The Prow 10 Most Recent Added Stories

Grant Palliser

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:50:02 +1200

Grant Palliser was born in Christchurch on 6^th of October 1949. Palliser's attention was first drawn to art when he was eight years old. His Uncle painted copies of calendar reproductions: which introduced art as lifestyle that appealed to Palliser. Growing up in Christchurch, he lived an enjoyable childhood. ‘I can remember my folks always working hard in order to provide my sister and I with the best life experiences and opportunities, such as music lessons.'

Palliser's The Oracle-The future is in our hands. Cast Bronze, located adjacent to the Stoke library. Image supplied by author. Click to enlarge

At Christchurch's Riccarton High School, Palliser spent many lunchtimes poring through the art books in the school library. As a junior in school he took art as a subject choice and created a sculpture that was accepted in a youth art exhibition in Japan. However, Palliser chose to pursue science throughout his senior years of secondary school.

When he was 20 years old he started his first job in the Medical Research Unit at Princess Margret Hospital in Christchurch, where he spent three years. Palliser developed an interest in working with people instead of test tubes so, to further his experience, he moved to Auckland where he worked in community health.

At 38 Palliser decided to embark on an artistic career. His supportive family enabled him to make his dreams a reality. ‘There's no point looking back on life and saying ‘I wish,' says Palliser. After a year of preparation, he began his study at Ilam School of art, University of Canterbury, spending alternate weekends in Nelson with his family.

Palliser initially planned to make painting his primary focus. However he ‘discovered' sculpture and made it his major. Sculpture possessed all the qualities that appealed to Palliser. ‘It cast real shadows and wasn't about illusion.' ‘Sculpture is what you trip over when you step back to look at a painting.' Palliser found his ideas became limitless as the whole world was a supermarket of materials, giving him the opportunity to create art out of what ever was appropriate.

It was always his ambition to become an art teacher. He had enjoyed his own art education, although he was also determined to be a practicing artist as well. He also studied art history and philosophy, which furthered his knowledge and would later benefit his teaching.

At 42 years of age, after completing his degree in Fine Art and his teaching qualifications, he commenced his career as an art teacher at Nelson College For Girls. Whilst teaching Palliser also managed his time, as planned, to be a practicing artist and it was in this period that he began developing his ideas for sculptures.

Palliser's High Flyers. Nelson City Council
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Whilst in Nelson, Palliser's public sculpture work began to flourish as he started to gain a local reputation for his work. In 1996 his first sculpture was commissioned by the Nelson City Council and funded by the Canterbury trust. ‘The Oracle - The future is in our hands' operates on several levels; the idea of seizing opportunities and not allowing them to slip through our fingers. The hand itself represents Nelson; it is a nurturing hand that describes the geography of the Nelson Region with plains, bays and surrounding mountains. Furthermore Nelson has traditionally been a centre for handmade arts and crafts such as weaving and pottery. The local Tangata Whenua worked and commanded the local argillite (mud stone) to form stone tools. Palliser combined all these qualities and made a sculpture that symbolises Nelson.

In 2003 Palliser created a sculpture for the main entrance of the Nelson Hospital. ‘Art For Health' encourages patients and family to maintain a positive attitude. It spirals upwards, portraying the idea of getting better and leaving the hospital due to the improvement of health. It consists of stainless steel triangular modules; each side symbolizing a health model where three significant features relate to patient's improvement in health. Side one represents the hospital and its infrastructure such as the doctors, nurses and equipment. Side two represents the patients themselves and side three portrays the family/whanau of the patients who visit and later care for the patients when they are discharged but still recuperating.

Palliser's Reef Knot beside the Trafalgar Street Bridge. Nelson City Council
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It is important to Palliser that his sculptures are site specific, and that they encourage the public to respond and interact with them. High Flyers, which is placed along the Maitai River walkway is an example. The sculpture is a response to the rapids in the water and the high energy of the site. Palliser designed the sculpture so the rocks had the energy rather than the water. The poles are designed to be shaken, allowing the rocks on the poles to sway and the work therefore becomes kinetic.

Palliser currently has six public sculptures in Nelson, all of which are significant in some way to the Nelson community.

At time of writing in 2013, Palliser continues to work as an art teacher at Nelson College For Girls. He plays an influential part as a teacher and always provides advice and encouragement to his students. He is a role model for the young aspiring artists and provides students with a successful figure to look up to. ‘ I enjoy working with young people, and empowering them to take risks with their work, think laterally and innovatively, and continue to ask themselves ‘what if'....' These are important life skills.

In response to his varied life journey so far, Palliser says ‘I have no regrets. I feel very privileged as I have such a huge range of life experiences to draw on for my art practice as well as my teaching.' He considers that entering art school as an adult with broad life experiences was an advantage.

Early in 2014 Palliser plans to reconnect with painting and printmaking through participating in a residency in Ireland with other art educators. It will be a time to produce new art works and experiment in a variety different media and techniques in a response to discovering an unfamiliar environment.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013

Nelson Golf Club and the links course

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:39:03 +1200

A links course for the top of the South

The Nelson Golf Club (NGC) is one of the finest provincial golf courses in New Zealand. It has been in existence for 116 years and its facilities have been enjoyed by members, and visitors, from all over the world. Despite the success of its well established parkland layout, the NGC is completing a course redevelopment to revert to a links style course. This has been a controversial conversion and the reasons for undertaking it are discussed below.

