Log burners & heat pumps have been doing overtime across the Waitaki district this week. The first week of meteorological winter and coldest of the year so far brought subzero overnight temperatures and severe frosts to the Mackenzie Basin area of the Waitaki. Omarama has recorded some impressive overnight low temperatures in the last few days, officially ticking up -9 C this morning.It's been no picnic on the coast either with the chilly temperatures persisting all week and the cold and sunny conditions are set to continue over the weekend.MetService forecast graphic: OamaruFriday will continue to be fine with light winds but it won’t make it out of single digits, dropping down to near freezing tonight. Saturday may start with some low cloud in the morning, turning to fine breaks in the afternoon with a similar temperature range to Friday.This weeks run of fine but cold weather continues in the Waitaki. PHOTO: Alex Regtien.Sunday will see a very slight increase in temperatures and cloud cover, with light northerlies dying out in the evening.Up the Waitaki Valley, the Mackenzie basin area will be fine all weekend with light winds but there will be areas of fog and frost in the mornings, persisting into the afternoon in sheltered spots.MetService forecast graphic: OmaramaTemperatures will stay chilly during the day, and drop to well below freezing overnight.For the latest updated forecasts and real time conditions in your local area, click on the Waitaki towns below, or go to the Weather category, next to News | Sport in The Waitaki App!OamaruHampdenPalmerstonMacraesNgaparaKurowOmaramaLake Ohau Alpine Village

A diverse group of locals brought their curiosity and questions to an interactive talk on ChatGPT for Business, on Thursday night (June 8).Topics ranged from whether artificial intelligence (AI) will overtake human intelligence to how to best use the tool.Waitaki District Libraries digital and information services librarian, Debbie Price-Ewen, led the wide-ranging and informative discussion at the event hosted by Ōamaru’s The Business Hive, supported by library manager Jenny Bean.The focus was on the benefits and pitfalls of OpenAI’s famous ChatGPT, with a broader discussion around the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) tools which are increasingly available to the public.Debbie’s introduction laid a solid foundation for the conversation, and there were smiles all round as she informed the audience that she had used ChatGPT to help put together her presentation and would be using it live throughout the evening to help answer questions.She explained her initial interaction with the “chatbot” was through asking it: “What are you?”. Acknowledging her question was ‘to the point’, she noted ChatGPT itself has extremely good “manners”.Debbie quickly covered key information about ChatGPT, that the GPT stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer” which refers to “a class of neural language models developed by OpenAI that use a transformer architecture”.What is transformer architecture? ChatGPT’s response: “a type of neural network architecture used primarily in natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as language modelling, translation, and text generation”.Debbie shared her experiences and the merits of using ChatGPT to brainstorm business ideas, creating a detailed business plan, generating names for a business, product or service and how it “can point you in directions you may not have thought of”.Other areas where ChatGPT can support businesses is by providing customer service support (helpdesk support via chatbots are becoming increasingly familiar), translating content into multiple languages, marketing, generating content (social media posts, product descriptions etc…), career and job advancement from mapping out a career, to exploring entrepreneurial opportunities and even research and development, she said.ChatGPT responds to “prompts”, and the way we format and frame our questions or the prompt, directs the form of its response, Debbie said.Better prompts deliver better responses. They need to be “clear and concise”, “provide context”, “use complete sentences” and “avoid technical jargon”. Jenny Bean noted ChatGPT is a significant step-change in our relationship with technology, identifying areas of concern including the intended (but not validated by OpenAI) age limit. Debbie confirmed OpenAI’s terms and conditions included an age restriction of 18 (or 13 with a parent or guardian’s consent).Some of the concerns included young people’s unrestricted access to chat with ChatGPT long after their peers are asleep as well as them receiving age-inappropriate responses to their prompts, Jenny said.Extrapolating on these concerns, Debbie disclosed some cautionaries when using ChatGPT. She recommended fact checking and recognising its “AmericaniZed” language and culture. We also need to recognise our own biases in our questioning, as well as exploitation of human workers that are paid (a pittance) to filter out obscene and traumatic content. Questions from the audience included how misinformation is handled, how defamation laws might apply, privacy, copyright, where ChatGPT gets its information and whether it stores personal information.Nicolas Erdody, founder and director of Open Parallel, a globally distributed team of specialists who offer solutions for the data science revolution, likened ChatGPT to a scientific calculator being able to figure out the square root of a number in seconds. “It is not a black box of magic,” he said.Others acknowledged privacy concerns but questioned AI’s ability to overtake human intelligence, noting “it doesn’t have curiosity”, “it doesn’t have empathy”. Further discussion highlighted the usefulness of the tool as a time-saver for condensing information, creating content quickly, and translating information written in other languages.As to where it gets its information from - its official training data was based on information available up to September 2021.When Debbie asked ChatGPT whether it stores people’s data, it responded: “As an AI language model, I don't have the capability to store or retain information about individuals unless it has been explicitly shared with me in the course of our conversation. “I'm designed to provide on-the-fly responses and do not have access to personal data once the conversation ends.“Remember to avoid sharing sensitive personal information online and be cautious while interacting with AI systems or any other online platforms”.

Look to the skies at dawn on June 25 and you may see an invasion of light aircraft from around the South Island.North Otago Aero Club is hosting the Dawn Raid this year, an annual competition between local pilots, and those from Waimate, South Canterbury, and Mid Canterbury. The Dawn Raid name originates from when a lot of aero clubs formed following World War Two, North Otago Aero Club chief flight instructor Sven Thelning said.There were a lot of military aircraft back then, and the name had “sort of persisted”.Pilots are vying for different prizes, and one goes to the first to arrive. “So the aircraft will arrive as early as possible in the morning. I know at least some of them are planning to arrive while it’s still dark, to try and win.” However those landing in the dark, will miss out on the chance to win the other prizes, such as flour-bombing a target with 500g flour bombs, and landing within a marked grid.“So there’s prizes for closest to the target, and also the main one is the landing - which is the main event for the dawn raid - which is basically to be as accurate as possible on their landing,” Sven said.The landing shield, which is a toilet seat trophy, is currently held by another club, but North Otago is keen to reclaim it.The competitions also have an open category, so aircraft could be flying in from, potentially, all over the South Island, he said.“So it’s really hard to predict how many we get, because it will entirely depend on what the weather’s doing on different parts of the island.”After the competitions, everyone gathers for breakfast, catches up, “chats about aeroplanes”, and most head away again mid-morning.“The public are welcome to come out to the aero club and look at planes, and talk to the pilots and find out more about flying,” he said. A “massive range” of different aircraft were expected, including Cessnas, Pipers, New Zealand-built Alphas, and a Carbon Cub, he said. “In fact, I suspect we won’t have two planes the same.“There’ll definitely be a couple of microlights at least, there’ll be a Rans and there'll also be an Alpi Pioneer, so it will be a huge range of aircraft.”

