YOUR RURAL LIFESTYLE MONTHLY HANDBOOK – VOL. 8, ISSUE 2, FEBRUARY 2013

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2 — Rural Living — February 2013

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Rural Living — February 2013 — 3

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When it comes to breeding race-horses, success is in Chitty family blood-stock and Mark Chitty, gen-eral manager of Haunui Farm, says results at the recent Karaka 2013 National Yearling Sales Series were once again most satisfying.

“This year was right up there. I don’t think we’ve ever averaged over $100,000 for our entire draft before, so, to sell 44 horses, averaging $106,000, was pretty special.

“We had some very nice horses, yearlings by some fashionable sires, and our horses have been having a reasonable run on the racetrack.”

Not bad for a company led by a man who called ‘whoa’ on riding as a child!

“I gave it up when I hit a tree after racing my sister up our driveway. That was it; I decided to keep both feet on the ground from then on!”

Although, as with racing, breeding involves chance, turning a long shot into a near-sure thing is possible, says Mark.

“You need a bit of luck. Without a doubt, there’s a gamble involved in breeding horses; you’re actually breeding an athlete, so there’s an ele-ment of the unknown.

“Fundamentally, we try to breed fast racehorses, and the two things that are absolutely vital are that they have the will to win and the ability to go through the pain barrier, but we can’t measure those.”

Drawing on experience from three generations, beginning with Mark’s grandparents who started the farm, Haunui looks to minimise risk.

“You breed the best with the best to get the best, dealing with a higher class of genetics and minimising wastage through sound management techniques,” says Mark.

“The management of our blood-stock and use of professionals such as veterinarians, pedigree advisors, and agents who give us independent assessments, all help to maximise the genetic potential of the stock we rear.”

Sorting future champions from also-rans takes a practised eye.

“There are a lot of variables to consider. It’s like trying to work out who amongst a classroom full of kids is going to be the fastest runner; you could easily end up being surprised!”

Horses that don’t make the grade can still provide results later on.

“Virtually all the horses that go through the sales will have the oppor-

tunity to race in some form or other,” Mark says.

“And ‘mum’ doesn’t necessarily have to run in order to transmit good genetics. For example, we took a filly to one sale and only got $4000 for her. That was a disappointing result, relative to the cost structure. But we bought her back and she left us a $600,000 yearling!”

When founder, Geoff Chitty passed away in 1975, his son, Ron, took the reins; Mark followed his father into the business in 2001.

“I was working as a vet but I had a passion for racing, so it was a natural progression. I always wanted to come back into the family operation.

“Dad still plays an active role; as the chief overseer, I suppose. He loves it, and you can’t buy his experience.”

Ron was instrumental in establish-

ing the new farm, following a move from Haunui’s former Whitford home, which sold in 2009 when power lines were installed on the property.

While the relocation was not neces-sarily a matter of finding greener pas-tures, Mark says Karaka has certainly set the business in good ‘steed’.

“We had our first full breeding season in 2011. Since then, we have just looked forward. And, with the investment New Zealand Bloodstock has made in Karaka, plus a number of other investors developing farms in the area, it’s a very exciting time; Karaka is fast becoming a racing nursery for thoroughbreds.”

Looking to the future, Mark and his wife, Sara have been breeding a new generation, and that’s not just in terms of horses! However, Mark says only time will tell if a fourth genera-

tion of Chittys will lead the charge at Haunui Farm.

“We have four kids; a couple of them have some interest in horses, but they’re young, so we’ll see what happens. I suppose I’d like to think they will follow in our footsteps, but it’s too early to tell.”

While breeding successful race-horses is never certain, Mark says luck and sound management have helped the business focus on the win-ning post.

“A lot of our success is down to improving the quality of the stock we’ve been breeding from and, subse-quently, selling. You don’t always sell the top colt or filly, because of vari-ations in seasons and stock, but over the last five years or so, we have held our own and strengthened our place in the market.”

Got to know when to foal ‘em

Above, Mark Chitty with his mother, Carolyn Chitty. Bottom from left, Damien Desiles, with lot 703 by Don Eduardo out of Just Polly; Chloe Milliken, with Choisir and L’artiste’s filly, lot 732; Sebastien Domange, with lot 710 by Elusive City out of Khales. Photos Wayne Martin

Since the 1950s, the Chitty family has had the bit between its teeth, betting the farm on future champions – on the track that is! JON RAWLINSON talks to the man holding the reins.

One local breeder has made

every post a winner, setting

the pace at the recent year-

ling sales in Karaka.

While overseas buyers

arrived in droves to select the

cream of New Zealand’s thor-

oughbred crop, Mark Chitty

from Haunui Farm, says more

attention is needed to sure up

the local market.

“Sales held up well, given the

economic climate and domes-

tic racing scene, but we’re reli-

ant on an archaic racing club

structure in New Zealand. We

need some brave and bold

decisions going forward.”

Kiwi horses continue to

attract interest from interna-

tional buyers, as evidenced by

the sales at Karaka.

“There’s no doubt that New

Zealand is the best place to

raise thoroughbred horses

due to the climate, environ-

ment and the highly-sought-

after people involved in the

industry,” Mark says.

“We’ll always have that

international market. But, for

a robust industry, we need a

strong domestic demand from

an improved thoroughbred

racing structure in this coun-

try. That requires some real

forward thinking. However, I

think there are some people in

place now that could achieve

that.”

Haunui Farm finished fourth

on aggregate at Karaka

($4,684,500), followed by

Westbury Stud, also from the

region, and seventh in average

sale price ($106,466).

The farm sold 50-odd all up,

and had the top priced filly –

Lot 103, half sister to Fix, sold

for $800,000.

“She was a very nice filly, and

potentially a $500,000 horse,

but to make $800,000, she

had to have all her ducks in a

row,” Mark marvels. “She was

the right type, had the inter-

national pedigree and handled

herself well at the sale.”

A mAn About horses

4 — Rural Living — February 2013

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A steamy blast from the past

The Newcomen steam engine was the world’s first practical steam engine invented in 1712. An example will be on display

at the Steam and Vintage Country Festival

next month.

