The mood amongst farmers has lifted dramatically, with the latest Federated Farmers survey finding confidence is at a 10-year high.The latest Farm Confidence Survey from January, found farmers' confidence in current general economic conditions has surged from a deeply negative - 66 percent in July last year] to a positive score of 2 percent.It marks the largest one-off improvement since the question was introduced in 2016.Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford said the last few years had been "bloody tough" and it was "fantastic" to hear that farmers are feeling more positive.He said it had likely been driven by falling interest rates, rising incomes and "more favourable" farming rules."We've seen the government make significant efforts to look at what's been holding farming back. You know the removal of the idea of emissions pricing, the removal of expensive and unworkable farm plans and getting on-farm inflation under control."These sorts of things give farmers confidence that they can invest in their business, they can invest in their staff and on their farm."Langford said the mood has lifted across the primary sector, with good dairy payouts and beef prices, and improving sheep and wool prices."I've definitely noticed a significant shift in the mood of rural New Zealand."These survey results paint a clear picture of a sector finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as some of that weight is lifted."'More farmers think they'll make a profit'The survey also found there had been a sharp lift in profitability, with 54 percent of farmers now reporting they were making a profit - double the number in the last survey six months ago.Langford said it was great to see farmers being able to cash in on the way the markets are beginning to respond."That is really good result because there's nothing worse than doing this job for free or potentially making a loss."Farmers being more confident about future profitability has also seen a lift in farm production expectations, as well as increased plans for spending and reducing debt.The survey found just under a quarter of farmers planned to increase spending over the next 12 months, and more than 40 percent planned to reduce their debts.Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford. Photo: RNZ/Carol StilesLangford said this was being driven by lower interest rates, improved confidence, and stronger production forecasts.More farmers spending was good for rural communities and the country, he said."Ultimately there will be more money in the bank and that will see more money being spent in rural communities, more rural debt being paid off and ultimately a great result for the New Zealand economy."Langford said it was important to note that, despite confidence being at its highest point in more than a decade, it was still only just in the positive and there were other ongoing concerns.The top issues farmers were worried about include regulation and compliance costs, followed by interest rates and banks, and input costs."Interest payments are a huge cost for most farming businesses and farmers have been under massive pressure from their banks in recent years."We want to see the Government take a much closer look at our banking system and whether farmers are getting a fair deal from their lenders."The survey found farmers' highest priorities for the Government are the economy and business environment, fiscal policy, and reducing regulatory burdens."If the Government are serious about their ambitious growth agenda and doubling exports over the next decade, this is where they need to be focusing their energy," Langford said. - RNZ

Rural and urban people across Otago are being cautioned to keep an eye on rising rivers and streams, potential road flooding, landslips and to look at safeguarding stock – with a further round of thunderstorms and localised rain expected before 9pm today (Wednesday, 19 February). Earlier today Metservice issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Dunedin, Central Otago, and North Otago, as a trough brings increasingly unstable conditions to southern and central parts of the country. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means people in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and monitor for a possible upgrade to Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. ORC Natural Hazards manager Dr Jean-Luc Payan says the thunderstorms can produce heavy localised rain anywhere and the watch was mainly for Dunedin and coastal areas, Central Otago and North Otago. “As we saw yesterday, isolated and localised rain can fall to extreme levels, of around 80mm-90mm per hour,” he says of several areas hard hit yesterday: near Millers Flat, Beaumont-Lawrence, Tuapeka Mouth and Clydevale. Metservice says the thunderstorms today are expected to generate localised heavy rain (10 to 25 mm per hour) and hail. There is a moderate risk that storms in Dunedin and coastal, Central Otago and North Otago could become “severe’’ delivering localised downpours (25 to 35 mm per hour) and large hail stones. Although there was localised flooding around properties and on roads yesterday, the Clutha River among others tracked by the ORC did not rise to flood warning levels, Dr Payan says. “With these forecast intensities, the risk is more likely for individual properties, farming activities and roads,” he said. Waterway monitoring is accessible through ORC’s website and Environmental Data Portal, while rain and thunderstorms can be tracked on Metservice’s Rain Radar. Whether rural or urban, people should be aware of the potential for creeks, streams and rivers to rise rapidly and for roads to be affected by surface flooding, prompting dangerous conditions and possible closures. Rainfall of this intensity can trigger s landslides in steep areas, both urban and rural, which people should be aware of.In rural communities, Dr Payan said farmers should be considering whether they needed to move stock and machinery away from low lying waterways, flats areas or gullies. “Check on your neighbours too,” Dr Payan suggested. Emergency Management Otago and ORC is advising people not to travel during thunderstorms and to stay away from streams and rivers. Should a thunderstorm warning be issued, Emergency Management Otago recommend:Take shelter, preferably indoors away from windows;Avoid sheltering under trees, if outside;Get back to land, if outdoors on the water;Move cars and machinery under cover or away from trees;Secure any loose objects around properties;Check drains and gutters are clear;Be ready to slow down or stop, if driving. During and after the storm, you should also:Beware of road flooding, slips and debris;Beware of fallen trees and power lines;Avoid streams and drains as people could be swept away in flash flooding.

“Kakanui School is very chill with animals,” says 11-year-old Beth Taylor, and she’s not wrong.On a random Wednesday, there are two silkie chickens and two dogs, who have joined the resident pony and chickens.Rabbits, more dogs, lambs and occasionally cats are also not unheard of, and Beth, with her sisters Grace and Lucie, have also brought in their pet guinea pigs.Beth, and Grace - who is nine, regularly bring their silkie chickens Mabel and Tomple to school.“They’re good therapy,” Beth says.At the beginning of the year, Grace’s best friends had left school and she felt a bit nervous about returning, so her mother Elle asked the school if she could bring in Tomple for the first week.“The school agreed, which gave Grace something to look forward to and plan all of January,” Elle says.“It gave her a positive focus, and we spent time planning the different cages that we would need, a companion chicken for Tomple, and a little basket to sit in for when she was out of the cage in the classroom. “Grace is a very responsible and dedicated chicken mum.”The response in the classroom was so positive, Tomple and Mabel are now regular visitors.“Apparently the junior class wrote stories and did art work about them, and we also heard that they had helped settle other students into the new year, especially some who were new to the school,” Elle says.Tomple is a name Grace chose from the Keeper of Lost Cities books she reads.Beth chose Mabel’s name, with some help from the virtual assistant Alexa.Youngest sister Lucie, eight, didn’t get to bring one of her chickens, but maybe one day, her mum says.The three girls hand-raised six silkies from five days old. They lived in a cage in the lounge for two months under a heat lamp until they were big enough to go outside and so they are used to being handled.Taking the Kakanui School's resident pony for a ride. Photo: Supplied/Kakanui School principal Ann Roughan says having the animals there helps give the children a sense of belonging.“It stops any anxiety. It just helps them to settle.“They can go and pick them up anytime they want. It's just that sense of security.”One of the teachers brings their dog for her daughter, and the children will sit there and pat it, she says.“And sometimes my little dog comes out, but she's too naughty to stay.“We're a rural school, we’ve got a pony . . . and chickens . . . as well, so, it's just that whole sense of belonging."Although pets are welcome, it’s not a complete free for all. “They usually do run it past us and ask, otherwise we might have too many dogs and too many cats and the dogs would chase the cats…“So, no, they do. The parents are very respectful.” The girls love Kakanui School.“It’s one of the best schools,: Grace says. "Once I'm a year eight, I'm gonna be sad to leave here.”She also loves her pet chicken.“I think Tomple’s brilliant,” she says.“I think we all think our babies are brilliant,” Beth says.A pupil cuddles a visiting lamb. Photo: Supplied

