BB#74-Jan-Feb-2024

2024 JANUARY +FEBRUARY

74

Hawke’s Bay’s rare gems People who excel

New and noticed Businesses to watch

All fired up Shopping for the best BBQ

The best of Hawke’s Bay

9 772253 262016

Jan/Feb

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BayBuzz Online

20: Fuel Your Stoke Esk Photo: Micha Valley l Farr

64 Bring ing back the Bay Paul Callis Express ter and Mich Drogenbr ael van oek The case for trains !

Life 72 Fine

feathers Michal McK ay New home coming for treasures HB’s and taong a.

78 Takin g a new road Kay Bazz ard Reflection s on chan ging one’s life path.

82 Gifts that keep giving Kate McLe ay Special Chris tmas gifts you love. for those 84 Cham pions of gindustry Yvonne Lorkin The secre t ambition of winemake rs?

90 Potlu ck

Ian Thom as Don’t leave your potlu to chance! ck dinne r 96 In defe nse of pyjam as Jess Sout ar At the core Barron of Hawke's Bay’s dress code.

November + Decem ber 2023

BAYBUZZ

7

If you like the reporting, analysis, and breadth of BayBuzz magazine ...

Then you’ll love BayBuzz Digital even more!

Same quality of information and insight, delivered more timely ... more bite-sized ... more searchable ... more conveniently.

Via our website, our weekly EVENTS and The BUZZ e-newsletters, our brand new BayBuzz App, and our social media pages.

Not following BayBuzz digitally?

Here are some stories you’ve missed: • HB Recovery Agency present priorities • Saving Smokefree legislation • Water Barons’ debt • 1st 100 days...what matters to HB? • Cape Sanctuary hiding • Kakabeak survive!

• Peak Bostock?

• Hospital prepped for more Covid • Helicopter Trust needs help • Has the Aquarium passed its use-by date?

PLUS

• Answers needed on HN flooding • Local GPs awarded • Fluoridation to resume in Hastings • CHB Council votes for Māori wards • Pause for Cranford Hospice new build • Fewer aged care beds in HB • Power Trust bumbles along • Nursing crisis in HB • Awards galore for HB’s best • Get rid of your hazardous waste

The best HB events and entertainment coming up each week!

There’s a reason we’re called BayBUZZ ... and you can get more BUZZ than ever online.

• Visit www.baybuzz.co.nz • Sign-up for our e-newsletters • Get BayBuzz App

Celebrating our community’s incredible Super Stars!

In 2023, 590 junior sporting heroes were awarded the Unison Medal for great work ethic, fair play and discipline.

Unison Medals were presented by sporting legends Irene van Dyk (netball), Kaitlin Cotter (hockey) and Marino Mikaele-Tu’u (rugby).

From rugby to hockey, netball to football, these incredible tamariki made their whanau proud. Their achievements extend beyond the field and exemplify what makes our community thrive.

In 2024, Unison celebrates 16 years of getting behind junior sport across its regions. As partners of its community, Unison is proud to support and showcase organisations and events that support the health, wellbeing and development of children whilst promoting safety around electricity.

Following a successful 2023 junior sports season, these young Super Stars are already buzzing with excitement for what 2024 has in store. Stay tuned for updates on how you can get involved in Unison’s Greatest Supporter Programme this year!

In 2023, the Maraetotara Tree Trust celebrated 21 years of conservation work. Unison is proud to have been the Principal Partner for five years, supporting the Trust’s incredible mahi and commitment to our environment.

The Trust’s purpose is to protect, enhance and restore the Maraetotara River from the top of the Maraetotara Valley to its outflow into Hawke Bay at Te Awanga beach.

Over the last two decades, the Trust has planted 160,000 native trees along the banks of the river, transforming the landscape and enriching the ecosystem.

Unison’s partnership with the Trust is a shared vision for a sustainable future. Over the years, Unison’s people have taken part in volunteering along the river - planting natives, and removing competing grass and other vegetation to allow plants to see the sunshine and thrive.

In 2024, the Maraetotara Tree Trust expect to plant a further 9,000 plants, including the replacement of 2,000 young trees damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.

@Unison

@unisonnetworks

VISIT: UNISON.CO.NZ

Sprinklers can use as much water in 1 hour as a family uses in 1 day...

Makes you think, huh?

Wise-up on smart water use, Hawke’s Bay! And do your bit for water conservation.

Visit knowourwaterhb.co.nz for water conservation tips

74 BayBuzz January + February 2024

Photo: Florence Charvin

2023 is a year Hawke’s Bay will be happy to get behind us. But amidst all the devastation, heaps of individuals, businesses and NGOs continued to perform their best – some winning national and international acclaim, some rising to community needs as local heroes, some quietly excelling in their chosen field. This edition celebrates the region’s accomplishments and depth of talent as demonstrated in 2023. Hopefully fortifying you with inspiration, we then also ask you to reflect upon the worsening challenge looming before us ... climate change.

Follow us at: baybuzzhb Articles online at: baybuzz.co.nz Editorial enquiries editors@baybuzz.co.nz Advertising enquiries Mandy Wilson 027 593 5575 mandy@baybuzz.co.nz Reach BayBuzz by mail BayBuzz, PO Box 8322, Havelock North

About the cover The best of summer – a picnic under the sun.

BayBuzz team EDITOR: Tom Belford LIFE EDITOR: Michal McKay SENIOR WRITERS: Tom Belford; Abby Beswick; Rosheen FitzGerald; Damon Harvey; Sahiban Hyde; Michal McKay; Mark Sweet COLUMNISTS: Andrew Frame; Yvonne Lorkin; Kate McLeay; Paul Paynter; Lizzie Russell; Dominic Salmon; Jess Soutar Barron; Ian Thomas BUSINESS WRITER: Brenda Newth VIDEOGRAPHER: Patrick O'Sullivan EDITOR’S RIGHT HAND: Brooks Belford PHOTOGRAPHY: Florence Charvin ILLUSTRATION: Ruth Mitchener; Brett Monteith DESIGN: Unit Design - Max Parkes; Giselle Reid PRODUCTION MANAGER: Giselle Reid PROOFREADER: Jenny Elliott ONLINE: Elizabeth-Marie Nes; Lee Tong BUSINESS MANAGER: Steph Lowry PRINTING: Blue Star Group 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.

6 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

22: Hawke's Bay's hidden gems. Photo: Florence Charvin

The Buzz 8 From the editor 10 The Buzz Q&A 14 Dining out A photo essay by Florence Charvin and Lizzie Russell

44 Champions BayBuzz team HB fielded many winners in 2023, as judged by their peers.

Here’s a formidable list.

Features

54 A golden summer of sport Damon Harvey Based upon past performance, we’ll have plenty to cheer about this year.

18 It’s getting too late Tom Belford More urgency is required at every level to address climate change.

22 Hawke’s Bay’s Hidden Gems BayBuzz team A selection of unique individuals striving to do their best.

BayBiz 62 Hawke’s Bay’s mystery businesses Brenda Newth & Simon Shattky Some fascinating HB businesses you’ve probably not heard of.

74 Home-grown sustainability work in the Bay Dominic Salmon HB businesses are walking the talk.

56: All fired up Photo: Florence Charvin

Life 56 All fired up Jess Soutar Barron Taking vegetarian Paul Paynter BBQ shopping.

82 Unleashing your best self Kate McLeay The foundation practices for being your best.

84 Best Hawke’s Bay wine moments Yvonne Lorkin Cyclone notwithstanding, our wine industry had reasons to celebrate.

88 Yvonne’s ten must-haves for your cellar Ten selections for splurging; ten for ‘normal’ budgets.

90 Picnic? What’s the lure?

Ian Thomas Picnics are not all they’re cracked up to be!

96 Better at what?

Jess Soutar Barron Picking up the ‘Be the best’ challenge.

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 7

From the editor Tom Belford

With one exception, every article in this edition is about celebration.

The BayBuzz team figured that after a year of unprecedented hardship, including personal disaster for many, we needed a bit of uplift to begin the year – starting with acknowledgement of the many people, organisations and businesses that excelled in 2023 in the midst of all the calamity.

Hawke’s Bay’s Best.

So we’ve tried in a variety of ways to showcase some of Hawke’s Bay’s best, with a special emphasis on showing you some of region’s more ‘unique’ achievers – from cricket bat maker and body painter to fan blade exporter and digital experience creators.

We have an amazing assortment of talent here in Hawke’s Bay, many of these individuals and operations fly ‘under the radar’, known only to the clued-in aficionados in their respective fields of endeavor. Well, now you’ll get to meet some of them. We tried to caste a wide net in our search for the hidden gems, but undoubtedly we missed quite few (let us know ...

BayBuzz is a periodical after all!).

Naturally we’ve had some very visible ‘high flyers’ in the past year, many of them more ‘officially’ recognised by their industries, our local councils, their peers or through head-to-head competition. But alongside these, again there are many more ‘anonymous’ individuals who showed their stuff in 2023, especially in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

We tried to gather these – we found around 150 – in a simple listing, called Champions. Here you will find in roughly equal numbers the

well-known and the quiet heroes.

While our public officials focus these days on ‘resilience’ in terms of durable infrastructure and future-proofing lifeline services, more fundamentally our region’s resilience springs from individuals with talents of all sorts who volunteer, practice, compete, organise, work every day to be their personal best ... sometimes in the public eye, but more often not.

And in this regard, Hawke’s Bay is blessed with amazing diversity and depth.

Whether a national or international champion or market leader or a neighbourhood volunteer hero, here’s where our resilience truly lies, where our legitimate pride as a community is grounded, and where our inspiration comes from to move forward.

Hopefully as you browse these pages, you will agree.

Now, about the downer.

The one ‘issue’ piece in this edition is about climate change. Last year, as our previous Summer edition was still being read, we suffered a climate catastrophe.

Hopefully 2024 won’t see an immediate repeat. But repeats are coming.

So while you are kicking back this summer, hopefully enjoying hot sunny days, I hope you will read and reflect on our climate update and what awaits us as a region and a planet if we continue to fail – as individuals, families, businesses, councils, nations – to act with much, much greater urgency on mitigating and adapting to climate change.

I’m terribly frustrated that this magazine went to bed just a day or two before COP 28, the recent global conference on climate change, ended.

Unresolved as I write today is what that forum will agree upon by way of commitment to the most fundamental change of course we must make – phasing out the world’s use of fossil fuels.

Communications experts and psychologists argue over whether the best motivator of action on the issue of global warming is fear or hope. The need to protect ourselves from danger or the aspirational pursuit of something better. I believe the two go hand in glove, but self-preservation is more hard-wired in our psyche.

Scientists say the planet has already reached a series of tipping points – involving things like ice melt, coral reef destruction, warming tundra, rising ocean temperatures – that will now see us propelled into uncharted territory much faster than we thought, destabilising – threatening – the lives of billions, to say nothing of our enveloping ecosystems and fellow species. For anyone with 20-30 years to go – threats in your lifetime, and certainly your children’s.

What will be our first ‘local’ signs of these phenomena here in Hawke’s Bay? We already saw them, last year!

Self-preservation was on many minds.

And yet we showed the resilience illustrated in the rest of this magazine.

I don’t really give a hoot whether you act out of fear or hope. Just don’t deny or defer, act!

Tom Belford

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.

8 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Dear World,

Last year threw a real curveball at the Bay. But you should know by now, we’re a resilient bunch.

We’re a region of hard workers, innovators, outstanding growers, and a community that stands strong with one another.

As our region gets back on its feet, one thing remains the same - the world wants more of the premium goods Hawke’s Bay produces. And we’re all working hard to make that happen.

At Napier Port, we’re proud to do our part - connecting our region to the markets of the world by ensuring shipping services and world class wharves, equipment and service.

Together, we’re building a thriving region.

Yours sincerely,

Todd Dawson and the Napier Port team

SENDER:

The Bay Open for business January 2024 PO Box 947 Napier 4140 New Zealand

The Buzz

Q&A TOM MACKINTOSH

Birdwoods

Everybody has their Hawke’s Bay favourites.

We asked some folks you might know for theirs.

Send yours along to editors@baybuzz.co.nz and we'll publish online!

What other HB person would you like to be?

That's easy, Jock Mackintosh!

What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

Sushi Plus on Joll Road. I've been going there since high school.

Love the free spring rolls.

What HB company would you like to own?

I really like Rockit Apples. I love the growing aspect and think they have a great business model. It's inspiring seeing HB companies competing worldwide!

Tom Mackintosh

What HB product do you most admire?

Furnware products. Again, it's awesome to see a HB company become a global success story.

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? The Hawke's Bay Foundation What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Surely Tom Mackintosh and Emma Twigg’s sporting success at the world rowing champs!

10 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Rockit Apples

Parkhill Studios

LOUISE STOBART What other HB person-ality would you like to be?

Sola Dog Stobart – she is living the Vanuatu rescue island-dog dream!

What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

Thai Green Curry – made at home with ingredients from New World.

What HB company would you like to own?

Birdwoods … Hang on … We do!

What HB product do you most admire?

The wide range of fig products from The Figgery – they work so hard at it and do it so well!

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? The Hawke’s Bay Foundation What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Putting on the best weather for the Robbie Williams Concert – that weekend was stellar!

Louise Stobart

SAM HOWARD What other HB person would you like to be?

It’s a difficult year to answer this question. I’m grateful and happy to be walking in my own shoes.

What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

We love going to see Alam at Namaskar in Havelock North.

He loves his cricket and serves beautiful Indian cuisine.

What HB company would you like to own?

Parkhill Studios. Derek and Tony are trying to bring a whole new film industry to Hawke’s Bay with their planned Parkhill Studio development in Te Awanga.

What HB product do you most admire?

Hawke’s Bay grown food.

Our growers remain agile, innovative, committed, resilient and so important to the well being of our region.

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? Got to be the Hawke’s Bay Foundation. An ultra long-term project but so positive for our region.

Sam Howard

What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Those quiet heroes in helicopters and boats who saved lives in the hours after the cyclone passed through. And all the other heroes who showed up since.

Summer is finally here and with the warmer weather is a chance for a refresh in the jewellery looks you have been sporting over winter months.

Bohemian vibes are back. Bring on the beautiful natural beads in gorgeous shapes and shades of rich and vibrant blues... lapis lazuli and turquoise paired with soft linens or stunning long floaty prints. Layered fine gold or silver chains on bronzed skin to make you feel glamorous. Statement rings is in bold colours adds a pop of excitement to your hands.

It is also an opportunity to rock some long dangles in your ears! Larger earrings can really take your look to the next level. You just have to be a bit brave a give it a go.

If you have a special event this season, come talk to me about the perfect timeless piece to compliment your look. If I don’t have something beautiful instore that hits the mark, I can always make something stunning for you.

6 Havelock Road, Havelock North 06 877 9851 moniquetheresejewellers.com

ALEX WALKER What other HB person would you like to be?

Sir Ian Taylor has really stamped his mark as a business leader, innovator and Kiwi icon. I love how he has earned and owns a strong philosophical view in NZ. What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

Indian! Saffron in Waipukurau.

Alex Walker

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? Has to be the HB Rescue Helicopter!

These guys save lives on a weekly basis across rural Central Hawke’s Bay and we couldn’t survive without them.

What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Undoubtedly teamwork. No matter the location, the culture, the business, or the identity, Hawke’s Bay has come together more strongly than we have ever seen before.

What HB company would you like to own?

First Light Foods. I love their highend paddock-to-plate success internationally with wagyu beef.

What HB product do you most admire?

Kanapu Hemp – seeds, oil and now milk – with such a cool story of culture, partnership and whenua from Otane and Waimārama.

Kanapu Hemp

Arataki Honey

NGAHIWI TOMOANA What other HB person would you like to be?

My 2 year old mokopuna Kaitiaki...

Fearless.

What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

Sashimi fish ... Japanese ... don't have to cook it

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? WIT... Whatever it takes What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Fixing the Shield without anyone getting sued.

What HB company would you like to own?

Unison ... It's a monopoly

Ngahiwi Tomoana

KATIE NIMON What other HB person would you like to be?

My great grandfather Trevor Geddis, to see what life was like in Napier before, during, and after the earthquake.

What's your favorite ethnic food and where do you get it?

Paneer Tika Masala, from Rasoi or Sangam, but I love Mexican too!

What HB company would you like to own?

Little Island Creamery. I'd love to work in product development, and I'd love to work with James Crow!

12 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

What HB product do you most admire?

Arataki Honey ... All round the world

What HB product do you most admire?

Anything from Hohepa, but especially the cheese. All their products are sustainably made by the people they support, giving them purpose and telling us a story.

Social Supermarket

What is your favourite HB charity/NGO? It's very hard to choose but I love what Nourished for Nil are doing, especially with their new Social Supermarket in Onekawa.

What was HB’s best achievement in 2023?

Responding to a cyclone as a community and being stronger for it!

Katie Nimon

JOIN US FOR A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER THURSDAY 28 DECEMBER

Bicep ~ Amphitheatre

THURSDAY 4 JANUARY

Sublime with Rome ~ Amphitheatre

FRIDAY 19 JANUARY

Drax Project + Coterie ~ Amphitheatre

SATURDAY 23 MARCH

Kaylee Bell ~ Amphitheatre

THURSDAY 25 APRIL

Dragon ~ Amphitheatre

7 Days

Bistro for lunch Cellar door for wine tastings Fig Alley for wines by the glass and platters The Cabana for private dining and meetings

THURSDAYS ~ SUNDAYS

Bistro for dinner

SATURDAYS OF SUMMER

Market + Brunch 10am to 1pm

ALWAYS

Outstanding accommodation

BLACKBARN.COM FOR ALL BOOKINGS AND MORE INFO

DINING OUT Words by Lizzie Russell Photos by Florence Charvin

The gardens are dancing and dappled, we fling open picnic rug, kick shoes, plonk down. The clinking of enamel, ceramic, glass as we lay out a small feast.

Salty cured meats, juicy strawberries, perfectly crusty bread. It’s been too long since we did this, we agree.

An age. What a year. What a four years. Onwards and upwards from here. More of this. This is the summer for it. Another strawberry? Go on.

What a year.

Summer is back. We celebrate its return, and the arrival of a brandnew year with fresh local food in some favourite local settings under these perfect blue skies.

We rise early, still later than the light, and with coffee plunger and warm scones in hand, pick our way down towards the water’s edge. Warm top-layer sand, cooler beneath as we dig toes in, pour coffee, sip, listen.

Slow, gentle tumbling of waves. Calls of seagulls. Distant droning from the port. Car doors slam as swimmers too arrive for their morning ritual.

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 15

The giant rests in the middle distance, not Freddie though. This poodle is ready to play. Us too. The early evening light. The satisfying rip of pizza

crust. The balm of a breeze through olive leaves. Watermelon juice trickling down chins and that summer scent of mown grass.

In a while, the light will drop low and the sky will turn pink.

Shepherd’s delight, we say.

And have another strawberry.

IT’S GETTING TOO LATE Story by Tom Belford In December, the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties (COP28), ended with mixed results.

The defining choice for our climate future involved committing to phase out all fossil fuel development and usage ... the opposite of our government’s policy. The International Energy Agency projects that fossil fuel demand will peak by 2030.

As I write, COP in its final hours is debating whether to call for fossil fuel reduction, or total phase out, or ‘unabated’ phaseout (this with the assumption that carbon capture technology would become available, thus permitting continued fossil fuel burning). And most oil-producing states want no targeting at all of fossil fuels, saying any stipulated limits should apply to overall emissions, not the source of emissions.

A great deal of urgent rhetoric, but much less evidence of urgent action by the nations of the world, very few of which actually have formal plans to phase out fossils. As one pundit put it, COP was supposed to be about protecting the planet, not protecting companies.

Meanwhile 2023 was a year of catastrophic weather events, temperatures and records broken, ending as the hottest year ever recorded. As of

November, the planet had already felt 38 days where temperatures exceeded 1.5oC. The UN climate agency chief said breaking the 1.5oC threshold would mean that “2 billion people will live in areas beyond the human limit.”

And then, on November 17th, for the first time ever, the Earth’s mean temperature breached the 2.0oC higher than pre-industrial average.

And of course, humans are just one affected species, albeit the culpable one. Facing extinction at our hands are hundreds if not thousands of other victim species.

The consensus is now that we will overshoot the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5oC, a level beyond which compounding feedback loops threaten to devastate ecosystems, biological processes and socioeconomic systems, leading us into what one report termed “uncharted territory”. Of particular concern are these ‘tipping points’: ice melt in Greenland and the West Antarctic Ice Sheets (already breeched at current emission levels, some reports say), warm-water coral reefs, North Atlantic ocean current circulation, and permafrost regions (releasing massive amounts of methane).

Said one leading climate scientist: “I think everyone agrees that 1.5 degrees is in the rearview mirror at this point.”

And from the US’s original ‘whistleblower’ on the matter back in 1988, Dr James Hansen: “The 1.5 degree limit

is deader than a doornail.”

