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Scoop
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall Of Fame Awards Winners Announced For 2025
27 June Equestrian Sports New Zealand's 75th Anniversary Dinner played host to the sports organisation's Hall of Fame Awards held in the Banquet Hall at Parliament Buildings tonight. Approximately 260 guests celebrated 75 years of equestrian sports in New Zealand since the organisation's inception as the Horse Society of New Zealand on 14 July, 1950. This year's awards were presented along with the latest Hall of Fame inductees, and others who have made an outstanding contribution to ESNZ and the sport during the past years, were announced. Special guests included founder of the Catwalk Trust Dame Catriona Williams and husband Sam, ESNZ Patron Jennifer Millar, former ESNZ CEOs Justine Kidd, Vicki Glynn and Dana Kirkpatrick now National MP (Gisborne), Sport NZ Relationship Manager Karin Adlinger-Smith and Group General Manager Strategy, Policy and Investment Julie Morrison, NZ Pony Club CEO Lizzie Turnbull and Riding for the Disabled CEO Donna Kennedy. Riders from throughout the ages, including Olympians Blyth Tait and Tinks Pottinger, took part in a series of 'fireside chats' to reflect on the past 75 years of equestrian sports. Here are the award winners: 2025 ESNZ RIDER OF THE YEAR: Melissa Galloway (Dressage). Marlborough rider Melissa represented NZL at the Olympic Games 2024, on the only Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand bred horse in the field of 60 competitors. 2025 ESNZ HORSE OF THE YEAR – INTERNATIONAL: Showcase BC (owners Frankie Webb & Louise Duncan). Showcase BC is a 15-year-old warmblood bred by Beachcroft Equestrian of Waitoki, Auckland. In just two years this horse developed all the skills of a 'para-equestrian pony' learning to work with Levin para-equestrian rider Louise Duncan (see Against All Odds Award). They went on to compete in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and were placed 13th in the Grand Prix. 2025 ESNZ HORSE OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL: LT Holst Freda (owners Julie Davey & Andrew Ormond). Ridden by Hastings rider Julie Davey, LT Holst Freda is the winner of the Olympic Cup Horse of the Year 2025 and the New Zealand World Cup series for 2024-25 over 4 rounds. Freda is the daughter of the mare LT Holst Andrea and together they have established a NZ record as the first mother and daughter horse duo to achieve both these titles. 2025 ESNZ TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2024 FEI Dressage World Challenge Helen Hughes-Keen (Chef d'Equipe), Katy Payne (Dragonbach Master Reilly), Paige Fitzgerald (Greenmoor Euphoria), Amanda Macpherson (Friden Star) and Samantha Belsham (Dolcetto II). This national team of members were placed 1st, 5th,11th and 16th in the world, where there were up to 107 starters. Their training and focus demonstrated excellent work as individuals, leading up to the event, as they were named just one day before the competition, in line with the competition rules. 2025 ESNZ AGAINST ALL ODDS: Louise Duncan (Para-Equestrian). At age 17, Levin rider Louise contracted the potentially-fatal disease of meningitis, suffered a stroke and was left partially paralysed. She was told she would never ride again but her determination led her to overcome that fate against all odds. Louise fought back and went on to become an FEI grade IV para-equestrian (profile 26a) which recognises severe impairment or deficiencies of both limbs or moderate impairment in all four limbs. Louise and her horse Showcase BC represented NZ at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and finished 13thin the Individual Grand Prix. They also won Champion & Reserve National Para Dressage Champion at the Webb Equestrian Para Dressage Nationals. Special Recognition was given to Jesse Campbell (Eventing). Jesse Campbell faced the loss of his wife in a tragic accident just over a year ago at an Event in the UK. With time, Jesse was able to use the memory of his wife as a motivator to pursue his eventing dreams, returning to competition just 3 months later to compete four horses in the CCI3* & CCI4* at Alnwick. He also debuted at Burghley Horse Trials and finished a very credible 21st place, crossing through the finish flags as he blew a kiss to the sky in recognition of his late wife Georgie. Special Recognition was also given to Clarke Johnstone (Eventing). Clarke tragically lost his partner Cody in an accident on New Year's Eve 2023/2024 while on holiday. Clarke displayed resilience when he returned to their home in the UK and continued the pursuit of his dream alone. Clarke's sheer determination and talent saw him succeed throughout the Northern Hemisphere season and become selected for the NZ Olympic team, where he produced a spectacular 25.7 dressage score, adding only 4.8 time faults in the cross country and just 1 rail down in each of the two SJ rounds. 