Bay News: Jam Sandwich to perform at Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival
For the jazz festival they expand to bring in some local kids from the Kerikeri High School music programme.
Cath McGlinchy is a teacher at the high school and band 'mother' who spots and mentors the talent from there.
If one or two of them show promise, she will see if they are keen to play with the core group at the festival.
Rhys Johnston, who plays guitar and trombone with the group, said they have enjoyed playing with the students over the years.
'We get a kick out of helping them write songs, develop horn section parts or backing harmonies and we really see them grow as musicians.'
This year they will have Bella Mason and James Dawes with the group.
They have both gone on from Kerikeri High School to study full time and complete masters degrees while still performing as solo artists or in a variety of bands while they have been studying.
Bella Mason is performing with Jam Sandwich at the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival.
Johnston said James is a virtuoso who is in high demand in Auckland, being continually asked to play in a variety of bands. He's on saxophone for the festival.
Bella, he said, is a great performer, she is classically trained but can 'absolutely belt out big rock and blues numbers as well'.
'She is a talented guitarist too, but we've asked her to just get out front this year and strut her stuff on vocals.'
This year the band have written and picked a song list that will allow these two performers to demonstrate their abilities.
'It has been an absolute pleasure to see these two grow from shy young Kerikeri High School students into incredibly talented and confident performers,' said Johnston.
For the festival group Cath plays keyboards, Rhys guitar and trombone, Chris is on guitar and Bill on bass. Their usual drummer (Jesse) has gone back to the US for a couple of months so they have brought in Maki Tuisano, another surfing buddy from Gisborne to fill the gap.
The music festival runs over three days from Friday. There are six venues across Paihia and Russell, with more than 40 different bands and artists performing. Tickets and the schedule are available from www.boimusicfestivals.com
Ministerial advisory group to hold meeting in Kerikeri
The Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime is seeking feedback through a series of events around Northland aimed at shaping the Government's response to rising retail crime in the region.
Retail crime currently costs the country $2.7 billion annually. The group has been consulting with business communities around the country and says feedback will help shape the Government's response to the escalation of retail crime in communities.
The initial objectives of the Ministerial Advisory Group are to provide advice on possible legislative changes to empower security guards to deal with retail offenders, allow retail business owners to deal with shoplifters and to enable the use of facial recognition technology.
Entry is free to the Ministerial Inquiry into Retail Crime – Kerikeri, August 13 from 5.30pm-7pm at the Turner Centre.
Competitive picking of moth plant
Between April and July this year a competition was held to see who could collect the most moth plants and pods throughout Northland.
Participants from the Bay of Islands collected from Kerikeri to Kawakawa and were made up of individuals who picked by themselves or in groups as, literally, a collective exercise.
The competition was originated last year by Kate Crawford, one of the school's teachers, who heads up the Senior SAVE students, which is an environment initiative focused on promoting sustainability and environmental awareness within the school and wider community.
She approached the Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council to see if either wanted to run the competition for the pervasive weed and both said they didn't have the time or funding to do it.
Just some of the thousands of moth plants and pods collected in a competition run over a three-month period to July this year.
She approached the senior SAVE group at the school and they took on the challenge both last year and for this year and head boy, Solomon Dickey, made the website in 2024.
'With the help of Ben Perry from Vision Consulting we made the website more legally sound and easier to use,' said Crawford.
'We gained more prizes with Ngāti Rehia Takou Kauri Sanctuary matching the Rotary and Vision Consulting donations.'
The winning team went by the name of Chasing Kings. They are a family from Pakaraka who collected 5776 pods and plants on 30 different trips to various locations, which proved their dedication. They won $500 in cash and a native plant voucher.
Second prize went to the Bay of Islands Walkways and Walking Trust with 4072 pods and plants collected. They received a $200 cash prize and $100 native plant voucher.
Third place went to Kerikeri Homeschoolers, who collected 2611 pods and plants and won $100 cash prize and $100 native plant voucher.