In the face of all this, although our emissions have held steady in recent years, New Zealand now needs to reduce its emissions by 7% per year to meet our Paris Agreement commitments.

How worried are we?

A Westpac-sponsored survey in November reported that 64% of respondents were ‘Very’ or ‘Quite’ concerned about the impacts of climate change in NZ. Only 31% thought NZ was ‘doing enough’ to curb the main effects, with 56% saying the ‘government should take stronger action’ on climate change.

Concern about climate change rarely cracks the ‘top 5’ in surveys around the world, although interestingly the NY Times devoted a major feature last October to emerging ‘climate psychotherapy’, reporting that more and more therapists are encountering patients stressed out about climate.

And what is vexing to therapists is that patients exhibit the same symptoms as those having experienced traumatic events, but in the case of climate change, there’s no end to the event. So how do you help a client overcome their stress over a plainly real but apparently unresolvable unfolding disaster?

Many take comfort from taking small daily actions that reduce their carbon footprint. Far be it from me to discourage anyone from doing so.

For any of us small individual players

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 19

to not do our bit is to give credence to those that say there’s no point in New Zealand doing its tiny bit as a teeny global player. Notwithstanding that we do have the 6th highest per capita GHG emissions amongst OECD nations ... which puts a new spin on punching above our weight.

So, by all means, reduce your personal carbon footprint. For most of us, most impactful would be less travel by car in absolute terms (in that Westpac survey, 58% said they would use the car less), and transition to more petrol-efficient or electric vehicles.

The radical position for individuals is to renounce material growth, perhaps cheating a bit by purchasing some personal emissions offsets – 52% of Westpac respondents said they would ‘buy fewer goods’.

That’s a viable posture for those who already ‘have’; not so viable, or just, for the ‘have nots’. Still, surely most of us could do with a bit less ... and more durable ... and more locally produced.

Businesses and public authorities also have the duty to reduce their emissions and, more broadly, to meet ambitious sustainability targets.

Leading companies in Hawke’s Bay are doing just that, as you can read elsewhere in this edition. These are exemplars we should be proud of.

But more important than our behaviour as consumers and producers of goods and services is our behaviour as citizens.

What do we demand politically?

We might start by looking at the climate policies of our new government.

New Zealand was represented at COP by out-of-Cabinet Climate Minister Simon Watts and former Climate Minister James Shaw. PM Luxon said it was “really important” to be there. The delegation included HB’s own James Palmer, now CEO of the Ministry for the Environment.

NZ was castigated at COP for the government’s plan to reopen oil and gas exploration in NZ waters. NZ’s private sector, led by Pure Advantage, unveiled Recloaking Papatūānuku, an ambitious proposal to plant some 2.1 million hectares of native forests in Aotearoa over the next decade.

That aside, our key contribution carried there was confirmation of our current NDC – ‘Nationally Determined Commitment’ – which commits NZ to adopting policies that are consistent with limiting further temperature rise to 1.5oC. The official NZ position is that

20 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

New Zealand was castigated at COP for the government’s plan to reopen oil and gas exploration in NZ waters.

our current NDC aligns with that goal; however, on a global scale, the combined NDCs of all nations don’t come close to meeting that aspiration.

And Cabinet papers released late last year indicated that NZ’s current emissions reduction plans would not in fact enable us to meet our Zero Carbon target. James Palmer made a presentation last November to a HB Future Farming Trust forum. Here’s how the government’s senior civil servant on the case summarised the situation: • Check our optimism bias – our tendency to expect things will work out okay in the end • Check our assumptions the future will resemble the past – there is only evidence that it won’t • Check our misperceptions of time – and underestimation of the pace and presence of change • Prioritise our understanding of systemic and compounding climate change impacts • Expect our environmental challenges of water insecurity, soil & biodiversity loss to get harder • Anticipate and prepare for more worse-case scenarios of climate disruption • Place building greater resilience into biophysical, economic and social systems at the heart of our strategies: soil, water and biodiversity, in particular… plus maximise sequestration • The question needs to shift from ‘how much can we produce’ to ‘how much can we withstand (and still produce)’ • Don’t rely on global co-operation, and the cavalry to arrive!

Community leadership critical. Our soils will only be more precious and valuable, so let’s protect, nurture and invest in them!

The government’s coalition agreements indicate a much more restrained approach to climate change. ACT is outright hostile to the existing legal framework, while NZ First’s Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones routinely refers to “climate hysteria”. And the Climate Minister doesn’t sit in Cabinet (nor does the Environment Minister).

But National did endorse adherence to the Zero Carbon Act and other fixtures like the Climate Change Commission, our current NDC obligation, and the Emissions Trading Scheme. That framework remains intact; however the government lacks a credible programme for achieving the targets now in place.

We can expect special ‘caution’ with respect to farm emissions. The government will “review” the currently legislated targets of cutting methane by 10% by 2030 and 24-47% by 2050.

Changing these goal posts will invite legal challenge so long as the Zero Carbon Act remains in place.

The government is betting on technology to rescue farmers from their animals’ methane emissions – e.g., methane inhibiting genetics and animal feeds.

The coalition parties agree on scrapping the clean car discount and the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund. Indeed Luxon plans to use the $5 billion or so accrued in the latter for tax relief.

Oil and gas exploration will be turned back on; but hopefully energy industry capitalists are more in touch with the economic folly of expanding carbon fuel sources, especially in marginal areas like NZ, than our politicians are.

The NZ First Agreement does call for “a plan for transitional low-carbon fuels”, referring to hydrogen and methanol, while EVs might get an indirect boost via National’s plan to add 10,000 new charging stations if the business case demanded by ACT holds up.

The one area where all parties agree is on the need for more urgent attention to climate adaptation. At Shaw’s instigation, the outgoing standing Environment Committee had begun consultation on this, but that initiative would need to be re-confirmed by the new Parliament. ACT is enthusiastic about this, much preferring NZ to focus on adaptation than ‘punitive’ GHG mitigation policies.

And everybody seems to agree with the no-brainer of accelerating development of renewable wind and solar electricity.

How about Hawke’s Bay?

The entity charged with advancing the region’s response to climate change is the Climate Action Joint Committee, chaired by HBRC chair Hinewai Ormsby.

The Committee includes representation from each HB council and iwi.

Although HBRC declared a ‘climate emergency’ back in 2019, the

committee has been extremely slow to gain traction, having struggled to define its own terms of reference and even muster quorums. Supposedly these growing pains were resolved at its most recent meeting last December 11 (the day this magazine went to printer).

Agenda papers for the public meeting indicated that a concrete ‘Table of Actions’ to be initiated in 2024 would be produced covering sectors like transportation, waste, biodiversity (these first three are the most developed at this point), primary industry, urban/housing, and freshwater.

Actions might be taken by councils directly, or urged upon the wider community and individual consumers.

Proposed Action Plan is here.

Commendably, the Joint Committee now seems to agree that both mitigation and adaptation actions are required, after initial hesitation by some members about mitigation. That said, there’s more official appetite for adaptation than mitigation.

Missing from policy/action development to date has been any real planning or engagement regarding the ‘elephant in the room’ – primary sector climate mitigation or adaptation.

Yet HB’s primary sector accounts for two-thirds of the region’s GHG emissions – most importantly, biogenic (animal-produced) methane, the most heat-trapping emissions, but energy use as well.

The view seems to be that any local/

Still missing from Hawke’s Bay planning are any quantitative targets across all sectors for emission reduction for the region.

regional planning and action on agricultural emissions must await the re-vamped (i.e., relaxed) policy settings and associated timetables to be determined by the new government.

This timid approach is unfortunate given that the Joint Committee could already be getting behind farming and farm forestry practices clearly identified to both sequester carbon and improve the climate resilience of our soils (e.g., by significantly improving water retention).

In addition, farmers and growers use significant fossil fuel to power their operations, and HB boasts some exemplary rural solar power usage that could be expanded.

Also still missing from HB planning are any quantitative targets across all sectors for emission reduction for the region. And as they say, ‘If you don’t measure ...’! Four years after declaring a ‘climate emergency’, we’ll get a ‘Table of Actions’ without metrics for accountability.

So, what to expect?

HBRC has provided each territorial authority with detailed information on the emissions footprint of its jurisdiction. Each TA should be expected to have an action plan – none do yet.

Nor is high level accountability for such action clearly identified. So some higher sense of urgency and prioritisation is required by the TA’s.

The Regional Council is working on Kotahi, its re-write of the overall Regional Plan. This will contain a chapter on climate change, which would include any policies that would regulate activities generating emissions or thwarting adaptation.

Effectively, this draft plan, scheduled for public consultation in April, will provide the first look at whether/ how HBRC might use regulatory tools or incentives to address climate mitigation and/or adaptation. Should be the occasion for some robust public education and debate.

HBRC is also hatching its ‘Land for Life’ programme (an evolution of ‘Right tree, Right Place), which would seek to integrate carefully planned on-farm tree planting with regenerative farming practices ... a holistic farming approach with multiple environmental and productivity co-benefits.

BayBuzz will report on each of these – TA plans, Kotahi, Land for Life – as they shape up (or not) as answers to our regional climate challenge.

As for the Climate Action Joint Committee itself? Its staff-proposed mission is to “play a leadership role to address the complex challenge of regional climate-resilient development.

We work collectively with a common purpose, share costs and maintain a sense of urgency for action. We show leadership, empower our community and connect back into our own organisations as advocates for climate action.”

We shall see!

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HAWKE’S BAY’S RARE GEMS We’d like you to meet a few uniquely talented people, mostly flying ‘under the radar’, some with quite uncommon skills, all striving to be the best at what they do ‘in their zones’.

Offered as sources of inspiration.

Stories by BayBuzz team Photos by Florence Charvin

KEVIN BOTHERWAY GLIDER GUY

by Abby Beswick A love affair with gliders started early for Kevin Botherway. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Botherway picked up his first glider at age eight and he’s been hooked ever since.

It’s the competitive aspect of the sport he loves most. “The competitions extend your learning and you get better and better, as I do with any sport or hobby I do,” he says. Botherway is also a keen competitive fisherman.

The recently retired 61-year-old has always been mechanically minded, so gliding was a natural fit. As a young man he got involved in the sport through the Air Training Corps before becoming an active member of local club, Model Flying Hawke’s Bay. Good eyesight, concentration and coordination are essential skills, he says. Botherway would love to see more young people taking up the sport that’s brought him so much enjoyment, but it’s become a dying hobby.

Botherway won his first World Championships in 2011 with a 1.5 metre discus glider, which requires an athletic approach. “We go like a ballerina, we spin around in a circle for one and a half turns, hanging onto the wingtip and then we launch it into the air to about 70 metres.”

In 2023, Botherway along with fellow Hawke’s Bay pilots Joe Wurts and Andrew Hiscock, won the F5J model Gliders Electric Soaring World Championships in Bulgaria – Botherway’s fourth gold at Worlds.

This glider is launched using an electric motor for 30 seconds, with the objective then to fly it unassisted for

10 minutes and a precision landing.

The trio knew competition at Worlds would be tough, particularly against Germany and the other larger countries, so to come away with gold was a huge achievement.

They’re planning to defend their title in Argentina in two years time.

However, they need to find a new country to manufacture their planes, which are designed by Wurts and cost up to $5,000 each. Their gliders are usually built in the Ukraine, obviously no longer an option.

The key to success in gliding is finding thermals. In a nutshell, these are convection currents that allow the glider to stay airborne without any additional power source. Identifying thermals is an art form that requires experience and skill to pick up even the slightest wind change.

“We’re standing on the ground and feeling what’s around us in the environment and what’s going on down the field. Any trees or birds circling or anything like that, which gives us an idea that there’s air going up, or a thermal.”

Training takes place at a council-owned field in Haumoana. When a competition is coming up, Botherway spends at least three full days a week, preparing the models and practicing.

The sport has taken Botherway around the world, where he meets up with old gliding friends.

And there’s always something on the calendar.

January is the NZ nationals in Carterton, where up to 150 model airplane pilots will gather to compete over six days.

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 25

JOEL TAYLOR MODEL MAKER

by Abby Beswick It’s not always easy finding the perfect career. Especially when your work is so niche you’re one of only a handful of people doing it in New Zealand.

If you’ve ever seen a miniature model of a building, chances are it was lovingly designed, built and painted by Joel Taylor.

When work got underway for the new Napier subdivision Mission Hills, head of sales Vanessa Thompson, who represents Wallace Development Company, searched the country to find a model maker for the development.

She was incredulous to discover the person for the job lived down the road, laughs Taylor.

It’s intricate, painstaking work that requires the ability to concentrate for long periods of time as mistakes can be costly. The project took Taylor around 160 hours to complete by hand, down to the hand-carved trees.

26 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Models like this one are used to give people a tangible perception they can’t get otherwise. “You can show them a drawing, you can show them a 3D visual on the computer but if you actually show them a physical, 3-dimensional item with things like cars and people on it, it gives them an immediate understanding of scale and exactly what they’re getting,” he says.

Taylor has always been fascinated with artistic, hands-on work. He trained as a professional model maker in Sydney, bringing a cabinet-making and engineering background. There, he also learnt to match colours by eye.

Early on, he had a stint in the film industry but found the time restraints often meant he couldn’t find fulfilment in the work.

Taylor, his wife Lynda and their two sons moved to Hawke’s Bay from Auckland in 2001, settling into a home designed and built by Taylor, which includes a purpose-built model making studio, on the banks of the Tukituki River.

His work is detailed and varied, driven by creativity. Projects have

included building models of the MTG building, the information centre at Te Mata Peak and Black Barn. “To me it’s about human input. It’s putting some of myself into what I do.”

Taylor has also worked for Waiouru Army Museum building small and fullsize models, as well as designing and building displays. It was a perfect fit for his long-held interest in history and personal stories from previous generations. He has since extended his work to preserving historical artifacts and customised marine work such as ships in bottles.

“We thought that there’s people out there who really have items in their family history that should be protected and possibly maintained and housed in a way that they’ll stay good for future generations.”

Professional model making has evolved significantly with the use of 3D printers, but both skill sets bring value, says Taylor. “It’s a whole new world and I suppose they have the technology and the speed of doing things that I’ll never have, but I’ll have the building blocks that they don’t understand.”

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JANE PIERARD MUSIC TEACHER

by Abby Beswick Learning the piano as a child was a gift that altered the course of Jane Pierard’s life, and one that has paid dividends for the thousands of young people she’s taught music and drama.

Paying for piano lessons was an extravagance Pierard’s mother could barely afford on a widow’s pension, but coming from a musical family herself, she was determined at least one of her children would learn. Jane’s brothers weren’t keen, so she got the weekly lessons, which opened up a whole new world.

Later as a teacher, each school year Pierard would tell parents about the impact of her mum’s sacrifice. “That’s where it all started was just my little piano lessons at the convent. So I’d say to parents, you’ve got no idea but what you’re doing could be a huge thing for the rest of your children’s lives,” she says.

Music and arts are woven through

28 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Pierard’s professional and private life – from meeting her husband Louis in youth orchestra, to teaching the piano privately, taking up theatre as a hobby and finding her passion for teaching teenagers accidentally.

Her daughter Madeleine got cancer at age six and had just finished chemotherapy when Pierard got a phone call from Sacred Heart College. They were looking for a music teacher; would she consider it? Pierard was unsure it was the right time, but with her husband’s encouragement she decided to give it a try. His instincts were right. Pierard loved working with teenagers, and seeing their creativity develop through music. “Their true self shows. When kids are engrossed in creative things, there’s no part of them that’s not real.”

She stayed for six years before moving to Taradale High School as head of music. It was a move that almost didn’t happen, however. As the closing day for applications arrived, a nervous Pierard decided not to go through with it. When the principal rang to say they hadn’t received her application, she

told him she’d lost her nerve. “He said ‘Come down and see us now’, so I went down there and we talked and I got the job.” It was the start of almost three decades with the school, while balancing a busy home life with five children.

Somehow Pierard also found time to be involved in Hawke’s Bay theatre, and she describes director Gillian Davies as a visionary, who helped her take risks and grow through acting roles. Performing has also provided friendship and shaped her view. “The privilege is not the audience’s, the privilege is ours. It’s a great privilege to be able to perform for people and take them somewhere else.”

Since retiring in 2021 Pierard has supported a number of schools with choral direction for productions and as director of Hawke’s Bay adult choir, the Linden Singers. When she’s not doing something musical, you’ll find Pierard making flower crowns she gives to friends for special occasions – a hobby borne out of making them for fairies, for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

JIMMIE MACKAY FASHION DESIGNER

by Rosheen FitzGerald

Fresh from runway success at New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW), Jimmie MacKay’s singular commitment to aesthetic is always on display – from his ever changing domestic decor, to his dachshund, Kowi.

MacKay graduated from Auckland’s Fashion Tech almost a decade ago, when his response to Resene’s Sassy won him the John Key Scholarship and a six week trip to India to experience production. The tailored hot pink jacket dress was his first foray onto the Fashion Week runway.

Picked up by Miromoda, who showcase ten Māori designers annually, he has shown at NZFW three times since 2017, learning along the way. His first collection was all

black (not the rugby, he is clear to distinguish), but, he felt, fell flat.

Next, a menswear collection, more colourful, but he was, “still figuring out textures. That showed me how to showcase something properly.” Lush leathers and a non-conformist vibe characterised his collection shown at Vancouver Fashion Week in 2019.

This year’s NZFW collection, On a Day, approached his extremely stringent assessment of perfection – all natural fabrics, heavyweight denims juxtaposed with soft frilled cotton, accessorised with the exquisite leathers which have become synonymous with the JIMI brand.

From his funeral director day job, MacKay went into full-time fashion, laying out, merchandising and buying for Napier’s Fortify, where he also sold his own garments and accessories for four years until Covid hit.

“Fashion was stagnant at the time … it lost a whole year, maybe two.

Supplies weren’t coming in. You can’t rewind fashion,” he recalls.

Rolling with the punches, he became

a painter decorator, with his paint splattered work clothes inspiring his latest collection.

It’s a bold choice, particularly in a conservative regional town, but MacKay says, ‘I don’t have to prove anything. Before I was trying to capture audiences, but I realised you can just do what you like and you capture them anyway.’

Bespoke leatherwork – belts, bags, harnesses – make up much of his commissions. Though his chunky hardwear look can lead to confusion.

“The harness takes people’s minds to a place I’m not actually trying to go.

I’m not selling sex … I want to appeal to people serious about fashion,” he asserts.

Despite the challenges of Covid and conservatism, MacKay’s creative excellence has won him a niche local following and recognition from those who know fashion elsewhere. He’s committed to his craft, stating, “It’s never been easy, it’s never going to be easy either, but I love it. I’ll never stop making stuff.”

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 29

ALENA KAMPER WINEMAKER

by Abby Beswick Not so long ago, Alena Kamper wasn’t much of a wine drinker. How things have changed! Not only does the 22-year-old now know her way around a glass of wine, she’s been named 2023 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year.

She is the youngest person to win the prestigious title.

“It’s definitely been a crazy, wild ride,” says Kamper, who says it all still feels surreal. The national award rounds out a huge year for Kamper, who completed a Viticulture & Wine Science Degree at EIT last year. After graduating she won the North Island Young Winemaker of the Year in September, qualifying her for the national final. A month later she beat out the other finalists, from Marlborough and Central Otago, to be named the national winner.

Winemaking is a perfect fit for

30 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Kamper, whose love of science led her to pursue a qualification with chemistry and research at its core. Initially unsure of what she wanted to do when she left school, Kamper attended a career expo where she learnt about the EIT wine programme. “I looked into it and I thought wow, this is perfect.”

Kamper excelled at the programme, which took her “behind the scenes” of the industry. “Getting into the first two years definitely opened my eyes. Once I got into the cellar and worked it was life-changing almost.”

She was nervous about entering the North Island competition, but with the support of her tutors Kamper decided to give it a crack, thinking it would be a good experience for next time. The day-long event was held at Hawke’s Bay’s Indevin Gimblett Gravels Winery and involved a series of modules, including wine knowledge, wine faults, an interview, marketing, blending, and a speech at the dinner.

After winning the North Island title, she headed to the nationals in Christchurch in October. The event had a similar format to the first competition,

with the finalists tested on their understanding and knowledge of wine, before delivering a final speech.

The speech topic was: Why is your region unique and how does it complement other regions to make New Zealand wine altogether unique? For Kamper, it was a dream to talk about the diverse range of Hawke’s Bay wine varieties and the care that goes into making them. With no expectations of winning, she just tried to soak up the experience. “I felt like I had won just by being there.” So she was shocked when they read out her name.

Kamper now works as a cellar hand at Sacred Hill Winery. It’s a hands-on role where she loves learning all of the processes that go into making the final product. “It’s such a small team so it’s great to pick the brains of the winemakers.”

In the future she plans to head overseas to do some “vintage hopping”, build connections and expand her industry skills. We hope she eventually brings her experience and enthusiasm back home to benefit local brands and wine lovers.

