A former Environment Southland chief executive has been appointed as independent chair of a committee that will help shape the future of Wānaka Airport.Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) councillors signed off on the appointment of Rob Phillips to the Wānaka Airport Liaison Committee (WALC) in a meeting in late April.“All details have now been finalised and I welcome Rob to this new position,” QLDC chief executive Mike Theelen said.“With more than 22 years’ experience in executive and leadership roles he clearly demonstrated through the recruitment process that he’ll bring the skills, experience and independence required.”The long-awaited WALC was first recommended 12 years ago but it was designated to Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) in the District Plan only five years ago.QLDC has named Simon Telfer as the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) representative on the committee but it still needs to select its other members, which will include representatives from the Wānaka Airport Users Group, commercial airlines and other groups.WALC’s responsibilities will include reviewing complaints relating to airport operations or noise, assisting QLDC (in its role as regulator) and Queenstown Airport Corporation (which manages Wānaka Airport’s day-to-day operations) to communicate and engage with the community, and reviewing progress on any airport development activity, Mike said.Rob said he was looking forward to working with airport-based businesses and the wider community. “Wānaka Airport plays a wide range of roles including that of a hugely respected flight training centre and the home of internationally famous air show, Warbirds over Wānaka,” he said. “The committee will be an important new body taking a helicopter view of relevant activities there. “Given this committee has not existed before we’ll be working initially to shape how we operate in line with our terms of reference.”The council statement did not indicate when other members would be appointed to the committee.In February QLDC said the draft terms of reference for the WALC would be shared with the community once all members are appointed.PHOTO: Supplied 

An adventurous life story of a career as a mountaineer and guide to an accident that resulted in incomplete tetraplegia has won the Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year for 2023.The book, ‘Not Set in Stone, was written by leading mountaineer David Vass who is credited with many first ascents and descents in New Zealand. "After many years in Wānaka I have just moved away, and this award makes a truly great farewell present,” David said. “I've been much humbled and gratified by the feedback I've received so far, it seems to have moved people in a similar way to how I felt writing it.”The competition is part of the NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival and judges Marjorie Cook, Hazel Phillips and Allan Uren were impressed by the standard of entries.“It was an absolute joy to read through the finalists and live vicariously inside the pages of these amazing books,” Hazel said. “Congratulations to all the finalists, and to our winners, who should be rightly proud of what they've created.”  David will be speaking at the NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival in Wānaka on Tuesday June 27 alongside Robbie Burton, whose book ‘Bushline, A Memoir’ was highly commended by the competition judges.Submissions were invited for two categories: Mountain and Adventure Narrative and Mountain and Adventure Heritage.The Heritage Award went to Wānaka mountain guide and adventure photographer Gavin Lang for ‘Seeking the Light’. Gavin climbed all 24 of New Zealand’s 3,000 metre peaks to photograph them and his book captures the tension and drama of mountaineering in Aotearoa, bringing it to life with stunning imagery.  ‘High Risk: Climbing to Extinction’ by Brian Hall takes out the Narrative Award. Brian’s book speaks to an extraordinary era in the history of Himalayan mountaineering, from the mid 1970s to the 1980s, paying homage to the generation of climbers who pushed adventure to the edge.The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival will run in Wānaka from June 23-27, in Queenstown June 29-30, and online in New Zealand and Australia from June 23 to July 23. Festival passes are on sale now, general ticket sales and the full festival programme will be launched on May 23.The 2023 finalists were:Mountain & Adventure Narrative Award Paul Hersey - The Cold Inside Dave Vass - Not Set in Stone Brian Hall - High Risk: Climbing to Extinction  Mountain & Adventure Heritage Award Derek Morrison - Living the Dream David Towns - Ahuahu: A conservation journey in Aotearoa Gavin Lang - Seeking the Light  The following were Highly Commended by the judges: Beau Miles - The Backyard Adventurer Robbie Burton - Bushline Jeff Smoot - All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing Carrie Miller and Chris Taylor - A Diver's Guide to the World: Remarkable Dive Travel Destinations Above and Beneath the Surface   PHOTOS: Supplied

