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From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Some of the hottest tickets in Dunedin are being snapped up at for after dark events inside one of the city’s oldest institutions – Otago Museum.
Gin and Collections, Wine and Design, Cocktails and Chemistry, Planet and Pints, and Love Island are just some … View moreFrom reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Some of the hottest tickets in Dunedin are being snapped up at for after dark events inside one of the city’s oldest institutions – Otago Museum.
Gin and Collections, Wine and Design, Cocktails and Chemistry, Planet and Pints, and Love Island are just some of the events recently held at the 155-year-old institution.
The latter resulted in people flying to Dunedin from as far away as Auckland to attend, with the event featuring entertainment, challenges similar to those on the popular TV show.
Another memorable event was themed around Friday the 13th, and featured a devil opening his jacket to each guest offering a choice of poison, a working tattooist and a fake priest.
“We do crazy things,” said Charlie Buchan, who started at the museum as marketing co-ordinator almost three years ago and is now assistant marketing manager.
Whatever the title, the unusual marketing strategy appears to be working.
Ticketing numbers for free and paid events at Tūhura Otago Museum have jumped from 11,527 in 2019-20, to 26,638 in 2021-22.
With Covid wiping out the international visitor industry, the museum had to get creative to make up for funding shortfalls.
“We have to do things differently,” Buchan said.
‘‘We had to pivot because we need repeat visitation, we couldn’t rely on people bringing their kids in because it is a rainy day.’’
That included partnering with small businesses hurting during Covid, and using the museum as a hub.
Local distilleries showcased their products as part of Gin and Collections, which also offered people a peak behind the scenes of some of the 1.5 million items in the museum’s collections.
Another event, Planet and Pints, was the idea of museum event manager Rachel MacJeff, and involved people having a beer – brewed especially for the museum by students at Otago Polytechnic – inside the museum’s planetarium.
And the name of that pale ale? The world’s best museum (beer).
The events attracted a more diverse range of people to the museum, which led to increased partnerships with local brands.
‘‘We click the ticket a little bit,” Buchan said.
“We aren’t doing it to be profit-driven but the Government and council aren’t funding us to our capabilities at the moment.”
Other museums were interested in Otago’s approach, particularly how active it was across social media platforms, he said.
Upcoming events at the museum included Children’s Day, Yoga with the Butterflies, and Medieval Family Day, ffeaturing a screening of the Princess Bride.
Later this month the museum would host another After Dark event, Pride Party, which featured a cocktail bar, karaoke lip-sync, and drag queen bingo.
Buchan said the aim was to attract more people to the museum, particularly on quiet nights.
“I wanted to bring a bit of that New York, that London, back to town ... but at the museum.”
Other ideas included early morning events, such as a silent disco before people started work. The alcohol-free event would offer healthy smoothies and be pitched at corporates aiming to build culture.
Building culture and identity was important for an institution still wanting to be relevant 155 years after it opened its doors, Buchan said.
That was evident when he was at the Otago University Students’ Association’s tent city, on the museum reserve, for Orientation Week.
Among the deals on offer for students included free tickets to the planetarium, but that offer was countered by second-year students asking “where is the museum?”
That was the challenge, he said.
But it was changing, and part of that was appealing to a younger market who shared their experiences on social media.
From reporter Olivia Caldwell:
When is a jack russell terrier not a jack russell terrier?
As far as the 24-year-old Jack Russell Race at the Wānaka A&P Show, anything goes, but there is controversy around the size of one magnificent beast, Harry.
“We don’t have any rules,” says … View moreFrom reporter Olivia Caldwell:
When is a jack russell terrier not a jack russell terrier?
As far as the 24-year-old Jack Russell Race at the Wānaka A&P Show, anything goes, but there is controversy around the size of one magnificent beast, Harry.
“We don’t have any rules,” says show event manager Jane Stalker.
