Paris comes to Central Otago this May with Waiata Theatre Production’s latest offering, ‘Les Misérables’, and the Central App took a peek behind the scenes as the cast prepares to give the performance of a lifetime. Waiata, under the steady hands of director Duncan Anderson and musical director Bruce Potter, will bring the story set in post-revolutionary France to the stage in Clyde. After extensive auditions, the chosen cast has been travelling from all over the South Island to practise. “It's definitely a long drive,” Ella Burton, who travels from Gore for the rehearsals, told the Central App.“If it wasn’t for the show we wouldn’t be driving all that way, but it's just such a cool show, and totally worth it.” Plenty of local talent auditioned successfully, too. Olivia Delport (12) of Alexandra praised the cast and show. “So far I’m enjoying all the supportive people. I auditioned to try something new, so this is my first big production and it’s exciting.”Two cast members trying on costumes Another local from Alexandra, the talented Morgan Potter, has taken on the enormous task of not only gathering a small team to wrangle costumes, but also to play a main role in the production as Eponine. “It is such an honour to play in such an emotional show, and to play alongside other talented actors to convey the raw emotion.” Organising costumes for the cast is a big job With such a large group of talented people there are bound to be challenges, Bruce Potter says. “We have some really good talent, but not everyone's talents fall into the same category with timing and other little things.”Bruce says that he is looking for perfection and that the cast is more than capable of delivering. He also plays the role of Jean Valjean. “I have been playing Valjean since I was around 30 and it has just been a role that suited my voice, my physique and my character.” Bruce and Scott in rehearsal Duncan, who is not only directing but also playing the lead Javert, said one of the challenges has been having plenty of understudies for the roles, meaning more than one person is required to learn the scenes and a lot of repetition is required. “It can be quite amusing to jump from directing into the musical part,” he said.There is also a dedicated crew working hard to coordinate lighting, sound, projection images, set movement and special effects. “I have never worked with a cast that picks things up so quickly, meaning we will have an amazing show,” Duncan said. Tickets can be found on iticket.co.nz and shows are from 5th of May to 21st May 2023. Bruce and Morgan with flyers promoting the show PHOTOS: Waiata Theatre Productions 

With the national election taking place this year, the Central App decided it was a good time to ask what young people in our region think about the non-partisan movement Make it 16 to allow 16 year olds to vote. The topic of lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 has been widely debated over the last decade.“The voting age shouldn’t be lowered as there is a drastic difference between 16 and 18 year olds,” Dunstan High School pupil Emily Templeton said.The differences include lower maturity levels and younger teenagers having a lack of political education at school. “A very small percentage of 16 to 17 year olds would actually vote. They just aren’t interested,” Emily said.But not everyone agrees with her assessment. Some students at Dunstan High School believe that because most 16 to 17 year olds have jobs, they should have a say in how their tax money is spent. As one student said: “at the age of 16 we can leave school, get a driver's licence, hold a firearm licence and change our name so why is voting any different?”  This view is echoed by the Make it 16 group which has taken this topic to the high court in New Zealand. “We are just as impacted by the decisions our government make as people over 18 AND we will be inheriting the future impacts of those decisions too,” the group says.The Make it 16 group has taken the argument to the high court. PHOTO: Makeit16.org.nzThe group won its case and a bill is now being drafted to put before parliament to lower the age. It will require three quarters of MPs to support the bill for it to pass.There are very few countries that have the voting age set at 16; they include Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba and Scotland.Closer to home, concerns have been raised across Central Otago about low voter turnout. For example, in Cromwell's recent by-election, only 30 per cent of eligible voters submitted their votes. Allowing 16 year olds to participate could lift that engagement. These young people will also live with the consequences of the decisions made by councils and community boards.Meanwhile, the 2023 General Election will be the first time 18-year-old Year 13 students at Dunstan High will be able to vote in an election.“I feel like I’m mature enough to vote this year. It’s exciting,” Claudia Hammond said.Young people participating in voting is a topic The Central App’s cadets will be exploring this election year. 

Term one has been full of sporting events at Dunstan High School (DHS). Students have participated in swimming and athletics sports days within the first three weeks of the term. Cross country is set to wrap up the trifecta on the last day of term 1. Students donned their house colours and brought out their house spirit for both swimming sports and athletics. On Friday February 10, competitive swimmers kicked off the morning to participate in a spread of events including individual medleys and 50-metre races.Star swimmers included Heidi Winter, Sophie Winter, Caleb Ludlow and Liam Rees who all managed to break records held by previous Dunstan Students.In the afternoon, the whole school came out to participate in house-orientated fun games. The afternoon’s events included a lilo race, the biggest splash competition, and a beach ball challenge. Runners eagerly await their turn on the track On February 17, students once again brought house spirit to DHS grounds for athletics. The morning started off with the house shuttle relays where years 9-13 all raced for house points. Houses competed against each other in the relaysKohan-Bryant Saunders broke the discus record, which has stood since 2003, by one metre. His record-breaking streak continued in the afternoon’s shot put event. Shot put was one of the many sports on offerStudents got to compete in a range of sports including javelin, 1500 metres, hurdles, discus and triple jump. Competitors in the long jumpStudents lined the track dressed in their house colours to cheer on competitors. The 100-metre races created the most excitement as students watched who was the fastest in the school. Some of these runners were selected to compete in the inter-house 800-metre relay at the end of the day. Both swimming sports and athletics results contribute to the House Cup awarded at the end of the term. 