By Rebecca Glover

Electronics may be king now, but it took steam to bring us smart phones, flat screen TVs and faster than sound travel.

Three hundred years ago a way was found to harness steam which would leave the horse and buggy behind and power us into the mod-ern age.

The quadrennial Steam and Vintage Country Festival, staged by Glenbrook Vintage Railway and Franklin Vintage Machinery Club, celebrates our past on March 23 and 24.

Making a special appearance at the festival will be an operating Newcomen steam engine, 5.5m (18 feet) tall.

This example of the world’s first practical steam engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, is the first Newcomen engine to be seen in the southern hemisphere.

The Newcomen steam engine appearing at the festival has been a two-year labour by members of the Auckland Steam Engine Society, and while not a replica, is never-theless completely true to the prin-ciples and mechanism of Thomas Newcomen’s original 1712 design.

Newcomen’s engine can be credited with kick-starting the Industrial Revolution, as it was the

first means of providing reliable power without horse, bullock, or water, wind or human effort.

Above all, it enabled water to be extracted from great depth in coal mines, and later tin mines, allow-ing deeper and more efficient mine development.

The engine consists of a rock-ing beam, one end connected to a piston in a cylinder, the other to a reciprocating pump located in the mine shaft.

The pump end of the rock-ing beam was pulled down by the weight of the pump rod, which pulled the piston to the top of the cylinder at the other end.

At the same time, low pres-sure steam was admitted to the cylinder under the pis-ton.

A spray of cold water was then injected into the cyl-inder, and this immediately condensed the steam into water which created a vacuum and pulled the piston sharply downward, raising the pump rod at the opposite end of the beam.

A system of rods and valves enabled the cycle to be repeated automatically as long as there was a supply of steam.

Many Newcomen engines were built in Britain and Europe, reign-

ing supreme until 1769 when James Watt dramatically improved on the design and was duly credited (per-haps controversially) with invent-ing the steam engine.

However, Newcomen engines

were still operating more than a century later. Indeed, the last working Newcomen style engine was retired in 1923.

Not bad for a design then more than 200 years old!

Rural Living — February 2013 — 5

0 8 0 0 T R A C T O R53311-V4

By Ditch Keeling, Coastal Pests

I have followed with interest the recent Gareth Morgan, Cats to Go campaign, and must say I’m very surprised at the apparent total lack of understanding on the subject presented by members of the pub-lic, reporters and talk show hosts alike.

In fairness to Dr Morgan I dare say he could not possibly have predicted just how deep the pro-cat sentiment is among cat lovers around the world and by now he may be wondering if he needed this in what must already be a very busy life.

To my mind, he may have saved himself some grief had he made it implicitly clear that domestic pet cats are not the intended target of con-servation-based cat control; he could also have armed himself with some of the readily available research on the

impacts of feral cats on wildlife that New Zealand is so famous for.

The response from Bob Kerridge of the SPCA was predictably to “stay out of our business” and understand-ably so, for cats and their fans are big bucks to the SPCA.

Among the most repeated com-ments I’ve seen over the last few weeks are that Gareth Morgan has become an “animal racist” by treat-ing cats as the most unholy and evil animal on the planet, and that “surely if we kill all of the cats, the rats and mice will explode and devour every living creature.”

Time for some clarity folks. First and foremost, conservationists and pest controllers do not view feral cats as any more destructive than all other pests. We see them simply as another introduced animal that needs to be managed in order to reduce their neg-ative impacts on native species.

One problem we face in this role is the fascinating way in which cat lov-ers adorn all cats with a “holier than thou” status and spend huge amounts of energy defending cat rights.

Interestingly, we don’t get people banging on the door demanding rights for stoats, possums, rats or any of the other major pests, but aggressive hate-mail from cat lovers opposed to feral cat control is fairly common.

The comments about rats and mice need some understanding and it’s important to note that New Zealand is a world leader in this type of research.

While domestic cats are often able to keep rat and mouse numbers down around our dwellings and barns, they simply do not use them as a primary food source so could never harvest enough of them to have any control-ling impact out in the wild.

Rat and mouse control is another

critical function of the pest controller and thankfully we are not up against a pro-rat group on this one. Feral cat control poses no risks whatsoever to cat ownership or to domestic cats.

As it happens, I do believe we should follow Australia’s lead and move to cat registration and de-sex-ing as a means of becoming respon-sible cat owners. But to be honest, I don’t know if those in power value our threatened wildlife enough to come up against those that believe all cats should have more rights than any other creature.

I have no doubt, whatsoever, that pet cats are a wonderful compan-ion animal and are treasured family members.

But it is our duty as Kiwis to treas-ure and protect the wildlife that is unique to New Zealand. Surely removing those feral cats that are not family pets is not too much to ask?

By Rebecca Glover

It is a dark and stormy night...You’re lying in bed, sound asleep,

when you’re awakened by a bump. Bump, bump. You lie there, not dar-ing to move.

Bump, bump....it’s coming closer. Sweat breaks out on your palms as you clutch the covers tightly to your chin. Bump, bump – now it’s in your bedroom! Eyes wide, staring into the dark, you try to make out the shape of the intruder.

A final bump, and The Thing stops by the foot of your bed. Ears straining, you try not to shake, waiting for who knows what. A pause, then the sick-ening crunch of splintering bone......

You breathe a sigh of relief, and relax. It’s only the pet moggy, on pest control duties. There’ll be one less bunny in the world in the morning.

One of the great things about own-ing a lifestyle block is having the space for some animals. There’s not only a place for the pig, the poultry and the pony: country acres also pro-vide for the pet pooch and pusses (all desexed, of course).

Cats love the freedom of the coun-tryside where they can indulge their hunting instinct to their heart’s con-tent.

Their usual diet of processed food can be supplemented by a selection

of wildlife – rabbits, rodents and, of course, birds.

Many lifestyle blocks boast a stand of bush, and there a cat or two can be a real asset. Yes, really! Cats can pro-vide a protection service for the avian inhabitants of the bush by keeping

down numbers of rats and mice, who love birds in all the wrong ways.

Of course, like every protec-tion racket there’s a price to pay. However, studies suggest that birds are a minor part of the feline diet; and despite the assertions of greenies and

economists, cats don’t specially select native birds. Like rats, mice, hawks and moreporks, they are just as happy with a sparrow as a silvereye.

