Waimea Weekly - 3 April 2024

Waimea Weekly

Wednesday 3 April 2024

PH 544 4400

Summer sport wraps up

First Habitat homes for Richmond

ANNE HARDIE

Tony and Lou George had given up hope they would ever be able to buy their own home, but last week they were given the key for one of Richmond’s first Habitat for Humanity homes.

Four families moved into four of the five new homes built on Queen Street which are the very first to ever be built in Richmond as part of Habitat Nelson’s Progressive Home Ownership (PHO) programme. The fifth home has yet to have a family selected.

For Tony, Lou and their 12-yearold son Theo, the key to a home they will eventually purchase is “life changing”.

“The biggest thing is security,” Lou says. “When you’re stuck in that rental trap, you don’t know how long you will be there – our rental was going on the market.”

The couple and other families in the new homes will pay affordable rent for up to 10 years before they transition into buying their homes.

The rent they pay over the years,

less expenses such as rates and insurance, goes toward a deposit and Lou says their savings during that time and Kiwisaver will be added to it so they can then obtain a mortgage from a bank to buy it from Habitat Nelson at a price that is fixed now.

“We’ve been working really hard for years towards purchasing a home and had pretty much given up. Because of the way things are, the goal posts are moving constantly. Whereas this puts a target in place where the goal posts don’t change.”

The four families moved into their new homes during the Easter weekend, but Lou says they are already a community after spending weekends painting and landscaping their homes since September.

She says a team of about 15 friends and family helped paint the interior of their new home and some of Theo’s friends painted the skirting board up the stairs. It meant it already felt like home before they were officially given a key, she says.

Brianna Govier, 11, claimed top spot in the 2024 Snapper Cup junior category for her whopping 75cm long snapper caught in Tasman Bay. She also won top spot for longest trevally in the junior category. Photo: Supplied. Story on page 7.

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Families move in to Richmond’s Habitat homes

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“Because we have been a part of it, we feel more bonded to the house; it has a good vibe to it.

“There’s pride – somewhere you are proud to call home and it is everything you could dream of. We’re so lucky.

“It’s hard to put into words.”

Habitat Nelson has now built 43 homes across Nelson and Tasman with a further 10 planned before the end of 2024, though no more are planned for Richmond yet.

Habitat’s PHO programme accesses funding from a

$400 million investment managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD The PHO)

- Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga. Habitat Nelson’s other funding partners are the Rata Foundation and OneFortyOne, while local tradies and businesses discount or donate materials and time to build the homes.

Habitat Nelson then works with families on financial education by bringing in financial experts to share advice on mortgages, financial planning, budgeting and how to make the most of KiwiSaver.

Tony and Lou George with their son Theo, 12, get the key to their new home. Photo: Anne Hardie.

Surplus hops through downturn

ANNE HARDIE

At Holmdale Hops near Wakefield, the vines have been stripped of the aromatic crop that is now destined for breweries around the world.

It is Cameron Ealam’s seventh season harvesting hops after the family converted the former dairy farm to the crop and this year they are riding through the trough of the economic cycle.

Because of the trough’s lower returns, Cameron says they harvested about 70 per cent of the crop this year. The higher-priced varieties were harvested, dried in the kiln and sent to New Zealand Hops in Appleby where about 80 brewers from around the world converged to choose the best hops for their brews.

“We’re right at the bottom of the cycle now and it’s come down quite fast. There’s heaps of factors – the Covid hangover because brewers were sitting on stock they wanted to use up and that’s flowed through to affect demand. The global surplus at the moment is significant.

“We’re also seeing a change in beer trends with less alcohol consumption in general and people moving back to traditional lagers, low-carb beer and pilseners which use less hops than higher-alcohol per-

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centage beers which use more hops.

“Then there’s global inflation and less discretionary income for consumers. A lot of breweries are struggling worldwide in the current economic environment – no different to a lot of businesses.”

He expects there will be a contraction in the area growing hops in the next couple of years but says the market will bounce back.

“It tends to be a 12 to 14year cycle and we’re right at the bottom of the trough and hopefully climbing back sooner than later.”

He says one of the advantages

of New Zealand’s hops is the unique varieties it can offer brewers when there are some 300 varieties worldwide that they can buy.

“We’ve got some very good quality hops relative to the global crop. We just have to make sure we stay savvy.”

Though the market is down, Cameron says this year’s crop had a good-growing season, despite the impact of the drought at the tail-end of harvest.

“It was a short, sharp season with good maturity and quality and yields were variable by variety. But we got what we needed.”

Delving into the realm of home theatre systems, Tim Babbage, owner of Beggs Musicworks says having a proper sound system to complement a new or existing home visual setup is just as important. In today’s age, many people are increasingly investing in large TVs; 75 inches is now a common screen size. However, many overlook the importance of quality audio to complement such a display. Often, opting for inexpensive soundbars that are sometimes bundled with TV deals, these do not constitute a true home theatre system.

“They are not the same as a home theatre system,” says Tim. “There are some good ones out there that pack a punch, but they are a pricey piece of kit.” It’s about completing the job properly the first time he says. “If you want to watch movies, or sports, or stream your favourite tv show and be immersed in what is going on, you need a home theatre system! Why not do it once and do it right. Come to our purpose-built instore home theatre room, we will sit you down on the couch and give you a demo of what you could have installed at home, so you can experience the

sound as its meant to be.”

As a self-professed projector aficionado, Tim is a huge advocate for bona fide home theatre projectors. “And I mean a proper home theatre projector, not a data projector. These are two different animals and data projectors just don’t cut the mustard. To view something as it was intended, with colour and contrast, you need something grunty when it comes to delivering an authentic viewing experience.”

With longer nights ahead, and stocking products from the very best brands including Yamaha and NAD, speakers from the renowned Klipsch range, Kef, and PSB, along with top-tier projectors from Epson and Sony, now is the time to call in and talk to the team about what they can do. “We can sort you out with the complete package as well as install it for you to ensure the setup operates seamlessly.” Whether looking at a new-build install or retrofitting your home for a full multi-room home theatre experience, talk to the team that knows sound better than anyone, Beggs Musicworks on Hardy Street.

Cameron Ealam has finished harvesting the aromatic hop flowers or cones that will now head to breweries for this year’s brews. Photo: Anne Hardie.

Wakefield-Kohatu Highway crash

Motorists travelling on State Highway 6 near Wakefield were delayed following a crash last Wednesday. Police says it responded to the single vehicle crash around 7am and found the vehicle had collided with a power pole on Wakefield-Kohatu Highway, near Hoult Valley Road West.

Two people were injured. The road was blocked with diversions in place.

Lotto win for Richmond

One punter is more than $100k richer after a windfall in Lotto on Saturday night. One of six winning tickets to share in the first division prize was sold at Pak N Save Richmond. The ticket won the purchaser $166,667 in a draw that saw $17m up for grabs in the major Powerball draw. Powerball was not struck and rolls over to a $20m draw tonight (Wednesday).

Almost 100 cars of all shapes and sizes were out on the road as the local chapter of the Vintage Car Club celebrated their 60th anniversary. After driving out to Motueka on Saturday and a public display on Sunday, several drivers and companions also completed an optional tour of Golden Bay on Tuesday that saw them visit Collingwood, Bainham and Farewell Spit. Pictured is John and Lesley Barker as the rally got underway on Saturday, with Lord Nelson (Gordon Taylor) and club committee member Gordon Dacombe there to see them off.

Ranzau School turns red

Ranzau School turned red to support children with heart conditions.

The school’s community council, comprised of nine pupils from Year 5 and 6, held a successful ‘Red Wednesday’ fundraiser late last month to raise funds for Heart Kids New Zealand.

rope – different styles of skipping, to get their hearts working in the spirit of the heartthemed day.

“We have kids at our school with heart conditions, so we wanted to support it,” Jacob Flowerday, a member of the council, says.

“Each year we do something different and this year it was good to pick something that can help local kids,” council member Naomi Fryer adds. Red Wednesday involved all 102 Ranzau school pupils dressing in red, donating a gold coin to the Heart Kids cause, and trying fun activities such as jump jam – an aerobic-styled dance, and jump

“Jump jam and jump rope all are active and get you moving,” Year 6 student council member Vaiola Tapueluelu says. The student council is in charge of organising fundraising events such as this one, so they took the lead on Red Wednesday, making posters, advertising the event in the newsletter, and getting up in front of the whole school, dressed in bright red during assembly to inspire kids to take part in the upcoming Red Wednesday. Community council member Grace Kernot says the highlight of the day for her was doing jump jam to ‘Afro Circus,’ a popular song from the movie Madagascar. Dakota Yeoman says that for her the best part of the day

was taking part in the jump rope skipping contests which were run by the Student Sports Committee members, another active and vibrant group at the school.

