As any experienced cheesemaker will tell you - good things take time.It’s been seven months since Ōamaru couple Simon and Annabel Berry set to work transforming the former Cafe 469 building in the town’s north end, into Whitestone Cheese Diner & Deli. But now the business is ripe and ready for a busy summer, opening its doors on December 4.Simon, director of Whitestone Cheese, said there were some delays along the way, with surprise compliance issues thrown in the mix, but the end result has made the challenges worthwhile.“Annabel's done an amazing job of all the interiors, the colours, the look and the feel, it's all coming together now.“Plus, she's also project managed - in terms of managing all the subbies and the builders and all the contractors - so yeah, she's been flat out . . . Really, it's been her project in a lot of ways.”  Simon said having the Whitestone Cheese “cellar door” on State Highway 1 had been the initial focus of the move. It would capture passing traffic, and put the business “front of mind”. But he is happy the premises have ended up at the north end of town.“We've learned that, that's been really appreciated. Everyone's looking forward to having something here.”The pair have transformed the 1957 Art Deco building, which for the most part had previously remained untouched, into the “spiritual home of Whitestone”, he said.As well as the main dining area, there is a tasting room, which can also double as a private function room, and a 12-seat courtesy van will run people to and from the Torridge Street factory for tours.There will also be an extensive, improved deli range at the new site “in terms of ageing cheeses on site, and a bigger retail offering”.The original cafe and factory site will now be closed to the public except for guided tours. Staff will be provided with meals in the former cafe, and the offices will also remain in the same place.The diner menu has a strong family focus, with offerings along the lines of a traditional 1950s diner, including burgers, fries and shakes, Simon said.“It's just simple, done well.”There will also be original dishes, using “straight from the factory” products, and with a “heavy cheese theme”. And just for the adults, there will be wines and craft beers complemented with an extensive platter selection, all of which can be enjoyed indoors or outside in the garden bar.Whitestone Cheese has 12 staff at the new premises, about half full time and half part time - with some coming from overseas due to the nationwide hospitality shortage.Accommodation is available for staff onsite as the premises also used to run as a motel, which means one less problem to solve. The motel units also provide options for the business further down the track, Simon said.In the beginning, the deli and diner will be open seven days, from 8am to 6pm, to gauge demand.In other cheese-related news, Whitestone Cheese has also been named New Zealand’s favourite cheese company for the third time.  The competition has been running for five years. Whitestone won the first year it ran, Kapiti and Puhoi took one year each, and then Whitestone again was named the big cheese last year and this year.The competition is decided by public vote through the New Zealand Cheesemakers Association during cheese month (October).“We’re thrilled,” Simon said.“So that's adding great value to the brand, and I guess that's what this is all about, is building brand for us and keeping our brand strong."

It is toys galore for Rotary Club of Ōamaru’s first Toyarama this weekend.Originally planned for August, the sale of second-hand toys was shelved due to lack of goods, but that is no longer an issue, organiser Ele Ludemann said.“I had no worries about quality because it was high from the start, but we were worried that maybe we wouldn't have enough. But we have got plenty, and a real variety,” she said. The idea of Toyarama came off the back of Bookarama, which has been a hugely successful fundraiser for the Rotary club over the years, raising more than $50,000 this year and last.Ele said there was a wide selection of toys available.“So you've got games, puzzles, dress ups, baby gear, ride-on toys, a buggy, a bath, there's even a potty-training loo.”There are soft toys, cars - big and small, and a few collector’s items, such as hand-made teddy bears, die-cast cars, and wooden toys made and/or repaired by the local Men’s Shed, and joiner Michael Firman. There is also going to be a raffle for a model donated by Victor Nelson Cycles, and Lego builders at work, demonstrating their skills.“So the whole thing. It's just a wonderful sign of how generous the community is,” Ele said.The sale was originally going to be held in the former Noel Leeming building, and remains on Thames Street, but now where Camerons clothing store used to be.Toyarama is this Saturday (November 25), noon until 5pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm. And while shelves are well-stocked, the group “never say no” to more toys, Ele said.“Because if this is a success, and with all these toys it will be, then we'll do it next year."