By RNZ reporter Serena SolomonFour years ago, Summer Haycock reinstalled a landline in her Auckland home. It was a grey corded phone reminiscent of a bland 1990s office.The original thought behind it was safety: what if something happened at home and one of her four girls needed to call 111? Haycock's mobile phone could be out of reach or the battery dead.Now, the landline has become an alternative to giving her daughters (aged four to 11) a mobile phone. The landline, a $5 add-on to the family's mobile and internet package, allows Haycock's daughters and their friends to call each other."My daughter is almost 12 and I'm feeling like I want to hold off on getting a smartphone for as long as possible."And it turns out the things that many of us hated about landlines, kids love. They are delighted with the surprise of not knowing who is calling. They like learning how to answer it or how to call and ask if their friend can speak (some of the girls' friends also have landlines or use their parent's mobiles)."They think it is such a novelty factor, which to me is hilarious," says Haycock, who remembers her home phone as a teenager and "chatting about nothing until mum kicked you off"."It has been quite unexpected and quite fun."The conversation around kids, smartphones and the internet has shifted dramatically in the past 18 months starting with the National government's ban on mobile phones in schools at the start of 2024.Halfway through last year, the surgeon general, the US government's top doctor, called for tobacco-style warnings on social media and for kids to have more phone-free time. Research continues to show connecting poor mental and physical health to children with smartphones and social media accounts.Some parents are bringing back the home phone to avoid the pitfalls of smartphones while still providing an avenue for kids to connect with friends. To be clear, landline connections are majorly declining, according to New Zealand's telco companies, so these parents are bucking a trend. However, it shows novel ways parents are delaying giving their kids a smartphone.And it isn't the only thing Gen Z and Gen Alpha are rediscovering: physical magazines are making a comeback, polaroid and film cameras are cool and my entire wardrobe from the 1990s is on trend. Last week, my friend's kid proudly showed off his Walkman.Holly Brooker. Photo: The Crib Collective"I just really like simplifying life for our kids because giving our kids a phone adds more disruption and more distraction," said Holly Brooker, a parent of a 13 and 9-year-old. She is also an online child safety advocate.Instead of an actual landline, Brooker has a "dumb" mobile phone that sits on the kitchen bench at all times. The phone, a Samsung Safe Surfer designed for kids, can only be used for texting or phone calls, but Brooker intends to lift those restrictions gradually as her kids get older. Neither of Brooker's kids has a phone, despite a long bus ride to school."We actually have some really good chats on the phone," she added, of conversations with her son when she is out and he is at home.Brooker works in media and admits constantly having to keep her own social media and smartphone use in check, but that can lead to open conversations with her kids about the addictive nature of technology.Summer Haycock's daughter talking on the family's landline. Photo: suppliedSo far her kids have accepted they won't be getting a phone anytime soon, even though her 13-year-old is the only one in his friendship group without one."Culturally it's really hard to be the outlier and not give your kids a smartphone," said Brooker, adding that most parents give their kids a phone because they don't want them missing out on the cornerstone of a modern social life.Auckland mother Georgia had a landline installed in her home six months ago. Like Haycock, the phone's primary purpose is for emergencies. The secondary purpose is to give the kids - aged seven, four and two - a mobile phone alternative for connecting with friends as they get older. She doesn't intend to give them their own phone anytime soon."I am chronic at dumping my mobile phone around the house so my husband really likes that he can get hold of me when he needs to," said Georgia, of the landline's other benefits.An Auckland mother who is currently building a new home, says she is planning to install a home phone so her four boys can stay in touch with friends. The idea was inspired by a trip to the telephone exhibit at Auckland's Museum of Transportation and Technology."First, they didn't even know how to hold the phone. They had the receiver upside down."Her boys had such a great time calling each other that she looked into how she could get a home phone. She says she wants to keep smartphones out of her kids' hands to limit exposure to online bullying and social media use.Young people who spend more than three hours a day on social media double their risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, according to a study quoted by Dr Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, when he argued for warning labels. New Zealanders spend an average of two and a half hours on social media platforms. Many young people reported spending seven or more hours on social media each day.For Brooker, a major wake-up call on the issue of kids and smartphones was a 2018 survey from New Zealand's Classification Office. It found that two-thirds of New Zealanders aged 14 to 17 had seen pornography and the vast majority of those had found it online by accident.Last year, Brooker helped launch the "Hold the Phone" campaign, encouraging parents to delay or limit their child's smartphone use. She is also advocating the government to improve national internet filters to block some sexual imagery including rape, bestiality and child pornography from New Zealand screens.The Parenting Place chief executive Dave Atkinson says that installing a landline might not be everyone's approach, but "I think it is great that parents are taking an active role in their kid's technology".The organisation's official suggestion to parents is to delay giving their child a smartphone until year nine, but "we recognise for a bunch of reasons why that might not be realistic," says Atkinson.It's one thing to limit smartphone use, but parents also need to consider what their kids are doing instead, calling it the "healthy mind platter"."Are they engaging with friends? Are they doing well with school? Are they involved in sports? Are they getting exercise? Do we have quality time with the family?"If all of those things are in place, a bit of cell phone use, a bit of online gaming is okay." - RNZ

New North Otago A&P Association secretary Catherine Gardner knows she has “huge shoes” to fill, stepping into the role after Katrina Kelly died suddenly in May last year.“At every step of the way I'm mindful of her legacy, because all the people, all the volunteers, they didn't just lose a secretary, they lost a really good friend. So there's that grief.” Catherine says.She took on the part-time position in June, but as Saturday’s (February 22) 162nd North Otago A&P Show approaches and the demands of the job have ramped up, Catherine appreciates even more the enormity of the role Katrina played. “I just want to do her proud. I didn't know her, but I feel as if I did.“That's a big thing for me, is that I want to make sure that it's good for her. Because she just had done such good work.”Previous North Otago A&P Association secretary Katrina Kelly's sudden death while on holiday last year left a huge hole in the organisation. File photo: Ashley SmythCatherine grew up in Ōamaru, but has been away for 40 years.She was a police officer in London before joining New Zealand Police for about 17 years and then changing careers to take a job at WorkSafe in Wellington.She was able to transfer to the Dunedin office after deciding to move back south to help an ailing relative, but was then made redundant.The new job has been a “huge learning curve” for Catherine.“But the thing is, I just love being back in town, and it's nice to do things at a local level. The last lot of years I was doing things at a national level.”The people of Ōamaru have been “wonderful” as she finds her way around her new job.Sponsors for the A&P Show have continued to be generous and support the show, even though times are tough. And if it wasn’t for the volunteers, none of it would happen, Catherine says.“I was just so impressed with everyone.“I watch all of these incredibly creative children bring their stuff in, and I'm just blown away. And then we've got the vendors, and then we've got the trade space, and then of course we've got the magnificent animals.”Six Clydesdale horses will come in from Canterbury exhibiting how they go about their work. They will be joined by the regular influx of other horses, sheep, cattle, goats and dogs for the chaotic terrier race.“I just think, it's that agriculture, when you watch the farmers bring in their animals, you see how much effort they put in . . . it's amazing.“I think the whole thing is quite humbling, to be honest with you, right across the board. On every level.”The ribbons up for grabs at Saturday's A&P Show. Photo: Supplied/North Otago A&P FacebookThere is a show committee of about 15, who do their best to “muck in” however they can. Then there are the stewards and the judges who arrive on the day and “just do it because they love it”, Catherine says.One thing the committee feels strongly about, is providing a variety of free activities for children, so aside from food and entry, parents shouldn’t have to be constantly forking out money.House of Bricks and Pedalmania are returning after being well-received last year. There will be a busker, highland dancing, and the increasingly popular Agrikids challenge.Catherine really hopes people come out and support the show.“If people don't come, it won't survive.“I remember vividly the A&P show as a child, and I just think it's worth fighting for. And I think at a time when farmers are struggling, to have them come and for them to be acknowledged, you know?“We've got sheep shearing demonstrations, we've got the dog trial demonstration, because, it's just vital. It's our lifeblood.”There are still a few spaces available for trade stalls. Find out more by emailing [email protected]

Education Minister Erica Stanford says David Seymour overstepped the mark when he announced a crack-down on teacher-only days.In September Seymour, who is the associate education minister, said as part of wider plans to increase attendance rates, teachers should not be able to take teacher-only days willy-nilly.On TVNZ's Q and A programme on Sunday, Stanford said it wasn't Seymour's place to say that."I think he knew at the time that he was over-stepping the mark somewhat because it is my decision, I'm the Minister of Education."And when we are rolling out a new curriculum, we have to have curriculum days and I am not in a position - because of the way that the system works with the unions - to say you must do it in holidays."Stanford told Q+A there would be four teacher-only days during term time."There are teacher-only days during term time. In fact, I've given, for this year two that I've said to schools that I am allowing you to have, and then another two that the boards can use to roll that up."The settings are such that we have to have them during term time. We're trying to keep them to an absolute minimum. But my message to parents is that during those times, those teachers are looking at the new curriculum," she told the programme.In a statement last year Seymour said it was critical schools set a good example. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneIn a statement last year Seymour said it was critical schools set a good example."It's hard to tell students it's important to show up if the school then decides to close itself on days it should be open, that's why we're enforcing the rules ... it's actually always been the rule, we're just enforcing it."I have asked the ministry to collect data on when a school is open or closed for instruction for the full day, and for each year group, during term time."He said it was critical lost teaching time was made up.Standford said Seymour had not talked to her before issuing the statement about cutting back on teacher-only days."I don't think at the time he did [run it past me], but we had a conversation afterwards and it's been sorted."She said she had since spoken to him about his statement and teacher-only days would continue during term-time. - RNZ