The Daubney family donated cherry-flavoured Juicies which were sold on the day with all the proceeds going to Heart Kids New Zealand. “We had three buckets of money that we split into piles of $10,” Leo Bennett explains. “Then we added all the groups together to get that bucket’s total. We did that for all the buckets then added the total together to get our final amount.”

A representative from Heart Kids New Zealand will visit Ranzau School over the next few weeks to let them know exactly what the funds they have raised will be used for. “The day went really well, and it was really fun,” concludes council member Lily Quinney.

Ranzau School pupils, Micah Daubney, centre, with schoolmates from left: Dakota Yeoman, Luuk Woortman, Grace Kernot, Lily Quinney, Luciana Tapueluelu and Kailo Daubney, enjoying ‘Red Wednesday’ a fundraiser for Heart Kids New Zealand. Photo: Andrew Board.

Photo: Jack Malcolm.

Dam lucky for Nelson Tasman

ANNE HARDIE

The Waimea Community Dam begins releasing more water into the river this week in a drought that would have caused the river to go dry at the Appleby bridge and industries to scale back significantly without the dam.

At Nelson Pine Industries, executive director and chief executive Kai O Kruse says the impact of the drought on production would have been substantial, with sales lost and employees working less hours.

“Whereas now in a drought, we’re able to do our normal level of production.”

The plant employs about 275 full-time-equivalent employees and has four times that benefit in the community through associated work such as trucking ,which he says would have felt the impact.

“The dam was expensive, but necessary for the region.”

A smaller dispersing fixed-cone valve began releasing water from the dam in early March and Waimea Water chief executive says it has been doing a good job by itself by keeping

the Waimea River flowing at the required environmental levels and enabling water restrictions to be lifted in those areas benefiting from the recharged aquifers. This week the two larger valves will begin releasing water and he says they are designed to flush the river with a more significant amount of water.

“Before we opened the (smaller) valve we had pretty tough restrictions and it was about to get worse.”

Tasman District Councillor

Kit Maling is part of the Dry Weather Task Force and he says “we would be in big trouble” without the dam this year as the region continues to evade rain. While growers would be down to 30 per cent or less of their water allocation by now without the dam lifting river levels, he says Richmond would also be suffering.

“Richmond would be in a dire state and there could have been restrictions on businesses in the mall. People take water for granted until there isn’t enough.

New Zealand as a country has plenty of water, but what we don’t do is store it enough.

“We took a lot of criticism for

building this dam and the cost overrun was very painful. But you just have to look at our industries – they are all flourishing and they wouldn’t be able to operate without the dam. And they are big employers.”

Prior the dam releasing water for the first time in early March, water restrictions had been in place since late Decem-

ber in anticipation of the forecast dry weather, then ramped up to Phase E for residents in Richmond, Hope, Māpua/Ruby Bay and Redwood Valley. That meant water could only be used for essentials such as drinking, sanitation and stock. While the dam is now releasing water and there are no longer water restrictions for those areas, plus Brightwater and Hope,

it is a different story outside the dam’s recharge area. Wakefield is on Phase C water restrictions with water supplemented from the Brightwater supply and Eighty-Eight Valley is on Phase D due to extremely low levels of the Kainui Dam. The drought really hits home at Motupiko where a ‘cease take’ was imposed on consent holders on April Fool’s Day. The Wai-Iti zone has also had more restrictions imposed, moving to Stage 3, and Dovedale is on Phase D restrictions.

Despite the dam, nearly 30 per cent of irrigators on the Waimea Plains are moving back into water restrictions as the dry continues. Dry Water Task Force convenor, Kim Drummond, says unaffiliated users which are those landowners who did not purchase water shares in Waimea Irrigators Ltd, will move to Stage 1 which is a 20 per cent reduction. Unaffiliated users are mostly growers and a few farmers.

He says the data shows that unaffiliated users would have been subject to a ‘cease take’ a month ago if the dam had not begun to release water.

Nelson Pine Industries’ environmental advisor Deon Eden (left) and chief executive Kai O Kruse in the factory that is still in full production due to the dam. Photo: Anne Hardie.

Mother feels ‘let down’ by health system

GORDON PREECE

“I feel let down, I feel neglected in the sense of support and funding… despite my cries for help.” A Richmond mother has lambasted the public health system for declining her daughter swifter access to an assessment that would open doors to better treat her worsening ADHD, if the assessment is successful.

Samantha Downie’s 10-year-old daughter Olivia was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) inattentive, late last year, which causes her to have concentration difficulties. She says, since moving to Richmond from Hamilton in December with her five children for a “fresh start”, Olivia’s ADHD has aggravated.

“Her emotional response to things is very extreme, and she would often have maybe one or two meltdowns a day,” she says. “Any kind of interaction with her just consisted of screaming, melting down, very hysterical… sometimes she can be a little bit violent, like hurting her siblings.

“That was only on a minor scale when we were in Hamilton, and since we’ve been here, especially

during the school holidays and when she wasn’t at school, from the moment she wakes up to the moment she went to sleep, it was just chaotic.”

Samantha, who is currently on a benefit, says with Olivia’s condition and the struggles it entails, it impacts her ability to parent her children equally.

She says that Olivia has expressed she doesn’t want to be the way she is.

“As a mother that’s so hard to hear and you want to do everything you can to help your child… it’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Samantha says, she has desperately sought an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment for her daughter through the Paediatric department at Health New Zealand Nelson Marlborough for the past three months following referrals from her GP and letters from social workers.

She says if an assessment confirms an ASD diagnosis, Olivia will have access to more specialised support.

“I’ve rung [Paediatrics], and I’ve been literally crying on the phone to them that since we had moved down here... [Olivia’s] behaviour

has deteriorated and things were quite bad, and I was told there was ‘nothing we can do’,” she says.

“Unless Olivia becomes a harm to herself or is at a higher crisis point, our triage won’t change, and I pretty much have to keep hassling [Paediatrics] until hopefully they click and say, ‘we’ll see her sooner’.”

Samantha says an ASD assessment was booked while the family were still living in Hamilton, following recommendations by a child psychologist.

The family had moved to Nelson before the assessment could take

place because Samantha found a house sooner than expected.

“The impression that I was under was that [the assessment] would be transferred.

“But we got put back on the waiting list… because we were now under a different DHB, and it was [going to be] a year to a year and a half wait to be seen by the Paediatrics team.”

Samantha says she received information from Paediatrics on Wednesday last week that Olivia could not be assessed until she was seen by the Child Development Service (CDS), which

she says would still be a 12 to 15 month wait. Samantha says following her unsuccessful attempts to get an ASD assessment her last gasp is via a private service, which would cost close to $3000. Nelson Marlborough group director operations hospital specialist services, Lexie O’Shea, says paediatric resources and wait times are a challenge across New Zealand and it acknowledges the pressures patients, whānau and staff face.

“Health workforce shortages are a global issue, and the Nelson Hospital paediatric department does feel the impact of a shortage in allied clinical staff who are integral to the assessment processes.

“Every case is reviewed, and our staff work to ensure that those with urgent requirements receive services first.

Lexie says current service specifications for the Child Development Service do not include ADHD where this is the only diagnosis.

Samantha has launched a Givealittle page to raise funds for a private ASD assessment. To donate visit - givealittle.co.nz/ cause/help-my-lulu-get-thehelp-she-deserves

Richmond mother Samantha Downie feels let down by the health system as she battles to get her daughter Olivia, left, an assessment that could lead to better treatment. Photo: Gordon Preece.

Brianna lands the big one in Snapper Cup

SARA HOLLYMAN

Brianna Govier is still reeling after claiming two of the top prizes at the Dawnbreakers Snapper Cup 2024 fishing competition.

The 11-year-old avid angler was targeting snapper in Tasman Bay when she reeled in a 55cm long trevally, the first she has landed. What followed was a 75cm snapper, which would ultimately claim her the top prize in the junior category for longest fish.

More than 300 fish were landed by over 100 anglers for the annual Snapper Cup hosted by Dawnbreakers Fishing Club.

Club fishmaster Gareth Nicholson says an impressive 325 fish were entered over the fishing weekend, which took place from 8-10 March.

He says a new format proved successful with anglers able to submit photos of their catch through The Daiwa Tournament App instead of presenting for weigh-in. This had the double benefit of allowing a catch and release, as well as enabling the extension of the fishing boundaries to incorporate Golden Bay.

“The fish were certainly on the bite and it didn’t take long on the water to have a few snapper to enter into

the competition,” Gareth says.

“Overall, 325 fish were entered by the 109 anglers taking part – this is great going considering there was a limit of three snapper that could be entered per angler.”

He says the average length of snapper entered was just over 54 cm.

