A Wānaka teenager is the fastest girl in Australasia thanks to her winning a gold medal at the Australian National Athletics Championships this week.Aspiring Athletics Club member and Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) student Phoebe Laker (16) travelled with her mother Rebecca to Perth for the event on April 6-7.Phoebe won her first heat comfortably, easing up 60m out from the finish yet still recording a faster time (56.44s) than she did in winning the New Zealand National Champs in Dunedin in March.   In the final she won the Women’s U17 race in 53.87s - a personal best (PB) by 1.47s - and significantly ahead of the rest of the field (1.48s ahead of second place).Phoebe’s time was also 0.32s faster than the WU18 time.“We can rightly say that she is now the fastest 400m of girls aged 16 and under in Australasia,” AAC head coach Michael Beable said.“Phoebe is now unbeaten in all her 400m races, across New Zealand and Australia, for the last 27 months, and by very significant margins this season.”Michael said she ran the race “superbly well”.  “Basically, she ran the whole race on her own from the 50m mark, not seeing anybody else in the race from then onwards. That was the plan, of course, but it was so good to see her execute it so well, including her running posture and nice striding down the back straight, kicking for home at the right time, keeping her form to the finish.”Her new 400m time sets Otago records for girls aged 16-19. She now owns all the Otago 400m records for girls aged 13-19. She also has the Otago records for the 200m, for girls aged 16-18.Michael said it was "remarkable" that Phoebe had achieved this without access to a nearby all-weather surface to train on. Phoebe will now take a well-deserved rest after beginning her competition campaign back in October 2024.PHOTO: Supplied

Former Wānaka resident Don Grant has recently survived an aircraft crash, but he had made it a priority to get a message to the children of Wānaka primary school Te Kura o Take Karara, for whom he was a bus driver.Don’s wife Nicky told the Wānaka App this week that Don wants to let all the students know he’s OK.“He sends his love and wants to let them know he will come right eventually,” Nicky said.“He’s in the best place.”Don (60) is currently in ICU at Dunedin Hospital, where he has undergone a range of surgeries following the aircraft crash in the Dingle Burn Valley (near Lake Hāwea) on Saturday March 29.“He’s improving each day,” Nicky said.“He was beginning to talk yesterday and giving the nurses a hard time. It’s going to be a long haul for him.”Nicky said Don is “gutted” about his friend Ivan van de Water, who died in the crash.Don was cut from the wreckage of the aircraft and flown to Dunedin Hospital.Nicky said she had been “just amazed” at the support Don has had from the Wānaka community, including the Wānaka Airport. Don is chair of the Wānaka Airport Users Group.“So many people have been absolutely incredible, offering their help,” Nicky said.Warbirds Over Wānaka general manager Ed Taylor told the Wānaka App that Don had been volunteer manager at the 2024 airshow.“He was a great volunteer manager because he loves people - and he has aviation knowledge in spades.”Don is also a “relentlessly positive” person, Ed said.“If having a relentlessly positive attitude counts for anything then Don will pull through.”PHOTO: Supplied