Red meat exporters failed to tip the $10 billion mark last year due to "challenging market conditions" in early 2024, but had a strong end to the year.In the year of 2021/2022, red meat exports hit $11bn for the first time.The following year in 2023, exports fell 11 percent in 2023 to $10.2bn.New Meat Industry Association statistics show exports of red meat reached $9.86bn through 2024, falling 3 percent compared to 2023.However, the year ended on a positive with exports earning $1.04bn in the month of December alone.Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said a strong December was a "positive sign" for the industry."This reflects a continued recovery in global demand and the resilience of New Zealand's red meat sector," she said.For the month of December, China remained the largest market for red meat, with exports steady at $313 million year on year, while other major markets showed significant growth.Exports to the United States surged 38 percent to $310m in December, while the UK saw a 53 percent increase to $64m, and Canada experienced growth of 116 percent to $46m.For the year, the US surpassed China as the largest market for red meat, while other markets grew.Exports to the US rose 12 percent to $2.77bn, while exports to second-largest market China fell by nearly a third, down 31 percent to $2.49bn.The value of exports to the United Kingdom increased 46 percent to $525 million, to Japan up 23 percent and to Canada up 44 percent.Weak demand in China drove a 3 percent drop in volume and value of sheepmeat exports - which was offset by record volumes going to the US, the highest volumes of sheepmeat to the UK in six years, and more to the EU too.Beef exports dipped in volume but values remained steady at $4.39bn through the year. - RNZ

In less than three weeks, public consultation on the 2025-34 Waitaki District Council Long Term Plan will close.As Mayor Gary Kircher, said in a Facebook livestream Q&A on Tuesday, February 11, "we've gone out with a 10.3% rate increase proposed for this coming year.“We don't want to finish up with that; we want something smaller, and your feedback may help target what, where those cuts might happen."We have 14,000 rateable properties in our district.Whether one (or more) of them is yours or not, you get to have a say.Submitting on WHAT exactly?There are ten topics outlined in the Consultation Document. Water. How to best manage the whole shebang and also, installing residential water meters.Decoupling Tourism Waitaki and the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony – to create a separate fully-fledged Economic Development Agency (econ dev plus – so, not just tourism) and a stand-alone tourist attraction (penguin plus with expanded attractions, science and research functions).Beach Road reinstatement (or not). How much do we want to keep one of our favourite local ocean-front drives?Also… selling off some council property or charging some others a little more?Of the millions of realisable property assets; what could we sell (Land? Community halls? Community housing?) and what should we “tax” (Airbnb-type accommodation)?Also… capital expenditure. A chance to consider future spends on projects like the stadium and public toilets.Also… council fees. Common things like dog registration and swimming pool charges, as well as things we likely never think about such as interment fees (burials - could go up to nearly $2,000) and “offensive trader” registration charges (not increasing but who knew that was a thing?!).Submitting – Why SHOULD I?We all live here and we don’t all agree on the same priorities.You’ve all heard the saying, “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain” and yet, we all know that not voting has never stopped anyone from complaining - often loudly and boringly.The council’s done a really good job at laying out the issues in as much or as little detail as most people would want.So let's look at the top reasons people have for NOT submitting...Reasons NOT to submit1. Can’t be bothered.Can’t help you with this one. But if you’ve read this far, chances are you could be bothered.2. The council won’t listen anyway.Last year’s Enhanced Annual Plan garnered 98 submissions.About 25,000 people live here.And… the last time I looked at submissions (what I call the great penguin-selling-shallow-fake of 2023), there was definitely a number of serial-submitters who had drunk the exact same Kool-Aid and regurgitated that same misinformation back in their submissions.The consultation document lays out options and asks for preferences / feedback.Ask yourself, do you want the council deciding on your water meter, your ocean-view drive, your community hall without you even having a say-so?3 (closely related to 2). The council’s already made its mind up.Yes, they have a preferred option, clearly outlined in all the information.This doesn’t mean they’ve made their mind up – it’s literally the law to provide a preferred option. They have to do it.4. I don’t feel informed enough.Read the info. Watch a Q&A session. Go to a public meeting.No, really.There’s the bite-size info, the more detailed info and even extra-curricular reading for the geeks amongst us (no extra points but there could be some smug satisfaction).There’s also in person and online Q&A sessions and heaps of information on the council’s Facebook page.5 (closely related to no. 4). I don’t have the time to understand it all / write it all.You don’t have to submit on everything!Pick the stuff that matters to you.We asked the council and they said, “people can skip through parts, or not provide an answer if they want to focus on one issue - but we encourage everyone to consider everything”.Plus, “if people register on the site they can save their submission and come back to it”.And before you go all sovereign citizen on me, all submissions have to have a name and contact details to count – them’s the rules.BUT they do redact personal contact information other than name and suburb from the public submissions booklet6. I pretty much trust the council to make the right decision.Cool.But think of it like organising a group holiday.Where does everyone want to go, how long have we got, what do we want to see, what kind of experience do we want to have?You want the group’s input, right?I mean you might nail it and everyone’s happy but…Consider submitting as a means of helping your trusted councillors have a bit more info to work with, so they can make the best holiday (future) out of all the available options.Submitting, can ANYONE do it?Submitting is open to everyone.You do not have to be a ratepayer to submit.You can submit on behalf of yourself, an organisation or a business.The council’s spokesperson stated, “we often get organisations submitting via email, which allows them to focus on a single issue. That can be about one of our topics, but also if they have an issue or project they wish council to consider.”Business owners can submit as themselves and state their business as an organisation they represent.So, if we want our council to make decisions that represent our community – more of us need to submit.It’s not rocket science.Neither is the process of making a submission.I submit, you've convinced me... now, HOW do I do it?Boy, do we have choices.Ok here’s goes;1. Online.There’s a form to fill out on council’s Let’s Talk Waitaki page. Just click on the Give your feedback button.2. On paper.Either print out your own submission form (from the consultation document) or pick one up at a council office or Waitaki District Library.You can drop off your submission there too or post it to:Long Term Plan SubmissionWaitaki District CouncilPrivate Bag 50058Ōamaru 94443. EmailSend an email to [email protected]. TalkOutline your key points in your feedback form and tick the box stating you’d like to speak to your submission.So, what are you waiting for?You’ve got until March 4 to get your stake in the sand.Go for it!

