. Jess Barron speaks up for DIYers. Good on all of them! If all this exhortation to improve things gets overwhelming, you can escape by enjoying the Walk of

Wonders at Black Barn, a multimedia experience tantalizingly previewed by Lizzie Russell in Lit up. So that’s our magazine for July/ August. But I also urge you to indulge in our expanded online coverage as well. Most of the issues we raise in this magazine are continually evolving and our online coverage is intended to monitor and report on that flow … to keep you in the know. We can’t write a 3000-word essay on HB’s marine environment in every edition of BayBuzz, but we can certainly update you and sound the alarm online every week if the situation requires. The same with every other big, complex issue here in the Bay. So BayBuzz now offers both depth and timeliness: www.baybuzz.co.nz I hope you find that helpful and take advantage of it. Enjoy!

Tom Belford tom@baybuzz.co.nz

Tom has been a two-term HB Regional Councillor. His past includes the Carter White House, building Ted Turner’s first philanthropic organisation, doing heaps of marketing consulting for major non-profits and corporates.

BayBuzz is subject to the New Zealand Media Council. Complaints to be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to editors@baybuzz.co.nz. If unsatisfied, the complaint may be pursued with the Media Council at: info@mediacouncil.org.nz. Further detail and complaints form are available at www.mediacouncil.org.nz.

4 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Thanks to our

BayBuzz Sponsors

They commit Our Foundation Sponsors provide year-long support to our magazine and online service, helping to ensure BayBuzz can deliver quality journalism to Hawke’s Bay readers, connecting and informing our community.

BayBuzz commits With that support, at a time when local journalism has never been more important, we commit to bringing Hawke’s Bay in print and online: • The most in-depth insight into the major environmental, economic and social issues challenging the region. • The most comprehensive window into our region’s arts and culture and community achievements. • The most provocative and inspiring views and opinions on where Hawke’s Bay should head and why.

Not receiving our free weekly e-newsbrief, The Buzz? Simply visit www.baybuzz.co.nz and register your email address.

baybuzz.co.nz

facebook.com/baybuzzhb

BAY BUZ Z HE R O

Vaccination time Nurse Vaccinator Alistair Ayto is one of nearly 100 medical staff trained to deliver the Pfizer Covid vaccine in Hawke’s Bay. The DHB and several general practices throughout the region are currently delivering the vaccine to ‘Group 3’, which includes over 50,000 people. Vaccinations for the general population – ‘Group 4’ – are expected to begin at the end of July, with people invited in age bands. Wait to hear from either the DHB or your GP to get your vaccination appointment sorted, as there are no 'walk-in' clinics.

Photo: Florence Charvin

BEE I N T H E K N OW / L I Z Z I E R US S E LL

Who's our tradie?

BB59's cover star Aroha is currently doing her joinery apprenticeship at EDK – European Designer Kitchens in Taradale. Last year she finished top of her class in EIT's new joinery programme, which sprung up in response to increased industry demand.

What's Hot What's Not &

Hot

• Live music in country halls. •G umboots at the Farmers Market. This year it’s outside all through winter, let’s be sensible. •P lug-in cars. •H astings’ Municipal Building: coming back, better than ever in 2022! •A pprenticeships. •L arge-scale light art… helloooo Walk of Wonders. •R oadworks: infrastructure spending we can actually see, and friendly waves from road working teams.

Not

• Netflix, Neon, Apple TV, Amazon Prime at home. • Oodies in public. • Moaning about the Climate Change Commission recommendations. • Napier’s council buildings….uhhh? • OEs. • All of last year’s cancelled events that never found their way. • Roadworks: trying to suss timing on the (bumpy) commute around the region.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 7

B EE I N T HE K N OW

The BayBuzz team have been munching on donuts – yes, it’s a hard job, but we’ve taken the hit in order to make our list of ten best donuts in the Bay. In no particular order, here are our picks:

1 Churros from Mamacita. Whether you’re at the Napier or Havelock North Mexican restaurant, save some space for dipping these goodies in gooey chocolate sauce at the end of the meal.

2 Follow your nose (honestly, the

aroma lingers up and down the block) and support a new local business by popping into Stuffed next time you’re on Hastings Street. The Banoffee filled donut is big, bold and beautiful.

3 Napier icon Donut Robot is a mustvisit. Grab a generous BAG of hot ‘nuts from Steve the Donut Man, and enjoy a side serving of his signature charm.

4 We’re not recommending you do all the Tennyson Street delicacies in a single mission. But you’re going to need to tick off a classic chocolate injectable from Mr D.

Colour, sugar and Steve’s cheeky charm combine at Tennyson Street’s Donut Robot. Photo: Florence Charvin

5 There’s usually a fruit-filled option at Little Black Bird in Hastings’ Market street too. Snug on the corner couch, icing sugar all over your grinning face. How good.

6 Or, if you’re feeling adventurous,

Mr D’s new ‘Vaccinator’ - coconut, lime and palm sugar might be the one. Plus the fruit makes it healthy.

7 Hastings donut-lovers rightfully

rave about Mama’s on Omahu Road. Our favourite: Choc-Cherry.

8 Another Hawke’s Bay classic,

Ya Bon’s custard-filled donuts. Find them all around the region, from Cupple in Hastings to Tenku in Waipukurau, Ajuna in Napier and loads of spots in between.

9 Little Frimley Kitchen’s donuts

are sensational. Hard to pick, but we’re in agreement here on the raspberry white chocolate.

10 And finally, we’ve gobbled a

few versions of the old-school long cream donut from bakeries about the place. Te Mata Bakehouse takes the cake.

Black Barn winners! We might have found THE most generous parents in Hawke’s Bay, matched only by the most generous prize sponsors. Over the summer, BayBuzz readers and subscribers entered the competition for the third annual amazing Black Barn Ultimate Experience. Our winners are Malcolm and Rae Walker who reside in Havelock North and are gifting the prize to their two sons and daughters-in-law.

8 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

The Black Barn Ultimate Experience is made up of two nights’ accommodation for two couples at a Black Barn luxury cottage, lunch for two couples at Black Barn Bistro, a beautiful gift hamper from the Black Barn Kitchen Store and a mixed case of Black Barn current release wines from the cellar door. Huge thanks to Black Barn for their ongoing support and this stunning prize package, and congratulations to the Walkers!

Switch on to the beauty of gas.

Visit our showroom today and explore the latest designer ranges of gas fires from Rinnai and Rais. 308 Albert St, Hastings or call 06 211 6462.

SUSTAINABLE HOMES APPROVED SERVICE PROVIDER

BEE I N T HE K N OW

Small Halls Beloved Hawke’s Bay live music promotor Jamie Macphail’s new mission has taken off! The Small Halls Sessions are Jamie’s vehicle for bringing the intimacy and magic of great musical performance to the previously under-used stars of our many rural communities – the small halls. Late May saw Barry Saunders and Delaney Davidson play the Pukehou Photo: Florence Charvin

Church, the King George Hall at Bayview, and the Haumoana, Maraekakaho and Omakere community halls. Reb Fountain and Dave Khan sold out all five of the June shows, which took in Onga Onga, Pukehou, Bayview, Sherenden and finished up at St Andrew’s Hall in Hastings. If you’re speedy you might be able to book for Darren Watson, who’s in town (and country) from July 7th to

11th, playing Tikokino, Sherenden, Otane, Waimarama and Te Awanga. These gigs are special. The musicians chosen to feature, combined with Jamie’s welcoming ways, the local refreshments and the halls themselves make for a warm, memorable evening. Hit your closest one or take a drive somewhere new – it’s worth the trip. smallhallsessions.co.nz

Remembering Fane Flaws 1951-2021 Iconic New Zealand artist and musician, and local legend Fane Flaws passed away in June. A family man, a community man and a twinkly-eyed hard case, Fane is mourned and missed by many. This image was shot by Richard Brimer in the photographer’s home at Te Awanga. Fane told Richard one day that the door (pictured), which was blank white at the time, was a problem – wrong energy. He took off to collect paints, came back and created this piece, painting directly onto the door.

“A few months later I get a call from Fane,” Richard recalls. “He was sending a couple of guys to come and take it off its hinges and deliver it to the gallery in Hastings for the Hawke’s Bay Invitational! We went through a whole freezing winter without a door!” Always the innovator. Rest easy, Fane.

BayBuzz Online Did you know we now have heaps of content available digitally?

Recovery

Jump Starters There’s nothing like the whole world shutting down to refocus us on the benefits of buying and supporting local. BayBuzz talks to three Hawke’s Bay businesses who have moved swiftly to turn a crisis into a positive, and found strength in community spirit along the way. Story by Giselle Reid and Lizzie Russell.

Ultrella From small beginnings selling jars of natural deodorant at the Piecemakers Pop-up and Hereworth Christmas markets, Mel Lewis soon realised she had to take her business to the next level if she was going to compete with a growing number of competitors in the personal care space. The new business was over a year in the planning. “My customers had told me the products they wanted to be using, but I didn’t have the technical skills to create them.” Through the Hawke’s Bay Business Hub, she applied for, and won, a Callaghan Innovation R&D grant at the start of 2019. That financial support enabled her to work with a leading product formulator to bring her ideas to fruition. Ultrella Natural Deodorant is the first deodorant in NZ and Australia (“and the whole world, as far as we know”) to be able to reduce sweating naturally. The hero ingredient is a natural Botox alternative called IBR-Snowflake®, a plant extract made from Summer Snowflake bulbs. This ingredient has been clinically proven to reduce sweating by 36% ... up until now you’ve had to use an antiperspirant to get results like this. Ultrella was launched the Friday before lockdown. “It was a completely surreal day,” says Mel. “I very nearly didn’t go ahead, but then I kept thinking, ‘If I don’t do it now, when will I do it? There’s never a perfect time to launch a business, so I just leapt in and went for it.” Prior to lockdown, she had been in negotiations with four major NZ retailers, but those conversations halted immediately. In this instance, being small worked in her favour, quickly pivoting to focus

entirely on online sales. Fortunately, Ultrella already had an online store, built by Aimee Stewart’s team at Connect Plus. “When it looked like we were going into lockdown, I made a dash up to our warehouse in Napier, and loaded up my car with as many boxes of products as I could fit in so we could dispatch from home if required. It was such a lucky move.” There were a couple of nervous weeks as Mel waited to find out if Ultrella was included on the MBIE’s register for Essential Goods. Once that was established, Ultrella was good to go. “Having the population at home, spending a lot of time online, actually worked in our favour during those first few weeks. It gave us a chance to connect with potential customers and educate people about our ethos and our products.” The groundswell of ‘buy New Zealand’ made sentiment on social media, and in particular the now 500,000 strong New Zealand Made Products Facebook page, provided a huge kick-start for Ultrella. The response to one unsponsored post on that Facebook page was “mental”, says Mel, “I had over 1,000 comments and questions to respond to. It took me days to go back to everyone. I posted on the Saturday night. By Sunday lunchtime it was obvious we were going to run out of courier supplies. It was really stressful trying to get more down from Auckland. The support from other local businesses was incredible.” Mel put out a call for help and Steve Christie from Blackroll NZ, Tom Ormond from Hawthorne Coffee, Nathan from Blackbird Goods and Shaz and Garon from Ecokiosk were among the

Ultrella founder, Mel Lewis. Photo: Florence Charvin JULY/AUGUST 2020 • BAYBUZZ • 23

1. The Buzz e-newsletter

2. baybuzz.co.nz updated website

3. BayBuzz digital magazine

Are you signed up for our weekly e-newsletter, The Buzz?

Did you know our web content is growing by leaps and bounds?

Have you seen the digital version of BayBuzz magazine?

Delivered Saturday morning to your email in-box.

For example, our Hawke’s Bay events listings are the most comprehensive available.

Read BayBuzz on your tablet or laptop, exactly as printed. Great for your overseas friends.

You can find it all here: www.baybuzz.co.nz/digital

Hawke’s Bay COVID-19 vaccination information

Hawke’s Bay DHB is now vaccinating people in group 3. This includes: everyone over 65 people with a disability and people who are in a position of caring for a person with a disability

pregnant women (any trimester)

people with some underlying health conditions* *Please visit www.covid19.govt.nz for details of relevant underlying health conditions.

If you are in this group you will receive a letter or you will be contacted by your health provider (if they are a COVID-19 vaccinator) with instructions on how to book your appointment. There’s nothing else you need to do at this stage. Bookings are essential. Hawke’s Bay District Health Board cannot accept walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Find out more on our website hbcovidvaccine.nz Check what group you are in at covid19.govt.nz/myvaccine

CLIM ATE

Commercial 3%

Wood processing 1%

Horticulture 1%

Meat 5%

How New Zealand uses coal

Other Industry 5% Cement & Lime 4%

Dairy 29%

Electricity 18%

Steel 33%

Burning embarassment In 2015 New Zealand used 2.7 million tonnes of coal Cutting coal money At a June meeting of the G7 environment ministers, all member nations (France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States) agreed to limit international financing for coal projects and eventually to end financing for such projects around the world. This leaves China as the only major funder of overseas coal power plants. Coal production in NZ is about 3.4 million tonnes, and some is exported. Coal accounts for about 10% of New Zealand’s primary energy (excluding transport fuels). The Climate Change Commission wants to eliminate use of coal for electricity generation.

14 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Non meaty In plant-based ‘meat’ news, multinational behemoth Unilever is partnering with food-tech company ENOUGH and its brand The Vegetarian Butcher to bring new meat-free products to market at scale. Recent studies suggest that the western world will reach ‘peak meat’ in 2025 and then consumption will begin to drop, with more meat-free alternatives finding their way into our kitchens and menus. The global meat-free sector is projected to be worth US$290 billion by 2035.

HBRC uber alles! A QC hired by HBRC, NCC and HDC has recommended that the Regional Council have full sole authority over coastal hazard mitigation planning and funding. Here are his words:

“I recommend that the HBRC takes charge of all aspects of the prevention and mitigation of coastal hazards on the Clifton to Tangoio coast including deciding on preventative, mitigating or remedial works, making all decisions about rating for these works and collecting those rates, the implementation of all decisions including supervising works, and the control of all maintenance. I recommend that there be an advisory committee which includes members of both the NCC and HDC, but that this advisory committee has no decisionmaking powers, and no ability to delay the implementation of proposals.” No mincing of words here. Of course the councils need to adopt this advice. Hopefully common sense reflected in these recs will prevail. More here: baybuzz.co.nz/how-tomanage-coastal-hazards/

New analysis from Rhodium Group has announced that China’s greenhouse gas emissions exceeded developed nations combined in 2019.

China’s new milestone New analysis from Rhodium Group has announced that China’s greenhouse gas emissions exceeded developed nations combined in 2019. The study compared China’s output to all of the EU and OECD nations. The data from 2020 is still coming, but the prediction is that it will show China’s per-capita emissions exceeded the OECD average.

4.0 on the Goat Scale We were impressed to see this in the inbox recently. Does your electricity provider engage you this way? They should!

CCC says

Court order for big oil

Land transport emissions have doubled since 1990 and the NZ Climate Change Commission recommends these measures to rein them in: • The creation of an “integrated national transport network” to reduce travel by private car. • Policies to lift walking by 25%, cycling by 95%, and public transport use by 120%, by 2030. • Getting electric vehicles lifting their market share for light vehicles from its current 2% to 47% by 2027. • Ending imports of pure petrol and pure diesel light vehicles by 2032, with trucks to transition later. • Increasing rail’s share of freight from 16% to 20% and some decarbonisation of rail. • Changes to urban planning leading to a 7% drop in travel per person on average. • Scaling up low-carbon fuels, such as biofuels, to 3% of liquid fuels by 2035. Responding to these and other CC recommendations, by 31 December the Government must have formally adopted its emissions budgets and finalised the country’s first emissions reduction plan, detailing the policies it will use to achieve the budgets. More here: baybuzz.co.nz/climatecommission-insists-inaia-tonu-nei/

In late May a court in the Hague ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut carbon emissions from its oil and gas by 45% by 2030. Earlier this year, Shell set out one of the energy sector’s most ambitious climate strategies, with a target to cut the carbon intensity of its products by at least 6% by 2023, by 20% by 2030, by 45% by 2035 and by 100% by 2050. The court ruled however that this plan was “not concrete and is full of conditions... that’s not enough.” The lawsuit was filed by seven groups including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Netherlands, on behalf of 17,000 Dutch citizens.

Too hot to live A recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change exploring heat deaths in 732 cities around the globe from 1991 to 2018 attributed 37% of them to global warming. This amounts to around 9,700 people per year, just in the cities studied. The highest percentage of heat deaths caused by climate change were in South American cities. The study is said to be one of the first to look into climate changerelated heat deaths now, rather than modelling the future. “Climate change is not something in the distant future,” senior author Antonio Gasparrini, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told AFP. “We can already measure negative impacts on health, in addition to the known environmental and ecological effects.” The heat death data is just the tip of the melting iceberg, with researchers stating that many more will die from other weather events made extreme by climate change, such as storms, droughts and flooding.

Biodiversity bucks Germany has launched the $1 billion Legacy Landscapes Fund in response to countries failing to meet internationally agreed 2020 targets to prevent the destruction of plants and wildlife. The fund aims to “halt global biodiversity loss and provide longterm financial support for protected areas across three continents.” The German Government and private donors have contributed the first $100 million and the goal is to mobilise enough funding from private and public donors to provide 15 years of financial support for 30 conservation areas in Asia, Africa and South America. At the launch event, US climate envoy John Kerry stated “Nature is our best line of defence against the climate crisis. When given the chance, nature often recovers.”

1.5 degrees New research from the UK Met Office shows that the chance has doubled of the planet hitting the dreaded 1.5 degree above pre-industrial average, in the next five years. While one singular year hitting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree anti-target doesn’t mean the limit has been exceeded permanently, it’s not good news.

Unison is pleased to sponsor robust examination of energy issues in Hawke’s Bay. This reporting is prepared by BayBuzz. Any editorial views expressed are those of the BayBuzz team and do not reflect the views of Unison.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 15

Subscribe to the best thinking in the Bay. BayBuzz is your best source of quality local insight, opinion and happenings from the best talent in Hawke’s Bay.

And now, with three great value options, you can choose how to get your BayBuzz fix. Print, Digital or Premium for Print + Digital. For as little as $2.50 to $4.50 a month you’ll get direct access to quality journalism, thought leadership, striking photography and cutting-edge design. Get online to take action at babybuzz.co.nz/subscribe

Sign me up! I want all the value that comes with a subscription to the best journalism in Hawke’s Bay.

