From RNZ Morning Report: Listen here: Heavy rain and gale-force winds forecastThe country is about to be "plunged into winter" with snow to sea level possible in Canterbury and Otago by the weekend, MetService says.A list of 21 rain and wind warnings and watches are in place as a winter blast is set to converge on both islands.It's coming from across the Tasman Sea and bringing heavy rain, gale-force winds, and potential snow.Today's rain radar map Photo: Screenshot / MetService via RNZThe South Island's orange-level rain warnings cover the Tasman District, west of Motueka, from 6am on Wednesday; and Marlborough, northwest of the Richmond Range, and Nelson, east of the city, from 9am.Orange warnings for the North Island kick in for Taranaki Maunga from 7am; Northern Taihape and the southern parts of Taupō and Taumarunui from 10am; the Tararua Range from 11am.Most of these places can expect up to 150mm of rain with peak intensities of 20-30mm per hour, though the upper slopes of Taranaki Maunga could see heavier rain of up to 220mm.A further orange heavy rain warning is in place for Bay of Plenty, east of Whakatāne, and inland Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti from 8pm on Wednesday into Thursday morning.Heavy rain watches are in place for Fiordland, north of Breaksea Sound, overnight; and Horowhenua, Kāpiti Coast and Wellington from Wednesday morning.Similar watches are in effect from Wednesday afternoon for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island; Buller and Grey Districts south of Karamea; and Westland District, north of Fox Glacier.Concern over downpoursMetService head of weather news Heather Keats described the list of warnings and watches as "huge" as the system begins to affect the country.She said "significant" wind and rain watches were in place, with some areas under orange rain warnings."There's also thunderstorms again tied up in this system. So as the fronts travel across, they're going to possibly bring more downpours and we're expecting them to spark up from this afternoon."We're talking again from about Westland all the way up the west of the entire North Island and as far east as Bay of Plenty."They could deliver up to 40mm of rain in an hour, Keats said, and a potential for flooding."That warm northerly system meets a very biting southerly and that's when the snow kicks off from about midnight tonight."Canterbury, excluding Banks Peninsula, was under a heavy snow watch, with snow expected to fall above 300m, Keats said.There was the potential for snow at sea level for Otago and Canterbury from overnight on Friday."So Christchurch, Dunedin you could be seeing some snow for winter as early as Friday night, Saturday."It does feel like we're going to be plunged into winter because this biting southerly is for the entire country."It meant temperatures would be much colder than usual for this time of year, she said.Strong winds were expected for Wellington, Taranaki, Auckland and Northland. It might make conditions difficult for commuters in major cities, such as Auckland.It was unlikely the rain warnings would be upgraded to red, although it paid to keep an eye on the rain radar, she said.Flooding in Vanguard Street in Nelson last Monday. Photo: Supplied / Steve Armour via RNZNelson region on alertIntense rain caused flash flooding in the Nelson CBD a week ago and now Nelson east of Nelson city is under an orange level warning until midnight.Nelson Tasman Civil Defence public information manager Paul Shattock said it had begun raining and was expected to continue all day, with more intense bursts in the mix.Listen on Morning Report: Heavy rain warning for Tasman DistrictWith the amount of rain expected, the rivers could reach flood levels so a close eye would be kept on them, especially this afternoon when the high tides would occur."Unfortunately, when that heavy rain falls in high tide the heavy rain doesn't have anywhere to go and that's what caused those floods that occurred last Monday."He was hoping for a lesser impact this week due to the tide levels and the atmospheric pressure being a lot lower.People were being asked to avoid driving through surface flooding.Streams and river levels could rise quickly so caution was necessary, he said. - RNZ

Sara McCunnie is the new face on the Tees Street block, with her business The Village Architect, but hers will be a familiar face to many in the Waitaki.Sara and her husband Patrick live in Livingstone and have been heavily involved in the Duntroon community over the years.The couple have lived in the area on and off, since their children were little.“We moved to Australia so that I could study architecture, and we stayed there with our kids. They left home and we came back here as empty nesters.”Sara was “really lucky” to get a job with resthome operator Ryman Healthcare.“I just had a tremendous career there,” she says.In the 13 years she worked for Ryman, she was involved in master planning and designing major refurbishments of rest homes. She was initially based at their Christchurch head office, then after four years, worked remotely from Livingstone.When her job with Ryman ended in April, Sara decided to “pivot to self-employment”. Working remotely had already allowed her to take on smaller projects on the side.“Just doing little bits and pieces.“I did our own home renovation, some work for my sister and other various locals, just to keep my hand in it.”The scale of the work Sara was doing at Ryman was “massive”, so she enjoyed the smaller, practical “still lodging a building consent-type of hands-on stuff”, and it made the transition out of Ryman “reasonably smooth”.She is excited about her new premises in town at 16A Tees Street, and having a presence in town, after feeling a bit invisible at home.She wanted to be in an old building, and says she chose hers due to its level entry, lighting, and “nice vibe”. “I’m just really lucky I found it.”Heritage buildings, and making them more liveable for people as they age, holds particular interest for Sara. “ I have always lived in old homes and I just love them. You know, I've chosen an old shop because I love it. I think the Waitaki District, the built heritage here is just amazing.“The reality, too, is that it's the homes that people own here . . . I had a look at the stats at the council for their new dwelling consents in the last quarter of last year and it was 17, you know.“We don't build a lot of new stuff here, and so there's probably work for refurbishment. And if I can bring an ageing-in-place kind of lens on that for people, that's great as well. If you can set up your home so that you can grow old in it.”Sara enjoys the complexity of adapting older buildings.“I’ve just got a bit of a passion for old things. I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl, you know. I make jam, and I sew my own clothes, and I just like old-fashioned things, I suppose.”However, she also uses the latest, top-of-the-line software and products and says her work is all about utilising the best of both worlds.Specialising in work for people with dementiaDuring her time with Ryman, Sara developed a particular passion for designing spaces for people living with dementia, which led her to pursue a doctorate on the topic.“Dementia is so much more than memory loss,” she says.“It affects your eyesight, affects your hearing, it affects your ability to manage stimulation … there's kind of overlaps with a stroke and with autism, you know, some of those kinds of things. It is really easy to get overstimulated and really easy to get under-stimulated as well.”There are a lot of different models internationally for how people can live with dementia and Sara visited the Netherlands in 2022 for her study.“They're quite innovative in what they do. In New Zealand, there's a more institutional model that we’re moving away from slowly.”Sara is interested in how she can help local people adapt their own homes for ageing or dementia, but is also open and keen to consult with key operators and other architects nationally.“There is a lot of social stigma towards people with dementia, and there will be a move towards unlocking doors. It's a bit of a human rights issue,” she says.There is a need to strike a balance between safety and positive risk-taking, which is something New Zealand is currently adjusting to.“Some of the places I saw in the Netherlands were amazing - people cooking, people gardening, people working with animals, and in New Zealand you can end up living in a bit of a hotel here and there's a whole lot of issues with that, with boredom and lack of sense of place.”The number of people with dementia is on the rise, and Sara estimates there are around 520 people in the Waitaki District who have symptoms of dementia, many of whom will be undiagnosed.“I think one of the things, too, is . . . it's sort of treated a bit like a switch that's flicked, you know, and then you're in care and you're locked up and that's it, and you can't remember anything anymore. And it's not really like that.”There are many different types of dementia, and people have their individual journeys through the symptoms, she says. One person’s symptoms might be in reverse order from somebody else’s, depending on which part of the brain deteriorates first.All aged-care homes and retirement villages should be dementia-friendly, Sara says.“Because the more enabling the environment is, the more autonomy and independence that person has and the longer they can live a full life.”With her expertise in care home refurbishments, she can provide services to places that are already functioning. To help people diagnosed remain in their homes longer, there are also certain things she can advise them on. “There are small things you can do, like swapping out your cupboard doors so they've got glazing in them so you can see this is the cupboard the cups live in, you know?“You've got your coffee and tea tins - mine are the same size, one's blue and one's yellow, you know, really, they probably need a label on them. A lot of it's really commonsense stuff.”Tonal contrast is also important to take into consideration, she says.Floor transitions between carpet and vinyl need to be the same tone, because a person’s depth perception is altered, and they can mistake a change in colour for a step.“I've got a black doormat, that's a no-no because that might just look like a hole in the floor.”“So these might be people who are quite capable of engaging you in a full conversation, they'll know who their grandchildren are, and what they did for a job, it'll just be that their visual processing is really damaged.” Sara is in the process of collaborating with Auckland University and Alzheimer's New Zealand to develop training around dementia design principles for detached dwellings in New Zealand. Helping people with regulations around sleepouts and granny flats and where to put them is also in her wheelhouse, and “checklist assessments” about what can and can’t be changed, and what a project might entail. “Then we could embark on a renovation project, if people want to go down that line. Or it might be enough to say ‘this place isn't suitable, it's time to go’.”Sara is open by appointment, but aims to be at The Village Architect on 16A Tees Street five days a week.