A large crowd of locals and out-of-towners attended the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Central Otago A&P show at Omakau on Saturday (February 11), enjoying the sunny day, watching competitors and checking out the variety of displays. Competitions ranged from the high speed equestrian events to home industries (including flower arranging and baking), sheep and fleeces, shearing and wood chopping. Ruby poses with her pony after a successful ride.Ruby Caneron (12) took third place in the 90cm show jumping, saying “the day has been really good so far. My ponies have been really good, too.” The equestrian events were a main source of entertainment, but other highlights included stalls selling goods of all kinds, vintage car and farm machinery displays, and the Alexandra and Districts Pipe Band. Sheena takes a break from entertaining the crowd with the pipe band.Sheena Michie, a player in the band, said the Central Otago show “is one of the pipe band’s favorites on the pipe band calendar”.The band led the march of the A&P show’s parade - another highlight for the crowd - as animals and vehicles gathered in the main arena. Spectators Tina Bungard and Adele Riddle have been involved with the A&P shows over many years, and Tina has competed and attended the A&P shows for the last 35 or so years. Adele and Trina, A&P show veterans, had high praise for the 2023 event.  “This is always a good show, a real country show, and a real community event,” Tina said. “This show always has fair judges and the show caters for everything. It truly is town meets country.” A family-friendly area catered for children with bouncy castles and trampolining, face painting, and a mini petting zoo thanks to VetLife. “It’s absolutely amazing seeing everything come together celebrating the 125th anniversary with phenomenal competition and turnout,” Central Otago A&P Association secretary and event organiser Jennifer Huddleston said.The event was a resounding success and possibly the biggest event for Omakau to date. The challenge now is to repeat that success in 2024.PHOTOS: The Central App

When the Central Otago A&P show celebrated its 125th year this Saturday (February 11), a wide variety of animals were on offer, but one group stood out in particular - cattle. Cattle have not featured at the Central Otago A&P since 1969. With relatively few entrants this year, several featured breeds, including Angus and Herefords, were judged against one another.Margs Hall from Herriot took out the All Breeds Supreme Champion category with her heifer, a Hereford from Lilliesleaf stud. It could be argued she had beginner's luck considering this was Margs’ first entry into an A&P show. However, she is no stranger to cattle. Margs grew up on a dairy farm where she developed an interest in beef cattle. Cattle were back to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Central Otago A&P show. The passion for cattle is something that runs in the Hall family. Brother Rob Hall from Waikaka who was chief beef cattle steward for the A&P show has been working with cattle for over 30 years, but he has been showing animals since he was nine-years-old. “I started working with Angus cattle when I was 17,” Rob said.Rob compared a winning cattle beast to finding a love interest: you should look for, among other features, a kind eye, a cow who can support her calf, or a bull with good legs. Rob and Margs were pleased with Saturday’s results considering that there was “tough competition”. Rob “loves encouraging young people to develop an interest in cattle” and several stopped by to pet the beasts. Grainne Reilly, Brydie Carden, Lauren Kys and Libby Hanford admire the cattle. Judges were looking for temperament, meat production, freedom of movement, and conformation, which is to do with the build of the animal.Judge Syliva Anderson of Winton, who has a background in commercial breeding and agricultural shows, said the supreme champion was “a good example of her breed type and showed great maturity.” Despite judging across four different breeds, Sylvia said: “They are like a bag of liquorice allsorts. They all have the same qualities on the inside, it’s just the colour which makes them different on the outside.”Following the success of this year's A&P show, competitors hope the cattle section will make an annual return to the show so the crowds don’t have to wait another 54 years to see the prized cattle and their passionate breeders. PHOTOS: The Central App

