As winter chills the district, Stronger Waitaki and Family Works are huddling together to hold a free community event on keeping houses warm and dry, saving money on power, and showing what support is available to help stay toasty.The event is being hosted by Fire and Emergency New Zealand, at the Oamaru Fire Station from 1-4pm this Sunday (June 23), with activities for the family (including the Network Waitaki bucket truck rides) and a free sausage sizzle.Plunket Electrical will provide free electric blanket testing, to make sure your bed is safe for the cold nights ahead.Kayla Stewart, of Stronger Waitaki, said: "We're excited to connect with our community, share valuable housing resources, and bring together our amazing local service providers, all in one place."Family Works team leader Louisa Beaumont said with the current tough times, they were excited to have EnergyMate coaches on hand. “They will share tips and tricks to help keep your power bill down while still staying warm. “We can also book people in for a personalised in-home visit, where we can make sure people are on the right power plan for example.”

Analysis - The international community's recent failure to conclude a global pandemic agreement leaves large gaps in our capacity to deal with the next major infectious disease emergency.The risk of another pandemic like Covid - the worst in a century - is increasing.The World Health Organisation (WHO) took an important step by adopting useful revisions to the existing legally-binding International Health Regulations.But while this advance is something to celebrate, it is not enough. Even if governments approve the revised regulations, our best chance of preventing history repeating itself lies in a pandemic agreement.Global responses to health hazards that cross borders date back to an international sanitary conference in 1851 which focused on measures to limit the spread of cholera. Since then, several initiatives have aimed to improve global health security, including the formation of the WHO itself in 1946.The International Health Regulations of 2005 were a major step in this evolution. They ushered in the modern era of risk assessment and created a global surveillance system for public health emergencies of international concern.Nonetheless, it was soon evident the new tools were limited in dealing with the increasingly complex and fast moving threat of zoonotic diseases (when an animal pathogen "spills over" to infect people).Key changes to the International Health RegulationsEarlier this month, the 194 members of the WHO World Health Assembly passed by consensus several important amendments to the International Health Regulations, including:adding a definition of a "pandemic emergency" to emphasise the importance of such events within the broader category of public health emergencies of international concernincreasing the focus on prevention with specific mention of "preparedness"strengthening equitable access to medical products and finance, with specific mention of "equity and solidarity", and a dedicated "coordinating financial mechanism"requiring each state to establish a "national authority" to improve the implementation of the international health regulations within and among countriesrequiring countries to build a core capacity for "risk communication including addressing misinformation and disinformation"and modifying the "decision instrument" to enhance the detection of emerging respiratory infections with high pandemic potential.The WHO agreed to update health regulations but failed to conclude a pandemic agreement. Photo: AFP via RNZThe proposals that didn't make itNot all proposed amendment were achieved. Some commentators had advocated to incorporate the experience of countries in the Asia-Pacific region that used an elimination strategy to delay the spread of Covid, giving time to roll out vaccines and other interventions.Such measures protected both high-income islands (Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan) as well as low and middle-income countries in continental Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia).These nations generally achieved lower excess mortality than countries where the pandemic was less controlled. Similarly, the concept of elimination at source (sometimes called containment) wasn't included in this revision.A range of other potential improvements also failed to make it into the final text. These included an emphasis on preventing zoonotic spillovers from animals, enhanced sharing of scientific data and specimens, and strengthened accountability.All WHO member states now have 18 months to consider the proposed revisions. They may enter reservations to parts they disagree with, even though this may weaken the coherence of the proposed amendments.Why we need greater global cooperationA pandemic agreement could address the many needed reforms that go beyond the International Health Regulations.But the negotiations to reach global agreement are proving contentious. There have been deep divisions between rich and poorer countries over the sharing and affordable pricing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for developing states. The sharing of pathogen data has also proven problematic.The negotiations have been further undermined by completely unfounded assertions that the WHO will be given power to impose restrictive measures such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates. It is not clear whether New Zealand's changed negotiating position to focus more on national sovereignty influenced these discussions.Due to these challenges, the international community has not yet agreed on a text for a pandemic agreement. The WHO has announced the next steps for further negotiations, which are already years past their start date.From the threats of war to environmental devastation and pandemics, no country can unilaterally protect its citizens from the gravest shared threats to humanity. But while the need for global solidarity and cooperation is greater than ever, support for many of the key areas of international law is failing.We owe it to the memory of the more than 27 million people estimated to have died so far from Covid, and the rising threats to future generations, to do the best we can to achieve a safer and more secure world.* Michael Baker is Professor of Public Health, University of Otago and Alexander Gillespie is Professor of Law, University of WaikatoDisclaimer - University of Waikato and University of Otago provide funding as members of The Conversation NZ and The Conversation AU.

