Crop competition aids charities
Pauline and Peter Dodd won the Crop That Caught The Judges' Eye award at the Waianakarua and Waiareka Valley Lions Clubs Winter Crop Competition awards evening last week.
The competition went off with a bang, organisers said. It was held for for the first time since 2023 and attracted about 100 entries.
Farmers entered either their swedes, fodder beets, kale or winter rape crops for judging.
The awards dinner was held at the Loan & Merc last Friday, with 240 people attending.
Former All Black Richard Loe was the guest speaker and alongside the winners being announced, there was also an auction.
The competition raised $54,000 which will be split between Otago Southland Helicopter Trust and the Network Waitaki Event Centre Trust.
Waiareka Valley Lions Club administrator Murray Linwood said the clubs were thrilled with how it went.
"[It was] a lot of work by a very good team, but a very satisfying outcome."
He was very grateful for all the support they received.
Waianakarua and Waiareka Valley Lions Clubs Winter Crop Competition results.—
Winter rape, dry: John Dickie 1, Tim Craig 2, Murray Rodger 3. Swede: Peter & Pauline Dodd 1, Ian Carter 2, Neville Caldwell 3. Dry kale: Joe & Becky Laming 1, E G Ludemann Twaddle Farm 2, John Dickie 3. Irrigated kale: Matt & Jackie Dalziel 1, Otto Dogterom 2, Jeff Thompson 3. Dry beet: Jimmy Hunter 1, Carl Sinclair 2, Dave McCabe 3. Irrigated beet: Jeff Thompson 1, Matt & Jackie Dalziel 2, Matthew & Kylie Bennett 3. Crop that caught the judges' eye: Peter & Pauline Dodd (swedes).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
28-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Path of Exile maker Grinding Gear Games reports $105m revenue, new CEO
Grinding Gear Games was founded in 2006 by Westies Chris Wilson and Jonathan Rogers and Erik Olofsson, a Swede they met while playing online. Grinding Gear Games' co-founders (from left) Chris Wilson, Jonathan Rogers and Eric Olofsson, pictured near their Henderson office in 2014. Photo / Richard Robinson They used crowdfunding to grow Path of Exile (still the firm's only title). In 2018, Tencent bought an 88% stake in Grinding Gear Games for what the Overseas Investment Office said was a 'consideration that exceeds $100 million'. Over the intervening years, Tencent has gradually bought up the founders' remaining stakes. It now has 100% ownership. Throughout, Wilson remained as chief executive and held a seat on the board as well. Co-founder leaves for new project In January, Path of Exile fans noted his absence from the game. In February, he resigned as a director, with Rogers taking his place on the board and also taking over the reins as CEO. Wilson was the second of the three founders to depart. Olofsson left Grinding Gear in 2022 to found Erik's Curiosa, maker of an old-school offline game, Sorcery: Contested Realm. Wilson told the Herald he's founded a start-up, Light Pattern – a new game studio that's recruiting staff. He would only offer: 'I am intentionally not talking about my new project for a few years, so that I don't set any expectations.' Staff numbers jump, Exile 2 close Meanwhile, Rogers was happy to give an update on Grinding Gear's progress in its new financial year. 'In December, we released our sequel, Path of Exile 2, into Early Access and reached the number one position on the global top sellers list of Steam [online gaming distribution platform] with over 850,000 players online, more than doubling the previous PoE1 [Path of Exile] record,' he said. 'We have over 240 staff in New Zealand now and are continuing to hire – although we are quickly running out of office space. 'Contrast that to April 2024, when we only had 180 staff in-house.' READ MORE: Video game sector jobs up 20.5% with tax rebate, but half of funds unclaimed When Tencent took control in 2018, Grinding Gear had 114 staff at its long-time headquarters – a nondescript office building near the Henderson Pak'nSave (a contrast to another Tencent investment – RocketWerkz with its spacecraft-themed digs at the top of the new PwC Tower on Auckland's waterfront). 'Our major goal now is to finish Path of Exile 2 and get it out of Early Access and into full release. We don't have an announced timeline for that, but we will continue to release content for it every four months until it's done,' Rogers said. 'In the meantime, Path of Exile 1 continues to get content updates every four months as well.' The rising Auckland staff numbers will be music to the ears of the Government and NZ on Air – or at least a relief that a new 20% rebate is working (an NZ on Air report had total game sector employment rising by a fifth to 1300 in the year to March). Wilson was one of the industry leaders who said they they would be forced to set up shop in Australia in order to remain competitive in the talent war, if New Zealand did not match the tax rebates being offered cross the Tasman. Grinding Gear was a recipient in the latest NZ on Air funding round. (The scheme offers 20c back on every $1 spent on a video game, up to a $3m cap.) Postscript: A Musk moment Path of Exile has long been a favourite with the fantasy crowd, but also had a mainstream media moment in January when Elon Musk claimed to be one of the game's top players. The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder used X, formerly Twitter to highlight his Path of Exile skills as part of a social media showcase