Kiwis & Cabin Fever - BiograView

Perspectives from around the globe

MAY | 2021

INTERVIEWS / RESEARCH / LIFE

go together like fish & chips

Kiwis & Cabin Fever

ISSN

274

4-5

704

(On

line

)

definedTHE WORD ‘BIOGRAVIEW’ IS A COMBINATION OF BIOGRAPHY AND VIEW .

/bʌʌʌʌʌrəfi/nounnoun: biography; plural noun: biographies

An account of someone's life written by someone else.

• biographies considered as a literary genre.

"the basic difference of approach to autobiography and

biography"

• the course of a person's life.

"although their individual biographies are different, both

are motivated by a similar ambition"

BIOGRAPHYORIGIN

MEDIEVAL GREEK

biosLife

MEDIEVAL GREEK

-graphiaWriting

FRENCH

biographieMODERN LATIN

biographia

biographylate 17th century

Late 17th century: from French biographie or modern Latin biographia, from medieval Greek, from bios ‘life’ + -graphia ‘writing’.

/vjuʌ/

noun

1. the ability to see something or to be seen from a

particular place.

"the end of the tunnel came into view"

2. a sight or prospect, typically of attractive natural

scenery, that can be taken in by the eye from a

particular place.

"a fine view of the castle"

• a work of art depicting a sight of natural scenery.

"Matisse's view of Collioure"

• the visual appearance or an image of something

when looked at in a particular way.

"an aerial view of the military earthworks"verb

verb: view; 3rd person present: views; past tense: viewed; past

participle: viewed; gerund or present participle: viewing

1. look at or inspect.

"the public can view the famous hall with its unique

staircase"

• inspect (a house or other property) with the intention

of possibly buying or renting it

"prospective buyers are requested to make an

appointment to view the house"

VIEW

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French vieue, feminine past participle of veoir ‘see’, from Latin videre . The verb dates from the early 16th century.

ORIGIN

ANGLO-NORMAN

FRENCH

veoirSee

ANGLO-NORMAN

FRENCH

vieue

LATIN

videre

viewMiddle English

• watch (something) on television

"some people record the programme and view it later

on their VCR"

2. regard in a particular light or with a particular

attitude.

"farmers are viewing the rise in rabbit numbers with

concern"

Source: Oxford Languages

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P A G E 0 2 B I O G R A V I E W

in this issueON THE COVER

PEOPLE

10The Willetts A story of an inspirational Fiordland couple. ALINA SUCHANSKI

14A Life Less-SpanishPHILIPPA HADLOW

16Happy trails: finding fellowship in runningKATIE STONE

HERITAGE

18My Māori identity as a Pākehā HAYLEY WHITE

20Waitangi Day and traditional valuesAMOKURA PANOHO

22Visiting ghosts of the pastALINA SUCHANSKI

27‘Little Poland’ in Pahiatua – a story of 733 Polish childrenALINA SUCHANSKI

31Proverbs of the world – a bridge between culturesJENNIFER LITTLE

YOUTH CULTURE

34Jake Alabaster – International student HAYLEY WHITE

56

Kiwis and cabin fever go together like fish & chipsHaving had the privilege to travel around the world, we have become strangers in our own countries. But the global pandemic may have been a blessing in disguise. Katie Stone explains.

P A G E 0 3B I O G R A V I E W

A GLOBAL SPECTRUM

38Aboriginals Speak OutPHILIPPA HADLOW

41Teaching English as a Second Language: Not For EveryoneKATIE STONE

44City landscapes switch to greenPHILIPPA HADLOW

48The spirit of hulaJENNIFER LITTLE

LIFESTYLEHealth and Wellness

50Herbs and healing in New ZealandKATIE STONE

Food

54Yael’s Chicken SchnitzelHAYLEY WHITE

Travel

56Kiwis and cabin fever go together like fish and chipsKATIE STONE

Fashion

61Sustainable fashionHAYLEY WHITE

Sexuality

63Tackling taboo: MenstruationHAYLEY WHITE

DIGESTIBLES

Animals and Culture

67The Tale of the HarePHILIPPA HADLOW

Environment

71Loving BeesHAYLEY WHITE

Astrology and Culture

74Western astrology, its origins and how we use it todayHAYLEY WHITE

Religion

77Same rule, different Gods: what it means to live in harmonyKATIE STONE

Music

80The development of music through time: Medieval music eraHAYLEY WHITE

Books

82About behaviour, transformation, cell phone networks, and a plot PHILIPPA HADLOW

ETCETERAS

05Korero: From the Editor

06The Team: Who we are

60Ad RemOur Monthly Cartoon CHARLOTTE GIBLIN

84Do you know?Test your cultural knowledge

KO

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Kia ora and welcome to BiograView!

I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you to the very first printed issue of BiograView! It’s been quite a journey, but I have realised that to make something happen, you need to believe in yourself. And, if you are passionate enough about something, all things are possible.

In this multicultural magazine, you will read interesting articles written by BiograView’s amazing team of writers, presented through a wide variety of topics.

Within our communities it is now a lot more common to rub shoulders with people from many other cultures. These people may be your neighbours, your colleagues or staff, your students, or your teachers. How well do we know each other? Do we feel understood and respected? We all have our differences. But I do believe in people and the ability to live in harmony, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or religion.

This magazine aims to reveal and challenge cultural misunderstanding, mystery, and ignorance, which often affect the ways in which we relate to one another.

New Zealand is comprised of two islands with a history of migration going back hundreds - some say thousands - of years. And we all have come from somewhere. From the beginning of time, people have migrated from one place to another for all kinds of reasons, and they still do.

We love holidays in exotic places, even if Covid has put a stop to that – at least, for now. Yet sometimes we seem to find it so hard to accept when someone from another culture decides to live here. We can feel threatened by a stranger and the underlying fear of the unknown can make us feel uncomfortable. The comfort zone is no longer. Different looks, different smells, different foods.

Ingrid

“But we love our food!” I hear you say. We love ethnic eats, and try out foreign cuisines. Don’t we realise that these delicacies have been prepared with love by people who live here – people who are local to those foods – the same people we might like to call strangers?

Our differences however, can be quite beneficial. Culturally, all of us have unique qualities to offer. Culture is something to be embraced. To acknowledge and respect all cultures will allow them to bloom. We live in a multicultural society and rather than to compete, the time has come to complement each other.

We are responsible for our future, our actions, and our decisions. Social transformation is possible. Let’s recognise all who have been here before us and all who are with us now. Because from generation to generation, our culture has shaped us to be the people we are today.

I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to contribute towards building harmonious relationships within the community, the country, and potentially, the world and invite you to join us on our journey.

from the editor

INGRID VAN AMSTERDAM

Ingrid arrived in New Zealand in 1988 from the Netherlands to attend her grandfather’s funeral. Thinking she had nothing to lose

but everything to gain, she’s still here today. With a background in interviewing and auric magnetic energy healing, Ingrid has an

interest in the arts, culture and humanity as a whole. She believes that with enough passion, anything is possible. The creation

of BiograView is one of those passions. Ingrid has a vivid desire to work for the establishment of peace and harmony in society.

Unwavering focus, drive and her belief in people keep Ingrid on her path, inspired to reach that goal.

TH

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who we arePHILIPPA HADLOW

Philippa Hadlow loves the written word’s ability to tell stories, relay history, and evoke images of

a world many of us might never see. She delves into such diverse topics as indigenous peoples,

animals and culture, global gardening practices, the stories of migrants and refugees as they cross

unknown borders to embrace new lives. Philippa also loves reading so, keep an eye out for her

book reviews. She has a knack for getting to the heart and soul and nitty-gritty of every story.

JENIFFER LITTLE

Jennifer’s writing career spans news journalism, and feature writing on arts, culture and travel –

from Fiji to France. She has produced articles about humanitarian issues and humanities education

as a media/communications professional in the tertiary sector. Jennifer also writes short fiction and

has published a children’s sci-fi novel. She’s a passionate supporter of the arts, particularly in her

hometown of New Plymouth, where she’s part of a team which runs regular Latin dance workshops

and social events.

AMOKURA PANOHO

With maternal tribal links to Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāruahine Amokura regularly commutes from

Auckland to Taranaki as a board member of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust. Her background

is in Māori business and enterprise. However, she was also the inaugural chairperson for Shakti

Asian Women’s Support Group, where she championed their registration to the National Women’s

Refuge Collective. Amokura is keen to share an indigenous view of Aotearoa for a broader audience.

KATIE STONE

Katie grew up in the Waikato and always thought she’d become the next Enid Blyton. Although yet

to produce a novel, she has spent much of her life studying, travelling, and freelancing. Katie has

traipsed through five continents and lived in Ireland, China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan.

She is also a devoted runner and spends most of her spare time pounding the pavement around

Auckland. We are delighted to have Katie - a qualified naturopath and journalist - bringing her

passion for people and plants to BiograView.

ALINA SUCHANSKI

Alina Suchanski was born in Poland and came to New Zealand in 1982. She lives in Te Anau,

Fiordland, dividing her time between growing blueberries, teaching yoga and writing. Passionate

about protecting the environment, health and fitness, Alina loves music and has an interest in

languages. Her hobbies include exploring the beautiful place she lives in on foot, by bike or in

a kayak. Alina is excited to write about things she loves including conservation, nature, heritage,

outdoor activities and most of all, people.


PRODUCTION

PUBLISHER Ingrid van Amsterdam

EDITORIAL Editing/Proofreading: Ingrid van Amsterdam Philippa Hadlow Art and content director: Ingrid van Amsterdam

PRODUCTION Owner/Operator: Ingrid van Amsterdam Communication/Social Media/Sales & Marketing: Ingrid van Amsterdam Email: [email protected]

Address: Second Floor | Kings Building | 36 Devon Street West | New Plymouth 4310 | New Zealand Web: BiograView.com Facebook: facebook.com/BiograView Twitter: twitter.com/BiograView Instagram: instagram.com/biograviewLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biograview

Design Team: TGM Creative Printing | Distribution | Subscriptions: Ovato Publishing Solutions For Subscriptions visit BiograView.com

OUR MISSIONTo bring about social transformation by raising positive cultural awareness and promote diversity and culture equality in education and the workplace.

OBJECTIVE To produce a quality multicultural magazine with historical, social, and cultural content, distributed around New Zealand and beyond. BiograView strives to achieve a better and more sustainable future by • Elevating cultural equality within and amongst our nations • Encouraging sound, responsible and inclusive establishments; and promote • Good health and education • The reduction of climate change • Conservation of our natural assets • Peace, diversity and inclusive communities • Sustainable development of social and economic growth.

ADVERTORIALS We are proud to present you a content driven magazine. We intend to keep advertising to a minimum so that your exposure will have maximum impact on the reader. To ensure continuous and quality articles in our monthly periodical, we appreciate the support received by our advertisers.

BiograView is • A classy magazine • Filled with quality content • Exclusively written for BiograView by journalists around NZ • Which makes the magazine stand out • Limited advertising • Therefore those who do, will be SEEN.

Advertising on BiograView will help us: • Produce more stories • Raise positive cultural awareness • Promote diversity and culture equality in education and the workplace • Give back to the community – 10% of all profits will be donated to charity.

DISCLAIMER Please note that the content in this publication may not necessarily express the views of the writer/publisher. The writer/publisher is not responsible for the content of other websites/publications linked to, or referenced in this magazine. The inclusion of, or reference to any link to another website, or reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service, whether by trade name, trade mark, manufacture, or otherwise, does not constitute an endorsement, verification or recommendation by this title. Each page in this magazine must be read in conjunction with this disclaimer and any other disclaimer that forms part of it.

COPYRIGHT No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

© BiograView, 2021

HAYLEY WHITE

Hayley White is a young Pākeha Māori woman from Auckland, New Zealand. Her dream to tell

people’s stories - the stories that need to be told and heard - grew into a passion for youth, Te Ao

Māori, and sexuality: some of the topics Hayley has the pleasure of writing about for BiograView.

We love her enthusiasm and look forward to sharing her stories with you!

CHARLOTTE GIBLIN

Charlotte Giblin is a full-time artist and art tutor living in New Plymouth. She has worked professionally

in the visual arts for almost 25 years. Charlotte’s rich tapestry of experience as business owner,

gallery director and arts administrator, art tutor, author, potter, painter and illustrator has woven

together her passions to become the full time contemporary fine artist, art tutor and creative

mentor she is today. We are delighted to share with you Charlotte’s monthly cartoons, especially

created for BiograView!

MerchandiseWEAR BIOGRAVIEW

WWW.BIOGRAVIEW .COM

A story of an inspirational Fiordland couple BY ALINA SUCHANSKI

THE WILLETTS

The Willetts at the 125th anniversary celebrations of

Mackinnon Pass .

Photo: Alina Suchanski


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Helen and Ray Willett are a bit of a legend. Activists,

environmentalists, eccentrics, party animals, tireless

community movers, shakers, and supporters – these are

just some of the words that spring to mind in relation to a

couple whose association with Fiordland goes back more

than half a century.

Ray, originally from London, came to New Zealand in 1953

aged 16, as a child migrant.

Ray’s earliest childhood memory is of hearing an ear-piercing

siren announcing an air raid. He was 3 years old at the time.

“For the next six years, when the siren went off, we all went to a bomb shelter. At night mum would put the lights out and, in the distance, I saw a red glow. That was London burning,” he recalls.At that time, the family lived in Harrow, Middlesex, England

(now part of Greater London). Ray’s parents, Edward and

Elisabeth Willett had three sons: Patrick, Ray and Chris.

Before WWII, Ray’s father was a master craftsman working

for Hoopers, the coachbuilders to Rolls Royce. During the

war, he built Mosquito aircraft out of balsa wood for the

British Airforce.

When the war ended, Ray completed elementary school

and, following in his father’s footsteps, enrolled at a technical

college. His heart wasn’t in it though, and he often skipped

classes in favour of exploring London. He’d go to Hyde Park

or the British Museum. On one of the truant days, he saw a

sign in a window saying ‘Come to New Zealand’. He went

in and picked up a form to fill out. At home, when he told

his parents about his plans, they tried to persuade him to

finish his apprenticeship first, but Ray said he wanted to be a

farmer, and he wanted to go now.

“I waved goodbye to my family, never to see my parents

again. I had no idea where New Zealand was, how far it was

or what it was like,” he says.

He qualified under the child migrant scheme and joined a

group of 15 youngsters escorted by Mr Bernard Esquilant

on a voyage from London to Wellington aboard the ocean

passenger liner RMS Rangitata. They arrived in New Zealand

on 9 September 1953.

Left: Ray Willett holding his niece on the day of his departure, London, 6 August 1953

Below: Ray's family on his departure, Tilbury Dock, London, 6 August 1953. From left to right: Ray's two brothers, sister in law with baby, and Ray's parents.

Photos: Ray Willett

Private Collection

More than 130,000 children were sent to former British

colonies from the 1920s to 1970s under the child migrant

programme.

The children, aged between 3 and 14, predominantly English

and almost invariably from deprived backgrounds, were

taken from institutions and foster homes and sent out to the

commonwealth countries. Most went to Australia and Canada,

but between 1949 and 1953, 593 of those children were sent

to New Zealand. Some of them lost contact with their families

forever. Later research, beginning in the 1980s, exposed

hardships and abuse of the relocated children.

Ray was one of the few with a happy story to tell. He was

placed with Joe and Marl Burnside in Northland to help

with milking cows. He fondly remembers his time with the

Burnsides, saying he felt “he was part of the family”.

The young lad’s love affair with Fiordland started in 1956

when he embarked on a motorbike tour of New Zealand from

Auckland to Milford Sound. He came back for the 1958-59

summer season to take on the job of a guide and track hand

on the Milford Track for the Tourist Hotel Corporation (THC).


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In 1961 while working at the Chateau on Mt Ruapehu ski

field, Ray met an attractive blonde, Helen Shepherd.

Helen was born in Hastings and spent her youth in Hawke’s

Bay. She qualified as a nurse and in 1958 went to London,

where she worked in her profession for three years, before

returning home.

Freshly back from the UK, Helen got a job at the Ruapehu

ski field cafeteria while Ray worked in the boot room. At the

end of the winter season, they came to Te Anau to work on

the Milford Track. Two years later, they were married.

The Willetts managed the Pompolona Hut on the Milford

Track during the summer of 1964-65, before THC asked

them to run the Lake Waikaremōana motor camp for six

months. Half a year turned into five and a half years in the Te

Urewera National Park, but the grandeur of Fiordland lured

them back for good in 1970.

As the first registered nurse in Te Anau, Helen was

‘snatched’ by the Fiordland Volunteer Ambulance Service,

according to Ray, who also joined its ranks as an ambulance

driver. Helen and Ray continued their involvement with the

Ambulance for eight years. During that period, they became

aware of the importance of donating blood, and not only

became donors themselves but also encouraged others.

Helen Willett on the Milford Track, 1964

Photo: Ray Willett Private Collection

Another spinoff from the ambulance work for Helen was

getting involved in victim support, which she continued for

many years.

Asked for a reason why they have been such an unbeatable

team in the service of the community Helen said:

“It worked, because not having any children we could jump out of bed at 2am and attend to emergencies.”

But there’s more to the Willetts than blood, sweat and tears.

They are both fun-loving, extroverted individuals with

colourful personalities, a quirky sense of humour, and zest

for life many younger individuals might envy. Ray climbed

Mitre Peak (1692m) in Milford Sound at the age of 76. A year

later he completed an eight-day Outward Bound course

and walked the full length of the Hump Ridge and Milford

Tracks.

Ray and Helen skiing on Mt Ruapehu, 1961

Photo: Ray Willett Private Collection

His incredible physical fitness is matched by his mental

agility, which he claims to maintain by memorising and

reciting poems – another skill for which he is world-famous

in Te Anau. Meanwhile, Helen has her own method of

keeping her brain active and only a few years ago attended

Te Reo Māori language course run by the Southern Institute

of Technology in Te Anau.

Neither Helen nor Ray shy away from dressing up for the

occasion. Ray, who has competed in 25 of the annual Kepler

Challenge mountain races, would bring humour to the event

using props and costumes. Helen deserves a champion title

for volunteering for the 26 consecutive Kepler Challenges

starting at the event’s inception in 1988. A marathon runner

in her younger years, Helen’s only regret is that she has

never run the Kepler herself.

In 1990 Ray Willett was named Fiordland Tourist Personality

of the Year which acknowledged his part in playing Te

Anau’s first European settler, Richard Henry during the

town’s centenary in 1983. He continued his theatrics by

playing explorer Quintin Mackinnon during the Milford

Track centenary celebrations in 1988 and again in 1989. No

doubt Ray’s long time involvement with Fiordland Players,

the local theatrical society, helped him to play these roles

convincingly. He put on Mackinnon’s trademark suspenders

and red beret once again for the celebrations of the 125th


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anniversary of Milford Track discovery, while his wife wore a

matching period costume.

The Willetts were both involved in the Save Manapouri

campaign back in 1959-72 to prevent the raising of the levels

of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction

of the Manapouri Power Station. More recently they

supported the Save Fiordland battle against the tunnel and

the monorail proposals to shorten the trip from Queenstown

to Milford.

Passionate about the environment, Ray has been involved

with conservation since 1959 when he came to Fiordland to

work on the Milford Track as a mountain guide. This is when

he saw his first stoat and learned about their impact on New

Zealand native birds.

Later as a National Park Ranger, he set up predator trap lines

at Eglinton and Hollyford Valleys and continued trapping

when he worked for the Takaro Lodge near Te Anau.

When in 2007, the Kepler Challenge Committee set up a

50km-long predator trap line on the Kepler Track and called

for volunteers, Ray put up his hand to check 50 traps along

the 10km section of the track. And he’s been doing it once a

week ever since.

“Others have said they were doing it for the exercise. I say I don’t need the exercise; I’m doing it to save the birds,” he says.

With all this work it’s no surprise that in 2008, Ray received

the conservation champion title at the Department of

Conservation annual awards for his extensive contribution

to various conservation initiatives in Te Anau and Fiordland

areas.

Five years ago, at the age of 80, Ray once again proved

that age is no limit when it comes to outdoor pursuits. He

participated in a 15-hour epic caving journey that took

him and five others down New Zealand's deepest vertical

shaft called Harwood Hole, and further through Starlight

Cave. The long rope descent is considered one of the most

spectacular caving experiences in New Zealand.

Today at 85, Ray is still an active member of the Fiordland

Tramping and Outdoor Recreation Tramping Club.

While Helen prefers to stay out of the limelight, Ray does

not mind putting himself out there for a good cause. Being

blessed with a natural ‘gift of the gab’ has landed him many

MC roles and speaking engagements at dinners, meetings,

conferences and as part of the DOC’s Summer Programme.

Using his trusted Aldis slide projector his wife Helen brought

from England in 1961, Ray keeps audiences spellbound with

tales of men and horses carrying inhumane loads up the

Milford Track before motorised vehicles and helicopters

took over those arduous jobs. What comes across loud and

clear from Ray’s talks is his infectious love for the mountains

and rivers of Fiordland and his appreciation of everything

this amazing region has to offer.

Ray Willett at Mackinnon Pass on the Milford Track with Clinton Valley below, 1958

Photo: Zygmunt Kepka

Ray Willett approaching Mackinnon Pass in November 2013 dressed as Quintin Mackinnon for the walk celebrating the 125th¬ anniversary of Mackinnon Pass rediscovery



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A Life Less-Spanish BY PHILIPPA HADLOW

When Sandra Sánchez and husband Gonzalo booked a

flight from Madrid, Spain, to Auckland, New Zealand, they

had no inkling of what the weather had in store. It was

January 2011 – high-summer in New Zealand – and the Land

of the Long White Cloud seemed more than appealing. The

couple were hoping for a temperate climate with tranquil,

sunny skies and pleasant locals. They lucked out with the

locals but fell headfirst into the wettest, coldest summer

Aotearoa had experienced in two decades.

Ironic that it was Spanish-named weather pattern La Niña in

full-force greeting mode when Sandra and Gonzalo checked

into Auckland. Translated, La Niña means The Little Girl.