“Which shows what awesome condition the stocks in the bay are currently. Other than snapper, there were plenty of gurnard, kahawai and trevally entered. Kingfish were difficult to come across over the weekend, but a few anglers still managed to get one to the boat.”

Close to 150 people joined for the prize-giving dinner at the Trafalgar Centre at the end of March.

Gareth says the trifecta category was an exciting new addition this year, providing an opportunity for the “real fisherfolk” to show off their skills. The category was awarded to the longest combined length of three species that had to include a snapper, kahawai and one other species of choice.

The adult’s section was closely contested with Kevin Bannan walking away with the honours for his 80.5cm snapper, which was the longest of the tournament. His prize included a Furuno fish

finder and transducer, a Daiwa rod and reel combo, and a Black Magic tackle pack valued at over $5000. Hot on his heels in second and third place were Angela Govier and Steven Epiha with 79 cm and 76.5 cm snappers. A coin toss was needed to determine who was closest to average length snapper in the adult’s section, between John Hawkins and

Jason Elvines. Luck fell the way of Jason, who walked away with over $2000 worth of prizes from Marahau Marine, Honda and Black Magic.

Lisa Lamb claimed the trifecta win for a snapper, kingfish and kahawai with a combined length of 206cm.

Species category prizes were awarded to Otis Dell, Brad Eggers,

Lisa Lamb, and Mike Inwood for the longest gurnard, kahawai, kingfish and trevally respectively. Gareth caught the longest snapper from a kayak with a 73cm fish. While Brianna landed the longest snapper, Bree Dell took out the junior trifecta category with a snapper, kahawai and kingfish.

Max Harwood and Bradley Elvines took home prizes for 2nd and 3rd longest snapper, while the closest to average length snapper was awarded to Myah Burnett.

The longest kingfish caught by a junior went to Ash Walzl while Bradley, Bree and Brianna all featured again in the category prizes for longest gurnard, kahawai and trevally respectively.

Gareth says the event wouldn’t be possible without sponsors who combined to create a prizepool valued at more than $20k.

Major sponsors included Hunting and Fishing Nelson/Richmond, Furuno ENL, Daiwa and DNA boats.

“Over thirty other local business sponsored and supported this event as well. Please visit the Dawnbreakers Fishing Club’s Facebook page to see the list and support these generous businesses in return.”

Brianna Govier and mum Ang with just two of the snapper they reeled in for the Snapper Cup 2024. Photo: Dan Govier.

Brightwater Scouts back after a lengthy absence

ELOISE MARTYN

After numbers dwindled during Covid-19 times, forcing Brightwater Keas, Cubs, and Scouts to join in with the groups at Wakefield or Enner Glynn, Jezz Dunlea is pleased to announce that Brightwater Scouts is back with the doors open for any girls or boys who are interested in participating.

“We had a successful opening day at the end of last year which saw a lot of community support,” Brightwater Scout leader and co-ordinator Jezz says.

“From that we have been running a weekly session in Brightwater at the same time for all the girls and boys, regardless of age.” Jezz got into scouts with her daughter Siena, and became a leader six years ago.

“It’s a great thing to do with your children and we have some neat experiences to be shared,” Jezz adds. This year the group of 14 participants aged 5-11

years old have been focusing on getting out and about.

“We have learned about water safety at the Aquatic Centre, we have been to the Brightwater fire station, Land Search and Rescue have shown us river and bush safety, we have had bike safety sessions and we are planning an up-and-coming big hike as well as hopefully visiting the Coastguard. And as a group, we will be focusing on community engagement,” Jezz explains. Alongside Jezz, long-time leader and Scout’s advocate Blair Tomlinson facilitates the Brightwater sessions.

“It’s great to be able to bring scouts back to Brightwater and we welcome girls or boys that are interested to see what we are up just to call in,” Jezz says.

Brightwater Scouts meet every Monday, during term time, at 4.30pm at the Scout Den, Charlotte Lane, Brightwater.

Left to right from rear, Allan Lockyer, Jezz Dunlea, Ruby Stout, 10, Hope Olliver, 6, Fyfe Robertson 7, Quinn Dann 7, Silvia Jamieson 9, Declan Heenan 10, Faraday Hayes 6, front left, and Attacus Hayes 7, have been enjoying coming together every Monday evening at the Brightwater Scout Den now that Brightwater Keas, Cubs, and Scouts are back up and operating since Covid-19 saw numbers dwindle. Photo: Eloise Martyn.

Climate concern sparks Des to pen new book

GORDON PREECE

Des Casey is set to launch a book to drive environmental issues, particularly the climate change conversation, in workplaces. The retired mental health worker says for many years he has been concerned about the changes happening in the natural world, and in recent years he had thought about climate challenges and looked back at how they related to his working life.

After jotting down his thoughts and compiling 14 essays about how more people can manage climate change impacts, his book Nature’s Future Our Future will launch at Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Centre in Stoke on 4 April at 5:30pm Des, who lives in Nelson, says the book will provide employers and employees in all industries an avenue to raise their awareness of how climate change and other environmental issues are connected to workplaces.

“The book is about closing that gap

between what we do in work, and what is happening in the natural world. There’s a lot of people who are concerned about what’s happening in the natural world and what’s happening to nature,” he says.

“There’s more and more awareness of what we should or shouldn’t be doing. Eight of the 14 essays are examples of different occupations and how they could set about creating a movement of change in both the thinking and activity around managing climate change, and the environmental challenges generally.”

Des says his additional hope for the book would be for people or organisations who lead occupations to come out publicly to people within their workplaces that there is an environmental crisis and the need to address it is urgent. “I think if that started to happen more, the challenge would then go out to political, economic, and commercial systems.”

Māori gravel soil of Waimea West

ROBYN PARKES

In 1924, Mr Rigg of the Cawthron Institute, after completing a study of the soils of Waimea West, spoke in awe of the “Māori gravels”. This consisted of an area of soil approximately 1000 acres in extent, which was specially prepared for kumara growing by Māori during their occupation of Waimea West. Well-defined areas of this soil occurred both sides of the Waimea River, extending on the west side of the river for several miles from the Waimea bridge to the vicinity of Brightwater. In the preparation as kumara pits the land was dug, and large quantities of sand and fine gravel were removed. This was spread over a loamy soil which was the natural topsoil of Waimea West. During the spreading of the material or at a subsequent date, large gravels were removed, leaving sand and fine gravel of very uniform particles.

The formation of this soil was thought to have extended over a long period, for a good depth was finally gained by repeated spreading of sand on the land.

Rigg made a point of raising the fact that, when it was remembered that the work was performed by hand labour and that 1400 tons of sand and gravel were spread on every acre of land, a good idea

could be obtained of the magnitude of the work undertaken by the Māori population. The soil was dark in colour and was valued for its fertility by the settler farmers of the land.

Other sandy soils in the vicinity did not possess the same properties. An examination of the gravel soil made by members of the Cawthron Institute staff in the chemical laboratory revealed the fact that the dark colour of the soil was due to the presence of charcoal, with amounts of phosphate and potash being unusually high. This, they felt, was due to Māori using large quantities of wood or other vegetable matter on the surface of the land.

Together with lime compounds the combination was highly beneficial for the growth of kumara. The soil remained one of the richest soils in the district and

Stop cuts to disability services

I have received lots of correspondence around the issue of the sudden and unfair changes to disability allowances for some of our most vulnerable families – my thanks to everyone who wrote to my office or got in touch on Facebook to raise this important issue.

Ever since changes to funding flexibility for disabled people and their carers were quietly made and implemented earlier this month, the disabled community has been rightly angry and upset.

Lots of people have been in touch with me who are anxious about what these changes mean for them and their families now that they can no longer access services that were previously funded. For many, caring for somebody with a disability is a 24/7 job and this funding is the only thing that allows them to access the services they need.

This government has its priorities all wrong – it has offered tax breaks to landlords while narrowing people’s access to disability funding. The government must act immediately to fix this mess and reinstate funding flexibility for carers and the disabled community.

showed the knowledge and skills of Māori concerning agriculture, and how they could obtain maximum results from the soil.

The pits were still very visible at this time, and the enormous extent of the work carried out by Māori before colonisation was clear to see.

The pits were from three to six or seven feet deep. Four layers of soil were found in each pit, being: layer 1 – fine gravelly sand, layer 2 – loam, layer 3 – fine sand, layer 4coarse sand.

A final examination determined that, “The soil which the Māori made, from the point of view of texture, drainage, and underlying loam, met exactly the specifications of American experts for the sweet potato crop and the Māori gravel showed that the ancient Māori had fulfilled to the letter all conditions essential for obtaining maximum results from the soil.”

Kumara, traditional Māori kai. Photo: Supplied.

