Talking rubbish might not appeal to everyone, but is something Waitaki businesses need to start thinking about.Waitaki District Council waste minimisation officer Lucianne White, through Business South, is running a free workshop to help local businesses be more planet-friendly.The one-hour workshop is 8am next Friday (February 17) at Ōamaru’s Business Hive, on Thames St.Lucianne said the workshop was aimed at all businesses, both large and small, and would provide a forum to ask questions, help businesses find out more about the current and proposed waste environment, and encourage them to think about taking the first steps towards reducing waste.Business South Waitaki navigator Rebecca Finlay said changing business practices to lessen waste was not only better for the environment and businesses' reputations, but would also help ensure they were ahead of any legislative changes, which were destined to particularly impact the hospitality, construction and manufacturing industries.Proposed changes to legislation, following the Transform Recycling consultation carried out by the Environment Ministry last year, already included separation of business food waste, a container return scheme and improvements to household kerbside recycling, Lucianne said. “These proposals are aligned with a shift to a more circular economy, where more resources are kept in use for longer, there is less impact on the environment, and packaging has better recycling potential and longevity.”Becoming more sustainable as a business was important, she said. “We’ll all need to start thinking about how we currently do things and what we can do better. “Sending less to landfill is not only about proposed legislated requirements though – it is about looking at what you do as a business, how you do it, what improvements you can commit to, and connecting with your staff and your community. “It can be a really inspiring journey and a great selling point.” Everybody needed to start somewhere, but the key point was to start, and help was available every step of the way, Lucianne said.“What we’ve found is that there is a lot of appetite amongst staff groups to do the right thing, we just have to create the opportunities. And even the people that think rubbish is a bit of a rubbish conversation topic, once we start, they are quickly converted to rather passionate advocates.“It’s a fun and inspiring world to work in and we are just keen to share that passion with our community.”Businesses could register via the below link, and were encouraged to do so by this Friday (February 10) for planning purposes.https://businesssouth.outreach.co.nz/forms/register?token=ce89f0e0c0f1&event=195020

About 60 people attended Waitangi Day celebrations held at Ōamaru’s Te Whare Koa Marae in perfect weather conditions on Monday (February 6), and Elizabeth Prentice of Maneland Photography captured the occasion.Kaikaranga Ramahia Keno performs the karanga, welcoming the manuhiri (visitors) onto the marae. PHOTOS: Supplied/Maneland Photography.Manuhiri kaikaranga Lisa Potaka Ross leads the manuhiri (visitors) up to the marae.The members of the marae and the visitors, who are seated, take part in a whaikōrero (the formal speeches).

If one person can benefit from listening to anti-violence advocate Matt Brown speak, then it was worth bringing him here, Ōamaru Rotary Club president Sven Thelning says. The New Zealand-born Samoan author and public speaker, is talking at the Waitaki Boys’ High School auditorium on March 14, at 7pm, and at lunchtime the following day will address pupils at Waitaki Girls’ High School.Both events were free, and the evening was open to the public. There was no target audience, as family violence affected all demographics, Sven said.The evening was the idea of a fellow member of Rotary who wanted to “do something” about family violence.“And it’s a pretty difficult area to ‘do something’ in,” Sven said.“He’s got personal experience, and he speaks on that, which is pretty confronting obviously, but someone needs to, and he is, so we wanted to get him down.”As a survivor of family violence and childhood sexual abuse, Matt shares his story with the men who frequent his busy Christchurch barbershop, My Fathers Barbers, as a way to foster vulnerability, healing, and connection.As an internationally acclaimed barber and hair artist, his clients range from All Blacks to the Wu Tang Clan, but he is most passionate about working to redefine society’s view of masculinity and to help end the cycle of domestic violence affecting whānau all over New Zealand.With the help of wife Sarah, he released his book She Is Not Your Rehab in 2021, with a goal to encourage intergenerational healing. He also gave a Ted Talk launching the concept in 2019, which has had more than 132,000 views on YouTube.Matt described the movement as "an invitation for men to acknowledge their own childhood trauma and to take responsibility for their healing, so they can address their pain instead of transmitting it onto those around them".He has facilitated multiple programmes inside Christchurch Men's Prison, Te Puna Wai O Tuhinapo - a Christchurch youth justice facility, and was named a Corrections New Zealand patron in 2020.Since 2018, Matt and Sarah had partnered with the Ministry of Social Development as ambassadors for their It's not OK Campaign, and are currently funded to develop an app to promote healing for indigenous men.Both Sarah and Matt became members of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022 and were awarded a Commonwealth Points of Light award by Queen Elizabeth II before her death.WARNING: Contains adult content, and references to self-harm and suicide.Family or Sexual ViolenceIf you are a victim of family violence, sexual violence or there is someone that makes you fearful, threatens or harasses you, seek help as soon as possible. You have the right to be safe.The following helplines available for people needing help:Safe to Talk  sexual harm helpline: 0800 044334, text: 4334, email: [email protected] Crisis: 0800 88 33 00Women's Refuge: 0800 733 843Shine domestic abuse services  free call: 0508 744 633 (24/7, Live Webchat is also available)Hey Bro helpline  - supporting men to be free from violence 0800 HeyBro (439 276)Suicide or Mental DistressNeed to talk? 1737, free 24/7 phone and text numberLifeline Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE)Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)General mental health inquiries: 0800 443 366The Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or online chatSamaritans: 0800 726 666