Recovery

Ultrella founder, Mel Lewis. Photo: Florence Charvin JULY/AUGUST 2020 • BAYBUZZ • 23

BayBuzz Premium

BayBuzz Digital

BayBuzz Print

$49.95/yr

$24.95/yr

$39.95/yr

• $49.95 yearly (best value) • or $4.50 monthly

• $24.95 yearly • or $2.50 monthly

• $39.95 yearly • or $3.50 monthly

• 6 issues of BayBuzz magazine per year • 6 issues of BayBuzz Digital version exactly as printed (great for your tablet) • All BayBuzz website content • Weekly e-newsletter, The Buzz • Free six-month gift subscription for friend

• 6 issues of BayBuzz Digital version exactly as printed (great for your tablet) • All BayBuzz website content • Weekly e-newsletter, The Buzz

• 6 issues of BayBuzz magazine per year • Free six-month gift subscription for friend

Online Follow the easy steps on the website and pay with credit card baybuzz.co.nz/ subscribe

By email Pay via bank transfer to 02-0655-0083775-000, including your name as the reference, and email your address details to editors@baybuzz.co.nz

Lit up: Walk of Wonders 2021 Lit up: Walk of Wonders 2021 By Lizzie Russell

What if, somewhere in the Havelock hills, there was a portal to another time? And what if Rush Cottage at Black Barn was the home and workshop of a genius inventor? And what if there were birds big enough to carry human passengers? This August, we get to explore these what-ifs, and a myriad of magical light art at the second edition of Walk of Wonders. Creative director and co-founder Ant van Dorsten is hard at work in the shared loft workspace in Heretaunga Steet, walking the trapeze wire of excitement, inspiration and panic at the range and volume of what must be done to bring this project to light and life. “This one is big,” he says with a tense smile, “this one is much more ambitious.”

You might say that Walk of Wonders has its origins at Burning Man. Ant and Henry have ventured to Nevada annually since 2015 to partake in the nine-day immersive art experience that is Burning Man.

Ant and his childhood friend and business partner Henry Gordon (who runs Black Barn Bistro) introduced Walk of Wonders last November, delayed from its original winter date by Covid, to around 7,000 visitors, who delighted in exploring the walkthrough large-scale light art show. Think giant billowing and glowing toadstools, tunnels of light, a strobing feature in the Black Barn amphitheatre, animated faces in the hedges, bobbly towers of lustrous light orbs, light paint action in the underground cellar – it was a feast for the senses! It was joy-filled, and

You can picture them, slumped over beers at Brave Brewing in Hastings as the news rolled in. Border closing, lockdown looming, uncertainty the new normal. For events specialists and technicians, things turned very dark very quickly.

Xxxxxxx

LEFT: Ant van Dorsten. Photo: Florence Charvin RIGHT AND PREVIOUS PAGE: Light paintings. Photos: Hazel Redmond

astonishing and utterly beautiful. You might say that Walk of Wonders has its origins at Burning Man. Ant and Henry have ventured to Nevada annually since 2015 to partake in the nine-day immersive art experience that is Burning Man. Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis, is erected by the participants for a festival of art and music and self-expression. To hear Ant explain it, it sounds addictive. This is where Ant and Henry fell truly in love with huge art, and where they met their artistic heroes, sculpture duo HYBYCOZO, the Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone. From that fortuitous meeting and other international connections made around this time, Ant and Henry’s company Vesica Aotearoa was formed. Vesica became the Australia/NZ agent for HYBYCOZO, bringing the largescale geometric installations from the northern hemisphere down under

20 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

for festivals and buyers. This led to further the development of Vesica’s own ‘quiver’ (how Ant refers to their collection of light works – like a quiver of arrows), and involvement with the circuit of large, immersive art and light festivals throughout Australasia. But of course, soon it was time for them to create an experience of their own – Walk of Wonders. The longerterm plan for Walk of Wonders is to take it on the road, tour it throughout New Zealand and Australia. Ant bounces between his desire to make art of his own and his compulsion to make space and possibility for the art of others. In creative directing he’s finding the balance. First he took that role with the initial Outfield Festival, and now he’s driving this side of Walk of Wonders, while business partner Henry Gordon has a handle on the user experience. “As well as so much else, he’s the one who keeps things slick,

and really working for the visitors,” says Ant. What could have been swept away by the virus – like so many other nascent event ideas and plans – found its way, albeit a few months late, to the Havelock hills. “It wouldn’t have happened without Henry Norton from Sight and Sound,” says Ant. You can picture them, slumped over beers at Brave Brewing in Hastings as the news rolled in. Border closing, lockdown looming, uncertainty the new normal. Ant was touring other large-scale work, managing other projects and Henry Norton’s Sight and Sound business suddenly looked very worrying. For events specialists and technicians, things turned very dark very quickly. “It felt like all my work, and my world was disappearing. And that’s when we resolved to do this light festival still, to do it as soon as we could.”

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 21

Light painting on Te Mata Peak. Photo: Hazel Redmond

Strolling through the show on a Sunday evening last November and slipping in and out of the hexagonal light frames of Ant’s own conceptual piece, Full Spectrum, I recall thinking we couldn’t be further from Covid and all its restriction and dullness. The preparations for Walk of Wonders 2021 don’t have the external uncertainties and worries 2020 provided, but there are certainly more glowing balls to juggle now. One of the elements that set WofW apart from other immersive/walkthrough light shows was the connected soundscape which accompanied wanderers on their journey through the light projects. The effect this had on the overall user experience led Ant to ponder the possibility of a total overarching narrative to guide the next Walk of Wonders. This is where the human-carrying giant birds come in. Ant is inspired by folklore, his own children, symbolism, pop culture and picture books, so he’s taken on some help to get things honed into a workable structure. Working with EIT’s Tom Pierard on the music scape and local author Gareth Ward on the story, Ant has developed the tale of Timea, an adventurous 9-year-old girl on a

22 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

journey which slips between the now and a re-imagined version of Havelock North in the early 1900s. Feels like we’ll be getting hints at the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn – that juicy, fascinating sliver of Hawke’s Bay history. Timea’s universe will be brought to life through sound, illustration, puppetry and of course, light. And we ‘wanderers’ will follow her adventure as she follows a ruru/morepork out into the winter night, drops through a portal and lands in an alternate reality. Rush Cottage will never be the same once you learn to see it as Rushed William’s Workshop of Wonders. The food and beverage offerings are being ramped up this year, with seven local vendors setting up in the market space. There will be roaming performers, and fire composition. Plus, Ant’s fiancée Phillipa Nicholson is curating a ‘baptism of pink’ featuring numerous local and national artists in the underground cellar. There’s a push to lift and grow every aspect of the event. By the time we, the wanderers, reach the end of the wander, we’re still only in the early stages of Timea’s – and Ant’s – journey. “Walk of Wonders 2021 basically

Working with EIT’s Tom Pierard on the music scape and local author Gareth Ward on the story, Ant has developed the tale of Timea, an adventurous 9-year-old girl on a journey which slips between the now and a reimagined version of Havelock North in the early 1900s.

covers the first two chapters of the Timea story,” Ant says. He’s on a creative mission to further develop his characters, his setting, the light-filled voice of it all. Why write a book or paint an image when you can transform an entire landscape using a dazzling mix of multimedia?! Walk of Wonders runs from 5-15 August at Black Barn Vineyards. First release tickets are available online now. walkofwonders.co.nz

Escape in luxury to Huka Lodge

Have your property’s value appraised by New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty during July and you’ll go in the draw to win a ‘Huka Escape’ luxury weekend for two.

To arrange your complimentary appraisal, contact us today. 157 Marine Parade, Napier | +64 6 835 8399 3/15 Hardinge Road, Ahuriri, Napier | +64 6 833 8950 9 Napier Road, Havelock North | +64 6 877 8199 nzsothebysrealty.com | sothebysrealty.com

Visit nzsothebysrealty.com/hukaescape for terms and conditions. Each office is independently owned and operated. SHB Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

Donald Tucker

Faraday Centre: tinkering with the past

Story by Jess Soutar Barron Photos by Tom Allan Forty-two years ago – on the 7th of July to be exact – a group of enthusiasts parked up in a shed in Taradale. They were a disparate bunch, but with a couple of things in common. One was their passion for mechanics and machinery, the other was their drive to get things going, to do it themselves, to volunteer their time for the things they believed in: treasuring the past and preserving our history. Among them was Donald Tucker. What began that day as the Hawke’s Bay Museum of Technology is now the Faraday Centre, and when I visit it’s Donald Tucker who greets me. He’s just done the morning teas, as he has every week for as many years as he can remember. He does the dishes too, the old-fashioned way, by hand. No modcons for Donald. “I’m very old-fashioned,” he tells me. “I’m sometimes nostalgic about the old ways. And I want people to learn what it was like in the olden days, to remember our history.”

He makes his way to the workshop – a hidden cave in the corner of the old Power House, which has been home to the museum since the early 1990s. It’s full to bursting with tools, odds and sods, bits and bobs and wysiwygs, half-finished this and nearly done that. JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 25

Tony Wynyard

“I didn’t realise until I stopped working how much I relied on doing stuff to keep my brain busy. I’ve always had an interest in old equipment and when we had our kids we fixed stuff up, we didn’t just throw it out and get a new one.” NICK PENNY

At 80, Donald moves slowly through the Faraday Centre, past the National Gas Engine he helped rebuild and paint in glossy British racing green, past the yellow tractor where 4-year-old Ralphy now ‘drives’, past the enormous six tonne Fullagar Engine with a rich enough history to dominate a feature story all on its own. He makes his way to the workshop – a hidden cave in the corner of the old Power House, which has been home to the museum since the early 1990s. It’s full to bursting with tools, odds and sods, bits and bobs and wysiwygs, half-finished this and nearly done that. On the day I visit it also houses Nick and Tony.

26 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Nick Penny and Tony Wynyard, both retired, are the little and large of the Centre. Nick works on big engines and pumps, while Tony makes miniatures. He’s responsible for the tiny tram upstairs with its even tinier seats and teensy lights. Nick laughs when I ask why he doesn’t make little things too. “Not with these sausage fingers!” he says. In an earlier life Nick was a marine engineer and Tony a sheet metal worker. Not that a trade is a necessity when it comes to volunteering at Faraday. Tony spent most of his working life in sales and really went back to his roots when he started volunteering here. “I like mending things when they stop working, not just throwing stuff away but restoring it.” Volunteering at the Faraday Centre restores people too. Tony is a widower who’s found mateship here. When Nick retired his wife waited a bit, then told him to get out of the house and find something to do. He found his way here. “I didn’t realise until I stopped working how much I relied on doing stuff to keep my brain busy,” explains Nick. “I’ve always had an interest in old equipment and when we had our kids

we fixed stuff up, we didn’t just throw it out and get a new one.” “I get a lot of pleasure out of fixing stuff and getting it rolling again,” he says. “I like the idea of not just getting stuff running but also getting it to do something.” Nick’s currently working on a mechanism that visitors can use to pump water. He tells me one of the problems is the ageing out of the hands-on tinkerer. “We are running out of people who can get these (machines) going again.” Tony’s skills lie in model making: planes, boats, the tram. He prefers wood work over metal work. “It’s very pleasurable,” he tells me. “And I’ve learnt a lot. If I stop learning, put me in the ground!” Some of what Nick and Tony take on needs lateral thinking, a mix of old school and new tech, and a good dose of Kiwi ingenuity. “Never be afraid to think outside the square!” says Tony. Besides tea and biscuits, what fuels the volunteers is the visitors. For Donald it’s the older people who bring in their ‘I remember when’ stories. For Nick and Tony it’s the kids. “They love ‘doing’,” says Nick. Tony agrees, “They love the hands-on things they can touch and use.”

The bellows is a popular challenge among children. They can’t keep it up long and Nick wonders how they would’ve made out as a blacksmith’s apprentice in early Hawke’s Bay. Kids love the mangle too, the telephone, the automated boot polisher, and the penny arcade. “Many people say they’ve lived in Hawke’s Bay all their lives and never

once visited the Faraday Centre,” says Nick. “I hadn’t,” admits Tony. “My first day as a volunteer was my first day in the place.” I meet volunteer Alison Zorn as she’s bolting up the stairs with a length of black brocade in her fist. She’s spritely, 5 foot 1, with a pixie grin and a glint. Too much zing for a woman who’s about to climb into the back of

a hearse. We laugh at the bijoux coffin and agree Alison’s the only one who could fit in it. I ask if it’s vacant. “There’s no one in there. I checked,” she jokes. More than just fuelling her efforts at the Centre, Alison says visitors are a vital resource. “The stuff you get from visitors, it’s a wealth of knowledge,” she explains.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 27

Alison Zorn and Sharyn Phillips

“When people come in and recognise something they owned or worked with, that’s magic.” She tells me they once had a butcher and a bootmaker come in on the same day and learnt much from both about some of the specialist tools and equipment in the collection that the two men had used in their professions. “Being here we have an awareness that when it’s gone it’s gone, so we want to preserve the past, keep it for kids today to see and use.” Alison loves to see the reaction of visitors when they come across something from their own histories. The typewriter brings back memories for many, as does the iron lung, particularly poignant in this Covid era. “It’s a delight to not have to say ‘Don’t Touch’, it’s such a relief. Instead we say ‘Touch’, ‘have a go’, ‘play’.” Bringing in old skills to match old technology is part of the new era for Faraday. Overseeing volunteers,

28 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

visitors and the way forward for the Centre is manager Sharyn Phillips. One of Sharyn’s dreams is to have a printer teaching classes using the Centre’s letterpress printing machine, a butcher teaching sausage making. She wants to introduce old skills to new generations and in so doing, bring the old machinery back to life. “I think it’s important that people understand what these things do, how they work. I’m a hands-on person so I enjoy that too,” says Sharyn. She also understands the draw her volunteer workforce has to the place. “People get enthused and passionate about things here,” says Sharyn, and although most spend a day a week here, many take home pet projects, like Alison and her funereal fringe trim. “This place wouldn’t be open if it wasn’t for volunteers, right from day one, right from Donald,” Sharyn tells me. “We wouldn’t be anything without

“Being here we have an awareness that when it’s gone it’s gone, so we want to preserve the past, keep it for kids today to see and use. It’s a delight to not have to say ‘Don’t Touch’, it’s such a relief. Instead we say ‘Touch’, ‘have a go’, ‘play’.” ALISON ZORN

them. They have that extra passion, that real sense of ownership.” Volunteers fuel this place, and energise each other. Companionship is a big benefit of being part of the Centre. Different people have different interests, different backgrounds, bring different skills; it all comes together over tea and biscuits at 10am. Then Donald does the dishes as he has since the early days.

Advertorial

Selling with strength and strategy. In Hawke’s Bay’s hot property market it’s imperative to think strategically, says New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty central region Managing Director Fraser Holland. SARAH CAMERON INTERVIEWS FRASER HOLLAND ON OUR LOCAL PROPERTY MARKET.

agents. The company now has three offices in the region and 24 sales associates, testament to how the premium market and the business have grown.

The Hawke’s Bay real estate market is in overdrive. Between March and May this year, more than 700 homes were listed for sale, many achieving record prices. It’s a situation that is seeing quick turnaround transactions with auctions favoured by many agents, but Fraser says New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty brings a slightly different approach to the negotiating table.

“Our strength is in our teams, with many having joined us from a variety of backgrounds including professional marketing and customer facing sales roles, and with transferable skills that are highly valued in the property industry.

“Anyone can sell property in this market, but it’s the serious consideration we give to the sales method and process to meet our clients’ needs that is our difference,” says Fraser. “We prefer a more strategic approach. Our team looks at each property as a unique proposition – there’s no ‘one size fits all’. We ask ourselves have we really uncovered what the vendor wants? Is it top dollar and a fast process such as auction? Or are there other factors that should be in the mix such as maximising value through subdividing or creating a more controlled selling process to meet timelines or purchasing another property? We listen, and then bring more options to the conversation for sellers to consider.” New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty launched in Hawke’s Bay in 2012 with three

“Recently we welcomed Sabine Davison from Auckland to the role of Hawke’s Bay Manager and Auctioneer. Sabine’s auction CV reads like no other and with more than 21 years in real estate, she excels in negotiation, contracting and compliance, no matter what the sales process. Our people are multifaceted and hugely experienced with many strings to their bows, which benefit our clients,” adds Fraser. While the Hawke’s Bay economy is still showing signs of buoyancy, the property market is subduing, due to both the cyclical winter period when listing numbers decline and the effect of the government’s recent investor-targeted tax changes and extension of the bright-line test. “While house prices have risen in Hawke’s Bay and there is still a flow of buyers from outside of the region including ex-pats coming home, the new measures around property investors have changed the market significantly of late,” says Fraser.

“Hawke’s Bay is not in the same frenzied state it was – the number of properties coming to the market is well down on recent months, a trend also being seen nationally - but there is still a surplus of buyers, so values are holding strongly. But when you combine the government’s measures with the cycle of winter, you’re going to see a smaller market relative to where it’s been. Fraser recommends having a conversation with a Sotheby’s International Realty sales associate if people are thinking of selling their property. “Every one of our team is driven to achieving the best outcome for our clients. We live and breathe property - you’ll find no-one better placed or more experienced to take you through the selling process.”

“We prefer a more strategic approach. Our team looks at each property as a unique proposition – there’s no ‘one size fits all’.” Fraser Holland

Illustration: Brett Monteith

Holding councils accountable

Political update by Tom Belford Our councils are pretty much like the power company. We pay attention to them on only three occasions – when they fail to deliver the promised service (major electricity outage … or, for councils, unsafe drinking water), when they inconvenience us (ripping up the streets … both guilty), or when they send us the bill (both guilty). Otherwise, for most of the time, 99% of the population (I’ll come back to the other 1%) is happily walking our dogs, innocently enjoying our reserves or wine/beer/cappuccinos, worrying about our household bills, afflictions or kids, and only occasionally puzzling over – ‘How did that happen?!’ – when it’s too late to affect the outcome. And that’s when issues of council performance and accountability generally make it onto the broader public agenda. When accountability fails, it’s because much of the day-to-day governing process is inherently invisible … and designed to be that way. Here are some of the forces at work.