Des Casey says his soon-to-be-released book will enable employees and employers to gain a better grasp of climate change and other environment issues. Photo: Gordon Preece.

Making time for kindness

ELOISE MARTYN

Getting caught up in the busyness of our fastpaced lives can lead us to be disconnected, so Richmond-based Roberta Schneider is doing something about it by encouraging locals to bring mindfulness and kindness into their jam-packed lives.

Being mindful means having your mind on what you are doing in the present moment with awareness. Awareness of your thoughts, feelings, body and what is going on around you. It’s the opposite of rushing or doing too many things at once.

Taking into consideration the challenges of our fast-paced lifestyles, Roberta has been offering locals free opportunities to connect and be mindful together to improve overall well-being.

“Kindfulness has worked so well for me, and that’s why I thought other people could benefit from the same experience,” Roberta says, “This inspired me to create informal opportunities for people to stop, read, talk, and reflect about what they are going through in their lives, using excerpts from research studies on mindfulness.”

Roberta has been practicing yoga and meditation for a long time. Last year she started a course on Kindfulness - Integral Mindfulness and Emotional Harmony

“It focuses on self-development, development of virtues, constructive emotions, and the awareness of the neuropsychological structures that connect to these experiences,” Roberta says,

“It’s been helping me to dive deep into understanding who I am and how I relate to others. Reminding me all the time that living in the auto-pilot mode isn’t living. I’m training, so I can improve and support others.”

Roberta says that due to our hectic lives it’s easy to disconnect from who we are, and it’s a common tendency to avoid negative emotions and feelings.

“We should observe our emotions, including the negative ones, and in that way, we can start to create new ways to deal with them. Emotions we can’t deal with will often reappear again and again. Once you start to understand yourself and these emotions better, you will develop the ability not to react, and instead, deal with them with kindness, compassion, and more confidence,” Roberta says. However, for ‘new ways’ to work, it takes time and commitment, and that is why Roberta has been offering free ‘mini events’ “We have been meeting in the Washbourne Gardens, reading and talking about how we are doing. We do a couple of short mediation practices too,” Roberta explains,

“When sitting and sharing, we see others’ challenges and can relate: ‘Oh, let’s think of ways to overcome this’. The simple practice of shortly stopping, breathing and feeling how our bodies can teach us a lot.”

Those interested in connecting can email be.mindful.sharing@gmail.com

Adrienne Leng, left, has been making a conscious decision to bring mindfulness and kindness into her life via free mini Richmond-based events that Roberta Schneider has been hosting. Photo: Eloise Martyn.

Cranking up the machinery show

Great place. Very interesting and well run. Thanks folks.

Roy Stevens

Carcasses, contractor waste dumped at rivers

Nobody cares about anyone else any more. It’s all about them. It’s a sick, sad world we live in.

Karen Reeve

Dump fees ridiculous, should be lowered.

Kaye Hill

This is what happens when tipping fees get

prohibitive. Nobody listens or can relate to the problem… The silence from the elected officials is deafening.

Dave Roberts

Stopbank cycleway could cause ‘bloody havoc’

The cyclists can’t stay on the track now so why do the council think a gate will stop them .I’ve heard they cross the farm now, is it going to take someone to get hurt, either a cow or a cyclist… Tasman council listen to what the people are telling you for once in your life. Don’t listen to someone who wants to make it easy for himself where the cycle track is concerned.

Annette Mckenzie

Literally why not just fix up the existing dirt road there?

Ari MacKay-Hererahi

What nonsense. Cows are not stupid, they love something different. I’ve seen them crossing roads on West Coast and they are inquisitive and interested in what’s going on and soon get used to new stuff.

Bryce Buckland

Keep the cyclists away from work-

What’s On

Plant Sale @ Richmond Campus

Saturday, 6 April, 9am-12pm

390 Lower Queen Street

ing farms.

Janelle Thorpe

There will be no privacy once bikes start.

Darryl John

Teen whips up soft serve success

Well done, hope it goes well for you. You’re an inspiration to kids your age.

JaniceMike Bonner

Nice one, Caleb! Great entrepreneurial spirit!

Fran Beullens

Caleb Thomson you are going to do a wonderful job heading into the future as a Mr Whippy driver.

Elliot Wood

Love your style, Caleb! You’ve got the entire town raving about you! I don’t have to tell you to keep up the great work. The world is at your feet.

Katrına Smıth

Very inspiring story and great model to young generations. More success to your business!

Mary Camille Figueroa Meria

Impressive young man taking charge of his life. Fantastic to see, great parenting has

Have your say:

set him up for a successful future. Good job.

Lynne Donald

What a wonderful story to wake up to on a Saturday morning! This is absolutely brilliant, Caleb. I applaud you loudly for having a “can do” attitude. Congratulations. Coso Stretch

Upskilling staff makes positive difference

Well done, Jess Paewai!! Proud of you

Cheree Baigent

As it’s ‘nature’s natural planting season’, it’s great time for getting some plants in the ground. We have a huge selection of natives, including kaka beak, ringaringa, and ake ake. Vegetables, ornamentals, and fruit trees, including tamarillo, grapes, apples, pears and blackcurrant. Natives as low as $3, and a giveaway table as well.

Nelson Giants vs Wellington Saints

Saturday, 6 April, 3pm Rapid League, 4pm, SALS NBL

Trafalgar Centre

Strap yourself in, there’s even more Kiwi basketball coming your way next year. Tickets from: https://giants.flicket. co.nz/

Willow Bank Heritage

Village – Open Day

Sunday, 7 April, 10-3pm

Willow Bank Heritage Village

Childrens suitcase market, barter and sell market, Victorian school experience, cinema experience, dress up and look the part, Victorian fair and lots more. $7 per adult / $3 per child. Eftpos available.

Life’s a peach

I’m Togo, a 50kg American bulldog. Mum says I should be ‘named and shamed’. This year our blackboy peach tree provided the goods. The branches were so heavy that some peaches dropped on the ground. It didn’t take me long to find them, and boy were they delicious. I couldn’t quite get to the ones up high though.... But last week mum and dad decided it was time to pick all the peaches ready to make some juice and preserves over Easter Weekend. What a waste of perfectly good peaches! I couldn’t let that happen so I broke into the kitchen and ate all three supermarket bags full. Now my poops are purple and full of pips. Mum’s counted about 50 so far. Totally worth it though. Mum won’t let me out the back to the tree now, so I sit and whine at the door. I think I’m addicted. I can’t be the only one though? Send your naughty dog pics to sara@topsouthmedia.co.nz

Photo: Supplied.

Indulge the Healthy Way

Revolutionising low sugar alternatives

In the world of condiments where sweetness often reign supreme, a local food production business, Jok’n’Al, emerges as a market leader in innovation and health consciousness. Originally founded in the late 1990s by John and Alison Howie, the brand has revolutionised the market by bringing a range of low-sugar alternatives to the jam spreads, pickles, condiments, savoury sauces, and toppings sector.

In November 2022, a new chapter began when Bunga Krataitong acquired the business from John and Alison upon their retirement. With a background in the food sector, including ownership of eight eateries across the top of the South regions, Bunga brings a fresh perspective and energy to the business. Jok’n’Al was born out of necessity when John, who was diagnosed with diabetes, found the available products with low sugar content to be limited. Determined to fill this gap in the market, John and Alison embarked on a journey to create delicious yet diabeticfriendly jams and sauces.

Over the years, Jok’n’Al gained recognition for its commitment to quality and innovation of low-sugar condiments.

It’s been a happy handover as Bunga Krataitong takes over the helm of Jok’n’Al from John and Alison Howie, as Bunga shares their vision and enthusiasm for providing healthy food options.

For Bunga, the ethos of the business resonates deeply, particularly in light of her late husband Nuttavut’s own battle with illness. As they searched for lowcarb and low-sugar alternatives during his journey, they discovered John and Alison’s products, which aligned perfectly with their vision for healthier yet flavourful options. “We thought all of the products

were amazing,” says Bunga. “I loved what John and Alison had done.” Bunga saw Jok’n’Al not only as a business opportunity but also as a means to honour Nuttavut’s memory by continuing to offer products that promote wellness and indulgence in equal measure. Despite being a newcomer to manufacturing, Bunga acknowledges the invaluable guidance and support

provided by the couple as she navigates the intricacies of the sector. Alison explains that having Bunga take on the business was a relief. “It is wonderful to have someone on board with the same enthusiasm for the product that we have, and I feel the business is in very good hands. We hoped that the original concept and vision would continue when we retired, and with Bunga we feel that it has. Her whole philosophy and outlook resonates with our vision of providing healthier products for the market.”

