Plenty 06 2017

Plenty

Brad Kora talks music and brotherly love, Chris Roberts talks tourism while ĹŒpĹ?tiki keeps it real, Plenty finds high-quality, affordable underground furniture with the Coffin Club, and the search is on for dinosaurs in Te Urewera.

culture :: media :: art :: food

FR E E M A GA Z IN E

ISSUE 06 plenty.co.nz

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We first met Helen Lees when we covered her partner Maurice’s Bread Asylum bakery back in Plenty 01, and we loved her work so much we returned in 04 to profile her in her Mahawahe studio. And when we wanted to set a benchmark for our 2017 covers we knew just where to go; Helen came through with a living breathing, er, bathing, work of art in her own backyard. “When asked to lend a hand in helping to design the cover of Plenty 06 I immediately knew who I would ask to model,” Helen says.

“I have worked with Jillian before and I love the fact that she is nearly 70!

The clothing and props were not a problem as I have a container full of all that stuff and I knew working with the Plenty crew would be a lot of fun, which it was.

Revisiting my wardrobe even ignited the flame to maybe look at creating a version of Tarnished Frocks and Divas, the show I created back in 2005.”

Thanks to Helen for access to that extensive collection and her eye for the exceptional; we’ll keep you posted on what she has in store. And thanks to Jillian Little for being a great canvas, and

such a good sport about sitting in a tin bath. In a stream with man eating eels.

Welcome Plenty is one year old, and in cat or dog years that would be seven, which is a fair stretch. If we were a horse, then we’d be 12 and entering those difficult teen years, but thankfully we aren’t a horse, and anyway this metaphor has pretty much run its course: it got us through the intro paragraph and now we can move on.

Since we started Plenty we’ve met some real characters, heard some great stories, and found out some amazing things about this place we call home. Like how there’s an elephant buried in the hills behind Whakatāne (maybe), how the best sourdough in the land comes from Manawahe and the best water from Otakiri (naturally), and that the All Blacks were invented in Matatā (no, really); we also learnt that you can walk on the shoulders of giants in Rotorua (in the Redwoods, just for a start), see some of New Zealand’s best Art Deco architecture in Te Puke or Tauranga (see page 23 of this issue), and that everyone including the BBC reads Plenty (Harlem Shine: what more can we say?). In short, it’s been a blast.

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There have been a few changes along the way though. We’ve added pages and we’ve boosted our distribution, and we overhauled our website due to popular demand (alright, alright, we got it!); so now you can read all the back issues on your phone, tablet or computing device of choice, anywhere, anytime, and thanks to the wonders of the interweb you can click through to find out all about the lovely people who support us. We’ve also added a subscription system, so if you are tired of having to swipe your copy of Plenty from that café or want to give someone the perfect gift, then get on over to plenty.co.nz and find out more. And we also have some great online exclusive content and the odd event or two planned, so ‘like’ us on Facebook (fb.com/plentyNZ) to make sure you don’t miss out.

Some things have changed, but some have remained the same. We started Plenty because we wanted to showcase the creative, talented and just plain awesome people we have here in the Bay, and after a year of doing just that we have

only scratched the surface. So as we celebrate Plenty’s first anniversary – which is ‘paper’ by the way, not as bling as diamond but fitting for us – we are looking forward to another year of telling our stories.

So, having employed a pretty tired trick to get this editorial rolling it would be easy to fall back on an equally clichéd outro by talking about how we hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together; but we’re better than that, so instead we’ll just say go on turn the page and check it out.

If we were a horse, then we’d be 12 and entering those difficult teen years, but thankfully we aren’t a horse

plenty.co.nz fb.com/plentyNZ ISSN 2463-7351

ANDY TAYLOR info@plenty.co.nz

SARAH TRAVERS design@plenty.co.nz

06 THINGS WE LOVE

08 THE BROTHERS KORA 12 THE COFFIN CLUB

FEBRUARY 2017 20 KEEPING IT REAL

16 NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK

23 THE WAY WE WERE

28 RIDING THE WAVE

35 TIPPING THE BALANCE 41 AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS ROBERTS

38 NAKED BURRITO

46 BARBERSHOP QUARTET

48 STRANGE DEATH OF AN ARTIST

THINGSWELOVE Natura Aura Natura Aura have taken their designs down through three generations and from the Bay of Plenty to Europe; they have also bridged the gap from traditional Māori weaving skills to contemporary fashion design via a scanning electron microscope and a whole lot of passion.

They were one of our most talked-about features in our last issue and they have kindly offered some of their great product to Plenty readers in the form of Iwi Creations Hosiery. naturaaura.com

Koru Enterprises Koru Enterprises is a company we admire for working hard at promoting great manufacturers and providers in New Zealand to a national and international audience. They share our passion for the people who show the Bay, the country and the world what we are capable of, and thanks to a special deal giveaway they are offering readers a very special taste of some real BOP awesomeness with a 50% discount off a Luxury Rotorua Wellness Tour, which includes accommodation at the beautiful Regent of Rotorua Boutique Hotel and a visit to the world-famous Rotorua thermal waters from the Whangapipiro Spring. koruenterprises.net

Antipodes Water We first met Antipodes Water back in Plenty 02 and we have been firm favourites of their wonderful product ever since. We love it that while they are served on tables around the world, they are bottled right here in the Bay by a great team of locals in their Lewis Road plant just outside of Whakatāne. We also love it that Antipodes comes in a groovy bottle reminiscent of the classic kiwi beer flagon that we are too young to remember, and that it tastes just like the purest water in the whole wide world should. We have two cases of Antipodes water for Plenty readers – one sparkling and one still – so be in to win a beautiful addition to your table. antipodes.co.nz

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WIN with Plenty.CO.NZ All of these awesome things are up for grabs!

Get on over to plenty.co.nz to see how you can be in to win.

Emotiki Developed by Te Puia in Rotorua, Emotiki is a free and all inclusive app that lets you click on and share a range of beautifully designed and just hard-out awesome emojis that are 100% Aotearoa as well as a showcase of cutting edge creativity.

If flashing these mini works of art on your smart phone isn’t enough, go oldschool and get in on our giveaway for two Emotiki t-shirts courtesy of Te Puia that are perfect for showing friends, family and total strangers just what excellent taste you actually have. emotiki.com

The world’s first Māori Emoji App

Art Deco New Zealand

by Terry Moyle

A beautifully made print publication is a thing to behold, and when it is such a labour of love as this you really do want to hold it in your hands. If you only buy one book this year then, well, you really need to try harder, but because we enjoyed this one so much and there is no room on the Plenty book shelf, we are giving our copy away to a deserving reader. You can read all about art deco in New Zealand over on page 23, and see above on how to get this baby on your coffee table. fb.com/terry.moyle.3

Noble & Savage

nobleandsavage.com

Noble & Savage are purveyors of the finest loose leaf teas and they are proudly purveying their finest from Christchurch and Whakatāne, New Zealand. If you didn’t read all about them in Plenty 05 then you should get on over to our website to get the skinny on them and their mission to disrupt the norm and develop upon an intrinsic part of Kiwi culture.

Our first anniversary giveaway is aiming to play a (very) small, but perfectly formed part in this evolution by offering some lucky readers the chance to try the very best brew courtesy of Noble & Savage.

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The brothers Kora

WORDS KATEE SHANKS PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY TAYLOR

As Kora, the brothers have flirted with international fame. They’ve played to sell-out crowds throughout the world, have a platinum EP, an album that has sold over 35,000 copies and an enviable reputation as one of the country’s best liveperformance bands. They’ve also made forays onto the big and small screens, have made international headlines with some inspired advertising, and may be heading into the studio with Kim Dotcom. Plenty caught up with Brad, the second-oldest Kora brother, at his Whakatāne gym in an attempt to figure out the journey these boys have been riding since starting out in music in their primary school days.

Busy is a flimsy word when trying to describe the mad, crazy schedule the Koras live while keeping the music alive.

In between barking orders at the box-fitters running in and out the front door, Brad Kora rewinds to a time when, as a six-year-old, he was playing local gigs with Dad Tait Kora and at least one of the brothers. “We’d usually play Ōpōtiki on Wednesday and Thursday nights and Whakatāne on Friday and Saturday nights,” he recalls. “If we weren’t playing we were rehearsing, mostly up to six hours a day. Dad was a hard task-master, if we stuffed up we’d get a whack with a ruler. Out of that I think we all became perfectionists, and possibly also became tarred with the task-master brush; at least that’s what quite a few musicians we’ve tried to work with say.”

And while Tait was brandishing the ruler, matriarch Val made sure the boys learned their “ps and qs”, fed them and did their washing.

“She doesn’t shun it, but Mum tends to stay out of the spotlight when possible. But you’ll always find her in the background, she’s been our biggest fan and our biggest supporter from the beginning.”

As for his siblings, Brad describes Laughton and Fran as the “natural talents” while he and Stu have to work harder to master things. At school the brothers formed Aunty Beatrice and, with the help of Whakatāne High School music teacher Tom Bayliss, won the Smokefree Rockquest with Mince Pie, a song they’d written about hanging out during the lunch hour and sharing a few pies.

Aunty Beatrice went on to win the Battle of the Bands three years running, but one of the more little-known facts about the Kora brothers is their success as jazz musicians.

“Every year we [the school] entered a band into the New Zealand secondary school’s jazz competition,” Tom Bayliss says. “I had these incredibly talented brothers and suggested they enter a small jazz combo. And with the help of an exceptional lady called Merenia Gillies, we did just that. Merenia had the boys coming in early in the morning and practising for hours, she really cracked the whip with them.”

And thanks to that, only weeks before winning the Rockquest, the Kora brother’s small jazz combo was crowned the best in all New Zealand’s high schools – no mean feat for a band of brothers who you might says didn’t exactly embrace jazz to their hearts.

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EIGHT YEARS SEPARATE THE FOUR KORA BROTHERS, LAUGHTON, BRAD, FRAN AND STU. ARE THEY CLOSE? “FOR SURE,” BRAD SAYS. IS THERE A HEAP OF BROTHERLY LOVE? “YUP, DEFINITELY.” ARE THEY COMPETITIVE? “HELL YES.” DO THEY FIGHT? “I RECKON WE’VE HAD PUNCH-UPS ALL OVER THE WORLD,” HE LAUGHS.