JEFF GRANT SCRABBLE MASTER

by Abby Beswick Words have been a constant in Jeff Grant’s life. He’s always loved language, writing, and anything to do with words. Word play in particular, such as compiling palindromes, anagrams and word squares, have held a fascination for him.

He took up Scrabble as a child and from there his abilities and ambitions took off.

Grant started playing competitively in his 20s when he entered the first NZ National Scrabble Championships in 1980 – thanks to a takeaway meal. “The first thing I saw about competitive Scrabble in NZ was on a bit of newspaper around my fish and chips,” he says.

He called the number of the organiser, entered, and won. It was the first of many big Scrabble wins.

Grant has played his way to glory over the years, taking home 26 national titles. He has won the NZ National

Champs 16 times, and the Masters championships 10 times – most recently in 2022. At the height of his Scrabble career, he was ranked third in the world.

Every win has been exciting. “The first time was obviously a great thrill when I won the Masters the first time and the National Champs when I won the first one I played in, that was a huge buzz.”

Two months before a big competition, Grant would spend an hour a day revising. This involved remembering lists of types of words that are likely to come up. “Scrabble is not just about words, it’s about maths and probability – keeping track of the tiles and knowing what tiles are still to come.”

To do well in the game, players need to know thousands of words, including all the two, three, and four-letter words, and at the top level, all of the five-letter words. Then you need to learn all the words with the high scoring letters (J, Q, X, Z), and all the words containing high probability letters (R, T, I, N, A, S, E). Grant hasn’t revised at all in more than 10 years, however, relying only on memory.

Grant was instrumental in starting the Scrabble club in Hastings in the early 1980s and it has been going ever since. The challenge of the game, along with the people he’s met and the opportunity to travel, have kept him hooked all these years. Scrabble competitions have taken him all over the world, including New York, London, Melbourne, Perth, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur, and Las Vegas.

Aged 70, Grant is no longer on the international Scrabble circuit, but he still enjoys meeting club members each Tuesday afternoon to play socially.

Outside of the game, he’s a keen tennis player, and of course he still enjoys word puzzles. “I think that’s the secret when you get older – just try and keep your brain and your body going as much as you can.”

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JAMES LAVER THE BAT CRAFT

by Andrew Frame The sound of leather on willow is a quintessential part of Hawke’s Bay summer as the region’s long hot days are the perfect setting for games of cricket in our region’s many parks.

Since 1999 Laver and Wood have been a key part of that summer experience. Beginning in Central Hawke’s Bay, now based on the shores of Napier’s inner harbour in Ahuriri, master cricket bat maker James Laver and his team produce up to 1,000 high quality, hand-crafted English willow cricket bats each year for players across Hawke’s Bay and around the world.

Mass, machine-produced, international brand cricket bats available at sporting goods stores are all much of a muchness. Adult bats are almost exclusively the same length and within a few ounces of each other in weight.

Handle design and profile (the thickness and side-on shape of the bat)

32 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

generally don’t differ a whole lot either across individual models of bat.

High-end cricket bats can now cost well over $1,000, but even those bats are still ‘off the shelf” models, and the size and style of bat 5’7” Kane Williamson uses wouldn’t be much good for 6’8” Kyle Jamieson.

What sets Laver and Wood apart is their bespoke craftmanship and value for money.

Crafting a cricket bat out of a cleft of English willow is a real old-school looking trade with traditional techniques and hand tools like draw knives and spokeshaves. It is very labour-intensive and can be a very time-consuming process, but it is that labour-intensive nature that makes each bat so personalised and perfected for its user.

Longer oval handles, shorter, heavier blades with thick edges, or a lighter bat with a higher centre of weight – James can create a bat to suit an individual’s exact needs and playing style.

“Rather than spending vast amounts of money on sponsoring international players we choose to spend heavily on customer service. We look after our

customers and their bats because we believe that the best bats need to be matched with the best customer service,” says James.

Laver and Wood’s biggest export market is, unlikely as it may seem, the United States of America, where they have been trading since the year 2000.

They sell hundreds of bats each year there to an increasing cricketing ex-pat population. The sport has been gaining popularity domestically and a “Major League Cricket” T20 competition is beginning to make a big impact and attract thousands of spectators.

Looking forward to future seasons Laver and Wood are now in a growth phase after some quiet cricket years through the Covid period. “We expect to grow substantially in the USA due to the nature of cricket being played.

There are a similar amount of cricketers there to New Zealand, but here we have half still at school, whereas in the States there are very few youth teams.

“We are also seeing a nice growth in New Zealand and Australia and the future of our markets there is looking very bright,” James says.

RUBY LO PIANIST

by Abby Beswick

Music was a big part of Hazel Wong’s family and she wanted to give her children the same opportunity.

When her daughter Ruby Lo was four, she enrolled her in piano lessons.

A few years later Lo picked up the flute.

The lessons gave Lo’s affinity for music a place to flourish and the chance to develop a talent that is formidable.

Aged 15, Lo was named the Freemasons Hawke’s Bay Young Musician of the Year.

While hoping the judges would announce her as the winner, Lo was still shocked when they did. “It was a bit surreal because I had been building up to it for a long time,” she says. Lo’s mother and her sister Amber were in the audience to support her.

The Sacred Heart College student has previously only been able to watch the competition as an audience member, but could finally enter it for the first time in 2023 when the minimum age limit was dropped from 16 to 15.

Now in its 40th year, the event gives advanced students aged 15-20 studying piano, instruments and singing with registered teachers, the opportunity to perform in a concert. It was held at the Blyth Performing Arts Centre in Havelock North.

Lo was one of eight musicians taking part in the competition, organised by the Institute of Registered Music Teachers. Adjudicator Guy Donaldson selected six finalists who then performed for an audience and adjudicator Dr Justin Bird.

For her performance, Lo played the first movement of Sonata in A Minor by Mozart, followed by Dreaming by Amy Beach, and Paganini Jazz by Fazil Say. She says she tried to select pieces she thought the audience would enjoy and they were also part of her piano exam.

Lo admits to feeling nervous before the competition and having high expectations of herself, but she tried to remain philosophical. “In the end I was just thinking, the only thing you can control is your practice, and everything else is what it is,” she says.

In the lead-up to the Young Musician competition, Lo spent at least two hours a day practicing. When she was younger, Lo’s mother sometimes had to push her to do her music practice, but she’s since become self-motivated because of the pleasure she gets from playing the instrument.

She describes the piano as “like an orchestra in one instrument”, due to the range and different harmonies you can have in one piece of music. It’s this complexity that she finds compelling.

“I’m quite glad I stuck with it because I enjoy it now. It’s moving away from someone telling you to go practice and learn these pieces, and finding it for yourself.”

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ERU HEKE ACTOR

by Rosheen FitzGerald Rising star, Eru Heke, learned stagecraft from the master. Protegée of the late Puti Lancaster, he’s been acting since age eight – first in community theatre.

His professional debut, at twelve, was in Freedom is Behind my Breath, at the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival.

Lancaster’s intensive method involved her actors, even the pre-teen Heke, in devising her plays, giving him a unique insight into storytelling. His solo show, The Hunger Strikes Me – one half of 2021’s Whare Kōrero – saw him given the tools to tell his own story in his own words. “It hit home hard. It was very vulnerable – no one heard that side of my life before,” he recalls.

Lancaster’s death, just months later, left him reeling, but he returned to the stage in the next Arts Festival with The Revelator. He continued to perform in community youth theatre, with Shadows of Pain, a piece dealing with bullying he hopes will tour schools next year.

As with many practitioners in

34 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Lancaster’s circle, he vowed to dedicate a piece of theatre to her memory.

Missy Coulée: The Journey debuted at this year’s Fringe in the ‘Stings, charting Heke’s path from shame to self-acceptance. Featuring Puti’s imagined, encouraging voice – “What she would really say when she was alive” – juxtaposed with riotous drag, showcasing his considerable dancing skills, he describes it as “Serving realness in everything”.

Heke has worn heels and makeup in public since aged twelve, once dressing up as Ru Paul for Halloween. In the last two years he’s taken it up a notch, with professional wigs, makeup and outfits.

Together with fellow rangatahi drag queen, Krystal Kara, he performed Drag in the ‘Stings to an ecstatic packed house. Heke feeds from the glee of the audience. “When they’re alive, that gives you life in your performance,” he remarks. “Hastings needs that big energy, personality diva-ness.”

Being a regional teenage drag queen is not always easy. Heke receives “a lot of homophobic comments, mostly on social media. Behind the screen people are very brave. Not so much kanohi ki te kanohi.” Bigotry thrives in privacy.

Heke is a hard worker with his sights set high. He was already offered a three year acting contract in Sydney,

but is also considering Toi Whakaari (NZ Drama School), after he finishes school next year. He’s keen to explore movies and television but mostly, like his mentor, wants “to do a lot more storytelling”.

Waylyn Tahuri-Whaipakanga. Photo supplied

WAYLYN TAHURI-WHAIPAKANGA HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAM

by Sahiban Hyde Waylyn Tahuri-Whaipakanga’s self-proclaimed managing style is “firm, fair, with a bit of fun”, so it’s no wonder that she has been crowned the 2023 Leader of the Year at Hawke’s Bay Chamber’s Business Awards.

As she sees it, “A good leader would be someone who puts their community and staff first, someone who has self-awareness, and a dream to want to do something, desire, determination, drive and dedication to make it happen.”

As CEO of one of the largest Māori providers in the country, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga with a workforce of nearly 500, she is a woman who juggles several other hats with ease.

Waylyn is the chair of the Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay/Wellington Board, Tātau Tātau Housing Limited Partnership and contributes to organisations such as the NZ NGO Council.

She was the second ACC Māori approved counsellor in Hawke’s Bay and continues to be actively involved in her Wairoa hometown as a current Trustee of Rangiahua Marae.

She has previously also worked in Wairoa as a drug and alcohol counsellor, with the Hawke’s Bay DHB as a mental health and addictions counsellor, and was chair of the Springhill Advisory Group, all this backed by more than a handful of degrees, including alcohol and drug counselling and psychotherapy.

She likes looking ahead.

“We (Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Housing LP) are building affordable rental homes in Wairoa, down Kitchener Street, with the intention of starting building work in the second quarter of next year.”

She also wants mental health and addictions issues addressed, especially post Cyclone Gabrielle. “Taiwhenua have the capacity, but not as many referrals coming through as we thought we would. For the first time in my career the government funded Taiwhenua to provide counselling for people. We have a team to see anyone for anything.”

She is also on the regional skills leadership group and one of the things they would be focusing on, for the coming year, would be identifying and supporting better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs in our region. “It’s important for our region that all of us work together, and that we are all on the same page. In Hastings we are very fortunate to have a good relationship with the council, MSD, Iwi and Te Whatu Ora.” With a lot on her hands, it would be easy to imagine her not prioritising self-care. But unsurprisingly, she does that too. With aplomb.

“I get up at 5am, go for a walk at 5.15am at least three to four times a week. I have a great family and great friends, and I am very fortunate to love what I do.”

She said at Taiwhenua the team talk their values, and walk the talk of their values – Kaitiakitanga, Whakamana, Kotahitanga and Whanaungatanga.

For up-and-coming young leaders, she has some advice.

“Don’t lose sight of what you are employed to do, and don’t lose sight of your dream. Have your dream and hold onto that because that is what will drive you. And don’t forget to enjoy the successes along the way.”

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SIMON AND HAMISH LACK A SKIFF FOR THE OLYMPICS

by Andrew Frame Hawke’s Bay is well known for producing rowing royalty – Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell and Emma Twigg all came from our region, competed for the Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club and all have stood atop the Olympic and World Championships dais, winning gold medals for New Zealand.

While Olympians, novices and future Maadi Cup champions strenuously stroke up and down the Clive River, brothers Simon and Hamish Lack of SL Racing are working hard at the foot of Puketapu Hill behind Taradale to produce the best boats – for beginners to world champion rowers.

Competitive rowing boats, called ‘skiffs’, are obviously far more advanced than your average aluminium dingy or fibreglass canoe.

The Lacks hand-lay carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb core laminate into moulds to form the hulls. Their boats are very light – a Single Scull (one person boat with two oars) measures eight meters long, but comes out of the mould at around just 6.5 kilograms.

Once completed with fittings and a carbon fibre rigger on it, the whole boat still only weighs a mere 14kg!

36 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

SL Racing produces skiffs in singles, pairs/doubles and quads/fours configurations, all the way up to 17.5m long coxed eights – the bigger boats typically being sold to rowing clubs and schools.

A standard single scull costs around $12,600 (higher end models are approx. $16,500), while an Eight is currently around $50,000, but the price will be going up next year due to more technology being put into the craft.

Each type of skiff also has different models depending on the body type and weight (youth/adult, men/women) of the rowers using them. Within those set models the rowers’ set-up can be changed to add their personal requirements.

SL Racing has focussed on the domestic market with only a small number of exports until now. Keeping local also means they have the proper resources set up to deliver and service their product to new markets and customers.

Being former rowers themselves means the Lacks’ customer service is that much more detailed. They say what sets SL Racing apart from their competitors “is knowing our product, how to use it and the importance of fitting the right boat to the rower. It’s not just about the boat you need, but the settings within it. Measurements are the most important thing for having the competitive edge on the water,

and we tailor every boat to fit its rower perfectly.”

SL Racing welcomed Olympic gold medallist Emma Twigg as their brand ambassador last year to row and help develop their boats to perform at an elite level.

SL Racing is hoping 2024 will have a golden glow. “Next year is a big one for us. We will have Emma Twigg racing our boat at the Paris Olympics which is a huge deal and an awesome opportunity for us. It is the first time we will have a boat competing at the Olympics,” says Simon.

Fergus Morunga. Photo Rebecca Scerri

FERGUS MORUNGA FILMMAKER

by Abby Beswick Russian gangsters, car chases and private jets – it sounds like the movies right? Well it is, except in this case, the writer and director are Hawke’s Bay teen Fergus Morunga.

The Lindisfarne student may only be 16, but he’s already got three films under his belt and his fourth is underway.

Raised on a farm just out of Wairoa, Morunga developed an early interest in literature, writing four books by the time he was 10. He then shifted his attention to writing film scripts.

An idea about a bank robbery turned into a 10-minute action film, featuring numerous kids and local residents.

Morunga enjoyed the process, but the biggest rush was the audience’s reaction. “What I loved about it was just seeing the looks on the students’ and parents’ faces watching themselves being on screen,” he says.

It lit a flame inside Morunga. “It’s a really cool thing to be able to bring people into a room and know that something that you’ve created brings joy to people’s lives.”

In Year 8, aged 12, he came to Lindisfarne as a boarder.

Morunga thrived in his new environment and inspired by the school’s buildings, he wrote his second film, Gold mine.

The action film featured police cars roaring up the school driveway and even had a helicopter landing on the field. Students who acted in the film walked the red carpet at the premiere, which raised almost $1000 for Starship Hospital and Women’s Refuge.

Taking the lessons he learnt from his second film, Morunga soon started working on his third, and this time he wanted to challenge stereotypes about the elderly.

“People think when people get old they’re losing the plot and I changed it and made them the brainy ones that crack the case.”

The good, the bad and the elderly is particularly impressive given the scope involved. Professional actors Teresa Woodham, Brigid McVeigh and Paula Jones starred in the film, along with Lindisfarne students and staff and residents from Summerset in the Orchard. Even well-known news personality Patrick Gower makes an appearance.

The plot centres around a Russian gangster who buys a retirement home, intending to use it for laundering drug money, but he is foiled by a group of sharp-witted elderly residents.

A number of local businesses and organisations extended their support for the film, which was filmed entirely on students’ phones and edited on laptops.

A highlight for Morunga was pitching the film to Skyline Aviation in the hope they would let him use a private jet. “I must have done well because they took me outside and let me choose a jet that I wanted to use!”

The film premiered last year at the school auditorium to a rapt audience, with all of the money made going to charity.

Morunga was recently named head boy for 2024.

When he’s not making movies, you’ll find him enjoying his other interests – hunting deer on the farm, playing hockey and playing the bagpipes.

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TE WHANAU PUORO THE MUSICAL FAMILY

by Rosheen FitzGerald

School’s out, but Flaxmere College’s hall resounds with the sound of densely layered roots rock music. Te Whānau Puoro – the musical family – are honing their craft, putting in the hours they credit for their success. This year the six piece band won Tangata Beats, the national schools’ contest recognising original music with a Māori/ Pasifika focus.

The band is an amalgam of Tamatea High’s Te Paki’s lead vocalist, Shayne Te Kuru and lead guitarist, Izrael Shields; and Flaxmere’s Te Meenage’s rhythm section – Aroha Sellwood on guitar and backing vocals, Naiara Marshall on keys, Hohua Mitai-Price, or Bert, as he prefers, on bass and Koha

38 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Sellwood on drums; brought together as one whānau by Tūkotahi Raki, who teaches music at both schools.

Tū’s role goes beyond teaching. He is their kaiāwhina, looking out for their hauora, guiding them through deep kōrero about who and where they are – tuakiritanga and turangawaewae – that inspire their songs. Their kaupapa was born from a kōrero between Shayne and Tū, regarding a collaborative song from the rangatahi of Aotearoa celebrating the coronation.

Shayne describes Rise Up as, “The demand of the return of our land, the restoration of our language and, most importantly, the recognition of our culture.” Our Generation is, “A message for our ancestors to reassure them that our reo is still as strong today.” An inexorable thread of rangatiratanga runs through their mahi, buoyed up on a wave that sweeps the nation – from the arts if not from the government.

Rāpaki, stencilled moko and kapa haka movements bring their act

cultural relevance, and make their culture relevant. Wherever they play, between them and their audience stands an honour guard – pictures of their tūpuna. “In Te Ao Māori having our loved ones with us gives us mana,” says Shayne.

Their road to national champions saw them beat the heats to Rockquest finalists, competing at Toitoi against twelve other groups. A night at Paisley Stage, where friends and whānau supported and performed, gave them the footage they needed to proceed to top ten finalists in Auckland. Challenges – from getting lost to getting trapped in an elevator – only brought them closer.

Since taking the nationals their rise is meteoric, with bookings to play several summer events, including Outfield in February.

Though their message might push against the political tide, they stand firm in their determination, with the watchful eyes of kaiāwhina and tūpuna to guide them.

LILY FREDERIKSE VISITOR EXPERIENCE DESIGNER AND PLANNER

by Bonnie Flaws

Who would have thought that a major council infrastructure upgrade project – Hastings’ new water treatment facility, or Waiaroha – could also be a creatively designed visitor experience destination?

Waiaroha is a discovery centre: a fun place to learn about the local water cycle from mountain to sea, and how we as humans interact with it, says Lily Frederikse of Stitchbird. Frederikse’s specialised company, based in HB, is one of just a few in the country that design exhibition and visitor attraction spaces.

The council project involved various streams of expertise, but what Stitchbird brought to the table was the storytelling elements, everything that people read and interact with when they’re there. “The human layer,” she says.

“We had to navigate that space to provide full representation of the science, mātauranga Māori and how

council manages water, while revealing everything about the groundwater system. That isn’t always easy to communicate. We had to distill it down to something people could take home with them in a fun and engaging way.”

In a region where water is a hot potato topic, and lifeblood issue, that was no mean feat. Moreover, Stitchbird had to deliver for school learners and tourists alike.

But Frederikse, from Whanganui originally, is no novice. She pursued a highly specialised academic and career path that includes a Masters degree in Museum and Heritage studies, plus 20 years planning, designing and delivering magical spaces where people can learn and experience ... hands-on.

Working at Te Papa and Auckland Museum were a big part of her formative years, but later the Hawke’s Bay lifestyle called. “The work followed us.”

Frederikse’s work goes beyond design to ask the big questions: why a project is being done, what people should get out of it, how best to communicate the vision. This leads to a project management style that covers everything from branding to communications, storytelling and design.

Waiaroha is just the latest in a long line of impressive and delightful projects.

Stitchbird provided the formative planning and design briefs for a new museum honouring New Zealand soldiers who fought in World War I, in Les Quesnoy, France. Frederikse delivered something that had a contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand flavour relevant to a wider contemporary audience, she says. Fitting for a museum promoting “Freedom, Friendship, Future”.

A career defining project, she says, only to be rivalled by her work on Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, a multi-purpose tourism and community hub in Foxton, containing the National Dutch Museum.

Frederikse, a third generation Dutch Kiwi, describes the project as her “love”.

Built around a replica Dutch windmill, which grinds real flour, the facility also incorporates a multi-Hapu museum, a library, cafe and shopping experience, all in a riverside cultural park.

“It’s a little visitor experience you can do on the way to Wellington. These unusual little places and projects, they’re just as good as anything you would experience in Europe. These places are a reason to go somewhere.”

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 39

CHERIE MEERLO BODY PAINTER

by Rosheen FitzGerald

Cherie Meerlo’s Greenmeadows home is thick with art – her walls a veritable who’s who of the local artists she counts amongst her friends. Her home studio is a crafter’s paradise, stacked floor to ceiling with all manner of supplies to delight children and adults alike when they come to play.