The products are distributed worldwide, both online and through selected stockists, and the team continue to collaborate on refining and expanding the product range while staying true to Jok’n’Al’s commitment to quality and health consciousness. One exciting development is an introduction of a new line of Asian sauces with the same concept in mind. Additionally, Jok’n’Al offers a wholesale range of fillings for bakeries, further diversifying its offerings beyond the existing products. Never straying from the essence of the brand, Jok’n’Al is undergoing a refresh of its label but the products remain truly flavourful.

Sunday 7th April 12:30 vs Coastal Spirit

Sunday 28th April 12:30 vs Cashmere Technical FC

Sunday 19th May 12:30 vs Ferrymead Bays FC

Saturday 8th June 12:00 vs

Sunday 23rd June 12:30

Sunday 14th July 12:30

Sunday 21st July 12:30

Sunday 11th August 12:30 vs

City Royals FC

United FC

Sunday 25th August 12:30 vs Christchurch Utd

Nelson Suburbs will play their first home game of the season against last season’s third place side Coastal Spirit on Sunday April 7. A list of all Suburbs home games for the season can be seen on this page.

The team will again be coached by Neil Connell and Ryan Stewart, alongside goalkeeping coach Andy Gallagher and managed by Johnny Green and Matt Stringer.

The season starts on Friday March 29 (Good Friday) with a game away to last season’s bottom side FC Twenty11, where the team will look to get off to a positive start.

There are several new faces added to the squad this year, along with NBS Nelson Suburbs Academy players Charlie MartinHine, Brock Cotton, Ziggy Creswell and Austin Jeffree looking to gain Southern Football League experience.

Returning players this season are captain Alex Ridsdale, Jordan Yong, Lucas Hogg, Josh Moffat, Jack Carter, Seb Hickman,

Josh Creswell, Lennon with Matt Wesney-Hurtado alongside last season’s Goodyer, Connor Goody Nelson Suburbs has also to the squad with experienced Nic Van Hattum coming who sustained a bad injury Also returning later in the McPhie who is still recovering break from last season. also joins to give the squad experience, as Sammy to play local football, Chester from Ferrymead Bays last season.

International players add including Samoan international Mariner, Canadian Spencer American Trevin Myres Island FC in Dunedin, Barrau will add pace to

JOSH CRESWELL

JACK

CHARLIE CUFF

HENRY AITKEN

KILLIAN BARRAU SPENCER BARBER

JOSH MOFFAT

TREVIN MYERS

NOAH PLATT ALEX RIDSDALE

Lennon Whewell, Alex Ward, Wesney-Hurtado and Henry Aitken season’s Academy players Liam Goody and Noah Platt. also been busy adding experienced goalkeeper coming in for Corey Wilson injury over summer. the season will be Ross recovering from a leg season. Defender Cory Vickers squad some good Sammy Ayres has departed Chester Gaskin returns where he played add to the squad, international Dauntae Spencer Barber and Myres who joins from Green and Frenchman Killian to the attack. Samoan

International defender Taine Wilson will also join the squad later in the season.

Co-coach Neil Connell says he is excited to start another Southern League campaign, “We have a good squad of experienced and exciting youth players. As always the aim is to try and qualify for the National League and to split last year’s top two - Christchurch Utd and Cashmere Technical - which will be no easy task. We are as always proud and excited to bring top level football to the region and look forward to having good support at all our home fixtures.”

A huge thank you goes out to our principal sponsor GRACO and to all our other Gold sponsors Mac’s Beer, Hardy’s Bar and TAB, Lotto Sports NZ, as well as MS Ford, McDonalds (Nelson), NZME, Peter Ray Homes, Miki D’s Gym, Johnston Associates, The Physio Institute and Copy Press. We also thank all our other club sponsors for your continued support.

CONNOR GOODY

JOHNNY

NIC VAN HATTUM

LUCAS HOGG MATTHEW WESNEY HURTADO

DAUNTAE MARINER

ROSS MCPHIE

LIAM GOODGER

CORY VICKERS ALEX WARD

LENNON WHEWELL

JORDAN YONG

Prepare for a great retirement at local expo

The 2024 Positive Aging Expo, set to be held at Headingly Centre, off Lower Queen Street in Richmond, on Saturday April 6, is an exciting collaboration between the Tasman District Council, Nelson City Council, the Positive Aging Forum, Age Concern and Ministry of Social Development. Operating between 10.00am and 2.00pm, the event will showcase the recreational, health and social services available in the region to help make ageing a positive experience.

‘Prepare for a Great Retirement’ is the focus for this year, with organisers saying it’s all about equipping people with the knowledge and tools to make the most of their golden years. The purpose of the Expo is to bring people together, find ways to connect with community groups and discover new ways to help each other, while the overall aim is for everyone to improve their personal wellbeing. As an annual event, the Expo offers the opportunity for members of the community to engage with organisations and service providers. Visitors can expect over 70 stalls and services on display, mainly from community organisations, including activities information from health services and many more, where people can learn about various resources that can enhance well-being during retirement.

The Positive Ageing Expo is a wonderful event that has been running since 2008, which celebrates the golden years and provides valuable resources for retirees. Throughout the day, there will be chances to try new activities and participate in demonstrations. Whether it’s a fitness class, a hobby workshop, or an education session, there is guaranteed to be something that piques everyone’s interest.

Hosted by Tasman District Council and attracting about 2,000 people each year, there will be opportunities throughout the day to take part in demonstrations, including Car Fit demonstrations showcased outside, throughout the day, Pickle Ball demonstrations

throughout the day, a onehour Tai Chi demonstration, ‘How to ride your bike’ workshops which will teach people how to ride their bike safely - from using gears and brakes to ensuring the bike fits them correctly. A half hour session on researching local history will be held in the Elm Room followed by a 20 min CLM –Green Meadows fitness demonstration at 11:30, and a 20 min Nelson Marlborough Primary Health fitness demonstration. Flu shots will be available throughout the day in the Totara Room.

Retirement isn’t just about slowing down, it’s about embracing new opportunities, staying connected, and thriving. So mark your calendar and

join the Positive Ageing Expo to explore what awaits you in this exciting phase of life!

The expo aims to celebrate everything that’s great about growing older, and provide opportunities for older residents to stay active, connected, healthy and happy. It’s gearing up to be a fun day out for anyone in the over-50s age bracket!

Be sure to head along this Friday and discover recreational, health and social services that can help you live your life to the full.

Admission is FREE, with complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits provided. Lunch is available for purchase. To find out more, visit www.tasman.govt. nz or head to the event’s Facebook page.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters accuse each other of aggression

RNZ

A group holding pro-Palestinian rallies in Nelson has taken a complaint to the police about alleged aggressive behaviour from a counter-protest.

Te Tau Ihu Palestinian Solidarity Network of Whakatū Nelson has been holding weekly pro-Palestinian protests for four months.

Members say they are being targeted by a group of pro-Israeli protesters, largely made up of Destiny Church members.

Zoe James from the Palestinian Solidarity Network said they were calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine, and for the human rights of the people of Palestine to be protected.

She said their protests had been plagued by the presence of counter-protesters, who she believed were primarily Destiny Church members, and they were increasingly being verbally and physically intimidated.

“We have many elderly and some children in our group, and

we wish to protect them from intimidation and infiltration from the counter-protester group, but over the last four weeks these protests have become increasingly more aggressive.”

She said they had raised concerns with the police on several occasions and had now lodged a

formal complaint.

The organiser of the pro-Israeli rally, Martin Daly, denied the group were acting aggressively.

Daly said his group did involve members of Destiny Church, but also many others.

He said the rallies were intended to give a counter to the pro-Pal-

estinian rally’s view, and were calling for the release of Israeli hostages.

Daly said his group was non-violent.

“When our guys do the haka it seems to fire a bit of a physical response from the pro-Palestinian groups, who start leaning

and and pushing and shoving the guys trying to do the haka.”

Daly said he had been spoken to by the police about the conflict between the two groups, and agreed to keep his group on the other side of the street in future.

In a statement, a police spokesperson said they followed up with organisers involved in the protest action in Nelson CBD on 23 March.

“While recognising the lawful right to protest, police also recognise the rights of those working and visiting the city centre go about their lawful business and draw the line when the safety of those involved, and the public, are put at risk and thoroughfares are obstructed.

“ The Nelson public deserve better than a repeat of some of the behaviour witnessed on Saturday.

“Police have discussed potential changes with leaders of both groups, and given advice on how to protest safely and legally to ensure a similar incident is not repeated.”

Protesters in Nelson calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in January. Photo: Paul John Brennan.

