New Zealand: News

Huge effort to create festival

2011-12-23T19:22:00.009-08:00

WHEN Rhythm and Vines Festival-goers arrive here next week for New Zealand’s biggest New Year event, they will see the magnificence of the transformed Waiohika Estate first-hand.
About 2000 production, sound, scaffolding, building and other staff are busy on the ground setting up for the 25,000-plus expected to converge on Waiohika.
Organisers have included a number of initiatives to allow smooth flow at the festival, including new wristbands that contain a person’s money and ticket in a chip — the first of its kind at any event.
Everyone can buy alcohol and food at the swipe of the wristband.
Another feature is Treble Camp and a new tepee village.
A team from Australia were at the venue on Thursday to set up the village, which includes about 25 tepees that can sleep up to six people and 15 deluxe tepees.
R&V head of marketing Peter Hall said the Australian team were impressed.
“They said this was the most spectacular venue they had ever set up at,” he said.
“The village is environmentally- friendly, as the canvases are made from used billboards.
“We have had a lot of artist and sponsor requests for a tepee of their own because they think it will be way cooler.”
Among facilities are showers and toilets, “chill-out” spots, Electric Avenue (full of eclectic and quirky sideshows) and the waterslide.
People camping at Waiohika will not lose their way — the vines will be lined with LED lights.
Mr Hall says they have put in decent facilities to make the experience a memorable one.
Artists will be sure to remember their R&V experience – their waiting rooms before they take the stage are decked out with quirky paintings and things Kiwi.
“We have not got anything posh in them. We have decorated the areas with antique furniture.
“Our staff have bought quirky items from second-hand shops and we look in the Eastland Trader for funny items as well.”
Organisers have introduced a yellow card system — anyone who acts inappropriately will have their wristbands frozen and will not be able to buy alcohol.
“We have our rules and when you enter the gates you comply with them,” says Mr Hall.
VIP guests will be treated to the works, including priority seating, table service, a first-hand view of the main stage and all-night pouring at the bar.
Another festival-first is the Red Bull Music Academy Stage for up-and-coming or well-established artists. This stage will showcase a lot of New Zealand talent and there will be music workshops.
Organisers say they are on schedule for the three-day festival.
“Waiohika is the perfect outdoor venue for anything like this because the natural features are more than fitting for this event.”
The festival is spread across about eight hectares, which includes Waiohika Estate and part of Mangatu Incorporation land.
• ANYONE who tries to use fake identification at Rhythm and Vines and BW Camping festivals could be prosecuted.
Senior Sergeant Maui Aben says festival-goers will be required to present ID at the gate to gain entry to the R18 events.
“Security staff and police will keep a close eye on IDs presented.
“Each year there is an increasing number of youngsters trying to get into the festivals with borrowed and counterfeit ID.”
“This year, IDs will be under the microscope and if we find anyone trying to use anything false, they will not be allowed entry and are likely to be prosecuted.
“It is nonsensical to risk losing money . . . those turned away at the gate for using false ID will not get a ticket refund.”

Should be smooth highway travelling

2011-12-23T19:22:00.007-08:00

GISBORNE -East Coast travellers hitting the road over Christmas-New Year will not be held up by roadworkers’ stop-go signs for the next few weeks.
That is because the regional office of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has been flat-out to get all the region’s roadworks tidied up so holiday travellers can get to their destinations without frustrating delays.
State Highways manager Gordon Hart, in NZTA’s regional office in Napier, says his team has done well in “clearing the decks” for the holiday season.
“This year they have done a great job — there is nothing really serious to warn motorists of in the whole Gisborne-East Coast-Wairoa region.
“We’ve tidied up and temporarily patched any major works that were under way.”
Mr Hart says the main aim has been to achieve a free flow of traffic on the region’s roads so there are no obstructions or hold-ups for holidaymakers.
“All roadworks have been tidied up — some pavement rehabilitations on the Whareratas and near the Waipaoa River roundabout have been patched in the meantime — and damage that is waiting for repair, such as a number of road dropouts, has been marked.”
There are just a couple of areas where drivers need to do their bit and drive with consideration — south of Wairoa near Raupunga where there is seal widening and kerbing, and where some drivers have been speeding.
“Another area people need to be aware of is further south towards Napier — an area known as “The Nunneries” at Te Aowera, where a bluff is still slipping and sending down rock.
“Geotechnical engineers have a tricky job there and have been trying to stabilise the hillside, but the pumice ash and shattered rock is still on the move and there are still falls to the edge of the road.”
Elsewhere, in the Waioeka Gorge and round the East Cape road there is nothing of significance other than the project on the coast north of Opotiki, which is on hold until after the holidays.
The NZTA team and its contractors will be off until January 9, and the roadworks programme will resume the week after that. Contractors will do emergency work over the holidays as required.
■ For the first time, the temporary speed restriction in the freedom camping stretch on the coast just north of Gisborne has come into force before Christmas.
The NZTA and Gisborne District Council decided the traffic in the area had already increased significantly, so the speed restriction signs went up on Thursday.
NZTA state highways manager Gordon Hart says the amount of traffic and the build-up of campers in the freedom camping area on the coast road warrants imposing the restriction now.
The restriction is done under a local bylaw, but this is the first time it has been brought in before Christmas.

Monitoring of septic tanks in urban area

2011-12-23T19:22:00.005-08:00

PUBLIC notification of regulation changes that will see compulsory monitoring of septic tanks in urban areas has been launched by Gisborne District Council.
The changes will focus on urban areas such as Wainui-Okitu and Makaraka, and rural townships where there are higher densities of septic tanks.
It is estimated there are 2181 septic tanks in urban settlements — part of the 33 percent of the district that relies on tanks.
The council has been told the majority of the septic tanks in the district, 80 percent, were installed before April, 2002 and that maintenance of these tanks is important for them to work properly.
Staff have recommended that mandatory maintenance be done on tanks in urban areas but not tanks in remote rural areas.
Natural resources team leader Yvette Kinsella said the first public notification was the start of the submission period.
However, the period between Christmas and New Year did not count as working days under the Resource Management Act, so the time in which people could respond to the council’s proposal would not officially begin until January 10.
A second public notice will be published on January 21 and a summary of the proposed changes will be posted out to affected people at about the same time.

