Daffodil Day fundraiser

The Bay of Islands Rotary Club is holding a fundraiser breakfast at the Kingsgate Motel in Paihia on September 1 in aid of the Northland Cancer Society.

The breakfast buffet is not
the only thing on the menu. Raffle hampers are available as a means to raise even more funds and there are two collection points and a sausage sizzle in town for the same purpose Both are manned by volunteers from Rotary.

One collection point, on August 12-13, is outside the ASB Bank in Williams Rd. The other, on August 25-26, is outside Waitangi Countdown. They will be gathering donations for the cause.

The hamper raffle winner will be announced at day’s end on August 26.

At the breakfast will be a speaker from the Cancer Society who will explain how the money raised is distributed.

Last year, when there were still some Covid-related restrictions, the Rotary Club sold 60 tickets to the breakfast and raised just under $2000. Another $3000 was raised at the collection points over Daffodil Day weekend and at the Jazz & Blues Festival.

This year the Rotary Club expects to sell 100 tickets and to raise even more money for the Cancer Society.

Tickets to the breakfast buffet are available from Gold ‘n’ Gifts in Williams Rd, Paihia at $30 each.

Māori designs on fashion

He was the first Māori designer to be featured in British Vogue magazine and now Kharl WiRepa will be parading his creations at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week from August 29 to September 2.

Although he is based in Rotorua, Kharl WiRepa’s whakapapa is in Northland and the Far North in particular.

He is Ngāpuhi and Te Rārawa. He traces his genealogy back through his grandmother, Matuahaere Heta, and her father, Hohepa Heta from Whāngarei.

His great-grandmother was Mary Gundry who was a well-known Māori artist in the 1960s and whose grandparents on her father’s side were from the Hokianga.

“Her uncle was one of the painters for Queen Victoria,” he said. “And the family were shoemakers who made shoes for the Queen.

“My principal ancestor was Makareta Rautangi from Ngai Tupoto but at times people are unaware of my northern whakapapa because I have an East Coast name,” he said.

His 2023 fashion collection merges traditional elements with the contemporary, meriting him acclaim and bolstering his status as a leading figure for this year’s Fashion Week. He will be highlighting his “red carpet” designs in two shows.

The first, on August 30, will include elements from his heritage. The gowns have meticulous attention to detail, they are covered in crystals and each garment will showcase the designer’s vision for Haute Couture Fashion.

The second is on September 2 and is called Tangaroa Te Ihi Moana – The Sea is Rising. It is presented by Te Matatini champions Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Tangaroa Te Ihi Moana and will feature musicians Rob Ruha and Ria Hall.

Last year his designs featured at the Musee Du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac in Paris and at London Fashion Week at Whitehall Suite at the Royal Horseguards.

Two different Matariki celebrations

Celebrating Matariki this year came with two different approaches on either side of the Bay of Islands.

The first – and by far the biggest – celebration was in Paihia. An estimated 5000 people crowded on to the foreshore and surrounds throughout the day.

The event featured Matariki-focused community activities, music and workshops run by Meraki Hub leading into an evening of entertainment along the waterfront.

The display started with a waiata performed by Northland’s opera star, Kawiti Waetford, followed by a narrated story that acknowledged those who have passed, the arrival of Kupe and the creation of Matariki.

The story, written by Ngāti Kāwa Taituha and Heeni Hoterene, explained the meaning of the star Puānga to Ngāpuhi.

There was also the Brew of Islands beer festival, an exhibition at the Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi and the Duke of Marlborough hosted a dinner catered by Māori chefs.

The finale was a light show that floodlit the inner island, Motu Maire, with choreographed fireworks with the waka, Hine-te-aparangi, steering through the dark by Te Korowai.

Across the Bay in Russell, the Haratu Kororārareka Marae celebrated with surprisingly low-key publicity with moko painting, musical instrument instruction and an astrophotography workshop.

South Sea Art in York Street had an exhibition with 11 participants who showcased 27 different art and craft pieces in the limited space of the gallery.

The exhibition was curated by Cornelia Schmidt-Bundfuss and Catrina Sutter and the idea behind it was to present a selection from local artists to celebrate Matariki. The People’s Choice Award from the exhibition went to Kia Kammerer with her work entitled “The Touch”.

Two Awards to Ngāwha Geothermal

Two major awards have gone to Ngāwhā Generation Limited (NGL) at the Northland Regional Council’s 2023 Whakamānawa ā Taiao – Environmental Awards held in in Whangārei last Saturday.

NGL, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Top Energy, won the Environmental Action in Industry award and the Environmental Action to Address Climate Change award.

Three years ago NGL came close to not qualifying to win anything. Station Three (OEC3) at Ngāwhā was commissioned on December 31, 2020, and it made the Far North a net exporter of electricity.

One month later, the Climate Change Commission recommended the closure of the entire Ngāwhā operation as part of New Zealand’s carbon emissions reduction goal.

Ray Robinson, general manager at NGL, said the recommendation was a considerable shock to the business and the community.

Although the final report retracted the recommendation, the cost of emitting greenhouse gases had increased significantly, and the cost of the emissions tax forecast the closure of NGL.

New Zealand’s commitment to international climate change targets interrupted NGL’s business model for the better and Robinson says the company embraced the challenge.

“In what might be seen as a departure from standard industry practice, an NGL operational team undertook the work internally, given the urgency of the situation and the slow advancement of solutions in the industry.”

The Non-Condensable Gas Re-injection project has resulted in innovative technology and methodology to reinject 100 per cent of non-condensable gases extracted during the production of geothermal electricity. About 128,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent gases per annum will be eliminated.

At the time of the award entry, NGL is producing zero greenhouse gas emissions from two of its power stations. The third power station will see the remaining 30 per cent of emissions cease by the end of this year, making it New Zealand’s first zero CO2 emitting geothermal generator.

“Once all stations have been converted, all the electricity consumed on the network during export periods will become carbon neutral,” said Mr Robinson.