Oamaru News Hub

27/09/2021

24/07/2020

24/07/20

23/07/2020

Oamaru is teeming with artistic talent, often tucked away in solitary splendour, so the Oamaru Mail is prising open studio doors to meet the creative people inside. This week’s artist is Peter Cleverley

Q What sort of art do you create?

I make paintings and prints using the mediums of oil paint or a combination of water colour and gouache. I feel they fit loosely in the genre of expressionism.

Q Do you have formal training or are you more self-taught?

I attained fine arts preliminary at Waitaki Boys’ High School which gained me a place at the Dunedin School of Art, graduating with a degree in fine and applied arts in 1974.

Q How long have you been involved in this art?

I remember painting with my mother when I was about 10 years old. She used to equip me with paper, pencils and paints, rather than colouring books, saying: “practise drawing and painting from your own observations; that will increase your skills and help you in the long run”. So true, of course, encouraging individuality, even though I didn’t realise that then. When I returned from overseas in 1981, I locked myself away in my studio at Kakanui, painted for a year then staged my first solo exhibition in Oamaru. This continued practice was what caught the attention of art dealers in Christchurch and Dunedin, who took over all the commercial stuff, encouraging me to concentrate on making my own work in my own time. So I’ve never done a commission or needed to compromise my concepts. I’ve always prioritised my own practice, but have had part-time work to support it, including exhibitions officer at the Forrester Gallery and 25 years of teaching painting and drawing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the Dunedin School of Art. I finished teaching in 2016, so it’s only for the past four years I’ve been painting full-time – I’m loving that.

Q What is its appeal to you?

I’m better with pictures than words and the sheer excitement of seeing what comes about when placing pigment on to a surface is never-ending.

Q Do you experiment with new approaches and techniques?

For me, every new painting is an experiment. I don’t go into my studio with preconceived compositions. I build them and they appear in front of me. Conceptually, my works are under the broad umbrella of the “human condition” and, technically, I use a restricted palette of my favourite colour mixes, but even with those constants there is agony and ecstasy in the making of each one.

Q How long have you been involved in this art?

I remember painting with my mother when I was about 10 years old. She used to equip me with paper, pencils and paints, rather than colouring books, saying: “practise drawing and painting from your own observations; that will increase your skills and help you in the long run”. So true, of course, encouraging individuality, even though I didn’t realise that then. When I returned from overseas in 1981, I locked myself away in my studio at Kakanui, painted for a year then staged my first solo exhibition in Oamaru. This continued practice was what caught the attention of art dealers in Christchurch and Dunedin, who took over all the commercial stuff, encouraging me to concentrate on making my own work in my own time. So I’ve never done a commission or needed to compromise my concepts. I’ve always prioritised my own practice, but have had part-time work to support it, including exhibitions officer at the Forrester Gallery and 25 years of teaching painting and drawing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the Dunedin School of Art. I finished teaching in 2016, so it’s only for the past four years I’ve been painting full-time – I’m loving that.

Q What is its appeal to you?

I’m better with pictures than words and the sheer excitement of seeing what comes about when placing pigment on to a surface is never-ending.

Q Do you experiment with new approaches and techniques?

For me, every new painting is an experiment. I don’t go into my studio with preconceived compositions. I build them and they appear in front of me. Conceptually, my works are under the broad umbrella of the “human condition” and, technically, I use a restricted palette of my favourite colour mixes, but even with those constants there is agony and ecstasy in the making of each one.

Q Are you planning to branch out into other art forms?

I pick up natural objects washed up on the beach and construct them into animals, and small sculptures. But nowadays I really need to concentrate on what I have in mind already.

Q How does your art fit into the rest of your life – is it purely for relaxation, do you earn income from it, are you aiming to make it a career?