“I also had Laughton and Fran in the school’s show band,” Bayliss recalls, “but I must say they came into the school as talented musicians. We may have been able to add a little to their repertoire but their father Tait had done a wonderful job.”

It is, he believes, the depth of knowledge the brothers have across a wide variety of genres that has helped them become so successful. “I have watched their professional careers with pride. In fact I came across a tour poster in Wellington recently and thought to myself – I know those guys! When I hear they’re playing in Whakatāne I try to catch up and say hi. They always look pleased to see me. The brothers are something else.”

Kora came to be in 2002 when Laughton and Fran were both Wellington-based at Toi Whakaari, broke students studying theatre and dance and playing in restaurants for free food.

An offer of a gig resulted in the throwing-together of a band: Brad and Stu were living in Whakatāne and Dan McGruer, the only non-Kora in Kora, was living in Queenstown and had played with Laughton when Laughton was a builder’s apprentice and jamming for a free season’s snow pass.

Kora’s first live performance was the One Love Festival in front of 11,000 people – and things only got bigger from there.

The debut EP, Volume, was released in late 2004, and the debut album, Kora, was recorded in a cowshed in Edgecumbe in 2007. Throughout that time

and for several years after, the brothers continued a breakneck performing schedule that saw them become a firm favourite in New Zealand and quite a few other places. Fran also starred in the film The Pa Boys, and Brad made international headlines with a gym billboard that invited anyone who was “Tired of being fat and ugly?” to “Just be ugly” by working off the extra pounds at his gym.

Then, in 2013 Laughton and Brad left the band, and that’s about when things get confusing.

Laughton is now part of Fly My Pretties, directs theatre and is also a part of Kora. Brad runs a gym and is part of L.A.B with Stu, who is also in Kora, and Fran is one of four in the Modern Māori Quarter as well as a part of Kora, and Laughton and Fran are in Reggae All Stars.

Simple really.

Laughton and Brad may also revisit a music relationship formed with internet mogul Kim Dotcom in 2013.

The cup of overflowing extra-curricular commitments forced Kora and L.A.B onto the backburner. But in October last year, the brothers individually, and in unison, did some goalsetting.

“Since then things have been nuts. Like totally nuts,” Brad says. “We’re like ships passing each other in the night and, with each passing, the energy levels get lower and lower.”

L.A.B have done 21 gigs straight, Kora a few more. And Stu has raced from one to the next and played them all.

They also spend hours in the studio, together and with their respective band members, writing, mixing, playing and hanging with the kids. “We’ve all got kids and they’re always in the studio with us. They’re probably all able to write a song and record it themselves by now!”

“I have a French niece who has moved to New Zealand with her mother so, as well as ‘chur’, you get ‘oui Papa’ when we’re all together.”

While remaining united as family, the brothers are happy performing with a little separation.

“I do miss Kora, I miss the power of the band and what they bring to the stage. I saw them twice over Christmas and knew straight away, they’re up there at international level again.”

But, he says, chances of seeing four Kora brothers in Kora are slim.

“Too many egos,” he laughs. “We all look at things differently, do things differently, and won’t accept there’s a better way than our own. There’s also this competitive thing. We all know it’s there, but we don’t talk about. If one of the bros does something or gets something awesome, I’ll be the first to say congratulations – but at the time I’m thinking how I can do it better or get a better one.”

“It’s always been like that. It pushes us but means working together full time is pretty much a no go.”

It doesn’t take away from the pride they have in each other. It resonates every time Brad brings his brothers into the conversation – something he does often.

“Right now L.A.B is my focus. We’re getting ready to release an album and three videos. Kora are songwriting and pre-producing before an album release.”

Laughton and Brad may also revisit a music relationship formed with internet mogul Kim Dotcom in 2013. As well as helping produce an album, the brothers joined Dotcom and his band on stage at Rhythm and Vines the same year, but a freeze of the internet mogul’s assets put paid to any further plans.

Or at least that was what everyone thought: “A fortnight ago Kim got hold of Laughtie,” Brad says. “There’s a few ideas on the table, we’ll see where it goes.”

Whatever happens, you can expect continued crazy busy but good times for the lads known locally as “Wairakians” – a play on their roots in the Whakatāne suburb of Wairaka.

“That’s the best part about being from Whakatāne.

Doesn’t matter where you go in the world and with who. Come home and nobody gives a shit,” Brad laughs. “It keeps things real.”

Supplied images L-R: Kora June 2010 Kora at One Love Festival Tauranga, February, 2016 Credit: Bradley Garner L.A.B. performing January, 2016 - Credit: Bradley Garner

Brad Kora at the Commercial Hotel in Whakatāne: "We must have played the Comm' hundreds of time. We started out here when I was maybe nine years old - nine! - no one seemed to care. You'd never get away with it today!"

Brad on Laughton: Laughtie is charismatic, definitely.

Actually flamboyant is probably a better word. He’s well-educated, well-spoken and a super-nice guy and I think, of all of us, is the one who has adapted to the entertainment business the best. In this game you have to be a little arrogant to survive. You also need to be a bit of a diva and Laughtie can pull it off better than the rest of us.

Brad on Fran: Fran is the silent worker. He’s got his finger in an incredible number of pies and he works away to get the job done. He’s also super talented. Whatever Fran turns his hand to he succeeds at. And not just with music. When he took up Jiu Jitsu it was only months before he was a national champion.

Brad on Stu; Stu is an old soul, he’s always been one, right back to when he was a kid. He’s probably also the wisest. He’s intelligent, an academic and I would say the quietest of the four.

Despite being the youngest, he’s the glue that holds us together.

Brad on himself: I think I’m probably the most driven and, perhaps a perfectionist to a fault. I have this thing where I need to surround myself with “the best in the business” when taking something on. And I’m a homeboy. I’m happy looking after the gym, saying ‘howit’ and writing music.

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The Coffin Club Manufacturers of High Quality and Affordable Underground Furniture WORDS JENNY MICHIE PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY TAYLOR

They could have taken up bridge,

joined the croquet club, or become

power walkers, but instead they set up what is popularly known as the

most fun-loving friends’ association in

Rotorua; they are the Coffin Club, they

make coffins, and their fame is spreading around the world.

Plenty sent Jenny Michie – who else – to find out why Japanese TV has been around for a

look-see and Coffin Clubs are popping up all over.

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N 1963 JESSICA MITFORD published a harsh expose on the funeral home industry. She claimed death had become too sentimentalized and commercialized and that funeral directors were taking advantage of grieving families to convince them to pay excessively high costs for unnecessary gilt, palaver and services. The book became a best seller and industry practices were put under the spotlight.

There is an increasing awareness in New Zealand today that funerals should represent the lives of the deceased, and eco-funerals are growing in popularity with many people opting for a quiet, greener ceremony to mark their shuffling off of this mortal coil. Personally, I’d like to be wrapped in a couple of the now redundant brown paper Rotorua District Council rubbish bags (sadly mourned by many, including myself) and popped into the compost, but I fear that’s a way off yet. Still, if I can hang on for a couple of decades who knows how lenient future councils may become when it comes to home burials?

One woman who early on had firm views on her own demise was retired nurse Katie Williams. She was at a general meeting of the Rotorua University of the Third Age (U3A) when - if my knowledge of other voluntary organisations is anything to go by - a perennial discussion began on how to encourage new groups and members to join; Katie piped up that she wanted to build her own coffin.

There was, as they say, a dead silence.

However, as the initial shock wore off a number of people began to see the merit of such a project, and thus the Kiwi Coffin Club was born. They began to meet at Katie’s garage, and as always people brought a range of skills to the table, with retired ‘tradees’ providing the real backbone to the building side of the project but a remarkable pool of talent emerging as things progressed.

The emotional side of the project was all Katie. During her lifetime’s work from midwife to palliative care nurse, she had seen it all, including seeing a lot of people dying, and she was dismayed that their funerals had nothing to do with the vibrancy and life of those people.

“They had lived and loved and laughed. I felt that people’s journeys deserved a more personal farewell.”

That was in 2010. As the Coffin Club grew so did the need for bigger premises and Lockwood Home’s Joanne La Grouw came to the rescue with the generous and benevolent free use of one of their buildings off Old Taupō Road. Since then, the group has grown into a close knit, caring fellowship of about 70 friends who meet weekly.

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You love it? You got it. But you gotta do it.

It’s a good rule for living, as well as preparing for death. Which is, of course, the other enormous benefit of the club; it enables people to confront their own mortality in a way that society doesn’t always provide.

“People have complicated and stressful lives. Families create tension and they’re not always open to talking about the logistics of death. We do a lot of talking and supporting each other – let’s not call it counselling!” says Katie. The Kiwi Coffin Club has spawned dozens of other clubs around NZ and Australia and generated media interest around the world. Why does she think it has been such a runaway success?

Katie Williams, Coffin Club founder “There’s a lot of loneliness among the elderly but here people feel useful and it’s very social. We have morning tea and lunch and there’s always music and laughter,” says Katie. “Some single people who live alone may have social exchanges with other people but they’re not touched lovingly. Here we hug and kiss and take care of each other. If somebody doesn’t show up, someone else will go and check that they’re OK.”

COFFIN’S OWNERS DO THE DECORATING TO REFLECT THEIR PERSONALITIES, PASSIONS AND HOBBIES FROM CLASSICAL MUSIC TO MUSCLE CARS, LEPRECHAUNS AND ELVIS. ONE EVEN HAD AN OUTBOARD MOTOR ON THE BACK.

In the beginning, people could make their own coffins, with the help of the tradees, but recent OSH legislation put an end to that. Katie says they used to have “fragile little flowers” traipsing round the workshop with power tools but now they can’t. Fortunately, she has a staunch core of a dozen or so blokes with the right skills who physically build the coffins to order and then the coffin owners do the decorating to reflect their personalities, passions and hobbies from classical music to muscle cars, leprechauns and Elvis. One even had an outboard motor on the back.

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She says it’s mainly a control thing.

“People don’t want their families putting them in a crass (to some people) mahogany and brass box. They want a coffin that depicts what and who they were in life.”

Early in 2013 the Coffin Club separated from U3A as the role of U3A was limited to education and socialization. Katie says those two aims are still intact but a fundamental part of the Coffin Club is to help those who can’t afford funerals with unlimited costs. To put some dollar figures in here, according to the Funeral Directors Association the average cost of a funeral in 2014 was between $6500 and $7000, with coffins ranging from about $1000 to $10,000.