That’s not far off the truth. Richard Burdon, event judge and son of Jerry and Lesley Burdon, who created the race, says the only regulation is if the dog passes the “does it look like a jack russell?” test.
“It is still one of the highlights of the show. It has very limited rules, and we still have a lot of fun, and it’s all done in the best spirit.
“We have a few imposters every year, but we don't place them.”
The race, held this year on March 11, sees the terriers chase a dead rabbit towed by a horse around an oval field. The first dog to reach the rabbit, wins.
Harry, a 13-year-old jack russell fox terrier from Cromwell, has been winning the race since he started as a 1-year-old. He has six titles to his name, in seven starts.
“The one year that he didn't get it, the little dogs cut across and were chasing the horse and not the rabbit,” says owner Samara Buchanan.
Harry, whose mother was a fox terrier and father was a jack russell, has front legs likened to a greyhound.
”He’s more taken to the foxy side I think,” says Buchanan.
He is a big jack russell, but is still within the rules, she says.
”It’s a terrier race.
“There are fluffy ones, there’s everything in there.”
Friend of the race, Dominic Morrogh Bernard, has lived in Scotland for the past 30 years and says the races, born out of the United Kingdom, are popular back home.
It is not uncommon for mixed terriers to race in Scotland, and Wānaka’s loose rules were true to tradition, he says.
”I would start with terriers, but you can have mixed breeds and all sorts back in the UK.”
While there were whisperings about the size of Harry, Buchanan says she has never had a complaint that her dog is bigger than the other dogs.
Harry has a nemesis, Stella.
“The wee black and white one isn’t much smaller than him to be fair,” Buchanan says.
Stella is a jack russell crossed with a chihuahua, making her a speedy wee thing.
Stella’s owner Daniel Bogue is also aware of Harry.
“We’ve gone up against him quite a few times. In fact, the two or three years he hasn’t entered, we won.
“It is a real big dog for a jack russell. I have no qualms with it, it is a race and may the best dog win.”
Stalker says show organisers aren’t looking at changing the rules to make the race for only purebred jack russell terriers.
They ask owners to use their judgement of what qualifies as a jack russell.
“There are times we thought should we put rules around it, but it has taken a life of its own.”
No official complaints had been made, she says.
Stalker says the race is probably not well-named.
“It is probably a bit of tongue in cheek.
“You will get told to leave if you bring something that doesn't look like a jack russell terrier.”
Stalker says she knows of Harry.
“He is a bit big.”
While the race is fun by nature, there is dog roll and dog nuts on the line for the proud dog owners.
To prepare for the race Harry eats dog nuts, rabbits at times and walks regularly.
Buchanan says his last race was 2021, but he has come out of retirement before.
”Lots of people are trying to get me to bring him up, but I think it is time to hand the reins over to someone else.”
For Stella’s sake, let’s hope so.
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Tourism and hospitality workers suffer high levels of harassment and bullying and one-third want better pay and conditions, a new survey has found.
The Auckland University of Technology survey of 900 workers has informed a Government plan to strengthen the … View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Tourism and hospitality workers suffer high levels of harassment and bullying and one-third want better pay and conditions, a new survey has found.
The Auckland University of Technology survey of 900 workers has informed a Government plan to strengthen the tourism workforce.
New Tourism Minister Peeni Henare announced the plan to tourism industry representatives in Queenstown on Wednesday.
It included a scheme allowing businesses to demonstrate they are good employers, and aiming to lift cultural competency in the sector and develop educational opportunities.
The 2022 survey was commissioned by the group developing the plan and was the largest and most detailed survey done in New Zealand of tourism and hospitality employees and their working conditions.
AUT School of Hospitality and Tourism senior lecturer David Williamson said it found key concerns among frontline and senior staff included low pay, unsatisfactory working conditions, insufficient career progression, and a high level of turnover.
One-third of respondents identified better pay and conditions as a key change required to create a better workplace.
