Latest news with #LindaRobertson
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Connecting the south by rail
Passengers prepare to take a return journey to Christchurch on the Southerner earlier this month. Photo: Linda Robertson The rhythmic sway of the train moving through our stunning Otago countryside is a special part of the Southerner experience. As Robert Louis Stevenson famously said, "All of the sights of the hill and the plain; Fly as thick as driving rain". The last time I rode the Southerner was in 2001 — I recall the pleasure of the landscape, the book I was reading (Pig Earth by John Berger) not to mention the coffee and sandwich I enjoyed along the way. Inexplicably, the following year this great train service was put to bed. We look forward to the day when a trip to Christchurch by train is the normal way to travel, a journey that can be as productive as we need or as relaxing as we want. And there is an appetite for it. When Great Journeys recently announced a limited return of the Southerner for several days this year, people were enthusiastic. Tickets were sold out within days of going on sale. Demand for the return of a regular service is strong. On a recent Sunday, I joined other MPs, councillors and members of the public at a "Save Our Trains" forum in Dunedin to discuss steps we will need to take to restore passenger rail in the South, to restore the Southerner. Also that weekend, there was an announcement at the Regional Development Summit of funding for an "inland port" and the reopening of the Hillside Workshops maintenance facilities. The time is ripe for a restoration of passenger rail alongside an increase in freight by rail. A train trip is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel and produces about 80-90% fewer CO₂ emissions compared to the same trip with a flight. With the rising costs and general inconvenience of flying between regional centres, passenger rail stacks up both financially and environmentally. This matters. Recently I attended a presentation by Antarctica New Zealand where we heard about the scientific research under way in Antarctica, including all important climate science. Antarctica's ice plays a crucial role in regulating global climate while its melting ice also raises sea levels. The Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier" is now at risk of catastrophic failure, and when it slides into the sea and melts, it will raise sea-levels by about 80cm and trigger more ice loss, more sea-level rise. We should be urgently taking every action we can to reduce emissions in order to slow global heating (and reduce the risk from the collapse of the Doomsday Glacier). One of the most sensible things to do is to reduce emissions from transport. Clearly passenger rail has a critical role to play here. We already have the tracks, and Hillside Workshops is now back up and running. Let's not forget that Aotearoa was once linked up by passenger rail between regions and main centres — including from Christchurch to Dunedin — and to a myriad of small towns in between. By the turn of the century this once thriving rail network was pared back to a mere skeleton of its former self. The 2025 government Budget revealed some funding for rail, but it is all for the North Island, and much more is being spent on urban highways, again leaving us in the Deep South out in the cold. This could change if our southern voice is heard loudly enough in Wellington and when southern MPs from both government and opposition do the mahi to support a restoration of passenger rail. Already there appears to be a consensus among most southern MPs that the restoration of the Southerner is desirable, and the question then turns to how. The Green Party Budget launched in May sets out a clear budget for the return of several inter-regional rail connections including our Southerner. Save Our Trains has prepared a handy factsheet about the feasibility of this rail link on their website. We can have a transport network that works for everyone, giving people real choice. Travelling by train through ever-changing landscapes is a special pleasure we should all be able to enjoy, "[as] ever again, in the wink of an eye; Painted stations whistle by". Time to leave the station, let the rhythm of rail do its thing, and embrace the journey! Scott Willis is an Ōtepoti-based Green Party MP. Each week in this column writers address issues of sustainability.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Southland Boys' still unbeaten
Southland Boys' centre Caleb Harvey carries the ball forward during an inter-school First XV game at John McGlashan College on May 7. Photo: Linda Robertson Southland Boys' 1st XV has stamped is mark on the division 1 Southern School Rugby Championship. The Invercargill school are now the outright leaders of the competition after they thumped Dunstan 71-5 at Molyneux Park on Saturday. Winger Zeke Siolo picked up a hat-trick and first five Jimmy Taylor's haul of 21 points — including eight conversions — helped Southland Boys become the only unbeaten school and sit on 15 points. King's High Schools 1st were previously unbeaten as well, but they slipped after a 28-25 loss to rivals Otago Boys' 1st at the weekend. John McGlashan College 1st also recorded a tight 28-21 victory against Southland Boys' 2nd at Les George Oval. There were some big results in the Blue Pool as well. Waitaki Boys' remains at the top of that competition after recording a 35-17 win against Central Southland College at Peter Johnston Park. St Kevin's College made the most of a trip to Dunedin where they pumped John McGlashan College 2nd 87-7. Powerful No 8 Siu Fisipuna and winger Louie Hose collected four tries each for their troubles. Lock Flynn Kilbride returned home with a hat-trick. South Otago also had a solid 53-27 win against Maruawai/Menzies in Balclutha. In the Moroon Pool, Mt Aspiring College edged their neighbours Wakatipu High School 21-17 in a big second-half effort in Wānaka. There was another tight battle between Otago Boys' and King's 2nds, but it was Otago Boys' 2nds who came out on top 31-29. Cromwell College beat Taieri College 41-13 at home in a Friday night fixture. — APL
Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
All aboard for Christchurch
Passengers were milling around the platform at the Dunedin Railway Station yesterday before a return journey to Christchurch aboard the Southerner. Photo: Linda Robertson The tourism division of KiwiRail brought back the passenger rail experience between Dunedin and Christchurch for four days this year, with the first trip taking place on Saturday. Photo: Linda Robertson Two more trips are scheduled for today and tomorrow. In its day, the Southerner was a premier passenger express train that connected Christchurch and Invercargill, travelling along the Main South Line, said Great Journeys New Zealand and commuter rail general manager Tracey Goodall when the trips were announced late last year.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Balloon fun at museum celebration
Photo: Linda Robertson Charlie Harris, 1, takes part in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery's International Museum Day celebration yesterday. The exhibition "littleBIG" featured two very yellow and very popular artworks by Seung Yul Oh and Don Driver, the museum said. Entry was free. Balloon artist Pippity Pop performed as did Choir! Choir!.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Distinguished Gentleman's Ride leg helps raise funds
Messy weather did not deter a group of well-dressed gentlemen from taking their motorcycles through Dunedin yesterday. About two dozen riders participated in the Dunedin leg of the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, which is an international event to raise money for men's health issues. The Dunedin leg began at the railway station and went through the student quarter, looped back to the Octagon before eventually finishing near the Grange Retirement Village in Mosgiel. Dunedin organiser Bruce Simpson said since it was introduced to the city about five years ago, it had raised more than $15,000 for men's health issues, particularly mental health and prostate cancer. Distinguished Gentleman's Ride participant Bruce Simpson gets the riders ready for the Dunedin leg at the Dunedin Railway Station. Photo: Linda Robertson "Just look around ... everybody's looking very happy. It's not often we actually see a whole bunch of people out, you know, dressed up for the occasion, and looking pretty resplendent. "But we're raising awareness for some pretty serious issues among men. It's such an iconic ride." The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia, by Mark Hawwa in 2012, and quickly made its way around the world as thousands of men put on their best suits and took their vintage motorcycles for a ride. Internationally, it has raised more than $59 million for men's health initiatives.