A plan to price New Zealand's agricultural emissions may be out to pasture before it gets going, as National backs away from supporting He Waka Eke Noa.The sector-led group was set up in 2019 to work with the government to develop a world-first pricing scheme.The Opposition has now declared the plan "dead" - a move Climate Change Minister James Shaw says may put the country's climate targets in jeopardy."I think it's dead, I think Damien O'Connor and the Labour government have killed it and I think it's all over," National MP Todd McClay said on Tuesday.National contends the government has gone quiet on good-faith negotiations with the sector; an allegation Federated Farmers acting national president Wayne Langford backs up."What we need is government to really come back into the room and continue the discussions that we've been having for quite some time."Climate Change Minister James Shaw told RNZ discussions have not stopped and National was "speculating into the void" for political gain."National are fighting with ACT over votes in the regions and in farming and rural communities and the ACT Party of course don't, as far as we know, even think climate change is real."Shaw said Federated Farmers might be in the 'He Waka Eke Noa room' but recent events gave an indication of how little they were ever in the tent.The minister was alluding to Federated Farmers former president Andrew Hoggard quitting his job early in May to announce he was standing for the ACT Party this election.ACT opposes He Waka Eke Noa and the Zero Carbon Act - the country's legislative framework to curb emissions.Shaw questioned the political motivations behind National backing down on climate commitments."ACT is pushing National very hard and trying to drag them away from the consensus position and unfortunately it looks like the National Party is succumbing to that."The National Party said it has its own climate change policy it will share in the next few weeks but would not confirm this includes pricing emissions.It has already committed to the 2050 net zero target and New Zealand's emissions budgets, which include agricultural emissions methane and nitris oxide.Shaw said targets simply would not be met if the status quo continues.

Weston School’s Tupu Team has its own private Matariki, as the children learn all about the star constellation, and its meaning, throughout the term.A “Matariki constellation installation” in Room 3, using a polyurethane-lined gazebo and fairylights is being used to educate children from new entrants to year 3, on the stars of Matariki.Tupu Team teacher Claudia Cook-Green said every Monday of term two, the whole junior school would gather in one room.“We all fit in here, and we all learn about Matariki. All our learning is slowly going up on the walls.”This is the first year the classroom had the installation, as last year was the first year Matariki was celebrated as a national holiday.“So we’re just kind of building on that learning, because it was such a success last year, which is really nice.”There are nine Matariki stars, and ten weeks in the term, so it worked out perfectly, Claudia said.“So, on the last day of term, we’re all going to wake up early . . . and we’re going to come together for breakfast."“It’s a bit earlier than the national holiday, so whether or not Matariki will be in the sky at that time, I can’t promise. But that’s why this (installation) is so beautiful, because we get to look at Matariki every day,” she said.Matariki is celebrated when the cluster of stars, (also known as the Pleiades or seven sisters) re-appears in the sky in mid-winter. For many Māori, this signifies the beginning of a new year, and provides the chance to acknowledge the year past, and prepare for the year ahead. This year the national holiday falls on July 14, which is in between school terms.Among the children’s favourite activities which have aided their Matariki learning, are making art, writing, and reading books about the different stars, their names and what they stand for. The polyurethane lining and fairy lights have been donated by Ōamaru Mitre10 Mega, and the gazebo was Claudia’s own, from home.“On the first day of term, when the children came back from holidays, it was all darkened and we had traditional Māori instruments playing in the background, and each class came in in the darkness, and it sort of made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It was quite lovely.  “All they were told was to go in and lie down, and they just had to wait, and then the teachers flicked the switch, and we had Matariki.” 

Primary teachers have voted to accept the latest Ministry of Education collective agreement offer.In a statement this morning, NZEI Te Riu Roa said the offer was the fourth put to teachers.It followed a long negotiation campaign which included the largest education strike in this country's history.A teachers' protest march in Auckland on 20 March. PHOTO: RNZ/Jordan Dunn.The settlement includes a six percent pay increase in July, with two further increases in July and December 2024.A lump sum payment of $3000 would be made in July, plus an additional $1500 for union members.Classroom release times will increase from 10 to 25 hours per term and mileage allowances are to go up.NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter said the more than doubling of classroom release time was the biggest win and the first increase since 2005."The work demands on teachers have skyrocketed in the last couple of decades and this means teachers will have more time to plan, assess and do individual work with students."The settlement also includes "significant" increases in Māori Immersion Teacher Allowance, the introduction of the Pasifika Bilingual Immersion Teaching Allowance, a rise in the reliever pay cap, and provisional to full certification costs paid for beginning teachers.Potter said moving the cap on reliever teacher pay rates was a step toward paying experienced relief teachers fairly, and should make it easier for schools to find relievers.Paeone Goonan, a resource teacher of learning and behaviour based at Ōpōtiki College and a member of the negotiating team, said the introduction of the cultural leadership allowances and the increase to the Māori Immersion Teaching Allowance were "historic improvements"."They acknowledge the skills and expertise of those kaiako and their culture and will compensate those teachers who are doing the mahi anyway, such as assisting with the new Aotearoa histories curriculum or teaching kapa haka."Last week, primary teachers called off strike action as they awaited the revised government offer.Primary teachers have previously told RNZ they were striking for the children.Newtown Primary School deputy principal Leanne Whitfield said previous offers from the ministry were not good enough."The pay jolt we got a few years ago has mostly disappeared through inflation, but actually the impact on teachers through dealing with a very wide range of needs in our classrooms is a much greater problem at the moment."She said people would be shocked if they knew how under-resourced schools were.Teacher Mary Bluck previously said a pay rise was not the most important issue for her."It's about work conditions, smaller class sizes and greater support for our students," she said."I'm striking for our children. Our children at this point in the junior school have not had a normal school or education life due to Covid and so they have greater needs and we don't have the resources to support them in the way we'd like."