Meerlo studied art at EIT in the 90’s, before spreading her wings. Thirteen years ago she discovered body painting when she had her pregnant belly decorated. A few workshops later she found her niche, winning competitions around the country. Moving home six years ago, she used her twin skills of creativity and connecting with people to establish the small empire that is Meerlo Creations.

40 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Working at a pace that would destroy but very few, Meerlo creates relentlessly across media, both producing her own work and inspiring the artist in others. She has a special relationship with burlesque performer Cherryboomb, who she regularly paints for various occasions, producing fantasy illusions that need to be seen to be believed. Together they run a school holiday programme, combining crafts and movement, each day on a different theme.

Meerlo loves children, their natural enthusiasm, fun and wonder matching her own. “Kids have no fear of creating … they inspire me,” she asserts. She fills her home with artistic kids every day after school, and on the weekends for birthday parties, tailoring to whatever they’re into with seemingly limitless imagination.

She caters to crafty adults too – work do’s and hen parties – supporting them to create something they can take home, sometimes pairing with an

aesthetician to provide a pampering element. When she’s not hosting at home she’s painting faces and running craft activities at external events. She also takes commissions, making bespoke, personalised mixed media creations.

A people person, Meerlo’s bowling pin project “brings the artistic community closer together, giving them a chance to get to know one another.”

Recognising that artists often can’t afford to own their peers’ pieces, she distributed fifty thrifted bowling pins to be decorated, returned and swapped, lucky dip style, at a festive gathering. For Meerlo, the project has “nothing to do with promotion, marketing or money … it’s about giving and receiving.”

The project ‘took on a life of its own,’ fuelled by her gregarious, generous nature and passion – both for art and for people. Meerlo’s secret, what makes her beloved, is her incredible sense of fun – ‘my only rule’ – permeating everything she does.

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Be water wise this summer Reports are suggesting we are in for a long hot summer and we know from history that this can bring drought and water restrictions to our local communities.

Water tanks have long been a part of our rural communities everyday life and we are now seeing a growing number of households looking to install residential tanks on their properties.

At Turfrey we pride ourselves in providing the best tanks at the best prices and we know our customers have lots of questions before they purchase so we thought it would be great to put your questions to our tank specialist Alistair Bell from Devan Tanks.

What things do I need to consider before choosing a residential tank?

Placement: Decide where you want to install the tank. Ensure its easily accessible for maintenance and installation, and if you plan to install a pump, consider the availability of a power source nearby.

Roof area: The more roof area you can connect to your tank, the better the water collection results. A larger roof area collects more water.

Size: Determine your water usage needs to select the appropriate tank size. Devan offers various capacities to suit different households.

How do I get it installed, and what parts (accessories) do I need to buy?

If you are a DIY enthusiast, Devan provides installation guidelines.

Alternatively, you can hire professionals to handle the entire installation process.

Depending on your setup, you may need fittings, downpipes, overflow kits, and a pump. The specific accessories required will depend on your tank and installation needs and can be purchased from Turfrey.

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Devan delivers tanks to your front gate provided there is suitable access.

What do I need to do if I want to use the water for drinking water?

Devan tanks are designed for potable water. If you plan to use the water for drinking, you’ll need to comply with local council regulations and likely install a UV filtration system, if you are connecting the tank to your water supply to your house you will need a consent.

Do I need a council consent?

Depending on your local regulations, you may need council consent for tank installation. It’s essential to check with your local council for specific requirements and obtain any necessary consent.

In most locations if you are not connecting the tank to your household water supply you won’t need a consent provided it is under 35,000L and installed at ground level. You will still need to follow boundary set back rules.

How do I keep my water clean?

Regularly inspect your tank for debris or contaminants. Devan recommends cleaning the tank periodically and using rain harvesting tools such as leaf and debris diverters.

What things do I need to consider when purchasing a Rural water tank?

When buying a rural water tank, consider factors such as capacity, how many people will be using the supply and most of all roof areas, roof area is critical when setting up a rainwater supply and Devan provide a calculator for this on their website to help you determine the appropriate size based on your roof area and usage needs.

Contact Turfrey today to get Water Wise this summer on 0800 182 182 or email us on sales@turfrey.co.nz

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CHAMPIONS

Nature threw a huge challenge at us in 2023. Nevertheless Hawke’s Bay individuals and companies continued to excel.

They’re our Hawke’s Bay Champions. Not only because BayBuzz thinks so, but because they have been recognised by their peers, awards committees and judges over the past year.

HOSPITALITY + FOOD Firstly, our region, its provenance: • Hawke’s Bay has been named a Great Wine Capital of the world, which is a global network of the world’s greatest wine regions.

Only 12, including Bordeaux and the Napa Valley.

F.A.W.C! Legend: • Kim Thorp, Black Barn Kim’s longstanding dedication to establishing Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as NZ’s premier food and wine destination saw him named the 2022 F.A.W.C! Hawke’s Bay Legend. He joins F.A.W.C’s inaugural legend, Sir Graeme Avery.

2023 Cuisine Good Food Awards • Central Fire Station Bistro best regional restaurant.

Over 80 restaurants were also awarded the title of hatted restaurants, reserved for the very best restaurants across the country, three hats being the highest rating.

• Pacifica: three hats, one of just six restaurants in NZ to be so awarded.

• Central Fire Station Bistro and • Craggy Range Restaurant: two hats • Black Barn Bistro: one hat

46 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Hawke’s Bay has been named a Great Wine Capital of the world

The Great NZ Sausage Competition • The Classic Butcher won Bronze for their Pork • Waipawa Butchery won Silver for the Cheese and Jalapeno Kransky and Bronze for their Beef.

Hospitality NZ Awards for Excellence • Best Chef: Casey McDonald, Craggy Range • Best Fine Dining: Craggy Range Beef + Lamb NZ Recognised nine HB restaurants as among the best in beef and lamb cuisine in the country: • Emporium Eatery and Bar • Estuary’s Restaurant • Fox on the Quay • The Gintrap Cafe and Bar • Mint Restaurant • Mission Estate Winery Restaurant • Black Barn Bistro • St George’s Restaurant • Wallingford Homestead World Steak Challenge • Of the 450 entries from 28 countries, First Light Foods won a gold medal for its ribeye steak.

NZ Bacon & Ham Awards • Supreme Winner, Wild Game in both bacon and ham categories.

No company has ever taken both Supreme awards before.

Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Life+Leisure • Matangi Angus Beef won gold for their tomahawk, silver for their flatiron.

NZ Champion of Cheese Awards • Hōpeha won golds for its artisan organic Vintage and Danbo cheeses, plus taking home the Countdown Sustainability Award as part of the Cheese competition.

Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards • Brave Brewery won Best IPA beer plus 12 other silver and bronze medals.

• Brewing Work (bStudio) in Napier – Champion New Zealand Manufacturer (contract brewing) Silver Fern Farms • HB Farmer of the Year – CHB’s Hugh Ritchie 2023 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower • Grace Rehu, 21, is a Leading Hand for Turners and Growers in Puketapu.

Disabled Sportsperson of the Year: • Peter Cowan, Canoe Racing Senior Sportsperson of the Year: • Emma Twigg, Rowing HB Supreme Award: • Emma Twigg, Rowing Unison Medal Ceremonies In annual ceremony recognised over 590 young netball, hockey, football and rugby players.

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SPORT 2023 Forsyth Barr Hawke’s Bay Sport and Recreation Awards Recognises outstanding achievements from grassroots to elite level.

Master Sportsperson of the Year: • L ance Baylis, Powerlifting Lifetime Contribution to Sport: • M ike Trautvetter, Rowing; • T erry O’Neill, Football Emerging Sportsperson: • E mma Findlay, Hockey Junior Team of the Year: • T aradale High School Golf Team Senior Team of the Year: • H awke’s Bay Tui, Rugby Union

Darts • H astings’ James Fergusson won the North Island Masters, one of the biggest wins by a HB player in the sport.

Charity Norman, winner of the Ngaio Marsh Award

Speedway Racing • B radley Wilson-Dean from Napier won the USA National Open final.

Surf Life Saving NZ • Hawke’s Bay Search and Rescue (SAR) squad won Rescue of the Year, and Jess Bennett, HB SAR co-ordinator at Ocean Beach Kiwi Surf Life Saving Club, won DHL Volunteer of the Year.

Cricket • Napier Boys’ High School Year 12 team tasted great success at the Junior World Series indoor cricket tournament in Dubai. Seven Hawke’s Bay players were spread across the New Zealand sides, with Andrew Rawnsley and Ollie Beale on the team that won the under-18 boys’ final.

ARTS + CULTURE EVANZ National Awards These awards represent over 120 entertainment venues throughout NZ • Toitoi won Small Venue of the Year • Dane Fletcher from Toitoi won Team Member of the Year • Lara Paaymans from Toitoi, finalist, Rising Star of Year • Glen Pickering from Toitoi, finalist, Team Leader of Year • Charity Norman was honoured with a Ngaio Marsh Award for her latest novel, Remember Me • Cristina Sanders’ latest book Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of General Grant – shortlisted for the Ockham Awards.

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• Te Whānau Puoro from Flaxmere College and Tamatea High School won the Smokefree Tangata Beats national final.

Resene Architectural Design Awards • Heretaunga Intermediate’s technology block was one of two projects to be awarded the 2023 Supreme Award. Designer Darryl Church of DCA Architects of Transformation was recognised for his work on the project.

Taotiara Excellence Awards These awards recognise architectural excellence within the local government sector.

• Beca Award for Placemaking category The 10-year regeneration of Hastings East Block, including the Toitoi Municipal Building restoration project, won the top award in Placemaking category.

Master Builders NZ – House of the Year – Central NI/East Coast and Hawke’s Bay • Davcon New Home over $4 million – for a home in Patanga, plus Interior Design Award and Kitchen Excellence Award • Gearey Homes New Home $500,000 – $750,000 – for a home in Taradale • Geary Homes took a Gold Award for a Taradale home • Design Builders (HB) New Home $750,000 – $1 million for a home in Havelock North • Inspired Projects took a Silver Award for a home in Bayview, Napier • Jennian Homes Hawke’s Bay took a Silver Award for a home in Awatoto

BUSINESS ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards 2023 • Sentor Boats Best Emerging Business • Pultron Composites Best Established Business • T&G Global and Animals Like Us: Excellence in Innovation • Sally Gallagher, Apollo Food: Inspiring Women in Export Award • Wisewool Judges’ Choice Award

48 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Topline Contracting, Datacom Hawke’s Bay Business Awards supreme winner

• Unsung Heroes: Danny and Marilyn Bearsley, Bearsley Exports; Robyn Brady, Pure Kiwi International; Cameron Taylor, Taylor Corp The Datacom Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Awards • Kahu Scaffolding – Best Emerging Business • Topline Contracting – Outstanding Social Impact Award • Your Decal Shop – Excellence in Sustainability • Tākaro Trails Cycle Tours – Resilient Business Award • Wayfinder – Excellence in Innovation • O’Briasco Bridal Boutique – Ultimate Visitor Experience Award • Waylyn Tahuri-Whaipakanga – Leader of the Year Award • Topline Contracting – Supreme Business Award New Zealand Airports Association Awards Hawke’s Bay Airport won: •M edium Airport of the Year Sustainability Initiative of the Year (medium airport) •C ustomer Engagement Initiative of the Year (medium airport) – for the airport’s Cyclone Gabrielle community response.

Consumer NZ • Now won People’s Choice Award for Internet service Civil Contractors NZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards • 6 Wharf ‘Te Whiti’ at Napier Port, handled by HEB Construction, won the national award for projects with a value of greater than $100 million • Fulton Hogan awarded for

exceeding response expectations in the Hastings District following the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle Outdoor Fabric Products Association of NZ Awards • Georgie Fry at Douglas Outdoor & Textile Innovation, Hastings awarded Apprentice of the Year.

SOCIAL + COMMUNITY NCC Cyclone Gabrielle Recognition Awards NCC replaced its annual civic awards to instead specifically recognise the outstanding contributions of individuals and community groups during Cyclone Gabrielle. These people performed rescues, prepared thousands of meals, provided shelter in their homes and businesses, organised and volunteered for weeks of clean-up, supplied mental health support, raised money, contributed supplies, trade equipment & services, kept people connected with information, looked after pets, horses livestock, organised helicopter & plane drops, set up community hubs for distribution of vital provisions. Whew!

• Keith Bartleet & Hugh Mackay • Claire Connor • Mary Danielson • Troy Duncan • Peter Eden • Brenda Ferguson • Bill & Gabriella Henderson • Michael Helliwell • Cathy Herries and Julie King • Rose Hiha

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• Sean Hughes • Amelia Kaui • Damien Kelly • Rikki Kihi • Greg Miller • Greg & Lorna Morice • Mohinder Nagra • Neeracha (Neela Neela) Rattanaworametha • Rikki Reed Davis • Nancye Rewi • Sammie-Jo Smaling • Todd Smith • Richard Stevenson • Quent and Mel Swayn • Mike Teddy • Lee Walmsley • Bay View Fire Brigade • Cyclone Hawke’s Bay Help • Equippers Church • Kings House Church • Napier Riding For Disabled (RDA) • The Rapid Relief Team • Re-Source HB

HDC Civic Honours: • Wiki Mulholland (posthumous) was an advocate for young people throughout her life, and for better access to cancer drugs • Linda Ward is nvolved in Country Women’s Institute, Playcentre, the primary school, and other activities ranging from compiling a fundraising recipe book to writing a historical book about the school • Pamela Thomson is staunch supporter of Keirunga Artists for more than 20 years • Keita Tuhi and John Matthews have shared their knowledge of the oral history of Kahungunu over the past 40 years plus their expertise with flax weaving (raranga).

• Anthony Dench has worked nearly 40 years as a volunteer fire brigade volunteer • Patricia Kerei a long-standing and valued member of Age Concern Flaxmere • Robert Smith is a leading member of a local group fighting to eradicate the invasive weed species, Moth Plant • NZ Sikh Society of Hastings assists the community in many ways from providing free food parcels to those in need every Sunday, to running Punjabi language classes.

• Hawke’s Bay Surf Lifesaving SAR Squad are on call 24/7 to assist with rescues. It’s estimated they rescued more than 190 people and many family pets in the first 48 hours of the cyclone.

Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Award: Hawke’s Bay has 11 hero medallists who are finalists at this point in the selection process.

• Alastair Needes is known to many as The Dogman for his unique skill in training, rescuing, and rehoming dogs.

• Amanda Withers has volunteered countless hours to help build a stronger, more resilient rural community through education, health, sport and the environment.

• Amelia Kaui the Hostel Manager of Hukarere Girls College, was instrumental in intiating the evacuation of the school just hours before deadly flooding.

• Isabelle Crawshaw community champion stepping up for the response and recovery effort in Pātoka, cut off from the rest of HB by road, with no electricity and limited communications.

• Kristyl Neho founded Maia Dreams, a Foundation that has impacted over 6,000 lives, empowering young people to be their best selves. A Māori wahine, actress, director, speaker, writer, single mother, and rangatahi advocate.

• Lyn Gordon manages a self-funded initiative, ‘Donations for Families in Need’, helping countless families across the Wairoa community.

• Maia Tipene stepped up as a volunteer with Taskforce Kiwi (TFK), spending four weeks on the ground post-cyclone, assisting in debris clearance, welfare assessments, aid delivery, even providing medical expertise.

• Neela Neela she cooked and distributed over 700+ meals a day, offering them for free to families affected by the disaster.

• Syed Khurram Iqbal is a Pakistani professional has helped migrant and refugee communities, particularly those from Middle Eastern and Shia Muslim backgrounds, integrate into New Zealand life.

• Tim Hunter was an integral part of Taradale’s Atawhai retirement village community. For over forty years, Tim volunteered as a handyman maintaining the village and offering friendship and a listening ear to residents.

• Troy Duncan demonstrated heroism during Cyclone Gabrielle by saving lives, rescuing neighbours with an inflatable boat. In the aftermath, he took the lead in organizing the Pakowhai community.

Hastings Church pastor Warren Heke of Kuhu Mai initiative. Photo: Florence Charvin

• Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay continued their habit of winning awards. Inclusive and Diverse Workplace Award in the 2023 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards. Food for Good Award at the National Sustainable Business Awards.

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Nominated by their peers, the Community Service Medals recognise members of the College who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice through work in their communities. Hawke’s Bay Awardees: • Dr Penny Henley has been a GP and a medical educator in Taradale • Dr Bob Stephens recently retired as a GP teacher, but still works as a dedicated GP in Waipukurau.

WHO Age-friendly Cities and Communities •N apier has joined a small group of cities around the world to be named a member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities.

Local Government New Zealand • Hastings District Council was named the winner of the SuperCollab Award and winner of the Supreme Award, for the Kuhu Mai initiative – a collaboration between Council, Hastings Church (via its Connect Community Trust), and Anglican Care Waiapu.

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Hastings is THRIVING, and isn’t staying still – so why should you?

Hastings City is on the rise like never before. This vibrant and diverse city is increasingly becoming a must-visit destination for locals and tourists alike. With the welcome surge of new businesses, ranging from charming boutiques and delightful eateries to innovative startups, the city has been infused with new energy and exciting opportunities.

Living up to the saying of “something for everyone”, Hastings has it all - culinary delights, retail therapy, arts and culture, family friendly attractions, a welcoming community and more. Hastings City is an ever-evolving gem with a thriving local economy, so there’s never been a better time to plan a visit.

As you meander through the streets and discover new favourite places and spaces, you’ll find that Hastings is not just a place; it’s an experience. So, why wait? Plan your visit and uncover the hidden gems that this thriving city has to offer. Come and be a part of the growth and excitement; it’s an adventure you won’t want to miss.

And better still, enter the below Shop and Win promotion before 31 January 2024 for a chance to head to Bali for two!

Spend $30 or more at any Hastings CBD business to be in to

WIN a Bali Holiday for two!

DISCOVER MORE: hastingscity.co.nz

ADVERTORIAL

Enjoy a BUMPER Summer in Hastings CBD. With a thriving city centre, we love to attract locals and tourists to enjoy extra familyfriendly activities at little or no cost too. And this year is no different as we welcome bumper boats back on water, bumper cars on land and a mini-golf attraction – all in the middle of town!

The laughter of children, the joyous screams of delight, and the sight of colourful boats bumping and spinning promise to create an ambiance of pure enjoyment and happiness.

With Bumper Cars in our CBD Mall in January and bumper cars in February we’ve got summer fun sorted in Hastings CBD. Hastings District Council is bringing back a mini-golf experience to further add to the fun. This collaboration signifies a joint effort to transform the CBD into a hub of family-friendly entertainment while also encouraging the public to take the opportunity to explore retail and hospitality offerings while in town.

To discover full information, visit hastingscity.co.nz

A GOLDEN SUMMER OF SPORT

Guy Harrison at Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre. Photo: Florence Charvin

Sport Damon Harvey

HARRISON IN CONTENTION FOR PARA-OLYMPICS IN SWIMMING 2024 is going to be a huge year for sport and there’s many talented local sports stars that will be at the forefront, many that are aiming for selection for the Paris Olympics to be held in July.

Many sports fans will be glued to the television sets in July as we cheer on the New Zealand Olympic Team which we hope has some of our local athletes.

Hawke’s Bay has an awesome track record when it comes to Olympic medal success. The likes of the Evers-Swindell twins Caroline and Georgina winning back-to-back gold medals in double sculls rowing at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games.

At the last Olympics in Tokyo, Emma Twigg reached the pinnacle of rowing, winning gold at Tokyo, at her fourth Olympic Games attempt.

Emma is a strong medal chance again in 2024, along with fellow rower Tom Mackintosh, who won gold in the eights in Tokyo but is now going it alone in the single sculls. Others to keep a close watch on as they attempt to qualify are Kayaker Aimee Fisher, Para athlete Guy Harrison and 200m sprinter Georgia Hulls.

Come on the Bay!

Guy Harrison is a four-time winner of Sport Hawke’s Bay Disabled Sportsperson of the Year for running and golf – but it’s in the water that he’s hoping to make the Para Olympics in Paris in July.

Guy has the determination to overcome adversity and succeed. At the age of 3 he suffered a seizure and died for almost 10 minutes. As a result, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disease that can severely disable a person’s muscles.

Recently, the 22 year old was forced to give up running due to the impact of the disease on his body, so he went in search of a new sport and challenge. “I had to give up running due to wear and tear on the body. Due to my disability I run on my toes and that was causing issues with my ankle, so it was a case of looking for another sport.”

Having been an OK swimmer ‘relatively fast, but no technique’, he decided to head along to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre and give swimming a crack, joining the Sun Devils masters squad initially and now part of the main competitive squad.

He’s now set his sights on the tough challenge of qualifying for the Para Olympics, either as a S8 or S7 category swimmer.