At the Coffin Club a basic undercoated coffin with six handles and compulsory plastic lining costs a mere $270. Last year the club produced 350 coffins. That’s a lot of savings for a lot of families. And, incredibly, the club makes a small profit from each coffin and from each coffin a donation is made to Hospice.

The back room boys; Dave Page and Bruce McPike at work in the Coffin Club workshop.

RAEWYNNE LATEMORE has been a lifelong Elvis fan and her Rotorua home is a masterpiece of memorabilia. With her casket decorated and lined with images of Elvis, Raewynne likes to joke that she will be spending eternity with the King.

AFTER ROBIN HARLAND'S husband passed away she found a trove of the letters they had written to each other while they were courting and he was working in the merchant marine; they now line her Coffin Club casket, and Robin says she can think of no better place for them to be.

(THE CLUB) ENABLES PEOPLE TO CONFRONT THEIR OWN MORTALITY IN A WAY THAT SOCIETY DOESN’T ALWAYS PROVIDE.

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ND HERE WE come to another aspect of the Coffin Club. Despite talking about dying and death for this article, the interview thus far has been far from gloomy; Katie is a generous joyful soul and it’s easy to see why the atmosphere she creates here is full of warmth and laughter. However, when she takes me to the room which houses tiny coffins my throat catches and PEARL FROST’S casket is a work in progress, but she is keeping with the chicken my eyes fill with tears. For these lovingly crafted coffins, lined with theme based around her beloved hens. “The silk and satin and each with a tiny hand-made teddy bear, are given Coffin Club is also a great social club,” she free to bereaved parents of still-birth and neonatal death.

There are four sizes from 23 weeks’ gestation to full term and they are made by the men and a woman volunteer who makes the linings, often from donated wedding dresses; two other women make the fine shawls in which the babies are wrapped.

Prior to 2010 Katie says they used to put the little babies in cardboard boxes and going further back many of the stillbirths would have been considered miscarriages and the remains incinerated. Recently the club took about 20 of the baby coffins to the hospital’s obstetric unit – they work through SANDS, the Still Birth and Neonatal Society – to be offered to bereaved parents.

They get a lot of feedback. At the worst possible time in a parent’s life, these acts of kindness matter.

A great deal.

says. “If you’ve never been you might think it’s all a bit gloomy, but it’s actually the funniest group of people to be with. We have a ball!”

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Top, Tamati Kruger of Ngāi Tūhoe.

Below, left Te Waiti Takao and right Tom Brown, Waimana Biodiversity Manager.

Needle in a Haystack WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY TAYLOR

In 1975 an amateur paleontologist made a discovery that rewrote the prehistory of New Zealand. Forty years later, Ngāi Tūhoe are leading a project that could open up a whole new chapter in our understanding of when dinosaurs walked this land.

Prior to 1975, it was widely believed that there were no dinosaur fossils in New Zealand. There had certainly been marine fossils discovered, but terrestrial dinosaurs – the stuff of nightmares that we all marvelled at in school – had never been found, and it was popularly believed that they never would be. Then, in 1975, Joan Wiffen, a housewife who considered herself a good jam-maker but a rank amateur paleontologist, packed her whānau and some friends into the family Hillman and set off in search of fossils in the Maungahouanga stream in the hills behind Hawkes Bay, near the southern boundary of the Te Urewera ranges.

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It was a long shot to be sure. Wiffen had previously been little more than a rock collector and only became interested in Maungahouanga after buying an old oil company geological map for a dollar. The map mentioned reptilian bones in the Te Hoe River, and Wiffen thought it sounded interesting and maybe worth some fossicking around.

What Joan and her crew found there – fossils from at least six dinosaurs – rewrote the history of Aotearoa. For the first time ever, here was solid proof that dinosaurs had walked this land about 80-odd million years ago, from a time when the fledgling

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James Crampton of GNS Science

New Zealand had just split away from the prehistoric landmass of Gondwanaland. In most other countries this would have been the cue for a wave of exploration and scientific interest. In New Zealand it was met with something of a resounding silence.

Outside of limited paleontology circles, the vast majority of Kiwis remained blissfully ignorant or quite possibly uninterested in this remarkable revision of their country’s prehistory.

But if the public were not particularly inspired, several members of the New Zealand’s scientific community were. John Begg of GNS Science and James Crampton of Victoria University had ascertained that the fossils Wiffen and those who came after her had discovered were found in a unique rock formation called Tahora Sandstone. More importantly, they had mapped the occurrence of this sandstone away to the north of where Joan explored, and they were hopeful that if Wiffen had found fossils in the fragments of Tahora she had searched, then they would find something in the larger outcrops they had located.

PRIOR TO 1975, IT WAS WIDELY BELIEVED THAT THERE WERE NO DINOSAUR FOSSILS IN NEW ZEALAND.

There was just one problem. The Tahora deposits they were after lie deep within Te Urewera, the huge native forest of the eastern North Island. They were looking for a needle in a haystack, and the haystack they had chosen to search through covered 2,000 square kilometres of some of the most rugged and inaccessible parts of the country, stretching from Waimana and Rūātoki southwards to near where Wiffen made her original discovery in 1975.

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Fortunately for Beggs and Crampton, Te Urewera is not only home to Tahora Sandstone but it is the rohe of Ngāi Tūhoe, who in 2014 resumed guardianship of what was previously the Te Urewera National Park. When James Crampton and John Begg approached Tūhoe in 2015 about the possibility of cooperating on a search for fossils in Te Urewera, a remarkable alliance was born.

Tamati Kruger, Te Urewera Board Chairman of Ngāi Tūhoe, says that for the iwi the proposition represented a remarkable opportunity. “To be honest though,” he says, “we initially wondered what these guys that looked a bit like hippies were on about! But I was also a graduate from Victoria so there was a link there, and it was very clear that they were passionate about it and had put a huge amount of work into it. They were clearly as excited as we were about finding out more about our land. So we came up with a way we could cooperate and collaborate, and agreed to sort out some funding around it and see what we could find.”

“TO BE HONEST... WE INITIALLY WONDERED WHAT THESE GUYS THAT LOOKED A BIT LIKE HIPPIES WERE ON ABOUT! BUT THEY WERE CLEARLY AS EXCITED AS WE WERE ABOUT FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT OUR LAND”

With the framework for cooperation in place, now comes the hard part, and no one knows better just how hard this is going to be than Glenn Mitchell. Having more than 30 years experience in Te Urewera, first as a ranger for the Department of Conservation and lately involved with Te Urewera operations development for Tūhoe, Glenn has first hand experience of the type of territory the search team will be covering, and the difficulties involved.

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“This is remote country,” he says, “and looking at it on a map just doesn’t do it justice.

The three main search areas are all deep within the Te Urewera ranges – one south of Ruatahuna, one west of Lake Waikaremoana and the other north of Maungapohatu. Compounding the remoteness is that the searches take place in rugged, steep streams usually filled with boulders, where the Tahora Sandstone has been identified. So the teams are going to be covering some tough country.”

One of the people who will be covering that country is Waimana Biodiversity Manager Tom Brown. Having hunted in the area for many years he is more than familiar with the terrain, but is quick to admit it is a daunting task. “For each area there are logistics issues,” he says, “for some the only access for the searchers and their support team is by helicopter, for others a combination of helicopter, walking and pack-horse access is required to set up the base camps. From the base camps the search teams, of about six men each, will go out into the streams and rivers every day, and then it is a matter of turning over as much material as possible.”

“This is truly frontier palaeontology,” says Crampton. “We know the rocks are there, but we have no idea what fossils we will find. And it is exciting and flattering for John and I to be allowed to join Ngāi Tūhoe on this exploration.”

Given the scale of this project there is a lot at stake, and with the search teams hard at work deep in Te Urewera as you read this, one has to ask the obvious question, “What are the chances of them finding anything?” One of the main reasons that no landbased dinosaur fossils have been found so far in Te Urewera,” says Tom Brown, “is that no one has ever looked before, or known what to look for. Marine fossils are relatively common in parts of Te Urewera – shells etc – but not fossilized bones.

Or maybe they have been seen, but not recognised. It’s pretty low-key, you simply need to know what Tahora Sandstone rocks look like, and look at those rocks to see if a fossil is visible.”

“THIS IS TRULY FRONTIER PALEONTOLOGY,” SAYS CRAMPTON. “WE KNOW THE ROCKS ARE THERE, BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT FOSSILS WE WILL FIND.”

“This project is just the beginning,” says Anthony Te Kurapa, the Biodiversity Manager for Ruatahuna, where one of the searches will take place. “Once our Tūhoe hunters and possum trappers know how to recognise Tahora Sandstone, and teach others, it’s just a matter of time before the secrets of the animals who walked on this land such a long time ago are known, and the pre-history of Tūhoe’s homeland turns another page.”

This is a sentiment echoed by Tamati Kruger. “For Tūhoe,” he says, “our culture, our identity is all part and parcel of the land and we are interested in learning as much as we can about

that. It would be interesting to find out who once shared this land. But I think all New Zealanders can appreciate learning more about this place that we call home, and it is a great opportunity for students of palaeontology or natural science.

What a great summer programme this would be to come to Te Urewera and witness the rewriting of history. Tūhoe are only too proud to be a part of this and share it with New Zealand and the world.”

When – and let’s say when and not if – they do find something, then there is another obvious question to be answered. “Yes, yes,” says Tamati Kruger with a long laugh, “Then there’s the sexy part about naming dinosaurs!”

“We are saying that ‘James’ and ‘John’ are not very good dinosaur names! I think something from Tūhoe or Te Urewera would be great. Because the interesting thing is that one of the spots near where we will be searching is called Maungataniwha (Taniwha Mountain) and another is Mangangarara (Stream of Insect Creatures). I don’t think it’s coincidental. To me it seems more like evidence that the first inhabitants had an inkling of what had been there and had perhaps seen some remains there. So it would be fitting, I think, to give the discoveries names that reflect that. But we’ll figure out the names later, first we have to see what Te Urewera offers up to us.”

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There’s nothing new in using art as a fundraising vehicle. Doing it well however, in a way that truly benefits all involved, is another story; this story – The Real Ōpōtiki.

The Real Ōpōtiki’s recent pop up gallery back home in Ōpōtiki.