For teenagers who complain there is nothing to do in Ōamaru -  21st Century LifeSkills could be the thing.Self-described “bored” teenagers caught tagging buildings around town have spurred personal development specialist Amanda Fleming to diversify into sharing what she does best with young people.After more than 35 years working in personal development with 100,000-plus adults and thousands of businesses and organisations, it occurred to Amanda the sooner people can get these skills on board, the better.“Why shouldn't teenagers have the same skills that I'm teaching adults, in the domains of communication skills, and growing emotional intelligence? Because we know that if we don't learn to get along with other people, then life is harder. And if we do learn to get along with other people, we get more of what we want,” she says.With the help of trained facilitators, Amanda is looking at running one two-day course every school holiday. The first workshop is planned for the last weekend in January, for up to 36 high schoolers. She has worked with teens in the past, and is resurrecting an upgraded version of a workshop she has previously had success with.The LifeSkills course is not specifically for high achieving, nor troubled teens, it’s targeted at those who might be “kind of looking for a little bit more”, she says.“A little bit more inspiration in their life, and a little bit more purpose and meaning.“It's teenagers who know that there's something more, you know, but they don't know how to get at it. Or they're inspired and want to move and shake the world, but they don't know how to get organised. “They feel like ... ‘If they were just a bit more confident they could, dot, dot, dot’. “You know, confidence would be a key outcome that we're looking for. More self-belief, more self-esteem, better people skills.”Despite the advances in technology and the fast-changing world, these are skills that will always be important, she says.“So, like . . .  your girlfriend or your boyfriend dumps you, you've got to navigate all of that. There's no app for that. There's no pill for that. That's personal growth, you know?”  Emotional intelligence, communication skills, learning to manage pressure and stress are all things Amanda offers in her public workshops with adults, together with a personal growth framework that is non-religious, and all inclusive.“It wouldn't matter what gender or culture or how you identify. It is simply a growth framework. “The way I think about that is, if you were growing beans, they could all just grow along the ground in the dirt, or you could provide them with a framework that they can climb up so they get the best resources, you know, they get better sunshine and they get things which help and enable them to thrive.”To make the weekend as accessible to teens as possible, Amanda is seeking sponsorship from businesses, and she already has three on board. She is happy to outline the benefits to any potential sponsors, and has a proposal document for anyone who is interested in supporting the initiative. The first 21st Century LifeSkills for Teens weekend will be on January 27 and 28, from 9am to 4pm, at Ōamaru’s Business Hive - “introducing the kids to that grown-up environment”. Registrations are open online now.The bonds formed between the teenage participants is something she hopes will continue long after the weekend is finished.“It's designed for young humans in a stage of life that can be quite confronting, quite challenging. It's the biggest transformation they will ever go through, other than life and death . . .  and so the workshop, I would hope, would help them form firm friendships, so they have got someone they can call at three o'clock in the morning if they're worried. "They have got a friend they can talk to, to get stuff out of their head.”Amanda has lived in Ōamaru for nearly four years, after moving from the North Island. She grew up in Dunedin, and moved north when she became a police officer in her 20s. It was during her time with the police she was drawn towards personal development.“I saw lots and lots of perfectly intelligent people doing really, really stupid things.  And I was also very aware of myself, being a reasonably intelligent person, and I was making dumb decisions and doing really stupid things too.“So I got very interested in what motivates human behaviour, and ended up going on a workshop myself . . . It was transformative, and it helped me see myself, my relationship with others, my relationship with everything, it helped me see that differently. "So the result was a shift in my perspective that transformed my attitude towards myself and my own place in life, and . . . I discovered there was a little bit of hope for me."This is not where someone can do your homework for you, this is work that we do on the inside that only we can do, and the purpose of this workshop is to provide young people with the tools to do that work.”As she approaches the end of her career, Amanda is motivated to “pass on the passion”. “I haven't got children, so my books, my online course, my workshops, my kits, if I can pass that on to other people, you know, while I can. That is the goal.“It's also about contributing to the Waitaki being a learning destination where people come to learn, because I truly believe everything grows in the Waitaki, including people. Potential sponsors or participants are invited to email Amanda at [email protected], phone 021 357 753 or find out more here.

Play - we all remember doing it as children, but will our children remember doing it when they are adults?Sport Waitaki, with the help of Waitaki Neighbourhood Support is trying to resurrect the concept of play, as part of a Sport New Zealand initiative, and held the first Play Street event in Ōamaru at the weekend.While tourists poured into the Victorian precinct for Heritage Celebrations on Sunday (November 19), Dacre Street residents were playing with frisbees, vortexes, balls, bubbles, bike ramps, stilts and other games.Sport Waitaki regional coordinator Pip Sutton said the concept came out of the United Kingdom, where there is a lot of intensive housing.“You know, there were houses on top of houses, and you didn’t have play areas, and if you did they were quite small.”Pip was sceptical about the idea at the beginning, because compared with UK towns, Ōamaru has plenty of green space, but she decided to run the idea past the Waitaki District Council, and it was keen to get on board.“They turned out to be open to the idea, but with very strict guidelines.”The street has to be a low-usage street, and there were concerns that children need to know the difference between when they can play on the street and not play on the street.“So we are using it as an educational piece . . . they do play a little bit on the street there and they don't look, you know. They feel like they're invincible when they're young.”The idea is to encourage movement and imagination. There are no guidelines or rules around how the play equipment should be used.“Because kids are doing less and less of that, and not even kids but also adults, you know, we kind of get to a point where we don't use our imagination."Neighbourhood Support decided to join in on the fun, after Waitaki co-ordinator Christine Dorsey saw it as a way of bringing neighbours together.“It brings grandparents, it brings whoever's on the street, old or young, out to kind of form those connections in a very unstructured, fun kind of way, I guess. That's the plan, that's the vibe,” Pip said.Sunday’s event was the first in Otago, and now Sport New Zealand are trying to work with Neighbourhood Support nationally. “So even that relationship has kind of come from this, which is really cool.”The event ran for two hours, from 2-4pm, and Pip said other streets who are interested can apply online through application forms that will be set up on the Sport Waitaki and WDC websites from next year.Holding the event was a “big learning curve” and there is a “huge element of safety”, but now that the first one was out of the way, the process would get easier, she said. Neighbours at play. PHOTO: Supplied

