Latest news with #GoldenBay
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
'It'll be the talk of the town' - Tākaka home proposed for ancient waka
The Anaweka waka was dug up 13 years ago and is almost finished being preserved before it can be displayed to the public. Photo: LDR/Max Frethey Work is now well-underway to plan a home for Aotearoa's "most significant archaeological find" in the Tasman town of Tākaka. It's been 13 years since the 700-year-old Anaweka waka was found on Golden Bay's west coast by a family on a picnic. The artefact is a 6-metre fragment of what would have been a much longer, double-hulled, ocean-going waka. For most of the time since its discovery, the waka has been submerged in a polyethylene glycol solution in a shed, away from public view, to preserve it. But now, the waka is expected to be finished drying by the end of the year and planning is underway for a facility which would keep the Anaweka waka in Golden Bay. A relief of a turtle on the waka indicated that it was an ocean-going, voyaging waka that was intended to return to the Pacific. Photo: LDR/Supplied/Ngāti Tama The three local iwi that make up Manawhenua ki Mohua - Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Rārua, and Ngāti Tama - and Ngāti Kuia discussed options before eventually landing on their preferred approach. That plan would see a purpose-built home for the taonga - a wharewaka - constructed adjacent to the Golden Bay Museum on the corner of Commercial and Reilly Streets. The land, currently home to Pioneer Park, is already designated for use as a museum. Tasman District Council agreed to the location in principle last month, subject to public consultation. Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust chair Butch Little. Photo: LDR/Supplied/Ngāti Tama Butch Little, chair of the Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust, said the decision showed that local stakeholders - the council, iwi, and ahikā (local whānau) - were prepared to work together on the project. "Obviously, there has to be a consultation process with the community, but then we can start looking at funding, because it will be significant." The wharewaka would properly recognise the mana of, what he said had been described as, the country's "most significant archaeological find ever". He also envisioned the facility as a museum about the history of local Māori and their mātauranga (knowledge) of celestial navigation and waka-building. "More than just a waka sitting there, there's going to be an opportunity to tell stories, to see other artifacts, to hear the history of voyaging… that's the vision, I suppose - telling our own stories and hopefully inspiring generations," Little said. "We're looking for something that the community can be really proud of and also in awe of." The wharewaka is proposed to be built adjacent to the Golden Bay Museum on land currently used as a park that was designated for use as a museum. Photo: LDR/Max Frethey Once complete, Little thought the wharewaka would be an international drawcard for visitors to the region and could capitalise on the already-existing waka tourism in the Abel Tasman. "It blows people's minds," he said. "There will be people coming to the Bay just to see that, that will be their sole purpose. It's going to attract visitors that might not have otherwise come." The prospect of neighbouring the wharewaka was a "real honour" for the Golden Bay Museum. "It'll really be a huge boost to history, to let people know what a big historical significance Golden Bay has with the waka, and previously with the first encounter between Māori and Europeans," said museum board chair Frank Susko. Golden Bay Museum chair Frank Susko and services manager Karen Johnson welcomed the possibility of having the wharewaka next door. Photo: LDR/Max Frethey Services manager Karen Johnson added that the museum looks after other Māori artefacts, with only a "teeny" portion on display, and so the wharewaka would provide additional opportunities to show more of the taonga. "There's just so much that you could incorporate." Though the site has been agreed to in principle, there was still "plenty" of work to do before shovels entered the ground, including further analysis, designs, fundraising, and community consultation. "We want to do it properly, we want to make it relevant in terms of what else was shown in there," Little said. "The whole community will be able to celebrate that. 'Wow, this was found here'. It'll be the talk of the town for a long time once it's up and running." The Anaweka waka is currently drying in a shed away from public view but is intended to be displayed in a purpose-built museum. Photo: LDR/Supplied/Ngāti Tama Polynesian ocean-voyaging canoes are incredibly rare, with the Anaweka waka being only the second one known to have survived into the modern day. Parts of the first canoe were discovered in 1978 on the island of Huahine in French Polynesia, while hundreds of fragments of a potential third were recently uncovered on the Chatham Islands. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Domestic cement manufacturing to be fuelled by plastic waste
Fletcher Building is using hard-to-recycle plastics as fuel for its Golden Bay cement factory, in Whangarei. Operating since 1913 it is the country's only domestic cement manufacturer. Previously run on coal the company has spent $200 million since the early 2000s to convert to other fuel sources - and is now 60 percent powered through waste streams such as wood and construction. old car tyres, and at one stage expired RAT tests, face masks and PPE following the outbreak of Covid-19. It aims to increase that proportion to 80 percent with the introduction of hard-to recycle plastics, which Fletcher Building says is a win for the "here and now" problem of such plastics that have no end of life option other than the landfill. Ben Marsh is general manager of Golden Bay Cement. Photo: Supplied by Fletcher Building
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Rats, not weather, to blame for Golden Bay's mobile phone and internet outage
Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii It has been revealed rats rather than bad weather were responsible for a mobile phone and internet outage in Golden Bay on Thursday. The severed fibreoptic cable at Uruwhenua Bridge on State Highway 60 knocked out connection to about 1100 households and sparked concern with residents unable to access 111 emergency services. The Telecommunications Forum confirmed rats chewed through the wire. Chief executive Paul Brislen said it's not uncommon to have rat infestations around fibre lines. He wanted the government to look at prioritising upgrades to the 111 emergency phone line. Chorus said the fault had impacted 350 copper connections and 800 fibre connections. It brought in technicians from other areas to help find the fault as quickly as possible in difficult weather conditions. "Our field teams have quickly mobilised to the fault site and are working to identify the cause of the outage," it said in a statement on Thursday. "Priority will be given to faults that affect multiple customers or involve medical or emergency needs. "Additionally, because Chorus' fibre network supports many of New Zealand's mobile towers, restoring mobile coverage is also a focus." Chorus apologised to affected customers for the inconvenience caused by the outage. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
As it happened: Taranaki highways closed as damage becomes clear after heavy rain
As Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough remain in a state of emergency for the next seven days, Taranaki is in clean-up mode following a lashing of wild weather that's brought severe flooding, slips and power cuts to all three regions. State Highway 3 at Awakino Gorge remains closed after heavy rain, surface flooding and slips. State Highway 4 is closed between Whanganui and Raetihi. Follow what happened during the day with RNZ's live blog Meanwhile SH6 - a main route - has closed near Nelson including Rocks Road, a major thoroughfare around the city, due to a slip. Nelson Tasman residents are breathing a sigh of relief after dodging a second extreme weather event in less than a week. It comes after 1150 Golden Bay homes were without mobile phone or internet services including the ability to make 111 calls yesterday, due to a possible slip that severed a fibreoptic cable at the Uruwhenua Bridge. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Watch live: Christopher Luxon faces questions at ambulance service visit
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to face questions as he speaks to reporters after visiting Hato Hone St John in Auckland. We'll be livestreaming his comments at the top of this page shortly. It comes as the government turns its attention to the next quarter with Luxon citing cost of living pressures as a continuing pressure. There is also pressure from the Telecommunications Forum over the failure of the 111 system for Golden Bay residents yesterday as another storm hit the region. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
