Issuu

16 Jan - 22 Jan

LOCALLY OWNED SINCE FOREVER

No 934

LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

61 IN SI

Park and pay You have just under two weeks left to have a crack at Queenstown council’s plans for parking. There are few topics that get as much discussion, or get locals as hot under the collar, as car parking across the district’s townships, especially in Queenstown CBD. Where once you could drive into town and park on the street for free, or pay a reasonable fee for an all-day spot in a council-run car park, now your time is limited and you have to pay through the nose, and many locals have given up coming into town as a result. I can tell you, by my reading of the Draft Parking Strategy, released just before Christmas, it’s not going to get any better. It should be labelled a Draft AntiParking Strategy because it will deliver less parking, with no consideration for locals over visitors. It starts off on the right track - the intro nails what we want perfectly: “Townships should be easy for everyone to get around, whether by foot, bike, car, or public transport. When heading into town in a vehicle, parking should be easy to find and stress free. This means having enough parking, in the right places, for a variety of needs.” But once you get your head around the nicey-nicey council / corporate language through the rest of the document, which does not explicitly state what the council intends to do, you realise what the goal is. The same parking strategy as a major city ... but without the competing multi-story commercial carparks, or effective public transport. More people fighting for less parking that costs more. Look, we get it. Fastest growing population + thousands of visitors. We can’t just keep funnelling an endless line of cars and campervans into our restricted urban centres. But how about some consideration for locals? We live in low density housing spread out geographically and while public transport is adequate for a few, the rest of us still need a car to get around. Only Queenstown, by the way, has any local public transport. With no bed tax on the horizon, how about we make the tourists pay? Give us a locals card which offers cheap (or free!) preferential parking in councilrun carparks. Or ban campervans and rental cars downtown if you want to tackle congestion and provide enough spots. Because paying $70+ a week for parking, if you’re a worker, is not “stress free”. How about resurrecting the Boundary St carpark plans? How about decent park & ride options? Otherwise, it’s just like we’re being used as the cash cow to pay council debts. Locals should be able to park reasonably close to where we want to go, for a reasonable amount. Consultation closes Sunday, 28 January. David Gibbs

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It was all the fun of the fair for youngsters at the 108th Lake Hayes A&P Show on Saturday. More photos on p2. Photo: Wesley Jarman / Motion Bros

Photos: Wesley Jarman / Motion Bros

Glorious day out at the 108th show Town and country came together for the 108th time at the Lake Hayes A&P Show on Saturday. “It was glorious,” A&P Society president Kate Hamilton says. “We believe we had about 5000 people through the gates. It was up there with one of the best years for home industries entries, and we had spectacular equestrian events, with 60+ beautiful horses, especially the Supreme winner Trevalda Dancer. “The rides, face-painting, magician and, of course, the hobby horse race were a hit with the kids, and one of the big highlights of the show was having Matt Chisholm on board, to speak about mental health.”

Rural Support Trust ambassador Chisholm - ex Celebrity Treasure Island TV frontman-turned farmer, addressed the crowds from the stage and chatted with people around the Lake Hayes Pavilion showgrounds throughout the day. “It resonated with a lot of people, not just those in the rural sector who might be struggling, and that is invaluable.” Hamilton says the committee is always looking for new members. “There’s about 20 of us, a really good bunch of people, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved and created for the community out of our own time.”

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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

The 2022 blaze at Mt Crichton. Photo: FENZ

Wildﬁre risk now every summer By Paul Taylor

Sunday morning’s torrential rain will have been welcomed by the lower South Island’s rural ﬁreﬁghters. Last week, the fire risk was ‘extreme’ across the regions after weeks of dry hot summer days combined with windy conditions - turning the wooded hills and scrub into a tinderbox. That prompted Queenstown Lakes District Council to take the unprecedented step of closing one of its reserves to the public due to the risk of wildfire. Wānaka’s Mt Iron Reserve was closed on three days, from noon to 6am, providing added protection for the almost 400 properties and 255 buildings in its 366ha ‘red zone’. Ben Lomond and Queenstown Hill reserves could face similar closures, when the fire indices hit extreme again this summer, such is the threat to life, with hundreds of homes dotted over the lower slopes in neighbourhoods such as Fernhill, and thousands locals and tourists getting out into the hills daily. All three reserves are subject to a year-round total fire ban, while in the summer months there’s a total fire ban across Queenstown Lakes, which includes the use of fireworks.

The subsequent fire jumped across the road and ravaged 150ha of Jesse Peak, destroying power poles on the steep wooded slopes, which cut electricity to Glenorchy for 24 hours, as well as access by road. In October 2022, a burn-off got out of control at nearby Mt Crichton. Fanned by high winds, the subsequent fire burned for four days, over 230 hectares of remote scrub and tussock, to elevations of 1300m. These fires can be “brutal” to fight for the firefighters on the ground, Mawhinney says. “They happen in summer, so the day’s already hot. You add hot ground and ﬂames to that, steep slopes and carrying gear. They’ve got to drink a whole lot of water, so they’re carrying all of that. It’s brutal work and we often ask quite long hours of them. “And it’s dangerous work obviously, although there’s a lot of training that goes into that, about making good decisions. We see overseas firefighters getting hurt, which could be from falling trees, helicopter accidents, any number of things. “There’s a lot of stuff that can go wrong, not just the fire itself.”

Principal Rural Fire Officer Mark Mawhinney says his FENZ team has identified a number of vulnerable sites across Otago, including Queenstown’s Red Zone, which stretches Mt Crichton to Arthurs Point, and Mt Iron.

Queenstown, Wānaka, Frankton or Arrowtown fire brigades will typically be first on scene but if the fire can’t be controlled, FENZ rural fire comes in and sets up a Coordinated Incident Management system.

“Those are very vulnerable communities and if we get a fire that gets away on us in those landscapes, it is very serious,” he says.

“That focuses on managing all the resources at a fire. Once it’s up and running, it’s starting to plan 24 hours in ahead.”

“You can imagine the Skyline Gondola, and those communities up on red lines through towards Glenorchy - people are moving and living amongst quite ﬂammable fuel.

For Mt Crichton, more than 50 firefighters were on scene, with nine helicopters ferrying water in monsoon buckets from Lake Wakatipu.

“If a fire goes through there, there will be consequences, so we have to work with the communities, other organisations, the landowners, property owners, and plan for those events. “There is a bit of an onus on the landowners themselves to do a lot of work around their properties. There’s a whole lot of stuff on our website. You can make your property more defendable from a wildfire. “We never say people are safe but if you don’t do this work there’s a very real probability you won’t survive if a fire runs through.” Last year was the second hottest on record for New Zealand. The hottest was 2022 and preceding 10 years included eight of the NZ’s hottest years to then. Mawhinney remembers 2017 as a particularly active year, with the fire siren sounding seemingly daily. Late on January 10 that year, campers failed to properly extinguish a fire on the beach near Rat Point, below the GlenorchyQueenstown Road.