2025 ESNZ GROOM OF THE YEAR: Madison (Madi) Schollum (Dressage). Based in West Auckland, Madi has devoted four years of her career to Team Williamson, a facility co-owned by Grand Prix Dressage Rider Wendi Williamson and husband Jon. There are 30 horses, with 15 in active training. Madi is herself a successful international rider, and understands well the physical demands of caring for horses in high-level training. THE PILMER PLATE – ESNZ LIFETIMEVOLUNTEER/OFFICIALS AWARD: Wendy Farnell (Endurance). Waitaki equestrian Wendy is a 3* judge, technical delegate and steward, and has been instrumental in bringing the sport of Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding together. Wendy is the go-to person for entries throughout the country, the vet gate at all lower South Island rides, as well as all three Championships and two non-championship FEI rides throughout the country. ESNZ YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR 2025 Dressage Young Person of the Year is Paige Fitzgerald. From Canterbury, Paige and Greenmoor Euphoria are winners of the 2025 Dressage Pony of the Year and National Title Trophy at Horse of the Year, and the FEI Dressage Pony Challenge at the Bates National Championships. Paige has also set the standard for the Youth section of the FEI Dressage World Challenge Youth World Rankings where she was ranked 2nd in 2022 and 2023, and 1st in 2024. Paige will represent the Dressage Youth Council at the 2025 Dressage Conference this weekend. Eventing Young Person of the Year is Charlotte Penny. From Karaka in South Auckland, Charlotte has excelled from competing at 95cm to being one of NZ's most successful riders nationally. Charlotte and Festival are winner of the 2025 Horse of the Year CCI4*. Together they were able to produce the fastest cross country time getting closest to the optimum time around a course, which is notoriously difficult to achieve. The duo placed 4that the 2024 Sydney CCI3* and 2nd at the Taupo CCI4*. Jumping Young Person of the Year is Johanna Wylaars. At just 18 yrs old, Christchurch's Johanna has represented NZ five times in the Trans-Tasman Young Rider teams. She was the joint winner of the 2024 Horse of the Year Young Rider of the Year and has produced a number of horses herself, including those winning the National Six & Seven year old series this year. Johanna has been awarded a Sports Scholarship for Equestrian while studying at Lincoln University. 2025 ESNZ HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES David Goodin (Waerenga) Harvey & Ann Wilson (Waverley) Joe Yorke & Big Red (Wanganui) Penny Pearce (Hawke's Bay) HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS FOR 2025 (Bio's available on request) Sue Hobson (Dressage) Pahiatua Gill Usher (Dressage) Canterbury Helen Christie (Eventing) Southland Dr Margaret Evans (Eventing) Canterbury Rowan Armer (Eventing) Bay of Plenty Roger Laplanche (Jumping) Timaru Marilyn Vincent (Jumping) Waikato Adrian White (Jumping) Hastings Tony Parsons (Jumping) Taupo Wendy Farnell (Endurance) Waitaki
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
ESNZ 75th Anniversary And Hall Of Fame Awards
The finalists have been announced for the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame Awards night and 75th Anniversary Dinner in the Banquet Hall at Parliament Buildings, Molesworth Street, Wellington this Friday, 27 June from 6pm onwards. The event will celebrate the 75th milestone since the New Zealand Horse Society (forerunner to ESNZ) was formed, acknowledge this year's award recipients and also recognise the most recent Hall of Fame inductees and others who have made an outstanding contribution to ESNZ and the equestrian sport. The finalists are: 2025 ESNZ RIDER OF THE YEAR: Tim Price (Eventing) Sophie Scott (Jumping) Melissa Galloway (Dressage) 2025 ESNZ HORSE OF THE YEAR – INTERNATIONAL: Falco (owners Sue Benson & Tim Price) Windermere J'Obei W (owners 2024-25 Melissa Galloway, Rodney & Anne Parkes) Showcase BC (owners Frankie Webb & Louise Duncan) 2025 ESNZ HORSE OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL: DSE Mendoza (owners David & Lesley Going, Kim Keown, Donna & Elise Edwards-Smith) LT Holst Freda (owners Julie Davey & Andrew Ormond) Don Vito MH (Wendi & Jon Williamson) 2025 ESNZ TEAM OF THE YEAR: Hinterlands & John Jones Steel NZ National Three-Day Event Championships 2025 (Sophie Thomas & Craighaven Legacy, Emily Cammock& Y Puna Slade, Kirsty Ogilvie & Raise A Glass, Lindsay Colwell &Waitangi Netflix) NZ Olympic Eventing Team 2024 (Tim Price & Falco, Jonelle Price & Hiarado, Clarke Johnstone & Menlo Park) 2024 FEI Dressage World Challenge (Helen Hughes-Keen Chef d'Equipe, Katy Payne & Dragonbach Master Reilly, Paige Fitzgerald & Greenmoor Euphoria, Amanda Macpherson & Friden Star, Samantha Belsham &Dolcetto II) 2025 ESNZ AGAINST ALL ODDS: Julie Davey (Jumping) Louise Duncan (Para-Equestrian) Jesse Campbell (Eventing) Clarke Johnstone (Eventing) 2025 ESNZ GROOM OF THE YEAR: Jade Urban(Eventing) Madison Schollum (Dressage) THE PILMER PLATE – ESNZ LIFETIME VOLUNTEER/OFFICIALS AWARD, t he ESNZ YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR 2025 and the 2025 ESNZ HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES and HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS will be announced on the night.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Planning change to make installing heat pump easier for millions