Three Waitaki artists have pooled their talents and popped-up in an empty Thames Street shop, as part of the Waitaki District Counci’s Revitalising Our Places Ōamaru (Ropo). Beth Strickland, Colette O’Kane and Annie Hampstead have come together at 167 Thames Street (formerly Jacqui’s Hair Salon) to display more than 30 of their artworks.Colette describes her work as “whimsical”, while Annie’s is more contemporary realism, and Beth’s abstract.The works are acrylic, watercolours, oil and cool wax, and mixed media.“Our work is suitable for a home space or a business,” Beth says. “So some of this would look really good in reception areas of local businesses.” The largest painting, an acrylic on canvas depiction of New Zealand by Colette, took her eight weeks, working from 9am to 3am, seven days a week.“Because I was going to Sydney and I was trying to finish it before I left,” she says.The trio opened in the space at the weekend, after having spent about two weeks preparing it. Annie and Colette say they tend to paint what “comes to mind” or what they “feel like doing”, whereas Beth’s work this time has a theme of structure over chaos. “So basically . . . in society we don't like to be told what to do,” she says. “But unless you have some kind of rules or guidelines or values that people stick to, societies just don't function.”Colette says sometimes her work might be a political comment.“But mostly it's about bringing just shared happiness. It's such a joyful place when you're painting. I'm sure it's good for your blood pressure.”Colette spent close to 20 years teaching, mostly English, in Aboriginal communities in Australia, and is also a writer. A copy of her prose poetry book Adultery - an artful affair, is also for sale in the shop.Annie started painting about 45 years ago, also in Australia.“I did a lot of study with a lot of different artists over there.“I started with watercolour . . . I thought, ‘watercolour is a difficult medium to use, so why not learn that one first, and then you can really progress further into other mediums’.”Her art took off when she came to New Zealand, she says.“I came over here, and it really blossomed for me.” She moved to Ōamaru 24 years ago.Creative US. is open 10am-4pm, except Tuesdays and Sundays, but can also open on request, by phoning 0274859909.“We really want to encourage people who don't know much about art to come and see what they find,” Beth says.She is also running art workshops on a Thursday evening or Friday afternoon, starting this week.“They're fun, and they're relaxed, and it's non-judgmental. It's a place where people can just come and experiment and have fun.”No experience is required, or artists wanting to try a new medium can also take part. After the two hours, people will have a completed artwork to take home and frame.Bookings and further information can be found on Beth’s website.Opening night at Creative US. on Friday. Photo: suppliedBeth is also co-ordinator of Ropo and says the aim of the programme is to “encourage innovative ideas” which are not directly in competition with existing businesses, and also to fill empty buildings in Ōamaru’s central business district.“So we're commercially staging the properties for the owners so people can see the potential.”There are three pop-ups as part of the June round - the first month Ropo has run. Along with Creative US., Waste-Free Waitaki has popped up in the former Health 2000 premises at 170 Thames Street, and Martin Horspool has a collection of his photography in 145 - opposite the Boer War memorial.There has just been a new round of applications for the programme, so Beth is hoping more spaces will be filled for July.“So now that the property owners can see what we can do, we're hoping they will see the benefits for people who haven't got a space. Because there's a couple around town that would be spectacular.” Creative US. will be open for two months initially, “because we negotiated with the property owner”. “So in general the stores are available for 30 days as a pop-up, but it depends on the relationship with the owner as to how long people can stay,” Beth says.  “The whole idea is to bring people into town that's engaging with them to stay longer and then people will spill out into other businesses and cafes and things, you know . . . Bring some vibrancy into the town.”The feedback so far has been encouraging.“Already people are commenting as they walk down, that the street looks cleaner, it looks brighter. They feel safer in some areas walking at night.”

Low confidence in the government's climate plans may hit the coalition in the pocket and make it harder to fund tax cuts and other spending.Traders in the carbon market say this week's auction of carbon credits by the government is unlikely to sell any credits, and the remaining two auctions of the year could also fail.Together the auctions could generate at least $700 million in income - or nothing.The Emissions Trading Scheme requires many carbon dioxide emitters - for example, petrol importers or companies burning coal - to buy enough carbon credits to cover their planet-heating gases every year.It's the National-led government's main tool for cutting New Zealand's emissions, as well as a major earner.Along with ACC levies, earnings from the ETS are the biggest source of government revenue after the tax take, and have been earmarked to help pay for programmes, including tax cuts.Before the Budget, Treasury lowered its forecasts of what the government would earn from the ETS by around $300 million a year ($1.5 billion over five years) after the carbon price fell from $70 to $58 a tonne.That was based on the price on the secondary market, where buyers and sellers trade directly.The secondary price is now around $52.And at government auctions, the government has to sell each tonne of pollution for at least $64 - so if buyers are not willing to pay that, it gets nothing until the next time.Traders in the market say a lack of confidence in the government's plans is undermining demand.Strong and stable market?National promised to create a "strong and stable" ETS that would "give businesses certainty and confidence", after the carbon price crashed twice during Labour's last year in power.However, a surprise move in May shook the market again.Barring a drastic change in direction, traders and sellers who spoke to RNZ did not expect the next auction on Wednesday to sell any permits and said the September and December auctions are also looking shaky.Murray McClintock has been involved in the ETS for 15 years. His company manages native forests and sells the carbon credits earned from them.Murray McClintock's company sells the carbon credits earned from native forests. Photo: RNZ filesHe described the handling of a recent review of the ETS as "muddled" and "highly unusual".McClintock blamed the current bout of shakiness on a surprise suggestion of dropping the minimum carbon price floor, which was published in May.The consultation document was released by the Ministry for the Environment and included a suggestion of lowering the minimum carbon price from the $68 it was set to reach in 2025 to an unspecified lower amount.The option was unexpected because dropping the floor was not on a list of recommendations from the Climate Change Commission, which prompted the consultation in the first place. The commission's recommendations were based on shrinking the supply of units, implying a rising price.Official analysis in the document said lowering the price floor would not be in keeping with the ETS' goals, and gave no detailed reasons for putting the idea forward.Prices on the secondary market plunged on news of the proposal."The government received the advice and came out with this really muddled consultation which said, 'okay maybe we should reduce supply, but also maybe we should let prices fall', but with no details about where prices should get to or why they should fall," McClintock said.It was "really unusual" to float an idea on something so critical to the market without further details, he said."The government is the biggest earner out of this system."It's a lot of money to throw away by not being clear about what you want the ETS to look like."McClintock cited the government's statements that the ETS was its main tool, not grants or subsidies, to cut emissions."If it is the only tool in the government's climate toolbox, it really has to work."Others watching the market agreed confidence was shaky.Lizzie Chambers of carbon trading platform Carbon Match said confidence might improve if the coalition laid out a clear climate strategy in its Emissions Reduction Plan, due mid-year.But right now, she said, prices were volatile and it appeared "nobody is going to turn up" to bid this week."While the government has been clear that it wants stability, people don't quite know what happening, they don't know what the government's intentions are towards forestry [or] towards restricting land from entering the ETS."They're still waiting for more information ... and meanwhile there was certainly a spooking effect behind the idea that the government could lower the floor, because that doesn't really make sense. A falling floor is not a floor at all," she said.Paul Harrison of Salt Funds, which manages carbon investments, said unless something changed, it was unlikely the government would earn anything from any of the remaining 2024 auctions.The current price was too far below the auction floor, he said."Somebody's not learning," he said, when asked about successive governments' habit of tanking the carbon price."From a climate change point of view, you're basically selling the right to emit CO2 here, do you really want to do that at $50?"You're not going to encourage any transition. Most companies we speak to talk around $70 to $150 as being necessary to encourage investment in new technologies and a move away from thermal fuels."Chris Hipkins did not want to raise living costs by letting the carbon price rise. Photo: RNZ / Angus DreaverZig-zagging downFor a while, carbon prices were strengthening, reaching an all-time high of over $88 a tonne in November 2022.But the traders said for that to continue, emitters had to believe the government was committed to lowering carbon pollution with a strong and rising price.The 2022 high came after the Labour-led government strengthened the market by introducing a cap on how many emissions could be sold, established a bottom floor on prices, and set up the independent Climate Change Commission to make expert recommendations on market settings. That last move was supposed to reduce the influence of political whims on the market.In 2023, Labour crashed the price when it announced a sweeping review of the way forestry was used to generate carbon credits.It had already caused a previous plunge when it refused to follow the commission's advice on letting prices rise, a call it later reversed after legal action, after admitting it could not show that it had given the matter proper consideration.Labour, under Chris Hipkins, feared raising living costs by letting the carbon price rise. (Carbon prices affect petrol, electricity and food prices, though less than recent inflation. A jump from today's price to $90 a tonne could add 6 percent to electricity, according to a Treasury paper, which was looking at ways to compensate people on low incomes.)All four auctions failed to sell anything in 2023.Under National's coalition, March 2024's quarterly auction earned $190 million despite not fully selling out - the first auction to sell any carbon in over a year.However, bids only just scraped above the price floor, with the permits selling at the lowest price the Government was allowed to sell for: $64 a tonne.The coalition oversaw another price plunge in May, over the surprise 'price floor drop' proposal.Future outlookTreasury's financial forecasts for the Budget had carbon prices at $58, based on what the secondary market was selling at in March.That was down from $70 a tonne in the half-year update six months earlier, leading Treasury to lower its forecasts of ETS revenue by a gross $600 million a year.Because the Government would also spend less on the ETS over the same period, the net reduction worked out at an average of $300 million a year, or 1.5 billion over the five-year forecast.However, at $58, the price Treasury used in its forecast price was below the minimum price the government was legally allowed to sell at. In reality, a price that low would mean selling nothing.Each failed or partially sold auction pushes more tonnes into the next one, making it less likely all permits will sell. At the end of each year, all unsold permits are cancelled.The March auction sold around 3 million of the 3.5 million credits offered, pushing 500,000 unsold tonnes into June's auction.How many will be on the table in September and December depends what happens this week.The Climate Commission said to fix the market, the government needed to announce it would be selling fewer credits in coming years. It said there were too many credits sitting with companies already and supply should be tightened.Shrinking the future supply could raise prices, and encourage emitters to cut pollution.However, traders will not know until September whether the government has decided to follow the commission's advice - or carry out a surprise drop to the price floor.