Although wet weather washed out Friday’s Garden Party and Promenade, the sun shone on the final offerings of Heritage Celebrations Week - the Grand Parade and Victorian Fete.The Whitestone Civic Trust ran a smaller-scale fete than previous years on the Sunday, with a stronger focus on entertainment and fun, but fewer stalls did not deter those who crowded Harbour St for the festivities, while Saturday’s Grand Parade drew crowds of participants and spectators alike.The Waitaki App’s Alex Regtien was at the Grand Parade on lower Thames Street to capture some of the fun…Keeping a watchful eye.Dressed in their finery. Gillian Porter (left) and Liz Hewitt, from Christchurch, are granddaughters of Millie Sumpter and great grand daughters of George Sumpter, a successful Oamaru businessman who played a large part in the construction of Sumpter Wharf.Ready to race.Showing his best bike tricks is Oliver Briggs.A grand dog for a Grand Parade.

The Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef won best grass-fed steak and the best ribeye steak at the World Steak Challenge in London last week.The beef, which was selected from Alliance Group's Pukeuri plant in Oamaru and aged in a vacuum bag for up to 55 days, was one of six winners in the global contest.Shane Kingston, general manager sales and marketing at Alliance Group, said the awards recognised the "dedication and hard work our farmers put in day in, day out to raise the best grass-fed red meat in the world".Kingston said the ribeye steak, which costs around $25 for 500g, has "unprecedented" levels of tenderness and a "robust, zesty, buttery, and creamy flavour that gives it a deeply satisfying savoury presence".

Two inspiring women with links to North Otago are stepping up to help raise funds for the next generation of inspiring women.Karen Healey and Myfanwy Alexander are speaking as part of a Waitaki Girls’ High School fundraiser being held across two days at Riverstone Kitchen and Castle next month.A tour of a Christmassy castle, followed by a two-course lunch, and the women’s speeches are being held on two separate days to raise money for the Waitaki Girls music and drama suite, Board of Trustees member Dagmar Rohrbach said.Karen is a Christchurch-based author who moved to Ōamaru when she was nine with her family. A former Waitaki Girls’ pupil, she describes the school as a “source of a lot of fond memories”.“I'm really pleased to be coming back and contributing to their fundraiser.”Karen writes fantasy, science fiction, and magical romance for young adults and adults, and spending most of her formative years in Oamaru has definitely had an influence on her writing, she said.“I don't write realism, so it's not as if I'm taking people out of my memories and plonking them into my work, but a lot of my understanding of how people relate to each other comes from my time in Ōamaru.“There's also some direct influence - Oamaru is a setting in one of my most recent books, Bespoke and Bespelled. It's from the point of view of a film crew coming to town, so it's not exactly an insider exposé, but it was a lot of fun to consider how the town might look to outsiders.”Karen wrote constantly as a child and teenager - “a lot of it was terrible, of course” - but she also read a lot, which she saw as of more importance.Studying English and Classics at high school “nourished her appreciation for the written word”, she said.Karen is an Aurealis and Sir Julius Vogel award winner and has been a finalist for the ALA Morris Award and the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, among others. She will speak at Riverstone Kitchen on Thursday, December 14. At the other end of the speaking spectrum, Myfanwy grew up in Wales in a non-farming family, and now finds herself running a 900-cow farm in the Waitaki Valley. She is also president of North Otago Federated Farmers, and the regional lead for the Dairy Women’s Network.The series of events that led down this - not always smooth, but always exciting - path have helped shape her and fueled her passion for the industry and the community she now calls home.Myfanwy will talk about her life and some of what she has learnt from her adventures so far, on Friday, December 15.Dagmar encourages people to get a group of family or friends together and enjoy Riverstone Castle in all its Christmas glory, before enjoying the delicious fare Riverstone Kitchen is so well-known for.Tours of the castle begin at 11am, followed by lunch and a talk at 1pm. All tickets purchased also go into the draw for a night’s accommodation and breakfast for two at Valley Views Glamping, thanks to the generosity of Amber and Patrick Tyrrell, Dagmar said. One winner will be chosen each day, along with other raffles.Tickets are $125, and there is limited capacity. Bookings can be made on the Riverstone Kitchen website. 

