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Foodbanks

field demand

By Mick Jensen

Foodbanks in Ashburton are

supporting people in need during the

lockdown and demand is growing.

The Ashburton Salvation Army

Foodbank hasexperienced a

significant increase in demand for its

food parcels.

Many of the people approaching

the foodbank have been clients of the

Salvation Army previously.

While the demand for food has

increased by 50 per cent, much of the

work of the Salvation Army officers

in Ashburton has been in reassuring

people and, in someinstances,

making sure vulnerable people are

able to receive online or phone order

deliveries from local supermarkets.

Major MichaelAllwright says

there are thosewho ring his office

who are afraid to go out to get

groceries.

“Weknow of people who are not

wanting to leave their house at all.

Much of our work is reassurance and

helping those who are unable to get

out to get food,” he said.

The Salvation Army is asking all

people in need of food to call Winz

(0800 559 009) in the first instance, to

make sure they are receiving

additional support at this time.

St VincentdePaul Ashburton

president Mick Hanham said afulltime

staff member was making local

food deliveries and the Sallies service

would keep going.

He said 25 meals had been

delivered last week to existing and

some new clients.

‘‘Luckily we were given acattle

beast and so we’vebeen able to pass

on meat to people as well.’’

Mr Hanham said althoughthe

shop was closed, shop manager

Donna Collins was doingasterling

job with deliveries and following the

strict noncontact regulations in

place.

National office was continually

monitoring the situation and needs,

and offering advice to branches

around the country.

Mr Hanham said he felt for all

those people doingittough and

urged people who needed help to call

St Vincent de Paul.

‘‘We are here to help people in

need and we will continue to do that

as long as we can, although the way

we do now is different from how we

used to do it,’’ he said. ‘‘If we can’t

help people, we can put them on to

other agencies who can.’’

People needing assistance can call

Vincent de Paul Ashburton on 027

607 0107. Theywill be asked to leave

amessage and will receive acall back

and short interview to determine

their needs.

ACivil Defence helpline 0800

242411 has also been set up to assist

Mid Canterbury people access

essentials like food and medication.

Veronica Wall (left) with two of her Yale rowing team mates.

Wall’s US season cut short

By Mick Jensen

Ashburtonraised rowing ace

Veronica Wall has been forced

home from university in the USA

because of the coronavirus, but is

close to finishing arewarding first

year at Yale University.

Wall, who dominated single

sculls rowing at secondary school

level nationally while at Ashburton

College, was just about to start the

competitive college rowing season

in the eights when she was told the

season was over before it had really

begun.

‘‘We were getting on the water in

Tennessee when our coach got the

call to stop everything, and told to

get everyone back to Yale.

‘‘It was disappointing for our

rowing squad of 40 because we did

not really have the opportunity to

test ourselves against any

opposition and to see what we’re

capable of achieving.’’

Continued, Page 2

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Planned rate rise pruned

Ashburton District Councillors

have moved to cut aplanned

rates rise to no more than 2.5 per

cent because of financial

hardship being caused in the

district by the Covid19

lockdown.

Council had planned a4.88

per cent rates increase but last

week councillors spent more

than an hour in robust debate

about whether they should

continue as planned for the

future good of the district, or cut

operating costs and borrow to

keep services up with azero

increase in rates.

Mayor Neil Brown used his

casting vote to vote against

keeping the 4.88 per cent rise

after councillors were locked at

55 voting on amotion by

Rodger Letham to stay the

course.

Deputy mayor Liz McMillan

then moved to have the rate rise

set at no more than 2.5 per cent,

which she reasoned was about

the same as the rate of inflation.

Wall home, US season cut short

From Page 1

Walland the Yalerowers

had beentraining12 timesa

weekand wereall ready to go,

but circumstances intervened.

‘‘Wejust have to livewith it’’.

Wall, 20,said threecrazy

daysfollowed, and it was

obvious thingswere onlygoing

to get worse.

She contacted her parents

and got on aflight home.

She flewbackwith her

boyfriend, also astudent in the

USA,and selfisolated with

him for two weeks in aseparate

sleepout at her parents’ house.

‘‘I did manage to get a

couple of rows in at Lake Hood

after my selfisolation and

before the lockdown started,

but Idomiss not be abletoget

on the water.’’

Wallsaid she was staying fit

Mayor Neil Brown

This was passed seven votes to

three, with Mr Brown and

councillors Carolyn Cameron

and Angus McKay wanting their

against votes noted.

Those three had pressed for

something close to azero rate

rise and said tough times were

ahead.

Fees and charges will rise

slightly next financial year, as per

Veronica Wall (in sunglasses) in the stroke seat of aYale boat.

by rowing indoors and by going

on runs.

She was ‘‘loving lifeatYale’’

and had been living on campus

priortoher forced return

home.

Life was fullon, really busy,

but fun and challenging.

www.auricelectrical.co.nz

budget decisions made for the

202021 financial year prior to

Covid19.

The smaller rate rise agreed

upon will partly come from a

reduction in interest costs

($400,000) and contributions to

Experience Mid Canterbury (the

agency presented to council in

private before the meeting).

Chief executive Hamish Riach

will decide other savings points,

councillors agreed.

They had received areport

from council’s finance boss Paul

Brake, who said money could

also be pruned from operating

costs by not employing aGIS

officer ($80,000), not giving

council staff pay rises ($735,500),

cutting $50,000 from the

Welcoming Communities

Programme and cutting $45,000

from other council agencies like

the Ashburton Trust Event

Centre, Safer Community,

Ashburton Art Gallery and

Sports Mid Canterbury.

Councillors also voted to

She wasnow studying online

and hoped to complete her

first year papers at the end of

April.

In that first year shehad

studiedabroad range of

subjects and was eyeing up a

premedical degree.

• Domestic electrical services

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SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLERS OF LEADING BRANDS

remove penalties for late

payments of rates instalment

four, due in May.

Areport to councillors said

council was already receiving

comments from ratepayers

stating the difficulty they will

face in being able to meet rate

commitments in the coming

months.

Cr Letham said council’s

earlier budget had been modest

and fair and council already had

the ability to help those

struggling to pay rates. The

planned increase would add

between $3 and $10 amonth for

property owners.

‘‘I don’t believe that is too

onerous and Ibelieve we can do

more good for our community by

having everything in place and

ready to move rather than

reducing rates.’’

Councillors Leen Braam,

Lynette Lovett, Stuart Wilson

and Diane Rawlinson voted with

him in the first, failed

recommendation.

Final siren call for brigade stalwart Mac

Alan McQuarters receiving

his QSM in 2018.