Glenorchy resident and Shaping Our Future executive officer John Glover has announced he will run for mayor of Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) at this year’s local body elections in October.John made the announcement, the first of its kind for this election, “in response to the many enquiries I’ve received around my intentions for the upcoming election”, he said.John has previously stood unsuccessfully for the QLDC in 2013, 2019, and in a by-election in 2023.John said relationships between QLDC and its key stakeholders “are broken”. “There needs to be a ‘hard reset’ to change that, restore community confidence and return the balance of power back to communities via their elected representatives,” he said.“I will campaign to restore openness and trust, and hope to partner with candidates who also seek to restore a functioning democracy in this district.”John’s proposed policies include inviting a “crown observer” to investigate and report on QLDC’s management of risk, its governance and financial probity around the Shotover Wastewater treatment plant, the Lakeview development, Queenstown’s proposed new civic building Project Manawa, and Queenstown’s arterial road construction.He said he would establish a working group of Upper Clutha community stakeholders “to identify changes that should be made to support ‘one district’ council policies and operations”.He also said he would ensure that all council workshops would be public and live-streamed online unless there were exceptional reasons for excluding the public; amend standing orders to remove the discretion of the mayor to require in-person attendance to speak at public forums; provide procedural changes around the use of a casting vote, and include Notice of Councillor Motions and “any other business” on council agendas “to encourage councillors to actively set the direction of QLDC”.John would undertake a review of how QLDC should store and publish information, he said, “in order to enable speedier and fuller compliance with information requests from councillors and the public”; establish a quasi-independent Information Office to assist those requesting information and monitor the fullness of responses to requests.He also proposed a standalone review of QLDC’s significance and engagement policy “so councillors can readily establish, on the community’s behalf, issues where consultation is expected and how that should be undertaken”.Finally, he proposed that any new civic building for Queenstown be located in the Frankton area to make it more accessible to residents of the Upper Clutha, Arrowtown, Shotover & Jacks Point/Hanley Farm.“Trust is something that is earned, and we don’t need another expensive consultants’ report to place a spin on uncomfortable realities: that’s so symptomatic of the problem,” he said.“We just need to make the necessary changes. Success will be when the community has our back, rather than being on our back.”Local body elections will take place from September 22, 2025.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka teenager Finley Melville Ives (18) has put down one of the most explosive freeski halfpipe runs in history to claim the 2025 FIS Men’s Freeski Halfpipe World Championship title in Corvatsch, Switzerland this morning (March 31).Finley beat some of the big names in the sport with a stellar first-run score to capture the title.“Honestly, I am in shock,” Finley said. “I can’t believe I landed my run, I am so hyped … I just can’t believe it, it’s so sick.” Finley’s run began with a switch right double cork 1080 Japan, then a left double cork 1620 mute, a left alley-oop double flatspin 1080 mute, a switch left double cork 1080 Japan, before ending with a right double cork 1620 safety. The judges were just as impressed as the crowd and commentators, awarding him a huge score of 96.00, which positioned him at the top of the leaderboard after run one.Finley Melville Ives in action during qualification.Decorated American slopestyle athlete turned halfpipe skier Nick Goepper finished in second place, with two-time Olympic halfpipe medalist Alex Ferreira, also of the USA, rounding out the podium in third.“They’re both my idols, so I honestly can’t believe it,” Finley said. “I’m so stoked to share the podium with them.”Lake Hāwea’s Luke Harrold (16) finished in fourth position making history by putting down the first switch left alley-oop triple cork 1260 mute ever landed in competition during his second run. With just over 10 months until the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games the Kiwi Park & Pipe Team will now turn their focus to spring training camps in the Northern Hemisphere before returning to New Zealand for the domestic season.PHOTOS: Christian Stadler / FIS Park & Pipe

Wānaka’s Luca Harrington (21) has been crowned the 2025 FIS Freeski Big Air World Champion after winning the Freeski Big Air World Championship event in Corvatsch, Switzerland this morning (March 30).This is the first time a Kiwi freeskier has won the Freeski Big Air World Championships and also marks Luca’s first World Championship title. “I am so honoured, this season has been just incredible for me and to top it all off with the World Champs win is such an honour, it is a dream of mine coming true and I am so grateful to be here right now,” Luca said. Luca was the top qualifier into today’s finals, giving him the advantageous position of dropping last into each of the three finals runs.The Big Air format takes the best two scoring tricks (that must be performed in two different directions) and combines them for a total overall score.Luca put down a right triple corked 1980 safety grab for his first run, scoring a 92.00 out of a possible 100. Dropping into his second run, he stomped his one-of-a-kind trademark switch right triple corked 1800 Esco Grab. The judges loved it and rewarded him with a massive 96.75, the highest score of the competition. “Honestly, after my first run I was a little surprised but super stoked on what the judges scored it and that gave me a lot of confidence to send it on my second run,” Luca said.As the last athlete to drop into his third run Luca knew he had secured the victory, but knowing he could execute his first run trick more cleanly, he went all in and put down a textbook right triple corked 1980 safety grab to up his score on this trick to a 95.25 for a total combined score of 192.00, 7.75 points ahead of his nearest competitor.Elias Syrja of Finland secured his first career major podium finishing in second and Beijing 2022 Big Air champion and 2025 Slopestyle World Champion Birk Ruud of Norway rounded out the podium in third. Men’s Freeski Big Air World Championships podium [L-R] Elias Syrja (FIN) silver, Luca Harrington (NZL) gold, Birk Ruud (NOR) bronze.With five World Cup podiums, including two gold, X Games gold and silver medals, New Zealand’s first ever FIS Freeski Crystal Globe and now a World Championship title, Luca’s season has been nothing short of exceptional. Luca will now take a break from competition.PHOTOS: Miha Matavz / FIS Park & Pipe