Security around festival now a serious business

2011-12-23T19:22:00.003-08:00

THE East Coast Thumpers are back to help contain crowds at the BW campsite and Churchill Park.
The Thumpers are not the bullet-headed bouncers the name suggests — mostly they are involved with the erection and maintenance of fences around the festival campsites.
Festival security is serious about seeing people have a really good time.
“With the size of these events now, we can’t afford to treat it any other way,” says event manager Chris Gillies.
“You’re talking about a city but a city of people who are drunk and stoned. We have to be ready in case things go horribly wrong.”
Key areas of concern such as moving large volumes of people into and out of the festival site have been identified, and strategies formulated, to reduce the potential for disorder to an absolute minimum.
A major focus is getting people on and off buses, says Mr Gillies.
“At the end of the evening there is a large exit of people in a fairly excitable state. We have put a lot more planning into how we get them on to buses. We have come a long way since the days of buses pulling into the paddock.”
“Specialist security” with a focus on crowd control will help ensure customer safety in the area in front of the stages. A specially-designed crowd barrier is designed to provide protection. The barrier is made up of one metre sections bolted together. It has no hard edges and the weight of the audience stops it from falling over, says Mr Gillies.
“On the stage-side of the barrier is a small platform the barrier crew can stand on. These guys are trained to identify and extract people who are in trouble.”
Once rehydrated, assessed and repaired, the customer can be “reintroduced” to the audience through a less-populated area.
With reaction forces “like an elite, crack corps” on-site, festival security gets even more ninja.
Other security personnel are trained to identify troublemakers, penetrate the crowd and remove them with minimum disruption.
Lifeguards stationed near the water-slide will help prevent people doing themselves an injury, and along with St John as a “first line of defence”, form a crew of “angels”.
“The angels are a whanau-based group who look after kids who are so intoxicated they can’t deal with it. The angels rehydrate them and make sure they are warm.”
Two routes for emergency vehicles have been arranged for swift egress. Festival organisers have also produced a survival guide.
“It has a lot of ‘stay safe’ tips about what to do if things go pear-shaped.
“We take every aspect of security very seriously.”
The best security advice probably comes from the festival organisers’ simplest request . . . “Leave the dickheads at home”.

Big housing estate plan gets red light

2011-12-23T19:22:00.001-08:00

GISBORNE District Council will return to chambers next year to a recommendation that it declines the biggest private development in the district’s history.
An independent panel has indicated it will recommend the private plan change application at Makaraka by Makaraka Downs Estate and Citrus Grove Investments be declined.
The recommendation follows a majority decision among the five panel members. The reasons given are the need to have appropriate planning provisions for Gisborne Airport and the effects of the loss of versatile Poverty Bay soils.
The full decision will not be released until next year but the panel has agreed that the main conclusion should be communicated to the parties before Christmas because of their interest in it.
Makaraka Downs Estate and Citrus Grove Investments applied for a plan change that would see 45 hectares of land rezoned.
A three-day hearing was held last month.
District Council environment and policy group manager Hans van Kregten has released a letter he has sent to all parties.
Dated December 20, the letter says he spoke to the chairman of the panel Alan Watson, who indicated they were finalising their report and it was unlikely to be available before Christmas.
The full report is likely to be available in the New Year, which will allow the council to make a decision on the panel’s recommendation at its meeting on January 26.
The recommendation will be to decline the application, says Mr van Kregten. This is based on a majority decision. The recommendation will be supported by all commissioners.
The panel has concluded that the general residential zone and the rural lifestyle zone (both in the form the plan change was notified and as later modified) should not be applied as part of the plan change and those parts of the site to which they would apply should remain zoned as they are in the district plan.
The panel came to this view on the basis of evidence provided by the council’s reporting officers’ section 42A report and the submissions made by Gisborne District Council as the airport owner, as well as the airport users (Air New Zealand and Gisborne Aero Club.)
On balance, the evidence of these submissions outweighed those of the applicant and the Eastland Group.
The panel has come to the view that the soils within the plan change area meet the definition of versatile and these soils are important for a number of reasons as detailed.
There are no substantial grounds to conclude that the site does not have high value for cropping or that these values are not worth protecting.
The policy directions in the regional policy statement and the district plan clearly identify the importance of these soils and the protection of them.
There are no mitigating circumstances whereby the loss of these soils can be offset in any way and once “converted” to different zoning they are permanently lost.
The panel has concluded however that the flooding risks can be adequately mitigated on the sites and this matter would not prevent the intended plan change.
Mr van Kregten says the advice is preliminary and informal, and should not be relied on as a formal notification by the council. That notification will occur after the council meeting on January 26.
In the meantime, no parties involved in the matter should make contact with the panel members while their final report has not been issued. Likewise, council staff are not in a position to comment.

Why do they do it .. ? Because of the kids

2011-12-22T19:22:00.009-08:00

A QUIET suburban street by day becomes a steady hum of cars by night, carrying children in PJs who can’t quite believe what they are seeing.
Up to 500 people a night visit the Cooper residence in Collins Street, which is covered in Christmas magic — reindeer suspended across the front lawn, lights twisted around poles and a roof that blinks in the darkness.
For the past 12 Christmases, the house has gone crazy with visitors from around 9pm. But it all started with just one string of lights about 20 years ago, says Mum Learne Cooper.
“From our party days . . . then you have kids and life changes,” she says with a laugh.
Dad of the house Paul Cooper puts up the lights every year — sometimes pausing on the roof to question the arduous process, he admits.
But every year the looks on children’s faces remind him why they do it.
“There’s always one kid who does or says something and you think, ‘that was worthwhile’.”
Daughter Anna Cooper, 17, joined friend Clyde Smith, 16, on the front lawn last night to play carols by violin.
The Coopers mingle outside with their visitors, whose faces are illuminated by the thousands of bulbs.
Electricity costs an extra $150 to $200 for the period — not as bad as people think, says Mrs Cooper.
“The lollipops cost more.”
Last year the family went through 5500 lollipops as Mr Cooper hands one out to every child who visits.
Donations of lollipops have helped ease the financial cost but regardless, the Coopers’ Christmas spirit will not be knocked.
Even the recent rain didn’t dampen the magic. Mr Cooper just took his umbrellas outside and still the cars came.

