I was listening to Kim Hills interview with Professor Rangi Matamua on Radio New Zealand (RNZ interview) and was fascinated to hear about which foods were chosen for the Matariki feast and why. The primary focus of Matariki in Aotearoa is to celebrate our environment and how it sustains us. Tohunga (experts) marked the rise of the Matariki cluster with a hautapu (food offering) ceremony). This year the ceremony will be live-streamed from the Wellington Waterfront on http://matariki.net.nz/ or most major broadcasters.
Before the rising of Matariki special food is taken from the gardens, forests, rivers and ocean and is cooked in an earth oven. This oven is uncovered and the steam of the food rises into the sky to feed Matariki (Matariki Handbook – TWOA). The stars Waitī and Waitā represent fresh and ocean water food and sources and the kai (food) often chosen to represent these stars, tuna (eel) for fresh water, tīti (mutton birds) or ika (fish) for ocean. Tupuānuku is usually represented by kumara and Tupuārangi is represented by manu (birds) such as heihei (chicken).
Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start!
Jason Collins – first openly gay athlete in U.S. pro sports.
It has been definitely difficult celebrating Pride Week, with Covid looming it’s ugly head and so many events being cancelled. So, with that in mind, how can we celebrate this fantastic time?
Well, the good news is there is still some events happening that are free to join, and a list of fantastic ideas to participate!
Pride Events in Christchurch
Queer Picnic!!
Feel like joining a picnic and meeting other beautiful people? Why not attend the Christchurch Queer Picnic event, happening this Sunday 27th March from 12:00 – 15:00!
It is a BYO picnic fundraiser ( no alcohol allowed) that has a bunch of music, games and activities. Lunar Park Photography is also providing free photoshoots, with copies available to purchase.
Form Gallery is holding a brilliant group show in conjunction with Christchurch Pride week throughout March. These colourful artworks feature a variety of glass and ceramic works by: John Parker, Katie Gold, Chris Jones, Dominic Burrell, Lukeke Design and Graeme Hitchcock! Come and have a look at their gorgeous creations!
If you are keen on celebrating, but don’t know much about the pride movement, why not take some time to learn more about it? Try and get a good understanding about the reasons behind it, how it came to be and why it matters. Even if you have been supporting and celebrating Pride for years, there is always something new to learn!
You could also learn about the challenges the LGBTQIA+ community face. Have a read about the 1969 Stonewall riots and the story behind it; or look at LGBTQIA+ in Aotearoa.
4.Donate or Volunteer to Causes
You don’t have to appear in every event and parade to show your support. You can also lend your support by volunteering your time or donating to events, gay rights movements and other active communities across Christchurch.
Christchurch Pride and other groups such as RainbowYouthcreate fundraisers and events that need volunteering and donations to support them. You might be able to volunteer your time or knowledge, or give a monthly or one-off donation that helps support LGBTQIA and issues that affect the communities.
5. Host a Pridethemed bake-off/cook-off
Bake-offs and cook-offs are a super fun way to celebrating Pride – especially for foodies!
Pick a selection of baking and cookbooks that have been authored by LGBTQIA+ creators and choose a recipes to recreate. Challenge whānau and friends to do the same – then get together and decide who cooked it best!
6. Buy from the LGBTQIA+ community
If you can’t make any Pride events, or ae unable to volunteer, buying from artists/creators in the LGBTQIA+ community is a fantastic way to show your care and support. Buy a T-shirt, print, or something else from a queer artist whose work you have fallen in love with. If you can’t do that now, make a point to follow 10 new-to-you queer artists this month.
Other ways you can support them, is to share their social media pages and websites. That way, your friends and whānau can find something new and the artist/creators get new followers etc. A win win for everybody!
7. Make a new friend
Make a new queer friend, either in person or online. Check out out Pride Pen Pals and Sage Table to help get started.
8. create a Pride music list
Create or follow a Pride playlist and blast to your heart’s content (while respecting flatmates, neighbours and fellow students of course).
Some suggestions:
Orville Peck, Shamir, Young MA, Elton John, t.A. T.u., Hayley Kiyoko, Ricky Martin, Arca, Johnny Mathis, Kim Petras, Rufus Wainwright, Christine and the Queens, Le1f, Big Freedia, Antony, Mykki Blanco. Arthur Russell and Syd.
If you want to simply listen, check out the music lists below:
6 hours worth of fantastic listening!
