Mental health campaigner Glen Thurston is encouraging people to join him on a climb of Corner Peak at Lake Hāwea tomorrow (Friday October 27).The climb marks the first anniversary of Glen’s 2022 campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues in the construction industry. At that time he climbed the mountain every day for 53 days to highlight the average number of suicides by construction workers each year.More than 270 people joined Glen to summit Corner Peak (1,683m) as part of that campaign and he is inviting the public to join him again tomorrow.“I'm going to do an annual climb, a one off,” Glen said.“It was such a success [last year] and a lot of people missed out.”Glen said that getting people out on the mountain and achieving something “pretty epic”  resulted in a lot of healthy conversations about mental well-being.“I really just want to keep that conversation going because there were lots and lots and lots of conversations during and after,” he said.“I want this to be part of people's normal life, having these conversations with their friends, going for walks up in the hills with their friends.”Glen’s goal is to see a culture change where mental health is prioritised and ingrained in business through training and health and safety plans.“I continually get people reaching out, asking where to go, who do they need their friend to turn to, sort of things like that,” he said. “I can only do so much, so the more people within the community that get the training or the education or understanding about mental health, the more people there are going to be for others to turn to.“Something really needs to change and I don't believe it's in throwing money at services. It's in educating everyday people. That's where we're gonna make change in this whole pandemic.”If you wish to join Glen and climb Corner Peak tomorrow he will leave from the Timaru Creek car park at 6am. “It's not going to be a race. It's just going to be a good cruisy day,” Glen said.Facts about the climb:An ascent and descent of Corner Peak is a return trip of around 17kmThe elevation gain is 1,570mFurther details can be found here.PHOTO: Supplied

Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College (MAC) celebrated the commitment and achievement of its students in the arts, service and te ao Māori earlier this week.MAC principal Nicola Jacobsen said the awards event, which took place on Thursday (October 19), reflected the breadth of opportunities available to students at the college.“In addition to our strong focus on academic excellence, we encourage our students to make the most of all aspects of college life so they can grow and be proud of who they are,” she said.Winners of MAC Arts Service Blue Awards.“The arts offer our students an invaluable window into the human experience, allowing them to develop the skills they need to tell their own stories and explore different perceptions of the world and their place in it through music, drama, dance and visual art.”Nicola said developing a deeper understanding of te ao Māori was one of MAC’s strategic priorities “so we are thrilled to see students recognised for nurturing te ao Māori at our school”.Arts Service Blues were awarded to students who have made a significant contribution to, or shown leadership in, the arts for two or more years; Arts Achievement Blues were awarded to students who have achieved significant success in the arts; and Arts Commendation Certificates were awarded to students who have shown commitment, leadership or achievement within the arts during the year.Winners of MAC Te Ao Māori Service Blue Awards.Students awarded Service Blues were recognised for their high standard of achievement and commitment to voluntary service at the school or in the local community and Te Ao Māori Blues were awarded to students for their contribution to te ao Māori and leadership and achievement in this area.Selected students were awarded MAC Values Awards in recognition of the way their behaviour reflects school values, and special awards were given to students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and achievement in the arts and culture.Awards and recipientsArts Commendation Certificate: Kasey Brooks, Max Byrne, Alice Chaly, Luke Gendall, Alexis-Sofia Harvey-Wills, Emma Head, Suki Leigh, Robbie McRae, Sophie Walsh.Arts Service Blue: Amy Benson, Miki Bercelli, Jemma Brake, Eve Bretherton, Cholula Brown, Max Byrne, Sam Caumette, Tayla Doran, Paige Gawn, Estelle Gellatly, Oscar Goodwin, Tane Haines, Alexis-Sofia Harvey-Wills, Brooke Hutchison, Ruby McLachlan, Matilda Metcalfe, Ella Miles, Otis Murphy, Lena Pollard, Portia Randall, Isabella Soper, Grace Thomas, Aria Thor-Poet, Vanessa Vickers, Laura Watkins, James Watson, Clarke West, Aria Winter, India Yule.Arts Achievements Blue: Amy Benson, Hunter Cranfield, Tayla Doran, Oscar Goodwin, Isabel Martin, Matilda Metcalfe, Otis Murphy, Isabella Soper, Grace Thomas, Clarke West, Priya White.Service Blue: Amy Benson, Jemma Brake, Paige Gawn, Ava Hay, Lewis Inder, Sienna Jones, Emma Lamb, Milly Lewis, Freja Malmo, Jessie McNeil, Noah Moody, Tasmin Murphy, Hazel Murray, Ben Pell, Lulu Pettit, Nico Pettit, Lena Pollard, Lucy Radford, Elise Tomkins, Laura Watkins, James Watson, Lily Wilson, Molly Wilson, Jessie Winter, India Yule.Te ao Māori commendation certificate: Alice Chaly, Laila Telfer, Oscar Waddington, Zoe Waddington, Arlo Waddington; Te ao Māori achievement blue: Anataia White, Melia Brett, Ryan Enoka; Te ao Māori service blue: Anataia White, Sam Caumette, Melia Brett, Ryan Enoka and Hazel Murray.MAC values awards: Manaakitanga Awards Arts, Clarke West; Te Ao Māori- Anataia White; Service - Emma Lamb. Whanaungatanga Awards: Arts - Oscar Goodwin; Te Ao Māori - Hazel Murray; Service - Laura Watkins. Aroha Awards: Arts - Laura Watkins; Te Ao Māori - Lucy Maibach; Service - Sienna Jones. Ihi Awards: Arts - Paige Gawn; Te Ao Māori - Oscar Waddington; Service - Tasmin Murphy.Special awards: Junior Music Award 7 & 8 - Merryn Foster; Junior Music Award 9 & 10 - Ruby Smith; Senior Music Tech Award - Oscar Goodwin; Senior Music Award - Clarke West; Thomson Award for Dance - Ruby McLachlan and Tayla Doran; Thomson Wright Award for Direction and Backstage - Robbie McRae; Kings Performing Arts Award - Laura Watkins;Heskell Award for Excellence in Drama - Zoe Raffills; Senior Languages Award - Lulu Pettit; Tecorians Award for Senior Speech - Libby Fraser; Aspiring Writers Award - Amy Benson; Senior Debating Award - Jackson Duguid.PHOTOS: MAC

The Upper Clutha’s unique environment has inspired gardening enthusiast Ali Soper to launch a gardening podcast focused on the region.Ali has teamed up with former radio broadcaster Jen Anderson to produce the Your Garden Coach NZ podcast to help educate and inform local gardeners.“Ali wanted to do this podcast … specifically for our environment … because it is just so different to everywhere else,” Jen said.“I think Ali has really tapped into something fantastic.”Ali said she was inspired as a child by her grandfather's garden and watching what he was growing and how he nurtured plants.She now lives on a property near Lake Hāwea with an extensive garden which is open to the public through the Secret Gardens of New Zealand network.“My garden is about a three acre garden with a very large vegetable garden component,” Ali said.“Visitors were coming through time after time and they were all asking the same question. How do you make this happen? How do you know what to plant when? How do I grow this? Why do I do that?“So over the winter, I sat and gave some considerable thought to a podcast.”The central mission of the podcast is to guide new gardens and to help gardeners become confident vegetable growers. “This [the Your Garden Coach NZ podcast] is all about getting people into a good headspace, getting them thinking about what they can grow and starting small,” Ali said. “So through inspiring, encouraging, and supporting through the podcast, I'm hoping that we can reach that goal.”Jen said that among other things the Your Garden Coach NZ podcast will cover how to establish a garden, what type of garden is required, what tools are needed and how to sow seeds or what to plant straight into the garden.The Your Garden Coach NZ podcast is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts.PHOTO: Aurora Lane Photography