Hospital board wants flexibility

2011-12-22T19:22:00.007-08:00

TAIRAWHITI District Health board members want some influence over their planning processes, which they say are too prescriptive as established by the Ministry of Health.
The board has decided to hold a half-day meeting to decide on four or five health priorities before completing their draft district annual plan, which has to be completed in February.
Craig Bauld said the meeting was only strategic, though, and would have no effect on the district annual plan.
“It is a strategic thing,” said TDH board chairman David Scott.
Robyn Rauna said the board would still have to fulfil what the ministry and other bureaucrats wanted.
TDH could not change 90 percent of ministry-imposed policies and goals but they could have an influence “on what impacts on us”.
Geoff Milner said the ministry wanted A, B and C achieved and TDH would be held accountable.
The planning process was “leading us around the mulberry bush”.
TDH had to “tick the boxes” but needed to choose their own priorities.
Brian Wilson said TDH could not change what was prescribed in the district annual plan.
Matt Todd said he was not sure the district annual plan was strategic.
“So much of what we do is prescriptive.”
TDH needed to decide on five to six key issues, he said.
Atareta Poananga said she could not see change coming in the way health boards operated.
She would concentrate on Maori health issues but TDH did not need 10 key issues. (Several years ago the Ministry of Health established 12 priorities all boards must target in their district annual plan.)
“No matter what we think, it is out of our hands,” said Ms Poananga. “It’s like a jungle.”
The issue arose when Barbara Clarke, speaking about the ministry’s priority of having 95 percent of two-year-olds in the country immunised, asked if the goal was an issue because “it’s not our (TDH) target”.
The board’s agenda said the TDH immunisation rate for November was 88 percent, down from 91 percent in October.
“We are talking about five or six children (not immunised) and we know their names,” said Mr Scott.
He said he had challenged the Minister of Health over the issue.
Health boards had to deal with parents who did not believe in immunisation. It was not a case of children not being seen by health professionals.
Mr Wilson said immunisation rates had increased since the recent outbreak of measles.
There was always greater interest when things went wrong.
“People can change their minds, some won’t,” he said.
Ray Vasan suggested that if people were adamantly opposed to immunisation, their children should be taken off the immunisation list.
Mr Scott said the Minister held the opinion that more people would immunise their children if they were presented with the right information.
Ms Rauna asked what would happen if a higher percentage of parents did not want their children immunised.
TDH should have some influence over Ministry of Health-imposed targets, including influence from local clinicians, instead of a “copy and paste” approach, she said.

Still some seats unfilled for a brighter Christmas

2011-12-22T19:22:00.005-08:00

THERE is room at the inn for 14 more diners as the community centre next to St Andrew’s Church gets ready for Christmas Day.
Every year, a group of mostly strangers come together on December 25 to share not only a meal but each other’s company.
“The emphasis is on people sitting together as a family,” says Reverend Shirley Barker-Kirby.
People join in the Christmas lunch for a variety of reasons.
Christmas might be too much of a financial challenge or they might want to share the occasion with others.
“The aim was originally to invite people who had no one to spend Christmas with. This includes couples whose family members might have moved away.”
The celebration has become a tradition for a number of regulars.
“For some people, this will be their fourth year.”
There is room at the table for 80 people. So far 66 have registered.
The day begins at 10.30am. Lunch will be served at 12.30 “by the grace of God”.

Shoppers put late into night

2011-12-22T19:22:00.003-08:00

CENTRAL retail businesses enjoyed transactions later than usual last night during the first co-ordinated approach to late-night city shopping.
Retail stores that took part said it was a fantastic response as buoyant sales to Christmas shoppers boosted their festive revenue.
“Just brilliant, it was as busy as it was during the day.”
One store still had customers in the shop at 10pm and staff did not leave for home until 10.30pm.
Retail outlets in Gisborne have experienced a 2 percent increase on this time last year.
Paymark, which processes around 75 percent of all electronic transactions in New Zealand, says in the first 20 days of December, Gisborne consumers spent $26.3 million — up 2.1 percent on figures from 2010.
Spending on December 17-18 surged in many regions and Gisborne recorded a weekend growth of 0.6 percent and a total spend of $2.5 million.
“With only three full days of shopping to go, we’d expect to see a bumper final stretch in true Kiwi tradition,” said Paymark spokesman Ben Robinson.