The Real Ōpōtiki exhibition set out to dispel some myths about the Eastern Bay of Plenty town by taking the work of local artists to Auckland; now it is heading south to the capital, but it’s also aiming to leave a mark back in the town where it came from.

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Faced with finding a significant amount of money to redevelop its library into a technology and research centre, Ōpōtiki District Council set about applying to various, essential, first-port-of-call funders. Its approach to raising the local contribution for the project – an audacious plan to travel an exhibition of local artwork – has proven nothing short of sensational.

With two pop-up galleries in Ōpōtiki and shows in Auckland and Tauranga under its belt, The Real Ōpōtiki exhibition is now in Wellington, showcasing the work of around 30 selected artists’ in Bowen House until 10 March. Invitations from other centres are being considered – an indication of how The Real Ōpōtiki has captured the imagination of local authorities up and down the country. Ōpōtiki District Council Planning and Regulatory Manager Barbara Dempsey says the initial idea of bringing together the local arts community to support the fundraising for the new facility quickly blossomed into a much wider concept.

Tangimoe Clay and Bev Vellenoweth

“When we came up with the name ‘The Real Ōpōtiki’ we realised we’d effectively created a brand for a small community that’s sometimes in the media for less than positive reasons,” she says. “Our abundant creative

WITH TWO POPUP GALLERIES IN ŌPŌTIKI AND SHOWS IN AUCKLAND AND TAURANGA UNDER ITS BELT, THE REAL ŌPŌTIKI EXHIBITION IS NOW IN WELLINGTON

sector is just one example of what’s real about Ōpōtiki – it’s a district of intelligent, crafty people, who make things happen. You can just as readily apply that to clever people making a mussel farm, or being at the forefront of development in the Kiwifruit industry.”

“Real Ōpōtiki has been extremely successful in marketing Ōpōtiki and the regional generally. We keep seeing the calibre grow with each exhibition and remarkably we’re continuing to uncover new artists to be involved.”

Planning started in mid-2015 with a call-out to artists. One of the many who answered was acclaimed

Whakatohea weaver Tangimoe Clay, whose gallery experience was enthusiastically embraced by the Council project champions Barbara and Deputy Mayor Lyn Riesterer and Councillor Shona Browne.

“Tangimoe brought a much-needed skill-set to our core committee. I can project manage and Lyn and Shona have great energy and networks, but Tangimoe lives in the artistic world, knows how it works, knows how to communicate with the artists and how to install a show. Recognising what everyone brings to the table continues to be key,” Barbara explains.

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Bev Vellenoweth has had her work included in each of the travelling exhibitions and in this summer’s Pop-up Ōpōtiki Gallery. On the first day Bev arrived in the area 10 years ago she wandered into a shop in Church Street and saw a woman sitting on the floor weaving. “It was Tangimoe and I asked her if there was anywhere I could learn to weave. She immediately jumped up, took me through the back of her shop, across the carpark to the Whakatohea building and enrolled me on their raranga course.”

From Tangimoe’s perspective, she feels a deep connection with the project, having been in the vehicle when kaumatua Te Riaki Amoamo and Te Wheki Porter decided the name for the Research and Technology Centre - Te Tāhuhu o te Rangi.

Tangimoe set unashamedly high expectations on every aspect of the exhibition process; from selecting the artists involved in the travelling show, to how the work is presented and displayed and the cultural protocols required to honour the artists, the venues and the purpose of the exhibition.

“I love the role the library plays and it’s good to be involved with something that’s for the community. It hasn’t all been easy and when we’ve had the occasional challenge I keep coming back to the kaupapa – this is about our library.”

“Real Ōpōtiki has made a lot of people think about what fundraising really means; and to me it’s about creating long-term, powerful relationships that will have ongoing benefits for our community.”

“Each of the exhibitions has presented a new opportunity for learning and you can’t forget what a mammoth task it is to explain the kaupapa, get the artists onboard, select the art, gather in the work, meet the deadlines for photographs and words that the team at Council needs for promotion, and then transporting and setting up.

“We’ve got it down to a fine art now,” she laughs.

“Pretty much a kit-set of plinths and other display gear. Barbara even travels with all the install tools in her car!”

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ART DECO NEW ZEALAND

The Way we Were - WORDS ANDY TAYLOR & TERRY MOYLE WHEN KIWIS THINK OF ART DECO, they usually think of Napier and Hastings, but in reality the Bay of Plenty has an equally rich Art Deco heritage.

Terry Moyle, author of Art Deco New Zealand, walks us through some of the hidden treasures in our own backyard.

New Zealand has a special relationship with Art Deco. Other imported architectural styles had been adopted before, but none seemed as perfect a fit as Art Deco. It represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. It was a symbol of the new modern age of industrialisation, and as the New Zealand economy began to boom in the 1920s it struck a chord across the country.

Art Deco as a term is fairly broad. It covers a pastiche of many different, sometimes contradictory, styles, but is typified by bold geometric forms, streamlined lines, stylised motifs and bright colours. At times it is mixed with the Spanish mission style of architecture that originated in the

south-west of the United States and that is typified by smooth cream-coloured walls, tiled parapets and roofs, and wrought-iron balconies.

In the Bay of Plenty, its influence can be seen in both domestic and commercial buildings, but as earthquake strengthening requirements become stricter and property prices higher, this important piece of our history is increasingly under threat. In order to document the remaining examples of Art Deco architecture in New Zealand, artist and author Terry Moyle embarked on a two-year odyssey of exploring the streets of New Zealand via Google, and then with partner Rosie Louise set about creating Art Deco New Zealand. What marks the book as unique is the high emphasis the author places on carefully researched, meticulous recreations of New Zealand’s Art Deco past. With over fifty illustrations and decorative maps the book is a visual joy as well as an indispensable guide, and here Terry Moyle gives us some highlights.

Hannahs This building is typical of the many 1930s era commercial buildings in the Rotorua central business district. It is today, when I last checked, serving as a restaurant. We contacted the Hannah’s management in Wellington before we undertook this illustration, and while they had no images of the Rotorua store they kindly sent us some archival images of stores of a similar period. We used these as a basis for illustrating the interior and illustrating signage of that time frame. This was a post-war scene. To inject a bit more into the picture we used live models.

The local primary school assisted with this and other images where we wanted figures from a certain angle. We used photos and desktop photography to complete the scene. I think the image is important because it shows that the modernising of New Zealand streets in the 1930s was often about a simple concrete façade. One of the appealing features of the Modern style was simplicity and economy, and Rotorua is fortunate in having such a good collection of intact commercial buildings from the mid-twentieth century along with its other fantastic tourist assets.

The Art Deco Blue Baths in Rotorua are considerably more iconic to Rotorua than the retails shops. The building was designed by Government architect J T Mair and was regarded as a vital feature of a world-class spa town facility. J T Mair is the architect most responsible for the surge in Post Office and government agency buildings constructed in the 1930s, and the stripped classical Post Offices became the architectural signature of a socially charged state. The former Tauranga Post Office at 1 Grey Street, currently serving as an ANZ bank, was also designed under the supervision of J T Mair, as was the former Police Station in Rotorua, now serving as a bar. Rotorua has arguably the finest Art Deco Police Station in the country, and the building has a notable Kororo head pattern as decoration.

The Blue Baths

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One of my favourite Art Deco Theatres, this Te Puke landmark was constructed in 1917. Following a fire it was rebuilt as the Capitol and opened on 1 August 1930. The building is in the stripped classical style characterised by flattened columns decorating the building’s façade. I’ve always liked the building when viewed with the impressive Kaimai Range in the background.

The site of the building seems to capture the drama of going to the pictures, and the circular mouldings and the fine typeface contribute to a fine Art Deco Theatre.

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Whakatāne has a significant Art Deco heritage.

In a mere five years in the 30s, The Strand, the central part of commercial Whakatāne, was

The Whakatāne Strand

transformed. The NZ Loan and Mercantile agency acquired a second story, the smart REGENT theatre opened in 1937, and the construction of two significant Art Deco hotels, the Whakatāne Hotel in 1939 and the Commercial Hotel the same year. Both hotels were constructed in the Spanish Mission Art Deco style. The designs of these buildings presented Whakatāne as an exotic destination, with the hills and the spectacular landscape around the town making the Mission style most fitting for Whakatāne. Outside Napier and Hastings, intact streets with a collection of 1920s and significant 1930s commercial buildings are rare. So Whakatāne is one of a handful of New Zealand towns where an Art Deco identity could be developed and acknowledged further. The Strand is not entirely intact, but it has an impressive period and character. The movement of people to the regions is a real transforming feature of the entire Bay of Plenty Region, and Whakatāne has an opportunity to ensure the street retains this high degree of authenticity. All over New Zealand this is what people desire, the authentic.

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The finishing shed; last stop before these boats find new owners.

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Where it all began: Neil Surtees launches his first aluminium fishing boat in the early 90s.

Riding the Wave WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY TAYLOR

Like so many great New Zealand stories, this one begins in a shed. And not one of the fancy, schmancy lined and carpeted gin palaces that are passed off as sheds in the big city. This was a concrete floor and corrugated iron ‘cold in winter, hot in summer’ Kiwi classic. Next to a State Highway. In the rural Bay of Plenty.

Neil Surtees, the founder of Surtees Boats, never planned to establish an major marque back in the early 1990s when he laid down his first keel in the shed, he just wanted a boat to go fishing in. “I was a boilermaker by trade,” he says, “and I just wanted a fishing boat that was capable of crossing the Whakatāne bar to get out fishing. I knew welding and I’d built a few jet boats,” he says, “so I knew what I wanted to do and I just went for it.”

What Surtees noted from observing other boats at that time was that their manufacturers had simply transposed a design for one material into another. “Most people just built

a wooden boat in aluminium, but the difference in weight meant that didn’t really work,” he says. “To take advantage of the benefits of aluminium you needed a new design, something that meant the boat is smooth at high speed when it is travelling, and stable at low speed or at rest because of the stabilising ballast system.” This new design, the stabilised ballast system, combined with a deep vee hull, was Surtees’ breakthrough. Today this would have come from hours of computer-assisted design. Surtees did it all by eye and, remarkably, he was on the money first time. “If it looks right,” he says with the enviable understatement of someone who really knows what the hell they are doing, “then it probably is right.”

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So you can expect the Aussies to star t claiming ownership of Sur tees any day now, just like Crowded House and the pav.