Brain Injury Otago has appointed a new liaison officer for the Central Otago region, adapting its service to meet the needs of the Wānaka community. Tara McNally, who will be running a monthly drop-in clinic at the Wānaka Community Hub, said she is looking forward to meeting and supporting the Wānaka community.  Brain Injury Otago is also holding its annual street appeal in Wānaka today (Friday October 21).Tara McNallyAll funds raised will go towards supporting Brain Injury Otago services in the community.A brain injury occurs every 15 minutes in New Zealand.The organisation supports traumatic brain injuries, concussion, brain tumours, aneurysms, and other medical events. It also provides education to community groups which can be tailored to cover specific needs, for example for support staff or sports clubs.Find more information here.PHOTOS: Supplied

A new podcast explores an era before workplace health and safety, when the battle against the exploding population of invasive red deer became a 'wild west' industry where lives were lost and fortunes made. Deer Wars is the first podcast by local documentary filmmaker Paul Roy, who has also made two television documentaries about the topic.Its first episode will be released tomorrow (Friday October 20) with new episodes every Wednesday and Friday. Red deer are still culled in New Zealand but the industry is now “totally regulated,” Paul said.It’s a world away from what Paul said was “like New Zealand’s old wild west” when it was dangerous, lucrative and often fatal.The people involved faced challenges from isolation, food shortages, and a lack of huts, bridges or communications during the ground culling era, and the danger only intensified when efforts to shoot them from the air began.“Tonnes of people were killed,” he said. “Hundreds, if not thousands, were injured.”Red deer quickly grew to become a national issue but they had their start nearby.“The problem started because the first deer were released in Otago, near the Lindis Pass,” Paul said. “The whole deer problem spread from here in the mid 1800s.”The Deer Wars story includes many locals who were involved in the industry, including Sir Tim Wallis, who died on Tuesday (October 17).Paul said Tim did his first ever shoot using a helicopter in the McGills Creek of the Matukituki Valley “and he was a major player in the industry for decades,” Paul said. Over the past 15 years Paul has interviewed 140 people who witnessed the rise and fall of the deer culling industry between the 1930s and 1980s.Paul told the Wānaka App he wanted to make the podcast to create a permanent record of the stories of those involved.“Once these people are gone in the future, people will look back at this stuff and ask ‘did it really happen?’”Listen to the nine-part Deer Wars at the Radio New Zealand website here or on your preferred podcasting platform from tomorrow (Friday October 20).It will also be aired at 7am on Sundays on RNZ Radio. PHOTO: Supplied

Sir Tim Wallis died this afternoon (Tuesday October 17), aged 85.In a statement, his wife and children said: "It is with great sadness that we advise the death of our beloved Tim."The aviation entrepreneur died at home this afternoon "surrounded by family with a helicopter parked outside his window"."An exceptional man and a wonderful life."Sir Tim is survived by his wife Prue and their two sons, Toby and Jonathan.The Warbirds Over Wanaka community released a statement to mark the death of the airshow founder, patron and number one fan.Sir Tim was the driving force behind the event for 20 years after the first airshow ‘Warbirds On Parade’ was held in 1988.Warbirds Over Wānaka Community Trust Chairman John Gilks said Sir Tim’s main reasons for staging the airshow were to share his collection of WWII fighters with the general public but also to help attract visitors to Wānaka which was a sleepy little town back then. “He achieved all of that and a lot more. He was a real business entrepreneur and his legacy in this region goes way beyond the airshow.”Sir Tim’s funeral will be held at Wānaka Airport later next week.PHOTOS: Supplied