If you’ve been in Wānaka in the past month there is a good chance you’ve seen Victoria Taylor running the streets.Victoria is on a mission to raise awareness and funds for two charities by breaking the world record for the most consecutive days to run a marathon (female). Today (Friday April 14) will be her thirty-third consecutive day running the 42-kilometre distance.“I’m doing it to raise awareness and funds for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and also the Red Cross to help out the New Zealand Disaster Fund,” Victoria said.“Givealittle have combined the two causes and will split the money 50:50.”The record for consecutive day marathons (female) is 151 and Victoria has set herself a target of 153.“Because I’m breaking a record it’s good to go a couple of days over,” she said.If Victoria completes the challenge she will finish on Sunday August 13, the day of her thirtieth birthday.“I set out with a goal to finish on my thirtieth,” Victoria said. “I wanted to do something for my birthday that had meaning.”Victoria said she runs a similar course each day consisting of three 14-kilometre loops around Wānaka which are tracked on GPS for authentication. She said she also has to video the start, middle and finish and get witness statements each day as a requirement for the Guinness Book of Records.Victoria said she has no special dietary requirements but a Red Bull at the 25-kilometre mark and toasted bagels with marmite keep her going.“I get a massage every week for recovery,” she said. “I’m getting as much sleep as possible. I’m eating and hydrating well.”Victoria said the biggest challenge is staying healthy and the possibility of running in the snow during winter.“I’ll just have to run in it,” she said. “It’s obviously going to be a bigger challenge. The pram situation may make it very challenging.”In 2022 Victoria attempted to break the world record (20 days and 17 hours) for the time it takes to run the length of New Zealand while raising awareness for mental health. She had to abandon that challenge due to a family matter.When Victoria was 19-years-old she ran the length of New Zealand in 34 days to support services for child cancer.Donations of support can be made on her Givealittle page.PHOTO: Wānaka App

With their new houses at Northlake set to be completed this month, nine more Wānaka families can now call Wānaka home with certainty.The homes, which range from $472,000 to $568,000, are the latest to be built with the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust’s (QLCHT) affordable housing model.“To be able to provide a safe, secure and newly-built home to nine of those families means a lot, because we know it’s not just a house – it’s also providing a level of certainty and the ability to feel settled in the local community,” QLCHT chief executive Julie Scott said.Six of the houses will be occupied under the ‘Secure Home’ programme, where people purchase the properties through a 100-year land lease arrangement, with the trust retaining ownership of the land in perpetuity.The remaining three will be rented under the trust’s rental programmes.“The ability to deliver standalone properties at these price points has been a collaborative effort with the ongoing support of both the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Progressive Home Ownership Fund,” QLCHT chief executive Julie Scott.Julie said she was excited to hand over keys for the nine properties in time for Easter.QLCHT acquired the land in 2021 and construction on the three and four-bedroom properties, started in early 2022.The not-for-profit social enterprise, which exists to manage and deliver affordable housing solutions, continues to face huge demand.“Accommodation is a pressing issue in our district, and we have evidence of that, with 150 people on the waiting list in the Upper Clutha area alone,” Julie said. Some of those on the waitlist have homes in sight - the Breen Homes team which has built the Northlake homes will move on to deliver another 28 homes in Hāwea as soon as the Northlake homes are completed.PHOTO: QLCHT