The planning process

Fortunately the era of ‘big surprises’ is mostly over. For example, our five councils in Hawke’s Bay have just finished their long-term planning process, yielding their 10-year LTPs. One would be hard pressed to find fault with the public consulting that was undertaken, either in scale or (in most cases) in detail provided. Councils have become commendably adroit in using social/online media to test their ideas. [On the other hand, ‘consultation’ on Māori seats was a farce – no ‘pros

and cons’ or context were provided, all done in haste to tick the consultation box in a (hopefully) legal manner.] LTPs, with their associated rates increases and grand visions are where any ‘big ideas’ should surface. There’s nothing wrong with grand visions when huge challenges confront the community – modernizing infrastructure, addressing climate change, mitigating social inequities in health care and housing, future proofing our regional agrarian economy. These are complex systemic challenges that will take many years and dollars – and often fundamental changes in entrenched habits and mind sets – to tackle seriously. Rightfully, we should expect our councils to identify genuine needs, attach realistic costs against those, design and implement appropriate strategies and timetables, and then be held accountable for meeting explicit milestones. But it’s this last part where the public gets shorted – before starting afresh and asking ratepayers to bear more, what progress has been made against past plans and promises? Not surprisingly, LTP-time is the time when councils meekly apologise for not yet getting done what they said they’d do the last time around. Sometimes the reasons are excusable – Covid-19 being the most obvious disruptor. But other unkept commitments may have simply been abandoned, their faults admitted after much wasted expenditure – e.g., the grand plan for the Napier (oops, National) aquarium, the Ruataniwha dam. Other projects get more complicated than first

Not surprisingly, LTP-time is the time when councils meekly apologise for not yet getting done what they said they’d do the last time around. Sometimes the reasons are excusable – Covid-19 being the most obvious disruptor.

understood. Others slowed by lack of available expert help. Others are victims of public rebellion – Napier aquatic centre, Te Mata track. Others simply botched – e.g., CHB’s floating wetlands, museum sprinklers. Whether forgivable or dumfounding, what is missing is any clear and consistent accountability mechanism for judging performance. Sometimes the responsible chief executives ‘move on’. Sure, if things get bad enough, we can ‘throw the bums out’ at election time. But even that – to be targeted effectively – requires insight into what went wrong and who was accountable? And if heads should have fallen, perhaps they were within staffs, but these public employees are totally shielded from public scrutiny. No one was held accountable for the Havelock North campylobacter disaster at either the elected or staff levels. As a former regional councillor, I appreciate that various reports are pulled together by staff to keep councillors reasonably informed (usually not high on any meeting agenda) … or at least manage councillors’ expectations. But these are not prepared in a style that would truly inform a more

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 31

Photo: Corena Hodgson

The latest cost for fixing decades of council neglect is now estimated at $185 billion nationwide (revised from ‘only’ $46 billion estimated six months ago), and that process, once set in motion will itself take decades.

casual reader. Try this one in the council Annual Report you surely keep by your bedside: ‘LTP Level of Service Measures and Strategic Plan Outcome Targets’. Frankly, many of these reports bury in mind-numbing detail what’s actually critical to know. Just taking the Regional Council, how would the average ratepayer know: Whether Lake Tūtira clean-up is on schedule or not? Ditto Karamū Stream and other former ‘hot spots’. What pollution enforcement actions have been taken, who are the culprits? What will the new batch of money requested for fixing the Ahuriri Estuary accomplish that the last batch didn’t – and why didn’t it? Is the ‘wall of wood’ arriving by train from Wairoa as scheduled? Of all the funding won by HBRC from

32 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

the Ardern Governments, how much has actually been spent to date, to what effect? Right now, today, in what ways are our four territorial authorities failing to meet HBRC environmental requirements? What is the environmental cost of these regulatory transgressions and the ‘transaction costs’ of councils fighting each other over them? My point? We don’t learn anything about what has not happened, excusable or not. Let’s look at the biggest collective failure of local government in New Zealand for some insight.

Infrastructure debacle

Infrastructure – could there be a more deadly dull topic? Until people actually die! The Government has been studying ‘3 Waters’ infrastructure closely – drinking water, wastewater and stormwater – and has concluded that the existing structure for managing these matters (i.e., leave it all in the hands of local councils) is an utter failure that must be replaced. The latest cost for fixing decades of council neglect is now estimated at $185 billion nationwide (revised from ‘only’ $46 billion estimated six months ago), and that process, once set in

motion will itself take decades. As we’ve reported previously, a study conducted for our region conservatively estimates that more like $605 million will be required to bring Hawke’s Bay’s ageing water systems up to modern standards in terms of safety, reliability and environmental performance. That number has probably gone up just like the national one. Here’s a case where councillors all over New Zealand have chosen to spend ratepayer money on glamour projects over core systems. Presumably at their service have been ‘asset management’ staffs who should have known better what was happening to their pumps and pipes and plants. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, they don’t vote the money. The latest annual National Performance Review, from Water New Zealand gives a full picture of the scale of the problem and at least one clue as to how this has happened. Councils with responsibility for water supply, wastewater and stormwater serving 88% of NZ’s population provided data for the report, including Hastings and Napier (Central HB and Wairoa councils did not participate). Some ‘nuggets’ from the report, generally covering the 2020 fiscal year: $2.3 billion was collected to fund

water services, primarily through rates and volumetric charges. The average residential charge for water and wastewater services in 2020 was $878.88 (including GST). The systems reporting have 88,108 km of piping, 4,023 pump stations, and 573 treatment plants. The average age of the pipes is 34-37 years. Not surprising then that 21% of water supplied to networks is lost on its way to end use (and susceptible to infiltration)! Possibilities to mitigate water loss exist in at least 83% of service districts. 397 instances of non-conformance with wastewater treatment consents were reported, but only 29 enforcement actions taken against those. The report observes with understatement: “…formal processes to remedy non-conformance are rare”. The same experience with stormwater consents is noted. Dry-weather wastewater overflows occurred 1,939 times in 2019/20. Another 1,278 weather-related overflows occurred in that period. And here is the unfortunate conclusion cited by the report about those: “Current monitoring practices, knowledge of networks, and the wide range of approaches to regulation

Using the Official Information Act, BayBuzz asked our four territorial authorities to identify the relevant professional credentials held by the staffs currently managing our ‘3 Waters’.

of wastewater overflows mean that, under current settings, it would not be possible to benchmark regions or engage in basic performance improvement metrics to drive better performance. Consistency in approach across all these areas would lead to considerable benefits.”

The consequences?

After Havelock North, we’re on top of drinking water, right? The most recent Health Ministry report on drinking water safety released in June – Annual Report on Drinking-Water Quality 2019-2020 – found various ‘failures’ on the part of Hawke’s Bay councils to meet drinking water standards: CHB: Pōrangahau failed the protozoal standards because the

infrastructure available was inadequate. Takapau failed the bacteriological standards because sampling was inadequate. It failed the protozoal standards because there were gaps in monitoring. Waipukurau failed the bacteriological standards for unknown reasons. It failed the protozoal standards because there were gaps in monitoring and turbidity levels at times were too high. Farm Road Water Supply Ltd failed the bacteriological standards because sampling was inadequate. It failed the protozoal standards because compliance was not attempted. Hastings: Hastings Urban failed the protozoal standards because the infrastructure available was inadequate. Waimārama failed the protozoal standards because the infrastructure available was inadequate and there were calibration issues. Whirinaki, Hawke’s Bay failed the protozoal standards because the infrastructure available was inadequate. Napier: NCC’s municipal supply met all standards. However, Raupunga (supplied by Ngāti Pāhauwera Incorporated Society) did not take reasonable steps to protect source water from contamination, failed to meet drinking-water monitoring

Bring out the best in your smile, with a little help from the friendly team at Smilehaus. General /Cosmetic dentistry • Smile makeovers Nitrous oxide sedation • In house whitening Crown and bridge • Hygiene treatments All implant options • Filling replacements

Online booking available.

Smile consultations are free of charge.

FAMILY DENTAL / COSMETIC / HYGIENIST

92 Te Mata Road, Havelock North email hello@smilehaus.nz

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 33

Your doctor hangs her plaque on the wall for the world to see, why not your ‘3 Waters Compliance Officer’? Your councillor can be an idiot; your ‘Operations Manager – 3 Waters’ better not be!

requirements for the supply, failed to keep adequate records, failed to adequately investigate complaints and did not take all appropriate actions to protect public health after an issue was discovered. It therefore failed to comply with the Health Act. Raupunga failed the bacteriological standards because sampling was inadequate. It failed the protozoal standards because compliance was not attempted. Wairoa: WDC’s municipal supply met all standards. However, Blue Bay failed to provide adequate safe drinking-water, did not take reasonable steps to protect source water from contamination, failed to meet drinking-water monitoring requirements for the supply, failed to keep adequate records, failed to adequately investigate complaints and did not take all appropriate actions to protect public health after an issue was discovered. It therefore failed to comply with the Health Act. Blue Bay failed the bacteriological standards because E. coli was detected in 100 percent of monitoring samples and sampling was inadequate. It failed the protozoal standards because compliance was not attempted. Apart from politically-generated neglect by our local elected councillors (i.e., fear of rate increase, infatuation with more visible public baubles), how has this state of affairs developed? Could it be incompetence? Here is one of the very first observations in the Water NZ Performance review: “The lack of information on staff training and qualifications is quite surprising and, possibly, quite concerning. Going forward, the thought is that the Regulator will be looking for assurances that the industry is employing the right people with suitable qualifications and training, and a commitment to staying up to date with the latest technologies. Consulting companies have been managing this type of information for some years because it is one of the key attributes when selling

34 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

The team protecting HB’s ‘3 Waters’ NCC 1. Director Infrastructure 2. Manager 3 Waters Reform 3. Manager Water Strategy 4. Team Leader 3 Waters Operations Planning 5. Team Leader 3 Waters Strategic Planning 6. 3 Waters Program Manager 7. Drinking Water Quality Lead 8. Network Control Systems Lead 9. Senior Operations Engineer 10. Drainage Planning Lead 11. 3 Waters Programme Planner 12. Scada Engineer 13. Operations Engineer 14. Water Planning Lead 15. Commission Engineer 3 Waters Reform 16. Director City Services 17. Operations Manager 3 Waters 18. Team Leader Water 19. Team Leader Drainage

CHBDC 1. Group Manager – Community Infrastructure and Development 2. 3 Waters Operations Manager 3. 3 Waters Compliance Officer 4. 3 Waters Operations Officer

Wairoa DC 1. Group Manager - Community Assets & Services 2. Utilities Manager 3. Water Production Business Unit Manager 4. Project Manager Infrastructure

services, so there is no reason why local government organisations cannot do the same.” Under the circumstances, one would think that our local councils would be eager to demonstrate that their teams were totally ‘up to snuff’ when it comes to 3 Waters management. To the contrary. Using the Official Information Act, BayBuzz asked our four territorial authorities to identify the relevant professional credentials held by the staffs currently managing our ‘3 Waters’. Specifically, we asked: “BayBuzz is hereby requesting from your council a list of the personnel currently employed to manage ‘3 Waters’ service implementation (and associated council policies), their official titles, and the pertinent academic/professional

HDC 1. Capital Works & Development Manager 2. 3 Waters Compliance Officer 3. Wastewater Treatment Plant Assistant 4. Drinking Water Manager 5. Trade Waste Officer 6. Maintenance Contract Manager 7. 3 Waters Manager 8. Water Operator 9. Stormwater Manager 10. Wastewater Facility Plant Attendant 11. Leading Hand Civil Works 12. Civil Trades 13. Water Operator 14. Reticulation Engineer 15. 3 Waters Service Assurance Manager 16. Water Operator 17. 3 Waters Operations Manager 18. System Compliance Officer 19. Senior Water Operator 20. 3 Waters Consents Management Officer 21. Development Engineer Consents 22. 3 Waters Project Engineer 23. Wastewater Manager 24. Development Engineer Consents 25. 3 Waters Modelling & Data Analyst 26. Project Assistant 27. Director: Major Capital Projects Delivery 28. Senior Projects Engineer

credentials they hold to inform their handling of these responsibilities.” Each council replied with only a list of job titles (see sidebar) – no qualifications were provided for a combined team of 55 public employees. In each case, councils declined to provide qualifications on grounds of privacy. Here for example is the rationale from NCC: “Council has decided to withhold the individual names of employees and their academic/professional credentials under sections 7(2)(a) and 7(2)(f) (ii) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987: – to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons; and – to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the protection

Think new chapter, not the end of the story. When it’s time for a change, make it a great one. At Summerset, we do everything to ensure our residents lives read like a good book. Where every day is an opportunity to turn a new page and see where their story might take them.

Summerset Palms Ph 06 833 5852 or visit summerset.co.nz/teawa

SUM3170_8X8

Think this sounds like you or someone you love?

Whatever approach is attempted, the public good – which requires transparency – must trump bureaucratic convenience. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

of such members, officers, employees, and persons from improper pressure or harassment.” The councils take the view on this request (and most other OIA requests that attempt to pinpoint internal accountability), that privacy considerations are not outweighed by the public interest. Leaving aside names, without any disclosure of staff (i.e., public employee) credentials and professional competence to manage our water safety, obviously the councils’ responses are worthless. Your doctor hangs her plaque on the wall for the world to see, why not your ‘3 Waters Compliance Officer’? Your councillor can be an idiot; your ‘Operations Manager – 3 Waters’ better not be! There is no greater escape from accountability than anonymity.

The staff shield

This shielding of staff is not unimportant. Council staffs generally run the show. They outlast and work harder than most councillors. They control the information flow. They develop their own sense of what needs to be done (with or without public input). And they can get much of it done under the radar, with trusting councillors mostly oblivious until the sheepshit hits the bore. So it comes as no surprise that council

36 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

staffs have their own agendas, plans and timetables, which they’d like to pursue – as anonymously and unimpeded as possible – in a cloud of 10-year plans, mysterious reports (vouched for by compliant consultants) and glossy strategies with aspirational titles. And they are accountable only to their chief executive – they are not even ‘fair game’ for councillors, elected to protect your interests. So even when the same names surface (at least to insiders) over and over for abuse of process, unresponsiveness or outright incompetence, there’s nothing to be done unless the CEO is so motivated … but running large bureaucracies requires HR dexterity. The second reality intersecting with the first is that supplicants with agendas, who know how the council system really works, are always knocking at the door, looking to advance their agendas, which aren’t necessarily bad, but often private. These are the 1% I mentioned at the outset. They need council support for their objective and they plot and organise to get it, with the first step being planting the seed and winning the approval of a council bureaucrat. This is not evil doing on the part of those needing council help, but it is clearly a reality that favours the insiders and it can be abused … particularly when plans are ‘co-hatched’ to avoid official public notification.

And before you know it, there’s a staff recommendation for a new track, or hub, or zoning variance, or memorial flame relocation, or closure/opening of something, whatever.

Steps toward accountability?

Where there’s a will there’s a way. Perhaps a simple ‘Follow the money rule’ applied to any new funding request and duly reported. Like: “What money has been committed previously for this purpose (and spent or not) and what has been the result against the predicted outcome?” How about an annual report from each council in plain English titled: ‘Top ten things we tried to do but failed.’ Why not formally report non-performance in a format not buried in ‘progress’ gobbledygook? Maybe a small ombudsman unit, jointly funded by our five councils, with an ample hunting license and open door to council critics. Maybe a public log, posted online, of meetings held between council staff (at least senior managers) and outside parties. Maybe a reinterpretation of the ‘privacy protection’ of public servants. Whatever approach is attempted, the public good – which requires transparency – must trump bureaucratic convenience. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Other ideas welcome from readers!

If you are wanting an up-to-date market appraisal of your rural or lifestyle property, call Avram today. “A balanced and grounded approach, where you are the priority.”

Avram Deitch

Rural and Lifestyle Sales Consultant

M P E W

021 979 690 06 872 7052 avram@pb.co.nz hawkesbaylifestyle.com

Lifestyle properties sold within the last 6 months

pb.co.nz

PB050704 Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 PBPB050916

Struggling to find a home A severe stock shortage, rising house values and a swathe of new requirements for landlords is placing further pressure on the region’s already overstretched rental market, writes Abby Beswick. Look on any Hawke’s Bay social media page and you’ll see a familiar plea: ‘I desperately need a rental, can anyone help?’ Ask those in the rental market and they’ll tell you how tough it is to find a property available for rent, let alone beat out all of the other potential tenants to secure one. In fact, it’s not just tough; for those navigating the undersupplied rental pool, finding a home is virtually impossible. Think of up to 60 people attending a viewing, leaving 59 disappointed and still looking. For the young couples, families and elderly who make up the growing rental demographic, the experience is the same – there simply aren’t enough properties to go around. Adding to mounting pressure on the rental market is the biggest overhaul of tenancy laws the country has seen in 35 years. Aimed at improving security and living conditions for renters and dampening the growth of the property market, the third and final phase of the changes come into effect in August. While warmer, safer, drier homes are a win-win for everyone, for many landlords, making the necessary changes to comply with the new requirements is costly. Other new requirements – including an extension of the brightline test and the removal of interest tax deductions – have infuriated investors, who say they’re being unfairly targeted. As a result, an increasing number are selling up, taking yet more stock off the market.

With little progress on the rental supply and demand imbalance in Hawke’s Bay, many tenants are left wondering how they’ll find a place to call home.

Population, house values and rent on the rise

The population of Hawke’s Bay has risen by 10% since 2013 to more than 160,000 – putting huge pressure on the housing market. A strong agricultural sector, bringing seasonal workers, an increase of people relocating to the popular region and Covid returnees who have the opportunity to work remotely, have all added to the Bay’s housing woes. Low home-ownership rates and escalating house prices are also making it increasingly harder for Kiwis to buy a home. New Zealand’s rate of home ownership is at 64.5% – the lowest it’s been since 1951. House values have soared, with the average price in Hastings $797,000 and in Napier $798,000 – both up 14% in three months, according to QV. The figure is almost double the national rate of growth for the same period. The rising cost of housing is forcing a growing number of people into the rental pool, with many having to accept their home ownership dream may never be realised. Latest figures from CoreLogic show first home buyers’ share of the property market has fallen to its lowest level in three years. In the first three months of 2021, first home buyers made up 21.5% of the market, the lowest level since 2018. The declining market share hints at “fatigue and a growing struggle to keep up with other buyer groups and ever-rising deposit requirements and property values,” said the report. Low rental stock has also forced hundreds into emergency housing in Hawke’s Bay. Latest figures show 1,700 people are in emergency housing in the region, with 741 applicants on Napier’s social housing waitlist – the highest per

Photo: Tom Allan JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 39

Photo: Tom Allan

For many smaller investors, the cost will force them out of the market. If they’re going to sell, they’re best to do it now rather than in a few years’ time when a lot of investors realise they can’t afford to hold onto the property. SHARON CULLWICK, NZPIF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

capita in the country. About half of the city’s motels are fully occupied with people who have nowhere else to go, and no respite in sight.

