Mary Anne Gill

When David Huxtable peered into the window of an Alpha Street building in Cambridge back in March, he had an inkling his two-year search was over.

The Waikato-King Country Idea Services area manager’s team had been sharing office facilities in Hamilton but they had outgrown them and the search until then had produced nothing suitable. Huxtable has been working for Idea Services – part of the IHC Group of Charities – for 30 years.

For his first decade Idea Services had a base in Cambridge – in Queen Street and then in Dick Street – but 20 years ago moved into Hamilton.

Idea Services supports adults of all ages with intellectual disabilities to live independently and be part of their local communities. This includes residential care, supported living and vocational support.

They have four residential homes in Cambridge, two in Te Awamutu, three in Te Kūiti and Ōtorohanga and three in Taumarunui as well as a rural block in Ōhaupō for people with high and complex needs.

“We’ve got a massive green house there that we want to open up more for gardening opportunities.”

The Tarr Road property – off Kaipaki Road near Mystery Creek Polo Club – has three houses called Cottage, Farmhouse and Flat with around the clock care workers for up to 10 people who require support.

They grow vegetables, have chickens and fruit trees which provide an abundance of food.

A recent review resulted in two Idea Services areas becoming amalgamated into Waikato-King Country which takes in Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Ōtorohanga, Te Kūiti, Taumarunui, Thames, Paeroa and Waihi.

The service area supports 264 people.

Cambridge was tagged for the headquarters provided Huxtable could find something big enough, easily accessible, central to town and close to public transport.

The concrete block space next to Anytime Fitness and opposite Briscoes was perfect. Two days later, Huxtable had signed a tenancy agreement with landlord Andrew Minett who agreed to fit out the shell for the disability services organisation.

It was opened on Monday by deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk and included a performance by Idea Services kapa haka group Te Roopu o Hauraki me Te Rohe Pōtae which is preparing for the kapa haka nationals in February.

“It’s now time to get this place going, get the team happy and make it a place to come and work from and families can come too,” said Huxtable.

“It’s been a long time but we’re back in Cambridge.”

There will be the chance to have more open forums, meeting space in the building is perfect for family meetings and for sharing resources with other like-minded organisations.

“Why invent something people have already got?”

Artwork hanging on the wall has been completed by people Idea Services support – some of the artists have been prize winners in the annual IHC art awards - and is for sale.

The public is welcome to “wander in, have a look,” said Huxtable.

Community relationships already exist with groups like InterlockNZ Trust – which connects people through crafts, woodwork, cooking and social activities – and Hautapu Sports who give the kapa haka group somewhere to practice.

Move an ideal fit

Sigrid Christiansen

Young singer Ebony Phillips from Te Kūiti, and Waitomo Caves Choir songstress Katrin Wörmer joined 11,000 vocal talents in Auckland for “the largest choral competition and festival on the planet,” in the words of director John Rosser.

The fortnight-long World Choir Games, which finished last Friday, is for non-professional choirs.

Overseas music lovers, including 88 singing groups from China and Hong Kong, performed alongside New Zealand choirs such as the Kaitaia Community Voices and Te Matatini performers Te Waka Huia.

Ebony’s choir featured twice: on the main stage at Auckland Town Hall and in a public friendship concert at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Katrin Wörmer said she loved “listening to, watching, learning from, meeting and sharing stories with all sorts of wonderful, talented and beautiful people from all over the place.”

The games also included workshops, ceremonies, evening performances and free daytime concerts.

Ebony, a Year 12 Te Kūiti High School student who turned 16 last Friday first performed with Titiwai (Māori for glow-worm), the children’s part of the Waitomo Caves Choir, when she was eight.

Her current group, the 80-strong Aotearoa Academy Choir, was formed from students who missed selection to the national youth choir and secondary schools choirs.

“The idea was to give them the skills to move on to the other choirs,” Ebony said.

She felt encouraged to see some singers in her choir already doing so and hopes to join them.

She credits singing teacher Beth Dalton with telling her about the opportunity.

The young singer gets weekly lessons with Ōtorohanga teacher Beatrice Hofer.

Waitomo pair at singing Olympics

In mid-2022, Trish Fisher had a relatable problem – what to get her brother-in-law Ian for Christmas.
He loves highland cattle, so why not make him a crochet version? An incredibly cute one licking its nose? He doesn’t have any cattle himself, so that would be the next best thing, Trish thought.
The project wasn’t as simple as it looked, and not one but two Christmases came and went as Trish mulled over the plan, even though she had started with more than enough time, or so she thought. But the persistent crochet artiste never gave up.
The body took most of the two years. The instructions for the curly coat were the issue – but once Trish re-read the pattern, the rest was relatively quick, just a matter of months.
We’re pretty sure he’ll like it.
Trish said he doesn’t have a name yet – that’s up to Ian.

He loves highland cattle, so why not make him a crochet version? An incredibly cute one licking its nose? He doesn’t have any cattle himself, so that would be the next best thing, Trish thought.

The project wasn’t as simple as it looked, and not one but two Christmases came and went as Trish mulled over the plan, even though she had started with more than enough time, or so she thought. But the persistent crochet artiste never gave up.

The body took most of the two years. The instructions for the curly coat were the issue – but once Trish re-read the pattern, the rest was relatively quick, just a matter of months.

We’re pretty sure he’ll like it.

Trish said he doesn’t have a name yet – that’s up to Ian.

Trish's good steer

Andy Campbell

Waitomo District Council will hand ownership of six of the district’s eight rural halls to their hall committees.

The decision came after 33 of 66 responses in Long Term Plan submissions backed committee ownership. Thirty were happy with status quo, three wanted halls closed.

But the decision was made after a warning was sounded that community ownership would only be viable with community support.

Submissions from those within the district were more strongly in favour of hall committee ownership, according to the council’s comments on the long term plan.

The comments on the LTP were generally in favour of hall committees deciding what would work best for them.

Councillors and staff met five hall committees who generally responded positively. The council will continue with discussions to transition hall ownership to those committees and communities who wish to do so.

But it is not all roses. President of the Kinohaku Hall Society Tim Stokes said there were challenges in community ownership of a rural hall.

There were limited people willing to be involved in operating the hall and not many in the community wanted to be members, he said.

The hall needed regular income to be financially viable. Insurance at more than $3000 a year was a significant expense.

“Even with income from a regular user and the annual council grant, the hall only makes a slight profit because of the fundraising we do,” he submitted.

Volunteers who donated materials and carried out maintenance were another factor that helped make the hall viable, he said.

“If we had to purchase materials and pay tradesmen for maintenance work, we would not be viable.”

He argued without support from their communities and good fund raising opportunities, community ownership wasn’t viable.

“Rural halls have a role to play in being a venue for gatherings and events,” he said. “We wouldn’t like to see them disappear from being available for the community to use.”

Halls go back to the people

Katrina Christison

A great way to enhance your front door, outdoor living area, path, garage, pretty much any area outside is with outdoor pots. Arranging them in clusters of three or five or even just one, can significantly enhance the visual appeal of your outdoor space.

When planning in clusters, it’s essential to consider the aesthetics of both the pots and the plants they contain. Using a variety of pot sizes and coordinating colours can create a harmonious and dynamic display that draws the eye and adds interest to any outdoor space.

Firstly, choose pots of varying heights and diameters to add depth and dimension to your arrangement. A common approach is to use three different sizes: small, medium, and large. These sizes can be arranged in a triangular pattern for a balanced look or staggered at different heights for a more dynamic feel.