Life fits around my art making, really. I’m thinking it, observing things that inform it, looking at it and making it all the time. I go to work in the studio just like other people go to work, often begrudgingly. It’s quite lonely, really. Then I like to shut myself away to concentrate. My dealers set the exhibitions, nudge me towards deadlines, deal with promotions and handle any client interest. That’s the way I want it, I’ve always thought an open studio sales thing would be frightening.

Q How responsive is the local community to artists and their art?

This region’s land and seascape are of such a unique beauty. It’s always attracted cosmopolitan, intelligent, creative people to settle here, their various responses to artists and art has been wonderful. Community supporting council to enable the Forrester Gallery to be staffed professionally epitomises the excellence here. I feel very fortunate to have contact with the staff of what is nationally acknowledged as a very important venue of art and education.

Q If you could design a perfect world, what role would art play?

I think art has the most important role now. Everything we see and touch entails art and design. People use it in every aspect of their lives all the time, even if it is a print of the Mona Lisa on their tea towel.

Q Where can people find your works?

At the Forrester Gallery and Grainstore Gallery in Oamaru, Chambers Art Gallery in Christchurch, OCTA Gallery in Cromwell and RDS Gallery in Dunedin.

Oamaru is teeming with artistic talent, often tucked away in solitary splendour, so the Oamaru Mail is prising open studio doors to meet the creative people inside. This week's artist is Peter Cleverley Q What sort of art do you create? I make paintings and prints using the mediums of oil paint or a...

23/07/2020

A Waitaki Power Trust initiative could save customers up to $5 million over the next 10 years.

The trust, which owns Network Waitaki, is giving away five free LED ecobulbs to each Waitaki household this weekend.

Ecobulbs lasted up to 30 years and used up to 90% less power than inefficient bulbs, Waitaki Power Trust chairman John Clements said.

“The average North Otago home could save up to $850 on their power bills over the next 10 years simply by swapping five of their most frequently used, inefficient light bulbs,” Mr Clements said.

Most households should have received a voucher for five free ecobulbs in the post but, if not, they could bring in their most recent power bill in to get the deal.

Mr Clements said the promotion showed the benefits of having a community-owned lines company.

“This business model was adopted in 1993 and [the community] has reaped the benefits of one of the cheapest power bills in the country, as well as .. future-proofing the ability to supply irrigators and new businesses.”

Ecobulb managing director Chris Mardon said the aim of the initiative was to save enough electricity to power New Zealand for one year.

“Ultimately, we want to replace every single one of the 31 million inefficient light bulbs in New Zealand homes with ecobulb LEDs.

“This would save New Zealanders $570 million per year on their power bills.”

In Oamaru, the free bulbs are being handed out today and tomorrow, from 9am to 5pm, at the Scottish Hall in Tyne St.

If that did not suit, people could give their voucher to a neighbour or friend to collect the bulbs for them.

Free ecobulbs will also be available for pick-up tomorrow at the Hampden Memorial Hall in London St and the Kurow Memorial Hall in Gordon St, between 9am and 4pm.

A Waitaki Power Trust initiative could save customers up to $5 million over the next 10 years. The trust, which owns Network Waitaki, is giving away five free LED ecobulbs to each Waitaki household this weekend. Ecobulbs lasted up to 30 years and used up to 90% less power than inefficient bulbs, Wai...

23/07/2020

A group of retirees in North Otago are heading back to school.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease within the past six months, the group of eight people are taking part in a new Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) programme to slow the progression of the disease.

Each session of the United Kingdom-designed programme covers a different topic and is designed to improve the mental abilities and memory of someone with dementia.

Harbour View Rest Home senior activities co-ordinator Susie Sinclair, who delivers the sessions at the Ara Institute of Canterbury’s Oamaru campus alongside North Otago Alzheimer’s community educator Debbie Melton, said it was the first time CST had been offered in Oamaru.

“It gives the [participants] a chance to meet like-minded people who are in the same position as them,” Ms Sinclair said.

Alzheimer’s patients could often become withdrawn and less outgoing, but CST gave them confidence in what they could do, she said.