Hāwea Flat woman Anna Shaw will share some of her experience of living in a remote Aboriginal community at the Festival of Colour later this month.The former Te Kura O Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) head of drama will perform her one woman show, ‘Remote Thoughts’ at the Hāwea Flat Hall.Anna also taught music and English at MAC for many years before moving to Wellington to undertake a Masters degree in directing at Toi Whakaari followed by teaching at Wellington East Girls College.But she dreamed of an outback adventure with husband Rick once their youngest daughter Lily (who has also performed at the Festival of Colour) flew the nest.“I’d done a brief stint living in Kakadu and always had a fascination to return to the Top End,” Anna said.After a drink with a friend who had returned from working in Wadeye, a remote Aboriginal community 400km from Darwin, Anna and Rick went home on a foul Wellington night and googled the area.“The first photo that came up was Rick’s step-brother, a well known Australian musician who works in remote communities. The second photo that came up was a very good friend’s daughter who was a lawyer in Wadeye.“They were both signs,” Anna said.“On a whim we thought we’d go and have an adventure. Three months later we were there.”The culture shock was huge, she said. “We had done an induction, stayed in a five star hotel in Darwin and learnt about kinship networks and so on.“Next thing we’re on a plane that almost crashed flying through a storm, then we were dropped outside our new house that had just been burgled.Acclimatisation took a while.“It was an incredible experience and so enriching on many levels, but also so harrowing. It was incredibly tough,” Anna said.All the children she taught were trauma affected and the environment was volatile at times, she said.“You’re constantly treading a tightrope between hope and despair.“Success looks very different to what success looks like in any classroom anywhere else. It’s really important to mark those successes.”On a personal level, the cultural experience was “huge”, Anna said.The couple intended to live in Wadeye for a year but ended up staying four.Anna’s goal in developing ‘Remote Thoughts’ was “to shed light on what it’s really like, and the ongoing challenges of living in community”.“Living between two cultures is never easy. It forces us to challenge any assumptions we may have. “Developing ‘Remote Thoughts’ has been an enriching and confronting experience of putting our time in Wadeye under a microscope, offering an opportunity to process and reflect upon all of the high and lows we lived through.”Anna said since she has been rehearsing the play she’s started receiving lots of messages from friends in Wadeye. “It’s like the people know,” she said.‘Remote Thoughts’ includes storytelling, acting, spoken word, original songs, and visuals.“Be prepared to go on a journey,” she said.‘Remote Thoughts’ takes place at the Hāwea Flat Hall on March 27 and 28. Tickets can be purchased here.

A tourism expert who took the helm at RealNZ during the Covid-19 pandemic has handed in his resignation and made plans to return home as the tourism upswing continues.Stephen England-Hall joined RealNZ (a recreation, tourism and ski company which includes Cardrona Alpine Resort) in February 2021, helping the company prepare for the future.Under Stephen’s leadership the company has restructured, rebranded, refinanced and recapitalised, regrown revenues and is now on a path to recovery, entering the second half of this financial year materially ahead of plan, RealNZ chair Martin Dippie said.“Stephen has done an outstanding job transforming the company and placing the business on a solid foundation to benefit from tourism’s recovery,” Martin said. “The RealNZ and Cardrona brands are in great shape to continue to outperform the market.”Stephen said it was now time for him to head home to his family in Auckland.“As results turn positive and guests return it’s a good time to pass the reins to a new leader to continue the journey for this incredible company.“I’d like to thank the Queenstown, Wānaka, Te Anau and Southland communities for their support of RealNZ during my time with the business and for making me a welcome member of the community.”RealNZ is a leading tourism group which, in addition to the local skifields, owns various tourism experiences like the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves, Queenstown Jet, Walter Peak Farm and more.PHOTO: Supplied

A group formed for friendship and connection is setting up an offshoot group for The Jones generation.The Jones targets people born between 1954 and 1965 and has been instigated by organisers of the Wānaka Social Meet Up which was established two years ago and now has 648 members.“There's a gap in Wānaka for pre-seniors so I created a filler,” organiser Steph Holloway said.“I think we’ve got ten members as we stand today.”Steph said she figured out through her work that a new generation has been acknowledged in the last few years called The Jones, which does not identify with the Gen X or Boomer generations.“It’s no secret I’m 61, I’m thinking where’s my tribe, where’s the people I wanted to meet when I first started this [Wānaka Social Meet Up] and I couldn’t see them,” Steph said.The Jones group is already active and has its own Facebook page.Steph said they have a breakfast catch up and a wine catch up organised, and she expects things like pub quizzes, coffee meet ups, pot lucks, and beach bbqs to happen as the group grows.“There’s lots of lonely people in Wānaka who just want to connect with other humans,” Steph said. “So knock yourselves out, come and join us. You’ll find somebody to do something with.”Find out more about the Wānaka Social Meet Up here.PHOTO: Supplied

