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RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Heritage-listed library's future threatened by funding cut
The rimu-panelled library is open for two hours, three times per week, as well as monthly Sunday afternoons. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon The future of Tai Tapu's heritage-listed library is in jeopardy because of a council funding cut. The distinctive red stone library was built next to St Paul's Anglican Church in Canterbury's Selwyn district in 1932 on land donated by politician and philanthropist Sir Heaton Rhodes, largely funded by the sale of daffodil bulbs by Otahuna Lodge's head gardener. Library committee members said they were hit by a "bombshell" Selwyn District Council letter last October, outlining plans to stop funding building and grounds maintenance and repairs from 30 June because it was "endeavouring to apply a more consistent approach across the externally owned facilities it supports". The letter left volunteers facing an annual bill of more than $13,000 to keep the library open. In the months that followed, committee members said they grew increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with council responses to their concerns, culminating in a letter to Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton in May. They told Broughton the building should not be classified as "externally owned", asserting the decision was made without consultation and an apparent disregard for the building's significance. "What seems to lie at the heart of the matter is the council policy decision that the library is an externally owned facility. Instead, it has always been a community library for the ratepayers of Tai Tapu and well supported by the council of the time," the letter said. "Council has suggested that the way ahead will depend on funding applications. That being the case, we do not see a future for the library especially regarding insurance and the maintenance of a Heritage New Zealand historic site." The rimu-panelled library is open for two hours, three times per week, as well as monthly Sunday afternoons. The category-one historic place is also a popular setting for wedding photographers and admired by visitors and tourists. The library is owned by an incorporated society established by Sir Heaton - Tai Tapu Library Incorporated - with a constitution that states ownership will be vested in the council if the society dissolves. The committee has just over $16,000 in special library funds available from the former Paparua County Council. Tai Tapu library chairperson Maurice Sinclair said he doubted volunteers would be able to win grants or fundraise for expenses like insurance and rates after the money ran out. "We would have to have someone spending quite a lot of time charging around talking to people and so on. We just haven't got those sort of people on our committee," he said. Broughton met committee members in June to discuss the library's future but declined to be interviewed by RNZ, saying it was an "operational" matter. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Selwyn Council head of operational delivery Gareth Morgan said the council could not continue funding a "privately-owned" building. "Tai Tapu library was a surprise to some people in council. Some ex-council officers made a decision in 2020 to fund the maintenance. There was a council restructure in 2022 that identified that this had been taking place and the instruction was to work with the library to cease that arrangement," he said. "We've had staff working with the library since 2022 and working with them closely in trying to step through a process of getting them to prepare for their future and to stand alone. We have worked with them and we're happy to continue to support them. "We recognise its heritage status, we recognise it's a fantastic building and we'll do what we can to support them to survive." The committee disputed Morgan's claims, saying council staff had not worked with the library to prepare for its future over the last three years, let alone closely. The council spent $13,500 on the library in the past financial year and had pledged to cover its insurance until June 2027, although discussions about a rates subsidy and future insurance cover were ongoing. The council said bulk book loans from Lincoln library would continue for the time being and the committee was encouraged to apply for community and lottery grants, heritage funding and make a long term plan submission. The council drafted an agreement to formalise arrangements with the library in 2017, although it was never signed. It stated that Tai Tapu library was an important community asset that needed ratepayer funding to ensure it was maintained in perpetuity and the council would fund "insurance and other associated outgoings". The committee said a 2019 memorandum of understanding expired without explanation in 2022 despite repeated requests for its renewal, with members instead assured existing arrangements would continue. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Sir Heaton and his wife Jessie donated money from bulb sales and flower show prize winnings to help fund the library after establishing the country's pre-eminent daffodil collection in the 1920s. According to Heritage New Zealand, then-Governor-General Charles Bathurst remarked at the library's opening: "I have never before heard of flowers being converted by realisation into a home for the flowers of literature - it is a most ingenious and delightful idea." In last October's "letter of intent", the council said it intended to transfer the library's special funds to the society so committee members could make their own financial decisions. "Going forward, we appreciate the heritage status of the building and its importance to the community and we will provide information to assist you with exploring alternative funding," the letter said. Otahuna Lodge. Photo: Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-Selwyn-P4231583 In correspondence that followed, the committee expressed scepticism about the council's approach and said any notion the library was owned by the people of Tai Tapu had no legal validity. "We see this as a 'one size fits all' policy which conveniently ignores the value of Tai Tapu library to the council," the letter said. "In our constitution, the council is named as the future owner should the incorporated society status come to an end. The home page for Selwyn Libraries lists Tai Tapu as a community library which may be accessed by all members of Selwyn Libraries. "With due respect, we request the opportunity for consultation on a policy which places the future of Tai Tapu library in jeopardy." In April the council offered to provide building and grounds maintenance, window cleaning, internet access and insurance until June 2027, although the money would come from the library's special funds - money the committee estimated would run out a year earlier. Springs ward councillor Grant Miller said it would be exceptionally sad if the library closed and urged the council to be pragmatic. "The community is ratepayers, that's who we are, so whether it's the Selwyn District Council's name on the title or whether it's the library [society], that's semantics. The reality is, it's a community asset. The council should be looking after it," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Guardian
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
To buy or not to buy? $2m Shakespeare folio headlines literary treasures on sale at Melbourne's rare book fair
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a bibliophile in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a 1894 deluxe edition of Pride and Prejudice. The first fully illustrated edition, adorned with Hugh Thomson's pen and ink drawings and printed on fine China paper, is expected to sell for A$15,000 (£7,300) at Melbourne's rare book fair this week. The edition reflects the late 19th-century renaissance of Jane Austen's reputation after her books spent decades out of print. Bound by the famed Riviere bindery, it exemplifies the collision of literary legacy and exquisite craftsmanship, according to its dealer, Pom Harrington. 'Austen had been neglected for nearly 50 years,' he says. 'Then this comes out, illustrated by one of the best of the time, Hugh Thomson [also renowned for his illustrations of Dickens novels]. It was clearly done as a luxury item.' Fewer than a dozen survive in good condition. Yet the true star of this year's fair is a rarity of a different order: a Shakespeare third folio, printed in 1664. Once owned by the astronomer and MP Charles Shuckburgh, the volume is bound in 18th-century leather and carries a $2m price tag. It is among a handful that escaped destruction in the Great Fire of London in 1666, which ravaged the St Paul's district where most of the city's publishing houses were clustered. The folio was the first to include Pericles, Prince of Tyre, and its scarcity is legend. The Shakespeare folio headlines a compelling constellation of literary relics on offer at the annual rare book fair at the University of Melbourne, and this year dealers from around the world will congregate in Australia for the first time for the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) symposium. The symposium, held at the Wheeler Centre, will explore contemporary challenges in the global trade of rare books and cultural property. Experts gather to discuss provenance, border restrictions and dramatic cases of literary theft, including the heist near Heathrow airport in 2017 in which £2m worth of rare books were stolen in a Mission: Impossible style operation. They were later recovered buried beneath a farmhouse in Romania. Beyond Shakespeare and Austen, the fair's exhibits span cultures, genres and centuries. One exceptionally intriguing item is an 1850 handkerchief covered in thousands of miniature Chinese characters. It is an exquisite hand-inked cheat sheet that would have been smuggled into the Imperial Chinese examination, the