June is the month when we send a Big Shoutout to our hardworking volunteers.Volunteer South community connector Steve Baker says the month is about “celebrating the efforts, contribution and selflessness” of local volunteers.“Those often-unsung heroes in your local community.” The initiative is a nationwide celebration, and Volunteering New Zealand  has ideas on its website of how you can honour the volunteers within your organisation or community.“You could also shout your volunteers a morning or afternoon tea, or browse through the number of graphics and templates that Volunteer NZ has made available for businesses and volunteer-involving organisations - for use on your organisations’ social media page.”Businesses are also invited to partner with Volunteering NZ to further help to establish a national culture of appreciation to encourage volunteers in the community, while also inspiring the younger generation to carry the torch.“Always remember, we don’t need to wait for National Volunteer week, or Big Shoutout month, to celebrate volunteers, it’s more about creating a culture of appreciation all throughout the year, Steve says.This year, Volunteer South kicked off a Celebration Stories Competition in advance of Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu – National Volunteer Week (June 16-22). The theme for the week, this year, is Whiria te Tangata - Weaving the People Together.  “This celebration was just another way to help organisations to, in short story form, tell the way volunteers help to weave the people together in the community.”Steve encourages people to acknowledge volunteers in the coming week, and to inspire the community with their volunteer activities, pictures and stories this volunteer week.To find out more about Steve's role with Volunteer South and how to become a volunteer yourself read: Volunteer roles rewarding for both sides

Kazakhstan is not the destination holiday most 17-year-olds dream of, but it is where one Waitaki Girls’ High School pupil is heading next month.Anika Hayes is one of four students chosen to represent New Zealand in the International Biology Olympiad being held in Astana, Kazakhstan, in July.About 80 countries will have their top four biology students at the competition, completing a variety of theoretical and practical exams.To be selected, Anika has had multiple steps - an initial exam to pick the top 200 students, online training and assignments to narrow down the top 25 students, and an in-person training camp in Auckland to learn practical skills.After all of that, she was selected as one of the final four.“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it,” Anika says.“I feel very privileged, very lucky, to have this chance, this opportunity.”She met the other New Zealand competitors in Auckland, and they will be travelling to Kazakhstan together (with a stopover in China).She says the Olympiad programme teaches a lot of things not taught in school.“I like learning about the world around us. I think it's really interesting and there's so much cool stuff, stuff we don't know.”In the lead up to the competition, Anika has had weekly meetings with the other New Zealand competitors and a lot of help from the school’s head of learning for science, Vicky Lilley.Anika says the key to her success is “self-motivation”.“If you don’t enjoy it there’s no point putting any effort in.”Anika has to raise $8000 before she leaves in less than three weeks.She has approached a number of community service groups and is hosting a fundraising concert at the Waitaki Girls’ High School Dunning Hall this weekend.The koha-entry concert will be held at 2pm this Saturday (June 15), with a range of performances by Waitaki Girls’ High School students.