There was no known cure for the disease, but keeping the brain active helped prevent further deterioration, she said.

She thanked the community sponsors who had been supportive of the concept.

Mrs Melton said there would be two sessions a week for seven weeks and then one a week for a further 14 weeks.

“Over this period the group will start working together on a variety of activities designed to stimulate memory, allowing for experiences to be shared, with some new skills being acquired and others being maintained,” she said.

“The sessions will be fun, allowing delegates time to enjoy the company of other like-minded folk and regain their confidence of being in social settings.”

One student said the sessions had been “fantastic”.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment and meeting new people,” she said.

Another threatened to “wag” classes, which were taking place in the school holidays.

“That’s the only trouble with being retired – you never get a day off,” he said.

A group of retirees in North Otago are heading back to school. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease within the past six months, the group of eight people are taking part in a new Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) programme to slow the progression of the disease. Each session of the United Kingdom-de...

23/07/2020

Oamaru Opera House staff are delighted to invite everyone to a new line-up of entertainment.

“We’re so glad to be open again and we’ve got oodles of new shows featuring great New Zealand performers on the way,” they said.

“It’s great to see so many artists dusting themselves off and getting back on the road.”

First to arrive are Lizzie Tollemache and David Ladderman, from Rollicking Entertainment, presenting Kitchen Chaos! at 2pm tomorrow.

As characters Spray and Wipe, they heap generous dollops of circus, slapstick, and magic into a bowl and stir it up.

The recipe has been described by critics as “riveting, delightful, exciting and highly amusing” and “gleeful physical comedy”.

Appearing at 8pm tomorrow night are Ryan Neville & The Midnight Blues Band – a five-piece group in a five-star show called Story of the Blues. Over two hours, they will play original works and covers of the likes of BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone and Eric Clapton.

The support act for the Oamaru performance is local lad Ethan Downing, a singer-songwriter who is making audiences listen up.

On Wednesday night, The Daylight Atheist, written by Tom Scott as a tribute to his father, hits the stage. Michael Hurst plays Danny Moffat, a charismatic Irish raconteur who, wallowing through hoarded memorabilia, thinks back over his childhood in Ireland and the hopes and disillusionments of emigrating to New Zealand. A reviewer from Melbourne’s The Age said it “has its audience roaring with laughter”.

The Lucien Johnson Quartet appears on Saturday, August 1. Award-winning saxophonist, composer and arranger Johnson is joined by pianist Jonathan Crayford, bassist Tom Callwood and drummer Cory Champion in a programme of music from cultures as diverse as Ethiopian, Haitian, French, and Maori.

They will also play original works from Johnson’s 2017 Tui-nominated album West of the Sun and his new album Kairangi

Johnson, who has a Victoria University doctorate in musical arts that included research into modern Ethiopian music, has returned from the Harriet Friedlander Residency in New York.

Oamaru Opera House audiences can enjoy refreshments from the foyer cafe area that has reopened after a prolonged lockdown closure, but online bookings cannot be processed yet.

Tickets can be bought directly from the ticket office in the foyer and phone bookings can be made on 433-0770.

Oamaru Opera House staff are delighted to invite everyone to a new line-up of entertainment.

23/07/2020

A gruelling operation last week to save Oamaru woman Mel Sloan from paralysis appears to have gone well, but she is now facing a painful recovery.

Miss Sloan, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis most of her life, is stranded in the United Kingdom, after she woke one morning at the end of June unable to move and suffering cramping spasms in her legs.

She was rushed to hospital and needed an operation to prevent further damage from discs in her neck vertebrae compressing her nerves and spinal cord.

Mother Barbara Sloan said her daughter was in a lot of pain.

The operation, carried out at Birmingham Hospital, involved both the front and the back of her neck and took more than nine hours.

