BB#81-Mar-Apr-2025

2025 MARCH +APRIL No.81 Dams and trees Answers for our primary sector?

Ocean Spa A fascinating history of swimming

Autumn’s here With fantastic events to enjoy

INSIDE: Meatballs – Hawke’s Bay’s specialty dish

Expert predictions for the Hawke’s Bay economy in 2025 and beyond

9 772253 262016

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Ready, set, grow?

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81 BayBuzz March + April 2025

Dams and trees loom large in HB. Ocean Spa’s history of changing times. Local business voices predict 2025. Autumn HB events to look forward to. Axing a health programme that works in HB? David Cranwell knows his apples. NZ backpedals on waste and climate.

Young women making wine. Learn to say ‘No!’ Meatballs and letterwriting – crafts to celebrate.

Marine Parade, Napier. Photo: Florence Charvin

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

Cover story Are we ready to grow again?

Experts in economics, construction, the tech industry, pipfruit and the port weigh in.

Apple picker Maofa Leone Lerome.

Photo by Florence Charvin

BayBuzz team EDITOR: Tom Belford DEPUTY EDITOR: Lizzie Russell SENIOR WRITERS: Tom Belford; Abby Beswick; Damon Harvey; Tess Redgrave; Mark Sweet COLUMNISTS: Prue Barton; Janine Couchman; Rosheen FitzGerald; Yvonne Lorkin; Paul Paynter; Lizzie Russell; Dominic Salmon; Simon Shattky; Jess Soutar Barron; Ian Thomas BUSINESS WRITER: Brenda Newth 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: Lee Tong BUSINESS MANAGER: Steph Lowry PRINTING: Blue Star Group ISSN 2253-2625 (Print) ISSN 2253-2633 (Online) Bay Buzz magazine uses vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible paper produced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC ) certified, Mixed Source pulp from Responsible Sources R

R

Bay Buzz magazine uses vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible paper produced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC ) certified, Mixed Source pulp from Responsible Sources R

R

BayBuzz magazine uses vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible paper produced from Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified, Mixed Source pulp from Responsible Sources.

Paper produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

4 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

66: Three Fates Wine. Photo: Florence Charvin

6 From the editor 18 The Buzz Lizzie Russell 14 Climate crisis update

Features

Sport + Fitness

18 Big plans for dams and trees Tom Belford Two schemes germinating at HBRC aim for major impact on the region’s primary sector.

32 Life changing health programme faces funding axe Damon Harvey A Hawke’s Bay healthcare initiative that has transformed thousands of lives faces an uncertain future.

26 From Municipal Baths to Ocean Spa Tess Redgrave Ocean Spa has had a long and colourful past.

BayBiz 38 Ready, set, grow?

Brenda Newth A spread of views on HB’s economic prospects for 2025.

48 The man who planted trees Simon Shattky David Cranwell has spent a remarkable lifetime growing stuff.

38: Hawke’s Bay’s economic forecast. Photo: Florence Charvin

Ideas + Opinion

Life

54 New Zealand shifts into slow lane on waste, emissions reduction Dominic Salmon Plastic bans delayed by Government, some indefinitely.

60 The events of autumn Lizzie Russell Summer’s close does not mark the end of fun in Hawke’s Bay!

56 How can we get business going?

Paul Paynter It's all about encouraging innovators.

66 Three Fates Wine Yvonne Lorkin Three young HB women stalking each other on social media opt to leap into winemaking together.

72 Meatballs Ian Thomas When well-made these spheres of unctuous umami are a delight.

76 The power of ‘No’ Janine Couchman The ability to say ‘No’ is a fundamental aspect of self-care.

80 Gotta get a better letter!

Jess Soutar Barron Have we forgotten how to write a good letter?

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 5

From the editor Tom Belford

Short of going out of business, here’s what an editor dreads most writing about ... raising prices!

But that’s the message I must deliver with this edition, with a bit of history.

After three or so years of blogging and publication of a free monthly tabloid newspaper, BayBuzz Digest, our very first magazine was published in July 2011. It was free.

The cover featured John Bostock, then championing a GM Free Hawke’s Bay. Another feature looked at the promise of a revitalised HB Tourism to be led by the newly-installed Annie Dundas. Another looked positively at ‘Cranford Reborn’, after a period of sharp criticism of its former leadership

by BayBuzz and others.

In the same edition, just months after an April ‘weather bomb’ cut off Waimarama and Ocean Beach from the rest of HB, veteran reporter Kathy Webb wrote a feature on HB’s disaster preparedness, from which I quote: “If the storm had been centered at the headwaters of the Ngaruroro and Tukituki Rivers, it would have sent a wall of water tumbling down onto the plains, pouring onto farms and spilling over stopbanks that were never designed to cope with such large volumes of water.” Her article goes on to speculate about the hypothetical outcome, describing exactly the devastation that did occur from Cyclone Gabrielle twelve years later. She quoted then-Mayor Lawrence Yule: “It could have been a major disaster.”

Familiar HB luminaries weighed in on a wide range of topics – Des Ratima, David Trubridge, Rod Drury, Roy Dunningham, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins.

Keith Newman reported on how technology might advance our primary sector. I wrote about HB’s two-level economy, one struggling to survive,

the other quietly vibrant.

Paging through that edition, I’m struck but not surprised ... the central issues don’t change! And we’re slow learners.

However, what does change is the cost of everything involved in publishing. And for a printed magazine in particular, the costs of printing and physical distribution (postage costs have soared for subscribers and getting into stores).

After that first ‘teaser’ edition, we immediately began asking for $50 subscriptions, one size fits all, while still distributing the magazine widely for free pick-up ... and influence.

About ten editions later, we concocted the novel idea of asking readers to pay whatever they thought the magazine was worth, with prompts as to why they (you) might want to pay $50, $30, $15 ... or whatever.

After several editions, the pattern was clear – about half paid $50, nearly half paid $40, with others paying less.

It averaged out to $40 a subscriber.

Eventually, guided by that experience, and with the growing cost of our online efforts, we decided to ‘declare’ our value with firm prices. We did that finally in our September 2021 edition, with a ‘Premium’ offer at $50, ‘Magazine only’ at $40, and ‘Digital only’ at $25. Each of these offered at $10-off discount for first-time subscribers.

Since then, NZ’s consumer price index has risen about 23%, and printing and postage have not been laggards!

Depending on where you live, today it costs BayBuzz as much as $40.98 just to print, let alone write anything, and post the six magazines to you.

Consequently, with angst, BayBuzz must raise its prices, effective March 1, for its print editions. ‘Digital only’ will remain unchanged for now as we

refine our online service.

BayBuzz ‘Premium’, which includes the six bi-monthly magazines in print plus digital, will cost $60. BayBuzz ‘Magazine Only’, just the six printed mags annually, will cost $50. For those who find this unaffordable, our $25 ‘Digital only’ option gives you the magazine exactly as printed, but online.

Most publishers would like to make a profit from subscribers. At BayBuzz, we’d be happy to make some margin from our print readers to underwrite our core (and most important) editorial costs. Our advertisers – thankfully – still carry the heavier load for editorial and other costs.

I hope this sounds fair and reasonable to our print readers. If you are one of those, you need do nothing now, but recognise that your subscription renewal will be charged at the new rates at your next subscription anniversary date.

Thanks to all you subscribers who have helped carry BayBuzz to this point. As you can see from this brief ‘history’, the issues that need our attention certainly aren’t going away!

Regards,

Tom Belford Editor

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

BayBuzz is subject to the New Zealand Media Council. Complaints to be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to editors@baybuzz.co.nz.

If unsatisfied, the complaint may be pursued with the Media Council at: info@mediacouncil.org.nz. Further detail and complaints form are available at www.mediacouncil.org.nz.

6 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

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The Buzz Lizzie Russell

In this series, we cast a little BayBuzz light on local treasures – spots you might need reminding about, places to explore in our own resilient, beautiful backyard. This issue, we spend an evening on Marine Parade.

It’s essentially our big, shared front yard – a collective space for leisure.

Activity and relaxation and pondering the questions of the universe while we stare out to the Pacific.

When the day ends and the work is over but it’s not time for home, this is the spot.

There are balls to bounce and fountains to dance amidst and fish to catch and kilometres of flat, easy walking or running to calm the mind.

The third space, for all of us.

8 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 9

What’s new?

Goldie’s If you haven’t yet experienced the buzz of this fun, cheerful, welcoming newish local in the Napier CBD, take this as your sign to get to Dalton Street and check out what Grant and Alice and their merry band have created here.

Goldie’s is in the old Dalton Street Kitchen space, just around the corner from the main drag of Emerson Street. There’s an easy, relaxed, friends and fam vibe to the place, with ordering at the bar, a great little menu for the kids and some well-chosen local wine specials.

The classic kiwi tomato sauce bottles bring a casual feeling, and the décor just makes you grin as you run into familiar faces who are either staunch regulars already, or are discovering this gem for the first time.

When the food comes – sharing style – you’re lifted even higher. We’re stuck into the tiger prawns before Florence can get her camera on them! The chicken schnitzel sando is a hit, the lamb skewers are so succulent and smokey and moreish. And we’re heading back soon for the whole flounder.

Times haven’t been easy for hospo in Hawke’s Bay, so it’s heartening to see these talented people keeping their skills local and delivering something so warm and familiar, while also fresh and hopeful..

Goldie’s is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3pm till late, and Fridays to Sundays from midday till late.

See you there!

RIGHT: Grant Soeberg is the Goldie's chef and owner.

Photos: Florence Charvin

10 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 11

What’s news?

Little & Fox Perennial darling of design in the Bay Little & Fox is having a big year.

Changes are afoot in Joll Road as their Havelock North showroom has moved out, making room for Clothesline Collections, who have come down the rise while their usual spot undergoes redevelopment. It’s definitely just a temporary move though, owner Asha Payton says, “We love Havelock North and will absolutely be back next year.”

Over at the mothership in Ahuriri, the scene is lush, layered and filled with joyful colour, texture, pattern and fun. And it’s busy out back too, as Asha and the team work towards expanding the wholesale arm of the business. Things are ramping up as Little & Fox sends a rep out on the road to sell Wendy Morrison rugs, the FATBOY outdoor design range and the growing Little & Fox collection.

2025 will also see out-of-town pop-ups, further development of the Little & Fox Originals range of imported furniture pieces, and the colourful ongoing magic at the atelier in Ahuriri.

“We have just expanded our Ahuriri showroom to incorporate our growing interior design and commercial interiors arm,” Asha says, “Though fabric curtains and upholstery remain our mainstay.”

Keep an eye on the socials to watch this home-grown favourite keep soaring.

Photos: Florence Charvin

12 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

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Climate Tom Belford

CLIMATE CRISIS UPDATE I’m sorry to say that there’s no good news on the climate crisis.

Global warming accelerates while New Zealand steps backward.

Experts agree that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with the average temperature rise for the entire year, 1.6C – for the first time – exceeding the 1.5C aspirational target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. January 2025 was the hottest January on record.

It actually requires 20 years of 1.5C temperature rise to technically ‘break’ the Agreement limit, but recent studies strongly indicate that 2024 is Year #1 of a pattern unlikely to be reversed.

The question now is will this rate now accelerate, speeding up the direst of predicted consequences associated with a 2.0C rise.

James Hansen, the renowned NASA scientist who identified global warming as a trend back in 1988, terms the 1.5C goal “deader than doornail”.

His latest study finds that global warming is accelerating faster than expected, and that this has been happening for the past 15 years. The rate of global warming since 2010 has increased by more than

50% over the rate of warming in the preceding four decades, surging more than 0.4C degrees in just the past two years.

This recent surge in large part due, ironically, to new regulations that have curbed shipping pollution (sulfate aerosol) over Northern Hemisphere oceans.

That unhealthy pollution had reflected more sunlight away from the Earth. The faster warming, most pronounced in the Arctic, where warming is occurring four times faster than the rest of the planet, means faster ice sheet melt and sea level rise.

Faster ice melt in the Arctic and Greenland could by 2050 trigger catastrophic sea rise along the US East Coast, uncover and defrost methane-laden permafrost, and disrupt the flow of warm Atlantic water northward, creating dangerous climate shifts in the UK, Ireland and northwestern Europe, threatening human health and crops. The Hansen researchers say flatly: “A shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is likely within the next 20-30 years, unless actions are taken to reduce global warming.” And they’re talking about real actions.

According to Hansen: “We can adapt to more extreme heat waves, droughts, storms and floods,

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 15

“Whether we align with the more conservative forecasts of the IPCC or the more challenging warnings of Jim Hansen, the policy implications are strikingly similar.

We are rapidly blasting through the 1.5 degree Celsius commitment.”

and minimize their impact,” he said. “But the main issue is the sleeping giant, the point of no return, the danger of an AMOC shutdown and large sea level rise.”

As for the permafrost, scientists estimate that as this organic material decomposes, it will emit carbon and methane at a rate that is comparable to that of industrialized nations.

Not all scientists agree with Hansen’s findings, but no one has been more consistently right. Said one UK climate scientist: “Whether we align with the more conservative forecasts of the IPCC or the more challenging warnings of Jim Hansen, the policy implications are strikingly similar,” he said. “We are rapidly blasting through the 1.5 degree Celsius commitment.”

Meantime, in New Zealand

It’s drill baby, drill, according to the Government Coalition. And go slow on fuel economy standards and farm emissions. Our Government’s ethos depends wistfully on unproven at scale carbon capture technology, unproven technology to reduce methane emissions from livestock, complemented by tree planting and purchasing overseas carbon credits to offset, not reduce, our GHG emissions.

NZ’s Climate Change Commission says New Zealand’s 2050 methane target should be stepped up to a 35-47% reduction and the net zero target stepped up (by 20 million tonnes) to a carbon negative goal.

However the Government claims methane emissions need only be reduced by 15-24%, a setting essentially ridiculed by the Climate Commission as reflecting faulty methodology and simply shifting more of the emissions reduction burden onto the rest of the non-farming economy.