highly competitive written test young scholars were required to pass to enter the Qing dynasty bureaucracy. Described by Harrington as 'entirely handwritten with just mind-blowing craftsmanship', it is priced at $17,500. Another intriguing artefact is a copy of what is believed to be the first English-language sex manual. Dated 1695, Aristotle's Masterpiece (not written by Aristotle) appears to be a curious 17th-century hybrid of The Joy of Sex and What to Expect When You're Expecting. This copy includes copious candid notes written in the margins by the book's husband and wife owners, Winifred and Francis. The couple appeared to be preoccupied with the words 'copulation' and 'seed' and seemed to be worried sick about giving birth to a baby with a 'monstrous' deformity; Winifred would later die in childbirth. With only one other annotated copy known to exist, it is going in Melbourne for $35,000. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning David Samwell's A Narrative of the Death of Captain Cook, printed in 1786, carries an asking price 10 times as high. The eyewitness account – Samwell served as Cook's surgeon on his third and final voyage of exploration – apportions blame to members of Cook's crew for failing to prevent his death during a confrontation with Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay in 1779. Samwell's scathing assessment of the way some of his crew treated their island hosts leading up to Cook's death never made it into the official narrative received in England. Only five copies, including this one, have made it to auction in the past five decades and it is expected to attract significant interest among global collectors of Cook memorabilia as well as museums and libraries, at the princely price tag of $350,000. The bookbinders Sangorski & Sutcliffe have gone down in history as the company that lost what was believed to be the most lavishly bejewelled book in modern history. More than 1,000 rubies, topazes and emeralds decorating a volume of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám went down with the Titanic in 1912. More than two decades later, the bookbinders recreated the extravagant folly – only to see it incinerated by German bombers during the London blitz. But for lovers of book bling, a more modestly bedazzled Sangorski manuscript of Rudyard Kipling's If – one of Britain's most beloved poems – will be selling for $150,000. A classic that only narrowly escaped its own incineration is a signed first edition of DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover in its original plain cream dust jacket, self-published by the author. It is number 336 of just 1,000 Lawrences printed in Florence and distributed to private collectors. Dawn Albinger, a Melbourne book dealer, describes the copy as a beautiful first edition of one of the 20th century's most important books exploring desire and sexual awakening. 'It was of course a banned book for many years, so many were seized and destroyed,' she says. 'It's a miracle this one survived.' The grand folios and glittering first editions will draw their share of headlines, but for those with a taste for the prosaic, Tim White, owner of Melbourne' s Books for Cooks, has what he reckons are two must-haves for any foodie's library. An 1861 first edition of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, a hefty Victorian tome that was a domestic bible for generations, is on sale for $2,000. It's not the priciest item, but its cultural legacy looms large, packed with recipes, etiquette and advice for the 'mistress of the house'. More of a curiosity is a 1940s hand-mimeographed booklet of jungle cookery compiled by American missionaries working in Peru. For anyone needing advice on how to prepare monkey stew or capybara casserole, Jungle Cooking by Mary Baker is the kind of oddity that leaves a lasting impression – a bewildering snapshot of cultural improvisation. 'Most exhibitors will have at least one thing that's truly rare or strange,' White says. 'They may not always be expensive, but they'll be beautiful, eclectic, or tell stories you didn't know you needed to hear.' The Melbourne Rare Book Fair is open from Thursday to Saturday this week at the University of Melbourne's Wilson Hall
The Independent
10-07-2025
- The Independent
Murder charge dismissed against Cartell Williams
The case against one of three men charged with murdering a teenager who was stabbed to death in a park has been dismissed. Cartell Williams, 28, was one of three people facing trial over the death of Eddie King Muthemba Kinuthia. The 19-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds in an incident in Grosvenor Road Triangle Park in St Pauls, Bristol, on July 21 2023. The murder charge against Williams was dismissed at a hearing at Bristol Crown Court earlier this week. He continues to serve a prison term for other offences. Zachariah Talbert Young, 27, of Easton, and Paul Elijah Hayden, 21, of Hanham, both Bristol, face trial later this year, accused of murder. A third defendant, Remi Hitchcock, 30, of Easton, also faces trial accused of assisting an offender in relation to the death of Mr Kinuthia. Talbert Young and Hayden are also accused of the attempted murder of a man in his late teens who was found with stab wounds at the junction of Easton Road and Easton Way in Bristol on February 2 2024. The trial is due to begin on October 6 and is expected to last up to six weeks.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- BBC News
