Latest news with #Southlander
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Unwanted utensil for Highlanders
It was a night of lasts. Last game. Last place. And last match for Sam Gilbert in the Highlanders colours. He is off to Irish club Connacht at the end of the NPC season. The Highlanders are off to assess where the season went wrong. The 41-24 defeat to the Chiefs in Dunedin last night has left them stranded in last place. The season could have been a lot different had they been able to reverse a few of those seven games they lost by seven or fewer points. Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa'i nabbed a hat-trick in a standout performance for the visitors, who set up the win with a stunning opening quarter. Highlanders loosehead Ethan de Groot coughed up an early turnover and the Chiefs probed away for four or five minutes until eventually, they found a way around the defence. It was brilliant too. Etene Nanai-Seturo gathered in a chip kick and linked up with centre Daniel Rona, who set off for the line, but passed back inside to Samipeni Finau to score. The competition front-runners were back lining up another conversion a few brief minutes later. Vaa'i barged over and then grabbed a double when he pounced on a mistake and ran in from 45. It was 19-0 in under quarter of an hour. Thoughts turned to the Chiefs' 85-7 romp against Moana Pasifika last weekend. Thoughts also turned to how quickly the end of the season could come for the Highlanders. Sixty-five minutes and counting. But the Highlanders rallied and were rewarded. The went close when Jonah Lowe made some yards down the right, and Veveni Lasaqa put in a grubber. Damian McKenzie scooped it up, but was caught by Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens in the in-goal. The Highlanders kept the Chiefs pinned in their 22, and de Groot crashed over from a tap kick 5m out. There was no stopping the big Southlander. Chiefs tighthead Reuben O'Neill picked up a yellow card moments later for an untidy cleanout on Jack Taylor. He made contact with the head. The Highlanders exploited the advantage. Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins, Tanielu Tele'a and Taniela Filimone combined beautifully down the left. That created some space on the right and Tavatavanawai powered over to close the gap to five points at halftime. But just a comeback glimmered, the home side was caught napping early in the second spell. Hooker Bradley Slater rumbled free from a maul and passed to halfback Xavier Roe, who had a clear run to the line. The Chiefs threatened to score twice more, but the Highlanders added the next points through the boot of Cameron Millar. But replacement back Manasa Mataele stretched the lead again with a try out on the left. The Chiefs had wriggled their way into the red zone and floated the ball wide to the unmarked finisher. Gilbert scored a try to create some late drama. But Vaa'i collected the ball from a short drop-out gone wrong to nab a hat-trick right on fulltime. And the Chiefs left with what they came for — five points and with pole position intact ahead of the playoffs. The win came at a cost, though. Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea was injured midway through the first half and transported from the field. Super Rugby Pacific The scores Chiefs 41 (Tupou Vaa'i 3, Samipeni Finau, Xavier Roe, Manasa Mataele tries; Damian McKenzie 4 con, pen) Highlanders 24 (Ethan de Groot, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Gilbert tries; Cameron Millar 2 con, pen, Gilbert con) Halftime: 19-14.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Night of lasts for the Landers
It was a night of lasts. Last game. Last place. And last match for Sam Gilbert in the Highlanders colours. He is off to Irish club Connacht at the end of the NPC season. The Highlanders are off to assess where the season went wrong. The 41-24 defeat to the Chiefs in Dunedin tonight has left them stranded in last place. The season could have been a lot different had they been able to reverse a few of those seven games they lost by seven or fewer points. Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa'i nabbed a hat trick in stand-out performance for the visitors, who were blasted out to an 19-0 early lead. Highlanders loosehead Ethan de Groot coughed up an early turnover and the Chiefs probed away four of five minutes until eventually, they found a way around the defence. It was brilliant too. Etene Nanai-Seturo gathered in a chip kick and linked up with centre Daniel Rona, who set off for the line but passed back inside to Samipeni Finau to score. The competition front-runners were back lining up another conversion a few brief minutes later. Vaa'i barged over and then grabbed a double when he pounced on a mistake and ran in from 45. It was 19-0 in under quarter of an hour. Thoughts turned to the Chiefs' 85-7 romp against Moana Pasifika last weekend. Thoughts turned to how quickly the end of the season could come for the Highlanders. Sixty-five minutes and counting. But the Highlanders rallied and were rewarded. They went close when Jonah Lowe made some yards down the right and Veveni Lasaqa put in a grubber. Damian McKenzie scooped it up but got caught by Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens in the in-goal. The Highlanders kept the Chiefs pinned in their 22 and de Groot crashed over from a tap kick 5m out. There was no stopping the big Southlander. Chiefs tighthead Reuben O'Neill picked up a yellow card moments for an untidy cleanout on Jack Taylor. He made contact with the head. The Highlanders exploited the advantage. Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins, Tanielu Tele'a and Taniela Filimone combined beautifully down the left. That created some space on the right and Tavatavanawai powered over to close the gap to five points at halftime. The home side was caught napping early in the second spell. Hooker Bradley Slater rumbled free from a maul and passed to halfback Xavier Roe who had a clear run to the line. The Chiefs threatened to score twice more, but the Highlanders added the next points through the boot of Cameron Millar. But replacement back Manasa Mataele stretched the lead again with a try out on the left. The Chiefs had wriggled their way into the red zone and floated the ball wide to the unmarked finisher. Gilbert scored a try to create some late drama. But Vaa'i collected the ball from a short drop gone wrong to nab a hat trick right on fulltime. And the Chiefs left with what they game for - four points and with pole position intact ahead of the playoffs. The win came at a cost. Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea was injured midway through the first half and transported from the field. Super Rugby Pacific The scores Chiefs 41 (Tupou Vaa'i 3, Samipeni Finau, Xavier Roe, Manasa Mataele tries; Damian McKenzie 4 con, pen) Highlanders 24 (Ethan de Groot, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Gilbert tries; Cameron Millar 2 con, pen, Gilbert con) Halftime: 19-14.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Yodelling, line dancing back in vogue
With Gore's country music fest back next week bigger than ever, some of its surrounding arts like yodelling and line-dancing are feeling the ripple effect of a global boom in the genre. The Tussock Country music festival kicks off on Friday and its boost in ticket sales has reflected the rapid rise of the music genre in popular culture, internationally. In its 50th year, famed Gore country competition the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards received a record number of 829 musical entries last month, 100 more than 12 months previously. Now, just a week out from the 11-day extravaganza, several of its events have sold out or are near selling out in anticipation for the festival. Music teacher Peter Cairns said tickets to his yodelling workshop had sold out for the first time since starting four years ago. He said the increase in takers was due to the overall festival doing so well alongside a tour group coming through this year, helping to boost numbers. He learned to yodel in his 20s, he said, while hanging out with one of the NZ's "top dalliers" Southlander Max McCauley. He said his workshops had not created any "yodelling monsters" yet, but he was coaching a few budding singers who were entering in the Gold Guitars this year. His student Briar Sharp will be returning in the Intermediate section of the competition, having won the Junior category overall last time. "I've taught something like 13 or 14 overall Gold Guitar winners," he said. The workshop was a "bit of fun" he said, where he taught punters the basics of "breaking", meaning finding the break in a voice where it can flip between the higher and lower register that yodelling is known for. In another expression of the genre, Dianne Perkins will be teaching a beginners' line dance workshop at the festival, and said the country-flavoured steps are having a comeback with a younger audience. She said once given a "bad rap" and thought to be old fashioned, line dancing was having a resurgence because it was being applied to all kinds of popular music, not just country. Her students now moved to the music of fast-paced and contemporary hits from the likes of Ed Sheeran and successful new country singer, Luke Combs. She also takes her line dancing to the rest-homes of Gore and said the dance style has been medically proven to reduce the risk of memory loss and dementia. "It's a great way of exercising and ... because the music's fantastic and you have to remember the steps; it's very, very good for your mind," she said. She said both a 91-year-old and a 13-year-old dance with her in Gore. Another good thing about line dancing was that you did not need a partner, she said, which was good for the many people who were on their own but loved to dance. Line dancing was also a great social activity, she said, which she had come to expect from Gore. "It's a fantastic community to live in ... and it's just one way that we can give a little bit back to the community," she said.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Yodelling, line dancing back in fashion