9.Make a zine
This guide by Sarah Luby Burke ‘ Make a zine‘ is a great way to start your Zine collection and obsession! Use it to tell about your own experiences, someone else’s, or some other connection to LGBTQIA+….or simply create what you want for fun! If you love it a bunch, you can submit a copy to the Christchurch City Libraries’ Zine collection.
10.Show your pride support through gaming
If you are an ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ player, you can bring Pride to your island – there is tons of codes for custom Pride clothes and other great ideas on Reddit! Also keep an eye out for Roblox pride flags and codes, Minecraft, Fortnite, Sims Social, Apex Legends and Overwatch codes/other specialty items online and within the Reddit community.
11. Watch themed Ted Talks in support of LGBTQIA+ speakers
Ted Talks have produced some fantastic videos on inclusivity, as well as personal stories and experiences.
The playlist ‘Love is love’ is a great starting point, and share personal talks and stories of love and commitment in the LGBTQ community.
12. Change your zoom background
Change your zoom background to show your support! Find your own image or use the one below to spice up your zoom calls.
13: Finally; Do something that you consider queer every single day
Wear a pin representing LGBTQIA+ or your current role models, dance to an LGBTQIA+ song, write a poem like “Exodus” or a creative story write whatever you want, gaze at the moon, defy the gender binary in one small way (even just a hairclip), tell your fellow queers how much they mean to you, or do something especially for yourself. Share what you have learned, or find other unique ways to support the LGBTQIA+ community. Whatever meaning you find in queerness, it means a lot to all of the queer community too.
Now go forth and conquer for all of us, you fantastic being!
I have just returned from a trip to the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park at the top of the South Island. While there I was lucky to encounter a rare Takahe in the wild.
A wild Takahe at Kahurangi National Park
The Takahe is a New Zealand native bird and it is one of the rarest birds in the world with just over 300 individuals left. Considered extinct until 1948 a small remnant population was found in the Murchison Range near Te Anau. They have been successfully breed in captivity since then and most of the remaining birds are on offshore predator free islands.
Takahe were once widespread throughout New Zealand
In 2018 the Department of Conservation decided to reintroduce a small population of Takahe back into Kahurangi National Park. This was an old habitat and it was hoped this would provide another safe refuge for the birds to live wild.
Takahe are herbivores who eat grasses and tender shoots…
There are currently about 30 birds in the park with most living on and around the Gouland and MacKay Downs right in the centre of the park. This is an area of rolling hills, stunted forest and and tussockland 900 meters above sea level.
Saxon Hut, Gouland Downs, Kahurangi NP
The Takahe are often seen around two backcountry huts on the Downs as they like the grass planted around the buildings. I was privileged to see a Takahe at close range (less than 3 meters) as it came right up to the door of Saxon Hut where I was staying and spent over an hour in and around the hut site.
Takahe literally 2 meters from Saxon Hut
Several Takahe live near to the hut site…
If you have ever wanted to see one of these beautiful birds then you should go up to Kahurangi National Park and walk the Heaphy Track. Just about every person on the track with me had the opportunity to see these birds so encounters with them are not impossible.
Takahe are distantly related to Pukeko…
To learn more about Takahe check out the New Zealand Birds Online website.
Slogan of the early Labour movement in New Zealand
Some people will still be working but many of us will be able to spend time with family and friends. Labour Day activities include camping, tramping, walks, visits to the beach or your favorite park. You might make a weekend of it and head off to some exotic location around New Zealand…
Why not tramp to one of our iconic backcountry huts over Labour Weekend
As always in the age of Covid-19 make sure you are following the guidelines for spending time together. Wear your face covering as appropriate, wash your hands and stay home if you are feeling unwell.
From all the staff here at Ara Library we hope you have a happy and restful Labour Day.
As of yesterday, all librarians across New Zealand are staying at home. It’s an unusual and unprecedented situation. I’m sure that a lot of librarians can keep working from home and have some projects for their libraries to develop.
But I also think that there are plenty of librarians whose primary role is customer service and they might not have too many projects that they could work on while spending the following weeks in self-isolation. For them but also for many others including me it’s a great time to work on our self-development.
Developing new skills is something we know that we should be doing. However, in our busy day-to-day library duties there is often not enough time to do so.