Four local girls have had the unique opportunity to work with an established songwriter to record an EP, and its first single was released today (Tuesday October 17). Edie Yandall, Lacey Bristow, Charlotte Martin, and Freya Jeffery took part in SongCatcher, a songwriting programme focused on teaching small groups of children ages 7-11 how to write a song and express themselves through songwriting and singing. The programme is led by New Zealand born country singer-songwriter Jackie Bristow.Lacey and Charlotte.Jackie worked with the girls as ‘Jackie B and the Mini Band’ to record the EP, 'Summertime', which will be released in January, though its first single ‘Spooky Hollywood’, is out now. Jackie said the EP’s songs were “sparkling, radio-ready pop songs”.Originally from Gore, Jackie now splits her time between New Zealand and Nashville.She has released several albums and been hailed by ‘American Songwriter’ as “crafting some of the most beautiful, compelling Americana today”.Edie.The SongCatcher programme began back in 2020 as a one-day songwriting workshop before it burgeoned.“It has been such a joyful experience writing and recording with these kids,” Jackie said. Edie, Lacey and Charlotte attend Holy Family Wānaka and they are all 11.Freya, who attended Wānaka Primary School and Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College before recently moving away, is 13.‘Spooky Hollywood’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.PHOTOS: Supplied

Two of the Upper Clutha’s smallest schools have welcomed new principals this term.Rachel Brown, former chair of the Wānaka Community Board, has been appointed principal of Makarora Primary School. Rachel has been teaching at Pūrākaunui School near Dunedin for the past two years, and Hāwea Flat School prior to that.Board chair Danyel Watson said the board undertook an extensive recruitment process and Rachel “had all the attributes we were looking for”.“We’re really excited to have her on board.”  Rachel BrownThere are currently 12 children (years one to six) from six families attending Makarora School. The school employs a teaching principal, a part time teacher and a part-time teacher’s aide.Nigel Nicholl served as principal from January 2021 until the end of last term.Former Tarras School principal Rachelle Hargreaves is moving to Oamaru to become an education advisor for the Ministry of Education, Otago North.She is being succeeded by Alice Casey, who started in the role on Monday (October 9).“Alice has come to us from Invercargill and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from both overseas and her time spent in New Zealand,” board chair Clementine Wallace said. “We are very excited to see where she will lead Tarras School on the next leg of its journey.”Rachelle was principal from 2017 and has seen the roll grow from six to 22.School upgrades in the past six years include a toilet rebuild, new tennis court turf, a tunnel house, and a relining of the swimming pool. “Tarras School is a very special place to be the principal of, it is made up of wonderful students, a great parent community and a hard working wider community,” Rachelle said. “I wish Alice all the best in taking Tarras School forward on the next part of its journey.”PHOTOS: Supplied

A climbing couple from Lake Hāwea are en route to South Georgia on the centenary year of Sir Ernest Shackleton's final expedition.Mountaineers Dean Staples and Lydia Bradey are leading 22 young New Zealand explorers on the Antarctic Heritage Trust trip which follows in Shackleton’s footsteps.The group flew to Santiago, Chile last week, before they travelled on to Punta Arenas in the south of the country.After that they went to the Falkland Islands to board Antarctica21’s Magellan Explorer and set sail the 152km to South Georgia.One of Frank Hurley’s famous images of the Endurance.Once there, they will spend eight days exploring the island, following in Shackleton’s footsteps and visiting various locations of historical significance.Four of the 22 young explorers will also join Lydia and Dean in an attempt to climb Mt Worsely. Lydia announced the mission on social media as “a Big Adventure … in our attempt to climb Mt Worsley with the Antarctic Heritage Trust”. “So many cool people on and off the boat, and the destination of South Georgia, I have dreamed for years of visiting, I am super excited,” she said.Lydia and Dean hope their team will become the second group (and the first New Zealanders) to summit Mt Worsley, which was named after New Zealand explorer Frank Worsley.Worsley was one of the members of polar explorer Shackleton’s most remarkable expedition: the Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition of 1914–16.The expedition attempted to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent, and while it failed to accomplish its objective, it became recognised as an epic feat of endurance.After Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and eventually sank, Shackleton, Worsley and two other crew members used the ship’s boats to travel to Elephant Island to seek help. All the crew survived and were eventually rescued.Read more: Mountaineers and community stalwart honouredPHOTOS: Supplied