Family and pride in school, main drivers for head girl Mackenzie Mackenzie Klemick has overcome shyness as a child, to take on the role of St Kevin’s College head girl.Mackenzie, who turns 17 in March, said one of her goals in her new role was to be “super approachable”, especially for the quieter pupils.“I started off myself as someone who was so shy, and I couldn’t even talk to anyone.”Moving around a lot when she was younger, including to Australia, meant she had to overcome her lack of confidence and learn to make friends and speak for herself.“Also, watching my brother, who’s such a good role model, and was always so confident, and I just kind of, I guess, mimicked what he used to do, to try and make friends and things.” When she came to St Kevin’s as a year 10 pupil, from Cromwell College, she remembered looking up to the “top six” as role models at the school, and she hoped to emulate that as head girl.She was proud of her school, and said that was part of what made St Kevin’s so special for her. “Everyone’s just so proud to be here and wear the uniform and things, because I know when I went to Cromwell College, you kind of bag your own school. So I like how everyone holds a lot of pride on their shoulders, like, ‘I’m from St Kevin’s’, that’s definitely my favourite thing about it.”She described the school as “a community and a family”.Mackenzie’s interests outside of schoolwork include netball and basketball, and she runs - not competitively, but “for myself”. She also enjoyed playing the piano.She was “super excited”, also a bit shocked when she found out she had been chosen to be head girl. “Like, I wasn’t expecting it, for sure. I just instantly thought of my family, because my parents, they didn’t really achieve super highly in school, so they’re real proud of me.” Once she finished high school, Mackenzie wanted to follow a career which involved English - maybe journalism, or human resources, she said.“Psychology in the workplace, kind of thing. Teaching even - I’ve thought about that a lot. I’m not too sure yet.”Sharing knowledge and helping others motivate head boyShreysh Adhikari had “no words” when he found out he was going to be head boy at St Kevin's College this year.“I was very surprised.”The 17-year-old, who was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, moved to New Zealand with his family when he was three.They lived in Auckland for about six months, before spending a few months in Nelson and then seven years in Palmerston North while his father studied.“Then he found a job down here in Oamaru, and I’ve been here since 2018,” Shreysh said.The St Kevin’s selection process was carried out with a combination of staff and student input. The final eight candidates - four for head boy, and four for head girl, were interviewed by senior staff.“We finished our interview, and at the end of the day, they sent an email, on the same day, and it said, “would you like to be head boy?”, and I was walking down the drive out of St Kevin’s, I was all by myself, and I was just like jumping. “It was very exciting. There [were] no words really.”His parents were very happy.In the leadership role, Shreysh wanted to help share his knowledge of how to study with the younger students.“Just be a tutor in some way, and set something up for people who want to learn, and don’t really get that much support . . . Because I’ve been learning myself, how the human brain actually learns, and how to keep things in our memory, so I’d like to maybe share that with students,” he said.He had a love of all sports, but basketball in particular, and hoped to garner a bit more adult help, alongside what the teachers offered, to build on an already solid foundation in the sport, he said.Outside of school, he had a part time job at North Otago Pharmacy, was interested in learning about health and the human body, and wanted to study medicine when he finished school.It was the teachers that made St Kevin’s College the school it was, he said.“They are all very understanding, and they teach very well. They give us time and they teach each person a wee bit differently to suit their needs. It’s really like a nice community, and everyone sort of gets along with everyone. There’s not drama.”He wanted to encourage people to approach him to talk or for help, not just at school, but also in the wider community.“If you ever want to come and just talk about something we could do in the community, or anything to help out, I’m happy to support and try my best.”

Rebecca Dorsey now has Waitaki Girls’ High School head girl duties at the top of her “to-do” list.The busy 17-year-old works at Harbour View Resthome part time, and also runs her own dance business, teaching more than 60 pupils.“I love working with people, and that’s kind of what my life is at the moment - school, work and trying to catch up with friends.”In the head girl role, she wanted to set a good example to the other pupils.Rebecca’s mother Christine Dorsey used to be migrant support worker for the Waitaki Newcomers Network, which provided the teenager with an opportunity to meet a lot of people from different countries and ethnicities.“I think that has made me very respectful, and an understanding person . . . Our school has quite a wide range of people from different countries, but we never really hear about it.“Like, they kind of just settle into school, and no-one really knows that much about them, but it would be nice to give them the opportunity to, if they’re brave enough, to speak about their background, because I think it does definitely make you a more understanding person.”The head girl role would also provide a great opportunity to develop her leadership and organisation skills, she said.Once school was finished, although she loved her work in the dementia ward at the resthome, Rebecca had always wanted to be a teacher.“I think I will study teaching, just so I have that degree, and then if things change, they do - but I always have that to fall back on, because I know I’ll probably be good at that job, because I’ve had such a lot of experience with little children.She was a Highland dancer for five years, until the age of 10, before problems with her ankles meant she had to stop, and so in year 8, she decided to try teaching dance instead.The classes began with six pupils, for a gold coin donation, but in 2021, after a Covid-induced hiatus, the numbers picked up. A lot.“So every term the amount of children would be building . . . I think I’m at around 60 at the moment.” She runs seven classes on Mondays and Tuesdays after school, and holds two concerts a year. The head girl position was decided on by staff and students, and Rebecca found she had been chosen about a month after her final interview, at the school’s end of year senior prizegiving.“It was such a cool way to find out, because everyone’s just so happy for you - it’s very exciting.” One of the first things she did in the role was look through a pile of books left by previous head girls. “Every head girl writes a few pages in a book about their experience . . .  So I’ve just written down notes of when things are happening, and what you have to do.” She was most excited about working with the year 9s, and said it was “quite crazy” to think that was her and the other year 13s not so long ago. “It’s nice being able to talk to them about what it’s going to be like.”