Art on Tyne may have closed, but Art on Thames is just around the corner.Philina Den Dulk closed the doors on her small shop, jam-packed with New Zealand artworks, for the last time at the weekend, after nine years on Ōamaru’s Tyne Street.She is joining forces with another local artist, Matthew Wicks (aka Wicksey), and the pair are moving into a building on lower Thames Street, which had previously been occupied by Design Federation before that was moved further north.Philina will continue to run a shop at the front of the building, and Wicksey will use the more industrial space at the rear as a studio/gallery.The pair came together “sort of out of desperation, really”, Wicksey said.“I mean that in the nicest possible way . . . There’s not a lot of spaces that were jumping out at us to take on, on our own, but teaming up gives us the opportunity to take on a much bigger space in a better location, and make a go of it.”Philina feels she has outgrown her original shop, and needs a change.Wicksey has been working from two studios at home, and is slowly encroaching on the rest of the house. Working from home limited what he could do, and his ability to showcase his work, he said.Both artists think the main street holds more potential for them.“I’ve been looking for a professional space for a long time, and when Phillina brought this one up and . . . as soon as we walked through it, it’s just like, ‘yeah, this is exactly it’. “It’s sort of what I’ve been dreaming of, without sounding silly. It’s industrial, it’s got beautiful light.” Philina agreed, it was ideal for them. “It’s just perfect. It really is just the dream space.” She plans to carry on with the same sort of business, but hopes to have more stock. “Still New Zealand made, but it will mean I have more space to bring better, maybe more beautiful things.”The studio will be up and running soon, and Wicksey will have a gallery space by the end of the year.“To showcase my work. So it will only be my own work in there, but we’ve talked about the possibility of having guest artists in, you know, workshops, all sorts of things.“It’s a big space for two people, so we want to fill it with as much as we can, that’s really interesting.”Wicksey is looking forward to rediscovering his own style, after carrying out a lot of commissioned work. “For the first time in a long time, it will be my own style coming through, which to be honest, I don’t really know what it is, because I do such a wide variation of work. “So this gives me a chance to really think about what I want to do, in terms of an artist, as opposed to work for other people.”He does enjoy the commercial work as well though, it forces him to push himself out of his comfort zone.“I don’t want to pigeonhole myself, and be known for just one type of art, it’s nice to have a bit of variation. It’ll be a fine opportunity for me to express myself. Philina is also keen to get back to making art again, and thinks this might be the place to trigger her creativity.“I always visualised in my work, being in a beautiful space, and it’s about the aesthetics isn’t it. With a beautiful space, juices start flowing a bit more.“I’ve always dreamed of having big white walls, beautiful floors, high ceilings. “Hopefully, I could start painting again - it’s just no pressure. I’ll just paint when I want to paint.”The two hope to open the doors to Art on Thames in the middle of this month, and said so far they had received all positive feedback, from both friends and strangers.

Ōamaru’s Steampunk NZ Festival has not lost any of its puff since the last celebrations.The King’s Birthday Weekend event was a fantastical jumble of colour, noise and invention, with something for everyone, which left organisers and participants alike happily exhausted.One of the organisers, Lea Campbell, was “just over the moon” with how things went. She could not pick one highlight out of a weekend of continual highlights, and everything went so well, people were already telling her they couldn’t wait to come back next year, she said.“Everybody’s had a fantastic time.”While she needed a breather before contemplating next year’s festival, the theme Botanical Mechanical had already been decided on, so people could get working on their costumes. Gateway to Steampunk central - the steel gates were made by Apex Engineering, and signalled “something good is going to happen”, when they were officially opened on the Friday night, organiser Lea Campbell said.PHOTOS: Supplied by Waitaki District Council/Sonia MartinezPurple powered.Ready for anything. Just another day in Ōamaru.Happy travellers. 

A calm sunny week ahead with some cold nights forecast.Lovely settled weather is on the cards this week in the Waitaki thanks to a high pressure system overhead, but once the sun disappears it’ll get chilly so grab an extra layer if you’re heading out in the evening. On the coast and hinterland, there will be bluebird days and light winds all week with daytime highs of around 10 to 11 degrees, dropping down to between 0 and 4 degrees overnight.Metservice forecast graphic: Oamaru.Up in the Omarama area, conditions will also be sunny but cold all week with light winds. Day time temperatures will be lucky to hit fairly meagre highs of between 6 to 8 degrees, dropping down to some frosty overnight lows of -4 and -5 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and -6 on Thursday night.Metservice forecast graphic: Omarama.For the latest updated forecasts and real time conditions in your local area, click on the Waitaki towns below, or go to the Weather category, next to News | Sport in The Waitaki App!OamaruPalmerstonMacraesNgaparaOtematataLake Ohau Alpine Village