Cats love to share their bounty with their nearest and dearest, and if your cat is a keen hunter you may be sur-

prised to discover just how many rats you are sharing your patch with.

Like the good citizens of Hamelin, you will be grateful for the efforts of your pied (or tabby, or tortoiseshell) piper.

The more enterprising feline hunter may bring you gifts which will undoubtedly surprise, though per-haps not delight. Many kittens start their hunting careers with something relatively small, like..... a weta. This predilection can be discouraged by earsplitting screeches on the home-owner’s part.

If you have a nearby stream you may be gifted an eel, but do remem-ber as you remove the slippery victim then scrub its pungent slime off the best axminster, your cat has made a huge effort to bring you something so large, and should be admired.

Not all cats hunt, however, and even those who don’t, can simply be admired anyway for their qualities of decoration and companionship.

Like you, they enjoy the wide open spaces safe in the knowledge that they have a warm and comfortable home to return to.

So let puss pull on his or her hunt-ing boots. Things that go bump in the night are generally things we could well do without, and it’s nice to know your feline guardian is dealing to them.

Panther in the parlour

How do you expect me to fit on this chair with a bunny inside me? Photo Rebecca Glover

Who dared to mention Cat Control?

Ditch Keeling is keen to reduce the negative impact of cats on our native species.

6 — Rural Living — February 2013

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As I sit here writing this month’s column there are black clouds in the sky – the fi rst we’ve seen for quite some time so I’m hop-ing they are bringing some much needed ran to your parched prop-erty.

In the 19 or so years we have been here, these would be the dri-est conditions we have experienced for this time of the year.

Every so often we have expe-rienced drought-like weather, usually in late March going into autumn, but never in early February.

Our stock is having to nibble away on very dry grass and weeds but we are fortunate to have good water access so the animals don’t go thirsty.

Some 30 years ago when our life-style property was being developed and divided into paddocks, the conventional width of a good old, standard-designed farm gate was 10 feet in the old measurement or three metres in metric.

This size was wide enough for the old Ferguson or David Brown tractors plus hay baling machinery and most other farm equipment. Not anymore.

The massive size of modern tractors and machinery just won’t squeeze through.

When my haymaker neighbour, Ken Hastings, arrived to cut my hay, his tractor was far too wide to fi t through the gateway.

I then had to call on another neighbour, Stuart Stone, who also has a large tractor, to come and pull out the strainer post and remove the gate giving Ken access to the paddock.

Stuart who operates Counties Manukau Property Care, made short work of removing the gate and post then returned later with a new gate and strainer which means we now have the right size for access in the future.

Readers will recall last month’s column in which I mentioned the need to heed safety measures when riding quad bikes around the farm.

As a result I received a letter from Hazel Penfold which came with both a bouquet and a brickbat – read for yourself:

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment was pleased to read the recent feature

‘Time to heed safety mes-sage on quad bikes’ pub-lished in January’s Rural Living.

While we appreciate quad bike safety being promoted, the message was contradicted by the accompanying photo, which shows Mr Neben riding his quad bike without a helmet.

Quad bike safety is a priority for the Ministry and one of the key safety steps in our Quad Bike Safety campaign is ‘always wear a helmet’.

It is important to send a con-sistent message to the rural commu-nity and we would greatly appreciate if images in future articles support the same safety measures that are promoted in the article.

Kind regards, Hazel

Yes, quite right. Like many farm-ers I was not wearing my helmet when photographed and I will endeavour to do better in future.

Last month I fi nished my col-umn by promising an update on Elsudoku’s progress.

He has now been to the races at Alexandra Park where he recorded a third place and then a second.

Both were very close races so,

hopefully, by next month he will have recorded a win.

Thanks, too, for all the “well done” messages from readers. Perhaps next time it will be, “con-gratulations”, I hope so.

Till then, cheers, Brian.

Brian Neben

publishes

Rural Living and

is also an avid

lifestyle

farmer

COUNTRY LAD

Opening gate for better weather, fatter tractors

Brian calls on rain dance to end drought.

Rural Living — February 2013 — 7

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SummerShotz

Send us your favourite holiday snap and go in to our monthly draw to win some great family prizes!

Email your high resolution photo to:mareevp@ruralliving.co.nz

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What a summer we are hav-ing. If only we lived in town and could really enjoy endless days of sunshine. Instead, we wake each morning, look to the sky and groan, “another sunny day!”

At our place the garden is so dry our London Plane Trees are already losing their leaves.

Despite the hot weather encour-aging a holiday mood, we have had quite a busy month with Brian cel-ebrating a signifi cant birthday.

We also celebrated a special wedding anniversary but instead of a party we had a family afternoon at home with all the children and grandchildren, bar one, gathering with us.

It was a beautiful afternoon with lots of laughs and fun. Just as well, because two days later our grand-daughter fell off her penny board, broke her elbow and had stitches in her chin. As a result, she isn’t going anywhere for a while.

For the party I bought breads and the best pizza ever from Albert’s. The bakery has to have the best bread and pastries I have tasted. The pizza was huge and, with half a ham from the Drury

butcher, plus bread and salads, the catering for 20 family members was done. Birthday chocolate cake with cream provided dessert – so easy!

Isn’t the town changing with all these new shops opening? Of course, next month we see the opening of Farmers, which will be great for the town and the extra parking will be a relief too.

I must also point out that Cavalli Interiors and Flowers on Woodhouse have moved from Patumahoe to a red barn on Glenbrook Road. Just love that shop and I’m sure they will do well wherever they are.

We have been out and about watching two movies in a week,

Lincoln and Anna Karenina – both fabulous.

We saw the latter at Hoyts La Premiere Theatre at Botany Town Centre where we ordered lunch with wine, eating and drinking while enjoying the movie.

Very civilised and really nice food; the only problem was that eating in the dark meant we some-times missed the mouth and fi nding the offending item was somewhat diffi cult.

Now for an update on the daugh-ter and dog who have returned home whilst house-hunting in Puke.