Just over 23% had experienced bullying or harassment from other staff members or customers, while 34% had witnessed it.
It was reported in only 49% of cases and action was taken only in one quarter of those cases.
“This is a very concerning area. If we’re going to be attracting young people into the industry, trying to encourage careers and say this is a great place to work, we’re going to have to address this.”
More than half of the respondents (54%) did not know what the health and safety risks in their workplace were.
High turnover was also identified as an issue, with 45% of respondents indicating they were not planning a career in the sector or unsure about it, and 27% planning to leave their job in the next year.
“It is problematic. There is a significant minority of experiences where the conditions are not what they should be,” Williamson said.
Other issues included 9% did not have signed employment agreements, 7.5% were not paid the adult minimum wage, 68% of frontline workers received less than $24 an hour, only 71% got the correct holiday pay, and only 58% got the rest breaks they were entitled to.
Henare said it was essential for the Government to help the sector build a more resilient future.
“New Zealand continues to be one of the world’s top tourism destinations, and with the borders open, international visitors are returning.”
Part of that was to ensure the workforce was skilled and supported, through education, good career pathways, pay and working conditions, he said.
It included the establishment of a Tourism and Hospitality Accord – a voluntary employer accreditation scheme identifying businesses in tourism and hospitality that treat staff well.
By joining the accord they would be able to show they were good employers, which would help them attract quality staff.
There would also be closer collaboration between industry and education providers to ensure the right skills were being taught to fill the jobs the sector needed, Henare said.
“And we will test whether employee-sharing can reduce the unstable and seasonal elements of tourism.”
The plan aimed to turn around the negative perception – and reality for some – that working in tourism did not pay well and the work could be unstable.
“This action plan will help to improve conditions so that tourism is a job of choice that is fulfilling and desirable for people here and those coming from abroad,” Henare said.
Among 14 outlined initiatives are plans to develop new tourism qualifications, conduct a tourism conservation employee-sharing pilot building on the benefits of the Jobs for Nature programme, and explore options for clearer long-term immigration settings.
From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Less broken glass, a handful of arrests and a solitary couch fire: police have praised Otago students for improved behaviour over Orientation Week.
Sergeant Steve Jones wants to give "credit where credit is due" after thousands of students who returned… View moreFrom reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Less broken glass, a handful of arrests and a solitary couch fire: police have praised Otago students for improved behaviour over Orientation Week.
Sergeant Steve Jones wants to give "credit where credit is due" after thousands of students who returned for Flo Week (the flatting Orientation Week), and the following Orientation Week, showing a marked improvement in behaviour, he said.
The change came after some in the community who always gave students a "bad rap" over any anti-social behaviour, such as broken glass.
"It is definitely getting better," Jones said.
The anti-social element was a very small percentage of the community itself, and ‘’certainly a far cry from what we’ve seen in previous years,’’ he said.
Some of those arrested in the student quarter were not students, and came from outside the city.
That was the case in one of the more high profile incidents, which involved 15 Christchurch men who burst into a Leith St Flat and assaulted four flat mates.
Meanwhile, a proactive approach to bottle stores in the student quarter resulted in more canned products sold compared to glass bottles, which led to less glass on the street, Jones said.
And not all students were drinking, he said.
"We are seeing a new cohort of young people making more conscious and better educated decisions around alcohol, and we have a sober curious community coming through, who are going for zero alcohol options," Jones said.
There were only two reported case of gross intoxication in the student quarter over that period, with one of those a drug overdose.
What was also proving to be beneficial in reducing harm was students registering their parties on the Good One Party Register, which came with police offering advice to organisers.
It was difficult to determine if this was a long-term trend, given Covid had caused restrictions on large gatherings, however Jones was optimistic.
"I think we are following a trajectory which has been influenced by the partnerships."
That included emergency services, Otago University, and the students’ association working on student safety but still allowing "students to be students", he said.