Signed, sealed, delivered - each boat is signed by the welder who made it.

And clearly it was right. His first boat caught the attention of a local who quickly commissioned one of his own, and soon word of mouth grew throughout the Eastern Bay. Suddenly Neil Surtees’ shed was a miniature marine production line.

Things have certainly changed since those humble beginnings. Today Surtees Boats is New Zealand’s top selling aluminium plate boat and they employ more than 60 highly skilled staff in their 4000 square metre facility just outside Whakatāne. Last year alone they turned out more than 400 boats, all built by hand. In December they won the prestigious Greatest Boat Award in Australia, beating out some much bigger rivals from across the ditch as well as the United States. So you can expect the Aussies to start claiming ownership of Surtees any day now, just like Crowded House and the pav.

But there is no way you could mistake Surtees Boats for anything but a Kiwi company. Announced by a modest sign on the side of the highway and hidden by a hedge, the entrance to the Surtees premises is remarkably low-key. There are a lot of orchards in the area and you almost expect a barrow selling tangelos at the gate. The front office is similarly laid back. It is in fact the former home of the Surtees family, so there is no grey and pastel lobby, and no corporate art on the walls. Instead there is a smoko room and on the entrance doorframe there are dozens of marks charting the heights of the Surtees’ kids and the kids of the staff who have been a part of the Surtees story. It’s that kind of company.

But once you step inside the Surtees workshops, that façade of rural idyll is quickly eclipsed. This is a seriously hi-tech operation, and the skills and craftsmanship employed here are world-class. Aluminium is notoriously hard to weld,

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but Surtees not only do it to exacting safety standards, they also make it look easy and they make it a thing of beauty. But then, if you want to make some of the best boats in the world, you have to be on top of the game.

Probably no one knows this better than Cliff Schick, who has been with the company coming up 18 years, and has seen it grow from just five employees in the original building to the sprawling array of workshops there are now. When he first arrived the site was an apple orchard and one of his first jobs was knocking that down.

Apparently he was so good behind a chainsaw that he ended up working his way through roles and is now Sales Manager. “So much has changed, and so quickly. The BOATS plasma cutters for instance, are all computer controlled and work to a pre-programmed template that is accurate to half a millimetre,” he says, pausing before a machine methodically reducing a huge sheet of aluminium to a jigsaw puzzle of components. “We build 19 different models of boats, so being able to quickly pull up the various templates means we can ensure all components are completely accurate. In the old days we used to cut the plates on the floor with a Skill saw,” he adds with a smile. “And they were not accurate to half a mil!”

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Cliff Schick, left, and Adam Dyck of Surtees Boats.

Road, Whakatane 2 Clifton Road, Whakatane2 Clifton Ph (07) 308 0043 Ph (07) 308 0043 www.hartmarine.co.nz www.hartmarine.co.nz

“The level of fit out has also changed massively,” Schick says.

“Handing over a boat in the old days pretty much meant giving them the bungs and a pat on the back – now there is a whole load of technology to be walked through and options to discuss. And there isWhakatane also a relationship to be built. When you buy a Surtees you 2 Clifton Road, kind of become Ph (07) 308 0043 part of the family, and it is a source of pride that once people join the family they never change brand.” www.hartmarine.co.nz So what keeps the converted loyal and the new customers signing up? Even though Surtees turns out a huge number of boats, with the workshop floor in full swing from 6am each day, the same ethos of one man, one boat remains, and in our anonymous, mass-produced world, this is something very few manufacturers can compete with. “Rather than a production line with keels being shunted from one process to another,” says Adam Dyck, CEO at Surtees, “each Surtees boat is built by one worker in that worker’s bay. So each boat is the result of a huge amount of teamwork and expertise, but it also comes down to the personal pride each individual member of the team takes in the finished product. And our team is really proud of what they do – so much so that each boat builder signs his or her name in a weld on the back of the hull.

We even tell new buyers to not be surprised if they are down at the boat ramp and they see someone sticking their head down at the back of their boat – it will just be one of our welders checking to see if that is one of his or her boats you have.”

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When you buy a Sur tees you kind of become par t of the family Neil Surtees and another of his distractions: a ground-up hot rod build that also bears his name.

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Building a world-class brand is a challenge; maintaining it has often been the final hurdle that breaks the best of the best, but Surtees have no intention of taking their foot of the gas. “Surtees started out well ahead of the curve in innovation,” Dyck says. “The stabilised ballast system was a first in a recreational fishing boat, and we were also one of the first offering a fully welded craft – which means we can offer a ten year warranty like no one else – but we have got a lot in store for 2017. In the past we have really focussed on establishing our dealer network and meeting steadily increasing demand, but going forward we fully intend to maintain our reputation for innovation.” To achieve that, Surtees have further developed their research and development capability, and you can expect to hear things coming from that soon.

Just what remains to be seen. Adam and Cliff won’t be drawn, and Neil Surtees is keener to talk about a ground-up hot-rod build that he has going on over the fence from the business in his own little warren of workshops. But as much as he seems to be more interested in having his head under the bonnet of a four-wheeled vehicle, he clearly still has room in his head for boats. Out front of the classic Americana and rods is a nondescript aluminium hull with a hand-made jet boat rig in the back. What is it? “It’s a pain in the proverbial,” Neil laughs. “But it’s getting there. It’s getting there.”

A Surtees prototype? Or just the latest experiment of a man who just can’t stop turning ideas into metal?

Who knows, but one thing is sure, Surtees Boats are still riding a wave of innovation and passion that has no sign of subsiding.

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Making Waves Isaac Tait, Senior Maritime Officer

With a diverse coastline stretching as far as the eye can see, it’s little wonder so many people travel to eastern Bay of Plenty waterways each summer. Whether it’s in search of a ten pound snapper, perfect wave or just for a jaunt on their jet ski.

Isaac Tait is the Eastern Bay Senior Maritime Officer at Regional Council who helps to keep these boaties safe on the water.

Eight months into the role, and as another small fishing boat full with boaties not wearing lifejackets heads out over the unpredictable and sometime treacherous Whakatāne bar, we asked Isaac to reflect on some of the challenges of the role.

Some days, he reports, he can hardly believe his eyes. “With more vessels, jet skis and people using the water than before the need for people to understand and respect the rules is more important than ever,” he says.

After fourteen years in the Tait family business, skippering vessels as big as 73 foot, and taking up to 100 people out to White Island, Isaac was ready for a new challenge.

This background, coupled with qualifications as a boating educator, meant he was ready to hit the ground running. Today he balances his time between the Regional Council and Whakatāne District Council handling everything from navigation safety for all vessels to maintaining ramps and jetties.“I’ve always enjoyed helping people, which is lucky as I get a lot of phone calls a day.”

“With more vessels, jet skis and people using the water than before the need for people to understand and respect the rules is more important than ever,” When asked why he lives in Whakatāne, Isaac gives a confused look. “Why live anywhere else? I am lucky enough to have travelled the world and there really is no place like the Bay of Plenty. I get homesick as soon as I go over the Whakatāne bridge and I’m proud to call Whakatāne my home,” he says.

For more information about water safety, local rules for on the water as well as helpful guides on how to stay safe visit www.boprc.govt.nz

- tipping the balance -

WORDS JENNY MICHIE PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY TAYLOR

The Roman poet Horace first coined the expression, and Winston Churchill made it famous, when he described his depression as, ‘the black dog’. For most of us who’ve battled it (and I use the term ‘us’ advisedly), depression is a serious drag to enjoying life. No, strike that, it’s a serious drag to even living life in a meaningful way. It’s certainly not something people tend to seek or relish.

And yet here was this man, grinning happily, telling me that, “In a funny sort-of-way, depression was the biggest gift the universe has given me.”

I’m at the two-hectare property of Dave Roy and his wife Sharon, with rambling buildings and enviably cared for gardens. High on the hills of Whakamarama, Shavida – an anagram of their names – is an inspiring and beautiful 24-year-old work in progress. However, the property (and building the house in particular) was also the trigger for the psychiatric crisis which led Dave to stop teaching and take up art and music, at which he is almost unfairly talented. Without the depression, he says, “I may have never explored art and music, which have proved to be my passion and soul-food.“ This is the third house he’s built with Sharon and family, but neither of the other two projects had such a dramatic effect on his life. He tells me depression crept up unexpectedly and without warning. “I hadn’t been to the doctor since I was 15, but all of a sudden, at 44, while building our house, my wheels came off. It was a pretty tough time for Sharon and my young family.” That was in 1994 and he was a self-confessed dabbler, chalking up an impressive 36 jobs in 15 different countries. At the time of the crisis, he was teaching as well as building the house, working on art projects made from collected demolition materials, which he also used in the house to great effect – think Kawakawa’s Hundertwasser public toilets but without the overwhelming effect of an acid trip.

Dave then voluntarily spent time in what was regarded as New Zealand’s top psychiatric hospital, down in Dunedin. Having always followed homoeopathy and naturopathy, he initially refused to take antidepressants.

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we often ask more of artists in terms of donations to worthy causes than we do of other groups of people. Most artists aren’t wealthy, yet they are continually asked to donate works worth thousands of dollars to this cause or that.

But when the doctors gave him books to read about the causes of depression, he realised he was dangerously low in serotonin, a chemical found in the human body which is responsible for maintaining mood balance. It’s the ‘happy drug’ we all produce naturally, except when you don’t – and that’s when you get depression.

He says after two weeks on Prozac he was back firing on all cylinders. Prozac and a lot of therapy that is, and at one point his therapist asked him, what in his life, he did for himself? It dawned on him that with working and raising a family, building the house and doing whatever was needed to be done to get by, that what he was doing for himself, whatever it was, wasn’t enough. So the therapist had him take up art and music therapy.

This was a perfectly natural place for a man who as a kid dreamed of being an artist and who used to tag along to his father’s summer school art programmes where his first tutors included New Zealand greats like Colin McCahon, Barry Brickell and Len Castle. Despite his dream and this incredible swag of early mentors, when Dave had entered secondary school he was ‘streamed’ into the academic classes. In those somewhat unenlightened days of New Zealand’s education system, arts and academia were thought to be polar opposites. Which meant when he left high school and wanted to study art at Elam he didn’t have the necessary prerequisites to enter. Instead he did, a government-run, farming course at Flock House in Bulls. I know; it hardly seems credible.