The Waitaki App would like to share an artist’s story each month. If you are an artist, or know someone clever and creative you would like to nominate, please email [email protected]. This month, we are talking to Charlene BlignautQ. Tell us a little bit about your background, and what led you to becoming an artist…I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up on a farm where we had a variety of wildlife including giraffe, zebra, kudu and impala. I have always loved animals and, from a young age, the Zimbabwean bush with its huge variety of wildlife, big and small, was what started my passion for drawing and painting. I was also fortunate enough to have very talented art teachers during my school years there as well as learning from my aunt who is also an artist. Living now in New Zealand has given me the opportunity to spend a lot more time on my art and paint native New Zealand wildlife.  Q. Tell us about your artMy favourite mediums are pencil, oils and acrylics. I just use whatever I feel would work for that particular project.Although my focus had always been on African wildlife, especially endangered animals such as leopards, elephants and African wild dogs, I now also enjoy painting New Zealand birds such as tui and fantails, as well as sheep and deer. I have also recently started doing pet portraits on a commission basis.  What has landed you here in the Waitaki?My family and I moved here to Ōamaru 21 years ago. We had relatives living in Ōamaru, so it made sense to move to be with family. However, we all moved back overseas after four years - my sisters and I all got married and lived back in Zimbabwe for a period of time, but because of the economic situation in Zimbabwe, we all eventually moved back to Ōamaru! I moved back here in 2020 with my husband and son. We enjoy the peaceful, relaxed lifestyle here. What do you love about where you live?We live just outside of Oamaru, so we love the rural lifestyle and views of the mountains. We love how small Oamaru is, making it easy to get around and no rush hour traffic! How does it inspire your work? What else inspires your work?Living back in New Zealand has made me aware of different native wildlife here that is endangered. As I love animals of any kind, this inspires me to paint endangered wildlife (in between other projects), hoping to help bring awareness of the danger some of these animals are in of becoming extinct.  What is your favourite thing to do outside of art?I love gardening, my dogs, and spending time with my family.  What aspirations do you have for your work? I hope to be able to become a full-time artist. I would love to focus on endangered animals, not just in New Zealand, but from around the world and to help people become more aware of them through art.  What have you got coming up or going on that people might be interested in?I am fortunate enough to be part of the Within Reach community art exhibition in Kurow through the Waitaki Valley Community Society. I will be exhibiting a couple of paintings for the month of September. I am also working on a selection of smaller paintings and hope to have these for sale at a local fair soon. Please feel free to have a look at my Facebook page, Fine Art by Charlene, for any upcoming work for sale. 

