Regional Council notes

Wairarapa did itself proud recently in the way it responded to Greater Wellington Regional Council’s draft Long Term Plan and its Revenue and Financing Policy.  The Long Term Plan outlines GW’s projects and levels of service for the next ten years and the Revenue and Financing Policy dictates who pays and how it is apportioned.

Both documents proposed changes that potentially had major impacts for Wairarapa, in particular, new trains for our line and the way flood protection was rated for.  With only one representative at the council table it was imperative that people responded to make our voice heard and respond they did.

GWRC received three hundred and thirty eight submissions on its LTP with one hundred and nineteen coming from Wairarapa.  That’s pretty good considering we have only ten per cent of the region’s population.

When it came to the Revenue and Financing Policy though, we did even better.  From four hundred and twenty three submissions received, a massive three hundred and thirty four were from Wairarapa and South Wairarapa residents in particular were very vocal. … Continue Reading

Toast Martinborough 2018 group tickets now on sale

Group tickets are now on sale through Ticketek for Toast Martinborough 2018 – New Zealand’s iconic wine, food and music celebration.

Toast Martinborough general manager Anna Nielson said the 27th edition of the event, which weaves together the very best of wine, food and music to create an unforgettable day in the vines, is set to be the best in recent history.

“Good wine is always in vogue and Toast 2018 is no exception. This year we are showcasing nine vineyard sites and some of the best chefs in the business to offer wine and food matches of unrivaled flavour and sophistication, supported by a collection of musicians guaranteed to have everyone singing, dancing and laughing,” Ms Nielson said.

“We have a limited number of group packages available for groups of six or more, but only for those who get in quick.”

At $75 a ticket, (plus Ticketek fees) group bookings offer the best value for Toast Martinborough tickets. … Continue Reading

Martinborough Mens’ Shed

The Martinborough Mens’ Shed is humming – the wood lathes are up and running! We have the wood, cutting tools, sharpening facilities and the safety gear. Besides the normal Shed opening hours, hands-on teaching of basic wood turning techniques is planned for Thursday mornings, by prior arrangement: contact Tim Maling 06 3069672, or Ted Colenso 06 3069503. We can get you turning confidently and safely, in time to produce all those Christmas presents!

If you are a member but haven’t made it down to the shed yet, or wondering about joining, come and suss out the gear you want for that job you’ve had in mind, or catch up on the several community and fund-raising projects – and if you know of someone with a spare lathe lurking in their shed please let us know!

The Men’s Shed Committee has chosen wood turning have a strong focus on in the knowledge that it will lead to benefits of various kinds, – for members and for the community. 

Recently, to launch the wood-turning programme, Terry Schischka, (see photo) a master wood turner from the Masterton Shed gave a thoroughly illuminating and enjoyable demonstration to a diverse group of members and others from the community. This was a highly successful continuation of the Shed’s speakers’ programme. 

For enquiries and/or suggestions, other than wood-turning, contact Mike on 027 2953051.

Now for some good news

In general the media seem to prefer to feed us the bad news however despite what we are being constantly told, except for the very real climate change problem, the world  is not going to hell  in a hand basket. Nevertheless the constant media depiction of bad news has clearly coloured our thinking. 

A study in Britain showed that  only 10% of people thought poverty had decreased, an American survey only 5% knew that poverty had actually halved  in the past 60 years and in Sweden three quarters though that it had increased.

Oxford economist Max Roser pointed out that Newspapers could legitimately run a headline ’ Number of people in extreme poverty fell by 137,000 every day for the last 25 years’.  Yes, there are some very cheering facts out there if we care to look for them.

For starters we can expect to live  much longer . The early hunter gatherers could only look forward to between 20 and 30 years, even by 1800 this had only risen to 33. By 1850 it had risen to 36 years in Europe and a century later almost doubled to 68 years. The world average is now 71 and climbing. In New Zealand it is 84  years for women and 81 for men.

This improvement in life expectancy soon made itself felt in third world countries with the introduction of vaccinations,  insecticides and medicines. The risk of dying in childbirth  reduced from 6%to 2.8% in Africa and from 2.5% to .5% in Asia. … Continue Reading