December 2010 - BayBuzz

www.baybuzz.co.nzBayBuzz Digest5BuzzmakersRod DruryFounder and CEO, Xero,an accounting softwaredeveloper. Prime moverbehind Pacific Fibre, whichwill provide NZ a secondundersea communicationslink to the rest of the world.Strong advocate of bringinghigh-speed broadband to the Bay. Twice NZ’sTech Entrepreneur of the Year.Doug DuckerManaging Director, Pan Pac Forest Products,the Bay’s largest private sector employer.VP of HB Chamber of Commerce Board.Member of the Japan New Zealand BusinessCouncil and currently Chairman of the WoodCouncil of New Zealand.Marie DunninghamAs Secretary of Hastings & District GreyPower, serves as a frequent advocate onCouncil and DHB matters on behalf of 2500+members.Jason Fox*Chairs the Hawke’s Bay Maori BusinessNetwork, an informal group of local Maori inbusiness who came together in 2008.Dick Frizzell*Widley-acclaimed painter. Wine entrepreneur.Active supporter of WOW, working to savethe Cape Coast.Jenni Giblin*Fundraiser extraordinaire for several of HBflagship edifices – Regional Sports Park, HBMuseum & Art Gallery, HB Opera House,McLean Park, Waipawa Municipal Theatre.Diana Giles & Greta Whan*Run the Napier and Hastings food banks,respectively. With the help of committedvolunteers and generous communitycontributions, they’ve manged to help feedthousands of the Bay’s hungry over the pastyear.Ken Gilligan*Chairman of Cranford Hospice GovernanceBoard. A Director of Maritime NZ Authority.Ran the Port of Napier for seventeen years.Currently a director of City Medical Limited(Napier) and a trustee of the Napier FamilyCentre Financial Trust. Recent Director ofUnison and nine years as chair of the Hawke’sBay Power Consumers Trust.June GrahamFormer member of Dept of Conservation’sEast Coast HB Conservation Board. Activemember of the BayWatch environmentalteam. Frequent submitter to Councils.Claire HagueDeputy Chief Executive at EIT Hawke’s Bay.Former principal (andteacher) at Napier Girls’High School. Awarded theOfficer of the New ZealandOrder of Merit for servicesto education. Has taughtat Tamatea High School,Colenso High School (nowWilliam Colenso College)and Whangarei Girls’ High School.Angela HairMember of Baywatch, HB’s environmentalwatchdog group. Frequent submitter andadvocate of sustainability viewpoint beforearea councils. Ardent opponent of fluoride inHastings drinking water.Jan Hania*HB Area Manager for the Departmentof Conservation. Key voice on Bay’senvironmental issues and programmes.Greg & Rachel HartOwn and farm the 600 hectare MangararaStation at Patangata on a sustainable basis,shifting to natural inputs designed to enrichtheir soil and wean their farm off chemicalfertilisers. Substantial planting and fencing toprevent nutrient and erosion run-off.Damon Harvey & Anna LorckDirectors of Attn! Marketing, promotingnumerous prominent Bay projects, events andorganizations. Publish business magazine,Profit.Donna Hedley*Manages Alzheimers Society Hastings,dedicated to improving the services and helpfor people with Alzheimer’s conditions.Debbie Hewitt*Central Hawke’s Bay commercial asparagusgrower. Chair of Ruataniwha Plains WaterStorage Stakeholder Group, which will helpdetermine the viability of water harvestingin the Tukituki/Waipawa Rivers catchment.Board member of Horticulture NZ.Peter HolleyChief Executive of Mission Estate Winery,NZ’s oldest and one of the most sustainablewineries in the country. HB Chamber ofCommerce Business Person of the Year in2010.Tama HuataExecutive Director of the national WaiataMaori Awards (Maori Music Awards),celebrated at the HB Opera House. Formedthe Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre fortyyears ago to create cultural, educational andemployment opportunities for young Maoriin traditional performing arts. An Officer ofthe New Zealand Order of Merit.Sandy IbbotsonStarted the all-volunteer Napier CommunityPatrol in 2006. Now consults with patrolsin other Hawke’s Bay communities andrepresents the district at the nationalorganisation.Very Reverend Helen JacobiAs Dean of Waiapu, leads the NapierCathedral community. First woman to beappointed Dean of a Cathedral in NewZealand.Shona Jones*Chair, Board of Te Taiwhenua O Heretaunga,HB Maori Business Network coordinator.Trustee of He Pataka Hauora Trust, sponsorof the recent Kai in the Bay Maori and WildFood Festival. The Trust will be promotingdiabetes awareness.Ken Keyes*Started Hawke’s Bay Youth Theatre in 2003,an on-going drama group for young people,now with 40 productions under its belt.Drama teacher for years at Havelock NorthHS. Ran annual National Drama School forhigh school students from throughout NZ.Kerry Kitione*As secretary of Napier Pilot City Trust, Kerryhas organized dozens of Treaty of Waitangiworkshops, giving hundreds of HB residentsand leaders a deeper understanding of theMaori experience.Caroline LamppManager, DOVE HB, providing supportand education programmes for womenexperiencing family violence, StoppingViolence programmes for men who haveoffended, and services to youth witnesses orvictims of family violence.Douglas Lloyd JenkinsDirects the Hawke’s Bay Museum & ArtGallery. One of NZ’s mosthighly respected designwriters. Just publishedThe Dress Circle: NewZealand Fashion DesignSince 1940. Face of TVNZ’sThe Big Art Trip. His AtHome: A Century of NewZealand Design won a Montana Book Award.Darryl Lew*Resource Management Group Manager, HBRegional Council. Responsible for resourceconsents, monitoring and compliance, andenvironmental science. HBRC’s key player oncritical water issues.Jane Libby*General Manager of Food Hawke’s Bay,champions HB food and culinary excellencethrough programs like the HospitalityAwards, Regional Signature Dish, The OliveFestival, HB Farmers’ Market, HB FoodTrail & Dining Guide, and representation atnational & international food shows.Andy Lowe*Sponsor of the 2,400 hectare Cape KidnappersWildlife Reserve that plays host to a breedingand release program designed to save theendangered North Island Brown Kiwi, aswell as other rare species such as pateke androbins. • • • • ∗ ∗ ∗

BayBuzz Digest6www.baybuzz.co.nzThe Bay's TOP 100Dr Kerryn Lum*Physician. Former medical director of CranfordHospice. Major voice in campaign that changedrecent management and governance structure forthis community institution.David MackerseyManaging Director at Mackersey Construction, amajor commercial builder (e.g., Ahuriri’s CrownHotel), developer and property manager inHastings and Napier.Anne & Paddy MaloneyActive in environment andtourism. Projects includeprotecting Ocean Beach,mentoring award-winningWaimarama Maori Tours,award winning programmeto restore Waimarama coastaldunes.Nic Magdalinos*Chair of Napier Inner City Marketing. ManagingDirector of Paris Magdalinos Architects and sitson the Board of Designgroup New Zealand, one ofthe country’s largest architectural companies.Nicole Masters*Soil agronomist and educator. Director of IntegritySoils. Evangelist for sustainable farming.Ray McKimmFounder and managing director of Big SaveFurniture, with stores throughout NZ. Movedheadquarters to Napier and developed $30 millionIn need of a holiday?Ahuriri Business Park, including restoration of thehistoric National Tobacco Company Building.Paul McArdle*Founder of Bike On NZ, which promotes cyclingin Hawke’s Bay and throughout NZ throughvarious nonprofit projects. His‘Bikes in the School’ program,for example, provided StMary’s School in Hastings with62 new bikes, 225 helmets, a550m cycle track and more.Stuart McLaughlinPresident of HB Chamber ofCommerce. Partner at Langley Twigg law firm.Ross McLeod*Chief Executive of Hastings District Council sinceFebruary 2008. Joined HDC from his positionas Director of Corporate and Civic Services atWaitakere City Council, a position he held forseven years.Matt & Georgina Miller*Directors of Mogul, creators of many of the Bay’shighest profile biz and government websites,including EIT, Hastings Tourism, Pacific Fibre,Iona College and of course BayBuzz.Maree MillsDirects Hastings City Art Gallery. Her own artpractice reflects a Maori worldview; expert invideo production and digital media.Isabel MorganLongstanding chair of Forest & Bird in Napier.