As Newsroom analyst Marc Daalder wrote: “If the Government wished to shift even more of the burden

16 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

of cutting emissions onto the carbon economy, this would come at steep costs, the commission estimated. Every 1 percentage point reduction in the ambition of the methane target would require the purchase of $1.5 billion to $8.3 billion of offshore carbon credits, the planting of 50,000 more hectares of trees or a one-off reduction of 36 million tonnes of emissions, equivalent to all emissions from energy, transport, industry and waste in New Zealand in 2022.”

As his tenure as Climate Commission Chair ended, Dr Rod Carr told the Select Committee on the Environment: “I think we’re past the stage where any of our elected leaders can afford not to know and understand that human activity is changing the climate ... those who continue to promote the combustion of fossil fuels in the open air without permanent carbon capture and storage are, in my view, committing a crime against humanity.”

In January the Government announced its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for reducing GHG emissions. NDC’s are required of each nation by international agreement, with each nation due to prepare a new one this year.

Climate scientists say all countries’ NDC commitments must be in the 66%-77% to represent credible needed action against global temperature rise. As they call for far more urgent action by governments, the new NZ NDC is a joke.

Despite all the warming acceleration reported above, Climate Minister Simon Watts lifted NZ’s NDC commitment to reducing emissions to 51-55% below 2005 levels by 2035, which is only 1-5% above the current NDC of a 50% cut by 2030.

Per the Paris Agreement, NDC’s are supposed to reflect each country’s “highest possible ambition”.

Advice from the NZ Climate Change Commission was that emissions could be cut by 66% without constraining our economy.

Other nation’s NDC cuts include: UK – 81%, Japan – 60%, Brazil – 59%-67%, Switzerland – 65%.

Climate adaptation

In the meantime, Minister Watts is also struggling with preparing a national strategy for climate adaptation, the urgency for which arguably should rise inversely in response to our shirking of credible action on emissions reduction.

With adaptation, the question is less what needs to be done than who pays for it.

So that gives huge importance to pending climate adaptation legislation that Minister Watts has committed to introducing this year. He has signalled that ‘who pays for what’ is the central issue to resolve and that this needs to be settled on a cross-party basis.

The implication has been that some Government funding will be provided. Watts said to NBR recently: “This is one of the most significant fiscal risks on the Crown’s balance sheets in the decades to come and we need to be prepared for it.”

Hawke’s Bay has crafted an impressive coastal hazards protection strategy with plenty of well-conceived mitigation options, but has put consultation on it on hold, citing the pressure of higher priority business that must also be consulted. For HB too, the

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issue comes down to who pays.

Our councils are waiting with bated breath ... and that’s probably the real reason for slowing down the public consultation process.

As you can probably tell, I am determined to promote a greater sense of urgency – in hopes of real action – around the climate crisis.

I’m genuinely curious as to whether BayBuzz readers share that sense of urgency. The most prevalent argument I hear to ‘cool your jets’ is this: ‘NZ is just a tiny, tiny pimple on the butt of the planet. Nothing we might do – as a nation, region or individually – will matter anyway. So why bother?’

What’s your view?

Newsroom reporter Marc Daalder conducted an excellent ‘exit interview’ with departing Climate Change Commission Chair Rod Carr in December.

In it Carr provides a brilliant assessment of NZ’s climate challenges, opportunities ... and politics.

You can read it here.

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The Makaroro River would be dammed for the Ruataniwha scheme. Photo supplied

BIG PLANS FOR DAMS AND TREES Political update

by Tom Belford

Two schemes are germinating at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council that aim to have major impact on the region’s primary sector.

The first involves water storage to supplement year-round water supplies for water users – households, growers and industry – on the Heretaunga Plains. This is not to be confused with efforts to revive the Ruataniwha Dam in Central Hawke’s Bay, which I’ll also discuss.

The second is called ‘Land for Life’, which aims to develop a blueprint for environmentally and financially sustainable pastoral farming in the region.

Advocates of both projects regard them as essential for securing a vibrant regional agriculture-based economy into the future.

Water storage

Work to determine the need and ways to provide greater water supply for the Heretaunga Plains was initiated during

18 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

the infamous TANK process, which began in 2012 lingers today in the Environment Court appeals process.

TANK sought to set the groundrules for water management and stewardship in the Tūtaekurī, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamū catchments.

Although appeals are pending on portions of the TANK plan, some elements are being implemented. Most notorious of these is a cap on all water abstraction at 90 million cubic metres annually, and a process for reducing current allocation on a ‘fair and reasonable use’ basis. Some, chiefly Māori, say the cap should be lower still, with consequently less water available for economic uses (i.e., irrigation) after human health (drinking water) and ecological requirements are met.

Others, chiefly growers, dispute the science driving the cap and HBRC’s efforts to implement allocation reductions property-by-property.

That sets the stage for debate over the need for water storage to provide

for water supply security across the Plains and how that might be provided.

So, in the same timeframe HBRC both began investigations into water storage and augmentation options and prepared the HB Regional Water Assessment (RWA), which was publicly released in 2023.

Since its release, a so-called ‘medium scenario’ in the RWA regarding future water demand has driven public discussion over potential water supply gaps and scale of water storage possibly required. That scenario projects that the region could experience a shortfall between demand and supply of freshwater of about 25 million cubes by 2040, increasing to 33 million cubes by 2060.

Note that this ‘shortfall’ covers all of Hawke’s Bay. The RWA itself did not address where the need for water storage might be greatest and/or most consequential in terms of supporting current or future economic activity. It did estimate that the Hastings District, consuming 106 million cubes/year generated $43.4 million in GDP for each 1 million cubes used, whereas CHB, consuming 41.3 million cubes/year, generated $14.3 million in GDP for each million cubes used.

The RWA also served up a scenario – assuming most stringent water conservation – that indicated HB could attain a water surplus of 3.1 million cubes by 2040, reaching a 21 million cube surplus by 2060. The RWA itself was dismissive of this scenario, without any rigorous exploration of how it could be attained, and HBRC and water storage advocates have swept it under the rug ever since.

After the RWA’s public release, in a July 2023 email to BayBuzz, HBRC consultants wrote: “Scoping reports identifying potential options to reduce demand from across our key water users were sought under the RWA. Recommendations informed by these assessments are to be provided to Council in the next couple of months for consideration. The 2020/21 Long Term Plan has $1M for progressing potential initiatives should they be prioritized.” We’ve seen no sign of such investigations.

So, to date, all water storage advocates have relied upon the RWA projections – which simply applied a growth factor to current activities and practices – to support their claims that water storage is essential. Future

demand predictions have not been based upon more rigorous and practical ‘bottom up’ evaluation of future land use options as seen by current practitioners. And no serious investigation of demand reduction opportunities has occurred.

But perhaps that is about to change.

The RWA insists rhetorically that any schemes for water storage or augmentation must be conjoined with serious water conservation and demand reduction programmes.

However, until now the economic interests driving the ensuing public debate have focused entirely on supply, not surprisingly.

So now fast forward to proposals actually on the table.

Proponents of Ruataniwha Dam 2 still insist there’s a need for 100 million cubes of storage in CHB (compared to 33 million for the entire region by 2060), where about half of current water allocation is awarded to a small handful of dairy farming operations.

Dam 2 proponents also insist that more water for dairying is not what they envision, but they have yet to surface any concrete plan for how that much water would be used, other than generalities about more horticulture and cropping. It’s still a ‘build it and they will come’ proposition.

Supplemented by another vague plan to pipe water (augmented by the dam) from the Tukituki River, after it passes the Red Bridge, to Whakatū, where it could be used by yet-to-be-identified ‘wet industry’ users. In other words, increase the potential user base outside CHB ... and hopefully the political support base as well.

Despite their fast track status, Dam 2 proponents acknowledge they will need the rest of 2025 (and $6 million) to fill in the details of their business case, and assure BayBuzz that a wellgrounded plan will indicate who the CHB users of 100 million cubes would be and how they would use the water ... a precursor to any worthwhile analysis of economic benefit and environmental harm.

Until such a plan emerges, Dam 2 advocates are simply selling the vapour trail of Dam 1.

Heretaunga water storage

Meantime, HBRC staff and consultants, supported by growers and municipal

[The HB Regional Water Assessment projects that] the region could experience a shortfall between demand and supply of freshwater of about 25 million cubes by 2040, increasing to 33 million cubes by 2060.

users, are hatching their own strategy for water storage servicing the Heretaunga Plains.

Original planning associated with the TANK process, with the then-concurrence of Māori and environmentalists, had greenlighted investigations into potential dams off the mainstem of the Ngaruroro. This in the context of other assurances re capping allocations, a special Māori allocation of freshwater, and implementation of conservation, demand reduction and environmental protection measures.

As noted above, with funding from MBIE and supported by the RWA ‘gap’ scenario, considerable pre-feasibility analysis looking into storage options has proceeded.

This work has now yielded a specific water storage proposal – a 27 million cubic metre dam located on a Ngaruroro tributory. A background paper for HBRC’s January workshop on the matter describes the project: “A storage reservoir would be built, and filled over the winter months, with stored water released back into the Ngaruroro River and lowland streams (which are affected by groundwater takes during periods of low flows) as an augmentation solution that aims to supplement aquifer recharge, support baseflows of key waterbodies at periods of low flow and offset the impacts of groundwater abstraction. The release would also facilitate additional water take resource consents being issued for additional high value horticultural and industrial activity.”

Pre-feasibility work has identified the site as technically, environmentally and commercially feasible. The dam would cost $225 million to build, with $6 million in annual operating costs

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 19

The stated purpose [HBRC’s ‘Land for Life’ programme] is to develop, demonstrate and then help pastoral farmers implement a holistic farming approach that is both environmentally and financially sustainable for the long term. Photo supplied by HBRC

(excluding any debt servicing).

The January HBRC workshop made a ‘non-decision’ to proceed with developing the full feasibility case for the project, at a cost of $3.22 million (provided in existing LTP) to be completed in June 2026. As described by the workshop backgrounder: “Whilst the pre-feasibility phase was focussed on selecting a preferred option and assessing fatal flaws, the focus for the full feasibility is quite different – it is to prove the feasibility of the preferred option. This involves a series of targeted technical, environmental, and economic investigations. Still, more substantively, it involves developing the model and concept for the project commercially, technically, and environmentally into a coherent operating model.

By the end of the feasibility phase, the project should be ready for the next phase, including obtaining resource consents, and early-stage procurement of a contractor. It also involves ‘going public’ with the project and raising

sufficient capital for the next phase.”

The project’s proponents insist the dam would be just one part of a multi-pronged water solution for the Heretaunga Plains, the additional components to include: water conservation measures, augmented aquifer re-charge from the Ngaruroro, municipal demand reduction measures, and an innovative shared water use plan designed to optimise efficient irrigation use.

This last piece, developed by growers and modeled on the successful group consent currently in place for Twyford irrigators, is especially critical. Work has been funded by Heretaunga growers to craft an irrigator scheme for the entire Plains catchment that would enable allocated water to be distributed amongst scheme participants as individual needs arose, with participants admitted to the scheme based on their commitment to optimal water efficiency practices. The goal appears to be both conserving allocated water and establishing an accountability

framework to confirm irrigators’ prudent use of this public resource.

If this plan, scheduled to be floated publicly in March, achieves grower buy-in, that will provide a basis for further grower buy-in when it comes to funding the storage dam.

So, as with Ruataniwha Dam 2, still a lot of ground and detail to cover. But the Heretaunga approach seems to hold together conceptually.

What is clearly signaled by the emergence of the Heretaunga water storage scheme is a looming ‘battle of the dams’ – 100 million cubes for CHB versus 27 million for Heretaunga Plains, with HBRC touting a 33 million cubes need for the entire region. A CHB dam likely to require in the neighbourhood of $1 billion, projecting from 10-yearold costings, versus a Heretaunga dam projected at $225 million.

Should be an interesting year ahead as dam proponents serve up their respective cases.

Land for Life 20 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

“We have done more than enough to have the confidence that the model works, and where the hurdles are, and therefore the next stage is to validate it can be scaled. That step involves bringing 100 farmers/properties in the region into the programme, ideally by the end of 2025.”

Michael Bassett-Foss

Michael Bassett-Foss and Rachel Agnew.

Photo Florence Charvin

The dam projects, if implemented as proponents promise, would service mainly horticulture, viticulture and cropping. Not raising animals.

What about the other leg on HB’s agribusiness stool – the region’s 2,600 or so sheep and beef farmers?

This is the focus of HBRC’s gestating ‘Land for Life’ programme. Its stated purpose is to develop, demonstrate and then help pastoral farmers implement a holistic farming approach that is both environmentally and financially sustainable for the long term.

The approach relies primarily on introducing prudent forestry planting (including native plantings) into sheep and beef farming systems.

Secondarily, the programme would encourage regenerative farming practices to help improve soil health and productivity and lessen synthetic inputs and costs.

Benefits from this include mitigation of soil erosion (probably HBRC’s highest environmental objective for

the region), reduced farm emissions, and fewer animals on less productive land (yielding better profit potential for farmers). And as government policies evolve, potential carbon and even biodiversity credit income.

Taken together, this amounts to ‘enterprise planning’ customised to each farm’s individual circumstances ... much more demanding than a basic farm budget or environmental plan.

HBRC’s rationale for developing the programme is based on the environmental benefits (enhanced soil, nutrient and water retention, emissions reduction, biodiversity gains), while facing up to the reality that practice changes need to be affordable and profitable for farmers to implement.

Land for Life has been trialed to various levels with a dozen properties.

Project leader Michael Bassett-Foss told BayBuzz: “We have done more than enough to have the confidence that the model works, and where the hurdles are, and therefore the next stage

is to validate it can be scaled. That step involves bringing 100 farmers/properties in the region into the programme, ideally by the end of 2025. Rachel Agnew has joined HBRC as Senior Rural Advisor to lead the charge on this.”

Bassett-Foss concedes that’s an ambitious goal. On the one hand, interest is high, given that strained pastoral farmers increasingly appreciate that practice changes are needed. But at the same time, in this region many of those farmers are still coping, both in focus, energy and money, with Cyclone Gabrielle’s damage to their properties.