A community response to the plight of deer farmers in cyclone-hit Hawkes Bay has meant local fencers will fly north to help, complete with their own meals for five days.Wānaka’s Mandy Bell, chair of the Deer Industry NZ, put out the call last Friday (February 24) for people to supply food for fencers heading north, to ensure the visitor would not impose on the already stretched host community.Bex Sarginson of Food For Love had been watching the devastation wrought by the cyclone on TV news and leapt at the chance to help.Within 48 hours, 15 volunteers (new to Food for Love) prepared meals for five days. “What an amazing community we live in - just incredible,” Mandy told the Wānaka App.Mandy Bell PHOTO: Deer NZLast week and this week are two of the most crucial weeks of the deer farmer’s calendar, she explained.Young deer are being weaned, then the stags are back out for mating.However the slips caused by Cyclone Gabrielle have meant many boundary fences in Hawkes Bay are not secure, and farmers are losing stock.“If we don’t help in the next few weeks to get animals in, that’s their next year’s income [gone],” Mandy said.“They don’t like to ask for help, but they’re exhausted.”The Deer Farmers’ Association is coordinating help by volunteers on the ground in a push to have emergency repairs to boundary fences within the next two weeks. Any local volunteers who have experience in fencing and would like to help should contact the main coordinator in Hawkes Bay ([email protected]).Mandy said another option for people to help is to ‘fund the fencers’ by donating money to support the fencers who are taking time off work to help.The first four Wānaka volunteers will head north this week, and Food for Love’s meals have already been flown up.“I want to say a huge ‘thanks’ to Food for Love,” Mandy said.Food for Love coordinator Bex Sarginson told the Wānaka App: “We can’t do it without our community.”“People jump at the chance to help - as long as they know the story,” she said.“For some people it’s the only way they can help.”Fifteen people prepared baking and convenient ‘heat and eat’ meals which will make the visiting volunteers independent of their hosts. The meals were delivered to Food for Love by Monday morning.“We have Edgewater doing lasagnas for next week,” Bex added.She is looking for any businesses which are happy to supply a ‘heat and eat’ meal for five men.The group is also looking for more volunteers to cook: “The more the merrier, if we’ve got another three weeks to go.”Food For Love always welcomes cash donations to “keep the ball rolling”, she said.

Southburn-based farmer Miles Anderson has been selected by local party members as the National Party candidate in Waitaki for the 2023 general election. Waitaki is the Upper Clutha’s electorate and it is also the third largest in the country, encompassing Wānaka, Cromwell, the Maniototo, the Mackenzie Country and North Otago.Miles’ selection follows the announcement that the current National MP for Waitaki, Jacqui Dean, will retire at the 2023 election after 14 years as the electorate's parliamentary representative.See also: ‘Long-serving Waitaki MP announces retirement’Miles said it was an honour to be selected as the local candidate.“I’m standing as National’s candidate because only National can strengthen our economy so we can reduce the cost of living, lift incomes, build the infrastructure we need and deliver health and education services which focus on outcomes, not bureaucracy,” he said.Miles has been a farmer for more than 20 years and has served on the Federated Farmers board and as chair of its Meat & Wool Industry Group. “As a farmer, I will always be a strong advocate for our primary sector.”He said he plans to hit the ground running.“I’ll be getting to work straight away to meet as many people as I can across the electorate to campaign for a National Government.”The Waitaki electorate was represented by Labour (Jim Sutton) in the mid 1980s. Aside from that, it has been a blue seat since 1938.The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday October 14.PHOTO: Supplied