Camping backpedal

2011-12-22T19:22:00.001-08:00

A RELAXATION of freedom camping rules in the Wairoa district this summer has some Mahia residents up in arms.
For years there was a blanket camping ban in the district but Government legislation against blanket prohibition has forced Wairoa District Council to remove its “no freedom camping” signs.
Waste management is one of the major concerns for outraged Mahia people.
“Any swagger with a tent and a billy can pitch down for the night and leave their mess behind, courtesy of the council,” said Mahia man Bill Shortt.
“There are four council toilets across the Mahia isthmus but, with a population of 700 permanent residents and a festive crowd that swells to 5000-plus, those figures could jump to 6000-7000 with freedom camping allowed.
“Wairoa District Council, in cahoots with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, are about to implement a state-of-the-art sewerage scheme with an advised cost to Mahia beach ratepayers of $15,000 per property. I don’t have a problem with this, because health and a number of other issues are at stake.
“It would seem, however, that the council have lost the plot and had a brain stoppage by opening up the district for freedom campers to urinate and do the other more solid business across the Wairoa district’s jewel in the crown.
“It’s not exactly a positive move in promoting the area, which will suffer more from negative media attention.
“One must ask the question — why should resident ratepayers fork out big money for a sewerage scheme when freedom campers can water and drop what they like with no charge?
“So much for the council’s environmental stance.”
Council chief executive officer Peter Freeman said the council would look at creating a bylaw.
While there was nothing to stop freedom camping, bylaws against littering and waste management could still be enforced, he said.
“Before laws against blanket prohibition were introduced, the council did not allow camping outside registered campgrounds or designated areas on public open space,” he said.
“Now the council is looking at developing a policy, which will be done in the new year.
“The coming holiday period will give us a chance to see where the problems are.”
New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Eastland Branch committee member Brian Hall said removal of the signs was good news but the public had a responsibility to contain their waste appropriately.
“It gives people a chance to test the waters. But they need to make sure that their footprint is as they left it,” said Mr Hall, who is also a self-containment officer.
“As long as you are certified and self-contained, there is no issue. With motorhomes, you have to have enough capacity to contain at least three days of waste.”
In developing its new freedom camping policy, the council could look at creating designated areas, said Mr Hall.

Woman's name suppression extended one day

2011-12-21T20:42:00.001-08:00

The 34-year-old is charged with assaulting a boy in Whangarei between January 1 and December 31, 2010, and assaulting the same boy with intent to injure him on June 1, 2011. She has elected trial by jury.
She appealed last week against a refusal of name suppression at a previous appearance in Gisborne District Court. The appeal was heard in the High Court at Gisborne, where she had been living.
Justice Woolford, in declining the High Court appeal, said name suppression would serve no purpose in terms of preventing a “tainting” of the jury pool.
The accused had a high media profile and any jury selected would undoubtedly know of her background.
“I do not agree that it will be impossible for the jurors to put aside everything they have previously heard about the appellant and to decide the case solely on the evidence they hear in trial, if her name is published in conjunction with the charges she now faces,” Justice Woolford said last week.
Justice Brewer, acting yesterday as duty judge in the absence of Justice Woolford, made an oral order half an hour before interim suppression was to lapse, further extending suppression until noon on Friday.
“The purpose is to enable me to have time to properly consider the application for leave to appeal. I intend to give my decision on the matter before noon tomorrow.”
The woman has been remanded on bail to appear in Whangarei District Court on February 15 for a post-committal conference.

A triple word score Christmas

2011-12-21T19:21:00.011-08:00

Fiona Bryant and the kids love being at the beach at the weekends . . . they have had the caravan out there since Labour Weekend.

Now that school is over for 2011, it’s out to the coast to spud in, ready for a major improvement in the weather.

The plan is to be out there for summer . . . set the craypot, soak up the view and play rather a lot of scrabble.

Cousins Bianca Scarlett (left) and Robin Broadstock (right) enjoy the freedom camping life, the longtime Kiwi icon that has been preserved in this district for today’s generations.

Ending remarkable teaching career

2011-12-21T19:21:00.009-08:00

MEREARIHI Clarke has retired from a teaching career that spans almost six-and-a-half-decades. She has enjoyed her long working life “every step of the way” and will no doubt end up being even busier than ever.
The 81-year-old was a resource teacher of Maori based at Waikirikiri School and, as a fluent speaker of te reo Maori, provided support to immersion schools and classes in the Gisborne area.
She is an author of children’s books written in the Maori language and her children’s story Whirikoki was a Pounamu Award winner in 1983.
Mrs Clarke was also one of only a dozen people to be an associate of the education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa in 1999 for her teaching commitment.
You have to bend down quite low to greet Mrs Clarke with a kiss on the cheek, but there is no doubt her five-foot stature does not stand in the way of her being the boss.
Mokopuna were busy getting “Nan’s” house ready for Christmas this week and in her office is a sign — an “order by Nan” — not to touch, remove any of her things and to ‘‘leave everything alone.”
But in her eyes is a twinkle of good humour and her smile is a ray of sunshine experienced by thousands of children she taught and kept in line over more than half a century, which includes her own 13 children, 37 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
Mrs Clarke was 18 when she was introduced to the teaching profession in a teacher aide-type position at Rangitukia’s school, Taperenui a Whatonga.
Since then she has “touched” almost every school, training provider and education support agency in the district.
There was an adventurous start to her training at Ardmore College.
“I went to the wrong training school. Because all my Ngati Porou people were going to Ardmore, I decided not to go to Newmarket, where I was supposed to go.”
When the person in charge discovered her absence — six weeks later — Mrs Clarke received a “right bollocking.”
“When they found out where I was, they did their bun. I was told I shouldn’t have been at Ardmore and that I hadn’t even been selected by the panel for any college.
“I had to prove myself and swat like mad to catch up.”
She carried on at Ardmore and was there for a year and a half before her practicum teaching post at Tikitiki School’s Pae o Te Riri.
Mrs Clarke was born and raised beside a little knoll at Rangitukia called Te Rapa.
That is where her education began.
“Education was all home-based. We learned all about horticulture, how to preserve, smoke, dry and store food, and knew the tikanga of the seasons — included when the weather was going to change.
“Nanny Keeti Patuwai taught us to listen to the sea and the birds, and how when a certain bird sang it was the season for certain foods. She also taught us how to watch the insects, how they behaved and what that meant.
“We always went to the ngahere (bush) to get honey. It was a necessary food and we knew all about manuka.”
Manuka was used in a makeshift sauna for flu and asthma, she said.
Her nannies and papas also taught the children about kai moana (sea food) and to respect the sea by not turning your back on the waves when collecting kai and not to yell or scream in the water.
In 1951, Mrs Clarke received her “teaching ticket” and headed north to Omanaia.
She returned to the Coast to teach at Te Waha o Rerekohu, Te Araroa. The courtship with husband Miki “became serious”.
Mrs Clarke and her young family moved to Gisborne during the 1960s. She taught at Elgin as senior mistress (deputy principal) and Kaiti.
In 1975, the government passed an act to trial te reo Maori and tikanga teaching.
Mrs Clarke was one of 54 teachers in the country chosen to pioneer the resource Maori teacher positions.
“It was very new and challenging but, in the end, well worthwhile.”
Although retired, she will continue to share her extensive knowledge.
She has a date with Ormond School next year to retrace the history and steps of Te Kooti, and will continue in her roles as a justice of the peace, kaumatua for Special Education Services, a friend of the Tairawhiti Museum and a trustee for land blocks.
Mrs Clarke said schools needed to look “in their own backyard” because there they would find people who were great resources of knowledge for learning.
Mrs Clarke believes Maori and Pakeha cultures need to come together for a better understanding.
“Me ki he wairua hohunu to te kotahitanga. The greater the depth of understanding, the better the relationship is,” she said.