Alan ‘‘Mac’’ McQuarters,

Queen’s Service Medal recipient

for servicestothe community,

patron of the Ashburton Fire

Museum and Variety Theatre

Ashburton, passedaway last

week at age 90.

Mr McQuartershad served

the Ashburtoncommunity for

morethan 60 years.

He was amember of the

AshburtonVolunteer Fire

Brigade from1954 to 1979 and

assisted the fire brigadeas

station keeper for 22 years, as

wellashelping to maintainthe

brigade’s museum.

He was awarded the United

Fire Brigades' Association of

New Zealand GoldStar and

made alife member of the

Ashburton Brigade. He was a

member of the Ashburton

Savage Club for over65years

and helped establish the Plains

Ashburton RotaryClub.

He played in the Ashburton

Silver Band for 30 yearsand was

afoundation memberofthe

Ashburton Operatic Society

(renamedVariety Theatre

Ashburton).

Mr McQuarters was a

dedicated member of asmall

team instrumentalinthe

building of the AshburtonTrust

Event Centre.

Membersofthe Ashburton

VolunteerFire Brigadeand the

Ashburton Fire Museumpaid

tribute to Mr McQuarters in

their own way; the morning

following his death the station

siren sounded to mark Alan’s

final call,and the Ashburton

Fire Museum posted on

Facebook.

Mr McQuarters’ lifewill be

celebrated at amemorial service

in the Ashburton Trust Event

Centreatafuture date.

Her second year was due to

start againinSeptember and it

would feature anumberof

science subjects, although she

was stillundecided which area

of science or medicine she

wanted to specifically focus on.

Wallsaid she continuedto

enjoy her rowing.

Eights was the big focusfor

Ivy League universities and a

big change for her.

‘‘I’m sweepingand not

sculling these days,and it’s not

justmeinthe boatanymore,

but I’ve adapted well.’’

Wallsaid there werenine

international studentsinher

boatsquadof12, including a

rower fromWellington.

The men’s teamalso

featured anumber of

internationals, including four

Australians.

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Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020, Page 3

Green light for Tinwald

NZTA says the Lagmhor Road/

Agnes Street intersection on

State Highway 1atTinwald is

the best place for traffic lights

and will talk to landowners in

the area soon; work could be

under way next year on the

project.

Transport agency

representatives met with

Ashburton District councillors

last week and gave them more

detail about the project, which

was one of two Mid Canterbury

road safety works tagged for

funds by government earlier

this year. The other project is

traffic lights at Walnut Avenue

and the state highway designs

for this are ready to go.

But traffic solutions at

Tinwald have been complicated

and investigations go back at

least five years. Some people

believe traffic controls at

Grahams Road would be safer.

NZTA’s Michael Blyleven

said both projects centred on

issues motorists, pedestrians

and cyclists had getting on or

across the highway safely.

The agency was completing

establishment reports on both

projects. These would be

followed by detailed project

See your doctor

Kiwis over 60 need to keep

seeing their GP during

lockdown because their

longterm health depends

on it. That’s the message

from health authorities

and doctors, who say older

New Zealanders need to

keep on top of health

issues.

Royal New Zealand

College of General

Practitioners College

medical directorBryan

Betty said Healthline had

reported an upswing in

chronic care issues

because people were

waiting too long to ask for

medical help.

“Delaying making an

The intersection of Lagmhor Road and Agnes Street with State Highway 1atTinwald.

delivery plans. Council would

be consulted.

Cr Stuart Wilson said it

seemed completely wrong to

install lights at Lagmhor Road,

given there was arestaurant

and service station and rail line

close by.

appointment with your GP

is not good for anyone and

delaying or ignoring minor

issues can cause them to

escalate and require more

significant treatment,

possibly in hospital.

“This is not helpful for

patients or the hospital

during apandemic so it is

paramount that patients

seek advice early and a

phone call to their GP is

easy.”

Local doctors and the

Ministry of Health say it is

business as usual at

general practices, which

are open and safe but are

working differently during

the lockdown. Call first.

Mr Blyleven said lights there

would still enable breaks in the

highway traffic at peak times to

allow access from side streets.

It may increase traffic on other

local streets, including

McMurdo Street, leading to the

lights.

Plastic welding

We repair all types of plastic products

andequipment.

•Water tanks •Calf feeders •FuelTanks

•Car bumpers •Cab roofs

Amore detailed design will

be shown to councillors in May

for their feedback.

The Walnut AvenueSH1

traffic lights project should also

get under way next year, if

discussions with KiwiRail over

land progress.

Hopes pinned on domestic tourism

By Mick Jensen

It will be 12 months or more until

international visitor numbers

start to pick up, but tourist

operators can expect more

business to come through the

domestic market over the

coming months, says Mid

Canterbury tourism boss Bruce

Moffat.

Mr Moffat is encouraging

Kiwis to get out and to enjoy

their own backyard and the rest

of the country once movement

restrictions are lifted to allow it.

He said tourism was worth

$192 million annually to the Mid

Canterbury economy, with

domestic spend accounting for

$128m of that.

It made good sense for this

district and others to work more

on attracting domestic visitors,

he said.

The Experience Mid

Canterbury general manager

said he expected very strict

borders restrictions to be in force

for the rest of 2020 and possibly

beyond, but hoped the country

Bruce Moffat

could be open to international

visitors by next summer.

The loss of the international

market would be felt heavily

nationwide, but through

collaborative partnerships

domestic tourism would be also

be promoted heavily in the

coming weeks.

‘‘Tourism NZ have been given

amandate by the Government to

look actively at opportunities for

the domestic market.

‘‘That has never happened

before and it sends out a

powerful message to operators.’’

Through acollaborative

marketing approach with

Christchurch Airport,

Christchurch NZ, Hurunui

district and other partners,

Experience Mid Canterbury was

aiming for ahigh end strategy to

attract more visitors to this

district. Marketing would start

first at alocal level, which

included Christchurch and

Timaru.

It would expand to aregional

level and into areas like Nelson,

Marlborough and West Coast,

and then finally into the full

domestic market.

There would be challenges

along the way, including for the

likes of Air New Zealand, which

was reducing its capabilities and

would take one to three months

to get its scheduling back in

place once given the goahead.

Mr Moffat said Methven iSite

had its worst summer on record,

partly due to online resources

and also because it did not

supply the retail products people

wanted.

He hoped revenue would pick

up through the traditionally busy

winter months and ski season on

Mt Hutt.

He said the Covid19 situation

was being handled well here and

the progress being made was

being watched around the world.

‘‘In many ways it tells the rest

of the world that we are dealing

with it and that this will be be a

safe country to visit further down

the line.’’