Bristol rape victim urges others to come forward after attacker jailed
A woman who was raped has said she wants other victims to know "they've got nothing to be ashamed of", after her attacker was jailed for 12 Saatchi was aged 21 and a student nurse when she was attacked by her downstairs neighbour David Watson-Williams in the St Paul's area of Bristol in Saatchi decided to report the attack 20 years later, in 2023, and has now waived her right to anonymity because she wants people to know that allegations of rape will be taken seriously by Avon and Somerset to BBC Bristol, she said: "I feel like I've done the right thing, not just by myself, but for society, to remove this man from society because he is a danger." Ms Saatchi had been living in a semi-derelict block of flats at the time of the attack, in which she and Watson-Williams were the only occupants, with all the other apartments boarded now 43, waited for Ms Saatchi to fall asleep after a night out before breaking into her home and attacking realised afterwards that due to her hardwood floors, he would have been able to track her footsteps around the flat and would have known when she was asleep from the lack of the attack, she pretended to be asleep, fearing what he might do to her if she tried to fight him off. Ms Saatchi tried to carry on and forget what had happened, but finally decided to report the attack 20 years later after feeling a "responsibility" to see Watson-Williams brought to said that from the moment she reported the incident she was believed and supported by officers from Avon and Somerset Police's Project Blue Stone team, which focus on sexual officer PC Chris Quick supported her throughout the process, she said."I didn't really have to do anything more than report it with the details that I had and then he took it from there," Ms Saatchi said. At no point was she asked about how much she had drunk or what she had been wearing, she said."(PC Quick) said you can even walk down the road completely naked and that the difference between a rapist and a normal member of society is a normal member of society would wrap you in a towel, ring an ambulance or bring a family member to come and collect you and keep you safe," she said."A rapist would take advantage of that situation but it doesn't matter what you're wearing, how much you think you've had to drink, no one has the right to attack you in that way."Ms Saatchi added: "That's what I really want people to know. Lots of people probably haven't reported rape because they've been drunk, so they feel a sense of shame."I didn't walk into my flat and rape myself, I've got nothing to be ashamed of." 'Important message' Watson-Williams, of Stanfield Close in Lockleaze, Bristol, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, with an extended licence period of three Quick said: "The sentence reflects the seriousness of what happened to her. She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years."We hope this conviction sends out an important message – any acts of violence will never be tolerated, and every victim deserves to be heard and supported, no matter how long ago the attack took place." If you have been affected by the topics raised in this story, support is available by visiting the BBC Action Line
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
What really happened inside Mel B's low key celebrity-filled wedding reception from a tube ride to St Paul's and a boozy party bus to a VERY cute ring bearer
Despite her iconic party girl image, Mel B 's nuptials to hair stylist Rory Mcphee was a low-key affair, with guests said to have headed home at 7pm. But Celebrity Big Brother star Angellica Bell has given a glimpse into what really went on, from a tube ride to St Paul's to a boozy party bus. The day kicked off with a ceremony held at the iconic St Paul's cathedral, with many guests making their way there on the London Underground 's boiling hot Central line. Among the celebs on the guest list for the star-studded wedding were Mel B's fellow Spice Girl Emma Bunton and comedians Alan Carr, Katherine Ryan and Tom Allen. And her beloved Yorkshire Terrier pup Cookie served a very important role at the nuptials as the ring bearer. After the ceremony, guests jumped onto a boozy party bus to take them to the lavish Shangri-La hotel at The Shard. The champagne was flowing as the wedding reception kicked off and Mel B's pals danced the night away, with Angellica sharing a clip of the moment she tossed her bouquet into the crowd. Angellica captioned the clip: 'A joyous occasion celebrating the marriage of @melb and @rorymcphee - thank you for letting us share the day with you. ❤️ 'Shout out to London Transport for getting us to @stpaulscathedrallondon .....