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Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Petition on display as minister arrives
A petition calling for the health system to be fixed has arrived in Gore. The Buller Declaration is a petition started in September last year following the closure of the Buller regional hospital on the West Coast. The petition states healthcare is in a state of crisis and requires intervention by the government as well as the allocation of more resources for staffing issues. It also states the rural, Māori and poorer populations are being further victimised by this crisis, and the government must meet its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. Already the petition has received thousands of signatures, with more to come as it sits in the foyer of Gore Health until the end of the month. Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler said there was a tremendous amount of pressure being put on hospitals, especially in the South, due to a medical downturn. "General practices are like the canary in the coal mine. When they're not running or resourced well, you see the flow-on effect in EDs [emergency departments]. "Our little rural ED has gone from 6000 visits in 2021/22, to a 45% increase to over 10,000 visits this financial year. This is not sustainable," he said. Waiting lists are only growing longer, Mr Metzler said, it was becoming nearly impossible to access specialists in Southland. Mr Metzler said in a region with such strong economic drive there needed to be some reciprocity for the health sector down South. "We are a major food basket for this country and I think we're really getting short changed on the healthcare front, despite the tax dollars we contribute." Mr Metzler was hoping to raise awareness of the issue and also the petition. He was optimistic it would get a lot of support from the community. • Yesterday, after The Ensign 's deadline, Gore Health was due to host Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey. Earlier in the week, Mr Metzler said the meeting would also also be a great chance to promote what a rural hospital could be. "Gore has a lot to showcase and celebrate as a community-owned, integrated health facility. It's quite unique and I think we should be proud. "But it's also an opportunity to highlight some of the rural inequity of being a trust-owned hospital." Mr Metzler said as a trust-owned hospital, funding from Health New Zealand was a drop in the bucket compared to other facilities.
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Voice for primary industries, rural communities for nearly 60 years
A Gore-born farmer, lobbyist and ex-politician was surprised to win an award recently after only putting forward a nomination in the hope it would raise his profile. At the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards in Christchurch last month, Eric Roy won the outstanding contribution to primary industries award. As chairman of NZ Pork, a councillor for Environment Southland and on various advisory panels, Mr Roy said he thought it might be a good idea for his profile to put his hat in the ring. It still came as a surprise however, when he realised, he might be winning on the night. "I was sitting there ... and I thought, why are five of my senior staff and three of my fellow directors here at our table?" "I need to cobble a few thoughts together." When The Ensign spoke to him a week later he had already had a productive morning, helping his farm manager in Te Anau. Past retirement age, the six-term MP shows no signs of slowing down. "I can't help myself," he said. "People say, when are you going to retire? And I say, when I'm old, I'm only 77." The awards judging panel said Mr Roy was a voice for primary industries and rural communities, for nearly 60 years. When asked what problems were facing farmers and rural communities today, politically and financially, he listed three things. In no particular order, he cited the dwindling numbers of farmers, the politics of the environment and the controversy of genetic modification as key problems. The succession model of owners handing down their farms to their children, as his had done, was no longer working. "Some figures that were given at the Primary Industry Conference were like about 40% of current farmers are over 65," he said. "I can't remember the exact figure, but it was just saying hang on, we need to recruit some more people into the industry." He also said climate change had become a "non-tariff barrier against farmers". He said countries in Europe had set the standards for climate action in a way that was tilted against countries like New Zealand. His final point was that it was needed next to decide what was happening with genetic engineering, as it was used freely for such things as medical research and the production of insulin for diabetics. Yet genetic engineering was frowned upon when it came to enhancing farming in areas like pest-control, creating drought-resistant grasses and products that reduced methane gas in ruminant animals, he said. "There's a very noisy group of people saying we can't do this in agriculture." He said as chairman of NZ Pork it had been trying to get a new welfare code for four "torturous" years. With new space and farrowing rules, he hoped to have the new code finalised in a couple of months. That was why he was happy to be nominated for the outstanding contribution award, to give him more credibility when ringing up a government minister or presenting submissions on these issues. "That was probably the driver."
Otago Daily Times
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Nun means fun in latest production
The Nunsense cast perform a preview show at the MLT Community Theatre in Tapanui last week. Photo: Ella Scott-Fleming Get ready for naughty, tap-dancing nuns as the West Otago Theatrical Society's latest production premieres this week, with back-to-back musical numbers and convent humour in between. Nunsense: The MEGA Musical Version runs until June 28, and The Ensign caught a preview showing last week. The story begins when the lead nuns discover their chef has accidentally poisoned the other 52 residents of their convent with a tainted vichyssoise. The nuns, and one priest, then scramble to come up with the funds for the burials and a musical fundraiser with hilarity ensues. The song-and-dance numbers showcase the talents of the amateur cast with several standout performances. As Sister Hubert, second in-charge to Helen Schmidt's Mother Superior, Kim McKechie shows off her vocal talents as well as comedic timing. Ms McKechie said she was quite surprised to be playing the role, but enjoyed exploring her character's cheeky side. "She's not the nun-iest of nuns, that one, she's a little bit boisterous at times," she said. The show features some crowd interaction, particularly during the intermission, where Ms McKechie kept the audience entertained. "So often there's that barrier with the lights, and you're on the other side and they're on that side," she said. "It really makes it feel like the nuns are really out there putting on a show for the community," she said. Another standout was Olivia Butler, who plays the Brooklyn-born Sister Robert Anne, and whose powerful voice shone through during the musical numbers. Ms Butler caught the theatre bug 14 years ago when she was 11, first playing a munchkin for the society's production of The Wizard of Oz. She has been performing with the society ever since and has also entered the Milton A&P Show's talent competition with her singing. In between numbers, the show boasts convent-based gags and frisky humour, poking light-hearted fun at the institution. "God doesn't love ugly," Sister Hubert says at one point. Ms Schmidt's Irish accent and grumpy act as Mother Superior was very convincing as well as Taitum Shawe's lead role as Sister Amnesia. This is Ms Shawe's second role with the society and she said she was grateful for the direction team for giving her the chance. Not being too fond of the spotlight in the past, some of Ms Shawe's shyness lends itself to the airy role of the the aptly named Sister Amnesia. Tickets for the show are available online at iTicket or at Ideal Print in Tapanui.
