Latest news with #Queenstowner
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
A very vintage drop celebrated in London
Renowned wine writer Jancis Robinson and Gibbston Valley Wines founder Alan Brady with an about-to-be-opened bottle of 1987-vintage Central Otago wine. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The godfather of Central Otago wine, former Queenstowner Alan Brady, had waited 38 years to open one of the earliest bottles ever produced in this renowned wine region's modern history. Last week he found the "right moment" at a barbecue in London hosted by the English distributor of his Wild Irishman label, Stephen Browett. The 1987 Central Otago Late Harvest Rhine Riesling had been vinted specially for an international cool climate symposium on viticulture and oenology held in Auckland in '88, at which the 'grande dame' of UK wine writers, Jancis Robinson, was a speaker who also tasted the wine. When Brady found Robinson would be attending last week's barbecue, he thought that would be the "right moment" to take the bottle out of his cellar. Brady says the wine was made from grapes from his Gibbston Valley Wines, Queenstown's former Taramea vineyard, at Speargrass Flat, Wanaka's Rippon and Alexandra's Black Ridge. He recalls there was very little made, and suspects his bottle was the last left. He says those at the barbecue agreed the wine was pretty good for its age considering winemaking at the time was fairly primitive. "Nobody at the table spat it out, it was treated with all the deference and respect a wine of that age is entitled to." In another serendipitous twist, Brady adds Browett, who owns Farr Vintners, first came to Central Otago as a wine merchant in 1991. He'd met Brady and taken back to London a bottle of his 1990 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir, which Robinson had declared to be "an absolute star".
Otago Daily Times
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
The rubber meets the road, again
Bridgestone Queenstown's back under the ownership of Paul Robertson, pictured third from left, with, from left, Mike Watson, Georgia Young, Kyle Barringer, Lee Jenaway, Cam Morris and Nick Sloley. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Queenstowner Paul Robertson's come full circle. The fifth-generation local — his great-great grandfather was James Robertson, Queenstown's first mayor; his brother was the Earnslaw's first skipper — last Friday bought back Bridgestone Tyre Centre, which had sites at Industrial Pl, in Queenstown, and Jock Boyd Pl, at Frankton. He set up the latter during his first spin as the owner, about 15 years ago, but on Monday he amalgamated both stores at the Frankton site, with nine local staff. That decision's been led by the growth at Frankton, he says. Robertson's spent most of his life in the tyre industry, starting out with Mike Hansen when he was 15, and then working for Bridgestone, under Andrew Earl, a year later. He went on to manage the Beaurepaires store, at just 18, became the national sales manager for Goodyear Dunlop and then national sales manager for YHI International, for commercial tyres. But when his dad got sick, Robertson, who had been based out of Christchurch and Wellington, decided to move back, so bought Bridgestone about 2010 to be close to him. He stayed on as the owner till just before Covid. ''I wanted a change, and to do a building apprenticeship, [and] Bridgestone New Zealand wanted to buy it. "But I've always wanted it back ... I'm really excited to sink my teeth back into it again," he says.
Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
She's living locally, working globally
Les Mills International's global events manager Kylie Brittain. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Kylie Brittain is one of those few Queenstowners who can truly say they work on the world stage. The former Destination Queenstown convention bureau manager's been global events manager for Auckland-headquartered Les Mills International for the past three years. The fitness-centric company, founded by Phillip Mills and named after his father, a former Auckland mayor and champion field athlete, is represented in 23 countries. As events manager, Brittain organises three or four global fitness events a year. Once a year, 4000 to 5000 Les Mills personnel also converge for two-day workouts and activations. "One of the cool ones we did last year in Berlin was we set it up like a car wash-type thing." Brittain's also organised events in London, in Los Angeles and Portland in the United States and Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. Currently she's working on events in Amsterdam and Tokyo. After leaving DQ 10 years go, Brittain was senior experience manager for event company The Orange Group, then formed her own company, Ripple, with Queenstowner Samantha Stirling. "Had Covid not happened, that could still very well be going now." In applying for the Les Mills position, which for the first 15 months was contracted maternity cover, "my first response was, 'obviously, I don't live in Auckland, so I'm assuming that means I wouldn't be a viable candidate"'. "And they were basically like, 'don't let the geography put you off because we have people working remotely all the time'." Brittain, who now works out of Auckland HQ one week a month, says "the coolest thing is when you actually see these events you've spent nine months working on, come to life". "You're so proud of what you do when you see people having a good time at something you've organised, and I think that's the thing that keeps you coming back all the time."