By RNZ Digital Journalist Isra'a EmhailDried and chapped fingers, blackened finger cots and eight hours of sitting on a wooden court pew - American artists are giving their all to cover intense trial proceedings.At a Manhattan studio brimming with pastel trays in every colour you can imagine, Jane Rosenberg says she’s burned through so many pastels in the P Diddy trial that her fingerprints have nearly vanished, and her finger protection covers have turned to black.For the past two weeks, the American portraitist has lugged a cart full of art supplies to the federal courthouse to sketch one of the most prominent men now on trial in the United States.No cameras have been allowed in the trial of P Diddy, real name Sean Combs, who is facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The 55-year-old hip hop mogul has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Artist Jane Rosenberg says it takes about three days to clean her pastel boxes. Supplied / Jane Rosenberg via RNZRelated stories:Wellington's Tākina: Hundreds of Disney sketches, concept artwork to go on displayArtist Gary Myrick on the dying art of courtroom sketchingEric Ngan: Sharing the world one sketch at a timeIn New Zealand, it's rare to see court sketch artists because if a judge permits news photographers, then there's no need for an artist. Where the judge has not allowed for a camera in a trial, the same considerations may apply for a sketch artist.In New York, Rosenberg and fellow artist Elizabeth Williams have been courtroom sketching since the '80s, recently covering trials of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, and former partner of financier Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking.Both are illustrating each day in the intense proceedings of the Diddy trial, which is set to go on for a further six to eight weeks.“I'm so tired. My husband must hate me because here I have a four-day weekend and I've been working every second to try to clean my box, which I didn't do since before the Trump trial [a year ago],” Rosenberg says, adding it takes about three days to clean it.“My box is 40 years old and held together by gaffer tape now…“I sometimes take my fingers [to scoop the chalk pastel dust up] and dump piles of dust into the garbage. It’s just a mess. It's very dusty and dirty. I don't feel like talking about it. I don’t ever like touching pastels when I'm out of court.”Williams and Rosenberg can get through the crowds waiting to get a seat in the Diddy trial at the federal courthouse in Manhattan (pictured) using their special credential passes. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images / AFP via RNZShe sets up her tools an hour early in the courtroom on what limited space she shares with two other artists, gives the pastels a final polish if there’s time, and straps binoculars to her head.“I look like a crazy person. I can't see that far away. I can barely see with the binoculars somebody's like eyeballs or anything, you know? So, I do the best I can.”Williams uses opera-type glasses for a closer view but focuses on the overall scene. She draws on her fashion illustration background to sketch the way people walk, sit and gesture using oil pastels. Elizabeth Williams sketching in court. Supplied / Jefferson SiegelWilliams says they're under so much pressure that proper lunch breaks are now a thing of the past. Rosenberg uses what little time she has between witnesses to rush out of the room and snap a picture on her phone to send to clients.“I don't have time to fix anything, and I feel a little like cringing sometimes and go ‘oh, why didn't I think to do this or that?'"People online sometimes criticise their sketches of high-profile defendants, expecting “the glammed-up Hollywood version”, she says.“Even like P Diddy, not only does he not look like [he does on red carpets], he has grey hair and a white goatee beard, he didn't look anything like that. Some people are harder likenesses or easier likenesses, you know, Trump seemed to always have an easy likeness with that hair and the eyebrows points, you know, he had an easy face.”Do we do courtroom sketching in New Zealand?Christchurch artist Stephanie McEwin was commissioned by Associated Press to sketch Brenton Tarrant at a hearing where cameras were not allowed on 14 June, 2019.Supplied / Stephanie McEwinChristchurch artist Stephanie McEwin, 68, has looked at courtroom sketching with great interest for years but couldn’t get her foot in the door until Associated Press came back to her in 2019.McEwin was commissioned to sketch terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 worshippers at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in 2019, at a hearing where the judge had not allowed cameras into the courtroom.It's one of the few times in recent history where an artist was commissioned for a court case in New Zealand.Journalist Steve Braunias, who has covered high-profile court cases in New Zealand over 30 years, says it’s not clear if we ever had a tradition of using courtroom sketch artists. Even when newsrooms were bustling with reporters, he doesn’t recall seeing them.Writer and journalist Steve Braunias says it's a shame we don't see illustrators covering high-profile cases in New Zealand. Photo: Dean Purcell via RNZMassey University journalism associate professor James Hollings believes the main reason is, when a judge allows for a camera to be present, most media would pull imagery from this source, and news organisations would find it harder to justify the expense of a sketch artist.Could we see a revival?Rosenberg, who last year released a book, Drawn Testimony, about her 40-year career, says it’s the first time she has had so much work that she couldn’t do a single painting for galleries this year.But it comes in spurts and court sketch artists have dwindled, she says.“When I first started, when I'd go to a case, there'd be 17 artists.“What happens now is you can work for more than one station because there's not enough in the courtroom to allow everybody … So now it's non-exclusive, so there's really very few artists that survived and I guess I'm one of the few lucky ones. There's not that many of us.”Braunias believes it’s a missed opportunity for New Zealand because sketch artists require less set-up than a camera and don’t grab as much attention during the trial.“There’s a fascination and artistry to a courtroom sketch which is absent in courtroom photography. Courtroom photography by its very nature and limitations is quite constrained. It’s often a photograph of an accused person behind glass in the dock and it’s from a distance – these are all sort of court-appointed rules the judge lays down.” - RNZ