Cost of being a tenant

While house prices have increased, so have rents. New Zealand rents saw the largest year-on-year increase in two and a half years in March, growing by 6% to $540 per week, according to the latest Trade Me Rental Price Index. Median weekly rent also increased nationally in March, compared to the

same month last year. Hawke’s Bay saw the biggest increase (13.8%), with rents reaching an all-time high of $535. More applicants looking for a home and not enough properties to cater for demand continues to drive up prices across every region in the country for limited stock. It’s an all-too familiar story for tenants. Their landlord decides to sell, or to move back in and they urgently need to find a new home. Clean, tidy, with impeccable references and well-paying jobs, many still find

themselves in limbo, struggling to find somewhere to go. At Oxygen Property Management in Napier, regional manager Jamie Richardson has watched the rental prices creep up over the years, while stock has remained low. It’s not uncommon to have 30-60 applicants for a vacant property, she says. “Sometimes you see the same families attend viewings, which is really sad because you can only give one applicant one property. So one family has a home, but what about the other 30 or 40 that have come along?”. One family the company worked with, actively looked for a rental for 15 months while overextending their welcome with family members before finally securing a property. In addition to the usual families and singles, Oxygen also has a number of elderly tenants actively trying to find a property, and often with little success. Thomas Weber and his wife relocated from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay in May. The couple have been living with their daughter while looking for a rental property in Napier or Hastings that fits their criteria – three or four bedrooms with a large living area and dog friendly so they can keep their English staffy. The couple are willing to pay up to a maximum of $800 per week, “but for that it has to be really nice”, says Weber. Even with a substantial budget, Weber has been surprised at the lack of stock available and high prices, which he describes as “like Auckland”. While researching for this article I came across a listing for a Havelock North home for rent. The three-bedroom property was described as handy to schools and the village, with good sized bedrooms and living areas, a large flat section, ample parking and a single garage. Rent was $690 per week. Within a day, the listing attracted 103 comments that give an insight into the current rental climate. Many comments are negative and abusive, labelling the rental a ‘crazy price’, ‘outrageous’, and ‘a rip-off’. ‘Tht price is disgusting people have got so greedy!’ vents one person. ‘Why would a

Rental data for Hawke’s Bay Region: March 2020 v March 2021 Median rental price 2020

Median rental price 2021

% change

Bonds active 2021

Bonds active 2020

% change

$420

$475

+13.1%

9,681

9,546

-1.4%

40 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

landlord buy a home with repayment like that, and then expect a tenant to pay it off for them’, asks another. Yet, alongside those comments are a huge number of people saying they want to rent the property.

New requirements

In the last two years the Government has introduced a glut of new requirements for rentals, aimed at dampening the rampant growth of the property market and increasing the wellbeing, comfort and security of tenants. The healthy homes standards were passed into law in 2019 and focus on providing warmer, drier homes for tenants. They place heating, insulation, ventilation, drainage and draught prevention requirements on all rentals. In 2020, further changes were announced. Landlords can no longer end a tenancy without cause. If they want to sell, they’ll need to give three months’ notice. Tenants are allowed to make minor changes such as hanging pictures on the wall and even painting a wall in the property to make it feel more like a home, as long as they pay for any associated costs and the reversal of any changes when the tenancy ends. Landlords cannot prevent tenants from having fibre installed, and rental bidding on properties is prohibited under the new measures. The third and final phase of these changes, which comes into effect in August, will allow tenants experiencing family violence to end a tenancy without financial penalty. In the instance of a landlord suffering physical assault from a tenant, they will be able to issue a 14-day notice to terminate the tenancy. Perhaps the most controversial changes were announced this year, aimed at hitting investors in the back pocket and discouraging them from buying multiple properties, then selling them off for a quick profit. The first is doubling the bright-line test from five to 10 years for property bought on or after 27 March 2021 and the second is removing the ability to claim mortgage interest as a tax deduction. A New Zealand Property Investors’ (NZPIF) survey found the Government’s new tax laws will substantially affect rental property owners – increasing costs by about $3140 per property, per year. On average respondents also face around $15,000 in higher taxes. To offset the tax increases, 77% said they were likely to increase rent prices, with a further 9%

saying they might do so. The expected rental increase is between $21 and $30 per week. However, this is only a shortterm fix, says NZPIF executive officer, Sharon Cullwick, who is based in Hawke’s Bay. “You can’t keep putting the rent up; it’s too hard on tenants. They can’t afford it.” The recent rental system shake-up has been a long time coming. Originally designed in the 1980s, it has failed to evolve with the changing nature of renters, which now includes a growing number of families and life-time renters, along with the traditional young couples and singles. At Oxygen, property managers encouraged landlords to improve the standards of their properties even before the legislative changes came into effect and they slowly got them on board. A higher standard of property means a higher rental return, so owners could see the benefits. Generally, they’ve had a good reaction from landlords to the healthy homes requirements, says Richardson. “It’s better for everyone to have a warm, dry home to live in.” Thomas Weber says the new legislation is a step towards the kind of standards tenants receive in his native Germany. “I think it was about time … we are a first world country and we should have first world standards. I don’t think anyone should be cold in their house and pay rent for that.” In Germany more people rent than buy, often staying in the same property for many years. They also have a lot more freedom to turn it into a home, in some cases even making renovations to the property, says Weber.

Professional training from the best in the business We offer public and customised in-house training programmes for: • Leadership Development • Customer Service • Personal Effectiveness • Presentation Effectiveness • Sales Effectiveness

Selling up

When people think of property investors, they imagine “big rich fat cat landlords with a number of houses”, but it’s simply not true, says Oxygen business development manager Tai Kekena. In fact, only 20% of New Zealand investors own more than two properties, with the vast majority mum and dad investors who own one or two. The extra costs associated with the new requirements will cause some landlords to delay maintenance, other than what they have to do for healthy homes, says Cullwick. For others, the impact will be more extreme. Larger investors might sell one or two properties to fund the changes across their portfolio, but for many smaller investors, the cost will force them out of the market, says Cullwick. If they’re going to sell, they’re best to do it now rather

ISO 9001 Accredited NZTE Service Provider

Call Shiona 021 990 192 or Annette 027 208 1550

shiona@dalecarnegie.co.nz annette@dalecarnegie.co.nz

dalecarnegie.co.nz

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 41

Out of the seven properties Tremains residential sales consultant, Leon Dear, has on the go, six are rental properties for sale. “What this tells me is investors are selling up, which is unfortunate for tenants but a bonus for first home buyers”

Tremain residential sale consultant, Leon Dear

than in a few years’ time when a lot of investors realise they can’t afford to hold onto the property, she says. At Property Brokers Property Management in Hastings, a growing number of landlords are retreating from the market – typically those that don’t have a large portfolio as it’s simply “got too hard for them”, says regional manager, Joe Snee. Cullwick agrees, saying there has been an increase in properties coming on the market following the legislative changes. In particular, this has impacted lower socioeconomic areas such as Flaxmere and Maraenui. “I think it’s a lot to do with the landlords looking at their portfolios and realising they have to sell, maybe a couple of properties to keep the balance of them.” Aucklander Mark Evans bought an investment property in Maraenui in 2017. He has adhered to the legislative changes, putting in insulation and a heat pump, on top of a new stove, bathroom renovations and all of the usual maintenance and repair costs that come with owning a property. He has also kept rent increases minimal in an effort to keep good tenants. However, when his current tenant gave notice, coupled with uncertainty around residential investments and a good increase in capital value he decided the time was right to call it quits. “Sometimes until you sell you don’t get a yield because you’re getting very modest returns.” Evans plans to look at other options for investing his money. Out of the seven properties Tremains residential sales consultant, Leon Dear,

42 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

has on the go, six are rental properties for sale. “What this tells me is investors are selling up, which is unfortunate for tenants but a bonus for first home buyers” he says. The changes in legislation have “given them that little extra push” to sell, make a profit and do something else with their money, says Dear. As investors typically buy lower end properties, more of these homes are likely to go on the market, as an increasing number of investors decide to sell, opening up a wider range of stock. While this is great news for first home buyers, it adds further pressure to the rental market. As Dear points out, one rental property could be home for up to four tenants. When it’s sold, one person leaves the rental pool as a new homeowner, but the others are plunged back into it, adding further pressure to the market. “We need more rentals so people have somewhere to live.” Those that are selling up are looking for other investment opportunities such as commercial property and new builds that are exempt from the legislative changes. Investors are also turning their back on traditional rentals in favour of Air BnB for obvious reasons, says Dear. “Why would you rent a house out when you can Air BnB it, make triple the money and have none of these regulations?” Private rental property owners are not the problem. They are part of the solution and should be treated as such, says Cullwick. “A property investor has to be in the business of making money — according to the IRD we are a business.” However, the Government is sending

the opposite message, she says. Many landlords will avoid putting up rents, if they can, and take on the cost of changes themselves, under the expectation there will be capital gains. If there aren’t, why would they stay in the business? “There’s got to be something in it for landlords”, says Cullwick. Healthy home standards are accepted as a positive move, but the timing of the changes, during a housing crisis, has drawn criticism. What should have been a 20-year plan, has been implemented in five years, forcing landlords out of the market and further reducing the rental pool, says Cullwick. The reality is, it’s getting increasingly difficult to save a deposit for a first home. Owning your own home remains a dream for most Kiwis, but an increasingly elusive one. Only 25% of current tenants can afford to buy a house. The rest are stuck in a rental market with few options and the likelihood of increased rent. All tenants deserve a home that’s warm, dry and secure. Somewhere they can call home and know that their landlord can’t force them out without cause. Landlords also need to be supported, as business owners who provide an essential service. Most landlords want to do the right thing and look after their tenants, but the legislative changes are making it harder to be a landlord, they say, fuelling a climate of uncertainty and extra costs. Lack of supply remains the major factor in house price and rent inflation. In Hawkes’ Bay we need to build more houses or both tenants and landlords will continue to pay the price.

Your smart phone isn’t just a torch in a power outage. See current, scheduled or recent power outages on our mobile-friendly website. You can also find out how to check if the problem is on our network, or in your home. find out more at

www.unison.co.nz/outages

Ahuriri Estuary, Te Whanganui ā Orotu, Pandora Pond at the tipping point?

By Andrew Frame For as long as humans have inhabited the place we now call Napier, this body of water has been a source of food, transport and recreation. Generations have caught fish from its waters, picked shellfish from its sands, swum in it on hot summer days, cycled and walked around it, watched wildlife and learned to paddle or sail on it. But recent times have seen aspects of the estuary deteriorate rapidly and severely. Storms overwhelming the city’s ageing pipe infrastructure have seen sewerage mixing with the stormwater released into the waterway. Chemical spills from nearby industry have repeatedly contaminated parts of the wetlands, too. Health warnings and notices advising people not to swim or collect food from Ahuriri Estuary have become all too common sights. Hardly an encouraging sign for a place that has long been one of the city’s natural gems. In 2018 Napier City Council published their Ahuriri Estuary and Coastal Edge Masterplan. Its Executive Summary includes a quote from Councillor Api Tapine: “What if the health of the estuary were a measure of our community values?” echoing the thoughts of Piri Prentice from Mana Ahuriri: “Ko te tohu rangitira ko te manaaki tāngata” (“measure achievement by how well we care for people”). If care for the estuary is an indicator of Napier’s community values then there isn’t much to be proud of. It’s now at a ‘tipping point’.

Pandora’s bedpan?

In recent years the volume and nature of what dumps into the Ahuriri Estuary has become more and more of an issue. February this year saw 1,000 litres

of hydrochloric acid spilled by an Ahuriri industrial area business into the stormwater system that flows into the waterway. Napier City Council (NCC) removed 40,000 litres of contaminated water, but health warnings stayed in place for the estuary for some time, and it wasn’t the first time no-swim notices have been posted around the pond. ‘One in 150 year’ weather events seem to happen almost every 12 months now. Stormwater run-off from Napier’s streets regularly overwhelms the city’s ageing infrastructure and mixes with wastewater during these deluges, ultimately ending up in Ahuriri estuary and causing it to be closed off to public use and food gathering as a health hazard. In April 2017 the tail ends of Cyclones Debbie and Cook successively hit Hawke’s Bay hard and the Council discharged 2.5 million litres of wastewater into Pandora Estuary. Similar conditions saw further releases in September 2018, when NCC issued a notification for residents to refrain from taking baths or flushing toilets for 36 hours. Most recently, on 9 November 2020, a phenomenal amount of rain over a few hours caused extensive flooding in the suburb of Marewa and slips on Napier Hill, and even more outflow into the Ahuriri Estuary. The flooding and damage would doubtlessly have been far worse had plugs not been pulled and floodgates opened. What once was a reasonably small city now sprawls over a far wider footprint, with infrastructure demands far outstripping existing un-futureproofed supply. It’s not just urban run-off causing the estuary health issues, either. Anna Madarasz-Smith, team leader marine & coast at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) says, “In

“What if the health of the estuary were a measure of our community values?” COUNCILLOR API TAPINE

terms of the most significant issues faced by the Ahuriri, from a science perspective it comes down to too many nutrients and too much sediment entering the estuary. Additionally, contaminants entering the estuary via stormwater can cause problems for the animals and plants living there. “These issues appear to be fairly well spread around the catchment so there is no one area, industry or land-use that can be targeted for improvements. Rather, a variety of projects and efforts are underway to try and improve the health of the estuary.” She cites as examples work that is currently underway by landowners working with HBRC to plant 44,148 native plants (another 17,400 to go in this year), 1,190 poles planted to reduce soil loss, and 16.5km of waterways fenced to reduce stock access and reduce bacteria and nutrient runoff. “Additionally Napier City Council have been working very actively with industries bordering the estuary to manage stormwater contamination, as well as an extensive monitoring programme in conjunction with HBRC to detail the water quality in Napier’s urban waterways,” she says. For local iwi and hapū this pollution desecrates the centuries-old gathering area for their kaimoana (seafood). “The biggest issue for Te Komiti Muriwai and Mana Ahuriri Trust is the current consents for discharge to the estuary,” says trust representative

Photo: Tom Allan JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 45

“In terms of the most significant issues faced by the Ahuriri, from a science perspective it comes down to too many nutrients and too much sediment entering the estuary. Additionally, contaminants entering the estuary via stormwater can cause problems for the animals and plants living there.” ANNA MADARASZ-SMITH, TEAM LEADER MARINE & COAST, HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Photo: Tom Allan

Joinella Maihi-Carroll. “It has been these activities that have contributed to the pollution of this much prized taonga for Ahuriri Hapū.” As for the future, she calls for the phasing out of discharge consents to the Estuary and no new consents, finding alternative solutions to deal with discharge and holding local authorities accountable for beginning the process of restoring the mauri for this prized taonga. Angie Denby of the Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society says, “To us, pollution is where the priority lies, before we reach tipping point, and the estuary becomes life-less.” Both Mana Ahuriri and the Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society believe councils need to take more responsibility for preventing and prosecuting the pollution of Ahuriri Estuary. “Currently all consents for discharge directly into the estuary are administered by HBRC under the Resource Management Act. Some of those discharges have NCC only, and others have NCC and HBRC as joint consent holders. There are a number of other private discharges consented by HBRC into the estuary. NCC consents discharges into our network of drains only and through our stormwater bylaw,” says NCC deputy mayor Annette Brosnan. “HBRC have powers to prosecute illegal discharges under the RMA. NCC only has powers to prosecute for breaches of their bylaws.”

Reduce, reuse, revitalise

“Currently and historically, 75% of Napier’s stormwater is pumped untreated into Ahuriri Estuary through

46 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

various outfalls,” says Councillor Brosnan. “Not only have hearts and minds moved on what is appropriate for that space, but the quality of our stormwater is decreasing, so we have issues from that which we want to solve through a wetlands treatment system.” That plan envisions moving all Napier residential and industrial stormwater that’s currently going straight into the estuary into a series of treatment wetlands that will be situated on Napier’s Lagoon Farm. A series of natural pools and ponds with appropriate plantings and environments would assist with naturally ‘polishing’ and filtering the stormwater, settling the water and removing different types of contaminants– heavy metals, sediments and so on. Lagoon Farm is 184 hectares of land on the airport side of Prebensen Drive, between Tamatea/Parklands and the estuary. With a lot of Napier’s expansion heading westward it makes sense to have it there between suburbia and the sea and the flora will ideally act as a natural filtration system. This natural wetland filtration concept is part of the NCC’s new 10-year plan. Also endorsed in recent LTP consultation is the Ahuriri Regional Park concept, with the proposed capital funding from HBRC to kick in around year four, and NCC funding to come in year seven. Operational funding for designing the master plan, consultation and so on will begin in year one, with work on the ground ideally starting in year four. More on the Park concept below.

Big Brother stepping in?

As BayBuzz has been reporting, the Government is expected to take over the running of ‘Three Waters’ – wastewater, stormwater, drinking water – which local councils have been administering until now. Last July Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced a full review of the country’s deteriorating water infrastructure situation – Napier and Wellington have particularly been in the news in recent years for water woes. The situation is undeniable – water systems neglected for decades by local councils are leaky, collapsing, unfit to meet rising need and plainly dangerous to our health … as we know well locally, deaths have occurred. And now, the latest report given to Government is that it will cost up to an estimated $185 billion nationwide to fix the problem (revised from ‘only’ $46 billion estimated six months ago). Although Wairoa mayor Craig Little lashed out at the move, claiming it was “The end of local democracy as we know it” in Hawke’s Bay Today, NCC is a bit more pragmatic about the potential change. “We don’t know the answer to that because the Government has yet to answer some key questions around asset management, delivery models, staffing, revenue. Other than a signal that they want to centralise those ‘Three Waters’, we have had no details,” says Councillor Brosnan. “NCC has prepared their 10-year plan under the assumption that we are still delivering the service at the end of that ten years. I don’t think there was any

“We decided to work hard together on the concept of a Regional Park that will filter urban stormwater naturally using natural wetlands that provide habitat for native fauna and flora. “ HINEWAI ORMSBY, HBRC COUNCILLOR

HBRC councillor Hinewai Ormsby and Napier deputy mayor Annette Brosnan

way we could have planned, forecast, or budgeted for anything other than that. “We’re hopeful that by putting in aspirational plans like the regional park to deal with our issues that whatever entity comes about to take that over will be required to carry on with the programmes of work that we have budgeted and planned for. We’re trying to put Napier in its best position to have those projects delivered, even if it’s under a different entity.”

BAYLEYS IS DELIGHTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AGENTS PERFORMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME, BEING RECOGNISED NATIONALLY.

CARO MEO Top 5% of Bayleys Salespeople

REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST 2020/2021 Nationwide Residenial Napier #1 Bayleys Agent Bayleys Business Growth Award

EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Caroline Meo 021 022 20387 | caroline.meo@bayleys.co.nz |

Caroline Meo - Real Estate |

@caro.meo.realestate

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 47

The term “tipping point” is used often in relation to Ahuriri Estuary’s current state. It does indeed appear to be very close to, if not completely on the edge. These next steps will define which way that balance tips.