A community-owned charitable trust which supports a wide range of local initiatives has three new trustees.Otago Community (OCT) trustees are responsible for managing funds of more than $285M and distributing funding for the benefit of communities within the region each month.In just the past couple of months they have provided funding to Wao Aotearoa to deliver its 2023 Wao Summit and Winter Games NZ Charitable Trust to go towards the cost of running the 2023 Winter Games.Recent funding of $15,000 from the OCT will support playground development at Te Kura O Take Karara.OCT has also supported Wānaka Musicians Incorporated with funding for Stars in Your Eyes, and local primary school Te Kura O Take Karara with a grant to go towards playground development.Read more: Funds granted for education, sportsOCT chief executive Jemma Adams welcomed new trustees Carole Adair (Dunedin), Robyn McLean (Dunedin), and Fraser McKenzie (Oamarau), who she said were well-positioned to help the trust “to continue making a positive impact in the region”.“We are pleased to have three new trustees appointed to the trust and look forward to their contribution,” Jemma said. “We believe the skill sets and knowledge each will bring to the table will be an asset for the trust”.The new trustees replace Diccon Sim and Malcolm Wong who stepped down at the end of August.“I wish to thank Diccon and Malcolm for all their hard work and the significant contribution both have both made to the trust over the years,” OCT chair Andy Kilsby said. OCT’s objective is to assist community projects that make a ‘significant and positive contribution to Otago communities.Find more information about the trust and funding opportunities here.

A 16-year-old Wānaka dancer has been selected for a prestigious performance showcase in New York City.Hunter Cranfield, who dances with Centralpoint in Wānaka, recently attended the week-long Broadway Dreams programme in Rust, Germany, with dancers from all over the world. At the end of the week, he was singled out as the only dancer selected to represent Broadway Dreams Germany in New York for the organisation’s international premier event.Hunter told the Wānaka App he has been dancing for eight years.He said the programme in Germany, where he got the chance to learn from top Broadway actors, directors and choreographers, had been an “amazing” experience.“I also got to meet so many like minded people that love to dance,” he said.  Broadway Dreams was founded in 2007 and it is a non-profit arts education organisation known for its immersive, mentorship-driven training model. The programme acts as a bridge between the Broadway community and the next generation of theatre artists. Its founder, fellow New Zealander Annette Tanne, is eager to bring talented Kiwi youngsters to experience the performing arts scene abroad. The event in New York, which Hunter will attend in November 2024, will provide even more opportunities for the promising young performer.It is attended by top Broadway directors, casting agents, theatre companies, venue operators and composers who scout for new talent.Hunter said he is excited to build further connections in the industry and learn more from all the professionals. “I would love to dance professionally once I have finished school and continue my training to enable me to do this,” he said.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka mountaineer Guy Cotter put pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions to good use by writing his memoir: ‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’.Guy told Wānaka App podcast The Outlet that in a way he had been writing the book for over 30 years.“I'd kept diaries of all my expeditions wherever I first went there in 1992,” he said. “And through Covid, I had a bit of time on my hands. So I figured, well, rather than do nothing, I'll just complete some projects that I've been wanting to do for a long time.” Writing the book was one of them, but it wasn’t a case of him sitting in a quiet study near Wānaka writing for hours. While he started writing during the early days of the pandemic, the rewriting and editing process lasted much longer.‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’.“I'd find myself in a hotel room in Punta Arenas at the bottom of South America between expeditions or Kathmandu or whatever, or in a base camp somewhere trying to rewrite a section and then getting it back [to my editor].”Guy said his motivation was to provide some background information about what goes on on Everest.“Everyone's got an opinion about what happens on Everest, but people aren't all aware of all of the detail and all of the backstory and what it really is like on the mountain. I wanted to fill some of those gaps.”One thing he particularly wanted to include were the events of 1996.Guy owns Adventure Consultants, which has been based in Wānaka for more than 25 years. The business was established by Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1992, and Guy guided on its first commercial expedition to Mt Everest in 1992.“A lot of people will know about what happened in 1996 with the passing of Rob Hall and Andy Harris and Doug Hanson, Yasuko Namba, Scott Fischer… I wanted to ensure that there was a preamble to that and that the build-up to ‘96 showed that ‘96 wasn't just an isolation,” he said. “I also wanted to focus on what happened after that, what it was like for me to take on the mantle of running Adventure Consultants…”Adventure Consultants downsized after the arrival of Covid-19 and the border restrictions, but the company relaunched globally in 2022 and has been based in a temporary office upstairs in Wānaka’s Spencer House Mall since June this year.Read more: Wānaka business goes global againGuy said there is “a huge amount of drama on a peak like Everest every year” and his book covers much of it, but he also looks at wider issues.“[I try] to give a rounded view of what's going on on Everest rather than just the dramatic headlines we hear all the time,” he said. ‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’ is due to be released on October 13.Details have yet to be confirmed for a Wānaka book launch.PHOTOS: Supplied