“2010 has been a challenging year nationally, across a broad range of industries.In Hawke’s Bay real estate the number of sales are well down whilst the mediansales price has held. Tremains has had a pretty good year – that is relative to themarket. We are still listing and selling, whilst some have really struggled. Ourpeople are our business, and they have worked tirelessly to get results for ourcustomers. They certainly deserve a holiday, time to recharge the batteries, eatand be merry with family and friends in the Hawke’s Bay summer season.Thanks to those who have supported us in 2010. See you on the other side.”Alison Small…who doesn’t believein holidays!Relax, unwind and forgetthe housework.Simon Tremain189 Harper Road – Waimarama$460,000What holiday?! Alison is our Waimarama specialist, havingsold more baches, sections and homes than we counton our fingers and toes. Whilst husband Bruce is out atsea crayfishing, Alison is working the land – in the localcommunity listing and selling to the next generation ofWaimarama families. Give Alison a call if you’re in need ofa holiday at one of Hawke’s Bay’s best spots.Ardent conservationist. A member of Keep NapierBeautiful and Ahuriri Protection Society. TradeAid Shop volunteer.Sam & Hannah Morrah*CHB farmers who recently won Marks & Spencer‘Future of Farming’ award. They supply premiumquality Primera lambs off their OhineumeriTrust farm outside Waipukurau, and the awardrecognises farmers and growers who are takingmajor steps to improve the sustainability of theirbusiness.John NewlandDirector or advisor to broad range of HBenterprises, including Marist Holdings andStewart Financial Group. Chair of HB PowerConsumers’ Trust. Chair of HB Helicopter RescueTrust. Former CEO of Farmlands. Avid thespianand Patron of Theatre Hawke’s Bay.Andrew Newman*Chief Executive of Hawke’s Bay Regional Councilsince May 2006, returning to NZ after several yearsin the forestry industry in Australia.Keith Newman*Spokesman for Walking on Water (WOW),the Haumoana/Te Awanga community groupworking to protect the Cape Coast. Writer.Graeme NortonExecutive Director of 3R Group, perhaps the‘greenest’ company in theBay, given its focus of helpingentire industries adoptsustainable business practices.Member of ExecutiveCommittee for NZ BusinessCouncil for SustainableDevelopment. Board memberof HB Chamber of Commerce. Founder of theProduct Stewardship Foundation.Denis O’Reilly*With a decades-long background in ‘streetactivism’ and community development, Denisworks to rehabilitate gang members and combatP. His Waiohiki Trust runs a school, carving andcraft centre.Dennis OliverLed establishment of the volunteer HavelockNorth Community Patrol. Has been memberof the Hastings Safer Community Council,foundation member of the Tiaki TamarikiTrust, Board Member of the Radio KidnappersCharitable Trust.Sam OrtonChair of HB Wine Country Tourism Assn. Withwife Mary, has operated Orton Catering inHawke’s Bay for over 20 years. Sam received theKim Crawford Wines Outstanding HospitalityPersonality award in the 2009 HB HospitalityAwards.Emily Otto*Citizen activist on behalf of restoring Marineland.Recently launched FriendsofMarineland.org.nz.John PalairetChair of the Hawke’s Bay Airport board. OnBoards of Unison Networks, Anglican Care, theTe Aute Trust and Creative Hawke’s Bay. Has beena partner at Palairet Pearson accountancy and itsantecedent firms in Napier for 33 years.Adrienne Pierce*Chair of Havelock North Business Association.Founder and director of SMART, a franchise thatprovides administrative services to small/mediumbusinesses.Paul Paynter*Fifth-generation orchardist.Managing director of JohnnyAppleseed, one of the Bay’sbiggest producers of apples.Strong advocate for protectingthe productive soils of theHeretaunga Plains.Liz (Andrews)Pennington*CEO of Waiapu Anglican Social Services. Headsup the team that oversees 44 different socialservices from early childhood centres to elder care,involving 500 staff and 500 volunteers in Hawke’sBay, BOP and East Cape.Antony Phillips*Editor of Hawke’s Bay Today since early 2010.Mereana Pitman*Trainer and facilitator, cultural supervisor,advocate for children & young people who havewitnessed family violence at DOVE.Taine Randell*Flaxmere’s former All Black captain, with 51 testappearances. Now giving back to his communityas a Trustee of Henare O’Keefe’s U-Turn Trust,where he is helping reinvigorate the MAC SportClub and its rugby team.Des RatimaChair of Ahuriri DistrictHealth Trust (post treatysettlement entity), Chair,Takitimu Maori WardensCharitable Trust and TeWhanau Whakakotahi AIwi Marae. Advocate forcommunity development andenvironmental issues. Former chair of HDC’sMaori Committee. Past chair Te Aranga Marae, TeMea of Whakatu.David RenoufCitizen watchdog on water quality, wastewater,and infrastructure issues before the Councils.Works on Tukituki issues via the HBEnvironmental Water Group with Bill Dodds,John Scott and Colin Crombie.Raewynn Ricketts*Chair of the Maraetotara Tree Trust, formedto protect and enhance the 35 kilometres ofthe Maraetotara River and its banks from theheadwaters to the sea at Te Awanga. Member ofthe Kiwi Conservation Club and Forest and Bird.Received a Hastings Civic Honours Award in 2007.Hugh Ritchie*Farms 1,700 hectares in CHB with livestockand cropping. Board member of Irrigation NZ,Federated Farmers, and LandWISE. Memberof HBRC’s Tukituki and Ruataniwha Plainsstakeholders groups.Jim ScotlandChairs the Port of Napier Board; member of HBAirport Board. Board Chair of 3R. Vice-Chairof HortResearch. Member of Ruataniwha PlainsWater Storage Project – Leadership Group. Otherdirectorships include Seeka Kiwifruit, The CrownHotel, Ahuriri Waterfront Holdings.Sam Robinson*CHB sheep and beefcattle farmer. Chair ofAgResearch. Chair ofRuataniwha Plains WaterStorage Project – LeadershipGroup. Former Chairof Richmond Ltd. Past