Self confessed wasp crusader and Mount Iron resident Mary-Lousie (M-L) Schroder is on a mission to eradicate the Upper Clutha of wasps and says the whole community can help.M-L has taken it upon herself, in recent years, to track wasps and kill their nests.“I think wasps are just terrible, they are predators,” M-L said.“The problem we have is that there is nothing that eats them; there is nothing that keeps them down.”M-L said one queen wasp can create a nest with 4,500 wasps and produce 1,000 queens.“Only two percent of queens survive the winter, which you might think is not much, but if you have a nest which producers 4,500 wasps in a season, all out foraging, taking nectar from birds, taking nectar from reptiles etcetera, then you can imagine the damage they do to the environment,” she said.Some simple maths highlights the extent of the problem: one nest produces 1,000 queens and 20 survive the winter to set up nests, which in turn produce 4,500 wasps and 1,000 queens per nest. Mary-Louise says the key is to be assertive when approaching the nest.On those numbers one nest multiples 20 times in one year to produce 90,000 wasps and 20,000 queens.Finding nests is quite easy, M-L said, as wasps fly in a straight line and can be tracked in the evening or morning light.“You can spot them by seeing a continuous line of wasps travelling in a straight line,” she said.“They only travel about 500 metres. The nest is usually quite close.“They are always in a hole, probably about four centimetres in diameter. You can spot it as they get rid of the grass around the edge.”M-L uses ‘No Wasp’ powder to kill the nest: “No dithering, walk forward, put the nozzle in the hole, give it three sprays and walk away.”“You have to be assertive - and don’t get in the way of the flight path. Just watch how they are coming and going,” she said.“If you find a nest just kill it yourself or get someone like me to come and kill it.”This wasp season is not as bad as previous years, which M-L puts down to the public's effort to eradicate nests, as well as weather conditions. She said the cold winter will have killed off more queens than usual and the wet spring made it difficult for those left to establish nests.“If we have a warm winter that is not good as nests can survive the winter,” she said. This Waitangi weekend M-L says she is going to head to John Creek at Lake Hāwea as there are a number of wasp nests there she is keen to destroy.M-L is setting up a website under the banner of Wasp Wasters NZ and said she is happy to be contacted if anyone would like assistance with eradicating wasps. Her number is 027 542 1256.Queenstown Lakes District Council will eradicate pests on council property. They can be contacted here.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Barbara Bridger says she is excited to take on a new role as the Central Lakes Trust chief executive later this year.Since 2014 Barbara has been in the top job at another prominent charity - the Otago Community Trust - and she has a background in the banking and financial services sector.“I am very much looking forward to my new role at CLT and to having the opportunity to better understand the community’s needs and aspirations and to help CLT respond to those needs as it continues to enhance assets and enrich lives within the Central Lakes region,” Barbara said.The CLT is a charitable trust that grants funds for charitable purposes across Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. Its previous chief executive, Susan Finlay, stepped down in October 2022.CLT chair Linda Robertson said Barbara was appointed as CEO after a recruitment process which began in November and was supported by external advisers.“The board are delighted with this outcome and look forward to Barbara joining the trust in early April,” Linda said.“She brings a wealth of experience in the philanthropic, management and investment space and is already well known to many within the Central Lakes region through her current role.”CLT was bestowed its asset base in 2000 by the Otago Central Electric Power Trust and, in the time since it has grown it from $155M to $467.It provides regular, monthly grants to worthy causes across the region.Many of these grants benefit Wānaka - a recent funding round included $157,500 operational grant to Community Networks Wānaka; $23,144 for Challenge Wānaka’s junior triathlon festival; $5,000 for the Secondary Schools Sports Association; and $42,582 for Mount Aspiring College for the implementation of the Central Otago Principals Association programme.Learn more about CLT here.PHOTO: Supplied

A 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry has been appointed to the position of general manager for the Ignite Wānaka Chamber of Commerce.In an email to chamber members Glenn Peat announced his own appointment saying that he has a “real passion for engaging, networking and creating positive change”.“I believe that I have the experience to contribute positively to the Wānaka business community,” he said.“My excitement towards this role is to assist in engaging, developing our business community through professional leadership and the opportunity to create positive change.”Glenn is currently the group general manager for the Taco Medic restaurant chain and will continue in that role. Prior to moving to Wānaka in 2018 he managed leading brand hotels in China and India.“We are delighted to have someone of Glenn’s calibre take on this role to help the board refine and deliver its strategy to support the local business community,” Ignite Wānaka board chair Jo Learmonth said.“We are excited about our plans for 2023 and look forward to having Glenn become a recognised face within our business community.”The organisation’s general manager role has been vacant since March 2022 when the former general manager Naomi Lindsay resigned to pursue her own business ventures.Glenn said he looks forward to working with the Ignite Wānaka board to provide opportunities for business growth and success, through strong advocacy, training and networking both within and outside of the region.PHOTO: Supplied