At arecent council meeting

Ashburton mayor Neil Brown

said although the district may

take ahiding from the impact of

coronavirus, it had agriculture,

milk, meat, arecent good

harvest, seeds and

manufacturing to help get

through tough times.

‘‘Tourism may need ahand

from agriculture for awhile. I

encourage people to support

local businesses and to shop

local, eat local and holiday

local.’’

This district was in abetter

position to get through the

current situation than many

others, Mr Brown said.

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Principal praises

distance learning

support package

Mid CanterburyPrincipals’

Association spokesman Tim

Kuipers is praising the

Government’s support for

distance learning in schools,

saying it ‘‘covers alot of

bases’’.

He said the

Government’s proactive

approachaimedtoreach as

many familiesaspossible

and in particularthose with

the least resources available

to them.

Education MinisterChris

Hipkins hasrevealed a

distance learning package

that will increasethe

number of students who

have internet access and

devices, deliver hard copy

packsofmaterials for

different year levels, fund

two televisionchannels to

broadcasteducationrelated

content,provide more

online resources for parents

through the Learning from

Home website, andalso fasttrackwaystoconnect

Learning Support coordinators

with families

remotely.

Whileitmay struggle to

get resources to everyone,

the approach was to be

applauded, and also needed

‘‘to work from bothends’’,

said Mr Kuipers, who is the

principal at Ashburton

ChristianSchool.

Schools alsoneeded to

continuesupporting families

as bestthey could.

All but twofamilies at his

school had the means to

continuelearning from

home,hesaid.

He was encouraging his

teachers to continue to plan

two weeks ahead.

Mr Kuipers said some

schools in Christchurchhad

facedasimilarlockdown

Tim Kuipers

scenario and distance

learning for anumberof

weeksafter the Christchurch

earthquakes and had learnt

from that.

‘‘ThefamiliesIhave

heardfrom are doing quite

well on the wholeduring

lockdown.

‘‘And Ibelieve thereare a

numberofthings we will be

able to take from these

unprecedented timesthat

will benefit education and

teaching in the longterm in

this country.’’

The benefits of online

learning wouldbebetter

understood and therewould

be more flexible learning

options.

Technology was atool

that would continue to

enhanceteachingand many

teachers already had the

skills to be able to use it well,

he said.

Minister Hipkins has also

indicatedthat parents need

to preparetohave their

children at home for longer

than the fourweek

lockdown period.

He has indicated while at

levelthree there would be

more flexibility,itwill still

take awhilefor most schools

to reopen, and therewillbe

aprogressive reopening of

the school system.

New GrantRounds

2020/2021

Up to $10,000

Feb, April, July, August

Over $10,000

May, October

See website forclosing dates

and to makeanon-line application

www.comtrust.org.nz

To discuss any applications

Phone:

03 687 7360 or 0800672287

Email:

msccomtrust@xtra.co.nz

2251128

Page 4, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020

Roading tender

The Ashburton District

Council willcall for

tenders in earlyJune for a

fiveyear operationsand

maintenance contract for

local roads around Mid

Canterbury.

The current contract to

maintain thedistrict's

local roads is set to finish

at theend of November.

The new tenderwillbe

advertisedfor two

months. Early in this

period, therewillbea

compulsory tenderers'

meeting and network

tour.

Organisationswishing

to applyfor thecontract

will be giventhe

opportunitytopresent

their proposals towards

theend of the tender

period. It is expected to

be awardedinSeptember.

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz

Safety plan for weigh station

Ashburton District Councillors

are still not sold on aheavy

vehicle weigh station on the

north bank of the Rakaia River,

despite safety assurances by

police and the NZTA.

NZTA is proposing to drop

the speed limit from the

southern end of the Rakaia road

bridge to the northern end of the

overbridge to 80kmh.

Rural intersection active

warning signs, like on SH1 at

Burnham, would further reduce

the speed limit to 70kmh or

60kmh when trucks were

entering and exiting the weigh

station, councillors were told last

week.

The weigh station is planned

on land on the eastern side of the

northern end of the bridge; up to

eight trucks an hour are

expected.

Councillors are concerned

that slowmoving trucks entering

and exiting the weigh station will

cause accidents and bottlenecks

on the bridge, an important

northsouth link.

NZTA’s Graham Taylor said

the Rakaia station would be one

of 12 and aimed at catching

Stay

strong,

stay

home

The proposed weigh station site near the Rakaia River bridge.

overweight vehicles. Being

overweight affected their ability

to brake safely and was aroad

safety issue.

He said about 40 per cent of

loaded trucks were overweight,

though it varied around the

country.

Often offending vehicles

belonged to asmall number of

operators, who were then able to

be visited and asked to improve

compliance.

Rakaia is considered ideal

because no trucks can escape

detection if they are crossing the

Rakaia River on SH1. On other

parts of the highway, there were

side roads to take to avoid the

station.

“To enhance the safety of the

site, there is apermanent speed

limit reduction proposed,” Mr

Taylor said. The active warning

signs also raised drivers

awareness that something was

happening.

He said the site had been

visited by safety auditors and

traffic assessors, who proposed

lowering the speed limit. A

roundabout was also suggested,

but dismissed because of costs

and the possibility of adding

delays.

Heavy trucks on the highway

have their number plates

scanned leading up to the site,

the information is matched to

online weight data and select

vehicles are ordered to pull off

into the site for weighing.

Acceleration shoulders would

help them return to the highway

and rejoin traffic safely.

Mr Taylor said the weigh

station would have an operating

plan that would take into

account when highway traffic

was unusually busy. It might not

be practical to signal trucks to

pull over during those times.

Mayor Neil Brown said a

weigh station in Rakaia was a

safer site as councillors and local

police did not like the proposed

site. NZTA has asked to use land

on the southern side of the

bridge for aweigh station sign

alerting drivers if they had to pull

over for weighing.

NZTA will provide council

with the experts’ safety reports.

Speed record attempt on hold

Phil Garrett’splans to break the

nationalmotorcyclelandspeed

record on aroad in Mid

Canterburyare on hold for12

months.

TheChristchurchlocal, with

former Ashburton man Rob

Small, were settomake the

record attempt earlierthis

month, before the Covid19

lockdownpresented itselfasa

speedbump.

Thepair were ready to race

twohighly modifiedturbo bikes

on astretch of roadatPendarves

andwereaiming to clock

320kmh. The currentrecord

stands at 307kmh andwas set20

year sago.

Phil Garrettsaidhis 19year

dreamwouldhave to wait and so

would thecovetedRed Hathe

waschasing for ridinga

motorbike at aspeedof200mph

Phil Garrett will reschedule.

(320kmh).

He hadfirst learned that his

attemptwouldnot happenwhen

the Ashburton District Council

cancelledhis road closure permit

on March 23.