Still, the ‘fuel’ of trees and scrub can be so dense, the fires are almost uncontrollable, especially with high winds. “We can do some work around the ﬂanks but generally we need to stand back and let it do its thing. Once it’s got through those heavy fuels, the intensity will drop, and we can try to manage it.” Fortunately, the risk of a wildfire starting naturally in NZ is low, with the majority caused by a spark from a mower or powerline, a burn-off or human error. “So the chance of one starting is quite low, but at times, the consequences are off the charts. That’s why we get these messages out and welcome the council’s very forward thinking approach.” To check the latest fire season status and learn how to protect your property from fire, head to checkitsalright.nz

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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

Bike festival is ready to roll By Jess Allen

The 10-day Queenstown Bike Festival will kick off this Friday, hosting more than 30 events around Queenstown to suit all riding levels. The festival is a fundraiser for Queenstown Mountain Bike Club (QMTBC) and its organisers want it to enable more people to become more involved in mountain biking in whichever way suits them, from riding and supporting, to volunteering or being a festival sponsor. After last year’s event where the standards were set high, the 2024 edition is set to follow the same format with a few changes. If you’d like to participate, some events will require pre-registration, while for others you can just show up on the day.

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Emmerson Wilken, one of the festival’s organisers, is excited for the atmosphere and talent that will be on display. “We’ve got a downhill event, which we didn’t have last year,” Wilken says. “We’ve teamed up with another race series called the Southern DH, so we’re doing a little with them. “The only other difference is that our opening party is going to be down on the lake – we’re doing a lake jump where you jump your bike off a ramp into the lake – you’ll get scored on the tricks you do into the water. It was done many years ago outside of Atlas, so that one is something a little bit extra for us. “Part of that is a ﬂoating log ride, which is like a balance beam that’s ﬂoating on the water, so you sort of have to navigate your way around this obstacle course on your bike and try and make it back to land without falling in.” Wilken says the idea is to create a broad range of events and catch as many people as possible, whatever the age or skill level. Some of the events include the Coro 1200 at Coronet Peak, a variety of coaching sessions, Slopestyle and group social rides. “We’re trying to be inclusive and make something for everybody – some of those people are actually looking for a bit of a challenge as well. Some of our races will have the younger kids actually racing with some of their idols at a pretty high level as well. There’s kind of nowhere else in the world where that’s a thing – so if a kid is trying to improve themselves or thinking ‘can I make it in biking?’, they can test themselves against some of the world’s best, who will be in town for the event.” As always, the fest wraps up with McGazza Fest, which is a weekend in memory of the legend Kelly McGarry. It starts on 26 January with a mass downhill ride ending at Atlas followed by the chainless race, kids’ airbag jam and dream jam the following day. It will all wrap up on Sunday, 28 January, with a memorial ride and Gorge Road jam. Queenstown Bike Festival will run from Friday, 19 January, to Sunday, 28 January. You can apply to volunteer at the festival, find out more about all the events that will be on offer across the 10 days and review results at queenstownbikefestival.co.nz

LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

COMMUNITY NOTES Glenorchy leads the charge on community composting - pilot extended By Sue Fea

They may be relatively remote from the main urban areas but that hasn’t stopped the Glenorchy community from leading the charge in the southern region with its hugely successful door-to-door community composting programme. An initial 12-month pilot funded by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, in conjunction with the Ministry for the Environment, has been extended to 18 months until June this year. Some 20 to 25 tonnes of organic food waste has already been diverted from the landfill in the first year. Project manager Steve Hewland says there’s been great buy in from the community with residents leaving their supplied buckets with screw lids out weekly for operations manager and co-founder Zero Waste Glenorchy’s Dan Nagueria. Nagueria does his weekly kerbside collections on an e-bike towing a trailer with a skip bin on board. Commercial operators have also been collecting their waste and dropping it off. Initially sponsored by The Headwaters Eco Lodge founders Paul and Debbi Brainerd who have always had a vision to create a composting facility, Hewland says they’ve kindly supplied the composting facility behind Mrs Woolly’s General Store. Those who’ve collaborated with the project then collect the compost and use it in their home gardens. Some goes to the Glenorchy Native Plant Nursery and Mrs Woolly’s veggie garden with the produce sold in the store. “The restaurants and hotels drop off their organic waste to us and we collect from the smaller commercial operators,” Nagueria says. Blanket Bay drops off weekly and Aro Ha brings their waste in during winter. Believed to be the only kerbside community composting project in Otago and Southland, outside of Dunedin, he says they’ve had huge interest from other towns and communities. “We’re pretty unique. We’ve had a guy come up from Riverton to see what we’re doing.” Restaurants growing their own food have also shown an interest. “We’ve even got old school locals leaving out their waste. It’s been such a positive response.” The council funded the initial $96,000 and thankfully, Nagueria says they’ve managed to keep hours down and perform well within budget. “It’s cost us way less than anticipated.” That money covered staff, labour, materials, equipment, training, marketing, legal work, PPE, and insurance, along with regular testing of the compost. Hewland says Zero Waste Glenorchy is hoping to attract further community trust funding to continue with the project from June. With further funding through the council unlikely to be available he’s hoping they can tap into some community trust funding to keep the momentum going. “We will need $50,000 a year to keep it running, but that’s all looking positive,” he says. Hewland, who built the composting facility for Headwaters, says it allows for composting of much more waste than a home system. “We can even take small bones, citrus, onion and garlic peelings, eggshells, paper tissues. We also add clean, shredded cardboard,” he says. “We get the odd knife and fork arriving in.” Compostable packaging and bags, even coffee cups, don’t perform well in the system, although they can be beneficial if ending up in the landfill. Nagueria says the council’s keen for applications from any other small community groups or suburbs to get started on their community composting projects too. There’s a drop-off facility operation through Grow Wanaka and waste can be dropped off in a couple of other centres, but Glenorchy has paved the way for kerbside. Education is the key and Hewland says they’ve been providing learnings back to the council and sharing the knowledge during school visits. “It’s about people learning and understanding the benefits of composting. It prevents greenhouse gases from being created in our landfills,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be smelly. We haven’t had any odour issues. It can be done cleanly without attracting rats and mice.”

