Over the next few days, The Central App will introduce readers to the candidates standing for the Southland electorate. We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airport's plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.Today we hear from ACT New Zealand candidate Todd Stephenson. He currently lives in Sydney, but will be moving to Queenstown to start campaigning.Housing & cost of renting Todd says ACT offers real solutions to New Zealand’s housing woes, for both buyers and renters. “We’d get politicians out of the building business and leave it to those who know best – locals on the ground and everyday New Zealanders spending their own money. Initially ACT has three proposals in this area. Firstly, we‘d fund and incentivise housing through GST-sharing. Every new development involves costs to existing ratepayers to provide new roads, water, and sewerage connections. These costs act as a disincentive for councils to approve new houses and subdivisions. By GST-sharing these costs could be covered. “Secondly, we would scrap the Resource Management Act. ACT’s replacement for the RMA would make it much easier to get homes built. “Thirdly, ACT would reform the Building Act. The Building Act's bureaucratic approval processes and local councils' risk-averse approach entrench the power of a limited number of material suppliers, resulting in the ludicrous situation where New Zealand faces a nationwide shortage of plasterboard. With more houses being built, the market will be more affordable for buyers and renters.”   Cost of living “The cost of everything is rising. Kiwis who felt like they were doing well two years ago are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.Todd said the current government is taxing too much of New Zealander’s income. “Then they borrow and wastefully spend even more, fuelling inflation, to which the Reserve Bank responds by pumping up the Official Cash Rate (and your mortgage). Then they put expensive red tape on every part of life, driving up costs again. “ACT will reduce wasteful inflationary spending by $16 billion over two years and deliver targeted tax cuts so someone earning $70k with one child will be around $2,300 better off. ACT’s Minister of Regulation will systematically, industry by industry, slash red tape across the country so Kiwis can get on and do business without being bogged down with compliance costs.”   The future of tourism “ACT sees tourism as an important contributor to the New Zealand economy. We must make the country an attractive destination to visit,” he said.Todd segued to crime, saying crime rates in New Zealand were a concern for international tourists.  Christchurch International Airport's plans for Tarras “There is a process that the proposed international airport at Tarras must go through. Ultimately it will be a decision for the local councils involved, informed by their community. I’ll be interested in hearing the feedback and the different perspectives of locals.” Co-governance Todd raised co-governance as his final issue.“ACT believes no-one should be treated differently based on who their ancestors were. ACT says that Kiwis should decide whether they want to live in a modern, multi-ethnic liberal democracy with a one person, one vote foundation, or the alternative promoted by Labour where different people are afforded different rights by virtue of their ancestry,” he said.Todd said ACT would repeal legislation “with anti-democratic provisions like Three Waters and the Māori Health Authority”, and “legally define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi” via referendum.“This would draw a line in the sand of the Treaty being used as a document of division offering different rights to different people, instead uniting all Kiwis behind what it actually is - a document celebrating two peoples becoming one.”

This week, The Central App is introducing readers to the candidates standing for the Southland electorate. We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airport's plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.Today, we hear from Labour candidate Dr Simon McCallum.Housing & cost of renting“We must find new solutions for housing in Queenstown,” Simon says. “We need to work with councils to free up land, increase density, investigate the cost to the community of vacant occupancy, and build more houses. Labour has been working on all of these, and will be announcing more policies. I know the stress of not knowing where you can find a safe place to sleep. We must provide even more housing solutions in Southland.”Cost of living“Labour is focused on cost of living issues facing many in our region. Things are tough now but we are moving in the right direction, we’re easing costs on families through targeted investments that will avoid stoking inflation. We will remove GST from fruit and veg, increase the value of In-Work tax credit, introduce paid parental leave for fathers, and try to limit foreign banks and supermarkets profiteering from high inflation.” The future of tourism“With the limits on Queenstown Airport we need to increase the yield from each tourist. We need tourists to stay for longer and earn more money per tourist. The carbon cost of flying in and out, and the limited capacity of Queenstown Airport means we need to find better ways to create high value experiences.Christchurch International Airport's plans for TarrasSimon said the development of Tarras has both benefits and costs. “The need to minimise our emissions is currently at odds with increasing air travel to New Zealand. If Air New Zealand is able to bring forward the development of electric aircraft then a new airport would not have the climate impact. “Until we can find low or no carbon solutions to air travel, we need to avoid increasing our greenhouse gas emissions, finding smart ways to earn more per traveller.The impact of artificial intelligence“The knowledge economy world wide is about to have a productivity shock. Artificial Intelligence [AI], like ChatGPT, is about to change how we learn, how we create art, how we write, and how we make decisions. Deep fakes, voice cloning, and the destruction of some industries will happen within a year.  “In the United States, Hollywood writers and actors are striking about how AI will change those industries. As a society we need to be talking about how we have a just transition for the large number of workers who will need to change professions in the next three years. AI is changing society and we need solutions that focus on people not profits.”