On Thursday last week, Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Justin Tipa spoke at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa, where Prime Minister Christopher Luxon chose to spend his Waitangi Day.Justin, who is also Kaiwhakahaere (chairperson) of Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, was elected to his Ngāi Tahu role at the end of 2023.A copy of his speech has kindly been provided to the Waitaki App, and is below in full. There is also a video if you prefer to watch. For every New Zealander, no matter which race, it is worth putting the time aside:  It’s great to be here today.I must say, this has been one of the most anticipated Waitangi Commemorations I can remember.If there’s one thing we can say, it’s that - for better or worse -Te Tiriti o Waitangi remains very much alive in the public consciousness of New Zealand.It's significant that we’re joined by the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and other senior ministers.Since the news went out that you (Prime Minister Luxon) were going to be here, there’s been a lot of speculation about why you’re in Te Waipounamu rather than Waitangi.I’m not going to join in on the speculation about your motivations, but I will indulge in a bit of speculation about the symbolic significance of our convergence on Ōnuku today.First and foremost – Ōnuku is a long way from Waitangi.And in terms of geography, Te Waipounamu is renowned for its ruggedness.Bone-chilling cold, scorching heat, howling winds, torrential rain, parching dryness - we’ve got it all.And closer to us here at Ōnuku, the unique geography of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, Banks Peninsula - taking its name from our great ancestor Rākaihautū - evokes themes of daring exploration, purposeful vision, adaption, and transformation.So, perhaps you’ve been drawn to Te Waipounamu today.Perhaps by a subconscious recognition that our Treaty politics is in need of a wilderness experience - a period of deep reflection, elemental cleansing, and transformation.An experience that requires the symbolic backdrop that only Te Waipounamu can provide.Perhaps another factor is that the Ngāi Tahu experience of colonisation is a unique example of exactly why the Treaty is an essential part of our nation.Following first contact, and by the 1830s, our Ngāi Tahu tīpuna had established thriving trade relationships with Pākehā across Te Waipounamu, Te Ika a Māui, and Australia.Ngāi Tahu, as a tribe, willingly participated in the new economies available to us.Te Tiriti o Waitangi was then signed in 1840, setting the stage for large-scale, Crown-backed land purchases.As the settler population grew rapidly, Te Tiriti was intended to provide essential protections for Ngāi Tahu in our dealings with Pākehā, particularly over land.Yet, by the late 19th century, Ngāi Tahu had become essentially landless, severely impoverished, and all but forgotten in Te Waipounamu.This story was laid bare for all to see during Te Kerēme - the Ngāi Tahu Claim.And it was here at Ōnuku that former Prime Minister and National Party Leader Dame Jenny Shipley delivered the Crown’s apology - now enshrined in law in the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act - for its unconscionable treatment of Ngāi Tahu, its failure to act in utmost good faith, and its neglect in upholding the honour of the Crown.The Ngāi Tahu story is instructive for us as a country, because it’s a vivid reminder that the unchecked momentum of blind political, economic, and social forces can lead us to forget our obligations to one another, and our honour.So perhaps all the speculation about your motivations for being here rather than Waitangi are missing the point.Whatever the reasons - personal, political, or providential - your presence adds to the significance of our commemoration today, and I want to acknowledge that.The past couple of years have witnessed a dramatic shift in the cultural and political landscape of our country.The 2023 election consummated this shift, and as a result, we’ve seen a clear deterioration in the Treaty relationship in the past 18 months.We’re living through a critical juncture in our history, where the machinations of modern party politics threaten to corrupt the dignity of our nation’s complex and contingent identity.One thing I want to say upfront, and which I’ll repeat throughout, is: ‘We are not the radicals’As our politics has become more polarised, I’ve become increasingly aware of how the ‘radical’ label is used to undermine the constitutional identities of iwi Māori and cast iwi corporate entities as inherently nefarious.I take issue with that narrative.‘We are not the radicals’A nation is not a blank canvas!It’s an inheritance.It’s our inheritance - all New Zealanders.It’s a real place, home to real people living real lives, whose collective experiences have shaped a real and defined history.For the nation of New Zealand, that history begins with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.Te Tiriti is not just words on a page.Real people stood across from each other. Each with their own understandings and intentions. Each with their own mana and mandate. And each making the decision to intertwine their fates, mō ake tonu atu.Here at Ōnuku, it was Iwikau and Tīkao who signed Te Tiriti.Many of their descendants are among the Ōnuku and Ngāi Tahu whānau looking after us today.That’s why, as Ngāi Tahu, we return each year to the sites where Te Tiriti was signed in our Takiwā.To remember that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not merely a relic of a long-forgotten and distant past.It is - both literally and figuratively - part of the ground on which our nation stands.I think that’s one of the things that has annoyed me most about public discourse on Treaty matters over the last 18 months.Too much of the conversation has been focused on abstract philosophical debates about the nature of sovereignty and the true meaning of liberalism.Rather than helping us to deepen and refine our understanding of modern New Zealand as it actually exists, these abstract philosophical debates have been used as smokescreens to advance shallow ideological agendas and play party politics.True political leadership is about meeting people where they are and synthesizing the interests of various strands of society into a workable whole.It’s a complex and messy task, but it’s important.Because when there’s an absence of this type of leadership, voices that represent comparatively simpler and shallower viewpoints, begin to shine through.Not because of the strength of their position or mandate, but because they’ve got a simple philosophy that provides simple answers to the complex questions we are inevitably confronted with.This is why our political debates - particularly those concerning the Treaty - have come to be dominated by minor parties.Because our major parties are struggling to articulate a political vision that builds on the distinct character of the New Zealand nation - one that people can embrace with confidence and commitment.So instead, we get an ACT party neoliberal thought experiment, posing as a source of moral principle and national unity.And we’ve seen what that’s doing to our social fabric!Prime Minister, it was heartening today to hear you reflect favourably on the historical relationship between the National Party and Ngāi Tahu.I share those sentiments and that respect.Ngāi Tahu and the National Party haven’t always seen eye to eye on every policy, but there is a tradition of pragmatic and principled engagement between us.A tradition of reckoning with the history and raw material of our nation to pave a pathway forward.A tradition I encourage you to fully embrace and to enact in your own generation.Because a National Party that fails to take leadership on matters of fundamental importance to the identity of our nation is not worthy of its own name.I agreed wholeheartedly with a large part of your kōrero today, and in your recent State of the Nation address.We do need growth. We do need investment. We should be ambitious.Ngāi Tahu wants those things too.But simply going for growth and liberalizing the economy isn’t going to cut it.A nation is not a blank canvas.If our country continues to divide and fragment, we will lose the trust and stability—we will lose the fundamental good faith—that makes economic growth and prosperity possible in the first place.I don’t have all the answers; but on the Treaty Question, I think it starts by getting back to basics and putting a stake in the ground.Photo: Supplied‘Sincerity, justice, and good faith.’These were the instructions Captain William Hobson received in 1839 from Colonial Secretary, Lord Normanby.The Articles of the Treaty are also clear:Right to GovernProtection of Tino Rangatiratanga.Same Rights and Duties.That’s our starting point.So, when Iwikau and Tikao signed Te Tiriti here at Ōnuku, they committed to a constitutional monarchy where the right to govern rests on the protection of rangatiratanga; and to a society where their people and descendants would enjoy the same rights as the settler population.They did not commit to a constitutional republic where the rights of the majority consistently override those of the minority, and in which the rangatiratanga - the distinct rights and authority of iwi Māori - would be erased entirely.A nation is not a blank canvas!It’s not radical to assert that Iwi Māori hold unique corporate identities within our nation’s constitutional framework.These identities reflect New Zealand’s development as a constitutional monarchy and democratic nation, shaped by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our history as a British colony.We should not abandon the unique elements of our national inheritance in favour of the ever-shifting political moods that dominate our social media feeds.Whatever path we take forward from here should be built on the real and dignified authority of our shared past, rather than on the vague and amorphous ambitions of those who would rather impose their own ‘tyranny of the present’.And I’m not saying there isn’t room to disagree about what it means to give effect to Te Tiriti and Treaty principles.Of course there is.The previous Government was going in one direction, we had an election, and the verdict came in.That’s legitimate. That’s part of living in democratic New Zealand.Disagreement is possible.But what I’m saying is that we’ve got to have these disagreements in good faith - without making a mockery of the complex and contingent nation we’ve inherited. I think we’re failing at that at the moment.And its not just the Treaty Principles Bill, it’s a general attitude of some in this country that is dismissive and disrespectful of the unique constitutional identities of Iwi Māori.‘We are not the radicals’As a country, we need to learn to talk about Rangatiratanga not Race.So much of the Treaty Principles debate has been confused by the conflation of Article 2 and Article 3 rights.In fact, I’m sure some people - definitely David Seymour - deliberately conflate them for that purpose.There’s a fundamental difference between the Article 2 rights of iwi Māori - which are concerned with particular sets of collective rights and the ability of iwi to exercise authority over those rights - and Article 3 rights - which are concerned with equal social and legal rights for individuals in a free and democratic society.It’s simply not true that the rangatiratanga rights of iwi Māori are incompatible with the idea of ‘equal rights for all’ or democracy.Rangatiratanga - guaranteed in Article 2 of the Treaty - isn’t about establishing additional social or legal rights for individual Māori citizens, over and above those of the rest of the population.It’s also not about challenging the Crown’s right to govern.Ngāi Tahu does not seek national sovereignty; we assert our rangatiratanga in our Takiwā.Equality when it comes to rangatiratanga is about ensuring equal treatment in how the particular rights of iwi Māori are upheld and protected under the law.Outside of the collective rights of Iwi Māori, we would never accept that an individual’s or collective’s particular rights should be subject to the principle of equal distribution across all members of society.We would rightly call that confiscation.Nevertheless, determining how rangatiratanga interacts with the Crown’s right to govern on any given issue is not always obvious, and sometimes, disputes arise.We’ve got an example of exactly that set to begin next week in the Christchurch High Court.We’ve taken legal action against the Crown, seeking declarations that the Government has a duty to acknowledge our rangatiratanga rights and engage with Ngāi Tahu to design a better system for managing freshwater in our Takiwā.And I’m sure next week we’ll start hearing politicians and various other commentators whipping up a frenzy about radical greedy Ngāi Tahu trying to own water, and how it’s a threat to our democracy and the rights of all New Zealanders.And, once again, they’ll be wrong. On purpose.Because distorting the truth and framing us as greedy radicals is more convenient to their political fancies than reckoning with our legitimate rights under Te Tiriti.So I’ll be clear today.Our claim is not about owning water.It’s also not about challenging the Crown’s right to govern, or about legislated Treaty Principles, or whatever else people might claim.It’s about acknowledging that Ngāi Tahu - as an iwi and a collective legal identity - holds specific rights regarding freshwater in our Takiwā, including the entitlement - and the obligation - to exercise authority over its responsible management.Our rangatiratanga has been ignored for decades, and the state of freshwater in our Takiwā has gotten worse and worse.It’s not good enough. And we’re doing something about it.So, we’re going to court on that one. That’s the rule of law - another central plank of our constitutional monarchy.And on the other side of the trial, our hope is that we’ll be able to develop a solution that ensures we’re getting the highest and best use of our freshwater resources, for the benefit of all New Zealanders.Which, to be clear, is not what is happening under the current system.We’re committed to that because we’re committed to our communities.We live in them, we own land and businesses in them, and we have every reason to want to see them prosper.‘We are not the radicals’So, it’s not always easy to determine how rangatiratanga rights interact with the Crown’s right to govern on any given issue.That doesn’t mean we should retreat into our political echo chambers and hatch plans to do away with the other side.We’ve got to work at it.In good faith.If we focused more on reasonable refinement rather than radical revision, I truly believe we could build real momentum toward productive and lasting reform in our country.As an iwi - as Ngāi Tahu - that’s what we want.And we see the exercise of rangatiratanga as being an integral part of that.But we’ve got to get the basics right.We won’t get anywhere if we keep debating which abstract, party-political philosophy to apply to a blank canvas instead of making reasonable refinements to a nation that actually exists.So in closing, E te Pirimia, e ngā Minita, as you venture back to Te Ika a Māui and Te Whare Mīere, I hope you take something away from your wilderness experience here in Te Waipounamu.Know that there is a principled and pragmatic path that can be followed on these issues.But it starts with the basics and with a stake in the ground.A Nation is not a blank canvas.Rangatiratanga is not going anywhere.Rangatiratanga is our opportunity to build and sustain our communities in accordance with our tikanga, and to have a genuine stake in the success and prosperity of this nation we have all inherited.We are not the radicals.