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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

CBD

Lost & Found by Miranda Spary

Miranda Spary is a tired, old, has been columnist that we feel sorry for. She used to write a weekly book column in the old Queenstown Times which was read more for the local gossip in it than the book part. She is quite lazy and very grateful if readers send in ideas about what’s been happening locally on miranda@queenstown.co.nz

There are some people in the Wakatipu who now say I am just too talented and brilliant, and they’re right. Not everyone can get third place in the 3 onions section at the Lake Hayes A & P Show. I’m still dizzy with the thrill of it and more than made up for the disappointment of my planned entry in “Most Unusual Pet” . I was going to try and train my husband to jump through some hoops while wearing a furry suit. He was in a very sulky and stubborn mood and said he’d rather poke himself in the eye. I am a little bit tempted to arrange that option. The show was almost wonderful but it is a shame there is SO much OSH stuff. They really are taking the fun out of life for New Zealanders. I know it’s not fun to have accidents and get hurt, but there are serious downsides to having everything ruled by those orange hi viz vests and clipboards. The roads are no exception. I don’t know what the statistics are but it seems to me that there are far more accidents with those orange people and cones than there ever were before their invasion of our brave and exciting country. Maybe it’s time to teach our children how to manage risk themselves and how to live a life less mollycoddled. Seeing the children taking their ponies into the lake for a swim on a very hot show day was a real treat and that delicious thrill for the rider when the horse stops walking and starts swimming - such a curious sensation. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it in case the orange people start deciding it’s a hazard. If anyone knows what percentage of New Zealanders are employed in the “safety” industry, lots of us would be very interested to know. If there’s any way of constipating an economy and its people, that surely is it. Three million cheers for the creators of the Pukeko Pie - it won the biggest prize at the show and was made of a real pie, with the addition of a slightly mutilated roadkill pukeko. It did look quite macabre but it was absolutely brilliant - huge congrats to the team of Sue Berry, Caroline and Justin Abbiss and Jane Burdon. And for something very funny and moving - do look online for the Barry Humphries Memorial Service - someone sent me the link and nearly two hours later, I had watched the whole thing in one great, greedy session. What a brilliant man in so many different ways. For something much less funny, do please sign the petition to prevent QLDC letting stormwater from the Ladies Mile development run off into Lake Hayes - it’s on change.org STOP QLDC PLAN TO ALLOW STORMWATER RUNOFF FROM LADIES MILE DEVELOPMENT INTO LAKE HAYES. Just as the lake has started looking so much better, they now want to do this? Words fail me…...

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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

Community

Off-road vehicles warning By Paul Taylor

NEW TO THE AREA OR GOT MORE time on your hands & looking to give back to your community? Altrusa International Qtwn is looking for volunteers just like you to join our women’s charitable & service org. supporting our local community. Want to know more? Email: president.queenstown@altrusa.org.nz or message us on Facebook.com/AltrusaQueenstown FREE ANTENATAL PROGRAMME. THREE-WEEK PROGRAMME RUN BY Central Lakes Family Services commences 21st February from 6pm-8pm. Programme covers Parenting anxiety, Bonding and attachment, self-care and mental awareness, support and solutions. Dads and partners welcome. Venue St Johns Rooms, Douglas Street Frankton. Bookings essential call Lisa on 02781667338

Everything Else

Off-road motorbikes and four-wheel drive vehicles are damaging fragile terrain and threatening native bird life around historic Macetown, Skippers township and the Chinamans Flat. DOC Whakatipu Operations Manager David Butt is urging drivers to stick to formed roads and tracks this summer. “DOC rangers have seen recent damage to terrain and vegetation around the historic Skippers township from people using motorbikes,” he says. “Both Macetown Historic Reserve and Chinamans Flat have suffered from four-wheel drive vehicle use causing wheel ruts that will likely take decades to heal on the fragile vegetation and soils. “Threatened native birds nest on the gravelly areas of braided rivers such as the Dart River, which is near Chinamans Flat. Please save lives and avoid driving in braided rivers from August, when these birds start nesting, until the end of February.” People can head out to enjoy these beautiful locations, but just be mindful of where you are and stick to the formed roads and tracks, he says.

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An example of the four-wheel drive damage to Macetown terrain

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Area Road Policing Manager Steve Watt says police are concerned about growing vandalism caused by off-road vehicle use in backcountry reserves.

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Anyone responsible for damage on a public reserve can face imprisonment and/or a fine under the Reserves Act 1997 or the Conservation Act 1987.

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“We’d like to remind all users of the Macetown and Skippers tracks these are public roads and normal road rules apply. We encourage the community to explore what our region has to offer but want people to respect these areas and be considerate so everyone can enjoy them,” Watt says.

The vehicle access to both Macetown and Skippers is challenging and includes sections of narrow road with steep drop-offs, and blind corners. The Macetown track has multiple landslides. Experience in rough conditions is essential and drivers are responsible for recovering their own vehicles in the event of a mishap. Drivers should ensure they check the weather conditions before heading out. The DOC website states vehicles must stay on roads and recognised vehicle tracks. Macetown, located 23 river crossings from Arrowtown, dates back to the early 1860s when gold was discovered in the Arrow River. By the 1930s it was a ghost town. Today Macetown is an Historic Reserve with its major structures restored, including a gold-mining battery, cottage, and bakehouse. Visitors can walk, mountain bike, motorbike or four-wheel drive along the access trail to Macetown, depending on weather conditions and river levels. The historic Skippers township is part of Mount Aurum Recreation Reserve and it also experienced gold fever is the 1860s. It offers dramatic views and great recreation opportunities including walking, camping, kayaking, mountain biking, picnicking, and rafting. Visitor numbers to the Whakatipu District are expected to increase over the summer months. Check the DOC website for places you can take your four-wheel drive or motorbike, as well as places to walk, climb, mountain bike, camp, horse ride, raft and boat. Anyone who sees any illegal or suspicious activity can contact the 24-hour DOC emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately and report it. All calls and personal details are treated confidentially.

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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN

Arts+Culture Ceilidh and supper in Arrowtown by Jess Allen

This Saturday Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall will be transformed to be a wee bit Scottish as it hosts Burns Night celebrations. The event, which is in honour of the 18th Century poet Robert Burns, will include a three-course meal, good craic, poetry readings, a band, traditional dance and drinks. After a sell-out event last year, organiser Chris Hutton is expecting the same for this year. Burns Night is a Scottish celebration on Robert Burns’ birthday, 25 January, that traditionally includes eating haggis, a dram or two, reciting some of his poems and songs, and some dancing, too. Burns is a Scottish national treasure and is widely regarded as the poet of Scotland. In addition to poetry, he also wrote and performed many folk songs. One thing Hutton really likes about Burns is that he tried to champion equality between rich and poor, as well as between the genders. “Most of his work revolves around the theme of love,” Hutton explains of Burns. “He was a bit of a lad in the pub, I think, and he was a good storyteller – let’s put it that way. Although he liked to promote equality, he was also a bit of a lad with the ladies. He had several children with a few ladies, so that’s the theme of all his work. The sad thing was that at the end of his life, he fell in love with a person who was in the upper classes – he was a farmer’s son, so he ended up broken hearted.” Hutton, who originally hails from Edinburgh, has been working hard behind the scenes to organise this year’s celebrations. Many hands have helped to make light work as Chris has been assisted by lots within the community. He started the event two years ago after Covid, pulling it together in just eight weeks and he wanted to have a bit of fun and a dance after all the lockdowns. The past two years have been hugely successful and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. One of the key components of the night is the band – locals ‘Hair of the Dog’ will be doing the honours. “I kind of work with the band. It was all their fault, actually. The ﬁrst Burns Supper and Ceilidh we put on, the band said to me ‘that was so much fun,’ and that we’ve got to do it again – book the hall. So, it’s all their fault that this turned into an annual event, but our aim is to have the best Burns Supper and Ceilidh in New Zealand – I know that we’re winning that prize because we’re the only one – there’s no one else that does a Burns Supper and Ceilidh together.” As the band plays, there will be a caller to lead you with the traditional dance steps, helping you with the country dances so everyone can fully join in, even if they’ve never been to a ceilidh before. Part of the reason that people started to get together after Burns’ death was to meet with old friends, meet new friends, eat food, and celebrate the memory of a talented poet, lyricist and playwright.