Photo: Tom Allan

Ahuriri Regional Park

Making local headlines recently has been the joint initiative proposed by HBRC and NCC to create an ‘Ahuriri Regional Park’ focused around and beyond the estuary. The park will be ‘owned’ by NCC (most of it will be on the former Harbour Board’s Lagoon Farm land) and managed by HBRC. According to the HBRC consultation material, the intention is to “Kick-start improvements to the environment in partnership with Napier City Council for recreation, to manage stormwater and improve Ahuriri Estuary”. The water quality and health of the estuary appear to be its main focus. Making it a ‘Regional Park’ adds an extra layer of protection and community involvement into the project – “the health of the estuary becoming a measure of our community values” to paraphrase NCC Councillor Api Tapine. HBRC Councillor Hinewai Ormsby strongly supports the plan. “I see restoring the mauri or life-force of the Ahuriri Estuary as a two-pronged attack – people and policy. Policy whereby we as a Hawke’s Bay community apply sustained effort to bringing it back to life. The people’s side requires us to take both an individual and collective responsibility for the Ahuriri Estuary where we have a massive opportunity to be the generation that restores and protects the estuary for the future generations to come. “As a Regional Council we need to partner with others to bring the required change. In the middle of last

48 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

year Napier deputy mayor Annette Brosnan and I talked about how our respective councils could collaborate around water quality issues in the Ahuriri Estuary. From her perspective Napier City has stormwater quality issues, and from the Regional Council we’re concerned about biodiversity and an estuary filling in with sediment. “So we decided to work hard together on the concept of a Regional Park that will filter urban stormwater naturally using natural wetlands that provide habitat for native fauna and flora. This will provide a win-win for all these concerns. This year both our councils have committed funding in their Long Term Plans to building this Regional Park over the next 10 years.” In June the Ahuriri Regional Park received funding of $12.5 million in NCC’s new Long Term Plan. NCC also have further funding of $2.3 million for ‘polishing wetlands’ and $18.8 million for stormwater channelling into Lagoon Farm. HBRC have assigned $10 million in their LTP. Caution is still required in creating a regional park around the Ahuriri Estuary, however, warns Angie Denby of the Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society. “By definition, a regional park appears to be about people and recreation. We believe the Upper Estuary as a whole should be managed 100% for wildlife values, and there should be no additional access for the public. This area should not be paved or manicured for cyclists, dog walkers or tourist groups. “Here is why: The Upper Estuary is a

sensitive wildlife habitat. One species in this area is the critically-endangered Australasian Bittern, a shy bird that requires undisturbed, quiet habitat. Local conservationists and wildlife experts have been restoring and protecting habitat there in recent years, and it is one of the few places in New Zealand where the numbers of these birds are increasing. Any development enabling easy access into this area would have a negative impact on these birds. “Southern Marsh, next to the channel, is a specialised non-tidal habitat. A range of waders and crakes spend time there, like royal spoonbills and Marsh and Spotless crakes, and rarer species of sandpiper do visit. These places need conservation, not recreation.” The term “tipping point” is used often in relation to Ahuriri Estuary’s current state. It does indeed appear to be very close to, if not completely on the edge. These next steps will define which way that balance tips. Do too little and pollution and sediment kills off the estuary’s natural flora and fauna. Do too much with conflicting objectives and you potentially further disrupt endangered or migratory species. “The reality is that none of these things will be the silver bullet to heal the Ahuriri Estuary in isolation,” says Councillor Ormsby. But she voices optimism, concluding: “However, when the efforts and aspirations of the people on the ground are combined with policy that heals rather than harms, the future for the Ahuriri Estuary is extremely bright.”

FROM LEFT: Amy Bowkett, Executive Officer Hawke's Bay Foundation; Shirley Lammas, General Manager Whatever It Takes Trust; and Ant van Dorsten, Creative Director Walk of Wonders. Photo: Florence Charvin

WALK OF WONDERS WALKING THE TALK FOR MENTAL HEALTH Mental health, it’s a subject close to the hearts of creatives Ant van Dorsten and Henry Gordon. Like so many, both have experienced “low points in their lives” and have made it out the other side, but few plan to help destigmatize and develop ways to combat New Zealand’s poor mental health statistics in the way these two do. Putting on Walk of Wonders – a new media light and art show to “make people feel happy” was never going to be enough for Ant. This conceptual light artist based in Hawke’s Bay is striving to take civic art to the people, with a percentage of proceeds from the show’s August ticket sales being injected into the work of local mental health charities. Their chosen vehicle to achieve maximum impact is the Hawke’s Bay Foundation. “The team behind Walk of Wonders is grateful to be in a position to contribute to grassroots mental health charities in Hawke’s Bay, facilitated by the Hawke’s Bay Foundation. We believe the approach Hawke’s Bay Foundation has to grassroots charitable activity is visionary, sustainable and will have a compounding positive impact long term in our community.” Galvanizing communities and inspiring people to dream bigger through creative expression is what

drives Ant van Dorsten. He’s a man on a mission to raise awareness and operational funding for charities like mental health and addiction support centre Whatever It Takes. “Mental health has never been more important than it is now. We’ve all been through such a lot over the past twelve months and people need ‘an escape’. A powerful, colourful, bright and big audio visual experience has the power to snap people out of a funk and offer an opportunity for transformation.

“Covid-19 has a vaccine, depression and anxiety don’t and in this country they take a terrible toll on our communities.” ANT VAN DORSTEN “We understand that funds are an essential part of making anything happen, that’s why we feel an intrinsic obligation to try and help in any way we can.” Hawke’s Bay Foundation Executive Officer Amy Bowkett is grateful for the Walk of Wonders partnership. “We are excited to be working with Walk of Wonders as one of their chosen charity partners. To be able to raise more awareness of the work we do to a mass audience of predominantly local show-goers and be aligned with such a progressive outdoor production is really

rewarding for us.” With over 12 thousand ‘Wonderers’ expected over the week long show, it’s hoped the event’s funding boost will be put to purposeful use. “Covid-19 has a vaccine, depression and anxiety don’t and in this country they take a terrible toll on our communities,” says Ant. “We are passionate about novel approaches to mental health issues and hope the people of Hawke’s Bay will get behind us. So much research is being done around the world on new ways to combat these issues and we feel New Zealand is being slow to adopt.”

HAWKE’S BAY FOUNDATION: A better and more lasting way to give. Hawke’s Bay Foundation provides a simple way for you to support your local community for generations to come. We receive gifts and bequests from individuals, families and businesses – these are pooled and invested forever, with the income used to support local charities. Words by Alisha Neilson hawkesbayfoundaton.co.nz

BayBuzz is pleased to support the Hawke’s Bay Foundation

SA RA H CA M ERON

BayBiz

Hawkes Bay’s construction industry staggers under workload Sarah Cameron finds our region’s construction industry is unable to deliver $2.7 billion in known work. And you’re looking for a plumber! Story by Sarah Cameron Photos by Florence Charvin

While the horticulture industry’s labour issues have received a lot of attention throughout the recent harvesting season, it isn’t the only sector in Hawke’s Bay experiencing labour shortages. The construction industry is also facing labour challenges, but for very different reasons. While horticultural workers are thin on the ground, impacted by the unavailability of RSE and backpackers to boost the workforce, a lack of skilled workers across all building-related trades is making its impact felt throughout the construction industry. Combined with materials shortages, rising costs and production delays, it’s a perfect storm. The ‘tradie’ crisis is hitting everyone hard. From large commercial construction firms working on multi-million dollar projects to homeowners simply wanting to renovate their bathroom, tradies are such a hot ticket that demand is far outstripping supply. Scarcity and materials delays are also adding to the problem. It’s a conversation that is dominating board rooms and coffee shops. Gemco is one of Hawke’s Bay’s largest commercial construction and trades companies. At any given time, Gemco has around 20 large contract

jobs on the go – the likes of the new Kaweka private hospital and the redevelopment of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House – and up to 100 smaller jobs including residential bathrooms, kitchens and other work including service works, repairs and maintenance. At June 2021, the company had over $100 million of work on its books. Gemco managing director Darren Diack says the 18-year-old company is at capacity and is as “busy as we were pre-GFC”. However, the business is unable to grow further due to the lack of skilled tradespeople. “We can fulfil our commitments now with our 130 staff, but can’t expand as we’re restrained by the lack of skilled workers. It’s difficult to recruit qualified tradespeople – plumbers, electricians, builders, painters, tilers – the whole lot.” Hawke’s Bay’s labour ills are reflected in a national context, where local councils’ under-delivery on ‘shovel-ready projects’ (S-RPs) throughout the country is attracting heat. BayBuzz recently reported on which local S-RPs the government funded to the tune of $50 million have broken ground, and whether these are playing a part in our construction labour shortage. Many of these government-funded projects have the shovel still firmly hanging in the cupboard, but a few are underway including water upgrades and road repairs. Debate is ongoing about whether the non-starter projects aren’t happening because of the unavailability

The ‘tradie’ crisis is hitting everyone hard. From large commercial construction firms working on multimillion dollar projects to homeowners simply wanting to renovate their bathroom, tradies are such a hot ticket that demand is far outstripping supply.

of construction labour or other factors. It appears “planning” takes a lot longer in council offices than we all think. But it’s not just a tradie shortage councils are grappling with; it’s also a capability challenge in planning, consenting, building inspectors and suppliers to keep up with the demand. Hastings District Council was awarded $13.5 million and one project has been completed – the $2 million Flaxmere housing project. According to the HDC, the three other projects are still in the planning phase. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council was awarded $19.2 million of that funding for flood control, which has seen only $1.7 million spent so far. It is “undertaking preparatory work” to meet the construction date on three of its four approved projects and has increased the size of its project delivery team in

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 51

order to do that. “We are on track to deliver the programme,” says Chris Dolley, HBRC group manager – asset management. “Although we haven’t experienced a lack of resources for the delivery of this programme, we have found that the market has been challenging for some of our smaller business-as-usual projects, particularly in the vertical build sector. The only supply issue we’ve encountered so far is the supply of sheet pile for the Wairoa project, which has a four month shipping delay.” “The councils’ projects are mainly infrastructure so we haven’t seen any spinoff from that as they’re not really taking skilled tradespeople,” says Diack. So if infrastructure projects aren’t soaking up construction industry labour, why the shortage crisis and what can be done?

$2.7 billion blockage

To provide a way forward through this challenge, a Hawke’s Bay Regional

52 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) has been formed and is looking at the construction pipeline. There are 15 RSLGs in New Zealand, set up by the government to “identify and support ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs in the regions”. They will provide independent advice that employers and government agencies will act on, as part of a “joined up” approach to labour market planning to better meet the skills needs across the country. A report prepared in March 2021 by the interim Hawke’s Bay RSLG focused on the construction sector and stated that Hawke’s Bay will be “unable to deliver $2.7 billion of known work over the next three years”. The report went on to say that demand is far exceeding the current rate of supply of skilled or semi-skilled labour and the region will need twice the current number

“We’ll see more companies getting into financial trouble. Delays are causing major problems. For example if you price a house build at $1 million but building is delayed 18 months, then that will cause a blowout.” DARREN DIACK, GEMCO MANAGING DIRECTOR

of qualified licenced building practitioners (LBPs) to cope with demand now, let alone in the future. Demand for projects in our region over the next three years is projected to be up 271% for civil, up 466% for commercial and up 158% for residential. Co-chair of the interim RSLG Erin Simpson says the group has developed a good understanding of the local skills and labour challenges in light of the high level of demand in Hawke’s Bay’s building pipeline.

“We’ve identified that there is a big wave of demand in the construction sector and not enough trained staff to meet this demand. Shortages range across multiple areas and are influenced by factors such as the pressure on the housing market. We are working with our partners in the Matariki Pou 2 group and training providers to develop a suitable regional action plan that can support both the short term and into the future. “By mid-2022 we will produce our first Regional Workforce Plan, which will have a long-term focus and project labour supply needs and ensure Hawke’s Bay has the right skills and workforce planning to seize opportunities,” says Simpson. The RSLG has identified four major challenges the Hawke’s Bay construction sector is facing. First, our current workforce is stressed and struggling to deliver projects on time. Project delays are increasing, and the risk that businesses will

“People need to be aware that there are material supply issues and a shortage of labour and therefore need to be realistic with their timeframes. Do all their due diligence and expect that their project may not happen for six to eight months. MARK ROIL, HAWKE’S BAY HOMES

subsequently fail is a major concern to owners. It’s a sentiment shared by Diack. “We’ll see more companies getting into financial trouble. Delays are causing major problems. For example if you price a house build at $1 million but building is delayed 18 months, then that will cause a blowout. You have to manage your business well to get through these times when cost escalation is out of control.” Second, industry is unable to take on

further inexperienced labour without compromising health and safety, and quality. Onsite supervision is required for all inexperienced labour, and supervisors can only be responsible for a maximum of two to three people at any one time. Currently this supervisor resource is fully utilised across the region. Third, shortages of skilled staff such as project managers are causing delays to multiple projects. The on-going border closure is preventing overseas recruitment of skilled labour. Other regions in New Zealand are experiencing similar construction sector challenges, meaning sourcing out-of-region labour is not a viable option. Fourth, shortage of basic materials continues to be a constraint for construction businesses due to shipping delays. The increase in demand for materials is putting pressure on the supply chains, increasing the time delays for projects.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 53

‘Maybe in 2022’

Hawke’s Bay Homes owner and member of Certified Builders Association Mark Roil says his business is experiencing labour shortages, particularly a lack of foremen and project managers to manage the builders and apprentices. “People need to be aware that there are material supply issues and a shortage of labour and therefore need to be realistic with their timeframes. Do all their due diligence and expect that their project may not happen for six to eight months. At the moment we need to order materials 12 weeks or so before delivery, so there’s a three-month delay right there. But we’re finding people don’t mind waiting for our service and we’re signing contracts for jobs in 2022.” At the time of writing in June 2021, ‘We can do it in 2022’ seems to be a recurring answer to delivery timeframes. A kitchen company I spoke to for this article is working on clearing its backlog, unable to visit new clients for another three months. They’ve employed three

54 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

new people but even with boosted numbers, the earliest those clients will be enjoying their new kitchens will be sometime in 2022. Tradies of all kinds are feeling the squeeze. Plumbers, sparkies, painters, chippies and tilers. Electrical contractor Campbell Simmonds has been working in the higher end of the market for clients including Andy Coltart for the past 12 years. He has four staff, down from six previously, and while he’d like to get back to that number, he is finding it impossible to find tradesmen. “There’s simply too much work,” he says. “It’s competitive and quite a few tradies who do apprenticeships and qualify, leave to set up their own business. But on the plus side, having fewer staff has freed me up a bit. There’s plenty of work that’s for sure and I take on as much as possible and because of my capacity I can pick and choose.” Materials delays are also affecting the electrical side of the industry. “Parts are taking one to two months to

The construction logjam is complex, with many aspects. What is clear is that Hawke’s Bay is staring down the barrel of a tradie crisis, and training is only part of the solution. Training programmes appear to be in place, but where are the bodies to fill them?

come from Australia,” says Simmonds. Beside delays and labour shortages, rapidly increasing costs are hurting Hawke’s Bay’s construction industry. “The cost of construction is the highest I’ve ever seen it and cost escalation is the biggest challenge our industry is facing,” says Diack. “Wages, salaries and materials shortages are driving that. Wages have increased 20% in the last three years and twice a week we’re getting letters from suppliers advising of cost increases; increases that have to

be passed on. The construction industry here is at capacity and more companies is not the solution. It’s more labour. But with closed borders and the lack of international skilled workers, we can only build so much.”

Solving the shortage

So what can companies do to have more skilled people on their books? Training seems an obvious solution but there are also some companies using other, creative ways to tackle the issue. Mark Roil now offers a four-day working week, with his staff taking every Friday off. Days start early however, at 5.30am. “Being in a factory environment we are able to turn all the lights on and even have a couple of diesel heaters for the cold mornings. The guys are really enjoying the extra day off and being able to spend time with the family or catch up on jobs at home. And with 90% of our work happening in a factory, being inside during wet and windy days is a huge attraction. We can even offer night shift work.” Roil also hosts apprentices, with three currently in the business. Gemco currently has 25 apprentices across all construction-related trades. “Half will stay, half will go and of those who stay, half will become leaders. We are committed to training and even with those who leave after they’ve qualified, we are always at capacity,” says Darren. Industry training organisations such as BCITO and Competenz, and training providers such as EIT are helping to plug the skills shortage gaps. The RSLG has a list of regional initiatives underway to help address the labour shortage. They include the new Te Aratika Academy collaboration with Tumu Timbers to train their students; the Tākitimu Tuanui; and the Hastings Place Based plan, a collaboration between the HDC, the Crown, Taiwhenua, Iwi and government agencies. K3 Kahungunu Property Development, a wholly owned company of Ngāti Kahungunu, also has a firm commitment to upskilling. K3 has three aspects to its business – growing its people through training and upskilling; building quality, affordable homes; and growing Māori business ownership. K3 chief executive Aayden Clarke says planning is always “front of mind” to ensure labour doesn’t become an issue. “We build residential homes, of which some will be state, some affordable and some sold to market. We are trying to make sure our strategies

HB construction industry profile • Accounts for $442m (6%) of regional GDP • Steepest job growth year over year (Apr) in HB – up 7.1% (568 jobs added) • Total jobs – 6,869 • House construction – 1,380 jobs • Electricians – 716 jobs • Road and bridge – 674 jobs • Plumbing – 536 jobs • Civil engineering/other heavy construction – 478 jobs • 278,300 construction jobs nationwide

equip us to meet our construction commitments, including playing our role in training people in all construction related trades and sub-trades. We currently have 18 apprentices in the K3 Māori trades training programme who are all placed in businesses we work with, and we partner with various ITOs. We have a high ratio of support staff to apprentices which means we can provide high quality education pathways and pastoral care to the learners with a tikanga Māori additive as they work towards their NZQA qualifications. “K3 aspires to be a total wrap-around business. Building homes is important, but social outcomes are critical for us, for our communities and for whānau. This housing crisis presents us with a huge opportunity. In 15 to 20 years we don’t want to have just built homes, we want to have grown capability of Māori businesses and upskilled Māori people.” The construction logjam is complex, with many aspects. What is clear is that Hawke’s Bay is staring down the barrel of a tradie crisis, and training is only part of the solution. Training programmes appear to be in place, but where are the bodies to fill them? The effects are being felt widely – from homeowners, DIY weekend warriors and smaller one-man-band businesses to large commercial construction corporates and regional project leaders. What is clear from all angles is that the Hawke’s Bay construction sector is restrained, at capacity and unable to grow. Unable to deliver a staggering $2.7 billion of known work over the next three years. But if you do know a plumber who can replace my bathroom fittings, can you let me know please?

STRAIGHT

UP REAL ESTATE

JAMES

HAGGERTY

DAMIAN

SWEETAPPLE James Haggerty and Damian Sweetapple are proven real estate professionals each with impressive resumés and skill sets. Their straight up approach to the selling process has seen their services requested by a discerning group of customers. James and Damian will ensure the sale of your home is straight forward and successful, give them a call today. James Haggerty +64 27 485 8419 Damian Sweetapple +64 21 503 337

Each office is independently owned and operated. SHB Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

Pan Pac CEO, Tony Clifford. Photo: Simon Cartwright

B RENDA NEW TH

BayBiz

Pan Pac: a quiet giant Tokyo, 1 February 2020.