Breastfeeding Week was celebrated early this month in New Zealand, but WellSouth health promotion specialist Jo O’Connor is adamant that every week is breastfeeding week. Jo oversees the programs providing breastfeeding support for new parents, and enabling them to breastfeed if possible.“We know that all women are vulnerable with new babies,” she said. WellSouth works with community organisations such as Mums 4 Mums to give access to specialist support such as lactation consultants, and training peer supporters.“It takes a village of support around a woman to make it work,” Jo said.One of the women who needed that support, Lauren Hunt, is now training as a peer supporter in the hope others will find the process easier than she did.Lauren’s son and first child, Nico, is now 13-months-old and the 32-year-old mother said prior to his birth, she had not been sure whether she would breastfeed.“I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of it,” she said. “I’m a shy person and I didn’t like the idea of exposing myself.”She did choose to breastfeed, but had difficulty doing so.“For me, it was quite painful and I should have reached out and got help. I tried to stick with it because it was a really nice bonding time.”She said she asked at the hospital about how painful she was finding the process, and was told that was normal.She now knows that is not the case, and validating other women’s feelings and difficulties is one of the reasons she chose to train as a peer supporter. She said she would be more proactive about difficulties if she has a second child.“I think I would be a lot more relaxed and if I did struggle like I did with Nico, I would reach out and ask for help.”She also credits her employer for being very supportive throughout her pregnancy and after Nico was born, as part of her village of support. Lauren works as an estimator for Design Windows in Cromwell and has returned to work 25 hours a week, doing some of her work from home and taking Nico to the office with her when she works from there.Lauren’s boss, John Hancock, said she had wanted to return to work after being off on maternity leave and family orientation was important to the success of the business.“Given that we have all been changing how we work lately with Covid, we were able to work with Lauren to work from home,” he said.Lauren said she takes Nico with her to the office every second Monday for staff meetings and every Friday, and John said they are happy to have the child in the work area. “Passing a baby around is quite easy, and he normally is ready to sleep after that,” he said.Jo, from WellSouth, said the support of such employers is a vital part of empowering new mothers to make things work for their circumstances. “It’s all about enabling breastfeeding and making a difference for working parents,” she said.

It was a successful weekend for the WoolOn Creative Fashion Event with couture at The Canyon on Friday and Saturday nights (August 11-12) and a well-attended community expo on the Sunday at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, Alexandra Community House and St Enoch’s Church hall.The judge’s selection of Jane Avery’s Heart Felt collection for the Supreme Award was also a favourite with the audience, with the Earnscleugh designer also taking the People’s Choice Award on both nights. The collection of two coats and a jacket were made of merino wool from Ida Valley Station, hand-felted and hand-beaded with designs inspired by the Central Otago landscape.Jane Avery, left, poses with the models wearing her winning collection.In a touching speech, Jane dedicated the award to her mother who she said was in her final days of life. She later told the Central App that she was one of a line of seamstresses in her family.“My great-grandmother was a seamstress in Timaru and she used to push her bicycle up the farm tracks with her sewing machine,” she said. “Like many New Zealand women, we became lines of sewers, we passed it down the family.”Jane said she considered herself a furrier first, and the addition of rabbit fur trims on two of her garments reflected that training. Seventeen-year-old Cromwell College head girl Isabella Miscisco (“call me Issy”) won the Emerging Designer School Award in her second entry to WoolOn, once again modelling her own design. Issy said she first took up crochet before the last WoolOn and had fallen in love with the craft. Her winning entry this year was a figure-hugging gown crocheted from merino and metallic thread yarn.Issy Miscisco models the design that won her the Emerging Designer School Award.Leading fashion designer Liz Mitchell MNZM joined locals Marnie Kelly (founder of Touch Yarns) and Marielle Van De Ven (creative director of ReCreate) in judging the wide range of creative garments, and the three answered questions about how they reached their decisions and all things wool on Sunday at the WoolOn Expo - a Community Celebration of Wool.Liz said it was her first time at WoolOn, “so I was really impressed at the diversity and the range of things people have done”.The Auckland-based designer said she had fallen in love with Central Otago while here and would definitely be back.Liz Mitchell MNZM relaxes before the Saturday fashion show at The Canyon in Bendigo.Vendors and community groups also took part in the expo, with workshops in felting, needle felting, weaving, spinning and rug making, taking part alongside displays of wool from the fleece to high-end products.One of the stallholders was Gillian Shaw of Roxburgh, who had always spun, woven and knitted wool but had only taken up felting shortly before she retired. Her stall was a wonderland of tactile creativity, including a child’s book of animals with the pages and creatures made purely of felt.“I was a farmer and I had a passion for fine fibres because we had merinos,” Gillian said.She also used nuno felting in a lot of her work - the process of felting wool onto other fabrics.“I’m a recycler,” Gillian said. “I stalk op shops looking for fabrics.” The full list of awards is: Supreme Award Runner-up - Vince Ropitini; Second Runner-up - Lucy Dolan Kang; Handcrafted - Laurel Judd; Avant Garde - Laurel Judd; Toi Tu ki Uruuruwhenua - Jenny Cairns; Streetwear - Kay Lochiel; Sustainable Wool - Lucy Dolan-Kane; Menswear - Becs Calder; Technical - Laurel Judd; Novice - Frankie Alexander-Kemble; and Young Designer Under-23 - Tom Conway.