Selecting pots in complementary colours is key so they have unity and simplicity.

Earthy tones like terracotta, deep greens, and natural stone can provide a timeless, classic look, while bold colours like cobalt blue, vibrant red, or sunny yellow can add a playful, contemporary touch. When grouping the pots, ensure that the colours do not clash; instead, they should complement each other and the surrounding environment.

Once you have your pots sorted next think about the plants. To achieve a balanced look, think of a thriller plant. This plant serves as the focal point and is either placed in the largest pot or in each pot. This plant could be a tallish grass, small tree or topiary – this plant adds the height and drama to your pots.

Then comes the filler plant – this plant should complement the thriller without overshadowing it. Fillers should harmonize in colour with the spillers and tall plants, creating a cohesive look.

This could be some annuals to add pops of colour that you can change every season, or something as simple as some tall mondo grass. Fillers should harmonise in colour with the spillers and tall plants, creating a cohesive look.

And lastly comes the spiller plant which will soften the edges of your pots and hang over the edge, the key is to select spillers that contrast in texture and colour with the fillers and tall plants, ensuring they stand out while still complementing the overall arrangement.

Plant all three plants in the pots or one in each, either way it will enhance the look of our outdoor space with a stunning and balanced display.

Perfect pot plants

Contributed

I really enjoyed Mr Dickinson’s thought provoking letter (The News April 4) and he was right to say that it is the people that make a place special.

I’ve never thought of us as being a stop off town but that’s probably because I live here. Sad to say, it would take a miracle for some people to put away evil practices, and there’s even a song from an old movie called South Pacific which tells of this. The very first verse says “You’ve got to be taught to hate and to fear you’ve got to be taught from year to year, it’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear, you’ve got to be carefully taught.”

I don’t believe we’ll ever be rid of evil, it’s how we respond to it that matters, whether we let it infect us, or whether we turn our backs on it to keep up the sound values that work within our souls from year to year. I have no desire to go roaming overseas as some people do.

Maybe Te Kuiti will always be a small town where people are happy to stop and grab fuel and a pie, given we’re just a valley with only hills left to build on for the most part, and who wants to build on a hill? Evil is found globally and the best we can do is to lock it up and throw away the key; then head on down for fish and chips!

A Graham

Te Kūiti

Well said

Now the lawns have slowed down, it is the perfect time to give your lawn mower some love. You can either drop it into the shop for a clean, service or sharpen or do it yourself.

The most important thing to remember is NEVER tip your mower on its side as this causes the oil to run into the air filter.

When cleaning underneath or sharpening your blades always tip the mower backwards towards the handle.

If you don’t keep the underneath of your mower clean, it gives the blade the least room to spin and blow the clippings into your catcher, especially when you are mowing damp/wet grass.

Another tip for mowing wet grass is to mow half a strip each time as this puts least pressure on the mower to get it into the catcher and

you will be unblocking it less.

With pruning season of roses and hydrangeas fast approaching, now is also the perfect time to get the tools ready for the job ahead. Nice, sharp, clean tools make clean cuts, providing less chance for bugs to enter plants.

Spray with either of the following WD40, CRC, methylated spirits and use a bit of fine sandpaper to loosen all the sap and dirt and then wipe off with a rag.

Put some oil on a sharpening stone and sharpen the angled side of the blade only – you should only have to run the stone over the blade 2-3 times.

Finish with squirting some oil into the central pivot bit and on the spring, this will make your secateurs move freely as well as keeping rust at bay if they are put away wet.

Repeat the above with your loppers and garden shears and you will be set to start your pruning next month.

Early winter jobs for your garden

Red Admiral caterpillars from the King Country have been taken to Auckland in the hope they will revive a population devasted more than two decades ago.

Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust trustee Jaqui Knight said native red admiral butterflies disappeared from the city of sails following the government’s painted apple moth eradication campaigns in 2001 and 2002

“This species is only located in New Zealand and was once widespread,” Knight said. “Development and the loss of our wild spaces also means that now the beautiful butterfly is a very infrequent visitor.”

There are other red admirals in the world, but the NZ red admiral, in te Reo ‘kahukura’ (meaning “red cloak”) was definitely the most beautiful, she said.

“It’s as much a part of NZ as our kiwi and kauri, but it seems to have been gone and forgotten here over the past 20 years.”

Moths and butterflies is hoping to re-start the Red Admirals in Auckland with a release on Monday of butterflies whose mum was taken from the QE2 covenanted part of the Stubbs family farm at Waitomo Caves. A female Red Admiral found on the first visit to the Stubbs farm laid her eggs all over the nettle the trust has grown in Auckland. The native tree nettle is where red admirals lay eggs.

“Few people are brave enough to plant urtica ferox, the tree nettle or ongaonga, the host plant on which the species lays its eggs,” King said. “They can still support the campaign by providing more nectar flowers in their gardens.

“We are campaigning this summer to increase awareness of this species and to encourage more people to plant nectar flowers and the butterfly’s host plant,” she said. “The butterflies are pollinators and both the adults and the caterpillars are a valuable ingredient in the diet of our native birds. If we are successful in bringing the red admirals back to Auckland, undoubtedly our birds will benefit too.”

On a more recent visit to Waitomo they returned with about 50 caterpilars, Knight said.

“We were hoping to get a female that was laying eggs but we ended up with caterpillars.”

The first preference was butterflies, the second caterpillars. Chrysalides were often paracitised by wasps, and eggs were hard to find, Knight said.

Biodiversity advisor to the MBNZT Brian Patrick said the butterfly was not so rare in the South Island because of the large number of host plants growing there in the wild.

“South Island butterflies are not well adapted to Auckland’s climate. By collecting some from Northland or the Waikato to establish the population they will have a better chance of survival,” he said.

Graeme Hill, Auckland writer and radio host, said people can help the butterflies survive by controlling wasps, especially paper wasps and vespula species.

Admirals go north

I was born Margaret Jean Sinclair in Piopio at the nursing home on November 25, 1929.

Nurse Rule was the midwife and the home was where the Curious Keas pre-school is now, on Kea Street. I attended the Piopio Consolidated Primary and Secondary School for most of my education. It was an experimental school in those days.

In the Piopio township there was a Dairy Factory, doctor, two grocery stores, butcher, bakery, post office, three churches, bank, blacksmith shop, draper, picture theatre and several garages. My father, John Sinclair and Jim Smythe opened the first garage, Sinclair and Smythe, later Piopio Motors, now King Country Honda.

I started school in 1935 so I did not travel regularly on the very first bus as by that time there were too many children.

Although we lived only about 3kms from the school I was the first on in the morning and last off at night as the bus went right around the loop. This was so the Brickland boys had time to finish milking the cows before the bus in the morning and get home in the afternoon for the evening milking. It was a long day for a five year old as I also had to walk 1.5 kms each way. The road was all metal so the trip was very slow. I remember the horn on the bus. It looked like a balloon and had to be squeezed to make it work.

On our bus route there were a lot of small farms mostly milking cows and running sheep and pigs. The bus was very full by the end of the run.

Mary Coyle, now aged 98 rode on our bus. She is related to [Piopio principal Sue] Mrs Coyle’s husband. The Coyles lived on a dairy farm on Kahuwera Road where the Browns are now. Instead of glass windows we had ‘roll up’ canvas blinds.