Tony Clifford, the 28-year company veteran and newly appointed CEO of Pan Pac Forest Products, was presenting to the company’s board of directors. It was his first day on the job in his new role. In Japan’s capital city, the effects of COVID-19 were beginning to be felt, he explains. “All the face masks had been purchased from the convenience stores and sent to China. A week later, I was back in New Zealand and media reports were just starting to trickle through about this new disease. Shortly after that, Pan Pac held its first management forum to begin plan and manage the company’s response to the pandemic.” In March Prime Minister Ardern announced New Zealand’s “go hard, go early” pandemic response. Pan Pac’s production was shut down for five long weeks. Clifford says the shutdown the company endured at Level Four came with a price tag of $45 million, roughly 10% of annual turnover. While some of that loss has been recovered through a rebound in demand, good production levels, and international price increases, there’s still a shortfall of around $20 million. “I still strongly believe that we could have demonstrated that we could have operated our businesses here under Level Four,” says Clifford. “Social distancing would have impacted production, but we still could have operated under restricted conditions at around 70-80% capacity. That’s a heck of a lot better than zero. “Since lockdown lifted last year,

I’ve spent the last 12 months lobbying to prove that we could operate in the event that New Zealand ever gets back to that situation again. “I’ve been pretty disappointed in the Government’s approach. They haven’t even wanted to listen to either myself or anyone else in the timber industry. And their answer has been ‘that will never happen again, so don’t worry about it.’ “Part of my learning from what I witnessed in Japan, is ‘get prepared’. It doesn’t cost that much to do that, whereas to respond to, and manage the situation as it is evolving is much more difficult. “They (Government) still won’t enter into dialogue in that space. Every time I meet a minister, I say ‘Can you talk about a future Level Four scenario? Send someone to audit us’. There’s no interest, and the only response is, ‘There will never be another Level Four’.” Clifford’s vision for Pan Pac is to hand the business over in an even better condition than he received it. He concedes it was in pretty good state when he took over from Doug Ducker. “But there are always improvements you can make. Even at the end of my tenure there’ll be lots of things to work on. Every day you find a better way of doing something. There’s contemporary ideas in the people space, and one of my ambitions is to have more of our people more directly engaged in our business. I have an innate belief in the capability of group endeavours. A group of people with different ideas, different experiences, and different motivations, working really well together can produce a better result. I

“Since lockdown lifted last year, I’ve spent the last 12 months lobbying to prove that we could operate in the event that New Zealand ever gets back to that situation again.” TONY CLIFFORD

am constantly looking for methods and techniques to engage people. “Another aspect of greater engagement is shared leadership. There’s often a perception, particularly in larger businesses, that all the leadership and decisions have to come from the top. But it’s impossible to do that. In a company like Pan Pac, there’s probably 1,000 decisions a day being made and you really want people to feel empowered to make the right decision on the day and feel that they’ll be supported in that decision. If it goes wrong, that’s ok, just don’t do it twice, and learn from it. Whereas in other organisations there isn’t the opportunity to make mistakes, the boss makes every decision. When the business gets as large as ours, I can’t be involved in every decision.” As for progress on achieving shared leadership, Clifford says Pan Pac is at ‘bronze medal’ level, with a lot of room to develop. He cites the example of the company’s executive team, a group of five executives, plus Clifford himself, with a combined tenure of 90 years at

Photo: Simon Cartwright

Pan Pac, learning to work together in new ways to increase effectiveness. Another new initiative engages a diverse group of representatives from across the company at all levels to come up with the tactics and techniques for delivering on the strategic objectives set by the executive team. Previously it tended to be limited to senior management teams only, and production and sales targets. The phase being worked on now is about “Getting the Business Fit for Purpose” in the next three years, so that Pan Pac can take on more ambitious/difficult goals in the future. Bringing in new ideas is also important. Pan Pac’s great strength of very low staff turnover means there’s a wealth of institutional knowledge, but Clifford acknowledges it can also mean a lack of freshness and new ideas. To combat, the company intentionally networks for new ideas, visiting other CEOs, attending business forums, working with consultants to develop leadership capability and new ideas and ways of doing things.

Economic contributor

For nearly 50 years, Pan Pac has been a significant contributor to the region. Just over 1% of Hawke’s Bay’s work force are employed directly or indirectly by the company. Producing mainly appearance grade timber and

58 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

“We process everything down to 700mm long and chip that as a value recovery. We have currently five trucks dedicated to bringing in bin wood, whereas a few years ago we only had one.” TONY CLIFFORD

wood pulp products, the company brings much needed economic diversity to the region, reducing exposure to the international pip fruit and viticulture sectors. One of Pan Pac’s key relationships is with Napier Port. Todd Dawson, CEO of Napier Port says: “Pan Pac is a significant customer of Napier Port through its log, pulp and timber businesses with each contributing revenues both directly and indirectly to the port. In addition, Pan Pac supports a number of other exporters and importers in the sourcing and supply of forestry related products that transit through Napier Port.

“Pan Pac’s presence in Hawke’s Bay and volume through the port contributes significantly to the ability of Napier Port to attract and retain international shipping services to Napier. The availability of these services in turn provides benefits to other importers and exporters in Hawke’s Bay. Additionally, our close working relationship allows the two businesses to support and share technical expertise from an infrastructure and engineering perspective. “Finally, Napier Port and Pan Pac are aligned across many community and sustainability initiatives which we see as a strength to enable greater scale and influence in support of positive contributions to the local Hawke’s Bay economy and communities we are proud to call home,” says Dawson.

Working in an ecosystem

Historically, Pan Pac has not sought the limelight. However, this lack of a broader public profile, hasn’t served the business when issues such as the outfall pipe leakage trigger public concern. Clifford concedes that’s a fair point, explaining: “We are a B2B company and largely export focussed … so we don’t do any consumer level marketing, because we don’t have consumers as customers. All of our customers are businesses. “Having said that, we are cognisant

This photo was taken after the flood in November, at Waipapa. Debris traps are constructed in water courses well in advance of harvesting to catch any debris that has a high risk of being mobilised in a flood event. They are made from railway irons about 2m apart, rammed vertically into the ground and threaded with 2 to 3 wire ropes, anchored at each end. They need to be strong to cope with the large forces of water and slash that can come down the streams. After rain events, the traps are checked and cleaned if necessary. If there is no slash trap (or one fails – to date none have) it can lead to a lot of debris going downstream to rivers and beaches or on to neighbouring properties.

of our space in the world and in Hawke’s Bay ecosystem, and I say ecosystem because it’s more than just business, it’s more than residents, it’s more than just councils. We’re a pretty reasonable sized employer, and the recent BERL report shows that we contributed $541 million to the regional economy last year.” Pan Pac’s workforce is largely unionised under a single collective agreement, with 100% of operational and

trade staff belonging to either First Union, or E tū Union. The average Pan Pac salary across all staff is just under $100,000 pa, well above the Hawke’s Bay average of $56,543 pa. Clifford says the company’s relationship with the unions is “pretty good, and improving all the time”. He admits, like any union-company relationship, there are rough points from time to time that can hurt the relationship, and noted the company is comfortable working

under a collective agreement. In March 2016, First Union workers issued a health and safety strike notice, refusing to load wood into the company’s Thermally Modified Timber kiln. Fast forward to December 2020, the $2.5 million kiln was dismantled, without ever being put into commercial use, with Clifford saying to Hawke’s Bay Today: “We are dismantling the kiln due to historic operational issues. The asset is surplus and we need some of the area

phone 06 833 6655 email office@louvretec.com free no obligation quote & site visit

2001004_HBbuzz_Feb

Retractable opening roof creating the ultimate outdoor room

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 59

Photo: Simon Cartwright

for other operational functions.” When approached, First Union declined to comment for this story, saying it wasn’t a good time due to the upcoming collective agreement negotiations, but would be happy to comment once the bargaining is resolved. Two topical issues influencing the forestry and timber sector are the wall of wood and farm conversions. On the wall of wood, Clifford says that we’re well into it. “In Hawke’s Bay it’s largely been smoothed by early and delayed harvesting. Pan Pac has been a beneficiary of the surplus of wood that’s been available, and Hawke’s Bay has benefitted in that we have timber processing to add value. In other regions a lot of the extra wood is being exported as logs.” As for farm conversions, Clifford says that there haven’t been many in the Bay. “There is a tiny percentage of farms being converted to forestry in our region. What we are supportive of is the Regional Council’s ‘right tree, right place’ tree planting solution on marginal farmland.”

On the environment

On the environmental front Clifford wants Pan Pac to achieve more than mere compliance. “We’re trying to move on from a ‘social licence to operate’ to having leading KPIs. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our

60 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

performance. Some of the (environmental) objectives that our shareholder has set for us that have to be achieved by 2030 are pretty ambitious and will take a lot of effort and time to do that. “We’ll rise to that challenge and it’s fortunate that our balance sheet and profitability of the business is such that we can allocate time and resources to that field.” Pan Pac is developing a sustainability strategy, which has aforementioned environmental goals, and will be released later this year, based on material issues that matter to the company’s stakeholders. There are ten priorities including health and safety, water pollution and sustainable forest management, biodiversity management and protection and water conservation practices. The initiatives align with 11 (of 17) of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is a significant body of work and has involved input from external and internal stakeholders, and will be updated annually. Clifford says Pan Pac is collaborating with local government and other Hawke’s Bay businesses on ways to support each other to achieve our environmental targets. “It’s really exciting!” The company has fully embraced the new environmental standards for plantation forestry that came into force in 2018. “We were largely working to most

“There is a tiny percentage of farms being converted to forestry in our region. What we are supportive of is the Regional Council’s ‘right tree, right place’ tree planting solution on marginal farmland.” TONY CLIFFORD

of those requirements; it hasn’t been a major problem for us as we already had a lot of forward planning, environmental considerations for things that we were doing. “Ten years ago we had a slash (branches and stumps) wash out event and learnt a lot from that. We know about managing the end of the harvesting cycle on site in high risk areas, making sure that the slash left behind was appropriately managed. “We process everything down to 700mm long and chip that as a value recovery. We have currently five trucks dedicated to bringing in bin wood, whereas a few years ago we only had one.” Pan Pac only has small parcels of red

zone forest (very steep/erosion risk/ proximity to waterways). Some of the things Pan Pac must consider is roading infrastructure, how to haul the wood out, where they will leave slash and post-harvest, where to place slash traps. “November’s heavy rains tested the systems in our forests and they worked pretty well,” says Clifford. The outfall pipe issue from a few years ago, stemming from the installation of an upgraded waste water treatment system, was a challenge for the company that took many years and input from many parties to resolve. Clifford was the pulp GM at the time. The Environment Court noted in its decision of 28 June 2019: “Pan Pac had demonstrated a responsible approach to treating its wastewater and had committed considerable resources to ensuring effective treatment facilities are in place. In addition, we were satisfied that, with the exception of the discolouration issue, Pan Pac had a good record of compliance with its discharge permit conditions.” A condition of the Environment Court decision was the establishment of the Pan Pac Environmental Trust: “…with broad purposes involving benefit to the Hawke’s Bay community by promoting enhancement, restoration and protection of the environment, and the offset of cultural effects on defined Mana Whenua Hapū”, with the company donating $100,000 per annum for the 35-year term of the consent agreed by the parties.

Photo: Simon Cartwright

BEST BAR IN THE BAY PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF HASTINGS ALL CONSUMING SINCE 2013

Photo: Simon Cartwright

“Pan Pac is a responsible and responsive neighbour. Engagement with the company is very relaxed. We’re currently dealing with a dust issue and the mill is aware of it and is looking into where the problems are coming from and putting in dust monitors.” MYRON BIRD

Myron Bird is chair of the Whirinaki residents community consultation group and a foundation trustee of the Pan Pac Environmental Trust (www.ppet.org.nz). “The community group was set up to give Pan Pac feedback from the local community. In the early days there were problems with dust and noise, but that’s largely settled down. “Pan Pac is a responsible and responsive neighbour. Engagement with the company is very relaxed. We’re currently dealing with a dust issue and the mill is aware of it and is looking into where the problems are coming from and putting in dust monitors. I have no doubt they’ll have feedback for us soon.” Like all community groups, Bird says it’s becoming harder to garner interest,

62 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

joking that the lack of good contentious issues is inhibiting membership! As for the Trust, Bird says that each year trustees review and assess the funding applications to decide how the $100,000 will be spent across the region, with the money split evenly between environmental and cultural applications. The first year’s grants went to Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre workshops, Whakatipu Kaitiaki programme, Te Wai Mauri Trust and Kākābeak/Ngutukākā propagation. The positive vibes are echoed by Scott Richardson, chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Mountain Bike Club. The Club has more than 2,600 full-time members and an additional 1,500 casual members who pay for the privilege of riding the (more than) 100 kms of trails in the company’s Tangoio forest. At peak season, on a busy day, there could be up to 300 riders in the forest. Richardson says the club has had access to Pan Pac forests since mid 1990s. “It’s a long relationship and collaboration. Pan Pac has been very accommodating. Tony (Clifford) is an advocate for us. He understands our needs and supports us. As a club we are respectful and appreciative of their needs, and we’re very grateful.” For the most part, Pan Pac has been a quiet giant in Hawke’s Bay – an economic driver with a low profile. But it feels like the company is changing

Pan Pac Facts • Major contributor to Hawke’s Bay for nearly 50 years • Provides work for 880 FTEs (direct/ indirect) • $450 million annual revenue • 75% of production is value added • $541 million annual contribution to regional GDP • $723 million book value of forestry assets (as at March 2020) • Largest forestry grower in Hawke’s Bay • 35,000 hectares of forest • Harvesting & replanting 1,000 hectares pa • $3.5 million donated to community initiatives since 1992 • Launched Pan Pac Environmental Trust in 2020 • Sustainability strategy launching later in 2020 • Owned by Oji Group of Japan

and beginning to reflect the leadership style of new CEO Tony Clifford. Its external relationships in the community are ever more important environmentally, recreationally, culturally and appear to be getting higher priority. And this is perhaps a style better suited to today’s public expectations, when communities are raising the bar for what they regard as necessary prosocial corporate behaviour.

Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust Rangatahi Programme 2021 and 2022 Funded through the Pan Pac Environmental Trust Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust has collaborated with five other hapū of Ahuriri to deliver a rangatahi programme through the Ātea a Rangi Trust. Whakatipu Kaitiaki is a wānanga and noho based programme that aims to raise our rangatahi to be future kaitiaki (guardian) leaders. Eight wānanga were held in 2021, with four wānanga proposed for 2020 that will be longer in duration. The wānanga are based around the four seasons Ki Tai (Raumati/Summer), Whakapapa (Ngahuru/Autumn), Matariki (Takurua/Winter) and Ki Uta (Kōanga/Spring). Around 50 participants aged between 13-18 learn whakapapa, history, karakia, star constellations and bush skills. The Pan Pac Environmental Trust contributes up to $100,000 per annum to environmental and cultural initiatives that benefit the Hawke’s Bay community and offset cultural impacts on Mana Whenua Hapū. For further information, contact environment@panpac.co.nz

IDEAS + OPINION KATIE NIMON

When business life support ends We talked about jobs and the economy so much last year, yet nothing (notably) happened. It wasn’t another 2008 GFC, and the scaremongering just made me trust the economists a little less, amongst other people. I’m a big believer in the Invisible Hand. Read into that what you will. Ideally, if someone loses their job in one failing industry, then all things being equal, they should get another in a booming industry. It’s equilibrium. One pattern is emerging, however, that will cause long-term damage – “market manifestation”. I just made that term up, but effectively, it’s where you say something so often it becomes true. You can apply this theory to the housing market, for example. Saying there is a housing shortage and that the prices are going up encourages people to buy more urgently and pay a higher price than they might have otherwise. Now, this might be a sweeping assumption, but Covid-19 has become our excuse for everything. Not because we are all suffering, but because we worry that we might. Now don’t get me wrong, tourism businesses are genuinely suffering, especially those geared towards large group travel, but at some point, we need to get real about whether these businesses and industries are still viable. I might be alone here, but raise your hand if you’ve put off hiring someone you need, because of Covid. Raise your other hand if you’ve said ‘No’ to a community organisation asking for financial support, because of Covid. The Invisible Hand only works if there is a free market, which, in this day and age, is an impossible thought. Enter stage left: The Subsidy. Now I’m not going to scoff at the wage subsidy or other various funds; they kept us afloat during lockdown. However

64 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

I am going to talk about one of the many butterfly effects of this ‘financial morphine’ we’ve had pumped into our balance sheets. Some businesses have been unnaturally kept alive, only to die an even more painful death once the funding drip has been pulled out. I know that, in theory, we were being kept on life support long enough to pivot, but I can tell you now, so many businesses out there instead decided to wait in hope. We at Nimons were one of them. Wait for what, you say? Things to go back to “the way they were”!

One pattern is emerging, however, that will cause long-term damage – “market manifestation”. I just made that term up, but effectively, it’s where you say something so often it becomes true. Call me naive, but some businesses had no choice. Now those businesses are all sitting around like gannets waiting for more government support, but it’s gone. It’s gone to those businesses that are part of the new plan. Don’t worry, I’m not sitting here in my tinfoil hat; I’m actually being more critical of those of us that expected that we’d be kept on life support indefinitely. What I do think, sitting on the deck, gazing out at hindsight, is that we should have done the humane thing in the beginning. The issue here is, we’ve left it too late for things to naturally reach equilibrium. For those in a failing industry to join a new booming industry. So really, we do need to be maintaining the life support, but we’ve obviously run out of morphine.

So, what now? Do we become part of the new plan? Do coach companies like ours start electrifying? Perhaps then we’d get some funding. Do we create a ‘private’ public transport system like Hong Kong? Generating our own work, so to speak. Or do we go completely left field, and convert coaches and buses into accommodation for those overwhelming the emergency housing list? Worth a thought. A thought we postponed last year, because we were all being bailed out. Now that we’re a year on, in our case still missing our international friends, and hanging by a thread to the domestic market, who else suffers? Sadly, it’s the community. It’s the workers who will be late to the job market. It’s the sports teams and schools who rely on our financial support. It’s the suppliers that wait patiently for our orders. Last year, we were in no position to invest in fleet. To increase pay. To hire. To sponsor. To improve. To develop. All of the things that contribute to the community. We froze. We lost a year. But we’re losing another year because that’s become the status quo. We keep holding out for things to bounce back, but what if they already have? We all need to be finding a way to adjust far more quickly. We need to be more agile. Now is the time to stop waiting. Move on, in whatever way you can. But be honest. If you’re not the business you were before, write a new business plan. Find new suppliers. Stop leading people on … just break up with them. Here’s the rub. How many businesses aren’t suffering quite as much as they claim? And how many are using the situation to get out of a lot of the things they might have previously been unable to say ‘No’ to? A pesky cold call sales pitch? A pay rise request?