An extraordinary council meeting will be held on Tuesday (April 1) to address councillor Niki Gladding’s “deliberate disclosure of confidential information” a little over a week ago.Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) proposes to discharge Niki from her roles on the infrastructure committee and audit, finance and risk committee.The meeting is an “express response to a request from the majority of council” following Niki’s actions, QLDC stakeholder and democracy services manager Naell Crosby-Roe said.Niki shared information with media and an Otago Regional Council elected representative after a briefing where it was made clear the information was confidential, Naell said.The briefing provided an update on an enforcement order and subsequent mediation process, part of an ongoing legal process still before the courts, he said.It is understood the topic was QLDC’s plan to directly discharge treated wastewater into the Shotover River.Niki’s actions amount to a “serious breach of the elected member’s responsibilities”, Naell said.This is not the first time Niki has been in hot water for sharing confidential information.The Queenstown-Whakatipu ward councillor was investigated by the code of conduct committee for what was found to be a “material breach” of the QLDC code of conduct in 2020 after she released confidential, draft material about Wānaka Airport to a media outlet.Niki was also sent a letter of sanction in July 2024 after “clear breaches” to the code of conduct during a podcast interview, Naell said.Councillors can be discharged from committees or subcommittees as the result of a breach in code of conduct.A council resolution by councillors at a formal meeting is required for the removal of a member from a committee.Councillors will vote on Niki’s removal from the two committees at Tuesday’s meeting.PHOTO: QLDC

Queenstown Airport Corporation’s (QAC) board of directors has a new deputy chair.Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has approved the election of existing director Mike Tod to the position.Councillors agreed to authorise mayor Glyn Lewers and chief executive Mike Theelen to sign a shareholder resolution proposing Mike’s appointment at a council meeting last month. QAC subsequently confirmed the election of Mike at its meeting later in the month. “Mike’s contribution to QAC’s governance over the last four years makes him an excellent choice for deputy chair and I congratulate him on his election,” Glyn said.The position became vacant after former deputy chair Simon Flood was elected to the position of chair in October last year. Mike, who joined the board in October 2020, has experience of global aviation across key markets. He is a former member of the Star Alliance Marketing Committee and a current Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.Queenstown Airport is a council-controlled trading organisation (CCTO) with two shareholders - Queenstown Lakes District Council (75.01 per cent) and Auckland Airport (24.99 per cent). It is managed by QAC and governed by a board of directors. PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (24) will be bringing home her career-first FIS Snowboard Slopestyle Crystal Globe after taking the win at the final Slopestyle World Cup of the 2025 season in Austria overnight NZT.Adverse weather conditions forced the cancellation of the Flachau Snowboard Slopestyle final so results were taken from qualification, and as the top qualifier, Zoi was awarded the victory.“It was really fun to ride here after Spring Battle,” she said.“Bummer that we couldn’t run today with the conditions, it was just a bit gnarly. To qualify in first and then manage to get this result and walk away with the Globe feels pretty unreal because I’ve never had one of these before. “It feels pretty good to hold one of these [the Globe].”Despite an already decorated snowboarding career, this marks Zoi’s first FIS Snowboarding Crystal Globe, making her only the second Kiwi to claim the prestigious title after Queenstown’s’ Tiarn Collins’ win in men’s slopestyle in 2022. She admitted that winning the overall title hadn’t been a primary focus. “It wasn’t even on my mind,” Zoi said.“I just wanted to get back into this season strong and healthy coming off my ankle injury last year.”The battle for the snowboard slopestyle Globe was fiercely contested, with Mia Brookes (Great Britain) finishing in second place and Kokomo Murase (Japan) securing third.The 2025 FIS Park and Pipe World Championships in Switzerland (March 17-20) is the final event of the season.Related: Wānaka freeskier makes history with Globe winPHOTO: FIS Park & Pipe