The new general manager at Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital Queenstown, Tim Capill, started in the role late last year.Tim, who began his career as a nurse, came to the hospital from Swedish medical device company Senzime, where he was sales director for the Asia Pacific region. He has experience in healthcare and medical industries, and has held senior leadership positions in New Zealand, Australia, and the Asia Pacific region.“We’re thrilled to have someone of Tim’s calibre take the reins at our very special hospital,” Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital Queenstown chair Andrew Blair said in a statement to media.“He brings to the hospital team great strengths in commercial and general management and a passion for customer experience and patient care. “I’m confident he will continue to enhance Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital’s reputation as a provider of quality treatment and patient care.”Read more: New Queenstown hospital improves local access to health careTim said he was excited about the opportunity.“I’m looking forward to working with the team and clinicians to retain the special culture already in place and support the hospital to grow and serve the needs of the region’s residents,” he said. Andrew also acknowledged the dedication of current general manager Judith Kissel, who led the development and opening of the hospital during the past two years.Southern Cross CLT Limited is a 50-50 venture between the Central Lakes Trust and Southern Cross Healthcare Limited. Southern Cross is New Zealand’s largest independent healthcare organisation and Central Lakes Trust is a charitable trust supporting the Central Lakes area by granting funds for charitable purpose. The joint venture forms part of the CLT’s social impact investment portfolio. PHOTO: Supplied

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) property and infrastructure general manager Peter Hansby has died after a short illness.Peter had a 35 year career in engineering and infrastructure, and was described by QLDC acting chief executive Meaghan Miller as “a special colleague and, for many, a true mate”.“Our thoughts and condolences are with Pete’s family at this time,” she said.Peter has been a contractor, a consultant and a client within the infrastructure environment. He held a number of roles with QLDC from 1994 to 2004 including consents engineer and roading engineer. He was a Civil Defence Local Controller and a valued part of the team that responded to the 1999 floods. In 2004 Peter worked for City Care Limited for Christchurch City Council and became the Southern regional general manager. He was appointed emergency response manager for City Care following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, a period in his career that he recently said prepared him for any future challenge no matter how big. Peter took on a short but critical stint with Aecom as director of the Christchurch re-build in 2013 and started his current role back with QLDC in November 2014 as infrastructure general manager, extending his responsibility to later becoming property and infrastructure general manager.Meaghan said Peter was a tireless campaigner for improving the way people lived, worked, travelled and played in the district and was a key member of the Kā Huanui a Tāhuna Project Alliance Board. “He was an enormously respected and valued member of the QLDC executive leadership team,” she said. “If there is one small comfort we can all take from Pete’s loss it is that his legacy can be seen right around the district in the multitude of projects he was very proud to deliver. He was passionate about his work, passionate about the Queenstown Lakes District and enormously proud of his family.”PHOTO: Supplied