Well, hardly little in effect and perhaps the National Institute

of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)'s description

simply as 'cold event' would be more apt. In 2011, La Niña

brought gale-force winds and record-level rainfall to the

City of Sails; and it’s fair to say, this was weather at its most

extreme.

There wasn’t a lot of sailing to be had, but Sandra and

Gonzalo have a good sense of humour. They playfully and

briefly considered going home again, and the thought of a

cool Spanish winter seemed slightly more welcoming than

Auckland’s murky moistness. Made of sterner stuff, they

decided to stay put. And that's when New Zealand lucked

out, too, because Sandra and Gonzalo have embraced their

life less-Spanish in this country like troopers.

The decision to leave their Madrid home was all about timing;

and avoiding the long term fall out of the Global Financial

Crisis in Europe meant leaving Spain in semi-recession.

Sandra remembers:

"It wasn’t looking good, it wasn't great. We have no kids, no mortgage; if we’re going to get out of here, it’s now or never.”

They wanted to master better English, and “since many

English-speaking countries (like England) have terrible

weather!” they chose New Zealand.

New Zealand? A far-flung country of complete strangers and

even stranger summer weather! But well worth it, according

to Sandra and Gonzalo, as they shook out their brollies,

grabbed their student visas, and readied themselves to

become English-proficient.

Recognised global English school Education First

(EF) offered them a top-flight nine-month course at a

top-flight price. EF also took care of their immigration and

accommodation paperwork via the New Zealand embassy

in London. Why not the embassy in Spain is another oddity.

And unbelievably, that paperwork crossing the borders by

post cost more than it would for Sandra to fly from Spain to

London to deliver it by hand.

Immersing themselves in Auckland was wetting but

exciting: "Auckland is super-welcoming; everyone is

coming from somewhere, everyone bends over backwards

to understand (your language), and you never feel out of

place,” Sandra tells me.

Nine months on, the EF course was over, and Rugby

World Cup action hit the city. Lodgings in Auckland proved

challenging, especially when the landlord mentioned they

could expect to pay double rent for the 45 days of Cup

frenzy. Sandra and Gonzalo had graduated successfully,

and their student visas indicated they could now work up to

20 hours per week. They moved on to look for a job.

Enter another anomaly and a big ‘No’: If Sandra and Gonzalo

wanted a job, they would have to change the conditions on

their visas. And for that to happen, they would have to pass

the notoriously demanding International English Language

Test (IELTS) with excellent grades.

Good marks in the test meant Sandra found work as a

nanny, and one of her charges, a charming young girl called

Amorita, is still part of the family. Gonzalo struggled to

Trip to Rotorua with Moose, 2019

Photos supplied by the Sánchez family


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excel in his exam, but in all fairness (and to maintain marital

harmony), Sandra had the English-speaking advantage,

having taught a little in Spain.

Canterbury called, with nursery, viticulture, and horticulture

opportunities - as approved by Immigration New Zealand’s

Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification

of Occupations (ANZSCO) list. With a shortage of Kiwi

candidates for these jobs, both biologists were soon fully

employed.

Sandra and Gonzalo loved Canterbury. They loved working

with plants, loved the dry summer heat and chilly winter

frosts (similar to Spain), and loved the people. And even

though their first year in Christchurch was challenging

(whispers: “Ooh, that’s the wife of the foreign couple …”),

Sandra and Gonzalo put themselves out there; volunteering,

coaching, and chatting (in exceptionally good English). They

soon found that: "Once they (the Cantabrians) let you in,

they will defend you with their life. They are an amazing

community,” Sandra says.

They didn't want to leave Canterbury, but ANZSCO’s List

dictated, and it was constantly updating its mandates.

Applying for residency means adapting and kowtowing to

immigration policy. From Sandra and Gonzalo’s perspective,

the system is fraught with inconsistency; its rules morph,

demand more and get tougher year by year. Sandra

reckons some immigrants have an easy time, receive good

communication, clear direction, helpful advice, and some

don't. Ten years on, the couple is still fighting to achieve

their dream. They’re passionate about New Zealand and

long for that legal symbol of belonging: “We’ve just been

unlucky. But it is what it is.”

When Gonzalo found Immigration-approved work in

Taranaki as an arborist and Sandra as a maths tutor, they

were grateful but exhausted. She then filled a maternity

leave position as a research technician until finally landing

her current role in a horticultural nursery.

She was willing to take on anything, saying: "I just want a

job; I'm happy to work outside with plants; I'm not expecting

anything extraordinary - I just want a job."

Sandra’s work ethic is typical. It's ingrained because, in Spain,

Job is Paramount - it comes first, always. It’s all-consuming,

super competitive, and you need to show up and hang on

tight, or you’re out. It’s busy and pressured, and there's no

leisure till late at night.

She is still amazed by New Zealand workspaces which value

staff, support family time, and, incredibly, say ‘thank you’ to

employees for doing their job. These traits are unheard of

in Spain: "In Spain, you go to work, go home as quickly as

possible and then it's rush-rush-rush again. You see your

friends in the street, and it's ‘Hi, how are you!’ We use it as a

greeting; we don't expect an answer. In New Zealand, it's ‘Hi,

how are you?’ You really want to know!"

Those social mores often take centre stage in New Zealand

culture. Example: Sandra's at the supermarket. She's in a

hurry and itching to get through the queue. The checkout

operator asks everyone how they are. And wants to hear the

answer! “My God, just get on with it! But then you change. In

the beginning, it used to frustrate me, but now it's one of my

favourite things - it's great!”

You could call it Kiwi-time, and it walks (slowly!) hand in

hand with the Kiwi-care attitude: “So, you learn to slow

down … and though everyday tasks might take a little more

time, they are not stressful. And the fact that we have time

to enjoy life at home, well, it makes you more relaxed.

Work-life balance is achievable – and people do care!"

But moving so often to please the visa makes it hard to find friends who care: "There are days that you need a good friend, one who really knows you. That's not going to happen yet - maybe eventually."

Sandra's social lifesaver is getting out in the community -

volunteering, participating, contributing. Lately, she has met

some lovely people whom she calls friends. She realised:

"This is a really good region. It’s a region that grows on

you very quickly as soon as you give it a chance … beach,

mountain, bush. New Plymouth is a perfect-sized city. We

love it in Taranaki!”

Spanish cultural pursuits are on the back

burner. Sandra and Gonzalo are people of

the Land of The Long White Cloud now; this is

the culture they chose, and they've embraced

the New Zealand way, 100%. And though

the much yearned for residency is

an ongoing challenge, this positive

young couple seems to have their

life less-Spanish, A-OK.

Left: Cycling to Pukeiti Gardens. Right: Weekend in Lake Tekapo, 2017


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Happy trails: finding fellowship in running BY KATIE STONE

With plans for his wife and 4 year old son to join him once he was settled, Mgcini arrived in Auckland alone and began looking for work. After landing a job as a telecommunications technician, he moved to Rotorua.

Living alone in a tiny bedsit, far from everything he’d ever known, those first few months weren’t easy: “It was horrible. I was just trying to get myself settled, save some money, and get my family some plane tickets and visas,” he says. “There was quite a long delay with the visa processing, which made the whole thing really frustrating. And it was so cold here!”

By September, the visas and flights for his wife and son were arranged and they were finally reunited. They moved to a bigger flat and began to ease into their new life.

Despite the initial culture shock, he felt they’d made the right decision. “Everything just seemed laid back,” he says. “People were so nice. My family had just come from a place where it was tough to survive. Now we felt we were in a good place, having a good life.”

Although homesickness was never far away, he and his family were able to maintain many aspects of their former life. They bonded with other Zimbabwean families who had migrated to Rotorua, joining them in ethnic soccer competitions and traditional celebrations. They were even able to source many of their dietary staples at local African stores and supermarkets.

His first impression of standard Kiwi cuisine was a little less favourable. “The taste of some foods was awful!” he laughs. “The beef especially - I thought it was awful. But some foods were really good. Fruits are so delicious here, especially your apples. So good - they really hit the spot.” And although his palate has now adjusted somewhat, Marmite is still not a winner. “We tried it, but… nah. At the end of the day, it’s something you have to grow up with.”

Hamilton Lake parkrun

Photos: supplied by the Masuku family

One bright Saturday morning back in March, Mgcini Masuku went for a run.

He started at 6am. He finished on Monday morning, some 44 hours and 161 kilometres later.

Despite starting on just three hours’ sleep, getting lost in the middle of the night, and hallucinating about lions and pythons, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. After all, he’d done it nine times before. “It was very hard. But it was the best feeling I’ve had after finishing a miler,” he says.

The ‘run’ was the Northburn 100, one of New Zealand’s toughest 100-mile trail running events. Every year, competitors from all over the country and around the world pit themselves against 32,808 feet of rugged Central Otago mountain terrain, climbing and descending to the finish line before the 48-hour cut-off time.

When Mgcini finally rolled over the finish line, he’d seen two sunrises and two sunsets. He also plans to do it all over again next year.

Clearly, Mgcini is no ordinary Kiwi. And, 18 years ago, he was not a runner.

Mgcini arrived in New Zealand from Zimbabwe on January 6, 2003. He was 32, and he’d had enough of the ongoing political and economic turmoil of his home country. The situation had worsened throughout the early 2000s, and Mgcini wanted better for his family.

New Zealand, being ‘quite far away’, seemed perfect. “Everything suggested that a better lifestyle could be attained in New Zealand,” he says. “The UK was too cold, Canada was too cold, Australia was too extreme. So it had to be New Zealand.”


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In 2006, the promise of more lucrative opportunities in Australia beckoned, and Mgcini left New Zealand for a year-long stint across the ditch. Again, the idea was to find work and then bring his family over. But before he could decide whether Australia’s pastures were indeed greener, a job was offered in Hamilton. So, back to New Zealand he went, and the family moved again - this time for good. His son started at the local high school, and his wife enrolled in a nursing degree at WINTEC, later becoming a social worker.

“Hamilton is great,” Mcgini says. “It’s got everything. It’s not a small city by New Zealand standards, but it’s big enough. It’s close enough to Auckland, and you can go to the beach at Raglan or Waihi. It’s very central.”

There was just one thing he wasn’t happy with: his weight. “I couldn’t see my waist belt; I couldn’t tie my work boots without dripping sweat. I just felt so unfit and overweight. I hated myself.”

Running seemed like a good option, so he decided to start with an easy 3km. “I got to five hundred metres and had to turn around,” he laughs. “It took me another two months to try running again.”

The treadmill was his next attempt. For every 20 minutes, he would have to sit down for another 20 to recover. But he persevered, and eventually began running 5k every two or three days, along with playing business house football every Sunday.

By 2008, he was ready to try a race. Hamilton’s Round the Bridges seemed a good start, but he was told that his chosen distance - the 2.5km - was actually the children’s event!

Undeterred, he signed up for Auckland’s Round the Bays the following year, and surprised himself by completing the whole 8.4km. A half-marathon was next on the cards, and in 2010 he ran the Huntly Half, finishing in just under two hours (which he thought was ‘terrible’!).

With his 40th birthday looming, he signed up for the Rotorua marathon. It didn’t go well. “It nearly killed me,” he laughs. “I swore I’d never do another marathon.” But the very next year, he signed up again. And every year after.

By 2014, marathons weren’t enough. Inspired by the likes of American ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes and New Zealand’s own Lisa Tamati, Mgcini got himself a coach and began doubling and tripling his distances: Lap the Lake (60km), and Tarawera Ultra Marathon (76km and 100km).

Then came the kingpin of the ultrarunning scene: the 100-miler.

For most of us, it’s almost impossible to comprehend the magnitude of a 100-mile race. It involves running the entire distance in one go, usually within a time limit of 36-48 hours. There are time cut-offs along the way, which means competitors must keep moving throughout the night. They are also required to carry any supplies they might need: clothing, food, drink, and first-aid.

Mgcini’s first 100-miler was to be the 2015 Great Naseby Water Race, held every August near the tiny gold-mining town of Naseby. The course comprises a formidable figure-8 of gravel road and forest tracks. Miler competitors must run 16 loops of the course, often battling rain, fog, mud, and snow. Despite the brutal weather and a particularly bad case of chafing (“I thought I’d need skin grafts!”), Mgcini made it to the finish line in a time of 33.38 hours. Having claimed his first belt buckle, his first thought was: “I could probably do it again.”

That was six years ago. Now aged 50, Mgcini is quite rightfully something of an ultra-veteran. Known for his 1000-watt smile

and inexhaustible determination, he is one of the most respected and admired faces on the trail. He has acquired a number of roles in local running events, including Run Director at Hamilton Lake parkrun, an organizer for pacers at Rotorua Marathon, and committee member for the Kirikiriroa Marathon.

With 10 hundred-mile races under his belt - plus a staggering 200km race in 2018 - he has no intention of stopping. His next race will be the new 200-mile at Naseby in August, followed by the 24-hour Sri Chinmoy track race in November. With each race, his goal is simple: to go back and improve on his previous time.

But it’s not just about finish times, or even collecting titles. What began as a bid to get fit has evolved into something much bigger: “Running has helped me integrate - especially trail running,” he says. “It’s about sharing adventures with like-minded individuals from different walks of life.”

There are times, of course, when he misses home - especially now that many of the friends who also migrated here have left for bigger and better things in Australia. Mgcini estimates that over the past decade, around 95% of the local Zimbabwean community has disappeared over the ditch. Sadly, despite numerous attempts, none of his family in Zimbabwe has been able to join him in New Zealand. His brother, sisters, and their families remain back in their home country. Mgcini has managed to visit home just three times in the last 18 years. “It is near impossible for siblings to have their visas approved by immigration. We have given up!” he tells me.

But what he has not lost, is a community. The ‘fellow crazies’ of the ultra-running crowd have become his people. The camaraderie - and the sense of adventure that comes with every race - is more than a panacea for his homesickness. Why else would anyone run up and down mountains for hours on end with only a belt buckle as a prize?

New Zealand’s trails might not be for everyone. But for Mgcini, they are a place to belong. “Time is a healer. With time, you get more and more immersed into the Kiwi way of life,” he explains. “And one of the best things is that you can go exploring and running here with no snakes or wild animals to worry about!”

Northburn 100 trail run


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My Māori identity as a Pākehā BY HAYLEY WHITE

Ko Te Weraiti te māunga.My mountain is Te Weraiti.Ko Waihou te awa.My river is the Waihau.Ko Tainui te waka.My waka is Tainui.Ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi.My tribe is Ngāti Raukawa.Ko Ngāti Hinerangi te hapū.My sub-tribe is Ngāti Hinerangi.Ko Tangata te marae.My meeting ground is Tangata.Nō Tāmaki Makaurau ahau.I am from Auckland.

Ko Hayley toku ingoa.My name is Hayley.

I was 16 when I learned from my grandma that I whakapapa

Māori. She sat me down one night and talked me through

our whakapapa and our tīpuna, our family history and

ancestors.

I grew up not knowing that I have whakapapa Māori, and that

had a profound effect on how I reacted when I was told that

I had Māori blood in my veins. It was almost an immediate

rejection, which plunged me into self doubt about who I

thought I was. It hasn’t been until recently that I’ve really

accepted my Māoritanga, my Māori identity and heritage,

through registering and becoming an official member of my

iwi.

During my time studying as a journalist, I came across a

few of my fellow peers who felt as I did and had kōrerorero

(discussions) around what that meant for us as Māori. Some

of them grasped their culture and threw everything they had

into immersing themselves. Others, like me, went through a

period where they just didn’t do anything about it because

they felt like they didn’t belong.

Since then, I came to understand that the internal battle I

had been fighting with myself was one that many people

also waged war against. I came to understand that everyone

has a different story when it comes to being a fair-skinned

Māori, and that everyone deals with that struggle differently.

DylanKo Manaia te māunga My mountain is ManaiaKo Terenga Pāraoa O Whangārei te awaMy river is Terenga Pāraoa O WhangāreiKo Ngāti Pūkenga te iwi My tribe is Ngāti PūkengaKo Pakikaikutu te hapūMy subtribe is PakikaikutuKo Pakikaikutu te maraeMy meeting ground is Pakikaikutu No Whangārei ahau I am from Whangārei

Ko Dylan toku ingoaMy name is Dylan

Dylan Courtney (Ngāti Pūkenga, Pakikaikutu) grew up aware

that he was Māori, but never really claimed his Māoritanga,

his Māori heritage.

He began exploring his Māoritanga when he took up Kapa

Haka in year 6 primary school and then through waiata

(song). He realised how much he loved it.

“I loved everything about the culture, and it all made sense

because I was Māori, so it started a lot of conversations from

year 6 on. It’s interesting at the age I am now, I’m trying to

find out as much as I can,” he tells me.

Dylan’s journey started at Northcote High School. After

leaving intermediate, he says NHS really helped him find his

Māori identity and allowed him to build the foundations that

he needed for his culture to grow.

“I was always surrounded by the culture. It started there and

then I began with Te Reo Māori, learning the language more.

Of course, I still can’t speak it fluently now because to be

honest, it’s a hard language to learn.” But he says that those

beginnings, and the transition into Māori leadership roles

within high school at years 12 and 13 allowed him to really

get a grasp on his culture.

P A G E 1 9B I O G R A V I E W P A G E 1 9B I O G R A V I E W

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“I think that’s where that reconnecting changed and kept

getting better and better to the point of where it is now,

where I can proudly go up to someone and say: ‘I’m Māori

and I can prove it.’ That started in high school. It has been

building up and up and up until now.”

Dylan says he has never been worried about the colour of his

skin. If anything, it made him more motivated to pursue his

culture as a ‘white Māori’.

Dylan with his parents Christine & Kevin Courtney

The idea of not looking ‘Māori enough’ comes from racial

essentialism, which is the idea that your racial identity is tied

to your features or characteristics, like your hair or your skin.

Racial essentialism has links all the way back to colonisation

and identifies the way Māori culture has been demonized for

centuries.

The demonization of Māori, and the need to assimilate into

the Pākehā way of life to fit in, led to an irreparable loss of

culture that Māori are still trying to gain back today. That

oftentimes manifests in how older generations come to

interact with their culture, too.

Dylan mentions that his grandmother has enjoyed seeing

her grandchildren learn about their Māori heritage because

it means she can too. “Because [my cousins] have started

to reconnect more, it’s started more conversations with my

grandma,” he says. “I can see the joy on her face everytime we

talk about it cause she knows that us finding our Māoridom

will keep it going. I don’t think, until we started learning about

it, my grandma knew how to do that because she’d grown

up in such a colonised world. So now that we found our

Māori culture, you can see the joy on her face. It’s cool.”

“For many, the loss of culture that comes from not knowing

one’s whakapapa can feel a lot like, well, loss. I’ve had

people explain it to me as missing a lung, or having a hole

in your chest,” I say. Dylan agrees. “I’ll be honest, now that I

look back on it, it felt like I had something missing my whole

life up until that point,” he says.

From that time on, Dylan has mainly been learning about

his whakapapa and especially, finding out more about his

family. A Te Reo class he took at university helped him to

keep practising his culture, but he says that finding out

where his family is from has been most important. Since

finding that tie to his culture, he will never let go. “At the

end of the day I’ll always be Māori and I’m so blessed to

have that.”

As for my own personal journey, that still has a long way

to go. I look to people like Dylan for inspiration, that no

matter how much I may think I don’t belong, I do. I recently

registered with my iwi and became an official member of

my tribe. It was an important step for me, the acceptance

into my iwi, and it’s given me courage to carry on.

Dylan echoed this sentiment, saying: “To any culture we talk

to: Pākehā, Asian, or European - I don’t care what your skin

colour looks like. And if you’re a Māori, you’re Māori, you

know? Kia ora.”

Dylan in his graduation regalia and hieke, March 2021

Photos: Private collection Courtney family

Waitangi Day and traditional values BY AMOKURA PANOHO

Rose Greaves

Photo supplied


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Each year, on 6 February, Aotearoa/ New Zealand celebrates Waitangi Day. A growing number of new migrants are actively participating in how our country celebrates, commemorates and congregates on this national day; a day that’s also an opportunity to learn more about what makes us such a unique bi-cultural and multicultural nation.

Many migrants are now making the yearly pilgrimage to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to see the spectacle of ceremonies that take place at ‘the birthplace’ of this country. From the dawn ceremony to the traditional waka regatta, New Zealand Naval parade, kapa haka performances, musical concerts, or even the public debates between different political parties, there is much to engage with.

Travelling to Paihia in the Bay of Islands to participate in these ceremonies has at times in the past been a risky proposition. The grounds in front of the lower Te Tii Marae where the formal pōwhiri (welcome) is held, were often the scene of protests by activists intent on making the sitting government accountable for its poor performance in honouring the Treaty of Waitangi - the covenant between the indigenous tribes of Aotearoa and the British Crown. A large police presence tended to discourage visitors, and subsequent news media coverage often exacerbated the conflict rather than create better understanding.

However, over the last few years during the week of Waitangi Day celebrations, the whole area turns into a large marketplace of over 150 stalls full of Māori arts and crafts, fashion, food, and educational workshops - a much more welcoming environment for anyone who wants to celebrate nationhood. It is also an indication of how the growing and diverse public presence is creating business and networking opportunities.

In 2017, this increasing presence of ‘new’ New Zealanders at Waitangi was noticed, with the chief executive of the Waitangi Trust, Greg McManus, identifying a significant increase of new migrant visitors to the Treaty Grounds from previous years.

In an interview with Laine Moger in Stuff 2017, Mr McManus said there was a lot of interest, particularly from Chinese, Indian and other immigrants living in Auckland: "I think that most immigrants want to feel part of our society, that the treaty was for them as well. They have a lot of respect for the treaty and for Māori and they want to get involved and experience that."

However, just as new migrants are coming to grips with the importance of this national day, and where Māori culture fits into their new world, they might now get unsettled about the egalitarian society they hoped they were living in. Because this year’s national day highlighted the rights of women to speak on the marae.

This year’s Waitangi Day saw the issue brought into the public domain by Dr Shane Reti, Deputy Leader for the National Party. During his whaikōrero (speech) in te reo Māori, Reti expressed his disappointment that his party leader was not allowed to speak on the ‘paepae’ (orator’s bench) and questioned: "Is it because she is a woman? Do not forget the mana of our women, the house of humanity."