By Simon Davies, Clare-Ann Fortune, Karen Salmon, and Linda Fatialofa* of The ConversationAnalysis - "Boot camps" for young people who commit serious offending are coming back. The coalition government has promised to pilot "military-style academies" by the middle of the year - despite a wealth of international and New Zealand evidence that boot camps do not reduce reoffending.It has been encouraging to see this evidence receive extensive media coverage and expert analysis. Less encouraging, however, has been the minister for children's reported rejection of expert advice that the boot camp model is flawed and ineffective.So, why do we keep returning to interventions that don't work? For boot camps, there are at least three possible explanations.First, they appeal to politicians who want to appear tough on crime, while also saying they are encouraging rehabilitation options.Second, boot camps seem to have a strong appeal to common sense: people want to believe structure and military discipline can turn around young people's lives, and this belief outweighs contradicting evidence.Third, boot camps can take different forms, so evidence of their ineffectiveness can be avoided by claiming, as the minister has, that improvements will be made this time.This seems unlikely, however, when the core features that characterise boot camps - strong discipline in particular - are a main reason they don't work. To understand why, we need to look at the psychology of punishment and behaviour change.The limits of punishmentPhoto: RNZ files / Angus DreaverAs children, either through direct experience or observing others, we learn that if we touch a hot stove we get burned. People tend to assume punishment works in the same way: we change our behaviour following punishment.In practice, and in the criminal justice system in particular, punishment rarely works that way.It has long been argued that punishment which is immediate, certain and severe will deter crime. But most offending goes undetected initially, punishment is often delayed, and more severe sentences have not been shown to deter offending. Serious offending, in particular, appears not to be deterred by punishment.Punishment also only tells someone what they should not do, not what they should be doing. In fact, punishment can have the opposite effect, leading to more of the behaviour you were trying to prevent. To learn new behaviours, young people need praise and encouragement.When punishment meets traumaPerhaps the main problem with the assumption that young people who offend seriously "just need some discipline" is that they have often already experienced more - and more severe - discipline than most. We might also call this "abuse".Recent New Zealand evidence found 95 percent of a sample of 63 young people involved in "ram raid" events had been exposed to family harm; 65 percent reported five or more such occasions.Photo: RNZ file imageDecades of research into the impacts of childhood maltreatment and trauma tell us these types of experiences have substantial effects on development. Children tend to develop a poor understanding of emotions, low self-value, problems forming healthy relationships, and hypervigilance to perceived threats.When young people with these difficulties are subjected to harsh discipline in boot camps, they are likely to associate their treatment with the serious physical harm caused to them in the past, causing further anxiety and stress. Without healthy ways to manage those emotions, further disruptive behaviour, including aggression, is likely.Just as young people tend to engage in behaviour (such as violence) shown to them by others, they also tend to adopt the attitudes of those around them. Often, these include negative views of society at large, particularly towards authority figures.Because of the strong link between those attitudes and reoffending, interventions should focus on shifting those attitudes.At best, however, research suggests boot camps have no impact on such attitudes. At worst, a focus on discipline may strengthen unhelpful attitudes and hinder the ability to form a therapeutic relationship.A working therapeutic relationship is perhaps the single most important feature of effective interventions aimed at changing behaviour.Focus on what we know worksThere is good evidence that several different interventions can reduce reoffending and other antisocial behaviour. Photo: RNZ File imageBoot camps do not appear to be going away. They are seemingly popular with the public and will therefore likely remain popular with politicians.But the evidence is clear: in the different forms tried to date, they do not reduce reoffending. Most likely, this is because of the limitations of punishment as a method of changing behaviour, and the backgrounds of the young people entering these camps.That doesn't mean these young people cannot be helped. There is good evidence that several different interventions - ones that have a therapeutic focus, involve relevant support people, and work on building skills for living "pro-socially" - can reduce reoffending and other antisocial behaviour.Nor does it mean young people who seriously offend should be exempt from consequences. But we should be honest about the purpose and likely outcome of those consequences, and accept that punishment alone will not change behaviour.One of the most telling findings from research into boot camps is that those with a rehabilitative component are more effective at reducing reoffending than other models. Some may cite this as evidence boot camps can be effective.We disagree. If the reason some boot camps are effective is because they include a rehabilitative component, why bother with the boot camp aspect? Why not focus on what does work?*Simon Davies is a lecturer in forensic psychology, Clare-Ann Fortune is a senior lecturer in clinical forensic psychology, Karen Salmon is a professor of psychology, and Linda Fatialofa is a PhD candidate in forensic psychology - all at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.

The Livingstone-Duntroon Road has been closed again.A geotechnical assessment of the site today discovered more cracking at the top of the same cliff face where there was a rock and landslip last week, blocking a 30-40m stretch of road, and an adjacent section of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail.The Waitaki District Council released a statement saying with the latest information, and the current wet weather, it has been advised to divert vehicles away from the site, and the decision has been made to close the road, which had been re-opened to a single lane at the weekend.A bund or embankment of rock was placed at the roadside, in attempt to make it safer, but larger boulders remain above the road.The council is working with its partners and the landowner for the best approach, assessment and treatment of this complex and developing issue."We appreciate the frustration for the community at this road closure, but are prioritising safety first, movement second," the council says.The road will remain closed over the weekend and be reviewed again on Tuesday (June 18). Diversions will be signposted, with the cycle trail remaining open at this stage.More information will be provided when available, the council says.

Most of Ōamaru has heard of Martin Horspool and his retro “buggyrobots”, but a new pop-up initiative in town is allowing him to showcase another talent of his - photography.Martin became aware of the Waitaki District Council’s Revitalise Our Places Ōamaru (Ropo) programme - an idea to turn empty shops from “vacant into vibrant” - and thought it would be a good chance to exhibit some of his prints.The council says Ropo is a “significant milestone” in the plan to revitalise the town centre and bring life back to the main street.The six-month pilot project is designed to fill commercial spaces for 30-day periods in-between the times when they are tenanted long-term.The programme acts as a sort of “broker” between the landlord and the pop-ups. The idea is to help people present their ideas and concepts to a wider audience, and at the same time, it helps showcase the empty spaces, highlighting the opportunities within them to hopefully attract new long-term tenants.Martin has been taking photos since he was a teenager, and has 34 prints hanging in 145 Thames Street, opposite the Boer War memorial.“I like to see people's unusual fashion styles, and I have visited, in the past, a lot of places where people like that accumulate, or sort of gather . . . whether it's festivals or hot rod shows, or just travel,” he says.The Welsh-born artist says mostly the photos have been taken in New Zealand, but some are from Japan and America.He has captured people from a number of events, including the Beach Hop at Whangamata, a KISS concert, an axeman competition in Puhoi, a hot road convention in Auckland, and even an Elvis tribute show.His favourite photo in the collection is of a man, who was part of a gang of dancers in Yoyogi Park, in Tokyo.“There's a big group of them . . . and they don't talk to anybody. They just do their thing. They hang around, they dance in public. But you know, you can't talk to them.“I saw this guy turning up, and he had a big, full length, like, Matrix coat. And he had the biggest hair in the world. And he had this, like, walking cane, and he turned up all staunch, and I thought . . . this guy, I must get a photograph of him, but they're very unapproachable. “I know a little bit of Japanese, and I say, ‘excuse me, can I, I'd love to take your photograph. You look amazing’...“I had to work really hard to get that.”He also enjoys taking photos without people seeing he’s there, so they’re not posing. In Japan it is polite to ask, but usually he waits for his subject to approach, gets “low down”, takes a photo, and "then I’m off”, he says.The photos Martin has on display, he had printed off during his career as a printer in Auckland, before moving to Ōamaru in 2022. Now anything he takes, he just pops up online.While Martin would love to be able to sit at the venue and talk to people who pop in - his day job dictates otherwise, so he will be in the space on Saturdays between 11am and noon, while the pop-up is running.Outside this time, most of the photos can be easily viewed through the window.Asked what advice he would give to people wanting to take a good photo, Martin says to “get close”.“I see a lot of people with telephoto lenses, and you don't need a telephoto, you just have to get close to somebody . . . just walk up, sometimes uncomfortably close,” he says.  Martin is happy to share what he knows about taking good photos to anyone who pops in for a visit on a Saturday.“There are like easy, easy rules to get better photographs. Which I will divulge to anyone who wants to come and listen.” The photos are hanging in the building until at least July 7.Other pop-ups taking part in the Ropo programme, is Us. - a collaboration of three artists, at 167 Thames Street, and Waste-Free Waitaki, at 179 Thames Street.