But before this exhibition Dave discovered yet more skills to add to his already formidable set. He came to sculpting after working on The Lord of the Rings as a set finisher and sculptor.

When applying for the job, a friend in the film industry advised him to put together a CV that would stand out. Duly cautioned, he created a portfolio, complete with an inlaid, corrugated iron cover. They called him immediately.

Since then he has been a full time artist, doing commissions for buyers around the world and creating exhibitions. Being a recycling devotee, he often makes use of discarded materials; timber and corrugated iron feature prominently in his work.

Another aspect of his work that stands out is the symmetry of many of his pieces. His bio-spot in the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival, and I quote this here as I am not fluent in Art-speak and they do it damn well, reads: “Dave produces contemporary mixed-media wall assemblages, bronze and stainless steel sculpture and paintings. His work is based on his observations of the human condition and the quest to find balance in the hectic world we live in.”

Dave acknowledges the truth of this. “My work ends up being quite symmetrical. I’m obsessed. . . no, not obsessed, that’s too harsh. . . maybe fascinated with. . . balance.

“Depression was the biggest gift the universe has given me”

However, back to our recovering hero. After the depression started to lift, Dave quit his teaching job and decided to take up art professionally. He also started learning guitar.

His first major exhibition, in 2002, was called Darkness Visible and it chronicles his journey through depression. It’s a thoughtful, cognitive piece of autobiographical art that obviously needed the space of many years in order to execute. Its subtitle is, “A metaphorical exploration of an encounter with clinical depression.” In it, his ‘self’ is expressed as a frail, stark figure facing a series of life threatening challenges and internal fears.

The exhibition was a success and several people implored Dave to keep it intact, which he did, but now faces the dilemma of what to do with it. An ideal home for it is the Mental Health Commission, but as is often so in these cases, there are financial and logistical issues to consider. In my opinion, as a society,

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It’s something most people strive for, but few seem to achieve.”

Now aged a very youthful 67, Dave Roy does appear to have balance sussed. The kids are grown, he and Sharon are planting a food forest on the property, and he’s back teaching art part-time.

He’s also a prolific songwriter; he’s put together 16 CDs, and is currently working on a new one.

And last but not least he is still creating eclectic pieces of art and is writing a semi-autobiographical book called CoNsisTEntly ErRAtic, which is 70% complete.

But he’s still nicely mad.

“To be an artist,” he says, “you don’t have to be mad, but it helps! It’s a bloody hard way to make a living, but if I didn’t have a vent for my selfexpression, I think I would go crazy.”

Creative Communities Scheme APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW Do you have a local arts project in mind and need funding?

Are you wanting to increase participation in the arts, celebrate diversity or enable young people to engage with art?

If the answer is yes then apply for a grant from Creative Communities Tauranga or Western Bay - applications close 3 April 2017.

Creative Bay of Plenty is administering the scheme on behalf of both Councils.

Get in touch with us for additional information or assistance.

To find out more and to apply, visit www.creativebop.org.nz administered by

Creative Bay of Plenty 95 Willow St, Tauranga 3110 Phone. (07) 928 5270

Gallery and a Creative Venue with “A Sparkle of Difference” featuring: * Contemporary Art * Photography * NZ Made Gifts * Exhibitions * Inspirational Art Workshops * Events

TAMMIE ROSE RIDDLE

MELANIE McKENZIE

TRACEY CLARK

VJEKOSLAV NEMESH

“Stitches of Reflection”

“Landing Places”

“Sweet Inspiration ”

“Interdimensional”

10 FEB - 9 MAR

10 MAR- 9 APR

10 APR - 9 MAY

Meet the artist: 10 Feb, 5pm

Meet the artist: 10 Apr, 5pm

A: 32 Devonport Rd. Tauranga E: theartloungenz@gmail.com W: theartloungenz.com F: Like us on Facebook/theartloungenz T: 021 2025061 - Mira /Artist, Tutor & Gallery Curator

+ Guest Artist: DARINKA

FORJAN

10 MAY- 9 JUN Opening & Art Demo: 10 May, 5pm Art Workshop tutored by Nemesh coming in May! Email for details.

Naked Burrito Words & cooking Sulata Ghosh

ommended) (clothing optional but highly rec

BEEF BURRITO BOWLS Serves 4 Prep Time – 20 Minutes Cook Time – 30 Minutes

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When I first encountered burrito bowls I felt like it was invented for me...

- it had all the goodness of a burrito, minus the difficult handling and ever-present possibility of an awkward wardrobe mishap that seems to accompany the real deal.

Let’s face it, have you tried to look graceful while eating a burrito?

Nope–it can’t be done.

Ingredients FOR THE RICE 2 cups white or brown rice 4 cups water Pinch of Salt 2 tablespoons butter Juice of one lime A few sprigs of chopped coriander FOR THE GUACAMOLE 2 ripe avocados 1/4 of an onion, diced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1/2 jalapeño (or other fresh green chilli) – optional salt (to taste) 1/2 lime a few sprigs of coriander

Method

But while it may not be fully authentic Mexican, the burrito bowl ticks all the boxes – it’s a great-tasting, flavourful and filling dinner extravaganza – and it’s fun and easy to make, with plenty of healthy ingredients. It’s also relatively hard to mess up, so it makes for a great late summer weekday meal that you can pull together after work, and during a glass of wine.

My version of burrito bowl seeks to replicate the authentic burrito flavours with plenty of local produce and garnishes, but you can experiment with your ingredients. Fire up the barbecue and try this dish with grilled chicken instead; for a vegan option, swap out the mince and add pan-grilled summer vegetables.

Leave out the jalapenos/ chillies and chilli powder.

750g beef mince 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon chilli powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper salt (to taste) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic 1/2 jalapeño (or other fresh green chilli) - optional a few sprigs of coriander

Hate coriander

like our very own graphic designer? Then take that out.

But I wouldn’t recommend leaving out the garlic entirely, because it adds complexity and unless you are allergic to the noble bulb you’re really missing out.

FOR THE BLACK BEANS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 of an onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic 2 cans black beans in brine (drained) 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano Salt (to taste) 1/2 cup water Juice of half a lime

Get your rice started. Wash the rice and soak it in plenty of water for a few minutes. Drain the water. Add 4 cups of water (or the recommended ratio of rice to water for the rice you are using), salt and cook.

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While the rice is cooking, prep your ingredients. Chop the onion into four - half will be used in the meat, a quarter will be used in the black beans, and the remaining quarter will be used in the guacamole. Mince up the garlic for the meat and the beans. Chop the jalapeño if using (discard the seeds). Roughly chop a small bunch of coriander – stalks included but discard the roots or preserve for a different recipe. Drain the black beans and set aside for later use.

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Can’t stand the heat?

FOR THE MEAT

And a bit of multitasking will make the prep for this dish go faster, so add an extra pair of hands and another glass of wine and you’ll be eating before you know it!

Take out the mince into a large bowl. In a small prep bowl add the ground cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder, dried oregano, crushed black pepper and salt listed in the ingredients under ‘For the meat’. Mix up this spice mix and sprinkle evenly on to the mince. Mix gently to coat the spice mix thoroughly. Take care not to over mix or the meat gets rubbery when cooked. Set it aside.

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To make the guacamole, cut an avocado in half and discard the stone. Score the fruit in a crisscross pattern and scoop it into a medium sized bowl using a spoon. Add the chopped onion, salt and jalapeño. Crush a clove of garlic and add it into the bowl. Add chopped coriander. Mix everything together to combine and refrigerate while you finish cooking the rest of the meal.

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5 Extras

– You can also add pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, cooked corn kernels and chopped lettuce to personalize your burrito bowl. And perhaps a margarita or two to accessories your table!

To prepare the meat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and toss for a couple of minutes.

Now add the minced garlic and let it cook together with the onion till soft. Add the spiced meat and combine gently with the onion and garlic.

Cook, while breaking up the meat, till no longer pink. Add the chopped jalapeño (if using) and sprinkle in the coriander.

Great food, excellent coffee, and the best sweet treats in the Bay. We also have plenty of gluten free options, and we do catering.

Café Coco Open Monday - Saturday 10 Richardson St, Whakatane P. 07 308 8337

For the beans, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes till soft. Add the beans, chipotle sauce, ground cumin, dried oregano and salt; stir to combine and let this cook together for about five minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil, then add the lime juice.

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This is optional: add butter to the cooked rice, sprinkle in the lime juice and coriander and toss gently to combine with the rice.

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Serve; start with the rice, then add the beans, the meat and finally the guacamole.

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And then enjoy!

An Interview with

Chris Roberts

Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa WORDS ANDY TAYLOR

Chris Roberts started out reading the news at an Eastern Bay radio station and now spreads the word on how great the New Zealand tourism industry is. As tourism surpasses dairy as our largest industry, Plenty caught up with him to find out where the Bay sits in the scheme of things and how we can make the most of this growing sector.

P L E N T Y. C O . N Z // F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Image supplied

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Chris Roberts

An Interview with

Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa

PLENTY You’re the Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa, but you didn’t start out in the tourism industry.

CR No, I grew up in Whakatāne and then went on to what was commonly known as a ‘Bugger All’ degree – a Bachelor of Arts – at Waikato University, and towards the end of that I got a holiday job in the newsroom at Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

After initially thinking of doing a Masters I was offered a full time position by Glenn Smith at 1XX (see Radio Days in Plenty 02) in 1986. Looking back there is some logic and sense in my career path, but it was never really planned! I worked as a journalist for about ten years, ended up at Radio New Zealand in Wellington and spent three years as a parliamentary press secretary before moving into corporate communications. After about ten years there I went to work for Tourism New Zealand in 2012, and when Martin Snedden announced he was leaving his role at TIA I was lucky enough to land that position in 2014.

PLENTY It is a commonly held belief that New Zealand is just too far away from everywhere for our tourism industry to really bloom; will the tyranny of distance always hold us back?

CR We’re not sitting in the heart of Europe so it is always going to be a factor, and we are unlikely to get the kind of numbers that places there get; we had 3.5 million visitors last year, whereas somewhere like Austria got over 25 million visitors, and those were visitors primarily going there for the same sorts of things – scenery, recreation – as those coming to New Zealand. But working in our favour, long-haul aircraft are becoming more fuel-efficient and the economics for the airlines to fly here are working out quite well – which is part of the reason we have seen a massive jump in connections coming into New Zealand recently. And in some ways being at the bottom of the world is a selling point in our favour!

