The Star: September 30, 2021

• By Chris Barclay
KAIKOURA’S hugely popular
festive annual horse racing
meeting maybe moved to
Addington if Covid-19 alert
levels don’t drop.
The two-day meeting –
scheduled for October 31 and
November 1 – usually attracts
crowds in excess of 5000,
many of whom travel up from
Christchurch.
The Kaikoura Cup on the
second day of the meeting is
the final lead-in race to the NZ
Trotting Cup at Addington.
Of the 150 available campervan
sites at Kaikoura, 104 had
been pre-sold yesterday.
Addington Raceway confirmed
it could host the meeting
over one or the standard two
days, but Kaikoura Trotting
Club president Ben Smith is
hoping the current alert drops
to level one when a Government
review is announced on
Monday.
“We’ve got our toes and
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Iconic Kaikoura trots could move to Addington
• By Samantha Mythen
NUK KORAKO has battled in
the corridors of power and now
he is fighting for another cause.
The former National list MP
for Port Hills is about to cycle
720km from Rāpaki to Bluff to
fundraise for 26-year-old Renee
Veal, who needs $90,000 for life
changing surgery.
“It’s not a race, rather it’s an
opportunity to support a local
woman who has a great future
ahead of her, get life-changing
surgery,” said Korako.
Veal, who grew up in Rāpaki,
needs a total jaw reconstruction
and jaw joint replacement operation.
For the past 10 years, she
has struggled to sleep and eat
properly. She often experiences
migraines.
Veal has significant widespread
musculoskeletal pain due
to an underlying hypermobility
syndrome. This makes her joints
hyperflexible, causing soft tissue
injuries, bone wear, joint
tear and early arthritis. Her jaw
often dislocates, this is known
as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos
Syndrome.
“Imagine having a bad toothache
that you can’t get rid of,”
Korako said.
fingers crossed. It’s a great
weekend for businesses in
Kaikoura so it would be a loss
for the community,” said Smith,
who would also discuss options
with Harness Racing New
Zealand.
He said the club was wary of
hosting the meeting under current
level 2 conditions, fearing it
could be challenging to control
access to the course, which
would be closed to the general
public.
“It’s all very well putting the
publicity out there and people
knowing its level 2 but we’ve got
to make sure we can police that
accurately,” he said.
Addington Raceway
racing industry manager
Darrin Williams said he hoped
an alert downgrade would
enable Kaikoura to hold its
meeting.
“Kaikoura’s meeting – at
Kaikoura – is really important.
It’s like this big flag that goes
‘it’s party time’. It signals we’re
in Cup Week mode,” he said.
A life-changing ride
for Nuk and Renee
GEARED-UP: Former National list MP for Port Hills Nuk
Korako is biking 720km from Rāpaki to Bluff to fundraise
for 26-year-old Renee Veal’s life-changing surgery.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
Replacing Veal’s jaw will
ease her chronic daily pain and
greatly improve her life.
The public health system is not
able to fund Veal’s procedure.
Veal said Korako’s fundraising
efforts mean “everything” to her.
“It’s literally life-changing for
me,” she said.
Korako said Rāpaki is a Ngāi
Tahu ancestral community,
which Veal was brought up in.
“Every child is looked after, not
just by their parents but by the
community as a whole. Rāpaki is
their safe haven,” he said.
Korako will start his ride
on October 9, aiming to travel
about 80km each day for nine
days.
He will be riding an electric
bike, sticking to level 2 out of
five for electrical assistance,
which Korako said is “not bad
for a Gold Card holder”.
“I hope there will be a strong
north-westerly to blow me
down.”
He has already raised more
than $6000 of his $50,000 goal.
Veal was originally sceptical
about starting a Givealittle
page, believing her pain was
something she could live with,
compared to people needing
money to save their lives.
“I am extremely grateful for
everyone who has donated and
offered words of encouragement,”
she said.
“I’ve been blown away by the
support of friends, family and
strangers. This all means so
much to me.”
• People can donate to
Veal’s surgery atgivealittle.
co.nz/fundraiser/nukkorako-is-riding-for-renee
Thursday September 30 2021 The Star
NEWS 3
On-going
questions to
be answered
• From page 1
“There’s going to be very
intense discussions internally
around the mayoral campaign.
“Are we going to select as
Labour? Are we going to select
as The People’s Choice? Are we
going to select as both? These
(questions) are all on-going.”
Selection committees are made
up of The People’s Choice and
Labour members.
Centre-right independent
councillor Phil Mauger announced
his bid for the mayoralty
last month, with current deputy
and The People’s Choice caucus
leader Andrew Turner considered
another candidate to replace
former Labour MP and Minister
Lianne Dalziel.
Barber said he opted to run
exclusively as a Labour candidate
for the sake of transparency.
“Last time I was The People’s
Choice and Labour. A lot of
people don’t actually declare who
they are and this time I thought
I’d do that,” he said.
Pickering, the Labour MP for
St Albans from 1957-1960 was
mayor from 1971 to 1974. Vicki
Buck first stood for the council as
a Labour party candidate at age
19, but was an independent when
she served as mayor between
1989-98.
Former Labour Party member
Garry Moore (1998-2007) won on
the Christchurch 2021 ticket.
Dalziel opened her tenure under
the One City Together banner
in 2013 and now represents Best
for Christchurch.
in brief
Slower speed limits
in Wigram
Drivers through Wigram will
need to slow down as new lower,
safer speed limits come into
effect tomorrow. Speeds will
drop from 60km/h to 50km/h
on specific roads, to 40km/h
in seven subdivisions, and to
30km/h on the busy pedestrian
area at the Landing shopping
complex.
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