With Gore's country music festival back next week and bigger than ever, some of its events such as yodelling and line dancing are feeling the ripple effect of a global boom in the genre. The Tussock Country Music Festival starts next Friday. Its boost in ticket sales has reflected the rapid rise of the music genre in popular culture internationally. In its 50th year, Gore country competition the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards received a record number of 829 entries last month — 100 more than 12 months previously. Now, just a week out from the 11-day extravaganza, several of its events have sold out or are near to selling out in anticipation of the festival. Music teacher Peter Cairns said tickets to his yodelling workshop had sold out for the first time since starting four years ago. The increase was due to the overall success of the festival as well as a tour group coming through this year. He learned to yodel in his 20s while hanging out with one of New Zealand's "top yodelers", Southlander Max McCauley. His workshops had not created any "yodelling monsters" yet, but he was coaching a few budding singers who were entering the Gold Guitars this year. His student Briar Sharp will be returning in the intermediate section of the competition, having won the junior category overall last time, Mr Cairns said. "I've taught something like 13 or 14 overall Gold Guitar winners." He taught punters the basics of "breaking" — finding the break in a voice where it can flip between the higher and lower register that yodelling is known for. In another expression of the genre, Diane Perkins will be teaching two line dance classes at the festival. The country-flavoured steps were having a comeback with a younger audience. Once given a "bad rap" and thought to be old-fashioned, line dancing was having a resurgence because it was being applied to all kinds of popular music, not just country, she said. Her students now moved to the music of fast-paced and contemporary hits from the likes of Ed Sheeran and successful new country singer Luke Combs. She also took her lessons to rest-homes in Gore. The dance style had been medically proven to reduce the risk of memory loss and dementia, she said. "It's a great way of exercising. "Because the music's fantastic and you have to remember the steps, it's very, very good for your mind." Another good thing about line dancing was you did not need a partner, which was good for people who were on their own but loved to dance, she said. Line dancing was also a great social activity, which she had come to expect from Gore, she said. "It's a fantastic community to live in. "It's just one way that we can give a little bit back to the community."
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Crop Of PINZ Award Finalists Named
A Southlander who created edible bale netting and rural heroes who made their mark advocating for pragmatic regulation and supporting stressed-out farmers feature among PINZ 2025 finalists. The seventh annual Primary Industries NZ Awards are a highlight of the two-day PINZ Summit taking place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre 24 and 25 June. "With tariff tit-for-tat sparking disruption and uncertainty in export markets, more than ever New Zealand needs the primary sector to be innovative and enterprising," Federated Farmers Chief Executive Terry Copeland says. "The PINZ Awards celebrate our primary industry movers and shakers - the science and food production teams delivering a market edge for our exported goods, the leaders who go the extra mile. "Their efforts inspire others and lift the employment prospects and standard of living for fellow Kiwis," Copeland says. Rural Hero finalists are (the late) Chris Allen, Neil Bateup and Ian Jury. Allen, who died in an accident on his Ashburton farm last December, gave 14 years' service as an elected Federated Farmers leader, including eight years on the national board. A champion of rural causes, he steered a pragmatic and balanced approach on environment and water issues, earning respect not just from farmers but from those with opposing views. Neil Bateup helped set up the Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust in 2004 and in 2017 became founding chair of the NZ RST. He's given countless hours supporting farmers and rural families facing hard times. The third Rural Hero finalist is Ian Jury, an 85-year-old who for 20 years has been raising money for the Taranaki rescue helicopter by collecting batteries for recycling. Four young women selected as Emerging Leader Award finalists illustrate the depth of talent being