Two chickens now have very few feathers and the fence that would keep her (the dog not the daughter)

in has to be modifi ed to prevent her escaping. Houdini springs to mind.

Billy the cat enjoys the spoodle Coco. He chases her, leaps out and grabs hold of the dog’s legs. Not exactly peaceful but at least they get on.

Obviously all will be quiet again when daughter buys her Puke house; easier said than done.

Most properties seem to go to auction and, after seeing a prop-erty it’s a long wait before there is an opportunity to buy.

The uncertainty means constant visiting of open homes.

Hopefully, I will have good news next month,

Until then, enjoy the weather, pray for rain, from Reay.

Month fi lled with celebrationsReay Neben is a

Franklin resident

and publisher of

Rural Living.

CITY LASS

Left, Billy the cat eyes up spoodle Coco; Right, Albert Psaros– making breads and pastries to die for.

8 — Rural Living — February 2013

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If New Year resolutions have already fallen by the wayside, we must be a bunch of quit-ters! So, why break the habit of a lifetime; or, more appro-priately, why not?

Even though the New Year has long come and gone, any-time’s a good time to make healthy choices – not usually too hard for those who have opted for rural living.

Thanks to a new product, NicoBloc, quitting smoking looks to be a more achievable resolution than ever before. And that’s good news to those diehard smokers who love the

country air but have struggled to give up the fags!

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What’s more Rural Living has a pack of NicoBloc to give away to one lucky reader. Simply visit www.ruralliving.co.nz

then click on the competitions link and complete the form. One entry/email address per person; entries close March 13, 2013. Winner notified by phone or email.

Come Monday, March 17 it’s likely a good many readers will be turning a little ‘green’ and that has nothing to do with protecting the environ-ment. Rather it will be in cel-ebration of that most happy event of the year, St Patrick’s Day.

No doubt, more than a few will be downing a Guiness or out in search of a Lotto pot of gold just for good luck!

However, to ensure a con-vivial night out, surrounded by good cheer(s), without taking the Craic too far, one of the best places to be is Fibber McPhee’s, Botany Junction.

Located on the corner of Te Irirangi Drive and Ormiston

Road, Botany South, Fibber’s is a little Irish bar that’s big on quality, with good food, good beer and a good bunch of peo-ple to boot... and that’s no lie!

So, forget Dutch courage – that’s all just a bunch of blarney anyway – this Saint Patrick’s Day it’s best to stick to the Fibber.

Now, some say to win compe-

titions what’s needed is the luck of the Irish. But, to be sure, to be sure, what’s really required is a few moments to visit www.rurallilving.co.nz then click on the competitions link and fill in the form to go into the draw for a fabulous $100 Fibber McPhee’s voucher.

Thanks to Barworks and DB, Rural Living is set to give the winner a great night of celebra-tion and, best of all, the voucher is also redeemable at Celsius Gastrobar, next door.

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Covers Warkworth from PokenoTel 09 416 1071 Fax 09 416 6171

Email Mckean@xtra.co.nz

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MIKE JULIANFreephone (0508) RURAL H20

(0508) 787 254Mike mobile 021 765 629

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Water Deliveries ~ Swimming Pools Filled

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14 Constable Road, Waiuku. Phone 09 235 8268.– Pump & Well Services – Plumbing – Drainage – Concrete Supplies

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Forget a marvellous night for a raindance! As the sun keeps shin-ing, rural resident, Clare, is drops away from having to splash out!

“We’re down to quick showers, sending the laundry to the in-laws, and we have to keep flushing to a bare minimum. Our land is dry as a bone, so if we don’t get a decent downpour by next week, we’ll need to get another tanker in,” she says.

However, Clare and her family are not the only ones caught out by the (unofficial) drought, with many other farmers, life-stylers and

urbanites alike feeling the warm shoulder of Mother Nature.

Katie Milne, Federated Farmers adverse events spokesperson, says drought declarations are close to being implemented in some areas.

“Pockets of NZ are very dry. If the weather continues like this drought will probably be officially declared more widely.”

While such declarations can mobilise funds to help farmers cope, they do not necessarily free up vast sums of money. However, the IRD may be persuaded to look

more favourably on tax issues for those affected.

The dry weather might be caus-ing problems now, but future con-sequences could be even more severe. “If the drought is severe enough to kill pasture, then re-grassing of badly affected areas will be another extra cost,” Katie says.

“Crops for winter are often lower yielding or fail, so feed has to be bought in. Depending on when the autumn rains come, there could be a shortage of feed on some farms.”

To help beat the heat, Katie sug-

gests the following:Make sure there is drinking ■■

water available for stock – they can tolerate a reduced diet for a short time, but they can never be without water in extreme heat.

Buy in hay, or bagged feed. If ■■

you’re not sure how much animals need to cope with the conditions, ask a vet, a neighbouring commer-cial farmer, or at the store,

Talk to neighbours, call Rural ■■

Support Trust or the Depression Helpline if it’s all getting too much; help is out there!

Waikato farmers are leading the way when it comes to recycling waste plastic, according to recent figures from the Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme.

Waikato has recorded the high-est volume of materials collected in the last six months - 47,000kg.

Agrecovery sales and marketing manager, Duncan Scotland, says this represents significant growth in the programme.

“Total volume across all mate-rials is around 65% higher than a year ago, while the volume of silage plastics collected has nearly doubled. The waste materials col-lected just in the last six months would fill over 150 shipping con-tainers, a great result when most of it would have previously been buried or burnt on-farm.”

He says Agrecovery is work-ing hard to provide greater access

to services. “With more than 70 permanent collection sites, our programme is easily accessible to the majority of rural properties in New Zealand, but recently we’ve been going to additional areas and holding one-day collection events to extend our reach even further. Some of the collections we’ve held

have been hugely popular, with farmers’ utes queued up at the gate to deliver hundreds of containers at a time.”

To further encourage efforts, farmers who take eligible contain-ers to Agrecovery collection sites nationwide in February and March will be in to win $500 vouchers.

ChemiCal ColleCtions

Agrecovery is also urging farm-ers to get chemical by recycling unwanted or expired chemical products.

The Agrecovery chemicals col-lection programme is available for all users of horticultural and agricultural chemicals and animal health products.

