Blog Post #12
Mauri mahi, mauri ora; mauri noho, mauri mate…
…ma mahi, ko are.
Work begets prosperity; idleness begets poverty…
…by work we prosper, by work we sustain ourselves.
Two different Māori proverbs (line 1 and line 2) which resonate with me separately, but when combined not only complement each other but have a stronger meaning.
My last blog post, around 2.5 months ago, saw me departing the North Island as I headed south into what was an unconfirmed adventure – destination unknown. Plan A was to spend 3-4 weeks tramping, Plan B was to head down in the car. The latter prevailed. A last minute decision provoked by thoughts questioning why one would head into the NZ backcountry alone and in the middle of winter. “Why don’t you just roadtrip down to Wanaka or Queenstown and enjoy the snow season?”. So despite a fully pack tramping bag with 3 weeks worth of tramping food, I headed for the West Coast, with 2 spontaneous guests…
It was a lovely drive down via Nelson Lakes and we were blessed with glorious weather on the West Coast, staying the night just south of Greymouth. After visiting some classic spots such as Hokitika Gorge and the Franz Josef Glacier we made our way to Wanaka. An inversion layer prohibited a sunny Wānaka however a cheeky drive up the ski-field took us above said inversion layer where we were graced with awesome views. I managed to keep the running going after a nice break post-marathon, although a wrong turning did result in a longer run than planned and a foolish mistake not taking base layers and gloves – you’re no longer on the Kāpiti Coast George, these numb fingers should teach you.
After 3 nights in Wānaka we made our way to Queenstown for 3 more nights before two trouble makers flew back to Wellington. By this time I had decided that I would like to base myself in Wanaka or Queenstown, initially for the Winter at least. Thus I had been scoping out which place would suit me better, which place did I prefer. Whilst Queenstown has a lot to offer, I was being pulled towards Wānaka. HOWEVER, a day trip to Glenorchy complicated this decision. We popped into a cosy little cafe called the Trading Post. Genuinely the best chocolate brownie I have ever had in my life. A dominant criterion in deciding where to live. They always say you should go with your gut instinct right? If that were the case I would be writing this blog post from that cafe with 2 plates of brownie in front of me. Alas, I went with my heart and chose Wānaka, and I am extremely content with my decision. I quickly moved into a 3-bedroom house with 2 other flatmates who are great. It’s also nice to be living with dogs again, dogs make everything better, even if just yesterday they escape and make it 3km down the road to Lake Wānaka for a swim.
The past 2 months have just been fantastic. I purchased myself a season pass, some gear, and have been learning to snowboard on some of the best ski fields this country has to offer. I also got back into rock climbing and have been welcomed into an awesome community down here. I’ve taken my alpine climbing to a new level too with a recent adventure up to Mt Brewster. I’ve even managed a few rounds of golf. There are just endless activities for me here and I cannot think of a better place for me. Right now I plan to stay indefinitely. Life has never been better – long may that continue! It hasn’t all just been fun and games though, now whilst I did take a good 5 weeks off work and checking emails, I have been working remotely since mid-August.
Contract #5 is in full swing, as I support the Taranaki Regional Council with their Flood Protection Asset Management Plan. A process that many organisations will have been going through this year in time for the 2021 round of Long Term Plans. As I have been working in this AMP I came across a woman by the name of Debra Bradley of Writing for Councils who provided writing and editing services for the Councils of New Zealand. I spoke with Debra just this week, it was nice to catch up and see what asset management plans she is currently working on and gain some insight to the way she works. Debra has some great resources on her website, so should you find yourself writing, updating or co-authoring a Council’s AMP you should head to her website here: https://writingforcouncils.co.nz/
Whilst I have currently set up base here in Wānaka, not all my contracts can be delivered remotely. Contract #6 is kicking off in October, so I will be making the most of the next 2 weeks. Come early October I’ll be heading back North as I make my way to Whakatāne for ~4 weeks to provide support to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Back in November 2019 I spent a week in the Bay of Plenty undertaking a peer review/benchmarking exercise and was based on Ōhope Beach. This was a lovely place to stay, I can see why many claim it to be ‘the best beach in New Zealand’. I will look to base myself here again, I think it’s about time I finally got myself on a surfboard. Rumour has it there’s a guy at the end of the beach who does surfing lessons. Maybe I’ll be able to transfer my snowboarding skills to the surf?! I’ll report back on progress..