The other major component of the night is the food. The chefs are cooking up something a little different for a starter and dessert this year, which has been kept under wraps. The traditional haggis will be piped in by a local piper and carried by the chef. It will be ceremoniously murdered before serving the main course. “My advice for people is to put ﬂat shoes on, because the dancing gets fairly loose. It’s a good fun night – the idea is to eat, drink, dance and have fun, and meet new people,” Hutton says. Pop on your glad rags and dancing shoes for the Arrowtown Burns Supper and Ceilidh Dance. It’s happening this Saturday at Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall from 5.30pm. You can grab tickets and ﬁnd out more info by scanning the QR code

Interview with Melissa Macleod by Rosie Fea

With the start of this new year, we’ve decided to re-activate The Tight Five as a summer series to inform, inspire and highlight the creative undercurrent of our district. First up for 2024 is sculptural artist Melissa Macleod.

1. How much of a role do you believe art plays in speaking to the larger issues of our day - and what is it you like 'talking' about most? Art, as a political vehicle or voice, has unending potential and capability. In relation to the current environmental crisis, offering another ‘take’ on an issue, or recalibrating the normal, is at the heart of why many of us are invested in this exploration - to administer a small prick. It also has to be received and heard though, because arts success in communicating is reliant on a reciprocation - a relationship between maker and audience. I am aware of the importance of seduction in projects luring people on a visual or physical level (through the likes of detailed construction or large scale work). The political can be layered or injected into these particular frameworks, quietly. It has never been my interest to make work that yells (a position) at you. A sand sculpture I made a couple of years ago involved the capturing of numerous sand samples onto hundreds of nylon threads to create a waterfall-like cascade of tones. People were interested in how the sands attached and hung there distilled. Then upon reading the wall text, viewers also realised the materials came from 24 particularly prone/ eroding coastal locations around New Zealand. So, it wasn’t just pretty; the materials held meaning, and also a sadness. With regard to what’s prevalent conceptually within my practice, ultimately, I think it’s about fragility - things slipping away.

2.Working with natural and ephemeral materials, what have you come to learn about the nature of permanence and impermanence? Materials I’ve used like sea air or living coastal daisies offer up a crucial fraying or wayward component to an otherwise planned and detailed process. For someone who likes precision, these shifty elements provide a challenge or intrigue. It is a battle often, but it keeps me interested. These materials also begin to lead the process - you are not in control and have to be adaptable; negotiate the material in relation to the concept and vice versa. I once collected (pumped) sea air into dunnage bags, which responded to temperature change to a greater degree than expected. Suddenly I had hundreds of large white ‘pillows’ of sea air expanding and contracting like a lung, and I had to adapt the storage structures to accommodate this daily movement. What I love about this ephemeral quality in works, is that it allows for an openness - a resistance of an end point or final paragraph - because they are in flux. We have an inherent desire for art to be unchanging and permanent (which to my determent is the easier route in relation to the sale of work). Temporal practice defies this dominant preoccupation with lasting art works, and I am interested in playing with that expectation or tradition.

3.What's your dream project? Instigation of large scale Land Art; art you can climb up, walk into, wander through and lie on - and view the world from. Art that grows and changes. Multiple and notorious Land Art projects came from 70’s mid America, and were way ahead of their time - with a large percentage of these artists forging the way being woman. I was just in the UK too, where numerous wealthy landowners have given over a considerable portion of their property to form sculpture parks and land works, providing exposure to robust, rich and outward thinking art practices. We have the capacity for this here in NZ, we just need a few more key players to see it.

4.What would your advice be to someone who says they don’t have a creative bone in their body? Creative isn’t one thing, it is a broad spectrum. We need to question the term and how it has come to be understood. Creative often exists in someone completely separate to the art world, someone who is functioning in an incredibly exploratory way. I’d say, the creative bones are hiding in there. You can join Melissa in this discussion at her upcoming concept development workshop, being held at Te Atamira on Sunday 21st January (10am-1pm), exploring the use of transient or ‘ghost’ materials such as air, seeds, pollen, dust. Capturing the Ephemeral: sculptural drawing workshop www.teatamira.nz/events/capturing-the-ephemeral

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GOINGS ON ABOUT

Wakatipu Grill Winemakers Dinner

EVENTS - MUSIC - ART THEATRE - AT THE GALLERIES

MUSIC Magic Carpet Music Performance Award-winning composer and performer Rakuto Kurano is presenting a concert entirely of his own works and includes many of his most popular such as Fantail in Tokyo, SNOW for Violin Quartet and Blooming, Violin Sonata No.1. Described as a musician with ﬂair and panache, Rakuto Kurano has established himself as a young versatile Japanese / New Zealand performer, composer, director, and educator. Rakuto is Artistin-Residence at the Aspiring Lifestyle Village in Wānaka, and serves as Artistic Director of the Magic Carpet Music Trust. Tickets are available at Te Atamira online. When: Wednesday, 17 January, 3.30pm Where: Where: Te Atamira, Remarkables Park Town Centre 12 Hawthorne Dr, Frankton

Tusekah ‘I’ve Changed’ Tour Tusekah, one of Aotearoa’s fastest rising upand-coming singer-songwriters, will deliver an unforgettable night of music with support from Ōtepoti-based Psych-Soul band Hoot! The Wellington-based musician blends R&B, Neo-Soul and Pop to deliver relatable lyrics and catchy melodies. Tusekah’s unique personality and talent have proven a hit since her debut single. Singles include Childhood Friends, Ain’t Waiting Around and, most recently, I’ve Changed. When: Saturday, 20 January, 4pm Where: The Fork and Tap , 51 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown

EVENTS Queenstown Bike Festival 2024 The 2024 Queenstown Bike Festival is shaping up to be a big one. Across 10 days from Friday, there are more than 30 events for everyone from top pros to the youngest riders, with the most amount of stoke you’ve seen in one mountain town. The jam-packed schedule, which includes the legendary McGazza Fest, multi-disciplined races, Slopestyle, Whip Off, pump track jams, coaching sessions and the infamous Dream Jump Jam, is on the website and on the Queenstown App What’s On section. From the Gorge Road Jump Park, the Queenstown Bike Park, the Kerry Drive Pump Track and internationally-renowned Wynyard Jump Park, the festival showcases the world-class quality and variety of trails the town has to offer. The Bike Fest aims to bring awareness to the beneﬁts biking offers the local community, as well as raising funds for the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club. So whether you’re riding, volunteering or keen to watch, this is a summer event not to be missed. When: Friday, 19 January to Sunday 28 January Where: Various venues

Contemporary landscape oil techniques with Kelly Pearce Extend your painting skills in a summer workshop with landscape painter Kelly Pearce, who shares a variety of techniques for working with oil paints. Kelly will lead you through a series of exercises which will inspire you to get out and capture our beautiful landscape in this richly satisfying medium. Kelly Pearce is well known in the South for her abstract landscapes with colourful textured palettes. Topics covered will include basic oil painting rules, tools and substrates, use of mediums to create effects, layering, transparency and glazing, Impasto and palette knife painting. Demand for the ﬁrst workshop saw the sold-out sign go up, so Kelly’s holding this second workshop. Bookings online at Te Atamira. When: Sunday 25 February, 9.30am-4pm Where: Te Atamira, Remarkables Park Town Centre

Wakatipu Grill Winemakers Dinner - Join us for an exquisite evening hosted by Mt Edward Owner/ Winemaker Duncan Forsyth and Felton Road Winemaker Blair Walter. Experience a specially crafted 4-course menu paired with delightful Felton Road and Mt Edward wines. $149 per person includes canapés, three courses, and four wine matches. Book Online: www.kawarauvillage.com/event-details/feltonroadmtedward Or scan QR code to book LWB Reader Special: Use code ‘WineDinnerLWB’ for 5% off. When: Wednesday, Jan 31, 6:00pm Where: Wakatipu Grill, Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa

COMMUNITY Queenstown Toastmasters Meeting This is the ﬁrst Toastmasters for the year so if one of your New Year’s intentions is to improve your public speaking skills, then this is the community for you! The club prides itself on being a friendly bunch that are working on improving their public speaking for whatever opportunity may come up. These are great evenings to come along as a guest and learn from the Toastmasters team how we feel the fear and do it anyway. You don’t need to have any training, you just show up and check it out. Guests are more than welcome. When: Tuesday, 16 January and 30 January at 6pm Where: Sherwood, Frankton Road

Twilight Bowls Every Monday for six weeks from 22 January to 26 February the Queenstown Bowls Club is holding a Twilight Bowls evening at the club’s Queenstown Gardens venue. Locals and visitors are invited to create a team and come along. A team consists of three players with two games per night, each game consists of ﬁve end sets. One power play per game doubles the score on that end. It’s a fun tournament with beer & barbeque. Cost is $150 per team. To register your interest email info@ bowlsqueenstown.co.nz or text Wayne 027651661. When: Mondays, 22 January to 26 February, from 5.30pm Where: Queenstown Bowls Club, Queenstown Gardens

Twilight Hockey Wakatipu Hockey Club Twilight Hockey starts up again soon with registrations for the season open now. The competition season is on Tuesdays from 23 January to 2 April between 6pm and 9pm. It’s a mixed teams, half court hockey format played with 20 minute halves! Interested? Get a team together and register online at qldc.govt.nz/hockey

Teddy Bears Picnic Stand aside Santa, the number one day on any toddler’s calendar is fast approaching! The Summerdaze Teddy Bears Picnic is plenty of fun for kids of all ages, with everything from musicians and popcorn machines to fairies, face painting and bouncy castles. Again, this year there is a picnic in both Queenstown and Wanaka. It’s free to attend. Bring your favourite Teddy Bear, pack a picnic and join the fun. Koha donations to Plunket. When: Saturday, 27 January, 11am - 2pm Where: Queenstown Events Centre, Wānaka When: Sunday, 28 January, 11am - 2pm Where: Wānaka Dinosaur Park

If you would like your show, event, exhibition or meeting promoted in Goings On drop me a line at davidgibbs@qmg.co.nz with the details

Page 15

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Company says it’s made biggest NZ gold discovery in decades By RNZ

Australian Stock Exchange-listed company Santana Minerals is telling its investors, swathes of high-grade gold could rest beneath the remote farmland between the Bendigo and Dunstan Ranges in Central Otago. The Rise and Shine site, as part of the company’s 272sq-km Bendigo-Ophir Project near Cromwell, was marketed in an investor package this week as “the most significant single gold discovery in New Zealand in four decades”. It is estimated the site could yield between 100,000 to 150,000 ounces of gold each year - which would equate to a minimum of $325 million a year under current gold pricing. But it is still early days, with the mining permit pending and the resource consent application yet to be filed. “There is more gold in them there hills, as they say,” said chief executive Damian Spring, of Arrowtown. “It’s all come about because of the hard work and of course, good luck.” Spring said the development would boost the local economy by providing more local jobs. “A lot of that gold that’s produced will mean that we’re spending a lot of that money on salaries and wages in the region,” he said. “As part of our technical studies this year, we’ll try and start defining the numbers of people likely to be employed, the services we’re likely to engage locally and ultimately the value of those services and wages and salaries. And of course, there will be taxes and royalties that will also ﬂow back into the economy.

‘There is more gold in them there hills’

“So I think based on those sorts of numbers, broadly speaking, that this will be a project of regional significance and potentially national significance.” Spring said it aimed to have the resource consent application lodged with the Central Otago District Council and the Otago Regional Council by the end of 2024 - with environmental testing, feasibility and community consultation with groups like tangata whenua still to be carried out. The investor package described the government as “pro-mining” - and Spring said the repeal of the Natural and Built Environment Act in December allowed it to progress with certainty under known Resource Management Act processes. It also showed mining agreements had been reached with landowners at Bendigo Station, Ardgour Station and Matakanui Station. In 2020, Santana Minerals bought Matakanui Gold, which had exploration permits at Bendigo-Ophir, and drilling and infill drilling continued in 2021. Alluvial or gold-loose particles were first discovered at Bendigo during the Central Otago gold rush in 1862.