It’s the culture and “brotherhood” within Waitaki Boys’ High School that makes Ben O’Sullivan excited about being head boy this year. The leadership role is something Ben has looked on as a goal for a lot of his high school career, and when he was named at last year’s senior prizegiving, as the new head boy, he was “very, very excited”.“Almost stunned,” he said.“Waitaki Boys’ has had some outstanding head boys in the four years I’ve been there. So I guess it’s just an opportunity to follow in the steps of those boys, and lead the school and try and inspire the year 9s coming through.”There was a lot of opportunity for change at the school, and Ben hoped he could leave the school a better place than when he started, in some capacity. He considered his fellow pupils at Waitaki Boys' to be his brothers, he said."We love each other, we’d do anything for each other, and it’s the culture of the school that makes it so special to me, and that’s what makes it so exciting to lead.”Outside of school, the 17-year-old is a successful multi-sporter, and adventure racer. He will soon be competing in the two-day Coast to Coast event with a former fellow Waitaki Boys’ pupil, Will Plunket.Ben was a big fan of most sports, but was also passionate about the youth voice, climate change and the environment. He had been on the Waitaki District Youth Council for the past year. He was not completely sure of his plans for the future, but was considering a double degree in engineering and commerce at Canterbury University.Ben was enthusiastic about the year ahead of him, and felt hugely supported from the other student leaders he would be working alongside.“We spent the last couple of days on a prefect camp - the boys bonded really well together. “We’ve actually got a really exciting team, and there’s awesome staff supporting us too, so exciting times ahead.” 

A “generous” boost for the Ōamaru Victorian Heritage Celebrations means organisers can do things a bit differently this year.Victorian Heritage Celebrations committee chairperson Ruth MacEachern said a substantial Regional Events Fund grant was for attracting more visitors from outside the Waitaki district. “So we can look into different events that we have never been able to try before. We can try new approaches,” she said. Before making final decisions on how to use the money, Ruth said the committee was hoping to get more people to join. “We’re actually looking to attract more people . . . who have an experience, or at least an understanding of hospitality or tourism and can advise on how we could use it best.” Committee members seemed to so far have been “shoulder-tapped” by other committee members, but she was sure there was talent yet to be uncovered in the town.“Right now we have a number of people on the committee who are really good at running events, and we have a lot of associated groups who are good at running events, so what we’re looking for is more people that think about the bigger picture in terms of ‘what do the celebrations do for Ōamaru’, ‘who do we work with’, and ‘how do we work with them to get benefit year-round, etc, etc,” she said.She would love some younger members, and a wider variety of ethnicities. “We’ve really got to diversify our membership.”The theme for this year’s celebrations was Migration Stories, which Ruth thought provided scope for some fascinating stories to come out of the woodwork. “So it’s about people moving - going from one place to another, and usually in search of something better, and that includes within New Zealand.”The celebrations were “iconic” for Ōamaru, and footage of the event was commonly used for promotion of the region.Belonging to the committee provided a “real sense of accomplishment” for participating in such a well-known event, she said.“I kind of get a sense of doing something worthwhile, and being part of something that’s quite cool and iconic, and meeting wonderful people.“It’s really exciting to pull together a programme and explore ideas, and then actually see it come to fruition.”With the grant, and careful management of funds over the last three years, the committee was in quite good shape, financially, and also “organisationally”, Ruth said“What we need more of though, as I said, is people who look at the bigger picture, and people who are strong communicators.”The programme for the November event had usually come together by the end of June, and after that most of the work, before celebration week, was getting the word out. “It is social media, it is newsletters, it is promoting the individual events, deciding on advertising campaigns, and marketing strategies, and so forth. So that’s where we really need people.”The committee was all volunteers, but there were still defined roles, so it was clear who did what. None of the roles were particularly onerous, it was more so people knew what was expected of them, Ruth said.“People tend to be modest, and feel they don’t have much to offer. I feel that there is a role for anyone interested. All we ask is that they do what they said they would do.”The committee met every two to four weeks for just over an hour. Between meetings there was usually follow-up work to be carried out, as agreed.Anyone interested in joining the committee was welcome to join a meeting to see how it operated, Ruth said.“We also welcome suggestions for events or performers to expand this year’s programme.”Ruth MacEachern could be contacted by email: [email protected] in Victorian garb is synonymous with the Ōamaru Victorian Heritage Celebrations. Celebrations committee chairperson Ruth MacEachern is pictured on the right. PHOTO: Supplied

