North Canterbury News: June 25, 2021

NEWS
14 The North Canterbury News, June 24, 2021
Satisfaction from helping others
VOLUNTEER WEEK
By LOUISE LEITCH
Volunteering is away of life
for Norman Maindonald.
He has dedicated more than
40 years of service to the
community in Christchurch,
and more recently, North
Canterbury.
The Rangiora resident, who
volunteers with Community
Wellbeing North Canterbury
Trust as aRestorative Justice
panellist, says volunteering
gives him asatisfaction that
nothing else does.
Aself­professed jack of all
trades, masterofnone,
Norman held variousjobs in
Christchurch, including arole
as manager at Smiths City,
before becoming South Island
sales representative for
Masport.
‘‘I was happily married, with
two children. Ihad agreat job
but Iwas too comfortable, says
Norman.
‘‘My prayer was, if Ican do
something more productive,
let me know.’’
Normanbelieves his prayer
was answeredwhen aserious
car accident in 1984 left him
with afracturedskull and
unable to resume his job. Once
he had recovered sufficiently
he poured himself into prison
ministry,avoluntary role he
had begun while employed
fulltime.
When Norman began
working with men at Rolleston
Prison, some 41 years ago, his
wife Shirley, while supportive
of her husband’s decision,
Volunteer week .. . Norman Maindonald says he gets
‘‘tremendous satisfaction’’ from volunteering.
PHOTO: COMMUNITY WELLBEING NORTHCANTERBURY TRUST
stated categorically thatshe
did not want to be involved.
‘‘But three years later, she
was more involved in the
ministry than Iwas,’’ says
Norman.
The couple took prison
inmates into their home for
what was known as 72 hour
parole, part of aprogramme to
help prisoners nearing their
time for release to transition
successfully back into society.
‘‘They were often men from
the North Island without any
whanau locally to support
them, says Norman. We would
feed them, talk with them.
Shirley and Imust have had
dozens of prisoners through
our home.’’
Norman grew up in Kurow,
NorthOtago and describes his
parents as straight up and
down good people.
‘‘I was brought up to abide
by the rules because Ihad
parents who cared for me,
loved me, but not everyone’s
so fortunate,’’ says Norman.
‘‘I get tremendous
satisfaction from helping
someone who has been in a
heap of trouble to turn their
life around and have hope for
the future.’’
It was Norman’s work with
offenders that in 2003, led
Deirdre Ryan, now manager of
Community WellbeingNorth
Canterbury Trust, to invite
Norman to join apilot
Community projects benefit
Twenty­six community
projects have been
supported by the Kaikoura
District Council totalling
$55,000 over the last year.
The Creative
Communities scheme has
contributed $22,000,while
the CommunityInitiative
Fund added$15,000 and the
Sports New Zealand Rural
Travel Fund has provided
$13,380 forthe community.
‘‘It’s great to see the range
of different projects that
have received funding,from
art classes and sports
equipment through to the
development of amarine
mammal app,’’ community
services manager Susi
Haberstock says.
‘‘These initiatives
highlight the skilland
energy withinour
community.’’
The Creative
Communities fund
supported the 48 Hours in
Kaikouraphoto exhibition,
art classes for adults and
tamariki,the Kaikoura Arts
Trailwebsitetopromote
artists in the district and
Zoetrope drawing classes in
schools.
Funding has alsobeen
made available for two
murals, an art book, an
exhibition, the Kaikoura
Talent Quest, the Kaikoura
Children’s Choir,
Inspiration Container Lego
exhibition and Re(start) Art
workshops.
Art class ... Rosvita Haas teaches an art class to local
school children, funded by the Creative Communities fund.
The council’s Community
Initiative Fund supported a
magician’s performance in
the Kaikoura Hospital Rest
Home, asummer holiday
reading programme, the
Great Kaikoura Whale
Count andTinkertime,a
monthly activity programme
for over65s.
The fundhas also
supported the development
of arange of Maori
resources to be utilised
acrossarange of projects
including performance and
the development of a
marinemammalapp which
will enablereal time
collectionofmarine
mammalsightings.
The Sports NZ Rural
TravelFund was used to
help Kaikoura High School
hockey, Kaikoura Netball
PHOTO:KAIKOURA DISTRICTCOUNCIL
Centre and Kaikoura Rugby
travel to localsporting
competitions.
The George Low Trust
Fund has been running for
more than 40 yearsto
providerecreational
equipment for Kaikoura
youth, and it has funded
hockey equipment at
Kaikoura High School,
swim equipmentfor the
Kaikoura AquaticCentre,
which is under
construction, the Kaikoura
NetballCentre’s junior
umpire programme and the
Korora schoolholiday
programme.