Ki Tahu iwi representatives led a poroporoaki on Monday (March 10) to farewell three people who all died while in the outdoors in the Wānaka area last month.The ceremony, for the friends and family of the three, was also attended by Wānaka Police, Wānaka Search & Rescue and the Department of Conservation.The people remembered were: Hector Gaston Artigau (who was last seen near Rob Roy stream), Maelle Favergros (who fell on Mt Brewster), and Claire Connell (who was found in Timaru River).Read more: Search for Hector moves downstreamTramper dies near Brewster HutDead woman namedThe bodies of Claire and Maelle were recovered but Hector, who is believed to be located in one of the deep pools in the canyon, has not been recovered.Read more: Search for Hector ‘most difficult’ SAR operation yetPHOTO: Supplied

A young local rider is taking on equestrian events in this week’s Wānaka Show (March 7-8), hoping for “a good day” with her ponies.Boh Fairmaid, 11, has been riding and competing since she was just five years old.She will be riding Ashton Eye Candy in the section C showing; jumping My Masterpiece in show jumping and ‘round the ring’; and riding TF Straight talk in working hunter and show jumping.Boh’s mother Sarah told the Wānaka App that Boh hopes her ponies have “a good day” at the Wānaka Show.“She has two young ponies that will need to deal with a big atmosphere so that will be their challenge,” she said.Boh attended show jumping and the Show Hunter Nationals in Christchurch this year and won the Category C Championship title on TF Straight Torque. Ashton Eye Candy - a pony Boh has taken from green broken - recently won the supreme exhibit at the Mt Benger Show. Boh also won the ‘rising star’ category A show hunter on My Masterpiece at the national championships.Boh has been competing in equestrian events since she was five-years-old.“After the showing season is over Boh hopes to go eventing in the autumn,” Sarah said.Keep an eye out for Boh and her ponies on both Friday and Saturday at the Wānaka A&P Show.PHOTOS: Supplied

A picnic in a paddock with a Hollywood star and 140 special guests has benefited Dunstan Hospital.The event at Sir Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks vineyard was a celebration of wine and good food for all of its wine club members, but also turned into a fundraiser as well.The Two Paddocks Posh Picnic raised $35,300 and Sir Sam matched it dollar for dollar.He personally presented Dunstan Hospital chief executive Hayley Anderson with the $70,600 donation yesterday.“This is something close to my heart, particularly as they have been very good to me here recently when I needed some pastoral care.”The Two Paddocks Posh Picnic in Earnscleugh with 140 guests from its wine club. Sir Sam said he was aware staff in the health sector were overworked and underfunded, “and that’s why we are doing our little bit to help.”“And I want this to be a reminder to the wider community about how important this place is.”  He said Dunstan Hospital services were vital and central to the community, and the work was challenging and onerous, also exacerbated by an increasingly aging population.“People not only get old but come here to get old,” he said of the Central Otago district, “and I count myself as one of them.”Sir Sam was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma - a form of blood cancer - in 2022, and underwent chemotherapy treatment after his cancer diagnosis.  When asked how his health was he said “remission was a wonderful thing.”People enjoying the posh picnic who came from as far away as The United States and Singapore to be involved. PHOTO: Anda Bulgakova from BrandStories The 77-year-old has been in many leading roles in both dramas and blockbuster movies and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 for his services as an actor.At the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM).When knighthoods were returned to the New Zealand royal honours system in 2009, those with DCNZM or higher honours were given the option of converting them into knighthoods. Sir Sam chose not to, saying at the time the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far,” according to Wikipedia.However, in June 2022, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.Hayley said she was incredibly grateful for the donation to the hospital, and an announcement would be made about where it would be used, in due course.“Health is tough and good news doesn’t come along every day, so when it does and to this extent, this gift is a significant one.”She said Dunstan Hospital was an incredible place, and reiterated Sir Sam’s sentiment “we don’t realise how important our health and services are until we need them.”The hospital had a significant range of services that many people were not always aware of, and 85 per cent of people were able to be treated onsite at Clyde.“We are facing significant financial headwinds and they will continue, and every day we’re thinking about how can we deliver more, fund more, and how can the community support us.”