Sarah Hay’s new job as Waitaki Girls’ High School principal has brought her back home.Born and raised in Oamaru, and a former pupil of St Kevin's College, she is excited about being closer to her father and siblings, who all still live here.She was also looking forward to living with husband Bernard Sinclair, the couple having had a two-hour commute to see each other for most of their relationship.Bernard worked as a rural contractor in Taihape, and Sarah’s teaching roles had taken her to St Peter’s School, in Cambridge and then to Hawkes Bay, as deputy principal at Iona College.“It’s a gnarly little range to go over - it’s not nice,’’ she said of the commute they had endured between Hawkes Bay and Taihape, the past four years.Waitaki Girls’ had particularly appealed to her, because it held the values she deemed to be important in a school.“When the principal [job] at Waitaki came up, it ticked a lot of the boxes, where transitioning to here would not be hard for me, or the staff, or the students, because you’re not going to be on a totally different page,” Sarah said.She described the culture as one of “high expectation”.“Personal excellence is really important. It starts with your appearance, it starts with attendance, it starts with taking pride in yourself. Supporting others is also important.”Sarah is replacing Liz Koni, who resigned from the role at the end of last year for family reasons, and said rather than feeling like she had big shoes to fill, she thought the two of them had “similar sized shoes”.“It’s a case of we’re just swapping one pair of shoes for another really . . . It is like, same, same but different, in terms of the standards of what Liz brought in - that is important to me as well.“The no-cellphone standards within the school, that’s what I’ve been living for many years, so it’s just normal. Uniform standards - I’m very keen to uphold those - and image in the community is important. So, yeah.“I think that there’s possibly why the board appointed me, if that makes sense, to carry on what has been started.” She hoped to put her experience with boarding schools to use as well, and further foster the boarding aspect of the school. With the last two schools she worked at being of special character, Sarah thought she had “accidentally” brought the desire for community and whanau involvement with her. “That’s just normal for me, and I think already, for the Mihi whakatau (welcoming ceremony), I’m used to the whole whanau being invited, and that hasn’t happened in the past - maybe because of Covid. So we’ve got to lose the Covid state and get back to our norm, which is we want the community and whanau involved in the school, and that there is super important.”Sarah said it felt unusual to be back home, and because everything with the job had happened so quickly, she was in a sort of “limbo”. She was “flatting” with her father until Bernard could join her, once his existing contracting work wrapped up, and they could find a house.The biggest drawcard to being in Ōamaru, was working at an awesome school, and it had been a relatively simple move, she said.“Normally you’ve got to find somewhere to live, and you’re homeless . . . being Dad’s flatmate is quite straightforward.”She was looking forward to the beginning of term one.“I’m looking forward to getting to meet students, and the whanau. I’m really looking forward to Monday when the students start coming in, that will be great.”The nearby Waitaki lakes also appealed, and she was excited about taking her boat, to waterski and wakeboard.

Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony does not discriminate when it comes to the penguins it treats.Three Fiordland crested penguins have been picked up at the Ōamaru Harbour this month, colony science and environmental manager Dr Philippa Agnew said.“They’ve turned up to moult and so we bring them in to moult safely, away from cars and dogs.” The latest one was picked up on Wednesday night (January 25), from underneath a car on Holmes Wharf.The penguins are taken into the penguin colony’s rehabilitation facility for monitoring. “That involves weighing them at the start and end of the moult, to make sure they have plenty of fat reserves to get them through. “Normally they don’t eat while they’re moulting, so we mimic that - even though they are in care we treat them as though they are in the wild,” Dr Agnew said. If the birds are acceptable weights when they finish moulting, they are released to head off to sea. If they are underweight, they are fed prior to release to ensure their survival.It was quite normal for the penguins to “turn up” anywhere along the east coast, in January. Other crested species, such as the Snares and erect-crested penguin have also been known to show up, she said. “Earlier this week a member of the public actually found a Snares crested penguin up the coast near Studholme, that we suspect had been bitten by a dog. So we transported it down to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for treatment,” Dr Agnew said.