Snow guns are going full bore as southern ski fields prepare to welcome onto their slopes.With the mercury dropping in the South Island, ski field operators hope they can get the lifts running this week.And while North Island skiers will have to wait a little longer before they can take to the slopes, the operators of the financially troubled Whakapapa field are cautiously optimistic about this year's season.A dry autumn and a recent warm patch down south have not been the best for snowfall.NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson has been keeping a keen eye on the weather forecast as Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Mt Hutt fields get ready to open."We're keeping all of our fingers and toes crossed. At the moment, it's a bit of a day-by-day watching brief," he said."But the weather has got very cold in the last week and we've had some fantastic snowmaking so we're going all guns blazing and still hopeful to get there for Friday for Mt Hutt and Saturday for Coronet Peak."Mt Hutt ski field pictured in May, 2023. Photo: Facebook via Mt Hutt / Nicole Hawke via RNZThe new multi-million dollar Shadow Basin chairlift would be a gamechanger for the Remarkables this season, with the six-seat express unlocking more terrain and runs, he said.On Mt Hutt, its snowmaking machines can create 400 tonnes of snow an hour.Staff were prioritising investing in snowmaking as part of their climate change planning, as it was denser and far more resilient on the trails, Anderson said."What it allows us to do from our perspective is make sure there is snow on the ground so we can get our business operating."From a customer's perspective, it means they can book with confidence and still turn up knowing that we will mostly likely be open from when we say we'll be open."Cardrona and Treble Cone Experiences general manager Laura Hedley said June was always a bit unpredictable."Sometimes we get a really early June storm and it sets us up really well. Other times, it's a slower start and we really rely on making snow. But we're prepared for that," she said.Both fields were getting good bookings through, but she said they were managing daily numbers at Cardrona to ensure it didn't feel crowded.Skiers and snowboarders line up in August 2022. Photo:Tess Brunton via RNZThey were also looking at their emissions and have added a new hybrid electric groomer this season."That's a good step in the right direction so it's understanding what our impact is, trying to reduce how much impact we have whilst also investing in technology to keep the skifields up and running," Hedley said.She was looking forward to next season when they planned to open the Soho Basin and its 150 hectares of terrain.Whakapapa 'locked and loaded'In the North Island, Whakapapa has already opened for sightseeing and sledding but it isn't expected to open for skiing until Matariki weekend at the end of this month.It has been a tumultuous year for the ski field after its owner Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was put into liquidation last year, receiving $7 million from the government to ensure the 2024 season could go ahead.Whakapapa ski field. Photo: Unsplash / Matthew Buchanan via RNZChief executive Travis Donoghue said active bidding remained underway, but Whakapapa planned to run for 150 days this season."Whakapapa is locked and loaded, confirmed for 2024 so we're also systems go, able to recruit up to 300 team members to come and work here at Whakapapa," he said."We'll be opening everything as soon as mother nature and the snowfall allows."Managers were re-establishing the size of their snow school, targeting 20 to 30 more instructors than in the last few years.The ski field has offered free season passes for children under 10, with thousands of kids signing up."But in a paid sense, we're actually able to grow our revenue by 67 percent year-on-year for a season pass sale so we're really positive, taking a lot from that, that that's a good, strong indicator for a successful 2024 season."Boosting the field's snowmaking capability would be a large priority into the future, he said."There's no reason why improved snowmaking technologies couldn't have you making snow and achieving coverage to the same degree in 2090 as what was falling naturally from the sky in 1990."

When it comes to knitting, weaving and sculpting - kelp isn’t usually a crafter’s first port of call.But since spending her days beach-combing the Kāpiti Coast during lockdown, Ōamaru newcomer Judith Stanley has been intrigued by the storm-cast seaweed, and what she can do with it.“I've always been fascinated, I guess, and just watching it dry and buckle, and seeing some of those really big pieces, it just seemed to be a wasted resource sitting there on the beach,” she says. “Taking it home and playing with it just seemed like a really good idea.”Judith moved south from Kāpiti in November last year, and although she says she didn’t come for the kelp … it’s definitely making her want to stay.“I didn't realise there was so much . . . but when I saw it, I thought, kelp city.“I've just been going crazy for the last six months, hauling it in and molding it and making.” She has started The Kelpery, “which at the moment is kind of a name and an idea”. She is exploring kelp as an art practice, but also thinks there is untapped opportunity for enterprise. Making disposable plates is one idea she thinks has potential, and will be looking into further.Moeraki and Kakanui are Judith’s favourite kelping grounds, and Ōamaru harbour also sometimes produces the goods, although she has to contend with the occasional possessive seal.She has experimented with other seaweeds, but due to kelp’s longevity (it doesn’t rot as fast), and variations of thickness and malleability, it has become her weed of choice.“It feels like it lends itself to a more interesting exploration, and structurally, I mean . . . even the colour I'm noticing, like, given that it's all kelp and there’s all these different colours, it's just so interesting.”The kelp is moulded, shaped, woven, or knitted using blades and stipes to make vessels, baskets, bowls, bangles and baubles, and Judith’s newest favourite - light hangings.“It's gorgeous in the light. I've been really enjoying it. Just the way the light plays with it,” she says.Kelp needs to be processed quickly. Once Judith has collected it in her drybag and brought it home, she has about 48 hours before it begins to rot.“It requires a lot of attention in a short amount of time. So you have to shape it while it’s still wet, and then allow for the fact that it’s going to shrink.”The kelp needs the rot cut off, and then is washed with fresh water. Judith thinks about what she wants to make from it, and then she gets “stuck in”.The beauty of kelp, she says, is if something doesn’t work out, she just throws it on the garden.Once a piece of work has been made, it is preserved using wax, resin or polyurethane - she has decided the latter has the most longevity.How long a piece will last is yet to be determined. The oldest piece she has is three years. However, it has been treated with wax, and is beginning to develop mould.“My understanding, and from my experience with it, it would decay like harakeke or paper, that sort of thing. So like any other natural fibre.”The Kelpery generated a lot of interest at the recent Waitaki Arts Trail, held at King’s Birthday Weekend, and Judith sold some pieces, but ended up giving just as much away, she said.“Where to from here? Is my question.”Woven kelp. Photo: suppliedJudith thinks Waitaki could be the “kelp capital of the world”.“What I'm finding really, there's not a lot of people working in kelp, you know, across the board. I've come across two others in New Zealand that have used it as a medium for artworks, and that sort of thing, and playing with it. And there's a couple of others globally, but not a lot really.” Experimenting with kelp is a world away from Judith’s day job as a writer of education resources. She also has a masters degree in creative writing.What she loves about the kelp, is “there are no words involved. It’s all tactile”.“What I've loved the most, is that it's kind of new territory.”The Kelpery has a piece on display at Nelson’s Refinery ArtSpace, and a stall at the Lōemis Festival, which is running in Wellington this month. Closer to home, there are some pieces in Ōamaru’s Grainstore Gallery.“And then from there, I think I just do a bit of door knocking around galleries,” Judith says.“I guess I want more people to see it, enjoy it, and just really appreciate the resource for what it is.”Judith is hoping to run workshops around the uses of kelp, and invites people who are interested to get in touch by emailing [email protected] The Kelpery creations. Photo: supplied