I might be alone here, but raise your hand if you’ve put off hiring someone you need, because of Covid. Raise your other hand if you’ve said ‘No’ to a community organisation asking for financial support, because of Covid. That’s not fair. But it’s the butterfly effect. I’m thinking out loud here, but if we had some kind of amnesty period – where we could restructure without worries of employment repercussions, or sell plant and equipment without tax implications – then maybe those that were struggling could lose a couple of sandbags off the side of the hot air balloon and carry on. Then we’d know. If you’re still here, you’re still good. But, because we were bailed out, no one knows whether the economy is tanking or booming. Whether a business is hanging on for dear life or doing quite well, thank you very much. When the ship goes down, and

Grant Robertson unveils the $12.1b package to combat Covid-19 impact

you’re in the water, what do you do? Now of course everyone has a life jacket, but you don’t know when or if help will arrive. Do you find a raft? Do you start to swim? Or do you wait to be rescued? It depends, doesn’t it? On whether you’ve been told help is on the way, or whether you can see land in the distance, or whether you know how to swim. I wonder how many community

organisations (that rely on businesses like ours) would send a rescue helicopter, if they knew no one else was about to. The problem is: we all assumed help would be on the way … and save the day. Next time, we’ll start swimming. Katie Nimon is general manager of Nimon and Sons, established in 1905.

We felt like a change, do you? navigatoraccounting.co.nz

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 65

IDEAS + OPINION CHARLES DAUGHERTY

Coping with three crises at once! Living in Wellington for 34 years, I experienced numerous small earthquakes, a few moderate ones causing significant damage, and a lot of the city’s notorious wet windy weather. The periodic carnage inflicted on the garden, minor cracks in a wall or two, and destruction of one large sash window in 100+ kph winds were manageable. A much larger threat quickly became apparent – the occurrence of two challenges at once, earthquakes and bad weather. The consequences for the survivors of the inevitable “Big One” will be far, far worse in a dark, cold, wet June than in January. Disasters tend to cluster. One problem or crisis, even if small, may create the circumstances that make a second, possibly larger problem more likely or the consequences more dire. Think of that June storm in Wellington – hardly a problem for most unless homes are unlivable due to an earthquake. Three major crises have now converged on humanity— the Covid-19 pandemic, global climate change, and biodiversity extinction. In our island redoubt, it’s hard to comprehend the scale, but it’s enormous already. Covid-19 has dominated news of the past year, infecting 170 million people and killing more than 3.5 million. The bungled responses of many governments amplified already dreadful death tolls. The climate and biodiversity crises pose far greater threats to humanity. They share common causes – alteration and pollution of our planet on a global scale. Their harmful impacts are intensifying relentlessly, and the consequences will dwarf those of Covid-19. The last seven years are the hottest on record, 2020 the hottest ever. Glaciers and ice caps are melting at record rates, and sea levels are rising. Increasingly intense storms and floods

66 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

displace tens of millions annually. Biodiversity suffers as badly as humans, if often less visibly. Ecosystems are destroyed or displaced as temperatures and sea levels rise, displacing their plant and animal populations. Fires in Australia are estimated to have killed one billion animals in 2020.

Covid-19 is the smaller crisis which received far more attention in 2020. The immediacy of the threat outshone the far greater threats of climate change and biodiversity decline. Our survival depends on a healthy nature. Humans require a relatively narrow range of climatic conditions. Rising temperatures will make some parts of every continent unlivable, and melting glaciers will deprive populations of water for agriculture. Climate change combined with continued human destruction of nature threatens ecosystem services provided by healthy environments — the food, materials, clean air and water, fertile and stable soils, and spiritual and cultural sustenance necessary for our survival. Paradoxically then, Covid-19 is the smaller crisis which received far more attention in 2020. The immediacy of the threat outshone the far greater threats of climate change and biodiversity decline. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed – what can one person or even one small country like New Zealand do? Here are my thoughts: First, understand the dimensions of the challenges and act accordingly. Covid-19 is a comparatively small

crisis – frightening but manageable. Vaccine science and good governance can get us through. If the Government can meet its schedule for full vaccination by the end of 2021, Covid-19 can become an ongoing management issue comparable to other infectious diseases. Second, acknowledge that climate change and biodiversity extinction are existential crises that must be managed if humanity is to have a future worth having. An unexpected outcome of 2020 was watching nature begin to heal over short periods of time, a good omen for success of future management actions. Air pollution declined surprisingly quickly during lockdowns of only a few weeks. The environmental benefits of traveling less and working at home more became obvious. In some places, wildlife became more apparent, even invading cities and roadways. Birdsong seemed louder. Furthermore, the Government is laying strong policy frameworks for environmental recovery. The Ministry for the Environment has just released a document describing how nature underpins human wellbeing (Codifying the relationship between nature and people). This document is excellent. I would have required it of my university classes. The authors call it “a necessary step to ensure our decisions both acknowledge and protect nature and our wellbeing.” The Department of Conservation launched the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020, setting out “a strategic framework for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity, particularly indigenous biodiversity, in Aotearoa New Zealand, from 2020 to 2050.” Later this year, we’ll see how the Government responds to the final recommendations of the Climate Change

ganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 acknowledges the River as “a legal person … [with] all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.” I know that we are only a small country and our actions alone won’t solve all the world’s problems, but our actions can inspire others. India, the world’s most populous country, has now provided similar legal protection via a grant a personhood to the Ganges River. Other countries have followed suit. Te Awa Tupua and other similar acts inspire because they come from the heart and express strong personal connections of humans to nature. They exemplify the courage and inspiration we will need for managing ongoing crises.

Commission, released in June. All of which leads to my third thought: Let’s get on with it please. These and other Government policies and acts offer pathways to addressing multiple crises at once. Now is the time for committed, long-term, courageous and inspiring action. Māori are now providing inspi-

rational environmental leadership through their long-term vision and sense of guardianship or kaitiakitanga. Their visionary commitment has led to protection through grants of legal personhood to three natural features of the land – Te Urewera, the Whanganui River, and Taranaki Maunga. The Te Awa Tupua (Whan-

Charles Daugherty is Emeritus Professor of Ecology, Victoria University. Awarded an ONZM for his work on tuatara ecology and management. A former trustee of Zealandia, he’s involved with Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay since retiring to Hawke’s Bay, serving as chair of the trust board, but writing in his personal capacity.

We breathe what you burn Protecting our air

WINTER BURNING BANS 24/7 POLLUTION HOTLINE 0800 108 838

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 67

IDEAS + OPINION DOMINIC SALMON

Opportunity ripe for the taking Did you know New Zealand households throw away some 157,000 tonnes of food each year? That’s enough avoidable food waste to fill 271 jumbo jets and is worth somewhere in the region of $1.17 billion. This doesn’t include the food waste generated outside the home through the production cycle. According to World Wildlife Fund, humans waste one of every three food calories produced worldwide. As one of the major horticultural areas in New Zealand this is a particularly relevant issue in Hawke’s Bay. There was a common refrain at our dinner table along the lines of, “There are starving children in Africa, don’t waste your food”. And while this is a serious humanitarian issue (WWF estimates those same wasted calories are enough to feed three billion people — more than three times the total number of malnourished globally), the impact of that waste is far broader. Wasted resources Food production is a vast industry and the pressure on resources to create it is intense. Here in New Zealand, we hear of the growth of Auckland housing which is threatening some of our most productive horticultural land around Pukekohe. While in other areas water is the issue – whether protecting it from the negative effects of food production or having enough of it available to support critical food production. Overseas, land converted to food production threatens habitats and impacts the climate in many ways. And it’s not just land and water but chemicals, freight, energy, packaging and more. Wasting food means wasting all these. Mighty methane When organic material breaks down in landfill it does so anaerobically

68 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

According to World Wildlife Fund, humans waste one of every three food calories produced worldwide. As one of the major horticultural areas in New Zealand this is a particularly relevant issue in Hawke’s Bay. (without oxygen) which generates the potent greenhouse gas methane. It’s well-established that methane is a much more potent global warming gas than CO2 even though it doesn’t last as long in the atmosphere. Here in Hawke’s Bay alone, about 50% of our household waste is organic matter. This is contributing to New Zealand’s emissions footprint from landfill, which is largely made up of organic matter. Getting our organic matter out of the landfill is an obvious and achievable target for climate action. It should be acknowledged that the Omarunui Landfill (between Swamp Road and Omarunui Road) is doing some great work in landfill gas capture including energy generation … but that’s not the point, the need to keep organic waste out of landfill is! Budget busters The Love Food Hate Waste campaign estimates that simply by making sure we actually eat the food we buy New Zealand, households could save $500 each year. With many households facing significant challenges to balance the books, there are lots of handy tips from the campaign to help avoid this drain on our pockets. Keeping your bread in the fridge or freezer to stop mould, storing many fruits in the fridge, doing your shopping with a list to avoid purchasing too much of the wrong thing, and

making the most of leftovers all make an impact on food waste. Rich pickings We all know, composting is nature’s way of replenishing the soil and there are many businesses focussed on turning our organic waste into nutrient rich matter. Aside from replacing nutrients, compost improves soil structure, moisture retention and increases the amount of oxygen available to plants and earthworm activity. Plus, as those who already compost know, there is nothing more satisfying than using rich dark compost created from your own food scraps to feed your flowers or veggies. The fertility of our Heretaunga Plains was created through millions of years of flooding and the depositing of marine flora and fauna and other organic materials. The use of locally produced compost is a circular solution which can ensure that fertility is not lost. So, what’s being done to help? Governments, both central and local, are recognising the need to bring about change to address this issue. This year’s Waste Minimisation Fund had an equal emphasis on organic waste and construction and demolition waste (another growing problem at an estimated 40-50% of waste to NZ landfills). Councils are also taking action, with several having introduced food or organic waste bins as part of their kerbside collections. Many also offer subsidies for compost bins. Hawke’s Bay is well positioned in this regard as the end market for composters (the horticultural industry) is right in our own back yard. Combine this with the increasing interest in organic farming practices and we have little excuse not to create a circular economy for organic waste.

Know what’s in your water.

Water Testing Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s leading regional, IANZaccredited bacteriological water-testing and analysis laboratories. We’re local and independently owned, and with scientific rigour, reliability and consistency, we provide certainty and peace-of-mind when it comes to knowing what’s in your water. Water Testing Hawke’s Bay also holds IANZ Accreditation for our potable water sampling, a range of field tests, and our Hastings laboratory. We test most types of water with a focus on these key water types: + + + +

Alongside this, we have a huge variety of local charities working hard to divert food from hospitality and retail, including our very own Nourished for Nil. Statistics from this organisation show they rescued nearly 1 million kg of food in 2020, a rather staggering amount. Social media is also playing a part with The Magic Beans local Facebook page providing the Hawke’s Bay community with the ability to share crops and produce. Addressing organic waste may be

messy, difficult and sometimes put in the ‘too hard basket’ but the benefits make it worth the effort. Dominic works on sustainable solutions at 3R Group. 3R design, implement and manage product stewardship schemes for individual businesses or industry-wide groups. They also help businesses take a fresh look at their waste to first minimise and then recover what would otherwise be wasted.

Drinking Water Surface & Groundwater Effluent & Trade Waste Swimming & Spa Pools

Phone 06 870 6449 www.watertestinghb.nz

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 69

Jacob Scott. Photo: Florence Charvin

KAY B A ZZA RD

Culture

No more ‘sizzle then fizzle’ Arts in Hawke’s Bay wins funding boost

Changes are in the air for the Hawke’s Bay creative sector following the recent announcement of $425,000 allocated to this region by Manatū Taonga, Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Granted to Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay last month, the money will support a creative sector-led, regionally supported initiative, designed to grow the capability of our cultural and creative sectors. This financial boost will bring to life the Toi-Tū Hawke’s Bay strategic framework through projects that support creatives and creativity in Hawke’s Bay in this Covid-crazy world. The term ‘Ngā toi’ encompasses artists, filmmakers, photographers, community practitioners, composers, potters, sculptors, writers, actors, dancers, weavers, singers, carvers, performers, and other creators that feed our spirits, telling our stories and reflecting our region and the communities within it. Ngā toi are an integral part of our nation’s culture and identity. In most indigenous languages, there is no specific word for art; this is viewed as everyday life. Indigenous cultural frameworks are encompassed in the definition of ngā toi Māori and Moana Oceania (Pacific Peoples). What is the Toi-Tū framework? In 2018 Hastings District Council commenced a review of its Arts & Culture Strategy, engaging with the sector to identify needs, aspirations and direction. The feedback from the sector was clear – any approach needed to be sector-led and regionally-focused, rather than to be driven by Council. HDC agreed to this and that saw the delivery of ‘Toi-Tū Hawke’s Bay’ in 2019 as a guidance framework to support creatives and creativity in Hawke’s

Bay. It was deliberately developed as a framework, not a plan, recognising that it would be brought to life by multiple entities and creatives across the region in their own way, within a coordinated framework aligned with common goals. The funding investment is great news for Hawke’s Bay and when put alongside the appointment of Megan Peacock-Coyle in the new and expanded role of Arts and Culture Manager at Hastings District Council, it is evidence that our local authorities and the government are seriously preparing for an arts infrastructure here that has never existed before. The approach is highly collaborative and seeks to deliver outcomes at regional, entity and individual practitioner levels with project participants engaged as co-designers in affirming needs and driving solutions. Establishing partnerships with pivotal cultural and creative sector leaders and organisations will be a key to developing a regional infrastructure that is sustainable. Backing the application to Manatu Taonga for the funding were Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi, our four territorial councils, Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre, the MTG Hawke’s Bay, the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival, Ngāti Kahungunu Rūnanga Arts & Culture Board, Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu and Hawke’s Bay Tourism. The intent of the programme is to expand this network and activate partnerships. Jacob Scott, on behalf of Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay, says, “Beyond the intrinsic value of arts and culture, the range of arts outcomes we present stretches across four domains: cultural,

“The work in the background has been going on for years and now has to be the time to get some positive traction for all concerned.” JACOB SCOTT

environmental, social and health, and economic. The work in the background has been going on for years and now has to be the time to get some positive traction for all concerned.” Mayor Sandra Hazelhurst acknowledges that some of the success of this application can be attributed to the networks of Dr Dick Grant, recently resigned chair of Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay (2017-2020). “His understanding of what is required to qualify for government creative funding has been invaluable,” she says. Grant contributed much to the governance structure of the fledgling organisation. Prior to his involvement with Ngā Toi HB, he had been chair of Creative New Zealand from 2013 to 2016. “Dick has done a good job in getting us off the ground,” says Jacob Scott who led the application by Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay to the Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Megan Peacock-Coyle is also part of the consultative team that developed the Toi-Tū Ngā Toi concept and in her new role she will continue working toward the adoption of Toi-Tū across the region. She advocates with national and local government and other cultural entities, while driving the establishment of an arts and culture division within Hastings District Council to raise the profile and support for arts and culture internally and externally.

Hastings District Council is proud to sponsor BayBuzz culture and lifestyle coverage. JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 71

Megan Peacock-Coyle. Photo: Florence Charvin

In her new role she remains manager of the Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre, has oversight of the Hastings City Art Gallery and is rapidly gaining a broad understanding of the Hawke’s Bay art scene in order to better support the arts sector. “Toitoi, Hastings City Art Gallery, City Activation, the Arts and Culture strategy, already encompass the Toi-Tū principles. We are examining how the arts serve the community – what are these different groups doing and is there a shared distribution in order to deliver our strategic priorities; the Toi-Tū principles are feeding into the HDC 10 year strategic plan,” she says.

Philosophical shift

This holistic approach to integrating arts and culture into the broader region is a significant philosophical shift and there’s strong evidence that the community is ready for it. “Since the reopening of Toitoi in February 2020, the numbers attending shows and events have proven the council’s proposition that the Opera House and events centre is more than just ‘hall for hire’,” says Peacock-Coyle. “It’s also apparent by the high level of participation by our art makers, performing artists and practitioners and by attendances at art exhibitions here in Hawke’s Bay, so it’s not just an opinion coming from the council, the evidence is there.” Given such widespread interest in the community and recognizing that the economic benefits of the creative sector have been widely underestimated for many years, it could be said that while these initiatives are welcome and

exciting, they’re also overdue. As a country, we’ve been missing some key factors in this discussion. For example, creative industries contribute approximately $17.5 billion to New Zealand’s GDP (NZ Institute for Economic Research, 2020), and 64% of New Zealanders agree that the arts contribute positively to the economy (Creative New Zealand, 2020). “The support we’ve received from Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture & Heritage is a game changer for our region,” says Scott. “It’s time for a reframing exercise – to sit down with the key stakeholders, the arts sector, the local bodies and entities who have defined who and what they think we are and what we have needed for so long.” He continues: “Toi-Tū is a culmination of many years of work that has been developed here in the Bay by locals and even though it has gained traction in other regions throughout Aotearoa, it has struggled here. It’s high time for a change, everyone knows it, so let’s have a go at doing it.” Many projects already embody the Toi-Tū values, integrating art and culture into the planning. We see examples in the way Toitoi Arts and Events Centre and the Hastings City Art Gallery operate, in the Creative Communities Scheme focus on diversity, accessibility, and inclusiveness. Others include the installation of seabirds at the Napier Airport and the Whakatū road project, where artwork reflecting its cultural history is currently being prepared, to be revealed shortly. “It’s about building communities with a connection to the whenua and moana in a number of ways,” Scott

“Since the reopening of Toitoi in February 2020, the numbers attending shows and events have proven the Council’s proposition that the opera house and events centre is more than just ‘hall for hire’.” MEGAN PEACOCK-COYLE

explains. “We need to be creating spaces and places that people value and want to care for, fostering a connection to social, natural and built environments, and helping to embed indigenous knowledge around the collective and by creating a sense of place, belonging. Change is a reality that we need to front-end with some intellect and bravery.”

A new day?