First though, what is a ‘links' golf course? Such courses were originally built on waste land which ‘linked' (the origin of the word ‘links') the seaside and the farming areas located a little inland. Nowadays a links course is one that must meet a range of criteria:

Views towards Kahurangi Ranges before and after tree removal. Note how course has opened up (lower photo). Images supplied by author
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It is built on land immediately adjacent to the sea
Its soil is sandy and free draining
the natural landscape is retained as far as possible
there are few if any trees
there are generally a large number of bunkers

NGC's seaside location, sandy soils and undulating layout means that it meets the most important of the above conditions. By developing a links layout NGC will be associating itself with golf courses whose names are revered within the worldwide golfing community. St. Andrews and Carnoustie in Scotland, Pebble Beach in the USA, the NSW Golf Club, Australia, and Paraparaumu Beach here in New Zealand are all iconic links courses.

NGC's 1997 Centenary Book noted that ‘in the early days of the course, except for two substantial blocks of manuka and some gorse, there were very few if any trees. The course would more correctly be called a seaside links'. However NGC developed some of the characteristics of a parkland course from the late 1950's, when a number of pines and other species were planted as nursery trees and then allowed to grow to maturity. Trees are a feature of parkland courses, along with manicured fairways, water features and shallow bunkers. The Augusta course (venue for The Masters Tournament) in Georgia USA is probably the best known example.

So what prompted the NGC to change the course back to its original layout? The presence and condition of the aforementioned trees constituted the primary reason. They required constant (and expensive) pruning and maintenance to comply with Nelson Airport's height restrictions. They drew off large amounts of water from their surrounds and many were rotten and dangerous. The benefits of removal were confirmed when a number of trees situated on three holes were cut down. The playability of those holes improved greatly as a result.

Sir Bob Charles, New Zealand's most famous golfer, had also been very critical of the condition of the trees and their detrimental effect on the course. He encouraged the club to recapture its links heritage.

The Club established a Strategic Planning Sub Committee in late 2007 to address the above issues. They also commissioned course architect Jeff Asche (Perspective Design) to develop a Master Plan for the course. His design made provision for the removal of most of the old trees. However, an act of God in mid 2008 spurred the removal process. A storm blew over a number of weaker trees, thus underlining the need to take action.

Work commenced in late 2008. A five year plan was established covering each of the 18 holes on the course. The most important element involved the removal of the remainder of the trees, except for those of particular merit. The plan also provided for an increase in the number of bunkers, the regrassing of substandard fairways, and mounding to cover old tree stumps. Many teeing grounds were targeted for renovation, and fairways and rough for realignment and redefinition to add interest and challenge.

Nelson Golf Club, championship tee.
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The Head Green keeper was given responsibility for execution of the plan. He and his team faced a number of challenges in bringing it to fruition. In particular, he was required to keep the course in play while changes were made. He did so through on-going communication with members and with the assistance of a great team of volunteers. He also had to quickly get rid of a huge pile of mulch after the trees were cut down. Burning proved not to be feasible, so at the eleventh hour a large stump grinder was fortuitously located and put to use. It was a bonus for the club that firewood sales covered the cost of the removal of the trees! Thousands of pine cones were also collected and sold. After an intensive five year effort, by the green keeping team, work on the course is now largely complete.

It is fair to say that member reaction to the changes was mixed. To be a challenging test a links course must have deep bunkers and long heavy rough. Fairways must be narrow, so that a premium is placed on accurate shot making and good course management. Older members, and those on high handicaps, contend that in this state the course is too difficult and unfair. Wayward golf shots are harshly punished by loss of balls and deep bunkers are difficult to negotiate. Links courses are exposed to the elements (wind in particular) and such days pose real problems for older golfers. So NGC's green keeper is frequently encouraged to ‘cut back the rough' and ‘fill in the bunkers'. He has to walk a fine line between maintaining a course that attracts and challenges good golfers, yet satisfying the needs of members who are not so favoured.'

NGC's Vision is for ‘the club to be considered the finest golf course and club in the top half of the South Island, one of the finest provincial golf clubs and courses and be recognised as a leading example of a links golf course in New Zealand'. This vision has in a large part been achieved and the course, with its panoramic outlook across Tasman Bay, will undoubtedly attract golfers from far and wide. As a testimony to its status as a course, NGC will be hosting the New Zealand Men's Amateur Championships in April 2014. Other major events will surely follow.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013

Brook Valley Nelson

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:26:04 +1200

The Brook Valley has been integral to the development of Nelson since the early days of European colonisation. From 1868 it was the site of the Nelson water supply reservoir. Chromite was mined from the 1850s and the Dun Mountain Railway ran from the chromite mines to the Port from 1862. Coal was mined for a few years at the end of the 19^th Century. The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary was opened in 2007 and work continues to turn it into a pest-free "mainland island" nature sanctuary.

Water Works

Brook reservoir. Nelson Provincial Museum. Hargreaves collection. 8470. Click image to enlarge

In September 1865, Crown Land within the watershed of the Brook Stream and its tributaries was reserved for the Nelson Waterworks, which was to include a dam about 13 metres higher in altitude than a reservoir, with a 30 centimetre cast iron pipe down to the reservoir and 18cm pipes to carry water to town.¹

The gravel catch above the weir. Brook Valley. Nelson Provincial Museum. F.N. Jones Collection. Click image to enlarge

On April 13, 1868, John Blackett, the Provincial Engineer, reported that the dam was completed and cast iron piping had been laid from the dam to Nelson.²The opening of the Water Works on 16 April 1868 was a public holiday celebrated with a procession to the reservoir and back to the Government Buildings in Bridge Street.³

It wasn't too long before demand for water began to exceed supply. In 1874, the Provincial Engineer, A.D. Dodson, stated "As the mains are extended year by year the necessity for an increased supply becomes more apparent..... I propose laying a 10 inch (25 cm) main from the dam to the reservoir, which will cost about £1,500."⁴

Brook reservoir. Nelson Provincial Museum. Kitching Collection: 317420
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In 1908, engineers found nearly half of the water inflow was being lost. The work had not being carried out to original design specifications, and inferior, porous concrete had been used. They recommended that leakage would be drastically reduced by a new concrete wall built inside the dam to a maximum height of seven metres. The report also recommended the construction of a second smaller dam further up river to provide increased water supply and pressure to the upper levels of Nelson.⁵

By March 1909, a weir was constructed 46 metres above the Big Dam at a cost of around £2,000. The weir, which is commonly referred to as the Top Dam, was 22 metres wide and 12 metres high and provided a reservoir of more than 18,000 cubic metres. The Big Dam was re-mortared and re-filled by 1911 at a cost of £2,418.