Kurow-based photographer Chloe Lodge wants other local artists to feel the love.Chloe is in the process of trying to find 12 artists, based in the upper Waitaki region, keen to occupy the street-facing window of the community room at the Kurow Museum and Information Centre, where she held her own successful exhibition A Window on the Haka last year.She experienced such a supportive response to her exhibition, from both visitors and locals, and felt other artists could benefit from the same.Chloe’s aim was to produce a year-long exhibition, Within Reach, with each artist displaying their artwork for one month. Artists could choose whether to change their work over that month, or leave it the same for the month.She arrived at the name Within Reach, because the nature of the exhibition - with artists only having to produce one, or a few, works - made it less daunting.“It is widely known that putting on an art exhibition is a costly exercise and [I] hope that showcasing one A1 work or two or three smaller works is within reach of artists,” Chloe said.She also hoped the exhibition would appeal to artists whose work was created and inspired by surroundings within reach of the town, and Chloe would love the artwork to be priced so it was financially “within reach” of potential buyers.“Adorning walls near and far,’’ she said.“There is something truly special about owning art created in the region we call home.”So far, creatives Dana Johnston, and Lucy Tyrell have signed up to exhibit. Dana with a personal photography project and some drawings, and Lucy with her “vibrant” acrylic landscapes. “We have a few people who have expressed interest with drawings, paintings and embroidery,” Chloe said. “We're keen for artists at all stages and ages, we have proposed Waitaki Valley School have a month to share work and we're going to approach Whalan Lodge too. As long as it fits in the window, we'd love to exhibit it.”Interested artists can email [email protected] and [email protected]

Everybody needs good neighbours, and joining Neighbourhood Support might be a good first step.Waitaki Neighbourhood Support coordinator Christine Dorsey said since the organisation started operating across the district in August last year, 231 people had joined up, with about 14 streets on board.“Neighbourhood Support is about creating resilient, safer and connected communities . . . The top level of neighbourhood support is really to have a street join up, and everybody in that street have some way of communicating with each other, like through a WhatsApp chat or a messenger group, so that’s already working effectively in some streets,” she said. “So it can be anything from saying you’ve got 10 million lettuces in your garden and anyone can pop round and grab them, to - in one of the streets, there was someone trying the doors on the cars - so being able to alert them to that.”Christine was now trying to make more people aware of the benefits of joining. She had created a Facebook page, was talking to community groups, and relying on word of mouth.She had also been visiting retirement flats around Ōamaru.“I take the police with me, and we have afternoon tea, and they get to chat with the policeman about what the current crime is like in the town, and they get joined up and the sign goes up.” Network Waitaki had come on board with sponsorship to provide folders to hold information from all the involved organisations, and the Oamaru Licensing Trust (through the Lions Foundation) had given $15,000 towards a new sign-written vehicle, both of which Christine was extremely grateful for.Once people signed up, they received a monthly newsletter, and had the opportunity to be involved as much or as little as they liked, she said.The organisation was closely linked with police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz), and Civil Defence. Participants were also automatically joined up to Otago Gets Ready - a platform created by Civil Defence following the Christchurch earthquakes, when it was discovered not enough was known about who lived in each house when they were looking for people.“So it’s a really good system where all your information is loaded, and they hold it securely, so if any of the emergency services needed it, then it’s there for them, and it can tell them things right down to emergency contacts with someone.”Members could also access free home safety fire checks by Fenz.The Waitaki District Council had contracted Network Waitaki to put up signs, identifying the streets or clusters of houses which were part of Neighbourhood Support.Predecessor, Neighbourhood Watch was formed by police in the 1970s, and ran until around 2000 when they decided they didn’t have capacity anymore, Christine said.Neighbourhood Support New Zealand was set up as its own entity, but with police still the driving force, and providing funding. It “fundamentally” remained the same.“It’s really important that we are connected with our neighbours, it’s a really positive thing . . . We don’t know what’s ahead and we don’t when we might have to rely on our neighbours. “What we do know is, if we call the emergency services, your neighbour’s always likely to be there much sooner, so if you can have a relationship with them, it’s very helpful.”Those interested in joining Neighbourhood Support can contact Christine on 027 2410 589 or go to the national website neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz and click on Join Now.

The upper Waitaki region is now in a prohibited fire season. A prohibited fire season means a total ban on outdoor fires, and all previously granted fire permits are suspended. The restrictions will remain in place until further notice.The announcement comes after a restricted fire season was declared in Upper Waitaki last Friday, along with Dunedin, Clutha, Strath Taieri, and Coastal Waitaki.Fire and Emergency New Zealand community risk manager James Knapp said the ongoing and forecasted dry weather for Upper Waitaki has prompted the change."Very dry weather is predicted in Upper Waitaki over the next month, and any rain that is forecasted will evaporate quickly," he said.Large fires could get out of control at any time of the year in the Otago area, but the predicted hot, dry weather was likely to increase the risk of this happening."The long history of large fires in recent years shows how careful we need to be, particularly at this time of year," he said.Locals and people visiting the area during the prohibited season needed to be vigilant, especially when operating 4WD vehicles and camping in grassland areas, he said."It only takes one spark to cause a wildfire, so please do your bit this summer to take care of Upper Waitaki."You can find information about what you can and can’t do during a prohibited fire season as well as fire safety tips at www.checkitsalright.nz. 