Log storage is setting records at the harbour

2011-12-21T19:21:00.007-08:00

A RESURGENT log market, a lull in shipping and increased harvest made for a record-breaking moment at Eastland Port over the weekend.
The 107,000 tonnes at the port last weekend broke the previous record by more than 20,000 tonnes.
A big bonus of the peak in storage was the chance to use the newly-asphalted two-and-a-half hectares to its full capacity. It was recently completed as stage one of the group’s biggest-ever capital investment project.
Eastland Port project development manager Marty Bayley says they had not fully anticipated the volume gains that the asphalting project would create.
“It is certainly much bigger than we anticipated,” he says.
Stage two, which will see the second third of the main yard asphalted, is expected to start on January 9.
The $15 million project will be completed in the next year-and-a-half, and is part of the port’s ongoing development plan focusing on delivering fit-for-purpose infrastructure for the region’s burgeoning forestry industry.
As well as the record storage at the port, there were also 20,000 tonnes of logs stored at the port’s newly-commissioned “inland port” at Matawhero.
The facility is now completely self-sufficient, with its own weighbridge, log-scaling operation and trailer gantry facilities, which will contribute significantly to reducing truck movements through the city.
Eastland Port is on target to record a record-breaking year, with more than 1.6 million tonnes expected to be exported in this financial year.

Rates rise adopted but nearly defeated

2011-12-21T19:21:00.005-08:00

A REVOLT by some district councillors saw the draft estimates for the next 10-year plan, which include a 5 percent increase in the total rate to be collected in the first year (2012-13), approved by only the narrow margin of one vote.
After six councillors voted against adopting the estimates (seven were in favour), Mayor Meng Foon said he would hold an extra unscheduled workshop in January to further review the draft estimates.
Councillors opposing the adoption said that the community could not afford this level of increase and warned the whole system could eventually fall over, while others felt there had already been a long series of workshops and any amendments should have been put forward by now.
Mr Foon said a lot of work had gone into the estimates and there was still some work to be done. Finance and monitoring committee chairman Brian Wilson said if the draft estimates were adopted the council would not be able to make any dramatic changes without going through a full consultation process.
If the council was unhappy with the proposal, his suggestion was that it get the finance team to get on with the preparation of the accounts for audit and the council convene two or three weeks into January. The council should look at the levels of service provided.
Pat Seymour said unless the council was bold enough to do that, it was going to make rates unaffordable.
The estimates allowed for a $25 million increase in the rates over the 10 years, or about 50 percent.
If anybody thought that wages, benefits or the ability of businesses to raise money was going to increase by 50 percent in 10 years, they were absolutely dreaming.
The first three years of the plan were not inconsistent with what the council intended. After the third year rates would start to ramp up.
The vote to adopt the estimates was then held but councillors continued the debate.
Craig Bauld said councillors should know how the system worked by now.
Any project had to be included in the 10-year plan if it was to go ahead. But not all these projects would go ahead even in 20 years.
Roger Haisman said there was something intrinsically wrong with local government and it was not just this council. The council should be set a percentage increase that was acceptable and then refer it to staff to cut the departmental budgets.
Brian Wilson said the level of cost in the plan was unacceptable and the council had to make it acceptable
Mayor Meng Foon said Pat Seymour as chairwoman of the environment and policy committee had recommended a number of management plans for places like Wainui. These had to be paid for and all added to the council’s costs.
Craig Bauld: “The six people who voted against adopting the estimates will be saying they are the saviours who voted against the rate increase. That is bollocks.”
Nona Aston said the council was having to pay for things that should have been done in the past seven years. She did not want any other council to have to make decisions that should have been made by this one.
“I know people cannot afford it but we can’t let levels of service drop,” she said.
Bill Burdett apologised that he had been out of the room when the vote was taken but the council had to have a plan.
Manu Caddie said he wanted to keep the rates increase at the level of inflation and this year it was close to that so he would support the adoption of the estimates.
■ A division, which means all votes must be recorded, was called for the adoption of the draft estimates for the 2012-22 ten year plan.
In favour were: Mayor Meng Foon, Craig Bauld, Andy Cranston, Manu Caddie, Nona Aston, Allan Hall and Allan Davidson.
Against were Brian Wilson, Pam Murphy, Roger Haisman, Pat Seymour, Patrick Tangaere and Graeme Thomson.

Trust for theatre fundraising

2011-12-21T19:21:00.003-08:00

AN independent charitable trust will be established to help generate funds for the $6.8million upgrade to the War Memorial Theatre.
In a report to the council, Mayor Meng Foon said approximately $4.79million of the project was to come by way of grant funding, but to achieve that level would require additional funding from a range of sources.
“Both a fundraising strategy and a fundraising vehicle are needed if council is to meet its grant targets . . . I see that a trust would help in fundraising efforts to have a world class theatre. A charitable trust will give donors the benefit of a tax refund.”
The council yesterday approved his recommendations to establish the trust, appoint councillor Pat Seymour as a trustee and endorse the draft trust deed.
A staff report said the major benefit of setting up a registered charitable fundraising trust would be the incentive of offering tax credits for donations.
The tax credit for an individual donation is 33 percent of the donation.
“The option of a tax credit of up to one third would make the campaign more attractive to high-level donors, negating the need to offer incentives that would prove costly in the long run,” the report said.
Another benefit of setting up a trust is that it would be one step removed from the council, which opened it up to additional funding avenues that were not available to local government.
It also provided for more community buy-in.
“A charitable fundraising trust made up of community members who are garnering community support will add a community dimension, which is vital to an effective fundraising campaign,” the report said.