www.baybuzz.co.nzBayBuzz Digest7Buzzmakersmember of many community boards – e.g., Portof Napier, HB Regional Council.Jacob Scottrchitectural designer and artist; principal of Scottesign. Pioneer in promotion and developmentf contemporary Maori art and Maori artsducation. Founder and head of EIT’s Art andesign School. Led the establishment of theaunga Kura Toi degree, NZ’s first degree levelrogramme in Maori carving and weaving.oy Senior*iabetes nurse specialist for past 22 years.ecently awarded national-level Eli Lilly awardor her patient-empowering approach to diabetesanagement at Wairoa Hospital.r Kevin Snee*hief Executive of Hawke’s Bay Hospital sincectober 2009. Migrated from UK, where he hadeen chief executive of the National Health Servicen Devon.eon Stallard*hairman, HB Fruitgrowers. Former BP corporateanager, enjoys life more as a grower of apples onhe Heretaunga Plains.olin StoneEO of Sport Hawke’s Bay, a charitable trust thatevelops sport in the region. On Boards of Sportsark Trust and Pettigrew-Green Arena.en Sutherland*EO of Unison. Corporate sponsor of manyommunity activities and facilities.manda Sye*ounder, No 9 Marketing & Design. Chair ofhuriri Business Assn.evin Tamati*hair for Korongata Marae and Ngati Poporoapu. Referee coordinator for Hawke’s Bay Rugbyeague. Former rugby player and coach, inductednto the New Zealand Rugby League Legends ofeague.eil Taylor*hief Executive of Napier City Council since 1992.orked for NCC a previous ten years. Owns theeys to the city.hristine Teariki*gati Kahungunu Iwi Inc Board member for Teaiwhenua o Heretaunga. In her third term onhe iwi board, previously holding the positionf Deputy Chair. Chairperson of Takitimuerforming Arts School Trust and Tautoko Wahineaori Trust.r Janet TiTchener*as run a DHB-supportedrimary care-based diabeteservice for nearly five years.ecently awarded nationalevelEli Lilly award forer pioneering patientmpoweringapproacho diabetes management.rovides diabetes service to Te Taiwhenua Oeretaunga.eraldine Traversrincipal of Hasting Girls’ High School. Recipientf a National Award for Excellence in Leadership,hich recognizes secondary school principalshose “leadership qualities inspire outstandingearning outcomes for children, and who setmbitious but achievable goals for their school”imon Tremainrincipal of Tremains Real Estate, a sponsorf many charitable and community-buildingefforts in the Bay, including the annual CorporateTriathlon and the Christmas Lights Festival.Accomplished charity auctioneer.Phyllis TichininSoil expert and biologicalfarming advocate. ThroughBioAgNZ, advises farmersthroughout Hawke’s Baywho want an alternative tochemical-based farming.Ngahiwi TomoanaChair, Ngati Kahungunu Iwi, having the thirdlargest Iwi population. AlsoChair, Te Ohu Kaimona,a statutory organisationdedicated to advancement ofMaori interests in the marineenvironment. On Boards ofRegional Sports Park andHawke’s Bay DHB.Claire VogtherrProprietor of Holly Baconand entrepreneur. Member,Ministry of EconomicDevelopment’s Small BusinessAdvisory Group. Active witheducation programmes suchas Secondary Futures andEducation for Enterprise. OnHB Chamber of CommerceBoard. On the Board of Proprietors of IonaCollege, as well as the College Foundation.Alayna WateneGeneral Manager of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga,an iwi-based organisation that facilitates the social,cultural, economic and educational advancementof all Maori living in the Hastings area. Won HBChamber’s Businessperson of the Year Award in2008.Martin WilliamsChair of the Napier City Pilot Trust. Lawyerrepresenting area councils and HBDHBon consent issues. Involved with Napierneighbourhood preservation.Jenny YuleFounder and Managing Director of awardwinningPORSE, which trains people to providein-home care and education for children.Named most outstanding business womanof 2008 by publisher of Her Magazine for NZbusinesswomen. In 2007, HB Chamber namedPORSE supreme business of the year.BayBuzz LegendsIn making our selections, we have tried toemphasize leaders of today and tomorrow. Thatsaid, we’ve created a new category to recognizeindividuals who have made a huge mark on thecommunity over time. Not that these folks havestopped contributing to the community; but ifthey did, the Bay would still be deeply indebted.Kevin AtkinsonCommunity health advocate as Chair of DistrictHealth Board. Longtime Director and now BoardChair of Unison. Owns and directs businesssoftware company Information ManagementSystems Ltd (IMS), servicing over 10,000companies nationwide. Patron of HB sport andFinancial Director of the Hawke’s Bay RugbyBoard (IMS is corporate sponsor of the Magpies).Retired Deputy Chair of The Eastern and CentralCommunity Trust. Serious badminton player.Graeme AveryOwner and CEO of Sileni Estates Winery.Nationally recognised for his contribution tohealth publishing, elite and developmental sport,and tourism in New Zealand. Instrumental in theestablishment of the “Hawke’s Bay Wine Country”brand, Food Hawke’s Bay and the Hawke’s BayFarmers Market. Currently Chairman of the NewZealand Food & Wine Tourism Network.Pat BensonDirector of Napier Computing Services andformer junior All Black, finds time to coachFlaxmere’s MAC rugby team. Received a Spiritof Napier Award for his contributions to the city,including preservation and refurbishment ofhistoric Art Deco buildings and his long-termsupport and commitment to sports groups andcommunity projects around the Bay.John BuckChairman of Te Mata Estate. With an OBE,recognised NZ-wide for his contribution to thewine industry. Chairman of the HB Opera House.Established NZ Poet Laureate program.Sir Selwyn CushingContributor to various HB civic activities. Involvedwith public companies for almost 50 years, withmultiple director and board chairman positionsto his credit - Rural Equities Ltd, New ZealandSymphony Orchestra, Skellerup Holdings, AirNew Zealand, and others.Rodney GreenNapier businessman and philanthropist, operatesthe city’s Bluewater Hotel. He is a significantsupporter of sport and recreation in the Bay,including the Pettigrew Green Arena, McLean Parkand Centennial Hall.Craig HicksonManaging director of Progressive Meats Ltd.HB Chamber of Commerce Business Personof the Year in 2009. Runs a mixed 1,200 hectaresheep, deer and beef farm in Hawke’s Bay and is adirector of the New Zealand Meat Board.Graeme Lowe, QSMFounder President and Managing Director ofLowe Corporation. Involved over forty years inmeat processing, tanning, fellmongering andrendering. His predecessor company, LoweWalker, became the largest privately owned NZmeat processing company. Has supported manycommunity causes, including the rescue helicopterservice, the HB Opera House, the HB RugbyUnion, and the McLean Park’s Graeme LoweStand.Pat MagillFounder of Napier Pilot City Trust, based on thepremise that Napier as a city is the ideal size to bea model for social experimentation. Influencedcentral government and Napier City policy onsocial services in the late 80s & early 90s, and inhis ninth decade is still going strong. Sponsorof the Robson Collection on Justice Issues atNapier Library. He’s the nemesis of the SensibleSentencing Trust.Brian MartinProfessional company director, business consultantand financial adviser. Former Chairman of Unison.Director of Wakefield Health Ltd and MissionEstate Winery. Spear-headed redevelopment ofRoyston Hospital. A sponsor of Hawkes basketballfor many years.John PaynterOrchardist. Founder of Johnny Appleseed, oneof the Bay’s biggest producers of apples. Awardedthe NZ Order of Merit for service to horticulture.Consistent advocate of protecting the productivesoils of the Heretaunga Plains. Unsuccessfullyopposed the siting of the sports park; successfullychallenged the proposed Northern Arterial Road.Sir Russell PettigrewFounder of Freightways. Major Bay philanthropist,contributing to Pettigrew-Green Arena, McLeanPark, HB Opera House, HB Rugby Union (formerPresident of the NZ Rugby Union), and others.Initiated the Petane Domain in Bay View.Neville SmithRecently given the Spirit of Napier Award.Instrumental in getting the Art Deco focusestablished in Napier and has driven it passionatelyas a major sponsor (Brebner Print) of events overthe years. NZ Navy’s honoree representative officerin HB; maintains Navy’s involvement in Art DecoWeekend. Has organised fundraising events forassisting children with sight impairment and forcancer treatment. Established a Scholarship forboys at NBHS.