Is it fair or correct for the Leader of the Opposition to suggest that Māori culture is ‘sexist’ because she was denied the opportunity to speak?

Well, no.

The right for women to speak on the paepae has been a controversial topic of conversation for decades, even generations. This is because for a majority of iwi (tribes) around Aotearoa, women speaking on the ātea (speaking ground) is restricted which means that a universal speaking policy is often unclear.

When manuhiri or visitors come to a marae, or to a gathering that’s going to entail a pōwhiri (formal welcome) or whakatau (informal welcome), they will notice that a woman or women will step out to do a karanga (call) - which on most occasions is responded to by another woman who has accompanied the visiting group.

To understand the significance of this practice is to have a little insight into how Māori culture looks at gender roles differently from western practices. In fact, the karanga can be deemed as the delivering and responding to these kai karanga (callers), the first whaikōrero (speech) on both the tangata whenua (hosts) and manuhiri (visitors) sides.

Karanga are like whaikōrero but shorter, and the caller can often provide genealogical links, acknowledgements of those that have passed away, and a reference to the occasion that has brought people together for that day. This is crucial for ensuring that the identity and sanctity of those present is understood and that the tapū (sacredness) of the place and occasion is recognised, so that there is no offence given from either side during the whaikōrero.

There is a well-known whakatauki (proverb): ‘He wahine, he whenua, I ngaro ai te tangata. It is because of women and land that men perish.’In other words, the sanctity of women and their ability to give life as well as take it away meant that they were to be protected at all times. That is why when visitors move onto the marae ātea (sacred ground) they will notice that there is a row of speakers of men (how many normally depends on the significance of the occasion, and if any distinguished manuhiri are involved). Women are seated behind.

There is another whakatauki that reads: ‘He rākau e taea te karo, he tao kī e kore e taea’ meaning that ‘physical attacks can be parried whereas verbalised curses are not easily deflected.’

So, the practice of men sitting at the front, to the side, and at the back of the marae during these formal cultural proceedings was not just to protect women from the potential of physical harm but also from any verbal or spiritual abuse which could not only affect the woman but their offspring.

The marae, as a gathering place for tangata whenua and those that whakapapa (have lineage) to the region, is also a symbol and repository of traditional Māori belief systems.

Those belief systems remain as relevant today as they did when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. However, the principles of the treaty have evolved from being a contract signed between Māori and the British Crown, to being a symbol of growing mutual respect and trust between Māori and non-Māori. Participating in this country’s national day is a great way to understand New Zealand’s unique social and cultural environment.

Source: 1. New immigrants keen to participate in Waitangi celebrations 2. Shane Reti issues a wero to Ngāpuhi, Te Ao Māori News

Ghost Lake Hut


Visiting ghosts of the pastBY ALINA SUCHANSKI

On the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand in the Kahurangi National Park, a ghost has been brought back to life. A long-forgotten gold miners’ road has been revived as a mountain biking and tramping trail. On the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand in the Kahurangi National Park, a ghost has been brought back to life. A long-forgotten gold miners’ road has been revived as a mountain biking and tramping trail. The 85km-long Old Ghost Road traverses majestic native forest, open tussock tops, river flats and remote valleys. It passes by the remnants of four once-bustling settlements, now gone, reclaimed by the merciless West Coast bush. Alina Suchanski laced up her tramping boots to check out this amazing trail.


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Connecting the old dray road at Lyell (Upper Buller Gorge) in the south to the mighty Mokihinui River at Seddonville in the north, the Old Ghost Road track takes the hiker through the gold mining history of New Zealand. The gold rush days of the 1860s brought hundreds of gold prospectors hoping to strike it rich fast. Storekeepers and hoteliers followed closely behind, and towns quickly sprung up in their wake like mushrooms after rain. Once the gold was exhausted, the mines closed down and the people abandoned the area. Today all that remains are a few relics covered in mosses and lichens.

The 1929 magnitude 7.3 Murchison earthquake and the 1968 magnitude 7.1 Inangahua earthquake caused two major slips that buried large parts of the old dray road under tons of rubble.

That the public can walk and cycle through this road is a credit to the volunteer-run Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust, who, through a mammoth effort, restored the old road and built new sections to join its two ends together.

I flew to Nelson to meet my friend Petrina and we drove to Lyell, where we left her car at the start of the track. It’s hard to believe that Lyell was once a prosperous town. It boomed during the tail end of the gold rush in the 1880s, reaching 1000 citizens at its peak. Nowadays, it’s a Department of Conservation (DOC) camping ground.

Shouldering our packs, we crossed the swing bridge over the Lyell Creek and started a gentle, steady climb through the beech forest. The track goes through an old gold mining area dotted by signs explaining its history. After an hour and a half, we arrived at Irishman’s Creek, where gold-bearing quartz discovered in 1869 led to the establishment of alpine reefs and mines. Zala Town, named after the founder of the Alpine Quartz Mine, Antonio Zala, started as a handful of miner huts and lasted for nearly 30 years.

A little later, we reached the site of the once-thriving Gibbs Town (1887-1912) which boasted miners’ cottages, a post office, the Belfast Hotel, and a public school catering for up to 50 pupils. All that’s left today is a pair of old shoes, rusty wheels and pulleys, and an old kettle.

What surprised us was a prolific birdlife that made our walk through this amazing forest shrouded in history even more interesting and enjoyable. Flocks of kākāriki (yellow-crowned parakeets) chattered in the forest canopy, pīwakawaka (fantails) tweeted fluttering around us, kererū (wood pigeons) swooshed above our heads, and in the distance, we heard the lovely

melodies of tui and korimako (bellbirds). Though we saw a multitude of birds, we only met two women who cycled past us on their mountain bikes.

After more than six hours and 18 kilometres of walking, cold and tired, we reached the Lyell Saddle Hut (10 bunks). Two bikes were leaning against it. We had a sleepout booked, so we went to drop off our packs before going to the main hut for a long-awaited hot drink. The hut was everything the sleepout was not – warm, cosy, light and spacious, with a stunning view of the mountains. The two cyclists, a Kiwi and a Canadian, had been there for several hours. They had the fire going and hot water in the kettle. I decided on the spot to collect my belongings from the cabin and move to the hut. Petrina followed.

The fully insulated, double glazed hut remained warm all night. After breakfast of porridge and tea, we were on our way again. Ahead of us: 12 km of climbing a series of large switchbacks up to the highest point on the track. This is the newest part of the track as the old road only got as far as the Lyell Saddle (885 metres above sea level).

When we stopped for a snack a weka came out of the bushes and paced curiously around us looking for a free meal. We had to watch all our belongings in the presence of this feathered thief.

One of the highlights was walking through a forest of mountain neinei (dracophyllum traversii). The name dracophyllum, meaning dragon-leaf, refers to their strange, almost prehistoric appearance. As we continued climbing, the forest behind was replaced by stunted alpine vegetation, grasses and eventually bare rock.

The higher we went, the colder and wetter it became and

visibility deteriorated. An eerie mist hung around our pathway.

With my boots and socks wet from the snow on the ground, I

was running out of energy when suddenly we arrived at a brand

new shelter that wasn’t even marked on the map. Although not

much bigger than a bus stop, it was a lifesaver, allowing us to

have a rest away from the elements.

We resumed our journey on the track that sidles along the

eastern slope of Mt Montgomery (1332 metres) and continues

towards Rocky Tor (1456 metres), however, this steep-sided

peak was obscured by the clouds.

Bent under the weight of my pack I nearly missed one of the

points of interest on our way. Heaven’s Door is a small saddle

north of Rocky Tor, a gap between two rock walls that in better

weather would reveal majestic views of the surrounding country,

but on that day was filled by an ethereal haze.

Petrina and Alina at the start of the track

Old shoes and kettle


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We arrived at the Ghost Lake Hut at 1pm in light drizzle. As

soon as we sat down to take off our boots, the real West

Coast rain started. We were very lucky – wandering among

precipitous mountains in this weather with poor visibility

would’ve been life-threatening.

The Ghost Lake Hut (18 bunks) sits at 1200 metres above sea

level overlooking a small lake that gives the hut its name.

It’s much bigger than the Lyell Saddle Hut, but we had it to

ourselves and had plenty of time to cook a scrumptious meal

to the accompaniment of rain drumming on the roof.

It rained hard all night. I got up before eight after ten hours’ sleep. To my delight, the rain eased to drizzle, and I could see the mountains in overlapping chains emerging from the fog. When it stopped raining, we left to continue our journey. The precarious position of the hut became apparent only when we were some distance away and looking back, saw it perched on the very edge of a cliff.

It was cold. Rice-sized grains of hail were bouncing off our

raincoats and up off the ground. But soon the sun came

out, and we walked along the Skyline Ridge with amazing

mountain vistas all around. Large boulders scattered on top of

the ridge added to the grandeur of the scene. At the northern

end we could see a steep winding staircase descending to the

upper reaches of Stern Creek. Heading down along the creek,

we watched with awe the brown frothy torrent washing over

giant boulders. It was another short hiking day and despite

a late start, we arrived at the Stern Valley just after 4pm to

find the 10-bunk hut empty, our only companions - three

kea flying high above the trees. Soon we had the fire roaring

making the hut warm and cosy.

We woke up to a frosty morning with clear sky and set off

early on day four of our adventure, the longest so far, with

25km to cover. Walking along Goat Creek, we spotted a

mother goat with two kids. The vegetation was very different

here. We noticed lots of small totara trees with no fully grown

specimen in sight. This was due to a massive slip that had

destroyed the whole mountainside. The rubble was colonised

by akeake (olearia) bushes, also known as tree daisy, and

not much else. Lake Grim and Lake Cheerful sit in the valley

below.

Later we walked through a beautiful mixed forest of

podocarps and beech trees with a section of very tall miro

trees, followed by even taller kahikatea (white pine) trees. The

birdlife was amazing with brown creepers, pippets, riflemen,

weka and silver eyes in attendance. Our destination for the

day was the Specimen Point Hut. And after two nights on

our own, we finally had some company: Sisters Brenna and

Keely from Montana, USA, cycled up from the north end of

the track, and two builders, a father and son team, were also

staying at the hut. The men were working on an extension to

the hut, enlarging the living area and building a deck with a

stunning view of the Mōkihinui River Gorge and surrounding

mountains. It was lovely chatting to the other hut occupants

by candlelight.

The next morning, we walked along the river to the end of the

track, crossing many bridges over side creeks. The forest was

different again with lots of rimu and kahikatea trees. We saw

northern rata entwined in a tight embrace with giant rimu trees.

Weka

Alina at the Heavens Door


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Stairway Skyline Ridge

Photos: Alina Suchanski

Sometimes it was hard to tell which was the host and which

the invader. We came across some gold mining artefacts and

an old railway track – signs of mining settlements that once

stood there. The Mōkihinui River surprised me with its size

and beauty, and I was pleased to hear that the locals had won

their battle to stop a dam being built on the river.

We ended our trip in Seddonville where Petrina’s car,

relocated by a local company, was waiting for us.

In the book Spirit to the Stone, author, trust member and volunteer Marion Boatwright describes the obstacles, challenges, and highs and lows members and supporters of the Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust had to overcome to bring this project to completion for the public to enjoy, creating a huge asset not only for the West Coast but also for the rest of Aotearoa/ New Zealand.


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New Zealand is a country of migrants – from Māori ancestors arriving in their waka, to early Europeans and modern-day immigrants who continue to arrive from different corners of the world. But while migrants make the choice to emigrate, there are those less fortunate who are forced to flee their country, because of war, civil unrest, brutal regime, or famine.

Although the first refugees into New Zealand arrived in the late 1800s, the first official refugees accepted by the New Zealand government under its formal refugee resettlement programme, were a group of 733 Polish children. Alina Suchanski, a former Polish refugee herself, tells the story of her young compatriots who arrived in this country during World War 2.

A story of 733 Polish childrenBY ALINA SUCHANSKI

‘LITTLE POLAND’ IN PAHIATUA

Polish boys in Persia (c.1942)

Photo: private collection Josef Kubiak


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In 1940, 4-year-old Tony Leparowski was in Semipalatinsk,

Kazakhstan, 9-year-old Zygmunt Kępka in Karabash in

the Ural Mountains, 3-month-old Teresa Dmochowska in

Siberia and 10-year-old Jozef Kubiak in Arkhangelsk by the

White Sea.

Why were these children and thousands of others scattered

all over the vast interior of the Soviet Union, so far away from

their homes in eastern Poland? And how did they end up in

New Zealand?

The answer takes us to the beginning of WW2. The secret

pact signed before the war by Russia and Germany divided

Poland along the Bug River into the western, German

part and the eastern, Soviet-occupied zone. On the 1st of

September 1939, Germany attacked Poland marking the

beginning of WW2. Two weeks later, while the Poles were

locked in the fight against the Nazis, Russia dealt Poland a

deadly blow by attacking from the east.

Soon after that the Soviets started taking military prisoners

and began systematic deportations of civilians to labour

Pahiatua Camp aerial photo, 1945

Photo: private collection Tony Leparowski

camps and kolkhozes (collective farms) in remote parts

of their country. The children’s peaceful existence ended

abruptly with Russian soldiers banging on the doors of their

homes ordering everybody out.

Over 1.5 million Polish citizens, mostly women and children,

were forcibly removed from their homes at gun point,

loaded onto trains and taken to Siberia, Kazakhstan and Far

East, many never to return to their homeland again (Davis,

1982).

Conditions in the places they were taken to were abhorrent – uninsulated barracks with no running water or sanitation. They were overcrowded and pest-ridden – a breeding ground for diseases. Thousands died due to hunger, illness, cold and exhaustion. The orphaned children remained.

When Hitler attacked Russia in 1941, Stalin announced an amnesty, setting all Polish citizens free and allowing a Polish Army to form within the Soviet Union.

Given permission to leave, most Poles went south to get away from another Siberian winter. Their destination was Uzbekistan where the Polish Army was forming in Guzari near the Afghan border. Many did not survive the journey.


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Soon another problem became apparent and required

immediate attention - the growing number of Polish orphans.

According to Krolikowski (1983) “an estimated 75,000

children in various Polish centres in Russia needed instant

help after the ‘amnesty’. To create an adequate number

of proper institutions would require not only an enormous

outlay of money but also an army of educators and nurses.

Yet the possibilities were very limited. With much effort,

mostly by the army and by branches of the Polish Embassy,

139 orphanages and nurseries were established in which

approximately 9,000 children found shelter.”

In 1942, the Polish Army moved to Persia to join the Allies. Some 116,000 soldiers with their families and thousands of orphans were evacuated across the Caspian Sea from Krasnovodsk on the Soviet Union side to Pahlevi on the Persian side of the sea.

For some, freedom came too late and they died during the sea journey, their bodies thrown overboard. Others died shortly after arriving in Persia. The children were taken into Polish orphanages in Isfahan, where they stayed for two years, thanks to the hospitality of the Shah of Persia who made some of his palaces available to them.

In 1944, the Polish Army joined the British Forces and was moving to the front in the Middle East, North Africa, and Italy. Their families and thousands of orphaned children were left stranded in Persia and had to be moved to safer places. Some went to Kenia, India, Mexico, and Canada. A group of 733 were invited to New Zealand by the then Prime Minister Peter Fraser.

On 1 November 1944, an American troopship, the General Randall, sailed into the port of Wellington. It was carrying about 3000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers on their way home from the battlefront, and 733 Polish children with 102 caregivers.

New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser (wearing a hat) during a visit to the Pahiatua Polish Children’s Camp, 1945

Photo: private collection Tony Leparowski

Polish girls in Pahiatua Camp, 1945

Photo: private collection Czesia Panek

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, came on board, accompanied by the Polish consul-general, Count Kazimierz Wodzicki and his wife Maria, the Polish Red Cross representative in New Zealand.

It was Countess Wodzicka who came up with the idea of

bringing a group of Polish children to New Zealand when in

1943 she visited a ship carrying a few hundred Polish orphans

from Persia to Mexico. The ship had stopped in Wellington

to refuel and to restock its food and water supplies for the

second half of its journey. The countess was deeply moved

by the plight of these children who had been through so

much at their young age, and once she realised there were

thousands more orphans stranded in Persia she decided to

do something about it. She talked to Janet Fraser, the Prime

Minister’s wife, about the possibility of a similar scheme for

this country, and the idea soon became a reality (Skwarko,

1974).

When Mrs Fraser appealed to her husband for help with this

project Peter Fraser embraced the idea wholeheartedly and

agreed to invite a group of about 700 children (the number

later grew to 733), plus enough adults to take care of them,

offering them shelter in New Zealand until the end of the

war.

A former POW (prisoner-of-war) camp in Pahiatua became

their home for five years. Although their army barracks

accommodation was rather spartan, all children had their

own bed with a pillow, a blanket and clean linen - luxuries

they’d had to do without during their exile. For the children,

the Pahiatua camp was like heaven on earth - home away

from home which they referred to as ‘little Poland’.

All education at the camp was delivered in the Polish

language with English taught only twice a week: the

expectation being that after the war they would all return to

Poland. However, fate had a different plan for them.

When the war ended in 1945, the heads of governments

of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet


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Union met at the Yalta Conference to discuss the post-war

reorganization of Germany and Europe. Poland’s eastern

borderlands were given to the Soviet Union and Poland

became one of the Soviet communist satellite states. The

children had not only lost their families but also their homes

and country.

Soon after the war’s end, the Consul General of Poland, Dr

K. A. Wodzicki, in cooperation with the Polish authorities

in London and the New Zealand Government, formed

the Guardianship Council for the Polish children in New

Zealand, comprised of three New Zealanders and five

Poles, approved by the highest court in New Zealand in May

1945 (Roy-Wojciechowski, 1999).

The New Zealand government showed incredible

generosity in giving all residents of the Pahiatua camp the

option of returning to Poland or staying in New Zealand.

The camp would remain open until placements were found

for the children at boarding schools or with New Zealand

families.

Only about 10% of the Pahiatua inhabitants returned to

Poland to be reunited with family members who had

survived the war. The remaining children stayed in New

Zealand. As older children were leaving to start high school,

gradually, the camp began to empty.

Wojciechowski (1999) notes that “in 1947 and again in 1948 the Warsaw regime (the Communist regime dominated by USSR) demanded that the children be returned to Poland, but the New Zealand Government refused.”

In 1949, five years after its inception, the Pahiatua Polish

Children’s Camp was finally disbanded when all children

had been transferred to foster families or boarding schools.

The youngest boys ended up in Hawera Polish Boys’ Hostel,

and the youngest girls were moved to the Polish Girls’

Hostel, Ngaroma, in Lyall Bay, Wellington.

New Zealand is one of around 37 countries that take part

in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’

(UNHCR) regular refugee resettlement programme. Since

1944 more than 35,000 refugees have arrived in Aotearoa.

The country's refugee quota increased to 1500 last year -

but that target hasn't been reached because of the Covid-19

pandemic (NZ Immigration, 2021).

The Polish orphans were the first refugees distinguished

from other immigrants in official New Zealand statistics.

Today, those still alive are in their 70s and 80s and all are

grateful to their adoptive country. They proudly refer to

themselves as Polish Kiwis.

Source: 1. God's Playground A History of Poland Volume 2, 1975

to the present 2. A saga of Polish War Children 3. The invited:

the story of 733 Polish children who grew up in New Zealand 4.

Pahiatua children, Polish Heritage Trust Museum


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Could Palmerston North become the southern hemisphere’s ‘proverb capital’ and a flagship for successful multiculturalism? A classical studies scholar with a passion for proverbs is doing her best to bring this vision to life.

He Kupu Rangatira – The Proverb Pathway is a recently launched community project that celebrates diverse migrant cultures through an innovative display of proverbs inscribed in two staircases by the Manawatū river as well as in nearby art works and benches.

It arose out of a collaboration between Palmerston North City Council's Welcoming Communities programme and Massey University, and is the latest in a series of public activities based around proverbs in that city. But the initial idea of collecting and sharing proverbs as a form of cultural currency is the brainchild of Associate Professor Gina Salapata.

Gina says proverbs reflect and transmit cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. “They’re a great avenue to engage young and

A bridge between cultures BY JENNIFER LITTLE

PROVERBS OF THE WORLD

old in dialogue and create bridges between different cultures, because they often express the same ideas through different words. This can help us to see that we are really not all that different from one another.”

Gina’s proverbial preoccupation started when she visited her homeland of Greece a few years back. Her mother showed her a handwritten list of some 700 Greek proverbs she knew or had come across in books and magazines. “I was amazed. I quizzed her on some of them – she knew more than half of them by heart,” says Gina. “She even knew some of the stories behind them.”

Aware that her own generation was becoming less familiar with these pithy sayings of the past, Gina photocopied the list, researched to find corresponding proverbs in English and began comparing the meanings and messages with proverbs globally. What fascinated her is that so many proverbs have similar meanings but use local imagery to reflect the environment and context they are from.

Based at Massey University’s School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication, she saw the potential for proverbs as a positive tool in her adopted community. Manawatū is, after all, one of the most ethnically diverse regions in New Zealand, with more than 130 different ethnic communities having settled there.

“I thought that since proverbs around the world are based on human nature and human reactions and ideas – that is, the commonalities between people – it would be a good way to celebrate multiculturalism.”

Over the past few years, she has instigated a raft of community projects – from a campaign inviting migrants to submit proverbs from their countries for display at the public library during poetry week; organizing a weekly proverb published in the Manawatu Standard newspaper; and facilitating activities with seniors in a rest home using proverbs to spark memories, ideas, and conversations.

Things moved up a notch when she was invited in 2018 to attend the annual colloquium in Tavira, Portugal - the world’s proverb capital - by the president of the International Association of Paremiology (a Greek term meaning the study of proverbs), an association supported by UNESCO.

“The colloquium, promoting intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, was attended by 100 delegates (the largest number ever) from 28 countries, and it was the first time New Zealand was represented, a fact greatly appreciated by the organisers,” says Gina, who has been twice now and presented on some of her proverb-related projects.

Since then, she’s found new ways to share her love of proverbs in the community – this year she helped business owners in George Street in the CBD select a proverb from a culture of their choice and display it on their window (in English translation) during the weekend of the Festival of Cultures in February. About 30 businesses representing 23 cultures, including Turkish, French, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Afghan, Kenyan, Cambodian, Irish, and Māori took part.