It’s been a busy few days out of the Waitaki District Council communications department. Rates are going up, some buildings have had a facelift and then there’s all the water stuff, which, to be honest, though it’s important, is pretty dry.At a full council meeting on Tuesday (May 27), an average rates increase of 9.79% was approved for the next rateable year, 2025/26, as part of the 2025-34 Long Term Plan. The rates will go up again the following year (6.5% on average), but then there will be a drop of about 16% when water charges are separated from the rates in 2027/28 (read more about the water below).Following that, rates rises remain below 4% for the following seven years.Mayor Gary Kircher says the process has been “extremely difficult”.The council has been working on the Long Term Plan for close to two years, juggling different opinions over what priorities are, and amidst increasing affordability challenges in the community.“A lot of work has gone into reducing cost for the ratepayer,” he says.“We’ve managed to get it down to 9.79%, which is still more than anyone would like. However, the decisions today set the course for declining rates over this decade, bringing much-needed relief to the community.”In a more colourful update, three buildings in the Thames Street CBD have a fresh new look...The first-floor facades on three of the town’s more tired-looking buildings have had a makeover as part of the Central Ōamaru Masterplan. The plan includes five community-led projects, created with the purpose of making Ōamaru’s town centre more vibrant (the Moa Trail was another of those projects). The three adjacent buildings - Soul, Surf & Skate, Spark, and Morcomm Systems Ltd - have some new colour on their faces, to highlight Ōamaru’s unique architecture while bringing some life back into it.The three buildings before their colour up. Next on the to-do list is new signage and some TLC for the verandahs. Photo: SuppliedThe Facade Renovation project team members who gave up their time are Virginia Barlow (VBA Ltd), Kristina Lowe (McBrimar), and Laura Byars (National Group). They worked with council officers David Campbell, Chloe Searle, and Melanie Jones.By targeting three side-by-side properties, the team aimed to demonstrate what can be achieved through collaboration, while recognising that at times maintaining and restoring the buildings can be a daunting prospect for individual owners.Shirley Morris, co-owner of the 1879 Morcomm building designed by Thomas Forrester, says they have wanted to restore the building for some time, but there have always been other priorities.“Working with the project team has been great. We were able to bounce ideas off each other and collaborate on things like shared scaffolding, which made the work easier and more cost-effective for everyone.”The building owners all contributed money to the work, with the extra funds coming from the Waitaki Heritage Fund and Government Better Off Funding.The next stage of this project will include the repair and restoration of the verandahs and installation of new signage.Meanwhile, we are drowning in water issues…Council chief executive Alex Parmley has spoken out against misinformation circulating in the form of a piece of writing called 'They Want to Give Away Our Water' by Mike Sweeney.The document has been circulated on social media, and is about the Southern Water Done Well consultation the council is in the process of carrying out.The consultation outlines four options for managing Waitaki’s water services:1. The Southern Water group - A joint council-controlled organisation (CCO) with Clutha, Central Otago and Gore districts (the preferred option);2. A standalone Waitaki CCO;3. An in-house business unit;4. The South Canterbury group - a joint council-controlled organisation with Mackenzie, Timaru and Waimate districts.None of the options involves the status quo of in-house delivery.Government reforms require ring-fenced funding, greater transparency, and stronger borrowing capacity to improve water infrastructure and quality, which means change is unavoidable. Public consultation ends on June 6, and the council has to submit a water services delivery plan to the Department of Internal Affairs by September 3.While Mr Parmley says there is an important discussion that needs to take place in the community, and it is fine for people to hold different views on what the best option is, this does not leave space for misinformation.A screengrab of some of the mistakes highlighted by the council in a publication about the council's water consultation. Photo: Supplied/WDC Facebook page“We can easily call it misinformation, because anyone reading this document and taking it as fact, would be terribly misinformed,” he says.“Not just about the current consultation, but the water reforms, the future regulation, council’s finances, and the significant change that is coming to all water services in New Zealand.”The document makes several unfounded claims and is extremely selective when it comes to information that contradicts the author’s view. It partially quotes source documents rather than using all the information to present a balanced view, he says."Throughout the document, council is accused of making ‘false claims, ‘false argument(s)’ and an ‘intense propaganda campaign’.“It is ironic that we have reviewed the evidence presented and found it fails to engage with facts or reality in a serious manner. This is a shame as it could lead some people to claim the consultation results are not valid as they are based on false information.”To read the consultation document, visit the Waitaki District Council website and, if you like, have a say. To see a step-by-step analysis of 'They Want to Give Away Our Water', and a breakdown of what the council says it got wrong, visit the website here.And last but not least, sorry dog owners, but registrations are going up again - some as much as 75%.At Tuesday’s council meeting, an increase in dog registration and related fees for dog owners in the Waitaki District was agreed on by elected members.The new 2025/26 fees are $130.50 for a non-working, urban dog (up from $87), $105 for a neutered working dog (up from $70). A Selected Owner will now pay $61.25 (up from $35), and farm dogs (pets or working) are $39 (up from $26).There will also be an increase in the first offence impounding of a dog, to $100.These changes will take effect from July 1. 

A cable car race is underway in Queenstown, as two different companies unveil their schemes to connect the resort town by high-wire.Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd have revealed blueprints of their proposed transport networks this week.Kiwi-owned Whoosh has been developing self-driving cabins to go on an elevated cable network, which riders would be able to book on an app.Whoosh chief executive Chris Allington. Photo: RNZ / Katie ToddToday at the Electrify Queenstown conference, Whoosh chief executive Chris Allington from the engineering firm Holmes Solutions revealed a map of where the six-part network could go.The network could link Frankton to Shotover Country to the Remarkables Ski Hill, but he said Whoosh was keen to adapt its plans to feedback from Queenstown locals.He said the first two kilometres or so - a pilot project around Remarkables Park - could be operational as soon as next year."This isn't fiction, this isn't fake, this isn't an animation, this is actually coming. And it's coming fast," he told the crowd.Whoosh's vision for Queenstown. Photo: Supplied via RNZWork would begin this year, and it was just a matter of "dotting i's and crossing t's" and obtaining resource consent for the buildings, he said.Allington did not put a date on the wider network, besides saying Whoosh's modular design made it very quick to build."It's not like we need to finish it all before any of it can open... it will just keep getting extended and keep rolling across in the direction, in the places, that Queenstown wants it to go," he said.So far, the network had a ballpark cost estimate of $250 million, he said.Listen on Checkpoint: Cable car companies unveil plans to connect QueenstownWhoosh was funded by shareholders and private equity from offshore, and Allington said he believed the price tag was achievable."The funny thing is, it's actually easier to fund the big project than a small one, particularly stuff like this. It's clean, it's green, it's sustainable. There's lots of funding sources available for that," he said.But hot on Whoosh's heels was another initiative from Southern Infrastructure Ltd.Southern Infrastructure chief executive Ross Copland. Photo: RNZ / Katie ToddChief executive Ross Copland described the company as less of an innovator, and more of a problem solver for the town's traffic woes."We're not a supplier, so we don't have a particular technology. We're an infrastructure developer that's looking to solve a transport problem in Queenstown. We've looked really closely at all the options - our preference at this stage is a ropeway," he said.Southern Infrastructure planned to build an electric, high-speed urban gondola network around Queenstown, at a cost of about $200 million.It revealed a map of its planned network straddling seven stations, from Arthur's Point, to Queenstown central, to Ladies Mile, with stopoffs at Queenstown Airport and the Frankton bus hub.Queenstown Cable Car's indicative map. Photo: SuppliedCopland said it was the sum of years of careful analysis of height limits, existing infrastructure, geotechnical stability and significant ecological areas."It's almost a direct route into Queenstown, but importantly it bypasses a lot of those residential areas where the visual effects would be quite significant," he said."We think it's a project that's consentable and also quite efficient."The project had backing from rich-lister Rod Drury, and support from one of the world's biggest ski lift companies, Doppelmayr.Copland admitted the company's goal of launching by the end of 2028 was "aggressive", but said the need was urgent."There's a couple of different ways the project can be funded. We'd love to see it brought in as part of the public transport funding models so that people in the region, whether they're visitors or locals, can have quite a seamless experience moving between bus, ferry and the cable. But that relies on a whole lot of decisions that are outside of our control, so local government, central government will have a really key role in deciding," he said."If that doesn't happen, then the funding model will be through, effectively, ticket prices, that will be paid by residents and visitors. The modelling we've done shows really strong growth and really strong uptake by passengers. So we think that under either of those scenarios, it's still a commercially viable project."Doppelmayr NZ chief executive Gareth Hayman. Photo: RNZ / Katie ToddDoppelmayr New Zealand chief executive Gareth Hayman hoped locals would see cable transit as a tried and tested option."A gondola is not that scary at all. It's been, in use for the last 25 years within public transport networks. It's proven, it's tested, we understand what we need to do and we're here to make it happen," he said.Asked if Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd were competitors or allies, Allington said each was trying different methods to ease traffic congestion in Queenstown."I think we're all trying to achieve the same thing. We want to get Queenstown moving again. We want to do that in a sustainable way," he said. - RNZ