Dunstan ward Otago regional councillor Alexa Forbes said the response from the community about her not standing again this October have been positive, and made her feel that her efforts have been recognised.The Queenstown-based regional councillor was more ‘green’ than her fellow Dunstan ward elected members Michael Laws and Gary Kelliher, and was disappointed when the new National Government intervened in the Regional Land and Water Plan.Cr Forbes said she was most proud of representing the headwaters and shining a light on the issues and opportunities there. “Te uta te tai – from mountains to sea, this is the system approach and we’re seeing a recognition of this in our council.”However, that was not all of her work alone, and she really wanted to acknowledge Kai Tahu “who have thought about that for generations and been generous in imparting their knowledge and expertise,” and also her fellow councillors, chair and chief executive who have been willing to work on understanding the issues faced in the Upper Lakes area. She was also proud of what she’d achieved in public transport despite huge barriers.“I really see public transport as the way forward for QLDC and CODC transport issues (currently Queenstown is experiencing dreadful congestion, but it will hit our other towns in due course if we don’t solve the problem).”She said in such constrained geographical areas - particularly Queenstown - communities couldn’t keep building more roads and parking, and another solution was needed.“Cable ways are in the future, but planning will need to ensure people can get to the cable way stations.”She was really disappointed by the New Zealand Transport Authority Waka Kotahi (NZTA) failure to provide agreed active transport – the A7 trail between Jacks Point and Frankton and the Jim’s Way to Hardware Lane pedestrian/cycle bridge were examples. “Public transport won’t work properly if people can’t safely get to bus stops. Every bus trip starts with a walk, cycle or scooter trip so this network is essential if we are to provide an alternative to the private car.”Cr Forbes advocated for better environmental outcomes for Lakes Wakatipu and Wānaka. FILE SHOTCr Forbes was also very sad to have seen what she described as “the first slip” in the environmental status of Lakes Wānaka and Wakatipu.  She said monitoring of those lakes showed the measurements were going the wrong way.  “This needs to be reversed. That might be our most urgent job.”Cr Forbes said once leaving council, she would probably volunteer her time in the environmental or conservation space, and felt there was potential for the region to underpin the economy with the work that improved rather than degraded the environment.“For example, earning export dollars with our cutting edge conservation technology and methods. We could also export environmental and conservation knowledge and education and attract visitors specifically to study with our experts.”She believed concentrating on more tourism ‘bums on seats’ to try and extract more dollars was a “zero sum game” where communities and environment were the losers and corporate interests, many overseas based - the winners.“We don’t have to go that way, but we do need to invest in the alternatives.”

More records have fallen to Aspiring Athletes Club (AAC) runner Phoebe Laker.Despite high winds at a recent meet at the Caledonian in Dunedin, Phoebe (16) “set the meeting alight” with an outstanding run in the 400m, which combined all the women’s grades over age 16 into one race, AAC senior coach Michael Beable said.“In what virtually became a time trial for her, she recorded a major personal best (PB) of 0.82 second, with a stunning one-lap time of 55.34 seconds,” he said.Headwinds of at least 4.8m/s on the home straight ruled out the possibility for athletes to record their fastest times in the 100m, with most off their best by about 0.5s.Women athletes in the 200m, from left, Phoebe Laker, Anna Grimaldi, Georgie Bruce, and Jorje Gibbons.In the 400m Phoebe set new Otago records for girls aged 16-17 for the ninth time.She also broke the Otago age-18 record (previously held by noted NZ representative Anna Smythe) by a significant margin of 0.42s.Phoebe is now unbeaten in the 400m over more than two years.“Her 400m run on Saturday suggests that in calmer conditions there are even better times to come for her this season,” Michael said.After her strenuous run in the 400m, Phoebe managed the next day to set a second PB (by 0.33s) at the provincial champs in the women’s 200m, in which she ran in 24.91s into a 0.8m/s headwind.She won ahead of strong opposition that included current NZ Secondary School representative Jorje Gibbons (18) (by 0.33s), and NZ Para-Olympic 200m champion Anna Grimaldi (by more than 1.5s).The Caledonian crowd were getting accustomed to Phoebe ringing the stadium bell to announce a new PB - a new initiative from Athletics Otago.In other events, Niamh Townsend was second in the women’s 100m, and fourth overall in the women’s 200m. Georgie Bruce was fifth in this race, second fastest in the 400m (in 61.63s) and second in the women’s discus with a throw of 29.53m.Ryan Enoka, sole competitor in the men’s U20m hammer, threw a pleasing 36.40m, as well as 29.22m in the discus throw to place second.In the under-16 category, 13-year-old Ruby Samy from AAC went well, placing fifth in the girls’ 100m with 14.14s, and fourth for a PB in the 200m (28.64s). She also achieved a PB in placing second in the girls’ U16 long jump with a leap of 4.41m. Harriet Grant also achieved a second placing, with 8.84m in the U16 triple jump.PHOTOS: Supplied