The difference is that as a S8 swimmer he needs to drop his current personal best in 100m freestyle from 1.08 down to 1.03 to have a chance of qualifying. Or convince officials that

his disability warrants being moved to S7, which could improve his chances, albeit in the 50m freestyle.

Under the watchful eye of Sun Devils coach Willie Benson, Guy says there is a chance he can make the Olympics. In February he will head to Melbourne to attempt to change his status from S8 to S7 as well as compete in a world series event.

To move down a category he will spend three days being judged on three criteria: body characteristics and movement, how responsive the body is to pressure and stress, and observing his performance in the event.

Once his classification is resolved he will return to Hawke’s Bay and attempt to qualify for the Olympics at the New Zealand Swimming Championship, which will be held in his home pool in April.

“It’s a bit of a long shot to make Paris. I’ve only been swimming for 18 months, so if I don’t make it, I’ll set my sights on Los Angeles in 2028.

In the meantime he’ll keep swimming with the older Masters crew, train a further five pool sessions a week with Sun Devils, as well as train with the region’s High Performance Sport NZ Hawke’s Bay Performance Pathways Project delivered by HB Fitness Centre.

Golf is still a priority as well. He’s been named All Abilities Golfer of the Year by NZ Golf and remains driven to lower his current handicap of 9.

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 55

Georgia hopes to join 100m star Zoe Hobbs (front) at the Paris Olympics.

SPRINTERS IN THE FAST LANE Georgia Hulls is on the NZ Olympic long list for the 200m sprints and will be competing at the Potts Classic on January 20 at the Mitre10 Sports Park.

Her aim for the upcoming season is to get stronger and faster, her current personal best is 22.84 and she is currently ranked as the 26th fastest 200m sprinter in the world.

Georgia is in full training alongside new training partner Rosie Elliott and enjoying being injury free.

She is planning to race more often in Europe after the domestic season, as well as defend her Oceania title in May with a performance that will get her to

56 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

the Paris Olympics.

To get to the Olympics she will have to run at or below her personal best consistently to have a chance of selection to the NZ Olympic team.

Keep an eye out for Georgia and other national high performance athletes who will be based at the Sports Park in the week leading up to the Potts Classic.

Another sprinter to keep a close watch on is Rylan Noome. Rylan is a newcomer to sprinting and in just two seasons has, among other achievements, won the 200m sprint at the NZ Secondary Schools Athletics

Championship and part of the 4x100 winning relay team and the New Zealand U18 100m and 200m titles.

In 2022 he represented NZ in Australia at the Oceania Championships and, as a 16-year-old, came third in the 200m and second as part of the 4x100m relay. Injury marred his 2023 season but he has already run two personal bests and is currently ranked No 1 in NZ for both the 100m and 200m U18.

Rylan’s goal this season is to qualify for the World U20 Track and Field Championships to be held in Lima, Peru.

Beck Allen in the Gissy Pro.

LOCAL GROM SURFER ON THE RISE Beck Allen is one of a bevy of up and coming local surfers benefitting from the re-emergence of the Hawke’s Bay Boardriders Club.

Locally Beck, a 16 year old Lindisfarne College student, not only took out the club’s U16 title, but also the HB Open Men’s title, a significant achievement and Grom of the year. ‘Grom’ is a term within surfing attributed to young surfers on the rise.

Beck, a right-foot-forward (natural stance) surfer, competed in the Billabong National Grom Series (three events) and secured a New Zealand ranking of 9th in the under 16 years division.

Beck’s favourite local wave is Cray Bay, while he is also a regular at Te Awanga, or on the coast (Ocean Beach and Waimārama). Dad, John, is

a native of Gisborne, where Beck and his grom mates are always up for a search mission.

In 2024 Beck will again surf in the U16 age group, looking to improve his current national ranking as well as competing in the Quicksilver Backdoor King and Queen of the Point in Raglan in May. Beck is fortunate to have the support of Hustle Surf and Motor in Hastings and Darrin McCormack of DM Consult.

Credit for the likes of Beck’s national performances – as well as others such as Open Women’s title holder Isla Prins and Dale Cromhout (2nd in Open Men’s) – can be attributed to the energy of a close-knit boardriders committee that was only re-established a few years ago.

MACKINTOSH AIMS FOR GOLD IN SINGLE SCULLS Rower Tom Macintosh will be looking to add another Olympic medal in Paris, albeit in another category, the single sculls.

Tom was a member of the New Zealand Rowing eights in Tokyo, winning the gold medal in a major upset and matching the feats of the 1972 men’s rowing eight.

With several members of the Tokyo team retiring and the chances of qualifying difficult due to depth of talent, Tom has moved into the solo boat with early success.

Tom has always had a passion for sculling in the single, as he spent some time training beside Mahé Drysdale when they were in the Rowing NZ Elite Summer-Squad together in 2020/21.

Tom went on to be selected as the 2023 Single Sculler for World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, and in an exceptional debut he claimed bronze in a highly competitive and fast field.

Since then Tom has competed in the US, in a long distance race – the Head of the Charles in Boston and the Philadelphia Gold Cup, a 750m race.

Summer is all about training for

58 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

LEFT: Tom Mackintosh. RIGHT: Aimee Fisher.

Olympic Gold, a regime that will prepare him for New Zealand Rowing’s Olympic trials in late January and if all goes to plan with Olympic selection, he will then head to Europe with the NZ Rowing Squad for two World Cup events.

Tom began rowing at Lindisfarne College and Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club in 2012 at the age of 15. He was named the 2021 Hawke’s Bay Senior Sportsperson of the Year after this exceptional Olympic performance (awarded while he was still in MIQ post-Olympics).

He is expected to be joined on the Olympic rowing team by Tokyo single sculls gold medallist Emma Twigg, who won the Hawke’s Bay Sports Person of the Year Award in 2023. She has won the award four times.

Emma won silver at the World Championships in September 2023 and is a strong back-to-back gold medal contender at the Paris Olympics.

Also on the water and in with a shot of competing at the Olympics is kayaker Aimee Fisher.

Aimee has been in the shadows of

five time gold medalist Dame Lisa Carrington. Her best chance of going to the Olympics will be in the K2 500m.

All will hinge on one race in Sydney in February, alongside new partner Danielle McKenzie. The pair showed their potential with an eighth place at the world championships in August, after only teaming up five weeks before that regatta.

If they win the Oceania championships, essentially by beating Australia, Aimee could then also compete in K1, alongside Dame Lisa.

Starting like most kiwi kids playing rugby barefoot on frosty Hawke’s Bay mornings, Damon became a sports editor for the local rag and then a sport promoter for the ASB Tennis Classic, the national rugby championship and the Auckland Blues. He served 15 years on the board of Sport Hawke’s Bay, five years as chair, and continues to be involved in sport governance locally. A third-term Hastings District councillor, in his spare time he’s an action man – surfing, mountain biking, a gym bunny and a newcomer to water polo.

Freenergy Solar Solutions – Switching HB to a Sustainable Energy Future Envision a future where every household and business in Hawkes Bay harnesses energy from their own solar panels.

Imagine charging your EV using self-generated power you produce and ensuring your home has enough stored energy for the night.

Maximizing the return on your investment involves consuming as much of the power you generate as possible. We guide our customers on the installation of timers or smart control technology to effectively manage high-load activities such as water heating, electric vehicle charging, pumping, and other high-load usage.

This is not a dream; it is becoming a reality for a growing number of local homes and businesses. Solar Power is a choice with universal benefits, such as reducing energy costs and minimizing climate impact.

We are seeing an increase in Commercial & Industrial solar systems as power prices continue to increase and businesses become more conscious of carbon emissions. Business energy demand is generally well matched to solar generation as the lights, heating etc, goes on when the sun is rising, and energy demand decreases in the late afternoon.

Excess weekend power earns credits covering line charges. Depending on energy demand profile we are seeing commercial return on investment over 20% or less than 5 years to pay for a system. We offer commercial finance packages and Power Purchase Agreements where your system can be installed for zero $ up front and is cashflow positive from day 1.

Freenergy Solar Solutions, established over 15 years ago by local resident Aaron Duncan in Hawkes Bay, brings forth a wealth of experience and expertise. As an independent entity, our advice and solutions are tailored to address the unique requirements of your household or business. With our in-house team of skilled installation and technical professionals, we oversee the entire process – from supply to installation and ongoing customer support. We prioritize customer satisfaction and quality. Aaron’s business mission is to deliver sustainable energy independence to homes and businesses.

“We can design a solar power system to suit your energy needs. Whether it’s for your household energy consumption, rural or a commercial operation, we can recommend and source the best technology on the market today. We are not a franchise, so we are not tied to specific products or brands.” – Aaron Duncan

Freenergy has been honoured three times at the Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand’s Industry Awards, securing Small Business of the Year. Additionally, Aaron has twice been named Industry Person of the Year, a testament to his unwavering passion for the industry.

Uncertain about whether solar is the right fit for you? We provide obligation-free quotes. Our experienced sales team will visit your site, discuss products and the process. Just share a power bill for a bit of energy usage history, and we’ll guide you from there.

We offer various finance options, including those through HBRC, and major banks are providing low or interest-free loans for sustainable energy installations.

Give us a call or email for an obligation free site assessment and quote.

Proud partners with

Solar Power • Battery Solutions • Sustainability

Call (06) 651 0924 • info@freenergy.co.nz www.freenergy.co.nz

Beyond Convention

The vision for a modern, personal, and community-focused Funeral experience at Tong & Peryer Funeral Directors

As the newly appointed Branch Manager of Tong & Peryer Funeral Directors, Steve Shaw approaches his own mortality with a distinctive vision: a lively celebration complete with disco tunes, dancing, singing, and laughter. His carefully curated funeral playlist is queued and ready, and plans include fireworks dispersing his ashes from Te Mata Peak, contingent on fire bans and appropriate approvals of course.

Having commemorated major birthdays with unforgettable events, Steve expects his funeral to be a similarly festive gathering with friends and family.

Acknowledging the uncertainty of how many friends will still be present, he recognises that the only aspect beyond

his control is the number of people left to attend.

Despite being a funeral director where discretion is vital, Steve willingly shares the detailed plan for his own personalised farewell. The festivities begin with a leisurely lunch at a favourite vineyard, fostering lively conversation and laughter. The day progresses with lawn games accompanied by his familiar cocktail list, and ideally, an excellent assortment of wine around 4pm. The evening unfolds with a medley of his favourite music from various life stages.

At dusk, a unique ceremony accompanies the ‘scattering’ of his ashes, ensuring a memorable and vibrant exit. He foregoes tradition, excluding a casket, lengthy eulogies, photo tributes, and that emotional trip to the crematorium.

His desire is for attendees to leave with lasting memories, emphasising that funerals are not only for the departed but also for the living.

He wants people to feel they can participate and celebrate a life well-lived and not be observers of the process.

Recognising that his unconventional funeral plan may not resonate with everyone, Steve acknowledges the discomfort some may feel about discussing their own funeral arrangements.

He contends that this discomfort often stems from an aversion to the topic of death itself and challenges the notion that convention eases the pain of losing a loved one. He stresses the importance of understanding that there is choice and a multitude of ways to celebrate an individual’s life that may not conform with what we have known of ‘a funeral in the past’.

The global funeral industry is undergoing a transformative shift, moving towards a more personalised approach.

Steve believes that Tong and Peryer can function as a community hub, providing support, comfort, and tailored

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experiences for grieving families. He would love to see families feeling comfortable enough to join in the preparation of a loved one’s final journey, whether it’s through intimate activities like washing and dressing, using the lounge space for eulogies, or even involving children in decorating a casket.

Despite the sorrow, he emphasises the potential for creating cherished memories through an individualised experience of saying the ‘last farewell.’

To evolve the service they currently provide, Steve envisions incorporating personalised services, creating an inclusive environment, utilising technology, embracing environmental responsibility, engaging with the community, and focusing on education and outreach. These initiatives aim to meet the evolving needs of families, ensuring a compassionate and meaningful funeral experience.

Personalised services involve tailoring funeral arrangements to reflect the individual’s personality, interests, and values. Beyond traditional funeral services, Tong and Peryer aim to focus as much energy on grief counselling, support groups, and online resources to help navigate the challenging grieving process, recognising the limited resources currently available for support for so many in need.

In the age of technology, the funeral home aims to leverage digital tools for

There is choice and a multitude of ways to celebrate an individual’s life that may not conform with what we have known of a funeral in the past.

Steve Shaw online memorials, (live streaming of services in now the post-Covid norm), and virtual grief support sessions.

This not only makes our services more accessible but fosters broader community participation and collective sharing of experiences that impact us all at such critical stages of life.

Environmental responsibility is a key consideration, with Tong and Peryer looking to offer more ecofriendly options such as biodegradable

tongandperyer.co.nz

urns, green burials, and adopting sustainable practices.

Community engagement is a priority, involving participation in local events, supporting charities, collaborating with local businesses, and establishing strong ties within diverse community groups. The funeral home recognises the importance of offering services that embrace diversity and share unique funeral practices.

Education and outreach programs will demystify the death and funeral process, empowering individuals, and families to make informed decisions about end-of-life arrangements. Steve plans to initiate this with open evenings, inviting people to explore the funeral home, ask questions, maybe even create the start of a funeral plan in an attempt to bring the topic of death and dying into our everyday language and thinking.

Adaptability and innovation are crucial in the evolving funeral industry. Tong and Peryer are committed to staying updated on trends (without being trendy), adopting new technologies, and creatively approaching funeral services while ensuring alignment with the community’s values and expectations.

In conclusion, Steve believes that running a modern, community-focused funeral home requires deep commitment to continuing the legacy of over 140 years supporting Hawke’s Bay families, compassion, adaptability, and innovation. By embracing diverse needs, offering personalised services, and actively engaging with the community, Tong and Peryer aims not only to provide essential services but also to contribute to the overall well-being and resilience of the communities they serve.

Becoming More Self-Aware in the Workplace In 1970, Gordon Gallup Jr. placed four chimpanzees into separate rooms and showed each of them a mirror. It was the first of many experiments completed by Gallup and others to determine who and what holds self-awareness. Though the Mirror Test only shows recognition of the physical body as our own, it does open us to a deeper discussion of what true self-awareness really is.

What is Self-Awareness?

The self is incredibly powerful! But without being aware of our “selves,” this power can either be wasted or come to harm others.

How Do Self-Awareness and Innovation Connect?

Innovation is driven by individuals, teams, and organizational culture.

As leaders, we can bring self-awareness to each of these levels.

Why Is Self-Awareness Important at Work?

A self-aware person generally has a higher self-esteem since they actively work to make themselves into someone they can be proud of.

What Are Self-Awareness Skills?

• Open-Mindedness • Empathy • Emotional Intelligence • Good Intuition • Emotional Regulation • Humility

Putting It Into Practice If you’re unsure which of the above areas your company is lacking, simply ask your employees and managers directly. get honest, unbiased feedback and truly listen to what they are saying. Whether you want people skills or leadership training, we’re here to help to help managers and supervisors communicate more clearly, increase empathy and ultimately improve self awareness.

For details on class schedules and more information, please visit our website or call Shiona on 021 990 192, or email shiona@dalecarnegie.co.nz

www.dalecarnegie.co.nz

ISO 9001 Accredited NZTE Service Provider

Bay Biz

Phil Fierlinger, Upstock Photo: Simon Shattky

Hawke’s Bay’s mystery businesses …

Our region hosts some very familiar companies – Bostock, Rockit Apple, WineWorks, Now, Furnware, Unison, Yummyfruit, Pan Pac. But for every one of those, a host of remarkable – but largely unknown – others are beavering away, some proven, some at the exciting starting gate. All evidence of Hawke’s Bay’s full business depth and potential.

Jarden is proud to sponsor BayBuzz regional economic coverage.

BayBiz Brenda Newth

KANAPU HEMP PUTTING HEMP ON THE MAP, & IN YOUR COFFEE Hemp growing indigenous start-up Kanapu Hemp is on the cusp of releasing a breakthrough product that will put it on the map.

Started in 2017 by co-founders Isaac Beach and Kirby Heath, and Simon and Lou White, the company is founded on organic and regenerative principles that embrace Te Tiriti O Waitangi, and care for the whenua (land), and people.

Currently Kanapu hemp crops are grown on Māori land at Waimārama (25 hectares of organic industrial hemp, now in year three), and in Ōtāne (2,500 hectares of regenerative industrial hemp that’s spray and pesticide free) on land owned and leased by the Whites.

Kanapu see growing hemp as a solution for Maori land owners, says Kirby.

“What we’ve found is an opportunity to not only benefit the whānau, so that they have fantastic healthy land when Kanapu no longer grows there, but it’s also an opportunity to untie our people from leases that might not be beneficial for them.

“We’ve found a gap where we can serve our people and the community,” she says.

Kanapu is vertically integrated. It’s the farmer and the manufacturer, and currently produces two food products – hemp flakes and hemp seed oil – in small batches (for freshness) from its Havelock North premises.

But things are set to get a lot bigger with the launch of hemp milk in early 2024. Kanapu hemp milk will be the world’s fourth, and New Zealand’s first hemp milk product.

“We have been intentionally moving into the value-add area of production, where there are less steps to

64 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

“We’ve found a gap where we can serve our people and the community.”

Kirby Heath consumption,” says Kirby.

“The consumer knows how to use milk. So instead of producing an ingredient product, we’re moving into more familiar territory for the end consumer.

“We’ve been working on the milk for a long time, since Covid-19, but we

like to take our time with things and get them right. We’re about to take the leap and launch the product.

“The milk is our hero product, and should put us on the map. We have our own R&D arm based at Massey University and a food technologist who develops our products.

“We’ve just had our final trial and it’s tasting very, very good,” says Kirby.

With a distribution partner in place, Kanapu will pilot its 1 litre creamy chocolate and creamy original hemp

“Our people. They’re special...

It’s the way our people work that keeps our customers engaged in the process, and our tenacity to keep pushing through, when things get hard.”

Adele Rose

3R 20 YEARS OF SOLVING DIFFICULT PROBLEMS

milks in Hawke’s Bay through cafes, bakeries, service stations, and other non-supermarket channels, to understand where the product is moving, and how it is moving, before expanding to the next region.

Kanapu’s secret sauce for success?

Kirby says it’s the fact that the company is indigenous and treaty-based.

“We are what we would consider to be an example of a treaty-based partnership business in New Zealand.”

www.kanapu.co.nz

Adele Rose loves a gnarly problem.

The 3R CEO and the company she leads love nothing better than putting their collective brainpower to solving the issue of what to do with difficult-to-manage waste streams, how to keep end of life products out of landfills, while reimagining new uses for them.

The Hastings business is playing an increasingly important role helping to drive New Zealand’s circular economy by developing product stewardship schemes, the most notable to date being Tyrewise, the scheme for end of life tyres.

Rose says Tyrewise – live from March ‘24 – means that all tyres in New Zealand have a place to go to be processed and made into another material.

3R plays a unique role, says Rose. “We sit between industry and Government.

Government as the regulator, and industry as the producer, and that’s a privileged position to be in. For industry we’re trying to be upfront about what their future obligations are going to be, while trying to encourage them to go further. And with the regulator we’re saying ‘how can we work around this problem that we’ve got so you’re satisfied as well?’”

Circular economy principles, which involve reusing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible, are being adopted all over the world,

and imbedded in regulation, says Rose.

“We see the impact here in New Zealand as a receiver of goods. It’s sort of the realisation of a goal that 3R had when the business first started was to move from being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff (dealing with difficult waste streams) to playing in a space where circular principles are embedded from the product design phase onwards.”

The company has a multi-skilled team, including product innovators, data and systems specialists, marketers and sales professionals, business development, project managers and logistics specialists.

“We always take that team in with us to help design product stewardship schemes. And we bring that deep experience every time we meet a new industry group.”

Rose reckons it’s 3R’s secret sauce.

“Our people. They’re special. That’s always the feedback to me from our customers. It’s the way our people work that keeps our customers engaged in the process, and our tenacity to keep pushing through, when things get hard.”

With the hard yards nearly done on Tyrewise, Rose and her team are turning their thoughts to solving other difficult problems such as static batteries, paint, and car bumpers.

www.3r.co.nz

“All of our engineers are really close to the customers in terms of solutions.”

Perry Field

CR AUTOMATION POST HARVEST AUTOMATION SPECIALISTS We deliver productivity. That’s the mantra of CR Automation, a robotics and automation engineering company based in the heart of Hastings.

Perry Field, CEO says the company specialises in post-harvest automation, delivering a mix of bespoke applications and off the shelf solutions depending on customer need.

Solutions include material handling, empty and full carton handling, sorting and tracking, and palletising and cool storage for crops like apples, citrus fruit, kiwifruit, stone fruit, cherries, avocados, and asparagus.

Clients are drawn from horticulture, food manufacturing, timber processing and water infrastructure, and are businesses of all sizes, ranging from ‘Mum and Dad’ growers to multinationals. Most of CR Automation’s business comes from within the Bay, but increasingly from other growing regions domestically, and also in Australian growing regions such as Victoria.