BayBuzz Digest8www.baybuzz.co.nzApples: A growingont from pg 1.dditionally, the orchardist might be ‘stuck’ withhe wrong trees/varieties. His Braeburns areeturning $16.50 a carton, while his neighbor’s Fujire returning $26. A switchover in varieties is costlyn terms of time, capital and cash flow, takinghree seasons before a newly planted tree returnsncome, and five years before full income.ays Paynter: “Many growers in New Zealand haveunded new variety plantings through capital gainsn their land, not orchard profitability. The trendf liquidity driven appreciation of land valuesppears to be over. Orchard profitability must nowund new developments.”hen add the ‘macro’ issues … worldwide appleonsumption trending down, the global recessionnd the foreign exchange rate. Recession naturallyampens demand and sales prices, while a highew Zealand dollar against importing nations’urrencies is devastating to that already slim profitargin.y itself, an unfavourable exchange rate – andoday it’s the most unfavourable in decades – canut even the most well-managed orchard underater. If the NZ dollar appreciates such that aarton yields $5-6 less to the HB grower, at 9illion cartons that’s about $50 million suckedut of the Bay’s economy. Says Stallard: “We live orie by the exchange rate, which we have no controlver.”o, an orchardist can make good growingecisions, and good financial planning decisions,ut still get swatted by bad weather or calamitousxchange rates. In the 2009/10 season, theombination made for a bad year for Hawke’say orchardists … one the worst according toaynter, and many will be lucky to tread waterhis year. Growers in trouble are those who “stuckheir necks out too far at the wrong time,” he says.tallard, looking to the coming harvest predicts:Most will break even … but there wouldn’t beany overseas holidays.”xporting applesith so much of the Bay’s crop exported (66%f NZ’s apple export volume), and exposed tohe vicissitudes of the global marketplace, a closerlook at our international comparative advantage iswarranted.In terms of foreign competition, the story of ourregion folds into the story of New Zealand. Asproficient as New Zealand is at growing apples,our harvest is barely a seed in the ocean – wesupply less than 1.0% of the world market. Why doforeign buyers even bother with NZ apples?Two main reasons, most argue – Brand NewZealand and superior quality.Brand New Zealand has two dimensions to PeterBeaven. First is our country’s “clean, green” imageto foreign consumers, which is hugely powerfulin a global trend to socially responsible and healthconscious consumption.Of course, this positive image is a tide that liftsmany NZ boats, not just apple exports. By thesame token, it is not an image that orchardistsalone can protect. Many, many differentenvironment policies – water management,landscape protection, GMOs, mining, greenhouseemissions, etc – can work to enhance or damagethat brand equity.Speaking for example about GE, Beaven says: “Wetake the view that it’s important that the sciencecommunity stay up with it, because it’s probably amatter of time before there’s public acceptance, butit’s certainly not something we’re investing in.”The second dimension of the NZ brand is uniqueto the industry, and industry players can thereforeshape it. The positive regard for Kiwis throughoutthe industry, the reliability and ease they bringto business relationships, our reputation forinnovation, and the pace-setting commitmentsgrowers have made to product purity (i.e.,low residue production) are industry-specificfactors that ensure a place for NZ apples in themarketplace.Which brings us to the second ingredient … betterquality apples. “It’s simple,” says Phil Alison, “theybuy on eye and they eat on taste.”But growers can’t point to any international‘tasting competition’ awards like their colleaguesin the Hawke’s Bay wine business! Indeed, a 2006report prepared for the industry claimed: “Marketand industry comment supports the viewpointthat the quality of export pipfruit from NewZealand is not as consistent or at the perceivedlevel of earlier periods. In particular, many believeChile has surpassed New Zealand.”Most interviewees dismissed the statement,insisting that NZ apples were the best in the world,hands-down, and generally amplifying theirassertions with anecdotes. They say their buyersabroad – and their customers, the end-consumers– fully appreciate the superior qualities of NZapples … from taste to colour to crunchiness!The result, they say, of our perfect maritime warmday/cool night growing climate, which is great forflavour development.But there are naysayers. “New Zealand has alwaysbeen the leader with respect to quality, but therest of the world has probably caught up,” saidone. Another critic, with decades of industryexperience, commented: “The best of our applesleave the rest of the world dead. However, thechallenge is to transpose the high standards of thetop third of our growers and exporters down tothe bottom two-thirds!”In other words, an apple is not an apple, evenwhen it comes from Hawke’s Bay.Beaven notes that of all NZ apple exports, 70%earn a Class 1 rating, something no other countrycan match. But others argue that the supply chain– getting the apple from HB to a foreign consumer– can vary widely in quality control …“If theapple is mealy when the European customertakes a bite, so much for Brand New Zealand.”CRUNCH!!Arguably, the proof is in the pudding … how doesthe market value NZ apples?According to Beaven, overall, New Zealand applescommand a 30% price premium over apples fromChile, our prime southern hemisphere competitor.He argues that reflects the positive NZ brand andthe established quality of the product.There are some practical factors too. NZ can get anapple to China in 15 shipping days, versus up to 55days from Chile. And perhaps most importantly,we provide an off-season fresh supply to the bigmarkets of the Northern hemisphere.Breeding innovationLike any other industry, pipfruit growers mustcontinually innovate – pest control, growingtechniques, marketing practices, and the productitself … apple varieties. Players in the appleindustry proudly see New Zealand as the worldleader in innovation.While there are certainly 'backyard' experimenters,much of this innovation, especially with regardto cultivar breeding, is beyond the capacity ofindividual growers and is done on an industrywidebasis, with a $3 million annual spend, $1million of that on breeding varieties. This budget isfunded through government grants (FORST) andlevies on industry players. It buys everything fromresearch on foreign consumer preferences to newapple varieties.Plant and Food, a Crown Research Institute basedin Havelock North, is arguably the epicenter ofthe apple research world. They lead the R&D onnew varieties, a program begun in earnest in 1984by Allan White, building on the work of appleresearch pioneer ‘Dr Don’ McKenzie.From the point of targeting a characteristic tobring forward – from enhanced taste or textureor storability to pest and disease resistance toenhanced nutritional content – to having a treeready for commercialization, the process cantake 15 years or more, even with the apple genemapped.Work is underway now, for example, to developa 'red flesh' apple that would have exponentiallymore anti-oxidant content than a current appleand taste good. This project has been underwaysince the late ‘90s, and might still be twogenerations of trees (ten years) away before havingmarketable fruit. They’re still working on the tastepart!The closer the research gets to commercialization,the more proprietary the work becomes, accordingto Wendy Cashmore at Plant & Food.The industry body that serves to commercializevarieties is Prevar, which decides, based on its ‘read’of the evolving market, what features it wishesPlant and Food ideally to develop. Varieties mustbe both market suitable and grower friendly.Prevar owns the resultant apple portfolio. Once avariety is ready to be released, Prevar controls itsmarketing, negotiating terms with growers whowish to produce and market that variety. Thesystem has its critics.The Jazz apple is a recent example of the industry‘betting’ on a new variety. Many think it’s a greatapple in terms of quality; however, it has struggledto get traction in the marketplace, and growerswho are producing the variety are earning only$20 per carton, in many cases not meeting costs.“A wonderful apple, poorly developed,” said oneobserver.In some cases, growers are putting their ownmarketing savvy to the test. For example, Alisonhas licensed the worldwide rights to market a

