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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
King, Andrew poised to debut for Tall Blacks in Asia Cup
A member of Otago basketball's royal family and a son of St Kevin's College have been named in the Tall Blacks squad for the Asia Cup. Both rising guard Mojave King and former Otago Nuggets centre Jack Andrew will be on debut when New Zealand play at the tournament in Jeddah next month. They will be joined by fellow newcomer Dontae Russo-Nance, who played for the Nuggets last year but is now with the Manawatu Jets. The selection of Dunedin-born King, in particular, in the 11-man Asia Cup squad is a significant moment for New Zealand hoops. King, 23, the son of Nuggets great Leonard King and former Otago basketballer Tracey Paul, and grandson of late Otago hoops stalwart John Paul, has spent more of his life in Australia but he has declared his hand for the land of his birth. He became just the third New Zealander drafted into the NBA when he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and his rights are now with the New Orleans Pelicans. King, who plays for the Tauranga Whai in the NBL, has impressed Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell. "We always knew that Mojave was very talented," Flavell said. "When you look at the Tall Blacks in the past, we've had to have a guy that can score, shoot the ball and get hot. And we know Mojave can put on 10-12 points in a short period of time." King averaged 8.5 points for the Breakers in the Australian league last season. He then averaged 22.2 points for the Whai, shooting at a decent 38% clip from three-point range. "His role for us is going to be scoring," Flavell said. "Mojave has that unique skillset that I think past Tall Black teams have really leaned on to carry some of that scoring load." There will be whoops of joy around the halls of an Oamaru school at Andrew's debut selection. Andrew, 24, was a stand-out at St Kevin's before playing 80 games for the Nuggets — helping them win the NBL championship in 2022 — and having two spells with the Perth Wildcats. He flourished when he moved to the Taranaki Airs this year, posting 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game . "Jack has had a phenomenal jump this season," Flavell said. "He just really seemed to grow in confidence as well. For a big man to actually run and have a high activity rate — that's something that we really like about him. "He's been the first man down the floor, he's been active on the glass, and he's had great success in tandem with Carlin (Davison) off the pick and roll. I think those two have been one of the most dynamic duos." Leading Tall Blacks including Shea Ili, Tai Webster, Hyrum Harris and Yanni Wetzell are unavailable for the Asia Cup, leaving Jordan Ngatai (84 caps) and Tohi Smith-Milner (69) as the senior men. New Zealand are in group D with Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Iraq. Before the tournament, they have three games in China at the Solidarity Cup and Four Nations tournaments, for which they will also have New Zealand under-19 star Hayden Jones, Jordan Hunt and Luca Yates on the roster. One of those three players will become the 12th and final member of the Asia Cup squad. Tall Blacks Asia Cup squad Jack Andrew, Taylor Britt, Flynn Cameron, Max Darling, Carlin Davison, Ben Gold, Mojave King, Taine Murray, Jordan Ngatai, Dontae Russo-Nance, Tohi Smith-Milner Gold has been selected for Asia Cup only. Jordan Hunt, Hayden Jones and Luca Yates will join squad for preceding Solidarity Cup and Four Nations.
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Bulldog mural to replace kissing kids
A British bulldog will replace a pair of lovestruck children as the new face of a central Dunedin building. The Dunedin City Council has granted resource consent for a new mural on the side of the Mansfield Apartments building, at the corner of Bond and Liverpool Sts. It was previously home to the mural Love is in the Air , painted by Polish street artist Natalia Rak in May 2015, which depicted a girl giving a boy holding a lollipop a kiss as they sit together on a red bench. That mural was painted over in March last year, the Dunedin Street Art Trust at the time saying the building's owners had needed to remove it so repairs to the wall could be undertaken. But Rak told the Otago Daily Times she had not received any information about the removal of her artwork and the news left her sad. The proposed new mural would depict a British bulldog, a consent report said. "The artist chosen by the applicant specialises in animal murals and after their discussion with the owners of the building, the bulldog was chosen for its visual interest. "The bulldog also references a historic building located next door to the building the mural is being painted on. This building was the home of the South British Insurance Company. "The Union Jack on the collar is a specific reference to that business/building name." Dunedin Street Art Trust chairman Glen Hazelton confirmed the artist was SwiftMantis, of Palmerston North, who is known for his large scale hyper-realistic wildlife murals — particularly of re-homed stray cats. ''But we thought a dog was a better example in this space,'' Dr Hazelton said. SwiftMantis' work also includes portraits of the late Dunedin-born eye doctor Fred Hollows and famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, both in Palmerston North. The artist is yet to have painted an artwork in Otago, but has previously in Invercargill and Winton. There were already a lot of murals of native wildlife around Dunedin, and it would be nice to have something different this time, Dr Hazelton said. The trust had wanted an artwork that shared the realistic elements of Love is in the Air and would appeal to the same people who enjoyed that artwork, while not looking too similar. While they would have liked to see Rak return, but who could not due to personal circumstances, Dr Hazelton said he hoped she could paint another mural in the city in the future. ''In the meantime, it's great to have something going back up on the wall and we're really happy with the artist we're working with.'' It was hoped the new mural could be completed by summer this year, he said.