designed to reveal his 'world-class' skills playing various titles, which he had bragged about on Joe Rogan's podcast. But as the New York Times reported on January 26: 'The community of gamers he's long tried to impress turned against him. It started with a livestream of Mr Musk playing Path of Exile, a popular action role-playing game known for its difficulty. Despite his account showing he had earned one of the game's highest levels, his game play looked like that of an amateur." Internet sleuths made YouTube videos and took to Reddit threads to dissect his game play, exposing mistakes a novice would make, the Times said. There were allegations that Musk was guilty of 'boosting' – hiring a skilled gamer on the sly to log on to his account and build it up. There was circumstantial evidence for the frowned-up practice (and it does go to the heart of the gaming ethos; the 'Grinding' in Grinding Gear Games is a nod to what fantasy players called 'the grind' of building a character). 'Gamers pointed out that Musk's Path of Exile account has been active at times he couldn't have been playing himself, like on Monday [January 20] morning, while he was at Trump's inauguration,' the Times reported. Musk was accused of the same jape with another popular game, Diablo IV, for the same reasons. Wilson has maintained a diplomatic silence. Ninja Kiwi takes profit, revenue hits Ninja Kiwi was founded by Kumeū brothers Chris Harris (left) and Stephen Harris. Meanwhile, Ninja Kiwi has reported a $28.8m net profit on $77.6m revenue for the year to December 31, 2024 – down from its $40.9m profit on $89.5m revenue for 2023. The result was net of a $32.0m dividend paid to its Scandinavian owner, down from $42m last year. The mobile gaming specialist was bought by Sweden's Modern Times Group (MTG) in a 2021 deal worth kr1.2 billion (Swedish krona, $203m) – with kr406m ($68m) of that total being contingent on performance targets. In 2020, the Technology Investment Network estimated Ninja Kiwi's revenue at $50m for its TIN200 list of our largest tech exporters. Ninja Kiwi was founded by Kumeū brothers Chris and Stephen Harris. It first released its hit game Bloons in 2007. The founders could not be immediately reached for comment. The game had some six million active users at the time of the company's Swedish takeover. LinkedIn Insights says Ninja Kiwi has 18 staff currently, including seven in Auckland (the rest are in the UK – primarily Scotland, where it bought another small gaming studio ahead of the MTG acquisition), from 16 in 2023. Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald's business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
NZ Herald
27-07-2025
- NZ Herald
L.A.B., Stan Walker team up for outdoor summer gigs in NZ and Gold Coast
Stan Walker on the red carpet of the Aotearoa Music Awards, where he won Best Māori Artist. Photo / New Zealand Herald photography by Sylvie Whinray For Walker, 'heavy prep', like an Olympic athlete or an All Black might do, is a necessity for lead vocalists preparing to tour, as they have nothing to hide behind on stage. 'We are the only ones that can't just pick up the drumsticks and go hard or start playing the bass or whatever.' Psychologically, Walker has also learned to automatically put up 'walls' to protect himself, his family, and his creative process from 'outside noise'. Sometimes this can get in the way of connecting with an audience, Walker says, but performing in the USA and Hawaii last year, the locals' unguarded enthusiasm was so inspiring he felt the walls came down. Raised on gospel music, Walker especially loves connecting with Black fans and friends in the States. 'They're like, 'man, you need to lead us, brother!' So you get like a fire.' Auckland reggae band Corrella will support Stan Walker and L.A.B. at their Tauranga show. Photo / Supplied Hawaiian music fans, he says, aren't held back by 'tall poppyness' like many New Zealanders. 'They're like, 'I love you. You changed my life. I want to follow you for the rest of my days'.' A Kiwi who recognises him is more likely to say something like 'Yeah, my mum is a fan', Walker says. 'It's really backhanded, and I think it's our like, defence mechanism. We don't want to get rejected or whatever. I get it, but at the same time, it's ugly.' L.A.B. singer Joel Shadbolt 'resonates hard' with Walker's insight on this cultural difference – 'Oh, preach, brother. Holy moly… Don't be a second-hand fan, be first-hand.' His band has also played some amazing shows in the States, he says, and American audiences are a lot more encouraging of guitar solos. L.A.B. singer Joel Shadbolt says American audiences are a lot more into guitar solos than Kiwis. Photo / Alex Cairns 'My roots are blues, so it comes from the south, and I know that feeling, I know that music, it's in me. When I play in the States, I feel that, man. Far out, I feel it. It's magic.' Back home in Aotearoa, Shadbolt and Walker agree Christchurch is one place where people really know how to show appreciation. Although he's had 'some very opposite experiences' offstage in the South Island city, Walker says he's always felt recharged by performing there, which he first did at 16. '[Christchurch audiences] show me why I do what I do, if that makes sense. It's electric.' In the lead-up to an L.A.B. show, the members gather to make sure they're 'on the same kind of buzz', Shadbolt says, and sing a karakia and some harmony-driven songs before hitting the stage. 