The Roding River water supply scheme was completed in 1941, with the combined output of the Roding and Brook schemes averaging 15% overcapacity for the water requirements of Nelson, Stoke and Richmond. The Maitai South Branch project was completed in 1963. The Brook Dam was decommissioned in 2000.⁶

Coal and Chrome Ore

"The whole range of mountains ... is rich in mineral wealth ....How best to use it and get it to the Port from these inaccessible mountains is the problem. Fortunately the matter of carriage has been solved for us by the Dun Mountain Railway Company, whose railway...coiling like a snake around the face of almost precipitous mountains, down the sides of which a hundred tons of chrome ore are weekly conveyed by the laws of gravitation to the outskirts of the town."⁷

The mining of chrome ore (a source of chromium) began in Nelson in the late 1850s and continued intermittently until about the turn of the century. Production peaked in 1862 when 3486 tonnes, valued at £24,719, was exported from Nelson to Lancashire cotton mills.⁸ Chromium was used in cotton dying, mainly to produce yellow and mauve colours, but the English market collapsed and the Dun Mountain ore became patchy and low grade. The Dun Mountain Mining Co. Ltd went into liquidation in 1872.⁹

A stroll to the Brook Reservoir. Nelson Provincial Museum. Hargreaves Collection
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Coal was first noted in the Brook Valley as early as 1853. In 1894, the Brook Street Coal Prospecting Association was established to prospect the east side of the Brook. About 2.7 tonnes of hard, good quality coal was extracted in that year. Unstable ground and a shortage of capital to develop the mine shafts saw this venture fail.

The Jenkins Hill Prospecting Association was also established in 1894 and found a vertical seam of coal, which reached a thickness of 37.8 metres in places on the west side of the Brook. The mine eventually produced 1337 tonnes of coal but lack of capital and a fire at the mine eventually saw the mine sold in 1895 and no further coal mining was done.¹⁰

The Environment

An aerial shot of Brook Waimarama Sanctuary, looking west. NZ Conservationist.
Click image to enlarge

In 2002, it was announced that a group of Nelson environmentalists hoped to develop the abandoned Brook dam area as a ‘mainland island' nature recovery project. The sanctuary was to be a wildlife corridor to encourage more native birds into Nelson city.¹¹

After an extensive and ongoing pest control campaign, to eradicate both animal and plant pests, The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary opened to the public in 2007, with funding from the Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council and other community and funding bodies.¹² A $2.6 million, 14 km fence was designed to enclose the Brook Valley water catchment area and create a sanctuary for birdlife, by keeping out rats, mice, possums and other mammals.¹³ Construction of the predator fence began in 2013 and it is hoped that the reintroduction of species to the sanctuary area will begin in 2015.¹⁴

An extensive network of tracks is also being developed within the sanctuary, to encourage people's enjoyment of the environment. This continues the tradition of the area as a place for all the community to enjoy a challenging tramp in the bush, close to the city.¹⁵

2013

Wakapuaka North

Tue, 28 May 2013 10:26:33 +1200

Whakatu means 'a place to stand', literally meaning 'home'.

About 14km North of Nelson is a picturesque area that one might think of as just farmland. Ngāti Tama settled here around the ninth century and have recently signed a Deed of Settlement relating to land claims in the top of the south.

The New Zealand Company acquired a block of land that included Wakapuaka, which allowed settlement to begin in 1842. The land has since become productive farmland, with early settler families among the present day farmers. The area offers a number of features, facilities and activities.

Thackwood Garden. Wakapuaka. Image supplied by author

Thackwood Cottage Garden, which has been developed by Murray and Karen Gill has been awarded 5 Stars (Garden of National Significance) by New Zealand Gardens Trust. It is nestled in a fourth generation farm. A love of the land led to the development of a 0.8 hectare English Cottage Garden filled with magical fragrances and surprises. They are on the left, a little past the turn off to Glenuan (The Glen) and offer facilities for Weddings and other functions in garden or inside, and accommodation.

David Haig, chair. Image supplied by author

Up the same drive is the Centre for Fine Woodworking, which is a charitable educational trust with the principal aim of offering high quality tuition in fine woodworking. The Centre opened in 2006 and they now run a wide selection of short courses and a full-time programme. With small classes students quickly gain an extremely high skill base for follow-on courses. They have exhibitions at The Refinery in Halifax Street, Nelson. Principal Tutors are John Shaw and Thorkeld Hansen. David Haig, Bernie Stokes, Robert Bentley, Katalin Sallai, Mike Hindmarsh, Dave Carson are associate tutors.

Wakapuaka War Memorial Hall. Image supplied by author

The War Memorial Hall, the tennis courts and Country club are on the right a little past the turnoff to The Glen. The community Hall is a simple art deco building built in the 1950's in remembrance of WWII. Funds came from the community, and the then Waimea County Council. Nearby is a cairn naming those that died in the War who were residents of Wakapuaka and Whangamoa.

Wakapuaka War Memorial Image supplied by author

Nelson North Country Club is a member of Charter Clubs NZ and provides a venue for the family and the bar is open Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm. It has a hall which can be booked for functions and offers recreational activities such as darts, pool and a bistro.