This week, The Central App is introducing readers to the candidates standing for the Southland electorate. We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airport's plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.Today, we hear from Dave Kennedy of the Green Party.Housing and the cost of rentingDave says there are huge pressures on housing supply and high costs for renting for lower income and key workers in Central Otago. “Green Party housing policy will limit rent increases to three per cent annually and provide government underwrites of community housing developments that provide long-term affordable rental and shared ownership housing. We believe that the pace of housing supply is not meeting demand and there should be greater urgency in addressing this,” he said.Cost of living“Our party is the only one to have a costed, evidence-based tax and income policy that ensures that 95 per cent of New Zealanders will be better off. Everyone will have an income that can put food on their table, have a safe place to call home and live a good life. We want to finally end poverty and ensure all children can have a good future.”The future of tourism “Tourism is a major industry for New Zealand but is currently unsustainable and puts huge pressures on places like Milford Sound and Queenstown infrastructure,” Dave said. “There needs to be a greater emphasis on environmental impacts, sustainable transport and spreading the load across more communities. “There are opportunities in slow tourism as opposed to mass tourism that could be further explored and supported. Food tourism is a growing industry that has great economic potential. Tourism activities that impact local communities and cultures should be subject to community decision-making that focuses on long-term environmental, social, cultural and economic wellbeing.” Proposed airport at Tarras Dave said 84 per cent of Tarras households and 68 per cent of the wider catchment area were opposed to the development of an international airport beside their communities. “The business case has not been widely shared and communication with the community has been poor. The proposal appears to support the mass tourism model when local infrastructure is struggling to keep up with current numbers.” Other thoughts“We are already experiencing the severe impacts of climate change around the country and need to ensure that our southern region does its bit to reduce emissions and plan ahead for the predicted changes. Ski seasons will be shorter and extreme weather events will be more common. Economic and social impacts could be severe if we don't have a strong plan and regional strategy in place.”

Over the next few days, the Central App will introduce readers to the candidates standing for the Southland electorate. We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airport's plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.We open the series today with Southland Member of Parliament Joseph Mooney. Housing and cost of renting“Our region, like most of New Zealand, is short of houses,” Joseph said. “We are not short of land, but a broken planning and infrastructure funding system has artificially constrained housing growth, contributing to New Zealand’s status as one of the least affordable housing markets in the world.“National will fix New Zealand’s housing crisis by unlocking land for housing, building infrastructure, and making sure communities share in the benefits of growth.“Our Going for Housing Growth Plan aims to unlock land for building new houses. We will reform the Resource Management Act to simplify planning rules and make resource consents for houses cheaper and faster. We will also reform the Building Act to simplify the rules around building houses and increase competition in the building materials market.“We will improve the rental market by restoring interest deductibility, taking the bright-line test back to two years, unlocking Build-to-Rent as an asset class, and making sensible changes to our tenancy laws to incentivise landlords into the market, thereby making more rentals available.“National will also supercharge social housing, backing our community housing sector to grow and provide warm and dry homes to Kiwis in need.“National’s vision is for a thriving and productive Central Otago region where everyone has a warm and dry place to call home and communities share in the bene­fits of housing growth. If people can find affordable places to live and work, families thrive and businesses find it easier to attract and retain talented staff.”  Cost of living “National will fix the economy to lower the cost of living. We will lift incomes, stop wasteful government spending, provide tax relief and deliver the skills, infrastructure and innovation Kiwis and New Zealand need to thrive.Joseph said National would bring down the cost of business by “cutting red tape”. “Our Family Boost policy will provide a childcare tax rebate of up to $75 per week to help low and middle-income families with the costs of childcare.A cost-of-living crisis is hurting New Zealanders, he said.“Labour’s big-spending, big-taxing, anti-business approach to the economy has failed, forcing the Reserve Bank to lift interest rates, and everyday New Zealanders are paying the price.  “Food prices are at a record level and earlier this year, the Reserve Bank’s shock 50-point lift in the Official Cash Rate meant far more pain for Central Otago families with some mortgage holders seeing their interest rates rise by more than $400 per week. “National will strengthen New Zealand’s economy, restoring careful fiscal management, backing productive businesses and reducing the pressure on inflation and interest rates that contributes to our cost of living crisis.”The future of tourism “Tourism is a vital part of New Zealand’s economy and our community. Travellers increasingly want an authentic connection to people and place, and we do that superbly in Central Otago and New Zealand. Tourism also provides vital employment opportunities and helps keep many of the businesses that help connect our communities such as cafes and restaurants going.“Tourism has a really important role to play for our communities and our country as New Zealand faces a challenging period.“Core Crown borrowing more than doubled between 2019 and 2023 to $194 billion, and our total gross national debt is now at a record high of $793 billion.“The cost of servicing government debt has also soared. Core Crown finance costs hit $5.9 billion in May this year - a similar sum to what is spent on law and order in a year.“New Zealand also has the worst current account deficit in the OECD (the difference between what we buy from the world and what we sell to the world). Broadly speaking, the country is living well beyond its means, which is filled by borrowing.“It has never been more important for us to grow our economy so that we can fund our public services and infrastructure. Our world-class tourism sector will play a really important role in this.”Christchurch International Airport's plans for Tarras “National doesn’t have a formal position on the Tarras Airport proposal,” Joseph said. “The proposal has a number of steps that it needs to go through before any proposal would be put to a Minister for consideration. A decision will be reached through the RMA process with the opportunity for public submission.”Final issue: Health “Health is really important for our community. New Zealand’s health system is in crisis, with a severe shortage of frontline staff,” Joseph said.He said National had already announced policies which would help Central Otago, including promising an additional $29.5 million to deliver beds, operating theatres and radiology services.“National will also have incentives to encourage more Kiwis to study nursing or midwifery, bonding to keep nurses and midwives in New Zealand after graduation, and competitive immigration settings to attract more overseas nurses and midwives.“National will also establish a third medical school at the University of Waikato, with satellite training centres in regional areas. This model is designed to deliver more doctors committed to serving in provincial and rural parts of the country such as Central Otago.“National will also increase the number of medical school placements at Auckland and Otago by a total of 50 from 2025. “Together, this will see New Zealand graduating 759 doctors a year by 2030, a significant increase from the 539 we graduate today.”PHOTO: Supplied

