Carrying on the Peart name
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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Napier's Art Deco Trust moves house to War Memorial Women's Rest rooms
The Women's Rest opened in 1926, named as a memorial to those who perished in World War I (1914-18) but for use mainly by women in town, including toilets, a Plunket room and facilities for mums and babies. It was partly damaged in the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake, repaired, renovated in the 1990s (having become also a community and social services hub), and closed in 2013, amid failed seismic risk assessment. Designed on a cross footprint by architect Louis Hay, it attracted category 1 heritage status and, in deciding what to do with the building, owners the Napier City Council in 2021 budgeted $750,000 for restoration on the basis it would be used for community purposes. It led to a partnership with the Art Deco Trust, which, with former mayor Barbara Arnott in the chair, found grant funding, sponsorship and support 'in kind', together estimated to be worth over $1 million, and renovation started 12 months ago. Trust general manager Jeremy Smith said that, during restoration, original plaster finishes and panelling were uncovered, along with a hand-painted Red Cross sign, probably from a post-earthquake first aid station. Repairs over the years had included whatever materials were at hand, including kerosene tins as boxing for concrete piles, and a chimney and fireplace had been filled in with concrete. 'It's a story of practical solutions and layered history,' Smith said. 'This is what it would be like if Louis Hay were building it today,' Arnott said. Smith believes the Clive and Memorial squares are 'an emerging part of town', with the restoration in keeping with the trust's ideals. 'We're guardians of Napier's architectural story,' he said. 'Every visitor we welcome, every review we receive, supports the work of keeping that story alive.' The new centre will accommodate tours and has community use and heritage education space, with such facilities as the North Room and the main hall, restored as much as possible to original, in addition to the trust's own retail and exhibit space. The heritage nature of the building has sparked questions about what Art Deco Centre signage would be appropriate, with the Women's Rest opening day plaque still in place. Doug Laing has been a reporter for more 52 years, more than 40 of them in Hawke's Bay, at the Central Hawke's Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and, Hawke's Bay Today, since its establishment in 1999. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport.
NZ Herald
08-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Kiwis wary of the cost of butter a century ago
The Hastings Farmers' Association discussed in 1890 the establishment of a dairy factory 'for the manufacture of butter; and an article that is good is saleable anywhere'. The Heretaunga Plains were said to be very suitable for butter due to the amount of lime in the soil. In 1892, a company called the Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Company Limited was formed. Its creamery opened on the corner of St George's Road and Havelock Road in 1893. Butter produced there was all sold locally for 10 pence in winter (it kept longer) and nine pence in summer. Butter was made using a separator. This process was also conducted at many homes, where cream was skimmed off the top of milk and then allowed to sour for butter-making. By using a device, which resembled a concrete mixer, butter fat was separated from whey (skim milk) and formed real butter around the paddles inside the machine. Before electricity, this was described as a 'laborious process'. As there were no refrigerators then, to preserve household butter as long as possible, many families wrapped it in muslin cloth and placed it in a pan of cold salt water to be stored in a cool place on the south side of the house. The St George's creamery struck some supply problems due to the small number of cows supplying the factory, especially when 23 out of the 81 cows tested positive for tuberculosis and had to be destroyed. More dairy farms would soon be established, especially around Mahora, Raureka and Clive. A hundred years ago, the New Zealand public were concerned about the cost of butter. There were no processed foods then – and any changes in prices to staples such as milk, flour and butter played havoc on the mostly static incomes. It's like what is playing out today – in 1920, high export prices dictated domestic butter prices. Although beyond the scope of this article, there were many attempts to juggle (by the not-so invisible hand of the Government) butter prices between farmers, export and domestic markets. Butter was a difficult market to be in for dairy companies. The Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Company in 1931 paid out advances of £30,000 (2025: $4.1 million) to its suppliers, only to see world market prices for butter (and other commodities) collapse during the Great Depression. Careful financial management was then needed to avoid hardship over the next five years in adjusting supplier payouts without sending both the company and farmers broke. While life was at times difficult for the dairy farmers and companies, it was also hard for the consumer – except for 1925 (100 years ago) – there was simply too much butter flooding the London market. Butter prices in New Zealand were then reduced