I’m bringing you a few tips on MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), with regard to which content could be useful in your library job. You might find that some of the courses below are not suited for your particular library role, but I don’t intend to provide an exhaustive list of the massive online open courses suitable for a librarian. I’d like you to get inspired to use the following weeks in a productive and positive way.
In this course you’ll learn how to learn. Learning and memory techniques, dealing with procrastination and many more. The course provides a good foundation for your future studies.
Each library would benefit from having its own website or a blog. In this course you’ll learn how to do that in a way that is best suited for your needs. Not many MOOC are project-centered so take this opportunity while you can!
The course is focused on the problem of copyright in U.S. libraries. Even though it’s about U.S. copyright, it’s highly valuable as many sites like Wikipedia follows U.S. copyright law.
This is an education course provided by Google. You can learn how to improve your Google search skills and how to become a more effective and faster fact finder. What else could be more essential in the Time of Google?
There is barely a more versatile and valuable skill than mastering Excel. Once you become an expert in Excel, you’ll be a valuable workmate in any office. The course is focused on its business use but what’s useful for business can surely be used in the library environment too.
This is quite an essential MOOC for a variety of libraries. Explore methods of effective planning and its delivery. The course is provided by The University of Michigan.
The course provides an overview on how to design research, surveys, and interviews. You can also learn how to analyse data to better assess the local wants and needs of a public library community.
This is a slightly more specialized course for librarians who work with data. You’ll learn how to use Python, SQL, and statistics for your data-drive library solutions.
Being a student is about hard work, striving to attain your goals and being your best possible self. But all work and no fun is a sure fire way to burn yourself out…even the most conscientious student needs to take a little down time to recharge those batteries.
Hard work is good but the body also needs emotional nourishment…
To that end there are a number of different clubs at Ara which cater to different interests. From sports clubs, cultural clubs to groups for social get togethers there are groups for everyone.
One activity that is personally close to my heart is tramping. Tramping is the word we use in New Zealand to describe hiking/walking trips into the outdoors. A tramp could range from a couple of hours walking to monster 10+ day expeditions to remote Wilderness Areas. There is no better way to experience New Zealand’s legendary scenic delights that by walking there on your own two feet.
Classic New Zealand tramping: sand beaches, swing-bridges and bush….
…..and mountain and stream…
Here at Ara we actually have a student tramping club which caters to this interest. The Ara Tramping Club was set up in 2019 by a group of students and aims to assist both the novice and the experienced back country trekker to find experience and companionship while outdoors.
Article about the Ara Tramping Club in the Feb/Mar edition of Waha Korero
There is a long history of club tramping in this country and it is an excellent way to find people with a similar interest in the outdoors. It also allows you to access the skills and experience more seasoned trampers have and is the best way to begin your introduction to this most excellent pursuit.
Photos of a 2019 Ara Tramping Club trip to Woolshed Creek, Mt Somers
There is a recent article in the Ara student magazine, Waha Korero (February/March 2020) about the Ara Tramping Club. It is well worth a read if you are looking to join a club to get outdoors. They are actively seeking members (both experienced and inexperienced) and would love to hear from you.
Port William Hut, Rakuira, backcountry huts are the focus of tramping in New Zealand
You can contact the club via email at aratramping@gmail.com or on Facebook @AraTramping. The club also advertises their regular planning meetings around the Campus. If you are a student, love the forests and hills and want to experience the essence of New Zealand then you should drop them a line.
I hope to see many of you out in the backcountry…
….may your lunches be dry, your huts empty and your wood sheds full….
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the great influenza pandemic of 1918. Some have called it the greatest pandemic in human history.
Between 50 and 100 million people are thought to have died, representing as much as 5 percent of the world’s population. Half a billion people or roughly one-third of the world’s population at the time were infected. India was the worst affected country with between 12-17 million deaths.
The National Memorial to Influenza victims in Waikumete cemetery, Auckland
In New Zealand about 9000 people died from the pandemic with 2700 deaths attributed to Influenza in the last two weeks of November 1918 alone. By way of comparison, around 18,000 New Zealanders died during the five years of World War One. Maori were particularly badly affected with whole communities decimated by the virus.
Ambulance at Wellington Town Hall during the pandemic, NZHistory
Especially remarkable was the 1918 flu’s predilection for taking the lives of otherwise healthy young adults, as opposed to children and the elderly, who usually suffer most. Over 60% of those who died were aged between 20 and 45 years of age.