A scrub fire near Ōamaru’s South Hill yesterday took more than five hours to extinguish.The fire came close to Test St homes which were evacuated, along with residents from Harbour View Resthome, but there was no damage caused to the buildings.An investigation into what caused the fire on the hillside between Waterfront Road and Test Street is expected to be carried out today.Fire and Emergency services were called to the fire at about 2.45pm on Sunday (November 19), which grew to about 100m by 100m at its peak, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said.Two firetrucks, four tankers and one helicopter fought the blaze, and the last truck left the scene at 8.38pm.

Here are the solutions for yesterday's Weekly Roundup puzzles.

Our own world champion in town, virtual reality for primary schoolers, a national music icon and a fast-becoming local one, the start of a new arts trail and the (possible) end of our tourism association plus a multitude of events on for the Victorian Heritage Celebrations - you can't help but feel super proud of our region.Motocross world champion, Courtney Duncan, who grew up in Palmerston thrilled her crowds of fans. If you missed it, check out what she had to say here - Fans race to meet world champion rider.Local primary school kids were treated to cutting edge virtual reality and became citizen-scientists in their own backyards to help with "long-term monitoring of the seashore, raising awareness of biodiversity and inspiring conservation" with Noslam and Otago University's New Zealand Marine Studies Centre. Very cool science brought to our kids. You can read about that here - Land/sea connections brought home for children.What national music icon you ask? In our book, if you've won numerous awards (album and solo artist), written music for Taika, written with Bic Runga, play with Liam Finn and have been signed to "the label that gave us Nirvana" you're an icon that musical luddites like us need to get to know. You might have missed the show (we did tell you about it) but check out the man here - Lawrence Arabia returning to Ōamaru for rare intimate show.As for the fast-becoming local music icon - people are raving about Ōamaru Musical Theatre's That Bloody Woman, all the (outstanding) talent and especially, local music maestros, The Heavy Feathers own Krissy McGeown who plays the lead - 'Dream role' for That Bloody Woman lead. If you've seen it, you'll know why. If you haven't seen it yet, there's still time (That Bloody Woman). And if you've seen it and want to see it again - you get 30% off the second time around!We heard about a new programme to showcase our local visual artists to the world (right here in Waitaki and everyone's invited) - Wheels in motion for Waitaki Arts Trail and we heard that after nearly 20 years, the Waitaki Tourism Association is considering closing. Do we want it to close? Have a read here - Tourism association at a crossroads.Meantime, Council is looking for views on CCTV in Palmerston - Public opinion sought on Palmerston CCTV project and Ōamaru Hospital issued a public apology - Public apology from Oamaru Hospital following inquiry into baby’s death.On National news, Alliance reports $70 million loss so we're feeling for our farmers, in the midst of rising Covid cases NZ needs centre for disease control, experts say, the USA definitely interfered in our election Pūteketeke crowned Bird of the Century, NZ fans are more fan-fanatical for Badjelly than home-grown UK ones Spike Milligan's Badjelly the Witch turns 50, and we still don't have a government yet Coalition talks in 'final stages' - National leader Christopher Luxon.The weather's looking lovely right now and there's a weekend out there to get to so check out the What's On Guide and see what takes your fancy. Grab a coffee at one of our local eateries (Eat Drink) and try out the puzzles below. Answers tomorrow. Enjoy it all! PS - huge thanks to our small team for all their hard work bringing all of this to all of us! You can be part of Waitaki App too, just follow the links below;Get on the What's on Guide (free)Tell us about your groups & clubs (free)List a job vacancyList your 'Local Loyal' offer - special offers for locals (free)Become a member and list your business on Waitaki App (check out this special deal on now for our upcoming 1st birthday celebrations)

Massive weekend with Victorian Heritage Celebrations and everything else that's going on. Here's our top picks for the weekend. The weather is a little more misty Victorian London that we might have liked but in many ways perfect for layering up in traditional costume to join in all the fun.We've got our eye on Romantic Interludes, the Lower Decks Dance and Mother's Ruin High Tea as some new opportunities along with some old favourites; Clarks Flour Mill Guided Tour, the Heritage Celebrations Grand Street Parade and Photo Opportunity and of course the Heritage Bicycle Championship. See the full programme on the Victorian Heritage Celebrations website.On offer is a host of other activities too.Lawrence Arabia at the Grainstore Gallery is a rare treat - on tonight (get the back story here, Lawrence Arabia returning to Ōamaru for rare intimate show).Also on tonight (and throughout the weekend) is That Bloody Woman. It is an absolute local triumph in every way (we've seen it and it's wonderful). Find out more about our local star, Krissy McGeown who delivers a superb performance here, 'Dream role' for That Bloody Woman lead.The NO Vintage Car Club Swap Meet is on Saturday and you can even catch yourself some Petanque Coaching on Sunday - now, we've always wanted to give that a go.Have a super weekend, we'll be out in amongst it ourselves!The Waitaki App teamPS - It's easy to let us know about your upcoming events - everyone is welcome and it's absolutely free. Simply fill out this form and we'll add it to the guide just as quickly as we can during business hours.