1News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Familiar faces back for Paralympic Winter Games
Two of our top Paralympians have been reselected to represent New Zealand at the Paralympic Winter Games in Italy next year. Five-time medallist Adam Hall made the cut for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games — and in historic fashion. Dunedin-born, Hall, 37, will be the first New Zealand Para athlete to make an appearance at six consecutive Paralympic Winter Games. He told 1News at a gym training session in Wānaka: "I don't reflect too much on that yet but I'm sure, one day, I will." "It's a huge honour and it's a privilege. It's an opportunity to represent and showcase what it is that we do on the highest level,." ADVERTISEMENT He joins the summer Kiwi Paralympians Graham Condon and Michael Johnson in the landmark feat of six appearances. But it's a first in the winter games. Hall, who was born with spina bifida, made his debut at Torino 2006 — also in Italy. He claimed a gold medal in the Men's Slalom Standing at Vancouver 2010, regaining title eight years later in PyeongChang plus bronze medals there and Beijing 2022. Now he's back for another games. "To be what feels like being selected pretty early on in the piece does quite good, because we can get that process behind us and now we can just focus on what it is that we're here to do." So, would be his last crack? "It is quite a common question and rightly so," Hall said. "Because when an athlete has been around for over 20 years, that's often going to be a question. "I'm not really too concerned about when I walk away or decide whether it's going out on top or not. It'll be one of those stories where you wake up or you just have the feeling that, you know, enough's enough." Peters had failed to finish in either of his two training runs, but was sensational when it mattered most. ADVERTISEMENT Also named, Corey Peters, 41, who will defend his Men's Downhill Sitting title at his fourth Paralympics. The sit skier was raised in New Plymouth and sustained a crushed spinal cord competing in a motocross event 16 years ago. He claimed a silver medal on debut in Sochi 2014 in the Men's Giant Slalom Sitting discipline, adding a bronze four years later — followed by a gold and silver in Beijing 2022. Peters took a year out from the sport after the birth of his daughter in 2022. But he told 1News, in recent times, he has taken time to get back into the rhythm of training again after another shoulder injury. "At the lead-up to PyeongChang in Korea, I dislocated my shoulder two months before the games... and then this cycle has been disrupted again with another shoulder dislocation. This one was a little bit more serious," Peters said. "It took a full year to rehab it and get it back to reasonable strength again." ADVERTISEMENT But the distruption has Peters fired up, back at the gym and feeling stronger than ever. "It's quite nice to have minimal shoulder niggles now so I can actually feel like you know you're kind of getting some strength gains back in the gym without kind of being hindered." While Hall and Peters are familiar faces — both athletes have a new coach. Daniel Bogue has been brought in to get the men prepared for the games next March. "It's my first games so I'm going in with two seasoned campaigners... we're tracking really well, so, fingers crossed we can keep tracking the right direction and I'm really excited about it, really positive," Bogue told 1News.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Waka's pace-setting fullback
Conner Hamlin. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER Give the ball to 'Vegas'. Wakatipu Premiers' speedy fullback Conner 'Vegas' Hamlin has been the rugby side's not-so-secret weapon this season, so far dotting down for seven tries after scoring nine in his first season with the team last year. The Dunedin-born 32-year-old, who moved to Queenstown early last year to be a PE teacher at Wakatipu High, would be one of the Central Otago comp's quickest players. But he also works well in tandem with Wakatipu's other pacy outside backs including Jamie Natapu and newcomer Jack Caunter. "It's good to be a part of like a back three where we can all rely on each other and we know where we're going to be and read the game really well," he says. At 78kg, Hamlin's also on the small side but doesn't lack for courage on defence. "I would say I would probably be on the lower side of most collisions I run into. The fact I've split my head open twice already this season is probably a good sign of that." The latest happened playing for Central Otago during the first half of their thrilling Topp Cup win over South Otago during King's Birthday Weekend, so he sat out Wakatipu's game against Matakanui Combined last weekend. Hamlin's played senior rugby for 12 years including about 85 games for Canterbury's Springston club, rep games for Ellesmere and Otago Country and even some games in the United States — his nickname springs from a 'court' session with Wakatipu team-mates when telling a story from his time in Las Vegas. Playing for Waka, he declares, "has probably been the most enjoyable footy I think I've played in my senior career, just because everyone gets along with everyone else". "And you enjoy turning up to Tuesday, Thursday trainings, no matter what the conditions are." He was on the field for the team's amazing come-from-behind win over Alexandra last month, but says his favourite was their White Horse Cup win over Upper Clutha last year. Handing it back this year was disappointing, Hamlin says. "[Veteran Bradley Cross] said, 'I think we were playing not to lose, rather than playing to win' — that's what you've got to. "If we could go and take it off Upper Clutha in the last round this year, that would be very handy." Hamlin, who'll