'We all get locked in, you know?' L.A.B will be performing in Tauranga this summer. Photo / Supplied Artists give so much and love doing it, but they also really need to refuel, Shadbolt says. When he starts feeling like he's living 'in a weird alternate reality', the remedy is going home to visit whānau. 'Hanging out with my Nan is all I need for half an hour.' As a touring vocalist, performing shows back to back, you become hyper-aware of how your body feels, Shadbolt says. Sleep, hydration, nutrition and movement are his 'four pillars'. 'You get those right, and then the voice is magic. Any of those fall down, it's like 'Oooh, should have had a feed' or 'Oooh, ate too much'.' For Walker, it's 'buzzy' that alongside R&B singer Aaradhna, the up-and-coming musician Liam Te Wehi (Te Wehi) is supporting his three shows with L.A.B. this summer. R&B singer Aaradhna will support Stan Walker and L.A.B. at all three of their outdoor summer shows. Photo / Stijl, James Ensing-Trussell Although he's been listening to his music and enjoying his TikTok for ages, the two haven't yet met. 'He looks like my dad, bro!' For Shadbolt, it's really special that pioneering hip-hop group Nesian Mystic are supporting the Stan Walker / L.A.B. show at Auckland's Outer Fields festival on January 31. It's his band's first headlining Auckland gig in over four years, and the first time Nesian Mystic have hit the stage there in about 15 years. 'I listened to some of these songs in the car before, and I was like, 'Man, it's gonna be so nostalgic hanging out and playing their stuff live'. 'We're kind of buzzing for the show up there.'
Scoop
21-07-2025
- Scoop
New Zealand Americana/Alt-Country Artist Gina Malcolm Releases New Single Travellin' Heart
Leanne Malcolm has changed her tune in recent years. Known across New Zealand as a radio and television journalist and as the presenter of TV3's Nightline in the 90s, she has had a radical shift in career since 2021. Under her artist name Gina Malcolm (Leanne's middle name) she's been recording and releasing original music, fulfilling a dream that started in her 20s. Continuing a prolific run of single releases, earlier this year Malcolm released the double A-side single of the raw and rocking ' Temptress ' and the moody psychedelic noir of ' Knee Deep '. Now comes the pure alt-country and Americana sound of ' Travellin' Heart '. Produced by award-winning songwriter Matt Joe Gow, the song has an evocative and retro feel— reminiscent of Van Morrison with a classic Americana melancholy. The instrumentation is minimal but expressive, with Ryan Luckman 's beautifully melodic violin adding a poignant weight to Malcolm's musings on emotional longing and nostalgic romance. The song creates a soulful atmosphere without ever raising its voice, just honest craft, rich sound, and a hook that lingers like a long goodbye. The intimacy of ' Travellin' Hear t' creates the vibe of a late-night studio session. Each instrument is allowed to breathe – Matt's incredible Telecaster guitar hook, drummer Elmore Jones ' country groove and Rob P Murphy 's rolling bass line. ' I'd been wanting to write a pure country song for some time, and had written some early lyrics about holding on tight against a biting wind… a song about emptiness, loneliness, and restlessness,' says Malcolm. ' When Matt sent me a beautiful guitar melody, I adapted the words slightly and began crafting 'Travellin' Heart'. We worked together on it, and everything came together quickly. We both realised we had a really strong song! ' 'TRAVELLIN' HEART' IS OUT NOW ON BANDCAMP AND STREAMING SERVICES Music has always been a huge part of Malcolm's life. She got her first guitar when she was 11. Her mum played the piano and was a huge country music fan, and her father adored rock 'n' roll and blues. Malcolm sang in Queenstown covers bands after moving there with her young son and partner in 2002, but it wasn't until the pandemic that she found the courage to start recording and releasing her own material. A collaboration with Arrowtown's respected alt country artist Tom Maxwell led to a recording studio session at Sublime in Waitaki. Tom's band Killergrams played on five new songs and Malcolm was hooked. Malcolm's singles ' Don't Expect The World ', ' Crushing ' and ' Shadows ' were well received with airplay including RNZ's Music 101 and various other stations while the clip for ' Don't Expect The World ' won the Aotearoa Web Fest Best NZ Music Video award. Malcolm's new music career was profiled in a NZ Herald Canvas feature in 2023, and her Stonesy country song ' In The Night ' was featured on TVNZ's current affairs show 7 Sharp. As Malcolm explains, songwriting is a form of catharsis and healing for her. 'I definitely use songwriting as a way of dealing with painful and difficult times. Like many writers, it gives me an outlet for my emotions. And ever since I was very young, I've always been drawn to melancholic works – the darker side of human nature. I also don't mind a good rock-out to some very heavy bands! But I would consider my strongest leanings are towards the alt-country genre. I love the power and simplicity of a heartfelt country song.' ' I hope to be an inspiration for other older women who are seeking their true purpose," states Malcolm, reflecting on starting a music career at this point in her life."Generally, music and the arts are timeless.'