Households are struggling to save or cope with an unexpected bill because of the high cost of living, according to a Kiwibank report.The bank's first State of Savings index showed 59 percent of respondents had a budget, and 41 percent had regular savings, but 30 percent would struggle to pay an unexpected $500 expense without having to borrow, sell something, or resort to a credit card.Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich said the survey pointed to financial resilience, but also vulnerabilities."While it's encouraging to see that some New Zealanders are managing to save and set financial goals, the research shows that a large portion are vulnerable to financial shocks."He said households understood the need for budgeting and saving, although amount being saved monthly, outside of Kiwisaver, was generally less than $100 for four out of 10 respondents.'Confronting' dataJurkovich said the tight financial position of many households was reflected among Kiwibank customers."People are now six times more likely to tell you the big financial issues they are facing are the cost of living versus divorce, illness or losing a job, and we have certainly noticed that over the last 18 months.""We've also noticed in our card spending that spending on entertainment, hospitality and retail are down very sharply, so real indicators show people are knuckling down and paying the bills they have to face such as the mortgage."The survey showed about two-thirds of those with mortgages were likely to follow a budget, as were those aged between 30 and 44.Regular savers' priorities were for emergencies, holidays, and retirement, with women more likely to save for emergencies and those under 30 more likely to save for home ownership and a car.However, women and those under 30 were also more likely to be struggling to save, which nearly three quarters of respondents put down to the high cost of living.Jurkovich said the data regarding women was "confronting" and pointed to the need for measures giving them support at times when they were taking time out for parenting or caring for elderly.He said tough financial conditions were set to remain for the rest of the year, but interest rate cuts by the Reserve Bank would at least lift confidence even if they provided little immediate relief to households.The survey of 1046 people was conducted by Talbot Mills the week before the budget with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent

“Horrified” and “scared” is how one man is feeling after the announcement that Ōamaru’s water supply must be fluoridated by June 30, as instructed by the Director-General of Health.Letters from both Waitaki District Council chief executive Alex Parmley, and Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, requesting an extension on the deadline, have fallen on deaf ears.Waitaki District Council was one of 14 councils directed in 2022, by then Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield to fluoridate its main water supply. In November last year, the High Court ruled this directive unlawful, citing the Bill of Rights Act which states a person has the right to refuse medical treatment.There has been strong opposition locally to the proposal, and the announcement today (Tuesday) that it will go ahead, quickly generated an angry response on social media, with talks of a protest at the site where the fluoride would be added. Both Mr Parmley and Mr Kircher cited strong community opposition to the move, in their letters to the Director General of Health Diana Safarti. Mr Parmley said although preparations had been carried out to flouridate the water in accordance with the directive, council had concerns with the legal position around the decision.Mr Kircher requested that local communities be given the right to choose whether fluoride is added to their water.“In the spirit of local decision making.”The letters were a result of a decision made at a Waitaki District Council meeting on April 23, where councillors voted for Mr Parmley to request an extension of the June 30 deadline, from the Department of Health.Mr Kircher’s letter also suggested, that as the decision-maker around fluoridation, it was the Health Ministry’s responsibility to ensure information about fluoridation is provided to communities.“If the status quo is to be retained, with the decision to be made by the DG of Health, then that responsibility of information should be carried out by the Ministry of Health,” he wrote.In a response received by the council from Dr Sarfati, last week, she cited the High Court decision of February 16 and a subsequent decision on May 24 as legal basis for not granting extensions for the fluoridation directive.She also noted that a 2021 amendment by Parliament, to add Part 5A to the Health Act 1956, empowers her role with directing councils to fluoridate, and that councils must comply.The High Court decision on 24 May confirmed current directions are valid, and that councils have a statutory duty of mandatory compliance.“Under Part 5A, contravening a direction is an offence, and the statute provides for potentially significant penalties,” the letter says. The council is now working towards complying with its statutory duty by June 30, as directed. If it does not comply, it faces a fine of up to $200,000, followed by $10,000 per day of non-compliance.  

