Latest news with #HeritageNewZealandPouhereTaongaNorthland
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Bay News: 3D printed models aid archaeological research in Northland
Since releasing his first popular album 'Your Average Australian Yobbo' in 1984 and with hit songs like 'Hey Santa Claus', Kevin Bloody Wilson has become a global comedy institution with an extensive multi-generational fan base. 'I love being on stage when every bugger in the audience knows every word to my songs,' he said. The subject matter of his stage delivery means the shows are R18 and while they may not be to everyone's taste he has enjoyed entertaining a lot of Kiwis since he started touring here in the mid-80s. He has toured consistently ever since. 'I didn't realise so many Kiwis had my recordings, I had no idea it had taken off in New Zealand without ever having any radio airplay, exactly the way it started for me in Australia.,' he said. He thinks audiences are as funny here as they are around the world, and that we have a similar sense of humour. 'It seems we are what you would call belly laugh brothers.' 3D technology unlocks archaeological features Technology is increasing an understanding of the way landscapes shape archaeological features. Plastic models made using a 3D printer and publicly available data are proving to be a valuable tool for archaeologists to interpret landscapes and test theories about how people may have lived hundreds of years ago. It also provides information on where they lived. The technique has been used by Jofe Graham-Jenkins, senior surveyor for Simpson Shaw. He used topographical information incorporating Lidar held by Northland Regional Council to generate a small 3D model of Moturua Island. The model is about 30cm square and cost about $20 in materials. Jofe Graham-Jenkins with the 3D model of the land near Oromahoe owned by his family. More recently he used the technology to produce a 3D model of land near Oromahoe which his family has owned for more than a century. 'Using this available data I have been able to produce a model of our family's land and cross-check the physical features of the model with known archaeological sites,' he said. 'The model's an invaluable tool for identifying places where archaeological features are likely to exist, enabling very targeted ground investigations that are likely to assist in identifying and recording these sites.' The innovation has the potential to shed new light on an understanding of the archaeology of places according to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland manager, Bill Edwards. 'These models take topographical information and transform it into three dimensional renderings that enable people to see clearly what may not be immediately apparent in a two-dimensional topographical map,' Edwards said. 'The model of Moturua Island for example clearly shows features like water courses. Once you know where water flows, you can then make some fairly strong deductions about places that were used for gardening or for habitation.' New kerbside waste collection Following the withdrawal by Waste Management of recycling tags and bags in the mid-North and Kerikeri areas, Northland Waste has stepped in and introduced a new kerbside recycling scheme. The scheme will give households the opportunity to continue to recycle. It is not council-funded or part of any contracted service but a voluntary initiative which chief operating officer, Andrew Sclater, said is not a council requirement. 'When we heard the previous service was coming to an end we felt it was the right thing to do to step in. 'We simply wanted to ensure that people still had a way to recycle,' he said. The company will collect from 60-litre crates left at the kerbside. The recycling material will at first be separated at the kerbside on the truck with the operator separating into four categories. Northland Waste is starting a new kerbside recycling service in the Mid North, Kerikeri and Waipapa areas. Photo / Northland Waste Then a secondary separation process occurs in Kerikeri where plastics and glass colours are graded and tin, aluminium, paper and cardboard separated. Sclater said the process is very manual for the staff. Each separate material stream is then baled. The baled material is then transported to recycling processing facilities to convert the material into a secondary use. 'Staff are checking different containers and products which takes time and effort,' Sclater said. This is similar to what council Resource Recovery Facilities and Community Recycling Centres require and the same principles apply to kerbside recycling. He said affordability was a focus for the company and they have worked to keep the cost down with weekly crate collections starting from just $1.75 per week. Towns included in the kerbside recycling scheme are just about every town in the Mid-North and the arterial routes to and from those towns. Russell and Rawhiti, though, are not included at this stage. Sclater says that's because of the high uptake of recycling done by residents at the Russell Resource Recovery Facility, which is located close to the township. He is encouraging people to look at their website Then go to the Mid North Recycling page and enter an address to check kerbside collection availability. From there you can choose the payment option that suits, either monthly direct debit, six-monthly or an annual payment.