A project which has long been on the Waitaki Boys’ High School to-do list was ticked off yesterday, with the official opening of the Nathan Smith Performance Centre.The centre was opened by Nathan’s Ōamaru-based parents Nicci and Greg Smith, while he is overseas playing cricket.School sport coordinator Twyla Kingan says creating the centre, which houses weight lifting and cardio equipment, has been a goal of hers and physical education head of department Ian Cathcart’s for a number of years.Twyla says it is “pretty cool” Nathan agreed to sponsor the centre by allowing his name to be used and donating money towards helping to get it up and running. He is a former Waitaki Boys’ student, who last year became a Black Cap. His final year at the school was in 2016.He has also donated a signed Black Caps top, which is framed and on a wall dedicated to him, inside the gym, along with a list of his achievements.Nathan was a stand-out choice as naming sponsor, as an old boy with recent sporting success, Twyla says.“So he is kind of known to all the boys . . . it was pretty cool to be able to secure him.”The Performance Centre name is a nod to what Twyla says they hope to achieve with the facility.“It's going to be able to be used for PE classes, sports teams, and individuals. The new Nathan Smith Performance Centre. Photo: Ashley Smyth“I know that there are lots of students who will go to the gyms in town, but if they can, you know, do it at lunchtime or after school, it might free up some of their schedule ‘cos they pack a lot in.”The centre will operate with an electronic fob key entry, and once a boy signs up, they will be properly inducted and taught how to safely use the equipment before they are allowed access to the gym at a time that suits them. The room will not be open 24/7, though, Twyla says.“We don't want people in here at midnight . . . and we'll have a security camera up in here too.”Waitaki Boys’ rector Darryl Paterson says the centre is a “fantastic addition to the school”.“And great to recognise Nathan, who's done so well coming from sticking with Waitaki Boys’ when there were a lot of schools, I think, chasing his services back in the day, as the other schools tend to do.“He’s just proven that you can make it from here.”Darryl says he can see the staff getting good use out of the centre as well.The project has been a focus of the Waitaki Boys' Sports Advisory Council, which has done the majority of the fundraising, Twyla says. “There's been fundraising over the years for it, and so we were able to put a big chunk of money aside.”Some of the gear has come from the school hostel, and other parts were bought secondhand from the North Otago Rugby Union, when the Centennial Park grandstand was demolished, to make way for the new event centre.“So we were fortunate to get those things . . . and we'll chip away at things and there'll be a small membership fee to help with the upkeep.” A Waitaki District Council community grant paid for one of the cardio machines, and fundraising will continue, with a tiered gold, silver, bronze sponsorship system to be introduced to help with maintenance, acquiring new equipment, and also paying for a trainer to help with inductions.Dean Sutherland of Ireland Signs prepared the signage, frosted windows frontage, and the Nathan Smith wall inside, while Matthew “Wicksey” Wicks has painted a mural along the back wall.The mural painted by Matthew 'Wicksey' Wicks. Photo: SuppliedSome of the equipment is awaiting assembly by professionals, and the entry system is yet to be installed, but Twyla is hoping the centre will be operational by the end of the term.She said the biggest reason for bringing the performance centre to life, was because the boys wanted it.“Just listening to the student voice, like they want a gym at school and I think it enhances the school . . . They want something like this. “We totally expect to pick up some (students) that we might not see on a sports team, but this could be their thing . . . physically, mentally, and socially. “It would be so good for them, because there's something out there for everyone, and if it is a weight room, then now there’s this.” It is important the centre isn’t dominated by one particular team or group, it’s more about "scooping up the individuals".“I'm so pleased with it," Twyla says."There's been a lot of hours in the background spent on it.”

Everyone, from art enthusiasts to curious newcomers, is invited to explore the Mini Waitaki Art Trail at Matariki weekend (June 20-22). The art trail has run twice previously, most recently in November last year, with artists across the region opening their studio doors to the public. This is a “mini” version of those events, with fewer artists.Trail convenor and participating artist Joan Edridge says the “exciting" weekend gives the public a chance to visit artists where they work. “Offering an insider’s view of the creative process behind their artwork."Customs House Gallery, Waimate Gallery and Art Society, and Pottery on Tyne will also have works on display for those who will not have studios open.Other participating artists are Andrew Killick of Silenzio Pottery, Allan Jonassen and Chris Pepper of Salt and Pepper Studio, Penny Anderson, Dave Hope, Christine Leov-Leyland, Marianne Korten of A Galaxy of Flowers, and Cerys Thomas who will join Joan at her studio."With a diverse lineup of artists, you'll encounter a wide range of visual arts, pottery, paintings, prints of original artwork, greeting cards and handcrafted items, showcasing abstract realism, oils, acrylics, watercolours and more," Joan says."This open studio event is not just about admiring art, there's something to inspire every art enthusiast." To help visitors navigate the trail, printed flyers with maps will be available and a full list of participating artists, venues, and opening hours can be found on the Waitaki Art Trail website.For one lucky visitor to her Rother Street studio at the weekend, Joan is offering a special print valued at $120. She also plans to offer hot drinks to visitors."There may be other incentives offered by other artists," she says. Joan urges people to mark the date on their calendars. Most of the trail artists will be open between 10am and 4pm, Friday to Sunday, but each artist decides their own schedule, and specific times are on the website."Discover the stories behind their art and experience the creativity that brings these pieces to life," she says.

Almost all New Zealand teenagers use social media. RNZ spoke to four who don't.On a Thursday night at a Mount Maunganui skatepark, 16-year-old Israel Cameron pulls a brick ZTE phone from his pocket. The throwback technology has the capacity to make calls and send text. It can’t access the internet. It doesn’t download apps. Nor does Israel need it to. For now, he has decided not to use social media.“I’ve had it for three, maybe four years, and it has never let me down. Yeah, it is pretty trusty,” he says, over the clatter of skateboards at the park. He found the phone in one of his dad’s drawers, brought it out of retirement and customised the back in woodwork class.Israel’s best mates have made the same decision. Isaac Reid, 17, has a $40 brick phone that he added an SD card so it can store music that he funnels into his wired headphones. Connor Cummins, 16, has a classic Nokia flip phone.Related storiesHow would banning New Zealand teenagers from social media work?Who still has a landline phone?You don’t have to watch Adolescence to learn from it“We catch a bus to school and just everyone's like this, just head on the seat in front of them, just probably watching some naughty things, so we were like, ‘Oh, I don't know. We should try to be good kids,’ but yeah, I don’t know, it didn't look that fun,” says Connor.The boys surf, skate, and they’re in a band together called Go Getter. There’s a lot you can fit into a day if you are not scrolling on social media for nine hours, which was the daily average for one of their friends during the recent school holidays.Israel, Isaac and Connor are rare. A 2025 survey found that 95 percent of New Zealanders aged 15+ use social media. It mirrors findings in the US where 90 percent of Americans aged 13-17 use social media, including YouTube.The debate over the extent of harm for young people from screen time, social media and online sexual content continues to rage. And so does the discussion on what to do about it, with New Zealand announcing last week that it is exploring a ban on social media for those under 16, similar to a contentious Australian law passed last year. However, law or no law, at least a handful of New Zealand teens are making their own decision to steer clear of smartphones or social media or both.“I have no social media... I don’t intend to have social media. I just don’t think it’s beneficial to me right now,” says Ari Taylor, an 18-year-old who lives in Auckland and is in his final year of school. He does have a smartphone.Ari Taylor. Photo: Supplied via RNZAri’s younger sisters are both on social media, and his parents allowed him to sign up from 13, the age suggested by most social media apps. At 14, he considered getting on TikTok and Instagram, but decided against it.“I can get addicted to it. I could stop living life in the moment and start living it for Instagram moments, or for like TikTok moments or whatever. I just didn't see any benefits.”The downside of no social mediaBeing the only kid without social media in his friendship group has drawbacks. Ari had to ask his basketball team to communicate through a group WhatsApp message rather than a group Instagram message. When the team comes over to his house to hang out, he leaves a basket at the door for everyone to put their phones in so they can communicate in real life rather than through their phones.Ari Taylor's phone basket for his basketball team. Photo: Supplied via RNZIsrael, one of the Mount Maunganui teens, spent years nine and 10 at without anyone to talk to on the school bus because everyone was on their phones.“Sometimes I just wouldn't know about things because they'll have it on a group chat on something, and I can't get on group chats on my brick phone. So I just wouldn't go to stuff because I had no idea about it.”“Then also, like, you could film yourself skating and heaps of people could see it instead of just five,” adds Isaac, on the allure of social media.Isaac signed up for Instagram for a while, logging on through a desktop or his mum’s phone.“I wasn’t very good at controlling how much time I spent on it. I just always remember feeling really frustrated, just how much time I felt like I was wasting.”He watches YouTube Shorts on a desktop at home.“It’s not like it's fully gone. It's just whenever I'm out, it's not a temptation because it’s just actually not there.”The $1,000 challengeIsrael has two older siblings who were allowed smartphones and social media at age 13. He was mad when his parents changed tack and said no when he reached that age, a sign of the quickly evolving conversation on the harms of smartphones and social media use.He spoke to his two friends. Isaac and Connor’s parents wanted their kids to delay social media and smartphones as long as possible. Then Connor’s dad threw out a challenge: the last of the three friends to get social media or a phone would get $1,000.“But then he just kind of pulled the plug because we got brick phones, so we kind of got scammed, but in a good way, because it kind of ended up better than what it would have been, so I'm not mad about it,” says Israel.Connor’s dad, Sam Cummins, doesn’t believe a complete prohibition on social media from parents would work. He wants to leave room for “gradual exposure and sensible decision making” as his kids develop.“The problem is that [social media] is designed to be entirely addictive,” he says.The challenge did create a loose agreement that the three friends would stay off social media and smartphones together.“People might just be like, ‘Oh, you're a weirdo with no phone,’ but then, a group of weirdos you feel fine in, but I think by yourself, it'll be a lot harder,” says Connor.Nicola Taylor and her son Ari. Photo: Supplied via RNZParents as role modelsAri says his parents never dumbed down their answers to his questions, treating him as an equal partner.“... I love my mum and dad, and I think a big part of that is they have boundaries, but their boundaries, like they explain their boundaries, they explain why, and they’re open to changing those boundaries.”Ari’s mum, Nicola Taylor, is the co-founder of two financial technology companies. The family didn’t have a TV until Ari was 13. He was allowed to play computer games such as Minecraft, but only once school finished for the week.The family all have strict time limits for various apps on their phones that they can’t hack. Only Taylor’s husband has the code to extend her time limits on social media and vice versa.“Nobody in this family is having unlimited screen time, not me, not them,” she says.The social media debate: parents or government?Should the government be restricting access to social media for children and teens, or, as the ACT party argues, should parents be the main influencers?Holly Brooker, an online safety advocate and parenting educator, believes it is both.“While I support the government’s desire to set an age limit for social media to 16, it is not going to be a quick fix. It can’t be the only approach.”Brooker is calling for a reform of the entire online safety ecosystem, including an online regulator to hold the industry to account, education for parents and education on critical thinking specific to online content starting in primary school.Restricting social media to 16 plus will make it easier for parents who want to delay their kids signing up for social media and support teens making their own decision to stay off, she says.Yet, even teenagers who stay off social media will be influenced by it indirectly through their peers, says Claire Meehan, a criminologist at the University of Auckland who studies the intersection of young people's digital and sexual lives.She says the government’s proposed ban is “fundamentally flawed”, raising concerns such as potentially handing over more personal information to tech companies for age vetting.“...I think recognising that online and offline spaces are closer than we all think, and what goes on online often reflects what happens offline.”And social media can be a positive experience, Meehan adds, especially for minority groups such as LGBTIQ+ young people or those wanting to connect with family or culture overseas.When to get on social mediaThe main question for the Mount Maunganui teens - and their parents - is when they will get a smartphone and whether or not they will sign up for social media.Israel will get a smartphone when he leaves home, but he doesn’t have plans to get social media. Isaac wants to keep his brick phone as long as possible. Connor is keen to get a smartphone.“I'm a bit scared that when I get one, I'll be like, ‘Oh, what is this?’ Like a new drug or whatever, and just get addicted to it,” says Connor.“But, yeah, I feel like you need to get one, just one day. But for now, when I'm still in school and living at home, it's fine.” - RNZ