Going forward, the Government has recently awarded $995,000 to the project, with the Nature Conservancy committing another $400,000 (aiming to secure another $400k from their corporate and philanthropic donors), against a project cost of $3.38 million for this next stage.

The agroforestry and land management practices that could yield better farm performance on all fronts are

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 21

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reasonably well-identified.

But how to get farmers over the financial hump of introducing and implementing change is another matter, and that’s the ‘secret sauce’ Land for Life seeks to provide. HBRC is not in the business of funding financial subsidies to commercial farming operations ... certainly not beyond a ‘proof of concept’ stage.

But having demonstrated in its trial projects that financial viability can be achieved, the door now opens to other long-term funding partners who are invested in pastoral farming success.

That makes banks, heavily exposed in terms of farm lending, interested partners in helping to finance changes that will better ensure profitable (and climate change friendly) farming operations. Deep-pocketed conservation organisations like The Nature Conservancy also fundraise such investments in other countries to both secure the environmental benefits and earn a financial return ... do good and do well.

At least that’s the theory. Land for Life believes it has demonstrated a better mousetrap for the region’s pastoral farmers. Now the programme needs to expand its cadre of advocates.

Evan and Linda Potter, farming 720 hectares in Elsthorpe, with about 200 hectares of that in trees (few pines) are perhaps Land for Life’s exemplar participants, working with the programme from its earliest incarnations.

Evan says pastoral farmers (and their traditional consultants) first need to recognise that it’s not all about production (or “protein farming”) as he puts it. Environmental benefits, including biodiversity, and community values (e.g. fending off wholesale conversion to plantation pine) need to be advanced as well ... with production financially sustainable for the long haul.

He poses the threshold question: “How do you convince farmers to take land out of protein farming?”

As the Potters’ system demonstrates, farmers can capture near-term financial benefit from focusing their “protein farming” money and labour only on their most suitable land (which might also involve lower stock numbers), while adding ‘right tree, right place’ planting to their farming systems, expecting harvest income and possibly carbon credit income down the road. “No one should farm for ‘right now’,” says Evan.

Evan views Land for Life in the first instance as providing a more

How to get farmers over the financial hump of introducing and implementing change is another matter, and that’s the ‘secret sauce’ Land for Life seeks to provide. HBRC is not in the business of funding financial subsidies to commercial farming operations ... certainly not beyond a ‘proof of concept’ stage.

sophisticated advisory service regarding integrated planning and practice change, demonstrating the multiple benefits on the ground to “learn by seeing” farmers, and then delivering some model of financial support to make change possible ... “Few farmers can bankroll this kind of change themselves” he notes.

Land for Life believes private investors and lenders see the full suite of benefits. So now the challenge is scaling up and getting to the point where Land for Life has a highly motivated cadre of farmer-champions and can leave the HBRC womb as a freestanding commercial vehicle.

The ultimate benefits to be achieved (at 20% of farms participating): • reducing sediment erosion by >25% • 21,000 km of rivers with improved management • an estimated 15 million tCo2e sequestered over thirty years • additional 101,300 tCo2e reduced from livestock emissions over thirty years • 16,385 ha of remnant native vegetation under improved management • 71,759 ha of land with improved management through afforestation or agroforestry • 4,500 ha of wetlands and lakes under improved management or protection • 292,267 ha of land under best management practice and regenerative interventions.

Sound audacious? Stay tuned.

Tukua Wai ō Whaka Te Matua A Māui

Have Your Say Hawke’s Bay

At different times of the year we come to the community asking for your priorities for Hawke’s Bay/Te Matau a Māui Our priority as a council is to make the region’s environment better for all We do this by focusing on the quality of land, water and air.

We do this by mitigating flood risks.

We do this by working with landowners to fight erosion of valuable land.

We do this by managing regional parks.

We do this by campaigning for and monitoring water safety.

We do this by operating public transport.

We do this day in and day out.

To keep doing this we need to hear from you.

In April we will be looking to hear from you on your priorities in our 2025-2026 Annual Plan.

Later in the year we will be seeking your input on reimagining flood mitigation and a wide range of topics.

Take a minute to tell us what you think this year, and find out what else is going on

Visit hbrc.govt.nz

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THIS PAGE: View of the main entrance to the Municipal Baths on the day it opened in October, 1909. LEFT To RIGHT: W Ward (builder), Napier Mayor John Vigor Brown, E A W (likely refers to the architect Ernest Arthur Williams) and C D K (unknown).

Credit: In Public Domain. From the Collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tā-ū-rangi, 3731, gifted by Miss Shiela Williams.

From Municipal Baths to Ocean Spa

THE BIG BATH Story by Tess Redgrave

“Swimming is more than a showy accomplishment which permits girls to play the part of graceful sea nymphs. It is a thoroughly practical exercise and one which improves the physical condition perhaps more than any other sport, while it has few equals in the degree of enjoyment to the swimmer.”

So says ‘Isabel’, one of several writers for the ‘Women’s Realm’ – a column published regularly in Napier’s Daily Telegraph in the early 1900s.

I’ll come back to more from Isabel soon, but the impetus for her column on November 8,1909 was that only a

few weeks earlier, 19 October, crowds poured onto Napier’s Marine Parade to witness the opening of the salt water Municipal Baths – one of two forerunners to Ocean Spa today.

It was a huge event with Mayor and local MP John Vigor Brown wearing his official robes for the first time and the Daily Telegraph declaring Napier “the leading watering place in the Dominion”.

Nicknamed ‘the big bath’, the new pool was 100 feet long by 50 feet wide with the supply of salt water obtained from a cylinder 25ft long, which was sunk into the beach. Up to 130 bathers could swim at any one time while plenty of spectators could be accommodated in tiered seating around its edges.

The pool complex included porcelain plunge baths fitted up for hot and salt water and widely advertised for their curative value, especially for complaints such as sciatica, neuritis, lumbago, rheumatism, fibrosis, insomnia and nervous disorders. A Sicilian or douche bath was also provided for those who ‘fancy it’.

“In view of the interest that is being taken in swimming this season and the impetus the sport has received through the completion of the fine new baths, a few remarks on the benefits derived from swimming exercises will be apropos,” Isabel continues in her column.

“The first lesson after learning to keep up in the water usually includes breaststroke and while this has less speed in it than side stroke, it is one of

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 27

”The first lesson after learning to keep up in the water usually includes breaststroke and while this has less speed in it than side stroke, it is one of the most attractive for young women.”

ABOVE: The “big bath” included a diving platform.

To the right, the Swan Paddling Pool and historic shelter that exists today. Photos supplied by Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank.

the most attractive for young women.

It is easy, graceful and an excellent exercise because it develops both sides of the body equally.”

As well as Isabel’s advice to Napier women, news reports and Letters to the Editor in the Daily Telegraph in the weeks after the Municipal Baths opened reflect the times and tell an interesting, and sometimes shocking, story.

For example, on November 8th, 1909, a news report was headed up “Shall John Bathe?”

“Whether Chinese should be allowed to use the baths was a question

28 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

brought up in the ordinary business of the Borough Council last evening,” the report continued.

“Cr. Eagleton said that Chinese were in the habit of going to the baths and people objected to their presence …”

He went on to move that Chinese be excluded from bath’s premises …

“Cnr. Plowman seconded the motion pro forma, but at the same time he wished Cnr. Eagleton would withdraw it, as the Chinese had a Consul in Wellington, and it would be as well not to risk giving offense to such a powerful nation.

“Cr. Beecham said the trouble lay in

the fact that the baths were too popular”, while Mayor Vigor Brown said the motion might lead to trouble, and “that the caretaker already had power, under the regulations, to exclude any person he thought fit”.

The next day an impassioned letter from Oliver Dean, the Vicar of St Andrews asked, “What harm can there possibly be in a Chinaman or two taking a quiet dip in a large and deep swimming bath, and salt water at that, with all the germ destroying powers of such water, a bath, too, of which (for John pays taxes) he is one of the proprietors. It was a bigoted motion.”

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 29

There were early complaints via Letters to the Editor about the separate swimming times for men and women.

Women from 4-5pm, men after 5pm.

“While the women bathe, many men must wait, at hours which are most inconvenient to them, and vice versa …” wrote one user. Another said, visitors to the place (presumably men) “do not want to wait till after 5, when the sun has gone from the beach, to have a swim.”

According to HB historian Michael Fowler (HB Today 20 January, 2024), “mixed bathing was allowed at set times – 7.30pm to 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays”. On these nights spectators far outnumbered the swimmers, leading to “some observations that ‘watching’ at the Napier Municipal Baths was a popular past-time …”

Zoom ahead a century and on a temperamental day in early January 2025, I found myself, with my adult daughter, at the Ocean Spa front desk.

I hadn’t kept up with the Ocean Spa entry price hike after Napier City Council (NCC) took over management in 2023. On learning it would cost my daughter $20, and myself a pensioner $14, I was grumpy and nearly turned anyway. But I’m glad I didn’t. We had a glorious afternoon, the Marine

30 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

Parade’s signature Norfolk Pines towering above as we hopped in and out of the sauna; let bubbles massage our backs in the spa as we spied two container ships far on the ocean’s horizon; lolled about like small children in the paddling pool; and then managed a few lengths of breaststroke back and forth in the lane pool.

“There are few chest exercises of greater benefit than breaststroke,” notes Isabel.

In the 1940s, my mother used to march down to swim at the Municipal Baths with her Napier Girls’ High School class. And when I was a child, I remember hours splashing in the Swan paddling pool, built in 1917 next to the ‘big bath’ in honour of longstanding Mayor George Henry Swan. (Today, the Swan paddling pool’s historical shelter, designed by architect Louis Hay, remains a visible piece of history at the Ocean Spa complex.)

In 1967 the Municipal Baths were replaced with a new pool on the same site. Ocean Spa then replaced this and the old Swan Paddling Pools when it opened in February 2003.

NCC took over management of Ocean Spa in 2023 and in a bid to “reduce the rate burden on residents”

upped fees in 2024, with entry prices soaring 74%. As a result patronage plunged with 5,000 fewer people walking through the facility’s doors in July and August than the previous year.

“The cost of entry hadn’t increased for many years, so it was an important step,” says Mayor Kirsten Wise, who told BayBuzz about 20,000 people used the pools in January 2025. This is on a par with the 19,000-odd who used the pools in July 2023 before the price change.

Special resident rates ($16 casual adult rate, $12 pensioner and a disability rate) have been introduced and Mayor Wise says “so far about 300 households have applied for a residents’ card that allows the discount”.

In a nod to the advice of Isabel – “the girl who would like to get rid of any superfluous breadth of hip should try swimming” – I’ve signed up for the residents’ card and will continue to visit Ocean Spa, mindful of staying long enough to get my money’s worth.

Once called the ‘Nice of the Southern Hemisphere’, or ‘the Malta of the South Seas’, Napier and its Marine Parade is still pretty special, and to my mind, Ocean Spa’s long and colourful history is an important part of that.

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Sport + Fitness Damon Harvey

LIFE-CHANGING HEALTH PROGRAMME FACES FUNDING AXE In the heart of Hawke’s Bay, a healthcare initiative that has transformed thousands of lives faces an uncertain future.

Story by Damon Harvey Video stills by Indelible The Green Prescription (GRx) programme, a beacon of hope for those grappling with health challenges from diabetes to mental health, is at risk of being dismantled – despite its proven track record of success since 1998.

Delivered by Regional Sports Trusts (RSTs) such as Sport Hawke’s Bay, GRx is now fighting for survival as its primary funder, Health New Zealand, reviews its priorities.

“The socialisation of Green Prescription is the number one factor that keeps people coming along,” says Sue Smith, General Manager of Sport Hawke’s Bay. This simple observation cuts to the core of what makes GRx unique: it’s not just about exercise; it’s about building a community. Every year, over 1,000 patients in Hawke’s Bay alone find their way to better health through the programme.

The numbers tell a consistent story of community impact – 1,158 participants in 2021/22, 1,194 in 2022/23, and 1,081 in 2023/24. But it’s the transformative results that truly showcase the programme’s value.

Recent data from 2024 paints a compelling picture: every single participant who completed the programme reported increased confidence in physical activity.

An impressive 84% improved their nutrition habits, while 70% made lasting positive lifestyle changes encompassing both physical activity and dietary choices. Perhaps most remarkably, 87% of participants noticed a positive change in their mental health since joining Green Prescription.

These aren’t just numbers on a page – they’re people who might otherwise fall through the cracks of traditional healthcare. From those battling diabetes to individuals managing cardiovascular issues, respiratory conditions, and mental health challenges, GRx offers a lifeline that extends far beyond traditional medical interventions.

The programme’s secret weapon?

Accessibility. In an era where personal trainers and gym memberships can be prohibitively expensive, GRx breaks down financial barriers. It transforms public spaces – local pools, gyms, parks, and recreational areas – into hubs of healing and hope.

Activities range from ocean swimming to gym sessions, from cycling

It’s not just about exercise; it’s about building a community.

Every year, over 1,000 patients in Hawke’s Bay alone find their way to better health through the programme.

to community gardening, ensuring there’s something for everyone, regardless of their starting point.

Perhaps most telling is the programme’s evolution over time.

“We’ve seen a substantial increase in mental health referrals,” Sue notes.

“The social opportunities that Green Prescription provides, along with a sense of belonging and purpose, offer non-medical options to improve mental health.”

With over $1.3 million invested in the past three years in Hawke’s Bay alone, the programme’s value extends far beyond its monetary cost.

Healthcare professionals rely on GRx as their go-to option for patients needing support through primary and secondary care. Without it, Sue warns,

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 33

”When you get referred to us it’s for a minimum of 3-4 months. It’s about the small change, but you make it every day. The smallest changes are the biggest changes.“ Vanessa Oliver, GRx Active Living Advisor

Vanessa Oliver, Active Living Advisor, GRx

many would have nowhere to turn.

“We are reluctant to consider userpay models,” she explains, “as the whole point of Green Prescription is to reduce inequity.”

This commitment to accessibility has made GRx a crucial tool in addressing health disparities across New Zealand.