My Life Story

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Page 16

by Sue Fea

DEBBIE SWAIN-REWI

Supermum of six - Paying it forward Debbie Swain-Rewi’s life may have been an emotional rollercoaster that could’ve tipped many over the edge. Instead, it built resilience and instilled immense gratitude and compassion in a heart that’s still constantly pouring out to others. Born in Wellington to the teenage daughter of a Railway worker and adopted by a Blenheim optometrist and his wife, Debbie’s adoptive mother died in a boating tragedy when she was two. Her father, a hemophiliac, was her idol. “I couldn’t sit on his knee because of the bleeding so I’d stand beside his dining chair so he could hug me, and he’d read stories, and we’d watch TV.” Debbie’s dad owned three local optometry practices and her Nana moved in to care for her after her mum died. Sadly, her father died when she was 12, two years after remarrying. “The greatest lesson he taught me was to be grateful and never feel sorry for myself, to look outward and not inward.” At 13 Debbie’s stepmother sent her to St Bride’s boarding school in Masterton. After nurse aiding, she started enrolled nurse training in Nelson, including at a psychiatric and psychopaedic hospital. During seven years at Picton Hospital the nurses became accustomed to pushing the old Dodge ambulance to get it started. Debbie cashed in some of her father’s shares at 21 and did a solo 13-week trip around Europe where she experienced her ‘ﬁrst great love” - an American, igniting a lifelong passion for travel. Back in Picton, Debbie’s early political activist tendencies were emerging at 21, and she became local rep, and then national chairperson of the Enrolled Nurse’s Section of the NZ Nurses Association, also becoming Marlborough Branch chairperson, While chairing a conference in Invercargill in 1985 she met husband of 37 years Darren, marrying him the following year. Soon pregnant with Grant, life was a constant juggle with Debbie working at Southland Hospital. Baby Newton arrived 16 months later, born with a severe cleft palate that required surgeries until he was 22. She says she always wanted a big family and six weeks after Newton’s birth, she was deliberately pregnant with Vivian. Newton’s condition launched her into the emotional trail of ﬁnding her birth parents. “I assumed my kids would want to know if it was hereditary, but they never have.” Despite being vocally opposed to the point of calling National Radio’s George Balani nighttime talkback show in the early 1980s to protest the new Adult Adoption Act, Debbie found herself signing all the forms. “The woman

From left, Debbie, her birth mother Jennifer, and sisters Lisa and Anita, at brother Nigel’s wedding

handed me my birth certificate and I folded it back into the envelope and into my bag. “I’d seen the name ‘Kathleen’ and decided I must be my Auntie Kathleen’s child. I thought, ‘I’m not opening that can of worms’.” However, her birth mother had named her ‘Kathleen’. In 1990 Debbie met both of her birth parents, then her three full sisters and brother. “It was weirdly familiar. I’d studied psychology through Massey – nature and nurture. My sisters all sat the same way as me and we even had similar handwriting.” Two years later she and one sister had babies on the same day. By now they’d moved to Queenstown, Michael born soon after. Pene arrived two years later, followed by Thomas. Rent was $300 a week and there was no supermarket, so Debbie worked full-time as opening night manager at the Millennium Hotel. Weeks later she scored a job at Lakes District Hospital. She’d work Sunday night to Thursday on hotel nightshifts and three days at the hospital, with six kids. When the first weekend trans-Tasman flights arrived, she worked as a Customs officer too. After a stint at the Heritage, Debbie worked nights fulltime at the hospital “to be available for anything going on at school”. In her early 40s she also studied, commuting to Invercargill and gaining her Registered Nursing Degree, and Postgrad Diploma. This led to occupational health and launching her Mobile Industrial Health workplace health and safety business. She also worked part-time for Nga Kete on its Glenorchy Health Clinic. Funding ended eight years ago, and Debbie has continued this service voluntarily ever since. Debbie started a Wahine Ora (Women’s Health) group to improve health outcomes locally for Māori and worked as a smoking cessation coach. Last year she was a finalist in the Otago Inspirational Women Awards and has been a finalist twice in the Heart of the District Awards. Despite the challenges, the hardest thing she’s faced was Vivian’s cervical cancer diagnosis, aged just 28, and given a 30% chance of survival. Vivian fought courageously, running the Honolulu Marathon seven months after her treatment. About 12 years ago, and again during Vivian’s diagnosis, Debbie says she became acutely aware of racist attitudes towards Māori, and her kids, becoming a strong advocate for Māori health, developing the Te Whare Hauora Trust locally.

Debbie, at 21, during her travels on the canals in Venice – 1982

“Thanks to my kids’ experiences I now have immense empathy for Māori,” she says.

TRAIN YOURBRAIN CAPTION COMPETITION

SUDOKU 6

THE BEST DAMNED PIZZA IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT Comment in our facebook post your funniest Caption to be in the chance to WIN 1 x Double Pizza Voucher from Hell Pizza! Submit your entry by Sunday, prior to the last day of this edition (check dates on the cover).

“See the stone set in your eyes, See the thorn twist in your side” is a lyric from which song?

What is the instrument like a high-pitched flute, much used in military bands called?

What type of creature is a minke?

On which biblical character, noted for her dancing, did Oscar Wilde base a play in 1891?

Which word meaning “to boast” means “clothing” when read backwards?

Which number is between 16 and 19 on a dartboard?

Which cycle race awards the “King of the Mountains” title?

What is the word for a letter that is not a vowel?

CAPTION

Which musical direction means “softly”?

COMPETITION

RIDDLE What kind of band never plays music?

12. Who owned Winnie-the-Pooh?

19. What language of Belgium is almost identical to Dutch? 20. What type of amphibian has palmate and smooth species? 21. Who was Muttley’s partner in the cartoon series Wacky Races? 22. What name is given to the branch of fiscal studies relating to individual households?

2 Answers in next weeks LWB

11. What is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland?

18. Ina bulb of garlic, what is an individual section called?

10. Message in a Bottle was which group's first UK no.1 hit in 1979?

17. Which member of the Addams Family is a disembodied hand?

16. Which group had hits with Run and Chasing Cars?

9 1

15. A gatekeeper is what type of insect?

LWB QUIZ

14. What is the name of the Dr Seuss character who “hears a Who”?

3B Searle Lane www.hellpizza.com

13. What term is given to a female elephant?

hy this is w ..... and 't cast n id d y the tle The Lit me for id :( Merma

Winner of the last Caption Competition is Rebecca Fieldman Congratulations you won 1x Double Pizza Voucher from Hell Pizza. Collect your voucher from the LWB ofﬁce.

SUDOKU ANSWER

QUIZ ANSWERS:

24. Which fictional apeman was first played by Johnny Weissmuller in the 1930s?

25. What name is given to a person who studies the environment?

RIDDLE: A rubber band.

23. Which 1930s Brazilian actress was known for her fruit-laden headgear?

16 January 2024 - 22 January 2024

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Tit bits

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Page 18 SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCIES PEOPLE LIKE US ARROWTOWN ARE HIRING We are looking to include in our team 2 Front of House Positions Part or Full Time Bartender & a Full Time Waitperson. These roles are suited to people who enjoy being busy, looking after the locals & visitors to Arrowtown, along with learning & growing in the Hospitality Industry.

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

We have 2 busy restaurants with bars. We can give you the flexibility to work across 2 venues or chose a spot that best suits you.

NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon has been delayed until 2025

'La Rumbla' has a focus on a Modern Mediterranean shared menu, along with cocktails, an ever changing wine list & over 12 years of looking after our fans.