www.baybuzz.co.nzBayBuzz Digest9business?small-sized apple developed in this fashion, andowns the trademark ‘Rockit’ under which it willbe sold. It’s now his ‘brand’ to succeed with … ornot. Paynter has secured the marketing rights for aPrevar variety he has trademarked ‘Lemonade’.All of niche marketing presumes a discriminatingconsumer. But as Andrew MacKenzie at Plant &Food notes: “You can satisfy a lot of consumerswith a commodity apple. You’ve got to havesomething really special in a proprietary variety tojustify the effort to invest, produce and market it.”A steady state?Even with innovation, it doesn’t seem practicallypossible that Hawke’s Bay (or New Zealandoverall) can significantly increase its global marketshare. Here in the Bay the most suitable land is alreadyunder cultivation and our yields are alreadyworld-beating. There’s simply not much opportunityto increase production.Nationwide, according to MAF: “Annual exportvolumes have settled in a band between 14 and17 million cartons, with climatic conditionsdetermining volumes within this range.” And theplanted area in apples is settling around 9,000hectares. All this leads to an export market valuedin the $350-400 million range.Given that, it appears the goal for the industryis more a matter of hanging on to the tiny slicewe already own – reinforcing our premiumniche with better quality control in growing anddistribution, reducing middlemen in the supplychain, and perhaps shifting our sights to the morerobust Asian market (as well as serving a domesticmarket in the $50-60 million range).One challenge is getting the product mix right.Beaven comments: “The variety mix that we’reproducing is no longer matched to where themacro-opportunities are.” For example,NZ’s #2 production apple,Braeburn, is not favoured inthe Asian market. Braeburnis a fading 32% of thenational crop, most goingto Germany, with Nelson’sexposure almost twicethat of Hawke’s Bay.Targeting Asia will requirea significant investment inreplanting, costing $50,000per hectare, to transition toapple varieties preferred in thosemarkets. [56% of NZ exports still go tothe UK and European markets; 17% to the NorthAmerica.]For individual growers, apart from the capitalissue, the day-to-day issues are challengingenough, with each grower seeking to preservetheir own piece of a static market pie that will notincrease, hoped-for opportunities in Australianotwithstanding.Says farmer Bruno Chambers, who recently pulledout ten hectares of apple trees: “We have fantasticgrowing conditions, some very good growers anda history of R&D that is not rivaled in the rest ofthe world. But that isn’t enough for the smallergrower.Costs of production and shipping plus increasingcompetition have made apple growing a perilouspath to wealth, and I can’t see things changingdramatically.”At the local government level, growers must alsocontend with land use and water regulation issues.They face rising rates, and the monetary and timecosts of the consenting process.Bostock argues, in particular, that watermanagement costs are becoming “unsustainable”and the process too adversarial, in the face of“woeful ignorance” about the resource.As for land, the HPUDS guideposts, whencodified in district plans, will protect and delimitthe acreage available to be farmed (for whateverpurpose) on the Heretaunga Plains.The winnersStallard says smaller growers who keep their debtdown and have a good variety mix can do well …25,000 cartons at $5 profit per carton is just fine.But, he concedes, with all the risks … “It’s not forthe faint-hearted!”Bostock says: “It’s a risk business. The name of thegame is surviving through the tougher times andenjoying the good times.”He predicts survivors will fall into two categories.One is the super-conservative, older generation,generally smaller-scale, efficient and debt-adversegrower with a strong marketing partner.These owner-operators can make money andare content to make ‘enough’. The other will bethe most innovative vertically-integrated, noncorporateplayers … operations where the ownersare still very much hands-on and in control, andentrepreneurial.Taking the long view, he predicts: “There willbe a global trend of people eating more fruitsand vegetables, and that will be good for theconsumers and good for us.” [As an aside, Bostockis hedging his bets by moving into gold kiwifruit,where he sees “huge opportunity” in Hawke’sBay (high quality and good yields), even as“temporary” crisis envelops that sector.]Alison says: “It’s all about relationships.” Adding:“…industry has fallen into the trap of not enoughproducers getting alongside their customers andknowing what they want, how they react andhow it all works.”Paul Paynter notes a generationalissue. Most orchardists (like mostof farming) are in their 60’s andtend to be risk and innovationadverse …“more interested inprotecting what they’ve got.”His horticultural manager gothis diploma from Massey in1985 with 75 other graduates;last year only three certificates wereawarded.He argues that integrated businesses,the only players with a shot at managing all thenecessary variables, must lead the charge.“The future is not likely to be one with a fewglobal winners, but of many niche varieties, thatare professionally marketed to regional segments,often through limited retail chains.”The winners will be operators who get muchcloser to their retailers and understand thedynamics at retail, becoming effective marketers.As he sees it, supermarkets are actually real estatemanagers … they’re “poor marketers,” and thegrowers and shippers are “mostly hopeless.”He continues: “There needs to be a mindsetchange on behalf of all participants and theyneed to become aspirational with regard to foodquality” and able to sell “differentiated excellence.”Says another: “The highest quality NZ apple,carefully distributed, will always have a profitablemarket … We need to sell an ‘eating experience,’consistently over-delivering on quality.”In other words, the winner will recognize that notall apples are created equal. That smart marketingto premium niches is vital. And that the aim, asPaynter put it, is to “get rich slow.”What about organics?Given the importance of NZ brandimage and quality to success as a tinyglobal player, I inquired about the role oforganic production in creating positivedifferentiation.John Bostock is the champion of organicproduction in New Zealand. 100% ofBostock apples, about 1.2 million cartons,are organic. The company’s website reads:“The fertile plains and superb climateof Hawke’s Bay New Zealand are ideallysuited to quality organic production.With high sunshine, moderate rainfalland warm temperatures, our fruit can beproduced without any synthetic pesticidesor artificial inputs. The result - healthy,delicious, traditional tasting apples producedin partnership with nature, leaving ourfertile soils, rivers and underground aquiferundamaged for future generations to enjoy.”Taking the long view, Bostock says: “I’mhugely optimistic.” But adds that the pasttwo years have been difficult for organicapples (“the market’s been saturated”), aswill the coming year.Bostock comments:“We’ve been attackedby the commercialmindset from day one …but one of the greatestthings organic growinghas done is move theconventional mindset along way toward moresustainable production.”Competitors praise Bostock, but theydon’t emulate him. They argue that a truesustainability 'balance sheet' does notfavour organic production, because energyconsumption and use of natural chemicalsremains high, and organic yields aregenerally lower.They do credit ‘organic values’ with movingthe entire industry to greater environmentalconsciousness. Says Paynter: “It’s made allproducers think about what they’re doing,why they’re doing it, and how they canproduce things with less chemicals andlower environmental impact.” Conventionalgrowers say the industry has come far fromthe days when, as Stallard says: “If it wasMonday, we sprayed. We sprayed everything… killed everything in the orchard, it wasterrible … like napalm.” Fortunately, NewZealand made an early commitment toIntegrated Fruit Production and has led theworld in IFP.‘Mainstream' growers say NZ apples arealready perceived to be the ‘clean/green’ goldstandard. No need to go further. Indeed, theindustry branding promoted by PipfruitNew Zealand is “100% Pure Apples fromNew Zealand.” And the industry's brandpromise …The safest apples you can buy.Apple Futures and IFP - IntegratedFruit Production, low input non-organicprogrammes are followed by 89% of theindustry. The remaining 11% are certifiedorganic producers.New Zealand apple export productionprogrammes employ Biological ControlAgents, insect mating disruption supported byenvironmentally benignchemistries and culturalpractices. To prove justhow safe New Zealandapples really are wesupport our productionprogrammes withrigorous residue testingprogrammes.Retail buyers of NewZealand apples haveset extremely high and exacting parametersfor our growers to meet. Our growers notonly meet those parameters but exceed themthreefold. We really do have the safest applesyou can buy.What does the marketplace say? Rememberthat $21.75 per carton average income for allNZ apples? Organic apples earn an average$36 per carton. According to Bostock,breakeven would be $30-33 dollars.Says Bostock: “Organic farming is difficult.There’s been a lot of failures. You’ve got tobe a good conventional grower to be a goodorganic farmer.”