Hours later the Government

announced theintroduction of

movement restrictionsand thena

lockdown of thewhole country.

‘‘For thefirst fewmoments

after hearingthe news of the

lockdown Iwas stunned because

there hadbeen so muchwork

donebysomanypeople andnow

there would be nothingtoshow

for it.

‘‘I couldhave gotgrumpy and

angry,but quickly realisedthat

all that work hadn’t beenfor

nothing the planning was done,

the relationshipswehad forged

werestill in place, the localswere

still keenfor us to run and the

bikes would wait wehad alot of

thingstobegrateful for andalot

to be proud of.’’

Garrett saidheand the team

weredetermined to tackle the

record this time next year and

were‘‘looking forward to

finishingthe job’’.

Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon

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Like many of you, I’ve taken agreat

interest in the daily Covid19

broadcasts at 1pm. Usually fronted

by the DirectorGeneral of Health

Dr Ashley Bloomfield, they provide

an update of confirmed and

probable cases, and sadly on some

occasions adeath associated with

the virus.

But one of the statistics Ifind

most remarkable is the cluster data

released each afternoon. The

Ministry of Health defines a

significant cluster as one that

involves 10 or more cases who are

linked because they have been in

the same place together.

Two of the better known clusters

to us here in Canterbury are of two

rest homes in east Christchurch,

which sadly have been linked to loss

of life.

Three other clusters stand out: a

wedding in Bluff, ahigh school in

Auckland, and abar in Matamata.

Incredibly just three clusters, just

three events or locations, account

for almost aquarter of all

Andrew Falloon

nationwide Covid19 cases at the

time of writing.

That’s significant, and should

give us all cause for reflection.

While on the one hand it can be

seen as positive for purposes of

tracing, on the other it shows just

how contagious the virus is. It

shows that even one individual can

spread Covid19 to alarge number

of people in ashort space of time.

Locals here in Mid Canterbury

have done an exceptional job

coping with level 4measures put in

place three weeks ago. The vast

majority have followed advice,

stayed home, and stayed

connected. Food deliveries to the

elderly, phone calls to isolated

friends or neighbours, even a

friendly teddy bear in the window,

we’ve looked after one another as

best we can despite major

disruption to our home and work

lives.

As we hopefully now head into

the final stages of needing to stay

home, it’s critical we don’t put that

hard work, those sacrifices at risk.

One person carrying the virus can

spread it to 50, 70, 100 people if

they remain undiagnosed and not

in isolation.

Acough. Ahigh temperature.

Shortness of breath. Asore throat.

Loss of taste or smell. Sneezing or

arunny nose.

If you have symptoms, please call

your GP or the Healthline on 0800

358 5453.

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020, Page 5

The Courier has been catching up with people in our patch to see how they are spending their time in lockdown.

Music drownsout budgies

Paige Williams, student

Are you able to work from home?

Internet problems are basically

nonexistent, but sometimes my

favourite app, Webtoon, crashes;

other than that, it's mostly fine ...

apart from my family, and the noise

of our two budgies testing me.

What home chores have you been

avoiding?

I've been playing the guitar more

often recently –Igot it this year and

during lockdown have been learning

from YouTube. I’ve actually learnt

how to play ariff of White Stripes

song Seven Nation Army.

Any recommendations for filling

in time?

For music I've been tuning into a

particular YouTube channel called

xKito Music (it’s full of electronic

dance music). You should totally

check it out!

Tell us alighthearted or

otherwise memorable moment from

your lockdown?

Keeping ourselves entertained in

different ways on avideo call, one of

my friends, without warning, put on a

purple wig, and another friend

showed her new selfstyled shoulder

length hair cut.

For amemorable moment, the

look on my Mum's face when I

showed her the wooden poppy I'd

built with Dad in the garage.

What do you miss most in

lockdown?

The thing Imiss the most would be

talking to my friends. Most of them

I’m able to connect with through

Google Hangouts, but it's not the

same.

Paige Williams thinking of Anzac Day when building agiant wooden

poppy for the garden.

Ashburton College

Individual Excellence in aSupportive Learning Environment

News

Issue 10

16 April 2020

Message From ThePrincipal

Unusual Times

This is surely the most unusual time for any

school principal. As Iwrite this piece itappears

that29April maybethe time thatsomeat-school

learning resumes.

There are many logistical challenges ahead for

Ashburton College. The first of these will simply

be beingabletotransportour students to College

if the Government lifts Level 4restrictions but

Level2or 3remain. In this instancemanyofour school bus drivers who

areover70may be unable to drivethe buses.

Another challenge is for cleaning staff, with every door handle and

touchable surface needing tobewiped down plus, ofcourse, all the

keyboards of our computers -and thereare over 200 of those on campus.

These are just asample ofthe many challenges faced by staff before

schoolopens again, and this is of course repeatedfor many schools.

Staff Work During the Break

During the break there has been much work by College staff toenable

distance-learning to begin. Most teachers have work available via Google

and other online platforms. Ofcourse this still requires the learner

themselves to access the lessons and the learning material.Weare very

fortunate to have many staff with the knowledge and experience of

distancelearning,and aspecific team leading the output of information

to the community, staff andstudents.

Iwould like to acknowledge the College’s two Heads of School, Abbey

Bruce and Carolyn Clough, plus our Office Manager Julie Hampton who

have been instrumental in compiling alist of students/families who

are not able to access learning devices while at home. Asrequested,

the names and addresses ofthese families have been forwarded to the

MinistryofEducation.

On Physical Return to School

When we do return to school, indications are that there will be

restrictions on gatherings and we will certainly beasking students to

retain appropriate distance.

As ever,wewill be guided by the adviceofthe Ministry of Education and

the MinistryofHealth.

I'm sure that manyofyou will be looking forward togetting out of your

bubble. Ithas been achallenging time for our community and, indeed,

theentireworld.

Acknowledgements

Iwould like to acknowledge the wisdom of theNew ZealandGovernment

in shutting schools early.MaristCollege in Auckland,with nearly seventy

cases associated with the school, isaprime example of what could

happen if the Government had not decided to close the schools before

the pandemic really got started.

Iwould also like to acknowledge the MinistryofEducation fortheirdaily

updates onthe situation and recommendations that have been issued

from HeadOffice.

AshburtonCollege BoardofTrustees

Last week our BoardofTrustees met via Zoom Conference,working from

the electronicagenda papers.

This will become the‘new normal’for many school meetings, as indeedit

is alreadycommon practicefor the business community.

Acknowledgementofthe Stresses formanyFamilies

Finally,Iwouldlike to acknowledge the stresses that areonmanyofour

families as they struggle to cope with the financial and emotional fall-out

from this pandemic.