NASA has pushed back its timeline for the crewed Artemis missions that will send human beings back to the Moon. The first one, Artemis II, was supposed to take place later this year, but now it will launch in September 2025 to orbit the Earth’s satellite, with the landing mission, Artemis III, now planned for a year later in September 2026. NASA said the Artemis IV mission to take humans to the lunar Gateway space station in 2028 is still on track. The future missions are intended to “establish the foundation for longterm scientific exploration at the Moon” and “land the first woman and the first person of color” on its surface. The Artemis missions use NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, which was also subject to years of setbacks before NASA deemed it ready for duty. The Verge

'Slow Cuts' is our upbeat slow cooked meats, burgers, fresh salad approach to dining. We have an operating brewery on site, with a focus on beers, wines & fun. Both roles offer staff meals, tips, staff discounts & on going support. We have positions open for sponsorship as well as offering training to new people to the industry. Renumeration is based on experience, commitment & qualifications. We have crew that have gone from juniors to shareholders. So make your life happen! Please email your CV and a brief cover letter to pj@peoplelikeus.co.nz

“A sorry record:” World Bank warns of miserable decade The global economy of the 2020s will be more bleak — with sluggish economic activity, less trade growth and crushing borrowing costs — than the decade that preceded it. This is the new warning from the World Bank last week that says the global economy so far had its weakest performance in more than 30 years. Economic prospects appear much brighter than a year ago as the global inﬂation shock recedes without tipping the world into a recession. But growth is slowing, with threats from geopolitics and tightening credit conditions. “As the world nears the midpoint of what was intended to be a transformative decade for development, the global economy is set to rack up a sorry record by the end of 2024,” the World Bank said. Axios

“Starsky & Hutch” actor David Soul dies at 80 Born as David Richard Solberg in Chicago in 1943, Soul rose to fame in the 1970s when he starred as the blonde half of the crime-ﬁghting duo in the TV series “Starsky & Hutch.” The series inspired a 2004 ﬁlm starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Soul also released music albums in the 1970s and 1980s, which included his No. 1 single “Don’t Give Up on Us.” He later moved to the UK and became a British citizen in 2004.

ARROWTOWN Come and immerse yourself in the 1,500+ wines and spirits we stock and help us showcase the 100+ wines, gins, whiskies & spirits we have for tasting everyday with customers who come from all over the world.

Hollywood Reporter

Maui wildfires ruined personal treasures. A local jeweler is repairing items for free It was like finding a needle in a cindered haystack. Shelly Romo surveyed what was left of her Maui home in November — hoping to find her wedding ring, expecting to leave empty-handed. After three hours in the rubble, it finally appeared, the diamond unscathed but the band completely tarnished. Romo and her husband went straight to No Ka ‘Oi Jewelers — a local business that has been restoring fire-damaged jewelry free of charge. Maui has not been the same since August when wildfires hit, claiming 100 lives. It was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. For many, rebuilding has been a long, tumultuous and grief-stricken process. But one source of strength has been the support from the local Maui community. No Ka ‘Oi owner Omi Chamdi said he was one of the lucky ones — the fires had avoided his home and storefront. That’s why, Chamdi, immediately advertised free restorations. No Ka ‘Oi has restored over 150 pieces of jewelry so far and at least 300 more are in the works. NPR

Wine Sales Do you love wine and have enthusiasm for hospitality and retail with a great customer service attitude? You would bring additional value if you have experience at a cellar door, have your Duty Managers Certificate and/or WSET qualifications. Full Time (30-40 hours/week) and Part Time (15-30 hours/week) roles available.

Barista You may be an experienced Barista wanting to expand into wine, or a coffee and wine loving local who wants to work school hours. Full training can be provided, options for 15-40 hours, 2-5 days a week.

Enquire confidentially via email to manager@thewinery.co.nz or drop your CV into The Winery, 27 Ramshaw Lane, Arrowtown.

LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN | 16 January 2024 - 22 January 2024 Ph: 03 409 2800 enquiries@qmg.co.nz jobfix.co.nz

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VACANCIES

Housekeeping Attendant Responsibilities:

• Service and prepare rooms for guest arrivals • Organize linen and supply inventories • Clean common spaces and facilities • Maintain courtyards, garages, and walkways

What we are looking for: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with attention to detail and the ability to work effectively in a team. Strong physicality, with the ability to consistently complete 8 hours of physical work. Must be able to work a �lexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Increased starting wage with maintenance experience! What we offer:

• $26 an hour • A great work culture with �lexibility and respect • Staff Parking

Feel free to stop by with your CV and speak to David or Megan. Otherwise, all email enquires to: Megan, HR/Head keeper Housekeeper@theglebe.co.nz

PEOPLE LIKE US ARROWTOWN ARE HIRING We currently have positions available for Sous Chefs & Chef de Parties. Both roles will be suited to a person who is organised, has high standards and likes to be part of a very busy kitchen. Supporting the senior chefs with menu prep, along with training junior team members is all part of the role. If you have an eye for detail, are looking to develop both your cooking and professional skills, we can give you the flexibility to work across 2 venues or chose a spot that best suits you with both daytime and evening shifts available. 'La Rumbla' has a focus on a Modern Mediterranean shared menu, along with cocktails, an ever changing wine list & over 12 years of looking after our fans. 'Slow Cuts' is our upbeat slow cooked meats, burgers, fresh salad approach to dining. We have an operating brewery on site, with a focus on beers, wines & fun. Both roles offer staff meals, tips, staff discounts & on going support. We have positions open for sponsorship as well as offering training to new people to the industry. Renumeration is based on experience, commitment & qualifications. We have crew that have gone from juniors to shareholders. So make your life happen!

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Please email your CV and a brief cover letter to pj@peoplelikeus.co.nz

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Page 20 SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCIES

Queenstown Stopping Services are looking to hire TRAINEE PLASTERERS to join our team. If you would like to learn a trade with a progressive career and you meet the following criteria we would like to hear from you: Located in the heart of Arrowtown, The Fork and Tap is a vibrant, historic restaurant and gastropub that provides an array of New Zealand craft beers, excellent wine options and fresh, delicious food to match. We have just completed a renovation to our kitchen, dining room, garden bar and toilets.

DUTY MANAGERS & FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF - FULL TIME We are looking to ﬁll various roles, from fast paced learners to hospitality professionals. Your role will require you to give exceptional customer service as well as being knowledgeable about the various products we sell. Attention to detail and a drive to go the extra mile essential. Your role will be spread between working behind the bar, preparing drinks and taking food orders, to working on the ﬂoor, greeting/meeting customers, helping them to a table and delivering their food to them. What we can offer you: • Excellent Renumeration $26 - $29.66 depending on experience • Full Staff Meals & Drinks provided on shift. • Paid meal breaks. • 30% Discount when not at work There are 10 positions available. To apply send you CV and covering letter to hello@theforkandtap.co.nz

Housekeeper / Commercial Cleaner We require a cleaner to join our team. We are looking for a reliable and enthusiastic team player with great attention to detail. Oﬀering $29 - $30 per hour. Please apply by forwarding your CV to stay@alexisqueenstown.co.nz

• Be willing to commit to at least 2 years • Have a valid work visa or permanent residency • Have your own vehicle and full New Zealand drivers license. • Have a good work ethic and work well in a team. • Have a good level of physical ﬁtness to work in a fast paced environment

Sh�� Y�� Fu�� Wi�� U�

We are a well established local company with a sociable team and can oﬀer competitive hourly pay within the industry.