“We deliver anything that has an industrial process, that benefits from automation,” says Perry.

Automation in post-harvest technology typically streamlines processing and

66 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

packaging, involving material handling, empty and full carton handling, sorting and tracking, palletising and cool storage. CR Automation says its clients enjoy larger yields of export grade produce, get better prices for product and many have been able to gain access to high-value, pest sensitive markets.

Around 30 highly qualified staff work for CR Automation, mostly engineers, but also design specialists and fabricators, meaning the company can handle all aspects of a job from design to build.

“We are a bit unique in terms of an automation business, because we have a wide complement of professional disciplines,” says Perry.

“Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and then of course the fabrication and working capabilities to build what we’re delivering. Quality is a big focus for the customers that we deliver to, so it has to be a big focus for us as well, and we have a full value chain.”

As well as new builds, CR Automation is also developing a specialty in machine safety, retrofitting safety features for older legacy machines, that need to be brought up to code.

Like any new technology that’s

evolving, the barrier to entry for automation is getting lower and lower, says Perry.

“Previously we only had applications that gave good productivity improvement, and in very industrial cases. Now we’re seeing both automation and robotics coming into more and more applications because the technology is a lot more accessible.

“The key for CR Automation is to find those applications that can be developed and then replicated a few times. We want to do more in terms of productised offerings that allow us to (more easily) go further afield, and scale sustainably.”

As to their special sauce, Perry says that the skill set within the business is one aspect, but the other relates to the relationship between its engineers and customers.

“All of our engineers are really close to the customers in terms of solutions.

So we have a team of 30, but it’s really a team of 30 also in sales. Every one of the team is fully engaged in all parts of the project lifecycle, especially right at the start.”

crautomation.nz

CROPTIDE TODAY NEW ZEALAND, TOMORROW THE WORLD!

“We want Croptide to be a global solution, where we can really make a difference for water and food security. That’s our focus for the longer term.”

Agritech start-up Croptide is on a mission to bring greater know-how globally to the simple act of watering crops.

Born out of a Massey University master’s project, and founded by Hawke’s Bay engineers Finn Brown and Hamish Penny, Croptide’s pioneering water sensing technology has captured the attention of major players in New Zealand’s horticulture sector. It has just secured $4.25 million in funding from Ubiquity Ventures, a major US investor that describes itself as a provider of “nerdy and early capital for ‘software beyond the screen’ startups”. Croptide is Ubiquity’s third New Zealand investment, it was also an early investor in Rocket Lab. Croptide was founded in 2021. Since then it has been trialling its stem water potential sensing technology in 20 monitored orchard and vineyard sites in Hawke’s Bay, as well as sites in Marlborough. Current trial partners include Villa Maria, Cloudy Bay, Pernod Ricard, Zespri, and T&G. To date, water savings using Croptide technology sit at around 50%, on average.

belt, and its next phase of funding secure, Croptide is focussing on further product development, expanding its team, and commercial trials with existing partners Zespri et al shifting to customer status.

The coming season’s El Niño weather pattern, with dryness expected in the east coast of New Zealand, will be a great test case for Croptide, says Penny.

“To see what difference we can make, how much water we can save, and the difference we make for production. How our (technology) can improve operations and everything else. That’s the goal this season with our customers.”

Penny’s vision for Croptide technology is to solve the global problem of water. “Water is going to be the biggest geopolitical issue of the century.

Agriculture uses 70% of the world’s water resources.

“We want Croptide to be a global solution, where we can really make a difference for water and food security.

That’s our focus for the longer term.”

Penny says Croptide’s technology (in simple terms) is trying to translate the language of plants.

“We’re trying to turn what’s happening in plants into really simple language that people can use. Our sensors plug directly into the stem of crops like apples, grapes, and kiwifruit, and give precise information on the water status of that plant. That information goes through an app to a cell phone or computer, providing insights to the grower that allows them to be very precise with their water management, and achieve better quality outcomes with their crop.”

Stem water potential measures water stress in plants, akin to blood pressure in humans. As the soil dries or humidity, wind or heat load increases, it becomes increasingly difficult for the roots to keep pace with evaporation from the leaves. Under these conditions the plant begins to experience ‘high blood pressure’. Measuring stem water potential helps determine the optimum time to deliver water to the plant.

With two seasons of data under its

Hamish Penny

www.croptide.com

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 67

TATSUMI STRAWBERRIES KING OF FRUIT RIPENS IN CLIVE A country road in Clive is home to Tatsumi New Zealand, a high tech strawberry growing operation owned

by Japanese interests. Tatsumi grows strawberries year round in two glass houses, replicating its Japanese based operation.

Japan’s harsh summers are too hot for strawberry cultivation, explains Takushi Matsunaga, Director of Tatsumi New Zealand, and that’s where the Clive operation comes into its own.

“For the Japanese summer, we ship weekly from May through December, averaging around 2.5 tonnes each week once full production is reached. The strawberries travel overnight by road to Auckland, and they land in Japan later that day,” he says.

Tatsumi New Zealand’s multi-million dollar project is in its second season and, as we write, is just months away from full production. In the packing shed the strawberries are packed in special boxes, with the export fruit picked early, as it colours, but doesn’t sweeten on the journey.

The numbers are impressive: • Around 19,000m2 of above-ground growing space • 224 rows of plants

68 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

• Around 15,000 planters, each holding multiple plants • 100,000 strawberry plants at full production • 150 tonne per annum output once fully operational The strawberries are planted on tables, in above-ground planters, similar to hydroponics, but are planted in a special recipe growing mix, developed by the Japanese technical team.

The growing house is fully automated with an environment control system. Bumblebees pollinate the crop, and the plants’ fertigation (water/fertiliser) is controlled and measured. The growing trays will soon have “outriggers” extending the plant horizontally, enabling the fruit to hang, making picking easier.

Currently around 16 people are employed, but more are needed to do the early morning picking, before the shed gets too hot.

Tatsumi is primarily focussed on growing for the Japanese export market. Interestingly, the way in which

Japanese consumers like to eat strawberries is a little different to New Zealand, explains Takushi.

“The strawberry is the king of fruit for confectionary, so a lot of our fruit is sold for use in baking, patisserie, and desserts like parfaits, all year round.

We don’t want the fruit to be too sweet, as it dominates the flavour of the dessert. In the winter, Japanese people will eat strawberries as a piece of fruit.”

Locally, Tatsumi strawberries can be found in Bellatino’s, and the company is also supplying specialty Chinese supermarkets in Auckland.

Future aspirations are to reach full production, increase planting density, and establish the Tatsumi name as a quality provider, says Project Manager Mike Harper.

“We can supply all year, and produce strawberries when no other growers can. We don’t see ourselves in supermarkets.

“This year has been a big learning year, from a plant health and production point of view and the setup, it’s looking amazing.”

Simon Shattky BayBiz

UPSTOCK READY TO ORDER I’d never heard of Upstock to be honest, and Havelock North founder Phil Fierlinger, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Upstock isn’t for you and me, unless you’re in the food service trade. It’s sort of an online place for ‘shops to shop’. With Upstock, gone are the days of a chef scribbling an unreadable note by the phone reminding someone to order more eggs, only to discover later that someone else had already done it.

Upstock is deceptively simple, as most clever things are, and no surprises really, from someone who used to be Head of Design for Xero, a company once described by Forbes as the most innovative growth company in the world. “Design isn’t just about making things look pretty,” Phil explains. “It’s about making things useful and usable.”

The way Phil tells it, Upstock happened by chance. A mate who is involved with the iconic ‘Foxton Fizz’ brand was looking for a simplified way to streamline his ordering for his customers and got Phil to look into it. “My first thought,” he explains “was, oh this is an e-commerce solution, there’s plenty of those.” Turns out there wasn’t, at least not for businesses, and so, well here we are.

At its most basic, Upstock helps save time and waste, which in the food industry can be massive. One UN report estimated that if food waste were a country, it would be the 3rd largest carbon emitter in the world.

But beyond inventory management the real genius of Upstock is the marketplace it creates. With over 30,000 buyers connecting with 1,000 or so suppliers and over 100,000 different products, buyers have a whole new product line-up to choose from, and sellers get in front of a whole new customer set. In the Bay, companies like Bostock are sellers and Bellatinos are buyers, whereas Brave Brewing and

Bay Expresso are both.

Having always used a recipe as a loose guide, with varying degrees of success, I press Phil to see if there’s a consumer version in the works. Sadly not. “Consumer behaviour is quite different,” says Phil politely. “Retail customers have a different set of expectations to the wholesale trade.” Which I pick up as code for ‘we’re difficult’.

In any case there’s enough to keep Phil and the Upstock team of 26 more than busy. Roughly 10% of the business is in Australia, and in 2024 they’re gearing up for a big push into the states.

Onwards, and very much upwards.

upstock.app

“Food security is a massive issue. Protein is getting harder and more expensive to produce.”

Mark Balchin

MARA BIO WASTE TO PROTEIN There’s no signage on the nondescript building that is home to Mara Bio in the middle of Hastings.

Steve Boggs and Mark Balchin have got no frills down to a fine art at their exciting start-up, as we sit on mismatched chairs, comforting I’m sure, to any investor or bank – unless they didn’t get to sit in the ‘good’ chair which was offered to me.

It’s a bit deceiving though, considering the high-tech nature of what they’re up to.

They have developed a process that uses edible fungal organisms and fermentation to create natural proteins and fibre in a sustainable way from what Steve describes as food industry ‘side streams’.

70 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

“It’s actually waste product,” he explains, when I quiz him further on what a side stream is, “but waste doesn’t sound very appetising.” I asked Steve to explain further. “Companies that juice apples, press grapes, process vegetables or even brew beers produce a huge amount of waste product, like pulp, skin and grains, that would probably go to landfill or animal feed.”

It’s this raw product that Mara Bio will take, adding a natural and native fungal organism. Through a fermentation process, the waste is turned into protein that can then be added to say, oat milk to create ice cream, or flour for pasta, or just a high value protein supplement.

The implications are huge.

“Food security is a massive issue” explains Mark. “Protein is getting harder and more expensive to produce.” Having just walked past the dairy chiller at the supermarket, the point Mark makes is obvious.

“Producing plant-based proteins such as pea and soy isn’t much better,” he explains, highlighting sustainability and the insecurity of global freshwater supply which will no doubt be felt when El Niño finally hits.

The third team member, who I’m betting is their secret weapon, is Maya. Well, Dr Tangestani to be completely accurate. She is an experienced scientist and biotechnologist with a PhD in microbiology from Canterbury University, who joined Mark and Steve after falling in love with the Bay on a road trip. Serendipity brought them all together, and it’s Maya’s job to isolate the perfect organism and refine the process, so that Mara Bio can commercialise production on a whole range of products.

It’s early days and getting to market is a few years away yet. But even with everything they’re not telling me, the positive signs are all there.

ANIMALS LIKE US PET FINE DINING Rob Achten used to be creative director of Icebreaker prior to setting up ‘Animals like Us’ with another local Craig Hickson, and Icebreaker founder Jeremy Moon.

“I sort of had two ideas in my head,” says Rob as he recounts the birth of the company. “The first, was that pet food looked awful. You should be able to see what’s in it. Sort of like muesli.”

I’m about to ask if looking like muesli was really all that important to dogs, or even cats, but Rob is quick to point out that it’s for the owner’s benefit. They’ve done extensive research on this trend called humanisation.

“It’s where we treat our pets like people, like part of the family,” explains Rob, hence the Animals like Us name.

“We want our pets to eat better too,” he adds.

For cats and dogs this means raw, and it’s taken Rob and the team ages to develop the unique formula of kibble and freeze-dried raw organs that’s not only nutritious for pets, but convenient for the owners. They’ve done more research on this too. With customers, and also consumers, using colonies of cats and dogs located in a specially designed facility at Massey University

that measures palatability.

It’s probably this simple fact of doing their homework that has given the company its edge.

In 2022 the pet food market was worth over US$100 billion dollars globally. At this scale, even a tiny product differentiation can have a huge impact. “It’s the supply chain that has proven the most challenging,” he says, that and scaling up, which along with product development is an ongoing process. Freeze dried raw pet food is expensive, but Rob reckons they’ve found the pricing sweet spot for the product that’s made locally in Waipukurau.

“Covid didn’t help” he adds. Sure, but never waste a crisis, right? The pandemic did help them pivot from Asia, where apparently cats are more a thing, often with a young female consumer, and largely due to high density apartment living; to the US market, which Rob, who has just returned from the states, explains is more like New Zealand. “They’re more outdoorsy, and they love their dogs.”

And the dogs, Rob is betting, are going to love Animals like Us.

animalslikeus.com

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 71

FINGERMARK TOUCHING BUSINESS Luke Irving is hungry. Literally. I ask about a coffee, but he needs food.

I’ve grabbed him between calls, and while I go for a long black, Luke tucks enthusiastically into a Kindred Road Tuna sammy.

I find it interesting, because in these times of the highly managed public image, many CEO’s would probably stay hungry until after I’d left. It’s a small observation but telling nonetheless: Luke Irving is very comfortable with who he is.

By his own admission, he failed pretty much everything at school.

“The learning environment just didn’t suit me.” he reckons. Which isn’t entirely true. As a Palmy Boys High fourth former, Luke impressively convinced not just the School board, but McDonald’s big wigs to let him open a franchise in place of the school’s ‘rather shitty’ tuck shop. It won Luke a Young Enterprise award, putting a decent amount of walking around money in the shorts pocket of the ambitious teen.

This is telling too: I doubt there’s much Luke Irving couldn’t sell you.

72 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

I’m betting it’s this quiet determination that very much drives Fingermark, the technology company he founded. Luke’s fascination with touch screen technology led to the development of an automated shoe selector for Rebel Sport. That opened a global opportunity with Subway, which didn’t go anywhere, leading to one with Restaurant brands, which did.

Their mastery of touch screen systems caught the eye of the American parent Yum, who worldwide own KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. As you read this, Fingermark are in the middle of a massive rollout of self-service kiosks and digital menus to well over 10,000 locations worldwide.

The new shiny thing is something called IQ tech, which uses cameras and AI to help staff anticipate customer needs at the drive through. The next time those fries come through the window super quick, it’s a safe bet to say that Fingermark technology is behind it. IQ sort of completes their metamorphosis into a data company.

There’s something big coming down the pipe too, but Luke won’t be drawn on what. “It’ll be a bit of a coup though,” he teases. When you hear it come from the mouth of the guy who brought the Golden Arches to Palmy Boys High, you should have no doubt about it.

fingermark.ai

FROST FANS WINDS OF CHANGE

It’s an appropriately chilly morning when I visit Frost Fans, so I assume Andrew will be in a good mood, given that it’s mornings like this the fans earn their keep. And then some.

‘The fans’ that Andrew Priest and the crew make, branded FrostBoss, protect delicate crops on the mornings when the mercury falls to around zero.

Everything from grapes to cherries, lavender – even a ready-lawn outfit over in the ‘lucky country’ – all have escaped certain death thanks to what goes on in the shiny new Omahu Rd facility.

There’s close to a couple of thousand FrostBoss fans in the Bay alone, each one protecting up to eight hectares of crop. “Ours are the four or five blade ones,” Andrew is quick to point out.

“The difference” he adds helpfully, “means less noise and they’re more fuel efficient.” The sleek blade profile is the work of their designer, who used to help make the boat go faster for Team New Zealand, and who just might know quite a bit about efficiency in relation to aerodynamics.

Design isn’t the only difference though. Sensors trigger the fans the minute they sense imminent danger from Mr Frost, like when a home security system triggers an outdoor light.

Andrew’s app offers growers the same

peace of mind, although obviously it’s not movement that triggers action, but temperature.

He’s quite serious when he talks about it reducing stress.

Global boiling isn’t just about heat, but climate disruption, with weather events being harder to predict. The alternative for a farmer is waking up at half past silly o’clock, wondering if there’s enough in the kitty to get a helicopter to move the still, cold dawn air around. Or risk losing everything. Such is the price of going into business with God. Equally tricky and inefficient is spraying the young crops with water. “It sounds counter-intuitive,” says Andrew, “but the water freezes around the fruit, protecting it.” The downside of course, is the need for a plentiful water supply.

Rather ironically, it’s climate uncertainty that means a more assured future for Frost Fans. They’re already selling fans in every hemisphere.

There’s an electric version in the works. For growers in France’s famed Loire Valley, a UNESCO heritage site, they have designed hydraulic FrostBoss units that lie down and hide from view when not in use. Still recognisable though. They’re the ones with four blades. Or five.

nzfrostfans.com

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 73

Ideas + Opinion Dom Salmon, 3R

Home-grown sustainability work in the Bay Hawke’s Bay has some businesses and organisations doing good things in the sustainability space.

Our work at 3R Group means I’ve interacted with a fair number of them over the years.

The list below has some notable examples which have impressed me over the years, but I’m sure there are many others doing equally great work; I don’t claim to know about everyone championing sustainability in their areas of work.

I hope these will serve to inspire businesses and organisations in the Bay.

Nourished for Nil and The Food Basket We’re lucky to have two well-established food rescue organisations running in the region – Nourished for Nil in Hastings and Napier, and The Food Basket in Waipukurau.

Both were founded in 2017 and receive food donations from local supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, and producers which they distribute for free to the community. Combined, they have rescued thousands of tonnes of food.

This not only gets usable food onto peoples’ tables but reduces greenhouse gas emissions as organic waste creates methane when it breaks down in landfill.

While the underlying focus is simply to prevent usable food going to landfill, the organisations have helped many people and families experiencing challenging times to access nutritious groceries.

Nourished for Nil has taken their work a few steps further, having

74 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

Ever wonder where all the paper and cardboard you put out for recycling ends up? As it turns out if you live in Napier or Hastings, it doesn’t go far, landing at Hawk’s processing facility in Whakatū.

merged with the Hastings and Napier food banks in 2022. After Cyclone Gabrielle their depots played a crucial role, receiving and boxing up food parcels for distribution to the hardest hit communities.

This year also saw them open a social supermarket. “Although, people can only access the store by agency referral at this stage, we’re very proud to be able to provide additional support on top of our food depots. It is a significant step towards reducing food waste and improving access to nourishing food for local communities,” says Nourished by Nil founder, Christina McBeth.

Theirs is an example of sustainability having a dual impact - environmental and social.

recycling as clean possible.

Hawk says the location of its factory was also chosen with sustainability in mind – right in the centre of the country’s largest apple growing region. This means shorter transport distances for their trays to the growers, and less emissions as a result.

Hawk Group Ever wonder where all the paper and cardboard you put out for recycling ends up? As it turns out if you live in Napier or Hastings, it doesn’t go far, landing at Hawk’s processing facility in Whakatū.

There it goes through a sorting and pulping process before being turned into brand new, moulded fibre (a soft version of cardboard) trays for packing and transporting fruit. These are all made from 100% recycled material, can be recycled again, and are an example of the circular economy in action, right here in the Bay. Hawk’s pulping system means they can accept more cardboard and paper than other processors because they can take things like greasy pizza boxes. In other regions this material must be clean, but thanks to Hawk, more paper and cardboard from the Bay can be recycled and less is wasted.

Still, don’t throw your cheese-encrusted cardboard in the recycling.

Spare a thought for the crews collecting this material, and keep your

Stewart Group Our financial advisor neighbours across Karamu Road North in Hastings are the founders of the Te Rehe Solar Network, the first private peer-to-peer energy network of its kind in New Zealand.

The network was created as a result of Stewart Group working to reduce their reliance on the national power grid by installing a 44kw per hour solar array on their building. For comparison, the average household consumes around 22kw a day.

In April 2022 the network officially kicked off as a non-profit, community network of environmentally focused members. It has since grown to 80 members, made up of both solar energy generators and users – businesses and households.

At the Stewart Group building the solar panels power the offices as well as charge their EV fleet on weekdays, with any excess energy going into the solar network. Come the weekend or public holidays, almost all the solar energy goes back into the solar network.

The EV chargers are also made avail-

Here’s a business that instead of just focusing on its core work, is using its resources to achieve inspiring sustainability-orientated goals.

Designing buildings to reduce or eliminate waste during construction, be energy efficient, fit for purpose, long lasting and promote the wellbeing of the people who use them, is vital.

able for the public to use at the weekend, through the Parkable app, with the profits being donated to local charities.

“We’re hoping to encourage people to think about how they use electricity, where it comes from, the carbon impact, and to keep it local,” says Stewart Group CEO Nick Stewart. By 2026 they hope to have 1,000 members.

The solar energy initiative is part of their B Corp certification in their sustainability-focused investing strategies.

Here’s a business that instead of just focusing on its core work, is using its resources to achieve inspiring sustainability-orientated goals.

DCA Architects of Transformation Becoming more sustainable isn’t just about dealing with waste at the end of the pipeline. The design phase is critical so the things we make last longer, are fit for purpose, and are easily reused, repurposed, repaired, or recycled.

No other industries contribute a greater volume of waste than the construction and demolition sector – around half of all waste.