BayBuzz Digest10www.baybuzz.co.nzHawke's Bay Future Scenariosland, river and usThe Regional Council has prepared for public consideration three alternative scenarios for Hawke’s Bay looking ahead to 2050. The scenariosare represented in three stories – Land, River, Us – which are supported with extensive data and analysis regarding trends both within theBay and affecting our future from the outside. The full report is at www.hb2050.org.nz. As the report says: “…the end product is a carefulblend of fact and opinion. Some will find it challenging, even alarming; others may feel we do not go far enough. The exercise is necessarilya balancing act between introducing sufficient new information and concepts to trigger debate, and losing people either because their ownparticular vision is not readily apparent or because some of the ideas are unpalatable.”Land“Hang on a minute love, give an old man time tocatch his breath.”I lean heavily on a fencepost and wipe the sweatoff my forehead. Even the smallest of hills hasme puffing these days. My granddaughter stridesback towards me. It’s good to see her looking so athome on the land. I feel a twinge of envy, or is itsadness? Probably both. She has the strength andthe confidence I used to have.“Sorry Pop, I knew we should have driven up.”"Nonsense girl, if I can’t walk across a paddock,you might as well plant me now.”Su-Lyn laughs. “We’ve planted quite enough roundhere lately, I haven’t got the energy to plant you aswell. Especially in this heat.”She takes me by the arm and we walk slowlytogether to the top of the rise. From here welook out over an expanse of spiky brown bushes,marching across the valley in neatly planted rows.“We can start harvesting next week if the heat staysup,” she says. “Then we’ll get to see if these littlegems are the treasure trove that’s promised.”“You can’t lose this time. It’s not like they can growa cure for alzheimers just anywhere,” I reply. Who’dhave thought this humble valley could provide justthe right conditions for such a specialised crop? Ittook smart people like Su-Lyn’s mother to figureit out. I look beyond the valley at the patchworkof colours and textures stretching out across theplains and marvel at the creativity of modernhorticulture. That’s what the EIT partnership withXuzhou University in China has given us - smartpeople thinking about how to use the land betterthrough high-tech farming.My gaze drifts to the hazy hills in the distance andI think about how much things have changed. It’sover 40 years now, but it seems like only yesterdaythat I was chasing sheep across those scouredslopes. Who’d have thought they’d be growingenergy in the hills and drugs in the valleys, whilethe Russians grow meat in laboratories? Who’dhave thought a lot of things?Down below in the valley is a mass of readycustomers for the berry-laden bushes in frontof me. The fruit would have to go all the way toFrance to be processed before returning as drugsto those living down there - but if the crop workedout, we could do the initial processing here. It’sgetting easier to do these things nowadays, with allthe improvements they’ve made to transport andinfrastructure. The port development kicked it alloff and the government started getting it right fora change. People aren’t strangled by red tape likethey used to be.“Go sit in the shade, eh Granddad. I need to checkon my root auto-monitors.”I take the girl’s advice and sit under the verandahof the old pump shed. It feels like one of mygeriatric friends - we can hang out and rememberold times. It still makes me shudder to think aboutthe big drought that dried up the bores and turnedpumphouses like this one into relics. With all theurban development going on at the time, therewasn’t enough water to go around. The city peoplefinally understood their link to the land when theycouldn’t buy local fruit and veges anymore andCONSIDER THE CHANGES AHEAD FOR HBAs you read the stories, think about thesequestions:How will we respond to changes in thenature of primary production?Where does Hawke’s Bay’s future lie as anagricultural economy?Is New Zealand’s distance and relativeisolation a strength or a weakness?How will we work together to manage thecompeting demands for water?they even lost their gardens because of water bans.The oil shock was the last straw. Export marketsnearly died completely. Those of us without debtmanaged to survive, but we had to work differentlywith the land since what we used to call droughtsbecame normal weather. A few sheep farms stillsurvive, but they’re only in business becausewindmills and sheep can share the same paddocks.The GE grass has helped as well, but I never likedGE. I’m ashamed to think how stubborn I was,and how slow to change. My old place is a forestnow. If only I’d planted it myself things might havebeen different.“You okay Pop? You look a bit pale,” Su-Lyn says,joining me in the shade. Just thinking back towhen we lost the farm,” I reply.She nods in sympathy as I continue my musing.It was a hard thing to do, walking off the land,especially since we virtually had to give it away.The local Maori and their Asian partners justswooped in and grabbed the lot. It was a bitter pillto swallow at the time - but the iwi corporationsturned out to be a godsend for the region. Afterall, my son never would have got the lease on thisplace if it hadn’t been for them. It was good to seelocal kids stay in the region and get a chance towork the land, like we did.“Things needed to change and we weren’t ableto do it without a major kick up the bum. It’s allworked out good in the end,” I say.“What made the difference?” Su-Lyn asks.When the chips were down, people startedworking together. We saw lots of innovation,farming got more hi-tech and growers got muchbetter at marketing. I admire people like my sonwho experimented with different crops and newmanagement systems. Now my granddaughteris taking it a step further by trialling crops wewould never have dreamed of. With diversity ofcrops came diversity of people, and the region isblooming. All they had to do was to make sure thecity didn’t swallow all the good land up.I scan the plains and smile at the mix ofdevelopment below - the etching of cropsinterspersed with tightly constrained villages. Thegrowers have led prosperity once more, like theydid in the past. As for me and this old pumpshed,we are artefacts of history. New ideas march on -What opportunities do the problems oftoo much or too little water provide?What will integrated land use, soil andwater management look like?What could change if Maori become asignificant source of investment income inHawke’s Bay?Where will Maoridom’s next leaders comefrom?What will New Zealanders look like in2050?feeding life and growth, just like the shining riverbelow.RiverI remember the times before people came. Theland moved more slowly back then. Over theyears, people changed the land and the land spedup. That’s when the earth mother, Papatuanuku,started to get angry with me. She accused me ofstripping her bare, of taking her soils too quickly.Me, I’m a river, Waikopikopiko, I just flow and Icarry what comes to me.I remember when the hills were rich with forest.The men would quench their thirst at mytributaries as they stripped the hills bare. Thencame the sheep and cattle, and I could feel thehills collapsing into my valleys. When the cloudsburst, the soils could not hold the rain. They gaveup their richness to me and I carried it away whilePapatuanuku raged.Then something started to change. The peoplebegan to take more of me away so they could feedthe gasping soil. They squabbled over how muchof me they could have, and they would come tomy banks and sigh, seeing the problems but notbeing able to change their ways. I passed them by,heavy laden.One day the sighs turned into angry wails. It wasnot Papatuanuku who forced their hand butforeign buyers of sweetcorn. I heard argumentson the wind about how buyers didn’t want todeal with the region anymore because the soilsand the river were being raped. It wasn’t just thepeople who lived along my banks who cared, it wasfaraway people who cared as well. As I flowed mywandering way across the plains, I saw the farmerskicking dust in their fields.The arguments were soon replaced by watermeters and every drop of me was monitored,measured and carefully managed. When peoplegazed into my muddy depths they saw liquiddollars, and they saw the balance sheet wasworking against them. They began to buildreservoirs to harvest winter flows in the hills andto feed me during the lean summer months. Theysaved up the stormwater from the city and cleanedit for reuse, instead of leaking it into to the sea. Theaccountants were pleased that they had learned