With up to half of every nations population sick with the flu society virtually ground to a halt. So many were sick that government, public services and business closed, and all forms of public gathering were suspended.
Interesting facts about the pandemic:
The 1918 flu pandemic has been a regular subject of speculation over the last century. Historians and scientists have advanced numerous hypotheses regarding its origin, spread and consequences and there is still little consensus about all these aspects of the disaster. Here are some of the known facts:
The pandemic did not originate in Spain
No one believes the so-called “Spanish flu” originated in Spain.
The pandemic likely acquired this nickname because of World War I, which was in full swing at the time. The major countries involved in the war were keen to avoid encouraging their enemies, so reports of the extent of the flu were suppressed in Germany, Austria, France, the United Kingdom and the U.S.
By contrast, neutral Spain had no need to keep the flu under wraps and reports of it were widely published. That created the false impression that Spain was the place of origin of the disease.
First mention of Spanish Flu in London newspaper
In fact, the geographic origin of the flu is debated to this day, though hypotheses have suggested East Asia, Europe and even Kansas. The most likely place of origin was in the massive military camps set up in Kansas, to train US servicemen for action in the First World War. The pandemic spread to Europe with those servicemen and thence to the rest of the world.
The pandemic was not a ‘super-virus’
The 1918 flu spread rapidly, killing 25 million people in just three months from October to December of 1918. This led some to fear the end of mankind, and has long fueled the supposition that the strain of influenza was particularly lethal.
However, more recent studies suggests that the virus itself, though more lethal than other strains, was not fundamentally different from those that caused epidemics in other years.
Much of the high death rate can be attributed to overcrowding; in the trenches of the Western Front, military camps and urban environments, as well as poor nutrition, health care provision and sanitation, which all suffered during wartime.
Very few people died directly from the Influenza. Instead, it’s now thought that many of the deaths were due to the development of bacterial pneumonia in lungs weakened by influenza.
There were three waves to the pandemic
The influenza pandemic of 1918 occurred in three waves; early in 1918, from October to December 1918 and early in 1919. The initial wave of deaths from influenza in the first half of 1918 was relatively low. The rate of death was similar to every other year as the flu is an annual visitor to most parts of the world.
It was in the second wave, from October through December of that year, that the highest death rates were observed. The peak month for deaths varied by country, in the United States 195 000 people died in the month of October alone. In New Zealand the peak was in mid to late November with a significant drop after the 23rd November 1918.
Map showing possible progression of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
A third wave of influenza in the spring of 1919 was more lethal than the first but less virulent than the second. This third wave tended to impact places like Australia, Africa and the remote islands in the Pacific who had escaped the worst of the two preceding waves.
Scientists now believe that the marked increase in deaths in the second wave was caused by a genetic mutation of the parent virus cultured within and then transmitted by the millions of soldiers on both sides of the war in Europe. Having so many people in a confined space is a well-known vector for communicable disease.
The majority of those who caught the influenza survived
The vast majority of those people who contracted the 1918 flu survived. National death rates among the infected generally did not exceed 20 percent.
However, death rates varied among different groups. Death rates were particularly high among indigenous communities in the U.S, Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. This is perhaps due to lower rates of exposure to past strains of influenza. In some cases entire indigenous communities were wiped out.
Of course, even a 20 percent death rate vastly exceeds a typical flu outbreak, which kills less than one percent of those infected.
Medicines of the day had little impact on the disease
No specific anti-viral therapies were available during the 1918 flu. Various sprays, inhalations, potions and masks were used to stop transmission of the virus but they were ineffective. That’s still largely true today, where most medical care for the flu aims to support patients recovery, rather than cure them.
Even 100 years later there is still no guaranteed vaccine to protect you from the flu!
An influenza medicine depot in Christchurch for “poor” people. Taken by an unknown photographer 4 December 1918. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library Ref: 1/1-008542-G.
One hypothesis suggests that many flu deaths could actually be attributed to aspirin poisoning. Medical authorities at the time recommended large doses of aspirin of up to 30 grams per day. Today, about four grams would be considered the maximum safe daily dose. Large doses of aspirin can lead to many of the pandemic’s symptoms including; fever, breathing difficulties, nausea, extreme headache and internal bleeding.
However, death rates seem to have been equally high in places in the world where aspirin was not so readily available, so the evidence is inconclusive.