Warbirds Over Wānaka’s (WOW) new event manager has a lifelong connection to aviation. Andrena Davis is a plane junkie, a licensed pilot and regular airshow attendee, making the experienced event manager and photographer a perfect fit for the role.She replaces Mandy Deans, who has retired after 14 years.“Mandy has left big shoes to fill but I’m very excited about taking on the challenge of bringing together a fantastic airshow at Easter 2024,” Andrena said.“I have a passion for getting things done and thrive on seeing an event come together with attendee experience my number one priority.”Andrena’s passion for aviation was first sparked after a ride in her father’s glider as a child.She went on to take flying lessons before gaining her pilot’s licence with the Otago Aero Club.Andrena grew up in Dunedin and spent most of her childhood holidays in Wānaka so she is familiar with the area, WOW general manager Ed Taylor said.More recently she has been based in Wellington and the Wairarapa where she has worked as a professional photographer and in event management, including working on the Wings Over Wairarapa Airshow.Ed Taylor said he was looking forward to having Andrena on board as WOW gears up for its 2024 airshow.The last Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow was in 2018 and both the 2020 and 2022 events were cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. “We are already in the early stages of planning for the next airshow which by all early indications is going to be a huge event,” he said. “By the time Easter 2024 rolls around it will have been a long six years between airshows and we know there is plenty of pent-up demand for our event from around New Zealand and overseas.”The 2018 airshow attracted 55,000 visitors over three days from both New Zealand and overseas and injected around $42M into the regional economy. PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka-based Winter Games NZ CEO Martin (Marty) Toomey has been named to lead the New Zealand team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.This is the second time Marty has been named Chef de Mission for the Winter Olympic Games having overseen the campaign and team environment at Beijing 2022.“It’s great to be able to feel like you’re representing the country and trying to create an environment that allows athletes to really shine,” Marty told the Wānaka App.“We know they are incredibly capable so it is about creating an environment that makes sure the pressures and the size of the Olympics doesn’t become a burden for them.”Marty said his role will involve a lot of planning, putting the team structure together and recruiting the support team.“This [announcement] is the start of the process,” he said.“It’s really a lot of planning; looking around at all of the different event venues, putting in place the health team and all the support for the team.”The Winter Youth Olympics are in South Korea in 2024 and Marty said he would be taking a close look at that as well as travelling to Milan and Cortina to see how the venues are coming together for the 2026 event.“The more information you can share, they [the athletes] go in forewarned and because of that it allows them to do what they are incredibly good at,” he said.“I love seeing them actually succeed.”Marty said he hopes the 2026 Olympic team will be bigger than the team that attended Beijing with up and coming athletes getting to qualification level and joining a number of seasoned Olympians.New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) CEO Nicki Nicol said Marty is equipped with impressive leadership qualities and has shown he knows how to lead teams at the highest level of sport.The New Zealand Team Chef de Mission champions the needs of athletes inside complex and high-performance Games environments. The role ensures the New Zealand Team promotes athlete mana, wellbeing and performance at all times throughout the Games, NZOC said in a statement.The Milano Cortina Olympic Games will take place February 6-22, 2026, across two cities, Milan and Cortina, in Italy.PHOTO: Supplied

The Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert is back for 2023 with a popular Wānaka band joining the international heavy hitters set to perform.The annual summer concert, organised by Greenstone Entertainment, is one of the premiere musical events in Queenstown Lakes with concertgoers and performers travelling from far and wide to attend.Next year’s concert-goers will not only experience “the incredible music of our four international artists, but also the amazing local talent we have right here in New Zealand,” Greenstone Entertainment CEO Amanda Calvert said.Emerging Wānaka Rock Band Powder Chutes will be the opening act for the concert, playing ahead of ZZ Top, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Stone Temple Pilots and The Angels.Powder Chutes’ debut EP, recorded at North Otago’s Studio Sublime with Steve Harrop and Tom Havard, dropped in January 2022 to critical acclaim, and it was streamed 100,000 times within six months of being made public.Band members Archie Orbell (drums), Clarke West (guitar), Henry McConnell (vocals), and Otis Murphy (bass) combine youthful exuberance and riff-driven grunt to create their signature groove-fulled grunge sound.Listen to their music here.Band member Clarke said it was a huge honour to be selected for the Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert.“To say we are stoked and thankful for the opportunity is a massive understatement,” he said. “We would definitely have been in the crowd for this concert regardless, so to be chosen as the local support act has got us totally fired up.”Amanda said Greenstone Entertainment has always made an effort to support promising young musicians.“It has been a long-standing tradition of ours to showcase local up and coming talent at our shows, and to give them an opportunity to perform in front of tens of thousands of people which they may not otherwise get the chance to do,” she said.The Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert will take place at the eponymous vineyard on February 11, 2023.“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone along for an awesome afternoon of live music entertainment,” Amanda said.Find more information and book tickets here.A limited number of local tickets are also available from only $159 (plus booking fee) by visiting Gibbston Valley Winery, Queenstown iSITE and Wanaka iSITE, Amanda said.PHOTO: Supplied