domestically. In 1935, the situation had reversed and due to the high London market prices, butter production in Hastings rose. During World War II there was, of course, butter rationing – and just before this was announced, shops in Hastings noted the extra demand for butter. Mothers sent their children along to buy extra butter – and when shopkeepers asked what their mother was going to use the extra butter for, in many cases the children replied: 'Mother was going to lay in a store of cakes.' Refrigerators were not common household appliances then and those who had them purchased excess butter to store – but this came with a warning: 'The butter will not keep indefinitely.' Butter rationing was lifted in June 1950 and the end of government subsidies to producers meant it went up in price. One Hastings grocer noted there was no increase in demand for butter after the rationing ended, believing the price increases affected sales. Bakers in Hastings also suffered from the price increases for butter, saying the demand for small cakes had dropped. 'Block cake and sponges are still good sellers,' he said. Another said he wasn't worried about the falling-off of 'smalls', as 'housewives, if they have not lost the cake-making 'knack', are loathe to bother with cake-making chores'. In other words, the demand for the larger cakes would not diminish. The price increases in June 1950 also applied to bread, eggs, tea and milk. Interestingly, margarine sales did not increase to the detriment of butter. The Consumers Price Index (CPI), formed in 1949, showed the effect of these increases in 1950. Businesses who provided 'cut lunches' for the hard-working people of the Hastings CBD were especially concerned about these price increases, as any passing-on of these costs had to be approved by the Government's Price Tribunal. In that highly-regulated environment, this was confusing, expensive, baffling and complex to many businesses and consumers. One café owner said he needed to increase prices by 30% to keep up with the price hikes. 'I'd hate to be a restaurant proprietor,' remarked a hotel keeper – 'they had no bar trade, so would feel the increases more.' Price controls were part of the Economic Stabilisation Scheme post-World War II to manage inflation and ensure stability to create affordable living standards for returning servicemen. Any retail increases in prices over the set limits were punishable by a trip to the Hastings courthouse. It would be many years before price controls were lifted – but most were gone during the 1960s. (The 1980s economic reforms deregulated prices, wages and many other parts of the New Zealand economy.) After World War II, returned servicemen established dairy farms around Tūtira and Pūtōrino, but process-cropping and other types of farming yielded better returns and dairying began to decline in the 1960s. Dairying was not a sustainable business in Hawke's Bay – our warm, dry climate was against it as 'cows need a flush of soft green feed'. The Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Co merged with the Tui Co-operative Dairy Co in Pahiatua in 1974, and in 1975 it was liquidated. Consolidation of the dairy industry occurred in 2001 with the formation of Fonterra, which today collects a share of around 77.7% of New Zealand's milk pool. – Michael Fowler is doing a talk on the history of Hastings' Fantasyland on Wednesday September 3. Check for details.
RNZ News
06-08-2025
- RNZ News
Tinian commemorates 80th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing amid military buildup
This file photo from The National Archives taken 6 August, 1945, shows the B-29 plane "Enola Gay" after landing on Tinian Island from its mission to drop the first Atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan. Photo: AFP/ The National With the backdrop of the United States Department of Defence's $800-million military buildup on Tinian, US, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Japanese officials held the 80th anniversary commemoration of the World War II atomic bombings on Wednesday. With the theme '80 years of peace in the Pacific from the ashes of war to hope' the solemn event was held at the Tinian Bomb Site in North Field, where 80 years ago a B-29 Superfortress named Enola Gay took off and bombed Hiroshima with "Little Boy," the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. Three days later, a second B-29 named Bockscar with "Fat Man" as its payload ultimately ended the war when it dropped the second nuclear weapon used in warfare in Nagasaki. In this photo from the US Air Force, US Army Air Force pilot Col Paul W. Tibbets waves from the cockpit of the B-29 bomber "Enola Gay" 06 August 1945 before taking off from Tinian on the Mariana Islands on the mission to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Photo: AFP Interestingly, the US military buildup in the Marianas comes as the China, a nuclear power like the US, is peddling its influence in the region. Tinian Mayor Edwin Aldan reflected on the importance of the Tinian Bomb Site. "Your participation reflects a shared commitment to remembering the past, honoring those affected, and working together towards a future defined by peace, healing, and understanding," he said. "This commemoration, under the [theme] '80 years of peace in the Pacific from ashes of war to hope,' is more than just a remembrance. It is a reflection of how far we've come and a reaffirmation of what we must continue to strive for." He added that the atomic bombings