However, as household or gar-den chemicals are not subsidised under the programme, people looking to dispose of such products are advised to contact their local council.

Regional collections will begin soon, with the first to be held in Waikato. Bookings need to be made by March 8; visit www.agre-covery.co.nz or call 0800 247 326 for details.

Farmers dumping in the can...

TuT, TuT, looks like... droughT!

10 — Rural Living — February 2013

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Rural Living — February 2013 — 11

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There’s no midnight train to Georgia – Georgia, Pukekohe that is, but if there were, what’s the betting scores of out of town, fashion-loving women would be on it?

And why wouldn’t they be? Gorgeous boutique, Georgia, formerly The Merino Story, has the clothes, the fascina-tors, the advice, and the per-fect environment for dressing to the occasion.

Now sporting a name that better reflects the store’s entire range, Georgia retains its own New Zealand-made merino label and will continue to stock top of the line merino fashion.

However, progressive owner, Carla Van Tiel, has stepped up yet again to meet demand from clients who want the best of every-thing from casual to special occasion wear.

What’s more she has extended her size range to cater for sizes 8 to 24 and will also ensure she has out of season garments for women travelling to the likes of Europe or the Pacific Islands during our winter.

“Our aim has always been to provide an environment where women, regardless of age, size or budget, feel totally comfort-able,” Carla says.

“The new Georgia will not only cater for women who

love shopping and find buy-ing clothes a breeze but also for those who struggle to find

stylish garments to accom-modate their personal figure requirements and, perhaps, feel slightly intimidated by the whole shopping experience.

“We don’t want our clients to settle on a garment because it is the only one that fits. We expect them to take home something they truly love.”

And with this in mind Georgia will stock a vari-ety of new labels – Euphoria and Rarity, two of the first to arrive in store this February along with firm favourites, Jacki Peters, David Carmody, Chocolat, Revue, Calico, Frank Lyman and more.

“We will have year-round occasion wear and take into account requests for sleeves, jackets and hemlines as well as jewellery and other accesso-ries,” Carla says. “Fresh ranges will arrive at intervals ensur-ing a stream of new styles; we really want our ladies to have fun and to enjoy a total shop-ping experience any time of the year.”

To this end Carla will also cater for special shopping nights, hen’s parties and

fundraisers, even corporate groups which find it difficult to shop during the day.

But the best way to see just what the new ‘girl’ in town offers is to visit Georgia any day of the week – open seven days at 4 Manukau Rd, Pukekohe. Ph (09) 239 2845.

With TV3 Derby Day, part of Auckland Cup Week at Ellerslie Racecourse, fast approaching many female racegoers will be seeking an outfit that combines style, sophistication and co-ordi-nation.

And they can find the lot in Pukekohe where the eclectic range of boutiques, shoe stores and jewellers provide all the trimming for a prize-worthy outfit.

And if that’s the case think about entering New Zealand’s fashions in the field final, the Prix de Fashion. Held on Derby Day it is the ultimate racewear

title with fashionistas from around the country competing for the winner-takes-all prize package valued at more than $30,000!

Throughout the day a fash-ionable judging panel headed up by style commentator Claire Hahn, will select the top six best-dressed racegoers who will join 14 pre-qualified contestants from around the country in the regional final.

From there, the five best-dressed entrants will be chosen with one awarded the supreme title. She will take home amaz-ing prizes including: Natalie Chan couture millinery;

Naveya & Sloane bespoke jew-ellery; Bobbi Brown luxury cosmetics; an exclusive shop-ping spree at Westfield 277; return flights for two to New York City with Hawaiian Airlines; plus more!

Entry into Prix de Fashion is free with pre-registration available at www.ellerslie.co.nz. Alternatively, entries are taken on the day from 10.30am.

If this sounds like you, check out local fashion boutiques first for beautiful outfits, fabu-lous hats and fascinators, stun-ning shoes and accessories to add the finishing touch.

Debut for sassy ‘lady’

racewear on parade

Giving the heads up – fascinators from Catwalk

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If the shoe fits – elegance supreme in this silver toepeeper from Halliwell’s of Pukekohe

Cut to perfection from Georgia Boutique

12 — Rural Living — February 2013

Opening

June 2013

For personal assistance contact Michelle Gain, Wedding Coordinatoron (09) 526 3029 or spec.events@waipunahotel.co.nz

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6 – 12 Months

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♥ Decide on the type of wedding, number of guests and prepare a budget.

♥ Decide when and where you would like your ceremony and reception to be held, check availability of venues and book.

♥ Choose and book a celebrant or meet with the minister or priest of your chosen church.

♥ Choose a photographer or videographer and book.

♥ Contact the people you would like as your bridal attendants, best man, groomsmen, etc.

♥ Choose a colour scheme or theme for your wedding.

♥ Begin the search for the wedding gown. If you decide to have one made, choose the designer and dressmaker.

♥ Draw up a provisional guest list.

♥ By now the wedding gown should be organised or purchased, the style of the groom’s suit chosen and booked or purchased.

♥ Best man and groomsmen’s suits, and attendants’ dresses should be organised.

♥ Choose and order invitations, write and send.

♥ Meet with photographer and discuss arrangements, photo preferences, locations.

♥ Decide on accessories for the wedding party. Book florist.

♥ Finalise your guest list.

♥ Choose and order cake.

♥ Book make-up artist and hairdresser.

♥ Choose wedding rings.

♥ Learn wedding dance.

♥ Visit your florist to have detailing of bouquets and flowers for church and reception finalised.

♥ Re-confirm all arrangements, eg honeymoon, photographer, car hire, hair and make-up, suits, dresses, flowers, venues, caterers, etc.

♥ Wear in your wedding shoes (bride and groom).

♥ If you’re having a hens’ or stags’ night, do it now – not the night before the wedding!

♥ Confirm with attendants, best man, family or friends, things that need doing after the wedding (eg returning hired clothing, taking care of the bride’s gown, removing and storing wedding gifts, etc) and decide who’s doing what.

♥ Don’t panic.

♥ Hold a full rehearsal of the ceremony.

♥ Do a dummy run through the journey at the same time and day of the week as the ceremony to be sure transport and timing is correct. Plan an alternative route in case of delays on the day.