Jill Checketts of Wānaka, representing 50 Squadron (Alexandra) Air Training Corps, took out the 2023 Alexandra Blossom Festival Senior Queen crown at a special event at the Alexandra District Club on Tuesday (September 19). Nominees Angela Pratley (Combined Lions Clubs of Clyde & Districts) and Linda Leckie (Alexandra Senior Citizens) were named runners up and will ride next to Jill on the Contact Energy float in Saturday’s Alexandra Blossom Festival Grand Parade (September 23).Head judge and Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan said judging was a difficult decision as all the candidates were deserving of the crown, however Jill’s 24 years of supporting young people through Air Training Corps was too big to dismiss. Jill said she was “very honoured and humbled’’ to win.“The other contestants were amazing and everybody in this community does so well - they don’t just do one thing,” she said.“They do so much for everybody and it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is, you have a mutual interest in being the best you can be in this wonderful place.’’ The Senior Queen has been a fixture in the Alexandra Blossom Festival since 1996, with the crowning the first official event of the festival week.PHOTO: Shannon Thomson/Alexandra Blossom Festival

Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) students Richard Denyer, Oscar Goodwin, and Matilda Metcalfe competed in the national Smokefree Rockquest final held in Auckland on Saturday (September 16).Smokefree Rockquest is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music youth event.To reach the final, the musical trio ‘Spoken’ entered two original songs in the regional competition, filmed three original songs for the next round, and performed a further two original songs in the final.Principal Nicola Jacobsen said everyone at MAC was incredibly proud of Matilda, Oscar and Richard.“Reaching the final ten in the nationwide Rockquest competition is an exceptional achievement and testament to their commitment, passion and hard work.“This achievement also reflects the dedication of our head of music Mat Doyle who provides extraordinary support to our students.”Vocalist and keyboard player Matilda Metcalfe said reaching the Rockquest final was an incredible opportunity for the trio.“We feel so privileged to have made the final of the competition and to be given a platform to reach a broader audience and gain the wider recognition we have worked so hard for.”Drummer Oscar Goodwin agrees. “I’ve been part of this competition since I was in Year 8 and it’s always been a dream of mine to make the national final.“It was great to be on stage and meet all the other musicians at the event and it’s such an awesome way to end our time at school.”Bass player Richard Denyer said making the final of the competition was the result of years of hard work, hours and hours of practice and meticulous songwriting.“The songs we write are a fusion of all our musical personalities because each of us has different taste in music which makes for an interesting dynamic because we always bring different ideas to the table.” MAC head of music Mat Doyle said making the nation’s top ten is a testament to their dedication, passion, and hard work.“Spoken's success serves as an inspiration to all our students, showing them that with passion and perseverance, they can achieve great things.“We are so thankful to have events such as Smokefree Rockquest to provide our students with opportunities to share and present their craft and to open doors for them.”View one of Spoken’s original songsWatch their live performance at Rockquest here.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka’s inaugural Pride Street Party was better than organisers hoped for with a strong community turnout at Saturday’s (September 9) event.The celebration at the Lake Wānaka Centre featured everything from live music and DJs to spoken word and poetry, a craft market, food and beverage stalls, a ‘living library’, and an information market with LGBTQI+ resources.  “This is better than I envisioned it,” event spokesperson Ollie Harcus said. “The community have really come together both from a rainbow perspective and our allies, so it has been absolutely amazing.”Ollie is a founding member of Out and About Wānaka, a burgeoning group of LGBTQI+ locals and allies.He said the idea for the pride event came from a desire to support local rainbow youth. It quickly picked up steam with a range of community groups supporting the initiative.