All staff at Ōamaru Hospital have agreed to transfer their employment contracts to Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora.This and confirmation of other conditions of a sale and purchase agreement between Waitaki District Health Services (WDHS) and Health NZ, means the transfer of ownership will go ahead on July 1.A contract was finalised between the two parties, and as the sole shareholder of WDHS, the Waitaki District Council approved the agreement at the end of May. Health NZ will also purchase the hospital’s clinical equipment, stock, and take over licences, equipment operating leases and service agreements, in a deal worth approximately $3.25 million, plus $1m per annum for lease fees.Council chief executive Alex Parmley thanked Health NZ, those in charge at WDHS, and “the hardworking and valued” hospital staff for their efforts to “ensure a seamless health service provision for the Waitaki District”.Health NZ Southern operations group director Hamish Brown says the Waitaki community is fortunate to have such a dedicated team of healthcare professionals.“We are delighted that all staff have accepted their offer of employment with Health NZ,” he says.“Engagement has also started with local leaders on the Te Waka Hauora o Waitaki Health Futures project and we look forward to working with staff, service providers and the community to hear your ideas for the future on healthcare provision for the area.”

Michael Begg, one of Aotearoa's first-ever energy advisors, has seen mushrooms growing in carpets and wallpaper peeling off walls.He knows best how we go about keeping our homes running with a minimum indoor temperature of between 18 and 20 degrees - a recommendation set by the World Health Organisation.The latest episode of Thrift explores the three big factors in keeping homes dry and warm - and how to make sure these factors are working as they should.Follow and listen to Thrift on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.InsulationIf you want to pay less for heating, you need good insulation. Poorly installed pink batts with gaps are not going to cut it.Colour and thickness are important, and if it's done right you should be able to find a label with the date and type of insulation near the manhole - proof it's been laid by a registered installer.Under the floors, insulation is a two-step process - you want polythene stopping any rising damp and atop that, insulation blocking the cold coming up through the sub-flooring into the house.On the windows - full double glazing is effective (but expensive) - and Begg believes wooden frames are better than the older aluminium ones. If you don't want to break the bank, there are hardware store options worth exploring to coat your windows."Insulation works by trapping a layer of air," Begg explains. So, "the benefit (of lined curtains) is when we are closing the curtains we are trapping a layer of air.""When you close your curtain, you're trying to trap a layer of air between the curtain and the glass."Begg says under new legislation all these insulation features should all be available in rental properties, along with ventilation and heating systems.Ventilation"We produce about a litre of condensation just breathing while we sleep, and that moisture has to go somewhere," Begg says."It's something you don't see."When we turn our heater on if the air is holding a lot of moisture we can use twice much energy to heat the same room if it's damp."Twice as much energy equals twice the cost - so ventilation around the warmest part of the day can pay big dividends.In the bathroom: "The most important thing is that we have an extractor fan and that it's vented outside, and that you have the heater."Crank the heater for a few minutes before you get in the shower, and just as you're hopping in, turn on the extractor fan and open the window a crack, Begg reccommends."Particularly in modern homes, we know to draw air out of the bathroom, but we need to have a little bit of air coming in."Begg is not a fan of heated towel rails. Left on 24/7, it's suggested they can cost between $15 and $30 a month. They may dry a towel, but the moisture is seeping out into other parts of the home, using more power to get rid of it. Consider hanging towels outside to dry.HeatingOnce insulation and ventilation are sorted, "heating is very simple", Begg says.You just need to work out the right type of heating for your spaces."An old home, if you were to put on the fan heater or a heat pump slowly warming the air temperature, obviously we're losing that heat through gaps."So - these work best in new homes with modern insulation, draft proofing and good ventilation systems. Or old homes which have had some work done.In older homes, a radiant heater works well, as they are essentially like the sun."If you're sitting in front of a radiant heater, you feel warm... like the sun... if the sun were to come out you would feel warm straight away."But avoid using them in bedrooms where they can be dangerous, Begg says, and opt for a convection or oil column or panel heater.Finally, always open the curtains on a sunny day, especially on north-facing windows, to take full advantage of the free heat that will come gushing though the windows.

Today might be the best day of the week across the Waitaki, with snow, rain and colder weather set to hit overnight.It was a mild start to the week across much of the country this morning (Monday), but with winds swinging to the south today, MetService is forecasting temperatures to return to more familiar cool June values, along with snow for the higher parts of the lower South Island early Tuesday morning.Much of the country will be dodging showers through the week, but with more unsettled weather on the cards for Thursday and Friday, it will pay to keep up with the forecast.Temperatures around New Zealand on Monday morning were very warm for the time of year, not dropping below 16°C all night in Whangārei. However, the warm temperatures were a brief blip, with cooler winds returning today.  MetService meteorologist John Law says, “Northwesterly winds overnight brought plenty of warm air across the country, but they also brought wet and windy weather as well. However, temperatures look set to drop for most of us tonight. In fact, for many places, Wednesday's high will be cooler than this morning's low.”Overnight tonight (Monday) into Tuesday, colder air pushes northwards across the South Island, bringing the risk of snowfall for parts of Southland and Otago above 300 to 400 metres. MetService has issued Road Snowfall Warnings for the tops of the Milford Road, Crown Range Road and Lindis Pass.“The combination of wetter weather and cold air brings the ingredients needed to generate some snowfall about the highest parts of the lower South Island tonight,” John says. The first half of the week is looking like the best time to get any outdoor jobs finished with the weather set to go downhill in time for Thursday and Friday.“The end of the week looks set to see the return of some windier and wetter weather across many parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. There may be the risk of severe weather, so remember to keep an eye on the forecast on MetService.com,” he says.