Staircase of wise wordsThe Proverb Pathway establishes proverbs as a permanent feature of the city’s identity. With more than 400 steps, the pathway is located on Te Arapiki a Tāne (The Stairway of Tāne) and offers spectacular views of the Manawatū River and surrounding landscape.

Associate Professor Gina Salapata, from Massey University

Photo: Gus Hubbard


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Comprised of two sets of steps from Te Motu o Poutoa (Anzac Park and Vaucluse Heights) to the Manawatū awa (river), the project features words of wisdom captured in 12 proverbs and 10 languages (Māori, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, German, Greek, Persian, Romanian, Samoan, and Fijian) inscribed in steps, seating, and sculptures at the site.

The proverbs appear in their language of origin, with a te reo Māori equivalent (provided by Massey’s Associate Professor, Hone Morris), and an English translation. One of the three Māori proverbs at the site is of particular importance to Rangitāne iwi and reads: Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Rangitāne ki te whenua / Like the multitude of stars in the heavens, so is the greatness of Rangitāne upon the earth.

Mayor Grant Smith, who attended the launch, said the project is a wonderful addition to the city. “This is part of us wearing our Welcoming Community credentials on our sleeve by drawing from the established wisdom of the many cultures that call Palmy ‘home’.”

With her colleagues, Associate Professor France Grenaudier-Klijn and Dr Ute Walker who initiated the staircase project, Gina is working on the creation of a smartphone app. With this, visitors to the site will be able to get the full story behind each proverb and hear it spoken in its original tongue.

Provenance of proverbs“Proverbs are typically composed by anonymous, ordinary people and sanctioned by the community so that they become familiar; a good proverb needs to be short, simple and to have ‘salt’ (or meaning),” Gina explains.

Defined as “compressed folk wisdom of cultural and social value”, she adds that not all proverbs are good or helpful, however. Reflecting views and values that may have been normalised at the time they were created, some promote misogyny, racism and bigotry. “There were a lot devised by the Nazis against Jewish people. They can be weapons of propaganda and abuse.”

Short – though not always sweet – proverbs are nonetheless cultural artefacts rich in poetry, philosophy, history, folklore, and linguistic features.

And it looks as if proverbs have a future – especially in Palmerston North. Gina is investigating ways she can involve local schools in cultural discovery through studying proverbs. She also wants to encourage local artists, performers, and writers to create work inspired by proverbs.

Could all this add up to Palmerston North becoming the proverb capital of the Pacific? Gina has started that conversation and dreams of a colloquium in this part of the world to focus on proverbs of the Asia/Pacific region.

“Many things can be done with proverbs to link the generations and cultures, and I think this is much needed in our time,” she says. “When immigrants see their language and script expressed publicly in the form of a proverb, they can feel more included and welcome. That’s the idea – for people to feel recognized and appreciated.”

“If there are two cooks in one house, the soup is either too salty or too cold.” - (Persian proverb)

“To control the mind is like trying to control a drunken monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion.”

- Indian proverb

“Beautiful dresses open doors.”

- Greek proverb

FROM THE GEORGE STREET PROVERBS PROJECT: 2021

“E mōhiotia ana a waho kei

roto he ana.” (“One cannot

know from the outside what is

contained within.”)

- Māori proverb

“Don't pass judgement on a work of art if you don't know how to create it.”- Sicilian proverb

“To an optimist, every weed is a flower; to a pessimist, every flower is a weed.”

- Finnish proverb

“Treat the earth well; it was not

given to you by your parents; it was

loaned to you by your children.”

- Kenyan proverb

“Children are buttonholes that hold

their parents together.”

- Arabic proverbHe tangata takahi manuhiri, he marae puehu.” (“A person who mistreats his guest has a dusty marae.”)

- Māori proverb

"You harvest the flowers you plant" - Fijian proverb

“Only when you have eaten a lemon do you appreciate what sugar is.”

- Ukrainian proverb

Metal sculpture by

Ephraim Russell (artist)

and Argo Engineering

Photo: Gina Salapata


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“You do not look for a black sheep at night.”

- Nigerian proverb

Metal sculpture by Ephraim Russell (artist) and Argo

Engineering

"The tui sings, the parrot

chatters, the pigeon

coos."

- Māori proverb.

"At the end of a dark night is a bright day."- Persian proverb

"Who doesn't dare, doesn't win"- German proverb

Sculpture beside the

Manawatū river.

"Like the multitude of stars in the heavens, so is the greatness of Rangitāne upon the earth."- A proverb representing Rangitāne iwi.

"Put effort into filling a metal bar and it eventually becomes a needle."

- Vietnamese proverb.

Proverbs Photography: Gina Salapata

“The sweetness of food doesn't last long, but the sweetness of good words does.”

- Thai proverb


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Jake AlabasterINTERNATIONAL STUDENT

BY HAYLEY WHITE

Jake Alabaster came to New Zealand a year ago looking for

new scenery. Originally from the Gold Coast in Australia, he

enrolled at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic

Arts (NASDA) in Christchurch as an international student to

study a Bachelor of Performing Arts, which came highly

recommended from a colleague.

“I had applied for a few schools in Australia, like some quite

close to home, one in Munich, Germany and then one here,”

he says, and adds: “I had been in the Gold Coast all my life,

so I kinda needed a fresh start, completely new faces and

all that.”

Jake tells me he has always been an actor, gaining his

performing experience at Warner Bros. Movie World, before

coming to New Zealand to study musical theatre.

“Prior to my audition, I had never sung or danced before. I

was purely an actor,” he laughs.

He always had the intention of becoming a theme park

performer working in theme parks worldwide - noting the

irony in coming to a country that has no theme parks - but

says learning with NASDA is making those dreams come

true.

He explains: “That’s what I want to continue doing overseas, in all these countries - Asia or the UAE - performing in those world-class theme parks over there. Singing and dancing and playing all kinds of characters in shows.”

But for now, he says he can easily forget that he is in

a different country to home because of the similarities

between the two nations: driving on the same roads and


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having the same shops. Even so, having moved to a new

country and adjusted to a new environment he was surprised

as the culture between Australia and New Zealand is also

‘so different’.

“The big welcome where we watched a haka and we

rubbed noses, is it the hongi? Where you rub noses and

share breath with all the senior students of NASDA and all

the teachers and tutors. It was just such an overwhelming

experience because Australia doesn’t have the best record

culturally. Just to be in a country that was so proud of the

heritage of the land and the culture was kind of a bit - it was

really cool, but it was also a bit tough,” he says.

“The only reason I know about anything to do with indigenous

Australian culture is purely because of tourism. They’ll have

an aboriginal dance show at one of the theme parks or

there’s a tour guide who will give you a bit of information.

But that’s the only reason; international tourists want to be

immersed in the culture. Domestically that’s not something

that’s really ever brought up, which is such a shame.”

A big difference he noticed between Australia and New

Zealand was signage. In New Zealand, it’s typical to come

across a sign that has both English and Māori, but in Australia

it’s common for signage to have English and Chinese

because of Australia’s focus on the tourism industry.

Although Jake can see the similarities between the two

countries, he still can’t pretend he’s in Australia, ‘because it’s

nothing like anything back home,’ and can feel totally out

of place because “pretty much all my classmates learned

the New Zealand anthem and the Te Reo version in primary

school,” he says. “They’ve got a better understanding of the

language, you know? Me trying to learn a new language

and learning all these things while pretending like I’m not

homesick is all quite overwhelming.”

Unfortunately, Jake’s homesickness was made worse when

COVID hit, and he couldn’t visit his family and friends back

home. He had planned to go back to the Gold Coast every

two months for visits, but with the border lockdowns and

quarantine costing $3000 to get back into New Zealand, it

was almost impossible.

“I understand all the points of keeping the New Zealand

borders closed and I think it’s a great idea because,

especially in the South Island, where there’s such a lack

of cases, it’s for the wellbeing of the country. It’s just the

unknowns of not knowing: ‘Oh yup, I’ll be able to go home

for Christmas this year’, or ‘No, it’ll be two years before I can

see my family again’.”

Despite not being able to go home over the holidays, he

says that this has been quite beneficial. Not only did he get

to experience a ‘slightly different-culture’ Christmas, but he

also got to travel and see the South Island. “I saw more of

the New Zealand culture and scenery and it was just really

cool because if I had just come here to study and gone

back each holiday, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to

experience that,” he says.

“Until the end of last year I had never left the city, so my New Zealand geography was very limited. It was cool to actually visit those places and kind of work out that to get to one side of New Zealand to the other it doesn’t take that long.’ You just realise the size of the country.”

With the stress of his flat lease nearly running out close to

Christmas, he says that the invite to spend Christmas with

his friend’s family here in New Zealand over the summer

was very lucky and without it, he wouldn’t have been able

to make great contacts with people in his industry.

Jake’s biggest learning experience so far was accepting

that a lot of things don’t really matter and, in the big

scheme of things, stressing over things out of your control

is unnecessary. “I’ve just learnt that there’s nothing I can do

to get to my family quicker or anytime soon, you know?” he

says.

“New Zealand is just so lucky, especially over COVID and

how they handled it. Because of that, I was never afraid

of the virus, I guess. I’m so glad I picked New Zealand to

study and didn’t go home over the level 4 lockdown. It all

turned out for the best - not only for my career, but for my

mental health, and getting involved in a new culture and

everything. I wouldn’t have learned all this if I had just stayed

in Australia.”

www.biograview.com

Aboriginals Speak OutBY PHILIPPA HADLOW


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Aboriginal Australians are one of the most ancient cultures and oldest continuous populations in the world.

A genome extracted from a 100-year-old hair sample in Western Australia revealed that Aboriginals descended from a single human lineage who migrated from Africa to Southeast Asia to Indonesia to New Guinea to Australia, around 70,000 years ago, during Paleolithic times.

Their arrival in Australia is regarded as one of the earliest migrations and is integral to what scientists labelled the ‘Out of Africa’ movement.

The migration was made possible due to its timing at the end of the Pleistocene epoch when sea levels were much lower than they are today. Once the migrants reached the island of Timor, they could see the Sahul Shelf (the continent of present-day Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania subsequently became known as Sahul) and ‘island-hop’ using land bridges to walk to the rest of the continent.

It wouldn't be so easy to island-hop these days. Although Australia separated from the great continent of Gondwana around 96 million years ago, it is only during the past 10,000 years that rising sea levels have flooded the lowlands and separated the area into today's low-lying mainland and the two mountainous islands of New Guinea and Tasmania.

With the separation of the continent came a settling of the people, and once the great migration was over, the ancestors of today’s aborigines hunkered down in their new homes — for tens of thousands of years.

Spoken language didn’t arrive on the scene until around 6,000 years ago. Scientists maintain that the Aboriginal Indigenous language spread from one Mother Language, dubbed Proto-Australian. From this came Pama−Nyungan (meaning 'man') − the most widespread family containing perhaps 300 Aboriginal languages and about 700 dialects.

Other linguists claim that indigenous language originated as far back as the end of the last ice age, around 13,000 years ago, when there was still a land bridge between New Guinea and Australia. If correct, then the continental division possibly explains why two distinct groups of primary Aboriginal language evolved, the Pama−Nyungan and (rather simply) the non-Pama−Nyungan.

Whatever the case, before 1788, Pama−Nyungan covered 90% of the country. Over half of that family of languages is now extinct.

What happened in 1788 to make this so?

When the British arrived in 1788, between 550,000 and 950,000 Aboriginal people were estimated to live in Australia. Over 250 distinct language groups were in use, by roughly the same number of social groups. But with colonisation came disruption, and as indigenous groups broke up, many languages were also fractured.

This linguistic devastation came about because Europeans believed English literacy to be the answer to Aboriginal advancement. Missionaries forbade speaking Aboriginal languages in the belief it would hinder the attainment of English literacy.

Even so, missionaries were interested in learning indigenous languages to aid Bible translation, and likewise, Aboriginals used missionaries to record their indigenous language and knowledge for future generations. Over a century later, with most indigenous languages ‘asleep’ and waiting to be woken up by language revivalists, this work is incredibly valuable.

In the early 19th century, as English spread, it threatened

Aboriginal connections between language and country. Disregarding indigenous language meant disregarding the power of its speakers and their relationship to the land - aspects of Aboriginal culture tightly entwined and, in some cases, spiritually founded.

At a fundamental level, Indigenous Aboriginal language was believed to have been revealed by Creative Beings (or Dreaming Ancestors; The Dreaming).

The Dreaming is also referred to as Dreamtime; considered to be an inadequate European mistranslation of Aboriginal Creation mythology. The Australian anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner conveyed the idea more accurately in his 1956 essay “The Dreaming”, in which he coined the term ‘everywhen’:

“One cannot ‘fix’ The Dreaming in time: it was, and is, everywhen.” He added that The Dreaming “ … has … an unchallengeable sacred authority”.

The Dreaming, or Everywhen, describes when ‘the ancestral spirits came up out of the earth and down from the sky to walk on the land where they created and shaped its land formations, rivers, mountains, forests, and deserts. These spirit ancestors gave Aboriginal people the lores, customs and codes of conduct and are the source of the songs, dances, designs, languages, and rituals that are the basis of Aboriginal religious expression. The ancestor-beings are alive in the spirit of Australian Aboriginals’.

Gula Lalara is an Elder, storyteller, and master singer of the Warnungwamadada clan, Groote Eylandt. Gula believes that 'language is embedded in the earth'. He explains:

“Ena ayaka eningarakburakba-kiya ngakwurra-langwa nara-wiya a-kirukwularrina aduwaba ngakwurra-langa ena ayakwa ... Ena Amurnduwurrariya amamurukwa-murra akina na-ngekburakjungwunuma ngakwurra-langwi-yada, angalyi-yada akwa warnumalyi-yada ngarraki-dirrburakinama.”


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(“These words of ours are from the old days before we were born … The words come from our ceremonies to teach us about places and relationships.”)

While The Dreaming’s spirituality, language, and land are synonymous with one another, so is the belief that communities are created and recreated by speech, texts, and songs. Through common language, people participate in their common history. Shared by young and old, stories and songs pass through the generations by a common language, and in this way, language is a foundation of culture.

“Language is part of our songlines, stories, spirituality, law, culture, identity and connection. Language transfers important knowledge passed down from our Ancestors and Elders that guides us.” – Lynnice Church, Ngunnawal tribe.

The value in protecting, restoring, and using indigenous languages seems obvious. Efforts to increase momentum in this direction were made in the 60s when The Yirrkala bark petitions inspired legal recognition of Aboriginal land rights and culture.

Renewed awareness and interest in indigenous language resulted, and progress continued in 1973 when the Commonwealth government introduced mother tongue education at some Aboriginal schools. 'Two-ways' education became increasingly called for, highlighting the long-awaited acceptance of the importance of recognising both western and indigenous knowledge.

Revival was well on its way!

In the late 90s, Peter Austin and Alan Dench wrote a series of localised dictionaries such as A Dictionary of Yinggarda in which “such words as ‘muni’ … included, a new word for money. The old word, ‘parlu’, meant stone and doubled for money, when coins were common exchange. For languages to survive, such changes must take place.” − Paquita Boston, Language Lives! In the Aboriginal Place Names of The Gascoyne (2019).

An Aboriginal Bible was published in 2007 (the making of which took around 200 years!), and dictionary makers Macquarie embraced Indigenous Australian issues with the release of Macquarie Aboriginal Words, in 1994. This book formed the basis of a new Macquarie Dictionary on Aboriginal Words, Nyungar, Gooniyandi, and Yindjibarndi from Western Australia and the Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia (2005).

As designated Australian National Living Treasure and actor Ernie Dingo put it at the time: “This book is a White step in the Black direction”.

Hot on their heels came Macquarie Aboriginal Words: Datiwuy, Eastern Arrernte, Murrinh-Patha (2020), and other editions such as The Dhurga Dictionary and Learners’ Grammar by Patricia Ellis (2020) followed.

In 2001, a docudrama series Bush Mechanics (filmed in Warlpiri) gained popularity, as did the movie Ten Canoes in 2006, both of which made extensive use of Australian Indigenous languages.

The Australian Society for Indigenous Languages has put out literally dozens of both digital and print resources. And between 2011 and 2015, about 70 sound-printed books were produced using aural technology to improve Aboriginal language literacy and use.

In 2016, The New South Wales government announced legislation for protecting and reviving NSW Aboriginal languages. Today it's possible to study Indigenous Languages Education or Yolngu Studies at university. Or you could learn a word a day through ABC Radio National’s Word Up.

But these efforts are not confined to Australia! In New Zealand, linguist Dr Hilary Smith (an honorary research fellow at Massey University’s School of Humanities) has co-written a series of children’s books in Gamilaraay – an endangered Aboriginal language she is working to revive.

Acknowledging the need for cultural relevance in her stories, Dr Smith developed a framework based on the Gamilaraay idea of bina (ear):

"In many Aboriginal languages, the ear is the centre of cognition rather than the heart. It is related to words to do with listening, understanding, knowing, respecting and for knowledge – all come from the word for ear."

Efforts to rediscover language thought lost via journals, tapes, and the few words shared by Elders is restoring faith in the resurrection of Aboriginal language. Newly-constructed indigenous languages are even afoot, such as one currently used in Lajamanu (Northern Territory) called Light Warlpiri.

2019 was the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

It's important to remember that Australia was a nation of over 250 Australian Indigenous languages, not just one. Increasing the visibility and awareness of indigenous languages in any part of the world will help us understand the pluralism that created the rich fabric of all culture.

At the start of the 21st century, fewer than 120 Aboriginal languages are still in use. Many are highly endangered. But while some languages might lie dormant, they are not lost forever. What will the next decade bring?

Image source: 1. NAIDOC 2. artyfactory.


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Teaching English as a Second Language: Not For EveryoneBY KATIE STONE

It’s a Saturday morning, a little after eight o’clock. I’m standing at the front of a small, airless classroom, and there are fourteen sleepy little faces staring at me. Behind them, fourteen pairs of parents, also staring, but much more alert. Some are poised with pens and paper, ready to record whatever wisdom this pale-haired stranger is about to impart to their offspring.

The room is stuffy. The windows don’t open, so the air is ripe with morning breath and savoury pancakes (hasty breakfasts from the street stall below) and, well, the smell of my own fear.

I am terrified.

By 7pm, I will have experienced this scenario six times over, teaching every age group from new entrants (three to five years old), middle school (six to ten years), to adults.

On Sunday, I’ll do it all over again.

It was 2011, and I was one of four foreign teachers (FTs) hired to teach at a private English school in Hohhot, northern China. It was my first ‘official’ teaching job. It was also my last.

Teaching ESL: The passport to the worldProficiency in English is one of the most sought-after skills in the world. English is the fastest-spreading language in history, with some 1.75 billion people speaking it at a ‘useful’ level. In China, learning the English language is mandatory in schools from grade three, and businesses are more likely to hire someone with fluency. More to the point: English is now the global language of business, used by many of the biggest multinational companies in the world.

Back in the early 2000s, the demand for ESL teachers was at an all-time high. Unsurprisingly, so too were online courses for TESL or TEFL certification. Like many other restless 20-somethings, I saw becoming an English teacher as a near-perfect solution: I’d be travelling the world and getting paid to do something I did every day anyway: speak English.

Bored with my job as a journalist at a small-town newspaper, I diligently slogged my way through an online TEFL course. The course culminated in a two-day workshop in central Auckland, after which we were handed our certificates and wished the best of luck on our teaching journeys.


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Suspecting I wasn’t quite ready to lead kids and adults through the nuances of the English language, I decided to start out volunteering. Back in ‘those days’, people were still using travel forums to share information, and it was at one such forum I found out about Educational Support Tibet.

ES Tibet was set up by a charitable foundation based in Switzerland for Tibetan refugees. The school is a single building lodged in the middle of the rural Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. It takes in about 20 young Tibetans every year, aged 18-33, all of whom had made the perilous journey across the Himalayas into India just months or years before. The school relies on volunteers to teach Cambridge University English to its students, who are both provided with full board and accommodation. But the school’s remote location and lack of publicity meant that teachers were few and far between.

The prospect of ‘doing something good’ while also living within a stone’s throw of the Himalayas (and the Dalai Lama’s temple) was impossible to turn down. I quit my job as a journalist and booked a ticket to India.

The battered stucco building was surrounded by farmlands, about a twenty-minute walk from the nearest village. I was given a tiny brick shack to sleep in and a ramshackle teaching schedule, and not much else. There were a few other teachers who came and went; some for several weeks or months, some for mere days.

I spent six weeks at EST as my visa was only for three months and I wanted to travel around India. I wasn’t an excellent teacher by any means, but I became friends with many of my students, who were around my age. I did manage to help them write some deeply moving essays; accounts of the home life they missed, their experiences in escaping Tibet, and their hopes for the future. I would later meet many foreign teachers who were born in Spain, Greece, or Russia who spoke thickly-accented English but were teaching full-time at language schools.

Back then, the legalities of China’s ESL market had a few grey areas, and many ESL teaching platforms based in China were left to create their own hiring policy. For most positions, the criteria were minimal: a bachelor’s degree (in any field), a TEFL certification, and some teaching experience (desirable, but not always necessary). Oh, and you should speak English.

Upon returning to New Zealand and finding myself without a job, it was very easy to forget that I didn’t actually enjoy teaching. I just wanted to travel. And now that I had ‘experience’, the opportunities were endless.

In the eyes of most language institutions, I was more than suitable. Within weeks, I was offered roles in China, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and even Spain. And that’s how I ended up in Inner Mongolia.

Teaching English in China: then and nowChinese parents have long yearned to provide their children with the best education money can buy. Ten years ago, when I was nervously packing my bags for my first paid teaching job, about one-fifth of China's colossal population was studying English: some 400 million. Today, the English learning market in China is estimated to be worth about $4.5 billion dollars.

The contract I’d accepted was at a private language school in Hohhot, in the south central part of Inner Mongolia. The job sounded manageable enough: 25 hours a week, weekends only, with some ‘fun’ classes on weekday evenings. In return, I would be paid $6,000RMB a month (about $NZD1,300) along with an apartment. I chose the six-month contract to ‘test the waters’. How hard could six months be?