HOW TO MAKE

3. I can get wetter as I dry. When you need to shower, hang me up to dry.

4. Give me a tap and I can give you some suds. I can come in handy if you are covered in mud.

1. I have four legs and no feet. When you are tired, I can give you a seat!

5. This is a flat box that holds colors and sounds. In the living room, it can usually be found.

6. When you are hungry, give me bread. I can turn the bread into toast so you can be fed.

2. Tall and thick, all homes have me. To get me open, you might need a key. ANSWERS: 1) chair, 2)

Busy night for Speedway at Easter Champs

JODY SCOTT

A big field of Super Stocks headlined a busy night of competition for the Easter Championships at Milestone Top of the South Speedway.

The return of Brett Nicholls in his new car was the feature as he dominated the night with two wins and an 8-point buffer to claim victory in his first outing in nearly a year.

It was a top line-up with Shane Harwood back in his old car and former NZ champion Brendan Higgins jumping into the 693n machine, as well as a few visiting drivers boosting the numbers.

Callum Russ had composure to win the first heat as Nicholls acclimatized to the new car, Russ claiming 2nd overall with visiting driver Jake Berry finishing in 3rd. The Youth Ministocks had the spill of the night, Eli Gare having nowhere to go when a car spun out in from of him sending him up and over.

It was a good night for Conley Webley who took away the Easter title to back up the King of the Coast title he won the previous day in Greymouth. Locky Taylor won a run-off for

2nd and 3rd from Andre Musgrove.

Vaughan Cornelious snuck home by a point from Dave Leitch in the Production Saloons, Eddie Frans a further point back to claim 3rd overall.

The Streetstocks had tied points for the lead going into the final heat, Ryan Musgrove relieved when fellow points leader Steve

Soper parked up early in heat three.

Musgrove was happy to take the win from Harry Moffat-Schwass and Jordan Gillespie, who came home in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The T.Q.’s started and finished well for Morgan Frost, winning the opening heat and feature race for a good night behind the wheel.

Alicia Hill took all three second placings with heat two winner Jayden Corkill coming home in 3rd after a lucky escape in the opening laps of the feature. The Stock cars kept things quiet on the hitting front.

NZ GP champion Wade Sweeting picked up the points win, with the normally hard hitter Troy Currie in 2nd, and Jack Rarity in

3rd with a few cars running into tyre and engine issues spoiling their chances.

The Quarter Midgets had the final round of their Mike Greer Homes (Nelson) South Island Championship plus Easter champs being run alongside the series.

The series was still very tight after some big results the previous day in Greymouth.

Kohen and Lakyn Thompson had a good result on their home track to lead going into the final round.

It was Jack Brownlees who won the Easter and round five results but his roll-over in the feature the previous day cost him the series overall after leading on points before the weekend.

Brownlees took out the feature with Kohen Thompson 2nd and Jackson Clark 3rd. Kohen’s results extending his lead to win the Series with his brother Lakyn doing enough to hold onto 2nd overall.

Jackson Clark was 3rd with sister Brooke 4th and Brownlees 5th. Nelsonian’s Taylor Martin, Bailey Bensemann and Meneka Rawson 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively.

The final meeting of the season is on April 13 with the Inaugural Ladies Stock car title up for grabs, racing again starting at 5pm.

Richmond-based Brett Nicholls, pictured in is 48N car made his return to Speedway on Sunday night. Photo: Rebecca Connor Maling.

Waimea back with a bang

ANDREW BOARD

That familiar winning-feeling returned to Jubilee Park last week with the first round the Tasman Trophy.

Waimea Old Boys has had two tough seasons in a row, where winning became a hard thing to find.

However, a rejuvenated squad for the 2024 club rugby season has seen the red-and-white hoops get back on track with a bonus-point 34-19 victory over Nelson on Thursday night.

Waimea are a club used to winning so the previous two seasons have been a bitter pill to swallow, but the 2024 version looks to be a real contender for silverware. There is a real balance in this squad.

The addition of Sam Briggs at first five eight added security and his perfect night with the boot added 14 points for the hosts. The former Marist man looked more confident with the ball in hand as the game wore on and, if he stays fit, Waimea will be a handful for many teams this season.

The balance isn’t just between forwards and backs but in the age of the squad as well. The addition of former captain and Mako, Ben Coman, 38, is a real coup for Waimea, coash Scott McKenzie says he’s like another coach on the pitch.

“We coaches can talk to them but when it comes from someone on the team, on the field, it makes a big difference. We’re really lucky with him and he showed how good he is tonight.”

Ben was joined in the pack by his brother Tim Coman who worked hard from the openside flank.

The Comans weren’t the only brothers on show for Waimea, in fact the Waimea team has a real family feel to it this year.

Captain Lee McBrydie only has to look out the back line to see his two half brothers, Jayde and Karl Palmer, occupying the centre and wing positions, while surnames

in the starting lineup like Taikato and Salton won’t be unfamiliar to those following the club for many years.

That family bond is one that coach McKenzie will want to tap into, he himself is following in the footsteps of his father who coached Waimea in early to mid

90s.

Scott says he was happy with the start his side has made.

“That’s a great start for the boys actually and I felt we still left some points out in the pitch.

“There were a few sloppy things today, like kick offs and our handling at times.

“I think we’ve got to gel a bit more, but with a bit more time we’ll click a bit more, the guys are training the house down.

“I was pleased with the scrum, I thought that was pretty good. Despite the chilly conditions the ground is still hard after a long dry summer, Scott says that probably suited them.

“We like it nice and fast, it was good for us.”

Waimea have the bye this weekend so will next play on Saturday April 13 away to Kahurangi.

Scorers: Waimea 34 (Tries: Theo Simone, Ben Coman, Hoani Herewini-Dygas, Jake McLachlan). Cons: Sam Briggs (4). Pens: Briggs (2).

Nelson 19.

For a full match report of the game, including match reports of the other two Tasman Trophy games between Stoke / Marist and Central / Moutere, visit nelsonapp. co.nz or download the Nelson App via the App Store or Google Play.

Duane Whiting Contracting Ltd

Waimea Old Boys midfielder Hoani Herewini-Dygas celebrates a second half try at Jubilee Park on Thursday night. Photo: Andrew Board.

School summer sport wraps up

JACK MALCOLM

Teams from Waimea College travelled across the country in the past several weeks as summer sports wrapped up.

Lucas Malham topped the accolades, finishing first in the U17 enduro and second in the downhill at the South Island Secondary Sports MTB Championships in Queenstown.

With a small team of seven from the school, there were a flurry of results as Harley Heyward picked up second in the U15 boys enduro, fifth in cross country and fifth in downhill. Fletcher Matthews was also on the podium in the U17 enduro with a third place, also picking up eighth in the downhill,

while Oliver Pickering, Jude Malham and Sam Bryant each picked up top 20 results. Four volleyball teams from the school attended their national finals in Palmerston North, with the senior A boys team the best of the bunch, finishing in sixth place.

The senior A girls team finished 10th in the second division while their girls’ B team finished 12th in the third division, and the senior boys’ B team finished 16th in the fifth division. The school’s cricketers travelled to The Willows Cricket Club in Loburn, near Christchurch, to play the club’s team but faced a narrow loss.

Corban Field was the game MVP with 83 runs, while Bryn

Thurlow notched up a handy half-century (53) and picked up a pair of wickets. Carl Quinn was also in the mix with 33 runs and Quinn Heiford with 30.

The touch team were in Christchurch for the South Island secondary schools competition, finishing 11th under coach Tony Sproul and managers Karen and Julian Stillwell. On the water at the Top of the South championships, the school had one team place sixth in the Gold Fleet, earning their spot to the NZSS Nationals in New Plymouth over the school holidays, one team place 6th in Silver fleet, and William Donald won the TSS Senior SUP championship.

Network Tasman’s prices are changing

Network Tasman owns and operates the electricity distribution network, which connects local homes and businesses to the national transmission grid, in the wider Nelson and Tasman areas, excluding Nelson Electricity’s supply area in Nelson City.

As a consumer-owned network, we aim to deliver a costefficient service for our consumers. From 1 April 2024, our charges will increase by an average of 5%. For an average residential consumer, our changes translate to an increase of about $3.50/month.

This increase reflects the effects of inflation on the costs of maintaining and operating our distribution network and the increased costs of using the national transmission network.

Once you have received our twice-yearly discounts, our residential distribution prices are one of the lowest charged by electricity distribution businesses nationwide.

Our prices are not charged directly to consumers; rather, they are charged to the electricity retailers trading on our network. These electricity retailers determine how to package our charges with the energy, metering and other retail costs when setting the retail prices that appear on consumer power accounts.

All consumers connected to our network will continue to receive discount payments twice a year. Next year we forecast these discount payments to exceed $12m (excluding GST). These discounts will show up on bills in Spring 2024 and Autumn 2025. For more information on discounts, please visit www.networktasman.co.nz/consumer-discounts Please visit www.networktasman.co.nz/network-pricing to find out more about our prices.