Research from the University of Chicago looked at 'superagers' - people over 80 years who have the memory of someone decades younger - to try to understand why.When researchers looked at MRI scans of so called ‘superagers’, something surprising was revealed, Emily Rogalski, Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago says.“What we showed in those studies, by using MRI scans and really sophisticated technology, was that the youthfulness of the brain of the superagers more represented those 50- to 60-year-olds than 80 year olds, so their brains looked younger than expected.“This was a big surprise, that despite being 80 plus years old, they could have very youthful looking brains.”The thickness of the outer layer of the brain was also found to be a factor in better performing memory.befunky.comRelated stories:Researchers uncover link between eye health and dementiaWhy are people in their 30s and 40s experiencing increased memory problems?Why it's normal to forget thingsResearch in the area is starting to gain a better understanding of why this might be from a genetic and a lifestyle standpoint, she says.“We see that superagers tend to have really strong social connections, and we first learned about that from self-report on questionnaires, and we're now following up through a multi-site study that we lead here.”They are enrolling superagers across five sites in the US and Canada who are asked to wear sensors that track sleep and activity and social connection, she says.“So that we can understand, do superagers talk to more people during the day than an average ager, or do they have a handful of close friends?“So, we're looking both from a biologic standpoint, but also from a psychosocial standpoint.”Listen on Nine to Noon here: Unlocking the secrets of the "superagers"The research also revealed physical differences between superagers and their more averagely aged peers, she said.“We are measuring both the size of brain cells or neurons, and we see that for some superagers, it's not necessarily the number of neurons, but the size of neurons in memory-related areas that seems to be more robust or more well preserved in superagers,” she says.There is also less build-up of plaques and tangles in the brain, she says - things that are associated with Alzheimer's disease diagnoses.“What we see that in superagers is there tends to be fewer of those tangles in memory-related areas of the brain relative to average agers.“So, that seems to be another cellular difference between the groups, but there is some variability, and it's still relatively early days.”The thickness of the outer layer of the brain was also found to be a factor in better performing memory, she says.“The outer layer of the brain, or what we call the cortex, where our neurons live, when we did that original MRI comparison, we found a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate, which is really important for attention, and attention supports memory."We found that that region was actually thicker in superagers than it was in their 50- to 60-year-old peers.”A possible explanation is an abundance of a particular type of neuron, she says.“A special type of neurons called Von Economo neurons. These are more newly described neurons, and they are thought to be important for social behaviours.”The loss, or abnormal development, of Von Economo neurons has been shown in Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and ADHD, she says.“It may be one factor that's contributing to superagers social interactions, because these Von Economo neurons are also only described in higher order species and tend to be very social, like elephants and whales.” - RNZ

Birds of all feathers will be flocking together in Ōamaru this July for the National Bird Show.The July 24-27 show will be at the Drill Hall, and to kill two birds with one stone, the North Otago Bird Club’s 60th annual show will be held at the same time.The club will also remember longtime patron and founding member Ray Gibb, who died in March last year, assistant show secretary Jo Anderson says.“Even when his health started declining, he was still a really integral part of the club and when he heard we were holding the national show, he still really wanted to do what he could to help us,” she says.The small club is thrilled to be holding the national show, and expects at least 1400 birds, but potentially anywhere up to 2000.“The noise will be intense,” Jo says.A “huge range” of birds is expected, from budgies and all types of canaries, to finches, parrots, lovebirds, and cockatiels.Jo says it’s exciting to hold the show in Ōamaru.“They are the country's top exhibition birds.“These are some of the country's top breeders in these species of birds coming along to Ōamaru, and they will be coming from the very tip of the North Island and the very bottom of the South, you know, every corner.” This is the second time Ōamaru will host the show, after being approached by the New Zealand Federation of Birds. The first was 15 years ago in 2010.The goal is to try and alternate the shows between the North and South Islands.“But the issue that we're facing at the moment is that the North Island clubs are a lot stronger than the South Island clubs. So a lot of the clubs in the South Island don't have the capacity to hold it,” Jo says.“It's a huge financial commitment.”The initial predicted budget of $24,000 now sits at about $32,000. This includes $14,000 in prize money, as well as all the judges’ accommodation for three nights.Financial support has come from Network Waitaki and the Waitaki District Council, there has been a lot of firewood selling, and Ōamaru company Topflite - a longtime main sponsor of the event - is going “over and above”, Jo says.“They are opening up their Topflite HQ for exhibitors and people visiting, to go along and see behind the scenes, and doing a bit of catering, and they'll also be at the show as well.”Topflite's 2024 sunflower seed crop. This year marks 50 years since the company planted its first sunflowers. Photo: Ashley SmythTopflite director Greg Webster says it is great to be part of the show in the company’s hometown. “We're very much looking forward to hosting the Topflite National Show here in Ōamaru.”The company has sponsored the show for more than 30 years, he says.“Being closely involved with New Zealand's top breeders has been hugely beneficial for us over the years, with their feedback and knowledge playing an important role in the development and improvement of our products.”Topflite is helping “play host” to bird show competitors and will run a tour of its operations on the Friday afternoon.“We are also taking the opportunity to celebrate 50 years since the first sunflowers were planted (the beginnings of Topflite) . . . We welcome anyone who is interested to come along,” he says.The tours will be open to the public every 30 minutes between 2pm-4pm on July 25.Competitors can enter 16 different sections, and all are judged by different people from across the country, along with one from Australia, Jo says.“They are accredited judges by the specific bird bodies, and so there's a really, really high standard of judging, and there are only specific judges who can judge a national show.”Jo’s love of birds is something she shared with her late father, and she and partner Ashley Woollard have about 60 budgies, she says.“We show as a partnership and it'll be our first nationals we are showing at.”Jo’s love of birds rubbed off on Ashley after they met. They have lots of character, she says. “When we bought our house, I was like, ‘we've gotta get a bird aviary’ and now he loves it. “He does 95% of the work and I take a 100% of the kudos,” she says.It is “strangely satisfying” when all the work they put into breeding “perfect exhibition budgies” is recognised with an award at a show.Last year's North Otago Bird Show at Ōamaru's Drill Hall. Photo: SuppliedShe and Ashley are novices, and once they’ve accumulated a number of points, they will go into the champion category.Jo says competition makes it fun as well as the people they meet and get to know on the circuit.“And there are so many elements you can't control, like how the bird sits on the perch on the day, or things like that. It’s just satisfying, and it's a strange thing to get into, but it's so fun.”There are eight active members in the North Otago Bird Club.“But the great thing is that when it comes to these sorts of things, our families get involved and our friends get involved.”The support from the entire local community has made it possible for North Otago to host the national show, and they would love the community support again on show weekend.Entry is $5 per adult, and under-16s are free. It is important to the club to make it an affordable family excursion and there will be activities and competitions for children throughout the days, Jo says.“That's the biggest thing for us, is that we would just really like as many people through the door as possible.”