www.baybuzz.co.nzBayBuzz Digest11to manage water like they managed money. Thefarmers were pleased that they had learned toharvest water like they harvested their crops. Thepeople were pleased that their drought-resistantgardens still flowered evenwithout watering. While the people learned andadapted, I just kept on flowing past.Then one day Ranginui, the sky father, made a bigdeposit. My waters raged down the scoured hillsand plunged onto the plains. I broke through thehigh banks that were built to contain me. I flowedthrough sheds and among vines. I flowed throughliving rooms and carried away the children’s toys.The people cursed the soil as they shovelled itfrom their kitchen cupboards and hosed it fromtheir carpets. The people raged.The leaders looked at their balance sheets anddecided that the soil was a long-term investmentaccount that no-one had put any money into.The people stopped shouting and saw it was timeto make changes. They went up to headwaters ofmy tributaries and began to hui. From the hillsthey could see far, and they got a better view ofthe land. Strategists, environmental and socialscientists joined the hui and they talked day andnight, sharing knowledge just like old times. Theysaw what could be done.Up in the hills, the people began to plant trees.Papatuanuku stirred from her melancholy as shefelt the roots of her cloak being restored. It was apatchwork cloak of many species, trees to buildwith, trees for energy, plants for food, trees toswallow carbon from the air. The soil started tohold firm.One day I tasted poison from the city. The sourtaste grew stronger with every fall of rain. Slowlythe people began to notice and they foundwhere it was coming from. The land that is nowa city park was once a tip where people threwtheir rubbish. Time had distilled it into leachate,which Papatuanuku could no longer hold in herstomach. I carried her bile to the sea.Down in the lowland I felt the rumble ofbulldozers. I was used to bulldozers building upmy banks to protect the towns and farms fromflooding, but their movements were differentthis time. After many months of rumbling anddigging, I was suddenly spilled into a whole newnetwork of channels. I wandered and turnedthrough the new wetland they had built for me,marvelling at the change of pace. The peopleclapped and slapped each other on the banks asthey set off across the boardwalks that spannedtheir swampy triumph. I languished in thecaress of reeds whose ancient touch I had almostforgotten.The day I slowed to enter the people’s wetland isthe day the changes in me quickened. Knowledgehad taken root and grown like the forests on thehills and I felt it all along my banks. I watchedthe engineers create new wastewater systems thatensured every drop was reused. I saw organicwastes returned as compost to feed the soil.I listened as people in the towns installedrainwater tanks. I watched as farmers plantedcrops that drank less of me. I listened as the korerogrew stronger with many voices speaking as oneabout how to manage the liquid taonga. Thepeople looked into my depths and saw how I hadchanged, just as they had.The clouds cleared one day and haven’t returnedfor many moons. The sun blazes down as seasonspass and Papatuanuku is parched. The peoplesquint at the sky day after day and plead for rain.Little comes, but my waters still flow. When thedays grow too hot, the people cool themselves inmy pools. Through all their hui, they had learnedto draw on their reserves and make their savings.They had learned to flow with the rises and fallsof the water, just as I do. This drought has gonelonger than most. For now, I languish in mywetland and go no further. I hear the kahawaicalling me from the sea but I can’t reach them, mywaters are spent in the lowlands. I will taste thekahawai when the rains return. I’m a river, I willalways flow, Waikopikopiko.UsThe lawyer slides a document across the wide,shiny table and I pause to stare at where mysignature is to go. I can hardly believe this ishappening. I sign slowly, savouring the moment.For the others in the room, this is just a formality.For me, it is the realisation of a dream.Once the deed is done, I’m keen to shake handsand leave without ceremony. There’s someone elseI’d rather share this milestone with. After all thenegotiating and paperwork it’s time to roll up mysleeves and let my sweat flow onto the soil. I justwant to breathe the smell of the earth.As I walk out of the warm office building, I feel thebite of the south-easterly coming off the sea. Thewind whips at the trees along the breakwater andhurries me to my car. I look out at the large wavesrolling in and wonder what part of the coast theyare chewing at this time.The wind buffets my vehicle as I head downMarine Parade, past the slick, high-rise hotelsand office buildings. Turning inland, the city’scharacter gradually changes as I drive through thenew housing developments. They were built tofit more people into smaller spaces and shoppingmalls became village squares. I look at the splashof graffiti on the side of the Police kiosk andwonder if any city has ever got it right.I pull into the liquor barn and pick up a twelvepack.A group of young fullas huddles in thedoorway, digging deeply in their sagging pockets.One of them eyes my beer keenly as I walk past. Ieyeball him back. Don’t even think about it bro.It makes me sad to see these boys. I silently pledgeto help them - if I can. The opportunities are outthere to do something with their lives, but toooften they don’t want to - or don’t know how. Iwas one of the fortunate ones. My mum and dadbrought me up to know my heart and my history.From where I grew up on the edge of town, Icould hear the call of the land and I followed thatcalling. After training as a cadet on hapu land, Iwas able to get a scholarship and did my sciencedegree at Massey. When I was these boys’ age, Iwouldn’t have thought I’d have the brains to do it.But I did - and all that work paid off today when Isigned that bit of paper.I get back in my car and drive quickly away. Inever like coming into the city. There are constantreminders of how things aren’t what they couldbe. After the Treaty claims were settled, our peopleheld so much hope for a bright future.Twenty years on, the hui still drag on and too littlehas changed. Old grievances feed new cynicismand most people don’t even know who theyare angry at anymore. Except Dad. He knows. Iremember how he used to go crook about thetribal management that was put in place when theDeed of Settlement was finally signed. He didn’tthink that the same old people who had done thenegotiations should be the ones to govern the newbusiness. Like it was their right.“We need new blood,” he used to mutter. “Notthese same old patero. It’s a democratic system,Dad,” I would say. “All you have to do is vote.”“Need decent people to vote for,” Dad wouldgrumble back. I always thought my Dad would bea good leader, but he said he wasn’t born with theright name. Without the right name, you needededucation, he said. I listened and I got educated.Now I have a chance to do the job I reckon myDad could have done. I smile to myself as I thinkabout the outcome of the recent election. Whowould have thought I’d make it onto the Trust eh?Things are starting to change.For change to happen quickly, people need tolearn personal responsibility, Dad always said. Thetribe has failed to teach them that, those boys atthe liquor barn, just like the government failedbefore. So how can I make a difference? I prayfor the wisdom to figure it out. But as I pass bythe hospital, I’m reminded of all the good thingswe have achieved. Like the medical arm of theWaikopikopiko Trust who put all that money intoresearch and came up with a possible cure fordiabetes. Someone should get a Nobel Prize forthat I reckon, if it pans out.As I cross the river and drive past all the newfactories, I can see all the other fruits of iwiinvestment. Like Auntie’s Garden, which is nowone of the biggest producers in the region. Greenbranding has worked well for Aotearoa, butPasifika has worked better for the Bay.Then there’s the biofuel plant over by the port.That was one of the gutsiest moves made by theiwi, and it paid off big time when the oil pricestook off. There’s a lot to be proud of, but there’s alot more to be done.I pull into the housing cluster on the edge of townand stop in the parking bay. Dad looks up fromwhere he’s working in the common vegegarden. This community has figured out that thebest use of scarce land is to feed themselves. Dadalways said to me: Why grow weeds when you cangrow food? And he’d say it to every other kid whowould listen. That became my motto for life.I wave my precious papers in greeting. He, of allpeople, understands the importance of this day.He passes his spade to the child working next tohim and strides over to greet me with a hongi.Slowly he draws back and holds me at armslength, looking at me intently.