of August 1945 brought an unspeakable toll, the loss of tens of thousands of innocent lives, the suffering of survivors, and the slow and long shadow of nuclear warfare that would shape global consciousness for generations. "The events of World War II left a mark on this island and the world. Tinian, once the launch site of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is now transforming that legacy into a platform of dialogue, learning, and unity. "This commemoration serves as a solemn reminder that we must never forget, we must remember the lives lost, the choices we made, and the consequences we endured." And from that remembrance, the Tinian mayor said humanity must find the resolve to reject violence, to choose dialogue over destruction, and to work for a world where peace is more than a dream, but a shared duty. Tinian Mayor Edwin Aldan said Tinian, once the launch site of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is now transforming that legacy into a platform of dialogue, learning, and unity. Photo: Mark Rabago Meanwhile, Senator Jude Hofschneider shared her mother Andresina Dela Cruz Untalan Hofschneider's experience during World War II in his opening remarks. "She was a preteen when she experienced World War II on the island of Yap. One day, she found herself running from stray bullets and bombs when she suddenly bumped her knee on a log. "As a result, she had a permanent bump below her left knee for the rest of her life. As a kid, I'd always ask her about the bump. "But she would always refuse to answer at the time until it was appropriate for her to answer during my adult years, which I was old enough to understand." The Tinian lawmaker said memories of World War II inevitably colored our parents' and grandparents' perspectives and how they raised us. For his mom, he said the trauma brought her closer to God, which influenced the values she taught her children. "Experiences like hers tell a story no book or documentary ever could. That war doesn't end when the fighting stops. It shapes those of us born long after the final shot. "And this is why we gather as a community today with gratitude for those who brought an end to conflict on our islands and for those who worked tirelessly to secure enduring peace among nations." After sharing the history of the days and even hours leading to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in his keynote address, local historian Don Farrell put his storytelling into perspective. "I do not philosophise on whether or not it was the right thing to do to drop both bombs. It was wartime. My job is to simply study the facts for myself, too." He then reminded everyone in attendance that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1968, signed by President Richard Nixon, requires all federal agencies to maintain any historic monuments on their property. "We want to get that message to [Washington], to the Congress of the United States, and ensure that proper funding is given directly to the CNMI, to the Municipality of Tinian and Aguingan, for use in maintaining all of the historic sites on the military-leased lands on Tinian." Japan consul Akiko Tejima said the United States and Japan were once adversaries, but we have overcome the past. Photo: Mark Rabago Japan consul Akiko Tejima ended her closing remarks with this challenge: "Let us reaffirm and renew our collective commitment to peace." Aside from her appeal to peace, Tejima also talked about how sadly Tinian is oftentimes forgotten by her countrymen as the origin of the planes that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which makes the commemoration last Aug. 6 more important. "It's inspiring and encouraging that this commemoration event is taking place here on Tinian on the very same day as Hiroshima's annual ceremony, as it indicates the spirit of compassion and our shared aspiration for a future rooted in harmony and unity indeed," she said. "The United States and Japan were once adversaries, but we have overcome the past and now cherish the unparalleled friendship." Tejima said it is touching that the two opposing sides during World War II are together at the event with a sense of solidarity, friendship, and respect for one another. "I am convinced that it really is '80 years of peace in the Pacific from ashes of war to hope' as it surely expresses where Japan and the [U.S.] now stand." However, she acknowledged that the work is not done as armed conflict persists in so many places in the world, inflicting pain and hardship on countless civilians. "This reality is both heartbreaking and humbling. We should be mindful of what the world went through the tremendous suffering and hardship 80 years ago, and people learned, people must have learned, war brings such tragedy and misery and should never again be repeated." Before Tejima's remarks, officials from the US Armed Forces and local and federal officials, led by lieutenant-governor Dennis Mendiola and US Congress delegate Kimberly King-Hinds, led the wreath-laying ceremony in front of the glass-encased "Little Boy" Bomb Pit Memorial. This was followed by a water and salute and taps performed by the Department of Fire & Emergency Management Medical Services-Station 7. The Tinian Taga Cultural Dancers ended the event with their performance. Father Brigido Bagunas, who also led a prayer for peace and unity at the start of the event, then blessed the food for the luncheon for the dozens in attendance who endured the pothole-marred drive to North Field.