PLENTY Another accusation levelled at the tourism industry is that it is somehow insubstantial and susceptible to overseas downturns, and that it also primarily creates only low-paid employment.

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CR I actually think tourism is a fairly resilient industry. It is hard to imagine a crisis or catastrophe that could impact on our visitor numbers by 30, 40 or 50%, and if there were to be such a crisis it is highly likely it would impact other industries like dairy just as badly. Tourism has its ups and downs but there is always a base level of activity there that keeps things moving.

And the growth of middle classes around the world – in Asia and South America in particular – means there is just an evergrowing population that want to travel, and travel to places like New Zealand. In terms of jobs, some but not all tourism jobs are highly paid, and the great thing about tourism is that there are jobs in the industry virtually everywhere – you don’t have to be living in Auckland to be working in tourism – and that as the industry grows, so will employment opportunities.

REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER IMPACT THE NEW US PRESIDENT HAS, NEW ZEALAND WAS ALREADY A VERY ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FOR AMERICANS!

PLENTY Our largest inbound market remains Australia, but where do you think international growth will come from in the future?

CR Australia will always remain important. The numbers for 2016 have just come through and the arrivals from Australia grew by 6%, that’s an extra 82,000 people, so they are still the largest, but also the fastest growing, market by number.

Countries like China, Korea and Malaysia, but also traditional markets like the UK and Germany, are also doing really well, and the arrivals from the United States grew 20% last year.

Regardless of whatever impact the new US President has, New Zealand was already a very attractive destination for Americans!

PLENTY All this growth is great, but it also presents challenges; some regions are benefitting more than others, and some regions are struggling to deal with the huge influx of tourists. What do you see as the main challenges facing tourism in New Zealand?

CR Infrastructure, our work force, and what you might call social licence. Though our infrastructure is generally coping fine and we have plenty of room for visitors in New Zealand, we don’t necessarily have the right infrastructure in place for growth. So in regions like the Bay of Plenty, we have to consider where that infrastructure might struggle if there were a 50% increase in visitors; are there enough services, is there enough accommodation and can Council facilities like toilets and walking tracks cope? It has to be a lot more planned than just saying that we are going after a lot more tourists – we have to consider the impact of what happens when we achieve that.

We also have to keep working to convince people that tourism

is a good career choice – if you are a ‘people person’ then it is a great industry for you – and we are worried that if we don’t have the right people in the industry then we won’t be able to deliver the best experience; visitors definitely come here for the scenery, but they go home talking about the people. And finally, in regard to the social licence, we do see stories about Kiwis who are seeing an increase in tourists negatively, so we are very focussed on reminding people that tourism is very powerful in our economy and very important to our communities. We have to ensure we continue to welcome visitors with open arms.

PLENTY In regard to infrastructure, the big question is who is going to pay for that.

CR We are in discussions with government on that and there is a realisation that one area that needs attention is local government funding. In parts of New Zealand where there are limited numbers of ratepayers, but tourism opportunities that could benefit the whole community, it is clear that local government will struggle to provide facilities and I think we will see later this year perhaps a bit of a helping hand and somewhere councils can go for assistance. The private sector will of course also have a big role to play but they will be looking for councils that are supportive of what they are planning to do and encourage development and new initiatives.

So it would be great if the work that began last year around destination marketing planning could be extended and we could really start working together. It would be to everyone’s benefit.

PLENTY

A tax on overseas visitors?

CR Visitors are not freeloading – they more than pay their way. For starters, they pay the same GST that we all pay but don’t get most of the services that we do. Annually they pay $1.1 billion dollars in GST and by many analyses they are already being overtaxed. We don’t favour a border or bed tax, but we have to be realistic that this may happen – after all, international visitors don’t vote, so are an easy target.

PLENTY What do you think small and mediumsized tourism operators can do to make themselves more competitive?

CR The days of being an enthusiastic amateur in the tourism business are gone. You really have to be professional now, work with all available trade channels, have a good online presence and understand social media, and work with regional tourism organisations. But at the end of the day it also comes down to offering a great experience – wow your visitors and make sure they go away and talk about you in glowing terms.

PLENTY Regional dispersal – getting tourists out of the main hubs and into the regions – has become something of a mantra recently; will it become a reality?

CR Regional dispersal is a key focus for TIA as it is vital to sustainable growth. I think we have broad agreement that we don’t just want to channel all our visitors into two or three locations like Rotorua, Queenstown and Auckland, and as places get busier we will see visitors look for more off-thebeaten-track experiences. We are seeing people start to spend time in locations around those main hubs. In the Bay, it is important to remember that we have two prize locations in Rotorua and Tauranga, and operators outside those cities should be targeting some of those visitors to come and see them as well - try to get them to drive a little way up the road for something different.

PLENTY Professor Terry Stevens (an awardwinning tourism consultant who has worked for the UN and UNESCO amongst others) was speaking recently in Rotorua and he emphasised the need for greater regional cooperation; how can we achieve this?

CR I attended one of Professor Stevens workshops and he had some great things to say, and Rotorua should be applauded for bringing him here, but as a Bay of Plenty boy I also know the rivalries that exist between the sub districts of the Bay – whether it be in sport or where the Regional Council should be located – and I know how hard it can be to get Rotorua and Tauranga to agree on anything, let alone include the outlying areas!

CATCH UP, KEEP UP, GET AHEAD MAKE 2017 YOUR YEAR

✓ Years 1 to 10 maths,

spelling, reading and English

✓ Selected high school

subjects, Years 11, 12 and 13

(Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Math, Calculus, Statistics, English & History)

✓ Teaching English to speakers of other languages

✓ Work with trained teachers ✓ Dyslexia support and screening

✓ Extension courses.

Call today for a free consultation

Whakatane Centre Diane Black P. 07 307 1195

Rotorua Centre Ceri Parr P. 07 349 2070

0800 TUTORING (0800 888 674) www.kipmcgrath.co.nz

Everything under the sun Native ConnectionNZ Whakatāne isn’t just a great place for a holiday, it’s also a great lifestyle destination and a great place to set up shop. Here are three local businesses that are bringing a new dynamism to the town’s business district, leading the way in helping to redefine retail.

Soulsa Restaurant Jono Marr is no stranger to doing business in Whakatāne, having run his successful Soulsa restaurant on The Strand for several years. When this success demanded a bigger space he knew he wanted to stay in the central business district.

“The greatest thing about this place is the people,” he says, “They are just the friendliest around. But it also has a great lifestyle, it’s laid back, and everything is just where you want it. Where else can you have a surf and be at work ten minutes later? It’s just a great place to bring up a family and be in business.”

Where else can you have a surf and be at work ten minutes later?

New developments in the Soulsa business include regular degustation nights with live music and an all-new menu. Regulars – and You can there are many from throughout the District and beyond - can expect the same passion with great find Soulsa flavours incorporating some traditional twists. “It’s all about big, memorable flavours,” says Jono.

Restaurant at “Presentation is important, but it’s the flavour that stays with you, and that’s why I like to bring in 14 Richardson St, ingredients like kawa kawa or other native plants to give dishes that something special.”

Whakatāne

Valor & Tonic Valor & Tonic is a wellness collective offering a broad range of innovative and natural treatments, from acupuncture to beauty therapy, reiki, naturopathy, aromatherapy, vibrational healing and more. It’s the inspiration of Jessica Steel and Lauren Sinkinson, who wanted an inviting and accessible space to bring together like-minded professionals. “We had been looking at several places,” says Jessica, “and when we saw the Owen Dippie and Tame Iti mural go on the side wall of this building, we knew this location was something special.” ...we find Whakatāne to be a warm, welcoming and a very openminded place to be offering the types of services that we have.

And they were right. Over 150 people attended their opening, and Valor & Tonic have quickly built an enviable reputation. “Overall, we find Whakatāne to be a warm, welcoming and a very open-minded place to be offering the types of services that we have here,” says Jessica. “The Whakatāne CBD has an awesome vibe, a lot of foot traffic, and many new businesses are popping up.

It’s a privilege to be part of the community here, and it’s great to be connecting with people through the unique opportunities for well-being we are offering.”

Valor & Tonic also features the artwork of local artist Fiona Kerr-Getson and will be hosting evening information sessions focused on natural health choices.

Visit Valor & Tonic at 211 The Strand

Jean & Jade Eclectic is the word most often used to describe Jean & Jade, the brainchild of Jade Adams and Stacey Murray, but the store also draws comparisons with the shopping scene over the ditch. “Quite a few people have commented that the store has a very Melbourne feel to it,” says Stacey, “and we’ll take that as a compliment, as we really wanted to do something quite different to what you usually see in New Zealand.”

Both founders have backgrounds in art and fashion design, and they have become firm friends after founding their business in Kawerau a year ago.

Since opening the Whakatāne store on The Strand, they have increased their stock lineup and are enjoying the added exposure their new location offers. “You see a mix of people in Whakatāne like nowhere else in New Zealand, from all backgrounds, and as the business has morphed and changed it has been great to see the clientele change too” Jade says.

“You see a mix of people in Whakatāne like nowhere else in New Zealand”

The support has been great in Whakatāne, and that is important because retail has to cooperate to succeed in the current climate.”

“The support has been great in Whakatāne,” Stacey says, “and that is important because retail has to cooperate to succeed in the current climate. We are all in this together, so we really need to work together, and its great to see so much diversity happening here as it all adds to the experience for the customer.” Jean & Jade hope to add to their customers’ experience with a range of new clothing designs from New Zealand and some new developments in store. “We really want to grow the label Jean&Pete and ideally we’d like to see it going global,” says Stacey, “but we are keen to keep this as our flagship Visit store. Plus this store just has a great vibe!”

Jean & Jade at 120 The Strand, Whakatāne

Discover a

We would like to hear about your new business!

CONTACT:

Priceless Lifestyle

Live, work and invest in the Whakatāne District Take the opportunity to live your dream

Roslyn.Mortimer@whakatane.govt.nz whakatane.com whakatane.govt.nz

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KOPE BARBER, WHAKATĀNE The writing on the wall says it all. No one seems to be able to prove Che Guevara actually said it, but then, as Kyle Houltham, left, says, no one can prove he didn’t.