Tennis has been played since 1970 and, in 2002, the four courts were completely renovated with Decoralt acryic surfacing. The friendly club is busy with social and competive tennis and members are welcome to join or play at their pleasure. Professional coaches provide both individual and group programs and the Juniors have organised play over the summer. For all there is a barbecue area, childrens playground, toilets and a ball machine for members.

Hira Rural Kindergarten is a unique facility, as the building is community-owned and enjoys a high level of parental involvement. There is a strong link with the local schools and have a carefully planned kindergarten to school transition programme.

Nelson Model Aero Club is located on the Wakapuaka sand flats. They meet regularly at the site to fly their models.

The Wakapuaka River flows from the Bryant Range in a generally northerly direction to reach Delaware Bay, near Cable Bay. It is an attractive river running over a sand and gravel bed, and is a fishing river, but fish numbers are not high. The Wakapuaka Rivercare Group was established in 2000 to monitor the health of the River. Hira School participates by monitoring one site and runs a Tree's for Survival Nursery offering free plants back to the community. Data collected shows that the river is in above average health.

Planting at Paremata Flats

Paramata Flats Reserve, Maori Pa Road, Cable Bay, is a publicly owned area that includes tidal river and flats which are of highest ecological value, designated by the Council. In the small area of unique lowland forest lives a small population of locally endangered South Island Fernbird and Banded Rail. Forest and Bird are underaking an ecological restoration of the Reserve, which involves many volunteers taking part in replanting, restoration and predator control, riparian margins restoration and land use controls and threatened species programmes focusing on long-tailed bats and green gecko.

Near to Wakapuaka lies Cable Bay, so named because the London-Wakapuaka cable, 25,326kms in length, was laid there in 1876. The Cable Bay farm has been farmed by Fred and Tess Stuart and family since the early 1930's. Ian's parents took over the Cable Station site after the Second World War and purchased further land when the Wakapuaka 1b block was divided (Ngāti Tama land). In 1965 they purchased the Cain Estate part of the original Mackay property (the first farm in Nelson). There is a 2.5 - 3hr walkway through the property from the Glen to Cable Bay, administered by the Department of Conservation. It passes through a large native forest.

Delaware Bay, of deep historic and cultural significance to Nelson's Ngāti Tama, became a taiapure-local fishery on19 March 2002. The goal of their Manawhenua Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust is to protect, manage and enhance an area of historic and cultural importance to Ngāti Tama, so that fish stocks recover.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013

Andy Budd and Kush Coffee

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:01:26 +1200

A Man with a Passion

Andy Budd wears a genuine Panama hat, which he imported from Ecuador, he doesn't believe in substitutes for the real thing. He is a man with passion; you only have to look at the photo of him in a bath full of coffee beans to see that!

Travel and coffee both run rich in the veins of this Nelson coffee roaster. At the age of seven Andy was introduced to this rich smelling brew by his mother; on asking if he could drink coffee, his mother replied yes... but first he had to learn to make it properly for her. We were not talking instant, but real coffee, from beans not granules. From then the passion was kindled with many family trips to Europe during which he drank a lot of good coffee, and his mother dragged him to the top of a lot of cathedral towers! He remembers the climbs with less fondness, but was not discouraged from further adventures.

Andy Budd and his coffee roaster. Image supplied by author
Click image to enlarge

It was while traveling through Southern Europe with his son in 2003 that Andy made a decision to bring great coffee to New Zealand. His enlightenment came by way of a scowling Italian barista, who slammed and muttered his way to serving Andy the best cup of coffee he had ever tasted. I can do this he thought, I can be a grumpy old man and serve great coffee, and with a lot more finesse. From this flash of inspiration, an empire was created.

Kush's coffee roaster. Image supplied by author
Click image to enlarge

On return to New Zealand Andy wasted no time in getting his show on the road. He bought the cheapest café in the Nelson region, which he found at Craft Habitat in Richmond; sourced the best quality beans by researching Australia's prizewinning coffees, and Kush was born.

Two years later in 2006, Andy was offered the chance to lease a property in Nelson and Kush moved to the Metropolis. The new premises consisted of a small shop in Bridge Street, Nelson, tiny, but pure Kush. The followers grew and the crowds gathered, it was very rare that you would pass by and not see at least one patron sitting at the outside bar, enjoying his daily fix.

It soon became obvious that Kush had outgrown this tiny property and Andy spent a couple of years looking for more suitable premises. The perfect place presented itself when a café in Church Street closed. Andy moved his huge and beautiful steampunk coffee roaster to the new place, and fitted it out with retro decor and locally handcrafted furniture, old and new. With the palatial new premises everything else grew to fit, the staff, the production and the turnover. A bit of a shock to the system, but then this is all par for the course for a man who drinks six triple shots a day.

In it's latest reincarnation, Kush serves delicious food, including lunches and breakfasts, (Sunday mornings are very popular), a heap more coffee, and has a bar license. Since the move in 2009 Kush has increased turnover six fold.... and is one of the busiest meeting places in town. It is wonderful to call in, knowing you will get a perfectly made dry cappuccino, with real grated chocolate and cinnamon, you can chill out on the squishy lazy sofa's and catch up on your Wild Tomato reading, or grab the latest newspapers. And that cappuccino is perfect indeed.... I am transported to higher places without climbing any cathedral towers, as the rich dark chocolate melts into cinnamon spiced foam, perfected for me by barista Ben.

The coffee comes with personality. The cafe's blackboard. Image supplied by author
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From the beginning Andy has had very high standards for Kush. From the bean to the cup, there are a thousand steps to the perfect brew he tells me. I guess it's a bit like playing a musical instrument really well, being in tune and at one with it. Nelson has a lot of baristas, but not all are equal; can just anyone make good coffee with training? Apparently not; "It's a hands on process that cannot be automated, it's like you feel the perfect coffee, it is in your blood..."