As Health New Zealand weighs its funding decisions, the potential loss of GRx threatens to unravel decades of community health progress.

Supporters argue that its holistic approach – combining physical activity, nutrition education, and social support – offers something that no other health initiative can match.

For the thousands who have found their path to better health through Green Prescription, the programme represents more than just exercise classes or nutrition workshops.

It’s a testament to the power of community-based healthcare – where healing happens not just through prescribed activities, but through the connections formed and the support shared among participants.

The RST Network, a collective of 17 Regional Sports Trusts, is working with

34 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

independent economic consultancy New Zealand Institute of Economic Research to present a national evaluation of GRx, to prove its effectiveness.

As the future of GRx hangs in the balance, its defenders continue to advocate for its survival, arguing that some prescriptions can’t be measured in pills and procedures alone.

Sometimes, the best medicine is a community that believes in you.

SISTERS IN HEALTH: GREEN PRESCRIPTION TRANSFORMS THREE LIVES Names have been changed to protect privacy

Five years ago, Maria drove past a Green Prescription welcome session sign with a familiar pang of guilt.

She’d been encouraged to join the programme multiple times before – during her pregnancy with gestational diabetes, and again as she battled

with pre-diabetes and high blood pressure. But this time was different.

Having just left her doctor’s office after recording her highest-ever weight, Maria finally decided it was time for change.

Little did she know, this decision would spark a transformation not just for herself, but for her sisters Ana and Sophie too.

“I like that we are encouraged to go at our own pace and there is no judgement,” says Maria, reflecting on what made this time different. Ana, who had also reached her highest weight, joined her sister in taking those first tentative steps into the programme.

What started as a cautious exploration – attending sessions to “see what they were like” – soon became a family revolution. The sisters found strength in numbers, building their confidence together through regular aqua sessions at Swim Heretaunga and gym workouts in Taradale and Flaxmere.

“The ladies who run the sessions are very encouraging and know their stuff, and the other people who join us there are very motivational,” they share. This supportive environment proved crucial in their journey.

The results have been nothing short of remarkable. Together, the sisters have shed over 70 kilograms, but the transformation runs deeper than numbers on a scale.

Maria’s doctor has discontinued her pre-diabetic medication, and her blood pressure has stabilized. She’s lost 40 kilograms alone, but more importantly, she’s gained a new lease on life.

“I am feeling fit, I sleep better and I wake up on time,” Maria beams. “I enjoy my mornings better, I’m more confident and not afraid of giving anything a go anymore. I plan on making my new changes a part of my life now.”

The sisters’ commitment to health has rippled through their entire whānau. They’ve become role models, demonstrating that change is possible at any stage of life.

The sisters’ commitment to health has rippled through their entire whānau. They’ve become role models, demonstrating that change is possible at any stage of life.

Sophie proudly declares, “I can plank for 40 seconds now! Every week I surprise myself with how strong I have become.”

Their lifestyle overhaul has been comprehensive. Gone are the takeaways, sugary drinks, and processed foods, replaced by vegetables, lean proteins, and thoughtful portion control. But perhaps more significant are the emotional and mental changes.

“My friends and family have commented that I am more confident and happier,” Ana shares.

For Maria, the joy now comes in simple pleasures – playing outdoors longer with her children, going on family hikes, and taking long walks together. Activities that once seemed daunting have become sources of family bonding and pride.

The sisters’ message to others considering Green Prescription is clear: “Huge thank you for the support and guidance and for making me feel like I could do it.”

Their journey from hesitation to transformation stands as a power-

ful testament to the programme’s effectiveness – and the strength that comes from facing health challenges together.

As they near the end of their Green Prescription journey, the three sisters are already planning for the future, determined to maintain their healthy new lifestyle.

They’ve proven that with the right support, determination, and family by your side, what once seemed impossible becomes not just possible, but sustainable.

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March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 35

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“A lot of companies throw around the word relationship,” says Scott. “But with Now I’ve found, they’re genuine. They really do live up to that whole relationship piece being two way and not just about money flowing one way.”

The catalyst for change for the association was the responsiveness of the Now team, and their willingness to build a meaningful relationship with each kindergarten and their community.

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Bay Biz

Tamate picking this season’s Galaxy apples.

Photo: Florence Charvin

READY, SET, GROW?

BayBiz Brenda Newth

Last year, New Zealand came top of the world’s developed countries for all the wrong reasons, recording the largest contraction of GDP. One local media outlet used the term ‘GDP-ocalypse’ to describe the 2 percent shrink in our economy that happened in 2024. Our economy has been doing it tough.

Business confidence has been increasing since the middle of last year, off the back of cuts to the official cash rate.

But with the new year ticking over, confidence has dropped back from the highs of last year. The ANZ Business Outlook for January says the confidence score is “perhaps reality biting as it becomes clear that falling interest rates over the second half of last year will take time to work their magic.

That’s not surprising, and the level of confidence and activity expectations remains very healthy, despite the pullback to start the year.”

In this article we gather views from business leaders across Hawke’s Bay, about what they think 2025 will deliver to our economy. But first, let’s start with a view from an economist.

Economist’s view

Karen Morrish, CEO of New Zealand Apples & Pears.

Photo: Florence Charvin

Rob Heyes, Principal Consultant with Infometrics says that Hawke’s Bay’s economy prospered during the pandemic, but started to weaken in 2023 in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“And that’s continued through 2024

under the yoke of rising interest rates.

Household budgets have been stressed by cost-of-living pressures and rising mortgage payments, leading to more cautious spending on the high street.

“Any increases in spending have been due more to rising prices than rises in spending volumes. Population growth in Hawke’s Bay has likely slowed as Kiwis continue to head overseas in droves, and the post-Covid surge in international inward migration tailed off. As the broader regional economy stuttered, employment growth weakened and is expected to remain weak throughout 2025.”

Heyes is hopeful that economic conditions will be less difficult in 2025, as mortgage rates start to fall.

“We are expecting a recovery of sorts, but the exact timing of that recovery remains uncertain. Consumer and business confidence will be key.

The sooner consumers feel confident enough to start spending, and the sooner businesses feel confident enough to invest and take on new staff, the sooner the economic upturn will gather pace. However, we have enough lingering concerns about consumer spending and the labour market to

“We are expecting a recovery of sorts, but the exact timing of that recovery remains uncertain.

Consumer and business confidence will be key.”

Rob Heyes March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 39

“We see 2025 being much quieter in commercial construction than it has been for the past 10 years.”

Darren Diack

Photo: Florence Charvin

suggest that the speed of the upturn, when it does get underway, will be somewhat muted.

“As is so often the case, Hawke’s Bay’s prospects will be strongly influenced by events on the global stage.

Export commodity prices have been strong throughout 2024, but if the destabilising effects of the Trump administration mean the global geopolitical order crumbles this year, those better export prices might not count for much.

“Throughout 2024, we were saying ‘survive until 2025’. That still rings true, but it might still be a question of surviving rather than thriving – in the near term, at least.”

Looking further out, Heyes says jobs growth is expected to be concentrated in Hastings and Napier over the next five years with healthcare and social assistance and the horticulture and fruit growing industries expected to create by far the most jobs across the region.

40 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

Commercial property construction sector

The outlook isn’t so bright for Hawke’s Bay’s commercial property construction sector for the next two years, according to Darren Diack, Managing Director of Gemco.

“Hawke’s Bay has had a commercial building boom for the past decade, fuelled by Covid and high inflation.

Many out of town construction companies have come into the region because of this boom.

“But both local and central government have cut spending which has had a major impact on our sector (apart from Napier City Council embarking on their large Civic Precinct Project this year), and with interest rates high that means less development. We don’t see things improving until late 2026 or even into 2027.”

Diack says the downturn is linked to the political cycle, but the long lags associated with commercial construction mean that they are only having an

impact now for Gemco, whereas other businesses have been struggling, such as residential construction, which hit the wall two years ago.

“There’s too many operators for the commercial construction work that does come up, resulting in a very competitive environment, which is good for the customer.

“But with more builders than work, everyone gets less, and therefore makes less, spends less and employs less.”

He says that Gemco – which has been operating for 21 years – will simply batten down the hatches and ride things out.

“We’ve got good loyal customers, great staff, and a strong reputation, so we will get our fair share of what work is around. We’ve had 10 good years.

It’s just the cycle. It’s expected and it’s manageable. Good businesses will generally always survive a recession.

“We don’t think there’ll be a lot of commercial construction activity, and with that, we might see some of

“We are ready to go now, and expect growth for 2025 to be three times what we did in 2024.”

Hamish White

Photo: Florence Charvin

the out-of-towners head back to their home,” says Diack.

Local tech sector

Hamish White, CEO of telco Now, expects the coming year to be one of growth for his business.

“We had quite soft growth in 2024, and that was because we were doing a lot of housekeeping and making sure that what we were about to embark on was scalable, and wasn’t going to compromise all the good things that Now is known for.

“We are ready to go now, and expect growth for 2025 to be three times what we did in 2024.”

Now is a national business, earning just 15% of revenue from its Hawke’s Bay customers. In recent years, Now has begun targeting the small to medium business market, one that White says is under served, and ready for Now’s value-based proposition.

Now winning business from its national competitors displaces

domestic GDP from around New Zealand and brings it to Hawke’s Bay. Growth in other regions leads to jobs in the Bay, says White.

“We’re a growing business, and we’ve got pretty ambitious growth aspirations. As our customer base grows, so too does the need for more staff. The silver lining in the somewhat softened employment market has been the depth of talent that has become more freely available. There was a period, pre and post Covid, where our growth was being limited by the availability of experienced people.

“We have a business plan that reflects our head count growing by more than 50% over the next five years.”

White says Now remains close to its Hawke’s Bay clients, and the cost of living crisis has seen increased price consciousness from residential customers, and a greater demand for flexibility from business customers across the country.

“This current stage in the economic cycle, which is characterised by a lack

of certainty and confidence, means businesses are asking for a greater level of flexibility so that they can adapt and be more responsive to an ever shifting landscape, whether that be expansion or contraction, or both.

“Businesses have always commanded flexibility, but I think it’s become more pronounced. And we’re good at this. It’s a massive opportunity.”

As far as Now’s prospects for 2025 are concerned, White says he’s feeling good.

“Albeit subtle, it does feel like there’s an underlying shift in confidence and an eagerness to get on with it.”

Fingermark is another technology company doing great things from its Hawke’s Bay base. The business is almost completely export focussed with 95% of revenue coming from offshore, most of it from the quick service restaurant sector.

Luke Irving, founder and CEO, is optimistic about the year ahead for his business.

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 41

“Since Trump got in everything has opened up. All of those deals that we would have loved to have happened at a rate of one a quarter, are now happening at once. Which is great, but now it’s about managing that.”

Luke Irving

Photo: Florence Charvin

“We had a really tough year, with the US election. We had gone really hard at the US market, and although the pipeline was growing, a lot of the decisions to sign the deal didn’t come as fast as we expected.

“Since Trump got in everything has opened up. All of those deals that we would have loved to have happened at a rate of one a quarter, are now happening at once. Which is great, but now it’s about managing that.”

As for the local economy, Irving, who moved Fingermark to Hawke’s Bay in 2016, cautions about the drying up of cyclone recovery money.

“Post cyclone it has been almost a false economy. Money’s been pumped into the region, and at some point that’s going to dry up. We’ve got to make sure that we are either prepared for that, or we’re putting the money to good use that keeps it going for longer.”

Irving predicts a better, but tough year for Hawke’s Bay. “I think it’s going to turn. We’re

42 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

slowly coming off the bottom, and I think we’ll start to see traction and real acceleration, probably in early 2026.

“In terms of job numbers, employment expansion, businesses expanding, I still think everyone’s going to be a bit gun shy for another year. Unless you’re generating revenue from other areas of the world, which are starting to move again,” says Irving.

Napier Port – the canary in the coal mine

Napier Port is optimistic about the region’s economic outlook, despite ongoing global and domestic challenges, says CEO Todd Dawson.

“Our view is shaped by the steady recovery we saw in 2024, where key cargo sectors – logs, pulp, fresh produce, and cruise – continued their rebound, and strategic investments in port capacity delivered real value for customers.

“This year, we anticipate continued growth across key trade sectors, particularly in food and fibre, with promising

“Napier Port is optimistic about the region’s economic outlook, despite ongoing global and domestic challenges.”

Todd Dawson investments in primary industries.

First-quarter container volumes increased, reflecting positive momentum in exports.

“The primary sector is showing strength, supported by new season crop plantings and favourable local growing conditions. These factors highlight the resilience of Hawke’s Bay’s economy and reinforce its role in supporting New Zealand’s broader export economy.”

Dawson says global trade challenges persist – including economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, weather events, and supply chain disruptions.

“Napier Port remains focused on ensuring our operations, people, and systems stay dynamic and resilient. We

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“It is a return to form after several challenging years; however it is a bounce back, not a leap forward.”

Karen Morrish

Galaxy apples.

Photo: Florence Charvin

are committed to adapting to shifting cargo flows, maintaining cost efficiency, and making strategic infrastructure investments that will support long-term growth. Our earnings guidance of $55 million to $59 million (up between 5.8% and 13.5%) reflects this balanced approach.”

Hawke’s Bay’s future depends on a strong, unified regional approach, he says.

“Water security, infrastructure investment, and strategic alignment between business and government will be crucial. Napier Port remains committed to driving economic growth, supporting our customers, and ensuring the region continues to thrive,” says Dawson.

Pipfruit

Karen Morrish, CEO of New Zealand Apples & Pears, says her sector is returning to form, with a record return.

“Textbook winter and spring conditions promise a return to form for the Hawke’s Bay apple and pear industry as well as its contribution to the regional economy.

“Only two-years after Cyclone Gabrielle battered growers, our industry

44 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

is projected to post an orchard gate return of $1 billion for the very first time,” she says.

The statistics, which cover the 2024 calendar year, also reveal a total economic impact of $2.5 billion to the New Zealand economy, up 27% on the previous year.