The bus driver would wait for kids if they were late. He knew they would have been busy working in the mornings.

As soon as I was old enough I rode my pony to school. During the day it stayed in the horse paddock just behind where the swimming pools are now. If it needed shoeing I could ride to the blacksmiths shop in Piopio and after school my pony would be waiting for me in the yard at the blacksmiths.

Arriving at school we were greeted with a lot of noise from Piopio; a hive of activity. There was always the clatter of the cream cans and machinery at the dairy factory and also Mr Glasgow at the blacksmith shop shaping metal using the anvil.

Where the college is now was a dairy farm. Our house had no kitchen sink and the toilet was outside at the bottom of the garden. It was scary going to the toilet after dark. Our bath was a wooden tub beside the copper which heated the water for laundry and the bath.

I remember sad times when children died from childhood illnesses such as diphtheria. There were no vaccinations in those days. We also had a five month break from school in the early 1940’s due to an outbreak of polio.

The small swimming pool at the school now was built before I left school. Before that we swam in the river.

My mother, then Beatrice Keith, came to Piopio from Auckland in 1911, to work for family friends, the Hattaways at the boarding house. The boarding house was a two story wooden building right on the main street where the Village Green is now. The boarding house was where several single men lived, and my mother was employed as a housekeeper and cook.

Transport in 1911 to Te Kūiti was by horse-drawn coach owned by Mr Stagg who had stables at the north end of Piopio. The trip was slow and in winter it was boggy. When the wagon became stuck, the passengers had to push.

Reflecting on the early years

Warnings the Waitomo District Council’s intent to raise landing fees at the Te Kūiti airport will backfire have failed to influence the decision.

Aeroclub members warned the landing fees increase would discourage airport use, and lead to a loss of custom that could threaten the aviation fuel supply that the council also obtains income from.

But the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting stated new charges for ground leases and for both commercial and aeroclub landing fees will be applied if an annual landing fee for users cannot be negotiated.

The fees and charges for Te Kūiti Aerodrome adopted on Tuesday were visiting aircraft landing, Touch and go first and Te Kūiti Aeroclub Members Landing all $15, commercial users $20, Annual Plane Storage (casual) $562.00, ground lease fees (annual) over 200 square metres $3.18/sqm and ground lease fees (annual) under 200sqm $6.61/sqm.

Strategy and policy manager Charmaine Ellery said staff were continuing to seek a cost effective landing recording system to reduce costs.

Aeroclub secretary George Thompson and Te Awamutu pilot John Lissington both submitted a $15 landing fee was a bad idea. They suggested it would discourage visiting aircraft and end up costing the council through a drop in income from fewer aircraft movements, and from selling less fuel.

Because of its location, Te Kūiti provided an important transiting fuel stop – an added benefit to the council as it collected a levy on the fuel, Thompson said.

The system in use at other regional airports was a better one, it was argued. They required an annual fee for regular users and an honesty system for casuals, which could be paid online from information provided at the aeroclub. It would require the council to accept quarterly or monthly fees based on historical data.

It was also noted landing fees were lower, at $10 at New Plymouth and Taupō.

Thompson said it was ironical that council wanted a $20 fee from the top dressing aircraft which had over the last 70 years played the most significant role in developing the greater Waitomo rural area, and generating the wealth that contributed to the council’s rating base.

Lissington challenged the council claim it wanted to increase income from the airport, saying he knew of at least four hangars that could not be built.

“You don’t appear to be encouraging the growth of the airport. That’s four ground rentals you are not getting,” he said. “In my own case I gave up waiting to build because nothing was being done on site so I could start. I had already had the kitset ordered and paid for. All the access roads and fences that were constructed and built unnecessarily at great cost could have been saved.”

Warning over landing fee hike

Paul Charman

The idea of locals with bush knowledge forming a rapid response search and rescue group has been floated by Waitomo resident Allen Juno.

His suggestion follows the disappearance on Saturday, March 23, of a south Auckland tramper in part of the Pureora Forest Park close to a farm Juno owns at Ngaroma.

Judy Donovan, 79, was the subject of an intensive but unsuccessful eight-to-nine-day search.

Juno said he has spoken to many residents whose properties back onto Pureora Forest Park, and pig and deer hunters familiar with the area.

“We are all concerned about health and safety rules which excluded us from joining the search in the critical first few hours following the report that Judy and two of her companions were missing,” he said.

“We are not blaming the police because they had a terribly difficult job to do that day and were dutybound to operate under health and safety and various other rules which they must now follow.

“But, in the early stages of the search, there was too little information forthcoming. It is crucial to get people with local experience involved early.

“We think after Judy was separated from her companions her survival in such cold conditions could have been measured in hours, not days.”

Juno had gone to his farm to operate his bulldozer on March 23, starting work about 7am.

“But it was so cold and the fog and rain so heavy that I decided to pull the pin after about an hour.”

Several factors likely led to the tragedy, including the Pukekohe Tramping Club’s decision to work in such appalling conditions.

“Then there was Judy’s own decision to walk out ahead of her companions, the fact that the others did not stop her doing so and the lack of sufficient emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB), or a GPS.

“Each member of the group should have been carrying an EPIRB, which gives your location and a GPS, which shows you how to walk out.

After the two men Donovan had initially been missing with (one of whom had an EPIRB) were accounted for at about 10 pm, police told Land Search and Rescue the search had to be suspended till the next day, as they were unable to provide oversight.

This referred to the fact that the police officer responsible for radio communications had to go off duty as he had already worked eight hours.

“But there were experienced fit people there, who knew the area, who were prepared to step in and search all night, if need be,” Juno said.

“There was little in the way of communication with us.”

“At the very least people who live on the boundary of the Forest Park could have driven to where their farms back onto the bush and sounded their horns all night. That’s the old school way of guiding lost people out of the bush around here.

“Anyone could have become disorientated, especially in the extreme rain and wind that day. But if you hear noise coming from the right direction, you are able to walk towards it.”

He is working on forming a group based upon the concept of locals with knowledge of specific areas being invited to join a rapid response unit, which could swing into operation should such a situation occur again.

It would draw interested parties from right across the King Country, who would hear the concept outlined at a meeting to be held at the Waitomo Caves Tavern. A meeting date would be advertised in the King Country News.

“As we see it, the advantage of a private group is that we are not bound by all same rules Land Search and Rescue must now operate under.

“We would be able – were a situation like this to occur again – to put boots on the ground in the critical first few hours. It would be similar in concept to the cave rescue group which operates at Waitomo.

“We’re well aware that hindsight is a wonderful thing. We’re not saying that we would have been able to have saved Judy’s life had we been encouraged to enter the search area right away.

“What we do believe is that the early involvement of people who have hunted this area, in some cases for decades, represented Judy’s best chance of survival.”

Search group mooted

In New Zealand children are 50 per cent more likely to die by homicide than in Australia, Waitomo Mayor John Robertson said at an inter-church prayer meeting at Te Kūiti on Sunday.

The meeting at St Luke’s Anglican Church was called to pray for Te Kūiti following the death of 10-month-old baby Mustafa Ali on June 1.

In opening the prayer meeting, Robertson told the gathering of more than 30 people, “Mustafa died from wounds inflicted upon him just up the road, in our neighbourhood”.

“Te Kuiti is a typical rural town. This is our village, a place where we grow up. Many of us are born here, many of us play here, go to school here, shop here, have a job here. We are a proud community.