Please do not be afraid to reach out to our College for assistance. We

are acommunity school and weknow that asignificant portion of our

community will be struggling. We will dowhat wecan to support your

whanau. Please feel free to contact our Heads of School or any ofour

Counsellors forpossiblesupport.

Many thanks.

Ross Preece

Principal •Tumuaki

BoardofTrustees News ...

Appreciation to Staff:Online Learning

Aspecial mention needs tobemade of the

AshburtonCollege staff. Inthe past six weeks,

plenty ofhard work and extra hours have

been invested to develop emergency online

learning infrastructure and methods for their

students.

In theory, the last two weeks have officially

been the school holidays! However, in our

bubble, our AshColl students have been

engaging with theirteachers and class.

Being giventasks has beenagreat distraction forstudents andhas given

themsomethingfor themtofocus on and learn.

There isstill ahigh degree ofuncertainty around how long schools

will beshut down for, but the hard work, frustrations and, hopefully,

triumphs experienced by teachers and students will godown asa

learning experience in adversitythatwillmake all richer forit.

BoardofTrustees’Operations

The College Board of Trustees is still operating, utilising video

conferencing technology.

Last week we had ameeting with BCN Architects appointed toplan

for the College’s building upgrade. Through the current lockdown, it

is pleasing to note that Ministry and Architects have not put their tools

(pencils) down. They are forging ahead with the planning and design

process.

AshColl staff have been continuing tocontribute tothe process and

consultation rounds, and continue to do so remotely. Also last week, a

‘remote’Zoom meeting was held between the architectural firm, Ministry

of Education and the College’sbuilding Propertyteam.

Master Plan

We are anticipating the Master Plan to be finished ontime for June.

Infrastructurebuild projects aregoingto be crucial to the reinvigoration

of our economypost the Covid-19lockdown. Thepositiveengagement

we hadwith theMinistryof Education and Architects,and the momentum

they currently have on this projectemphasisesthis point.

TheFuturefor our FinalYearStudents

Covid-19 will providesomereal soul-searching forour final year students.

TheBoard’sstrategy has agreat deal of focus on preparing astudentwho

is future-ready forany opportunity, or challenge.

Rapidly advancing technology was challenging what the future looked

like,and the lens we were looking through, but the last four weeks have

distortedthis futurelens even more greatly.

Theopportunities,short-term prospectsand careers arelikelytobequite

differenttowhatwas available whenthese students walked through the

school gatesonthe first dayofTermOne,2020.

As the New Zealand economy goes through areset, some careers will

flourish and provide great opportunities, but others will stall while the

balanceofthe worldresets–eg: travel.

This will be achallenging time for our students. However, wehave no

doubt thatthe diversity, resilience and ‘can do’attitudeofour community

will support and growthis generation of students. JeremySavage

Chairperson

Information

Term TwoHas NowStartedfor Schools

As advertised earlier,school holidaydateswerechanged

at the time of lockdown.

The‘holiday’period finished on Tuesday, 14 April.

This means thatdistancelearning forstudents has started

from yesterday, Wednesday15April.

Pleaserefer right forsome details around howdistancelearning

will work forAshburtonCollege students.

Staff Farewell

Kayla Williams

We have had the pleasure ofKayla being aCollege staff member on

two occasions. Her first was asScience Technician and Reader-Writer

Co-ordinator from 27July to December 2015, after which she returned

home to the UK.

However, we were very pleased to be able to reappoint her to our staff

mid-March of this year as ateacher of Scienceand Agriculture, and we have

appreciatedher conscientious,no-fuss contributions to students and staff.

The Science Faculty has acknowledged her as awonderful addition to the

team and one who broughtcreativity, positivity and greatlearning-focused

relationship skills,saying they will all miss herand look forwardtohearing

howthings go back home.

Sadly College is farewelling her again as family and Covid-19 wrought a

returntothe UK during the term‘break’time.

Information

Communitymessage from Ashburton College –

regarding emergency remotelearning

from Wednesday15April

In these extraordinarytimes,weare all doing our best to be supportiveand

kind.

Teachers, like many in our community, are managing their own whanau

and other commitments while doing their best to continue their work

supporting learning progress forasmanyoftheir students as possible.

Remotelearning at this timeisasolution to an emergency situation and will

be averysimplified versionofwhatusuallyhappens at school.

Most teachers areresponsible for between 100 and 200 students. Students

have five or six teachers to communicate with. We are relying heavily on our

students to demonstrate our AshColl Value of Respect by being responsive,

self-managing and resilient.

We understand that online access to learning may not be easy, oreven

possible forsome learners at some times.

Please contactyour Head of School

if thereare issues thathinder home learning.

Collegehas compiled alist of students without devices

and forwardedthese to theMinistryofEducation.

Howlearning is beingsupported,

as from yesterday, Wednesday15April:

Communication between teachersand students and/or caregivers

will be via College channels; either Kamar or Gmail.

Teachers will do their best to answer emails between 9:00am and

5:00pm, and a48-hour turnaround should be allowedfor.

Where they are able to, teachers will contact students with

subject specific information:

Seniors: (Years 11, 12 and 13)

1. If possible,senior students will have an online opportunityonceaweek

to communicate. face-to-face with their teacher during one of their

normally timetabled lesson times.

2. Learning resourceswill be shared viausual channels suchasGoogle Docs

and Gmail,Google Classrooms or Communities etc.

3. Students will needtocheck and respond to emails from their teachers.

Juniors: (Years 9and 10)

1. Students will be givenweekly learning tasks.

2. Tasks will be subjectbased.

3. Learning resources will be shared via email and/or Google

Communities and/or Classrooms.

4. Students will needtocheck and respond to emails from their teachers.

Be kind,becalm, be safe.

Kiamanaaki, kiamārie,kia marutau.

Page 6, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz

Physio misses patients, mum’s 85th birthday

Are you working from home?

Ihave aseparate practice at home

and have worked from “home’’ for

the past 15 years. I’m not seeing

patients facetoface at present

because of the lockdown, but Iam

doing the occasional “telehealth’’

consultation via phone or video

hookup for people who want advice

or exercise plans.

What home chores have you been

doing?

My house has never looked so

clean on the inside! Ihad abig clear

out of the pantry the other day and

I’ve also been gardening and doing

some outdoor painting. I’ve taken on

Still room for plenty of banter on Zoom

Kirsty Naish in her home office.

Eveline Jasper, Allenton based physiotherapist

the shopping role in my house and

visit the supermarket every week or

so. Ienter wearing my mask and

gloves and don’t hang around, but

I’m told Istill spend too much.