There is no more perfect place to celebrate National Lamb Day than Totara Estate, where the first frozen shipment to leave New Zealand for London in 1882, was processed.This Saturday, February 15, is the exact date, 143 years ago, when the ship Dunedin left Port Chalmers with about 5000 sheep and lamb carcasses, for the three-month voyage.The moment was a significant one for the New Zealand economy, marking the beginning of a multi-billion-dollar industry.Totara Estate property lead Jacqui Allison says the day, which runs from 10am to 3pm, will be full of festivities and suitable for all ages.“We will have demonstrations, live music, learned lectures, games and more,” she says.“Visitors can enjoy watching a blade shearer at work, try their hand at weaving or felting and step up for the challenge of tug-o-war.”Local vendors will be there to offer woollen goods such as hand-dyed yarn and dog beds, along with the regular goodies available from the Totara Estate retail store.To fuel the fun, there will be food and drinks for sale, with lamb most definitely on the menu, thanks to That Food Guy, Jacqui says.Even the sheep are excited about National Lamb Day. Photo: Supplied/Jo HayHerbert sheep farmer and National Lamb Day Lambassador Jo Hay says February 15 is a "milestone in New Zealand’s history", and is a reminder to celebrate food producers."To take the time to appreciate and celebrate all of our New Zealand food producers – from farm to fork," she says.With the weather looking good for Saturday, Jo encourages Kiwis to fire up their barbecues on National Lamb Day, and"And raise a chop in salute of our food champions."National Lamb Day used to be held in May to coincide with the day the meat shipment arrived in London, but last year it was changed to February (the day it left New Zealand) when the weather is much more conducive to popping some chops on the barbie, Jo says.Entry at Totara Estate is $10 for adults, $5 for Heritage New Zealand members and children (under-18) are free.The Totara Estate National Lamb Day programme.

By RNZ reporter Felix WaltonNew Zealand is backsliding on much of its social progress, as food and housing become increasingly difficult to afford, says the Salvation Army.The charity's latest State of the Nation report highlights a cost of living crisis forcing families onto the benefit in record numbers."It's increasingly difficult for people to achieve those basics, to achieve food security, have enough kai to feed the family sustainably, to have an affordable house... Those things have got tougher in the last year," the charity's social policy director, Bonnie Robinson, said."Food insecurity has gone up in the last year, for about a quarter of all households they're going without food 'sometimes' or 'often'. For Pasifika families that's even worse, at about half of Pasifika families reporting they go without food regularly."It was harder than ever for the Salvation Army to respond to those needs, she said."Government funding has been reduced and people are finding it more difficult to contribute to charitable organisations," Robinson said.Listen on Morning Report: Number on benefits the highest since the 1990s: ReportAn increasing number of New Zealanders were turning to the benefit, with more than 400,000 people reporting a need for welfare support in December last year.That is a higher number than the previous peak in 1998, though adjusted for the current population remains lower at 12 percent compared to 16 percent of the working population in 1998."It is the highest we've had for a very long time, and we know that with basic benefits it's very hard to meet your essential needs," Robinson said."When we've got more people needing welfare support because they've lost their jobs and the job market is very tight, that places more families and more children at risk of living in material hardship."The report also found that violence against children had risen, with the number of children hospitalised from assault and neglect at its highest since 2014."There's never an excuse for violence against children but we do know what some of the drivers are," she said."For people whose lives are extremely stressful due to deprivation, due to their own previous trauma, alcohol and drug abuse... These can be drivers of harm to children, so we certainly have to do much better."It also found that 32 percent of New Zealanders had been victims of crime."It is a big percentage but there is some good news in our crime statistics... Violent crime has been increasing but youth crime has actually been decreasing in the past decade," Robinson said."We need to look at how we support people to step away from crime and to deal with the things that drive people into crime and our recidivism rate."Rent was another stress factor, becoming increasingly unaffordable compared to wages."In four in every 10 communities rental prices are pretty unaffordable, that means they're over 30 percent of the median income... If you're paying that much rent you don't have the money to provide all the other things you need to," Robinson explained."We're not seeing private rental prices coming down, and that is a major cause of hardship and poverty."Robinson said it was vital that the government prioritise New Zealanders' basic needs.Lieutenant Ian Hutson told Morning Report the mostly negative statistics and outcomes from the report were more than disappointing."What we are concerned about is that we as a nation and people need to really make sure that we all have the basic needs of life."When you see these statistics, you realise that we must do something to turn some of them around."Hutson said he believed one of the most concerning findings was the "significant increase" in children going without food."One in four children reported going without food sometimes or often - and for Pacifika it's one in two."Hutson said the use of foodbanks had also decline and believed it was partly because of the lack of funding."There's not the same resources to meet the needs that come to our doors."He said he was concerned about what was happening around benefits and housing."[Families] are very often on inadequate levels of income and they have to pay the rent or whatever, and at the same time that is happening - if you look at the report in the housing section - rental affordability, particularly in the low income areas, is becoming less affordable and the price of rent has gone up more than the income has."We need to build more state houses... but it looks like the government is not going to invest in housing to the same extent [as last year]," he said. - RNZ

The Crucible Artist Residency pilot programme moved into its second phase this week with new artists John Ward Knox and Motoko Kikkawa beginning their 16-week residencies on Monday.Motoko and John follow on from the first artist residents, Sian Quennell Torrington and Karen Aitken.All four were selected as the inaugural participants of the programme, which was launched by the Hynds Foundation and Gillies MetalTech foundry, at the foundry, last year.Motoko Kikkawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1968. After obtaining a degree in philosophy at Nihon University, she moved to Dunedin more than 20 years ago.She graduated from the Dunedin School of Art in 2010, and has been a vibrant part of the local and national art scene from the outset, as her myriad solo or collective shows, residencies, and violin performances up and down the country attest, in both public and private spaces, Hynds Foundation programme director Leanne Gibson says.A prolific visual artist primarily creating highly detailed works on paper, Motoko is also unafraid to test boundaries, genres, and new materials (including video, kirigami from old wallpaper, kelp, clay, and mushroom spore tests). She is a talented violinist who regularly plays with various formations and her music-making reflects her approach to art: she listens intently, picks up moods and keys, finding harmonies and atonal notes that suggest new pathways to explore.Motoko Kikkawa.John Ward Knox is an artist living and working from Karitane, near Dunedin.Working within a broad range of mediums and techniques, Ward Knox’s work expresses material lightness and conceptual depth.John is represented in numerous public collections including Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, and Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago."The Hynds Foundation and Gillies MetalTech are excited to welcome John and Motoko to Ōamaru," Leanne says."The residency location in Ōamaru’s heritage precinct provides a unique context for the artists that is both industrially and historically immersive."John Ward Knox.The repurposed foundry pattern shop has been developed for the artists to offer private studio spaces, and also have opportunities to build connections locally and with visitors enjoying the heritage precinct.Karen Aitken’s time in the residency saw her bring focus to the microscopic, beautiful world of Ōamaru diatoms, and their anthropological and geological place in the Waitaki District.Sian Quennell Torrington’s body of work was inspired by foundry processes as a metaphor for transformational experiences.An exhibition of John and Motoko’s works will be held toward the end of their residency period, culminating at King’s Birthday weekend.