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Italian-style nuptials a hit
Mallory and Chris Cooper-Tait were married at the bride's family home in Whiterigg, Gore, on February 15, 2025. PHOTOS: SADBHB PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Tait and Mallory Cooper share photos of their wedding with The Ensign readers. The Gore couple were married at the bride's family home in Whiterigg, Gore on February 15, 2025, becoming Mr and Mrs Cooper-Tait. The couple chose an Italian theme for their wedding, which included a main meal of authentic Italian pizza from the Italian Way food truck and plenty of dancing. Mrs Cooper-Tait said her family home was the ideal venue for their Italian-themed wedding. "We wanted a really fun and relaxed wedding, with lots of laughing and dancing — so nothing was too serious," she said. Mrs Cooper-Tait, pictured with husband Chris, wore a vintage wedding dress from Love James, a second hand/vintage wedding dress store in Auckland, which she accompanied with a vintage veil. "It's a pretty special spot and it honestly couldn't have worked better. "My parents did the most incredible job making it feel like we were in Italy. "We DIY'd a lot and our family and friends from around Gore really rallied around us in the week prior to set everything up — we have never felt so loved. Mrs Cooper-Tait, pictured with husband Chris, wore a vintage wedding dress from Love James, a second hand/vintage wedding dress store in Auckland, which she accompanied with a vintage veil. "We spent many evenings and weekends at their house leading up to the wedding. "We built the bars from old doors, made signs out of old timber and glass doors, got recycled benches from an old boarding house and just used what we could find or make." The couple said there were many special moments. Mr Cooper-Tait said the dance floor was a "massive hit" with guests. Mr Cooper-Tait (centre) with the groomsmen (from left) Seamus Jobson, William Henderson and Tyler Hambleton. "Following the first dance, the floor was full the whole night. "We dragged out a suitcase of dress-ups which everyone threw on instantly, it was incredibly special having all our families together to celebrate our day." The couple wished to thank everyone who made their wedding special, especially their friends and family who helped on the day.
Otago Daily Times
23-04-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Bike trails finally open to the riders
After delays due to the weather, trees in the way and a diligent focus on accessibility for all, the Waikaia Forest Trails will finally be open to bike-riders this week. The trail is having its "soft opening" on Thursday, Waikaia Trails Trust chairwoman Hilary Kelso said. The track needed the community's mountain bikes on it to help compact the clay. The trails will have a more official opening in the spring, but after nearly four years in the pipeline, she said it was time to let the community have a go. The 8km of forest is the second stage of an ongoing project that began with the child-friendly, bumpy tar-seal "pump track" in the centre of the Waikaia township. The trails were meant to flow on from the pump track, Mrs Kelso said. With the idea being part of the family could stay at the pump track while the other half can go to the forest, she said. The riders just needed to make their way through the shops and across the bridge to the old water tower that marked the beginning of the trail, Mrs Kelso said. Both spots were built by Christchurch company Graded Earth, but owner Milty Coultas had to stop work in the forest around a year ago when the weather "refused to play ball", Mrs Kelso said. The trail is also within an active logging site, and she said some trees had not been thinned in time, which again put construction on hold. The most integral part of the project that she said took the a lot of time and care was making sure that the track was usable by those at a "beginner" level as well as the 29% of Southland that identify with a disability. She said the trails were wider to accommodate "adaptive riders" or three-wheelers using a wheelchair, and the trail's berms were also built to their level. "We just saw this as a real point of difference, which is why it has taken longer," she said. The trust always had the varying ages, skill levels and disabilities of families in mind when planning the project, she said. After the setbacks, Mrs Kelso said there were moments where the trust got re-excited and the opening of the trail will be one of those moments. Now the public needed to use the it and give their feedback, she said, which will be used to show potential benefactors for the next stages of the ongoing project. When The Ensign went to preview the track last week, trust member Sam Ruddenklau was on his bike, mapping the trail with the GPS on his Smartwatch. Mr Ruddenklau previously worked at Wanaka mountain bike park Bike Glendhu, and Mrs Kelso said his knowledge and expertise had been invaluable to the project. She said it was his idea to have a map at the beginning of the trails with access points highlighted, so riders could accurately and efficiently direct first responders to where they were in the case of an emergency. The first section of the trail is one-way, so safety was a key concern for the trust, Mrs Kelso said. Looking to the future, she said they will add on offshoots to the trails with a higher difficulty, and if the more adventurous riders enjoy it, they can loop round to go again and again. With the pump track to teach riders the basics of the ups and downs, the forest section at a beginner-level and the future tracks potentially harder, it was almost as if the trust was teaching the community step-by-step how to ride, she said. Mrs Kelso said education and wellness were one of their first tenets. With the education, passion, integrity and community as the trust's four key principles, the trails were an impressive result, she said.