As a fulltime teacher, Crawford doesn't have the resources to connect to as many people as she would like. She is hoping a bigger group will run the competition next year and that it will become established in Northland as a yearly drive.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
08-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Unconventional candidates shake up New Zealand's local body elections
'We have had a guts full' Josh Harford of the Silly Hat Party is running for the Wellington mayoralty, with policies including the creation of a lazy river down Courtenay Place. Along with less jesting and more joshing, optimism is one of the three main pillars of Harford's unconventional platform under a party whose ultimate aim is to turn the capital away from the New Zealand dollar to a chocolate fish economy. 'We know how important optimism is to daily life', he wrote on his campaign website. 'This is why we are mandating optimism in all areas of government, starting with council.' This would be achieved through ice plunges on the city's waterfront, to increase Wellingtonians' appreciation of their city's beauty, along with the criminalisation of slow walking and the eradication of the vigorously growing agapanthus plant. '[This is] to prevent punching down on plants that can't stand up for themselves.' Agapanthus plants are in the Silly Hat Party's sights at this local body election. A lazy river along the city's premier entertainment street, rain dances to ensure sunny skies, and sails to redirect Wellington's wind to Upper Hutt are also promised, as is legally enforcing 'no hat, no play' through fines of two chocolate fish or 38 star jumps dished out by the Ministry of Fun Police. Giant eels and moa transport Pennywize the Rewilding Clown wants to be Wellington's next mayor. Fellow unorthodox candidate Pennywize the Rewilding Clown is also sizing up the capital's mayoral chains, with a suite of policies mixing comedy and critique in true court jester tradition. Herds of moa on land and giant eels in the water would be harnessed to revolutionise public transport and tackle congestion, according to the clown's website, which is run by campaign manager James Barber. Wellington mayoral candidate Pennywize the Rewilding Clown's vision for future public transport in Wellington involves moa and giant tuna (eel) travel via land and waterways, as shown in this artist's impression. Image / The trailblazing breakthroughs needed to reverse extinction/ genetically enhance each species respectively would come from 'the prowess of our smartest scientists, who have been poorly treated and neglected by the current coalition Government', Pennywize wrote. 'Genetically enhanced tuna [eels] will be our awa [river] tuna – you will no longer rumble down Adelaide Rd on a lurching double-decker bus, you will be surging up and down the Waitangi awa on the backs of giant tuna. 'To complement this on the flat lands, we will have our … moa pathways. No longer will the golden mile be a traffic jam … you will instead be leaping on the back of a passing moa.' A campaign image on Pennywize the Rewilding Clown's website showing an artist's impression of the Basin area of Wellington as a swamp again, along with extinct birds that the clown candidate hopes to revive as the city's mayor. Image / Jerome O'Connor Pennywize also offered a solution to Wellington's water-pipe woes by returning the city's Basin to swamp, which would include 'daylighting the entirety of the Waitangi awa'. 'At the moment, this awa runs in three pipes under the road, creating pressure on our storm-water network. Daylighting will tackle the problems of extreme flood.' Carpet roads, sandfly wing bans and a secret hospital Dunedin mayoral candidate Flynn Nisvett, of the Silly Hat Party, wants a heater on every street in the city except student haven Castle St. Photo / Meanwhile, Dunedin voters are also being offered a serving of Silly Hat Party joviality, with mayoral candidate Flynn Nisvett promising he'll 'never back down in fighting for a Dunner Stunner'. 'I refuse to believe Dunedin needs to be this cold all of the time', Nisvett wrote on Silly Hat's campaign website, promising to carpet roads, a community-wide effort to knit a blanket over the Octagon and put heaters on every street except – for unexplained reasons – the student haven of Castle St. 'With our full unemployment, all-week weekend policy, people will need something to do. The blanket will ensure everybody is contributing and will make going to town much safer for the student population, who are often cold and sickly.' An all-in community project to knit a blanket over Dunedin's Octagon would make going to town much safer for the "often cold and sickly" student population, says Dunedin mayoral candidate Flynn Nisvett. Photo / Mark Mitchell Taking inspiration from the Government's gang patch ban, his mayoralty would also mandate Ministry of Fun Police seizing the wings of sandflies at the beach, Nisvett wrote. He also promised a new 'secret Dunedin Hospital' because it was 'nobody else's business what the doctor does to you'. Mullet Muzz and The Flag Man Another character working to capture voters' attention before October's election is former New Plymouth mayoral candidate Murray McDowell, who is seeking a seat in the New Plymouth District Council's Kaitake-Ngāmotu ward under the name Mullet Muzz McDowell. 