be fit to take on Maniototo this Saturday, says it's healthy for the team and the club's future that five players who took the field last Saturday left Wakatipu High only two years ago. Out to square the ledger Having suffered a first-round away loss to Maniototo, 22-19, one of only two this season, Wakatipu will be out for revenge when they host the Ranfurly-based team at the Queenstown Recreation Ground this Saturday at 2.30pm. Wakatipu "warmed up" with a hard-fought 23-7 win over bottom-placed Matakanui Combined in freezing conditions last weekend — Waka's flying lock Josh Aperahama-Paenganui is pictured securing the ball during the game at the Rec Ground. Wakatipu's flying lock Josh Aperahama-Paenganui's pictured securing the ball during his team's game against Matakanui Combined at the Queenstown Rec Ground last Saturday. Co-captain and second-five Rube Peina starred by scoring all his team's points including two tries. Arrowtown, whose only win came in their season-opener against Matak, travel to play Cromwell this Saturday, seeking to go one better after drawing 26-all with them at home in the first round. Arrowtown lost 41-14 away to Alexandra last weekend.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
The right place, time and way for use of four-letter words
Let's look at four-letter words. "Word" is one of them, as indeed are "blob", "slob" and "knob" but I have a couple of others in mind, neither of which I use, save in the context of telling a story. Here are two of the stories. Years ago, in Timaru, there was a Dunedin-born barber called Ernest Firkin who plied his trade for almost 40 years from about 1905. An entertainer and raconteur, he became something of a haircutting legend in his shop near the Excelsior Hotel. He sold the business in 1935 to my grandfather who was not a barber and kept Ernest on as the real heart of the place. Grandad held the shop for only four years and then set up a transport business and the new barber shop owner, Syd Burns, also retained the services of Ernest Firkin. When Grandad talked, always among male-only company, of his days owning a hairdressing/tobacconist shop my young years would be flapping as he described how any Timaruvian whose hair was offensively long was told to, "Go and get a Firkin haircut". "Ah," I thought, "that simply means patronising Mr Firkin when you needed a bit off the top and short back and sides." In later times, having been introduced to crude language at secondary school, I realised that Grandad's tale was a great piece of punning and let out a much-delayed guffaw. It still makes me chuckle. Even more enjoyable was the story from Australian politics. You need to know that Australia's National Party began in the 1920s as the Australian Country Party which became the National Country Party in 1975 until the present name was adopted in 1982. It seems that before 1975, during a time when the Country Party was in power, the Labour Opposition under Gough Whitlam were launching yet another spirited attack on the government and its policies. An incensed government MP Winston Turnbull broke through the clamour by proudly proclaiming, "I'm a Country member!" Whitlam interjected with, "I remember". That superb and subtle play on words was lost on Turnbull and years later Gough Whitlam recalled, "Turnbull could not understand why, for the first time in all the years he had been speaking in the House, there was instant and loud applause from both sides." What I enjoy about those two stories is that the naughty four-letter words have been introduced with great effect without ever using them. A feat of subtlety and wit obviously beyond the ability of today's politicians and rabble-rousers. Of course, during my time in army training and public bar drinking I've heard those words used to saturation point, usually by people who are actually unaware that they are saying them. Harmless, really, in such environments, but in places like Parliament or a mixed-sex gathering they simply mark the speaker as ignorant, oafish and to be avoided. Parliament has long had its naughty four-letter words and MPs are instantly ejected from the House when they use them. "Lied", "liar" and "lies" are absolutely forbidden when applied to another member but the fact that members do not always tell the truth can be indicated with "unfactual", "out of touch with reality" and "economical with the truth" and other euphemisms. Happily, I'm able to avoid the kind of people who descended to using the four-letter word which had the House reeling in shock recently but, less happily, there's another four-letter word which assaults my ears at every turn. I'll even spell it out. L.I.K.E. It seems that no-one under 40 is able to open their mouth without dribbling a flood of "likes". "It was like pretty tough up front," the rugby player tells the media. "They were, like, screwing the scrum half the time and we were, like, struggling a bit." This saturation of speech with "like" offends me more than the odd bit of crudity. Where will it end? Are we yet to witness a man of the cloth sermonising with the wedding feast at Cana as his theme? He will have swotted up his Bible, especially John 2:1-12, and be ready to tell the tale in a way his audience will appreciate. "And so, dear brethren, like, on the third day there was, like, a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also, like, invited. Then, like, the wine ran out and the mother of Jesus said to him, like, 'They have no wine.' Jesus was able, like, to change water into wine and it was, like, a miracle." In fact, it was a miracle, like it or not. It will also take a miracle, it seems, to rid us of that constant use of "like" as nothing more than a prop to assist the slow working of dull minds. — Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