As it turned out, quite hard.

Saturday and Sunday began at 8am and finished at 7pm. Classes were one or two hours each, back-to-back, with a two-hour break for lunch in the middle of the day.

Hohhot Muslim Quarter


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Each class was led by an FT (foreign teacher) and assisted by a CT (Chinese teacher). A few battered textbooks were provided, which gave a vague outline for each lesson. Otherwise, we were entrusted with leading the classes as we saw fit.

Three nights a week, the school hosted an extra-curricular English Corner session: 40 minutes of games that made learning English ‘fun’. Things started out well enough. Once I got over my stage fright of being scrutinized by the parents, I was able to lead my kindergarten classes through the rigmarole of ‘C is for CAT’ and ‘D is for DRAGON’. I lost my voice in the first week.

Teaching older children was much more difficult. The kids were often tired, bored, and thoroughly uninterested: it was their weekend, after all. The classrooms were hot and uncomfortable. Above all, they could sense what I should have admitted to myself long before accepting the contract: I was not cut out to be a teacher.

Those six months were the longest and toughest of my life. It wasn’t all bad: I eventually won the adoration of at least one class: my grade fives, who were delightfully enthusiastic about their teacher ‘Katie-meow’.

The rest was, well, fairly terrible. My scheduled hours crept up every week. An extra class here, a double-up on English Corner there, a private tutorial squeezed in between. Suddenly, I was teaching every day of the week, with barely enough time to prepare lesson plans, and no change to my salary. I later met other ESL teachers who had similar experiences at their own schools.

About two months into my contract, the parents of my kindergarten class complained to the school’s manager that they didn’t like my New Zealand accent. That it was bad for their children. My pronunciation of ‘pen’ and ‘bed’ was all wrong, and they wanted an American teacher, please. My manager was unable to find a replacement, so instead ordered me to sound more American. The parents eventually (and huffily) resigned themselves to my pseudo-accent. When my six months were up, I was quite certain I would never teach again. And I never have.

And, fortunately for future generations of Chinese students, the criteria for obtaining work as an English language teacher in China is now much more strict. Towards the end of 2018, the Ministry of Education in China decided to address growing concerns about poor-quality training programs by tightening regulations.

Now, to teach in China, teachers must be from one of seven approved countries: the UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. These are the countries deemed to speak English fluently and therefore most suitable for teaching their students. Teachers must have proof of at least 120 hours actual teaching in addition to their qualifications and undergo a criminal background check. Online language platforms must also publish the qualifications of all foreign teachers, including access to teachers’ names, photo, teaching qualifications, as well as previous academic and professional experience.

The rise of online ESL - and better teachersTeaching English in any country is indeed a rewarding and highly-respected career. It’s also quite lucrative if you have the right qualifications. In countries like China, Japan, and Vietnam, you must be able to demonstrate that you can, in fact, teach: which should mean that the jobs are going to those who are adequately skilled, rather than wanderlusters (like myself).

Today, China is still the world's largest market for English language study. While the demand for ESL teachers in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan have slowed somewhat, China's market continues to skyrocket - especially online. According to Xinhua.net, around 8 million people in China are now learning English virtually, with many ESL teachers teaching from their own homes. And, with the new requirement for online teachers to have the same qualifications as those who physically teach in schools in China, the quality has certainly improved.

I won’t ever go back to ESL myself. I am simply not a teacher. I can only take some solace in the fact that my one-off effort in instructing those bored young students was fleeting enough to have not caused any harm. And they are hopefully not, as their parents feared, writing with a ‘pin’.

City landscapes switch to green.BY PHILIPPA HADLOW

Eixample District

Photo: Pexels


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Muppet creation Kermit the Frog lamented back in 1970. His was a simple song about dignity and worth. But it was also a statement about the value of being green that would quickly transmute into a global environmental movement for the future.

The ensuing ecological attention inspired a strong-willed worldwide passion for green, and 'going green' has since become a desirable destination and a global discussion.

Historically, that dialogue began in limited fashion well before Kermit so poignantly reminded us of its value some fifty years ago.

So when did the colour green mature from simple light pigment status to taking on a stellar role with the most powerful environmental forums in the world?

Green being equal to environmentalism made its presence felt in some shape or form during the medieval era. Forestry management in Europe was established around then, and in China, India, and Peru, sustainable agricultural practices such as soil conservation were developed.

After the Industrial Revolutions (there were two, though some would argue they overlapped: first, in the mid-18th, second, in the mid-19th century), public acknowledgement of the environmental fallout skyrocketed. Concerns about air pollution intensified as heavy industry impacted people's health and calls for change became louder as middle-class lobbying groups expressed distress over land conservation, resource protection, and wildlife preservation.

There was a lull while the world focussed on dealing with The Great Depression and two wars. Then after World War II, industrialisation raced ahead again, wreaking havoc on natural heritage even while initiating productivity, confidence, and a better lifestyle for all.

The progress gained during this monumental phase also brought about mind-changing and conscience-creating books like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Paul Erlich’s The Population Bomb. This exposure of our planet's fragility spurred on the official ‘Green Movement’, which took on an increasingly amplified life of its own around 1970. New Zealand was at the political forefront of that acceleration when the Values Party gained a bigger slice of the greenie leadership pie; and April 22, 1970, saw the first celebration of Earth Day in America. Earth Day has since become the planet’s largest civic event and an environmental touchstone for three generations of eco-activists.

By the late 1980s, environmentalism was a global as well as a national political force. And by the ‘90s, the green movement had accepted that finding solutions to the world’s environmental woes lay firmly on its shoulders.

Going green is now recognised as part of our social evolution. Public awareness is strong, and ‘green’ has become an instantly recognisable buzz-word, a mantra. Even better, the resultant shifts in attitude and knowledge have inspired incredible technological advances in working smarter for the cause.

Working smarter means that some of the most vibrant yet polluted cities in the world are changing the face of their cityscapes to improve air quality: they're switching to green.

What does ‘switching to green’ mean?

It’s the holistic strategy underpinning the entire green movement. It guides our architectural designs, business practices, infrastructure, and urban planning. It contributes to our culture and helps define our purpose. It includes practices like informed consumption, sustainable consumerism, conservation, investment in renewable energy, and reducing undesirable air emissions and waste.

Cities are notorious contributors to high-level carbon emissions, which the World Air Quality Index ranks from worst to best. Google the site; you'll find that the cleanest air in the world belongs to the Antarctic Ocean, where it's unchanged by human-related activities.

Sadly, the rest of the world is experiencing air pollution at an all-time high.

Barcelona

Photo: Pexels

One city, however (amongst many others), has a brave and dedicated team preparing to make amends.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia - a region of Northern Spain with its own unique culture, traditions, and personality. Barcelona’s character comes partly from the age-old beauty of its architecture - enhanced by the famous works of Antonio

“It's not easy being green,”


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surgery or illness, increases energy levels and improves sleep. The benefits are bountiful, and green urbanism is emerging as the superhero of the 21st century - but not just in Barcelona.

In January 2019, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, ordered 7,000 trees to be planted by the end of the following year. Meanwhile, China's Hebei Province has been working on a ‘green necklace’ of plants to reduce pollution from factories surrounding the capital. Paris is planning an urban forest that will encompass its most iconic landmarks and improve the city's air quality. New York City has built The High Line - a 2.33km elevated linear park and greenway.

Greening up cities is a universal green prescription that dovetails perfectly with world efforts as we fast-track on the road to environmental recovery.

Kermit ends his song with the words:

"It's beautiful … and I think it's what I want to be." Yes, Kermit, being green is totally worth it.

Gaudi - and the artistic endeavours of Picasso and Miro. The Mediterranean lifestyle is enviable and about to be even more so with the unleashing of a ten-year urban project to assist Barcelona’s Climate Plan objectives. Those ambitious targets include reducing air emissions by 45% on route to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Barcelona’s no newbie to eco-action. At the Rio Summit in 1992, the Citizen Commitment to Sustainability collective document was created as an outcome of global Agenda 21. Since then, Barcelona’s been working hard to deliver.

The plan is to carpet the city in 400 acres of new green space by 2030 to increase biodiversity in the city,reduce traffic, improve sustainable mobility, and encourage social cohesion and collaboration.

The project is known as the ‘superblock’ system and takes its lead from the existing grid layout pattern of the Eixample District, designed by engineer Ildefons Cerdà, b. 1815 d. 1876.

Cerdà’s approach was revolutionary for the 19th century. He focused on the need for sunlight, natural lighting, and ventilation in homes, for more greenery, the need for effective waste and sewerage disposal, and the need for seamless movement of people, goods, energy, and information. The superblock project expands Cerdà’s idealistic work by establishing ‘green corridors’ lined with plants and trees, green spaces and chill-out areas, and traffic flow confined to the periphery.

Some superblocks are already proving their worth because the concept was grasped in 1980, then implemented in 1993 by Barcelona's resident urban visionary and head of the Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona, Salvador Rueda.

The Les Corts, Plaça de les Glories, Sant Martí, Eixample, and Hostafrancs districts are all breathing easier now, as will the 495 more superblocks planned under the city’s urban blueprint. Estimated to cost 36 million Euros or about $NZ60 million, one in three streets will soon be greened up, and every resident will have a square and a traffic-free green street within 200 metres of their homes.

Barcelona is going green in a very dramatic way. With air emissions facing a slippery slope downwards while carbon-guzzling trees, grasses, and shrubs rise in public spaces, could we possibly uncover more benefits?

Well, let’s face it, trees are beautiful.

During Covid-19’s first lockdown in 2020, city dwellers confined to their own four walls (so to speak) realised that a room with a view is, after all, quite important. The 1908 E.M Forster novel and 1985 movie adaptation of the same name (A Room with a View), refer to the analogy that ‘a life free and open to adventure and possibility, one not too confined by the strictures of society’ is one to be desired. When Covid-19’s lockdowns enforced possibly the tightest controls ever known to the Western world, the psychological impacts were, and still are, huge.

In Barcelona, residents confined cheek by jowl to densely-packed apartments noticed their need for calming scenes to look upon, soothing spaces to refresh the intellect and the soul. They discovered that they yearned for nature.

Subliminally, we can sense that nature is vital for wellbeing; there's a mutual dependence, a symbiotic relationship. In the scientific world, evidence from the N.Y Dept. of Environmental Conservation states that access to green spaces: boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improves mood, increases focus, accelerates recovery from

Source: 1. Medical News Today 2. The Conversation 3. Vox 4.

Thomas Reuters Foundation News 5. The Guardian


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Of all traditional Polynesian dances, Hawaiian hula is perhaps the most iconic – instantly recognisable and widely loved around the world.

While New Zealand’s All Black rugby team has rendered traditional Māori ceremonial dance the haka a global phenomenon in recent years, the embracing of the hula beyond Hawaiian shores in popular culture dates back to early Hollywood movies.

From Waikiki Wedding in 1937 starring Bing Crosby and Blue Hawaii in 1961 to Walt Disney’s 2002 animated kids’ movie

and series Lilo & Stitch, as well as the more recent 2016 Disney musical animation Moana, the hula has long been a touchstone for Hawaiian culture.

The allure of sensual Polynesian hula dancers in colourful skirts and adorned in bright hibiscus flowers, hips swaying to the soft rhythms of guitar, ukulele and island drums is easy to understand. But beyond this stereotypical version of hula as a form of South Pacific exoticism and entertainment in Waikiki’s tourist hotspots is an ancient, multi-layered art form.

Hula carries the spiritual and ancestral stories of indigenous

Hawaii Hula dancers 1940

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The spirit of hulaBY JENNIFER LITTLE


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Rosalina Pang

Hawaiians through the language of body movement, hand gesture and chant. It also conveys the relationship between humans and nature – its nurturing pleasures and the need to protect it.

According to one ancient myth, hula originated when the goddess Hi'iaka danced to appease her sister Pele, the goddess of the volcano. “The Hula Movement”, a story published in 2002 in The Atlantic [magazine], asserts that in ancient hula there were no guitars or ukuleles — only “percussive instruments like sharkskin drums, feather-decorated gourds, bamboo stamping tubes, split-bamboo rattles, and stone castanets. Gesture was secondary to chanted poetry.”

In pre-contact Hawaiian society, hula was ”the history book of a people without a written language. Hula chants were the sacred text maintaining the relationship between gods and mortals, heralding chiefs, celebrating sex and procreation, and venerating the subtleties of the natural world—the tumbling of waterfalls, the many faces of the moon, the myriad mists and rains of the tropics.”

When Calvinist missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1820, hula was condemned as heathen and soon banned. Then, in the 1870s, King David Kalakaua proclaimed hula to be “the language of the heart and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people," and revived the dance. It was performed at both his 1883 coronation and an 1886 jubilee celebration. When the Hawaiian monarchy fell in 1893, it would be nearly 100 years before the hula again became a part of the government celebrations.

In its modern iterations, the ancient elements of poetry and chant are combined with new instruments and costumes. Hula dancing, as one source says, is a complex art form, with many hand motions used to represent the words in a song or chant, signifying aspects of nature, such as the swaying of a tree in the breeze or a wave in the ocean, or a feeling or emotion, such as fondness or longing.

Hula horizons

Modern hula derivatives – such as globally popular Hot Hula Fitness created by New Zealander Anna-Rita Sloss – focus on the physical benefits by blending Polynesian culture with American hip hop and R&B culture for a total body workout.

Taranaki-based multi-ethnic dancer, teacher and performer Rosalina Pang is a hula exponent who understands that storytelling and movement are inseparable. She breaks into an impromptu demo of a new hula dance she’s been learning, called ‘Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai’, or the Seaweed dance, mid-way through our interview. The movements tell a story of gathering seaweed and it looks so sensual, so flowing and fun that you just want to join her.

A passionate advocate for the power of dance for wellbeing, self-expression, and shared joy through her project, 5th Element Dance, this gently spoken Singaporean moved to Aotearoa in 2008 after a snowboarding, mountain-biking adventure holiday in the South Island in 2004.

“It’s about building awareness of our body, to be able to listen to music and rhythm and then having the energy and creative movement to dance and flow,” she says. “It’s a powerful way to connect with others.”

Rosalina discovered her love of dance when her mum entered her in a talent quest at age four, dressed in a hula costume and swaying to music from Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii movie. She’d been playing around with hula since she could walk and says it just came naturally to her.

Rosalina draws on nature and the elements – fire, water, air and earth – for inspiration in life and dance. The ‘fifth element’ in her dance project “relates to attaining well-being through moving with connectedness and living an authentic life,” she says.

As a health advocate, she believes the benefits of dance – including hula, belly dance, Bollywood and fire poi – are not to be underestimated. “Movement helps to free up the tension we carry in our bodies because this flows into your emotional, physical and psychological state. If you’re connected to your body through dance, you can move through life’s challenges with greater ease.”

For Hawaiian kumu hula (dance teacher) Leina’ala Jardin, hula fuses the past with the present. In National Geographic’s immersive 2018 Short Film Showcase, Hula is More Than a Dance – It’s the ‘Heartbeat’ of the Hawaiian People, she defines this evocative, enduring dance as: “our bridge to the past, the foundation of our Hawaiian people. It’s my life.”


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Herbs and Healing in New Zealand

Health & Wellness

BY KATIE STONE

Indigestion? Aching knees? Skin infection?There’s a plant for that. And it could be growing right in your garden.

Natural medicine is a flourishing industry in New Zealand. In

2019, our natural health products industry made a revenue

of NZD$2.3 billion: an increase of 64% from 2014. The sale

of plant-based medicines continues to contribute an

estimated $1.4 billion to our economy annually. Meanwhile,

one in five Kiwis visits an ‘alternative’ practitioner such as

an acupuncturist, homeopath, naturopath, or spiritual healer

each year.

These figures suggest that a large proportion of New

Zealanders embrace the concept of natural medicine.This

is heartening, particularly when news stories about witch

doctors, snake oil, and false ‘cancer cures’ seem to make far

more interesting reading.

It’s very easy to shun herbs or natural remedies as quackery.

Which is odd, because they’ve been around for far, far longer

than pharmaceutical medicine. Try 60,000 years longer.

What many of the nay-sayers don’t realise is that we’ve been

using plants as medicine since we first set foot on earth.

A quick history lesson: archeological excavations have

revealed that medicinal plants such as opium poppies,

ephedra, and cannabis were used as far back as 60,000

years ago. That’s a good bit longer than the modern

pharmaceutical industry, which began in the mid-19th

century.

Humans have been experimenting with the healing

properties of plants since the beginning of time. Our

ancestors were involved in their own ‘clinical trials’ with

roots, leaves, and physical therapies. After all, cavemen

didn’t run on down to the pharmacy when they had a

toothache or a festering wound. The results of these trials

eventually established what we currently know of healing

and healthcare.

Later, scientists realised they could synthesize compounds

that were more potent (and often more toxic) than what

grew out of the earth. Pharmaceuticals emerged from

apothecaries that moved into wholesale production of

drugs such as morphine and quinine. And so, synthetic

drugs were born.

Still, the synthetic drugs we’re handed at the chemist are

structurally the same as how their counterparts would

appear in nature. There are 252 drugs considered ‘essential’

by the World Health Organisation - and 11 percent of them

are exclusively derived from flowering plants. And yet, we

still refer to natural medicine - the original medicine - as

‘alternative’.


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Alternative medicine: What is that, exactly?The terms ‘alternative’, and ‘complementary’ medicine are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t quite the same. ‘Complementary’ refers to those modalities used alongside conventional medicine, while ‘alternative’ refers to those used to replace conventional medicine.

Marcia Angell, M.D, author of Alternative Medicine — The Risks of Untested and Unregulated Remedies, and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, argued that the concept of two ‘kinds’ of medicines is false. “There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not; medicine that works, and medicine that may not work. Once a treatment has been tested rigorously, it no longer matters whether it was considered alternative at the outset.”

The range within the complementary and alternative sphere is enormous. From acupuncture and aromatherapy to massage, homeopathy, and rongoā, the list goes on.

But what unites every one of these modalities is their philosophy. Where conventional medicine focuses on getting rid of a symptom with drugs or surgery, natural modalities seek to treat what’s causing the symptom (or symptoms) in the first place.

Go to a doctor with a headache and, during the 15-minute slot you’re allocated, he’ll probably prescribe you some form of pain relief. He or she might advise that you return for another checkup if the pain doesn’t dissipate.

Go to a naturopath, and you’ll be interviewed for a full 90 minutes. You’ll be asked about your health history, your parent’s health history, what you eat every day, your sleeping habits, what worries you, and any number of other questions that could shed light as to why your head is hurting. You’ll then return for a follow-up appointment where your practitioner will present a treatment plan: a comprehensive overview of what is working for you and what isn’t, and what needs to change.

The idea is that if you can successfully identify what’s causing an issue, you can nip it in the bud, so to speak. Fairly simple. And - incredibly - making healthy changes to your life does actually work. For a start, there are fewer (and possibly zero) side effects compared to taking prescription medication. You may find that other things in your life improve, too.

But it’s not cheap, and it’s not a quick fix. In this fast-paced modern world of instant-everything, we like things to be fixed NOW. Hence a prescription for codeine sometimes seems far more attractive than overhauling your life.

So, why choose natural medicine?Research suggests that the reasons people choose to ‘go natural’ may be that they are dissatisfied with conventional treatment, particularly in regards to negative side-effects of certain medications. They also cite positive experiences with natural remedies, along with family traditions.

In Germany, natural medicine is deeply embedded in everyday life. The pillars of good health are considered to include the five Kneipp therapies: hydrotherapy, exercise, nutrition, phytotherapy (the use of plant-based remedies) and lifestyle management. In the past 15 years, more and more doctors in Germany - particularly GPs - have integrated complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into their everyday practice. Here in New Zealand, complementary and alternative medicine is still largely unregulated. Many modalities such as herbal medicine and naturopathy are not incorporated into the mainstream health-care system. Instead, these areas are monitored by practitioner groups with their own codes of conduct and ethics.

There has been some progress: osteopathy, chiropractic care, and acupuncture are all considered ‘alternative’, and yet are covered by ACC. Chiropractic and osteopathy are also covered by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

The healing power of New Zealand herbalismFor early Māori, the native bush was an apothecary for treating wounds and illness. Even the European settlers are noted to have included native plants in their practices. Where their imported medicines failed, they turned to Māori for their use of rongoā: traditional herbal medicine. In 1891, herbalist James Neil described mānuka as “a well-tried and approved diuretic”. Other approved herbs included koromiko, horopito, pohutukawa, and harakeke.

Those herbs - and many more - are still used today. And, yes, they still work.

Although shunned for a period in the mid-19th century, the practice of herbalism in New Zealand has been growing steadily since the 1980s. The New Zealand Association of Herbalists became an Incorporated Society in 1983 and the Waikato Centre for Herbal Studies was opened in the 1990s, encouraging Kiwis to once again believe in the power of plants.

And what a wealth of plants we have!


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ManukaLong before the powers of mānuka honey were discovered, the mānuka plant itself was hailed as a cure-all throughout Māori lore. The flowering mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) was traditionally used to treat everything from gingivitis and diarrhoea to bacterial and fungal infections. Māori made an infusion from the leaves and used it to treat urinary issues. The leaves could also be boiled into a vapour and inhaled as a means of clearing sinuses. A mixture of manuka leaves and bark applied to the joints was found to relieve inflammation and pain.

Scientific evidence shows that this common native does indeed harbour a wealth of medicinal properties: antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, and astringent.

Mānuka essential oil is particularly powerful in treating athlete’s foot and fungal nail infections.

Most impressive is its b-triketones, which have been proven effective against Staphylococcus, Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp. as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria Staphylococcus

aureus and MRSA.

Want to make your own healing salve? Simply infuse the aerial parts of the plant in oil and combine with melted wax. And voila: an antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory remedy.

KawakawaBloated tummy? A cup of kawakawa tea could soothe that away. Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) is another native with a long history of medicinal use. Favoured as a digestive tonic, it helps ease bloating and indigestion and relieves gastrointestinal spasms. Kawakawa also harbours anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, along with antimicrobial and antiparasitic

compounds. It’s also a circulatory stimulant, which means it encourages the flow of blood to the tissues and organs. This can help to warm the body and improve digestive function.