Winter illness is putting a dent in daily school attendance - but so are long weekends.The percentage of children in class each day has dropped from a high of 89 percent at the start of the school term in late April to 82-84 percent for most days at the end of May.However, attendance fell to just 73 percent on the Friday before the King's Birthday long weekend at schools that were not closed for teacher-only days.In Hawke's Bay Tairāwhiti it dropped to 62 percent and in Canterbury it was 65 percent.The Ministry of Education has told schools to aim for 94 percent daily attendance, as that should ensure 80 percent of their students were in class more than 90 percent of the time - the benchmark for regular attendance.The daily attendance rates in the final week before the long weekend were better than those for the same week in term 2, 2022 (when attendance ranged from a mid-week high of just over 82 percent to a Friday low of nearly 73 percent) but worse than 2023 (when attendance ranged from 81-86 percent).Listen: Winter illness impacts school attendanceMeanwhile, a ministry briefing paper to Associate Education Minister David Seymour said just 15 percent of students, fewer than 130,000, met the government benchmark in all four terms of 2023.It said 445,000 students, 53 percent, missed more than 10 percent of school over the course of the year - and 14,000 students, two percent, missed more than three weeks of school every term.Seymour said Fridays consistently had lower attendance rates, especially before public holidays."However, this is definitely not something that we want normalised. Winter illness is also playing a part in term 2 attendance levels," he said."The daily dashboard is showing us that encouraging students to go to school every day, and particularly towards the end of the week, will contribute to achieving this target - but more importantly, it will contribute to helping them in their futures."Seymour said media reporting on daily attendance data would bring more public attention to the issue.David Seymour says Fridays consistently have lower attendance rates than other days of the week. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneInfluencers and social media"Go five for five" and "How sick is too sick for school" could be key messages in a PR campaign to drive up school attendance.The slogans were included in a ministry briefing to Seymour in early May.The paper said a campaign would cost about $1 million and would seek to persuade families and students of the importance of regular attendance.It said a $1m national campaign ran for five weeks in 2022 and raised awareness, but did not necessarily change people's attitudes."An impact assessment of the 2022 campaign found that even after that campaign opinions about the impact of not attending school varied considerably. Only around half of parents considered low attendance to be a 'serious problem' and only around a third considered it a problem in their community," the report said.However, it also provided evidence that local campaigns, which cost about $400,000 over two years, could have measurable success."One of these campaigns focused on an individual primary school and over a year (from Term 1 2022 to Term 1 2023) their regular attendance rate increased from 28.8 percent to 59.5 percent," the report said.It said influencers would be used in the campaign and could reach large numbers of people."For one influencer we worked with on previous attendance campaigns, the video cost $7000 and reached one million people on TikTok alone (and this was posted on Facebook and Instagram)," the paper said.Officials are eyeing a social media campaign to persuade students and their families of the importance of regular attendance. Photo: JONATHAN RAASchool - the 'best party in town'?Cobden School in Greymouth has used Ministry of Education funding to run its own social media campaign encouraging families to send their children to school every day.Principal Noula Markham told RNZ the school still had work to do, but the campaign helped."What we have had is a big shift with the critical non-attendance. That has definitely lowered. So our truancy rate is very, very low and so the shift is definitely heading in that positive direction," she said.She said the campaign ran over two school terms and featured new animations each week with key messages about attendance."Either a message around the benefits of attending of school, we had some messages around what parents could do to help them get their children to school like a regular bedtime, being prepared the night before and then we had a lot of messages saying 'school is not the same without you'."Markham said the school was experiencing a wave of winter illness, but it did not have a Friday slump in attendance.Asked why, Markham said: "Try and keep the curriculum alive. School should be the best party in town. Getting the children's voice in what activities we do and also having a great relationship with our school community."You've just got to keep the learning alive. You've got to keep those kids wanting to come to school. Obviously we have our lunch in schools as well which is a huge plus. So anything we can do to make kids want to come to school is going to boost achievement and obviously attendance rates."Darfield High School principal Andy England told RNZ the school's daily attendance was generally around 90 percent but it was not immune to the Friday dip.Illnesses like Covid are just one reason for students missing school. Photo: 123rf.com"We would have families who might go away to the bach or go hunting, and that may sound flippant and it's certainly something we have to dig into in terms of the importance of turning up to school, but for some families that is the key thing that they value," he said."Forty-seven percent of respondents we had to a recent survey said school's important but they think time with family's important."England said Monday's attendance was also lower than later in the week, especially for senior students, and that might be due to their weekend activities.He said the school was studying its figures closely and had noted that students going off-site to trades academy classes on Fridays had attendance close to 100 percent.England said changing families' attitudes would be difficult."We went through Covid and then went through a period of teacher strikes last year, both of those things are quoted by parents as indicating that it's maybe not quite as important to have their kids coming into school."I think some families have learnt that they quite enjoy having their own kids around home and actually in some cases the learning can be quite effective from home. So the issues are quite complex and I don't believe that just telling kids to get back to school is going to work."England said the school was still trying to understand its community's attitude to attendance and truancy.He said reminding parents of the effect of missed classes on their children's education was likely to be an effective approach."Letting them understand the fact that one day off per week is a year over 10 years, those kinds of statistics, and highlighting the impact of disengagement so when a child misses a lesson and it's part of a sequence, and they come back and they sit in the class and they don't really understand what their classmates are doing," he said.

The Livingstone-Duntroon Road, closed by rockfall, should have a single lane open to traffic by the weekend, Waitaki District Council says.An unexplained slip of large rocks and soil fell onto a 30-40 metre section of the road between State Highway 83 and Settlement Road, overnight on Monday. A section of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail has also been affected.Assessments were carried out by a Geotech engineer and a historical specialist earlier this week, and barring potential archaeological significance of fossils within the limestone, it is likely there will be a single lane open by Friday evening, the council said in a statement.“This is anticipated to be a priority give-way single lane, to allow traffic to flow in both directions.”Ngāi Tahu, the owners of the site, and Tūhura Otago Museum have requested to be notified if any rock art or fossilised remains emerge during the clearance of the fall, and for these to be protected as much as possible.The council and contractors have targeted the end of next week for the full reopening of the road.“We understand the community’s frustration about the closure, but the nature of this rockfall requires caution and care to ensure the road can be opened with any potential hazards removed or secured,” the statement said.Large rocks, which remain precariously balanced on a ledge, will be professionally “shoved off” today, using inflatable bladders, while the road remains closed to all traffic.Until the road re-opens the following diversions remain in place: The A2O is currently being rerouted along Earthquakes Road to rejoin the trail beyond the rock-fall site. This is not a sealed road, so motor vehicle traffic is discouraged.Road traffic is encouraged to take the Georgetown – Ngapara road as a diversion to reach Elephant Rocks, Livingstone and other areas usually accessible by the Duntroon-Livingstone Road.Council will provide further information regarding the road re-opening when available.

Ōamaru’s oasis of warmth and greenery has re-opened after months of restoration work.The Display House, located in the Ōamaru Public Gardens, reopened late last month for the first time since August last year.The Display House provides a protected environment for frost-tender plants that would not otherwise survive in the public gardens.Before the recent work, the display house was last restored in 2008.The restoration work cost more than the budgeted $153,000, a council spokesperson says.“We do not have the final figure as work is not yet completed.”There is additional spouting, painting and other jobs to be done when the weather improves, which will dictate the final cost.The Display House, opened in 1929, was designed by Ōamaru architect Ivan Steenson and is a category B listed building (meaning it has considerable overall heritage).The construction cost £1101 including pots and a heating system, was paid for by funds raised through a garden fete held in March 1928.The fete also paid for a paddling pool, play area and azalea garden.