Virus outbreak locks down city rest home

2011-12-21T19:21:00.001-08:00

A VOMITING bug has broken out in Gisborne.
Leighton House rest home has been locked down three days before Christmas, due to an outbreak of norovirus. About 22 residents and three staff members have been affected.
It is thought the virus spread to the home when a resident caught the virus at a Christmas function last week. A number of other people attending the function also became unwell.
Norovirus is an extremely contagious virus that can be serious to the elderly or to the very young, especially if they have other medical problems, says Tairawhiti District Health medical officer of health Dr Geoffrey Cramp.
“It is for this reason that visitors are being restricted at Leighton House and residents are not transferred to other health care facilities like the hospital.”
First symptoms of the disease are a “sudden sick feeling”, followed by forceful vomiting and watery diarrhoea. Some experience stomach pains and fever.
An infected person sheds many norovirus particles in their faeces and vomit. It takes only a few to infect a healthy person. The virus can contaminate food, utensils, drinks or a surface if someone has dirty hands or vomits close to food.
The virus spreads quickly and symptoms can appear between 10 hours and two days after contact.
Prevention is down to common sense, says Dr Cramp.
“Follow the hand-washing 20-20 rule. Lather your hands with soap then wash for 20 seconds with warm water. Dry your hands for 20 seconds with a dry, clean towel or paper towel.
“Make sure your own hygiene is meticulous if you are caring for someone who is sick. Keep the toilet area and all bathroom surfaces clean with household disinfectant.
“People with diarrhoea and vomiting should not go to work when unwell. They should wait until they have been better for 48 hours so they do not spread it.”
The virus spreads rapidly in hospitals, schools, nursing and residential homes.
No specific treatment is available. Most people get better on their own.
“Norovirus infection is an unpleasant experience but it is not generally dangerous. Most people make a full recovery within a couple of days without having to see a doctor.
“The best thing to do is get fluids in you as soon as possible, so that you can rehydrate.”

Dogs raise alarm as rustlers at work

2011-12-20T19:00:00.009-08:00

BARKING dogs were a key to the capture of two alleged stock rustlers on Sunday night at Patutahi, police say.
Ten sheep were found alive, bound at the legs and lying helplessly in a farm paddock when police arrested two men on Sunday night.
The men appeared in Gisborne District Court on Monday and were charged in relation to theft of stock and theft of a motor vehicle.
A Patutahi farmer was woken around 3am on Sunday morning by his barking dogs.
When he went outside to try to settle them, he faintly heard voices coming from a nearby paddock and called police, said Manutuke sole charge officer Tim Winchester, who went immediately to the scene.
“When I got to the area, there was an unattended vehicle but no one was around,” he said.
“The sheep were there, ready to go.
“What they do is hog-tie them so they are ready to be slaughtered.”
A Gisborne police dog handler and team were called to the scene as well.
The dog tracked a man’s scent from the vehicle and found him in a nearby paddock.
A second man was tracked and found walking along Lavenham Road.
The van intended to be used to carry the animals was stolen a week ago in the Gisborne area.
Police are now on the hunt for three people believed to have played a part in the theft of the van and tools inside it.
Mr Winchester said around $10,000-worth of tools were taken from the van.
Police recovered some tools when they seized the van but a large amount of the equipment is still missing.
Farmers were working closely with police to fight off stock rustling and were co-operating very well, he said.

Christmas presents and food dropped under tree

2011-12-20T19:00:00.007-08:00

CHRISTMAS presents and food have flowed in from a generous public to the Women’s Refuge and Salvation Army, as part of The Gisborne Herald’s annual Christmas appeal.
The collection was split between the two community groups after people dropped donations of food, presents and cash under the Herald’s Christmas tree.
Salvation Army community ministries co-ordinator Bev Hauiti said what started off as looking like a grim Christmas for some of families, has turned into an “overflowing abundance of community generosity”.
“Donations from this collection will go towards 110 hampers, that are distributed to local families,” she said.
“We have been accessing people through health agencies because we know that when you’re going through health problems, there are often financial costs and added stress for those already under stress. We just want to lighten their burden.”
The Salvation Army has also received community donations made at other drop-off points around town.
“We find there are still plenty of people out there who are in need because we have eyes and ears throughout the community.
“Please get in contact with us because we don’t want anyone to go without this Christmas.”
Women’s Refuge team leader Rochelle Gardiner said donations from the collection would go to men, women and children who use their services, including the Women and Children Safe House and the Male Respite House.
“These presents will be wonderful for our families.
“This is a busy time of the year and, unfortunately, both houses are filling up already,” she said.
“We’ve also had donations come in direct to our office and we’d like to thank the community for their support.”