“We have our Pā, we have our family support services, we have our schools, we have our sports facilities, our parks and reserves, our awa with a swimming hole. We have a library, a new recreation centre, a town hall to gather in. We have so much.

“Yet, like all communities in New Zealand, we have our social issues. And some, like child abuse, are too often hidden from us. We should hold our heads in shame at some of the statistics.”

He recalled some children killed in recent years.

In 2018, in Porirua, five-month-old Lincoln was shaken to death by his father.

In 2019, in Hokitika 10-month-old CJ White was killed by his father.

In 2021 in Timaru, two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and their older sister Liané, were murdered by their mother.

“Some of the names of these child victims are etched in our memory – the three month old Kahui twins, a case not yet solved. Three-year-old Nia Glassie. Baby Ru. The list goes on. Our country has one of the worst records of child abuse in the developed world. One child dies from abuse every five weeks in Aotearoa,” Robertson said.

“. . . It is important to reflect on the why this happened and the what we as a community can do about it. No baby should suffer in their home.”

Robertson shared that in 1991 he discovered the book, “Children an Endangered Species” by Dame Lesley Max, and how it changed his life. He met the author and become chairman of her trust, “Great Potentials Foundation”.

“Lesley has devoted her life to helping children and families. She delivered parenting programmes into communities first in South Auckland, then nationally. It was from my association with her that I became a believer in the power of communities, concepts like, It takes a village to raise a child’; of research like the importance of the first two years of a child’s life - where most of our learning takes place; of early childhood education; of the importance of having warm dry homes; of the importance of primary healthcare.

He said he reflected on Mustafa’s short life and turned to the question of what the community needed to do better.

“Mustafa was our child. His father and mother worked in our community. It would be remiss of us not to ask the question, could we have prevented this tragedy and what we can do to prevent this happening in our community again?

“We are a village. If it takes a village to raise a child, to support families, to report abuse, let’s do it and at the same time improve the way we support one another.”

'We should hold our heads in shame'

Staff Reporter

As Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s 80th birthday celebrations went global with celebrations at London’s Opera Holland Park this week, the opera star gave a life-changing gift to a young Kiwi baritone.
Julien Van Mellaerts was presented with the $60,000 Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate by the foundation’s founder and chair, Dame Kiri, whose adoptive whānau is Ngāti Maniapoto.
At a gala concert to celebrate her birthday – which was in March - at London’s Opera Holland Park, Van Mellaerts was presented with a unique artwork of New Zealand greenstone in front of a capacity audience.
“It is an enormous honour to have been supported and mentored by Dame Kiri and the foundation since 2016, and this is an absolute privilege to be named the 2024 Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate. Thank you,” Van Mallaerts, who studied at Otago University before heading overseas, said.
“Kiri, you showed us all what was possible and you have helped so many with your talent and your generosity to so many singers at home and around the world. It is an incredible opportunity to have been supported by your foundation all these years, and to be named the Laureate is a true honour. I am so incredibly thankful.
“The foundation has done so much for me and so many young New Zealand singers, and I am so proud to be associated with you all. This recognition is immense and I cannot be more honoured or thankful for everything you have, and continue to do, to help advance my own career and that of countless others.”
The trustees of The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation established laureate in to honour a New Zealand singer it had nurtured and had achieved sustained excellence.
In a letter to Van Mellaerts about his award, Dame Kiri said he was a very worthy recipient, “and we are so very proud of what you have achieved to date on and off the concert stage”.
“Aside from your many competition successes, we were so impressed with your tireless work creating the Whānau concert which benefited so many of your colleagues and your initiative and professional approach to the planning of the song recital series at Opera Holland Park which provided valuable performance opportunities for so many young singers.”

Julien Van Mellaerts was presented with the $60,000 Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate by the foundation’s founder and chair, Dame Kiri, whose adoptive whānau is Ngāti Maniapoto.

At a gala concert to celebrate her birthday – which was in March - at London’s Opera Holland Park, Van Mellaerts was presented with a unique artwork of New Zealand greenstone in front of a capacity audience.

“It is an enormous honour to have been supported and mentored by Dame Kiri and the foundation since 2016, and this is an absolute privilege to be named the 2024 Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate. Thank you,” Van Mallaerts, who studied at Otago University before heading overseas, said.

“Kiri, you showed us all what was possible and you have helped so many with your talent and your generosity to so many singers at home and around the world. It is an incredible opportunity to have been supported by your foundation all these years, and to be named the Laureate is a true honour. I am so incredibly thankful.

“The foundation has done so much for me and so many young New Zealand singers, and I am so proud to be associated with you all. This recognition is immense and I cannot be more honoured or thankful for everything you have, and continue to do, to help advance my own career and that of countless others.”

The trustees of The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation established laureate in to honour a New Zealand singer it had nurtured and had achieved sustained excellence.

In a letter to Van Mellaerts about his award, Dame Kiri said he was a very worthy recipient, “and we are so very proud of what you have achieved to date on and off the concert stage”.

“Aside from your many competition successes, we were so impressed with your tireless work creating the Whānau concert which benefited so many of your colleagues and your initiative and professional approach to the planning of the song recital series at Opera Holland Park which provided valuable performance opportunities for so many young singers.”

Dame Kiri's $60,000 gift

“Before there was social media there was amateur, or ham radio, and it’s going to exist long after social media is just a memory.”

That’s the view of longtime Te Kūiti radio ham Mick Gannon, one of 11 members in the Waitomo branch of the NZ Association of Radio Transmitters.

Gannon’s group, who live in Te Kūiti, Ōtorohanga and Te Awamutu, stay in touch with fellow shortwave enthusiasts across New Zealand and around the world.

Gannon says in an emergency this form of communication can provide a viable alternative to the telephone network, whose cellphone towers could be wiped out by a weather event, or earthquake. The same would apply if the Internet was deliberately crashed by military activity.

If the national power grid was ever damaged, taking out cellphone towers, shortwave communications could be more resilient.

Gannon said smaller short wave sets use negligable amounts of electricity, some being powered by the likes of AA batteries or 12 volt car batteries.

“That means the network of current ham radio operators would still be in business following even catastrophic damage to the power grid.

Amateur radio operators assist with the running of car rallies held in areas with little or no cellphone coverage.

“And one of the reasons for this is that we are maintaining skills which may potentially be called upon in a civil emergency.”

Recently amateur radio had suffered the effects of heightened solar flares, which can make conversations fade out.

These were expected to diminish in coming months as the sun passed the peak of an 11-year-cycle in which activity waxed and waned.

Another factor which affected the ability of ham radio operators to communcate over vast distances was the so-called “greyline”.

This is a period of time at dusk or sunrise, lasting a few hours a day and it allowed radio waves to travel further than they otherwise might. As the Earth rotates the greyline moved, hence much of Gannon’s ham radio operation activity revolved around relatively short-lived greyline periods of the day.

Gannon has sent his OSL (ham operator’s identity) card, which depicts Te Kūiti’s giant shearer, to ham radio enthusiasts befriended worldwide.

He has stayed at the UK homes of friends made over the airwaves, and some have travelled to New Zealand have stayed with him and his wife, Rita.

He came into amateur radio after dabbling with CB radio back in the 1960s, then deciding there had to be something better. There was.

“One of the guys showed us the VF high frequency radio in his car and started talking to a person in Australia, then another called in and he was in Spain. I was hooked.”

In that era Gammon had to learn Morse Code to gain his amateur radio licence, though this is no longer necessary.