Kurow-based clothing designer and manufacturer Jess Beachen is anticipating a busy year ahead.Jess opened her store, In Good Company, in November, and sells her clothing label Jessica Flora, along with a collection of some of her other favourite things.“I tried to keep it unique, so it’s not just available everywhere, and it's stuff that I’ve slowly sourced over the years for myself, and I know that it’s something that would be good and reflects the brand,” she said.Jess started her business in Christchurch in June 2021, building her client-base mostly through social media. In January last year she made the move to Kurow to be with her partner Matt Irving.Initially, Jessica Flora clothing was predominantly linen, and made to order. As the business has grown, the natural progression has been to open a physical store, which allows her to showcase her designs, have some in stock, and customers can try before they buy.“People have loved it,” she said.“It’s been really cool to meet everyone as well, and them try stuff on . . . really good for the brand, because you sort of learn what people do and don’t like. So it’s been really good to like, improve on the brand, I reckon.”Jess has an ongoing commitment to use only natural fibres, and has branched out from linen into silk, hemp and colourful hand-block printed Indian cottons.  PHOTO: Dana Johnston ImageryHer fabric offcuts are used to maintain her beloved worm farm, which in turn creates vermicast for her garden. As the label grows, so does the worm farm.The fashion industry typically has a terrible track record when it comes to environmental issues, and Jess has always been conscious of wanting to operate her label as gently on the planet as possible.She has stock in Oamaru clothing boutique Hyde, and was still making her mind up about whether to “tackle” the wholesale market, and have her clothing in other retail stores.She was reluctant to enter the cycle of having retailers choose samples and place orders sometimes more than a year in advance.“I have made a conscious choice not to do that. Just because i don’t want to be stuck in that wheel, that system. We are looking at getting ourselves a bit further ahead than we currently are, but nothing like they do - that’s crazy.“It will be a lot of pre-production for ranges going forward . . . We’ve obviously got a bit of stock here with the shop, but haven’t really tested that model fully yet - like it will be a slow progression as the ranges come out. “It’s a matter of building it up, before we sort of go down that route.” By the end of the year, Jess was hoping to be fully set up with ready to wear stock, and her new Celebrations - made to order - range, up and running.“That’s sort of where we’re heading.” In Good Company stocks natural skincare brand Biologi, which Jess is a long-time lover of, along with an array of products ranging from locally-made cushions, to woollen blankets direct from a friend’s North Canterbury farm, to leather dog collars and mushroom powders.“I’ve tried to choose everything that sort of reflects the brand’s ethos as well. So I feel like there’s a nice niche of brands sitting alongside it . . . It’s been nice to sort of add lots of stuff that I really rate myself.” 

Things are moving up a gear, only weeks out from Papakaio School’s annual mountain biking fundraiser.The Papakaio 8 Hour Mountain Bike Challenge is happening on Saturday, February 18, and organisers are hoping the weather gods are on their side this year, after last year’s event had to be cancelled due to rain.Riders, either in teams or individually, complete a loop-track of about 9km, continuously for eight hours. Teams could be social or competitive, committee spokesperson Fiona Nelson said.Also included in this year's event, was a section for the increasingly popular ebikes, but these would not be eligible for podium prizes.As per previous years, the track is constantly being updated and improved by track builders Brett Stuart of Crosscut construction, and Craig Isbister, and the men’s hard work and vision has not gone unnoticed. Much of the 8 Hour course, which crosses over farmland at Ian and Gloria Hurst’s Willow Park property, was ridden in round one of Mountain Biking New Zealand's XC event, held on Sunday (January 15).The track had continued to evolve from previous years, with A-lines and B-lines for different abilities, and it would be great to see how the changes were received, Fiona said.“Our track team put in countless hours of work, and often fly under the radar, as everything is done under the canopy of the trees. But the committee and the whole of Papakaio School know that the event wouldn't be the same without them, and are truly thankful that these awesome people and their families put so much into helping the event run year after year,” she said.Sponsorship and support from local businesses was also proving to be "amazing" once again.“Year after year we are blown away by the dedication of numerous people in their support of our children and our event. After all they, our children, are who we all do it for.” Special mention went to top two sponsors Plunket Electrical and Drummond & Etheridge, she said.Even if biking wasn’t your thing, organisers encouraged people to join the event for an “awesome” family day out. “Our event Village has loads of activities for the kids to do, there’s also a kids’ bike loop and a junior riders zone and loads of yummy food options on offer,” Fiona said.Visit www.papakaio8hour.nz for further information and to register.

The body of a 29-year-old man was recovered in the Ōhau B Canal, by the Police National Dive Squad on Sunday evening.A car was reported to have crashed near the Ōhau B Canal Bridge, on State Highway 8, (Twizel-Ōmarama Road) on Sunday morning, and an empty car was located in the water near the bridge, Southern District Police posted on its Facebook site.The man, who is yet to be formally identified by police, was believed to have been the only occupant of the vehicle and was found after a shoreline and water search was carried out in the area. Temporary road closures had been in place to allow search teams to access the area safely.The Canterbury Rowing Championships, which were taking place at Lake Ruataniwha, near Twizel, were also suspended for a short time on Sunday morning, as boats aided in the search.Police wished to thank motorists for their patience, and to thank everyone who assisted with the search effort.Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing, and anyone who witnessed the crash and had not yet spoken to police, were asked to make contact via the 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report, using reference file number 230115/5559.