♥ Arrange for any hire items to be collected.

♥ Have a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure.

♥ With the preparation over, you can now relax and enjoy your wedding day!

♥ Those giving speeches, should be planning what to say!

♥ Have a trial hair and make-up session.

♥ Contact celebrant, minister or priest, check all is in order and arrange rehearsal date with all people concerned.

♥ Final fittings for all bridal party members.

♥ Apply to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for a marriage licence. (Valid for three months from issue.)

♥ Check the RSVPs from guests and keep a list of numbers attending. When finalised, consult your caterer.

♥ Order wine and finalise the menu with caterers.

♥ Arrange reception seating plan and place cards.

Check List

Wedding venue

Reception venue

Celebrant

Photographer

Musicians and entertainment

Wedding gown

Caterers

Florist

Transport

Honeymoon destination

Wedding night accommodation

The cake

Rings

Make-up artist

Hairdresser

Groom’s suit

Best man/groomsmen’s suits

Hire equipment (tables, chairs, etc)

Attendants’ dresses

Invitations

Planner

THe

WeddingValentine’s Day may have come and gone but after this day of romance there will be plenty of couples still rejoicing. More than a few young men popped the question, slipping engagement rings on the fingers of their loved ones. Now brides to be will be looking ahead to summer weddings next season. This planner will help make paths to the altar smooth going.

Rural Living — February 2013 — 13

Clevedon

For more than 50 years, the Clevedon Hotel has been a home away from home for locals, serving up good times, as well as fl avourful food and a bevy of brews.

However, hotelier, Kevin Cholmondeley-Smith, is quick to point out that it doesn’t take much to become a local.

“Basically, all you need do is walk into our place and make yourself at home,” he says.

Indeed, offering more than just a hearty feed and a comfortable bed for the night has been crucial to the hotel’s success.

“It doesn’t matter how fl ash the menu or stunning the rooms may be, to last this long in the hospitality business, a hotel needs to offer personal service and good times to all guests. That’s long been our focus here; the fact that our Wairoa Restaurant and Bar dishes up top quality cuisine, and our rooms are comfy, is just the icing on the cake!”

Combining traditional charm with modern amenities, Clevedon Hotel offers the best of both worlds.

“We have single, twin and

double rooms available. All rooms have been newly refurbished to ensure our guests enjoy a comfortable stay,” Kevin says.

And the restaurant’s good taste in ingredients is appreciated.

“People are always delighted by the fact that we use fresh, locally farmed, seasonal produce including Clevedon oysters, when in season. Subsequently, visitors get the complete Clevedon experience, right down to their tastebuds.”

The hotel’s ever-changing, seasonal menu, which specialises in steaks, attracts visitors from far and wide. It also includes:

Clevedon Hotel Chicken, specially crusted with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, lamb rump and a choice of vegetarian fare, topped off with a range of tempting desserts. And don’t forget the hotel’s famous pizza menu, available to eat in or take away.

“People can order to take away, but why would you? Most prefer to sit back and indulge in a slice, or several, surrounded by the friendly, country atmosphere that’s enjoyed by all locals, no matter where they’re from!”

Clevedon Hotel, 26 Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd. Ph 09 292 8783. Open 7 Days.

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Leave it to Clevedon

26 Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd, Clevedonwww.theclevedonhotel.co.nz tel 09 292 8783

Full catering & function serviceplus Pizza Menu – takeaways available

A unique country hotel offering atmosphere,great food and laid back entertainment.

OPEN SEVEN DAYS FROM 11am

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michelle@clevedonflowers.co.nzwww.clevedonflowers.co.nz

Wedding, funeral and event flower

specialist

By Jon Rawlinson

Six days a week, Ruth Watson is up before dawn preparing for her appointed rounds to approximately 400 house-holds in Drury and sur-rounds.

But, while neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night will stay her, it seems New Zealand Post may soon stop her short in her tracks.

In response to declining mail volumes, New Zealand Post proposes to cut deliveries to as few as three days a week, which may see some rural posties and their customers left waiting at the gate, says Ruth.

“We don’t really know what’s going to happen yet, but if they do reduce deliveries by half, we presume, then, our income may halve. We get paid per day, so if we only deliver three days a week, we will lose income; however, we don’t really know what will happen!”

Ruth is one of many rural posties subcontracted to New Zealand Post, who provide an essential service to those living in more isolated areas.

If services are cut, Ruth wor-ries she may not handle the increased volume on delivery days.

“We deliver Heralds six days a week, four local papers weekly and several monthly, and the farmer’s papers, all of

which I’d need to fit in over just three days if this goes ahead. We just couldn’t do it, but we’ll have to if we want to carry on in the business.”

Although Ruth says her fam-ily should be able to withstand a reduction in income, thanks to husband Dave working full time, fellow carriers may not be quite so fortunate.

“Luckily, he works else-where and only helps me on Saturdays. I can see staff being given the flick. New Zealand Post says it’s not set up for that situation, but a lot of people have staff. There’s one lady I know who has two staff, and they may need to go or have their hours reduced.”

And Ruth may be left with a business worth less than when she bought it almost eight years ago.

“My other concern is what we paid for the business. If services are reduced, who’s going to be interested in buying it from us? We’re certainly not going to get our money back!”

While she concedes that a reduction in the volume of mail could necessitate reduced services in some places, rural carriers are responsible for more than delivering just the latest bill or letter.

“I know nobody writes let-ters anymore but there’s so much more for us to deliver. You can’t send by email the toilet paper or coffee cups I take to local businesses, or books to local libraries, for a start.

“But I guess there’s an alter-native, so does New Zealand Post really care about that for us? It could be that the couriers will just take it over!”

Mail ‘out’ for rural delivery on the way?

The postman always knocks twice, but he may only knock a few times each week in future, thanks to New Zealand Post’s proposals to Government for changes to the Deed of Understanding to reduce mail delivery services.

However, delivering letters is just part of the rural postie’s responsibilities, says Ray Oakley, executive officer of the Rural Delivery Contractors Association (RDCA).

“Along with letter mail there are many other services they provide.