'That took some doing getting my name recorded like that,' he told RNZ. If elected, he'd apply his one simple policy – 'honesty', the former truck and trailer operator said. Mullet Muzz McDowell is running for a seat on the New Plymouth District Council in the Kaitake-Ngāmotu ward in this October's local body elections. Photo / Facebook Among McDowell's rivals is Mike Morresey, known as The Flag Man thanks to the 6m Taranaki Bulls flag he's waved at the side's games for decades. The Bulls' super fan promised a practical, community-first approach if elected – and not to use his outside voice, RNZ reported. 'I'll have to be a little quieter … but I'm very passionate about my community.' The anywhere mayor Over the water in Tasman, a man calling himself Max Clark is running for mayor. But the same man, this time switching from his middle name, Maxwell, to his first name, Andrew, is also on the mayoral ticket in Invercargill, at the opposite end of the South Island. Add to that, his brother Nobby Clark is the sitting mayor. The double dip has turned heads in the southern city, including that of the sitting mayor, who is himself familiar with controversy after using the n-word and making a homophobic slur in a TV interview, and later commenting on a female MC's appearance and competence at a United Fire Brigades' Association event. 'I thought he was taking the mickey', Nobby Clark – who isn't seeking re-election – told RNZ. Andrew Clark is running for mayoralty in both Tasman and Invercargill – where his brother Nobby Clark, the current mayor, is not seeking re-election. Screenshot / Herald NOW But Tasman-based Clark told Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW he was capable of doing both jobs 'if that's what the public would like', and saw 'huge advantages' in both councils – each carrying debt – having his knowledge and experience. He'd pay for his flights up and down the island, Clark said on Friday. 'Is it any different from MPs in one area flying up to Wellington for four days of the week and doing their business and going back home? Not really, in my view.' High-profile local body contenders Others joining the race to local leadership this October include former Green MP Nandor Tanczos, a current Whakatāne District councillor who is among six vying for the eastern Bay of Plenty district's mayoralty. And former MP Jami-Lee Ross last week announced he was running for Auckland's Howick Local Board in the Flat Bush subdivision. The former National Party whip – whose time in Parliament was dogged by allegations of bullying and sexual harassment – quit the party in 2018 while on the verge of being kicked out after a report concluded he was most likely the leaker of confidential party information, something he's always denied. Former MP Jami-Lee Ross pictured during his 2022 trial over accusations he helped facilitate an illegal political donation. Ross was eventually aquitted. File photo / Jason Oxenham Ross later accused former party leader Simon Bridges of orchestrating a cover-up of a donation fraud – denied by Bridges and National – with Ross later acquitted in a Serious Fraud Office trial over two $100,000 donations to the party. In 2023, Newsroom reported Ross was running escort agency Sapphire Blue, with accusations that some workers weren't being kept safe or supported, which Ross denied. Luke Mealamu (right), pictured with fellow Auckland Council candidate Vicky Hau. Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu, and Hau are running under Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's Fix Auckland ticket. Several other high-profile Kiwis are chasing electoral triumph this year, including broadcaster Marcus Lush (Invercargill City Council seat), actor, writer and director Oscar Kightley (Henderson-Massey Local Board) and former TVNZ Europe correspondent Mark Crysell (Waitematā Local Board). Meanwhile, the brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu – former Samoan rugby international Luke Mealamu, who now owns a large security firm – is standing for Auckland Council's Manukau ward under Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's Fix Auckland ticket. Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
NZ Herald
06-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Bay News: Jam Sandwich to perform at Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival
They all have busy day jobs and families so full band gigs are fairly rare but they often do smaller two- or three-piece gigs, especially in summer. For the jazz festival they expand to bring in some local kids from the Kerikeri High School music programme. Cath McGlinchy is a teacher at the high school and band 'mother' who spots and mentors the talent from there. If one or two of them show promise, she will see if they are keen to play with the core group at the festival. Rhys Johnston, who plays guitar and trombone with the group, said they have enjoyed playing with the students over the years. 'We get a kick out of helping them write songs, develop horn section parts or backing harmonies and we really see them grow as musicians.' This year they will have Bella Mason and James Dawes with the group. They have both gone on from Kerikeri High School to study full time and complete masters degrees while still performing as solo artists or in a variety of bands while they have been studying. Bella Mason is performing with Jam Sandwich at the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival. Johnston said James is a virtuoso who is in high demand in Auckland, being continually asked to play in a variety of bands. He's on saxophone for the festival. Bella, he said, is a great performer, she is classically trained but can 'absolutely belt out big rock and blues numbers as well'. 'She is a talented guitarist too, but we've asked her to just get out front this year and strut her stuff on vocals.' This year the band have written and picked a song list that will allow these two performers to demonstrate their abilities. 'It has been an absolute pleasure to see these two grow from shy young Kerikeri High School students into incredibly talented and confident performers,' said Johnston. For the festival group Cath plays keyboards, Rhys guitar and trombone, Chris is on guitar and Bill on bass. Their usual drummer (Jesse) has gone back to the US for a couple of months so they have brought in Maki Tuisano, another surfing buddy from Gisborne to fill the gap. The music festival runs over three days from Friday. There are six venues across Paihia and Russell, with more than 40 different bands and artists performing. Tickets and the schedule are available from Ministerial advisory group to hold meeting in Kerikeri The Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime is seeking feedback through a series of events around Northland aimed at shaping the Government's response to rising retail crime in the region. Retail crime currently costs the country $2.7 billion annually. The group has been consulting with business communities around the country and says feedback will help shape the Government's response to the escalation of retail crime in communities. The initial objectives of the Ministerial Advisory Group are to provide advice on possible legislative changes to empower security guards to deal with retail offenders, allow retail business owners to deal with shoplifters and to enable the use of facial recognition technology. Entry is free to the Ministerial Inquiry into Retail Crime – Kerikeri, August 13 from 5.30pm-7pm at the Turner Centre. Competitive picking of moth plant Between April and July this year a competition was held to see who could collect the most moth plants and pods throughout Northland. Participants from the Bay of Islands collected from Kerikeri to Kawakawa and were made up of individuals who picked by themselves or in groups as, literally, a collective exercise. The competition was originated last year by Kate Crawford, one of the school's teachers, who heads up the Senior SAVE students, which is an environment initiative focused on promoting sustainability and environmental awareness within the school and wider community. She approached the Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council to see if either wanted to run the competition for the pervasive weed and both said they didn't have the time or funding to do it. Just some of the thousands of moth plants and pods collected in a competition run over a three-month period to July this year. She approached the senior SAVE group at the school and they took on the challenge both last year and for this year and head boy, Solomon Dickey, made the website in 2024. 'With the help of Ben Perry from Vision Consulting we made the website more legally sound and easier to use,' said Crawford. 'We gained more prizes with Ngāti Rehia Takou Kauri Sanctuary matching the Rotary and Vision Consulting donations.' The winning team went by the name of Chasing Kings. They are a family from Pakaraka who collected 5776 pods and plants on 30 different trips to various locations, which proved their dedication. They won $500 in cash and a native plant voucher. Second prize went to the Bay of Islands Walkways and Walking Trust with 4072 pods and plants collected. They received a $200 cash prize and $100 native plant voucher. Third place went to Kerikeri Homeschoolers, who collected 2611 pods and plants and won $100 cash prize and $100 native plant voucher. As a fulltime teacher, Crawford doesn't have the resources to connect to as many people as she would like. She is hoping a bigger group will run the competition next year and that it will become established in Northland as a yearly drive.