“There’s two million non-replacement calves killed at four days of age - there needs to be a solution found to that.” (7-minute read)Kakanui man Daniel Carson has a solution, and it’s mīti. Daniel grew up in Southland, studied at Otago University, and worked in sales, and business development for technology companies, before he married. His then wife’s Canterbury-based family was interested in getting into farming, and offered him the opportunity to stop travelling for work, start a family and help farm a 20ha piece of land. So that's what he did.“We started with Fresian bulls, or four-day old calves, and we were all about management through measurement. “So, because of my technology background, I just measured everything, and quickly read a lot of material . . . By the time my farming career at that point came to an end, we were farming over 2000ha and wintering 7000 stock units, and I really wanted to do something positive for an industry I was passionate about.” In 2020, when the country went into lockdown, and Daniel was facing other life changes of his own, he wrote to the Government, who had put out a call out for suggestions around “Projects of National Significance”.“I said that we needed to make a system of software and sensors to capture environmental and agricultural data, ultimately at scale, that would then allow us to use machine learning, and AI (artificial intelligence) to export our agricultural IP (intellectual property), to the world. And essentially be able to offer our know-how to countries, and create opportunities for smaller and remote Māori landholdings, through automation, that type of carry on,” he said.“They came back saying, ‘that sounds good, we encourage you to keep going, but it’s not going to be our project of national significance’. Which, you know, I expected.” It is an idea he still believes in, but couldn’t afford to follow through on - he lacked the connections and the finances - and so on to the next idea.The next concept is a value-add food product using a source he has experience with and is passionate about - dairy beef - mixed with another passion, science and data.“I’d raised a whole lot of bulls in my previous occupation, and understood, essentially, all the data for those animals is recorded from birth through to death . . . They’re regularly weighed, and they grow very fast - their feed conversion efficiency is awesome, and it’s a major issue for the dairy industry.“I just looked at it from, I suppose, a different perspective from what everyone else is doing, and from what they are traditionally used for, which is manufacturing (minced) beef - and thought well, why don’t we make a new product that doesn’t exist from it, that represents New Zealand, and what I see as the best for New Zealand and the future for New Zealand.”For a long time he had wondered why the country did not produce its own version of a dried meat product, such as a beef jerky or biltong.“I thought well, why don’t I do that - and why don’t I incorporate a whole lot of other ingredients unique to New Zealand.”The easiest way he saw was to start with a manufacturing beef base, which allows other ingredients to be mixed in.The minced beef also means the end product is easier to chew, making it more viable for a wider group of consumers - such as children and the elderly. “I looked at what exists currently, and I’ve always believed that meat was a nutrient-dense health food. I thought that there was a whole lot of science coming to support that, and I was like, ‘well, how do we enhance that story, and not essentially take away from it, by filling it with salt preservatives, like other dried meat products are’.”One prerequisite was the product needed to have shelf-life, so it wasn’t a “price taker”. Friends at Staveley, who own Southern Alps Honey in Canterbury, harvest honeydew from the black beech forests. Daniel’s research revealed honey has been used as a natural preservative for thousands of years, and so he investigated that option further. “It’s got some very unique properties, so I decided to use that as our natural preservative, but also as a prebiotic and all the natural health benefits that go with it.” And from there, he started networking. “The first thing I did - and it was really beneficial, there was a Food, Fibre and Agritech Challenge, which is actually running again at the moment. So I was in that this time last year.“You go through a series of courses around setting up a business, and you’re assigned a mentor and that was really good, but it also made me realise that the flavour of the day was plant-based meats, it was technology, it wasn’t meat foods.”After that, he applied for funding with the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AgMardt).“They essentially supply money for agricultural ideas, innovative ideas, they do a whole lot of different fundings - and so I applied for funding for a proof of concept, just to try and do this with FoodSouth and Otago University - to see if we could get the shelf-life ultimately, and how the honey would mix with the beef.”Success with that application gave Daniel the confidence to engage with AgResearch for help around meat processing issues. It is currently inefficient to process the 12-month animal, as all the processing companies he has spoken to indicate the costs involved are similar to those for a full-sized animal.“So there was no issue at farm level. There was no issue with supply of these animals. The issue was with the meat processors - they ultimately want to charge you the same amount for half the amount of beef, which ends up making the raw material very expensive.People at AgResearch suggested Daniel apply for funding via the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) with their support.“I did that, and was fortunate to be given enough funding to take this through to commercialisation trials.”While production trials had already begun, the initial samples were very dry, and lacking in flavour. Daniel found it frustrating to deal with food scientists and academics who had maybe been “assigned” his project, but were not particularly interested in the concept, and had no vested interest in the outcome.“I found that quite difficult, early days, and as I mentioned - meat products aren’t the flavour of the day, so it was hard. “I think a lot of people thought it probably wasn’t going to go anywhere - and look, it may still not go anywhere - but I managed to engage with really good people at AgResearch - a really well-known meat scientist there, and some food-related and production people there.” Along with that, he found an experienced food technologist in Auckland who is “very enthusiastic about the product”.“She’s been really good, and has essentially super-charged the pace at which we’ve been able to go at, since.” Since then, a number of different samples have been produced, containing ingredients such as the native bush spices horopito and kawakawa, seaweed, and kanuka and manuka smoke, in an effort to perfect the recipe.Daniel is particularly keen to incorporate “functional, medicinal” native plants, which provide extra health benefits, but also make the product even more uniquely New Zealand.“So we’ve been able to incorporate a lot of what I think are future foods - easily sustainable, and also nature positive ingredients - to make this a true, high-protein, nutrient-dense meat snack.”With a goal to launch the product mid-June at Hamilton’s Fieldays - the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event - the pressure has gone on in the past few months in particular, to turn out a product Daniel is happy to present to the thousands which flood through the gates.He has settled on a prototype, and has 6,000 samples to share, provided they pass all the necessary food safety tests.“It’s not perfect - there’s a lot of science that goes into getting the process right. “From a drying/shelf-life/bacterial perspective, when you’re not using preservatives, or nitrates, or a whole lot of salt - there’s a reason why people don’t go down that track by default - it is very difficult.”Daniel measures out some nori seaweed, and horopito for his next batch of Mīti samples at the Food Innovation Network in Auckland, for Hamilton's Fieldays this month. PHOTO: Ashley SmythThe perfect shape for the snack is still undecided, with the correct equipment to deal with the meat mixture hard to come by. People who sample the product will be surveyed, among other things, for their opinions on what size and shape they would prefer to consume.“There’s still a lot of work. We’re launching at Fieldays in the Prototype Innovation category, and we’re hoping to generate a lot of public interest. And if the interest is there from industry, and also the public and farmers as a solution to this bobby calf, or non-replacement dairy calf issue, we hope to generate funding to establish a facility or get a co-packer in to perfect the process.”As well as helping to solve a problem within the dairy industry, Daniel also wants to show his two sons, Harrison, 12, and James, 9, that you can achieve something if you set your mind to it and are not afraid to work hard. And it has been hard work.“It's always hard, but it’s not supposed to be easy. If it was easy, everybody would do it. “I think the best thing about this for me, is I think I have found a bit of a calling or a passion. It’s something I believe in.”Working a full-time job, being a single dad with shared custody, and then working an extra 10 to 15 hours a week on mīti, seems like a lot. “But this was never work, it was exciting,” he said. “I felt like I could change things, and I also felt like my unique circumstances and background sort of made me a good person to be talking about this, because I had the farming background, I had the technology background, I had the sales background, and my passion and love for reading scientific things.“There’s just a whole lot of things that sort of fell into place, that made me a good proponent to push this, and now I’ve convinced myself it's the way forward.”So far, Daniel has garnered huge industry support from the likes of Dairy NZ, the Meat Industry Association, Ngāi Tahu, Rural Innovation Lab, as well as AgResearch and MPI, but he said crucial to the success of this idea, is the support of the farmers.“Because it’s going to be the farmers - and especially the dairy farmers - they currently supply 51% of all beef sold out of New Zealand.” They have a lot of power to influence what happens long term - and if other companies started creating similar products out of the same stock class, it would be a “win, win, win”. “So for example, if McDonald’s was to start purchasing 12 months of age manufacturing beef - they already buy a whole lot of bull beef that we used to rear - their ESG (environment, social, governance) goals become achievable way more easily, because dairy cattle raised for beef have significantly lower emissions per kilogramme of product they produce.  “Farmers on the ground don’t have to change a whole lot of the way they manage things. We take a whole lot of wintering out of our farming systems, which means a whole lot less nitrate to groundwater issues, and it’s a lot easier management for farmers as well.”A big part of making things come together this far, has been Daniel’s willingness to collaborate. In order to secure the significant funding he received through MPI, he had to gather letters of support from other players in the industry.He reached out to many through business social media platform LinkedIn, and made strong connections with a number of people he is yet to meet.He has also made connections locally, and sees the Waitaki District as an ideal place to base his business.He spoke on the issue of non-replacement calves at last year’s South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) held in Ōamaru, and shared his idea. The reception from that, and the resulting connection with Dairy NZ gave him encouragement to keep going.He was also hopeful a manufacturing facility could be established in Ōamaru in the future, and saw other opportunities in the Waitaki, albeit a bit further off-shore. “At the moment we’re having to use imported seaweed in our product because there is no food grade seaweed being produced in New Zealand, which is crazy. “It’s a massive opportunity - that in itself, for areas like the Waitaki and further afield, and we’ve been working with Cawthron Institute in order to get some trial work off the ground with that as well.”New Zealand already has a good reputation internationally, and mīti builds on that, Daniel said.He encourages people to look further into combinations of ingredients unique to New Zealand.“Because that’s a competitive advantage we’ve got . . . We’ll find out how those products are received, but I think it just sort of plays into the future trends of what consumers are demanding now in their foods, from a transparency, traceability, environmental sustainability, and health perspective.”

