Nelson Regional Weekly News week ending 1st Nov.
Peter Lowish
past week.
Issue 38/98.. Week ending 1st November 1998.
MONDAY
ISLAND CAFÉ WELCOMES BOAT OWNERS
D'Urville Island will offer welcome relief from the life at sea for
boat owners, with the opening of the island's first café-bar in mid
December. The Café situated on the foreshore of Catherine Cove on the
eastern side of D'Urville Island is part of a developing D'Urville
island wilderness resort. The resort's managing director Darryl
French, said the café took advantage of the cove's great location, not
far from the boating cross roads of French Pass he said the cove
already offered safe anchorage for boats waiting to go through the
pass. With waterfalls, glow-worms, and wildlife, excellent fishing,
diving, sea kayaking and great views of the area from the top of the
island, the resort would become a nature lover's paradise. Mr French
said, he expected the demand for the resort's facilities would
increase, as other parts of the region became saturated with tourists.
TUESDAY
MUSIC SOOTHES NERVES AS GROUP PERFORMS REQUIEM.
Initial nerves were overcome as Guiseppe Verdi's Requiem began at the
Nelson School of Music {http://nelsonarts.org.nz/nsom} yesterday.
Requiem was performed by about 100 musicians and singers from
throughout the country who banded together over labour weekend to
rehearse the classical music piece for the first time. Nelson
conductor Carl Browning said the group has practised for only 12 hours
over the week end but felt it had come together nicely yesterday for
the concert. He said the group received a standing ovation from the
audience. The performance was the result of a workshop created Mr
Browning, who founded the British Youth Choir and the Nelson Civic
Choir.
WEDNESDAY
HONDA CHIEF THANKS NELSON
Nelson' new Mayor Paul Matheson Hosted a visit from the Honda Motor
Company's Chairman
Yoshiahide Munekuni who was paying his first visit to New Zealand. Mr
Munekuni was paying a 48 hour trip to New Zealand so that he could
spend ten minutes with Nelson Mayor Paul Matheson to say thank you for
the city's support over the past decade. Honda's N.Z. director Graeme
Seymour said the closure of the Stoke factory in August was a first
fro the Japanese company and Mr Munekuni who is the company's highest
ranking official to ever come to N.Z. had insisted on visiting Nelson.
Mr Seymour said that Japanese protocol required the company to say
thank you, and as it could not do that to the entire community, it was
directed at the Mayor as it's elected representative. Mr Matheson said
Honda employed thousands of people around the world yet Mr Munekuni
was still concerned about the Nelson staff who had been laid off work,
and whether they had found other jobs. " He obviously had a real
concern for the changes that went on here" he said. Mr Matheson
thanked Mr Munekuni for the support Honda had given it's Nelson
employees over the years, and for turning the Stoke factory into a
distribution centre. The Honda assembly plant employed 185 people
until end of August. It has since re-opened as a distribution centre
for the company's imported cars.
FACTORY CLOSURE STUNS STAFF
Shock and disbelief swept through the Independent Casing Company's
Stoke factory yesterday afternoon as 55 workers were told their jobs
had gone and the plant would close on Friday. Production will move to
Auckland. The company is blaming a 100 % rise in effluent disposal
charges for the closure. The manager of the sausage skin export
company said that staff were stunned and the mood around the factory
matched the gloomy weather. Several members of the staff had worked at
the factory for 20 years and the closure would take $30,00 per week
out of the local economy in lost wages, company chief executive Greg
Roberts said. Meatworkers Union general secretary Tiny Kirk said It
was time central government did something to improve the business
climate for primary producers. Work and Income New Zealand Nelson area
spokeswoman June Vincent said the department would do what it could to
support staff through the trauma of redundancy. It was arranging to
meet staff as soon as possible.
THURSDAY
TORCH OF PEACE ARRIVES IN NELSON
"While most people run for fitness, the Sri Chinmoy Oneness Home Peace
Run, ran with the torch of peace through Nelson yesterday. Peace
runner Kathy Davies said eight runners who had carried the torch
through the flooded street of Westport on Tuesday jogged into Nayland
primary school yesterday to share their message - that world peace can
be achieved each individual does something positive for peace in their
own lives. Peace run organiser Maria Cummings said New Zealand had
always been a world leader in peace initiatives.
CLASSROOMS AN INSPIRATION
The energy and style of Nelson's classrooms have inspired a group of
Japanese educators to come here to learn about this country's
education system. The 21 strong educational study team from Saitama
Japan is one of six government funded groups observing education
systems world wide as their own system begins to change. Team leader
Shizuo Ishiwata said New Zealand students seemed to enjoy their time
at school more than students in Japanese schools, who were often under
pressure from exams and had little individual attention. Nelson is the
group's only New Zealand destination.
FRIDAY
SHIPPING LINE STOPS NELSON SERVICE
Shipping company New Zealand Orient Line has stopped as direct
fortnightly service to Nelson, citing slumping cargo volumes. Chief
executive Ulrich Stelling said the Asian economic crisis in the
closure of the Honda car plant in Stoke were major reasons for the
"dramatic" drop in cargo. He said no more vessels would call at
Nelson until cargo volumes picked up again. The suspension was
effective immediately, he said. Port Nelson chief executive Jim
Williamson said he was disappointed about the loss and that it was a
warning to exporters to users services available or lose them. Mr
Williams said the service had been "suspended", not ended, and the
port company hoped New Zealand Orient Line would soon returned to the
region.