If you need more forms or accessibility formats, visit www.census.govt.nz, or call 0800 236 787 for help.
A musical celebration of 100 years of Forest and Bird in Wānaka and Christchurch will mark the beginning of the organisation’s centennial year in 2023.
The performance will make its South Island debut at the Wānaka Festival of Colour, a week-long celebration of the arts, from March 26.
… View moreA musical celebration of 100 years of Forest and Bird in Wānaka and Christchurch will mark the beginning of the organisation’s centennial year in 2023.
The performance will make its South Island debut at the Wānaka Festival of Colour, a week-long celebration of the arts, from March 26.
The Force of Nature is an acoustic chamber music performance featuring eight world premieres, with visual designs capturing native species and environments unique to Aotearoa.
Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said she was excited to hear how the eight Kiwi composers expressed their feelings about flora and fauna through their music.
“Some are expressing they joy they feel when in the wilderness, some are demanding action to save endangered species, all are deeply personal,” she said.
Conservationist Captain Ernest “Val” Sanderson established the Native Bird Protection Society in 1923 after seeing the destruction of native bush, extensive soil erosion and the implications for native flora and fauna in New Zealand after World War I.
That organisation became the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, which has fought for environmental causes for more than 100 years.
Notable campaigns have included cleaner water-ways, more sustainable fishing, the protection and expansion of wetlands and a solution to kauri die-back.
The performance is on April 2 in Wānaka, followed by a Christchurch performance on April 3.
It will be one of 45 events during the Wānaka festival which will feature music, dance, comedy, drama and topical conversations.
Artistic director Sophie Kelly said in 2023 the festival was about reconnecting communities after a very fractured few years under Covid-19 restrictions.
She was looking forward to welcoming back international artists after a long absence and the return of local favourites.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet will perform the world premiere of a piece co-commissioned by the festival to mark the centenary of Katherine Mansfield’s death.
Woman of Words is based on moments remembered in Mansfield’s letters to friends and family.
Internationally renowned and Grammy award-winning tenor Simon O’Neill is joining the NZTrio - Amalia Hall, Ashley Brown and Somi Kim - for an intimate concert featuring works of Mahler and Strauss.
Australian Jonny Hawkins will perform his one-man show Maureen: Harbinger of Death to Wānaka, telling the poignantly funny tale of razor-tongued doyenne of Kings Cross in its heyday.
Celebrated choreographer Michael Parmenter, Balfolk Dunedin director Kate Grace and Southern musicians Catgut and Steel will present participatory dance events including the Bannockburn Ball.
“Comfortable shoes are a must,” organisers say.
Musicians who will perform during the festival include Reb Fountain, Adam Page, Whirimako Black, Jenny Mitchell and The Phoenix Foundation who will close the festival with a performance blending pop, rock, and psychedelic prog rock.
Comedians include The Modern Māori Quartet Ngā 80s and dysfunctional German siblings Otto & Astrid from the cult band Die Roten Punkte.
Conversations include Chris Finlayson on treaty settlements, Chloe Swarbrick and Rod Oram on global heating, Carmen Parahi on media and race, Dame Valerie Adams on women in sport and Charlotte Grimshaw on family dynamics.
The Wānaka Festival of Colour runs from March 26 to April 2, 2023 and includes free events.
There's some real goodies on Neighbourly Market in our FREE section, and we want to see even more!
If you've got some things getting dusty in the garage that could use a new home, list them on Neighbourly as free in the next 48 hours and you'll go in to win one of 5 x $50 … View moreThere's some real goodies on Neighbourly Market in our FREE section, and we want to see even more!
If you've got some things getting dusty in the garage that could use a new home, list them on Neighbourly as free in the next 48 hours and you'll go in to win one of 5 x $50 Prezzy® cards!
New Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery … View moreNew Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery driver, or a coffee order that’s ready before we arrive. These are the business owners who remind us we're home.