In Hawke’s Bay, this economic impact has also increased, with the sector’s overall revenue contribution rising to $1.3 billion, up from $911million in 2023. It now employs more than 7,000 people throughout Hawke’s Bay. “We expect this upward trajectory to continue in 2025, with our annual crop estimate predicting a 10% increase in exports.

“This year’s crop is expected to deliver an excellent, clean harvest of high-value, premium-quality fruit.

Ideal winter and spring conditions have delivered fruit with exceptional colour, eating and flavour. Storability is expected to be as good as ever and the crop is incredibly clean.”

Morrish says: “It is a return to form after several challenging years; however it is a bounce back, not a leap forward. The industry still has some way

to go before achieving our ambitious goal of $2 billion orchard gate return by 2035.”

Growers still face increasing costs and productivity barriers, including access to capital, a lack of new and alternative pest and disease controls, and secure access to water and resources.

And while the planted area has largely returned to pre-cyclone figures, many impacted growers have taken the opportunity to replant with high-value IP varieties, and return-on-investment for these new plants is some way down the track.

“In the meantime, the sector continues to pull any and all sustainable levers we can to drive productivity and ensure a healthy operating environment that is conducive to prosperity,” she says.

Are we ready to grow again?

There’s hope that 2025 will be the year of the bounce back, and the range of views expressed here supports that notion, to an extent. As Heyes says, consumer and business confidence will be key to the recovery, when it does happen. Ready, set, grow? We hope so.

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Solar Power: More than just a Green Choice

As we reflect on the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle, many residents of Hawke’s Bay are still grappling with the aftermath.

Some have moved on, but others are still navigating the complexities of rebuilding their lives. Aaron, whose business, brothers family, and parents were all displaced by the flood, knows the disruption all too well. Despite the challenges, he counts himself fortunate that his family and colleagues were unharmed and that they have managed to rebuild.

The experience brought a crucial insight: the importance of electricity in maintaining the quality of life and communication we often take for granted.

Since the cyclone, the demand for quality solar battery solutions in Hawke’s Bay has surged. With the continued growth of both residential and commercial customers, many are looking beyond the benefits of reducing power bills—they want to ensure essential services remain operational in the event of a long-term power outage. For businesses, the rising energy costs are a pressing concern, directly impacting operating expenses.

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‘Real Risk of Double-Digit Increases’ In Power Prices

“I see a real risk of double-digit electricity price increases this year, the first since 2003/04, when a winter power shortage led to the construction of the Whirinaki Power Station,” said Octopus Energy Chief Operating Officer Margaret Cooney. Long-dated futures prices have doubled in the last five years, she added. (Source: RNZ)

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THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES

Simon Shattky talks to horticulturalist David Cranwell

BayBiz Innovators Simon Shattky

“India,” says David, “has a way of capturing you.” Be careful, he was warned before leaving on his first visit some 40 years ago.

David Cranwell is telling me the story he’s told more than a few times before, yet after all the retelling, he still can’t quite put his finger on why the vast and diverse place is so captivating; he still can’t quite seem to articulate it.

That’s strange in and of itself, as David seems to be very articulate about many things, but this experience has him lost for words. It’s a feeling, you see.

Dispatched to India in the late 1980s by the charismatic, forward thinking Apple and Pear Board CEO, Joe Pope, David was well and truly hooked from the get go. On the place and the Indian people. “They do so much with so little,” he says more than a little reverently.

Back then ‘the Board’ as it was simply known in the trade, was a single desk trading monopoly. The single desk bit meaning they were the only organisation in New Zealand that growers could sell to. Anything else was illegal and not everyone played ball. Another former board employee talks about board staff who could ‘raid’ a dairy, and demand to know where you’d bought your stock.

‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello, what’s all this then?

Where did those Braeburns come from?’

“On the regulation side of things you don’t make too many friends,” David offers with a wry smile and playing it close to the pads.

The fifteen years at the Apple and Pear Board were good to him and for making contacts. His big regret was that no-one in New Zealand really saw the boom coming out of Asia. “Don David Cranwell at home. Photo: Simon Shattky

saw it though,” says David, referring to Dr Don McKenzie of the old DSIR, who was the brains behind developing the Pacific Rose variety, an Asian favourite.

“Don saw it coming.” David is quick to make sure credit is given where it’s due.

David had become a ‘finder and a minder’ for the board working on various market development projects and spearheading one for the board on behalf of the World Bank, with the goal of modernising the Indian apple industry.

Here then, was when David became hooked. As a direct result of the work, supplying root stock and systems, New Zealand became the first country to export apples to India, who now ranks 4th in terms of world production.

His time in India fuelled David’s other passion, the Himalayan Oak Trust he started. It’s a tree that he ironically first came across up Gisborne way. The Himalayan Oak has an incredibly resilient root system. It actually draws water up from the subsoil releasing it at ground level, plus it’s an evergreen making it ideal for sucking carbon out of the air. It’s not just the tree that puts things back though – it’s the trust itself. Money from selling the trees in New Zealand – work now undertaken by Plant Hawkes Bay – heads back to India to help a local village from where the acorns come.

The fruit industry is a tough one in any country... “Great one day, rotten the next,” explains David, neatly summarising the sad experience of anyone who’s ever bitten into a soft floury apple. Like every industry you have to innovate or die. In the apple game this often means new varieties.

Like wine, and grapes, apples also have an element of fashion about them.

Gewürztraminer anyone?

To illustrate the fashion angle, David explains that in the 80s New Zealand might have produced one million cases of the stalwart Cox’s Orange; today we’d be lucky to produce 50,000.

In the early 80s Braeburn and Royal Gala – New Zealand natives, so to speak – started the drive for new varieties.

Royal Gala, descends from the Golden Delicious and Kidd’s Orange, and has cousins in Braeburn and the tangy Pink Lady. Pacific Gala is another mutation, with a more vibrant red colouring and slightly crisper.

Braeburn has a better shelf life and greater acidity means it stores well.

That’s critical for an exporter like New Zealand sitting on the edge of the world. “In the 80s it used to take three weeks to get an apple shipment from Napier to Belgium, now it’s 80 days or more,” says David, shaking his head somewhat incredulously.

You can, David reckons, have too much of a good thing. Developing new varieties needs deep pockets. And time.

Lots of time. Be prepared, as David has, to invest 20 years or more in a breeding programme to maybe get one or two successful varieties to market.

David’s own breeding programme on the Tuki, which started in 2000, has resulted in the Posy variety. By David’s own admission the apple is “a bit of a prima-donna” with a low yield. “You might get 2,000 cartons a hectare,” David elaborates, “as opposed to 4,000 a hectare with Braeburn.”

But Posy has a lovely pink flesh colour bursting with a delicate almost peach like flavour. It’s a huge hit in Asia, for where it was originally intended, and also has the benefit of being market ready ten days before any other apple of the season. First up, best dressed and all that.

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 49

The fruit industry is a tough one in any country... “Great one day, rotten the next.”

David Cranwell

It’s a numbers game, and from what started out as 7,000 seedlings, David now has about a thousand on the orchard that he’s keeping an eye on.

In particular there’s the mysteriously named TCL 41, for example, which he thinks will have better skin and store longer.

Very much a goer that one. Indeed, David’s fingerprints can be found on numerous new breeds over the years.

Growing on the property David and Margaret almost didn’t get. It was nearly sold to another buyer, but the owner Alf Mcleod didn’t much like the cut of the buyer’s jib, and when Alf asked what he was going to plant, the potential new owner gave Alf the news that he wouldn’t be planting anything, and had plans to bring in the bulldozers and lay down a trotting track.

Alf then delivered some bad news of his own to the bulldozer, which is how David and Margaret came to be on the Tukituki orchard. “We had no money, but lots of hope. I’d had plans for persimmon. Big plans,” says David somewhat wistfully. “They’re only really taking off now. 50 years later.” he adds with a chuckle.

“It’s unforgiving land,” David explains sort of adding, partly by way of explanation: “It’s on the dreaded Havelock pan.” I have no idea what that actually is, but David assures me that if I “were to go down 700-800 metres”, it’d be like concrete.

I’m taking his word for it.

He’s used to swimming upstream.

There’s worry about GE, and like everything David sees it as a balancing act.

Yes, we might get disease resistant strains, but the temptation to breed too many varieties could be a disaster for the farmer. The biggest threat though to the New Zealand apple industry as he sees

50 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

it – and no surprises – is climate change and the inconsistency of summer.

There’s the rising tide of course, and sea water has already reached into some coastal Nelson orchards killing off trees. Plus, there’s talk – more frequently – about some Royal Gala ‘getting sticky’ early.

“Maturity has shot ahead,” says David. The implication for growers is they need to select pick to get the best yields. Posy needs to be picked three times in a season.

“Gone are the days of strip picking the Red Delicious or Granny Smith crop all in one go,” says David. Of course it all adds to the cost, and the margins are as thin as the skin on the apple. “Grower management,” he says, “needs to go from pretty good to bloody marvellous.”

David’s driven by the thought of creating something. “Riding the rollercoaster” as he puts it. The implication being every creative endeavour has its ups and downs. The sweetest fruit being at the top of the tree and all that.

David describes himself as one of those annoying people that never gives in. He’s building a boat to prove it. It’s been on the dreaming board for about forty years and ten in the making. He proudly shows me the rudder made with Kauri from the old family homestead in Henderson. This part has been under construction for two years alone and has recently been delivered.

When pressed gently for an ETA on completion, David is quick to say he could have it finished almost immediately. I don’t believe him for a minute.

People like David take their time to get it right.

But it does raise the question of how he’d like to be described, and David’s quick to reply: OMG Haha …

There is a lovely little book ‘The man who planted trees’ I identify with that. Call me what you like, many have Horticulturist, tree lover, apple breeder, boat builder, I don’t know or really care.

It’s a simple message that tells you everything you need to know about David Cranwell: he’s not being flippant in the last line, he just doesn’t seem to stand much on ceremony.

He cares deeply about a great deal, his beloved wife Margaret of 57 years – whom he may have ‘forgotten’ to tell about this article – will be right at the top.

What people think of him very much at the bottom.

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March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 51

Ideas + Opinion Dominic Salmon, 3R

New Zealand shifts into the slow lane on waste, emissions reduction Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach to tackling two major issues – waste reduction and emissions – is changing, and seemingly not for the better.

The end of last year saw the Government quietly drop four out of five of the previous administration’s kerbside collection initiatives and delayed some plastic phase-outs.

This followed changes to the Waste Minimisation Fund earlier in 2024, which essentially mean some of the money will be directed to projects which don’t in fact aim to reduce waste.

The Second Emissions Reduction Plan, published in December last year, saw the circular economy – a key driver of waste reduction – dropped entirely after being referenced 80 times and having its dedicated chapter in the first plan. It’s striking, because the circular economy is widely accepted as being vital to making far more efficient use of resources, reducing waste and emissions, and tackling climate change.

There was one significant win, in our view, with a regulated product stewardship scheme for managing refrigerant gases announced as one of eight high-level policies which government believes have the most potential to lower the county’s emissions.

Waste reduction changes Changes to government’s programme for tackling waste set the tone for a far more relaxed approach – despite the country still being one of the biggest waste producers per capita in the world.

The only kerbside collections policy initiative that survived the changes is the standardisation of materials collected at kerbside – which is already in effect. The other four initiatives aimed at improving household recycling and

54 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

There was one significant win, in our view, with a regulated product stewardship scheme for managing refrigerant gases announced as one of eight high-level policies which government believes have the most potential to lower the county’s emissions.

waste have been put on hold indefinitely. This ends upcoming requirements for: • Councils to introduce household recycling services in all urban areas (with a population of more than 1,000 people); • Councils to introduce household food scrap collection services in all urban areas; • Private waste companies to report data on recycling and food scrap collections; • Councils to meet a performance standard in terms of the amount of kerbside waste diverted from landfill.

The Ministry for the Environment’s website says the move is aimed at reducing extra costs for councils and allows them the choice around rolling out new services.

The result will be little increase in kerbside waste diverted from landfill as councils prioritise other, pressing issues. Surveys regularly find most New Zealanders want to ‘do the right thing’ but lack either the right knowledge or access to services.

Kerbside services achieve both by providing access while encouraging the correct behaviour through the public education campaigns which come with their rollout.

Data is another crucial element. As

the saying goes, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Waste data has always been sparse and lacking detail in New Zealand, which makes it difficult to put effective, targeted changes and policies in place.

A lack of data also masks the problem – if you don’t know about it, why worry about it?

Plastics bans delayed, some indefinitely The deadline of 2025 for phasing out PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging not covered by previous bans, has been completely removed by government. The phase-out was supposed to come into effect this year, following earlier phase-outs of single-use plastic items like straws, plastic tableware and cutlery.

The Ministry says it will now essentially be looking further into the ban and engaging with stakeholders before providing advice to the Minister and Cabinet.

The deadline for plastic produce labels to be replaced with compostable options on produce was also extended, from 2025 to 2028. The Ministry says this gives growers more time and aligns with regulatory changes overseas – most notably in the European Union.

Waste minimisation funding Changes in this area continue a trend of slowing down on waste minimisation.

The Waste Minimisation Fund, administered by the Ministry for the Environment, is split 50/50 with half going to councils to use for waste reduction work, while the other half is awarded through a contestable fund.

The changes mean $177.7 million from the fund can now be awarded to projects which are not strictly aimed at waste reduction, but are more broadly beneficial to the environment. An amendment to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, passed under urgency in

Waste data has always been sparse and lacking detail in New Zealand, which makes it difficult to put effective, targeted changes and policies in place.

A lack of data also masks the problem – if you don’t know about it, why worry about it?

May last year, makes this possible.

The move was recently criticised by the Invercargill mayor and all the city councillors, for a lack of transparency and consultation, and for diverging from the original intent of the Waste Minimisation Act. A circular economy is good for the economy The circular economy is a system shift away from the current economically and environmentally unsustainable linear economy. The economic and environmental benefits are numerous and well documented. New Zealand Trade and Industry, for example, says it offers an economic advantage worth $8.8 billion for Auckland alone, “through reducing wasted resources, optimising material lifecycles and consumer demand.”

