Latest news with #pan-Pacific
1News
6 days ago
- Business
- 1News
National Music Centre taking shape beneath Wellington Town Hall
Work on the Wellington Town Hall's $329 million redevelopment continues, with the new National Music Centre under construction in the building's basement. Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith announced an additional $2 million funding injection for the National Music Centre in the Budget last month and toured the site alongside media on Tuesday. "We're very delighted that the works, obviously as you can see, are underway," said Goldsmith. "There's been real pressure around the overall funding, so this extra two million dollars will help get this project over the line." Once completed, the centre would house recording studios, rehearsal spaces, a video production suite, and high-end audio facilities. ADVERTISEMENT The Town Hall had been closed since being deemed earthquake prone in 2013. Construction underway at Wellington Town Hall. (Source: 1News) New Zealand Symphony Orchestra chief executive Marc Feldman called the development of the National Music Centre a game-changer. "I'm smiling, just imagining what the opening of this place is going to be in 18 months. I would even say that on an international level, this really puts us on the map." The NZSO has already attracted high-profile film projects, including The Lord of the Rings and Minecraft. Orchestra lead Carmel Walsh said the new centre would support more international productions and expand revenue streams. A concept of the Fale Malae on Wellington's waterfront. (Source: Supplied) ADVERTISEMENT However, the advancement of the Music Centre came at a cost to other cultural projects. One of the hardest hit was the Fale Malae, a proposed pan-Pacific cultural and community centre on the Wellington waterfront. Originally allocated $6.6 million, the Fale Malae project has had most of its funding re-prioritised after spending only $2.7 million from its 2020 budget. "They just weren't ready yet to actually spend the money," Goldsmith said. "When the business case and consents are ready, then we can revisit the funding of the whare." Fale Malae Trust chairperson Adrian Orr said trustees were actively exploring various funding sources, including donors willing to support the project.
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Senior standout Josh Bey helps lead Hinsdale Central swimmers to glory
The loaded Hinsdale Central High School boys' swimming team will be well represented at next weekend's state meet with state qualifiers in all 12 events, as they vie for another team championship. One of their senior standouts, Josh Bey, is chasing more history at that meet and beyond. "From a young age, I loved being in the water. Like, I had a passion for being in the water," said Bey. "Every time I was in the water, I'd be having the time of my life." This is a good thing, since Bey spends a good chunk of his life in the water. The Indiana commit is one of the top high school swimmers in the country. "Josh has a lot of internal drive. I think he's known that he can do things that not everybody can, and sometimes that gets in people's ways. Josh has been able to navigate the success to still have very large goals," said Hindsale Central swimming coach Robert Barber. "He's not only helped himself be successful and improve, he's definitely helped our program be successful." At last year's state meet, Bey set state records in the 200 Individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke — his premiere event — and was part of a pair of winning relay teams that helped Hinsdale Central capture not only their second straight team title, but also put them among the best high school teams in the entire country. "These guys are motivated to try and do things I've never even tried to do as a coach. This is my 25th year. They're talking about being competitive with the best ever, national records, three-peat on a state title," said Barber. "You need a lot more than one guy. Josh is definitely a leader that group, but I think that there are about four or five guys we lean on very heavily." Hinsdale Central swimmer Henry Guo emphasized just how monumental the team's achievements and goals have been. "It gives me great confidence to swim on this team. It's so unique. We're contending for the number one team in the country right now," said Guo. "Especially considering it's a public school, right? Really like a once in maybe a decade moment for us." Bey nearly had a once in at least every four years moment last summer. At the U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, he made the finals in the 200 breaststroke, finishing as the top junior in that event. "I was in the top eight that actually ended up competing for the Olympic spot. That was one of the. by far, scariest experiences of my life. These guys, you know, tower over me. They're twice the size of me. I actually had a very good swim, and I was able to punch my ticket to go to Australia with the junior pan-Pacific teams," Bey said, "and so hopefully come 2028, I can represent the USA at the LA Games." Bey has won state championships, set records, and competed internationally and at the U.S. Olympic swim trials. But when asked what his greatest accomplishment is, he pointed to something else. "One part of me wants to say like all the achievements I've made inside the pool," Bey said. "But I think my greatest accomplishment is the discipline which I've established in myself outside of the pool." It is that discipline and drive that should have Bey and the Hinsdale Central Red Devils adding a few more records to the big board before they're done.