Tourism Central Otago’s digital and content advisor Morgan Potter is thrilled to have received a top award from the Tourism Export Council (TEC) of New Zealand.The​ Young TEC Rising Star Award ​recognises a young person who has been in the tourism industry for less than three years and can show they have contributed to the development of the industry in that time. Morgan said she had “absolutely not” expected to win the award, which she shared with Georgia MacMillan from Tomahawk Tourism Marketing in Auckland“I wasn’t even expecting to be a finalist,” she said.Morgan received the award at a tourism conference in Rotorua on Wednesday (August 9).Her career in tourism began as a school leaver from Dunstan High School in Alexandra while undertaking a cadetship at Central Otago District Council, where she was introduced to Tourism Central Otago (TCO). Following a period working in communications roles, she returned to the council to work with TCO as part of the Covid-19 recovery programme of work.“Morgan embraced the challenges of her role and continued to learn and upskill, which resulted in her securing the permanent digital and content advisor position in March 2023,” TCO head of destination Antz Longman said.“We are thrilled to have Morgan’s youth, energy and vibrancy as part of our tourism team. “For people who are engaged with our digital content, they will have seen how it has benefitted from her strategic approach and skills. It is now recognised by many as a leading example on presenting inspiring content across multiple platforms. She deserves this award as she has worked really hard while also studying at tertiary level to ensure that her skills continue to grow.”  Morgan’s prize includes participation in the Icehouse Leadership Day and attendance at the Tourism Export Council NZ 2023 Xmas Symposium in December.  “I never imagined that I’d be standing up on that stage accepting this prestigious award,” she said. “I’m deeply humbled and very excited to see where my career in tourism takes me in the future. I wouldn’t be here without my incredible mentors I’ve had throughout my career, so a huge thank you to you all.”

The Central Otago Resilience Trust came together out of a desire to help specific individuals struggling with medical-related costs, but has grown to an organisation that hopes to help many in the community, says trustee Glen Christiansen.“Approximately two years ago, a group of us did a fundraiser for Jo McKenzie-McLean,” Glen said, “and then we raised money for another young woman.”Jo, a Central Otago reporter who chronicled her battle against bowel cancer on the podcast, Jo v cancer, sadly lost her fight last month.“We raised this money from a very generous Central Otago community and we just thought there was an opportunity to continue on, create a trust and continue to put this money back into Central Otago,” Glen said.The original meeting consisted of Derek Craig (from Hunter Craig), Becky Ensor (from Checketts McKay), and Glen (who also manages The Gate, Cromwell). The result is the trust, which plans to fill in the gaps left by publicly funded healthcare, ACC payments, and other welfare assistance.Rachael Buttar from ICL came aboard as accountant/treasurer, Emma O’Reilly from Checketts McKay took over social media and communications, and retired business expert John Cooper is putting in the structure to help the trust grow and be successful.“It’s taken us 12-18 months to get the concept loosely formulated in our minds on how it goes. We are a trust who will be able to help with the smaller things in life that are essential, and sometimes difficult to achieve,” Glen said.“We have put together a grants committee as part of the trust who will allocate the funds as they see fit, and they will convene when possible.”The trust’s first fundraiser late last month at The Gate was attended by more than 100 people and raised just short of $30,000. The support does not have to be only financial, Glen said.People have been in contact offering their skills, whether it be fixing a fence, providing a ride somewhere, or helping out in some other small but concrete way.“We have a network now of skills to help us, which is just as important as cash.“We chose to live in this paradise and we have a very supportive Central Otago community so we need to return that support wherever possible.”The next fundraiser, on October 21 at Labour Weekend, is a six hour mountain bike race at the airport in Alexandra, and Glen said organisers had been overwhelmed by the support from the Central Otago District Council, the mountain bike community, and the airport.The trust covers all of Central Otago, with representatives of the Maniototo, Alexandra, and Cromwell on the grants committee.Donations can be made through the trust’s website and anyone with skills to offer can email via the website.“We would love to see people from the regions come forward and say, ‘This is our skillset,’ out through the Maniototo, Roxburgh, all of those sorts of places,” Glen said. “That would be great.”