Get your outdoor chores and activities done on Saturday if you can.Another long weekend (we love ’em!) and it’s also the first weekend of meteorological winter. Unfortunately the forecast for most of it is going to be…well, more wintery.On the Waitaki coast Friday is looking nice and fine, with westerlies and a high of 16, dropping to a nippy 4 degrees tonight. Saturday is the pick of the long weekend, fine with light winds but cooler temperature wise with a high of 12 degrees. Cloud will build in the evening, with the overnight low falling to around 5 degrees.Sunday will see occasional rain developing in the morning with northerly winds changing to fresh southwesterlies. Daytime temperatures will fall further with a high of just 10 degrees.At this stage Monday's forecast is for occasional rain, clearing in the afternoon but remaining cloudy with fresh southerlies easing later in the day.   MetService forecast graphic: OamaruEast of the divide, Omarama is looking fine and cool today with westerly winds, down to -1 tonight. Saturday looks very similar, with northwest winds developing in the evening.On Sunday, rain will build early on with snow possible to 1600 metres, lowering to 900 metres. Northwesterlies will ease later in the day to light southerlies. MetService forecast graphic: OmaramaMonday looks much the same, with overcast skies and rain developing, falling as snow to 1200 metres, lifting to 1700 metres later. Highs on Sunday and Monday will be around 7 degrees, falling to 0 overnight.For the latest updated forecasts and real time conditions in your local area, click on these Waitaki towns below, or go to the Weather category, next to News | Sport in The Waitaki App!OamaruPalmerstonDuntroonOmarama

Visitors and residents of Ōamaru are being offered a colourful and inclusive welcome at the steps of the Waitaki District Council. Temporary rainbow-coloured vinyl stickers with the word ‘welcome’ in different languages have been installed on the risers of the steps as part of the Kaupapa Kanorau – Project of Diversity initiated by the Waitaki District Youth Council. This is a public display of inclusion and recognition of the diversity of the Waitaki population.Mady Rawson, who was deputy chairperson of the Youth Council when the project was proposed, said many cities and districts across Aotearoa, New Zealand and the world offer public displays of diversity. “This is a great opportunity for Waitaki to show-off what we have to offer and follow-suit.”In December 2021 an idea to add colour to the Ouse Street roundabout was voted against by council due to concerns around roading distractions and a lack of community consultation. Feedback from elected members was taken on board by the Youth Council and work was done on consulting with the community, adapting the project, and proposing a range of options.Stickers of Diversity was suggested as an option, inspired by the Forrester Gallery’s promotion of its Burns Exhibition using stickers placed on the steps of the gallery. As the stickers do not have to be permanent, this was thought to be a good option, and it has been fully funded out of the existing Youth Council allocated budget.Councillor Rebecca Ryan said the intent of Kaupapa Kanorau – Project of Diversity is toacknowledge the diversity that exists in Waitaki, showing support, in particular, for our rainbow (LGBTQIA+) community. “I hope this initiative will help foster a real sense of acceptance, acknowledgment and identity for members of our rainbow community - and will help portray Waitaki as a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, and, most importantly, safe. “I’m really proud of our Youth Council for leading the project and being so confident and passionate about what they believe in,” Rebecca said.Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he is very supportive of the initiative to acknowledgethe importance of celebrating the cultural make-up of the district, and the district’sminority groups who may feel like they are not properly represented. “This week is Samoan Language Week in New Zealand and next week is International Languages Week, so the timing for getting the multiple languages on council's steps is excellent!”Previous Youth Council chairperson and current Labour candidate for the Waitaki electorate, Ethan Reille, has worked on bringing the Project of Diversity to fruition over the last two years. “This project is for Waitaki, led by Waitaki. “The Youth Council appreciated and took into consideration all feedback offered by Council and have worked hard to ensure our project is culturally appropriate and inclusive for all.“At the end of the day, it is just a design, which poses no physical conflict to the public.“Young people have been doing it tough the past few years, everyone has. So this is anice way to celebrate our sense of community we have upheld during these challengingtimes.” The project signals the district’s support for the diversity, minority and cultural groups it has, he said.A small unveiling event was held in front of Council HQ on Wednesday (May 31) and was attended by the mayor, councillors, Waitaki Multicultural Council representatives andcommunity members.

Waitaki deputy mayor Hana Halalele was honoured in Wellington yesterday (May 31), with the Queen’s Service Medal for services to Pasifika health.Hana was named a recipient in the New Year’s Honours List, and received the medal from Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at a ceremony held at Government House.Hana is the first Pasifika councillor at the Waitaki District Council, and is the Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group (OPICG) manager. She supported the Pasifika community from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a frontline team to share information and guidelines.  She advocated for support from the Southern District Health Board and Well South to run a vaccination clinic, and led her team to create its own community outreach vaccination workforce and provide a Covid-19 welfare response. The deputy mayor was also the establishment chair for Talanga ‘a Waitaki, an initiative for Pasifika parents to deliver the Talanoa Ako education programme.