His staff would agree. Kush baristas achieve and continually surpass Andy's highest standards. He cannot praise his team highly enough.

The coffee. Image supplied by author.
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Andy is a great storyteller and he knows his subject. During recent visits to Kush, I have learned how coffee takes an hour to give you the desired rush, how men and women drink coffee for opposite reasons and what makes ‘Over the Moon', his highest priced blend. We munched freshly roasted beans as Andy demonstrated the difference between a hard, lesser quality bean, and a more delicate example. Andy talked about the importance of growing in the shade and of making sure the coffee is both fairly traded and organic. Coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world, and Kush has no desire to poison their coffee loving public. This led to a conversation about how wonderful it would be if Andy could go and source his coffee in person, get to know the farmers, to have happy healthy people producing beautiful Kush coffee beans for the people at the top of New Zealand's South island.

When you buy your coffee from a man who imports his genuine Panama hats from Ecuador, you know you will be getting something good. Why? Because he is a man who cares, cares about quality, cares about traditions, cares about the welfare of workers around the globe. Most of all he cares about bringing us the best coffee experience possible

Andy has to start his day with tea, but he then goes on to drink an average of six triple coffees in a day. Six triple shots is a lot of coffee, so in light of his wonderful brew, I mentioned the quality over quantity argument; "Why not have both" is his answer!

At Kush coffee you can... but maybe six triples is excessive, if you value your sleep.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013

Fruit for the picking

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:57:55 +1200

There is a little known secret in the Top of the South - Free Food for the picking. Yes, fruit trees are now being grown in public places, parks and schools, for us to enjoy. Over the past 20 years the Councils in the Top of the South have planted hundreds of fruit and nut trees in publicly accessible places. This is the product of several initiatives over the years, and while local councils naturally reap the kudos, credit belongs to several caring and very creative individuals.

Open Orchards logo
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Fruit trees in public spaces offer a myriad of benefits. Most obvious is making natural healthy food available to all. In fact, one initiative, Open Orchards, was initiated by the Nutrition and Activities Programme (NPA) of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board (NMHDB) to fight obesity. The NPA identified obesity as an epidemic. Open Orchards is one element in turning around this epidemic, and the district is the first in New Zealand, and one of the first in the world, to adopt such a holistic long term approach.

Hand in hand with the strategy is education and community involvement. Open Orchards works with schools and pre-schools, offering fruit trees and helping them build vegetable gardens. In addition, these hands-on learning experiences extend to healthy meal preparation, thus establishing comprehensive life-long healthy eating attitudes.

In Nelson, an eager partner to Open Orchards was found in the Nelson Community Organic Gardens Trust, which has coordinated the establishment of six areas in Nelson and Tasman to plant fruit trees. These include Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council park space and some schools. And that, said Chairman Nick Kiddey, is just a starter. The Marlborough District Council has also planted edible fruit trees on public land in their region as part of the Council's commitment to providing resources for the community good.

Open orchards displayed on Top of the South maps. Click image to enlarge

The Open Orchards plan had a five year budget from NHMDB. Outside of this, individuals make incredible contributions to the programme, the community and to our environment. The Top of the South is blessed with an abundance of passionate and knowledgeable gardeners and nature lovers. In 2000 Nelson's small Jewish community planted an olive orchard alongside QE II Drive, as a symbol of peace and gratitude. In conjunction with the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust, Edith Shaw ‘single-handedly' spearheaded the creation of ‘wildlife corridors', continuous green habitats connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities such as buildings and roads. Towards that end Edith grew trees from seed, and approached nurseries and organisations to donate hundreds of fruit bearing trees. These she proceeded to offer to residents at no cost, and has even harnessed them to keep track of the bird activity triggered by the trees.

Clearly, Open Orchards are healthy beyond the scope of nutrition. The planting-bees, education, and awareness associated with them all contribute to building stronger and more resilient communities. People have something in common, a shared project, and one which is designed to serve in perpetuity. Indeed, planting a tree is an act of utmost optimism and altruism, as the fruit will most likely be enjoyed by subsequent generations, not necessarily the person planting.

Growing food in public spaces, even beyond fruit-bearing trees, is a growing trend worldwide. More and more, communities are realising that better use can be made of public land and, rather than spend money on extensive lawn care and unproductive park or indeed wasteland, food can be grown. In a world where transport issues are undeniable and the benefits of fresh locally grown produce are a concensus, change must accomodate reason. The holistic trend is therefore sure to continue and expand within our beautiful region as well.

Free fruit for the picking is a secret no more. Nelson City and Tasman District Council's GIS Top of the South Maps and Google map both show the precise locations of these fruit and nut trees in the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions. The websites may not be fully current, and many more trees have been planted or matured since it was last updated. And even more are yet to come.

So keep your eyes open, you'll see them. Help yourself. But "Be fair, take just your share... and leave some for others," advise local councils.

Enjoy.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013

Demon drink in Nelson

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:23:31 +1200

Early Nelson was well served with public houses, despite the vigorous agitation for abstinence by the Temperance Movement. Patrons often had to travel long distances over difficult terrain and, as well as having alcohol, hotels had accommodation, meals and were popular meeting places in the community. The first publicans' licences were issued in Nelson in April 1842.