Founders of a liquor company that is building what will be the country’s largest distillery on the banks of Lake Dunstan have more reasons to raise their glasses after last week, when their single malt won the highest honour at the 2023 Global Spirit Whisky Masters competition in London.Scapegrace Distilling Co is New Zealand’s largest independent spirits company, founded in 2014 by brothers-in-law Daniel McLaughlin and Mark Neal. Last week, its Single Malt Fortitude V Whisky was awarded the Master Medal in London, where Scapegrace also picked up a gold medal for its Fortuna VI single malt whiskey, and silver for its classic blend Dimension VII.Mark said they were “over the moon” at the results.“It’s one of the largest global whisky competitions,” Mark said. “To be awarded a master medal is a fantastic achievement for our whole team.“The New Zealand movement of Single Malt on the world stage is relatively new, so to pick up such an acclaimed accolade amongst the world’s best is a dream come true.”The manuka smoked single malt was aged for three years in a virgin French oak cask, and judges commended its “light smoke on the nose and complexity” and “smooth palate with hints of smoke and sweetness”.“There is massive growth at the moment in new world whiskeys.” New world whiskeys are those produced in countries other than the traditional makers of the amber spirit, and Mark said New Zealand is coming into its own.Scapegrace has completed the first phase of its new distillery in Bendigo, looking across Lake Dunstan at the Pisa Range. That phase includes the head office, operations, warehousing and storage, with the distillery due to be completed early next year.Scapegrace Distilling Co is building what will be the country’s largest distillery on the banks of Lake Dunstan at Bendigo.At 4500 square metres on a 36-hectare site, it will be New Zealand’s largest distillery, Mark said, employing about 40 people on site.“We searched for about six years to find the ultimate site, and came across this site,” he said. “The climate conditions are perfect for ageing whisky.”Being on the 45th parallel meant the site had extremes of heat and cold, making it ideal for producing whisky. Locally produced barley and pure water from the Southern Alps added to the suitability of the site.

Citrus fruit distributed by the Clyde and Districts Lions Club over the past week is a gift of health from clubs in the north, says project co-ordinator Kate Whyte and fellow member Sue Noble-Adams.The fruit is gathered by the Whangarei Lions Club and other organisations, and is primarily from the gardens of individual people.“They are sending health down to us - it’s brilliant,” Sue said.This year is the third in which the citrus distribution has been organised by the Lions clubs, and it is now a smooth running part of their community work, Kate said.The Whangarei Club puts out a call that they will be collecting fruit on a certain date, she said, and a similar call goes out in Central Otago to members about when the fruit will arrive so they can pack the boxes into bags, then take some away to distribute. This year, there were four pallets containing 96 boxes of citrus fruit, transported free of charge by Mainfreight. Clyde and Districts Lions Club members pack the boxes of citrus into individual bags for distribution.“It’s mostly from people’s gardens so you don’t know year in and year out what you will be getting,” Sue said.This year, the harvest included oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, and a few tangelos, with more lemons than grapefruit.The fruit is distributed to residents over 65, front-line workers at health centres, clubs that have a mainly older membership, and boxes of fruit also go to food banks. About 1000 individual bags were packed this year, with some fruit also processed by Lions members.“A lot of over-65s are on heart medication so they can’t eat grapefruit, so we also make marmalade and lemon honey,” Sue said.Seniors are often forgotten in the community so are very appreciative of receiving the fruit, and knowing they are remembered, Sue and Kate said, with distribution runs often taking some time as the recipients welcomed the human contact.“There is something really nice and satisfying in giving people these fruit bags,” Sue said.”Because it’s citrus fruit and it’s healthy and life-giving, it’s a good thing.“It’s knowing that someone is thinking about you.”

When Andrea and Wayne French moved to St Bathans from Wakatipu about 18 months ago, a huge part of the attraction was the sense of community in the small town (population five or six permanent residents, depending on who you ask) and a moving feast of crib owners, tourists, campers, and other travellers.“It ticked all the boxes for us,” Andrea said. “After Wakatipu, I needed a sense of community. I like to know our neighbours’ names.”They have recently become a much more important part of that community, buying the historic and legendary Vulcan Hotel just last week. “I didn’t even know the pub would be up for sale, but the more you talk, then the ideas start to happen,” Andrea said. “We got in touch with the ex-owner and it just wasn’t working for him but it hadn’t been put on the market. “It was just sitting down and having a yarn, it was just an easy conversation to make it happen.”Chef Amy Kirwood and her family had the lease for a year and the right of refusal for another three but were happy to give that up, with Amy remaining as chef. Andrea and Wayne French now own the historic Vulcan Hotel in St Bathans.Andrea and Wayne bought the building and set up another company to operate the hotel, with hotel manager Jeanine Lester as the third partner. Eunice Golder, a childhood friend of Andrea’s, had also moved to St Bathans and was working at the hotel and also stayed on.“All the things had to line up to give it the green light,” Andrea said. “To secure Amy in the kitchen was a really big thing for us, and to also have Jeanine as the manager to run the thing, and Eun, who just slots in anywhere. If one cog was missing, it would have been really difficult for us.”Those three strong staff - Amy, Jeanine, and Eunice - have also given Andrea an idea of how the hotel can give back to the surrounding community.“With such key three members working on the operating side of things, it’s a really good launch pad for young people to learn hospitality,” she said. “I have this firm belief that if you learn hospo, you can go anywhere in the world. It’s quite important to me that we give young people the opportunity to learn under some skilled key members.”For her, she said, happy staff are essential for customers to enjoy themselves, as is good food, and Amy’s food is appreciated around the area.  Andrea would also like to work with other rural hoteliers in the region. “You can go down to Roxburgh, Millers Flat, you can go to Lawrence and all the way up here to Waipiata and they all have their own little character, but are all vitally important for the chain of visitors that come here. I really want to promote, ‘You’ve been here, now you must go to the Naseby Hotel, or Waipiata has good food - you have to have one of their pies.”Her ideal would be to have a relationship with those other hotels, she said.But back to the Vulcan, and no story about the 1882 mud brick building would be complete without mentioning the hotel’s resident ghost, a sex worker known as Rosie who plied her trade from one of the rooms. Rosie was murdered in the front room, with the murderer never identified, and is said to still haunt the premises.“Some people want to stay in the room because of Rosie, and some people don’t,” Andrea said.The hotel only has four rooms, to which Andrea said they would love to add en-suite bathrooms, but being a historic building, they have to work in with the Historic Places Trust.“We want to keep the flavour of the rooms and keep the character coming through,” she said.As for Rosie, on a dark winter’s night when all the tourists have departed, Andrea may just host a seance to see what the ghost has to say.“Bring her on,” she said, with a full-throated laugh.