How are you filling your time?

Iamtrying to exercise every day,

whether it’s going for an afternoon

walk, or jumping on the mini

trampoline. I’m also doing jigsaw

puzzles in my treatment rooms, and

away from my cat Lily who likes to

play with the pieces or take refuge in

the box. We’ve also been playing

games like Uno, Five Crowns and

Kirsty Naish, Ashburton accountant

How’s work going?

We have been working from home

since Level 2was announced. Our

whole business model is cloudbased

so very fortunate it’s times like this

we are able to keep going. Idomiss

my team and the banter, but there's

been plenty of banter on Zoom.

Ihave no pets, no kids (yet) so the

only distraction, and I'm not

complaining, is my partner has set up

awee music studio in the garage so I

get to listen to live music in between

Zoom calls.

What home chores have you been

avoiding?

Iwrote alist of the chores that

annoy me and I've avoided, and tried

to tackle them: Like cleaning the

Cluedo as afamily. I’ve also been in

the garden working on astone

carving project –it’s an Easter Island

figure that is coming along slowly,

but surely.

Tell us alighthearted or

otherwise memorable moment from

your lockdown?

Amongst afew female mates we

have afriendly competition to see

who gains the most weight over the

lockdown period –actual weights

won’t be revealed at the end.

Ialso posted aphoto of ateddy

bear in my bedroom window online,

spouting, the skirting and cutlery

draw. Got way too excited on

weekend one and did them all so

started restoring some outdoor

furniture which is taking me aday to

do one chair! Fingers crossed Iget

that job done.

Have been thinking about asking

my partner to teach me guitar but the

last time Itried it wasn't so pretty and

Iwas impatient, maybe I'll stick to

baking and restoring furniture.

Any entertainment

recommendations for people?

Surely I'm not alone being over

watching the news. Instead Iam

listening to more podcasts and

watching way too much Netflix. Ilove

The Minimalists Podcast and they

but unfortunately it looked like the

bear had hung itself. The bear has

found amore relaxed position to sit

and smile at passersby.

What do you miss?

Idomiss the oneonone contact

with my patients –Iamvery much a

handson physio. Iwas also due to

visit family in Holland in July, but

that has now been postponed. Ido

catch up with my parents, who are

both in the 80s, nearly every day via

WhatsApp, but Iwill not be at my

mum’s 85th birthday unfortunately. I

also miss dinner parties with friends

and just the freedom to do what I

want when Iwant.

have agreat doco on Netflix

currently doing their 30day

minimalist game.

The gym team at EA Networks are

posting fun workouts on Facebook

and loving ‘80s and ‘90s throwbacks

on Spotify.

Oh, if you're new to podcasts I

recommend Malcolm Gladwell's

Revisionist History (listen to the one

about McD's changing the fries

recipe), and Megan Tan's Millennial

Podcast is entertaining.

Tell us alighthearted moment

from your lockdown?

There's some awesome wins from

lockdown, like catching up with

friends from afar on Zoom.

My best friend and her kids had to

Eveline Jasper in her treatment

rooms.

go to amedical appointment in

Christchurch yesterday and we live

on the main road so got to wave to

them as they drove past. Think the

most memorable is how friendly

everyone is while you're out walking

Itruly hope that continues post

lockdown.

What do you miss most?

Our lockdown, like many others,

started with cancelled flights; to visit

family and friends in Samoa, so that's

what we are missing the most.

However social media keeps us

connected and we know we will get

over to see them eventually.

Apart from family and friends, I’m

missing hiking, netball, the delicious

chicken sandwiches from Taste and

wandering aimlessly around

Bunnings house plant section.

Canterbury, we are

allinthistogether.

We know youhavealot on your minds right now,sowewanted to

letyou know that we’ll do our best to takecareofyour banking.

Here arejust afew of the ways Westpac can help:

•Repayment deferrals * or reductions for 6months for home loan and

personal loan customerswho have sufferednegativeincome or health

impacts as aresultofCovid-19.

•For personal customers whoneedtobreak their Term Investment^,

we will not reduce the rate of return wherehardship criteria is met.

See our hardship withdrawal policyonwestpac.co.nz.

Formoreinformation on the ways we can help with your banking,

please visit westpac.co.nz.

Yoursfaithfully,

Linda Edmonds

Westpac Regional Manager Canterbury.

Terms and conditions apply. * If repayments aredeferred, interest will continue to be chargedand will be added to the loan

balance, which will increase the amount owed. ^Areduced rate of return for Term Investments will not applywhere

an application is made to Westpac NZ on or before26September 2020.Westpac New Zealand Limited.

WES1111

Living atAlert Level 4

Thursday16AprilUpdate

Todayisthe first dayofweekfouratAlertLevel4.

We know this is atrying time, so remember to ask forhelp

if youneedit. Be kind and supporteach other.

CanIsee my doctor forthings that arenot

relatedtoCOVID-19?

Yes. It’s importantthatyou do notneglect other health issues just

because they arenot related to COVID-19. Don’t hold off or wait

untilyou feel worse. Our health systemisopen and running and

ready to help. Healthline is free and available 24 hoursaday,

7daysaweek on 0800 358 5453.

Howcan Isee amedical professionaltodiscuss

my health concerns?

Start by calling your familydoctor.They canadvise you on next

steps to take, and if aconsultation can takeplaceover thephone

or if youshould visit them. If youdovisit,they will ensureyour

safety while youare there.

Whyisexerciseallowed?

There areveryfew exceptions to staying home, but exercise is one

of them. Goingfor awalk, runorbikerideisgoodfor yourphysical

and mental health. Justremember to:

• stayclose to home. Enjoyyourneighbourhood,but go no further

• gobyyourself, or only withthose youlivewith

• keepa2-metre distancefromothers.

What can IdoifIexperience, or know someone

whoisexperiencing,violenceathome?

If you’re notsafeathome, it’s okaytoleave your bubble to ask for

help.Ifyou have to leave, youcan contact afriend or neighbour.

Call 111 as soon as youcan. If you aresafe, remember thatyou can

keepaneye-out forfriendsand neighbours.Ifyou have concerns

about ayoung person, call 0508 FAMILY (0508 326 459).

Wherecan Iseek helpifI’m feeling

overwhelmed?

If you feel you arenot coping,itisimportant to seek help and

professionalsupport.Your family doctor is agoodstarting point.

Forsupportwithgrief,anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing,you

canalsocall ortext the ‘Need to talk?’ service on 1737.This is free,

and available24hoursaday,7days aweek. Itgives you thechance

to talk with atrained counsellor.

Is theresomewhereIcan access tools to help

me throughfeelings of anxiety?