~ Promotion ~Businesses can now advertise themselves on Waitaki App for free and one business will win a year's free premium promotion just for taking up the offer.Described by the team as a “digital business card”, the listing includes essential contact details and a short description — enough to be found, remembered, and contacted.“While it’s not a full listing,” director Cara Tipping Smith says. “It puts you on the app with your essential details and three lines of text.”“It’s like our business card wall at The Business Hive but online - a way to remind people you’re out there and help you get found.”The feature is aimed at anyone doing business locally, from home-based makers and tradespeople, to service providers and side hustlers.A handful of early adopters are already listed and the team have added a few local favourites while testing the new functionality.Waitaki App has seen more than 50,000 users since launching in November 2022, with more than a million content views recorded last year.Around 85 percent of users are based in New Zealand.“Obviously 50,000 is more than the whole population of Waitaki,” fellow director Alex Regtien says. “So that tells us something about visitor numbers too.”It's not just about visitors though.Alex and Cara say about 40 percent of the app’s new users come via search engines, making digital visibility important — even in a word-of-mouth district.“What do you do when you arrive somewhere new? Google it on your phone, right," Cara says.“Since Covid, we've all learned to shop online. If your business isn’t online, you’re missing out.“So, not only does being on the app help your online presence, it puts you in the hand of our thousands of active users."Even people who live locally don’t always know what’s going on in the Waitaki, Alex says.“How many businesses have come and gone before people even realised they existed?”Recent updates to the app now allow this content to be added directly by users, reducing the amount of manual handling required by the team.“Now, pretty much all we have to do is approve it, that’s why we can make it free,” Cara says.To celebrate and encourage participation, Waitaki App will randomly select one listed business to receive a free 12-month EDGE PLUS membership - the app's premium tier for promotion and advertising valued at $975 per year.A full business listing - including extended text, images and copy-editing, starts from $49 per month on a 12-month term.“We’re a small business too,” Alex says. “We get cashflow. So, pay us upfront and save a bit or spread it over a year to help yours”."The more useful the app is, the more people will use it," Cara says, "and that's good for our community, businesses and our advertisers - more visibility, more views, more great info.""It's what we call a win, win, win."Alex says, "thanks to the upgrade making it easy, why wouldn't we do it? Why wouldn't you?".Download Waitaki App and check out the business listings.Add a free listing here or visit mywaitakiapp.nz – the self-service hub for locals to add events, notices and listings.All added business-card listings between now and Monday 16th June will go into the draw to win a year's premium membership to Waitaki App.Fun fact, Monday 16th June is the 7th anniversary since The Business Hive opened!

The popularity of weight loss drugs has caused a shortage in recent years, but how effective are they at helping with food addiction and obesity in the long term?Former commissioner of the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) David Kessler is warning weight loss drugs, like the popular Ozempic, are not a miracle cure.These drugs are classified as GLP-1 receptor agonists and were initially developed to treat diabetes. They contain active ingredients, like semaglutide, dulaglutide and liraglutide, which increase feelings of satisfaction or fullness by keeping food in the stomach for longer.Although the FDA first approved a GLP-1 agonist for weight loss about a decade ago, the popularity of the drugs soared and shortages were reported in more recent years amidst celebrity endorsements from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk.Oprah Winfrey revealed in December 2023 that she had been using weight loss medication. Leon Bennett/Getty Images/AFP via RNZRelated stories:Why booming demand for weight loss drug Ozempic is causing problems in New ZealandFighting processed food effects with pharmaceutical solutionsConcerns hype around Ozempic as weight loss tool pushing people into fad dietingOzempic is not approved to be used for weight loss purposes alone in New Zealand, but it is used to help people with diabetes. However, earlier this year, Wegovy was approved by MedSafe for weight loss.Dr Kessler, who personally struggled with yo-yoing weight, has written extensively on the food industry's role in engineering addictive foods, which contributes to the obesity epidemic globally.His new book Diet, Drugs and Dopamine looks at the new class of weight loss drugs, which he says “are not a miracle drug”.“I have plenty of discipline but the one thing I couldn't control was my weight. I think the one thing we know from these new drugs, which have changed the landscape of weight loss, no panacea to be sure, but it's not willpower, it's biology at work," he told Nine to Noon.Listen on Nine to Noon: How new weight loss drugs work - and their downsidesDavid Kessler (right), and the cover of his latest book Diet, Drugs and Dopamine. Photo: supplied/ Joy Asico-Smith via RNZUltra-formulated foods and addictionHe explains ultra-formulated foods are “engineered to manipulate the brains’ reward system” as well as hormonal circuits.“I used to think ‘I lost the weight. I'm good. I'm done’. But then I'd always gain it back. In fact, now when I've lost the weight, I realise the work just begins because those addictive circuits, those hormonal circuits, those energy circuits, all [are] hardwired to come back.”Humans evolved to deal with scarcity of food, not an abundance, by seeking out the sweetest and most energy-dense foods, he says.“We put fat, sugar and salt on every corn and made it available 24/7, made it socially acceptable to eat anytime, certainly in the States, what did we think was going to happen?”Three components that lead to addictions, and in turn obesity, are cue-induced wanting, cravings, and relapse, he says.“I think if I were born two-three decades earlier, I would have probably been a smoker. I simply use these ultra-formulated foods to change how I feel, to focus my attention.”Highly-processed foods are feeding into addictions, says Dr Kessler. (file image) The Organic Crave / Unsplash‘Weight is not the issue’However, Dr Kessler emphasises “weight is not the issue”, rather visceral fat which leaks out pro-inflammatory chemicals that affect our organs.“That is in the causal chain of many chronic diseases, cardiac disease, kidney disease, diabetes. Doctors are just waking up to this fact. I think we've tended to treat these conditions piecemeal … but underlying all those conditions is this toxic fat.”Our metabolism is becoming overwhelmed with ultra-formulated foods that there’s no doubt excess calories play a role in the problem of visceral fat as well as hyperinsulinemia (increase in blood of insulin levels), he says.“Now it's very hard to sort out which comes first, is it the hyperinsulinemia - this elevated blood insulin - or is it this visceral fat? Or does this visceral fat cause this hyperinsulinemia?”Dr Kessler it's not weight that's at the core of the problem but visceral fat. SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via RNZSo what’s the problem with these drugs if they help?Dr Kessler acknowledges GLP-1 agonists represent a genuine breakthrough, but says experts still haven’t figured out how to use them long term.“They’re only as good as long as you stay on it. It's so important that we understand that obesity, the weight, this visceral adiposity, is a chronic condition that needs chronic care or … we will regain the weight.”The majority of people gain back 60 to 70 percent of their weight over time once they stop taking these weight loss drugs, he says.While they can balance the reward circuit of our brain and gut with aversive circuits, they can also lead to complications in the GI tract from lack of mobility, he says.“Some people who are on those drugs eat less than … 1000 calories a day, sometimes as low as 600 or 800 calories a day and that a state of semi-starvation and that can bring on its own set of complications.”The drugs need to be used as part of a wider toolkit in treating obesity, he says.“If you can figure out how to use that condition, if you can relearn how to eat, eat smaller amounts and eat healthier and that can carry over to when you're off these drugs, and if you use these drugs as one tool along with nutrition and behaviour therapy, along with physical activity - if you do this under good care with the help of a dietician or a nutritionist and a physician, then I think we are on the verge of reclaiming our health.”He believes no progress will be made until we understand the addictive nature of certain foods.“We don't have an end game. We don't have the data. How to use these drugs over a short period of time. Can I use these intermittently? What I resorted to doing is I take these drugs, I get the weight off. I try to do nutrition and behavioral therapy. I increase physical activity.“I try to keep that conditioning and eat small, but over time … that conditioning fades and those addictive circuits come back and I'm back to myself. Then do I take go back on these drugs? And is it safe to go back on these drugs? And at what doses do I go back on these drugs? So there's a lot that we still have to learn.” - RNZ