Ōamaru Sings is bringing its second offering to the community with a weekend workshop, helping people to connect to the “groove” of songs.Sally Randall is the driving force behind the group, which kicked off with a 10-week singing programme, All Together Now, in the winter of 2024.The new Rhythm in Harmony workshop will be held on March 15 and 16, in Ōamaru’s Scottish Hall, on Tyne Street.“In a nutshell”, Sally says the weekend is “mostly about connection” and for anyone who wants to experience singing in harmony.“As Plato said ‘Rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul’.”The workshop will be led by Wellington Community choir and Kotaba Voices director Lala Simpson.Lala draws inspiration from her Malagasy and African heritage, and is an energetic song leader, performer and composer with a great sense of humour, Sally says.She is an advocate for community singing, believes in supporting singers to find their voice, and is passionate about community singing and its power to bring people together.Lala will be joined by Claire Stevens, a long-time member of Dunedin gospel and world music group, Sunny Side Up and their leader for 17 years.Claire Stevens. Photo: SuppliedClaire has attended and learnt from many of New Zealand gospel expert Tony Backhouse’s workshops here, in Australia and further afield, including one of his gospel tours to the southern United States.She has been leading Oamaru’s Limetones choir for the past seven years, directs Dunedin’s U3A choir, mentors a men’s singing group, and occasionally acts as a short-term leader for several other community choirs in the region.“Gospel music offers rich harmonies and easily accessible part singing,” Claire says. “It is energetic, fun and a great way to experience singing with others, a cappella or accompanied, in four-part harmony.”In her workshop sessions, Claire will teach several gospel songs, and lead participants in the informal performance.Ōamaru’s Ra McRostie is also on board, and will be helping workshop participants “find their groove” within the rhythm and movements.Ra has been facilitating classes based on traditional West African drum and dance for 19 years.She has studied in Senegal, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Australia, and has toured New Zealand with her main teachers Mohammed Bangoura, Epizo Bangoura, and Chris Berry.Ra has also studied flamenco and Brazilian percussion, plays drumkit and is a singer.She will also collaborate with Lala in the Rhythm in Harmony sessions.Ra McRostie. Photo: SuppliedSally will join with fellow Ōamaru Sings member and guitarist Rick Loos to lead the warm ups, and they will then participate in the workshops.There is room for up to 80 participants, and they are hoping for at least 60, Sally says.The workshop will appeal to those already involved in local amateur theatre, musical theatre or choirs but is for anyone (over 14) and any experience level.“Taking part will help to hone their skills and gain confidence,” Sally says. “But equally those entirely new to singing will also enjoy this joyful and fun weekend.”All songs will be taught by ear.“In my years of singing and song-leading experience, I have observed that singers often find moving while singing challenging,” she says.“Choir leaders worldwide seem to agree that when teaching a song, it’s important to start with the ‘groove’ of the song first.“I genuinely believe this is true. When a singing group is connected to the ‘groove’ whilst singing in harmony, magic happens.”In the Rhythm in Harmony sessions, participants’ learning will be “gently scaffolded”, Sally says.“In fun ways we will firstly learn to connect to the rhythm of simple songs, then easy movements will be introduced to solidify this learning.”A payment of $80 ($65 for unwaged) is due on registration, although can be paid on the Saturday.

By RNZ Education correspondent John GerritsenPrimary schools are starting the year with a new maths curriculum and it's a lot harder than the old one.Testing shows 42 percent of children in their final year of primary school were doing maths at the level expected in the old curriculum, but only 20 percent would meet the new curriculum's expectations.Plateau School principal Nigel Frater said pupils, and their teachers, could lose heart if they could not reach the expected level for their age group."We do like the fact that the goal posts are very clear for us in terms of teaching. But for example, understanding of equivalent fractions at a Year 2 to 3 level, I think kids at that age are still really trying to get to grips with what a concept of a fraction is at that age," he said."There's a bit of a concern that those kids could get behind quite quickly."Frater said the workbooks and resources that accompanied the curriculum had been pitched as a solution to some of the problems around maths teaching, but he hoped teachers did not rely on them too heavily."I'd be really concerned if schools started to lose sight of the curriculum and replaced it with the resource, and the resource became the curriculum as it were. I know it's aligned with the curriculum, but I think pedagogy is really important here and teachers need to teach the curriculum and not just use the resource to teach the curriculum," Frater said.Whangārei Intermediate principal Hayley Read said it received books and resources to support the curriculum, but they were pitched at what Year 7-8 children would be expected to know and do, with nothing for the sizeable number of the school's students who were behind."There's an assumption that our kids will be able to access that level of learning, and unfortunately that's just not the reality," she said."The students that can't access the curriculum because they're six or seven years behind their chronological age in learning are expected to have the same book as a child who's at that level, and so we don't have those books and those resources to support those learners."Read said ensuring all schools used the same approach to maths could help address some of the inequities that had dogged the school system.However, she said it might be time to introduce specialist maths teachers at primary and intermediate schools.Gareth Sinton from Douglas Park School in Masterton said his school performed well in maths, but the new curriculum would be a challenge."It's not like you can say 'now the kids have to do better' and they start doing better. So it may take time to lift achievement back up where it is needing to be, now," he said."But in saying that, it's probably not a bad thing. I think there's a body of evidence that our curriculum, the previous one, maybe wasn't as rigourous as some other international comparable curriculums."Sinton said there was clearly an expectation that students in the same year group would all work from the same textbook."Which sounds lovely in theory, but the reality is that any Year 5 - there'll be a continuum in terms of ability. There'll be kids operating lower than that and higher than that, so the thought of having a Year 5 kid working out of a Year 5 book, it's a load of nonsense."Sinton said his school was unlikely to use the student workbooks that accompanied the curriculum because they did not fit the group-based approach to maths teaching that his school used.Massey University professor Gaven Martin headed a Royal Society-convened panel that called for an overhaul of the maths curriculum in 2021 and was more recently a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group that reviewed the primary school maths curriculum.Read more: Panel calls for sweeping changes to maths teachingHe said he was happy with the new approach."I think back to basics is almost an accurate description of what it's about. Most children - I hope all - but most children will have the skills to do most of the basic requirements of modern-day numeracy," he said.Some teachers were worried the curriculum's introduction had been rushed.Professor Martin said there was no time to waste."Getting things moving along as quickly as possible is probably the right approach. I mean one of the big problems we have in the system at the moment is this slow pace. Every year children get three months behind, roughly. After five years of education they're a full year behind."He said the new curriculum's structured teaching approach should ensure children learned more, earlier, and were not held back by slower peers."In poor schools where there are talented kids... those talented kids don't get to see half the curriculum because we're working to the pace of the... people who are not moving forward as quickly as possible, so everyone gets disadvantaged," he said."The pace and the method of instruction are really important things here that need to be got across to teachers. Everyone deserves an opportunity to see the curriculum." - RNZ

“Never for one moment think the world is better without you in it,” is a message Sam and Rick Koehler want everyone to receive.Their daughter Arrow Koehler was 19 when she died suddenly last year, and next Saturday (February 15), the day after what should have been her 20th birthday, an exhibition of her self-portraits will be opening at Ōamaru’s Forrester Gallery.Good Bones: The Many Phases of Arrow Moon opens on February 15 and runs until April 6 in the Community Gallery space.The name comes from the brand Arrow came up with for her artwork and clothing, Good Bones, so it felt right to include it, Sam says.She also, as an artist, wanted a name that was different from the name she used working as a journalist, so she chose Arrow Moon - her first and middle names.The exhibition came about after her parents discovered it had been a dream of hers.It is a collection of more than 50 photographs, and seven paintings, and a few items of clothing Arrow “reinvented”.“Arrow’s friends told us after she passed that she wanted to have an exhibition,” Rick says. “And then Sam had found writings in her diary to state the same thing, and so that's why we're putting it together.”Most of the works are from art portfolios Arrow had completed as a student at Waitaki Girls’ High School, along with a few others, Sam says.Rick feels proud Arrow’s work is being displayed, fulfilling one of her wishes. Pulling the exhibition together was harder some days than others, Sam says.“It’s probably not so much the physical work, you know, because she had it sort of all done, and we just had to go through it and choose. But it was the emotional work of looking through it, that was the biggy, you know. “On some days, you know, it felt nice, it felt comforting. On other days, it was really painful.”Sam says she would swing from the joy of seeing what her daughter had accomplished and feeling grateful to be her mother, to the pain of recognising the huge potential she had and the despair of her loss.Her overwhelming emotion though, was pride.“I’m so proud of Arrow, of her artistic achievements.” While helping to collate the works, Rick struggled with the thought that though Arrow was talented and involved in a lot of activities, "it still wasn't enough”.“She's a very complex character,” Sam says. “And I think the variety of work that's shown in the exhibition will show that she had all these different characters she fulfilled, and interests.”While Arrow’s parents will keep the originals of all her work, there will be prints for sale, with proceeds going to the Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust, an organisation which had been a huge support to the couple over the past months.Arrow loved people, her mother says.She loved taking photos of children when she was working as a journalist, and seeing how excited they got telling her their names afterwards.“She said they got such joy from that. So she was happy she was able to bring others joy.”It was a coincidence that the exhibition opening falls so near Arrow’s Valentine’s Day birthday. “There were just two time slots available this year for the community space, and one of them happened to be starting on the 15th, so it kinda felt meant to be,” Sam says.A self-portrait of Arrow which, after her death, Sam and a friend secretly hung on the wall of Bruce Mahalski's Museum of Natural Mysteries in Dunedin. The stunt was a copycat of Mahalski's planting of his own work at Te Papa, in Wellington. Photo: SuppliedWhere to get helpNeed to talk? 1737, free 24/7 phone and text numberLifeline Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE)Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)General mental health inquiries: 0800 443 366The Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or online chatSamaritans: 0800 726 666First Steps - providing mental health & wellbeing support to business across AotearoaRural Support Trusts - support for rural people: 0800 787 254Farmstrong - wellbeing support for the rural communityFirstMate - support for the commercial seafood sector: 0800 237 438Rural Employee Support Hub - advice and support for New Zealand rural employees: 0800 694 121, [email protected]