Anew mental health campaign, ‘Getting through together’ishere

to help New Zealanderscarefor their mental healthduring

COVID-19. Formoreinformation go to Covid19.govt.nz.Italso

includes tips forparents or caregiverswho want to discuss mental

health and wellbeing with primary-school aged children.

Howcan Ishowmysupportand kindness

towardsothers?

Be kind. If yousee someone outand about, trynot to judge them.

RememberthatmostNew Zealanders aredoingtheir bit, and are

probably justgetting exercise or picking up supplies. Justmake

sureyou keep a2-metredistance, smile and wave but please don’t

stop to chat.

Whocan IcontactifIseepeoplenot

followingthe rulesonself-isolation?

Youcan tell thePolice by completing the online form at

105.police.govt.nz.Wherepossible, trytokeep the phones

free forthose thatneedthem in an emergency.

Thank youparents

Aspecial thank you to all parents and caregivers. Term 2started yesterday

–led by youathome. We appreciate you working around the clocktocare

forNew Zealand’schildren, keepingthemsafeand healthy.

Gotquestions?

Find the answersfaster at Covid19.govt.nz

Page 8, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz

Rural&Lifestyle

2245663

1993653

Abbie (with 18-month old Leo) and Ryan Price (standing) on their giant

teddy bear.

Rural kids build big teddy

We canassist in the following:

Rotaryboom irrigators serviceand repairs

Dairyshed yard work –gates, rails etc.

Trailer manufacturing and repairs

Full time workshop attendancefor

emergencyrepairss

Over countersales and courier deliveries

Chains,bearings

PK trailer repairs and maintenance

Wire rope supply and splicing

Alloyand stainless weldingng

Mainline repair

Pivotmechanical maintenance,

gear boxesand fencewalkers

General engineering

Phone 308 5903 weekdays l Email: agserve@xtra.co.nz

On call 7days: Doug: 027 282 2245, Matt (Tomo): 021 518 538

Nowat15Malcolm McDowell Drive

Kale &Fodder Beet

LooseLicks

(Phosphorous, Calcium, Magnesium,

Salt,Trace Minerals)

Kale 50

Magnesium, saltand mineralsfor cows

being fedkalealong with silageand straw.

Alsoavailable:

• Premixes

• Transition products

• Feedpellets &Blends

• Mineral pellets

• Probiotics &Prebiotics

• SilageInoculant

Siblings Abbie and Ryan Price, inspired

by the actions of their rural

neighbours, have built agiant teddy

bear. It’s too big to sit on any

windowsill so has been strategically

placed at the farm house gate, along

Coldstream Road, to show support

and bring some cheer to all the

essential workers going past.

Abbie, 11, and Ryan, 6,were helped

by dad, Sheldon, who is farm manager

at Rylib Group’sAkitufarm, and mum,

Hayley. Mrs Price said all those within

the Rylib dairy farming group were

very appreciative of people still working

in essential services during the

Covid19 lockdown and wanted to

bring asmile to theirfaces withabit of

light entertainment on their travels.

The bear, which looks similar to a

Koala, took abit of planning –mostly

from studying the design of the neighbouring

Taylor/Dunlea household –

and was made by using empty detergent

barrels for their upcycled design.

The siblings cut andshaped piecesof

the plasticbarrel before drilling them in

to place. Other features, such as the

nose, were made with old parts found

on farm.

FeedAdditives NZLimited

Improved nutrition Adding valuetoyour business Improved production

MDCP 21% P

Adirect feed product,withanacidic

tastemaking it palatable. Animalswill

self-regulate. Fedalongside fodder beet.

A50g dose provides 10g Phosphorous

(comparableto73gofDCP).

Midlands celebrates 30 years

Midlands Holdings is celebrating

three decades ofcontinuing growth

spanning across industries such as

seed production, honey production,

oilseed extraction, agricultural contracting

and transport.

The Mid Canterburybased company,

established in Ashburton in

1990, is a global leader in the

production of high value seeds and

export of highquality food ingredients.

Midlands Holdings managing

director Chris Green isproud ofthe

company’s success during the past 30

years, and resilience during the

Covid19 pandemic.

‘‘The success of our dynamic

company can be attributed to our

passionate,devoted teamofboth our

grower suppliers and our dedicated

staffwho work tirelessly to constantly

go above and beyond innovation.

‘‘Lately, it has been aperiod of

challenges amid the Covid19 pandemic,

however it has also been a

time of continued growth for the

company.

‘‘We are incredibly grateful to have

been part of the development of a

worldleading agricultural sector right

Maintain routine during lockdown

Are you abletowork from

home and if so, how is

that going?

Yes, Iam able to work

from home although I

would rather be at the

front end! No major

issues, the dog isusually

beside meand my mental

parrot competes vigorously

with phone and

Zoom calls (he may not

last the lockdown period)

Not being able to drive

is frustrating given my

normal daily travels (and

hobbies)!

Whathome chores have

you been avoiding but are

now doing?

All good in this space

but essential to divide

work and home time for

sanity reasons.

Bestthing is from home

to work is about 30

seconds!

Chris Green

Autumn is an important time forcorrect feeding to setcows

up fornextseasonand helping to developahealthycalf.

If youwillbefeeding kale or fodder beet overthe autumn or

winter,consider mineral supplements.

Fodder Beet 100 &150

FB100: wheresmallquantities of fodder

beet,along with silage, straw,kalebeing

fed.

FB150: wheremediumtohigh levels of

fodder beet being fed, along with silage,

straw or other supplements.

LivinginSouth Canterbury, servicing theCentral SouthIsland.

RhysMorgan M 021 0444 853 E rhys@feedadditives.nz

www.feedadditives.nz

Robert Sharkie, Ruralco chief executive

Robert Sharkie's

parrot competes with

his telephone and

Zoom calls.

Have alist of things I

would like to get completed

throughthisperiod.

Any recommendations

for people inlockdown, or

recommendations for TV/

Netflix, books, music,

2272120

online yoga etc?

Routine, Routine, Routine

here.

You need to be disciplined

and also appreciate

everyone is in the same

situation.

Adecent walk every day

provides a reasonable

break and creates some

normality and perspective

on what weare all dealing

with.

It’s also good to see

other humans!

Tell us alighthearted

or otherwise memorable

moment from your lockdown?

The greatest thing out

of this is the “neighbourly”

contact that been aresult

of this lockdown and the

concern and caring nature

of family, friends, and

As aserviceprovider to the farming

sector, we areavailable during these

restrictions to ensureour farmers are

able to carryonfarming –

7days aweek!

As our showroom is closed during the

lockdown period,all customers will

need to ring or email ahead to order

parts and service.

We will then arrange asafe

non-contactpick up foryou.