Oamaru’s wildlife is a major drawcard for the area which needs to be better looked after and understood, says Dr Phillipa Agnew. The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony science and environmental manager sat down with Ashley Smyth to talk about Oamaru’s unique offerings, and why the tourist dollar is so important to the town and for the future of some of our rare birds. (4-minute read)Protecting and promoting Oamaru's unique wildlife has benefits for everyone, Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony science and environmental manager Phillipa Agnew says.A number of incidents had come to Dr Agnew’s attention before Christmas and prompted her to speak out about the importance of looking after the wildlife surrounding this area, not only to protect the animals, but also for the Waitaki tourism industry.In one incident, Dr Agnew was aware of a number of shags and their chicks being scared into the water off Sumpter Wharf, in Oamaru’s harbour. “Those chicks aren’t able to fly - they’re covered in down - so get really cold, really quickly. They swim to the shore, and then they can’t get back onto the wharf to be fed,” she said.A group of people spent several hours putting the chicks back onto the wharf and Dr Agnew was working with the Waitaki District Council to improve the signage there.“I think that comes because of people not realising the damage that they’re doing.”About 15 dead seagulls found on the foreshore just off Humber St, had been sent away to determine how they died, but it was potentially suspicious.Also, a new red-billed gull colony situated on Cape Wanbrow, had been disturbed by fishers, who walked right through the middle of the nesting site.“These birds have all got chicks that are either a week or two old, right up to near fledging, so there’s hundreds of birds around there, and that level of disturbance in a brand new colony could be really bad for those birds,” she said.The new colony was good news for local building owners, who had been plagued by the gull population in recent years, with the numbers of birds at the new site directly correlating to the reduction of the number of birds in the town. “So we’re hoping that they’re going to be moving into that more natural space,” Dr Agnew said.There were two fences blocking the disused Department of Conservation track, one with signage which alerted people to the gulls nesting. “We’re trying to encourage them to be somewhere not on the buildings, so this is a really positive thing and it’s really sad that people don’t see how important it is.” Other disturbing stories Dr Agnew had heard were of somebody throwing stones at a fur seal on the breakwater, and also of a person picking a live penguin up in the harbour, carrying it inside the Sports Central Brewhouse on Wear St, before taking it back outside where it bit him, and he dropped it.“I mean, that level of stress is massive for that bird,” Dr Agnew said.“So it’s all just a little bit disappointing really, that there’s so many instances of people just disrespecting wildlife and them not sort of seeing the value. Because it’s so important to this town.” The blue penguin population has increased year on year since monitoring began at the Oamaru colony in 1993. PHOTO: SuppliedPromoting colony helps penguins and communityThe penguin colony is one of several “business units” under the council-controlled organisation Tourism Waitaki Limited.Revenue received from ticket sales had driven the development of the colony, and any profits went towards supporting the work Tourism Waitaki did to market the region, Dr Agnew, who is also the Tourism Waitaki acting general manager, said. “So all of the infrastructure you can see, I mean it’s all supported by that revenue that we’ve had coming in, and then so we’ve got all these amazing things that we’ve been doing over the years.”Monitoring had been carried out since 1993, and predator control, provision of nesting and habitat, a rehabilitation facility, a road underpass, further research, and new weigh platforms had all added value to the facility over time. There was a huge investment in the wellbeing of the animals, and it was showing in the population trends, Dr Agnew said. “This population is increasing every year by around 8-9%, so at the beginning there were 33 breeding pairs, and now we’ve got 279, and we study a second colony as well.” The second colony was between Holmes Wharf and Oamaru Creek, and had been set up as a control colony to monitor the impacts of tourism on the penguin population. The results showed the colonies tracked “very very similarly”, which meant, managed well, tourism did not have a negative impact.“We’ve got the boardwalks and the viewing stands, but that helps us control where the people go - not the penguins. The penguins come and go naturally and that’s how we manage disturbance, is by having that structure in place.” This was the reason it was important to support the regulated tourism operations, especially for international visitors coming to the town.A lot of locals knew how to act around New Zealand wildlife, but international tourists didn’t necessarily, she said.“That’s really why I get upset about people sending overseas visitors, or visitors in general to see penguins for free, because they don’t realise if they do that to everybody, there is going to be a serious impact on those penguins.Also, these overseas visitors, they’ve come to Oamaru, probably to see the penguins, so they want the best experience possible, and most of them are happy to pay, and the quality of the experience they can get with us is vastly better than what they’ll see chasing penguins that are scared, outside of the boundary.”Before the viewing platform and information centre was built at the colony, there was very little infrastructure. The colony had grown because of the investment that had been made, and in turn, this is why the penguin population is thriving.“And because they are thriving in here, that’s why there are penguins outside of our boundary - that’s the only reason. So if none of this existed - there would be no penguins here.”New livestreaming Now fans of not just the penguins, but the Otago shags, which congregate on Sumpter Wharf, can watch them 24/7 on YouTube.The shags are only found in Otago, and the wharf had been home to as many as 650 nests at one time, making up almost half of the entire species, Dr Agnew said.“So it’s a really important site.”The shags nest on the wharf and raise their chicks, and had done so for close to 10 years.“If something happened to that wharf and all of those birds died, that’s half that species gone.”A still shot from the livestream camera filming at Sumpter wharf which is available 24/7 on YouTube. PHOTO: Supplied