NZ Herald
30-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Bay News: International acts to headline Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival
He first toured Australia in 2002 and was awarded a slot at the 2005 Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival. From Japan for the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival is the trumpet-playing Chihiro Yamazaki and the Route 14 Band. Chihiro Yamazaki (aka Anna) plays trumpet with the Route 14 Band from Japan, described as a new-generation instrumental group. They play 'Tokyo Brass Style' and have had over 20,000 in CD sales during their indie era. They now belong to the major Universal Music label. From Australia comes Dale Robbins, Dave MacMillan, Lost in Transit and Acid Bleed, an original five-piece band that plays a virtuoso blend of Hot Gypsy Swing Jazz with a Latin Groove. Their repertoire covers a broad range from familiar standards to plucky originals. Performing at the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival for the first time is Sonorous, a powerhouse blues rock trio from Taupō. The international line-up of talent is blended with New Zealand's contribution to the jazz and blues scene with long-time crowd favourites Continuum, the nine-piece band from Rātana Pā, Whanganui, and Mark 'Fatt Max' Hill, born and raised in London and whose musical exploits span over 20 years which included 'years of dodging community diet classes'. Northland's musical contribution is in the form of the familiar Jam Sandwich, The Legacy Band, Quartz and the perennial Nairobi Trio. Among the first-time performers at the festival is established musician Grant Haua. He has been the primary singer/songwriter/guitarist on eight studio albums and two live albums over the years. He said one thing led to another and he ended up meeting percussionist Michael Barker [Neil Finn, John Butler Trio] and they hit it off straight away and formed Swamp Thing. For the following eight years, they wrote and toured regularly. Also performing at the festival for the first time is Sonorous, a powerhouse blues rock trio from Taupō, featuring Lucian McDermott (lead vocals and guitar), Khani Te Mete (bass), and Cooper Paalvast on drums. The Out of Office group are first-timers too. They are four Auckland-based musicians who describe themselves as 'white collar who frequently sneak out of after-work drinks to improvise and jam with a wide repertoire of jazz, funk and soul classics'. Bay of Islands organisations celebrate win At the recent Northland Regional Council Environment Awards, two Bay of Islands organisations took out two prizes. Project Island Song, based in Russell, won the Environmental Action to Protect Native Life award and the Bay of Islands International Academy, based on the Purerua Peninsula near Kerikeri, won the award for Environmental Action in Education. Project Island Song began with a small group of enthusiastic Bay of Islands locals in 2003. Their combined dream was to return the islands of Ipipiri, in the eastern Bay of Islands, to an archipelago of sanctuaries thriving with native habitat, lush vegetation and alive with the dawn chorus. Children from the Bay of Islands International Academy learning that what comes up, must come down. Seven of the major islands, with their associated islets and rock stacks, make up what is known as Ipipiri in the eastern Bay of Islands. In the past 16 years, since 2009, Project Island Song volunteers have planted 40,000 native trees on several of the islands. Over 42,000 endangered species have been reintroduced. The islands have enjoyed pest-free status since 2009, which has allowed the wildlife and the bush to thrive. On your bike. Children learn to ride in a safe environment at the Bay of Islands International Academy. Between 2012 and 2022, Project Island Song volunteers have reintroduced eight species of birds, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants, and plan to reintroduce another 13 vulnerable species. They partner with local hapū Ngāti Kuta and Patukeha, the Department of Conservation, the Guardians of the Bay of Islands and private landowners. The Bay of Islands International Academy is a public school located on the Purerua Peninsula, 15 minutes northeast of Kerikeri. It opened in January 2013 in the existing buildings and grounds of Te Tii School. The school was given the new name to reflect the community's 'aspirations of international-mindedness'. Receiving the Environmental Action to Protect Native Life award at the recent Northland Regional Council Environment Awards. From left: William Fuller representing the Guardians of the Bay of Islands, Rana Rewha for Ngāti Kuta, Marara (Binnie) O'Neill for Patukeha, and Laura Meyer of DOC. The academy honours the historical linkages and the wāhi tapu (sacred place) of the local hapū of Ngāti Rehia and Ngāti Torehina. The stated mission is to build a 'vibrant community with shared values and positive reciprocal relationships'. The aim is for ākonga (learners) to support personal growth, natural curiosity and cultural and global competency. The school motto is 'Kia ako kia tupu tahi tātou, Learn and Grow with us'. The principal, Chris Bell, said it was a privilege for the school to receive the award for Environmental Action in Education. 'This is a great credit to our dedicated students and teachers who are passionate about our place in the taiao,' he said. Teaching them young. Two volunteer children digging on one of the islands of Ipipiri for Project Island Song. The school offers bilingual te reo learning and has a wide range of activities. For the holiday programme, these activities include turning cardboard tubes into a chicken in bird creations or making trains. There is also making pizza and bread for afternoon tea, fishing for eels in the Waipapa River and (also in Waipapa) inline skating and putting 'hidden' veges into muffins to name but a few of the activities on offer.