By RNZ Senior Rural Journalist Stephanie OckhuysenWanting to connect with other female hunters, two best friends took it upon themselves to create an online community to make it happen.Sammi Holland and Alesha Tomasi are behind Daughters of the Wild dedicated to women who hunt.Holland said she grew up outdoors but lacked female hunting role models and often felt judged by men."My old man was really into the salmon fishing when they were good in the Rakaia and had size to them. So, it all started back then," Holland said."And I know as a female, being a fisher women I know how much judgement you get, especially from the older guys they would just say 'what are you doing here, you shouldn't be learning this, a woman shouldn't be in the outdoors'."It was just something I grew up with, I knew there was that outlook of older men looking down on women and I know how much that can affect some women."So, it's kind of a way to encourage women that if you can see one person doing it, you can do it, don't worry what others think."Holland, based in Christchurch, came across Alesha Tomasi, who lives on the West Coast, on TikTok and immediately liked her."I saw this video just pop up and I thought 'oh man she's so cool' and I had this message typed out for probably five or six days, I was so nervous to message her," Holland said."I just sent it and thought if she says no, she says no, she might ignore it but then I got a message back."Photo: Supplied/Alesha Tomasi via RNZThe pair have gone on to become best friends and are on a mission to inspire women who hunt.They regularly headed out hunting together - often with their partners - and have big plans for their group, including meetups and workshops.Alesha Tomasi said the response to the group had been huge, with women from small towns reaching out to say they finally felt seen.She said there are plenty of resources for women who may want to get started."New Zealand Deerstalkers Association do some really cool hunt courses, which are good to help get into it."The Game Animal Council has an online programme called Better Hunting and that has absolutely everything from learning how to cut up animals, shooting, how to sharpen your knife. Everything."But just give it a go and try get amongst it." - RNZ

Ōamaru Chorale is making opera accessible with its production of Dido and Aeneas, on next weekend.The chorale is performing a concert version of Henry Purcell’s English opera, which is less than an hour long. Dido, the queen of Carthage, falls in love with Aeneas, a Trojan hero who is on a mission, to found Rome. He has to leave Carthage, which leaves Dido heartbroken. Their love story becomes a classic tale of passion versus duty.Music director David Beattie says the group has been rehearsing since February, and things are going well.Accomplished opera singer and singing teacher Rebecca Ryan (not the Waitaki District Councillor) plays the lead Dido, while Tim Blackler (yes, the Waitaki District Councillor) is her Aeneas.The cast also has some younger cast members with Georgina Carter Trotman (18) playing the first witch and Anne Porteous (16) the second.Also experienced in stage performing, Fleur Tudor Oakley plays the Sorceress, and Waitaki Girls’ High School head of music Sophie Pilbrow plays Dido’s sister Belinda - a role she has performed before.“[The Sorceress/Fleur] has rather an imposing presence, so very much we are looking at the idea of her being the, yeah, well the two witches being her apprentices,” David says.He directed the same opera in 2006, with a choir in Wainuiomata.“It's a great little piece, because it's under an hour long and it's got plenty of varied and interesting choruses for a choir to sing, and certainly it's within the capabilities of a choir - the sort of choir that A) I had in Wainuiomata, and B) we are here,” he says.David had to look around “a wee bit” for soloists, because he was determined to use local talent, but eventually put together his ensemble.Ōamaru Chorale members, from left, Georgina Carter Trotman (First Witch), Anne Porteous (Second Witch) and musical director David Beattie. Photo: SuppliedGeorgina, who finished high school last year, says this is her first time performing with the Ōamaru Chorale.“I saw them perform at the end of last year for the first time and decided to join at the start of this year, and I’m glad I did,” she says.Dido and Aeneas is her first opera.“I am relatively new to opera. I have been taking singing lessons through school for a while, and it was only within the last two years that I have really started looking at classical and operatic singing.”Georgina has been loving the experience and is keen to do more.“The most challenging part is getting on top of the melody and the timing, but hearing everything coming together is worth it.”She says Dido and Aeneas has a lot of catchy melodies and choruses, an interesting storyline, and “a good amount of peril”. She recommends it to everyone.Georgina is taking a gap year to consider her next move after finishing school.“What I know for sure is that I’m definitely going to continue looking at opera and classical singing. I am having so much fun.”The concert is being held at the Ōamaru Repertory Theatre on Itchen Street on Saturday, 24 May. Tickets are $10 at the door, and children are free.

Solo downtime can relieve stress temporarily, but taking care of other people is how we build resilience.Kindness is so powerfully beneficial for both giver and receiver that it may be essential for human survival, says science journalist Nicole Karlis.In her new book Your Brain on Altruism, she interviews world-leading scientists who've proved that taking actions motivated by kindness benefits our brains, bodies and spirits."We need to be of service, that's an important part of our brain health.," Karlis tells Saturday Morning.Health and science journalist Nicole Karlis dives into the data on gratitude in her new book Your Brain on Altruism. Photo: Supplied via RNZRelated stories:The biology of altruismEffective altruism - how to do good betterPeter Singer: ‘Do the most good you can do’While caring for the welfare of others reduces the effects of chronic stress on our brains and bodies, the individualisation and commercialisation of 'self-care' can easily add stress to our lives by adding items to our 'to-do' and 'must-have item' lists, Karlis says.We seek out self-care practices for relief from anxiety, stress and exhaustion, but on a deeper level, we're also hoping to become more resilient, she says.A more effective way to build this kind of inner strength is to take actions for the benefit of other people's welfare.“From that perspective, it's wise to think of self-care as being ‘other care’ as well, and really turning your focus to caring for others in your community.”While people who regularly volunteer in their communities enjoy longer, healthier lives, Karlis says there’s a simple act of altruism, which even people with stacked schedules can practice – not reacting or interrupting while someone else is talking.“[Altruism] doesn't have to be some grand gesture. It can be as simple as just sitting and listening to someone.”Supplied via RNZWhen people are feeling really stressed, they get stuck in rumination, Karlis says. One pretty quick way to get out of that headspace is to throw yourself into some kindness towards another person.Not only does altruistic action help us de-stress, it has also been shown to slow cognitive decline, potentially build our immunity and reduce the health hazards associated with loneliness, Karlis says.For her, the deeper sense of generosity and community solidarity that immediately kicks in for people when a natural disaster strikes is evidence that for our species, kindness is more than just a pleasant bonus - it's a necessity.“It is a mechanism of survival for humans.”To create a true "culture of caring" that we can all live in, Karlis says leaders must recognise the benefits of altruism and also meet the basic needs of people currently living with a sense of scarcity and mistrust.On the level of personal wellbeing, those who do regular community volunteering enjoy longer lives and fewer hospital visits, she says, but “smaller, random acts of kindness” can also have a powerful, cumulative effect.One simple way to be more altruistic at work is to keep in mind the fact that you only see a fraction of what your colleagues experience in the world, Karlis says.“People all have lives outside of the workplace, and what happened at home over the weekend, that might affect how people show up on Monday.”Empathetic action delivers a “gift” not only to the giver and the receiver, she says, scientists have discovered that even onlookers reap a benefit.“Witnessing acts of kindness can evoke the emotion of awe, and we know that there are a lot of health benefits to experiencing awe, as well.” - RNZ