Together with Raymond Harding, right, this double act are part of the team in Kopeopeo.

“Barbers know a little about a lot of things,” Kyle says, “because men tell their barbers everything. And they also want their hair to look like their heroes – even if they don’t have the physiques to match!”

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Covering Toi Iti’s new barber shop in Tāneatua (see Iti & Son in Plenty 05) got us thinking: it seems that while dedicated, traditional barbers were pretty thin on the ground back in the nineties and early noughties when we were all too cool to go to them, they have made a great comeback and even starred in that Post Shop ad. So, we talked to a quartet of great barbers about beards, barbering, and what it takes to be the best in the biz.

FADE CENTRAL, TAUPŌ is about as far from traditional as you can get; this place screams ‘urban’, but Casius Witana the owner has some serious experience, having started cutting his friends’ hair at school.’ “The passion just grew from there,” he says. “I love meeting new people everyday and constantly learning new things. Seeing clients leave the shop happy lets us know we're doing our job well. Right now fades, comb-overs, all the shorter style cuts are coming in more. No more Justin Bieber haircuts.”

Left to right: Waratana Hartley, Casius Witana, Jo Te Whaiti

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MY BARBER, ROTORUA was the brainchild of Ants Haines, right, who set up shop in Hinemoa St., Rotorua, less than two years ago. He is no newbie to the trade however, having started out cutting ‘the boys’ hair at the tender age of 11 after his mother bought a pair of clippers. His new shop is a mix of old school barber, arcade games, great graphics and good sounds and judging by the regular demand the My Barber crew have got it right.

BAY BARBERS, TAURANGA Barbering may traditionally be a male dominated profession, but Frankie Hutchings of the Bay Barbers in Tauranga has taken up the challenge of breaking the stereotype. “It doesn’t matter if you are male or female,” she says, “if you continue to learn and grow it will show in your work and your clientele will keep building. I love the fine detail and precision of barbering, and the fast pace and no appointments keeps it interesting!”

Left to right: Christopher Mitchell, Frankie Hutchings, Anna Holbrook P L E N T Y. C O . N Z // F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

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Strange Death of an Artist

WORDS ANDY TAYLOR WITH HAMISH PETTENGELL OF THE WHAKATÄ€NE MUSEUM AND RESEARCH CENTRE

The perfect crime is the stuff of Hollywood, but on a July night in 1896 an unknown person or persons appears to have pulled off just that right here in the Bay of Plenty. Even now, more than 100 years after the mysterious death of James Forsyth, we are no closer to knowing how he died, or what train of events led to an episode that The New Zealand Herald, with uncharacteristic restraint, called The Strange Death of an Artist.

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Art lives long, life is short was the personal motto inscribed in the journal of James Forsyth, the writer, artist and wanderer who left behind some of the earliest paintings and sketches of the Eastern Bay, and who - on Saturday 11 July 1896 - was found dead in his bed in the humble shack he called home in Ōhiwa, between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki.

Forsyth was found with multiple wounds to his head, a shingling hammer clutched in his hand, lying on his bed, but his home was otherwise untouched, with no sign of a struggle. It seemed to be murder most foul, and his death shocked the fledgling settlement, but the coroner’s verdict – suicide whilst insane – was even more shocking.

Remittance men featured regularly in the fiction of Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling, and the stereotype of the well-born black sheep as flotsam or jetsam in the Pacific endured through Somerset Maugham, Evelyn Waugh and beyond. Whether or not Forsyth was one will never be known, but it is known that he managed to make a living selling cartoons and sketches to newspapers and magazines both here and across the Tasman, which was in itself quite an achievement and points to him being an educated man.

What drew him south, away from those cities where he could expect to make a living from his obvious talent and to the small settlement of Ōhiwa is another mystery. In the 1890s, Ōhiwa was a port town serving the Eastern Bay with produce and was a staging post for traffic heading east to Ōpōtiki; it had a popular hotel, a post office, and was considered to have a bright and industrious future. Forsyth was a regular at the hotel, but was not a heavy drinker, and by all accounts he was well liked in the community and was popular amongst local Māori, whose lands he often sketched. Perhaps it was a love of that land that brought him to the Eastern Bay and ultimately kept him here. Soon after arriving he started working in a road gang, taking every opportunity of the freedom and access the job offered to find subjects for his sketches and painting in the rolling landscape around him. He was, by most accounts, a friendly and popular figure.

How could anyone bash themselves to death with a hammer...

It is still shocking today. How could anyone bash themselves to death with a hammer in their home and then lay themselves down while still clutching the implement of their demise? And how could the local police not suspect foul play? In turn-of-the-century colonial New Zealand, were these questions never asked, or were they just left unanswered.

Not a great deal is known about James Forsyth. He was in life, and remains in death, a mystery. Even his age at the time of his demise – 32 or 39 – is in contention. What is known is that he was born in Scotland and travelled throughout Australia before arriving in New Zealand, possibly drawn to these shores because he had two brothers in Auckland, though neither of them were ever to figure in any record of his life following his arrival.

He was an accomplished artist and writer, which led many at the time and since to suppose he was well-educated and therefore a ‘remittance man’. Popularised first in Canada, but soon familiar in Australia and New Zealand, the term referred to a wide range of prodigal sons and illegitimate offspring who were shipped out to Britain’s colonies with the promise of a regular monetary remittance providing they never returned to darken their mother’s doors or claim their father’s inheritances.

... And how could the local police not suspect foul play?

It was on Thursday, 9 July that people in Ōhiwa first became concerned about Forsyth. Earlier in the week he had been described as appearing slightly morose, and he had told a friend he felt ‘queer’, though he had still joined in a singalong around the piano at the Ōhiwa Hotel on Tuesday night. When he was not seen in the town for several days after that it was surmised he had gone off on one of his sketching trips, so it was not until Saturday 11 July that two acquaintances called to his whare in search of him; they found his gate and front door open, and inside James P L E N T Y. C O . N Z // F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

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Forsyth lay dead on his bed, a hammer held in his right hand, across his chest, and his skull fractured in multiple places.

Once his death had been discovered, the police investigation was swift - and many felt it was summary. The time of death was set by the examining doctor to be Tuesday night, and it was noted that Forsyth’s door had been closed throughout the week, only to be found open on the Saturday, a detail that pointed to the crime scene having been visited after Forsyth’s death. The doctor also noted that while it was possible for the wounds to Forsyth’s skull to have been made by Forsyth himself, he had “never seen nor read of a similar case of wounds so serious and in such a position to have been self-inflicted.”

Forsyth; artistic, creative, educated and beholden to no one but his muse, he may well have unsettled godfearing pioneers, but was that enough to take to him with a hammer?

Art lives long; James Forsyth’s journal offers an intriguing insight into life in the fledgling settlement and the man himself.

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More than one witness professed their belief that there had been foul play, but the coroner and jury, assembled in the hotel where Forsyth had been singing just days before, seemed determined to ignore the obvious and found, “That the said James Forsyth came to his death by wounds inflicted by a shingling hammer on his head, but whether self-inflicted or otherwise there is no evidence to show, but we are of the opinion that they were self-inflicted while suffering from temporary insanity.”

In other words, suicide; the authorities were willing to record that Forsyth had calmly fractured his own skull and lain down on his bed to die. The people of the Eastern Bay were more skeptical. Was he the victim of a robbery gone wrong? Or had the crime been committed by ‘a feral child from outside the district’, as one theory ran?

A modern interpretation of the contemporary evidence carried out in the 1990s found that the wounds to Forsyth were unlikely to have been self-inflicted, and if they were then the very first of them would have left him unconscious and unable to continue landing blows. Interestingly, the wounds were also considered to be so shallow that they may have been made by a child or woman, which thickens the plot, but does not solve the mystery. If Forsyth had been the victim of a bungled burglary why was nothing taken – and would a penniless artist have been a target in the first place? And could ‘a feral child’ really have been running amok in a town the size of Ōhiwa without any locals noticing? To this day there are mutterings in the area that Forsyth met his end because colonial New Zealand, and particularly remote and rural colonial New Zealand, was deeply suspicious of someone like Forsyth; artistic, creative, educated and beholden to no one but his muse, he may well have unsettled god-fearing pioneers, but was that enough to take to him with a hammer?

The Ferry Hotel on Ōhiwa, a frequent haunt of Forsyth. Ōhiwa itself would not out-live Forsyth for long. Within ten years of his death the sands on which it was built began to shift and erosion saw the hotel and ultimately the whole settlement slip into the harbour and history forever. In the 1970s, that same erosion would attempt to take Forsyth, as the cemetery where he was buried also fell victim to the shifting sands; his headstone, along with many others, was moved and is now found in the Ōpōtiki cemetery, but – in what must be the ultimate twist in this tale - it is unsure if his mortal remains lie beneath it or not.

His art does live on however. One of his paintings of Whakatāne, one of earliest of the town, was gifted by Forsyth to Catherine Little, who together with her husband ran one of the hotels depicted in the painting.

James Forsyth was laid to rest in the local urupa (Māori cemetery or burial site) - the Catholic church would not allow a ‘suicide’ to be buried in consecrated ground – in a sign of the respect he was held in by local Māori. And, interestingly, an expensive headstone appeared on his grave not long after his burial, but no one could ascertain who had commissioned it; it was just another piece in the puzzle of the strange death of an artist.

Art lives long, life is short. James Forsyth’s life was short, regardless of whether he was 32 or 39 when he met his end. In the more than 100 years since his death, no new evidence has come forward, there have been no deathbed confessions, and no long-kept secrets have been uncovered.

The headstone of James Forsyth can now be found in the old Ōpōtiki cemetery, though whether his body lies beneath it is unknown.

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Whakatāne in 1896, by James Forsyth It shows Whakatāne in its formative years, the early incarnations of the Commercial and Whakatāne Hotels in much the same positions they occupy now. The steamer shown is probably the Chelmsford, which was the town’s main contact with Auckland and the rest of the country.

The painting was donated to the Whakatāne Museum in 1994, and following restoration and reframing, James Forsyth’s “Whakatāne in 1896” is now on permanent display at Te Kōputu a te Whanga a Toi – the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre; the art has indeed outlived the artist, but the mystery of what happened to James Forsyth will almost certainly outlive them both.

Art lives long, life is short.

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The sketch that graces the back cover of James Forsyth’s journal; is this the only known image of the artist himself?

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