There was a celebratory and, at times, emotional atmosphere at the Waitaki Whitestone Global Geopark Unesco designation ceremony yesterday (4-minute read).On May 25, it was announced that Waitaki Whitestone Geopark was officially designated as New Zealand's first and Australasia’s only United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Global Geopark.Te Rūnaka o Moeraki upoko David Higgins welcomed a crowd of about 200 invited guests to the Ōamaru Opera House yesterday (May 31). All had played a part in making the Whitestone Waitaki Global Geopark dream a reality.Speeches were made by Geopark Trust chair Helen Jansen, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, Tourism Minister Peeni Henare, and New Zealand National Commission for Unesco chairperson Liz Longworth. The group then headed for lunch at the Brydone Hotel, before going on a choice of two guided bus tours, either inland or coastal, to take in different sites of significance.The official application was made to Unesco in 2019, but the work started long before then.David Higgins, who was also one of the initial Geopark Trust members, said everybody involved in the Geopark journey should give themselves a “pat on the back”.“We should be greatly proud as a community.” This was a sentiment that was echoed throughout the morning. Tourism minister Peeni Henare said there are two reasons people come to New Zealand - to see nature, and to share the culture.“And what we . . . are celebrating here today on this momentous occasion . . . captures both of those things.“It gives us a glimpse into how our world was formed but, more importantly, lights a pathway to what our future holds for us.”He congratulated Helen and “her team”.“Just like the Waitaki River, it was never a straight line. It was always going to have bends, it was always going to come up against obstacles, and sometimes you just have to forge your way through.” He described the official Unesco designation as a special gift to this country, and was proud to support the journey and see where it would lead.He also announced an application made to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, through the Innovation Programme for tourism recovery, was successful, and $25,000 would be provided to support the initiative.Liz Longworth said she was delighted to attend the day’s events with five other Unesco New Zealand commission members - “the full commission of Unesco New Zealand”. She offered “a massive congratulations”.Unesco was formed in 1946, “in response to the horrors of World War II”, she said.“The idea was that through education, through the sciences, through culture, through communication maybe we could work on the solutions together and have a much better peaceful co-existence going forward. “So that’s the base value that underpins something like a geopark.”She acknowledged the “crucial, collaboration and generosity” of the Kāi Tahu Whānui whanau - especially Te Rūnaka o Moeraki and Kati Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki (near Karitane).“In terms of the trust and respect that’s been forged, I want to acknowledge the gift, the gift of your understanding and guidance along what was sometimes a difficult road. The collaborative relationship that has ensued typifies the legacy of a successful geopark, and this is a story that needs to be told.” Waitkai Whitestone can now use the registered Unesco Geopark brand as an internationally recognised mark of quality. It has become part of a global network that will help promote the Waitaki region to a domestic and international audience, and will provide access to an international support network that can further the growth of the park.“This achievement is a result of vision, passion, patience and sheer hard work. The room today is full of people who have put their heart and soul into making this happen.”Gary Kircher said this was “truly a memorable moment for Waitaki and New Zealand”.“The significance to our district is great. The Geopark is the way we can best tell our many stories and how we can share our wonderful Waitaki with the whole world.”The Waitaki has an abundance of attractions, in particular, the natural history and wildlife - the penguins, shags, seals and more; the “built heritage” with the Victorian buildings; the natural scenery “as beautiful and diverse as anywhere in the country”; and the human history.“But most of all, the many stories of our manawhenua . . . these are the amazing gems we have to share,” he said. The Waitaki Whitestone Global Geopark provides an “umbrella for all those attractions” and stories. “The Unesco Global Geopark is a marketing tool - it’s a brand, but it’s also a way to view our special place in the world.“It’s about the land and it’s about the way the land has shaped the people, and the people have shaped the land. It’s about education, it’s about promotion, it’s about preservation of our environment and it’s about acknowledging the people who have come before us,” Gary said.He was grateful to the “many, many people” who had contributed to this achievement.The history behind the GeoparkUnesco defines a Global Geopark as “a single, unified geographical area, where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development”, Geopark Trust chair Helen Jansen said.Helen, who has been Geopark Trust chairperson since 2019 with a brief reprieve in 2021, was at times emotional when she spoke.She explained how the idea of having a Geopark in the Waitaki developed because of Otago University Emeritus Professor Ewan Fordyce’s studies of the limestone in the district, which he carried out from the 1980s until recently.“He knew that for 10 million years it had been an ancient underwater world, teeming with extraordinary marine animals - ancestors of sharks, dolphins, whales, penguins, turtles and myriads of smaller creatures the remains of which are in the rock beneath our farmland,” Helen said.In 2000, Prof. Fordyce, together with members of the community, opened the Vanished World Centre in Duntroon, and formed the Vanished World Trail around North Otago, showing where the fossils were buried.In 2013, he applied, unsuccessfully, for the community-led initiative to join the then Global Geopark network. That was two years before Unesco introduced its Global Geopark designation, Helen said.In 2017, “keeping the dream alive”, Duntroon residents Mike Gray and Faye Ormandy introduced the Vanished World to then Waitaki District Council chief executive Fergus Power and mayor Gary Kircher, and the support was encouraging.They picked it up, and with the help of GNS Science expanded the concept, she said. “Here was an opportunity to promote the district, tell the stories of the land, life, and culture, while stimulating economic development by encouraging visitors through the Waitaki District on their way to and from Queenstown.” The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust was established in 2018, in partnership with the manawhenua Te Rūnaka o Moeraki.The first three trustees were Mike Gray, Gary Kircher, and David Higgins.The Unesco application was led by then council economic development manager Gerard Quin and it arrived in Paris in 2019. The number of trustees increased in 2019, and the partnership with the Rūnaka deepened significantly in 2020 when Trevor McGlinchey was appointed as a council nomination on the trust, and artist Ross Hemera was brought on board to assist with the development of the new logo.Lisa Heinz replaced Gerard in October 2021, after he moved to Christchurch. “She has her finger on the complicated pulse of collaboration, promotion, project development, event management and support of the board of trustees,” Helen said. “I know that her swan-like serenity hides tremendously vigorous paddling.”Helen thanked Global Geopark Network president Nickolas Zouros and Anchel Belmonte Ribas who visited in July last year.While they had suggestions for improvements, they were also impressed, particularly with the partnership with the manawhenua and wider community, the internationally significant geology, and the work that had already been done. “As chair of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark trust - I am humbled to stand on the shoulders of all of those who dreamt, worked and contributed in some way to bring this marvellous vision to life.”

Long-time Ōmarama Search and Rescue member and fire fighter Maurice Cowie received his Queen’s Service Medal from Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House, Wellington yesterday (May 30).Maurice was one of six Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) volunteers and staff from across the country, named in the New Year's Honours list, to receive their awards yesterday.Fenz board chair Rebecca Keoghan said it was “a pleasure to see their efforts recognised”."These six worthy recipients have dedicated years to helping their communities become stronger, safer, and more resilient both through their roles as volunteer firefighters for Fire and Emergency, and through all their other community contributions.“On behalf of Fire and Emergency and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, thank you for your outstanding service - your communities are richer for your work."Maurice has been a member of Ōmarama Search and Rescue since 1998 and played a key role in revitalising the organisation from a membership of two, by recruiting new members, organising sponsorship and contributing to regular trainings.His roles in the organisation have included field member, team leader and incident management team leader. His wealth of experience makes Maurice the first point of contact for police in the event of a search and rescue operation in his area.Maurice was part of the Ōmarama Search and Rescue group that received the LandSAR Supreme Award in 2012 for a significant operation that located a tramper who had been missing for 14 days. He has also volunteered to assist in searches across other regions, including Owaka, Lawrence and Dunedin.Maurice donated his time and materials to help with the renovation of the Ōmarama Search and Rescue base. He also constructed a stretcher trailer that can be towed behind an ATV to aid with rescues made difficult by the lengthy Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail.Maurice is a member of the local work group that stands in for Civil Defence in Ōmarama in case of a natural disaster. Along with his many years with Ōmarama Search and Rescue, Maurice has also been involved with rural and urban fire brigades for more than 50 years.