Oil companies dismiss fracking risk on Coast

2011-12-20T19:00:00.005-08:00

Pattrick Smellie, Business Desk

CANADIAN oil company Apache has been talking up the prospects for onshore oil finds on the East Coast, in a series of meetings where executives have also discussed how they would ensure hydraulic fracturing does not pollute local water supplies.
Apache is planning to drill four onshore wells, two near Gisborne and two near Dannevirke, as the first step in a joint exploration programme with TAG Oil, also from Canada, which has begun commercial oil and gas production onshore Taranaki, using so-called “fracking’’ technology extensively.
A report of the visit by Apache and TAG executives to the East Coast is reported in the New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals section of the Ministry of Economic Development’s website.
“We think it will be a substantial prize,’’ said Apache’s global unconventional exploration manager Craig Rice of the potential for oil and gas finds from geological formations that are likely to require fracking to unlock hydrocarbons.
The MED report says Apache is “taking particular care liaising with affected East Coast parties, from landowners and Maori, to regional and district authorities, about proposed seismic and drilling programmes, including isolating groundwater supplies from drilling activities and the safe disposal of drilling or any hydraulic fracturing fluids.’’
Shell New Zealand has been undertaking similarly low-key public engagement among Taranaki communities, where the worldwide focus on the potential impacts of fracking on groundwater has stirred local anxieties.
Fracking involves fracturing rock formations, using high-pressure water and chemicals to release so-called “tight’’ oil and gas. The practice is well-known in the oil industry but has only recently begun attracting public attention, in part owing to poor regulation in the United States.
A recently-released report by Taranaki District Council shows 41 exploration wells used fracking techniques between 2001 and 2011.
“There are large separation distances between most past hydraulic fracturing activities and freshwater aquifers,’’ says the TCC report, released last month. It also found “no evidence that the natural geological seals above the petroleum hydrocarbon reservoir have been breached’’ on any of the fracking undertaken in Taranaki.
The report finds the risk of such leakage in Taranaki to be “very small’’, but notes that while it was “unlikely that contaminants would reach overlying freshwater aquifers in the Taranaki region’’, it was “not impossible.’’
However, the greatest risk of groundwater pollution was not from the fracking process itself, but from improper above-ground storage and leaks of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and wastewater.
While Taranaki communities are well-used to the oil and gas industry, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay residents have never previously experienced such activity. The gross onshore east coast acreage to be explored by Apache and TAG totals some 250,000 hectares.
Apache Canada farmed into TAG’s Petroleum Exploration Licences 38348, 38349 and 50940, contributing US$100 million for stakes of up to 50 percent in each prospect.

Christmas can also be a stressful time

2011-12-20T19:00:00.003-08:00

FOR many women and children, the Christmas period will be as much about fear and pain as it is about gifts and the meal.
Every year the festive season corresponds with a marked spike in domestic violence cases.
Family therapist Les Simmonds, Relationship Services clinical leader for Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, says there are a number of reasons for more violence through the holidays, most of them stemming from stress.
“Christmas is a time that can turn stressful for a lot of couples. You certainly get a lot more domestic violence in the holidays, particularly around Christmas.
“One very big reason is people tend to drink a lot more, and parties going late into the night because people don’t have to go to work in the morning — that pays a huge part. People who usually spend a few hours together each day, spend a lot of time together. Time is a big thing.
“On top of all that, there are stresses about money and the kids are at home. You get more conflict between couples and the drinking just blows the top off.”
It is not until after the festivities are over, though, that counselling services find out about abusive relationships.
“There’s an interesting pattern. What you get is just around the Christmas period and after, things might get quite quiet. But after the hangover, a few weeks after Christmas, then we start to see a rise in referrals. People start to think ‘that’s the worst Christmas ever, he hurt me, I’m not having that again’,” .
Rob McCann, White Ribbon campaign manager with the Families Commission, says there are things people can do to ensure violence is avoided in their home.
“Around this time there’s an increase in family violence. The reality is that family violence can increase with certain triggers, and one of those is stress.
“We don’t always get to choose who our family is and those people are coming into our home.
“It’s fair to say that people are looking at different ways to do things for less. People shouldn’t be violent because of the stress, but it is a trigger,” he said.
Detective Sergeant Jason Perry, Tauranga family violence co-ordinator, says violence at Christmas is avoidable and there are ways to get help.
“Essentially, we encourage people to call before something happens. Neighbours, friends and families will call and that’s a good thing.”
He offers a sure-fire way to prevent abuse: “Keep your hands in your pockets, take a deep breath and go for a walk.”
Police advice:
•Agree on social and family arrangements in advance and stick to the agreed plans. Make sure children get to spend quality time with both parents if there is shared custody.
•Don’t spend what you can’t afford.
•If you are finding the whole idea of Christmas too stressful, talk to a friend or someone you can trust.
•Think of the children. Don’t let them grow up with memories of Christmas tarnished with violence.
•Go easy on the alcohol.
•If an argument starts to brew, take a deep breath and walk away. Take time out to let everyone calm down and if necessary, sober up.
•If you have real concerns for your safety or that of your children, contact the police.