To make your own kawakawa tea, just add a handful of fresh leaves to a pot of water and allow to simmer for up to 15 minutes. Strain, and serve.

KumarahouOften overlooked as an ornamental shrub, kumarahou (Pomaderris kumaraho) was once revered for its high saponin content. Mix the crushed flowers with water and you’ll get a soapy lather originally known as ‘gumdiggers soap’. This slippery quality made it useful as an expectorant: a tonic that helped to clear the lungs of mucus. As a depurative, kumarahou was the original blood cleanser and detox. By stimulating the liver, kidneys, lymph and bowel, it helps to flush out accumulated waste and impurities. This can help to rid the body of toxins and other unwanted matter that may have accumulated over time. A kumarahou tonic was also taken to treat gout and rheumatism and to maintain general wellbeing.

Kumarahou tea can be prepared in much the same way as kawakawa tea but boiled for 15-20 minutes.

The future of the “alternative” medicine We are remarkably lucky in NZ to have the freedom to choose our modality of treatment. We can see a doctor. We can see an osteopath. We can see a naturopath, a homeopath, or a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Ultimately, the best choice for you is what works for you. And only you can be the judge of that.


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Yael Shochel is the chef and owner of the Middle Eastern

restaurant Ima Cuisine in Auckland City, and has been

cooking since childhood. She grew up in Israel cooking with

her mother who she says is as an excellent and creative

chef. In the 60s and 70s, at a time when most people only

had the Edmonds or Betty Crocker recipes, Yael’s mother

had an entire shelf of other cookbooks, too. Yael grew up

like all Israeli children - eating schnitzel at least twice a

week.

“There is not a house in Israel that does not cook schnitzel,” she tells me. Yael says it’s the crumb mixture of cornflakes, rice crispies, and ready salted chips that make it such a fast favourite. Even her neighbour’s child was a fussy eater who would not eat anything, yet he couldn’t get enough of Yael’s chicken schnitzel. “It’s all in the crumb,” she insists.

Yael’s Chicken Schnitzel

Food

BY HAYLEY WHITE

“When my middle child was little, she had some learning

disabilities. When you’ve got a kid who has got some

problems, everyone has an idea. Maybe it’s this, maybe it’s

that, and there was a point where someone said gluten goes

to the brain membrane. It’s such bulls..t,” Yael whispers.

“I couldn’t use breadcrumbs, so I thought ‘I need to sort this

problem out’. I’ve got to make this crumb gluten-free, and

it’s got to be tasty so it’s irresistible to children!” she says.

“When [my middle child] was three it was Thanksgiving and

Blue’s Clues was on TV. We were ready to go out and as

we stood in front of the TV, [the actor] turns to the camera

and says: ‘What are you thankful for?’ And I turn to her and

ask her: ‘What are you grateful for?’ And she says ‘schnitzel’

because that’s something at dinner that she can eat,” Yael

laughs. “So, if you’ve got family, get out some schnitzel, and

you can make it!” she exclaims.

Yael offers to make me her chicken schnitzel, but as I’m

vegetarian, I refuse. “The schnitzel crumb I now do as a

vegetarian main with cauliflower instead of chicken, is very

nice too!” she insists. “You just cut cauliflower into slices, and

put some rice flour on it. Dip it in egg, and then my crumb

mix.” She suggests tofu can also be used as a substitute for

the chicken.

I recently tried the recipe (with the cauliflower substitute)

and I must say that the crumb is superb! So, this is definitely

one to keep under your belt as it might quickly become a

household favourite.

Yael Shochel in her kitchen

Photo: Hayley White


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Yael’s Chicken SchnitzelRECIPE

Ingredients

500-600g boneless chicken breast

¼ cup plain flour (or rice flour, to make the recipe gluten-free)

2 eggs

2 heaped Tbsp Dijon mustard

Pinch of salt

300g ready salted ripple cut potato chips (2 packets)

500g cornflakes

460g puffed rice cereal

½ cup sesame seeds

75ml extra virgin olive oil

75g butter

Method

• Slice the chicken breasts into flat wide pieces no more

than 1cm thick. If needed, you can beat the slices with

a mallet or the side of a heavy knife to flatten them

evenly.

• Set out three shallow bowls. Into the first, place the

flour. Into the second, place the eggs, mustard and salt,

and beat well with a fork.

• Process the chips and cereals in a food processor to the

texture of breadcrumbs and mix with the sesame seeds

in the third bowl.

• Set out a plate to hold the crumbed chicken.

• Dip a chicken piece first into the flour, then the egg

mixture, and then the crumbs, ensuring it is fully coated

on both sides with each layer - especially with a good

layer of crumbs (you may need to pat the crumbs

with your fingers to ensure they stick on). To keep

your hands from getting too messy, you can use one

hand only for touching the raw, floured, and crumbed

chicken, and use the other hand only to touch the

chicken when it’s eggy. Put the crumbed chicken on the

plate and coat the remaining pieces before you begin

cooking.

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy frying pan

or pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 175°C, or

until a small piece of crumb mixture sizzles immediately.

Fry the schnitzel pieces a few at a time, taking care not

to crowd the pan, until dark golden on both sides.

• Drain cooked schnitzel on a paper towel-lined plate and

serve immediately. If needed you can keep the cooked

pieces on a rack in a warm oven for 15 minutes to allow

time to cook the additional pieces and serve them all

together.

To make ahead

Crumbed chicken pieces can be frozen, separated by

baking paper or plastic wrap and tightly wrapped, for up to

one month. Fry from frozen using the directions above.

Chicken Schnitzel

Photo: Yael Shochel

Kiwis and cabin fever go together like fish and chips BY KATIE STONE

Travel

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P A G E 5 7P A G E 5 7

Flightless we may be, Kiwis still love to travel.

Yes, the length and breadth of our destinations have changed somewhat (well, a lot) in the past 18 months. Up until February 2020, ‘travel’ might have meant Brisbane or Bali or Berlin. It meant bookings, passports, suitcases, and jet lag.

Cue a global pandemic, and we had to get a little creative. As of May 2021, ‘travel’ could mean a road trip to the Bay of Islands. A hike through the Waitakeres. Cycling the Otago Rail Trail. Selfies with the L&P bottle. Catching up with Nana in Ohakune. Adopting the van life.

Some 30 years after the jaunty advertising campaign: ‘Don’t leave town till you’ve seen the country’, the New Zealand Tourism and Publicity Department have got their way.

We’re still on the move. We’re still exploring. We’re just doing it within our own backyard. And, instead of grieving our closed borders, something incredible has bloomed; a newfound appreciation for what it means to be Kiwi, to be far from the pandemonium and free to roam about on our own patch of dirt. As much as we miss the chime of Big Ben and the taste of real Mexican chipotle, we’re more or less coping with the travel blues.

From globetrotters to home birds Kiwis have always been globetrotters. Right up until Covid struck, Kiwis were taking more overseas trips than ever before. In 2018, data from Statistics New Zealand showed that the number of us heading off abroad was growing almost as fast as that for visitor arrivals.

Like many other Kiwis, I left our fair shores at the age of 21 for a working holiday in Ireland. I didn’t care where I worked - as long as it was enough to pay my rent, food, and perhaps party a little. I came back, only to leave again at 26 to teach English in India and China. Later, armed with another couple of letters after my name, I figured out a way to work remotely. For nearly three years, I travelled over five continents as a so-called digital nomad.

But whenever anyone asked where I was from, I never had the right answers. I would hear:

“Ahh, New Zealand is so beautiful! I saw Lord of the Rings! What are the mountains really like?”

“I’ve been to your country! How did you like the Milford Track?”

“You’re so lucky! You must go skiing and surfing every day!”

Smiling brightly and agreeing was much easier than admitting I hadn’t, erm, done any of that stuff. No Great Walks. No skiing on Ruapehu. No bungy jumping. No half-time selfies at Eden Park with the All Blacks.

Yet, I’d lived in Europe, Vietnam, India, Mexico, and Thailand. I’d climbed the Eiffel Tower, stood before the Taj Mahal, walked the Himalayas, kissed the Blarney Stone, and gazed down at the bones of Lucy, the first hominid. Among other bucket-list items.

Sadly, I wasn’t - and still am not - the only one.

The ‘Big OE’ has long been a Kiwi rite of passage. You go to uni, grab a degree, and pack your bags for London. Or Australia, or Canada, or Japan. Anywhere that wasn’t on State Highway One.

The OE phenomenon dates back to the 1950s and survived through to … well, 2020. Parts of London - Shepherds Bush, Acton, Hammersmith - are still known as ‘Little New Zealand’. In 2001, Acton’s fifth-largest migrant population were Kiwis.


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core. Having barely got used to the idea that a pandemic was inevitable, we were suddenly told that the country was shutting up and we were to stay home.

Over the past year and a half, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis have come home to wait out the drama. Job losses and travel restrictions have created further incentives for expats to pack up their overseas lives. Survey data suggests that around 250,000 Kiwis who are still overseas are planning to return home within the next two years, with a further 250,000 indicating they will follow after that.

As for the rest of us, Covid-19 has killed all our overseas travel plans, including any young ‘uns’ dreams of an OE.

But while the rest of the world scrambles to cope with masks and social distancing, New Zealand has slowly come to realise that we’re very, very lucky. Not only does our geographical isolation protect us (somewhat) from ‘that virus’, we also get to do what many cannot: explore a pretty fabulous backyard.

Such was our joy at finally reaching Level 1 after those torturous six weeks that we hit the roads in droves. Suddenly, we felt safe and free. We were also busting to travel. Before it could be taken away from us again. So, we dined out. We booked flights. We bought tents, campervans, kayaks.

The ‘Do Something New, New Zealand’ campaign has seen us flock to the beaches, mountains, and everywhere in between. Domestic escapes and ‘staycations’ are the new normal. Campervan hires and sales have boomed: when Tourism

After all, London was where life began! Want to visit Scotland or Paris? Take the train! Want to experience Hagia Sophia? You could be there in the time it takes to drive from Auckland to Taupo!

Such was our fervour to see those foreign shores that, back in 2002, the government was panicking about a ‘brain drain’. Young, educated Kiwis were leaving in colossal numbers to experience the wider world. Most would return - eventually - but many stayed away, settling elsewhere with new careers and families. It was feared that our tiny nation was losing its best and brightest. And perhaps they were. Currently, more of our skilled population live offshore than any other OECD country.

But it wasn’t just the graduates who were heading off. The late 1990s and 2000s saw an increase in the number of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s departing New Zealand on a long-term basis. These older travellers - many of them baby boomers - saw their empty nests as a chance to see what they’d missed out on earlier in life.

Last year, over 3 million of us arrived back from overseas trips. That was 175,100 more than in 2017. About 1.2 million of those trips were to holiday destinations, while another 1 million involved visiting family or friends.

Our lust for new pastures has also broadened. In the 1980s, nearly half of us leaving NZ were heading just over the ditch to Australia and just five percent to Asia. By 2017, Australia-bound travel had shrunk to 43 per cent and Asia had swelled to 18 per cent. We were also favouring Africa and the Americas over our previously beloved European and UK destinations.

The New Era of Travell ing InThe pandemic has crippled economies and spread fear all over the world. And not just fear, but cabin fever.

The sudden announcement of a six-week lockdown in March last year seemed to come out of nowhere and rattled us to our


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Holdings Ltd (THL) sold off 1000 vehicles to compensate for the lack of tourists, the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) received almost 300 membership applications. By the end of August, over 1000 Kiwis had become new motorhome owners.

Another campervan hire company netted 20,000 bookings after a $29-a-day rental promotion.

Now more than ever we appreciate what a fantastic place New Zealand is. As Kiwis start exploring more of New Zealand, we’re realising just how much we have on offer.

Some restaurants even made record sales over the 2020-2021 summer. Holiday parks throughout the Coromandel enjoyed a huge influx of campers, with many park owners saying that New Zealanders had filled gaps left by overseas visitors.

Of course, the efforts of five million(ish) Kiwis can’t quite fill the $6 billion hole left by overseas tourists. But we’re giving it a good shot. And, until the borders open again, we are the lifeblood of our tourism economy.

Wanderlusters we may be, we’ve figured out that ‘doing something new’ doesn’t have to involve a passport. Something new can be anything beyond your front door. Attending a concert in the park. Buying an ice cream from a street vendor. Booking a fancy hotel for yourself and your partner (or just yourself). It all counts towards our economy. And there’s a bonus: supporting local is helping to keep our communities thriving and small businesses alive.

This pandemic has only brought home how much of a gift – and privilege – it is to be ‘stuck’ here. No longer can we take our pristine backyard for granted.

What’s next, then?The vaccine rollout has returned hopes for restarting the world, including hope for opening the borders. Some governments

have plans for vaccinated travel or so-called ‘travel passports’. The EU have just announced a Digital Green Pass, which stands to become a de-facto travel passport. Many countries within the EU are open to travellers from specified countries, depending on the Covid situation in their point of origin.

Of course, it can be a little grating to know that other people ‘out there’ are still travelling. At the time of writing, there are high hopes that we’ll soon be able to visit our Aussie neighbours. Otherwise, we can only wait patiently until the much-anticipated vaccine is distributed widely enough to get those international terminals operating again.

Until then?

The balm for my own itchy feet was in buying a (slightly) beat-up campervan. Over the past six months, Horace the Honda has taken me places I never knew existed - and never would, if it weren’t for Covid. From the white sands of Uretiti beach to a breathtakingly beautiful trail just out of Taumarunui, I’ve finally started to discover what the rest of the world knows about New Zealand.

Hang in there, New Zealand. We’ve still got a lot to explore.


Ad Rem BY CHARLOTTE GIBLIN


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Sustainable fashionBY HAYLEY WHITE

In the last decade, the fashion industry has arguably become one of the worst industries in the world for environmental abuse, and it’s no wonder. It contributes 10% of all CO2 emissions worldwide per year (that’s four to five billion tonnes annually). It also consumes a serious amount of water at around 79 trillion tonnes a year, and is responsible for around 20% of water pollution from textile dyeing and treatment (Niinimäki, Peters, Dahlbo, Perry, Rissanen, & Gwilt, 2020) – and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

The fashion industry and fast fashion practices are hurting the environment.

Fast fashion, put simply, is the overproduction of low-quality, cheap, and ‘trendy’ clothing based on increased demand.

This boost in demand has almost doubled production in comparison to the volume of clothes manufactured before the year 2000, with the consumption of clothing estimated to reach 102 million tonnes per year by 2030.

The term ‘slow fashion’ made its way through the fashion world as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion and is hailed as being better for the environment overall. Slow fashion can mean a lot of different things to different people. For some, it means handmade, one-of-a-kind clothes that are made with sustainable materials, and for others it means thrifting; shopping in opportunity shops, oftentimes run by churches or charities.

The upsurge in the popularity of thrifting saw resellers - people who go thrifting and resell the clothes they find - pop up around the globe, most notably on Instagram. From people selling a few loose garments from their wardrobe clear-outs to full-time

businesses, Instagram thrift stores have taken the fashion world by storm. Not only are they extremely easy to navigate, but they do all the legwork of thrift shopping for you and tailor their styles to what people want the most. All these stores share the same outcome: slowing down fashion and making the fashion industry more sustainable.

Instagram thrift shop Duo Drops is one of those stores and is the passion project and brainchild of Maria Richards (Ngā Puhi) and her best friend Shaye Straker (Taranaki, Ngā Māhanga-a-Tairi).

Duo Drops clothing

Photo: Hayley White

Maria has always loved thrifting. As an avid thrifter right from high school, she’d been thinking about starting her own thrifting page since the beginning of 2020. Marama Davidson, co-leader of the Greens Party in New Zealand, came on board looking for an outfit for her election night in 2020 which “changed

Fashion


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everything,” says Maria. “For me, that was about empowering her, to make her stand out - and to know that she was prepared for it to be thrifted was next level. That's where it sort of started.” Empowering women has been a big part of Duo Drop’s kaupapa (values), something that has inspired Maria right from the beginning. Maintaining sustainable practices that benefit Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) is very important to her too, just as much as making clothes affordable and accessible, allowing women to express their individuality through sustainable fashion. Slowing down fashion, giving back to the community, and saving Papatūānuku, one sustainable item at a time, is really our grassroots philosophy,” says Maria.

The production of clothing is not the only aspect of the fashion industry that hurts the environment. It generates 92 million tonnes of textile waste per year - that’s a whopping 4 percent of the world’s waste, left to pollute landfills or be burnt - unbelievably, much of this waste is product that hasn’t been sold yet.

When asked if she thought that reselling thrifted clothes was a better alternative to fast fashion, “absolutely,” is Maria’s immediate reply. She says that the sheer amount of clothing you see in opportunity shops and thrift stores nearly makes her faint. SaveMart, a New Zealand recycled clothing store, is known for having massive bales of clothing stacked in their warehouses because of the number of donations they get. “If people really get out there and go into thrift stores you will understand just how much is stockpiled,” she says.

“If it's not selling, it is because no one wants it; or if someone doesn't know how to style a garment, they're gonna dump it,” she adds. “So, if I take it away, I'm helping to save it from going into the dump.”On top of thrifting, Maria also handles koha (gifted) items to sell which come from wāhine (women) who want to give their clothes a new lease on life. This shows that fashion is a recurring cycle that never really ends.

It was once said that a cycle of fashion lasts around 20 years, but people around the world show that they have clothing styles from every decade in their wardrobes. So now, there is typically a 5-year cycle when it comes to fashion. It usually starts with the introduction of a trend, moves through a rise in demand by consumers, peaks when sales are at their highest, and then slowly declines again, ending in the style or trend becoming obsolete. It is a prime example of why thrifting is becoming popular again, and Maria agrees that there is a rise in demand for thrifted clothing from all different decades and styles.

“The beauty with thrift is they’re unique items, so there's room for everyone. Different people like different things and like following people with different kaupapa, different pricing, different pieces, vintages, colours, and styles,” she says. “Depending on where you go, whom you follow or buy from, you've got people who sell vintage which is really hard to find. There are definitely some specialized wahine (women) out there.”

Vintage clothes are some of the most popular items that resellers can get their hands on these days. Previously, shopping for recycled items was seen as dirty and there was a perceived stigma surrounding people who couldn’t afford to buy new clothes. Resellers help do away with this stigma by repurposing the clothes and showing people that it’s a great way to shop - and look after the environment. Maria says that the normalization of thrifting is super important to squash the thinking that people buy recycled only because they don’t have the money to buy new.

“A lot of my friends love it; others don't, but they haven't really judged me for it. I'm the sort that if someone goes: ‘Oh my god, I love those pants where’d you get them from?’ I’m like: ‘Well they were $5, I got them from a thrift store’. Some people aren’t okay saying that, but I love it.”

Maria says that she feels blessed to be able to have the opportunity to resell clothes, help Papatūānuku, and to have amazing support from wahine like Marama Davidson, Anika Moa and Stacey Morrison who buy her clothes. Being able to do this job whilst staying true to her Māori and Pasifika culture is the biggest blessing for Maria. “I use Māori words and normalize it as part of my page, but it also educates people with the basics. I don't know full Māori, but knowing I have the support of people like Marama, Anika, and Stacy I know I can ask them for the right words or correct spelling or punctuation. I will make sure I've got it right,” says Maria.

In the United States alone, the recycled clothing market is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Worth US$4.1 billion in 2003, it has only grown from there, totalling US$28 billion in 2019 and expected to grow to US$80 billion over the next eight years. While fast fashion production is predicted to rise another 20% in the next 10 years, recycled fashion is anticipated to have another 185% increase (Park, 2020).

This alone proves that thrifting and the promotion of slow fashion will never go away. As the sustainability movement grows, so too will the popularity of slow fashion and conscious consumption compared to the mindless, impulse buy that fast fashion encourages. Until the fashion industry can find a way to shift from their unsustainable fast fashion model into one that benefits the environment, slow fashion will continue to be the future.

Source: 1. Author correction: The environmental price of fast

fashion,Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 2. Second-

handclothing sales are booming –and may help solve the

sustainability crisis in the fashion industry, The Conversation

Tackling taboo:MenstruationBY HAYLEY WHITE

Sexuality

Photo: Unsplash


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Nobody enjoys that time of the month. Whether they call it Aunt Flo, the red sea, shark week or simply their period, everyone I know has an endless stream of complaints whenever their menses comes around. For many women, their monthly bleeding arrives hand-in-hand with excruciating pain and wild as wind hormones, and for others it comes with limiting cultural beliefs.

Menstruation continues to be taboo in the majority of cultures across the world, including the Western world. Despite it being a completely natural part of a woman’s life, it is met with disgust. Even women sometimes feel shame when it comes to having their period and try to avoid talking about it to anyone other than their closest friends.

Edit Horvath, an Auckland-based sex therapist, says that there has been a small breakthrough in the public domain around talking about periods. But it’s still very much kept at arm’s length as if people are walking on eggshells. Edit also thinks it is weird that period advertisements use the colour blue more often than the colour red, like they do not want to be, as she says: “tainted with red.” An analysis of around 200 advertisements showed they were aimed at teenage girls. They portrayed the negative idea that periods are unclean and something to be hidden, otherwise it’s dirty or shameful (Fraser, Haththotuwa & Tan, 2017). And that analysis is for women who live in relatively liberal countries.

For some women of other cultures, Bhartiya (2013) mentions that some of the most consistent religious practices require menstruating women to isolate, exclude them from religious activities and prohibit women from places of worship.

When asked how women from these religions could handle their periods in countries like New Zealand where it’s westernised and fairly liberal, Edit said they are in a ‘double bind’. Others may not even be told about their period. which concerns her. She remembers working with a young woman who didn't know anything about the female monthly cycle until she actually got her first period: “She thought she was dying. She went to her grandmother and said: ‘I think I'm gonna die because I'm bleeding.’ And it was like ‘Oh well here's a pad, just put it on. You aren’t dying - this is being a woman’.”

“On the one hand they [women from other cultures] live here in New Zealand - a western world, western values, western rules, regulations, legal framework. But on the other hand, culturally they are not always able to fully align with that because they have to abide by the laws of their own culture and the expectations of that,” says Edit.