IT IS THE WETTEST OCTOBER EVER
It's official - this month has been the wettest October Nelson since
records began in 1941. Nelson weather analyst John Mathieson said
today the previous record was seat and October 1962, when Nelson
received to 229 mm of rain. "This month, we have reached to 233.8mm,
so it's not far over, but it is the record." Mr Matheson seat although
rainfall records were an all-time high for the month, sunshine hours
were "not too bad". "No sun at all was recorded on six days this
month, but we have received 164.8 hours so far." He said the average
sunshine recorded in October was 215 hours, and the all-time minimum
143.
PASS TO GET NEW BEACON
French pass is to have a new navigation beacon installed to prevent
ships grounding, after a coastal cargo ship did so earlier this year.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission Investigator Captain John
Mockett said the lack of beacons were identified as "safety issues".
WAIMEA WINE ACCLAIMED
A Sauvignon blanc produced for Waimea Estate has been selected as the
second-best wine of its type in the 1998 Wine of the Year Awards held
in Melbourne. The selection was made after Winestate magazine tasted
332 sauvignon blancs wines during the 1998 tastings. Made by wine
maker Jane Cooper, for Trevor and Robyn Bolitho of Hope, the wine's
second placing was the second Trophy gained by the Estate from their
1997 vintage. A Waimea Estate's Riesling was awarded the Riesling
trophy at the Liquorland Easter show earlier this year
SATURDAY
WORKERS FACE HARD SEARCH FOR JOBS
The fifty-five the workers light off from the Independent Casing
Company plant in Stoke yesterday will find a local job market very
tight. Nelson's Work and Income New Zealand spokeswoman June Vincent
said jobs were becoming very limited. Jobs available we usually
part-time or of short duration, with employers wanting staff on-call.
Unemployment figures for the region to the end of June show 3170 were
registered as unemployed in Nelson and 1521 in Motueka and Golden Bay.
SEWAGE CHARGES DEFENDED
The engineer responsible for the embattled Nelson Regional Sewerage
Authority is standing by the charges for using the scheme, promising
they are fair and equitable to all. Authority resident engineer
Michael Schruer has expressed some skepticism about the latest
controversy to face the Bell Island storage treatment project - the
closure of sausage skin factory Independent Casing, which has blamed
the authorities charges for its decision to move to Auckland. Mr
Schruer said the present charges for the scheme were based on a
complex formula which had been agreed to by all its five partners (
the councils and three major industrial users). Independent Casing was
not a direct customer of the authority. The sausage skin factory
negotiated for use of the scheme and payment for it with Nelson Bays
Meat Producers, which says it simply passed on the costs citing was
charged by the authority. Mr Schruer said Independent Casing had
given them no facts to support its complaints about the charges.
CATHEDRAL TO UNDERGO IT MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT
Plans are in hand to revamp Nelson's Christ Church Cathedral.
Cathedral Dean, the Very Rev for Charles Tyrrell, said a major
building project was needed to create extra space better suited to
meet day-to-day ministry needs. A development committee had been
meeting frequently for the last 18 months to prepare a report
detailing the needed changes, Dean Tyrrell said. Jubilee was hyped
significant work will be underway by 2001 - the 150th anniversary of
the opening of the first Church on Church Hill. New meeting and
counselling rooms with needed to cut with a growth on Sunday school
and counselling services, the Cathedral choir needed a dedicated
rehearsal area, and a visitor centre would helps to the 20,000 odd
visitors who looked around the Cathedral each year he said.
FROM "THE LEADER"
HOUSTON TO CONDUCT NELSON ORCHESTRA
New Zealand pianist Michael Houston will perform in Nelson on Saturday
November 7th in a concert with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra. The all
Mozart program features the works of the piano Concerto No 17 in G
major Symphony No 34 in C major and symphony No. 40 in G minor.
Director of the Nelson School of Music Pete Rainey said the evening
would be the most popular Nelson Symphony Orchestra concert of the
year.
CHALLENGE FOR SHAREMILKERS
Sharemilkers from the top of the south island are being challenged to
put their business and practical skills to the test. They are invited
to prove themselves the region's- and possibly New Zealand's - best
sharemilker by entering the Bank of New Zealand Top of the South
Sharemilker of the year competition. The winner will go on to compete
for the national title in May of next year.
The title of Bank of New Zealand national sharemilker of the years
recognised as one of New Zealand's most prestigious agricultural
honours.
And finally from the GUARDIAN
PARADE CELEBRATES HERITAGE
Hundreds of people gathered in the Main Street of Motueka to celebrate
Riwaka Schools 150th jubilee and W. A. Coppins 100 years of trading on
Saturday. The Parade was leader by the Motueka Highland That and all
the present-day children from Riwaka school, who were having normal
school day, marched along dressed in period costume. The W. A.
Coppins float featured the old sewing machine use by William Coppins
back in the 1890's, operated by his great grandson Ryan Coppins and
the original bench, with Colin Truman taking the part of William
Coppins.
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for any errors or omissions.
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For a comprehensive calendar of "what's happening in the Nelson
region" visit http://nelson.net.nz/events.html
Copyright © 1998 - Peter Lowish. Reproduction in any web site,
newsgroup, or other media is not permitted without prior approval from
the author.
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Peter Lowish
CyberLink Web Services, Nelson
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