The first world champion win is still the most special for motocross rider Courtney Duncan, an enthusiastic Ōamaru crowd heard on Wednesday (November 15).The four-time world champion, who grew up in Palmerston, was welcomed to Ōamaru's Smith's Grainstore by the Waitaki District Council, to honour her achievements and also provide an opportunity for fans young and old to meet with her.Courtney won her first World Women’s Motocross championship in 2019 and successfully defended her title in 2020 and 2021. She was ruled out with injury in 2022, before taking it out again in 2023.During a question and answer session with Real 104FM’s Dan Lewis, Courtney said while all of her world titles were “very special”, it was the first one that got the “monkey off the back”.“In my first season, in 2016, it took me like four years to break through and actually get the title, and I had the potential to do that in my first year, but it just took so long . . . just winning that first one, it's just like, this is the best feeling ever, you know?“You know, you never know how many you're going to get, you never know what's in front of you, and just so much goes into it from the team, from everyone involved, and so much personal vision goes into it. “So when you achieve it, it's just like the best feeling in the world,” she said.“Because there's a point where you go through multiple injuries and you do question yourself, like, maybe I just, maybe I just won't get this done. You kind of lose faith in yourself, so I think it'll be hard to beat that first one.” Courtney went from living at home with her parents in Palmerston, to heading straight overseas at 19 onto the world championship circuit. She admitted it was tough making the adjustment and having to “figure it out”.Now, aged 27, she has managed to find a “happy balance” to maintain her top form both physically and mentally.“I guess just, you learn as you get older what you need to do and what you don't need to do, and just finding a happy balance, whether that's off the bike or on the bike. “Same with the races, it's like, ‘okay, I need to win this one’, ‘no, I don't need to win this one’; finding things off the bike that kind of keep me active and not like I'm feeling so far away from home,” she said.When she’s back in New Zealand she bases herself between Cambridge and Dunedin, although she admitted she was spending more and more time up north. While she didn’t speak of any plans to put the brakes on her world championship racing any time soon, Courtney is keen to help encourage the next generation of riders, and said it was something she might look at doing “here and there” over the summer and into the future.Courtney Duncan answers questions from Real 104FM's Dan Lewis, and the crowd, during her visit to Ōamaru on Wednesday. PHOTO: Ashley Smyth