There are a few cultures that praise women for their monthly bleeding (or are indifferent to it altogether). The women of the African !Kung tribe of the Kalahari Desert held positions of society equal to men, such as labourers, or decision-making roles, so their periods were not feared or taboo. Neither did the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, believing that a woman’s menstrual blood was a powerful substance; a source of feminine strength and a destructive force that could destroy enemies and was often invoked during sorcery or war (Fraser, Haththotuwa & Tan, 2017).

In Māori culture, a woman was treated as tapu (sacred) while menstruating (known as mate wahine or mate marama). They believed that their waiwhero (menstrual blood) carried their ancestors and that bleeding right into the land was their gift to Papatūānuku (Mother Earth). Islamic culture also has no prejudice towards periods and shows respect for women during their bleeding. After their bleeding they are required to perform a ghusl (spiritual bath, also required of both women and their partners after sex, and before prayer or fasting).

Some girls can start their periods as young as 8 or 9. Most young girls get their period between the ages 11-14, and at the latest, by around 16 years old - all of which is said to be totally natural. We do not know exactly why girls have their first periods at the age they do, but any of these ages are completely normal because all cycles are different. I am lucky that my mum told me about how my body worked when I was young, but girls sometimes miss out on that education and are not so lucky.

Edit says that it’s important for both girls and boys to learn about these things right from the beginning, especially as men could potentially go through life not knowing or understanding what’s going on for a woman every month. If boys are not taught about women’s bodies at a young age, this can cause issues for them later on. “[Men] need to understand how women’s bodies work from a more familial, workplace, community, and broader sense,” she tells me, and adds: “[Because] more than 50% of the population are women; and it also helps for men to understand the very fact that women need to find money once a month for tampons or pads - sometimes for pain killers.”

With the 21st century came sexual liberation and feminism that pushed for women’s bodies and their functions to become common knowledge. Edit says that the system is slowly catching up with the fact that women are now in places and spaces where “in the past they were not, and therefore they didn’t have to be acknowledged.”

“They are now changing laws - how we approach things and catching up with the obvious fact that we have both males and females and that this is something women need. To have a toilet and facilities to do these sorts of things,” says Edit.

At the end of the day, it’s important for parents of all cultures to teach their children that women’s bodies are not to be feared but to be accepted, normalized and loved. Unfortunately, Edit says that there’s no ‘magic wand’ or special way to teach children about their bodies and the natural processes of how they work but advises parents to just sit down and have honest conversations.

BLOSSOM

Photo: Ingrid van Amsterdam

Boadicea Haranguing the Britons, Engraving by John Opie, 1793

Source: Wikimedia Commons


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The Tale of The Hare.BY PHILIPPA HADLOW

If you're ever lucky enough to come across the captivating sight of a hare loping through pasture, you’ll be impressed by its elegance and swiftness. It's an elusive creature, active mostly at night – except in spring when hares overcome their natural timidity to engage in boxing and chasing in a quest for breeding dominance.

The success of its breeding habits helps balance out the species' vulnerability to predation, and it has developed some impressive physical attributes to help its defences. This member of the ancient Lepus genus – Lepus from the Latin word, Levipes: ‘light foot’ – can run at speeds of up to 80km/h to outwit prey. Its long, intricate, heavily-veined ears are like antennas, allowing it to hear sound from any direction, and the ears also regulate body temperature. The high, wide position of its eyes allows near 360-degree vision to enable speedy action when danger is afoot. Its offspring (called leverets) are born precocial, meaning they are fully-furred with eyes open and able to fend for themselves soon after birth.

These survival mechanisms possibly explain why the hare has existed for an exceedingly long time; in fact, its earliest ancestor lived 55 million years ago in Mongolia!

Native to Africa, Eurasia, and North America, the Romans introduced hares to Britain between the fifth and third centuries B.C. Over the next 2000 years, the hare migrated to settle in almost every other continent in the world. In each, its beauty and shy nature garnered unique pagan status, and the hare became an icon for spiritualism, mythology, and magic.

Some of those mystical qualities included early Christian wonderment at the hare’s quick and prolific procreation, considered a miracle of sorts. People believed that the hare was able to conceive without copulation and equated this to the Virgin Mary's conception of Jesus. The hare (and rabbit) became enduring, holy symbols throughout Christendom.

This symbolism still confounds researchers today, none more so than the 'three hares' motif dating back to the 13th century. It appears in churches, temples and synagogues across the Far East, Europe and throughout Britain. The image is of three hares running in a circle, ears entwined, and the motif seems to have different meanings across different religions and cultures – most of which remain a mystery.

That mystery extends to the power of a hare to soothsay, as in A.D. 61 when Iceni queen Boudica consulted the entrails of a hare to divine the hoped-for victory in her uprising against the Romans. Roman historian Dio Cassius (b. 163 AD) said that Queen Boudica also kept a hare in the folds of her voluminous dress.

Animals & Culture


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She would release it and then analyse the direction it ran – either to the side of the Romans, or the side of the Britons. The rebellion failed, but even so, such was the position and importance of the magical hare.

Its habitual night-time activity and image as reflected in the dark patches of the moon led it to become a moon deity, and the Moon Gazing Hare is a revered phenomenon believed to be associated with fertility, growth, and re-birth. That connection with re-birth could explain why in the 17th century, the tradition of the Easter Hare came to be known. Eventually, the Easter Hare would take on a new role as the Easter Bunny, enthusiastically adopted as an identity for modern-day Christian Easter celebrations.

Easter is a religious festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 A.D.

Lore has it that the name Easter came about back in pre-Christian 8th century when the Venerable Bede (a monk at a monastery in England) wrote about how the month of April was named after a German goddess called Ēostre (say the two words Ēostre and Easter out loud and you can hear the connection). Ēostre was said to have taken the shape of a hare at each full moon, and her Anglo-Saxon counterpart, Ostara, was often depicted with a white hare by her side.

And according to Teutonic myth (around 1100), a little girl found a bird close to death and prayed to Ēostre for help. Ēostre appeared, crossing a rainbow bridge, the snow melting before her feet. Seeing the bird wounded, she turned it into a hare and told the little girl that from then on, the hare would come back once a year bearing rainbow-coloured eggs.

The hare's connection with new life, fertility, and resurrection personified Easter perfectly.

Germany in the 1500s revealed written Easter Bunny stories, and about 1680, the first story about a bunny laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published.

Originating among German Lutherans, around 1682, the Easter Hare became a folkloric personality who played the role of a judge,

evaluating whether children were well behaved or disobedient at the start of Eastertide. In legend, the creature carries coloured eggs, candy, and sometimes toys to the homes of children (and as such, shows similarities to Santa Claus or the Christkindl).

In the 1800s, in Germany, the first edible Easter bunnies were created from moulds – a great advance in Easter rituals. Made from pastry and sugar, the chocolate ones followed quickly on their heels.

There were chocolate moulds for all kinds of images, but with many people abstaining from pleasures such as chocolate for the forty days of Lent, French and German chocolatiers saw a business niche to reward those on Easter with symbolic chocolate eggs and bunnies.

The U.S. adopted the Easter Hare in the 18th century when protestant German immigrants to Pennsylvania told their children that if they were good, they would receive the gift of chocolate from the 'Oschter Haws' or 'Osterhase' ('hase' means 'hare').

In 1890, a Pennsylvania pharmacist, Robert L. Strohecker went down in history as ‘the father of the chocolate Easter Bunny' when he displayed a five-foot-high version in his shop as an Easter promotion. As you can imagine, sales of chocolate Easter bunnies began to take off.

After the Civil War, the Easter Bunny began hopping up with more regularity. Chocolate renditions, both hollow and solid, appealed to children and adults alike and became a popular way to connect family to religion.

Nowadays, over ninety-million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced every year (sixty-million consumed in the U.S. alone) most of which are hollow. This wasn't always the case. Almost all chocolate bunnies were solid pieces until World War II. Hollow moulds entered the picture in 1939 when a newspaper advertisement mentioned hollow chocolate rabbits selling for five cents each. Then, in late 1942 the War Production Board put mandatory rations on chocolate and cocoa, keeping those foods for "staple civilian and military purposes, such as breakfast cocoa and candy bars."

Most people love chocolate, but it turns out no one does more than the Brits with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to Mintel Global New Products data. Switzerland, Germany, Russia, and Austria follow close behind, and by country, Brazil is the largest producer and consumer of chocolate.

In the '90s, chocolate bunnies in Australia had to hop aside for a while as chocolate bilbies made themselves popular,

too. What on earth is a bilby? Bilbies are endangered native Australian marsupials needing help to survive. To

increase conservation efforts, bilby-shaped chocolates were sold within many stores throughout Australia as an alternative to Easter bunnies.

Bilbies do have ears, which is fortunate because New Science Daily research found that 59% of 28,113


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respondents prefer to eat chocolate rabbits et al starting with the ears. 33% said they didn't care and so bite wherever feels good, and a tiny minority of 4% said they start nibbling on the tail or feet first. (Wiley 2017).

Whichever way you nibble yours, Easter is behind us now. But it’s likely that circumspect children around the world are still guarding their carefully hidden stash of chocolate bunnies in an attempt to eke out that pleasure for a little bit(e) longer. Sometimes the gorging may even last several months down the track until Christmas chocolate interlopes with further chocolate-heaven happiness.

As blithe consumers, it’s not often we wonder why we eat chocolate at certain celebrations, or why a rabbit symbolises the Easter event, or how the beautiful hare embodies so many

fascinating roles in folklore, astrology, and religion.

In the black furror of a fieldI saw an old witch-hare this night;And she cocked a lissome ear,And she eyed the moon so bright,And she nibbled of the green;And I whispered "Whsst! witch-hare,"Away like a ghostie o’er the fieldShe fled, and left the moonlight there.

- 19th-century children's poem by Walter de la Mare

Pukeiti Gardens

Photo: Ingrid van Amsterdam

Loving BeesBY HAYLEY WHITE

Photo: Pexels


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A few weeks ago, I connected with a stranger over a T-shirt that I saw them wearing about saving bees. We had a brief moment of synchronicity where we both expressed our passion for the winged insect and the impact they have on the environment; that without them our ecosystem would not survive.

There has been widespread effort to create awareness for the significant drop in bee population and for what bees and other pollinators do for our environment. Honeybees continue to be the most important pollinators for crops worldwide, actively pollinating one third of our global food supply. And, with the ever-growing urbanisation that comes with the growth of our population, we are minimising the number of plants that bees need in order to create enough honey to survive. The general consensus is that without bees, we would be much worse off than we are now.

The question remains: What can we do within our urban environments to help bees?

Sarah Smuts-Kennedy is the vision maker, trustee, and creator of For the Love of Bees, an Auckland-based organisation that promotes the importance of happy, healthy, thriving bees and teaches people how to build regenerative farms within urban environments. She says that there are three things we need to think about when it comes to helping out our little winged friends: diversity, quantity, and quality.

She says diversity can be achieved just by planting a flower garden in a small part of your yard or, if you live in an apartment in the city, in a small planter box on your balcony. “The thing is, that every single hive needs about a billion flowers a year to survive,” she adds.

“The two main things for bees everywhere, whether that’s in the city or in the rural sector is that sometimes you’ll just have grapes; it will be all grapes for hundreds of kilometres in some instances; but there needs to be diversity. That’s why flower gardens are good, because they actually tend to be quite diverse despite the fact that they’re not often producing food for humans. They’re producing food for pollinators.”

As for the quantity of these plants for pollinators, Sarah says it’s important to be producing flowers year-round, not just in spring and summer: “We can have areas, particularly in the middle of winter, where we have very few native species and flowers, so that becomes a real concern. It’s about planting every month of the year.”

What For the Love of Bees talk passionately about the most, is trying to raise public awareness of the importance of quality pollen and nectar, and making sure it’s not toxic. “The quality of the pollen and the nectar is affected by lots of different things, but the process that’s really dangerous to pollinator species is the use of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides,” says Sarah.

“In cities, these activities cause toxicity to occur in a lot of flower gardens, particularly with roses and other insect-prone varieties where people are spraying their flowers to keep pests away. But what they don’t realise is that they’re actually making the ecosystem weaker, and eventually more dependent on chemicals over time.”

In 2020, For the Love of Bees spent many hours trying to convince the Auckland Council to stop using glyphosate; a chemical herbicide toxic to bees which can be found in the honey produced by plants that are sprayed with it. While Sarah says it isn’t the worst herbicide, gaining public visibility of these kinds of negotiations is hugely critical. “So those are kind of the basics,” she says.

A common mistake people make when trying to help the bees is

getting a new beehive. Done properly and with enough flowers to feed a colony, establishing a beehive can be beneficial, but Sarah says that quite often if there are too many hives in the same area - there can be honey theft.

“There are a lot of hives in the city, and not all of them are doing well. For example, some of the hives that we had in one part of the city got robbed by other bees. So, what happens is, when a hive is thriving - and then a hive beside it is not thriving so much - the honey will get stolen by the other colony.”

The impact of climate change is not lost on the bees, either. Climate fluctuations, where warmer weather might come sooner causing earlier flowering than usual, create issues in the hive. Not only that, but the increase of carbon in the atmosphere, known to farmers as supersizing, increases the sugar content of flowers, but decreases the nutritional value of the nectar. “This means that pollinators are having to harvest more flowers in order to get good enough nectar and honey for their hives,” says Sarah.

But that’s not the only aspect of climate change affecting bees. “[Honeybees] won’t come out if it’s raining too hard and they don’t like to forage in really intense winds. At the moment we’ll get things coming into flower at months when it never used to flower; and then it rains; and then it’s windy - and you lose a lot of flower in the wind. All that actually becomes a really dangerous thing for the survival of colonies,” she says.

Bees are also affected largely by the horticulture sector, which Sarah describes as one of the dirtiest and most disruptive sectors when it comes to climate change and biodiversity wellbeing. “[For the Love of Bees] are really focussed on urban farms and training people in the horticulture sector because we see that as one of the major spaces for transformation. You can’t expect people to change behaviour when they don’t understand something - when they don’t see it and it hasn’t touched their hearts,” she says.

“Bees are wonderful in that people care about them. They’re a really great way to get people to start the essential transformations that can be done on both small as well as big scale.”

These transformations can be seen in how For the Love of Bees teaches communities to look after pollinators by improving horticulture, biodiversity, and gardening practices whilst taking a ‘holistic approach’ – all through regenerative farming.

Seen as a possible solution to the impact of the horticulture sector on the environment, regenerative farming has become popular within the last year.

Regenerative farming is about seeing nature as one big system that needs to be kept in balance. It’s holistic in the sense that you are working with nature to restore soil quality by minimising soil disturbance, growing crops that feed nutrients back into the soil, increasing biodiversity to nurture the soil year-round, relying less on chemical fertilisers that contaminate our food and waterways, and by rethinking what we know as ‘waste’.


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In mid-2019, Sarah got a group of people together to do a series of talks in Wellington and Auckland, called regenerative conversations. Bailey Perryman from Cultivate Christchurch and Daniel Schuurman, an agronomist from Biologix, joined Sarah to help spread the word and grow interest in regenerative farming. These conversations helped her establish a strong relationship with Kaicycle in Wellington, which she describes as a “very enduring, very rewarding relationship”. From there she realised that there was an opportunity to create a network. “Six of us got together from various projects and came up with the frameworks for the development of a new concept called Urban Farmers Alliance,” says Sarah.

Since then, the Urban Farmers Alliance has seen rapid growth, now supporting nearly 60 urban farmers, composters, gardeners, and community builders.

“We support about 145 growers and composters across New Zealand and that has been really amazing as a network for people to connect to each other. We even have the Long Bay College kids starting their own farm. But it’s really about finding simple mechanisms to fast-track a movement and making sure that these new conversations where everyone’s talking about sustainability and regeneration, are actually authentic.”

Photos: Hayley White

As a small, grassroots organisation, For the Love of Bees needs the exposure and visibility (that Urban Farmers Alliance offers) in order for more people to see the work they are doing and learn more about how they can help the environment. “Organisations like us absolutely require that support,” says Sarah.

“We are early innovators, we are community generated, we are ground up and that’s really where the transformation occurs. At the moment we have an opportunity to harness that because we’ve been doing this for a long time.” Sarah’s incredible vision of urban, regenerative farming shows what can be done in an ever-increasing urban environment. It helps us see that there are many ways in which we can help save the bees - whether that means starting our own little backyard gardens or bringing a community together to create a space that could be the saving grace for our environment, too.

Photo: Unsplash

Western astrology, its origins and how we use it today. BY HAYLEY WHITE

Astrology & Culture


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Have you ever wished upon a star? Give it a go and see what happens - you might just end up seeing your future.

For most people, astrology is just a set of vague horoscopes that they read in a newspaper or magazine. For others, it’s a practice that spans back thousands of years.

Astrology (from the Greek words astron, meaning star, and logos, meaning study) is the study of how the movements and positions of planets are believed to have an influence on us, and on our world. It is the art of reading the stars to gain divine meaning and guidance from the universe.

I’m an avid believer in astrology and follow a handful of astrology pages on all my social media. I’m always intrigued by the new aspects of my personality that show up on my Instagram timeline that make me think: ‘Oh yeah, that really sounds like me!’ Of course, being a typical Gemini, the more knowledge I have, the happier I am.

There is evidence to suggest our pre-historic ancestors were aware of the planets and their movements as far back as 15,000 B.C., worshipping the celestial bodies as gods. Each planet was assigned a god, later forming the meanings in horoscopic astrology. In those historic times, people used the sun and moon to know when to plant, grow, and harvest crops, as well as to measure time. It was central practice to the day-to-day life of pre-historic people to observe the sun and moon for festivals and even for procreation. But it wasn’t until the Mesopotamian people mastered maths and astronomy that they started to sculpt the beginning of astrology as we know it today (Saunders, 1998).

The Sumerians were people from the Mesopotamian era who created the first form of writing, called ‘cuneiform’. These cuneiform tablets tell us that the Sumerians were interested in divination, or prophesy, and astrology. Saunders (1998) says that at its earliest, Mesopotamia people used astrology for omens that might affect their kingdom, for example:

“When Moon and Sun are in opposition on the 14th lunar day, the king of the realm will be possessed of an extensive ear.” – This is an excerpt from deciphered cuneiform text.The planets were still seen as Gods and played significant roles in Mesopotamian prophesy. Saunders (1998) says that by around 750 B.C. an 18-sign zodiac was made, and people were able to accurately calculate the planets’ future positions. After 600 B.C. this developed into the 12 zodiac signs we know, but there were still no personal horoscopes until 410 B.C. And even then, it was very rudimentary.

When the ancient Greeks started studying astrology alongside astronomy (the study of planets and stars and the physical universe), they were using zodiac constellations to keep track of time through the night. There are six zodiac constellations above the horizon when the sun sets. They knew that exactly six other constellations would rise during the night. They established that every constellation which rose above the horizon would equate to two hours. So, by observing those rising groups of stars, they could tell how many hours had passed since sunset.

There are also 12 zodiac signs for each month of the year. Each sign is assigned a month. The months were originally divided into 30 days to signify the 30 positions (or degrees) of the sun (van der Waerden, 1952).

When the Greeks began developing horoscopic astrology, Plato and Aristotle, two very influential philosophers, each had two different philosophies when it came to how they viewed the universe. Plato believed that the motion of the planets (or celestial bodies as he called them) were reflections of divine reason because they upheld mathematical laws. Aristotle thought that the circular movement of the planets (or luminaries as he called them) were perfect and eternal and superior to earth (Rochberg-Halton, 1984).

The impact of these differing views brought about the analogy of the microcosm-macrocosm concept. It implied that our souls were reflections of the cosmic souls; that our lives were directly influenced by the cosmos. This gave birth to horoscopic astrology which was then known as genethlialogy. Genethlialogy, or the science of births, claimed to foretell an individual’s fate, fortune, and character through the placement of the planets and the constellations at time of birth.

There are 12 signs in the zodiac for each month, beginning with Aries (March 21-April 19) followed by Taurus (April 20-May 20), Gemini (May 21-June 21), Cancer (June 22-July 22), Leo (July 23-August 22), Virgo (August 23-September 22), Libra (September 23-October 23), Scorpio (October 24-November 21), Sagittarius (November 22-December 21), Capricorn (December 22-January 19), Aquarius (January 20-February 18), and Pisces (February 19-March 20). Zodiac dates vary slightly each year because of leap years every fourth year - the last one being 2020.


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Each sign has a rul ing planet, or a planet they are attr ibuted to:

• The sun rules Leo, symbolising the self. It is the most

well-known aspect of astrology. One’s sun sign

depends on the position of the sun, the day a person

was born.

• The moon rules Cancer. It symbolises our moods,

feelings and emotions, and habits. The moon transits (i.e.

moves through each sign) every 2-3 days.

• Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo. It is the planet of the

mind, communication, and learning new information.

Mercury transits every 3-4 weeks.

• Venus rules Taurus and Libra. It is the planet of love,

attraction, relationships, and beauty. Venus transits

every 4-5 weeks.

• Mars rules Aries and is the planet of aggression, passion,

action. It also represents our most primary selves. Mars

transits every 6-7 weeks.

• Jupiter rules Sagittarius. It is the planet of optimism,

abundance, hope, growth, and indicates how someone

may find happiness and purpose. It transits every 12-13

months.

• Saturn rules Capricorn and is the planet of restriction. It

tells us what our limits and obstacles are and how we

show responsibility and ambition. While it transits every

2-3 years, it can take 29 years to return to the sign it was

in when you were born (known as a Saturn return).

• Uranus rules Aquarius. It is the planet of inspiration,

change, and eccentricity. In a natal (birth) chart it can tell

us where someone may experience these changes in

their life. It transits every 7 years.

• Neptune rules Pisces and is the planet of dreams,

intuition, and imagination. It will show a person where

they are most creative. It transits every 10-12 years.

• Pluto rules Scorpio and is the planet of transformation

and power. It shows a person how they deal with death

and rebirth. It transits every 12-15 years.

The outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are generational. Their transits span years and can take almost a lifetime to return to the sign they were in when you were born, so therefore affect entire generations of people.