He said today’s equivalent qualification is relatively easy to obtain, and anyone interested would receive plenty of help and encouragment from groups like the one in Waitomo.

“It opened up a new life for me. Within one year I was getting to know people in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Also, in America, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Russia, South Africa and Mozambique.

“I was speaking to people all round the Pacific Rim, even in Antarctica. After just a year I had worked 96 countries, which is good going for any amateur.”

Short wave - long term

A record 400 children from 14 King Country schools were at Āria school’s orienteering last Friday for a delightfully muddy 2024 event.

“It was probably our biggest ever,” principal Pam Voyce said.

The youngsters especially enjoyed the part of the course that followed the route of the annual Āria trail ride. Its steep hills were perfect for adventure.

“The kids loved the motocross course – they slid down it like a mudslide.”

Not one but two minibuses and many cars got stuck, so Āria farmer Peter Foss spent the day dragging vehicles out with his tractor.

“We ended up asking if he wanted to be paid - but I think he quite enjoyed it,” Voyce joked.

Woeful weather contributed to the attendance becoming a perfect storm.

Voyce said in past years some children were off school for Fieldays, but this year many parents didn’t head north – so the children went to orienteering instead.

Most relished the mucky conditions.

Rangitoto school teacher Paige Coleman said it had been a fantastic day.

The rural kura sent about 14 kids to the event. It meant around an hour’s journey, but it was worth it.

“It was so good for them – especially the team building aspect. One of our highlights was watching the kids from all the different schools helping each other, and pointing out which way to go.”

“We love going out to orienteering at Āria, it’s always so well organised,” Coleman said.

Compass points to Āria

A decision to close Ōtorohanga’s caravan park and holiday camp on June 30 has come as news to some residents.

The lease expired a year ago and Ōtorohanga District Council chief Tanya Winter said the council since confirmed that no new operating lease will be established in the immediate future.

Camp resident Peter Tredo said lease holder Tasha Smith put the notice on the camp noticeboard in late April.

Smith said via social media campers were all told six months ago and she had been struggling with council to keep the camp open.

The neighbouring kiwi house wanted the land for a car park, she said.

At one stage Tredo, who has lived on the site for “a couple of years” looked at moving to the other camp in Ōtorohanga, but he was told his bus was too big.

Residents thought the lease was going to go to somebody else, he said.

The council says the decision to close the camp marked a transitional phase as it focused on the holistic development and management of the Ōtorohanga Domain.

“We understand this decision affects the long stay campers of the Ōtorohanga Caravan Park, and we’re sympathetic to their situation. However, it’s important for us to follow lease agreements and land use regulations” Mayor Max Baxter said.

Finding a place to move to has been difficult for residents who have been placing ads on facebook housing groups local community groups, Tredo said.

He’s been looking as far as Thames, Pukekawa, and Rangiriri.

“I’ve got my doctors here, my grandson’s here – they are getting ready to have another baby,” Tredo said.

But the numbers are thinning.

There are about half a dozen campers left, mostly of retirement age.

“It’s been a bloody nice little community. No arguments, no fighting, no bickering and dramas. I’m going to miss all these people.”

Camp to close

Youth mental health was in the spotlight at Fieldays which finished last Saturday.

Advocate Mike King manned the Gumboot Friday stall to share awareness about New Zealand’s mental health track record, and how he’s helping.

One happy visitor was 13-year-old River Roper of Pirongia, who comes from a dairy farming family formerly based in Piopio.

Of King, the teenager said, “He’s got such a great vibe. My mum, my sister and I were all stoked about meeting him.”

“We really appreciated his message about students at school.

“People brush it off, telling kids they’re just tired. But problems are real, they do exist. We aren’t just being overdramatic.

“He is saying to parents ‘no, you’ve got to take care of your kids.’ ”

River is homeschooled, but attended mainstream school until recently. She said the former is much better for her wellbeing.

She’s a keen rider; so the family made a quick trip to sort some horsey needs. They said they spent only a couple of hours at Fieldays

“We just needed a riding helmet for me, some boots, and a few shirts for Dad,” she said.

But they made time for one thing extra: Mike King’s stall.

King told the family he was thrilled that the current government had been prepared to support his service, after struggling to get funding in the past.

He explains that what he does is intended to bridge a gap caused by waiting times in the current New Zealand system.

Gumboot Friday, founded by King, is a free counselling service for any young person in New Zealand aged 25 and under.

Gumboots and fieldays

Following the tragic death of a baby at Te Kūiti on June 1, local churches have called a special prayer meeting, to be held at St Luke’s Anglican Church on Sunday night.

The idea came from the interim pastor of the Ōtorohanga Baptist Church, Stephen Tyrrell, who has been leading a prayer meeting for Te Kūiti, held in the town over the past six weeks.

Tyrrell said he was aware that his was just one of the groups praying for the welfare of people in town.

“There’s a famous Bible passage in the book of Jeremiah commanding us to pray for the peace of the city we are live in: It says, ‘Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper’. (Jeremiah 29:7)).’

“Our prayer group had been looking at the positive and strong points of the Te Kūiti and we have given thanks to God for the strengths of the town and the good things we can share together.

“Then, the last time we got together, we started to identity some of the less desirable factors of the town and prayed about these. There was an overarching thought that there was a lack of hope in town at present.

“One of the items we identified was “domestic violence” and the following day the news broke of the ten-month-old boy’s death at his home in Te Kūiti.

“Like everyone we were devastated to hear this news. And our response is to try to bring into one meeting the groups and individuals who have already been praying for town. Thanks to the generosity of St Lukes, we now have a venue to do this on Sunday night.

Tyrrell said Waitomo Mayor John Robertson had agreed to welcome everyone and open the meeting at 7pm.

Prayers would be in both English and Te Reo.

“We are gathering in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but nobody is excluded,” Tyrrell said. 

Church leaders unite for Te Kūiti

Jon Nabbs is running from Bluff to Cape Reinga fundraising for child cancer.

“We’re trying to give kids with cancer something to get excited about,” he said as the long distance runner – dressed as the caped crusader Superman flew through the Waitomo District.

Mind-boggling distances are Nabbs’ thing.

After losing both parents to cancer in 2020, the Waikato runner – he’s from Kaipaki in Waipā – and ex-farmer needed a good cause and a way through his grief.

So he walked the length of New Zealand’s 3000km Te Araroa trail. Then last year he ran 8000km across Canada. This year, it was back to New Zealand for more.

He passed through Ongarue and Te Kūiti this week, later chatting to The News from Auckland after running via Te Awamutu, Ngāruawāhia and the western backroads along the Waikato river.

Nabbs “absolutely loved” the King Country, and Waitomo Caves, but he didn’t stop for the caverns.

There wasn’t time.

“It’s been all business. Eat. Sleep. Run,” he said.

Alongside fundraising for cancer, he hopes to set a new record for running the length of New Zealand on foot.

The women’s record, Emma Timmis’ blistering 20 days, is already out of sigh - Jon’s already been on the road nearly a month.

According to our best efforts with Dr Google, there’s no sign of an official Guinness Book of Records male record.

There are records. In 2018 64-year-old Feilding man Perry Newburn ran the distance it in 18 days, 8 hours and 45 minutes; breaking Siggy Bauer’s 1975 record of 18 days and nine hours.

But neither was an official ‘Guinness’ record – a substantial admin challenge in its own right, that few achieve.