Otago University’s New Zealand Marine Studies Centre has made a splash with North Otago schools this week.After a successful Aquavan visit to Ōamaru in May, the centre has once again teamed up with North Otago Sustainable Land Management (Noslam) to help educate school children on how keeping their waterways clean affects sea life.Noslam engagement officer Nic Neal said the centre had brought its virtual reality programme called Threats to the Moana, which is targeted at children year 6 and older.“It's an interactive virtual reality programme looking at different marine environments and understanding, you know, what pollution might do to them and how water quality improvements can help improve marine life,” she said.Weston School pupils were treated to the VR sessions on Monday (November 13), Waitaki Boys’ High School year 10s, and some primary Enviroschools pupils on Wednesday, and Papakaio was joined by Ardgowan and Duntroon Schools for their turns on Thursday.A session was also held for Noslam members at the Fort Enfield Tavern on Wednesday evening.Meanwhile, on Tuesday, schools from Five Forks, Kakanui, Maheno and Totara came together at the Kakanui River mouth for a citizen-science day, also a collaboration between the Marine Studies Centre and Noslam.Five Forks School's Owen Ching (11, left) and Byrin Flower (10), dig deep into their 1-metre by 1-metre quadrant.About 60 children, years 6 to 8, all of whom live on or near the Kakanui catchment area, teamed up to carry out Marine Metre Squared (Mm²) studies.Groups of four or five children placed 1m x 1m squares on the beach to identify and count all marine life within the quadrant, which is then logged in a national database.Marine Centre primary and early childhood educator Hannah Drury said Mm² first started in 2013 and is a citizen-science project to encourage communities to get involved in long-term monitoring of the seashore, raising awareness of biodiversity and inspiring conservation.“It's like, if we know it's there, then we'll care about it a bit more,” she said.“So we have a website in which you can enter the data, and you can get resources so you're able to do it all yourself anytime you want, without someone from the study centre. “And then you enter the data that you find onto the website and then that's all correlated from every survey that's ever been done all around the country, and then we can get a really good idea of what's living on our shore.”The Marine Studies Centre works with catchment groups all over the South Island to help connect communities to their whole waterway - the whole catchment, Hannah said. “To bring in that interconnectedness of the river, the estuary and the ocean.” “Working with groups like Noslam, who are working further up the catchment, in the river, with rural communities, we can then bring in our knowledge and expertise and bring that connection to the coast, so then it all kind of comes together nicely.Nic said it is “amazing” to be able to have scientists from the marine centre come and interact with the children.“That level of expertise with the kids I think is really wonderful, but it's super amazing that this is their local catchment, you know, this is their place.“So it's really lovely to make that connection, I think, between the science of what happens upstream and then what happens here at the river mouth and what's living here. It's a really lovely local context.”Maheno School pupils (from left) Aliyah Robertson (11), Zara McCarthy (11), Sascha Fitzwater (11), and Lina Kurze (12), record what they have found in their square. Enviroschools HuiMeanwhile, it was a combination of good luck and good planning that the North Otago Primary Enviroschools Hui was being held at Waitaki Boys’ on Wednesday, when the Marine Centre VR sets were also there.The hui was supported by Waitaki District and Otago Regional councils, as well as Noslam, and was about exploring the connections between different landscapes from the mountains to the sea, Enviroschools Otago regional coordinator Robyn Zink said.About 25 pupils, years 4 to 8, from Maheno, Weston and Fenwick schools, spent the day learning about the working compost hub and restorative creek project at the high school, looking into the relationship of the land and sea, and then the coastal marine environment with Dr Phillipa Agnew from the Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony.At the end of the day they got to explore New Zealand’s coastal waters with the VR headsets.Enviroschool pupils from Fenwick, Weston and Maheno Schools enjoy a sea view. PHOTOS: Ashley Smyth“We've run a range of activities where the students were looking at how catchments work and the sorts of things that we can do to look after our catchments and understanding that the water that goes down the drain goes straight out, in this case, straight out to the harbour,” Robyn said.“We looked at some of the ways that you can assess water quality at the creek here, and then we also looked at some things around what makes soil healthy because healthy soil absorbs more water and it filters the water going into the creeks.”This is the first primary school hui in North Otago this year, as well as one for secondary schools and a professional development day for teachers, she said.The children enjoy mixing with the other schools and other young people with similar interests.“Hopefully they can go away inspired to see what difference they can make - what else can we be doing at home or at school to make a difference.“Because this is only a small number from each class, we really encourage them to think about ‘how are you going to share the story of what you've learned here back at school?’.”Waitaki Boys' High School year 10 pupils immersed in virtual reality.

Public opinion is being sought on the installation of CCTV cameras for Palmerston to aid in community safety.Closed circuit television cameras will potentially cover the area including the public toilets, the bus drop-off area and the monument at the corner of Bond Street.Police crime data and successes in reducing crime elsewhere in the Waitaki District indicate the installation of the cameras in the Palmerston CBD would help prevent and resolve crime, and can also increase the perception of safety for local residents, a Waitaki District Council spokesperson said.However, the community needs to be on board with the idea, and aware of the benefits that the installation of community safety cameras can bring to their community.The Waihemo Community Board, police and the council would like to hear residents’ views on the cameras.Feedback can be emailed to [email protected] by December 4, and there will be a public discussion on site at 4pm the same day. If the weather is bad, the meeting will be held at the Waihemo Service Centre Library. The Waihemo Community Board meeting will follow at 6pm.

A public apology has been issued to the family of a baby who died following inadequate care at Ōamaru Hospital.In August this year, the Health and Disability Commission published a report which found a number of shortcomings in the care provided at the hospital in 2019, to a 13-month-old baby critically ill with meningococcal disease.The failings included processes around the care provided, hospital oversights, and the state and provision of equipment needed, and also in respect to the treatment delivered by a doctor and two nurses.Waitaki District Health Services (WDHS) has now met with and unreservedly apologised to the family involved, in respect to the treatment provided to their baby at Oamaru Hospital, it said in a statement released on Wednesday (November 15).WDHS chief executive Keith Marshall said their hearts go out to the parents and wider family for the distress caused.“This is a truly awful situation for which we offer our sincere condolences”, he said.Oamaru Hospital also offered a public apology to the family for the flaws both in care provided to their baby, and the lack of support provided to them following the tragedy.“The baby’s illness was clearly an extremely serious one with a high mortality, as was identified in the HDC report. “As an organisation we are heartbroken that more should have been done and the HDC report made very clear what the shortcomings at Oamaru Hospital were,” Keith said.Waitaki District Health Services fully accepts the HDC’s findings. Since the incident, Oamaru Hospital has made numerous changes to its clinical practices and processes and has put in place all of the commission’s recommendations.“For our part, WDHSL was also heartened by the HDC’s further recommendation to Te Whatu Ora to investigate the establishment of a National Transfer Desk around urgent care matters; this would make a big difference for patient care in rural hospitals, and elsewhere, and would likely have had an impact in this tragic situation also.”In August, the parents of the baby told deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell the care their child received felt like "swiss cheese", where "there were so many holes that we fell through every single one”, the New Zealand Herald had reported."Our lives have been completely shattered with the loss of our son and we will forever live with the pain of knowing that he suffered a tremendous amount more than what he needed to," the child's parents said.

