Waitaki Dam’s 75th birthday

The Waitaki Dam was the first of eight to be built on the Waitaki River and the last to be to be built by the pick and shovel method .

Construction started in 1928. The decision to use labour rather than machines was a deliberate one to provide work during the Depression but it wasn’t easy work:

. . . working conditions were hard with cold winters, flooding, and earthquakes to work through. The work force often toiled in knee high water, and lived in temporary housing near the site. 

It was during these construction years that Kurow’s Presbyterian Minister, later to become Sir Arnold Nordmeyer, and local doctor Dr Harold McMillan, saw the working and housing conditions and the many who camped near the site hoping for work.  As a result these two men began the initial thinking around what was to become one of the world’s first social welfare assistance programmes – the Social Welfare Act (passed by Parliament in 1938).

The dam was commissioned in 1934 and Meridian Energy, which now owns it, hosted public celebrations for its 75th anniversary yesterday.

David Bruce  covered the dam’s history and interviewed some of the people who worked on it for the ODT.

Waitaki’s Deputy Mayor, Gary Kircher, blogs on yesterday’s celebrations.

This photo of the dam was taken earlier this year when Meridian was spilling water becasue the lakes were too full.

Monday’s Quiz

1. Who wrote Requiem for a Wren?

2. Who said “Always for give your enemies, nothing annoys them so much”?

3. What is Zaire now called?

4.When were New Zealand’s first Labour Day celebrations held?

5. Which was New Zealand’s first National Park?

The Road to Castle Hill

 If you judged The Road to Castle Hill by it’s cover you’d think it was the story of high country farming.

It is, but it’s much more than that.

Christine Fernyhough’s story is not just about how she came to buy Castle Hill Station and learned to farm it. It’s also the story of her involvement with the books in homes programe and the gifted kids programes which grew from that.

The book shows us the challenges Christine faced, including those with tenure review. She also has some very good thoughts on bridging the town-country divide.

I’ve heard Christine speak twice, she’s a delight to listen to and this book is a delight to read. Louise Callan helped with the writing and the words are enhanced by John Bougen’s photos.

 

Post 26 in the post a day for New Zealand Book Month challenge

Deborah at In a Strange Land posts on The Witch in the Cherry Tree by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jenny Williams.

Rob posts on Greg McGee’s Tall Tales, Some True  and Memories of Muldoon by Bob Jones.

Finding the Perfect Woman

The ad says she’s a hard road to find the perfect woman. It’s also hard for the contestants in Wanaka’s annual Perfect Woman contest  to prove they are that multi talented female.

Given one of the sponsors of the competition is Speights, it’s not surprising that one of the events the women who competed on Saturday had to cope with was opening a bottle of the southern man’s favourite beer without a bottle opener. They also had to change a tyre and back a truck, clear 10 balls from a pool table, play darts and describe their first task – real or imagined.

Ten were chosen for the finals yesterday. They had to sky dive, swing a gate, shear a sheep, shoot clay birds, hit a target with water from a fire hose and say in 60 seconds why a woman is better than a man. 

 

While the contest is good humoured and run in a spirit of fun, it’s also an opportunity for some serious fund raising with all proceeds going to the Canlive Trust which supports women with cancer.

We left before the winner was announced but the ODT reports the competition was won by Melissa Brewster, a helicopter engineer, from Canada. It was her fourth time in the contest and this is the first time it’s been won by someone from another country.

Alice Ferguson from Wanaka was second and Anna Trevathan from Tarras was third.

Oakridge

On our arrival at Oakridge we were told that we had to go to the cafe downstairs rather than through to the restaurant where we’d dined on previous occasions.

We weren’t sure if this was a good thing, but our concerns were groundless. The food and the service were of the high standard we’d come to expect.

My farmer and one of our friends ordered beef, the other friend had hapuka, I chose the lamb rack served with minted couscous an asparagus and we shared a side order of asparagus too.

The lamb was succulent and tender, the couscous complimented it well and the asparagus was exactly as it should be – bright green and almost just a little softer than crisp.

We’d resisted the entrees to ensure we had room for desert – banana steam pudding for our friends and white chocolate and raspberry creme brulee for us. It was delicious.

The only complaint we had was a spot of bother we encountered when we went to book the table.

Oakridge is a resort on the outskirts of Wanaka.

