Vessels jostle for space at the starting line off Russell during this year's Tall Ships and Classic Invitational Race in the Bay of Islands. The 46th annual regatta gets under way on January 9. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The 46th annual Tall Ships Regatta hosted by the Russell Boating Club, gets under way on January 9. The event, and the post-race hangi, are both firmly established on the local calendar as the biggest occasions of the year.
The first race held in 1975 had just six entries. They were all ocean-going yachts loosely called "tall ships" that in turn encouraged some of the square-rigged tall ships to enter, as if to validate the casual taxonomy.
The accepted term "tall ships" usually refers to large, traditionally rigged sailing ships identified by their rigs; brigs, barques and schooners for instance. The number of masts and how they're arranged, plus the use of fore-and-aft sails or square sails (or a combination of both) determine how a ship is identified.
For the nation's 1990 celebrations the race included no fewer than seven tall gaff-rigged ships - Spirit of Adventure, Young Endeavour, Trade Wind, Spirit of NZ, R. Tucker Thompson, Søren Larsen and Breeze.
With the number of traditionally rigged tall ships diminishing worldwide, the Russell regatta is now open to sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes in three categories – tall ships, classic boats and all-comers.
In 2017 it was junk-rigged boats that were first, third and fourth place over the line in the tall ships division.
This year, there will be fewer competitors from overseas than in previous years but, even so, with around 100 entries there will be more ships in the bay than during the height of the whaling and sealing era of the 1830s.
The sailing crews are today arguably better behaved than those living in Kororāreka at the time and described by Missionary, John Brumby, as "rogues and outlaws unrestrained by any law".
One tradition that has changed this coming year is the method of entry. Normally entries were received on the day but for the first time, online entries are being accepted.
The classic launch Meola is motoring up from Auckland to act as the committee boat. With a primary engine and not a gib or genoa in sight, she will be static in a sea of sailcloth and standing out like a proverbial lone ranger.
The post-race hangi will cater for about 800 people and is usually sold out before it's even dug up from the pit. The mussels at the hangi are collected by boating club members from around the Black Rocks area and so many are gathered for this event that some locals have expressed serious concern about the mussel beds being depleted.
The tall ships regatta has thrived as a large home-grown event of long standing and as a palpable example that domestic events can be successful.
A state-of-the-art four-dimensional interactive museum has just opened in Opononi in the Hokianga.
The concept had been discussed for nearly quarter of a century by kaumātua and kuia from Te Wahapu o Hokianga as an answer to the decline in the economy. It's a story that sounds familiar to many other regions in the country but not every region has developed the concepts to reality stage.
Kathrine Clark, general manager for Manea Footprints of Kupe, said the idea was always about promoting local employment.
It's both an educational and tourism facility with two "products". Manea Tapuwae a Nuku depicts the footprints of Kupe and Footprints Waipoua concentrates on tours through the Waipoua Forest.
The principal designers of the exhibition are members of the Te Hua o Kawariki Trust who worked with collaborative partners the Gibson Group, FiT Architects, Toulouse, Dan Mace and Haumi among others.
The website was designed by Karl Johnson from Haumi who assisted with branding by working with Maverick and the Gibson Group.
Funding came from the Provincial Growth Fund which acted as a catalyst for other funders to support the concept. Additional funding came from the Tindall Foundation and Foundation North (both of whom continue to support the exhibition) Lotteries, Northland Regional Council, Far North District Council, Far North Holdings Limited and Creative Northland.
Kupe's story, of course, is of national significance in that it is Aotearoa's first established story with the arrival of Polynesians to these shores nearly 1000 years ago and the Hokianga is known as the cradle of Māori nationhood.
The cultural heritage experience brings to life Kupe's epic journey. The exhibition acknowledges the area as Kupe's home for 40 years, traces his departure, introduces stories of repopulation and the progression of his descendants.
The site tour lasts 75 minutes and Kupe's descendants guide visitors through a powhiri, explaining protocols, storytelling, waiata, karakia, a 20-minute 4D movie and live theatre performances.
Visit maneafootprints.co.nz for more information.
The Far North is known as one of the major food baskets of the country and there is still a need to seek workers for the industry.
Horticulture New Zealand and the Far North District Council joined forces early in December to promote an employment expo. Feedback on social media prior to the event reached a record 20,007 people registered as having seen the post.
In fact, the horticultural industry in the North is in a growth phase, pardon the pun, and the variety of produce being grown is increasing.