During their life, buildings have a big footprint from the energy they use.

Designing buildings to reduce or eliminate waste during construction, be energy efficient, fit for purpose, long lasting and promote the wellbeing of the people who use them, is vital.

These goals are at the centre of DCA Architects of Transformation’s thinking, says Hawke’s Bay Area Manager Marie Fleming. “We take a longer-term view on a building because it has a big impact on so many aspects – from the urban infrastructure to the wellbeing of the people who use it.”

They aim to design buildings which have as little waste as possible during construction, are fit for purpose so they have a long useful life, are durable and easy to maintain.

Marie has been instrumental in growing the region’s network of sustainability-focused building professionals over the past five years. The industry is starting to get on board, she says, particularly as climate standards for new government buildings including Greenstar-rated builds and reducing the ‘whole of life’ embodied carbon are implemented.

The result is upskilling in the industry with its flow-on effects – buildings which create less waste, last longer, are more energy efficient and overall nicer places to be.

Bin Hire As anyone who diligently separates their recyclables from their rubbish knows, a lot can be kept from landfill if you make some extra effort. This is the philosophy behind Hastings company Bin Hire, which puts a particular emphasis on sorting through the ‘rubbish’ they collect to ensure everything that can be recycled or reused is kept from landfill.

Dan Montaperto founded the company over a decade ago, as he recounts, in a paddock on a concrete pad recycling everything he could.

“It’s always been about recycling and waste diversion for us – to the extent that in the office and the workshop we recycle everything we can, or compost leftovers from our lunches,” he says.

They have since grown into large premises in Whakatū where they can sort through the material collected from local businesses and homes.

They also run the Black Bridge Refuse Station near Haumoana.

Here, again, the priority is on keeping anything from landfill which can be recycled or reused.

The labour costs are higher, Dan says, but the landfill costs are decreased. “The team also get a kick out of saving useful things from landfill,” he says.

Hats off to Bin Hire for using their waste management business to create and promote sustainability in their region.

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR ANIMALS

Vet Services Hawkes Bay has three locally owned and operated veterinary clinics covering Napier, Hastings and Waipukurau.

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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.

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 75

A Touch of Subtle Elegance KITCHEN | BATHROOM | LAUNDRY

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There is an important benefit having the filtered water function operate separately from hot and cold water functions. This feature does not reduce the water pressure for hot and cold water and does not increase the frequency of replacing filters by supplying filtered water when not required.

The dual action calcium and carbon anti bacterial water filter is tested and certified, and at 0.5mm will contribute to reduction of sediments as well as being verified to reduce odour, sediment, limescale and chlorine.

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Life

When put to the test, eating in the great outdoors still has a winning stake in the sand. Caveman cooking his steak over the open fire obviously tickled the taste buds in primal times – as it still does for Paul Paynter today. Or for our somewhat more curmudgeonly foodie, who prefers a linen napkin to a tissue torn from the Handee roll, unpacking a perfectly produced picnic to put on a table and sitting on a chair to imbibe, is the only way you’ll find him eating alfresco.

Paul Paynter with the Oz Pig

ALL FIRED UP Jess Soutar Barron takes Paul Paynter shopping for the very best in BBQs. Photos by Florence Charvin Paul Paynter doesn’t eat meat. He’s lazy but impatient, cerebral not sensible, and would rather sit on the couch reading poetry than hunt or gather. He doesn’t have a natural innate ability to wrestle dinner to the ground and roast it over coals. As YummyFruit head honcho, what Paul does have is good wood and lots of it.

“I’m a fruit guy, I have piles for bonfires and I have to schedule the burn for 3.30pm because the kids love it so much.” Paul, progeny in tow, enjoys lighting things and watching them go up. He’s also fixated on how to feed his issue, who are particularly fussy eaters.

He figures if he can combine the thing they love – pyromania – with the thing they hate – healthy eating – he might be onto a winner.

So, fire is central to Paul’s desire to cook outdoors. His mission to find the best alfresco gastronomic solution isn’t focused on big, gas BBQs with all the bells and whistles. Instead, he’s looking for the best way to play with flame.

“Men seem to like cooking outside, it’s primal, but the modern gas BBQ has nothing to do with our ancestors,” Paul tells me. “The reason gas is so popular is that it’s instant heat and you don’t need to spark up an hour before cooking. If time allows, I do think the ritual of manly conversation around the preparatory fire, while the missus knocks

out the salad inside, is the best of all possible worlds.”

He also rails against the environmental impact of building the stainless steel BBQs in the first place. Although he’s not a fan of carcinogenic smoke either.

“You have to leave wood for a long time to make sure it’s dry. Leave it for a year, then leave it for another year.

Then another.” A hot tip from the guy who really knows his wood.

So, the constraints are mapped out.

Low-key, fuss-free, vegan-friendly, kid-friendly, fire not gas. We’re off to find apparatus, gizmos and gadgets for cooking with flames.

Paul’s kids eat chicken and love the idea of rubbing it with spices and herbs and a variety of gourmet salts á la the slow-cook craze of State-side competitive BBQ. The actual practice of touching raw flesh puts the kids off though and it’s left to Paul, who won’t even eat the results. Despite a range of devices principally for poultry – beer-can chicken stand, hanging chook cage, rotisserie – Paul’s not keen.

“We have to be careful with obsessions and men do get obsessed with their meat. One must never become obsessed with a mechanism that leads to certain divorce: golf, fishing, skiing, surfing. Women start off fairly supportive, but then it’s ‘No’ when they’re suddenly a fish widow,” Paul postulates. “I don’t know any woman who says, ‘He does these six-hour, slow-cook slabs of meat and it’s wonderful’.”

“I have that in me, that obsessiveness. I can’t get too interested in things

“Men seem to like cooking outside, it’s primal, but the modern gas bbq has nothing to do with our ancestors.

If time allows, I do think the ritual of manly conversation around the preparatory fire, while the missus knocks out the salad inside, is the best of all possible worlds.”

because it could lead to obsession.

I’m anxious about becoming obsessive.” He’s also anxious about lactose and the lot of milking cows so he doesn’t eat dairy. His one exception is buffalo mozzarella, which leads us to pizza. But he doesn’t bake either so even margherita is a bit of a stretch.

Pizza oven? No

Pizza ovens come in many styles and sizes and are an excellent way to get rid of apple wood. The suggestion that Paul make his own – hand mixing ciment fondu while his children learn the ancient crafts at his elbow – is met with scorn.

“I’m too impatient and I’m not practical at all,” he says. He also rents so is in the market for something portable.

The issue then is that the bijoux table-top jobs don’t get rid of the wood he’s accumulated, being mainly run on gas. He and his family make and eat a lot of paratha, which is basically a pizza bread, and this can be cooked

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 79

over the simplest of hot plates. So now we add the need to cook bread over fire, but not necessarily melt cheese, to our list of must-haves.

Paul is a vegan except for the aforementioned mozz … and also extremely expensive smoked salmon, which somehow slips between the terms and conditions of veganism. We set off to look for a smoker, although Paul doesn’t back himself in believing he’ll be able to operate it.

“It’s so expensive, I don’t want to muck it up,” says Paul. “It’s a lot of flavour and it sounds complicated, plus I don’t think it’s something you become an instant expert in, also it looks like something I could obsess over.”

Anxiety is setting in already.

Instead of the big guns of the smoking world we go shopping for a wine barrel to turn into a smoker thanks to a portable outfit we buy online. The barrel matches the rustic Hawke’s Bay aesthetic of the Paynters’ bucolic pad.

Looks don’t matter too much to Paul, but the cohabitants of his domicile do care. In a similar vein, he’s curious about adding a kamado ceramic egg to his cooking caboodle. Although, it’s a

80 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

“We have to be careful with obsessions and men do get obsessed with their meat ... I don’t know any woman who says, ‘He does these six-hour, slow-cook slabs of meat and it’s wonderful’.”

lot of kit to basically just light a fire and burn some aubergine.

Keep it simple

I suggest that many cultures have been cooking outside in interesting ways since Adam first planted his apples. We discuss potjieskos from South Africa, which does away with all fancy equipment and is simply a fire pit with a Dutch oven planted among the embers.

Paul’s intrigued, although he thinks it sounds a little too old-school.

“It’s like something from the 17th century!” he thinks. “Like a lunch break during the Salem witch trials.”

We segue to other cultures where a reliance on fire, fat, salt and patience wins out over flash contraptions. Paul has family ties to Hungarian culture, so we discuss the pros and cons of

bogracs. “It needs a fire pit, paprika, some pretty average meat, and we need to be out on the plains,” he explains. “Really it’s about standing around drinking pilsner.”

Ticking the simplicity box, the aesthetically satisfying box, the fire box, the tradition box is the Oz Pig, and Paul falls for it straight away. It has an antiquities vibe and he thinks his kids could even find it so attractive they want to actually eat what it cooks up. It’s basically a washing machine drum on legs with a cute chimney and a grill plate. In the garden it looks like it’s been there since the 1700s but it can be dismantled and packed into a sensible canvas bag.

It’s pretty but small so anyone wanting to butterfly a lamb isn’t going to have enough space. For those just wanting to spatchcock a capsicum, it’s perfect. It’s also a great way to use up wood.

“Hands down, for me, fire wins,” concludes Paul. “It’s not in our brains.

It’s at a deeper level. It’s good for our mental health. It’s something men have been doing forever, it’s the most important task we have: find food and cook it over flame.

“Although back in the day the people of my cave would have starved to death,” he confesses. “I’d have carried a spear and looked the part but I’m a delta male not an alpha.”

Paul’s tribe may also have passed away due to inheriting the same pickiness to food as their contemporary descendants. “The niece won’t touch it unless it’s free range, Kevin is vegan and sees the spuds as contaminated by the tyranny of the bird, and Uncle Merv is gluten free. So you can end up with a contingent that will just pick away at the salad,” Paul explains. “But even there you can bugger it up with the dressing – contains egg – or the addition of gluten croutons. It only takes a couple of people with just a sad-looking lettuce leaf on their plate and the raucous family gathering falls flat.”

If the goal then is a simple fire, how best to cook on it? We explore the options, from slinging an old oven tray over it to purchasing a top of the range Argentinian asado grill. Due to the variety of allergies, maladies, aversions and avoidances at a Paynter family feast, any cooking solution must have multiple surfaces and dividers.

“You need a cooker that caters for the complexity of roasting, grilling, separation of ‘contaminants’ and the like,” Paul suggests.

We settle on a swinging hotplate, which is basically a metal stick thrust

“Hands down, for me, fire wins.

It’s not in our brains. It’s at a deeper level. It’s good for our mental health. It’s something men have been doing forever, it’s the most important task we have: find food and cook it over flame.”

into the ground with a range of different grill plates pivoting off it at a variety of levels. It also has the option of hanging the bogracs from a meaty looking hook.

With the hearth in place – helped by some old bricks to barricade it in – Paul and his mini-Pauls can skewer things and roast them over the coals: strips of damper, marshmallows, cherry tomatoes, cubes of courgette, Linda McCartney sausages. He can also slide his salmon – not freshly caught but freshly bought – into a fish basket and apple-smoke it on the edge.

since 1989

the home of Chardonnay tutored wine tasting options

Squatting

In that too though there’s a problem.

Squatting. As much as Paul admires the cuisine of a variety of cultures, he’s got tight calves.“It’s been a revelation to find out what the Indians do with okra, the Chinese with broccoli or how the Thai bring vege to life with ginger, lemongrass and chilli,” he says. “The low-hanging options though are not attractive. I think there was a time when squatting was in vogue, but no longer.”

“You’d need a collection of stools to satisfy everyone and a shortage of these would leave you with an upstairs/downstairs situation for meat and fire watchers,” he explains.

“Really you need people at the same levels in order to avoid conversing with bald patches and crotches. Benchheight cooking is eminently desirable.

Anything that simulates a bar leaner will induce a relaxed and convivial setting for the average Kiwi.”

So, we discount all the above and end up balancing a $20 eco-grill on a bar stool and cooking a cauliflower for lunch. A lick of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoky Maldon, and it’s delicious.

It’s never really the food that’s the hero when it comes to cooking on a fire. It’s the primal urge that links us back to the Neanderthal in the cave. The meat might’ve been tough, the chicken dry, the fennel bulb charred and the smoke annoying, but as long as there was good company and good conversation, the tribe would survive.

lunch|platters|small plates mains|wine|beer|coffee friends & whānau gatherings work groups | lunch or evening

Above: Eco Grill, Ooni Koda pizza oven, Oz Pig.

Where to buy •F ourth Element in Hastings stocks Oz Pig in multiple sizes as well as Eco Grill • Total Food Equipment in Napier has a variety of pizza ovens •W ine Country Craft in Napier has barrels •S mokai online has smoking kits and info on how to convert a barrel to a smoker •A rgie Barbie online has asado options •F ood Over Fire online has dutch ovens • Try lowandslowbbq.co.nz for hanging chicken baskets •G o to nz.adventurekings.com for the swinging hotplate •H ungarian Kitchen in Auckland stocks bogracs

OPEN Wednesday to Sunday cellar door 10 - 4pm restaurant 11 - 3pm (06) 8750150 194 Clifton Road | Te Awanga BOOKINGS RECOMMENDED www.clearviewestate.co.nz @clearviewestate

Life Wellbeing / Kate McLeay

Unleashing your best self Mary Oliver’s question, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” echoes the quest to become the best version of oneself. In a material world filled with shifting standards of excellence, how do we navigate this journey? How do we unearth the best within us while embracing life’s unlimited possibilities with faith and ease?

Anchoring ourselves firmly in what truly matters, fostering growth, affirming resilience, and daring to dream of a better world define this noble path.

While your journey toward self actualisation is ultimately a choice that is as unique and miraculous as your own thumbprint, perhaps this roadmap of mindfulness concepts might guide you in further exploring your best self.

Define your North Star

Where attention goes energy flows. Do you know your purpose? Feel into the guiding stars that illuminate your path.

Take time to define your values, passions, and ambitions. Clear intentions set a compass point. Feeling into your hopes and dreams that are in alignment with your higher purpose becomes like a strong wing in sturdy sails steering you forward. The ancients said that with thought, feelings and emotions we can move mountains. What mountains do you wish to move?

contains opportunities for growth. Use tools of mindfulness to cultivate real time curiosity. Embrace adaptability.

Use reframing tools to switch fear of change for an excitement of what else is possible. View challenges as stepping stones to personal evolution.

Nurture self-compassion

Central to mindfulness is being present on purpose with an air of kindness, compassion, acceptance and non-judgement. Have an intention to embrace self-compassion. Practice self kindness. Acknowledge that perfection is an illusion. Celebrate your progress. Look at your setbacks with kind eyes, and offer yourself the same understanding you would extend to a dear friend.

Cultivate healthy habits

Prioritising self care forms the cornerstone for personal excellence. We all know what to do, but doing this can be another story. The mindfulness acronym contained in the question “Are you taking your M.E.D.S.?” can be a helpful daily reminder.

M = Manage your mind. Practice mindfulness. Engage in activities that bring you genuine joy. Learn something new every day.

E = Exercise. Move your body. Yoga, dance, garden, walk, run, play.

Build physical resilience so it spills out into all the corners of your life.

D = Diet. Avoid processed food and refined sugar. Eat more fruit and vegetables.

S = Sleep & Sunshine. The number one stress reliever is a good night’s sleep that you arise from feeling rested.

Embrace continuous growth

Embrace a growth mindset that celebrates change and new experiences.

Every moment, whatever it contains,

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Forge authentic connections

It’s said that you become like those you spend the most time with. Choose

wisely. Nurture relationships that uplift and inspire you. Surround yourself with those who want the best for you, who see your potential and believe in the beauty of your dreams.

Have your own back

With mindful eyes watch your own self talk. Notice what you are telling yourself. If your inner critic is loud or you are judging yourself harshly, consistently use meditation practices like a ‘Self Compassion Meditation’ or ‘Loving Kindness Meditation’ to reprogram this default mode network within the mind. Love yourself enough to do these practices. Whatever you practice grows stronger.

Embrace failure as stepping stone

Just as perfection is an illusion, failure is a point of view. Notice your benchmark of failure and redefine it as a stepping stone toward success.

Embrace it as a catalyst for growth and learning. Turning towards triggers and setbacks with an outlook to extract valuable lessons can empower you to fortify your resolve to push forward with renewed energy.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is the cornerstone of contentment and resilience. Take moments each day to acknowledge and appreciate the blessings in your life.

Gratitude nurtures a positive mindset, amplifying joy, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the journey you’re on.

The 13th century Persian Poet Rumi said, “Wear gratitude like a cloak and allow it to fill every corner of your life.”

Step away from comparison

It is said that comparison is the thief of joy. Your journey is unique. Embrace it. Notice when you are measuring your progress against others. Shift your

attention to focus on your personal growth, celebrating the milestones that resonate with your aspirations and values. Take your wins, small and large, and weave them into the unique beautiful fabric that is you.

Make noticing what went well a habit

At the end of each day consider what went well and what part you played in this. Noting down three things at the end of each day that went well will help reprogramme what is called the negativity bias of the mind. Wiping the slate clean to switch off the mind that likes to ruminate. This mindfulness exercise is called the 4W’s. The first 3 W’s are what went well and the fourth is the why. What part did you play in making things go well? Try writing this in a journal for 21 evenings and see what happens.

Courageously pursue dreams

Finally, summon the courage to pursue your dreams. Step out of your comfort zone. Find a new sense of comfort within discomfort. Release what you

can’t control. Trust in you. Let your aspirations be the beacon guiding you towards the realisation of your fullest potential. Release attachment to the outcome yet feel into the myriad landscape of what else is possible.

The path to personal excellence is a mosaic. Your own unique collection of experiences, choices, and growth. The book of wisdom that is you. Exploring what else is possible. As you navigate this journey, remember that the pursuit of your best self is not a destination, but a transformative expedition that can ultimately leave the world a better place.

Rumi said, “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.” Consistently practicing your own personally curated tools for calm weaves a parachute that will serve you steadfastly when you find yourself in freefall moments. That gives you dexterous wings when the tides turn in your favour. Whatever the present moment contains keep courageously embracing the unique brilliance that is you. The world needs you. Choose you.

Kate McLeay is a mindfulness mentor, yoga teacher and retreat host based out at the iconic Hawke’s Bay Cape South Country Estate and Wellness Retreat. She teaches weekly yoga classes at Focus Health in Havelock North and run events and retreats around New Zealand and overseas. www.katemcleay.com

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.

Photo: Florence Charvin, courtesy of dea natural underwear

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 83

Life Wine / Yvonne Lorkin

BEST HAWKE’S BAY WINE MOMENTS Photos by Florence Charvin While 2023 definitely delivered anger, eye-rolls, heartbreak and tears, peppered throughout the frustrating times were moments of absolute gold, moments of grin-inducing excellence for our wine community and here are just a few of my favourites …

Back in May, Hawke’s Bay was named one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World! One of only twelve regions across the globe to receive this honour.

Founded in 1999 the Great Wine Capitals is a network of major global cities and regions which share a key economic OPPOSITE: Retired Hastings hairdresser, ‘Mr Luigi’, won gold at the New Zealand Amateur Winemakers and Brewers Federation national competition.

BELOW: Hawke’s Bay was named one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World. Photo supplied.

and cultural asset: their internationally renowned wine regions. Now Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s oldest wine growing region, joins heavyweights such as Bordeaux (France), Bilbao (Spain) and Napa Valley (USA), as the newest Great Wine Capital of the world. I mean, we always knew we were world class right?

This designation cements it. Cheers!

At just 22 years old Alena Kamper of Sacred Hill Wines became the youngest ever winner of the Tonnelier Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year competition. Hawke’s Bay born and raised, Alena was a science nut at school who discovered winemaking could be a career after attending a careers day event. Just a few months after graduating in Wine Science from EIT she entered the competition and lo!

Her star indeed shone bright. We’ll be watching her career progress like the proud celebrity stalkers we are.

New Zealand’s oldest winery, Mission Vineyards, was awarded Champion Syrah and Champion Wine of the Show at the A&P Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards with their 2021 Mission Vineyards Reserve Syrah. This is a huge achievement because competition is fierce and for winemaker Paul Mooney (who has been making wine at the Mission since the 1970s – yes!

The 1970s!), it’s an extra-sweet victory considering this wine, which sells for between $20-$30 a bottle, was also awarded 95/100 by Andrew Caillard MW & included in his Annual Top 12 Gimblett Gravel’s Reds alongside wines retailing at eight times its price! It also made Number 8 in James Suckling’s Top 100 wines of 2022 from around 25,000 wines reviewed globally. Wow!

Church Road’s chief winemaker, Chris Scott.

Photo supplied.

Church Road was nominated to become the 2023 Red Wine Producer of the Year at the globally prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London. The Hawke’s Bay winery was the only New Zealand winery nominated in the prominent international awards which made long-time winemaker Chris Scott absolutely buzz.