To those who know them, it may come as no surprise that Ōamaru siblings Breanna and Mason Kingan are taking part in this weekend’s Coast to Coast race; it’s in their blood.The teens come from a family of adventure lovers, with parents Twyla and Callum raising them along with younger brother Fergus,11, to love a good excursion.“We're born into it,” says 16-year-old Mason, who is year 12 at Waitaki Boys’ High School.The Coast to Coast is a multi-discipline, 243km adventure race which starts on the West Coast’s Kumara Beach on Friday (February 7), covers the width of the South Island, and ends on Brighton Beach near Christchurch. Breanna, 17, and Mason are taking part in the two-day, two-person relay event.The pair have watched their father take part twice, and do the Goat’s Pass mountain run once, while Mum was part of a team which took on the equally daunting Godzone race. This Friday, day one, Mason starts the race with a 2.2km run, into a 55km bike ride. Breanna then taps in with the 30.5km run over Goat’s Pass.She has already been over the pass with the family, including Fergus, so isn’t too daunted by the prospect. “It's pretty wicked up there.”Breanna leaping across Goat's Pass, with younger brother Fergus following close behind. Photo: SuppliedOn day two Mason starts with a 15km bike ride to his kayak for a 70km paddle down the Waimakariri River to meet Breanna who is on a road bike for 70+km to the finish line. The pair have been officially in training since October, and competed in the Challenge Wanaka Multi, which was a 25km kayak, 43km mountain bike and 14km trail run, although they both already had a great fitness base from playing winter sports and just being part of the Kingan family.The pair say training has been conflict-free so far.“Because we're not doing it together, so we don't have to train together,” Breanna says.The year 13 Waitaki Girls’ High School student also lived and worked at Ohau for the summer, so was mostly left to her own devices training-wise.“Then every once a month, when I was up there, we ended up doing a big old hike somewhere, as a family.”Wanting to get into kayaking was a motivating factor for Mason, and this will be his fourth race in the boat.He says it’s “pretty good”.“It keeps you awake! There's always waves and rapids.”Mason gets some time in on the water, before the Coast to Coast this weekend. Photo: SuppliedThe pair don’t expect to place in the race, but will be disappointed if they don’t finish.“We’d just like to embrace the experience, probably,” Mason says.“I guess embrace it and enjoy the hard parts as much as the highs,” adds Breanna.  She says her dad has been helping her work on her mental strength.“Each part you'll find something that might, might just be a little bit more challenging, but you never stop. Like, you can walk, but you never stop.“We're pretty lucky with Mum and Dad's genetics when it comes to our mental side, and Mason's pretty mentally tough anyway,” she says.It’s the “toughness” part that Mason loves about the thought of the Coast to Coast.“The length, and just, it's not a sprint. Like, it’s actually, you just have to keep going.”On a good week, he was training up to 14 hours, he says.The duo are both grateful for the support and guidance of their parents, and appreciate none of this would be possible without them. “Trips up to Christchurch, food, kayaking, the practice race and stuff like that. I mean, I'm sure they love it too.”Kurow’s Paul Gow is taking on his 10th Coast to Coast this year. He has previously ranked in the top 10 and finished 12th in the Men’s Elite Longest Day category in 2020 and 2022.Papakaio farmer Ed Finlay is also competing in the Longest Day, veteran (40-49) category, for the first time.

By RNZ senior reporter Delphine HerbertTāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary is the fifth in AotearoaIt's the 23rd in the worldOne of the rare places where you will be able to see the total solar eclipse in 2028Around 200,000 hectares of land located at the head of Lake Whakatipu has officially been certified as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.Named the Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary, it is the fifth sanctuary in Aotearoa to get the title, and 23rd in the world.The initiative is run by Dark Sky International which certifies communities, parks, and protected areas around the world that preserve night-sky visibility through responsible lighting policies and public education.The sanctuary stretches from Bennett's Bluff to the northern boundary of Mt Aspiring National Park and more than 75 percent of the Sanctuary falls into UNESCO Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Wilderness.The Routeburn, Greenstone-Caples and Rees-Dart tracks also all fall within it.The sanctuary surrounds the townships of Glenorchy and Kinloch and in the coming year they will be brought into the International Dark Sky Places program as an International Dark Sky Community. It's an approach similar to the Kaikōura InternationalDark Sky Sanctuary certified in 2024.Listen to Morning Report: Land near Lake Whakatipu certified as Dark Sky SanctuaryIt will also be one of the rare places where you can see the total solar eclipse in 2028, with the Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary, being the only sanctuary in its path.Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Skies Group chairperson Leslie Van Gelder said it is a huge achievement.''We're really hopeful that particularly for Tāhuna Glenorchy that people will come and spend the night, and so once they realise there's only one small spot on the planet where you can see the Aurora and you can see the core of the Milky Way and we sit in that sweet spot.Only 10,000 people live in that band in the whole world, and we're among them," Van Gelder said.One of the Sanctuary's key aims is to engage with Ngāi Tahu to improve people's awareness of the knowledge that is held in the planets and the stars, that have helped guide countless previous generations.The Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary. Photo: Supplied / Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Group / Corrine Davis via RNZKāi Tahu ki Tuawhenua representative Jana Davis said it is important more people are made aware."There are different ways Māori refer to our stars, ngā whetū (stars), or tīpuna whetū (ancestral stars), or whetū mārama (bright and beautiful stars!), and they hold deep significance for Kāi Tahu whānau."These same stars guided our tīpuna (ancestors) from Hawaiki across the vast Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean), weaving stories that transcend space and time."As Kāi Tahu whānau, we are dedicated to protecting these pristine night skies and our taiao (environment)."They are a taoka (precious), connecting mātauraka Māori from our tīpuna to our mokopuna (descendants). The Dark Sky Sanctuary ensures these stories and connections will endure for generations to come," he said."DOC was excited to support the application of the Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary and our hut rangers played an important role in taking the necessary light readings in difficult to access areas."The Department of Conversation manages a large part of the new sanctuary, with Mt Aspiring National Park straddling the spectacular mountains and valleys at the southern end of the Southern Alps/ Kā Tiritiri o te Moana - renowned for its exceptional beauty and large core of wilderness."The new designation will further protect these values into the future," Davis said.Selwyn District Council has also started work to get Dark Sky accreditation at Arthur's Pass and Castle Hill.Community and Economic Development head Clare Quirke said it would be a boost for all the locals."They include job creation and support for local businesses to create income. They also boost tourism and extend the tourism season.The Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary. Photo: Supplied / Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Group / Corrine Davis via RNZ"Obviously there's environmental benefits of reducing like pollution, energy conservation and protecting wildlife, particularly nocturnal fauna and flora," Quirke said.Community Services and Facilities executive director Denise Kidd said it would be great to achieve."We're very mindful that there is some real significance culturally in terms of the areas that we're talking about."A lot of the cultural strength is around the night sky and the cultural astronomic features associated with it," Kidd said.Other Dark Sky Sanctuaries in Aotearoa are in Stewart Island, Kaikōura and Great Barrier Island.DarkSky has certified more than 200 Places since Flagstaff, Arizona, was named the first International Dark Sky City in 2001. - RNZ