New kiwifruit orchards are taking shape around Kerikeri and in Te Hiku avocado orchards are flourishing. Other crops such as berries, manuka for the honey industry and even bananas are being planted alongside the traditional citrus and vegetable mainstays.
The gap in the workforce has been created by Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from the Pacific nations and other international travellers not all being able to be in New Zealand for the various picking seasons.
Apart from that, there are highly skilled fulltime opportunities available within the industry and some training programmes are recognising the need and filling the gaps.
The Kerikeri Gateway Horticulture Schools Programme secured funding from Te Taitokerau Trades Academy recently to run further training in 2021.
The programme covers health and safety, winter pruning, field grafting, kiwifruit canopy management, crop-thinning, harvesting of kiwifruit and grading and packing.
It's a partnership between Plant & Food Research and Orangewood Packhouse that has seen 51 students from five Northland secondary schools graduate.
GoHort, which ran the Northland Expo, works directly with industry, schools and tertiary education providers and is funded by the Provincial Growth Fund and the New Zealand Fruitgrowers Charitable Trust.
The expo was supported by Citrus New Zealand, Blueberries New Zealand, New Zealand Fruitgrowers Incorporated, New Zealand Avocado and the Ministry of Social Development.
The expo and "speed meet" attracted more than 200 people from across Northland and the North Island. It aimed to match job seekers with Northland growers needing workers for the season, training providers and career advisers.
Bruce Campbell, a director on the Horticulture New Zealand board, said in the current environment, industry-led events were critical for growers and for those looking for immediate employment or the opportunity to build a new career.
"Preparing a highly skilled workforce to support growth plans isn't going to happen overnight or without a lot of support and it's been fantastic to have the support of different agencies as we cater for demand," he said.
Residents of Radius Healthcare in Haruru are writing down their thoughts on what the Covid19-inspired lockdown period meant to them.
The illustrations and words will be reproduced into a calendar that will act as a fundraiser for a sailing trip planned for residents in 2021.
The idea came from activity co-ordinator Pauline Ferris, who wanted to record the memories after listening to several residents relate their views. The artwork, the illustrated graphics, were done by Tommi Skippage who doubles as weekend receptionist at the facility.
The calendars are for sale at $20 each and can be purchased from Radius Healthcare at 361 Puketona Rd, or phone 09 402 7112 or email baycare@radiuscare.co.nz.
Well-known Russell identity Patu (Patricia) Sigley has received the Health Volunteer of the Year Award from the Ministry of Health in recognition of her outstanding achievements within the community.
There are 10 awards given by the ministry each year and Sigley's was the top honour. She was nominated by Haratu Kororāreka Marae for her work over more than 50 years, often in small and sometimes isolated communities.
As a career nurse she has spent a large part of her so-called non-working life busy as a volunteer. She helped set up hauora clinics, volunteered for the rural ambulance service for 20 years, assisted people into pension housing or community living.
She also helped with the distribution of food parcels during the Covid lockdown period and made sure the community was aware of testing and how to access it.
In fact, she nearly didn't achieve any of those things when her nursing career got off to a shaky start. She managed two years' training in Hamilton before returning home to be with her mother and seven siblings when her father passed away.
She worked at Kawakawa Hospital, completed her training as a registered nurse aid, then became an enrolled nurse in 1966 and completed her nursing registration from Palmerston North.
She understood the need for Māori health workers to visit their own people and noted the difference it made to have a Māori nurse explain procedures and listen to concerns. And as a diabetes nurse she says she was "shocked" to find so many had "no idea" about the disease.
Her dedication on occasions came at the expense of family comfort. Her son recalled peanut and raisin sandwiches she'd make for them when she had to leave home early. On one occasion she was lost in the Waikare bush when she was trying to find the home of a patient.
Patu worked in a partnership with Ngati Hine Health and worked for the Northern Region Correction Facility. She said that allowed her to meet many different ethnicities and to understand their religious beliefs and health viewpoints.
She became a relief nurse at the Russell Medical Centre, saying it was the last session of her nursing career and now devotes time to the marae clinics in conjunction with Ngati Hine Health. She is a strong advocate for natural medicine and produces her own remedies made from native plants.
Former prime minister and Russell resident Dame Jenny Shipley presented the citation certificates to Sigley on behalf of the minister of health at a ceremony in early December.
• Email Sandy Myhre at mywordmedia@yahoo.com if you have any news you'd like to see in Bay News.
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There is no need for people to be alone or hungry on Christmas Day with two free events.