The service of two Waitakians has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List, released on December 31.Waitaki District deputy mayor, and Ōamaru Pacific Island Community Group (OPICG) manager Hana Halalele; and longtime Ōmārama Search and Rescue member Maurice Cowie, have both been awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for their contributions to their communities.Hana, who became the first Pasifika Waitaki District Councillor in 2019, was recognised for services to Pacific health, after supporting the Pacific Island community through the Covid-19 pandemic.She created a frontline team with the OPICG to share information, and advocated for resources and support from the Southern District Health Board and Well South to run a vaccination clinic, targeting the Pasifika community.She led her team to create its own community outreach vaccination workforce, and deliver drive-through testing stations and vaccination clinics across the Waitaki District. She worked with community groups and volunteers to promote vaccination efforts amongst the wider community and, with her team, also provided welfare responses including food parcels, food vouchers, health navigation support and advocacy for digital devices during lockdown and Covid isolation periods.Hana has also been an influential advocate at regional and national forums for the diverse needs of her community, and was the establishment chairwoman for Talanga ‘a Waitaki - facilitating a community-led initiative for Pacific parents to deliver the Talanoa Ako education programme.Maurice Cowie has been a member of Ōmārama Search and Rescue (SAR) since 1998 and played a key role in revitalising the organisation by recruiting new members to the then team of two, and organising sponsorship and regular training.During his time with SAR, Maurice has been a field member, team leader and incident management team member. He is the first point of contact for local police in a SAR operation, due to his experience.Maurice was part of the Ōmārama group that received the LandSAR Supreme Award in 2012 for a significant operation in Ahuriri Valley, which led to the recovery of the body of a tramper who had been missing for 14 days. He has also volunteered for searches in other regions including Owaka, Lawrence and Dunedin. He contributed his time and donated materials to the renovation of the Omarama SAR base, and constructed a stretcher trailer for towing behind an all-terrain vehicle to rescue injured cyclists from the Alps to Ocean trail. Maurice is also a member of a local work group, in place of a Civil Defence group, for Omarama in the case of a natural disaster, and has been involved with rural and urban fire brigades for 50 years.

Duntroon residents are feeling flush, with the opening of their new toilet block in the town on Wednesday (December 21). The long-awaited building was officially opened by Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher following many years of hard work from Duntroon volunteers and members of the Duntroon and Districts Development Association (DDDA). The block is located on the opposite side of State Highway 83 from the previous toilets, next to Vanished World Fossil Centre. The original building, which had its south-facing walls adorned by the work of Duntroon-based artist Burns Pollock, has been decommissioned, but the artwork will remain. DDDA chairman Owen King has also crafted a bench out of recycled kauri from the old pharmacy building, which sits near the new toilets. Duntroon residents (from left) Owen King, Vicky Munro, Mike Gray, Jan Keeling, and Errol Wills with the totara bench Owen made. PHOTO: Supplied  

Sally-Ann Donnelly is quite happy about the five-year restraint of trade she has from owning another pub in Ōamaru. It means she won’t get any “bright ideas”, she says.After “eighteen years, three months and four days” owning Fat Sally’s Pub and Restaurant, Sally-Ann happily handed the keys over on Monday, to Tyler Burgess and Kristin Murdoch, who have moved to town from Twizel. “It’s really exciting that such a cool, young, energetic couple are keen to take the reins and go forward really.”First on Sally-Ann’s to-do list now, is “take a breather” and she will head to Otematata with her family for Christmas.Going into next year, her two other businesses - homewares store Housekeepers Design, and her catering business, which she operates from the Loan and Merc building, will continue to occupy her time.She said the best part of owning a pub, was the people she had met.“It’s been cool to be a part of town, be involved in a lot of things, you know. It’s been fun.“We’ve met some epic people. Oamaru’s a flippin’ cool community really, a real cool community.”A definite highlight for Sally-Ann was helping to raise money for others - something her name has become synonymous with. She was the main driver behind two hugely successful Portside Punch boxing events, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars towards North Otago Hospice, and cancer charities.“Aside from that - just some of the other stuff we’ve done for smaller community groups,” she said.“The lowlight is watching the town change as far as gangs, and watching drugs grow in town, and really, become your competition. I think that needs to be said.”Running a pub for close to two decades means she has learnt a lot about people.“When you add alcohol to a situation, it can bring out the best in people, and also the worst. But we’ve been lucky, dramas have been few and far between.”The arrival of the Covid pandemic in 2020 brought with it some challenges - the biggest was dealing with the unknown.“We thought we were going to be shut down for two weeks, and she (Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern) shut us down for four, and really, for restaurants, I think the pub was seven weeks shut.“We were really grateful for the community support when we opened.”Covid also prompted her to close the doors for good on waterfront restaurant Portside, a decision she has no regrets about.Her advice to the new owners of Fat Sally’s was to “be prepared for sore feet every day for the first year”.“I’d say to anyone taking on any business, just worry about what you, not what anyone else, is doing. Just do you.”She felt a sense of relief at being able to step away from the pub after all this time, and was “so grateful” Tyler and Kristin had come along.“I need to thank the community for their amazing support over the last 18 years, three months and four days.”