With the exception of anchor cultural facilities and events that have continued to deliver great value to our region, investment into our cultural and creative sector from central and local government has been light … and could be characterised as a series of ‘sizzle then fizzle’ endeavours. So there is much to look forward to. However, expectations should be appropriate. The announcement of the Manatū Taonga grant to Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay is very recent and there is still more work to be done. When Ngā Toi Hawke’s Bay has gained traction in its newly funded role, BayBuzz will revisit this investment and look at the outcomes being generated. To be continued.

long established amongst olive trees & vineyards on the Te Awanga coast our iconic restaurant provides the perfect rustic winery venue for smaller weddings | our classically inspired seasonal menu is fresh & local | tailored to suit your individual wedding | renowned Clearview Estate wines & local craft beers compliment your celebration Te Awanga Hawke’s Bay

CELLAR DOOR | WINERY | RESTAURANT | ACCOMMODATION Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm | www.clearviewestate.co.nz

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 73

Culture B O O KS / LO UI S E WA R D

Demand and (eventual) supply A small brouhaha erupted in the publishing industry in the midst of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards celebrations. A much-respected publisher celebrated a win, they of course immediately ran out of stock, someone Tweeted ‘You had one job,’ and a twitterary stoush ensued, entertaining for its use of florid vocabulary. It’s tricky. Booksellers know this all too well and it must be doubly hard for publishers. How many copies of a book do you buy in? It depends on all sorts: has one of the staff read it and can hand-sell it? Will there be media? And in this current, mid-apocalyptic era, how long will a ship take to bring the stock (most of it housed in Australia) seeing as there aren’t any freight flights? How on earth do we choose what to set for book club without thinking about it about a year in advance? Bug Week & Other Stories by Airini Beautrais (Victoria University Press, $30.00) had to be reprinted rapidly after it won the Jan Medlicott prize in May. VUP houses its stock in New Zealand which means that as long as stock is available it can get to booksellers quickly. The reprint was fast and efficient. All the aforementioned swearing was an entertaining waste of time. The book is a bunch of finely honed, diverse, strange, disturbing and lovely tales. My favourite story, one that will sit with me for a while, is ‘The girl who shaved the moose’. It’s about a wee girl who is bright and loving, aggressive and loyal. On a school trip, unable to keep her hands to herself and bored by dead men’s medals, she pats a taxidermied moose head and sort of accidentally ruins it. It’s a story full of love for a misunderstood child; school doesn’t fit her, but her curiosity can’t be stifled. The most disturbing story is ‘A quiet death’. It’s about euthanasia, but it also isn’t. It’s really talking about women’s ownership of their bodies, how vulnerable they are, how even death doesn’t

74 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

get them off the hook. It was a bit of a shock to this seasoned old reader. Confronted is an overused term but … you will be. Will a book turn up anywhere near its publication date? With a savvy, internet-infested public who know what’s what, booksellers are often informed by customers … ‘It’s out today.’ Rejoinders of ‘It should be but the boat went to Tauranga instead of Auckland and blah blah blah…’ are met with glassy-eyed suspicion. This is happening all the time and the internet is a liar. Our stock of Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin, $32.99) was delayed because it was allegedly separated from our main May release order in transit or something, then sat on a boat in Auckland or something. Chaos reigns. What a fabulous book though. Well worth the wait. Its Taranaki author Bublitz’s first novel, has been subject to an international bidding war and been compared to other smash hits – I’ll let you make your own judgement on that. It’s about a young woman, Alice, who escapes a dead-end town and a manipulative gaslighter; she goes to New York, struggles, finds and accepts help (there are some genuine, good people in the world), only to be murdered in an opportunistic attack. The story is told from Alice’s viewpoint (yes, she’s dead but it really works – trust) and that of the young Australian, Ruby, who finds her body. It works as a thriller and as a page-turning psychological drama. It also delves into the way in which these young women have been worn down, how they still embrace life and intend to live it fully, only to be crushed by a society that blames them for the vulnerabilities it inflicts upon them. It’s good stuff – thought-provoking, intelligently plotted, suspenseful and yeah go on then, a bit confronting. On a very personal note, my husband Gareth’s new book, The

It was a bit of a shock to this seasoned old reader. Confronted is an overused term but … you will be. Thaumagician’s Revenge, should come out on August 4th. It’s the birthday of the novel’s main character, Wren Chester-Harris, and also of a close family member. We’d like to plan a party. But will the billions of copies we’ve ordered arrive on time? Auspicious dates mean nothing in this game anymore. It will arrive, at some point, and we shall plunge into the further adventures of Wrench (as she’s known) and her boss, Cabal Thirteen’s ‘hit first ask questions later’ leader, Bot. Terribly exciting stuff for family reads around a winter fireside, or sneaky lunchtime perusals. The moral of the story? We all thought we’d learnt to slow down a bit, vowed that we’d never return to our old ways after lockdown. Waiting for a brilliant book from your hardworking independent bookseller is a just another lesson in, to quote Axl Rose, a little patience.

Culture FO O D / I A N T H O M AS

Food festivals Whether it’s a music festival or a motor racing festival there’s always food. Food is at the centre of any and nearly every gathering of any import. From the weekly market to the annual congress of pilgrims at Womad. Food is the backbone. The memory of the vegetable pakoras is recalled with much greater clarity than the Moldovian marimba maestro’s performance. There are, of course, self-proclaimed food festivals where food is celebrated as headline acts while being supported by live music. Let’s agree the world loves festivals mainly for feasting. Cross-cultural joyful communing has stood the test of time. So, I wonder, why aren’t we doing more of it during the winter in Hawke’s Bay? We live in the food basket of the country so where is our own winter food-focused festival? The ultra-woke among you will be grinding your teeth at the impending religious, cultural, and seasonal appropriation-gone-mad occurrence that is the Mid-Winter Christmas. It is one of the more bizarre pretend games played by adults who yearn for the northern hemisphere cold weather ‘traditional’ Christmas ... snow flakes and all. By traditional I mean the coming together of groups of Brits in order to gobble up the most traditional of all British food: the American turkey. It’s my firm(ish) belief that the whole event is nothing more than an elaborate ploy to glorify the Brussel sprout. Is it not the only event of the year at which the mini brassica is elevated to gourmet status? Some recipes even suggest sautéing the unlikely hero with bacon! The Frankinsteinesque celebration is now tradition. Why? Well it’s not for religious reasons so my guess is chest-puffing nationalism, but I can also see that the MWC is just an excuse to commune with friends and family and have some fun whilst feasting. It’s hard not to like. The MWC is the perfect off-season accompaniment to the summer event where Santa wears

There’s no surprise that gathering to share food and contemplate makes for a popular event. It’s a very old formula.

winter clothes aboard his sleigh and sweats like a fat butcher with a blunt knife in the midday sun. Most importantly the MWC Sprout Fest is easy because we all know what to do. We are familiar with the skeleton of the menu and we understand that a suitably gauche jumper should be worn along with a tight paper hat. Take along a secret santa gift, the ageing pudding from the back of the cupboard that was overlooked in a December many years ago, and enough bottles of social lubricant to ease the feeling of silliness and you’re done. What of genuine mid-winter festivals in Hawke’s Bay? The solstice, Yule, and most importantly Matariki. Well many of us don’t really know what to do in order to celebrate these events. Even though their credibility is far higher than the MWC Bread Sauce Extravaganza, there is a feeling of discomfort with a lack of expertise in celebrating them. So either there’s no attempt to celebrate them at all or we awkwardly dip our toes in and try to learn the kaupapa. Matariki is a meaningful and relevant event. The perfect mid-winter occasion to warm ourselves with community and family gatherings. At the heart of Matariki is a mindfulness and remembrance of times past and of those who have gone before, of harvests gathered, and thoughts of growth to come. A reverence exists in Matariki to which all of the Brussels sprouts in Christendom can’t hold a candle. Let’s celebrate it then! You cry. But how shall we celebrate? With food of course!

Matariki celebrations were largely absent for fifty years or so at the end of the twentieth century. Local man Te Rangi Huata, backed by Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi, played a major role in rekindling the dying fires of the event for the nation in 2000. Iwi and community-led celebrations continue across the region. Matariki is our opportunity to get real and enjoy our own country’s festival. I suggest to the good revellers of Aotearoa and particularly Hawke’s Bay that 2021 is the year to light those figurative and literal fires and join the Matariki celebrations. After all this is the year that we’re all at home. Go to a public celebration or host your own feast. A quick internet search will reveal the story of Matariki history and celebrations. Use this as the skeleton and hang your own meat on its bones. You don’t have to ditch the pretense, brandy butter, and the dress-up games of MWC. I’m keen to sacrifice a goat to mark the solstice. I enjoy Queen’s Birthday celebrations just as much as the next fervent anti-royalist. I, however, prefer and love the earthy, inclusive beauty of Matariki and its celebration of our unique time and space. We’ve held a Matariki gathering in our hood for the last three years. We wanted to spread the tradition but we didn’t have any experience so we organised a potluck meal and a sharing table for produce and preserves. Families came and flames crackled and of course we shared food. There’s no surprise that gathering to share food and contemplate makes for a popular event. It’s a very old formula. So you can take your Brussels sprouts, your pavs, and your figgy pudding, and you can bring them to a Matariki potluck. Start with your family and your neighbours. Gobble it up and start making your own traditions. Officially Matariki ends 11 July this year. But don’t let that stop you from celebrating later. What’s important is creating a tradition! Photo: Florence Charvin

76 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Culture WEL L B E I N G / H A Z E L T HO M AS

What’s your relationship with alcohol? While there is no age in which it is illegal to drink alcohol in New Zealand, there are strict parameters for minors, such as parental consent, conditions of responsibility and laws around supply (you cannot sell alcohol to those under 18). Why is it that we have laws to protect our children from alcohol? Research has shown that alcohol consumption interferes with brain development. Alcohol is a often a contributing factor in the lead cause of death among our youth (accidents and suicide). Alcohol can damage organs and lead to health problems down the track. Sadly, it can be addictive for some. Essentially, we have been using alcohol as a social drug for thousands of years. Why would the younger generation think it’s bad for them when large numbers of the adults they know drink frequently or every day. Are we truly setting the best example for our children? I personally don’t think we are. Some adults will tell children they can’t drink, whilst they themselves may have a regular wine or two with dinner or a few too many over the weekend. What message are we conveying? You can’t drink but it’s totally acceptable for us to imbibe alcoholic beverages regularly. I’m surmising that many of us growing up have seen those in the ‘know’ get tipsy, argumentative, tearful or outrageous. We might have thought, if adults can, why shouldn’t we? I have to confess, growing up I never considered the consequences of drinking. Drinking was the norm! My relationship with alcohol has changed significantly over the years and hopefully I can inspire you to look at alcohol in a different light. Is there something magical about alcohol that makes it so attractive? Is it conditioning, good marketing, peer pressure or a combination of them all? Have you ever asked yourself why you

78 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

drink? Is it to be social? Is it to get tipsy? Does it give you social confidence? Is it because all your friends or family drink? Do you feel left out if the only one not drinking? Is it a habit or a need? Drinking can become part of our routine. That glass of wine after a long day. Message to self, you deserve this! When we engage socially on a regular basis, it provides a sense of community, identity and belonging. The reasons will be different for everybody but just because it is ‘socially acceptable’, it doesn’t mean that it is good for us. Nor does it give us what all those marketing companies promise, in the long-term. Marketing, whether we realise it or not, hugely impacts our emotions, desires and decisions. The subliminal messages that you are cool, a real man’s man or you deserve ‘wine time’ could influence your desire for a drink. Women are being targeted more and more. Marketing is appealing to what women are wanting in their lives – friendship, relaxation and empowerment. Children and adolescents are exposed to advertising through TV, billboards and social media. Tip this with natural curiosity and you have youngsters experimenting at a young age. Ladies, something for you to consider. We don’t have the same capacity as males, we cannot process alcohol as quickly or as efficiently. Women are more at risk of developing an alcohol-related disease. Alcohol can cause breast cancer at even low doses. What about those articles that tout the health benefits of alcoholic beverages? Red wine seems to be the clear winner because of its antioxidants, which are believed to reduce inflammation, lower heart disease and extend one’s lifespan. Are these good reasons for us to drink without worrying about the consequences?

Personally, I would prefer to get my antioxidants from fruit and vegetables. It turns out that even moderate levels of drinking can be detrimental to our health. In fact, just one alcoholic drink a day can increase a person’s risk for health problems. On the flip side, an occasional drink with friends can be a social tonic and could contribute to health and wellbeing. A study published in Lancet concluded that alcohol is a leading risk factor for disease, accounting for nearly 10% of global deaths among populations aged 15 to 49 years of age. It recommended that the widely held view of the health benefits needed to be revised, since their findings demonstrated that the safest level of drinking is none. Alcohol has been implicated in cancer, liver disease, heart disease, depression, addiction, poor sleep, nutritional deficiencies and memory problems. As a nutritionist, I know that alcohol has a negative impact on our immunity and gut health. Alcohol irritates the gut and stomach lining and also harms our resident bacteria. This can lead to bowel problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), diarrhoea, bloating, indigestion, heart burn and in some cases stomach ulcers. It sadly ages us too. The question remains, what are you getting from alcohol? Is it truly worth it? Are we giving the right message to our youth? Is it time to break your relationship with alcohol? Perhaps you may be asking how you can drink less, let’s explore some options. • Challenge yourself to take a three month break, work out how much you save by not drinking and what improvements in your health you noticed. Dry July is a good month to start.

•M ake sure you eat a nutritious meal. •T ake a good probiotic to look after your gut bacteria and something to support your liver. My personal view, is that alcohol is nobody’s best friend. I wish I’d had a better understanding of the impact of alcohol on one’s health growing up. It has little nutritional value. It can change our behaviour and may impact our decision making. It can affect our sleep and mood. Our behaviour can impact our children’s views on alcohol. Perhaps it’s time for some of us to become better role models and to truly consider our relationship with alcohol. Hazel Thomas is a registered clinical nutritionist with a special interest in gut health, food sensitivities and children’s health.

• If that’s too extreme, aim to not drink during the week. • Have the tonic without the gin. •D rink a glass of water after every drink. • Swap to low alcohol versions. • Volunteer to be the designated driver. • Set a drink limit and stick to it. • If you come home hankering after a drink. Use the same glass and

exchange the content with a glass of dilute grape juice (wine), a glass of sparking water with lemon (gin), cold herbal tea or an occasional kombucha. Kombucha is a tonic and one shouldn’t drink too much of it, since it can cause yeast problems for some. • Change your routine, so that alcohol isn’t the focus.

Royston Hospital is pleased to sponsor robust examination of health issues in Hawke’s Bay. This reporting is prepared by BayBuzz. Any editorial views expressed are those of the BayBuzz team.

100 years of holding hands Since 1921, Royston Hospital has prided itself on its superior healthcare, and its comprehensive range of surgical services. We’re proud to be part of Hawke’s Bay’s medical past - and lead its innovative future for our community.

Royston.co.nz Evolution Healthcare

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • BAYBUZZ • 79

Culture MO U T H Y B R OA D / JES S S O UTA R B A RRON

A perch is not a home My neighbour is putting on an extension. He’s a dedicated DIY-er and does all the grunt work himself. When he hits a construction conundrum, mates turn up to help out. He’s been collecting demo windows and doors, bits of 4x2, weather boards, for weeks and now he’s got a reclaimed timber addition to his suburban 2-bed. He’s added a yellow tent fly to one side, a tino rangatiratanga bedspread to the other. He’s installed a solid-fuel fire with a functioning chimney. He’s even made a standard lamp out of a tower of traffic cones to sit in the corner and offer a comforting glow. I know this because I can see right into his nearly-finished add-on, and that’s because it’s really just a carport. He’s covered it in over a few months, bit by bit, using whatever comes to hand. Even unfinished, the building site has become a gathering place for friends dropping by. It’s what we’re all after: part paepae, part pavilion. It’s turning into a place where soap-boxes are mounted and rants expounded, stories swapped, laughter shared. Sometime friendly debate heats up into full blown argy bargy, and once a machete fight. Music bangs. Kids hang out on couches. The dog and its puppy (and its puppy’s puppy) mooch in and out through the portière (really a striped shower curtain hung over the break between blanket and fly). Housing New Zealand, who owns the place, probably have strong opinions on the bespoke addition to their bog standard semi. For the people who live and visit here it’s become an essential community hearth. Humans are hungry for shared spaces where we can just be, neither work nor home but some precious place between. For most of the people on my street, this is it. Last week though a Hard-hat’n’highvis arrived in a hatchback and inspected with a clipboard. He made notes and nodded while my neighbour

80 • BAYBUZZ • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Last week though a Hard-hat’n’high-vis arrived in a hatchback and inspected with a clipboard. He made notes and nodded while my neighbour explained his vision, flipping through the blue-prints inside his mind. The news though didn’t seem good and my neighbour began a performative dismantling of his creation while The Clipboard was still onsite.

explained his vision, flipping through the blue-prints inside his mind. The news though didn’t seem good and my neighbour began a performative dismantling of his creation while The Clipboard was still onsite. As the hatchback pulled out of our road the shouting started. Then the throwing of things that smashed across the footpath. Then the screaming and swearing of my neighbour’s missus as she battled back. His frustration boiling over, she was an easy target. It didn’t last long. She threw shade and he stalked off to the dairy for a breather. The rebuilding began the next morning and now their annex is as it was, actually more than it was because today they added a new ‘room’ by hanging sweeps of bright fabric over an old tramp frame. We have a housing crisis in Hawke’s Bay, a microcosm of what’s happening elsewhere in Aotearoa. But the lack of stable and safe houses has myriad ramifications past having somewhere to lay your hat. Without a home that you can truly call yours, you don’t have a place to host your wider family and

friends, a place where those vital connections can be strengthened. There’s no place you can be guaranteed a hot meal, a hand up, occasionally a hand out. Without a home you have no place to express your creative centre, show who you are. Ours used to be a culture of doing it ourselves, making it ourselves. We used to throw up a shack before lunch and have it decorated by tea-time. It wasn’t just necessity. It was a valid outlet for our creativity, our ingenuity, our magpie-eyed knack of seeing treasure in detritus. More and more people are moving more and more often. Some families just move in and they’re off again: new flat, new neighbours, new school. And because they are so tenuously linked to where they are they can’t fall in love with it, and looking after it seems a chore, not a pleasure. When they do take ownership, they are slapped down. Even planting things in gardens that aren’t actually yours can be a no-no, let alone painting a wall or affixing a bookshelf. We’re a lucky lot in New Zealand with our social housing, although there’s not enough to go around … 40,000 people here are homeless. People are calling motel rooms ‘home’ … garages, cars. My neighbour’s dedication to turning this house into a home, and more than that, a hub, makes him a poster boy for the human desire to bedazzle our surroundings. We use our creative nous to make our mark on where we live. Without that we just perch and don’t settle. My neighbour may have extended the metaphor a little too far: A lean-to is one thing, a conservatory with vestibule quite another. But he’s showing our block that taking ownership can be beautiful, it can be stripy, reclaimed, pretty garish, a bit gaudy and very brave but still beautiful.

HAWKES BAY

YOGA FESTIVAL AUGUST 7 - 8 th

Tickets & full program: yogafestival.co.nz

SUPPORTED BY

NEW JAGUAR F-PACE

HARD TO FORGET. The new Jaguar F-PACE is a performance SUV unlike any other, now restyled to be even more assertive, even more distinctive. The all-new premium interior features the best in contemporary design, and the next generation infotainment system includes the latest connected technologies. The extensive new engine range now includes Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Every journey can feel extraordinary. The new Jaguar F-PACE. Easy to love, hard to forget. Bayswater European Limited 93-107 Carlyle Street, Napier, New Zealand, 4110. (06) 650 0799 bayswater.jaguar.co.nz

*Terms and conditions apply. The standard Scheduled 5 Year Servicing is included. Speak to your retailer for more details or visit www.jaguar.co.nz. JLR227048