We areavailable by phone or email

between the hours of

8.00am –5.00pm, 7daysaweek.

Phone Paul on 308 6509 or 027 431 5513,

or email us on palmeragriparts@xtra.co.nz

2270996

here in Mid Canterbury,” he said.

In 2018 the company conceived the

idea of Puriti Manuka, their own

branddeveloped from theircompany

Midlands Apiaries, which fosters a

rich history of beekeeping dating

back nearly 100 years.

They wentontocreate the Mount

Somers Manuka honey brand the

following year and both brands went

on to set new standards for New

Zealand’s Manuka honey markets.

“Brands such asPuriti, the world’s

first Manuka honey jar with 11

separate consumer security and anticounterfeit

features, to New Hemisphere,

New Zealandgrown hemp

food free ofchemical residue, and

OmegaNZ, agourmet cooking oils

and health supplement company, are

all under the Midlands Holdings

umbrella. The key focus of Midlands

Holdings is to maximise exceptional

quality, which these brands provide

and pass ontotheir customers,” Mr

Green said.

“Key sectors are seed production

including plant breeding, pollination

and honeyproduction and marketing,

crop pollination, oilseed extraction,

agricultural contracting and transport;

although far reaching, everythingwedostems

back to maximising

the quality of our products.”

He said many companies faced a

challenging few months ahead of

them during and following the outbreak

of Covid19. But Midlands

Holdings was committed to supporting

customers and brands while

remaining as safe and sanitary as

possible.

“We have taken steps toprotect

our staff, customers and wider community,

as well astaking measures to

ensure we continue to operate at the

highest level offood safety,” he said.

acquaintances.

Also the kindness from

customers, suppliers, local

businesses, and people

who are partners in our

organisation.

What do you miss most

in lockdown? How are you

staying connected socially?

For meitisthe people,

as abusiness and myself

personally we usually

interact with many different

individuals on adaily

basis. This is particularly

difficult for me!

Technology is a huge

advantage in staying connected

and we should be

grateful for that. Contact

with family, grandchildren,

friends and colleagues is

easy butitisuptousall to

do it, this simple act of

makingcontact will helpus

all get through.

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Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 16, 2020, Page 9

Rural&Lifestyle

Pig farmers planning worstcase scenario

2270996

By Toni Williams

Vickiand Hamish Mee are planninga

worstcase scenariofor stock at their

piggery in Mid Canterbury.

The Meesrun Le Mee Farms,a

22hectarefreefarmpiggery on the

Methven Chertsey Road.They also

have acropping operation.

Theirplanning follows lockdown

restrictions thatstop independent

butchers from opening and limit sale of

pork to supermarkets, otherprocessors

or retailerswhichwere open.

However with importedpork still

allowed into NewZealand, the Mees

are preparing themselves for adifferent

market postCovid19 lockdown,

including ahome delivery piginabox

option.

‘‘Pigs do not just stopgrowing

because markets have beenrestricted

from us,’’ theysaid.

‘‘Allfarmers are doing everythingin

theirpower to find markets for all pigs

–but arebloodyfrustratedbythe

barriers that havebeen putinfront of

our industry by the Government.’’

Commercialfarmstypically supply

pigs to marketonaweeklybasis anddo

not have the facilities to storeextra

stockonsite.

During the lockdown the Mees said

supermarkets nationwide had only

managed to take14percentmore pork

Le Mee Farms sell around 190 baconers weighing 70kg each week.

than theirnormalvolumes, which

illustrated how crucial butchers were to

the industry.

‘‘We can’t stop the pigs coming…

thereisaninemonth period between

inseminationand the pigs going to

market.’’

However, restrictions on butchers

have damaged the pork industry, they

say, with butchers an extremely

important part of the porkindustry.

‘‘We sell approximately 190 baconers

each week, at 70kg dead weight.

‘‘Most of our pork goes to

supermarkets under their freefarmed

label. However, the porkschedulepriceper

kilo–is droppingdramatically

due to the restrictedmarkets we are

dealingwith.’’

Importedporkwas flooding the

current market.

‘‘Unfortunately,out of all the pork

consumed in NZ –62per centis

imported annually, with 95 per cent of

imports being illegal to raise in New

Zealand as it doesnot meetour

minimum animalwelfare standards.’’

Whiletodate the Meeshave sold all

theirpigs to markets, they realise this

couldchange quickly. In the past few

weekstherehave already been a

number of changes.

Mr Mee and their wholesaler are

constantly keepinguptodate with the

latestdevelopments and market

movements and trying to ensure that

there are markets for all the pigs.

They doubt any farmerwill be able

to maintainreduced pricesfor any

great length of time.

They do not have excess stock right

now, but are preparing for it.

‘‘We havehad to purchase five new

tunnel houses and of course all the

necessary requirements within themeg,

feeders, drinkers,false roofs, extra

bedding –the list and expensesgoon

–these wouldbeused to accommodate

weaner pigs on atemporary basis.

‘‘Theproblem with holding pigs is

thatthe pigscontinue to grow and

therefore outgrow themarket weight

requirements –creating more issues –a

nowin situation!’’

If there was aneed in the future to

euthanise pigs,the Meesconsiderthis a

job for Ministry for Primary Industries,

not the farmer.

‘‘Our job is to produce New Zealand

porkfor Kiwis.

‘‘Weare very passionateabouthow

we operateour freefarmed piggery and

animal welfare is the key concern for

us.

‘‘Wehave beenbrainstormingalot

lately –and have created an idea of piginabox.

We are currentlyindiscussion

with our butcher regarding options and

pricing.

‘‘Wewant to promote NZ Porkand

see this as apossible untapped market.

Locally grown free farmedNZpork –

sounds great to us.’’

Possiblebox options include allpork,

porkand bacon or pork,baconand

ham.

‘‘The response we are fieldingat

present has been extremely positive

and encouraging –sohopefullywe’ll

havemore concrete details on this

within the next few days. But again –

ever evolving restrictionsand

regulations couldcreate afew problems

underthe current environment.

‘‘It is pretty much business as usual

workload wise forusand our staff –we

mate,farrow, wean and sell weekly.’’

However, the couple have put on

hold all maintenance and farm

developments and, fornow, continue to

operate on abasiclevel and keeping

everyone safe.

‘‘We have agreat staff team that

have families that they also want to

keep safe. So all our safetywhen

working together is paramount.’’

On farm each staff memberhas been

allocated their own vehicle, more PPE,

and there are more cleaning and

sanitising productsall overthe farm.

Staffare practising the two metre social

distancingrule, havemorningmeetings

in alarge openshed with seating apart

and staggered smoko and lunchbreaks.

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