It’s name has recently changed to Grand Mecure Resort Oakridge and that’s what it’s  listed under in the phone book. That isn’t very helpful when you expect to find it under O for Oakridge. It took us a bit of searching before we found it  when we rang to make a booking and I wonder how many people don’t get to enjoy a meal there because they can’t find the number listed under O where they expect it to be.

October 26 in history

On October 26:

1825 The Erie Canal opened a passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.

1865 Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman, was born.

 

1881 The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place at Tombstone, Arizona.

1883 Napoleon Hill, American Writer and Philosopher, author of Think and Grow Rich, was born.

1905 Norway became independent from Sweden.

1916 French President François Mitterrand was born.

1942 The Women Jurors’ Act allowed women to sit on juries in New Zealand.

1947 Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State was born.

1965 The Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs).

The Beatles in 1964. Clockwise (from top-left): John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison

1977 The last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.

1999 Britain’s House of Lords voted to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain’s upper chamber of Parliament.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Perfect Woman

Among the events in Wanaka at Labour weekend is the Perfect Woman competition.

One of the seeds which planted the idea for the inaugural contest was this advertisement:

Helen Reddy – I Am Woman

In honour of Helen Reddy’s birthday, one of the most culturally significant songs of the 1970s: I Am Woman.

I was at an all girls’ High School when it came out and we loved it.

Going the Distance

 Tracey Richardson reached rock bottom.

She was clinically depressed, morbidly obese, unfit, her business had collpased and two of her four children had cystic fibrosis.

She was faced with giving up or radically changing her life.

She chose to change and succeeded. She went from being a non-athlete to competing in a triathlon and the Hawaii Ironman, raising money for cystic fibrosis in the process - and then wrote about it in Going the Distance.

It’s an honest, open and inspiring account of an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things.

 

 

Post 25 in the post a day for New Zealand Book Month challenge

Deborah at In A Strange Land posts on Kauri In My Blood by Joanna Orwin.

Oswald Bastable posts on Craftsmen in Uniform by Peter Irwin Cape.

The image in the mirror

About 9 years ago I was at a National Party meeting in Wellington.

The party had lost the previous election after nine years in government and was languishing in the polls.

A former cabinet minister had been expounding on what the party needed to do.

Someone sitting beside me sighed and said, “He doesn’t get it, does he. That’s what lost the last election and it’s not going to win the next one.”

She was right.

But there’s a lot more to winning again after being defeated at the end of nine years in government than that.

What the losing party does is only part of the story, what the winning party and its leader do and how they are perceived is even more important.

At the moment the polls put National well ahead of the opposition.

Labour doesn’t appear to understand why. But Chris Trotter does:

Helen Clark’s government – especially in its third term – wildly overshot the New Zealand political runway.

Kiwi voters were in the market for someone willing to haul the country back on to the “mainstream” tarmac. Someone who could return their lives to “normal” and release them from the uncomfortably negative emotions “Aunty Helen’s” behaviour had aroused.

Mr Key was that “someone”.  . . . A successful bloke they could admire – but who never made them feel inadequate. A guy they could chat with over a summer barbecue without the slightest embarrassment. Someone whose kids looked remarkably like their kids. Someone, in short, remarkably like themselves. . .

. . .It’s not something Labour can do anything about. To attack John Key is to attack up to three-fifths of the voting public. . .

 
His fall can only be tragic – and Labour will have nothing to do with it.

Because New Zealanders will only fall out of love with John Key when they cease to love the image in the mirror he’s become.

 

I don’t think even Helen Clark’s biggest fans would have described her as someone remarkedly like themselves. But for the first few years of her government she was very popular and it seemed there was little National could do about it.

Under Bill English the party’s policy mellowed but that didn’t work. Under Don Brash policy moved in the other direction and it nearly worked.

It was a combination of growing disenchantment with Clark and her party, trust that National had swallowed some dead rats and enthusiasm for John Key which gave him the votes to be Prime Minister last year.

It’s partly what the government is doing but mostly who John Key is, that’s keeping poll support high.

Labour has to regain the disicpline the party had in government and stop doing stupid things to retain their bedrock support.

But there’s nothing they can do to attract back the swingers yet because Trotter is right: people like the image in the mirror.

False names & fake company polls with public money

Polling is a common practice for political parties and MPs are able to poll using public money.

