The Southland Tribune; Edition #50
The Friday night drinks that led to building a bowling alley/Smelter to reduce electricity use when 'system under stress'/Don St…. Take two/Southlanders named in new Te Waipounamu Māori cricket team
The Friday night drinks that led to building a bowling alley
Smelter to reduce electricity use when 'system under stress'
Don St…. Take two
Southlanders named in new Te Waipounamu Māori cricket team
Today’s Poll…. Would you prefer Esk St to be car free?
Why Southland is a gem…. Reason #50 (Waitutu Forest Lodge)
Out & About… Wyndham Harness Racing
The Friday night drinks that led to building a bowling alley
A group of like-minded Invercargill folk would meet each Friday for a drink at the Grand Hotel in the 1980s. One night they decided to build a bowling alley. Thirty-five years on it’s still operating. (READ MORE HERE). (Paid subscriber content).
Smelter to reduce electricity use when 'system under stress'
Meridian Energy and New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) remain in discussions over a new electricity deal beyond the end of 2024. Although in the meantime NZAS has confirmed the two parties have a conditional agreement to provide “demand response flexibility” during 2023 and 2024. (READ MORE HERE).
Don St…. Take two
Eagled-eyed users of Don St in Invercargill may have noticed throughout the streetscapes development that asphalt was laid before the contractors went about ripping it up soon after.
Invercargill city councillor Darren Ludlow quizzed council staff on this at a meeting on Tuesday.
Council’s strategic and assets manager Russell Pearson responded:
“The asphalt we identified wasn’t up to the standard that was required and wouldn’t last for sufficient lengths, so we’ve asked Downer to replace that for us.”
Pearson confirmed Downer went about replacing it at their cost.
Southlanders named in new Te Waipounamu Māori cricket team
New Zealand Cricket is holding its inaugural Māori National T20 Tournament in Whangarei over Easter.
Five teams will take part which includes a combined Te Waipounamu (South Island) Māori team, alongside the other five four major associations.
The five squads are flush with Hawke Cup, major association age-group, Provincial A and Māori Secondary School talent.
Included in the Te Waipounamu team are three Southlanders - Brendan Domigan, Brayden Thomas, and Jake Kura. All play for the Invercargill-Old Boys club.
Thomas has previously represented the NZ Māori Secondary Schools team.
The tournament starts on Good Friday.
Global Dairy Trade Auction drop
It wasn’t what our dairy farmers were hoping for with a decent drop in the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, held overnight.
Prices dropped 4.7 per cent across the board, the fourth straight drop at auction.
Whole milk powder, which peaked in March 2022 at US$4757/MT, plunged 5.2 per cent to an average of US$3053/MT.
This is the lowest the commodity has sat since November 2020.
The news overnight came after Fonterra earlier in the week lowered its forecasted farmgate milk price.
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Quick Quiz…. (Tokanui Rugby Club special)
1. Which milestone is the Tokanui Rugby Club celebrating over Easter?
2. In what year did the Tokanui Rugby Club win its first and only Galbraith Shield title?
3. What position did club stalwart and Southland representative Rata Smith play?
4. Who was the Tokanui lock who went on to play 120 games for Southland?
5. Who was the Tokanui fullback who played 58 games for Southland through the 1970s and early 1980s?
(SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR ANSWERS)
Today’s Poll…
Out & About….
Wyndham Harness Racing - Thursday, April 6
Hot on the heels of their recent centennial race meeting the Wyndham Harness Racing Club have another major race day at Young Quinn Raceway in Wyndham tomorrow (Thursday).
The day will feature the prestigious Group 2 Macca Lodge NZ Kindergarten Stakes run for 2-year-olds over 1609 metres with a stake of $45,000.
The Kindergarten Stakes has been won by some distinguished past winners with horses of the calibre of Young Quinn, Matai Dreamer, Model Hardcraft and Master Mood saluting the judge. In addition to Macca Lodge’s support of the race, the Milne Family from Edendale, who have a very long association with the Wyndham Club will again donate a trophy, to be presented to the winning connections.
Also on Thursday’s programme are the Hunter Family Handicap Pace run over 2400 metres for a stake of $20,000 plus heats of the Alabar Supremacy Stakes and a Macca Lodge/Nevele R Stud Southern Oaks heat. Add in a Dunstan Horsefeeds Gold Chip Final and the Linton Contracting Eastern Southland Trotting Cup and you have a great afternoon of racing.
The first race is timed to start at 11.55am.
Why Southland is a gem…. Reason #50
(We think it’s worth reminding ourselves why Southland is such a special place, so that’s what we’ll do regularly)
Waitutu Forest Lodge. Waitutu Forest Lodge is located in one of the most spectacular, remote and unique locations in the South Island of New Zealand. Situated alongside the Wairaurahiri River and a few minutes walk to the rugged South Coast, sits the Waitutu Lodge, right at the base of Fiordland National Park.
If the weather is clear, the Solander Islands and Rakiura (Stewart Island) can be seen from the beach. The lodge sleeps 21 people.
In case you missed it….
Hooked on basketball: Nick Jeffrey recalls after commentating his first basketball game feeling pretty good about how it went. That was before discovering a high-profile New Zealand representative at the time had thrown a few jibes at him about some of the terminology used through the game. But he’d become hooked on the sport, and now is emersed as both an administrator and a fan. (READ MORE HERE). (Paid subscriber content).
Speed king: Just being good enough to be at the South Islands is an achievement. Being in the placings puts you among the best of the best. A number of Southland student athletes were at the weekend. Included was Cody Lawson who shone in the U15 200m event. (READ MORE HERE).
Insight: Welcome to The Southland Tribune’s weekly column spot called “Insight”. We have asked leaders of various Southland organisations to share a bit about some of the wins they are having and also some of the challenges they may be facing. This week COIN South General Manager Cathy Peters outlines what the organisation is all about. (READ MORE HERE).
Quiz Answers….
100 years 2. 1978 3. No 8 4. Gerald Dermody 5. Jeff Gardiner