CHEF DE PARTIE

Please email your CV to queenstownstoppingservices@gmail.com

We have incredible opportunities in a variety of roles with shifts and hours that will suit whatever you are looking for across our 3 Queenstown properties.

EXECUTIVE CHEF – COPTHORNE LAKEFRONT RECEPTIONIST – NIGHT PORTER EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER – COPTHORNE HOTELS HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISORS FOOD AND BEVERAGE SUPERVISORS

Trade Counter Sales • • • •

Competitive wages Great company culture Fast-paced environment Full-time, long-term position with scope for career development

If you understand Service and have an exceptional work ethic then please get in touch. simon.ryder@harrisonbloy.co.nz or phone 0275 333 006

F&B ATTENDANTS - KITCHEN ATTENDANTS – ROOM ATTENDANTS

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Page 21 SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCIES Accounts Administrator Advertisement Lake Wānaka Tourism and Wānaka isite are looking for a motivated, solution focussed Accounts Coordinator to join our busy team which is dedicated to welcoming high contributing visitors to our region and assisting them in enjoying the amazing activities and experiences we have here. This is a diverse role with plenty of variety and flexible hours, including working school hours. Term: Part time – Permanent | Hours: 15-30 hours per week (flexible timing) Remuneration: Dependent on experience and skills What you’ll do: Provide timely accurate accounts support, including (but not limited to) processing accounts payable/receivable, banking, payroll, tax compliance, preparation of accounts to trial balance level, and financial reports for management/board needs. As a member of a small but busy team, this role may also be called on to support and assist with any other LWT activity as required. What you’ll need: • Level 2 NCEA qualifications or equivalent, with specific accounts qualification preferred. • Experienced in all aspects of accounts payable/receivable processing, payroll, banking and dealing with internal and external customers and suppliers • Preference given to candidates with some financial and/or management accounting exposure, and experience with ability to work unsupervised • Minimum intermediate level Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) • Experience in a wide variety of accounting, reservations and payroll software systems, including Xero and Ibis would be an advantage • A great sense of humour, positive can-do attitude and enjoy working closely with other team members, suppliers and business operators To apply send your CV and application letter to elaine@wanaka.co.nz. Applications close January 15th 2024

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Page 22 SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCIES Youth Worker Position

Are you an awesome people person?

Are you easy-going, FUN and good at making people feel welcome? Are you an OUTDOORSY-UP-FOR-ANYTHING kind of person? Do you like to INNOVATE and create? Can you organise and MAKE THINGS HAPPEN? Do you have experience working with YOUNG PEOPLE aged 10-18 and up to 24 years old? If so, then you could be the person EXTRAORDINAIRE that we are looking for to join our dynamic crew at Whakatipu Youth Trust Whakatipu Youth Trust is seeking a motivated, enthusiastic youth worker for a 40-hour-weekday, ﬁxed-term position commencing in February 2024. This is a 1 year Fixed – Term position, covering sabbatical leave.

• Ideally you will be experienced in working with and mentoring male youth in a one-to-one capacity, as well as, delivering outcomes-based programmes for young males. • You will have excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and a high level of computer literacy, self-management, and personal integrity. • Preference will be given to those who have a minimum of two years experience working with youth, a relevant qualiﬁcation, and a commitment to working in Queenstown. • Must have long-term secure accommodation in Queenstown. • A current full clean New Zealand driver’s license is essential, and you must be legally entitled to work in NZ. • Applicants should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa and be fully vaccinated for Covid-19. • Whakatipu Youth Trust is a child-safe organisation that are committed to following safe recruitment processes, including (and not limited to) police vetting. • Terms and conditions are negotiable for the right applicant. Check out what we do at www.whakatipuyouthtrust.org.nz. For a full job description and job application form, please email; Kirsty at info@whakatipuyouthtrust.org.nz Applications close on January 26th 2024.

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Page 23 SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCIES Gantley’s Tavern est. 1865

Exciting Part Time / Full Time job opportunities at Gantley's Tavern! If you're passionate about hospitality, thrive in a dynamic setting, and want to be part of our storied tradition, apply now!

• Duty Manager • Front of House • Baristas

• Sous Chef • Kitchen Hand

Email your CV to courtney@gantleystavern.co.nz

Central Drycleaning has a position available for immediate start:

FULL TIME EMPLOYEE Full training will be offered for the role. The tasks will include all aspects of the running of our business, garment pressing, loading and unloading of machines, sorting garments, packing customer orders. Customer service on our counter and collection and delivery via our van runs. The ideal candidate/s will have the ability to work in NZ. A current drivers licence would be beneficial in the roles. Successful applicant will receive excellent renumeration and other benefits supplied by Central Drycleaning Ltd. Apply to accounts@centraldrycleaning.co.nz

We are hiring!!!

Be part of our fantastic team

Positions available Experienced Chef full time and part time

Demi Chef Chef de Partie Waiter/Waitress Bar tender We offer: • GREAT REMUNERATION based on experience • Great guaranteed hours, 35-40. If you want more! Hours are available. If that is all you want it’s good with us too. • We are an accredited employer. • A fantastic working environment with opportunity to grow and learn.

Sales Representative Absolute Energy is a leading supplier and installer of insulation across the South Island. We have a vacancy for a Sales Rep based in Queenstown to cover the Queenstown, Wanaka, Central Otago and Otago regions.

Send your CV to: bookings@pedrosbythelake.co.nz 022 529 7221 | 021 115 3271

In this role you will be calling on builders on site to discuss their insulation requirements. You will be working alongside a small but closeknit team in a role in which your actions really make a difference. To be successful in the role you will need to demonstrate excellent communication skills and an ability to liaise with customers in a friendly manner. We will supply product training, a company car and competitive salary. Apply by sending a cover letter and CV to sales@absoluteenergy.co.nz or phone Peter on 027 500 4487 for a conﬁdential chat.

Qualified / Non-Qualified Relievers Wanted We are a well-established Preschool in the heart of Queenstown's CBD and we are looking to build our relief teaching team for 2024. If you are interested in teaching with us on an on-call basis then please send us your cover letter and CV to office@qpn.co.nz Applicants must either be a NZ citizen/ resident or have a current NZ work visa. Applicants must undergo a NZ Police and safety check by us.