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Polly back on the Wild side
PHOTO: ODT FILES As Queenstowner Polly Bennetts can attest, there's no place like home. The 17-year-old jetted back in to the resort early last month, having been based in Ontario, Canada, since last August, where she's playing ice hockey and finishing her secondary schooling at the Fort Erie International Academy. She pretty much got off the plane and went straight to training with her Wakatipu Wild women's ice hockey team, and, still jet-lagged, was on the ice for them against Canterbury at home a couple of days later. "Oh my god it was awful," she laughs. "I was so dead — I'd come off the ice and have to lie down on the bench." She's clearly shaken off the cobwebs now, though, and the international experience, which has seen her training every morning before school and lifting weights every day after school, appears to be reaping dividends. During her team's game against Auckland Steel, in Auckland, last Saturday, Polly scored one of the Wild's two goals in their opening 3-2 loss — captain Kellye Nelson scored the other — and scored the final goal of their 5-2 win last Sunday. The other goals on Sunday came from Caitlin 'Judy' Heale (two), Nelson and Bobbie Weeks. While she's enjoyed her time in Canada, Polly's fizzing to be back with her Wild teammates. "It's so good to be back with everybody that I'm familiar with ... I know everybody I'm playing against and it's just really nice." She's also rejoined the team at the perfect time. The Wild play their final home games for this season — and their last regular season round — against bottom-placed Dunedin Thunder tomorrow and Saturday nights. Two wins will secure them secondplace on the table, but their final standing going into the finals series in Dunedin later this month will rest on the result of the Auckland v Canterbury round next weekend. Regardless, Polly says the Wild are "hyped" for this weekend and ready to rumble. "For the first time, we've been able to practise twice this week. "We're so excited."
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Youth trust's comeback trail
The late Bruce Grant. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED The coming 30th anniversary of legendary Queenstowner Bruce Grant's death has galvanised a trust set up in his name to lift its support for local youth. An Olympic skier, mountaineer and extreme adventurer, Bruce perished, aged 31, while descending K2, in Pakistan, during a violent storm on August 13, 1995. Ali Beaumont, who knew him through a friend, had the year prior organised a 'locals ball' due to so many locals missing out on tickets to the Winter Festival ball, with corporate sponsors snapping them up. After Bruce's sudden death, she decided the next ball, at the Millennium Hotel, should go into a trust set up in his name — ''it seemed like the perfect thing to do''. As did having it support, as its website states, ''the efforts of other young people who show a similar passion for life, adventure and the desire to succeed''. ''Arts and culture was my great passion, and when we moved to Queenstown, [daughter] Amanda was very involved in drama, but there was no opportunity here — anyone that really wanted to progress would have to travel to compete to get better.'' Early recipients included Ben Farry, who would graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, mountain biker Scarlett Hagen and skiers Nigel Gardiner, Angus Rose and PeteSanford. ''It wasn't just they got a bit of money, but it was encouraging for them that somebody believed in them.'' Beaumont organised several balls at Walter Peak, supported by many sponsors, including Real Journeys initially not charging the use of the Earnslaw for transport. In 2000 she told Mountain Scene the best-dressed woman would be chosen by fashion designer Trelise Cooper, but men wouldn't get a prize as ''they always wear the same thing''. Current trust chair Craig 'Ferg' Ferguson also came onboard early. He'd often interview Bruce on his radio show and recalls kayaking from Frankton Beach to Queenstown Bay in the K2 Expedition Charity Relay as a fundraiser for Bruce and Kim Logan's K2 attempt. Only problem, he kayaked with Coast to Coast legend Steve Gurney who was in his prime — ''man, that just about killed me''. Ferguson vividly remembers the day Queenstown heard Bruce had died. ''It was a very grey, overcast, wet day and I remember coming off the radio with Grant Stewart and going down to have a coffee at Gourmet Express. ''Slowly the word filtered through town, and it was a mood that really resembled the weather of the day.'' Like Beaumont, he's very proud of the grants the trust has made, with later recipients including skiers Alice Robinson, Tim Cafe and Adam Barwood, snowboarder, the late Hamish Bagley, singers Bethany Grant and Emily Burns and tennis brothers Ben and Riki McLachlan. They'd even single out someone they'd fundraise for during Winter Festival weeks. ''The long list of recipients tells the story of real community giving,'' Ferguson says, adding every trustee over the years also deserves a big pat on the back. Altogether about $500,000 has been granted to talented up-and-comers. Since the Covid years, in particular, fundraising has taken a back seat and funding rounds stopped. The trust, however, has continued to provide generous scholarships to both arts and culture and sporting talent at Wakatipu High. And since coming under the admin umbrella of the newly-renamed 45South Community Foundation — formerly the Wakatipu Community Foundation — last November, a big burden's been lifted. This week the trust hosted a function to celebrate its 30th anniversary and the launch of a new logo. ''We just haven't got ourselves back to regular funding rounds, but we hope with a big emphasis on fundraising in the 30th anniversary year we'll get back to that by year's end,'' Ferguson says. Thanks to NZSki, another Dash for Cash will be held on Coronet Peak on August 3 — an event Bruce dominated year after year. Beaumont says ''we just need to remind people, if you have the opportunity to raise funds, we're here and we're local, and for some of those young people that have gone on to things, that [Bruce Grant Youth Trust grant] might have been that little bit of a kickstarter''.