“Our agencies, St John, FENZ and the police have all really stepped up and gone, you know what, we want to be a part of it,” Ollie said.A range of community groups supported the event.Ollie said the event was about bringing people together and removing any negativity around the rainbow community.A stage at the entrance to the Lake Wānaka Centre became the focal point with drag queens among the light-hearted entertainment provided.“It was incredible to see the love from the community and you know, just bring that negativity down and go, do you know what, that was an epic day. These are some epic people.”Money raised from a raffle and silent auction on the day will provide financial assistance to support Kahu Youth and Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College’s rainbow programmes.In addition to the Pride Street Party, Out and About has longer-term goals to become a charitable trust that supports the local LGBTQI+ community, Ollie said.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has appointed Dr Leslie Van Gelder as the chair to the Climate Reference Group (CRG).The CRG is an independent panel of experts who advise the council on climate and biodiversity related issues and developments and help deliver the Climate Action Plan (CAP).  Leslie is a Glenorchy resident and the co-chair of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, and chair of both the Glenorchy Heritage and Museum Group and Glenorchy Dark Skies Sanctuary Group.She has served on QLDC’s Vision Beyond 2050 Steering Group, Regenerative Recovery Advisory Group, and Economic Diversification Advisory Group.“The Climate Reference Group is such an outstanding group of people who deeply care for this place and our future,” Leslie said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we can amplify the work that’s already taking place in the district and finding more opportunities to work together in a cohesive, strategic, and impactful way.”Councillors unanimously approved Leslie’s appointment at a council meeting late last month.She replaces the previous chair, former Wānaka resident Bridget Legnavsky, who relocated to the United States. Mayor Glyn Lewers said Leslie was an “excellent fit” for the role.“With Dr Van Gelder’s leadership, I look forward to receiving the group’s continued independent advice and guidance that’ll help ensure QLDC best navigates what is a complex, complicated, and multi-generational set of issues,” he said. Members of the Climate Reference Group include Dr Chris Cameron, Rev Evelyn Cook, Amanda Robinson, Alec Tang, Dr Barrie Wills, Eleanor Trueman, Dr Jim Salinger, Dr Lyn Carter, Tony Pfeiffer, Victoria Crockford, and Sydney Telfer.PHOTO: QLDC

Council boss Mike Theelen has received a pay rise bringing his salary to more than $415K. The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) CEO’s salary increased by a little over $30K to $415,321.09 after the Chief Executive Performance Review Committee recommendation was approved by councillors last week.The pay rise marks an increase of eight per cent (including a KiwiSaver contribution of three percent), significantly more than the two percent raise he received a year ago. Mayor Glyn Lewers said the remuneration package reflected Mike’s strong leadership during “unprecedented times of change for local government”.His remuneration is now $415,321.09. PHOTO: Wānaka AppNational level changes affecting the council include the affordable water services programme, the Resource Management Act review, and the Future for Local Government review.“Council is also facing an extremely challenging environment with increasing costs, insurances and borrowing rates, while trying to balance the effect of rates on the local community during a cost of living crisis,” Glyn said.Those factors, in addition to significant building defect claims and planning and delivering for current future communities add up to a “massive” job,” Glyn said.He said Mike and his team are guiding elected council “with skill and valuable experience”.“He is a true asset to this council and the district.”Mike was previously the Christchurch City Council's general manager of strategy and planning, and led the council's recovery team after the Canterbury earthquakes.He joined QLDC as CEO in February 2016.