Rising cycling star Kim Cadzow has started another year strong after earning two wins at Cycling New Zealand Elite National Time Trial and Road Race earlier this month.Kim (23), who lives in Luggate when she is not training with EF Education-Oatly WorldTour team in Europe, said she was “super happy” to take both the national road and time trial champion titles.“It's not something I believed I could achieve - [winning] both in one year,” she said.Kim has a knack for surpassing expectations: she was selected to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games just a few years after she first took up the sport.She has also earned a spot as a full-time professional cyclist employed with EF Education-Cannondale and she spends most of the year training and competing all over Europe.It’s an impressive upward trajectory for any cyclist, but especially one who only started cycling after she finished school.Kim spoke to the Wānaka App after returning to Europe last week.“This year will be busy,” she said. “I started my season in January racing on the road for my team EF and this will continue until October. “Some of the racing can last for up to eight days and some one day events. In one year I will race around 45-50 days.”Despite her rapid success, Kim is taking a steady approach to the sport.“This year I'm looking forward just to keep progressing my cycling and finding out where my limits are,” Kim said.“I am still incredibly young in the sport so I continue to look to develop and improve while enjoying the riding.” PHOTO: Supplied

Hāwea Flat biathlete Campbell Wright - aka ‘The Golden Mullet’ - has succeeded in proving his first silver medal for the USA team was “not a fluke”.After winning silver on Sunday (February 16) in the 10km sprint of the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Campbell went on to win another silver medal in the 12.5km pursuit the following day.“Campbell may be wearing a USA jersey but is bringing Wānaka's winning ways to the podium,” Pisa Alpine Charitable Trust (owner of the Snow Farm and Merino Muster Ltd) trustee John Burridge said.In Monday (February 17) night’s event, which included two prone shootings and two standing shootings, Campbell missed one fewer shot than the gold medal winning leader JT Boe (Norway), and was just 8.6 seconds behind him at the finish.John said Campbell started 28 seconds behind JT and was “clearly closing the gap in the last lap, which made for an exciting finish”. “I am beyond words in terms of Campbell doubling up on yesterday's miracle,” John said.  “For biathlon he has rattled the Norwegian firmament… I am sure there is very special snow at the Snow Farm.”Eric Perrot (France) came in third.Campbell, who holds dual citizenship in New Zealand and the USA, joined the US biathlon team in July 2023. “Had to prove it wasn’t a fluke,” Campbell posted on social media following the race. “I enjoyed every single metre of that race, and felt Team USA cheering every step of the way.”Watch Campbell’s reaction when he shoots clean at the last standing shooting here.PHOTOS: Supplied

Wānaka athletes Simone Maier and Hamish Elliott both placed second in their respective Coast to Coast Longest Day races on Saturday (February 8).The two athletes were the defending champions for the men’s and women’s events, and the favourites to win again this year.The race started on the West Coast and traversed the width of the South Island, crossing the main divide and finishing on the East Coast with the finish at New Brighton Beach, Christchurch.Simone was on the brink of making history as she chased her sixth victory in the women's category, which would’ve made her the first woman to secure six titles, surpassing the legendary Kathy Lynch (Motueka).She placed second to Deb Lynch (Porirua), at 13:10:30 just four minutes behind Deb’s 13:06:11.“It was fantastic,” Simone said.“It’s second place but I wanted to race, and I did say whoever beats me deserves it, and, today, Debbie had an amazing race.”Hamish, the defending men's champion, claimed his first title in 2024 with a remarkable time of 10 hours, 48 minutes, and 53 seconds.  This year he placed second (11:33:47) to Tasmanian Alex Hunt, just four minutes behind the Australian’s time of 11:29:20.Find a full list of results here.PHOTOS: Supplied