6. The impact of the Influenza
Because the influenza affected younger people there were many more orphans and widowed parents than at any previous time. In New Zealand over 1300 families lost one, and 134 families lost both parents to the flu. This impacted on society for decades to come as the government, churches and individuals filled the gaps. Most families would have known someone who fell victim to the pandemic.
A positive outcome of the Influenza was better health care, disaster planning and urban renewal throughout the world. In New Zealand the Health Act of 1921 and various local ordinances directly resulted in changes to how the country looked at poverty. There were significant changes to housing and health care provision for societies most needy. This would never have happened without the 1918 Influenza.
1918 was the final year of war, but it was also among the most costly.
Bruce Hickinbotton
Bruce Hickenbottom was remembered at the Technical College for his portrayal of Father Christmas in a fundraising entertainment. He died on April 23, 1918.
Nesslea Jarman was killed in action on August 25, 1918. His older brother, Frank, had been killed at Gallipoli in 1916.
Nesslea Jarman
Duncan Rutherford
Duncan Rutherford was a prominent member of the Students’ Association. With his friends Don Smith and Fred Twyford, he would perform comic musical numbers at entertainments. He was also a member of the Debating Society. Duncan was killed in action on August 22, 1918. His old friend, Don Smith, was able to attend his burial.
Gordon Seay, who was known as a keen and successful sportsman at College, worked as a clerk for the National Mortgage and Agency Company. On joining the army he was made a Paymaster-Sergeant, but on arriving in France he reverted to the ranks at his own request. He was killed in action on May 9, 1918.
Gordon Seay
Joseph Thomas was reported wounded and missing in October, 1918. His death was finally confirmed at a court of enquiry held in January, 1919. He left a widow, Elfrieda – they had been married for less than six months.
Frank Cummins
Charles Horwell
Cecil Kircher
Charles Mackintosh
William Otley
Frank Cummins, Charles Horwell, Cecil Kircher, Fred Lees, William Leighton, George Lewis, Charles Mackintosh, William Miller, William Otley, Percy Saville, and Leonard Tobeck were also killed in 1918.
The First World War ended, officially, at 11.11am, on the 11th of November, 1918. New Zealand had lost more than 18,000 men and women, and thousands more had returned broken in body and mind. Every April, we remember them, and those from other conflicts.
Next time you’re passing through the Rakaia Centre, take a moment to read the honours board there.
October 1917 saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war, at the height of the Battle of Passchendaele. New Zealand troops were heavily involved in this battle.
Percy Clark was a prominent member of the Students’ Association, rising to be Vice President in 1913. He was a member of the debating society, but this may not have been his best skill: “Mr. P. Clark for the negative put himself at a disadvantage by reading his speech, and his remarks were occasionally beside the point.” (CTC Review, Nov. 1913). He became a manual training teacher in Invercargill, before joining the army.
He was mentioned in dispatches by Sir Douglas Haig, commander of the Allied Forces:
“For conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in the Boutillerie Sector on 10th December 1916. During a German raid he mounted his gun on the parapet and kept his gun in action under heavy shell fire, the Lewis Gun for this part of the line having been put out of action, and was chiefly instrumental in defeating the raid. This Non Commissioned Officer previously did excellent work on the Somme.” – London Gazette, 1 June 1917, p. 5430
Percy was killed in action on October 11, 1917.
William Esselborn studied plumbing in the Evening School. He was the subject of what seems to have been a lengthy military enquiry in July 1917, after he sprained his ankle in the trenches. It was eventually concluded that this was the result of an accident and not through any deliberate action on William’s part. He was killed in action on October 4, 1917
Murdock MacLeod “was one of the first, and perhaps the most able of the students we have had in the building department” (Review, 1917). He became an architect, and worked for Samuel Hurst Seager in Christchurch. Murdock died on October 13, 1917, from wounds received in action. He left a widow, Minnie.
Thomas Dixon
Thomas Dixon was described in the Review as “one of the ablest wood-working boys we have had” – and as having the dubious honour of having been known to his classmates as ‘little Dickie’. He was killed in action on October 12, 1917.
Robert Allan
Robert Allan studied Agriculture, travelling to the Technical College each day from Waikari in North Canterbury (probably by train). He worked on his family’s farm until he joined the army. Robert died on October 17, 1917, from wounds received the same day.
Harold Burnett
George Allard
George Allard, Fred Brown, Harold Burnett, John Hanna and Ralph Restall also died during October, 1917.
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