(laughed with passengers on the central line)....the guys who ran the party bus, the fantastic hospitality @shangrilalondon and of course Cookie the Ring Bearer who was too cute!' The Spice Girl, 50, who has previously boasted of late night booze-fuelled sex and taking cocaine six times a day, held her third nuptials in London – tying the knot with hairstylist Rory McPhee, 37. But after the lavish ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral, including a horse and carriage, she took pals and family to a bar at The Shard skyscraper for a bash which many expected to rage well into the early hours. The wedding party arrived at the reception at 4.30pm, however most of Mel's guests had headed for home by 7pm, with many having already changed into casual clothing following just over two hours of socialising. As one guest put it: 'I'd sort of thought for Scary Spice it would be a massive late night party with all the usual showbiz excess but it was the total opposite – it was actually rather low key. 'Perhaps she's grown up a lot in the last few years and settled down. It was all a long way from how she used to be.' Many guests made their way there on the London Underground's boiling hot Central line, with Angellica and Alan Carr travelling together The champagne was flowing as the wedding reception kicked off and Mel B's pals danced the night away (Emma Bunton seen with Angellica) After the ceremony, guests jumped onto a boozy party bus to take them to the lavish Shangri-La hotel at The Shard Mel's children, Phoenix, 26, and Angel, 18, spent much of the festivities stood outside the hotel entrance smoking rolled up cigarettes – with security even moving them away from the well-heeled venue to avoid upsetting other residents and visitors. The news of Mel's subdued celebrations comes after it was previously reported that she and her new husband were expected to throw a huge 'party in the sky' amid their £28,000 lavish celebrations at The Shard. At the Shangri-La venue inside the building, friends and family were expected to dance into the small hours as the 'party of the century' had been promised by the bride and groom. One source involved in the wedding said: 'It is going to be huge, the Shard is the most fantastic venue with unforgettable views so it will make for the most memorable event. 'It is conveniently close to St Paul's too, it's third time lucky for Mel so she is going to go all out and celebrate. 'The Shard says that brides and grooms can 'celebrate their special day in the clouds with enchanting London views, your special day will be as breathtaking as your love story' and that is exactly what Mel wants.' However, there's more celebrating to come for the happy couple as they're set to host a second wedding in Morocco, which has been described as 'informal and sexy'. The second nuptials will be offer her Spice Girls bandmates a second chance to attend her wedding celebrations after only Emma Bunton attended the big day at St Paul's Cathedral on Saturday. As one guest put it: 'I'd sort of thought for Scary Spice it would be a massive late night party with all the usual showbiz excess but it was the total opposite – it was actually rather low key' Mel C, 51, and Victoria Beckham, 51, both paid tribute to the bride and groom after they were forced to miss the wedding. However Geri Halliwell has so far failed to acknowledge the star-studded day. Geri will be given the chance to extend an olive branch to Mel if she attends the North African ceremony - which holds a significance for the girl band. In 2015, the Spice Girls had a mini reunion in Morocco when they jetted there to celebrate David Beckham 's 40th birthday. Sporty, Posh, Baby and Ginger looked in great spirits as they posed for snaps at the event - but ironically - this time Mel B was the only Spice Girl not in attendance. Instead, Eva Longoria filled in for Scary - joking 'I'm the new Spice Girl! #LatinaSpice'. Now, there will be chance to get a snap of the full lineup in Morocco if they attend Mel's second wedding in the summer - which she has described as 'more informal, sexy and beautiful '. Mel B told The Sun of her plans for a second wedding to Rory later this summer and said she'd already splashed out on a gown to wear. 'In one incredible afternoon I found two perfect dresses. One beautiful classic dress by Josephine Scott, a British designer, and one stunning dramatic dress by a US designer, Justin Alexander'. Guests including Alan Carr and Leigh Francis were quick to offer their congratulations, while fellow bandmate Geri remained silent. The pair have a tempestuous relationship and at times have struggled to be in the same room without there being animosity. Geri continued to snub Mel B on Sunday after her lavish wedding weekend - while the likes of Heidi Klum, Paloma Faith and Kerry Katona led the stars sending the Spice Girl congratulatory messages following the ceremony.