Nabbs therefore appealed to the internet to witness his record attempt.

“Track me online, come out and meet me. Even run with me. And sign to say you witnessed the record attempt happening. This is what a Guinness world record needs, they’re very, very thorough.

“The more witnesses we get, the better chance we have of getting our record submission accepted once we reach the Lighthouse at Cape Reinga,” he said.

While he’s “the opposite of a fan of social media” it allowed him to connect with supporters through his travels.

“I arrived in Newfoundland not knowing anybody. But the time I reached Calgary and Vancouver I was being invited to meet the mayors in those cities, and really able to highlight the cause through them. All that happened through social media.”

Socials also connected him with Mike Gibson, who follows him in a camper van and helps out with cooking, laundry and groceries.

The two met just over a fortnight ago, with the latter taking on this role in the spirit of mateship after following him on Instagram. A previous support person had suddenly left and returned to Canada.

Gibson said he’d learned from the runner “that the human body and mind are capable of anything. On a day to day basis, he’s been so consistent. It’s been tough sticking to the routine but he hasn’t ventured from his goal at any stage. 70km is always 70km, not 58.”

What’s next for Nabbs? Further big adventures are still secret because they’re only being planned. Before that, he will go to Canada to plant trees, to earn a bit of money.

He hopes the record-breaking caper will see people making donations online.

It's a bird...it's a plane...

The family of a conservation volunteer lost in the Pureora Forest almost three months ago has broken its silence to thank helpers.

Their recent experience has left them with some concerns about search and rescue protocols in remote rural locations.

Judy Donovan went missing on March 23 in the northern part of the forest after becoming separated from a group laying bait, part of an annual exercise.

An extensive search for her in the first eight days was coordinated by Police Seach and Rescue with support from volunteers. The search for her was abandoned a little over a week later.

“We are immensely grateful to police SAR personnel, local Waikato Land SAR, and the Search and Rescue teams, both human and dog, land, helicopter and canyon rescue, who travelled from many regions to help – thank you all for your generosity, time and skills,” Donovan’s daughter, Golden Bay based Nic said.

She presented the family’s thoughts in letter to the King Country News – which we are publishing in full on our website at www.kingcountrynews.nz

Nic said she wanted to express her thanks, and speak of the family’s experience, and would not make further comment to media.

Her concern was that present protocols around searching – including recent restrictions around shift times, could be impacting on the potential success of searches, particularly in the period immediately after someone goes missing.

That included how well local resources were now being used.

“In this era of centralised health and safety regulations, we seem to have lost the ability to tap into the valuable local knowledge and competence in our rural communities,” she said. “Meanwhile, police are under-resourced in a remote situation like this. Hopefully we will come back to a more collaborative approach sometime in the near future.”

She believed had the neighbouring farmers been informed earlier and encouraged to assist their input could have made a difference – simply by taking their many vehicles to a high point, turning their lights on and sounding their horns overnight.

“I believe Judy would have been embarrassed at being lost rather than worried in the first place. She tried to call a contact - but she should have called 111 - and that’s something people should be made aware of.”

“Judy was a fit, agile, capable and practical 79-year-old retired businesswoman and lifestyle block farmer. She had just biked the Alps to Ocean trail (Mt Cook to Oamaru).  Stories from her biking and tramping club friends attest to her physical and mental toughness, and her calm strength in a crisis.  
“Judy’s death could possibly have been avoided. If she was carrying a Personal Locator Beacon this might have ended differently.  If she had used the last of her cell phone battery to call 111, they would have GPS located her instantly.  Instead, she is lost, presumed dead.  Without a body or a death certificate her family and friends are faced with uncertainty and a lack of closure.”
Nic said she would be disappointed if her comments were interpreted as a criticism of the people who worked tirelessly to look for her mother.
She also revealed searches had continued.
“A police cadaver dog search was conducted for two days in early May. A Land SAR dog team has recently been out for a weekend of training and searching.
“Two local families and their extended networks have provided amazing support to the family. They have shared their knowledge and experience of the area. They have taken time off work and farm to spend time in the bush. They have offered good old fashioned Kiwi hospitality and kindness. And they have added their number-eight-wire problem solving skills to the search. Thanks - you are all amazing people.  
“DOC and tangata whenua provided support to the family with a karakia blessing on a farm close to Judy’s last known location.  
“For everyone’s efforts and care we are grateful. We acknowledge the frustration that we are hearing locally. Many farmers and hunters were keen to be out helping in the early days of the search. Some of these people have decades of bush experience in that location.”
She acknowledged police had kept media and community involvement to a minimum because of the remote and untracked bush environment her mother was lost in.
“Our understanding is that this was to avoid the risk of inexperienced but well-intentioned people adding to the SAR burden.  
“Land SAR volunteers (both dog and human) need to rest and recover after a long day in the bush, in order to stay safe. Police are limited to their shifts in order to operate the radio for communications and coordinate searches. Communication can be difficult in remote locations, leaving searchers vulnerable. Dense bush canopies and adverse weather make infra-red searching by helicopter teams difficult.
“Unfortunately, these limitations conspired to mean that Judy was alone without a search on the first cold night in the bush.  She possibly died of hypothermia.”  
“Judy is missed by her large network of friends and family. She was a keen gardener and tree planter.  We know that she will enjoy the fact that she has become compost for a tree in the beautiful Pureora Forest. For us it is just 20 years too soon.”





The following letter was sent to the King Country News following the search for Judy Donovan, who disappeared in the Pureora Forest on March 23.

 

﻿The family/whanau of Judy Donovan extend our gratitude to everyone involved in the recent and ongoing search in northern Pueora Forest.

 

Judy was accompanying her tramping club on an annual bait-line maintenance trip. A series of personal and group decisions resulted in her becoming separated from her party. She was briefly without a PLB, maps or GPS, on a cold and wet day in dense bush. We are assuming that she became disoriented in the complex maze of predator-control bait lines and took a wrong turn. There has been no sign of her since March 23rd. 

 

It was a two-hour-walk back to the car park from the centre of the bait line network (where she left her workmate at around 2pm).  Cell phone activity around dusk, which was mapped late in the search, put her well north of the intended route. She may have walked further afield than expected. 

 

Judy was a fit, agile, capable and practical 79-year-old retired business woman and lifestyle block farmer. She had just biked the Alps to Ocean trail (Mt Cook to Oamaru).  Stories from her biking and tramping club friends attest to her physical and mental toughness, and her calm strength in a crisis. 

 

 

 An extensive search for Judy in the first eight days was coordinated by Police SAR, with huge support from volunteers. 

 

We are immensely grateful to local Waikato LandSAR, and the Search and Rescue teams (both human and dog, land, helicopter and canyon) who travelled from many regions to help. Thank you all for your generosity, time and skills.

 

AREC (Amateur Emergency Com) provided radio assistance, while Rapid Relief Team NZ and the local Otorohonga and Te Kuiti communities provided support.  Thanks to everyone who was involved. 

 

The official search ended around day eight or nine.  Judy’s age, the weather conditions, and her lack of gear for multiple days in the bush were all factors.

 

Medical profiling experts put a short timeframe on survivability. Those of us that knew Judy’s strength, tenacity, and composure found it shocking to hear that the search was terminated so soon.  

 

Local farmers and hunters have generously stepped in to help with the search for the past couple of months.   This has been supported by Police SAR information, mapping and family liaison.  A Police cadaver dog search was conducted for two days in early May.  A LandSAR dog team has recently been out for a weekend of training and searching.  Thank you all for your knowledge, skills and help.  