A desire to see local businesses succeed is driving the organisers of a new series of events in Ōamaru, offering free expert advice.The Business Hive owners Alex Regtien and Cara Tipping Smith are behind Exchange, a series of evenings offering the chance for business owners to come together and find out more about each other.The first event was held in March in the Hive’s co-working space, with marketing and media expert Megan Miller speaking about how to use digital marketing for business promotion.The second is taking place this Thursday night (May 15) with accountant Loren Manning explaining how a business’s tax return can help “fuel future growth”.“What we've done is, it's early days, but we've asked at least one local expert to do a very short, but very structured presentation,” Cara says.“So essentially you arrive, have a glass of wine, mix and mingle, and then we run a little half-hour session, and it gives you an opportunity afterwards to talk one-on-one with that expert, or just connect with some of the other people in the room,” Cara says.Being able to showcase local talent and help businesses at the same time is a win-win.“It just means that they might connect up with someone they wouldn't otherwise know about. We're a super ‘word of mouth’ town. So word of mouth means we know what we know, and we don't know what we don't know.”Cara says in the seven years they have been running the Hive, there have been “sporadic attempts” to get business networking going.“If you're new to town or you're a tiny business, often you feel like you don't belong in that kind of formal business setting, so this is super informal and really designed to give you a bit of that like-minded interaction time.”There is no pressure, people don’t need business cards, they don't have to shake everyone's hands, she says.“There's no working the room, it's not that kind of event, but hopefully it gives us something to talk about - the sorts of things we have in common.”For future events, Cara says she and Alex have looked at other ideas around the kinds of tools business owners need - including physical and mental well-being.“Because they’re all the same sort of shared problems, you know?”They are always keen to hear from people who think they can help “put a lens on” potential issues and offer solutions.“So we're looking for those shared pain points for those little businesses. And I mean, it doesn't matter what kind of business.“You could be in retail, you could be in services, hospitality . . . we're all sharing the same kind of obligations and burdens, but also, we're all interested if the market's lifting, if people are starting to come out and spend money . . . it all impacts on all of us.”Feedback from the first event was great, Cara says.“People really enjoyed it and got a lot of use out of it, I think. I think they liked the informal-ness of it . . . There’s no special catering. We’re talking chips and nuts and stuff, cos’ we’re done by 7pm.”It is appreciated if people RSVP so Alex knows how much wine and beer to get, she says.“But honestly, even if you don't, and you're passing through, pop your nose in. It could be great.”The evening begins at 5.15pm and is finished by 7pm. 

There are now two candidates in the running to replace outgoing Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher.Ōamaru man David Wilson announced on Tuesday (May 13) that he is throwing his hat into the ring, joining existing candidate and former deputy mayor Mel Tavendale.“I’m going to tell voters exactly what I stand for and leave out all the vague platitudes that mean nothing in the end,” David says. The district has suffered from mismanagement in the last four years, he says.“Rates have soared. They should be held down to the rate of inflation, no more, except in real emergencies.”Through his website david4waitaki.co.nz, he outlines what his other priorities as mayor would be.The list includes keeping local control of Waitaki’s three waters, re-opening Beach Road “now”, minimising debt, and revising the district plan to “stop beating up farmers”.David was born in Dunedin, but calls Ōamaru home. An extensive CV on his website states that David helped establish the Whitestone Civic Trust in 1989, of which he is a former chairman and is now a life member.He has also biked the length of New Zealand in 52 days, solo on a penny-farthing. “I’m a change driver,” he says. “I help communities discover their strengths.”

Two North Otago mums fed up with the admin of online selling are setting up a pre-loved market for the children’s clothes they no longer use.Bri Familton and Baylee Berry are holding the Children’s Pre-loved Clothing Market on June 15 at the back of the Harbour Street Collective Cafe building, with the aim of filling a gap in the market.Bri, who has two daughters, and Baylee, who has two sons, are both over trying to sell their used children’s items online, Bri says.“We are both avid Marketplace or clothing group sellers, and we both agree it is just so incredibly time-consuming for really little reward.“Labelling and naming and describing every individual piece of clothing that you want to sell, it's just an absolute nightmare.“We have over 100 to 200 pieces of clothing we want to sell, and it's just so not worth the time. And so it just kind of sits there in a box and gets forgotten about, because it just gets put in the too-hard basket, I guess.”The pair had a stall at a Timaru event last weekend, with women's and children’s clothing, and thought something could be just as successful in Ōamaru.“We enjoyed the setup, and we enjoyed the environment.” While the market is mostly for children’s clothing, Bri says bedding and toys in good condition can also be sold, along with maternity wear.The pair recognise that second-hand womenswear and vintage goods are already well catered for in Ōamaru, which is why they are keeping the stalls more centred around babies and children.With the market out the back of the cafe, there will be access to the indoor playground, where younger children can play and parents can grab a coffee and browse, Bri says."It's kind of just an opportunity for mums to all come together."Looking ahead, the women hope to make the market a regular event, aiming for two a year at the change of seasons."The goal is to keep the event fresh and appealing.”It costs $20 to secure a stall, and Bri says they are hoping for 20 to 30 stalls. Those interested in securing a stall are encouraged to make contact by messaging through the Facebook page, or by emailing [email protected], not by contacting the cafe directly.The market will run from 10am to 2pm on Sunday, June 15, and Bri hopes people might pop in on their way to or from the Ōamaru Farmers’ Market which is held behind Scott’s Brewery on a Sunday morning.

The robots are no longer coming - they're already here.From rice-sized brain surgeons to caregivers for the elderly, humanoid machines powered by artificial intelligence have begun performing jobs once thought to be uniquely human.But as companies race to replace human workers with machines, will robots free us from drudgery, or render us redundant?Speaking with Sunday Morning's Jim Mora, two-time Emmy Award-winning tech journalist Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson said the answer might be both.Listen on Sunday Morning: Humanoid robots, what should we expect?He explains that in China, robots are not only building cars but are being designed to serve as household assistants."Their goal is to merge AI brains and these human-like movements that they're capable of doing, and turn them into essentially, assistance in our own homes."This could be a real profound breakthrough in the way we live independently as we get older."And that all sounds fabulous. But, when you make these robots super smart… at what point do you worry about these robots saying, 'we have our own goals now'?"Cheaper than a humanWhile the vision of robotic caregivers may feel futuristic, their entry into the workforce is already underway.Goldman Sachs expects the robot market to be worth as much as US$205 billion by 2035, while a JP Morgan report predicts that 2026 will be the "Year of Physical AI".Knudson said there's no doubt this technology will kill jobs, citing a Citigroup estimate that a factory robot may cost as little as $20,000 - an investment quickly recouped when compared with human wages and benefits.And while some industry experts argue the rise of robots will actually create new jobs, Knutsson is sceptical."That's complete garbage. That's the HR department at big companies."In some organisations, he noted, managers are now required to prove that AI can't do a job before hiring a human.The medical breakthrough bright sideYet not all developments are bleak.Knutsson described a recent breakthrough involving a rice-sized robot capable of performing brain surgery, accessing parts of the brain unreachable by human surgeons."This is real. They're actually performing this, and it shows some extraordinary promise," he said."You go, okay… when are we going to see that save my life if I have a brain tumour?"We're looking at less than a year."This heralds the dawn of a medical revolution, he said, as miniature robots, super-intelligent diagnostic systems, and precision surgical tools promise to extend life and improve patient outcomes.Regulation laggingBut will the robot revolution improve human wellbeing or condemn us to the unemployment line?Future regulation, said Knutsson, will determine the answer."The biggest problem is... there are very few checks and balances," he warned, particularly in the US, where innovation is outpacing legislation."You're gonna innovate a lot faster... but the negatives are the thing's gonna come back and turn around against you faster than you even know."While the European Union has introduced comprehensive AI regulations, what's missing, Knutsson argued, is a coordinated global effort."Once it's out there, it's done, and we're done," he said."It's inevitable that these machines will surpass us… unless we rein it in and use it to our benefit."A crisis of purpose?But if machines perform all essential tasks, what will be left for people to do?"The human race wasn't designed for endless leisure time," Mora noted.Knutsson agrees."When are you most satisfied in life? It's when you succeed at doing something… for your community."If technology takes away our ability to contribute, he said, it may also rob us of meaning.Whatever the future, he said one thing is clear - the robots are coming. And they're not just here to help, they're here to stay. - RNZ