The addition of an occupational therapist to the Community Link team will provide another service at the one-stop community support and connection centre.Community Link manager Kate Murray said she was delighted to welcome Ana Amador to the role, where she will support families, whānau and individuals to overcome barriers to their wellbeing and achieve their full potential. “Her passion for helping people and her unique blend of professional experience and cultural insight will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our community services,” Kate said.“Ana’s dedication to supporting individuals through life’s challenges perfectly aligns with our mission to help the Upper Clutha region thrive.”Ana, who is originally from Mexico City, completed her three-year occupational therapist training at Otago Polytechnic starting in 2018.After graduating, she spent three years working at not-for-profit youth services provider ADL, focusing on community mental health, particularly supporting youth with mental health challenges.Ana said she was particularly passionate about helping people navigate complex systems and services.“I want to help the community when people need a helping hand,” Ana said. “For many, these services can be complicated, especially for those who aren’t used to them.”At Community Link, Ana will work across a range of areas including youth, children, schools, hospitals, mental health, older people, disabilities and addictions. Ana said her personal experiences as a woman from Mexico have equipped her with the ability to connect with people from all walks of life. “Coming from a different culture has helped me understand how to remove barriers and be open-minded,” she said. “I come to this role with an open heart and no judgment, and I hope that’s something that will help as I grow into the role.”Kate said Community Link was “excited to see the positive impact Ana will have in her new role”.Learn more about Community Link here.PHOTO: Supplied

A local woman plans to swim the length of Lake Wānaka - 44km - to raise funds for freshwater conservation and the next generation of swimmers.Wānaka Swim Club member and part-time coach Livi Schmid is tackling “the greatest challenge of my career” in the long-distance swim next month and she has already received donations towards her goal of raising $20,000, to be split equally between WAI Wānaka and the Wānaka Swim Club.“Every contribution will help protect our freshwater resources and support the swim club’s work in developing young swimmers,” Livi said.Livi chose to support those organisations “to shine a light” on the declining health of the lake and to inspire the next generations of swimmers to take on their own challenges.Originally from the USA, Livi chose to make Wānaka home two years ago and it was while coaching at the club she discovered “a first sense of community” since moving to New Zealand.She saw “firsthand the positive impact on local youth through the sport of swimming,” she said.Although she’s swum since childhood, lake swimming is a relatively new experience.Livi Schmid PHOTO: Elie Babin“I started lake swimming for the first time last summer. It's been a challenge to learn the technique and battle unpredictable conditions,” she said. Livi said being able to talk to experienced lake swimmers such as Cameron Stanley, who set a record swimming Lake Wānaka in 2020, has been invaluable: “He's been a great mentor and given me a good idea of what the training entails.” Fitness training and swimming 40-plus kilometres in the lake each week is the basis to her preparation but it has been the mental challenge she has found “especially difficult”. She said handling full time work, fundraising, and publicity on top of training for this marathon effort “can feel overwhelming at times” but having the support of family and friends and causes she believes in keeps her going.“I have been a swimmer my whole life, and I wanted to see if my body and mind could handle it. If not now, when?” the 24-year old said.  On the day, Livi plans to have at least two support boats, two kayakers, and up to three support swimmers “who will get in and out of the water with me”.“It takes a village to take on a challenge this size, and I'm so lucky to have mine.” Livi has established a Givealittle page for the ‘Liv to Swim’ event and she has already received $5,700 towards her goal: “I'm thrilled with the progress we've made so far, and if we can even reach half of the $20k goal, I will be ecstatic.”Donations can be made here.  The swim is scheduled for the weekend of February 15 - depending on weather and lake conditions.

The Hāwea Community Association (HCA) has a new chair, new Lake Hāwea resident Dave Currie.Dave, who describes himself as a “recent arrival from Raglan”, has lived in the township for three years.He said his background is in managing a wide range of companies and not-for-profit organisations, and he had worked extensively in sport administration.“I am passionate about the environmental legacy we will leave our grandchildren, how...we retain the essence of what draws us all here to this very special place while accommodating the inevitable growth that will take place,” he told residents in a community newsletter.“Working collectively, collaboratively and developing strong partnerships with all groups who call this place home seems to me to be important.”“Hāwea is a special place, it's worth advocating for,” he said.Dave has bought a house in Lake Hāwea and has enjoyed developing a native garden, helping out with plantings around the lake foreshore and enjoying the walking and mountain bike trails in the area.Dave said the new HCA committee intends to launch an updated website by the end of February “to develop an easy means of harnessing community input”. The first community session is planned for March 15, 2025.Dave acknowledged the energy, time and commitment that former HCA chair Cherilyn Walthew committed to the position over the past few years.PHOTO: Supplied