The competition garments are all in, the judges are ready, and tickets are selling for the WoolOn Creative Fashion Awards running this week from Friday to Sunday (August 11-13).WoolOn design liaison Jamie Richards said the committee is very happy to have three talented judges for the fashion event, one of whom is a local legend.Clyde local Marnie Kelly, who has been involved in breeding merino sheep since 1976 and set up the high-quality yarn store Touch Yarns is one of the judges. Joining Marnie will be Liz Mitchell MNZM, one of New Zealand’s leading fashion designers and a champion for the country’s wool; and Marielle Van De Ven, an international designer and the creative director of ReCreate. The fashion show would take place at The Canyon in Tarras once again, with the venue being a major sponsor. Jamie said the WoolOn committee had listened to feedback from the last show and taken it into account in planning this year’s shows.One change was moving the fashion show earlier so those attending could first appreciate the beauty of sunset at The Canyon.“As they arrive, they will get a drink on arrival and canapes will be served on the terrace so they can watch the sun set over the Tarras Plains,” she said. Both evenings would be gala-style, with guests seated at tables with table service, and an elevated T-shaped catwalk so everyone got a good view of the designs. Some prizes would be announced on each evening, with a people’s choice award given on both nights.The 2021 event. The gala-style fashion shows at The Canyon will have guests seated at tables this year, with a raised catwalk for better viewing. PHOTO: The CanyonThe WoolOn Community Expo: A Celebration of Wool would take part on Sunday from 10am until 3pm, with events at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery and across the road at Alexandra Community House. Vendors would offer wool products and tools for working wool, the Alexandra Spinners and Weavers would demonstrate their craft, and local craftspeople would hold workshops for adults and children to learn time-honoured crafts.Garments from the show would be on display, along with video taken at the fashion shows, Jamie said.For those wanting to attend the show on Friday or Saturday, buses would run to the venue from Alexandra, Clyde, and Cromwell, with bookings available when buying the show tickets.

When the Cresta luge closed at Coronet Peak in 1987, Uan Spiijkerbosch was the last paying customer to make the run.On Saturday (August 5), Uan and his daughter Neava were the first riders on the new Naseby summer luge, built from the old Cresta run, joking that he was finally redeeming a free ticket he was given after his final Coronet run had an unhappy ending.“I was the last paying customer on the Cresta luge but the guy at the top followed me down, not expecting anyone else to be there,” Uan said.He was standing on the sled about to step off when the staff member’s sled hit Uan’s, tossing him from the run and resulting in whiplash.“I got a coke and a free pass that I only got to use today,” Uan said.Uan Spiijkerbosch and daughter Neava are the first to ride the new Goldrush Luge at Naseby on Saturday.Uan’s parents Erna and the late Tonnie Spijkerbosh donated the steel luge to Naseby, with further funding provided by David and Jennie Proctor, and the luge was built over a four-year period by community volunteers.Tonnie died in March this year, but his presence was strongly felt at the opening on Saturday, with a photo of him on the luge attached to the structure, next to an old saw from the former plumber’s vast collection, with cut out lettering naming the run Spike’s Drop.The opening of the luge was only the first part of festivities attended by about 100 people on Saturday, with the day also marking the opening of the Maniototo Adventure Park, encompassing the summer luge; the ice luge; the outdoor ice rink that caters for skating, curling and ice hockey; the indoor curling rink, and Jubilee Pond, which is used as a natural rink when the weather is cold enough for it to freeze. The summer luge received its official name of The Goldrush Luge at the opening.Maniototo Adventure Park Charitable Trust chair Dave Brady said combining all the facilities into a single governance and operations structure made good sense financially and in promotional terms.“It’s taken a while to get everybody in agreement that this is the best way forward,” he said.“Part of the event was about celebrating all the workers and the volunteers and all the community hours that went into getting us here.