“The surgeon said things went better than he expected and they did more than they thought they could do. So hopefully, fingers crossed, it’s all going to be worth it in the end. He said she’ll be sore for quite some time.”

Mrs Sloan said she had shed some tears over her daughter’s predicament, and the whole situation with Covid-19 complicated everything.

“Just not being able to be there. I feel so helpless really.”

Friend Audrey Ross set up a Givealittle page to help bring Miss Sloan home to New Zealand. It had so far raised more than $9000.

“It’s been amazing,” Mrs Ross said.

“I can’t believe how generous people have been.”

Reading all the messages people left on the page also helped brighten Miss Sloan’s long days, which she mostly spent lying flat on her back staring at the ceiling.

There had been hopes Miss Sloan might be ready to travel home as early as September, but her mother said this would be dependent on how her recovery went.

“She won’t be going anywhere for a wee while. And she’ll have to be reasonably fit to travel.”

It was expected Miss Sloan would have to quarantine once she arrived back in New Zealand. She would have a support person flying with her, who would also quarantine with her.

Mrs Ross said they were hoping by then there would be quarantine facilities in Dunedin.

A gruelling operation last week to save Oamaru woman Mel Sloan from paralysis appears to have gone well, but she is now facing a painful recovery. Miss Sloan, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis most of her life, is stranded in the United Kingdom, after she woke one morning at the end of June...

23/07/2020

St Kevin’s College year 13 pupil Isaac Steel does not know why he has such a passion for stage production.

But ever since he helped out behind the scenes with an Oamaru Intermediate School production, he has made it his mission to learn as much as he can about the industry.

He has worked on dozens of productions since then and takes care of lighting and sound at the St Kevin’s auditorium.

A good chunk of his school holidays was spent setting up ICAN Academy’s production of Super Troopers

“I just love it. I can’t explain it,” Isaac (17) said.

Last year, Isaac was diagnosed with dyslexia, but the diagnosis had helped him realise why he was so passionate about production.

“I know where my creative side comes from; I’m a very visual thinker.

“I find what helps me is highlighting scripts, because that is the important information I need.”

Over the past few years, Isaac has worked for event production and lighting company Southern Lights helping set up several Dunedin concerts such as Queen, Pink and Six60.

“It’s huge. You get basically assigned an area. You set everything up, test, and make sure everything works and then you go home smiling.”

For big concerts, lighting crews work the day and night before the events, and begin dismantling the equipment right after the act finishes.

It means they do not get to enjoy the concerts.

“They suggest when you are working you don’t go to the show, because it would take you too long to get from inside the stadium all the way around the back,” he said.

Isaac has also got an NCEA Level 3 certificate for entertainment and event operations through Entertainment Technology New Zealand (ETNZ).

At the ETNZ conference, he was given a youth technical award for his community involvement.

Next year, he hopes to find an electrical apprenticeship opportunity, ideally in Oamaru.

St Kevin’s College assistant principal Jo Walshe said Isaac’s skills had been a huge asset to the school, and they had a running joke they would have to fail him so he could keep running the auditorium.

“He is just an incredibly talented young man. He has been like that since he hit the place in year 9,” Ms Walshe said.

“We call the lighting booth see that ever changing.”

St Kevin's College year 13 pupil Isaac Steel does not know why he has such a passion for stage production. But ever since he helped out behind the scenes with an Oamaru Intermediate School production, he has made it his mission to learn as much as he can about the industry. He has worked on [...]

23/07/2020

Christchurch International Airport Ltd’s plan for a new airport on farmland at Tarras, east of Wanaka, was described last night as ‘‘the death knell’’ for the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC), which operates Queenstown and Wanaka Airports.

John Hilhorst, a member of the Queenstown Flightpath 2050 group pushing for Queenstown Airport to be relocated, said he expected the new airport to take all the airline business from Queenstown Airport.