Demon Drink walk map (numbers relate to numbers in the story). Click image to enlarge

Wakatu Hotel (1)

In 1843 merchants Nathan and Joseph built large store rooms on land that is the current site of Westpac Bank. Alexander Perry converted the building to use as a public house, licensed as the Wakatu Hotel in 1845. The Colonist newspaper said “a visit to the Wakatu Hotel had been regarded by country residents as the one relief from their struggles, as they had always been sure of finding congenial company there”. The Bank of New South Wales bought the property and the buildings and their contents were auctioned off in July 1877. The buildings were purchased for thirty nine pounds by Thomas Harley, who had been born on the premises.

Wakatu Hotel. F N Jones Collection, Nelson Provincial Museum 28542
Click to enlarge

The Freemason's Arms (2)

The Freemasons’ Arms was licensed in 1842 and became a centre for members of the Oddfellows Lodge, and the name was changed to the Oddfellows’ Arms. William Akersten took the licence in 1858 and changed the name to the Marine Hotel, reflecting his interests at the Port, where he had a well-known chandlery. Charles McGee took over in 1859 and let the hotel in January 1864 to George Potter. The new licencee, gave the hotel a new name – the Coach and Horses. The building was replaced in stages, with the Trafalgar Street frontage in 1870 and Bridge Street extensions starting in 1877. The hotel had its final change of identity in 1906, when it became the Central Hotel. It closed in December 1972. The building still stands and is presently used as a backpackers.

Harper's view, Coach & Horses Hotel, Nelson Tyree Studio Collection. Nelson Provincial Museum
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The Royal Arms (3)

The Royal Arms was licensed in 1851-1857, then in 1865 Charles McGee rebuilt it as the17-room Nelson Hotel. This hotel was destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1866 that started here and spread to all corners of the intersection, fanned by a strong wind. It was quickly rebuilt and the famous public meeting to form the Nelson Rugby Club was held here in 1868. During the 1890s the licence lapsed and the building was used by the Anchor Boot Company. Mrs Digby Andrews took it over and renovated it as the Ranfurly Boarding House. This accommodated sixty visitors and a balcony was added in time to provide a view of the Jubilee Day procession in February 1902. Mrs Andrews also operated a fruit and confectionery shop on the groundfloor in Bridge Street. In 1903 it changed owners to become the Metropolitan Private Hotel. In 1916 it once again became licensed, combining with premises next door in Bridge Street, to become the Royal Hotel. A hotel continues to operate at this site today.

The Mitre Hotel (4)

The Mitre Hotel was built in 1859. Another victim of the 1866 fire, it was rebuilt the same year and renamed the Criterion Hotel in the 1870s. It became the unlicensed Temperance Hotel by 1887, which lasted until 1912, gladdening the hearts of the temperance champions across the road. A change to petroleum spirits came when the Silverton Service Station was built on the site.

Salvation Army Barracks/ Temperance Hall (5)

Salvation Army members were strongly devoted to the Temperance movement, feeling that alcohol was a root cause of social evil. Individuals were encouraged to sign the pledge to abstain from alcohol.

Carpenters’ Arms (6)

This was the first hotel at the intersection of Bridge and Collingwood Streets. Built in 1843, Harley’s Carpenters’ Arms was a popular location for balls and dinners. The licence appears to have lapsed in 1851, when Harley moved to the Wakatu (in Trafalgar St). The present Wakatu Hotel was licenced by Fred Vause in 1900, in premises built in 1866 for H.V. Phillips’ Beehive Stores. The new venture was an immediate success, and the building was extended along the Collingwood Street frontage early in 1902. This provided eight further bedrooms upstairs and a large room downstairs, suitable for supper parties.

Four Spirits Corner

The junction of Collingwood and Bridge streets became known as Four Spirits Corner. The name was adopted in the 1930s because there was something relating to spirits on each corner - two hotels, a petrol station and the Temperance Hall, where spiritual guidance was available.

The Miners’ Arms Hotel (7)

This hotel was built in 1855, and Henry Jasper was an early landlord. It was rebuilt in 1883 by which time its name had been changed to the Panama Hotel. The Panama closed in July 1976 and the building is now used as legal offices and shops. Roughcast cement covers what was once a wooden exterior and a large basement cellar is a reminder of its early use.

Commercial Hotel, Nelson Tyree Studio Collection. Nelson Provincial Museum.
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Commercial Hotel (8)

A small brick building built in 1842 housed the Commercial Hotel, licensed in 1851 by J. Winterburn. In 1883 this was replaced by a two storied wooden building. A brick extension was added to the Hardy Street frontage in 1907 and the wooden portion was replaced in 1936. Renamed the Hotel Nelson, it stood until 1986 when it was demolished. It had a number of famous visitors including the young Queen Elizabeth on her first New Zealand tour. It is now the site of the Nelson Provincial Museum.

Victorian Rose Hotel, now Vic Mac'c Brewbar.Nelson Provincial Museum.
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The Victorian Rose (9)

Now known as the Vics Mac’s Brewbar, this is a good example of adaptive reuse of a heritage building. Built in 1889 for the NZ Insurance Company, it was taken over in 1916 by solicitors and used legal offices until 1979 then as council offices. It was converted into a public bar and restaurant in 1992.

Fifeshire House (10)

This was built circa 1911. Originally Fifeshire House was the homestead of the Harley family for over fifty years and called Raglan Villa. Charles Harley and his family eventually owned five hotels, a malt house, a brewery, a cordial factory and some hops plantations. Their Raglan Breweries was located right next door where the Rutherford Hotel now stands. Joseph Auty Harley, Mayor of Nelson from 1949 to 1956, and his family were the last generation to live in Raglan Villa.

2013

The Grove Okiwa

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:58:39 +1200

The name Okiwa probably refers to a chief named Kiwa, as does Anakiwa (the cave of Kiwa). Until the Ngāti Awa attack of 1829-30, Rangitāne and Ngāti Kuia were established in the district – afterwards the land was under control of the North Island tribes. Joseph Thoms, an early whaler, bought 400 acres of this land from his father-in-law Nohorua, and later it passed to various other settlers. They gave it the name of The Grove due to the extensive kahikatea forest there, which they promptly set about felling.