Globally, it puts the figure at US$4.5 trillion.

Benefits to the environment and emissions reductions are self-evident – curbing the use of natural resources

reduces the impact of their extraction on habitats, biodiversity and the quality of the air, water, and food we rely on. Products made with reuse and recycling in mind have a hugely reduced impact as they result in less pollution and land lost to landfill.

Why is the refrigerants scheme a win?

It’s a reason to celebrate as it recognises the power of product stewardship to have a positive impact on our environment when an entire industry is engaged.

Refrigerants are some of the most potent greenhouse gases – with thousands of times more warming potential than carbon dioxide. They are used in a wide variety of industries, from large cool stores to supermarkets, homes, and refrigerated transport.

The refrigerants scheme is an industry-led solution built within the New Zealand context to deal with a waste product. It will have all of industry participation, manage the gases throughout their lifecycle, and be highly transparent with measurable, publicly available targets and outcomes.

Slowing down, but still optimistic The net result of the changes, along with a reduction in Ministry for the Environment staff numbers by more than a quarter, sends a signal that the country is slowing down and switching into cruise control on waste reduction.

One might be forgiven for thinking we must already be world leaders in this area and further improvements can only be incremental. Data tells a different story though.

Cost is the most frequent reason given for these backtracks, but as Wellington City Councillor and Chair of the Regional Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Committee, Iona Pannett, says, there is no zero-cost option. Not dealing with recycling and food waste requires more landfills to be built, run and maintained, which has a cost.

She, and many others, will point to the valuable resource food waste represents.

There is still some reason to be optimistic though. While the difference between the first and second emissions reduction plans feels like we’re starting from scratch and dropping some of the most promising initiatives, the fact the regulated refrigerants scheme survived is reason to celebrate.

This will be the country’s second such scheme after the launch of the Tyrewise regulated product stewardship scheme for end-of-life tyres in 2024. 3R has led work on both.

They show that system-wide change is possible when government and business work together to co-design solutions. In our view, many industries want to make these changes, but they need the right signals and regulatory environment to have the confidence to act.

Dominic works at 3R, which designs, implements and manages 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.

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March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 55

Ideas + Opinion Paul Paynter

How can we get business going?

“I think the business community have lost their confidence,” a local entrepreneur recently said to me. Well, I’m not surprised.

Covid was brutal and if you don’t know one person whose business failed because of it … you know two or more.

For my apple industry this was followed up by the Ukraine war in early 2022. Poland is the biggest apple producer in the EU and their biggest customer was Russia. Overnight they ceased to be on speaking terms and the Polish apples flooded west, collapsing the market we were enroute to. If growers received half the cost of production they were doing better than average.

Then we had cyclone Gabrielle that decimated apple, grapes and vast areas of farmland. To follow was inflation and the subsequent high interest rates. Shipping has been a disaster throughout. A decade ago we could ship a container to Europe in just 36 days; now it takes 75. Donald Trump, and it pains me to say this, is right on quite a few fronts. The Panama Canal is a critical shipping route and so is the Suez. If these waterways are compromised by drought, mismanagement or terrorism, we have some serious global problems. The largest component of international freight is food.

The truth is we don’t produce coffee, cocoa, sugar, rice or bananas in any significant volumes. We also produce less wheat and fewer oranges than we’d like to consume. Even if we could produce these items they’d be much more expensive and supply would be much more volatile if grown in an island climate in the Pacific Ocean.

So how can we get business going?

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Disruptors come from the fringes, precisely because they are not tolerated, much less advanced, in large companies or institutions.

Businesses are much maligned by leftist thinking. Lefties see them as the use of power to exploit labour to make excess profits. This isn’t the case unless the business is significantly owned by governments, regulated by them, or heavily scrutinised by the perpetual hand-wringing inaction of the commerce commission. Think Air New Zealand, the energy companies (Genesis, Meridian, Mercury and Transpower), banks, fuel companies and supermarkets.

In a properly competitive environment, businesses struggle to make a buck, the consumer gets a great deal and workers make a decent living.

Unless they can work out how to do it cheaper or better, likely a business won’t survive. Each of them represents a money-go round, with a tiny fraction left at the end for the owners.

The most important social function of business is to create meaningful jobs for people. It represents a roof over their heads and their children with full bellies.

All this leads me to the belief that those that start businesses are heroes.

It takes a lot of courage, irrational optimism and the ability to endure great tribulations if that is your ambition.

Innovation To increase your chances of success you need to be innovative. Watties, Furnware and Rocket Lab spring to mind, each driven by a rare creative spirit.

How might creativity and innovation be encouraged in our society, to create high paying jobs and a prosperous economy? I know I’m horribly biased, but I’m convinced that exporting high quality food to Asia, is a sure bet for Hawke’s Bay. To that end we need innovative new products or processes that engender strong demand and excellent margins.

Recently the Government announced the merger of a multiplicity of Crown Research Institutes and other governmental agencies into three Public Research Organisations (PHOs). They seem to believe that larger bureaucracies are the best pathway to prosperity. I’m not so sure.

A few years ago a Chilean colleague said to me, “The only good new apple varieties come out of New Zealand”. I’m not sure that is still true. Similarly, our Kiwifruit monopoly marketer, Zespri, is facing threat from new varieties from Italy or Chile. I’ve tasted them and they are good – maybe better. Some of our leading industries have disappeared back into the pack. Or worse, we’re being beaten at our own game.

So what makes for great R&D innovation. From my reading, here’s what it takes.

The temperament of the lead researcher is critical. They need to be conscientious, but that can be largely discounted. There are a few academics in the Humanities and Social Sciences who clearly got their qualifications out of a Weetbix packet, but you need to be highly motivated

All this leads me to the belief that those that start businesses are heroes.

It takes a lot of courage, irrational optimism and the ability to endure great tribulations if that is your ambition.

In the NZ apple industry the standout figure was Allan White, who selected progeny for the recessive ‘pigmy trait’ on which Rockit apples are based. He also crossed Asian and European pears to create ‘interspecific pears’ like the beautiful Piqaboo. Such strategies were outrageous and probably widely criticised at the time.

Allan White

to endure the endless lonely hours in securing a PhD in an area of science, that almost no one cares about.

More importantly, the successful researcher needs to be high in ‘openness’. This trait is associated with creativity and abstract thinking.

It is also useful if a researcher is low in neuroticism. That is, they are not easily offended by criticism, questioning and frank engagement.

This relates to the other key component of success: the interface between R&D and the commercial world. Most researchers have a ‘just give us the funding/we know best’ view and don’t enjoy engagement with the outside world. I think the connected approach is best done in the US tech sector. The worst examples I’ve seen are in the top-down world of the EU. I have spoken to researchers there who have absolutely no idea of what the market wants. They take their instruction directly from a poorly thought out edict from Brussels.

If you don’t fulfill the criteria I’ve identified above, your likelihood of innovation success is greatly lessened. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you.

Many make the mistake of conflating individual success with institutional success. However, Nobel Prizes are most commonly given to individuals, not to organisations, which reinforces the need for a sparkling creative who leads the team.

In the NZ apple industry the standout figure was Allan White, who selected progeny for the recessive ‘pigmy trait’ on which Rockit apples are based. He also crossed Asian and European pears to create ‘interspecific pears’ like the beautiful Piqaboo.

Such strategies were outrageous and probably widely criticised at the time.

A key element of truly compelling innovation requires the advancement of people who have a little dash of Elon Musk about them. They will be oddballs, eccentrics, heretics and

heterodox thinkers.

Disruptors come from the fringes, precisely because they are not tolerated, much less advanced, in large companies or institutions. If Elon Musk had worked for NASA, he would have been ostracised and ultimately restructured out.

Backing creative people does result in more extreme results – perhaps a 1 in 10 chance of success, with the rest being abject failures. What larger companies and institutions prefer is a safer approach and the avoidance of failure at the expense of audacious breakthroughs.

That is exactly what bureaucracies like the new PHO’s will deliver. To that end they represent a sound understanding of politics, but a poor understanding of the engine for innovation and prosperity.

Paul Paynter is our resident iconoclast and cider maker. Weather permitting, he grows stuff at Yummyfruit.

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March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 57

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Life

As we enter autumn Life offers interesting events, the Three Fates wine story, meatball magic, the power of the word “no” and an invitation to pick up a pen...

THE EVENTS OF AUTUMN Summer’s officially finished.

Art Deco, the wine festivals, the winery concerts and the holiday festivities completed and boxed up and tucked away for another year. But that doesn’t mean the fun is done and doesn’t mean it’s time to start hibernating. The next few months offer some fantastic events. So get out your diary and read on for our suggestions...

Life Lizzie Russell

BRIDGE PA SCULPTURE TRAIL March 14 – April 11 at Paritua Winery

Presented by Arts Inc Heretaunga and Paritua Winery, and timed to slot in with FAWC, the inaugural Bridge Pa Sculpture Trail brings outdoor art back to the west side of Hastings.

The trail will feature 25 curated installations from 15 of New Zealand’s leading sculptors, including local artists Asaki Kajima, Ben Pearce, and Ricks Terstappen. Works by Jane Downes, Oriah Rapley and Metal Metcalfe will travel from celebrated Auckland event Sculpture in the Gardens.

Picture strolling through sculptural installations, visiting the Paritua cellar door, perhaps enjoying a platter by Havelock North favourite Deliciosa, all under the big skies of the Bridge Pa Triangle.

We suggest planning your visit to take in a few tastings at neighbouring wineries too, and if you’re there on a weekend day, check out the Cellar Door Collective at Radburnd Cellars (in the stables on Ngatarawa Road). If you’re looking to entertain kids, the Sculpture Trail is having Sunday family days each weekend, where children can engage in scavenger hunts and kid-friendly art stations, ensuring an enjoyable outing for all ages.

All funds raised will support Arts Inc. Heretaunga, a registered charity dedicated to delivering inspiring creative experiences to Hawke’s Bay communities.

Tickets at Eventfinda

F.A.W.C! HASTINGS MEATBALL FESTIVAL March 14 in the Hastings CBD

Hastings is famous for meatballs. You know the ones. THOSE meatballs. The ones you can’t get anywhere else. The ones from the tuck shop at intermediate school that are somehow still the same. Read all about our obsession with meaty balls in Ian’s column on page 72 and then make your way, a connoisseur by then, to the first ever Hastings Meatball Festival in the CBD. There you’ll find Hawke’s Bay bakers, butchers, chefs, and cooks battling it out for bragging rights – the Visitors’ Choice. There will be pop-ups and music and a generally joyful Hastings atmosphere.

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 61

HAUS OF YOLO May 30 at Toitoi

We’re in for a treat at Toitoi – Party cabaret. Live sewing. World class circus.

For one night only, head designer of renowned fashion label HAUS of YOLO (and parttime conman) Welt Couture will create their ‘Hastings’ collection live on stage.

Brought to you by Aotearoa’s most daring circus theatre company The Dust Palace, and coming off sell-out seasons across the country, this ridiculously fun and silly show promises to burst open at the seams with stunning acrobatics and banging party tunes.

Tickets at toitoivenues.co.nz

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BLACKCAPS VS PAKISTAN, ODI

PECHA KUCHA – DEMENTIA UNCOVERED: STORIES, SCIENCE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES

March 29 at McLean Park

April 1 at Toitoi

What’s better than a day at the cricket?! We don’t get a good One Dayer too often in Napier, so make the most of it and take the day off work to sit in the sun and back the Black Caps. Match starts at 11am and tickets are at tickets.nzc.nz

The first of three or four Pecha Kucha Nights for 2025 promises something unique. Different from the usual offering of 7-10 speakers on varied and random topics, this one is themed around dementia and will be run in collaboration with Toitoi. The Tuesday PK event leads nicely into the Friday evening production of In Other Words (see right).

With dementia and memory loss touching more lives than ever, the idea here is to shine a light on dementia from every angle—the personal, the clinical, the spiritual, and beyond.

Details at facebook.com/pechakuchahb

!

REB FOUNTAIN – ‘HOW LOVE BENDS’ April 12 at MTG Century Theatre

To celebrate the release of the new album How Love Bends, Reb Fountain and her full band – Dave Khan (guitar/keys), Karin Canzek (bass), and Earl Robertson (drums) – is on tour. Their Hawke’s Bay stop in the beautiful MTG Century Theatre will be a typically spellbinding experience. We love Reb in the Bay, mostly thanks to the numerous invitations and special evenings we’ve had through Jamie Macphail and the Small Hall Sessions over the years, and it sounds like we’re going to love this album too.

2 023

IN OTHER WORDS April 4 at Toitoi

Here’s an opportunity to see a poignant and powerful piece of theatre showcasing two of New Zealand’s finest dramatic talents, as acclaimed real-life couple Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst share the stage in a two-hander for the first time.

In Other Words tells the story of Arthur and Jane, whose lifelong love is threatened by the gradual onset of Alzheimer’s.

Written by award-winning UK playwright Matthew Seager, the play has won four Moliere awards for its writing and its sensitive and respectful portrayal of Alzheimer’s.

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Tickets at toitoivenues.co.nz

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 63

HIGHLIGHTS AT TE WHARE TOI O HERETAUNGA HASTINGS CITY ART GALLERY These two exhibitions are running in conjunction until May 17th: Wā We Can’t Afford: Heidi Brickell

Heidi Brickell was Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery’s inaugural visiting artist, spending six weeks in residence during late 2024 and this exhibition has grown out of that experience. Her installation features whakairo and kōwhaiwhai, sculpture and painting, and responds to the unique geometry of the gallery’s architecture, and the significance of the climate and bodies of water in orienting herself in Te Matau-aMāui Hawke’s Bay.

64 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

RIGHT: Vivienne Haldane BELOW: Heidi Brickell

Photographing the Pacific Sisters: Vivienne Haldane

The Pacific Sisters, a groundbreaking art and fashion collective of Pasifika and Māori creatives, have been photographed by Vivienne Haldane over decades. This exhibition focuses on her close work with Nephi Tupaea, Suzanne Tamaki, and Rosanna Raymond. The exhibition bridges three distinct moments – the striking black-and-white photographs of the group shot around Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the vivid colour images from their participation in the 1994 World of Wearable Art (WOW) event in Whakatū Nelson, and the more recent 2022 series, shot in the Pekapeka Wetlands, featuring the Heretaunga-based artist and longtime member of the Pacific Sisters Nephi Tupaea.