“The delivery and pickup of parcels, courier items, news-papers, circulars, bread and milk, urgent medical supplies, vet supplies, vehicle parts, farm machinery parts, grocer-ies, stamps and postal supplies, notices for schools and com-munity groups, are just some of the services.”

Ray says such a reduction would make the majority

of rural delivery businesses unviable. “It would also create logistical problems in deliv-ering the volumes of parcels, local papers and circulars, as well as increasing the number of hours worked each day to an unacceptable level.

“Newspaper deliveries would also be affected, as would many of the extra serv-ices provided by contractors.”

In a case of the keyboard being mightier than the sword, increasing use of the internet for communications is cited as a reason for the reduction in the volume of mail.

Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) national president, Liz Evans, acknowledges that while digital communica-tions have had an impact on NZ Post’s business, broad-band services are not available everywhere, and not everyone is computer literate.

In addition, rural businesses could face difficulties, says Liz.

“To operate effectively and competitively, businesses need rapid service for mail-order goods at a reasonable cost, both to the supplier and the customer.

“Parcels posted to and from rural areas already incur extra costs, and we would not wish to see further targeting of rural customers who are so depend-ent on the mail service.”

She also points out that, for some living in remote areas, the rural delivery contractor is the only contact with the out-side world for days at a time.

Rural Women New Zealand will be making a formal sub-mission to New Zealand Post regarding the proposed reduc-tion in services.

“We appreciate that NZ Post has consulted with us exten-sively about the future options it’s considering. In turn we have emphasised that the rural delivery service is a real lifeline for many people.”

Snail mail frequency to be ‘SquaShed’

Ruth Watson – Drury’s rural postie. Photos Jon Rawlinson

14 — Rural Living — February 2013

ASK FOR YOUR FREE PLATINUM BOOK SHOWCASING NEW ZEALAND’S MOST POPULAR PLANS

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Moving south for a more rural lifestyle is becoming a growing trend with Auckland Council’s growth strategy set to spark the construction of thousands of new homes in the super city’s southern towns.

However, Murray Taylor says Platinum Homes is ready for the rush, and has the ‘key’ to meeting increased demand, as evidenced by the compa-ny’s new four bedroom show-home – at 67 Ina Ville Drive, Pukekohe.

A Pukekohe local, the Platinum Homes sales man-ager says the home has already attracted significant interest, ahead of opening to the public on Saturday, February 23.

“The whole Franklin region is experiencing huge growth.

“Generally, people are mov-ing from central Auckland to the outer reaches, because that’s more affordable and offers a semi-rural lifestyle, with improving access to the city.

“When they come here they find a home that’s not over the top and destined only for the pages of a trendy magazine; it’s a home people can live in and raise a family.”

So, forget the drafty, old

farm house. Platinum Homes is constructing future-proofed dwellings for those not will-ing or able to sacrifice modern convenience.

“It’s possible to have the best of all worlds.

“We’re building homes for the future, so not only do we build in such features as net-

work panels for easy data and broadband access – which is great for those working from home, or entertainment – but the entire home is constructed to meet the needs of its occupi-ers now and into the future.”

However, do ‘new builds’ lack character; are they abodes just like the Joneses next door?

Buying south for the

Stylish, new showhome aims at affordability. Photos Jon Rawlinson

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Rural Living — February 2013 — 15

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Showhome opening

This is not the case with Platinum Homes. Murray says when it comes to design, the company thinks outside the box!

“We have 75 standard plans, but we very rarely build to these, because we know one size does not fit all. We work with our customers to ensure

features are designed into their new homes that address their needs and wants.”

And the new Platimum show-home has been constructed to be an accurate example of what’s on offer, from floor to ceiling plus all the fixtures and fittings in between.

“While we may include

some personal choice options basically what you see is what you’ll get.

“You won’t find flash fittings and fixtures that turn out to be expensive, optional extras when it comes to the design stage.”

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the devil can be in the detail when buying a home.

“We’ve built this home from the floor up, everything’s brand new and constructed to the lat-est specifications, so there are no nasty surprises or expensive and time-consuming moderni-sation projects needed, which is often the case with older houses,” says Murray.

“And because Platinum Homes is a Certified Builder, our team offers a seven-year guarantee on all ‘new builds’. We simply couldn’t do that if our homes hadn’t been built to the highest quality and designed to withstand the test of time.”

For a taste of semi-rural liv-ing, just a stone’s throw from the city, visit Platinum’s new showhome at 67 Ina Ville Drive, Pukekohe – open from February 23 or contact Murray Taylor on 021 025 62331 to arrange a viewing.

future with Platinum

Murray Taylor, pictured, fielding plenty of early interest.

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16 — Rural Living — February 2013

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While the high-rolling days of the 1980s are but a distant mem-ory for many, a retired interior designer who worked in the thick of them vividly recalls the excite-ment and challenges she was con-fronted with during her career.

“The 80s were such exciting times,” says Diane Hawke, who lives at a property overlooking the ocean in Maraetai these days. “There was money everywhere and people throwing it around.”

Diane’s original dream was to be an artist but she realised the prac-tical option was interior design because it would accommodate her love of art, fabrics and colour.

She cut her teeth at Shaeffers Furnishers for 18 months and in 1981 launched her business as Diane Interior Design.

As satisfied home owners turned to her for interior design advice for their boats, she discovered a new niche in the market.

She remains friends with the owners of Agile One, who built the launch at Half Moon Bay and pre-sented her with an unconventional approach to the design.

Rather than leather upholstery, they opted for pale pink and tur-quoise seating.

“I wasn’t sure whether the fab-ric was suitable for the boat, but

he [the husband] said if she [the wife] wanted it, she would have it. The cabin roof lining was padded suede, so I set it off with a tortoise-shell-patterned window pelmet.”

In 1987, Diane’s skills were taken up by another niche as super-yachts descended on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour in advance of the 2000 America’s Cup regatta.

“An agent for one of the yachts came to me to match some fabric. The bed covers had shrunk at the laundry and they were desperate for replacement fabric before the owner arrived.”

The yacht was the 43-metre Enterprise and the makeover of the owner’s bedroom suite is a job she looks back on with pride.