‘‘It’s pretty clear the number one customer [Air New Zealand] of QAC will change to a new regional location, so that is pretty much the death knell of QAC.’’
And in a statement yesterday Air New Zealand chief operating officer Carrie Hurihanganui did not discount that possibility.

‘‘Air New Zealand believes the concept of a new airport in Central Otago put forward by Christchurch Airport deserves consideration.

‘‘Current population and growth projections suggest that existing airport infrastructure in Queenstown is insufficient for the long term and will eventually exceed its capacity limits.’’

Acting chairwoman of the QAC board Adrienne Young-Cooper said the board noted ‘‘with interest’’ the Christchurch Airport announcement.

‘‘A greenfield airport development, by its very nature, is a longterm proposition.’’

Ms Young-Cooper said the QAC had paused its long-term planning while a spatial plan, including airport development, was completed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Government.
The QAC’s proposal to cope with increased demand is to expand noise boundaries at Queenstown Airport and develop Wanaka Airport.

Outlining the Christchurch Airport plan yesterday, chief executive Malcolm Johns said the company had spent $45 million acquiring 750ha of land in the triangle bordered by State Highways 8 and 8A.

The ‘‘current concept’’ was to start with a 2.2km, jet-capable runway, he said.

‘‘Our plan is to build in modules so we can start small and grow to meet any future need.’’

Mr Johns said Christchurch Airport has long seen the potential for a new airport in Central Otago, and he described the site as being close to existing infrastructure and easily accessible for a number of regions.

‘‘It’s topography would enable airlines to use their most sustainable aircraft.’’

Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult said the announcement was ‘‘surprising’’.

‘‘I regard it as a strong vote of confidence in the future recovery and prosperity of our district. ‘‘The proposed runway length is interesting, in that it is close to that required for a wide-body jet service. Some in our community have signalled strongly that they do not want such a development.’’

Mr Boult, who was chief executive of Christchurch Airport from 2009 to 2013, said he knew ‘‘very well’’ buying land was ‘‘only one step in a very long process of developing a greenfield site airport’’.

Mr Johns said the proposal was along-term one and Covid-19 had changed the time frames - although he provided no detail.

Tarras is in the Central Otago district and Mayor Tim Cadogan described the announcement as being made ‘‘suddenly and surprisingly’’.

Mr Cadogan had not had time to work through all the pros and cons and urged the community to find out about the proposal before weighing it up and coming to their own conclusions.

Asked whether it was something that would be dealt with through the usual resource consent process, Mr Cadogan said he would have to wait and see.

The landscape was ‘‘moving under us all the time’’ he said, and cited recent new projects that had ‘‘sidestepped’’ the first stage of the Resource Management Act.

Christchurch International Airport Ltd’s plan for a new airport on farmland at Tarras has been described as ‘‘the death knell’’ for the Queenstown...

23/07/2020

Any improvement to water supply infrastructure in Weston to help firefighters do their jobs is "way overdue", the North Otago township’s fire chief says.
Weston’s water supply infrastructure was last upgraded in late 2010 and early 2011, as part of a $1.2million Waitaki District Council investment to improve drinking water quality.

Since then, Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Bevan Koppert said little had been done to address what he considered to be a serious issue — a lack of fire hydrants.

There were about 30 fire hydrants at Weston, but few in Percy and Gordon Sts, and West View Dr.

Mr Koppert, a Weston resident and firefighting veteran of more than 40 years, hoped a proposed water supply upgrade would include a provision for easier access to fire hydrants.

"Weston has just grown so much bigger from the day I shifted in ... there’s just never been any improvement. We are doing a good job, but we are not superhuman," he said.

"Any improvement would be a real bonus. Not only for us, but also the people that live here because it’s their places that are at risk. It’s way overdue in my opinion, to be honest."

Council water services and waste manager Martin Pacey said Weston’s water supply was a low volume, restricted supply and was "not in a gazetted fire area", which meant "firefighting from the fire hydrants is neither designed nor provided for".