With a majority of the votes, the pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe has been crowned Bird of the Century.There was fierce competition for the title, the even saw TAHI and RNZ presenter Evie Orpe become embroiled in an ornithological stoush with US talkshow host John Oliver.Oliver's campaign saw ads in Paris, Mumbai, Tokyo and London, and flying a banner over Ipanema beach in Brazil. As if coverage on his own show Last Week Tonight wasn't enough, he even made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in full-on grebe garb.His campaign led to the system crashing.Oliver's pick? The winning bird, the pūteketeke.With a majority of the votes, the pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe has been crowned Bird of the Century.There was fierce competition for the title, the even saw TAHI and RNZ presenter Evie Orpe become embroiled in an ornithological stoush with US talkshow host John Oliver.Oliver's campaign saw ads in Paris, Mumbai, Tokyo and London, and flying a banner over Ipanema beach in Brazil. As if coverage on his own show Last Week Tonight wasn't enough, he even made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in full-on grebe garb.His campaign led to the system crashing.Oliver's pick? The winning bird, the pūteketeke.Listen to the pūteketeke here"Pūteketeke began as an outside contender for Bird of the Century but was catapulted to the top spot thanks to its unique looks, adorable parenting style, and propensity for puking," Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said."We're not surprised these charming characteristics caught the eye of an influential bird enthusiast with a massive following.""John Oliver's wish for a landslide victory did come true," Forest and Bird's Ellen Rykers told Morning Report.It could only be a good thing that Oliver has ignited huge conversation about our native birds, Rykers said.She said they needed to get their ducks in a row before the second place winner could be announced.New Zealanders were keen to defend their competition and flocked to vote. There was a record 350,000+ verified votes from 195 countries this year, surpassing the previous record of 56,733 verified votes.Forty-five of this year's verifed votes were under the name John Oliver, with just one vote made for the fairy tern, the rest unsurprisingly were for the pūteketeke.Thousands of fraudulent votes were discounted. One person even voted 40,000 times for the tawaki piki toka eastern rockhopper penguin.A shot from US comedian John Oliver's segment on New Zealand's Bird of the Year on 5 November 2023. Photo: Screengrab via RNZWith its burnt orange mullet, striking plumage and propensity for puking, the pūteketeke is clasified as 'nationally vulnerable'. There are thought to be fewer than 1000 of them in Aotearoa, up from just 200 in the 1980s.Their recovery is in part thanks to efforts like the Lake Wānaka Grebe Project, after Forest and Bird member John Darby built a floating nesting platform ten years ago.More than 80 percent of native birds are on the threatened species list."Pending cuts to the Department of Conservation, the agency tasked with protecting these taonga under threat, are a huge worry. The world is watching us and how we look after our birds," Toki said.A pair of pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe. Photo: Supplied / Leanne Buchan Photography via RNZ

The story of Badjelly the Witch, who can turn children into sausages, policemen into apple trees and bananas into mice, has been much loved in New Zealand.Badjelly was the brainchild of British comic genius Spike Milligan, who made up the story for his young children.It was published in print and Spike Milligan recorded an audio version which become a major hit on children's radio in New Zealand - making Badjelly more famous here than in the UK.'You guys over there are proper fans of Badjelly' - Listen to the full interview with Jane Milligan hereNow, 50 years later, Badjelly the Witch is back on bookshop shelves in a special anniversary edition.Spike's daughter, actor Jane Milligan, told RNZ First Up she found it strange Badjelly was more popular in New Zealand than anywhere else."She was played on the radio every weekend [in New Zealand] for a whole period of time, so a lot of people became very familiar with her - listening to the story as opposed to reading it."We never had that here. Of course I did, because he wrote it for his kids… But you guys over there are proper fans of Badjelly - it's great," Jane said.Photo: SuppliedFor her, Badjelly was one of many wild stories her father came up with at bedtime."You grow up with your dad, your dad does stuff for a living and [I was] probably about eight or nine when it sort of registered that it wasn't like a standard dad or normal," Jane said."He was always giving us those beautiful stories as children, which we were very privileged to hear at bedtime."Very lovely, magical times, as a small child, he would come back from his office and if I was still awake, he'd come upstairs and we had a blackboard on the end of the nursery wall, and he would illustrate as the story progressed."So he'd chalkboard, he'd do drawings of dragons or witches or whatever it was."A kind of better than TV situation really, you know, live."Jane had a hand in the publication of Badjelly the Witch, with an illustration she made at the age of six appearing inside the cover.Spike had a good vision of life, she said."He'd say, 'Milligans will kick the stable to pieces, but we'll always win the race'."He said, 'When you look at a sunset, you don't just see it just like a blob in the sky. You see all those beautiful colours'."As well as writing numerous books, Spike was co-creator of British radio comedy The Goon Show.Jane described him as "ahead of his time"."Compassionate, in love with his planet, in love with the people on the planet, maybe not all of them, but, you know, a defender of the planet."He passed on that compassion to his kids, so I'm very grateful to him... He was a very special dad."Many elements of the Badjelly story are personal, including Fluffybum the cat, which was the real name of the Milligan family pet, Jane said.With the 50th anniversary edition of Badjelly the Witch out now, Jane hopes readers continue to find pleasure in the silly story."It's medicine for the brain."And her message for all the young new Kiwi readers of Badjelly: "Stinky-poo to all of you!"