“It’s an honour to see our red wines recognised at these awards and for them to represent the incredible quality coming out of Hawke’s Bay,” Scott said. “It’s a testament to the vibrancy and balance that is achievable in this unique corner of the world, and to the incredibly dedicated craftspeople that make up our small team.” It’s also a darn excellent way to bolster our Great Wine Capitals status out there in the global wine-o-sphere.

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Tonnelier Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year Alena Kamper.

Award Winning Winemaker at 90 years old! It’s the dream of winemakers to win medals at competitions, but few could say they’re still doing it in their 90s. But for amateur winemaker Antonio, aka ‘Mr Luigi’, retiring from his passion does not bear entertaining. While he’s won a ton of awards over many decades of making sparkling wine in his garage, this year was special. He scooped gold in the 2023 New Zealand Amateur Winemakers and Brewers Federation national competition, earning Best in Class for his W19 Dry Sparkling and Best in Class for his Dry Sparkling Feijoa. Winemaking was a side-hustle for Antonio, beginning generations back with his family in Italy, however many locals will know him as the charming hairdresser from Hastings.

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Brookfields Vineyards & Restaurant Rises from the Silt. As the floods of cyclone Gabrielle cut through Pakowhai and the back of Meeanee, Hawke’s Bay’s iconic Brookfields Winery and vineyards took a massive hit. Yet rebuilding, cleaning, machinery fixing, bottle rescuing kicked in almost immediately and now, almost a year down the track, you’d never know how touch-and-go life at Brookfields actually was. Much of this is thanks to the new Mitzi and Twinn Restaurant at Brookfields which has been booked solid since opening back in October. It features the drool-inducing menucreation talents of great mates Harriet Twinn and Melissa Rutherfurd, who began catering together back in 2017.

The restaurant is humming, the cellar door is buzzing and it’s exciting to see

new life breathing in Brookfields again.

Linden Estate and Valley D’Vine Restaurant re-open post Cyclone.

Within a matter of a few hours back in February one of Esk Valley’s key vineyards, cellar doors and hospitality spots was swamped with silt. The areas which remained dry became a safe-haven and meeting place for people needing emergency assistance or just somewhere to rest, talk and grieve.

In October, after months of backbreaking work, Linden Estate, under the eye of manager Olivia Walding-Karaitiana, is back in action. Winemaker Alex Hendry is working hard to create wines with recovering vines and highly awarded chef Greg Millar is operating their 100 person capacity restaurant with his usual flair and great cheer.

Esk Valley lives!

“Pull quote” Credit Linden Estate business manager Olivia Walding-Karaitiana.

In October, after months of backbreaking work, Linden Estate, under the eye of manager Olivia WaldingKaraitiana is back in action.

Pask Winery is finally due to open its doors soon with an incredible new restaurant and cellar door experience, craft brewery and relaxation space on Omahu Road. It’s designed to be a very tasty link for hungry and thirsty wine tourists between Hastings and the Gimblett Gravels. Owner John Benton has been making plans for years to revive the old Pask cellar door, to create new carparking, a new gastronomic experience, corporate spaces and much more for one of Hawke’s Bay’s busiest traffic areas.

Hawke’s Bay Gets Fizzicle! Finally, thanks to winemakers and entrepreneurs Jascha Oldham-Selak (34) and Sanne Witteveen (29), our region has its first dedicated sparkling wine facility and a brand new, high-level sparkling wine brand to enjoy. The newly

Chloe and Peter at Brookfields Winery.

opened NZ Methode Traditionnelle sparkling wine bottling facility is located at 23 James Rochfort Place, Hastings.

“It was in my first year studying wine science in 2014 that I decided to dedicate my winemaking career to Methode Traditionelle,” says Jascha, who is from the pioneering Selak wine family. “And ever since, I’ve only produced this style of wine.” Look out for their single vineyard sparkling wine ‘Vilaura’ which joins the two words ‘Villa’ & ‘Aura’, meaning the ‘House of Energy’.

The new Mitzi and Twinn Restaurant at Brookfields has been booked solid since opening back in October.

It features the drool-inducing menu creation talents of great mates Harriet Twinn and Melissa Rutherfurd, who began catering together back in 2017.

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YVONNE’S TEN MUST-HAVES FOR YOUR CELLAR 10 best iconic HB wines you must have in your cellar – a budget list and an aspirational list.

Trinity Hill Prison Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 $120 A stunningly powerful cabernet that’s drinking beautifully now but will reward cellaring to 2035 and beyond. trinityhill.com

TREAT YOURSELF

Askerne The Archer 2020 Chardonnay $59 Stylishly structured, concentrated stonefruit, caramelised oak and complex citrus to finish. askernewines.co.nz

Vilaura Hawke’s Bay Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blanc 2019 $65 Ultra-sophisticated, lemon and brioche notes and a creamy-soft texture from Hawke’s Bay’s first sparkling wine specialist. vilaura.co.nz

Te Mata Estate Bullnose Syrah 2019 $79 Elegant and pepperlaced, with blueberry intensity, gorgeously grippy textures and incredible length of flavour. temata.co.nz

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Paritua 21.12 2020 $130 Impeccably crafted, this Bridge Pa-grown, flagship blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc is possibly winemaker Jason Stent’s best work. parituawines.com

Radburnd Cellars Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 $85 An incredibly stylish, classy, violet-laced example from wine Hall of Famer Kate Radburnd. 2020 was a superb syrah vintage and this proves it. radburndcellars.co.nz

Chateau Garage Hawke’s Bay Albariño 2023 $50 Ollie Powrie has crafted a bright, apple and lemon-layered, richly styled yet crisp and crunchy example of a Spanish classic right here at home. chateaugarage.co.nz

WALLET FRIENDLY Bilancia Uvaggio Marsanne Rousanne Viognier 2021 $85 Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheney have created a lipsmackingly lovely version of the Rhone Valley here at home. A rare and unique wine. advintage.co.nz

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $15-$17 Gold medal winner, energetic, concentrated and plummy and lipsmackingly lovely to drink. Available in supermarkets.

Elephant Hill Salome Chardonnay 2021 $95 Beautifully textured, boasting nectarine, pineapple & citrus pith flavours and creamy, toasty complexity. Incredibly elegant, soothing and cellar-worthy. elephanthill.co.nz

Mills Reef Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2000 $18-$20 Gold medal winner, crammed with classic pepper, blueberries, violets and graphite-like complexity in the mouth.

Gorgeous! Available in supermarkets.

Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2022 $15-$19 Juicy, boldly berry-driven, spicy and crammed with cocoa and savoury, leather layers. Available in supermarkets.

Mission Estate Reserve Syrah 2021 $19.99 To be able to score the Champion Wine of the Show at the 2023 HB Wine Awards for under $20 is crazy to me. But that’s what it’s selling for online at caros.co.nz or finewinedelivery.co.nz.

Advintage have it at $23

Beach House Old School Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $17.99 A rich, citrus-stacked, tropical and toasty triumph from Chris Harrison and his team at Beach House have made this exclusively for the folk at advintage.co.nz

Alpha Domus Collection Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2022 $19-$21 Crafted from organically grown merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, it’s delicately structured, crisp, elegant, energetic and darn excellent. alphadomus.co.nz

Hāhā Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2023 $16-$17 Ripe pear, soft quince and nashi niceness wash across the nose and palate leaving crisp, dry, delicious textures. Available in supermarkets.

Church Road Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $18 Classically tropical Hawke’s Bay sauvignon blanc here and showing great tension and tastiness. thebottleo.co.nz

Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Rosé $15-$19 Punchy, crisp, laced with melon and soft raspberry characters, there’s a hint of white pepper and creaming soda to finish.

Delicious. Available in Countdown supermarkets.

Clearview Coastal Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $21.99 Exciting, energetic, juicy and citrus-stacked chardonnay from Matt Kirby and his team. clearview.co.nz

Life Food / Ian Thomas

Picnic?

What’s the lure?

The idea of a picnic is delightfully delicious. A Mary Poppins, singalong occasion complete with colourful blanket, wicker basket, and enthusiastic, smiling faces.

Skipping through the grass to the picnic spot is compulsory, as is some sort of ball game.

How much easier is it to prepare food at home and then sit and eat it? Undeniably, tables and chairs have been a big hit. They have stood the test of time in our privileged society.

The reality, in my curmudgeonly experience, is quite different. Rather like fish ‘n’ chips, the imagined is always superior to the actual event.

The term pic-nic comes from the Greek word for a sharp cramp-like pain in the thigh, most often brought on by trying to squat on the ground and make a sandwich in mid-air without spilling your cup of tea and/or Chardonnay. At the onset of the pain the sufferer will leap awkwardly to their feet, spilling tea and dropping sandwich fillings onto the grass or, even worse, the sand.

How much easier is it to prepare food at home and then sit and eat it?

Undeniably, tables and chairs have been a big hit. They have stood the test of time in our privileged society. Add the convenience of the kitchen to the mix and it’s hard to see the attraction of picnicking.

What is the lure? The blistering hot sun? Hay fever and hives? The burntout car by the river? The insects? The damp grass? Or the bickering throughout the car journey? Yes, all of these as well as the nagging thought in your head that you’ve left half of the picnic on the kitchen bench and the knowledge that even if you turn back Constance, the Labradingdong, will have eaten it. What a pity Constance is allergic to grass so has to stay at home.

I’m all for a drive in the country, a walk even. Taking in the beautiful vistas of Te Matau a Māui is a constantly changing

pleasure, but let’s not make a meal of it!

It’s the planning that irks me and also the preparation. And not just planning the food, but also the spot. Every picnic must have its spot.

Food is the biggest challenge. It must be varied and colourful. There must be a pie or at the very least a quiche.

A cake should be included. No, a slice will not suffice.

Bread, cheese, cured meats, dips, olives, pickles, chutney, hot sauce, fresh salad items, butter, fruit and then gluten and dairy-free version of all items. A table, chairs, and of course the trusty camping kitchen sink. When gauging quantities it is usual to pack two to three times as much food as is possible for the group to eat. As well as achieving an impressive display of abundance the excess food adds awkward bulk to the trek across paddocks prompting the curmudgeon to mutter under the weight of it all.

Once at the spot the blanket is thrown or, preferably, the table is set up, and the unpacking begins. It’s at this point that the absence of the forgotten items is apparent. Back in the day a missing corkscrew would cause the greatest remonstrations. Now, thanks to the screwcap, it’s the overlooked sharp knife to ‘get into’ the port salut that causes most angst. Followed closely by the absence of sunblock and insect repellent.

Once the spread is spread, photos are taken, shared on socials with a

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‘my beautiful life’ comment, duck face and peace sign, everyone plans their consumption strategy and picnicking ensues.

If I must go for a picnic then I would certainly demand the finest fare. Here’s my pick of the best elements to include in a picnic. Predictably most of these are available at the Farmers’ Market: • Yeast Coast Bakery sourdough loaf – this is a lovely loaf that has the right amount of chewiness – the best bread • Hohepa fenugreek cheese – Danbo infused with slightly sweet and lightly spicy fenugreek seeds – the best hard cheese • Hohepa herb quark – the best soft herby curd cheese • Origin Earth – Takenga smoked cow cheese – the best smoked cheese • Te Mata Figs Fig Relish – the very best thing to put with cheese and cold meat • Holly ham – simply the best • Urban Smokery hot smoked salmon – the best smoked fish • Venison beer sticks from The Deli – the best dried meat • Telegraph Hill Olives burnt orange and fennel olives – the best olives • Monsieur Macaron – Pistachio macaron, or the salted caramel, or the chocolate and orange.

So if you can’t avoid the picnic, do it in style. Traipse to some inconvenient location and enjoy the best of our local food. Then pack it all up, traipse back to the car, lug everything back into the house, put the sweaty cheese in the fridge and wash-up. You’ll love it.

Ian Thomas is a caterer and formerly free range egg farmer, cooking demonstrator, and manager of a commercial food production business.

He specialises in cooking paella. paellaagogo.com

Photo by Florence Charvin

HAVELOCKNORTH.CO.NZ Stay a little longer, explore a little further, and re-fall in love with Havelock North this summer.

Nestled in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, Havelock North Village is a treasure waiting to be discovered. The picturesque village offers a unique blend of culture, cuisine, and natural beauty that will captivate your heart.

Whether you’re a local looking to rediscover the Village or you’re inviting friends and family for a memorable summer holiday, Havelock North promises to enchant, inspire, and leave you with a yearning to stay longer, explore further, and fall in love with this gem in Hawke’s Bay region.

The Village boasts a central hub of activity, offering an array of great cafes, bars, eateries, as well as galleries and unique retail boutiques to explore.

The best part? Many accommodation options are mere steps from the heart of the Village, making it a perfect destination for families, friends, and individuals. You can easily explore the village by foot, immersing yourself in its vibrant atmosphere.

Designed for easy exploration, the Village is compact, making it perfect for leisurely strolls around the shops, galleries, and eateries. For those looking to cover more ground, bikes can be hired from Cycle Nation, and Good Fun Bike Rides offers self-guided tours to explore Hawke’s Bay’s famous cycle trails. If you’d like to venture further then public transport is readily available through the central village bus stop, or you can hop on a local tour to explore world-class cellar doors, art deco architecture, and stunning natural wonders.

It’s time to discover what makes this village a must-visit destination.

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O

utdoor enthusiasts will find Havelock North a paradise for exploration. In the summer, the options for outdoor activities and natural attractions are endless. Waimarama Beach, Te Mata Peak Park, Ocean Beach, Maretotara Falls, and the Village Green Playground are just a few of the fun and free attractions awaiting you. Whether you’re a hiker, beach lover, or simply want to enjoy the stunning natural beauty of the region, Havelock North has something for you.

Be sure to inquire at the Havelock North i-site for a variety of sightseeing and winery tour options, including the famous Overland Gannet Safari tours. These tours boast breathtaking views along the way to the largest gannet colony in the Southern Hemisphere, providing a unique cultural and natural experience not be missed.

Stay a little longer, explore a little further, and let Havelock North steal your heart.

While exploring Havelock North, don’t forget to venture out to the charming Birdwood’s. Their sculpture garden showcases stunning artworks in a beautiful setting, as well outdoor activities to keep children entertained for hours while you enjoy something scrumptious from the kitchen. Not to be missed is the sweet shop, is a nostalgic treasure trove, briming with an array of traditional sweets that evoke a sense of childhood wonder.

Birdwood’s is a must-visit destination for all ages.

Birdwoods

Overland Gannet Safaris

305 in the vines

Porters Boutique Hotel

Families must make a stop at Arataki Honey Visitor Centre. Offering a fun and interactive honey experience for children of all ages, honey tastings, and a retail store stocked with premium honey products including skincare, natural remedies and giftware. Arataki Honey is a uniquely Havelock North experience not to be missed.

Boasting a vibrant collection of cellar doors, each offering a distinct experience. From Smith and Sheth’s urban cellar door, historic Te Mata Estate, the new Village Vineyards to the world renowned Black Barn Vineyards and Craggy Range Winery they all invite locals and visitors to savour the exquisite wines that define Hawke’s Bay. Endsleigh Cottages

Te Mata Estate

From motels, motor lodges, and boutique hotels located in the heart of the village to stunning bespoke accommodations in the surrounding vineyards and rural areas, you’ll find the perfect place to rest and recharge. A few popular options include: Harvest Motor Lodge, Te Mata Lodge and Village Motel are great family friendly options right in the centre of Havelock North Village.

Craggy Range Cottages and Luxury Lodges offer stunning options for a relaxing getaway among the vines, under the escarpment of Te Mata Peak.

Craggy Range Cottages

305 in the Vines, offers gorgeous vineyard accommodation central to many popular local winery cellar doors.

Porters Boutique Hotel, centrally located offering thoughtfully appointed rooms and suites for the discerning traveller.

@LOVEHAVELOCKNORTHNZ

Endsleigh Cottages, offers stylish, traditional accommodation in a tranquil country setting perfect for whole family.

H AV ELO CK N O RT H

Havelock North Village is the vibrant heart of Hawke’s Bay. Sip great coffee at the local cafes, discover stunning natural attractions, eat and drink your way around the Village eateries, or wander around stunning boutique retailers and artisan providores; there is something for everyone to love about Havelock North!

94 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

H AV ELO C K NORTH

F L O R I S T • Shop 8, Village Court • 06 877 6465 • zinnia.co.nz

Shop 10, Village Court, 10 Napier Road 06 650 5777 • email havelock@shoescience.co.nz

gardenalia garden inspired living with antiques and vintage gardenalia from the UK

28 Havelock Road Havelock North

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A DA M O 8 Joll Road • 06 877 9777 • adamo.co.nz

January + February 2024 BAYBUZZ 95

Life Mouthy Broad / Jess Soutar Barron

Better at what?

This is the year I turn 50 … my gateway to the third age. I’ll be a fabulous senior. I’ll wear a velvet turban and clout goggles, and lie topless in the sun getting happy on vitD. I’ll garden in a kimono and hand-stitched babouches.

I’ll give children boiled sweets from a paper bag I keep in my pocket. I’ll don an outrageous maquillage with rouge on my cheeks and Iris Apfel-lips. I’ll own a pekingese and do decoupage and collect antique thimbles. And I will be The Best at something … anything.

If I start now I have a second-shot at being a prodigy. All the hot-housing in the world couldn’t save me as a child; I was just slightly above average at most things (and a bit crap at the rest).

I often wished I had a secret talent.

Like being a chess whiz or knowing all the Greek gods by heart or playing honky-tonk piano. Instead I’m okay at chinese-checkers, I know about 70% of the pantheon and I can play chopsticks as long as I get the easy part.

Now I’ve got a decade and a half to really master something before I get my Gold card. It’s my second chance at being ahead of the rest and best of the best. It’s vital though that I choose soon because as Malcolm Gladwell coached us: “it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills.” If I set aside 12 hours a week, every week, for the next fifteen years then by the time I hit retirement age I’ll be an expert.

About 40 years ago my friend’s mother introduced me to Mahjong and I loved the “chattering of the sparrows” and “going out” on a “chow, pong and kong”. I loved the feeling of the ivory and bamboo tiles, and the pretty little pictures of dragons. So perhaps I’ll take this up, get some You Tube tutoring and break out the set my Nana left me. There’s a lot of counting involved though, and you do need to concentrate. Tricky for an impatient active relaxer like me.

96 BAYBUZZ January + February 2024

If I start now I have a second-shot at being a prodigy. All the hothousing in the world couldn’t save me as a child; I was just slightly above average at most things (and a bit crap at the rest).

Those are the exact same reasons I haven’t started my bridge training. Professors Punch and Snellgrove (Stirling Uni, 2020) researched what it takes to be an expert bridge player and found: “They need to be able to control their irritation with their own failings so as not to give their opponents an advantage through a verbal outburst, whilst also changing plans based on the ever-evolving game.” That’s me out before I’ve even started!

I need to look for something that already plays to my strengths. There’s a pretty active Scrabble network in HB. The second-best scrabble player in NZ actually lives in Hastings. His other passion is beetles, so he’s an entomologist and an etymologist. For any logophile, that is a deeply satisfying thing to be. Scrabble though isn’t really for people who love words, it’s for people who can remember that cazique and cwm are both allowable in the Scrabble dictionary.

I’m more of a Bananagrams fan and there’s no place for a game with no actual score on the OAP competitive past-times circuit.

Something really competitive does appeal. I like the idea of that dopamine hit when your heart rate is up.

Apparently we get a similar hit when we win stuff…double the fun! But I’ve never been sporty so my muscle-memory is more aligned to ambling than actual physical exercise. I like a stroll, but there’s no competition in that, therefore it’s hard to be the best at it.

There are some sports specifically

designed for people who haven’t ever done sport before. Lawn bowls.

Petanque. Croquet. They’re about right for an ambler, and for people who prefer chatting to sweating. Then there’s golf. That looks perfect, basically being a long walk with a few detours to look for balls in bushes. Golf though has a whole culture and language to learn.

There are rules of conduct and a dresscode. You need to get to grips with all that, then you have to get to grips with your actual grip… and your stance, your eye-line, your follow through, your hips and your swing.

If I wanted to think about my hips and my swing I’d take up Lindy Hop. I love watching jitterbug…but I also love keeping my centre of gravity low and my feet on the ground so I’d rather be a spectator than a participant. If there were prizes for best audience, then I’d have a shot.

Which brings me to pool. I’d dig being a granny with a monogrammed cue bag and a tailor-mode ferrule, hustling the youngsters, racking, chalking and pocketing like Paul Newman. Playing the patsy then knocking them sideways with a trickshot off the cushion and a faultless break’n’run. Better start soon to get that level of skill by 65.

I could do all that, and pickle-ball too, but I probably won’t. I’ll probably just keep doing what I’m doing: being bog standard at most things (and pretty good at a few), having a go but not trying too hard. I’ll aim for average so I remain approachable and relatable.

I’ll be the best at being ordinary just so I don’t intimidate people. Because what’s better than being best is just being yourself. That’s pretty much your only sure bet.

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