The council
acknowledges the efforts of
volunteers who sit on the
community grant boards
and go through the
applications.
Restorative Justice service,
that was being developed in
North Canterbury by Safer
Communities Council with the
help of Rangiora Police.
Afounding Restorative
Justice North Canterbury
panellist, Norman is now
approaching 18 years as a
volunteer with what was
named the Turnaround
Programme, now known as the
North Canterbury Police
Diversions Panel.
Restorative Justice North
Canterbury, run by
CommunityWellbeing North
Canterbury Trust, provides an
opportunity for victims to talk
to offenders and say how their
lives have been affected by the
offenders’ actions.
Participation is voluntary, in a
facilitated conversation
between offenderand victim.
‘‘Victims can be reluctantto
take part in arestorative
justice conference initially,’’
says Norman, ‘‘but afterwards
they often say it was the best
thing that could have
happened.’’
Losing Shirleyseven years
ago, after 50 years of marriage,
has been difficult, but Norman
remainsaspassionate about
helping peopleasthe day he
began his voluntary service.
‘‘Life isn’t about being abig
shot. Being the wealthiest,
most influential person
around doesn’t mean athing,
that’s just egotism’’, says
Norman.
‘‘We’re here to help others
and if Ican do something to
genuinely help someone else,
why wouldn't I?’’.
Baker’s delight ... Percival Street Bakery’s award­winning head baker Wayne Rewi, with
his apprentice bakers Nicole Young (19) and Johnny Murchison (20) and some of the bread
they make on site in Rangiora.
PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP
Passion for baking bread
By SHELLEY TOPP
Two Rangiora apprentice
bakers are bucking the
nationaltrend of attracting
youngpeople into the
baking profession.
The early­starts put many
youngpeople offtraining to
become bakers.
However, Johnny
Murchison (20) and Nicole
Young(19), who bothwork
at the award­winning
Percival Street Bakeryin
Rangiora are both
passionate about their
career choice, despitethe
earlystarts.
Both Johnny and Nicole
admitgetting to work early
is tough,particularlyfor
Nicolewho is anatural
night owl, but they say
seeinghow much customers
enjoy the bread and other
food they make more than
compensates.
Wayne Rewi, the head
baker at Percival Street
Bakery, says bakingbread is
his passionand he is lucky
to havetwo such talented
apprentices working with
him.
‘‘It is hardtoattract
young,enthusiastic people
into the bakingprofession,
but both Johnny and Nicole
are alsopassionate about
bakingand bread making, so
we are fortunatetohave
Kaikoura
eerily quiet
‘‘Reality is startingtokick in,’’ says
Kaikoura Mayor Craig Mackle.
As winter setsinand with no
international tourists for 15 months,
the towniseerily quiet.
‘‘Hopefully it will pick up abit
nextmonth with the school
holidays.Last winterwas pretty
amazing,’’ Mr Mackle says.
‘‘I think it comes downtoadapting
to the new environment and some
businesses havedone really well,
but you’ve got other businesses who
are dependent on touristsand they
can’t adapt so easily.’’
The North Canterbury Transport
InfrastructureRecovery alliance’s
finalproject, at Peketaand the
Parititahi Tunnels, south of
Kaikoura, is coming to end.
But there is causefor optimism,as
Kaikoura’sMayor’s Taskforce for
Jobshas exceeded its targets. More
than 50 people were placed in jobs
in its first six monthsand funding
has been secured for another year.
‘‘There’s been ahell of alot of
people put into work and they’ve
evendirected peoplewheretogo,
evenifthey fall outsidethe criteria,
so they’re stillhelpingthem which
is good to see.’’
Statistics from the Ministry of
Social Developmentshows there
were66Kaikoura residents on a
Jobseeker’s Benefit at the end of
May.This is the same number as
May 2020.InMay, 2019 therewere
27. ‘‘Unemployment is about half
whatitcould have been and
hopefully we will get that lower too,
butyou’ve got to have the work to be
able to offerthe employment,’’ Mr
Mackle says.
them.’’
Johnny is in charge of
caring for the bakery’s four
bread starters, which all
havenames.They include
the oldest, Boris, which
turns 10 in November.
Nicole,who is gluten free,
specialises in makingthe
bakery’s large range of
gluten­freeproducts.
Wayne saysthere is
somethingspecial about
baking bread.
‘‘There is justsomething
about it. It is not the same
every day.Little thingssuch
as temperature play abig
partinthe perfect loaf.Not
justanyone can pick it up,
you have to wanttolearn it.’’