NZ Herald
25-06-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Bay News: Century-old notebook reveals early UV water sterilisation method
'It's Purdie's observations of a method of water sterilisation that are particularly remarkable,' says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland manager Bill Edwards. 'What he describes is sterilising water using ultra-violet light generated by large military searchlights which he had obviously come across in France.' Purdie's notebook records his observations: '... the water in passing to the outlet must first traverse the surface of the lamp, and thus become exposed to the maximum ultra-violet radiation. The process was subjected to severe tests. The water to be treated was drawn from the Seine below Paris and was further contaminated with germs of cholera, diphtheria – indeed every effort was made to make the water as poisonous as possible.' The results were impressive. 'The germ-contaminated water was then drawn off in the usual manner being induced to flow over the lamp, and upon withdrawal was found to be absolutely sterile – all contagious germs having been completely destroyed as a result of exposure to the ultra-violet rays.' Purdie also recorded the test was sustained for a long period and was discovered after 3000 hours' continuous operation that 'the water was as germ-proof as the first gallon drawn'. A qualified plumber with a clear understanding of the importance of good sanitation for public health, Purdie was impressed enough to record the information about the sterilisation method in great detail. 'What he would not have known was that after technology improved in the 1930s the UV method of sterilisation of water would become a widely accepted and scientifically proven method of sterilising water adopted by large cities around the world,' says Edwards. 'Also impressive is Purdie's ability to see the potential for this new technology to improve the lives of many, suggesting it would only take a small dynamo to feed the lamps with the necessary current.' A little Kiwi ingenuity was all that was required: 'Being that the automobile can be adapted to operate searchlights by the [power] of the car's own engine, its application should prove equally simple.' Interestingly, Paris' drinking water today is filtered using a combination of carbon, UV light and ozone to kill the pollutants. To kill the bugs, they use UV light in a process that is chemical-free. 'Purdie must have felt the French were onto something with UV light as a sterilising agent and he was right. The fact he took time to record what he knew of the process in such detail shows he could see the potential of the method,' says Edwards. The National Army Museum at Waiouru is keen to add the notebook to its collection of World War I soldiers' diaries and memorabilia. Acknowledgment goes to Les Sykes at Kerikeri Hospice who investigates items that are brought in for wider heritage significance before running them past Heritage New Zealand Northland staff. In the case of Purdie's diary his hunch was spot on. Edward says they have managed to find out some information about Purdie – that he served in the RNZAF during World War II, though probably not overseas, that he was married with two children and he died in 1980. If anybody has any additional information about Hugh Purdie, his family or his notebook Heritage New Zealand would love to hear from you. Why are there two marae at Te Rawhiti? Pita Witehira is a former policeman and an inventor. In the 1980s he developed the never-go-flat battery called Power Beat. Protracted negotiations, however, didn't materialise into a quantifiable income stream. He is based in Hamilton but has land at Rawhiti and therefore strong familial and hapū connection with the area. The main or principal marae at Te Rawhiti which sits on land owned by Tainui. He was recently asked to write some information about Kaingahoa Marae at Te Rawhiti. Accordingly, he re-read through his mother's files and some published historic documents about Te Rawhiti and Ngāpuhi generally and discovered that: 'There are two main hapū [families] that live there, Patukeha and Ngāti Kuta. They were related to each other before Europeans arrived in the Bay of Islands [Cook in 1769 and Du Fresne in 1772] and were involved in significant events that impacted on Māori. 'Captain Cook brought with him a guide from Raiatea, Northwestern Tahiti. His name was Tupaea who spoke the language of the Ngāpuhi people. 'Because of that engagement all of the islands in the Bay of Islands are named after places in Northwestern Tahiti and the Northern Cook Islands and some family names are also from there. 'Cook reported to the Royal Society about the need to overcome scurvy, which he learned from the Tahitian people. Du Fresne brought vegetables with him, one of which is the turnip, which he gave to the people at Te Rawhiti as part of his attempt to create friendship. 'It is also important to note that when Cook arrived in the Bay of Islands, he was met by a Tohunga. His name is Tapua, the father of Patuone, who is buried in Devonport, Auckland, and his brother, Tamati Waka Nene, who is buried at Christ Church in Russell. Patuone and Nene were known as peacemakers. The 'supplementary' marae at Te Rawhiti, known as Kaingahoa, was the site of the school built at Te Rawhiti in 1905 but was designated as a marae in the early 1990s. 'Cook and DuFresne opened the way for the Anglican and Catholic religions to be introduced into New Zealand. 'Of the two marae at Te Rawhiti the main one is sitting on land belonging to the Tainui people and the second marae, known as Kaingahoa, was the site of the school built at Te Rawhiti in 1905 but was designated as a marae in the early 1990s. The two hapū are related through their common ancestor Whakahoe. She is the mother of the people called Ngāti Kuta and also the mother of those called 'Patukeha.' Developing the land: At the end of May 10 new houses for whānau and kaumātua were opened at Te Rāwhiti, Te Taitokerau, in the Bay of Islands. The Te Whakaruru Hau development at Kaingahoa Marae is the result of a collaboration between the marae committee which built five new houses and Foundation North which funded the renovation of five existing houses on the site. Kris MacDonald, General Manager of Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau, said they also supported an upgrade of marae water and wastewater infrastructure that will provide sustainability and resilience for future generations. Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau is an iwi housing prototype funded through Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga with $55 million funding to support building 80-100 homes and infrastructure for 110 homes across Taitokerau. An aerial view of the new housing development at Te Rawhiti. Chairman Pita Tipene said the vision was 'Ko ō tātou kāinga noho, he mea hanga' (with our own hands we will build durable homes and communities). 'The papakāinga fulfils this vision in bringing funders and whānau together to realise their housing solutions,' he said. Advance Build of Waipapa, which specialises in prefab and transportable homes, was chosen by the whānau to complete the redevelopment. Tipene said that now, post-Budget 2025, it is more important to showcase the way of working together in Taitokerau. 'Te Whakaruru Hau Papakāinga is a tribute to local whānau leadership and determination'. Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau has a 'pipeline' of homes being built across the region with more openings scheduled for coming months.
NZ Herald
30-04-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Whangaroa RSA centenary celebrated over two days and new book
The book was launched as part of a service led by Bishop Kito Pikaahu and Whangaroa RSA president Reverend Kevin Herewini, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Kāeo War Memorial Library, which was officially opened on Anzac Day 1925. The celebration also included a presentation on World War II in Northland by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland manager Bill Edwards and volunteer researcher Jack Kemp; followed by a group bus tour that included such points of interest as Radar Hill, the radar station overlooking the Whangaroa Harbour, established in 1942 to monitor air and coastal traffic as part of New Zealand's defence during World War II. The Kāeo War Memorial Library is listed on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero as a Category 2 historic building and is one of just a small number of World War I memorial libraries in New Zealand – only seven in the country – that commemorate the fallen from that war. Funds to build the library – constructed in the California Bungalow style of architecture – were raised through donations from the small community with a loan to obtain finance for the project, paid back within 18 months. A Century of Stepping Up – Whangaroa RSA 1925-2025 costs $50 per copy. Copies of this book may be purchased at the Whangaroa Museum and Archives Society.
