Retail: $2
www.gbweekly.co.nz
Friday 21 January 2022
Football’s Battle for the Bay
Danyon Fleming and Marina Profendiner combine to steal possession from a Nelson Suburbs’ midfielder. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
Football normally takes a breather during the hot summer months – but not this year. Last Saturday, eight teams from across the Nelson region assembled at Tākaka’s Rec Park to take part in the inaugural Wholemeal Café Battle for the Bay. Along the sidelines of the two scorched pitches, teams and supporters gathered around and under gazebos which appeared out of the shimmering heat like a mirage. “It’s hot, and it’s going to get hotter,” said Men’s First XI skipper Danyon Fleming. The off-season tournament was the brainchild of the president of Golden Bay Association Football Club (GBAFC) Phil Smith. With the support of the GBAFC committee, along with generous donations from local businesses, Phil’s idea of a mixed-gender summer tournament involving teams in the Nelson Bays Football league became a reality. For Saturday’s draw, the teams were divided into two pools of four, with each team playing three 40-minute ties in a round robin contest. Each squad had to ensure that, of the 11 players on the pitch at any one time, at least five were women. For some teams, this was a
challenge, but in the spirit of the tournament, players were “loaned out” when necessary. In the initial rounds, Richmond, FC Nelson, Māpua and Motueka lined up in Group A, while Golden Bay was placed into Group B along with Tāhuna, Nelson Suburbs and Wakefield. The home side fielded a talented squad comprised predominantly of young players from the Men’s first and second XI and the Shield Maidens. Co-captained by Ellie Hopkins and Danyon and coached by Alex Luckett, the team started full of confidence, but their first game against a slick and experienced Nelson Suburbs side resulted in a 5-1 loss. In the second of their three group ties, GB created several good scoring chances, but were unable to convert. At the other end of the pitch, keeper Sam Lear pulled off some spectacular saves but there was little he could do about Tāhuna’s two goals. In the final group game the home side lost 2-0 after a series of unfortunate calls, including the concession of a “soft” penalty and having a goal ruled out by a linesman’s offside flag. Despite the disappointing scorelines, Phil – and the rest of the GB squad – were thoroughly enjoying the event. “I’m really loving the day,”
said Phil. “It’s all about the love of football.” Golden Bay’s football family is a close community and, even when players move on, they rarely lose their ties to the club. Now a Nelson Suburbs squad member, as a youngster Geena Horne (nee Gross) turned out for Golden Bay for many seasons before graduating to play for New Zealand Football Ferns at U-17 and U-20 level. Speaking on Saturday, Geena was clearly happy to be in the Bay. “I love it coming back here.” The former Golden Bay star helped her Suburbs team reach the play-off for top honours on Saturday. The final game of the tournament turned out to be a tense match, which local rivals Richmond eventually won via a penalty shoot-out. Based on early feedback, Phil envisages the competition becoming an annual fixture in the summer events calendar. “The day was fun and every club walked away committed to coming back next year to Golden Bay for The Wholemeal Café Battle for the Bay.” Final standings: 1. Richmond; 2. Nelson Suburbs; 3. Motueka; 4. Wakefield; 5. FC Nelson; 6. Tāhuna; 7. Golden Bay; 8. Māpua Rangers.
Grey Matters SUBMITTED BY MICHAEL DELCEG
Grey Power’s lobbying efforts have been discussed here before, and I have mentioned my appointment as a member of the Energy Advisory Group. We spent a lot of time working on the technical side of energy policy development and lent support to our Executive over recent months. Before the holidays I went to Parliament as a representative for Grey Power to talk to Megan Wood, the Energy Minister, about our policies. I accompanied our president and another member as the energy advisory group representative. We had several issues. The Government had removed the Low Fixed User Charge; that adversely affects many of our members who had received a discount for low consumption. This had been done on the advice of the distribution companies here, who argued that it unfairly led to other users being charged more. We pointed out that this was going to lead to increased suffering for those who could not afford to pay more, such as those on National Super. I also pointed out that this was a poor application of utilitarianism, and that this had been thoroughly critiqued in the past for that very reason. I noted that the money set aside to deal with this problem had so far only been used to set up a budgeting service for those affected. I was assured that more would be done with the money. I suggested that supplying energy conservation items like insulation, heat pumps and LED light bulbs would be appropriate, as this has been done in some areas already. I also stated our position that while a smart grid was essential with more infrastructure, including renewable energy production and storage, the cost for these developments should not be passed on to current consumers but should be taken from the profit margins of the companies involved. The Government could encourage this with prepurchase agreements, as has been done in Australia. I thought that the meeting went well from our end, but we shall see what comes of it. This was my first trip to Parliament. Roy Reid, of course, is an old hand at this, and has spent many hours talking to ministers about issues that concern seniors, whether they are Grey Power members or not. The recent disruptions to home care funding are one of our concerns. Members who may wonder what their subscriptions... Continued on page 9
scenic flights
NEW LISTING
19 Haile Lane, Pohara
YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERTS
Come to my first open home on Sunday from 2-3pm
Belinda J Barnes AREINZ
Call us today for an obligation free appraisal for a current market estimate on your property.
021 236 2840
belinda@goldenbayproperty.com
Barry Graham I Ph 027 465 7888, 525 8787 Licensed Agents REAA 2008
Inside: Tui Balms THE GB WEEKLY, FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2022
give a christmas voucher
Certifying Plumber, Gasfitter & Drainlayer
www.goldenbayplumbing.nz
Supertramper Woodchop
Golden Bay Air goldenbayair.co.nz 0800 588 885
Locally owned and operated Ray White Golden Bay || Billy Kerrisk Licensed Agent REAA 2008 Level 1, 11 Buxton lane, Takaka || Billy 0276085606 || Sam 0273014209
Cohousing Shearwaters
just stunning
S c h e d u l e d • S c e n i c • C h a rt e r ISSN (PRINT) 2538-0923 ISSN (ONLINE) 2538-0931
1