But why hide behind false names and a fake company?

The Labour leadership is embroiled in a murky polling operation run by a senior MP who has instructed volunteers to deliberately deceive people about their identities and the reason for their calls.

The polls were being run from Parliamentary offices by former Cabinet minister Rick Barker, who has admitted instructing staff to use false names and claim they were calling from a company that no longer exists.

I don’t know if this could be considered false pretences but it’s definitely not a good look.

In case you’re wondering why the party was using public funds for what is obviously political ends, Labour is deeply in debt so doesn’t have party funds to use for polling.

You don’t have to force us

A quarter of all light bulbs in Otago homes are energy efficient and 84% of homes in New Zealand are using eco bulbs.

That’s the findings of a study conducted for the Electricity Commission.

Commission chairman David Caygill said changing all the old bulbs across the country could save householders $245 million a year.

“Most New Zealanders now recognise that inefficient lighting has been adding greatly to household power bills.”

Cost savings were the main reason for switching bulbs as an energy-efficient one used 80% less electricity and lasted six times as long as a standard bulb.

Who would have thought that people might work out that saving power saved money without the state forcing them into doing it?

The people behind mandatory country of origin labelling  (MCoOL) should take note. They think:

Mandatory country of origin labelling (MCoOL) is the only way to ensure the consumer gets to make the right choice for them, whether their purchase decision is based on product origin, the price, safety concerns, what the kids like, nutrition needs or just plain old flavour preference.

I can see what CoOL, mandatory or not, has to do with product origin and safety. But it’s likely to increase prices and has nothing to do with what the kids like, nutrition needs and flavour preference.

I like to know where the food I buy comes from and rarely buy something unless I’m satisfied about its country of origin. But that’s no reason to make CoOL mandatory.

If consumers want CoOL it’s up to us to let retailers know. Consumer pressure persuaded Food Stuffs to drop its plastic bag charge, it will also persuade them to have CoOL if enough of us stated demanding it.

There’s no need to force it on us. The bulb study shows most of us are quite capable of working out what’s best for us and acting on it.

P.S. - How’s this for a poll?

It’s from the CoOL website and while the rest of the page talks about mandatory labelling, the poll doesn’t.

 I’d answer yes to all the questions but if the final question had mandatory in it I’d answer no.

We’ll keep you up to date with any progress on our campaign.
A quick poll
Have you ever considered where your food comes from?		yes  no
Would you like to know where your food comes from?		yes  no
Would Country of Origin food labelling be likely to affect your choice of purchase?		yes  no
Do you think Country of Origin labelling is a good idea for New Zealand?		yes  no

DOC duo dock rata

When the Queenstown Lakes District Council discovered a protected rata tree on Pigeon Island in Lake Wakatipu had been pruned by a chain saw it was not amused.

It wanted to prosecute the person or people responsible for attacking the 100 year-old tree.

Then the culprits confessed. They were DOC workers who’d been working on the island and had cut what they thought was dead wood from the tree to replenish the wood supply in the hut they’d been staying in.

The council decided not to prosecute but the men were disciplined and required to pay $1500 towards the cost of the investigation.

DOC’s often hard line approach to safeguarding native flora isn’t always appreciated by the public and there’s been little sympathy for the culprits.

The Southland Times opines:

. . . it is hard to imagine anything quite as extravagant as them being such a target for every wit and half-wit in the district, or the furrowed-brow reproach of their suddenly put-upon workmates in the department, who inevitably get roped in to the climate of public commentary.

No doubt their faces were as red as the rata flowers.

October 25 in history

On October 25:

1828 The St Katharine Docks opened in London.

1825 The Waltz King, Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, was born.

1838 Georges Bizet, French composer, was born.

1854 The Battle of Balaklava took place during the Crimean War (iCharge of the Light Brigade).

Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville.

1864 John Francis Dodge, US automobile pioneer, was born.

1881 Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, was born.

1888 US polar explore, Richard E. Byrd, was born.

1917 The start of the  October Revolution, involving the capture of the Winter Palace, Petrograd, Russia.

 1938 The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces Swing music as “a degenerated musical system… turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people”, warning that it leads down a “primrose path to hell”.