Cromwell local Emily Rutherford is “stoked” to make the finals of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 competition for her role as managing director and co-owner of the Kiwi Water Park.Emily spoke to the Central App from London about being chosen as a finalist, after being encouraged to enter by family, friends, and customers. The winner will be announced on November 15 at an awards ceremony.“I was really, really excited, super stoked - I didn’t think I would get picked,” Emily said. “You have to submit the last few years of your accounts, so much information, and then there were a few interviews before the finalists were announced.”Emily had been living in the United Kingdom and running her own entertainment business when every event was cancelled because of Covid-19. She returned home to Cromwell and wrote a business plan to open the country’s largest inflatable water park on Lake Dunstan.Being chosen as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 justified Emily Rutherford’s faith in her business. Being chosen as a finalist justified her faith in the business, Emily said. The park opened over the summer 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons but was in danger of not getting a permit for summer 2022-23 because of traffic safety concerns at the turnoff from State Highway to Lowburn Harbour.The area is also a popular boating and freedom camping site and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency had raised concerns after a serious crash at the entrance. It was agreed that a right-turn bay was needed to the parking area but there was initial disagreement about who would pay, with a last-minute decision from Land Information New Zealand meaning the right-turn bay was installed and the water park allowed to open.“We got threatened with having to close and we had phenomenal public support,” Emily said. That support continued throughout the season, with “tens of thousands” of people enjoying the park, she said.“Most of the other finalists are in tech industries so it’s nice to have a fun activity recognised.” Emily and her mother Janet, who is her co-owner in the business, have been in discussions to open a second park in the North Island but Emily said weather and security conditions made that possibility more risky.“Everything is a little up in the air right now because every time I go to the North Island, there’s been torrential rain,” she said. “It’s taking a bit of a risk to move to a location with a lot more rain and more crime risks.”Whether she decides to go ahead with a second park or not, the Cromwell park would remain, Emily said.“We will be adding new inflatables to the Cromwell park to make it even more exciting.”

Scaffolding has gone up at the Alexandra Community Centre, which is about to receive a $1.3 million upgrade starting next week (August 7), consisting of a stage upgrade and earthquake strengthening.The landmark building in Skird Street is listed as a community Civil Defence Centre in the emergency response plan for Alexandra, but the building needs to be earthquake strengthened and brought to a higher standard. Combining the two work streams of stage upgrade and earthquake strengthening, and other associated building compliance, provided cost savings and maximum potential for external funding, Central Otago District Council property officer Tara Bates said.“The purpose of the project is to ensure that the Alexandra Memorial Theatre is up to standard in terms of current user and safety standards, and to provide a fit for purpose community Civil Defence centre in case of an emergency.”The complex is made up of two connected buildings, the Alexandra Memorial Theatre, community hall and Alexandra Senior Citizens rooms.A project to upgrade the theatre’s stage equipment to meet current user standards and health and safety requirements has been extended to include earthquake strengthening of the entire building to 67 per cent of the New Building Standard. The upgrade will also include the building’s fire and accessibility to meet current building standards, and an external three-phase power point connection for an emergency generator.The total project cost is $1,350,000 with about $350,000 funded through grants from Central Lakes Trust, Otago Community Trust and Lotteries, and around $585,000 from the government’s Better Off Funding scheme.Breen Construction was awarded the contract after a competitive tender process. The project will be completed in two stages so that both hall and theatre are not closed at the same time. Work on the hall will be carried out between 7 August and November and work will then start on the theatre, finishing around March 2024.During the duration of the project some car parks will be fenced off behind the building off Thompson Street and the car park may be temporarily closed for short periods for crane work.Central Otago District Council community experience group manager David Scoones said the project would future-proof the post WWII theatre that had been at the heart of Alexandra for more than six decades."It is our largest venue for shows and orchestras and, along with the community centre, provides an excellent, central venue for the community for all kinds of events. We thank the community in advance for their patience while we get it all up to scratch."

Acting Sergeant Graham Perkins is urging drivers to be mindful on the winter roads, to be familiar with their vehicles and keep up to date on weather and road conditions.“With the recent cold snap, a lot of people are getting caught out,” he said.“Having familiarity with your vehicle and knowing when and how to put on chains will definitely get you out of trouble if you are caught in those situations.”On Wednesday (August 2) there were small slips overnight and even though Aspiring Highways did “a mighty job” of fixing the damage, drivers needed to be aware and drive to the conditions, Graham said.A truck and trailer unit had gotten stuck going up Shingle Hill because of lack of traction, and the driver of a rental vehicle was subsequently involved in a nose-to-tail accident. Nobody was injured but being more aware could have prevented the crash.“If you’re heading for Queenstown for your weekend of fun, have a wee look ahead for what the weather is going to do.”Drink-drivers were still a problem on Central Otago roads, Graham said, and they were likely to be caught.On the enforcement side of their public safety role, local police had executed a few search warrants recently, with assistance from tactical teams in Dunedin to ensure public and officer safety.“That has all come about from information to police provided by members of the public, or it’s through officer inquisitiveness. They see something and they do something about it.“The deeper you dig, the more you find. We have opened up a group of people who are dealing drugs, supplying drugs, and people who are buying the drugs as well.“We have put a hole in the drug scene around Alexandra, but we still know it’s there.”Remembering one of their own, police officers from throughout Central Otago and surrounding areas competed against residents of Ranfurly and the greater Otago community late last month in the Peter Umbers Memorial Curling Competition.Senior Constable Umbers was the sole charge officer in Ranfurly in May 1990 when he was called out to an armed robbery of the Poolburn Hotel. After radioing in that he was about to pull over a vehicle believed to have been used in the robbery, the constable went silent. Police and ambulance crews dispatched to the area found him dead beside his vehicle.The annual competition in his memory pits locals against officers from Alexandra, Cromwell, Queenstown, Dunedin, Invercargill, and all the local stations like Omakau and Ranfurly, Graham said.“It’s a way for police and members of the community to come together,” Graham said.“Once again, the police lost,” he said. “But it’s a great time for everyone to come together and just relax, and remember someone.”