A “village” for new mums is coming to Ōamaru.Postpartmum, started by Broghan Van Aalst in Dunedin in October 2023, is opening a branch here this week.Broghan says when she became a mother to her now four-year-old son, she was grateful for her “village”, but still struggled with some mental and physical aspects. She wondered how mothers without any support coped.Postpartmum is Broghan’s way of offering that village to as many new mums as possible.A self–described “hospo queen”, Broghan was manager of popular Dunedin eatery Buster Greens before Covid hit and she discovered she was pregnant.She took the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mum for a few years, but as her baby grew, so did her business idea, and once her son was old enough to start kindergarten, she put her idea out into the world.“I put something up on the Mums of Dunedin Facebook group, and then next day just bit the bullet and made an Instagram page and contacted someone from a website.“Two weeks later I was booked out for three months every day, so I hired three more people.”Times are tough for a lot of families at the moment, Broghan says.“Especially since Covid. A lot of people had to move away for work, or stuff with the cost of living going up and, it's just that ripple effect from everything, from your home and your life.”She wants to provide a bit of peace of mind, and take the mental and physical load off people when they have nobody else around.“I had my sister-in-law in my back pocket, and my mother-in-law, and many friends, and I still struggled, and people still do. So like, people without even friends around, no wonder there's mental health issues and a lot of post-traumatic stress and anxieties.“So, I just really want to try and make a little dent in that and try and slow that at least.”Once things took off in Dunedin, Broghan put the feelers out to see how Postpartmum would go in other Otago towns.From posting on a number of community Facebook pages in the region, she ended up with 30 job applications, but most were from Ōamaru and Alexandra.She also had people messaging her saying “I hope you get someone here, ’cause I need you”.She has hired Alyssa Jones in Ōamaru, a “natural helper and giver” and has a second person ready to step up if business demands it, she says.Services will be offered in a 15km radius of town at this stage to keep travel time to a minimum.Alyssa Jones will be working for Postpartmum in Ōamaru. Photo: SuppliedThe services Postpartmum offers vary from doing dishes and/or cleaning, to walking the dog or occupying the toddler, while mum has a shower or feeds the baby.A day in the life of Broghan looks different from one day to the next.Sometimes she’s a nanny, sometimes she’s a cleaner, sometimes it’s just noticing what needs to be done without having to be told. “To everyone, I'm like, ‘do not walk in there and say, what do you want me to do?’. “I do say if there's nothing obvious or clear . . . I'd say what's bothering you the most, not what needs done . . because then they’d be like, everything.”Broghan says, although mothers might not realise it, sometimes the biggest role they have is being available to “hold a conversation space” for clients, to allow them to talk with another person.“A like-minded person that gets it, which is massive. It's feeling heard and seen.” The Postpartmum workers are also mothers, so business hours tend to work in with school or kindergarten. Broghan deals with emails and admin after her son is in bed at night.The business is registered with Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) for in-home support, and sometimes mothers who are struggling can get a referral through their doctor.The business is also registered with Givenwell - a website well-being providers can register with, so people can be gifted tokens to spend on their health and well-being through the site, Broghan says.“So it's all about preventative measures rather than trying to fix something that's broken.”Her goal for the year is to also be ACC registered to provide home support for birth and other injuries.

Rural Southland is maybe not where you would expect the next generation of Māori art to spring from, but that’s where you’ll find Caitlin Rose Donnelly (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Irakehu, Kāti Mako ki Wairewa, Pākehā) most of the time.The mother of two lives with her husband, contract milking on a dairy farm, and through her contemporary art expresses her experiences of mum-life intertwined with her journey of discovering her Māoritanga.Of the four exhibitions she has brought together as a “curatorial artist” for Ōamaru's Forrester Gallery, her solo exhibition, is Kei te Haere Ahau - 'I am going'.Caitlin came to the name after being inspired by listening to a panel discussion a couple of years earlier.“I really loved that sentiment of drawing strength from the whenua (land) and from the awa (river), from our places, and tīpuna (ancestors) in that way.The sheets and pillowcases are washed in wai (water) and paint, in an unlived-in house her chief in the fire service owned and offered to her.The idea began as an experiment while Caitlin was completing her Masters at Dunedin School of Art.“Then I kind of liked it, and it's just looking at motherhood every day. The washing, the washing . . . just the washing! And then the colours connecting that to, especially at that time, learning to be like, ‘I am Māori’. Caitlin is adopted, and was raised by a Pākehā family in an open adoption, but with “iwi unknown” on her adoption booklet.Late into completing her art degree, and around the time she had her first child, she found a cousin and more information about her iwi and started making those connections.“It's been really slow . . . but I wanted to know the people, I wanted to know the marae, I wanted to know my cousins, know my whānau.”Caitlin joined Paemanu (Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts) where she has gained confidence with her art and Māoritanga.“Simon Kaan (of Paemanu) was working at art school in Dunedin at the time, and he’s long left that position, but he stayed connected with me, and he watched me go from ‘unknown’ to same whakapapa line as him, and he's more like my uncle . . . and he's just really lovely, and he welcomed me into Paemanu, so that's how I've got all these amazing connections. And I would be nowhere without all these awesome people.” To Caitlin, art is “nothing but a conversation”.“I always hope my work and these shows will spark conversations. But also art is never made solely alone, it’s made by so many interactions, by relationships.“It’s the manifestation of these things with deep thought, skills and material.” Kei te Haere Ahau - 'I am going'  involves a “big red maunga (mountain) slash waterfall”.“Then a lot of black stacked on the sides. Kind of awa (river), kind of washing, and we look at te po and te kore in the black. And we look at wāhine, and we look at … a lot of feminine things in the red, and a lot of that non-violent nature. But then there's always that violent reality of being a woman at times,” she says.Upstairs in the Forrester, with Iti Biti Matapihi, Caitlin is joined by Emma Kitson, Kate Stevens West, Aroha Novak, Georgina May Young, Alix Ashworth, Piupiu Maya Turei and Zoe Thompson-Moore. This exhibition also explores the theme of motherhood and the everyday experiences it entails. For example, Kate has children's toy houses she has painted, while Zoe’s work is made using “glitter” from tiny cut up pieces of her children’s chip packets.Alex is bringing “beautiful ceramic takata (people)” which will accessible for children to play with, and there will be a lightbox, which doubles as a coffee table, with different interactive images and pictures.Caitlin says the exhibition is a bit of a fun and interactive play, which captures both the joy and depth of the experience of motherhood. The concept draws inspiration from the notion that motherhood can be seen as fleeting but also significant windows in time.The group, each member of which Caitlin has met through a number of random interactions, has “had some really cool conversations” over Zoom for the past few months, she says.“Just talking and saying what we want to show, what we want to talk about.”The third exhibition, Broken Narratives, is a collaboration between Caitlin and Victoria McIntosh (the artist behind the Desserts of Discontent exhibition which has just ended). It explores the intricate realities of adoption through creativity, and reflects the fragmented, yet rich stories adoptees have to tell.Victoria is also adopted, although hers was a closed adoption.“Me and Victoria are going to look at adoption differently, a bit yin and yang,” Caitlin says.The exhibition highlights the unique and shared challenges both artists have faced through their different experiences. “I met Victoria when I was studying, years ago when I was in undergrad in the jewellery studio,” Caitlin says.“At first I was studying her work and then . . . I got to meet her. Fan girl moment. We bonded quickly over our adoption experiences, although they are in different generations and stories. She’s been an amazing support since and I’m glad to her call a friend. “I’m very honoured she accepted this opportunity to tell our stories together.” Caitlin and Victoria will be joined by leading academic scholar of Māori and Public Health in Aotearoa and University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha associate professor Dr Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll tomorrow (Saturday, February 1) for a kōrero at the gallery., Dr Ahuriri-Driscoll’s PhD investigated the concept of identity as it features in the lives and experiences of Māori adoptees. The kōrero will take place at 1pm.The fourth exhibition, in the Forrester’s main gallery, is Poipoia te Kākano.Allison Beck, Kate Stevens West, Jess Nicholson, Megan Brady and Emma Kitson join Caitlin as they express and celebrate their individual journeys of discovering and reconnecting with their whakapapa.This project celebrates the significance of ancestry, heritage, and cultural identity through diverse artistic practices. By examining both the pride and challenges associated with this journey, Poipoia te Kākano illuminates the enduring impact of whakapapa on contemporary life.“We were looking and speaking about our own whakapapa journeys. Me, myself, coming to it later in life, and learning how to connect and learning everything, you know?”Some of the others had similar experiences to Caitlin, while others connected more once they had children.“I've always been met with such lovely, ‘This is your place, you belong here’. Like, you go with all these fears, and then you meet with this loveliness.Forrester Gallery curator Anna McLean is excited about hosting the exhibitions.“I think there is a need for more, kind of, multiculturalism, biculturalism, and a commitment to te ao Māori. “I think it's been really great to work with Caitlin and bring in, and going into our extension. “There's a lot going on, but equally, all four (exhibitions) talk about different things, while also being really collaborative.” All four exhibitions open tomorrow (Saturday, February 1) and run until April 6.