A key planning restriction that heat pumps need to be one meter from a neighbour's property has been lifted as the government seeks to accelerate the take up of the low-carbon technology. The change, which is part of the government's Warm Homes Plan to lower household bills and cut planet warming emissions, means it could be easier for millions of homes in England to have a heat pump installed. But consumer groups warn that the changes will not help those in rented or leasehold properties and the biggest barrier to installing a heat pump remains the high upfront costs. This is a particular problem for older housing stock where upgrades to pipework and insulation may also be required. What is a heat pump and how much do they cost? Half of homes need heat pump by 2040, government told UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level Most UK homes use gas boilers for their hot water and heating, but this produces up to 14% of the country's planet warming greenhouse gases. In comparison, heat pumps use electricity, so as the country moves to generating more electricity from renewable energy sources like solar and wind, they could produce far fewer emissions than boilers. But switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump is expensive and not straightforward if you live in one of England's six million terraced homes. Until Thursday, homeowners needed planning permission if they wanted to put a heat pump within one meter of their neighbour's property - because of concerns over noise. Tom Clarke, a gas engineer who recently retrained to fit heat pumps, said having to apply for planning permission had been a barrier for his customers. "When you look across London we have loads and loads of terraced houses and no matter where you site the appliance it is always going to be within one metre of the boundary," he said. It was particularly problematic for people replacing a broken gas boiler because many customers would not want to go more than a month without heating waiting for council approval, he said. This is echoed by Octopus Energy, who told parliament's Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) Committee in 2023 that this planning rule was affecting 27% of its customers. "Those who try to proceed end up waiting an additional eight to 10 weeks on average. Even if customers meet all the requirements, there is no guarantee that local councils will grant the permission, as they all have different interpretations of central planning guidelines," the company wrote in its submission. "The combined impact of all these things mean that very few of the 27% of customers who require planning have made it to install." The rule has now been dropped to accelerate the uptake of heat pumps. Previous concerns over noise are less of an issue with newer devices, though units will still be required to be below a certain volume level. The planning changes also include a relaxation of the rules for the size and number of heat pumps households can install. Households most likely to be affected are those living in terraced housing. In 2021, they accounted for 5.7 million households, or 23% of the total. Some of these will still need planning permission, for example those living in conservation areas and those installing ground source heat pumps. The change is part of the government's Warm Homes Plan which aims to give 300,000 households upgrades to improve their energy efficiency and lower bills. Although the heat pump industry welcomed the changes, many point out the main barrier for many customers is that installing heat pumps is expensive, particularly in older houses, where better insulation may also be needed. This was the case at social housing estate Sutton Dwellings in Chelsea, London, which underwent a full refurbishment of its fabric alongside a new heating network. Its landlord, Clarion Housing Group, did receive a grant from the government to install the new network but also invested its own money. Stuart Gadsden, commercial director at Kensa, the company which designed and installed the system, said this was an issue for many landlords: "A big [barrier] is funding, this obviously does cost more to install than a traditional gas boiler system. "In the social housing sector we have funding from the warm homes social housing fund, but it was oversubscribed by double. Lots of housing associations want to put low carbon heating in but there is not enough to go around." Renters have to rely on landlords being willing to make the initial upfront investment. Rob Lane, Chief Property Officer at Clarion, said the company was happy to do this at Sutton Dwellings because of the impact for residents: "We're waiting to see how the costs of running this system bear out, but our forecasts suggests that each home is going to cost on average £450 - £500 per home (each year) - considerable savings for residents." From 2030, as part of the Warm Homes plan, there will be mandatory requirements for all private landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties. But the way that Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are currently calculated means a gas boiler can sometimes have a better rating than a heat pump because it looks at energy costs and assumes gas is cheaper. Katy King, deputy director of sustainability at charity Nesta, said the government could bring down electricity costs. "The UK has some of the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. The government could take levies off electricity and put them onto gas or use general taxation. It is a tricky choice and one we do expect them to be consulting on within the year," she said. Boiler Upgrade Scheme Environmental rules reviewed for small housebuilders UK sea temperatures soar after exceptionally warm spring