ASICS RUNAWAY HAWKE’S BAY MARATHON May 17

Choose your own adventure – if you’re not up to the big one, there’s also the La Roche Posay Half Marathon and a 10km option, plus a 3km fun run for kids. It’s known as a scenic route, taking in a unique mix of running terrain, with a combination of on-road and hard-packed limestone through orchards and past vineyards.

The full marathon starts at Anderson Park, while the others leave from Clive, and all distances finish up at the coast, with Elephant Hill hospitality and those gorgeous sea views as a reward.

Give beautiful, sustainable, handmade gifts this year – art, objects and jewellery from around Aotearoa.

Sign up if you haven’t already, or check details so you can support energetic loved ones at hawkesbaymarathon.co.nz

LEFT: Ruapehu, Sandy Adsett

HIGHLIGHTS AT MTG HAWKE’S BAY We reckon the exhibitions to see at MTG Hawke’s Bay over the autumn months, whether on your own for some quiet contemplation, or with a bunch of visitors to town, are these:

The Light Shone Clear: History. Perspectives. Art.

Check out some of our collective treasures from the permanent collection, curated to make sense of times and events that have shaped our region and the country as a whole. On until April 27.

Pūrākau o Te Whenua

It’s only on until the end of March and it’s an exploration of the legends and tales of Te Matau-a-Māui, Hawke’s Bay. Learn the stories behind the special names of our hills, mountains, rivers, and streams.

Kuru Taonga: Voices of Kahungunu

Also finishing at the end of March, here’s a chance to learn about the people and places of Ngāti Kahungunu, and Kahungunu himself – the peaceful man, a producer, provider, protector and diplomat.

63 Hastings Street P 06 834 1331 tennysongallery www.tennysongallery.nz

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 65

THREE FATES WINE

Life Wine / Yvonne Lorkin In Greek mythology the Three Fates are the incarnations of destiny. They control the mother thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They’re independent, at the helm of necessity, and direct fate.

When it comes to wine stories fitting the cultural zeitgeist, it doesn’t get more current than three, young Hawke’s Bay women stalking each other on social media before opting to leap into business together with the goal of creating personality-driven wines from resurrected vineyard sites, in minimal-interventionist fashion, during a pandemic.

What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, not much, because from the moment Holly Girven-Russell, Hester Nesbitt and Casey Motley met, their Three Fates wine venture has roared ahead.

Holly, (daughter of Hawke’s Bay wine legend Gordon Russell – or ‘Papa G’), hails from Bay View and she met Waipukurau-based Hester Nesbitt while working vintage together at Elephant Hill in 2019. Holly explains she became obsessed with Hester immediately because she could do everything in the winery. “She’d then go home to the farm after work to drive tractors, and would turn up on a Monday morning with a designer gown to soak in a bucket of percarb (oxygen bleach) after a messy weekend with the gals.

She was a terrible communicator and constantly had broken phones, but I wouldn’t let her wriggle out of my orbit,” she laughs. Hester is considered the brains of the operation (I’d look away now if you don’t want to feel like one of life’s losers), because not only does she have a Bachelor in Plant Biotechnology, and a Graduate OPPOSITE: Gordon Russell and Holly Girven-Russell Photo: Florence Charvin

Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology from Lincoln, but she’s also a Master of Global Business.

Hastings-native Casey Motley, is an EIT-trained winemaker who’s worked across New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Austria and France and is, according to her website bio, a jack of all trades with a particular skill for eyeing up any vehicle and knowing exactly how many 225L barriques will fit inside. (Her Subaru Legacy takes two comfortably apparently.)

“I knew Casey because she had a cool Instagram with photos of gorgeous vineyards and adventures in Europe,” adds Holly. “Kate Douglas (my bestie) had studied with Casey and I found out they were meeting for a catch-up beer sometime in the 20192020 summer. I crashed their date just so I could meet her.” And how about Casey and Hester? Turns out they actually never met in person until their first Three Fates business meeting.

Curious to know more, I fired more questions across to Holly.

YL: What were the circumstances behind the three of you deciding to leap into business together?

HGR: In late 2019 I went for a wine

with an old school friend. She mentioned her parents were struggling with their vineyard and as such, hadn’t farmed it for years. This saddened me as I’d spent a lot of time there as a teenager and remembered it fondly.

In early 2020, both Hester and I were working harvest in different parts of Australia. We’d been emailing a bit (I told you, Hester was bad at comms) just filling each other in on harvest and trading cute clothing recommendations. So when Winston Peters told all overseas kiwis they had to come home, we both evacuated home so I knew she was in the country.

While in 14-day isolation, I emailed my school friend’s parents and offered my help with their vineyard. They asked if I wanted to manage it! In the early days of a pandemic with no job prospects on the horizon, managing a 1.2 hectare hillside vineyard planted with Arneis, Albariño, and Cabernet Franc sounded like a dream. Yet I didn’t have the experience to do it alone, AND was based in Auckland, so I roped Hester in (literally had to call the landline at her parents farm to talk to her*) and then awkwardly reached out to Casey via IG messenger to reintroduce myself and convince her that

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 67

I wasn’t a scammer and that she should get involved too! [*YL: As a GenXer, this line makes me feel very old.]

We all took a look at the vineyard individually and then met up at Casey’s tiny shack to drink wine, get to know each other, and decide if this thing was for real. We fell in love with each other and the vineyard and never looked back!

YL: What did you decide your mission was going to be?

HGR: Initially this was a vineyard project. We were going to manage the vineyard and sell the grapes. But once pruning was done and we started seeing life in the vines, we knew we couldn’t give up the grapes – we’re winemakers after all! So we decided to throw our savings at it and try making a wine brand happen.

YL: Did you all agree on the styles of wines you’d create and the brand aesthetic going forward?

HGR: Yeah, while all having very different backgrounds, lives, and interests, we all share a similar taste when it

68 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

comes to eating and drinking. There are countless occasions where we all individually order the same wine at a bar, or turn up to a meeting with the same cheese. So forming our ‘brand identity’ and winemaking direction really did flow quite naturally.

YL: Speaking of that, why Three Fates? Explain the name?

HGR: My partner’s mum actually suggested I read about the Moirai/Three Fates – thanks Sue! In Greek mythology the Three Fates are the incarnations of destiny. They control the mother thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They’re independent, at the helm of necessity, and direct fate.

We’d just finished our winter pruning so this story felt pertinent; bringing the dormant vineyard to life in spring and weaving our way through the season until the thread is cut and our vinous bounty becomes wine.

YL: You came to winemaking late, at the age of 25, what was it that flicked that switch? What direction was your life going in before the bug hit?

HGR: Haha, that’s a bit of a joke calling 25 late! Because I just can’t imagine how a 17 year old Casey and 21 year old Hester knew they wanted to make winemaking their life – how sophisticated!

I initially went to uni to study Geography without any real clue what I’d do with it – it was just my favourite subject in high school and I loved field trips! After graduating I stayed in Wellington, and becoming sick of being the winemaker’s daughter who knew nothing about wine, I took myself to a wine tasting at Regional Wine. Lucky me, it was led by the inimitable Geoff Kelly who speaks with such passion and knowledge that I was immediately hooked; I couldn’t believe how interesting wine was!

I kept going to those tastings, read every wine book I could get my hands on, and finally started listening to Dad when he talked about wine.

When I moved to London, I decided to only look for jobs in wine and was rewarded with an amazing experience in the beating heart of the wine trade.

Returning to NZ a few years later, I took myself off to wine school and the rest is history!

THIS PAGE: Wendy Girven, Holly, Bobby Rose and Gordon Russell at Esk Valley Winery in 1993.

OPPOSITE: Holly Girven-Russell, Casey Motley and Hester Nesbitt

YL: Tell me about the vineyards you source your fruit from, how did those relationships with those growers begin?

HGR: It all began with the Noetzli vineyard in Maraekakaho. We worked alongside Beni and Lucia Noetzli on this site for 4 years and without it, Three Fates wouldn’t exist. Sadly at the end of 2023, Beni passed away suddenly which meant a change in circumstances with the vineyard. The 2024 vintage is the last one with that special site and was a harvest to remember.

For the 2025 vintage we’re now sourcing fruit from the growers we’ve been lucky to meet over the last five years.

Most of these growers have helped us along the way, sharing their knowledge of the varieties and generously lending time or gear when required!

Bridget Wilton of Greatvine Services has been with us since the very beginning. Although we didn’t buy fruit from her until 2022, she was always willing to offer an opinion and lend a bird scarer.

She has been the supplier for our rosé fruit over the last 3 years and helped us find some gorgeous Arneis in 2024 to increase the volumes.

Ian and Linda Quinn who own and run the Two Terraces vineyard have been kind to us since the early days – I’d often let myself into their vineyard to look at the Albariño vines to reassure myself that theirs were doing the same things ours were. It’s a strange, risky and hairy variety! It’s very exciting to now be joining the elite club of producers working with their fruit.

YL: What wines do you, Hester and Casey make and where do you make them?

HGR: Three aromatic whites – Arneis, Albariño, and Chenin Blanc. A Rosé and sometimes a sparkling Petillant Natural Rosé and a light and bright Cabernet Franc. And we make them at Linden Estate in Esk Valley (except for 2023 when we had to shoot off site because, umm, cyclone). We’ve had such a great time working with Alex Hendry, Toby, Phil, and the crew. It’s home!

YL: What was life like growing up with a famous winemaker-dad?

HGR: As a kid it was pretty fun, my sister and I spent a lot of time at the winery annoying the cellar master by

treating it like our playground.

YL: Did he take you to work with him?

HGR: I think he tried to keep us away!

But we’d always wind up there over harvest and sometimes a kindly lab tech would let us do sampling and temp rounds with them – that was great.

YL: You’ve just created a Chenin Blanc in collaboration with your dad – he even designed a playlist to go with the wine – was that a fun process?

HGR: It was so much fun!! I never got the opportunity to make wine with Dad, as the Esk Valley winery production moved to the Villa site in 2018 and I knew even then that I didn’t want to work in a big facility.

Dad’s always been a sounding board for Three Fates, but this time we made it official. His journey with Chenin Blanc began when he joined Esk Valley in 1989, a time when this variety was struggling to find its place in the New Zealand wine scene. He made all the decisions on picking, pressing, vessels, ferment, etc. We learned a lot from these decisions and just had a

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 69

Gordon Russell’s Three Fate’s Chenin Blanc Spotify playlist 1. Roots and Culture Mikey Dread 2. Babylon Too Rough Gregory Isaacs 3. Poor Man Style Barrington Levy 4. Ganja Smuggling Eek-A-Mouse 5. No Burial – Twilight Circus Mykal Rose

Photo: Florence Charvin

What is Chenin Blanc?

Chenin Blanc is a white wine grape, originally from Vouvray in France’s Loire Valley. It’s high acidity means it can be used to make everything from dry, light whites, to sparkling styles or wellbalanced dessert wine.

It’s also excellent when barrelaged, producing a style similar to Chardonnay and it’s known by other names such as Steen, Pineau de la Loire, regional names: Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux and Savennières. While still reasonably rare in New Zealand, it’s popular in France, and also South Africa, the USA and Argentina. Flavour-wise, expect to see pear, honeydew melon, apple, chamomile, peach, hay and persimmon notes.

70 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

genuinely good time working with him.

It was great having him at the winery because Alex, the head winemaker at Linden and Saorsa, started his career working for Dad at Esk. It was very sweet one day during harvest when Dad turned up with this box from his cellar that contained a bottle of every project wine Alex had ever made! Alex had no idea Dad had been holding onto them all this time. Not only were there the first iterations of Saorsa, there were even Alex’s old student wines!

We also love the label Dad came up with. He referenced a Fane Flaws painting that was hung by Fane himself when he was our neighbour back in 2004. We cleared the idea with Fane’s family and had our designers (Morgan Evans & Kate Depree) interpret it into a label design.

For 2025 we want to keep our heads down and get to know the new vineyards we’re taking on board. See what difference these new sites bring to the wines. I’m sure we’ll find the time to throw a few parties along the way!

We’d also love to take Three Fates global, find some suitable distribution partners overseas and get the wine out to our network of pals abroad.

YL: What are your hopes for 2025 and beyond?

Yvonne Lorkin is a wine writer, the Co-Founder and CTO of WineFriend (NZ’s No.1 personalised wine subscription service) and she’s a proud, born and bred Hawkesbaylien. winefriend.co.nz or yvonnelorkin.com

HGR: We’re excited to be working on another collaboration wine in 2025 – this time with another of our heroes, Jenny Dobson!

These days Holly lives in Auckland, Casey is based in Wellington training to become a nurse, and Hester works on a farm and lives between Waipukurau and Havelock North. Yet when the grapes begin to ripen and the harvest loometh, you’ll find these three wine-obsessed wāhine working long hours in the vineyard and cellar together again. threefateswine.com

Commercial work Interior photography Personal branding florence@florencecharvin.com florencecharvin.com

Life Food / Ian Thomas

Meatballs They’re everywhere. A global success story to rival Taylor Swift’s. Where animals are eaten, meatballs are made. For, along with sausages, meatballs take care of ‘the bits’ of the animal and frequently surpass the prime cuts in all-round deliciousness.

When well-made these spheres of unctuous umami are a delight.

From Spain’s Albondigas, via Dutch Bitterballen and Germany’s Fleischkloß to the Tsukune of Japan, meatballs are much more than an afterthought. They are a vehicle for adding flavour and texture to meat.

Adding a level of excitement to the dining experience that a bowl of cooked mince cannot match.

Who could resist a ball of minced pork, liver and heart wrapped in caul fat and roasted? This is a fond childhood memory. We devoured the ffagadau or faggots with more gusto than the ingredients would indicate appropriate. One of Wales’ more memorable contributions to international cuisine was purchased six to a foil tray already cooked in a tasty gravy. Popped into the oven whilst potatoes, carrots and peas were cooked and hey presto!