William Donald came in first the the Top of the South Secondary School senior SUP championships at Tāhunanui last week. Photo: Dave Ellis.

Lucas Malham was on fire as he picked up two podiums from the South Island Secondary Sports MTB Championships. Photo: Anne Malham.

TASMAN HOCKEY

The 2024 NBS - sponsored Nelson Hockey Association Clubs Competition is kicking off at the beginning of May for the winter season. Nelson Hockey Association has 7 affiliated clubs - Federal, Nayland College, Nelson College, Rewa, Stoke, Tasman and Waimai United - competing in a range of different divisions from Primary through to Premier Senior grades. The shields are up for grabs again this season which creates a competitive edge with a huge rivalry in all Senior divisions. We are hosting a Junior hockey Open Day on Saturday 4th May from 10.30am to12.30pm, everyone is welcome down to the turfs to enjoy some games, a free BBQ and meet our clubs followed

by our Premier men fixture. During the winter months we have our Primary and Intermediate games on Wednesday evenings, Secondary games on Friday evenings and Premier grades on Saturday and Sundays afternoons. Nelson Hockey also provide a number of programmes including a 6 week Junior programme each term for year 1 through to 6, Summer Social programme, Player, Coach and Umpire development programmes, Masters, GK training and Inclusive programmes. We have competitions and programmes that cater to a large number of abilities, so you can give our sport a go. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage any future play-

ers, umpires or volunteers to please get in contact and see what Nelson Hockey could offer you. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a passionate newbie, we want YOU to lace up and join the action. Great atmosphere, intense matches, new friendships and memories that last a lifetime. All details can be found on our website or by contacting our office - www.nelsonhockey.org.nz or admin@nelsonhockey.org.nz.

KEEN TO PLAY HOCKEY FOR THE 2023 CHAMPION CLUB

Richmond Football Club upgrade takes ‘massive’ step forward

SARA HOLLYMAN

One of the region’s largest football clubs is one step closer to being able to upgrade their facilities with Tasman District Council agreeing to fund two thirds of the cost, up to $435,000.

Richmond Football Club has been based at Jubilee Park since 1964 and has operated out of the same converted farmhouse since not long after.

The club currently has a membership of over 570, comprising 270 senior and 300 junior players. But as its membership has grown, its premises has not.

Club president Chris Sibbald says the funding agreement is a “massive step forward” in what has been a long process to get the clubroom upgrade underway.

“I’ve been here 10 years and we started really talking about this upgrade eight years ago, and it stalled from time-to-time so it’s really exciting that it’s now a reality.”

The clubrooms, which are shared with Waimea Toi Toi

United Cricket Club’s 150 players, along with 85 members of the women’s league and 60 walking football players, provide just two changing rooms for all teams.

Club vice president Nick Rose told the Waimea Weekly last year that the situation is less than ideal, especially for the club’s senior women’s team.

“It’s not a safe place for them to get changed, they often get changed on the deck [in front of the clubrooms] or come already in their playing kit. Changing rooms would make the sport more appealing for more players.”

The club had the total cost of the extension, including scope risk, recently assessed at $650,000.

Based on the project costing, the Council maximum twothirds contribution would be $435,000 on condition that the club has raised the $215,000 balance before the Council advances any funds.

Council agreed to the funding at its full meeting on Thursday with the contribution proposed to come from

Richmond Reserves Financial Contributions.

The football club was also successful in securing $50,000 from Pub Charity in January, which has been used to complete detailed designs, and it has two other applications out for consideration.

A report to council said Jubilee Park has several ageing facilities and given the residential development occurring in the adjacent Berryfields and Meadows subdivisions, it made sense to ensure that these facilities are future-proofed and meet the needs of the community.

Councillors agreed, with some saying the game of football was a way community members from all backgrounds could integrate.

Chris says the next step is to set up a meeting with Scott Construction, who will undertake the upgrade, and the architect to prepare to submit consent applications.

Work will begin as soon as possible in line with their availability.

“We’re really grateful for the support we’ve had,” he says.

ROUND

BLUES

REBELS

CHIEFS

BRUMBIES

HIGHLANDERS

HURRICANES

Michelle Westrupp

Peter Wilson

George Crosbie

Brad Evans

Logan Stewart

Dave Fuller

Flynn Drummond

Shelley Illingworth

Louise Sangster

Grant Chaney 25

Club president Chris Sibbald and vice president Nick Rose have been pushing for the upgrade for years. Photo: Andrew Board.

A cut above the rest: Timo Hicks claimed a win in the shearing competition at the Flaxbourne A and P Show on Sunday, 24 March. Pictured here shearing in Tapawera in 2022, Timo won the Senior final, following on from his win at his home Tapawera Sports Shears in January. His winning time for shearing seven sheep was 10m 23.38sec. Photo: Evan Barnes.

Wednesday 3 April 2024

Classifieds

MONDAY

“SEEDS OF TIME” DOCO SCREENING. Richmond Library.

6:30pm Monday 22 April (Earth Day). Bookings are essential. Please phone 03 543 8500

NELSON MALE VOICE CHOIR invites keen male singers to join us at rehearsals at the Reformed Church Nelson, Enner Glynn, Nelson Monday evenings at 6.45 pm. Contact John Foes-Lamb on 021 682776 for more details.

PHILOSOPHY GROUP meets in Trafalgar Hall, 67 Trafalgar St., Nelson, on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month at 10am. All welcome. Text Zoe: 027-974-1758

NELSON 500 CARDS GROUP meets Mondays 1.30pm at the Hearing House 354 Trafalgar square. ph Barbara 0275606777

OSTEOACTIVE, fitness for those with osteoarthritis, seated/ standing exercises, strength and balance, dual tasking, exercising can help reduce pain, Mondays 10.00am at the Holy Trinity Hall, 27 Dorset Street, Richmond. Nicola 021 0788609

LIGHTHOUSE SPIRITUAL AWARENESS. Mondays 7.30pm (Except Public Hols). Talks, clairvoyance, healing. Trafalgar St Hall, opp Trailways. Ph Carolyn 0272474644

TUESDAY

NELSON 50+ WALKING GROUP Tuesday April 9th. Panorama Drive. Meet at 9.45am at WoW Carpark, Quarantine Road. Contact Ruth 027 5471359.

TASMAN HERITAGE SLIDE SHOW Constance Barnicoat Room at Richmond Library Tuesday 9 April 12.00pm - 1.00pm Swing by to view a slide show of photographs & listen to oral histories from the Tasman Heritage website.

NELSON PHILATELIC SOCIETY Meeting Tuesday 9th April Doors Open 6.30pm - Meeting Starts 7.00pm At Stoke Baptist Church. Sue - “What I am working on Now” Large Box of Free Stamps for members Mitchener Cup – Letter “P”

WELLBY TALKING CAFÉ: 10am-11.30am, Tues, 9 April, Tapawera Community Centre. Wellby Talking Cafés are about social

connection & finding out about groups, activities & services. www.wellby.org.nz 03 5467681, AND 1.30pm - 3pm, Tuesday, 9th April, Richmond Library

HOPE INDOOR BOWLING CLUB. Playing Tuesday nights Hope Hall 7pm. All ages welcome.Wear soft soled shoes. First 2 nights free. Phone Bill 5449273.

RICHMOND TENNIS CLUB social tennis 6pm onwards. Open to club players, visitors & members of other clubs. FREE Contact 0274 872 480

BETTER BREATHERS: 60-minute series of guided exercises done seated or standing, specifically designed to help those with breathing difficulties. Club Waimea – 10am Tuesdays & Fridays. Contact Jess 027 546 7675.

STOKE TAHUNANUI MEN’S CLUB welcomes new members. Meeti 10am 3rd Tues monthly with guest speaker. 15 Burrough Pl, Enner Glynn. Regular outings & activities. Ph Ian 0211482580

WEDNESDAY

COMMUNITY SING A LONG Wednesday 3 April 1.30 pm Stoke Methodist Church lounge 94 Neale Ave. Afternoon tea. Gold coin donation for Nelson Hospital Chaplaincy. All Welcome.

WAIMEA HARRIERS welcome all abilities to join us for social running and walking on Wednesday evenings from Club Waimea Richmond at 5.45 pm. See our website waimeaharriers.nz for more information. Queries 027 673 1145

BETTER BREATHERS: a series of guided exercises - seated or standing - to help those with breathing difficulties. Run by Nelson Asthma Society at Reformed Church Nelson, 1.00pm Wednesdays. Contact Jess 027 546 7675.

CENTRAL GARDEN CLUB, meets every second Wednesday of each month at the Methodist Church Hall , Neale Avenue Stoke. 1,30 pm, New Members most welcome. Guest speakers , followed by afternoon tea. Enquiries phone Lynn or Bob 0275418448.