“All signed,” I say, not knowing whether to laughor cry. Eee Atama, it’s been quite a month boy.First you got voted onto the Trust, and now you’vegot your own piece of tribal land.” I could see thetears in his eyes. “When I was your age I couldn’teven get a loan for a house.”“I think this calls for a beer, eh Dad.”About BAYBUZZBayBuzz Digest is a community focused publication that examines hot button local issues andpromotes public awareness and debate. A mix of independent editorial commentary, behind thescenes reporting, and a healthy dose of humor, BayBuzz Digest begins where other newspapers leaveoff to probe the big issues and tough questions facing our region and shaping our future.You can also find BayBuzz online. Go to www.baybuzz.co.nz to sign up for fresh – and free – dailyonline articles not available anywhere else, plus background analysis, easy-to-use Take Actionfeatures that let you make your views known to Councillors, and much more.BayBuzz Advisory Board:Editor: Tom BelfordAnna Archibald, Morry Black, Bruno Chambers,Publisher: Brooks BelfordLouis Chambers, Angela Hair, Shaun Lines,Web site development: MogulChris Ryan, Mark SweetAll comments and inquiries: editors@baybuzz.co.nz or P.O. Box 8322, Havelock North 4157

BayBuzz Digest12www.baybuzz.co.nzTo the victor go the prized red bootsThe shining black chariot lurched as it clatteredacross the many potholes and uneven surfaces ofthe streets of Hustings. Bracing himself againstthe swaying sides of the vehicle, Lawrencus Yulus,newly re-elected consul of the HeretuscanyDistrict, slowed his sweat-soaked horses to a trot,nodding at a bystander who raised two fingers athim, presumably saluting Lawrencus’ victory in therecent senate elections.As he hauled his chariot to a halt outside hisheadquarters, sunlight reflected off his highlypolished breastplate, adorned with intricate brassmouldings of grapes and sweetcorn cobs framedby silver containers of beans.Lawrencus was feeling quietly satisfied. Now thatthe tiresome elections were behind him he waslooking forward to his final and, hopefully, mostillustrious term of office. He had once again faceda challenge from his sole rival, Simon of Nixus,whose visions of lighter-than-air machines had notseduced rural Heretuscans who liked to keep theirsandals firmly on terra firma.Most of the old senate had been re-elected, alongwith six new faces. Lawrencus planned to bury thenewcomers under piles of papyrus, leaving himfree to pursue his goal of amalgamating Hustingswith its rival northern neighbour Napierion.He had played his amalgamation card a yearearlier, wrongfooting political rivals and his owncouncil by not mentioning it beforehand. But ahoped-for groundswell of support from the publichad not eventuated. Several of his councillors,miffed at his lack of consultation, had evenmuttered about letting the people decide.Not a snowball’s chance in Hades of that, thoughtLawrencus. Too many ungrateful citizens hadbarely been able to decide whether he deserved afourth term, so he wouldn’t trust them again. AndNapierions couldn’t be relied on to have any visionof the future when they lived in a town whosearchitecture had not changed in 80 years.Lawrencus strode through the stone entranceof his headquarters and on an impulse, turnedleft into the portico where portraits of pastrulers of Hustings lined its roughcast walls. Hepaused to stare at the paintings of his most recentpredecessors, a garment seller, a Celtic drainlayerand a teacher. Their portraits were the only visiblerelics of their terms in office. At least Lawrencushad the refurbished Operandus House and hisBRENDAN WEBBcolumniststill-unfinished colosseum on the town’s outskirtsas his legacies to ratepayers.But mere monuments were not enough.Lawrencus wanted to be remembered as thefar-sighted leader who settled the long-runningrivalry between Hustings and Napierion onceand for all. His initial plan to let ratepayersdecide the amalgamation issue in a year or twohad been quietly shelved after they trimmed hismajority in the elections. And now his hand hadbeen unexpectedly strengthened by the toppling ofthe veteran regional forum leader Alanus Dickus ina bloody coup.When the orgy of back-stabbing had finallystopped, only one councillor, Friendless Wilsonfrom the northern hamlet of Wairoria, strongholdof the mercenary Mongol Mob, had been leftstanding. Critically weakened by its infighting,Lawrencus knew the regional forum and itsuntried leader would be no threat to his latestamalgamation plan.It was now early December in Heretuscanyand off the coast of Napierion, the great sea ofOceanus Pacificus had a heavy swell running. Apale Lawrencus gripped the wooden railing ofhis 40-man trireme as it ploughed through thebuffeting waves. The movement of the ship madehim queasy and he would have much preferred tobe on his horse Trojan, advancing on Napierionfrom the land.Behind him he could see another 10 ships ofHeretuscan warriors brandishing swords andspears, supplemented by smaller numbers of slavesand rural workers armed with pruning shears,crutching gear and tanks of lethal spray. Ahead laythe Port of Napierion, key to the hilltop fortresscommanded by the legendary warrior queenBarbarus Arnottus.The Napierions had not noticed the invasion fleetapproaching from the sea. Their eyes were lookingto the south where Lawrencus had amassed adiversionary army of council engineers, theirbright reflective jackets and orange headgear visibleto the jeering Napierions on the hill above. Theengineers were manhandling battering rams andhuge wooden catapults into positions carefullymarked with red cones and roped off with lengthsof yellow ribbon.Their missiles were earthen jars of putrid gas,bottled at the Stenchus Maximus sewage workson the coast. On the hills above the town, theNapierions were being whipped into a frenzy byBertus, leader of the Status Quotus cult, staunchopponents of any contact with the outside world.They scattered in panic as the heavy jars beganto smash through the roofs of their hilltop villas,enveloping them in sulphurous fumes.A mile away on the coast, the ship carryingLawrencus shuddered as it struck the shingleforeshore on the Paradus Marinus.The rest of the fleet was close behindand with savage roars, the Heretuscanhordes began swarming up the beach.Suddenly alerted to the seawardinvasion, Barbarus Arnottus triedto wheel her chariot around to facethe new attack only to find a multiwheelchariot carrying tourists froma Germanic cruise ship blockingthe narrow street. Within minutesthe defending Arnottus army wasgridlocked in a confused mass ofhorses, chariots and stein-wieldingGermans.As Lawrencus and his followersrampaged along the Paradus Marinus,Napierions realised that the battle ofHeretuscany was over. Distraught StatusQuotus followers began hurling themselvesoff the hilltop, striped blazers flapping likedying ducks, their straw hats fluttering downbehind them like autumn leaves.Barbarus Arnottus desperately turned to herloyal councillors to make a stand but they hadalready slunk away. Alone, the Iron Maiden ofMarineland surrendered her sword, prized redhigh-heeled boots and her leather whip intoLawrencus’ strong hands. He would put them togood use.There was one final battle to be fought. Lawrencusled his Amalgamation Army to the headquarters ofthe regional forum. Friendless Wilson’s makeshiftPraetorian Guard, a handful of Mongol Mobmercenaries, slouched in the doorway. They tookone look at Lawrencus, now wearing Barbarus’high-heeled boots and slapping the whip againsthis firm thigh, and stepped aside.Adjusting the leather belt around his girth,Lawrencus strode triumphantly across the bloodspatteredtiles of the regional forum’s entrance.Its bulging coffers would now allow him to doublethe size of his colosseum near Hustings.He would celebrate its triumphant opening witha week of gladiatorial contests, chariot races andhis favourite sport, naked wrestling. And whenhe rode into the colosseum in his black chariot,the crowd would stand as one and hail him asthe greatest leader of them all, Lawrencus YulusAmalgamaticus, the Hero of Heretuscany.