A seven-term councillor at the Otago Regional Council (ORC) has been elected as the new chair.Dunedin-based Gretchen Robertson won the role of chair with seven votes, ahead of councillor Kevin Malcolm who received five votes.Gretchen, who has served on the council since 2004, has a degree in ecology and experience in a range of freshwater science roles. She said she is passionate about creating a fair, science-based knowledge foundation which delivers strong environmental bottom lines.The success of the next three years depends on the all ORC councillors banding together, Gretchen said.“I am here, not as an individual, but part of a team,” she said. “Together we are the leaders of the Otago Regional Council to manage environment, resource and transport planning issues for the third largest region in New Zealand by area.”The ORC is responsible for the sustainable management of the Otago region’s natural resources - land, water and air. PHOTO: Wānaka AppLast week’s annual report highlighted the heavy workload ahead for the ORC.It includes the setting of critical policies and rules to protect Otago’s water, land and air, ongoing environmental monitoring to better inform decision-making, and responding to numerous types of environmental incidents. “There will be ongoing pressure to balance the affordability of ORC’s work programmes with continued need for robust frameworks to regulate the use of our natural resources, while also achieving ‘on the ground’ results through operational activities,” ORC interim chief executive Pim Borrem told the councillors at a recent meeting.At the first meeting of the new triennium, Gretchen urged councillors to work together.“We need to be open to new understandings of others, be willing to work together and to have fun.” she said. “This will take time, to focus on relationships, starting with our own team, then extending to key external relationships. “We will only sustain relationships if we are trustworthy and deliver.”Councillor Lloyd McCall was elected as the ORC deputy chair.The ORC is responsible for the sustainable management of the Otago region’s natural resources - land, water and air.

More help is on the way to increase social connection and mental wellbeing support for senior residents in the Upper Clutha. The Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group and the Champion for Older Persons Group have joined forces to bring Wānaka a 12-month programme which supports ‘active ageing’, social participation and healthy lifestyles - and encourages seniors to feel connected and involved in their local community.Community Networks/LINK is one of 10 organisations which makes up the Champions for Older Persons Group and manager Kate Murray said the organisation’s priority group was those aged 65 and older. “Covid-19 has left a significant number of this age group feeling increasingly isolated, lonely, vulnerable, and anxious about venturing out while we have others who are already active in the community but are seeking more opportunities to engage,” she said. Community Networks/LINK manager Kate Murray said Covid-19 has left a significant number of residents over 65 isolated, lonely and vulnerable and the new programme plans to help address this.Funding, which is being provided by Te Hau Hoka, will allow for a broad programme designed to reach as many seniors as possible. “Initiatives are often limited because of financial constraints so with this funding we can better promote existing events and programmes as well as planning some great new events and activities - some in the person's own home, and some out in the community,” Kate said.The funding will support ongoing events like monthly lunches, independent living seminars, and the library’s digital drop-in sessions as well as one-off events like dinner and/or dance events and social outings which can be repeated if successful.  It may also assist with scoping work on a senior-focused “playground” to help older residents maintain fitness and enhance mobility as they age, Kate said. Another area of focus will be on increasing companionship and connection and growing the number of older people being visited, by expanding the home-based connection and support volunteer visiting service and building on other volunteer initiatives including Food for Love, Meals on Wheels, Age Concern, and the library’s ‘My Book Bag’ service. “Our aim is to create more opportunities for personal interaction, connection, enjoyment, learning and fun which will reduce loneliness and isolation,” Kate said. “The net effect will be an improvement in older people's wellbeing, enabling them to stay happily in their own homes and feel connected with their communities.” The Champion for Older Persons Group also includes Age Concern, St John, Aspiring Enliven, Wānaka Medical Centre, Alzheimer’s Society, Volunteering South, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Food for Love. Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group Chair Adell Cox said she was really impressed by the shared vision and collaboration of the Champion for Older Persons Group. “It’s a wonderful initiative to help boost wellbeing opportunities and connections for seniors.” PHOTO: Supplied