New Zealand Upper House

New Zealand’s parliament included an Upper House called the Legislative Chamber from 1853 until 1951. It consisted of a minimum of ten members appointed by the Governor General. At first it was an independent body however from the 1890s it became controlled by the Government of the day and as a result possessed little influence and rarely criticised Bills  before it.

However as Parliament was unable to amend the New Zealand Constitution Act of 1852, it had to first adopt the Statute of Westminster of 1931 which it did by adopting the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947. Are you still with me?

The ruling Labour Government of the time which had instigated the abolition did not actually get to pass this as it lost power in the 1949 election.  … Continue Reading

Museum news

An Unusual Prize

It is easy to imagine that schools 100 years ago were serious places with a strong emphasis on rote learning of the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) and generous amounts of corporal punishment.

A recent gift to the museum from the Feist family shows that’s not entirely accurate.  In 1916 Reg Feist won a prize at the Martinborough State School: a book called In Times of Peril, a boy’s adventure story set in India. 

As you can see there was nothing academic about young Reg’s success – he’s been rewarded for his prowess at eating buns.  It’s a pity there is no photo of what must have been a very funny event. … Continue Reading

Martinborough Golf Report

At the end of October we held the finals of the Club Championships in near perfect conditions.  In the Seniors Division Tony Russo took on Lance Phelps with Tony shooting a magnificent 63 in the morning round and continuing that form into the afternoon, finally winning on the 25^th hole.  Doug Ferguson took on Bob Tossill in the Intermediate Division with Doug taking the honours.  

In the Junior Division, junior Jackson Gray was playing Trevor Petersen in a closely fought match with Jackson taking the honours.  Debbie Donaldson beat Sandra Petersen in the Ladies Silver division on the 32^nd hole, Emily Loughnan beat Jane Terpstra also on the 32^nd hole and Julie Weber beat Nicola Warren on the 28^th hole.  Congratulations to all our champions.

Unfortunately over the last few weeks the weather has not been kind to the Grumpies but winners have been Nick Allen and Rob McCreary.  Two’s have gone to Nick Allen, Malcolm Wood, Shayne Hammond and Malcolm Bridge. … Continue Reading

Martinborough Business Ass

The Christmas Season

Showcasing our Village for locals and visitors during the festive season is a feature of ourvibrancy in discovering the urban delights that rural Martinborough has in store for people. It invites visitors to – “peel back the lid, find themselves , and uncover the friendly people, relaxed charm, food, and fun”   

This season, the Martinborough Business Association is coordinating the funding for festive garlands to be hung on the corners of the Ohio – Memorial Square precinct, Cambridge and Jellicoe Streets in addition to our usual track flags on Jellicoe and Kitchener.

The Association is encouraging its retail and “hospo”operators to theme up window and in store displays. It’s been a tough year so making the village as cheerful as we can should be good for everyone’s wellbeing.    

We plan to have all the decorations up ahead of the Christmas Parade so it should look awesome for kids and adults alike. … Continue Reading