1941 Australian singer Helen Reddy was born.

1941 US writer Anne Tyler was born.

1949 IHC was founded.

1971: The Christchurch-Dunedin overnight express, headed by a J^A-class locomotive, ran the last scheduled steam-hauled service on New Zealand Railways (NZR), bringing to an end 108 years of regular steam rail operations in New Zealand.

 Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Relishes

It was only just warm enough for al fresco dining last night but we chose an outside table at Relishes so we could enjoy the view up Lake Wanaka.

My farmer went for lamb rack, I chose hapuka and we shared a bowl of Mediterranean roast vegetables and another of asparagus. Yum.

We eat at Relishes several times a year and have yet to be disappointed. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, in any season - the food has always been delicious and the service warm but unobtrusive.

Did you see the one about . . .

Architectural mini tutorial: the New Zealand house - not PC

Dr Seuss the blogger visionary at Opinionated Mummy

The Other Yorkshiremen   – goNZo Freakpower  shows us deprivation from another point of view.

MfE groundwater report: ‘propaganda’ or misunderstood? – by Daniel Collins at Sciblogs.

Science journalism – critical analysis not debate -  Grant Jacobs at Sciblogs looks at balance – and what goes for it.

Saturday’s smiles

The Dumpster Saga

Ben, the narrator of The Dumpster Saga is contending with aliens, secret agents, a bothersome little brother, he’s trying to impress a girl and he’s got a job which requries him to wear a bear suit.

That might not be much fun for Ben but it’s a lot of fun for the reader.

The Dumpster Saga, by Craig Harrison was a finalist in last year’s children’s book awards. It’s aimed at older children and teenagers but like any good young people’s book will be enjoyed by adults too.

I gave copies to a friend and a niece who are teachers and both then bought class sets of it.

 

Post 24 in the post a day for New Zealand Book Month challenge

Deborah at In A Strange Land posts on Home is the High Country by Mona Anderson, illustrated by David Cowe.

SFF $43.6m profit

Silver Fern Farms finished the year to August with a net profit of $43.6m, which included a $37m settlement from PGG Wrightson.

Chair Eion Garden said:

Shareholders should be pleased the company comes out of the past year in a vastly stronger financial position than recent years. “This is no mean achievement given the current economic environment which has had severe impacts on many businesses and sectors.”

It hasn’t been an easy year for meat companies and the new season isn’t expected to be any better. However, SFF is getting rewards for the work it’s put in to its marketing plan.

It secured the right to sell branded chilled lamb in French supermarkets and Stuff reports the company will be selling branded lamb in New Zealand supermarkets next month.

It is a departure for each of the local chains, Progressive and Foodstuffs, who cut and package red meat under their own brands.

From November 16, Silver Fern’s small leg roasts, loin fillets, boneless rumps and lamb stir-fry will be on the shelves. This will be premium product, reliably lean and tasty, and will be priced accordingly.

 For all the fame of our lamb, it isn’t easy to find good quality cuts in local supermarkets.

This is very good news for home cooks and should improve the image of lamb in New Zealand.

Bad bag charge gets worse

North Island New Worlds dropped the 5 cent charge on plastic bags after customers voted with their feet and went to other supermarkets.

We were less bolshie in the south but obviously there were complaints from more than the small group of customers which Foodstuffs general manager said has now prompted the company to drop the charge in South Island New World’s too.

However, the charge will remain in Pak’N Save and Four Square supermarkets because they had not experienced the same negative feedback.

I’ve been using reusable bags most of the time for several years but the principle of being charged more than the plastic bags cost so the company could donate money to charity annoyed me.

Now it’s not just the principle that I”m tetchy about, it’s the fact that they’ve removed it from some supermarkets but not all of them.

Groceries at Four Square stores are usually more expensive than at other supermarkets because they tend to be the smaller neighbourhood or rural stores which don’t usually have competitors near by.

In town many of the people who use them are likely to be unable to get to bigger supermarkets easily, perhaps because they’re elderly or don’t have a car.

In the country the cost of going further to another supermarket would be greater than savings to be made from the lower prices.

If there’s one positive thing about the bag charge debacle, it’s that it shows the positive power of competition. Obviously New World supermarkets have competition and enough customers changed to competitors to force Foodstuffs to drop the bag charge there.

Having done that it looks self-serving to continue the charge in Four Square stores just because most of their customers can’t easily take their custom elsewhere.