fostered in our primary industries. Bridie Virbickas succeeded in her bid for one of the hotly-contested DairyNZ Associate director roles and followed that by joining waste recycling enterprise AgRecovery as a foundation trustee. A contract milker who has overseen expansion of her employing farm from 270 to 850 cows, she put up her hand to be Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty sharefarmer chair to ensure a voice for the district's young farmers is at the decision-making table. The role has seen her help out in a number of cases where the relationship between a sharefarmer and farm owner had broken down. Imogen Brankin has only been with Silver Fern Farms for three years but the On-Farm Sustainability Advisor has organised 60 'Know Your Number' climate change workshops. She was winner of the 2022 Polson Higgs and Young Farmers Innovation Competition, speaking on the topic "Can Farming Deliver a Sustainable Future for New Zealand", and was part of a team of five who competed in the 2023 IFAMA Global Case Study Competition. Newly appointed Onions NZ general manager Kazi Talaska has served on the Food and Fibre Youth Council, latterly as chair, and champions the Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence to support the vegetable industry research pipeline. Talaska worked with industry partners and growers to obtain $2 million in funding to set up a first-of-its-kind vegetable research farm, in Pukekohe. The fourth Emerging Leader Award finalist is agricultural sustainability coach Lucy Brown. Through her work with the MPI-funded Integrated Farm Planning project, and in other roles, she's found ways to show farmers sustainability is not just a theoretical concept but something that is practical and achievable. Molesworth Station manager James (Jim) Ward is up against senior AgResearch scientists Dr Robyn Dynes and David Wheeler for the Champion Award. For nearly two decades, Ward has been a force on the Federated Farmers High Country committee and the Wilding Pine Network NZ, where he has tirelessly advocated for change, shaped policies, and driven meaningful improvements for New Zealand high-country farmers. Starting off as farm manager at Molesworth in 2001, Ward has faced and overcome countless challenges to ensure the station remains economically viable through a blend of pastoral farming, conservation, and recreation values - all under the microscope of the public eye. Wheeler has worked hard to bridge the gap between environmental stewardship and agricultural productivity, shaping and improving the farm management tool Overseer. Dynes, a Principal Scientist and Farmer Engagement Specialist in AgResearch, has had a highly regarded science career focused on farming systems at the interface between forage science and animal science. Southland farmer Grant Lightfoot is a finalist for the Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award after creating edible and biodegradable bale netting made from jute. It's an environment-friendly alternative to plastic netting, which isn't recyclable and is often ingested by livestock. The two other contenders in this category are Chia Sisters, who produce a gut health-supporting drink from a golden kiwifruit probiotic, kawakawa and hail-damaged cherries, and New Image International, which exports health and beauty products to millions of people around the world. The full list of 2025 Primary Industries NZ Award finalists is: Emerging Leader Award (sponsor Lincoln University) Bridie Virbickas, Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty Sharemilker Chair Imogen Brankin, On-Farm Sustainability Advisor, Silver Fern Farms Kazi Talaska, General Manager, Onions NZ Lucy Brown, The Whole Story Champion Award (sponsor BASF) David Wheeler, Senior Scientist, AgResearch James (Jim) Ward, Manager Molesworth Station Dr Robyn Dynes, Principal scientist and farmer engagement specialist, AgResearch Team & Collaboration Award (sponsor Overseer) nProve for Beef - online genetics tool, Beef + Lamb New Zealand Food System Integrity Team, AgResearch, led by Dr Gale Brightwell An open data sharing ecosystem: Fonterra, Ballance, Ravensdown, and LIC. Technology Innovation Award (sponsor AsureQuality Kaitiaki Kai) TEO for Ovitage®, the world's most complete collagen FAR for Combine Workshops - increasing productivity on arable farms Alliance Group NZ for Meat Eating Quality (MEQ) technology Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award (sponsor Kotahi) Chia Sisters Kiwi Econet - founder, Grant Lightfoot New Image International Guardianship & Conservation/Kaitiakitanga Award (sponsor Rabobank) Pāua Dashboard - Pāua Industry Council The eDNA for water quality Team - led by Dr Adrian Cookson Pacificvet, co-founder Kent Deitemeyer Rural Hero of the Year (sponsor Fern Energy) Chris Allen (posthumous) Neil Bateup, Founder, Rural Support Trust Ian Jury, Taranaki grassroots good sort Winner to be announced on the night