Goods roll on rail

2011-12-20T19:00:00.001-08:00

THE co-operation of Gisborne exporters is fresh hope for the survival of the under-performing Napier to Gisborne railway.
The man behind the initiative is Weatherall Transport’s Steve Weatherall, who is waiting for a final sign-off from Gisborne District Council to carry containerloads of squash by road from packhouses to the rail depot. Then the railway line will see another four trains a week from January 9.
“The New Zealand Transport Authority has cleared trucks to carry full containers on the main roads and, once the council has signed off, we are away,” says Mr Weatherall.
Mayor Meng Foon welcomes the news.
“I fully support the proposition and the council will do all we can to help. I look forward to the new rail initiative.”
Mr Weatherall says the key motivator behind it was the need to shift containers of squash from Gisborne to Napier.
In the past, because of weight, only partial container-loads of squash were sent from Gisborne, then topped up in Napier before being shipped.
Exporters here need both truck and train to use rail, which is a lot more economical for shifting heavy loads. That is where Mr Weatherall came in.
“Fuel is always going up and so are trucking costs — they are just getting more and more expensive to run. Exporters have to be financially viable and this is a way to solve it.”
Mr Weatherall’s company has invested a huge amount time, effort and money, including a 36 tonne swing lifter to shift containers from trucks to trains.
Trialling of the systems is already under way, with product from Corson grain and Cedenco going out by rail.
Cedenco chief executive Tim Chrisp and representatives of other exporting companies involved, say they are fully supportive of the initiative, making exporting from here more financially viable.
“Cedenco plans to shift a significant volume by rail. A critical mass has been important to make it successful.”
KiwiRail has said it was contemplating mothballing or closing the Gisborne-Napier line, with a decision set for late next year.
In a briefing to the Hawke’s Bay regional transport committee yesterday, KiwiRail manager Kim Salter said as well as four extra weekly trains, another potentially-large customer had been turned away because of a lack of equipment and crews.
The line is believed to be running at a loss of about $2.4 million a year.
Mr Salter said Weatherall Transport was KiwiRail’s “retail provider” and had links with most businesses in Gisborne.
“The amount of freight on offer through that company is more than we could handle”.
“Depending on how that goes, we can ramp up crews and equipment as they become available in the early part of next year,” Mr Salter said.
Napier-based fertiliser company Ravensdown, which had more than halved its use of the line in recent years, indicated it was interested in moving 2000 tonnes of fertiliser a week from Napier to Gisborne by rail. At present it moves about 600 tonnes each week.
Federated Farmers Gisborne Wairoa president Hamish Cave says with rail a cheaper option for transporting fertiliser, it is all good news for farmers.
Mr Weatherall said he was hoping that in time, other customers would start to use the rail.
“We have got to keep the momentum going and provide the freight to keep it going.”
A transport study report presented at the meeting yesterday shows gross income last year for the 212km railway line was $672,000 but the $2 million spent in maintenance costs and running costs of $1 million resulted in a massive loss.
The railway transported only 23,601 tonnes of freight in 2009/10, down from a 2004/05 high of 56,154 tonnes.
The report states that in order for the railway to survive, it must attract enough business to not only cover the operating costs, but also be able to reduce the cost “to genuinely compete with the road service on price”.
To do so would require an estimated 1000 percent increase in trade.
Gisborne Chamber of Commerce president Fraser Brown believes that as long as the railway line is economically viable, it will be good for the district for it to remain open.
“If the demand is there that is positive, but historically it has always struggled to remain sustainable.
“Good luck to them this time.”

Barnardos Chief Executive Murray Edridge.

2011-12-20T11:42:00.001-08:00

Lifeguards at a beach near you

2011-12-19T19:21:00.009-08:00

GISBORNE and East Coast beaches just became safer for summer. Paid lifeguards donned their distinctive yellow and red uniforms yesterday.
Five lifeguards will patrol at Wainui, while five more will be dispersed between Waikanae and Midway beaches.
Patrols began yesterday and will finish at the end of the school holidays on January 27.
Lifeguards will be on duty from 10am until 6pm weekdays.
Six extra lifeguards will be installed at the town beaches over the six days of the BW Camping Festival.
“They will have their work cut out for them,” says Surf Life Saving New Zealand club development officer Jeremy Lockwood.
Three lifeguards will patrol Tolaga Bay beaches for 14 days after Christmas.
Volunteer lifeguards will patrol the beaches at weekends. Beaches will be patrolled by volunteer guards on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Mr Lockwood says all junior lifeguards are qualified surf-lifesavers and have first-aid certificates. Seniors have IRB driver’s licences and advanced first aid certificates. Patrol captains have attended national lifeguard school.
Patrol captain Toby Harris urges people to swim between the flags and to wear togs, board shorts or a wetsuit.
“Last year I rescued a couple of people who had been drinking and went swimming in their clothes. Could you be any more stupid?
“Don’t go out in the water in your clothes. They’re way harder to swim in and they’ll get heavy in the water.
“If you get caught in a rip, swim across it. The best thing you can do is to stay calm and put your hand up. A lifeguard will come to get you.”

Yes there will be some weather for Christmas

2011-12-19T19:21:00.007-08:00

ALL the odds are stacked in favour of a fine day for Christmas — but will the weather behave itself?
Five days out from the big day, even the experts cannot agree.
The pronouncements of the various weather agencies such as MetService and Niwa, and pundits such as Philip Duncan of Weatherwatch, paint a somewhat confusing picture.
The MetService 10-day forecast says there will be rain on Saturday and Sunday, with little wind.
However, the MetService’s rain forecast and isometric maps suggest a completely different story of mostly fine weather.
It all depends on whether a large high that is stationary over New Zealand remains in place or is pushed away by weather fronts approaching from Australia, or by a sub-tropical system sweeping down from the north.
There is a possibility that a rain-laden low developing north of New Caledonia could push its way into the Tasman Sea and give the sluggish high over New Zealand its cue to exit east.
“There is a high pressure zone lingering over New Zealand, and we’re hoping it stays there for Christmas,” say a variety of MetService forecasters and weather ambassador Bob McDavitt.
“Most centres should be dry and fairly sunny, with temperatures in the low 20s . . . but some places might have afternoon showers.”
Weatherwatch’s Phil Duncan suggests there is another La Nina rainmaker lurking in the subtropical wings that could spoil things.
The National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) is more cautious, going for a mixed bag because of the La Nina influence.
“Wet in the north, dry in the south — but there’s an equal chance of it being a mixture,” Niwa says.
With the high pressure zones tracking further south because of the La Nina pattern, the Gisborne district alternates between dry, windy northwesterlies, moist and humid northeasterlies from the subtropics, and the occasional southerly blast.
Victoria University’s MetVUW weather charts indicate a strong westerly wind flow over the upper North Island on Christmas Day, suggesting dry conditions on the East Coast.
Statistical research shows there is a much better-than-even chance of it being fine.
The records show that for the past 20 years, there have been only two damp Christmas Days — in 2007 which had 1mm of rain, and 1992, which had just a touch at 0.6mm.
Over all 20 years from 1991, the Gisborne area has been in soil moisture deficit — 1994 the driest with a 147mm deficit.
Temperature-wise, Christmas on the East Coast is usually mild with warmth in the early 20s.
The coolest Christmases were in 2004 (16.5 degrees) and 1993 (17.3 degrees).
Gisborne’s warmest Christmas day for the past 20 years was in 2000, when the mercury hit a Christmas roast of 30.1 degrees.