Grove wharf. 19th Century. Picton Museum
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Alexander Scott Duncan arrived in 1861 with his family and set up the first steam sawmill in Marlborough, calling it the Victoria Mill. Before it was packed up and moved to Tennyson Inlet in 1870, this mill is believed to have shipped out 18 million feet of timber from The Grove. Not only timber, but also shipping, was an important element of pioneer life, providing both trade and provisions. There was even shipbuilding at one stage. The bridle track to Picton was started in 1861, but was a very rough affair. and it was not until 1898 that work was begun on a so-called road. A coach road through to Havelock had been opened four years previously.

One of the prominent seafarers was Captain A.A.A. Hood, a former whaler, with his schooner Augusta. Captain Hood was drowned at The Grove while at anchor in August 1866;¹ his sea-chest is on display in Picton Museum.

The Duncan family, Alexander and later his son John, were active in the district, leading the push for schools, acting as Postmasters, and during the gold rush providing a building for use as Henderson’s Grove Hotel. The Duncans were able to obtain much of Captain Hood’s land after his death, and eventually bought all the land through to Shakespeare Bay, excluding Māori reserves. Farming was developed once the land was cleared, but fire was always a hazard and the land was poor. Much of it reverted eventually to the Crown as reserve.

The gold rush from 1864 onwards led to great activity at The Grove, as it was the main access point to Cullensville and Mahakipawa. It remained important to the farmers who made a success of the fertile Linkwater district, as their dairy factory (making cheese) was established there in 1911,² to be convenient for shipping out the product, which gained many prizes. The Company continued until 1953.

Originally written for Picton paper Seaport New, 2010

Flaxbourne

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:59:32 +1200

Life of a pastoral station

Prior to European settlement, there was an abundance of seafood, eels and ducks in the area which was to become the South Island's first and largest pastoral station. However the open country meant Māori were vulnerable to attack. In the 1830s, there was a battle near the mouth of the Flaxbourne River between Te Rauparaha's Ngāti Toa and Ngāi Tahu, with considerable loss of life.¹

Plan of Flaxbourne Settlement, 1905. Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc. Click image to enlarge

Initially Charles Clifford and Frederick Weld leased a huge block of land from Ngāti Toa stretching from Lake Grassmere to the Waima/Ure River ² for £24/annum in 1846. Within a short time they had settled as far south as Kēkerengū.³ They began with 3000 merino sheep, bought from New South Wales, and by the 1870s there were 70,000 merino sheep on the station.⁴

Thomas Arnold described Flaxbourne in Passages in a Wandering Life. He left Wellington on 4 October 1848, in a small cutter navigated by Weld: "We steered for Cape Campbell.... The station, a wooden building in two wings, with a kind of veranda connecting them, painted white, with stables, sheep-yards, &c., stood about a quarter of a mile from the beach....At that time there were about 12,000 sheep on the run, which was the joint property of Weld and his cousin..Clifford...."⁵

Flaxbourne homestead group. Standing (L to R) Unknown, J. Conolly, Miss Mien, Mrs Walter Clifford. Sitting L to r E.S. Rutherford, W. Trolove, Bursill, Jean Rutherford, Mrs W. Trolove, Mrs Ballantyne. Sitting on ground L to R E. Weld, J. Greenfield, Mr Ballantyne. Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc
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Flaxbourne Estate map as in 1904 Reproduced 1968 and redrawn 1984 for Marlborough Historical Society field trip. Click image to enlarge

Many people were employed at Flaxbourne: run managers, shepherds, fencers, cooks, and later, rabbiters. Before fencing materials became readily available in the new colony, boundary riders were employed to keep the stock under control and safe from wild dogs.⁶

The first shearing machines were used in the late 1880s on stations such as Galloway in Otago, and Flaxbourne.⁷

A pair of silver grey warren rabbits were sent to the Flaxbourne manager and, when Clifford paid a visit to the station in 1881, he commented on the ‘excellence of the rabbit shooting'.⁸ In the 1880s, Flaxbourne (along with Richmond Brook) bred and released about 800 ferrets a year to combat the rabbits.⁹By the 1890s the rabbit plague on Flaxbourne was severe, with more than 500,000 skins exported from the estate in 1893. It was eventually brought under control but cost thousands of pounds.¹⁰

On 16 October 1848 an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.5, centred in the Awatere Valley, shook central New Zealand.¹¹Weld wrote in his diary: " It threw down our ware..... A succession of minor shocks for two or three days. Large fissures are everywhere seen in the ground and one of them stretched right across the ware at the outstation." ¹²

Shipping wool from Ward beach - wool was lightered to waiting ships. Image courtesy of Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc
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Flaxbourne suffered severely during an earthquake (estimated magnitude 8.2) in January 1855. About 16 new cottages were flattened and a land uplift of two metres closed the little harbour at the Flaxbourne river mouth.¹³

Members of the court and council working on the Flaxbourne Compensation Case held in Blenheim courthouse, Dec. 1904. Image courtesy of Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc
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There was a need for more land as New Zealand's population grew. In 1894, a Lands for Settlement Act was passed by Parliament, which allowed the Crown to compulsorily take estates and award compensation.¹⁴ One of the Dominion's most important land law cases resulting from that Act, in 1905, concerned Flaxbourne, which the Government wanted to buy for resettlement. It was claimed by the owners that the capitalised value of the property should not only be of the actual income earned, but also of the income that might have been earned from the property. While the official valuation of the property was £112,000, various witnesses claimed it was worth as much as £560,000.¹⁵