 

Two local families and their extended networks have provided amazing support to the family.  They have shared their knowledge and experience of the area. They have taken time off work and farm to spend time in the bush.   They have offered good old fashioned kiwi hospitality and kindness.   And they have added their number-eight-wire problem solving skills to the search. Thanks - you are all amazing people. 

 

 

DOC and Tangata Whenua provided support to the family with a karakia/blessing on a farm close to Judy’s last known location.  

 

For everyone’s efforts and care we are grateful.

 

We acknowledge the frustration that we are hearing locally.   Many farmers and hunters were keen to be out helping in the early days of the search.  Some of these people have decades of bush experience in that location.

 

The remote and untracked bush environment meant that police kept media and community involvement to a minimum.   Our understanding is that this was to avoid the risk of inexperienced (but well intentioned) people adding to the SAR burden.  

 

In this era of centralised health and safety regulations, we seem to have lost the ability to tap into the valuable local knowledge and competence in our rural communities.  Meanwhile Police are under-resourced in a remote situation like this.  Hopefully we will come back to a more collaborative approach sometime in the near future. 

 

Land SAR volunteers (both dog and human) need to rest and recover after a long day in the bush, in order to stay safe.   Police are limited to their shifts in order to operate the radio for communications and coordinate searches.  Communication can be difficult in remote locations, leaving searchers vulnerable.  Dense bush canopies and adverse weather make infra-red searching by helicopter teams difficult.

 

Unfortunately, these limitations conspired to mean that Judy was alone without a search on the first cold night in the bush.   She possibly died of hypothermia. 

 

We are a family who grew up in rural and outdoor communities. Judy valued local people and made friends easily.  Stories abound of her fierce independence and forthright nature. She contributed to many land-based local groups and initiatives wherever she was.  She loved exploring new corners of Aotearoa and meeting the people who farmed and lived there.   

 

Judy is missed by her large network of friends and family.  She was a keen gardener and tree planter.  We know that she will enjoy the fact that she has become compost for a tree in the beautiful Pureora Forest. For us it is just 20 years too soon. 

 

Judy’s death could possibly have been avoided.  If she was carrying a PLB this might have ended differently.   If she had used the last of her cell phone battery to call 111, they would have GPS located her instantly.  Instead, she is lost (presumed dead).   Without a body or a death certificate her family and friends are faced with uncertainty and a lack of closure.  

 

Local hunters are asked to keep an eye out for items of clothing etc. Judy was wearing a Kathmandu silver grey Gore-Tex jacket, dark pants and ASICS trail running shoes. She was carrying a substantial day pack.  

 

If you come across items of interest, please take a GPS location, a photograph and contact police.  

 



Thanks - with advice

The government is working across several fronts to meet the demands of changing needs in our ageing population, Minister for Seniors Casey Costello says.

Speaking at Grey Power meeting in Waipā last week, the New Zealand First MP said the changing dynamics of seniors, particularly in terms of housing and health, must be factored into any new initiatives.

“So much of what we understand about ageing has changed, and we need to respond to that. We have to be smart about how we deal with health and housing in that sector.”

People are living and working longer, and an increasing number won’t have paid off their home when they retired she said.

“In 10 years, 21 percent of our population will be over 65, with a greater number than ever aged over 80. In some areas of the country, those percentages will be even higher.”

The view that most New Zealanders would live mortgage free post-retirement is also fading, she said, adding that over 20 percent of those reaching 65 today do not own their own home.

There was a shortage of aged care housing stock and ageing problems related to current stock, she said. Adding to that was a scarcity of respite-type accommodation, pressure around dementia care, limited psychogeriatric facilities, and employment shortages in the sector, particularly for in-home services, plus a cost of living crisis that is exacerbating the situation for all sectors of society.

“The model we have has been not fit-for-purpose for some time and has not been adequately funded,” Costello said. “We are currently working on a number of initiatives. This sector is a huge priority for the government and there is a lot of work going on.”

Growth in capacity and options is required, she said, and local councils need to upgrade existing pensioner housing and build more. “There are some amazing social housing projects being delivered, but they are not evenly distributed around the country.

Costello, who is also Associate Minister across both police and health portfolios, said the government was actively addressing issues around the cost of living and the provision of health services to seniors.

Budget 2024’s allocation of $2.12 billion for primary care and public health was aimed in part at driving some healthcare services back to communities, she said, and further planned investment is aimed at expanding cancer screening and lowering wait times for early diagnosis or emergency clinical care.

Seniors' 'changing dynamics'

The oldest baby swan, and the second oldest boat in New Zealand, is about to return to the water after a three year restoration process.

There are no public details available of Cygnet’s previous restoration that took place in the mid 1990s, but her current owner and restorer Andrew Shaw has taken the steps to ensure an extended lifetime – barring accidents.

The former Mōkau cream boat has been transformed with its double diagonal carvel planked kauri hull splined and glassed using epoxy fillers and resin. Her topsides received the application of two-pot paint. Wiring has been replaced, steering updated to a hydraulic system.

“There used to be a chain round the wheel, connected via pulleys to brass rods that ran all the way down the back,” Andrew said. “Everything was rusty and it was old.”

Hydraulic controls replaced the old system. A new rudder was built in Auckland of 316 stainless steel by copying the outline of the old one, and a bronze tiller arm added.

“The whole thing is fully rewired, all the lights - everything is all new,” Shaw said.

He’s also added a through hull transducer – a sounder for looking at depths in muddy channels. The toilet tucked in aft of the wheelhouse is a chemical one.

Cygnet is being restored under the oversight of a marine surveyor, enabling the former riverboat to take paying passengers on the Kāwhia harbour.

Cygnet was built by Thomas Major Lane in Auckland 1913. Her brass commissioning plate records Victor Albert Sjolund as the original owner. She was shipped to Waitara.

At 35ft with 7’6” beam (10.6m x 2.28m) Cygnet was shallow draft drawing 12” unloaded and 18” (30cm x 45cm) with a two ton load. Cygnet could take 22 passengers.

In those days the Mōkau river was the only North Island river designated a highway, and Gygnet’s run was 30km up the river, dropping fresh bread, mail and farm kids’ correspondence lessons, and collecting cream cans on the journey downriver for processing at the butter factory that used to be near the river mouth. Upriver, it was a two-day trip.

Sjolund sold the boat and cream run after six years to Eric Lewes who operated it until 1957.

“Then they put the road in, that was the end of that business,” Shaw said. “John Rubay bought it, and sailed it from Mōkau to Kāwhia.

“There were a couple little issues on the way. As soon as they left the river because it had never been in rough seas it disturbed all the rubbish in the bottom of the fuel tank, so it kept stopping. But they made it.”

From 1957 through to the late 70s or mid 1980s, Cygnet operated as a passenger boat in Kāwhia, then she was sold again and returned to Mōkau where Cygnet was operated as a tourist boat by Dawn and Neil Coleman who announced in 2016 they intended to sell it.

Shaw bought it about three years ago. He put the boat and its trailer on the back of a truck and returned it to Kāwhia.

Shaw says he had a lot of knowledgeable help in the restoration and he learned a lot about West system epoxies, and all the different fillers and powders.

“Everything is just one job after another, but we’re nearly at the stage where there’s nothing left to do,” Shaw said.

SS Earnlsaw on Lake Wakatipu is the oldest boat, registered in 1912.