Give your favourite local business owner the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
Meet a family with four boys (almost) that's up for adventure - and they don't mind roughing it in the process.
He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the … View moreHe iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the Waitangi National Trust. He, and all of those all of those at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, invite you to come and feel the stories that shaped Aotearoa.
If you are wanting to help the people in the north that has been devastated by cyclone Gabrielle please go to the New Zealand Red Cross website and look up New Zealand Disaster Fund.
Thanks for your support
We've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? … View moreWe've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? Let's discuss!
Share your thoughts in the comments below - add NFP if you don't want these shared in the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
Pressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.
Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in… View morePressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.
Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in Tarras – about 90km from Queenstown.
The council owns a 75% stake in the airport, with the other 25% owned by the Government.
Three of those academics spoke at Wednesday’s Christchurch City Council meeting and urged the council not to continue supporting the project. The Tarras development was a vanity project that would cripple Christchurch’s economy, they said.
Christchurch Airport project director Michael Singleton said New Zealand was geographically isolated and high-quality air connectivity would always be an important driver of social and economic wellbeing.
“Doing nothing in the face of a well-documented and fast-approaching infrastructure deficit and changing climate jeopardises the long-term ability of communities to maintain or improve their standard of living," he said.
Read the full story here and tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.
The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving … View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.
The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving town because they cannot find suitable accommodation.
To increase the supply of affordable housing the Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing to require most new residential subdivisions and developments to pay a financial contribution of 5%.
It would be collected by the council and provided to Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) or another community housing provider.
Known as “inclusionary zoning”, it has already been used on a voluntary basis by the council with developments such as Jacks Point and Shotover Country contributing.
Under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act developers were required to pay contributions of up to 12.5% in the district. The Act has since been repealed.
About half of the 181 submissions received on the district plan change proposal were from developers opposing the rules.
Many of the submissions are duplicates from law firms or planners, representing the likes of Wānaka developers Infinity Investment Group and film developers Silverlight Studios, Glendhu Station Properties Ltd, Henley Downs Land Holdings, and the Jacks Point developers.
They argue the plan is unlawful and unreasonable and will not increase affordability.
Centuria Property Holdco Ltd, the group behind the $1 billion fast-tracked Lakeview/Taumata development in central Queenstown, is also opposed.
Developers Winton want it to be rejected claiming the proposal is outside the scope of the council’s role under the Resource Management Act and that council evidence is flawed.
Many individuals stood alongside the developers, concerned the proposal would lead to the cost of land rising.
“We struggled to afford our current property and with the continuing cost of living crisis cannot afford an additional levy to now pay for someone else's property too,” Robert Haydon, of Wānaka, wrote.
Christoffel Beukman, of Wānaka, said the proposal would result in a downgrading of housing stock and value and lead to an increase in antisocial and criminal behaviour.
It would make the area attractive to people who would otherwise not be able to afford housing in the district, she said.
Many saw it as another tax, or disagreed on principle.
Queenstown man Tony Strain said it was the worst of all the “dumb ideas” the council had come up with.
“Why should landowners and developers subsidise the tourist industry which has been built on low wages and will benefit the most from cheap housing?” he said
Some were concerned that small landowners would have to contribute also.
However, the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust has submitted that exemptions be put in place for already existing lots where only one residential unit was to be erected, or less than three lots created.
The trust had more than 800 households on the trust’s waiting list, in an area where the median house price in September was 15.6 times the median household income, compared to 8.1 times nationally.
Former mayor Jim Boult was among a handful of supporters for the plan.
He said Queenstown could be like other tourism towns around the world where most workers were commuters.
However, it was an inclusive community where the children of billionaires attended school alongside the children of supermarket workers, he said.
The inclusionary zoning tool was vital if the community was to make housing at least reasonably affordable for most, he said.
He acknowledged there was an offset to others buying property, but said it had not proven an inhibiting factor under HAASHA legislation.
The plan was supported by other housing trusts from around New Zealand.
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