Flaxbourne show (1923) Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc
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The Crown eventually compulsorily acquired 45,600 acres of the estate for more than £181,000. Four Clifford brothers who, by then, were the main owners of Flaxbourne, exercised their legal right to retain 10,511 acres, which they subsequently sold by public auction, in eleven parcels, in 1911 and 1912. The homestead block of, what by then was known as "New Flaxbourne," was purchased in the 1912 public auction by the manager, Everard Aloysius Weld, a son of Sir Frederick Weld.¹⁶

Within four years, about 300 people lived there,¹⁷and the area continued to be known as Flaxbourne. In 1911, when the main trunk railway went through, the town became known as Ward, named after Joseph Ward, Minister of Railways at the time.¹⁸

Footnote

Both Clifford and Weld were elected to New Zealand's first parliament in 1853, and Flaxbourne was just one chapter in their lives.¹⁹ Sir Charles Clifford was a Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1854 to 1860, when he returned to England with his family. He died in 1893.²⁰

Sir Frederick Weld relished the challenge of establishing pastoral stations (he was involved with three), but commented in May 1855: 'colonizing, exciting enough in its early struggles becomes very milk & waterish when it resolves itself into merely going certain rounds to visit sheep stations and staying a week in this settlement & a week in that. He became Minister of Native Affairs in 1860, Prime Minister in 1864, left New Zealand in 1867 and was a colonial governor in Australia for 18 years. Weld died in 1891.²¹

2013

Emma Heke

Sun, 05 May 2013 17:48:54 +1200

Director, Film-maker: Red Heke Productions, Nelson

Within our small community here in Nelson there are people who are passionately working on projects to inspire and empower, not just our own locality, but people far and wide across the globe. Such is the power of film, and one woman’s belief in her path.

Emma Heke migrated to Nelson from Whangarei in 2006, where she had been an art and photography teacher for twelve years. In her new role as mother to her young son Connor, she became acutely aware of the lack of inspiring well-made programmes and films available for children. Where many of us reluctantly felt helpless at this plethora of unappealing viewing choices, Emma began obsessively writing and brainstorming ideas for films that would inspire and educate, not only children, but also their parents and caregivers.

Emma Heke. Image supplied by author
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‘I spent endless nights waking up at all times of the night with ideas flowing through me that I just had to write down, it was as though they were coming in from another realm, as though I was downloading them.’

Within a couple of months Emma had written the plans for no less than ten films. Each aimed at bringing creativity and education into the lives of our children, respecting their intelligence, and using the New Zealand landscape and its people as inspiration. Having never used any filming equipment in her life before, Emma enrolled in a six month film and editing course at NMIT, up-skilling from her previous background in photography, and remorselessly picking her tutors' minds on everything she would need to make her dream become a reality.

‘I think they must have thought I was mad! I had this huge vision and such little experience.’

In 2007 Emma formed Red Heke productions and, in 2009, the first in the series of DVD’s for children, OURS; an alphabetical journey exploring New Zealand’s natural life and landscapes, was released. This production led Emma to win the 2011 Green Ribbon Award, for ‘Environment in the Media.’ The huge success of OURS was followed, shortly afterwards, in 2010 by the release of OUR Creative Children. This uses New Zealand nature as the starting point and inspiration for art, ideas and creativity.

Fuelled by the success of her first two DVD’s, Emma’s next mission was to head off around the country, on Our Green Roadie, filming families who are supporting themselves through eco-conscious, creative and economically viable businesses. After a winter of research, September 2011 saw Emma, and her seven-year old son Connor, rent out their house in Nelson, and head off in a van on a self-funded (from sales of the previous two DVD’s) seven month trip that took them the length and breadth of the country, from Whangerei in Northland down to Riverton in Southland.

Emma Heke and son, on the road. Image supplied by author
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Our Green Roadie is a feature length documentary of their journey, telling the fascinating stories of fifty ordinary Kiwi families, who have all made the conscious decision, and often incorporated huge changes into their lives, in order to live their dreams of a more sustainable lifestyle.

‘I wanted to dispel myths about green living and that it's only hippies or a lucky few that can afford to run away and live off the land. I hope that most people will find something in the film that is pertinent to them and can be a catalyst for real change.’

The focus is on organic and environmentally sustaining businesses, ranging from natural skincare, to innovative waste and recycling solutions, farming, horticulture and crafts, amongst many others. From multi- million dollar companies to small businesses run from a shed in the back yard, Emma got to the heart of what motivates and inspires these families and how their lives and our environment are enriched by the way that they live.

On their return to Nelson in April 2012 Emma set about editing the footage, but needed to raise funds to employ an additional local editor to help get it to the standard it deserved, and to complete the production process. At this stage Emma turned to the fundraising platform ‘Pledgeme’ to reach their goal of $9750.00. The target was reached within the allowed 28 days, thanks to some generous pledges coming in from both Nelson and all over the country. Our Green Roadie is now a beautifully crafted documentary, and the DVD is available to buy online.

As well as home schooling her son Connor, Emma is the one-woman band for the research, filming, sales and marketing of the DVD’s. A true example of kiwi ingenuity, multi-tasking, and trusting in the flow of life when on the right path:

‘When I am filming and working on these projects I know that I am doing exactly what it is I was put here to do at this time.’

Emma’s talent and passion for her mission in life is easy to see, and is a shining example of how one person can make a huge difference, when fear and doubt is discarded and a direction and intent chosen. One of the many snippets of wisdom that is shared from the families throughout the making of this film is to take one step every day towards the big dream.

Emma Heke, her latest film, Our Green Roadie, and the story behind its creation, are sure to be an inspiration to all ages and an empowering catalyst for change to many.

This article was submitted as part of a Nelson Marlborough Insititute of Technology Creative Writing assignment, 2013