Cygnet swans around again

Hundreds of revellers and stallholders were in town and on the platform in bright winter sunshine when Ōtorohanga Railway Station turned 100 last weekend.

Co-organisers Trish and Lee Fisher from Origin Coffee, which operates from the railway buildings, said it went swimmingly with no major misadventures.

“We created a festival type event with giant bubble blowing clowns, a magician, stilt walkers, pipe band, dancers, musicians, a cake cutting ceremony, Kiwiana costumes, even dinosaurs. Wahanui Crescent was closed for a street market,” she said.

A number of guests came in steampunk and 1920s garb.

Toby the Mitre 10 train carried visitors around town and to the museum, past a display of vintage vehicles and machines at the Ōtorohanga Club.

Wikitoria Katipa-Maikuku, granddaughter of Maniapoto diplomat Wahanui who negotiated with the Crown around the building of the railway in the 1880s, brought a portrait of her koro.

She found the centennial party “amazing and wonderful.”

Together with Ōtorohanga institution Bill Millar, famous for greeting guests at the station, the two cut the birthday cake: appropriately a steam train.

Katipa-Maikuku had arrived via the regular Northern Explorer train service – among an official party also including MP Barbara Kuriger, Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter and chief executive Tanya Winter, whaea Pera MacDonald and the museum’s Liz Cowan.

Baxter said there had been a decision not to commission a historic steam train for the day – although he was not personally involved. It is understood this may have related to the cost to the community.

Both Kuriger and Baxter enjoyed listening to the historical commentary on the train via headsets.

“On the train we learned a lot about the settlement and the history of the railway,” Kuriger said. “It’s a huge part of our history.”

“It was fantastic to arrive and see all the people there – and also Bill Millar, who is such an institution,” she said.

Baxter said it had been “excellent and symbolic” to acknowledge a building so important to the town’s history. It had survived disrepair and neglect in times past, but was a valued part of the landscape today, he said.

“The birthday really brought the community together,” he said.

He said the railway – in linking Auckland and Wellington – was hugely significant to New Zealand’s broader history and that of Te Rohe Pōtae.

Bill Millar was pleased to see such a large crowd turn out to enjoy the celebrations.

“This response served to remind us how fond people are of rail transportation in general,” Millar said.

“And in particular, people in this town realised just how important the Northern Explorer for bringing in tourists on their way to Waitomo Caves and other attractions in the district.”

The anniversary comes just one year after the railway line was symbolically returned to Maniapoto (and regifted to the Crown), after the Government acknowledged its breaches of Te Ōhaki Tapu, the agreements made between the Crown and Maniapoto rangatira, including Wahanui.

The celebration was funded through several Ōtorohanga community groups and trusts.

Saluting a century of rail

Tourists are binge-watching Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies on smartphones and tablets as they take in the sights of Middle-earth.

That’s good news for one of the locations used for filming – near Piopio.

British backpacker Hannah Flowers, 19, fell in love with Middle-earth when she arrived in New Zealand for a whistle stop North Island tour in April.

“I wasn’t a fan, but a lot of people who are close to me are massive fans,’” said Flowers.

“A flight to New Zealand sounded like a perfect time. As they were readily available on Netflix, I downloaded them and began watching The Lord of The Rings trilogy on my flight.”

She completed The Hobbit Trilogy while backpacking. A visit to Hobbiton was inevitable near Matamata. Half of the hundreds of thousands of visitors have not read the books or seen the films.

“Hobbiton was really interesting, and the attention to detail was the selling point, especially in the Hobbit holes that you can enter. The atmosphere and the tour guides brought the place to life, and it did feel like stepping into another world. “

She paid $120 to enter.

“It was well worth the entry price, even more so compared to the UK, where novelty attractions such as this are priced around the same, if not more. I would recommend it to anyone visiting New Zealand, and if I come back, I will be visiting Hobbiton again.”

“The ability to access films on-the-go has been a benefit to movie locations,” said Hairy Feet Waitomo Scenic Film Location Tour owner Suzie Denize.

The King Country location near Piopio was used in The Hobbit films, and film crews returned for three episodes of the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

“Visitors love to ‘be in the scenes’ that they see on their device,” she said. “Our tours are longer than before, as we have more film locations to share with guests, since The Rings of Power filmed here. We’re always tweaking and adding to our experience; whether it’s a new pathway, prop, or story.”

Denize said most Hairy Feet Waitomo guests booked well in advance from Europe, North America, and Australasia.

“When they land in New Zealand, they tend to have an itinerary as to where they are going, what activities they will do and where they will be staying.”

Middle-earth location guidebook author Ian Brodie said easy access to the films and television series via streaming services allowed visitors to look at particular scenes and identify those they wish to visit.

“New Zealand is now indelibly stamped as Middle-earth and the countries continued star role in other films and television series just furthers the country and its landscape.”

He was seeing more sales per annum than there had been for quite a while.

“The interest is still just as poignant. We are dealing with beautiful parts of the country, so they are always at the forefront of people’s location choices.”

Hobiton - in tourists' hands

William Pike lost a leg after being trapped in a volcanic explosion, but he told children at the National Young Leaders Day Hamilton event how he continued to follow his dreams.

He was speaking at a motivational day out for senior primary and high school students at Claudelands last week.

Āria student Olivia Brown listened intently as Pike described waking up to a rumbling sound outside the mountain hut in which he was sleeping.

“He could see rocks flying through the air and lava rushing around the hut... but he soon got stuck in the mud. He thought he was going to die, trying to keep himself awake with maths, but falling asleep with hypothermia. When he got down from the volcano he found himself in hospital, and his right leg had to be amputated.”

She said it was a lesson in persistence and bravery.

Another hit speaker was hockey international Brooke Neal who played 176 times for the Black Sticks.

She shared the story of her battle to get off the bench and onto the field – all the way to the Commonwealth Games, and about how an early loss to the USA inspired her to train harder, to win next time.

Neal spoke alongside Māori Millionaire founder Te Kahukura Boynton, who is just 20, and several artists and musicians.

She reminded students that “successful people read everyday”.

At just 16, climate and conservation warrior Nate Wilbourne was the youngest speaker. He is the founder of ‘Gen-Z Aotearoa,’ a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering and educating rangatahi through digital platforms.

“You are never too young to make a change” he told the youngsters,

“That really stood out to me,” Waitaria Bodger-Kearns said. “To me that means if I can make a change, even small. It’ll have an impact. I’m grateful I got to attend… it felt like the speakers trusted us to tell us such personal stories.”

Āria Year 6 Izaiah Eccles felt the same way.

“Nate Willborne was very encouraging and I think he was a great speaker. He is an environmentalist which means he looks after nature and birds. He started at a young age by going on a school trip. He worked for a company that planted trees and helped to look after the environment. He all also caught rats, stoats and all other pests. He was 16 when he started all this work. I learnt that you should never give up and dream big so that you can do things that your heart desires” Izaiah said.

Benneydale/Maniaiti and Āria were among the King Country schools who sent students, thanks to funding from the Waitomo district’s Rangatahi Pathways programme, administered by Aotahi.

The National Young Leaders Days are the largest and longest running leadership event for primary and intermediate school students and has catered for 13,000 of them since 2001.

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King Country News, King Country Farmer and the King Country App is independently owned published by Good Local Media Ltd – also publishers of the Te Awamutu News, Cambridge News and Waikato Business News.