The last time James Milne a.k.a. Lawrence Arabia played in Ōamaru, it was as live music tentatively began to find its feet after the pandemic. With band in tow, he performed his much-loved second album Chant Darling from start to finish at the Grainstore Gallery, and it felt precious. "The tour was somewhat overshadowed by a whole heap of different Covid reschedulings, so we were very lucky to get to play there at all!" says Milne. "I remember it being beautiful weather and feeling genuinely privileged to be able to do this given what everyone had been through for the previous year or so."This Friday (November 17) he's back at the Grainstore for a solo show, giving music lovers a chance to relax after a hectic day hunting haggis or toppling from penny-farthings at the Victorian Heritage Celebrations. And Milne is planning something a little special."Playing solo like this gives me the opportunity to play more obscure songs from my catalogue and jump around stylistically a little bit," he says. "I'll be playing piano and guitar to change things up a little and there's a couple of new songs I'm starting to road test."Milne has a lot of catalogue to work with. Since Chant Darling won the inaugural Taite Music Prize in 2010 (the annual award given the best album released by a New Zealand artist) he's released three more. 2012's The Sparrow saw Milne named Best Male Solo Artist at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards (now the Aotearoa Music Awards), while 2016's Absolute Truth picked up the Best Alternative Album prize.Milne has also written music for Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s vampire mockumentary series What We Do In The Shadows, while two tracks by his old band The Reduction Agents appeared on the soundtrack to Waititi's film Eagle vs Shark.He's also written with Bic Runga, been signed to Sub Pop – the label that gave us Nirvana – sung on a Lorde album, and released a single with the great American songwriter Van Dyke Parks, who worked with Brian Wilson on his legendary Smile album.  Have we finished? Not quite. Milne is also one half of Fabulous/Arabia (a collaboration with Lord Echo's Michael August) one third of Auckland electronic trio Half Haxagon, and a member of BARB, the Auckland super group formed by Liam "Son of Neil" Finn.Friday promises to deliver a unique night of pop smarts and self-deprecating wit. And, hopefully, an outing for the classic Apple Pie Bed, which won the APRA Silver Scroll Award for NZ song of the year in 2010. All in all, another special night at the Grainstore."It's a magical place in all possible senses of the word," says Milne. "And Donna Demente provides such genuine enthusiasm for the music and the people who make it. It's hard to beat and Oamaru is lucky to have such a place and person."Lawrence Arabia plays at the Grainstore on Friday. Doors open at 7.30pm, the performance starts at 8pm, and tickets are on sale now from Under The Radar.

It’s crunch time for the Waitaki Tourism Association, as its future viability is questioned.The association committee, which has only four members, has reached a pivotal moment since its inception in 2005, and is looking for feedback as to whether it should continue, WTA secretary and Waitaki Whitestone Geopark manager Lisa Heinz said.A “heartfelt message” to members and the broader tourism business community has acknowledged the challenges faced in the past year, especially difficulties in maintaining engagement and delivering value for money.“The small committee . . . has worked for over a year to find solutions to reinvigorate the association,” she said in a statement.The other committee members are Nancey Du (Bella Vista Oamaru), Carolyn Lewis (Whitestone City/Visitor Information), and Craig Sturgess (Old School Enfield).Despite its best efforts, the committee acknowledges the association has struggled to effectively represent and support its members, leading to the decision not to invoice for membership fees this year.The committee is now asking members and local businesses whether the WTA still serves a purpose and remains relevant in the current landscape. It is seeking input from those in the industry to determine what steps the association takes next.By November 24, the WTA wants to hear via email whether it is still an important part of the Waitaki tourism landscape, in which case it urges its members and other local businesses to play an active role in its rejuvenation, Lisa said.“The call to action includes stepping up, becoming involved in the committee, and collaborating to reshape the WTA into an organisation that authentically represents and supports the interests of its members.”The second option is to wind-down the group.At its inception, the association had a number of objectives, some of which included: representing and supporting all tourism industry operators in the Waitaki District, encouraging development and improvement of facilities and services for tourists, reporting and raising members’ issues and liaising with Tourism Waitaki and Waitaki District Council to address them.