"There are some fire hydrant points available that the fire service can utilise to draw water from if or when there is water in the pipes at the time. The fire service fully understand this and will attend with a tanker should a fire call occur."

If the proposal, to be included for consideration in the council’s next 10-year long term plan, went ahead, it would allow for "full firefighting within the town".

Funding for the project has been applied for through the Government’s provincial growth fund.

Any improvement to water supply infrastructure in Weston to help firefighters do their jobs is "way overdue", the North Otago township’s fire chief...

23/07/2020

Drivers should always arrive home safe, no matter the road conditions.

That is the message from Waitaki District Council road safety co-ordinator Jason Evered, following the death of a 20-year-old man in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 at Maheno, south of Oamaru, on Sunday.

Rhain Watea Henry Bowsher (20) died when the northbound people mover he was driving left State Highway 1 near the southern entrance to the North Otago township and careened down a bank shortly after 10am.

He was found dead at the scene.

Mr Evered said the fatal crash was the third serious crash reported to him by police within the past week, a trend he did not want to see continue.

“One thing I live by is that I expect to come home in the same condition as I left, and I hope everyone experiences that.”

While the cause of Sunday’s crash was being investigated by the Serious Crash Unit, he implored drivers to take more care on all roads – sealed or gravel – no matter the conditions or time of year.

“I think some people just don’t think it’s going to happen to them. Unfortunately, accidents and crashes do happen.”

He encouraged people to talk to each other about road safety.

As part of his role, Mr Evered promoted road safety through platforms such as newspapers, radio and social media, and also initiatives including fatigue stops which involved police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

People charged with drink-driving who appeared in the Oamaru District Court were also required to view a Waitaki-made DVD about the personal and social consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said the district had 1800km of sealed and unsealed roads in its network, from coastal roads to mountain passes, which meant drivers needed to pay closer attention to the conditions.

“People aren’t necessarily used to those different types [of roads] and don’t drive on gravel roads very often, so it’s about making sure people are aware of . . . what they are going to be driving on.”

Drivers should always arrive home safe, no matter the road conditions. That is the message from Waitaki District Council road safety co-ordinator Jason Evered, following the death of a 20-year-old man in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 at Maheno, south of Oamaru, on Sunday. Rhain Watea Hen...

23/07/2020

It’s a little Shakespeare, a little Venetian and very Oamaru.

Next month, Harbour St will host a Midwinter Night’s Dream market event, complete with stalls, lanterns, bands and masks.

“We want it to be really old school, romantic and have a historic feel,” event organiser Donna Demente said.

She hoped decorations would turn the street into something resembling a scene from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

The event would run on a small budget, and would be what the community made of it, she said.

“It’s not about showy, high-tech, projection-type stuff .. it’s just going to have a whole different feel,” Ms Demente said.

“Essentially it is to make up for what we have lost with not doing Fire and Steam, but do it in such a way it doesn’t tread on any toes.

“Everyone is excited about it, I haven’t talked to anyone who doesn’t want to get involved and take part.”

Local businesses will be able to set up stalls for the event too, Ms Demente said.

“We want to bring the main street into Harbour St .. the idea is they will bring everything with them, including lighting.

“It is all about goodwill and everyone chipping in.”

In the lead-up to the event, Ms Demente will hold workshops at the Grainstore Gallery on Monday nights. People can help make decorations for the event.

“We really love the idea of having people coming and making masks to wear, making lanterns for the parade – it really generates a lot of anticipation that always makes the event better.

“It will be free, apart from the materials’ cost.”

The event is being held on August 21, and Harbour St will be closed from 6pm, when the market begins, to closing time at midnight.

A parade, from the RSA gardens to the Victorian precinct, will start proceedings at 5.30pm.

It's a little Shakespeare, a little Venetian and very Oamaru. Next month, Harbour St will host a Midwinter Night's Dream market event, complete with stalls, lanterns, bands and masks.