Tuesday’s dinner was ready. Or was it Wednesday? Either way, ffagadau was a midweek dinner. Weekend dinners were all about mother’s foray into foreign food such as Moussaka, curry, Spaghetti Bolognese but never anything with liver at the weekend.

Meatballs are indisputably a comfort food and simultaneously can be a higher level gourmet delight. Not always though…

72 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

During a trip to Barcelona I enjoyed albondigas. Not dissimilar to ffagadau, in a delicious gravy including peas. Not what I expected. Both of these versions of the meatball steeped in a similar history I guess. Both being the delectable answers to the same question, asked by a peasant with armfulls of caul and heart: “What shall we do with these bits?”

Pre-mincers, the meat was pounded in a pestle and mortar. The redness of the meat is referenced in the word rissole. The texture of the meat, pulped, gives the Italian term polpette for meatball. Once pounded, chopped or minced then the magic begins.

Additions of herbs and spices, onions and garlic, breadcrumbs and milk build flavour and texture.

Breadcrumbs soaked in milk is a panade. The lactic acid helps tenderise the meat and the bread binds the balls while adding a soft texture. Soak 100g of breadcrumbs or stale bread in as much milk as they’ll absorb per 1kg of meat. Mix with your hands to evenly distribute. Add seasonings and eggs if required. Pork mince is sticky so may not need eggs to bind. I always cook one ball to test flavour and texture and bindability and then adjust if required.

Meatballs are indisputably a comfort food and simultaneously can be a higher level gourmet delight. Not always though…

The local speciality, which, according to the Mayor of Hastings, the town is famous for, is an enigmatic gooey ball of meat-adjacent product.

I don’t like it. I can’t understand why anyone or any town would lay claim to the bland, pasty little pill. I’m told by my son, who likes them, that you can’t get them in Christchurch. That’s one extra point to Christchurch!

An old friend, chef, raconteur,

The local speciality, which, according to the Mayor of Hastings, the town is famous for, is an enigmatic gooey ball of meat-adjacent product…

Called a meatball but it is truthfully a croquet. Beef gravy thickened with a roux. There is not enough meat in the ball to warrant the name or trouble a vegan. It’s a deep-fried austerity sphere with a nice crunchy exterior.

described the eating experience as sucking on tepid mutton fat as it congeals on the roof of your mouth. But it’s more wallpaper paste than mutton fat I suggest.

Genetically descended from the Bitterballan of old Amsterdam. Called a meatball but it is truthfully a croquet.

Beef gravy thickened with a roux.

There is not enough meat in the ball to warrant the name or trouble a vegan.

It’s a deep-fried austerity sphere with a nice crunchy exterior.

The born-and-bred locals, including my son, love them in the same way I love the faggots of my youth. Everyone has their own balls of nostalgia I guess.

I am happy to be persuaded otherwise but for now the pie shop ‘meatball’ gets a no from me.

See over for Ian’s special meatball recipe.

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: Florence Charvin

Photo: Florence Charvin

Shepherd’s Ball Recipe by Ian Thomas My speciality is the Shepherd’s Ball. A ball of my own creation.

A ball that speaks to, and of, the backblocks of New Zealand in a way that few balls do. It’s the Fred Dagg and Barry Crump of meatballs.

This isn’t a knock-it-together Wednesday night tea. Planning and patience are required. It’s an opus in three acts.

Begin by slow roasting a leg or a shoulder of lamb until the meat falls off the bone. About 140 degrees oven temperature does the trick.

Boil some agria potatoes until soft but not water-logged. Don’t cut the spuds up too small or they’ll be wet and mushy and won’t bind the ball.

Use roughly equal weights of lamb and potatoes.

Once the meat and potatoes are cooled enough to handle, shred the meat and mash the potatoes.

Do not add milk or butter to the potatoes.

They must be dry.

Combine the meat and the potatoes.

Add some finely chopped carrots and frozen peas (use fresh if you can’t find frozen) Add 300g grated tasty cheese and 1 triangle of blue cheese Add mixed herbs, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and ground black pepper Add 6 eggs Salt to taste Roll the mixture into balls and bake at 160 degrees for about 25 minutes. Make one to test consistency and flavour and adjust as required.

Make the balls small for canapes or larger for dinner.

Serve with a good gravy or a spicy plum sauce.

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Life Wellbeing / Janine Couchman

The power of no Since almost the beginning of time, women have been socially conditioned to say ‘yes’. Yes to extra work. Yes to family obligations. Yes to social expectations.

And when we do say ‘no’ we tend to feel guilty about it. Women feel more obligated than men to agree to requests and feel more guilty when we say no.

Because of this social expectation and our compliance with it, women are more frequently asked to take on unpaid, low-recognition (i.e. ‘thankless’) tasks – whether in the workplace, at home, or in the community.

Sometimes this is a joy, but sometimes this has serious implications for our personal wellbeing, including our health and fitness goals.

The ability to say no is not just an issue of time management, it is a fundamental aspect of self-care. If we want to prioritise feeling strong, healthy, and empowered in our bodies, we must learn to set firm, unapologetic boundaries – especially around our fitness, nutrition, and mental wellbeing.

And the most powerful way to do that?

One simple change to our language can make a huge difference.

Replace ‘I can’t’ with ‘I don’t’

Too often, when we decline a request, we offer an excuse: “I can’t.” But here’s the problem – this language is weak and disempowering. It implies that if the circumstances were different, you might say yes. It invites negotiation, as the requester may present a workaround to your excuse. It increases the likelihood that you will be asked again in the future, when the excuse you gave no longer applies.

Compare that to a policy: “I don’t.”

Policies are empowering. They communicate self-respect and finality.

You are seen as a more confident and in-control person. People are far less

likely to push back against a firm, well-articulated boundary than a hesitant excuse. And you won’t get asked again at another time, as your policy is unlikely to have changed!

Consider these two responses: • Excuse: “I can’t stay late to finish this project.”

• Policy: “I don’t work past 5.30pm.”

The first response leaves room for negotiation – maybe you could stay late just this once? Maybe you could rearrange things so you can? Maybe tomorrow you could stay late? The second response signals a clear boundary that does not require further discussion.

Remove “I can’t” from your vocabulary and replace it with “I don’t” (or maybe “I never”, or if it fits, “I always”).

Notice how it changes the way you feel about your choices. Notice how others respond. You may be surprised at how much more confident, empowered, and respected you feel simply by shifting your language.

Say no to what doesn’t serve your goals

Policies not only change how your no comes across, they can also reinforce behaviours that you have decided you want. This is especially powerful when it comes to health and wellness goals.

For example: • “I don’t take the lift when I can take the stairs.”

• “I don’t skip my morning workout.”

• “I don’t drink alcohol.”

• “I don’t stay out late during the week.”

The words “I can’t” might have made those statements feel like deprivation or punishment. Framing your positive health behaviours as a policy make them an empowering choice rather than a restriction. This helps us stay

You may be surprised at how much more confident, empowered, and respected you feel simply by shifting your language.

committed and feel in control of our decisions. We are acting in alignment with our long-term goals.

It isn’t a level playing field

When it comes to carving out time for fitness, men and women aren’t playing on a level field. While (on average) men tend to have more work commitments, women spend longer hours on family responsibilities and tend to have less control over their schedules. Interestingly, when men work more paid hours, they tend to reduce their household workload to compensate. Women, however, don’t have this luxury – regardless of their paid work hours, their family responsibilities remain the same.

This has real consequences for women’s health. The more family work women take on, the less time they have for exercise, turning what should be a positive health habit into yet another item they struggle to fit in.

Fitness and wellness often take a back seat to the needs of others.

Anecdotally, I have seen this scenario play out often among clients and friends. Perhaps this isn’t surprising given that Hawke’s Bay has a strong representation of women running and owning businesses and in leadership positions, while at the same time being a region with above average birth rates.

If we want to see our women thrive physically, mentally and emotionally, this struggle to make time for our health and wellness is an issue that should be raised and addressed within families, workplaces and communities.

March + April 2025 BAYBUZZ 77

Losing the “I can’t” language is just as important with yourself as it is in setting boundaries with others. Surround yourself with people who reinforce this mindset and distance yourself from those who undermine it!

Rewrite limiting beliefs

Another critical area where we need to say no is to our own limiting beliefs.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “I can’t do that” when it comes to fitness.

Whether it’s lifting weights, running 5km, getting up the Peak a couple of times a week, or simply committing to regular movement, the belief that we are too old, too unfit, or too busy is a major barrier.

Let’s reframe that mindset. Instead of “I can’t lift heavy weights,” say, “I don’t limit myself in the gym.” Instead of “I can’t run,” say, “I don’t underestimate what my body is capable of.”

Losing the “I can’t” language is just as important with yourself as it is in setting boundaries with others. Surround yourself with people who reinforce this mindset and distance yourself from those who undermine it!

Make your yes count

So when do you say yes? Examine your instinctive reaction before you respond – do you sense any reluctance? It’s easy to say yes out of obligation or guilt, but those reluctant yeses drain our energy and pull us away from what truly matters – including our health. A yes that leads to you staying up late, skipping a workout, or indulging in junk food is also a no to feeling strong, energized, and in control of your wellbeing.

On the other hand, a committed yes – to your workouts, your nutrition, your recovery – feels amazing. It’s the kind of yes that aligns with your goals and makes you feel unstoppable.

Saying no isn’t about being difficult.

It’s about protecting your energy, time, and wellbeing so you can say yes to the things that truly matter – including your health, your strength, and your future.

Janine Couchman is a personal trainer and fitness coach specialising in strength training women of all ages and stages.

As well as private coaching, she delivers an eight-week group programme at Peak Fitness and Health. She can be found at janinecouchman.com and @JaninecouchmanPT

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Life Mouthy Broad / Jess Soutar Barron

Gotta get a better letter!

I’m finally getting around to penning the annual family brag to the rellies, full of the exploits of my offspring and issued to all and sundry in copperplate on onion skin so as to squeeze as much boasting as possible into an airmail envelope. Nothing says ‘I’m the best’ better than a handdone billet doux.

Handwritten notes were once de rigueur, but now we tap out a text, or, worse, pingback a heart emoji and that’s that. But the letter’s more satisfying to write and so much lovelier to receive if it features your idiomatic flourishments, embellishments and personal diacritic placements. Who hasn’t hugged an old recipe of Nana’s simply because it has “3 eggs, 2 cups flour” written out in her own, unique griffonage.

Most of us under 70 have pretty appalling chicken scratch. We’re out of practice. Even those of us who wrote with fountain pens at school can’t remember our stems from our strokes.

Our tails are truncated, our bowls asymmetrical. Mr Wagstaff who taught me scrivening in Standard 4 would be having paroxysms!

In an attempt to reclaim my autography I am reteaching myself longhand.

(In a similar vein, I forced myself to relearn long division a few years ago as a kind of cerebral self-flagellation.)

Perfect penmanship starts with pen and paper, so I spend an hour at Humanities thumbing Rhodia and fondling the Lamy collection. Then to posture and position: I get my back cracked so I can sit up straight and apply the Official Occupational Therapists’ Guide to the Appropriate Pose for Penning: Feet flat on the floor, knees at a 90 degree angle, forearms resting on desk, paper stabilised with non-dominant

80 BAYBUZZ March + April 2025

hand (which is also supporting body weight), paper tilted up to the right (or up to the left for sinistrals), neck and shoulders relaxed.

As with everything, there are specific methods for acquiring chirographic acuity. The Spencerian System became the official hand of civil servants in the 1800s, replaced by the ‘simpler’ Palmer Method – plain, fast and flowing – used in schools and held up as a way to ‘reform delinquents’. It was the Zaner-Bloser Method that – in the 1950s – began to introduce block printing alongside cursive.

At this point, focusing on technique takes all my brain space and my mind is empty of anything to actually say. I flick through socials searching for inspiration. #RockMyHandwriting opens a whole tin of peaches. It’s literally a “challenge designed to help you (me in this case) tidy up your (ibid) handwriting”. I dive in randomly. August 14th: “favourite word in another language”. I scrawl pamplemousse across my crisp-white page. It gives a satisfying flow, juxtaposing ascenders and ligatures, having some fun with apertures. But there’s quite a distance between one single grapefruit and a whole long letter.

April 25th’s prompt is “Advice”, so I carefully calligraph “Doing something imperfectly is better than not doing it at all”. December 3rd tells me to do ABC drills. I fill a page with the alphabet and wonder if I can get away with sending people handwriting samplers instead of actual information. Not everything has to mean something. If it’s beautiful but vacuous, recipients will love it.

But perhaps the opposite is true. It’s not how you write really, it’s what you write, right?

Emily Post posits that the perfect missive to get by post will reflect the writer in character and composition:

At this point, focusing on technique takes all my brain space and my mind is empty of anything to actually say. I flick through socials searching for inspiration.

“The letter we all love to receive is one that carries so much of the writer’s personality that she seems to be sitting beside us, looking at us directly and talking just as she really would, could she have come on a magic carpet, instead of sending her proxy in inkmade characters on mere paper.”

A letter should carry good news and bad, respond to questions from previous correspondence and pose new ones.

It should be an exchange of ideas, like a good conversation. Gosh that sounds like a lot of hard work. I can barely loop together my own ideas let alone enquire as to the whereabouts of other people’s.

Filling the page feels daunting, never mind making it legible (and meaningful and poignant and whatnot). Maybe a postcard would do, with four perfect words and a carefully crafted valediction. Afterall, Victor Hugo got away with the “shortest letter ever written” when he wrote to his publisher regarding pick-up of his novel Les Mis. Simply, he penned ‘?’. The reply? ‘!’.

I write: All good here! You? I practice my salutations a few times to ensure the swatch on my majuscule balances the flourish on my descender, then I sign-off.

I consider “Very sincerely yours”, “Cordially, Affectionately, Fondly”, “As always and as ever”, “Ngā mihi mō ngā tau kei mua i te aroaro”, then my back cricks and my hand cramps.

I scrawl xxx and leave it at that.

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