Two weeks into her new job as placemaking lead at the Waitaki District Council, Cyndi Christensen is looking forward to sinking her teeth into the role.Cyndi has moved from Porirua, where she worked for Hutt City Council for the past 10 years, working with businesses on city centre revitalisation.She is originally from Vermont, a small US state on the Canadian border, perhaps best known as the home of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.Before moving to New Zealand 15 years ago, Cyndi and her husband, Steffan, lived in a small town called Waterbury, which is surrounded by ski resorts, but was not itself home to a ski resort. It was here she had her first experience of town revitalisation. “I think there were 160 homes in the village, and everybody knew everybody, you know. You banded together. You worked together. “Our main street was very tired . . . there was a programme that Vermont was offering, the application process would take a year, and I was part of a group of people who worked for a year to apply. It was successful, and so the state would fund the town infrastructure funding, and from that we could do beautification.‘It was all to bring more people into the town.” Cyndi’s role in the Waitaki is for a fixed term of two years, and has been created by the council as part of the new Economic Development Strategy. It is paid for by the Government’s Better Off funding.Her focus is going to be on Ōamaru’s central business district and north end, Otematata and Ōmarama.“All of those places already have the spatial plan done, so there are guidelines and structure, and things that have already been communicated, with the community engaged on, that need to be addressed.“So, certainly that will be the starting point, to see what is in those - potentially going back to the community, and seeing, are there still things in here that need to be addressed? What are the priorities? What are the most important to start with? And then, you know, what are those low-hanging fruits - if we can kind of get some easy wins, ” she said.Cyndi’s first two weeks have been spent getting to know the people she is working with, what their jobs are and how it will relate to the work she is doing. Next steps are getting out and talking to the business and wider community.“There’s community groups and community boards, that I need to, you know, sit down and chat with to, just again, understand the community,” she said.“I am new to Oamaru, but certainly have grown up in a small town, so understand how connected people are to where they live, and their fellow neighbour.”She anticipated she would be faced with a variety of different attitudes and people, which happened no matter the size of the town.“You know, you’ll have those people that are really excited and want to get involved, and you will have people who are like, ‘we’ve tried this once already, it didn’t work’.” Although Lower Hutt and Ōamaru were quite different places, Cyndi said “absolutely” there will be similarities between this and her previous job.“Coming out of Covid, I think, all places are looking at a different way of supporting their business community, of activating and revitalising their town centres and their city streets, and yeah, so I think that the ED Strategy’s a response to that.“What was successful there, can be successful for Ōamaru.” Although new to the Waitaki, placemaking has been happening all over the world for many, many, many years, Cyndi said.“But you do have to make it local and it’s only successful if it really comes from the community.”Placemaking is quite different in New Zealand, in that it has a tendency to be instigated from "top down versus from the grassroots up", she said.“Take for example Build a Better Block was started in Dallas, Texas, and that was started because a group of people who lived on a street were unhappy, and couldn't get the council to, kind of, do things around that street to make it safer. So they just took it into their own hands, and they closed the street off, and they did a festival, and they just did all these other changes, and the council came through and said, ‘wow this is a really good idea’ and then supported them.“So, I think New Zealand has a great opportunity, because you’ve got it coming from the top down, the important part will be that partnership between the community and then those funding agents, you know.”Although it was the job that drew Cyndi to Ōamaru, she is looking forward to having a community connection again, after working in one town and living in another for the past 15 years.“Because we were so connected in Waterbury, I just took it for granted," she said.“And I love the fact that I don’t have to drive to work. I actually get about an hour and a half back in my day from not driving.” Steffan will be moving south once their house is ready for sale. His job is with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and he will work remotely. The couple have two dogs - an ex-racing greyhound and a saluki, and will probably do a lot of dog walking in their newly discovered spare time, Cyndi said. “We like to garden, and certainly getting out and taking the opportunity with the move, to probably try some new stuff. Gaining almost two hours back in your day can give you more time for other activities.” She is excited about a lot of things in her new job.“Certainly, it’s being in a small community, it’s really feeling connected to the people in the community. “Everyone I’ve met so far has been really lovely, and open. And it’s a new job, so it’s definitely sinking my teeth into it, and really getting that opportunity to kind of take the learnings I had in my last job, but doing it in a way here that’s really more with the community instead of for.“I think it will be a really busy two years.”

After a fairly mild weekend on the Waitaki coast, the week ahead looks like more of the same. Mostly northerly winds will keep daytime temperatures in the mid to upper teens, and overnight lows between 3 and 8 degrees. Some high cloud and a few spots of rain here and there may spoil some mostly fine days. On Thursday a northwest flow over the Alps will bring unseasonably warm temperatures to Otago and Canterbury for the first day of Winter, until rain develops late with a fresh southerly change. Friday will become fine, with showers developing later in the day and northerlies turning westerly.Metservice forecast graphic: OamaruUp the mighty Waitaki Valley at Omarama, things aren’t looking quite as benign with Tuesday’s forecast being scattered afternoon rain clearing in the evening, with strong to severe gale northwesterlies at higher elevations. Wednesday sees possible showers, with strong to gale northwesterlies at higher elevations and rain falling as snow above 1300 metres at first. Rain will spread from the divide later in the day on Thursday, with snow to 2200 metres and northwesterlies rising to severe gale.Metservice forecast graphic: OmaramaFriday will bring occasional showers with snow lowering to 900 metres, easing later in the day. Severe gale northwesterlies will turn gale southwest early on. Daytime temperatures for the week will sit in the low to mid teens, dropping to lows of between 3 to -1 degrees.See the latest updated forecasts and real time conditions for the towns below.OamaruMoerakiKurowOmarama

Ōamaru Police are seeking information following an aggravated burglary at Deborah on Sunday night (May 28).Police were called to a residential address on Bulleid Road, at around 9pm, after two offenders had entered the address and taken an unknown quantity of goods, Constable Cory Anderson said.While fleeing the scene, the offenders rammed their vehicle into another vehicle.As part of the investigation, police are now working to locate the offending vehicle, a dark-coloured Mazda Atenza which will have significant damage to one side, Const Anderson said.Anyone who sees a vehicle matching this description, or has information that can assist police with their enquiries, are asked to call 105 or visit https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 ‘Update Report’, and use reference file number 230529/4646.