For the contract I will be undertaking asset inspections across 50-55km of floodbank network on the Rangitāiki-Tarawera rivers scheme, as well as delivering asset inspection training to operational personnel. This type of work is what I would call my bread & butter, something I really enjoy and possess a passion for. I also relish at the chance to spend more time in the field. Approximately 95% of my contracts to date have been desk-based so I am looking forward to getting out into and up close and personal with the river environment for this one. To secure this contract with I had to complete an application to become part of the certified SHE approved contractor scheme. This was a thorough process where Asset BowManagement Ltd had to provide evidence of their Health and Safety procedures to ensure we met the minimum standards and requirements set out by the scheme. A lot of time and mahi was put in during the early stages of setting up Asset BowManagement Ltd, to ensure there was a Health and Safety Plan and Policy in place, including appropriate procedures and forms. So whilst it was a thorough assessment, fortunately it was not a lengthy process and now Asset BowManagement Ltd are a certified SHE approved contractor.
The final topic I wanted to discuss in this blog post was Te Wiki o te reo Māori. I want to share a few honest comments about the Māori language, what it means for me, and personally what developments there has been for me so far this year. Māori language week is great, and a deserved celebration. The last 3 years I participated at Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) where I immersed myself in decorating the working space with posters, art and figures, and making extra effort to verse in Te Reo Māori. The latter, in my opinion, is exactly what this week is primarily aiming to achieve: a concentrated effort in speaking more Te Reo, encouraging and expressing more Tikanga, and contributing to revitalising this beautiful language. However, weeks later this concentrated effort can easily fade away. A great deal of self-discipline is required to not only continue versing in Te Reo but to continue learning more of it. At GWRC you were well exposed to Te Reo, there were courses you could enrol in that included overnight stays at the local marae (see pic below), plenty of resources were available, and you were encouraged to allocate part of your working week towards learning Te Reo Māori. Now as a sole-trader the onus is fully on me to attain those resources, look for those courses, dedicate and allocate time in my personal schedule for this. I will put my hand up and say that my effort so far this year to learning more of the Māori language has been poor. Whilst I am consistent with opening my meetings with a Karakia, and I am confident with the Te Reo I have learnt to date, I need to make more commitment. Now although space in my 3-week tramping bag was precious yet my 2 Te Reo Māori books from previous courses had been squeezed in, this trip did not go ahead and those books have not been opened! Aroha mai e teo Whānau
It’s a long journey, particularly for those who did not start learning the language in school, but it’s one that should be taken.
On a more exciting note, earlier this year I made the personal decision to amend my mihi. There is a river that I feel somewhat connected to. Ko Waiau Uwha tōku awa. I first came across this river on New Years day 2019, revealing a piercing blue river, rugged yet beautiful, dressed with landforms. I have also spent time close to its source in the Spenser Mountains at Lake Thompson. In 2018 the name of the river was changed from the Waiau River to Waiau Uwha River, after a successful proposal to change the name by Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura. In relation to this river, the Māori tradition goes that the Waiau Uwha, a female river, was coupled with the male river Waiau Toa (also known as the Clarence River), but they drifted away from each other. As water originating as snowmelt enters the Waiau Uwha river and causes it to swell, this represents her tears and is an expression of her sadness. By changing the name of the river it has respected the culture and history of the name and also respects the significance of the river to mana whenua.
Something else I wanted to share with you was a song. When I was driving round the East Cape on a roadtrip the radio was on but no frequency was found and all but static/white noise was emanating from the sound system. Then just as I approached Ruatoria the radio started to pick up a clean frequency, this song began: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIqQTrxc15E. It’s a really nice, upbeat song that you should all listen to! ‘Kalega’ is taken from the Māori phrase ‘ka reka’ which means sweet or tasty, and is used by East Coast locals to express joy, amazement and stunned reactions. Coincidentally Ōhope features within the lyrics. I’ll see how many times I can make use of this phrase KALEGA whilst I’m up that way…
Mauri ora e te Whānau