Being two of the best umpires out of a group of 103 at a major netball tournament is a big achievement for Central teens Isla Redgrave and Grace Moir. Umpiring has been a part of both girls’ lives for the past four years. Isla initially started umpiring as a way to challenge herself and give back to the sport.“I found out I actually quite liked umpiring and enjoyed the other aspects of netball rather than just the game itself,” Isla said. She said support from others in the netball community drives the passion to continue with umpiring.For Grace, an injury put her off “wanting to go all out with playing netball but I still wanted to be a part of netball so that's where umpiring came in.” Isla and Grace recently travelled to Christchurch with Dunstan High School for the Junior South Island Secondary Schools Netball Championships.Isla and Grace at the Christchurch tournament. Both girls were appointed to umpire finals games after showing their skills across the multi-day tournament. Isla has recently passed her zone practical assessment leading to her gaining the Netball New Zealand Zone Award. Only a handful of umpires from Central Otago have received this award in the past decade.Grace has completed the theory aspect of the Zone Award and is working towards completing her practical. She hopes to have this by the Senior South Island Secondary Schools Tournament in August. Isla said her goals are: “to achieve my NZ C theory this year and continue as far as I can when I make the big move to Dunedin next year.” PHOTOS: The Central App

Vincent Community Board member Jayden Cromb responds to the Central App cadet journalist Emily Attfield’s recent opinion piece on climate change.I read Emily’s article titled ‘Climate change - are we sick of hearing about it?’ (July 30). She described the feelings of young people about being tired of the doomsday messaging of climate change, and of feeling exhausted and powerless to effect real change on this issue. Read more: Teen Talk: Climate change - are we sick of hearing about it? I get it, I've been there. I know the frustration of sitting round a table feeling like you're talking to a clump of coal, or being irritated by a new greenwashed feel-good policy that you know really means kicking the issue down the generational road. My message to all young people is, even if you feel voiceless, desensitised, or exhausted, continue to stand up and advocate for what you believe in. You have every right to feel let down, or angry. It's your future and the future of our children at risk. No major social or environmental victory has easily been won.   Yes, countries like the United States and China have a lot to answer for, but that shouldn't let us off the hook, even if we only account for around 0.17 per cent of global emissions. What we have seen in the North Island and in Pacific nations recently shows that we are being hit already and there is much more to come. I believe that despite our slow start, Aotearoa can still be a global leader in the climate fight. Just look at the work being done in local government. It's not going to fix everything but it's a step in the right direction. Finally, don't be disheartened, keep fighting and keep using your voices. If leaders in Wellington aren't listening, I guarantee that many of us at a local level are. Some of us were even inspired to be here because of your actions. I don't promise that it will be easy or fast, but we can still get there as long as we work together and don't give up!

Omakau has had a particularly French twist to its cuisine of late, with the French owners of the Muddy Creek Cafe hosting evenings that focus on different regions of their homeland.Alice Caron from Toulouse in the southwest of France and Marie-Caroline Dubois from Provence in the southeast took over the cafe in October 2022. They have kept all the firm favourites with locals while adding their own touches, including Marie-Caroline’s homemade baguettes.The French evenings seemed a natural progression.“It’s a principle we have a lot back home,” Alice said, as they hosted 33 people on Saturday (July 29) for meals from the Au Pays Basque - the Basque Country. “One menu, one table, everyone sits with people they might not know.”Meals are served in large dishes to be shared by the tables and bookings, with a maximum of 33, sell out quickly. The Basque menu featured Carottes Râpées (grated carrot with preserved lemon, parsley and vinaigrette) as the entree; Poulet Basquaise (chicken with capsicum, tomato, onion and garlic sauce served with rice) as the main; and Crème Caramel to finish. French wines are also available.Marie-Caroline Dubois adds dried lavender to crème caramel before they are servedLillie McKenzie, a native of Montpellier who now lives in Alexandra, attended with another French friend and their partners.She said the meal reminded her of home.“Especially the carottes râpées - we ate something similar in our school canteens,” she said.Alice said the menus sometimes required a little ingenuity.“We obviously adapt dishes and menus to the ingredients we can get here - a Kiwi twist on a French dish,” she said.Saturday’s meal was the fifth in the series, with two more planned for August (Provence and Alsace), and Cath and Grant Taylor of Ophir have attended every one.“We have done a lot of travelling in France,” Cath said. “It’s great to get the different regions. The first one was Burgundy and that was great.” Guests, including Cath and Grant Taylor, left, enjoy the main course, Poulet BasquaiseAlan Graham, also of Ophir, is another fan.“This is our third and we have already booked for the next two,” he said.Alice said the first few French nights were attended by a lot of locals. “Now it becomes more of a mix of locals and people from afar,” she said.Cath said attending each event was an easy choice for her and Grant.“We also keep coming to support the girls,” she said. “We love having this here.”