Based on Greek astrology, the position of the planets at the time of someone’s birth can hint at the kind of person they will become, how they will express themselves, and the kind of life they will live. This has carried through to how we engage with astrology today. So the next time you see a horoscope in the newspaper or your favourite magazine, just know that you are reading an age-old practice that has been observed throughout millennia.

Source: 1. A Brief Overview of the History of Western Astrology, Astrology House 2. History of the Zodiac, Archiv für Orientforschung 3. New Evidence for the History of Astrology,The University of Chicago Press Journals 4. Astrology planets and their meanings, planet symbols and cheat sheet, Labyrinthos


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Same rule, different Gods: what it means to live in harmony BY KATIE STONE

Religion

Few spiritual leaders are as respected as the 14th Dalai Lama. Widely considered ‘the living Buddha’, this Tibetan monk is the ultimate model of loving-kindness.

But there was a time when the young Tenzin Gyatso believed that his own religion - Buddhism - was the best religion in the world. He explains: “I thought that there simply could not be any other faith tradition that could rival the depth, sophistication, and inspirational power of Buddhism.”

Now aged 85, and having embraced religions from all over the world, the Dalai Lama no longer believes there is any that could be called the ‘best’. Rather, he believes that all religions are connected by a single common thread: compassion.

And he wasn’t the first to say it.

All rel igions are one“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

This simple plea - known as the Golden Rule - was quoted by Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12; see also Luke 6:31) during his Sermon on the Mount. It’s described as the second great commandment and a central tenet of Christianity. It’s also a maxim repeated in nearly every religion in the world.

From Buddhism to Islam, Judaism to Zoroastrianism, the common thread connecting every set of beliefs is a variation of those words. It appears in the Mahābhārata, the ancient epic of India, when the sage Brihaspati tells the king Yudhishthira: “One should never do something to others that one would regard as an injury to one's own self. In brief, this is dharma. Anything else is succumbing to desire.”

A well-known Torah verse in Judaism urges: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18)

In Islam, Muhammad taught: “As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, don't do to them.” (Kitab al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 146)

The Great Buddha Siddhartha Gautama said: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Udanavarga 5:18)


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In Confusicsm, the disciple Zigong asked his master: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?" The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." (Confucius, Analects XV.24)

Many more faiths, both major and minor, carry this sentiment. With this in mind, one could assume that religion - no matter which one someone identifies with - seeks to establish peace and harmony throughout the world.

How is it that the opposite is true?

Religion, confl ict , and warReligion is one of the most powerful motivators of conflict, corruption, and bloodshed. History is rife with horrific acts motivated by religious fervour, and none of these can ever be condoned.

Interestingly, the book Encyclopedia of Wars claims that of the world’s 1763 wars, only 123 have been classified as stemming from a religious cause. If this is accurate, religion would account for fewer than seven percent of all wars and less than two percent of all people killed in warfare. Compare that to the one to three million people who died in the Crusades, and the nearly 35 million soldiers and civilians who were killed in World War 1 alone.

Conflict, indeed, is a cause of war. But not all conflict is caused by religion. After all, 84% of the global population - billions and billions of people - identify with some form of religion. Those who commit acts of violence in the name of God are, essentially, a minority.

It could be argued that all acts of mass murder and war are fought in the name of a higher power or idea. But that isn’t necessarily religion. Those who truly subscribe to their beliefs - whatever form those beliefs may be - are subscribing to the Golden Rule: to love and care for one another as they would wish to be loved and cared for themselves. In every sense, religion should be a motivator for harmony, meaningfulness, and unity.

And, whether we personally are faithful or not, we’re surrounded by it.

How many of us are rel igious?In this modern age, it would be easy to assume that religious beliefs could compete with science. On the contrary, research suggests that the world is becoming more religious than ever.

Globally, at least eight out of 10 people identify with a religious group. A comprehensive demographic study including more than 230 countries estimates that there are 580 billion people around the world who identify as religious.

The study also indicates that Christians are by far the largest religious group, with 2.3 billion followers - a whopping 31.2% of the total world population. Muslims make up 1.8 billion (24.1%), Hindus 1.1 billion (15.1%), and Buddhists 500 million, or 6.9%. Behind these groups are more than 400 million people (6%) who identify with various traditional religions: African, Chinese, Native American, and Australian aboriginal.

Around 58 million are followers of the world’s smaller religions, such as the Baha’i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Wicca, and Zoroastrianism.

The fastest-growing religion in the world is Islam. In fact, the Muslim population is forecast to grow by 70% between 2015 and 2060: faster than the growth rate of the world’s population, which is 32%. It’s believed Islam will overtake Christianity by around 2050.

All these billions of people are worshipping different gods, in different places, and in different ways. All are practising the same philosophy: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Must we all agree with one another in order to live in harmony?

Religion vs spir ituality: what’s the difference?“Religion is belief in someone else’s experience. Spirituality is having your own experience. Atheism is no experience, only measurement.” - Deepak Chopra

Spirituality and religion are often referred to as one and the same. But while all religions have a spiritual dimension, it’s also possible to be ‘spiritual’ or live a spiritual life without identifying with a faith.

‘Religion’ is defined as a specific set of organised beliefs and practices shared by a community or group. It’s a trust in a higher power, which in turn can influence how people live and the choices they make.

At the core of any religion is a set of rituals and teachings that call on some element of spirituality and connection, whether through worship, prayer, or any number of other such practices. These practices are generally a formalized part of everyday life, and individuals who are religious identify themselves as belonging to that faith or subscribing to a particular set of beliefs.

Spirituality is much more subjective. It comprises a broader sense of connection to the world, nature, and the universe. There may also be an acknowledgement of a higher power, but it is less rigid than organised religion. Rather, it emphasizes finding a sense of peace and purpose. Spirituality can be practised as a group or alone, and may also involve prayer, along with rituals such as meditation, yoga, and dance.

The Dalai Lama


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An Indian Muslim

A rabbi

Those who describe themselves as spiritual are generally focused on developing beliefs around the meaning of life and their connection with others.

Ultimately, there are many paths to enlightenment. What someone believes in, matters less than the person who holds that belief.

How to respect others’ faith without doubting their beliefsAs he explains in his book Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together, the Dalai Lama’s ideas about Buddhism being the ‘best’ religion changed after he

met Father Thomas Merton. Merton was an American Trappist monk, a writer, and theologian devoted to learning about other religious disciplines - including Buddhism. Yet, he remained true to his Christian monastic commitments.

Having just fled Tibet and gone into exile in India, the Dalai Lama realised that he could follow the same principle. He could explore and accept non-Buddhist religious practices and beliefs, and still be a devout Buddhist.

Respect for other religions isn’t just about recognising them and being sensitive to what their beliefs entail. It also means recognising that other believers are just as smart and competent as yourself, and that their beliefs are just as valid as your own.

Whatever someone believes in, it is true and meaningful to them. Too often, people dismiss others’ beliefs as wrong - simply because it is not what they believe themselves. There are some who conclude that the theological claims of certain religions are wrong, or that their own beliefs are superior. Worse still, many of today’s non-believers believe that they are making a stand against ‘false’ beliefs. They argue that religion is immoral, illogical, or downright wrong.

And that’s where the conflict starts.

Indeed, the tenets of some religions are difficult for non-believers to understand. But followers of those religions would think the same of whatever creed you yourself follow - or don’t follow.

What gives anyone the wisdom - or the right - to decide who is right or wrong?

Respecting another belief means allowing it to be a valid contender for the truth until you have reason to think otherwise. Whether in church, in the home, or in civil society, each of us is entitled to be a believer. But we don’t have to agree on everything to live in harmony. We can still live, laugh, and love alongside those who believe in different things.

He aha te mea nui o te ao: What is the most important thing in the world?He tangata, he tangata, he tangata: It is the people, it is the people, it is the people- Māori proverb


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The development of music through time: Medieval music era BY HAYLEY WHITE

Music

Music is everywhere. Some could argue that it is the very fabric of human expression; love, hate, sadness, anger; all are conveyed through music.

The music we have today is vastly different to the music

our ancestors played at the dawn of time. The development

of music through time is known as the six (so far) musical

periods or eras. It goes without saying that music has

existed well before we have documentation of it, but the

earliest records of music span the years A.D. 500-1400, and

are known as Medieval music.

The Medieval period is the first where researchers know

for sure what European musical composition sounded like.

Medieval music, is the longest period of musical history. It is

stretched across 900 years, starting around the time of the

fall of the Western Roman Empire and ending around the

Renaissance time. Sacred music and secular music were

the two main genres of music during the Middle Ages, of

which much was performed in Latin.

Medieval music was first identified through the Gregorian

Chant. The chant, known also as plainchant or plainsong,

was named after Saint Gregory I, a Roman Catholic Pope in

the years A.D. 590-604. It consists of monophonic (a single

melody line) and unison (everyone together) singing (Treitler,

1981). It was used for the Roman Catholic Church and sung

commonly by monks, so it is ceremonial in purpose.

The most important thing to note about the Gregorian

Chant is that it is an oral form of music and was done purely

through memory. This is a contested point of history since it’s

hard to find evidence of music that has never actually been

written down. It wasn’t until staff notation was created by

Guido D’Arezzo that plainsong was ever able to be written.

Guido D’Arezzo was an Italian monk and music theorist who

created the form of music notation that we have now, using

a four-line staff and clefs.

While there is little known about Guido D’Arezzo, it is claimed

that he developed this new system of music between A.D.

1025 and 1030, and mainly invented it as a new way to write

the Gregorian Chant (Miller, 1973). In turn, the introduction of

the staff notation made it possible for polyphonic music to

develop from that time as well. Defined as music that has

two or more parts with a melody of their own, the earliest

piece of polyphonic music is a plainsong from the 10th

century dedicated to Boniface, the patron Saint of Germany.

Secular music was made by minstrels during this musical

era, too - made for non-religious purposes. It was pretty

much the Medieval equivalent of pop music. This is the

kind of music we hear in period drama movies; for example,

atmospheric music playing in the background of a really

intense dinner scene or during jousting tournaments.

Secular music was an essential part of court life and provided entertainment during ceremonies, dinners, tournaments and

Photo: Pixabay


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dances. The ability to sing and dance well was the mark of a nobleman or noble woman. Secular music consisted of love songs, political satire and some subjects that were religious, but not for church use. It makes me wonder who the Michael Jackson or Adele counterpart was around this time!

The minstrels - otherwise known as troubadours or trouvères in France and minnesingers in Germany - who performed secular music, did not start writing it down until the 14th or 15th century. The minstrels also had an accompaniment - the equivalent to what we would call a band - who would travel to gain popularity and status. The instruments played were not dissimilar from the instruments we have now. The lute was the Middle Ages equivalent of a guitar and the lap harp was also extremely common, so too was a flute and fiddle.

Until around the 1700s, scholars say that sacred music like plainsong was much more prolific than secular music. Whether this is just because more information was found about sacred music rather than secular music is hard to say, but the progression of music at that time has allowed it to

evolve into what we have today.

Sources: 1. Oral, written, and literate

process in the transmission of medieval

music, Speculum 2. Guido D'Arezzo:

Medieval musician and educator,

Journal of Research in Music Education

3. Secular Medieval Music, qacps


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books

BY NAOHIRO MATSUMURA

Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design

Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2020

Rating: 4.2 out of 5 on Amazon

BY ANTOINE LAURAIN

The Readers' Room

Gallic Books, 2020

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 on Amazon

A shikake - or ‘device’ in Japanese - is a design that exerts influence on us through subtle direction; it prompts an obedient subconscious response in a nudge rather than an order. It encourages a particular behaviour without telling its (often unwitting) user the primary purpose of that behaviour.

Author of Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design, Naohiro Matsumura, has researched the concept for over fifteen years. It’s an idea as astonishingly simple in its logic as it is sophisticated in its psychology. Shikake frees us from a confined way of thinking – or even having to think at all! It creates solutions to logistical problems, incites positive social behaviour, and allows us to address challenges in our homes, offices, and public spaces.

Those challenges reflect our daily decisions, actions, and the recent revelation that in 2021, behavioural change is necessary for our health and survival. Yet as human beings, we find that transforming our own and others’ habits and attitudes is difficult.

Matsumura describes how to identify the hidden design cues that shape our world, making it easier to embrace change. He explains why we respond to those cues as we do and how the intuitive patterns of

traced, even as a flurry of email exchanges fly between him (or her) and Violaine. Simultaneously, police begin investigating a series of murders mimicking the book's plot in parallel real-time scenarios.

Violaine is confused and is suffering memory blanks following her accident. She begins to question what role she might play in the story and discovers an intricate web of intrigue.

Violaine is confused and is suffering memory blanks following her accident. She begins to question what role she might play in the story and discovers an intricate web of intrigue.

This is an ultimately poignant novel for those readers fascinated by the glamour of publishing and the exotic lifestyle of someone like Violaine Lepage. It's a charming novel of mystery, love, and the power of books.

'Like fine wine, Laurain's novels get better with each one he writes' — Phaedra Patrick, author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.

About the AuthorAntoine Laurain is the award-winning author of six previous novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President's Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than 180,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris.

The plot is already thickening as this page-turner opens with our injured protagonist Violaine Lepage trying to chat with the ghosts and imagined images of several famous novelists. Heroes Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf and Patrick Modiano all make an appearance as Violaine recovers from the accident that sees her facing her worst fears.

Those writers remain in Violaine’s imagination, perhaps inspiring her as she attempts to track down the talented author of a debut crime novel. Called Sugar Flowers, the manuscript arrives at her Parisian publishing house for reviewing in the readers’ room. The writer is unknown, yet Sugar Flowers immediately receives the readers’ highest accolade - a sun symbol: publish as soon as possible. Violaine’s people are convinced Sugar Flowers is something special, but who, and where is the mysterious author?

When the book is shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt, its elusive author still can’t be

REVIEWS BY PHILIPPA HADLOW

When you're walking through a mall and notice images of footprints on the ground, what do you do? Without even thinking, you're likely to place your feet directly in the outlines and follow the steps. This is the subliminal effect of Shikake.


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We all know where there’s nature, there’s hope. But science tells us that our natural systems are at risk, that the urban core is reaching boiling point, that climate change is wreaking havoc, and that our young people are despairing for their future. Is it too late to save our planet?

When you read this beautifully inspiring book by Ken Leinbach, hope is restored. Because in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there’s a

(now not so) quiet experiment going down that’s turning heads all over the world. It’s called the Urban Ecology project.

Urban Ecology is based on the idea that nature is everywhere; it just needs to be found, restored, nurtured, understood and made easily accessible. Parks, open spaces, rivers, are all there for exploring and when children venture outside to play, suddenly something powerful happens. Their relationship with Mother Earth is re-discovered.

Encouraging children to engage with nature is the way of the future. Learning about the earth’s ecology leads to an understanding that all is not lost; that there's hope to be found in unity, knowledge, and collaboration. Our children have unwittingly taken on the long-term burden of climate change; to dive into a solution such as the Urban Ecology model is like a miracle. It’s empowering, exciting, it’s liberating, it's contagious. And it works!

This is the story of a group of ordinary people in a neighbourhood who created something extraordinary. It's a result echoed worldwide in various guises: eco-literacy, sustainable practices, health, community connection, and opportunity.

About the AuthorKen Leinbach is a university-qualified science educator and leader in community-based environmental education. At the grassroots of creating and growing this dynamic urban revitalisation project, Ken is also a specialist on sustainable design, urban environmental education, planetary conditions of concern, finding abundance, the power of story, leadership, fundraising, green living, and the practice of play. Because he chooses not to own a car, Ken can be seen commuting to work by bike, unicycle, or, on occasion, kayak.

BY ROBERTO J. GONZÁLEZ University of California Press, 2020

No Amazon rating as yet

Connected: How a Mexican Village Built Its Own Cell Phone Network

Connected is the true story of how the indigenous people of this remote Mexican village battled the big bug organisations to build their own autonomous cell phone network.

Joining the digital age didn’t come easy – nor was it 100% successful (or enduring). With zero assistance from telecom companies or the government, Talea de Castro’s efforts unfold as a significant David and Goliath tale. The maverick network that eventuated was fraught with internal struggles and external pressures, and author Roberto J. González describes the toil and heartache involved in this vivid and nuanced picture of its journey.

Connected captures the challenges and contradictions facing Mexico's indigenous peoples today as they struggle to wire themselves into the 21st century.

It's a story of collective tribulation, triumph, and tragedy and one that holds this community up high as an ingenious example of creativity, perseverance, and grit.

‘Connected is an excellent book about enabling autonomy through technology that takes place in the magical and complex world that is rural Oaxaca. González frames the story within a broader historical and anthropological context and takes the reader on a very interesting journey. Highly recommended!’ — Lila Downs, Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, and anthropologist.

About the author Roberto J. González is a cultural anthropologist whose work focuses upon science, technology, and society; militarisation and culture; social and cultural control; and social science ethics. He is a Professor of Anthropology at San Jose State University and author of several books.

BY KEN LEINBACH

Urban Ecology: A Natural Way to Transform Kids, Parks, Cities, and the World

Morgan James Publishing, 2018

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 Amazon

shikake can help us simplify and cope with some of the most pressing challenges of our era.

The fascinating concept of ‘shikakeology’ is mind-bending yet elegant. It’s practical, makes good sense and provokes an "ahhh …” response. This book is also a tool kit for anyone who wants to create their own mindful designs for their home and workspace.

‘Whether you work in marketing, product design, or merely want to delight and inspire your customers and colleagues, Matsumura’s powerful, inclusive method will show you how to create sustainable behavioral change.’ — Nir Eyal, best-selling author of Hooked and Indistractable.

About the AuthorNaohiro Matsumura is a professor in the Graduate School of Economics at Osaka University. He lives in Osaka, Japan

Once upon a time, the people in a tiny Mexican pueblo called Talea de Castro became international celebrities stalked by USA Today, BBC News, and Wired Magazine. It was the year 2013, and the antics of this village took our bleary and blasé western society by surprise. Because those antics were all about a fight for a human right: the right to access the internet and a cell phone service.

Taking internet access for granted is a flaw of much of the modern world. And cell phones are accepted as mainstay tools to be used sweepingly and continuously.


QU

IZ


Test your cultural knowledge

do you know?1

How many children came to

New Zealand under the child

migrant scheme between

1949 and 1953

2 What is the height of Mitre

Peak in Milford Sound?

3 Who was Te Anau’s first

European settler?

4

How many flowers does a

single hive need every year to

survive?

5 Why are flower gardens good

for bees?

6 How does climate change

affect bees?

7 What is regenerative farming?

8 How long have natural

remedies been around?

9What is the difference

between ‘alternative’ and

‘complementary’ medicine?

10What are considered the

‘pillars of good health’ in

Germany?

11 When was the first celebration

of Earth Day in America?

12 What does ‘going green’

mean?

13Can you name some of

Barcelona’s Climate Plan

objectives?

14 Who was Ildefons Cerdà?

15 What are some benefits of

nature?

16 What three things is the

animal the hare an icon of?

17What is the ‘Moon Gazing

Hare’ believed to be

associated with?

18 When did the tradition of the

‘Easter Hare’ begin?

19 What can you tell us

about Easter?

20

When and in which

country were the first

Easter Bunny stories

revealed?

21 Where do Easter Eggs

come from?

22 When did the U.S. adopt the

Easter Hare?

23 Who was ‘the father of the

chocolate Easter Bunny’?

24 How much chocolate do we

eat?

25 In which country is the city

Toledo?

26 What is another name for New

Zealand?

27 What does La Niña mean?

28 What is another name for New

Zealander?

E MŌHIO ANA KOE?


QU

IZ

ALL ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND IN THIS ISSUE OF BIOGRAVIEW.

44What is the world’s largest

market for English language

study?

45 When did the first refugees

arrive in New Zealand?

46 What place has been referred

to as ‘Little Poland’?

47 What is significant about

‘Waitangi Day’?

48 What is the meaning of ‘ghusl’

in Islamic culture?

49 What is a 100-miler?

50 What does the Greek word

‘astron’ mean?

51 What is a celestial body?

52 What is ‘cuneiform’?

53 What is a constellation?

54 What does ‘genethlialogy’

mean?

55 Can you tell us the name of a

Polynesian dance?

56What is the earliest music

known to have been

recorded?

57 What is the Gregorian Chant?

58 Can you name any proverbs?

59 Mōhio Māori (Māori

knowledge)

• How did early Māori treat wounds and illness?

• What New Zealand native plants, birds and trees can you name?

• What is the Treaty of Waitangi?

60Ngā kupu Māori (Māori words)

How could you describe the

following words?

MĀUNGA ~ AWA ~ WAKA

~ IWI ~ HAPŪ ~ MARAE ~

WHAKAPAPA ~ TĪPUNA ~

MĀORITANGA ~ KŌRERORERO

~ WAIATA ~ HONGI ~ TE

REO ~ RONGOĀ ~ KOHA

~ KAUPAPA ~ WAHINE ~

PAPATŪĀNUKU ~ PŌWHIRI

~ WHAIKŌRERO ~ PAEPAE

~ ĀTEA ~ MANUHIRI ~

WHAKATAU ~ KARANGA ~

KAI KARANGA ~ TANGATA

WHENUA ~ TAPU ~

WHAKATAUKI ~ MATE

WAHINE ~ MATE MARAMA ~

WAIWHERO ~ RĀRANGI PĀTAI

~ HAKA ~ ARAPIKI ~ WHETŪ ~

RANGI ~ WHENUA

29What are some similarities

between Australia and New

Zealand?

30 And what are some of the

differences?

31 What is a digital nomad?

32 When did the ‘Big OE’ become

a ‘thing’ in New Zealand?

33 What do all religions have in

common?

34What is the difference

between religion and

spirituality?

35 What is a common meat to

eat in Israel?

36 How can fashion be bad

for the environment?

37 What is slow fashion?

38What led to the establishment

of alpine reefs and mining at

Irishmen’s Creek in 1869?

39 What areas do Australian

Aboriginals descend from?

40 How long ago did spoken

language begin?

41 What does ‘The Dreaming’

refer to?

42 What is the ear considered in

many Aboriginal languages?

43 What is another term for the

Chinese Yen? ¥

tgm

J00

8854

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