SING YOUR LUNGS OUT: A fun filled singing class for those with respiratory conditions. No singing experience is necessary. Wednesdays 10.30am, Reformed Church Nelson. Contact Jess 027 546 7675.

THURSDAY

MOTUEKA LIGHTHOUSE SPIRITUAL GROUP, meets last Thursday every month 7pm-9pm. Motueka Community House, Opposite the ISite. Donation Appreciated. Everyone welcome. Thursday 28 March, Animal Healing & Communication. Contact angel3000.h@ gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/lighthousemotueka/

RICHMOND CREATIVE FIBRE Meets at Birchwood Hall, Richmond Showgrounds. 9.30 am every 2nd , 3rd & 4th Thursdays of the month. Come & meet others who enjoy working with fibre.Ph 5445023 (Janie).

JUDO 20A Gladstone Rd (upstairs Waimea Old Boys Rugby) Juniors Thursday 5-6pm. Seniors/Competitive Tuesday/Thursday 6pm. Pee wees Thursday 4.30 pm. Contact Michelle 0275422254

NELSON CITY PROBUS CLUB welcome both men & women. Meet 2nd Thurs each month (Feb-November) at 10 am, The Nelson Golf Club, 38 Bolt Rd, Tahunanui. Contact the Secretary nelsoncitygroupgmail.com

WAIMEA COMBINED FRIENDSHIP GROUP meet monthly at 9.45am 3rd Thurs of month in Hope Church, Ranzau Rd for Friendship, Fellowship & Learning. Contact Denise on 027 765 000 or Rosalie on 027 249 1080.

RICHMOND WELCOME GROUP: Do you want to make new friends join a friendly group for coffee and a chat.10am on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at Paragon Cafe Langdale Drive Richmond . Ansley/Phillip 5410 350 or 0272212943

FRIDAY

ELYSIUM WIDOW & WIDOWERS GROUP to meet for lunch at Armadillo’s Restaurant & Bar, Queen St on Friday 12th April at midday. Phone Margaret. 027 2600748

WAITAKI OLD GIRL’S SOCIAL GROUP NELSON. Pop in for a coffee & chat on Friday April 5th from 10 a.m at Lydia’s Café, 265 Queen Street, Richmond. Queries 027 673 1145

PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS ? French conversation every Friday between 4-6pm at Honest Lawyer Stoke or Vic Rose Nelson. Alliance Française Contact Doug Hill 5446288

BET TER BREATHERS: a series of guided exercises - seated or standing - to help those with breathing difficulties. Run by Nelson Asthma Society at Club Waimea – 10am Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact Jess 027 546 7675.

WAIMEA LADIES FRIENDSHIP CLUB welcomes new members

Interesting speakers, morning tea, dining out, outings. 3rd Fri each month 9.45am. Richmond Church of Christ, corner Croucher and D’arcy Sts. Ph: Bev 5441469

SATURDAY

NELSON SOCIAL DANCE CLUB’ dance on Saturday 13 April. At club

Waimea 7.30 to 11pm. All welcome, entry $12 members, $17 non members. Contact Bernard 0276478827

VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT CLUB OF NELSON Concert Saturday 6th

April 2pm Stoke School Hall, Main Road Stoke Admission $5 All Welcome Phone Wayne 0272049772 Robyn 5473231

CAKE DECORATORS hosting an all day workshop Saturday 20 April. Learn how to marble buttercream & create an Sea Themed 6 inch cake with rice paper sails. Suitable for beginners. Desiree 0276302359.

RICHMOND TENNIS CLUB social tennis 1.30 - 3pm. Open to club players, visitors & members of other clubs. FREE. Contact 0274 872 480 FREE GUIDED MEDITATION Meet Saturdays 3pm under the white pergola of Washbourne Gardens. Relax, unwind and enjoy inner peace & stillness. meditaterichmond@gmail.com for questions. Absolutely Free

SUNDAY

WILLOW BANK HERITAGE VILLAGE - OPEN DAY - 7th April, 10am - 3pm. Interactive Museum. Free Apple Pressing. Children suitcase market. Food/Drink. www.willowbankwakefield.co.nz 79 Wakefield-Kohatu Highway, 1km south Wakefield.

LEARNING FROM THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS and trying to follow/live as Christians. All Welcome. Waimea Intermediate School Hall Sunday’s 4:30 - 5:30 pm Tuesday’s 7:30 - 8:30 pm

SUNDAY MEDITATION - Chandrakirti Meditation Centre welcomes everyone 289 Sunrise Valley Rd, Upper Moutere 10am to

11.30 am every Sunday followed by free lunch.

REVERENT 1 HOUR SERVICES Christianity just like Jesus taught the New Testament. Venue Waimea Intermediate school hall. Sundays 4.30pm & Tuesdays 7.30pm. March/April. All welcome, No collection/koha.

GENERAL GROUPS

RICHMOND LIBRARY EVENTS: Make Your Slides Digital. by appointment. Pop in or ph 03 543 8500 to book a one on one lesson in April! Glass Harbours: the miniature marvel of ships-in-bottles Display 21 March – 6 May during opening hours. Paul Deacon, Marine Artist, Exhibition.

MARCHING, come join a new Leisure marching team for Fun, Friendship and Fitness. Richmond. Ph: Margaret, 0272519009.

U3A – Interest groups and social activities for the over-55s. From quiz mornings to walking groups, digital photography to wine appreciation. Meet like-minded inquisitive people who share your interests. www.u3anelson.org.nz

‘COLLECTIONS’ EXHIBITION R ichmond Library Come and see our staff’s treasured collections. Share yours too in May! Phone us on 03 543 8500 to register your interest.

WAIMEA MENZSHED - catering for the interests, health and well-being of men since 2010. The shed is open Monday - Friday at Richmond Park, 384 Lower Queen St. Inquiries: mens.shed. waimea@gmail.com 027 2820185.

RICHMOND TENNIS CLUB PICKLEBALL Gladstone Rd, Demo racquets & balls available. Call 0274872480. Monday 6 - 8pm, Tuesday 9.30am - 11.30am Wednesday 6 - 8pm, Friday 9.30 - 11.30am. Tuesday morning: 9.30 - noon. Social tennis at Richmond Tennis Club.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - Is alcohol causing problems for you in your life? Want to stop drinking but can’t? Maybe we can help. Support meetings every day. Call 0800aaworks 0800 229 6757.

FEELING SAD, STRESSED, DEPRESSED, OR STUCK? Identify explore new ways to move forward with a Life Linc Counsellor. Up to 10 face to face counselling sessions available now for individuals & couples. 548 2400 lifelinc.co.nz

Do

Sales Person Wanted

sound

Then we want to hear from you.

Top South Media is a locally owned and operated media company with offices in Stoke, Motueka and Blenheim. We’re looking for a sales person to join our Stoke-based team selling advertising into our publications which include, but not limited to, Nelson Weekly, Waimea Weekly, Nelson Magazine and Best Life magazine.

The right candidate will be tenacious, hard working, honest and not afraid to cold call clients. Experience in sales isn’t necessary but is an advantage.

If this sounds like you, we’d like to hear from you.

Email andrew@topsouthmedia.co.nz

www.topsouthmedia.co.nz

FIREWOOD

Clean, screened firewood. TDC good wood supplier. Bay Firewood 0277 696348.

Cash paid for old wristwatches Scrap gold & Silver. Old coins & Jewellery. Vintage / quality tools. Military & Firearms items. General antiques. Also buying estate & shed

b.

Kenneth

At

Tasman District Rating Revaluation

On 1 September 2023, Quotable Value Ltd carried out a revaluation of properties across Tasman District on behalf of the Tasman District Council.

If you are a property owner in Tasman District, your new notice of valuation will be posted to you from 10 April 2024.

You have the right to object to your new valuation and the details of how to do so are included with your valuation notice.

View the Valuation Rolls

TIDE CHART

Tasman District’s Valuation Rolls are open for public inspection, free of charge, until 15 May 2024 during regular office hours, at Tasman District Council offices:

• 189 Queen Street, Richmond 7050

• 78 Commercial Street, Tākaka 7142

• 7 Hickmott Place, Motueka 7143

• 92 Fairfax Street, Murchison 7007

Objections

Objections to the revised valuations must be lodged in writing or online at www.ratingvalues.co.nz no later than 15 May 2024.

Objection forms are available from Tasman District Council or Quotable Value Limited and should be posted to:

Quotable Value Ltd – Business Support

Private Bag 39 818

Wellington Mail Centre

Lower Hutt 5045

More information about “Understanding your Rating Value” can be found at www.ratingvalues.co.nz

Mike Drummond

Group Manager – Finance

Email: info@tasman.govt.nz

Website: tasman.govt.nz Ph: 03 543 8400