Ngurrawaana the film, directed by Kieran Satour, is this year’s winner of the Monster Children Short Film Awards (MCSFA), presented by Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT). Kieran (of Garuwa), along with producer Ramona Telecican, editor Rah Dakota, cinematographer Ryan Andrew Lee and photographer James Evans created a short film which explores a Yindjibarndi man’s journey back to his homelands and shows how being back on country helps First Nations people find their spirit and power amongst their ancestors. For the awards a shortlist of five directors were asked to provide a treatment concept incorporating the theme of ‘Regeneration’ to be filmed in Wānaka.“All five responses were incredible,” LWT said in a statement, “but it was Kieran’s deeply considered response to the subject that made the difference.” During the process of making Ngurrawaana it was important to be able to share Yindjibarndi culture in an authentic and nuanced way, Kieran said.  “I am humbled to be the winner of MCSFA 2023 and am even more excited to see the Yindjibarndi story reach a bigger audience via Ngurrawaana’s win. “I want to thank the Yindjibarndi for trusting me to make the film with them, especially Juluwarlu CEO Lorraine Coppin, her son Wimiya Woodley, his partner Iya Ware and his father Michael Woodley.  “In the same vein as our process with the Yindjibarndi, the kaupapa for our film in Wānaka was always going to be a First Nations first approach that centres around Kāi Tahu experience, worldview and perspective”.  The calibre of talent made it both exciting and difficult for to choose a winner, LWT marketing and communications manager Gizelle Regan said.“After an extraordinary response to the theme of regeneration special mentions need to go out to the runners up Kauis Potter, Tom Morales, Jason Tran, and Tim Brown who have each won $1,000 in cash as well as a $500 Sony hardware voucher.” Kieran and his team have won a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 worth of film hardware from Sony, and production budget to direct a short film, on-location with local crew and Monster Children Films, supported by LWT and partner Film Queenstown Lakes.  Watch the winning entry here and keep an eye out for the Wānaka based film due for release before Christmas.  

Central Otago Heritage Trust's (COHT) oral history programme has been boosted by a $11,430 grant from Central Lakes Trust (CLT) in the August funding round. The oral histories recorded by the trust have included local personalities like Snow Farm co-founder Mary Lee and former Tarras School principal of 25 years Noelene Pullar.  COHT oral history manager Carolyn Squires said the stories are considered to be a shared taonga (treasure) and essential to have recorded, preserved, shared and celebrated on an ongoing basis. The programme preserves “our unique history shared through the spoken word, and make these available for the public to enjoy and listen to on our website,” Carolyn said.The CLT grant will support the project for another two years, through to July 2025.Currently there are 84 oral histories in the collection, and 12 are available online for anyone to listen to, (including residents of Hāwea, Tarras, Cardrona and more).Interviews are carried out by volunteers, and the project aims to collect 30 oral histories a year. Each oral history can involve 16 or more hours to complete, covering preparation, pre-interview meetings, recording and editing. So far volunteers have spent 2,160 hours working on the oral histories. Carolyn said COHT OHP currently has a full quota of volunteer interviewers but they do need assistance from someone who has expertise in using software to edit audio content. The collection of interviews cover a wide range of topics including farming, viticulture, health, dance and community engagement. “We are interested in collecting more oral history recordings on the stories of different ethnic groups across Central Otago [too].”For more information contact [email protected] or visit the OHP website.PHOTO: Central Otago Heritage Trust