Holidays have finished and it’s time for Dunstan High School pupils to get back into the swing of things. The school has welcomed approximately 130 new Year 9 students from across the district into Dunstan. This year's Year 13 students started last Tuesday (January 31) to prepare to welcome the new students joining them the next day. Wednesday was filled with house-based games and activities to help the new students create a connection with their house and the older pupils.New students, whānau and staff were welcomed with a Mihi Whakatau where students performed waiata and provided kai.Staff and students hope 2023 will not be plagued with continuous interruptions from Covid-19. At times last year around a third of the school was absent with illness. This forced the cancellation of multiple tournaments and events, disappointing students, teachers and coaches. “Covid impacted the last year by being extremely disruptive to our learning,” Year 13 student Ashlea West said.“Our progress was slow since catching Covid meant that we missed an entire week or more of learning.” Ashlea West started the new school year hopeful that Covid-19 would have little impact. For most of last year, students were required to wear masks, social distance and sanitise. With these restrictions no longer in place, staff hope it will be easier for all new students to become integrated within the school and build up house and school spirit. The start of a new year also creates a new wave of eager Year 13 students who will spend the next nine months preparing for university. “I’m looking forward to a school year without the pressure of results for uni entrance and just being able to enjoy my last year,” Ashlea said. Term one is set to be a busy one with swimming sports and athletics all happening in the next two weeks followed by cross country on the last day of term. PHOTOS: The Central App

Young people from Central Otago recently attended a seven day gliding camp in Omarama for current youth glide members, held by Youth Glide New Zealand.Twenty young and eager students attended the camp, with around eight instructors volunteering their time and knowledge to teach. Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly an unpowered aircraft, using natural currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. “Gliding makes you feel free,” said Ted McFadgen (17), one of the students who had their first solo on the camp.“While flying you have nothing else on your mind, nothing but you and the glider.”The attendees had access to an average of six gliders at any time. Two single Astirs and an LS4 were available for the solo rated pilots, while three dual seated gliders were available for the instructors and students to use.The most common methods for becoming airborne are aerotow or winching. “Winch launches are way more exhilarating,” Central Otago attendee Sondre Langvik-Owen said.Sondre has had experiences of both an aerotow and winch launch.Many of the young pilots have ambitions to follow an aviation career pathway. “Gliding sets you up for any career in aviation because it has applications in everything,” Bradan Foster, a 15-year-old solo rated student pilot, said.For Sondre, the relatively low cost of gliding is attractive. “I have always been interested in flying, and with the price tag attached to learning, gliding seemed like a step in the right direction,” he said. Sondre first went solo in 2018 when he was 13-years-old. Now he is a Qualified Glider Pilot (QGP) with a passenger rating, and is solo rated for all of the gliders available to the Youth Glide in Omarama. The QGP qualification means he can now fly gliders unsupervised by an instructor, and is entirely dependent on the skills he has mastered and learned while in the air. This is the ultimate goal among students.Gliding students celebrate the end of their training weekThose interested in recreational gliding or a career in aviation can visit Youth Glide New Zealand for more information. Newcomers are welcome. PHOTOS: The Central App

The anxious wait is over for Dunstan High School students who can now access their NCEA results online. The results went live on Tuesday 17th of January with thousands of students from across the country swarming to the NZQA website to view their results. Around 160,000 students from across the country sat NCEA exams with subjects ranging from Chemistry and Algebra to Music and Drama. In past years, students from Dunstan have achieved above the national average and the school hoped that this trend continued for the 2022 results. Exams are often “unpredictable and you can never fully prepare for what will be in the paper but if you work hard you will get good results,” head girl Isla Redgrave said.Lucy McLellan, a year 13 student in 2022, said “it was a very long two months of waiting” (for results). She felt “extremely nervous” because her exam results would determine whether she got chosen for her course. ”Even though I felt well prepared, it isn’t always easy to know how well you’ve done after walking out of exams.” It was a relief when results came out as Lucy was accepted into her course, a Bachelor of Nursing at Otago Polytech. 2022 was another year plagued by Covid interference with some students being forced to learn online while isolated. As a result, learning recognition credits were used to take some of the pressure off students who have were affected by the virus. For every five credits a student achieves, they earn one additional Learning Recognition Credit, up to a maximum of 10 Learning Recognition credits at NCEA Level 1, or eight Learning Recognition Credits at NCEA Levels 2 or 3.“Considering the disruptive 2022 we had, I am really proud of our students and how they have come through such a challenging year. While our NCEA results are not the best we have ever had, we have had some outstanding performances across all NCEA Levels,” Dunstan High School principal Reece Goldsmith said.Considering an excellence endorsement requires 50 or more credits at excellence level, highlights include:Year 11: Caleb Ludlow: 117 Excellence Credits at Level One or higherIsla Nelson: 105 Excellence Credits at Level One or higherAriana Webb: 89 Excellence Credits at Level one or higher           Year 12:Sofia Druce: 104 Excellence Credits at Level Two or higherEmily Attfield: 88 Excellence Credits at Level Two or higherIsla Redgrave: 87 Excellence Credits at Level Two or higherYear 13:Kieran Boyd 99 Excellence Credits at Level Three Vanessa Gallagher 80 Excellence Credits at Level Three Maz Cameron 73 Excellence Credits at Level Three Students will be able to access their marked exams online from January 24, and results for New Zealand Scholarship exams will be available online from February 8.