Another vessel’s owner was over six foot tall, while his wife was just five foot. So Diane found an engineer who could make chairs designed at different heights.

“The carpet was carved with a rope pattern. It was thick-wear-ing carpet, but we found a manu-facturer who could carve it. The carver had to work kneeling on the floor and often got sea sick.”

Interior design for boats, Diane says, is vastly different from houses because of the confined space.

“The light is different because boats have small windows or port-holes. You must make sure the colour is right. You can’t use wavy

patterns that might encourage sea sickness and you can’t install things that move or roll around.”

“Working for people individually was my skill and I involved them throughout. I asked them to give me something they really cared for to start with, talked it through and they were involved throughout.

Diane has fond memories of doing the interior design for a seven-bedroom house at Glen Oaks Stud, Cambridge, established in 1986 by the infamous West Australian business entrepreneur, Laurie Connell, jailed after his company collapsed. (It’s since been re-named Oaks Stud).

There was no email so Connell’s wife, Elizabeth, flew Diane to and from Western Australia for design consultation.

She recalls a trip to Perth in 1987 when the America’s Cup was

underway at Freemantle.The driver of a car the Connells

supplied for her one day insisted on her seeing the yacht base, New Zealand’s entry, KZ7, and also the Royal Perth Yacht Club where she had a private showing of the America’s Cup trophy.

“It dawned on me that he was calling me Mrs Hawke and thought that I was the Prime Minister’s wife [Bob Hawke’s wife Hazel]!”

Despite the opulence and glam-our, Diane says her favourite project remains the design for the Insapipe factory in East Tamaki. “The owner was so pleased to find someone who would listen to his ideas for the design.”

Life is quieter now and Diane revels in her painting.

“I’ve always painted,” she says. “It’s my release. If you paint, you are never lonely.”

Working among the high rollers

Left, painter and retired interior designer, Diane Hawke. Top, pale pink and turquoise upholstery on the Agile One; above, owners’ bedroom and living area on the super yacht Enterprise. Photography supplied

Rural Living — February 2013 — 17

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Rural paddocks are dry as a bone with stock looking hard for a hint of nourishing green.

Gardens, too, are struggling and households which rely on the veg-gie patch to feed the family and stock the freezer are not only hop-ing for rain but are fighting garden pests and diseases.

When plants become stressed from lack of water, sun or ferti-liser, they sicken and are suscep-tible to attack by insects and bugs.

Common offenders are white-fly and aphids (greenfly). Aphids appear on the stems or growing tips of many crops, such as toma-toes, chillies, beans or anything else that takes their fancy.Whitefly usually hide underneath the leaves of those crops and fly around like mad hatters when disturbed.

Both of these unwanted ‘sap suckers’, when left to their own devices, can kill or decimate a plant or in some cases an entire crop.

Slugs and snails muscle in and around the ground under the cover of darkness. Slugs wedge them-selves in the centre of leafy crops and gorge themselves silly. Snails spend their time chewing large holes in leaves.

To deal with these unwelcome insects, slugs and snails, look for a natural bug spray to limit their invasion and decimation. Home-made rhubarb or washing liquid sprays can be used.

Gardening expert Nathan Leggett swears by natural insect and bug spray, Beat a Bug.

“It’s been around for years but has flown under the radar a bit,” he says. “Those who use it love it and always have a bottle on hand.”

Beat a Bug is a unique blend of garlic, pyrethrum and chilli which stops most garden bugs in their path. Slugs and snails are stopped dead and aphids and greenfly are no match for the potent blend.

Pyrethrum is not new. It’s widely recognised as a good natural option for organic pest control. Crudely put, it paralyses insects and is non-toxic to pets and humans. When combined with garlic and chilli, the results are top notch.

Garlic naturally repels insects, chilli isn’t a favourite with insects either, as it causes significant stom-ach irritation.

Of course there are a many dif-ferent treatments to rid the garden

of pests without resorting to chem-ical warfare.

Rural Living recently asked gar-dening friends to provide their suggestions for pest control and when it came to slugs and snails, we received a wealth of advice.

One reader wrote: I have found the best options, apart from manu-ally plucking the pests out at night using a torch, to be:

Water the plants in the morn-■■

ing: Slugs won’t come out in the moist environment during the day, but a watered garden is welcom-ing at night. It has been suggested that this can reduce attacks by up to 80% and I agree with this figure based on my garden.

Coffee grounds: ■■ Not just sprin-kled around the plants but put a thick layer down around each plant or group of plants. There has been

some debate about this method but I suspect ‘sprinkling’ is not enough and the thicker the layer the better. Reapply regularly.

Another corre-spondent had a sim-

ple idea worth hanging on to. Here’s his totally organic way of

keeping those crawlies off the lettuces, rocket and herbs:

Use fence palings to make ■■

some garden boxes, hang from a pergola, or eaves, using old wire to suspend (straightened coat hangers or similar). Snails and slugs are not too good at climbing down a wire to get to the goodies. As a bonus, the plants are at the right height for picking as you need them.

Several readers suggested beer. One wrote: Leaving a bit of beer, either in the original bottle or in another container, out in the gar-den will get rid of a lot of slugs. They love the yeast and will climb in after the beer, but then cannot get out and will shrivel up and die. The containers can then be rinsed out and reused or recycled.

And, finally, this solution was just nutty enough to work:

We buy walnuts and hazelnuts in the shell from a local grower. We take the broken shells, crush them up and disperse them quite thickly around our lettuces. It would take months for us to get the equiva-lent volume in egg shells and so far we’ve had no snail or slug damage.

If using this method in uncov-ered areas be sure there are no nut remnants to attract birds.

Top tips to nail slugs and snails

18 — Rural Living — February 2013

CLAS S I F I ED S

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Feeling a little left

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our ‘paper boy’ is not perfect.

So, we’re thinking outside the box. If you don’t already receive

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please register today to access our easy-to-read, digital version emailed directly to your inbox.

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to subscribe and keep up with news, interviews, tips,

competitions, advertisements and more – page by page,

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open up to the country with Rural Living.

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Rural Living — February 2013 — 19

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Reinforced foam walls

20 — Rural Living — February 2013

Sale is on Friday, March 1, 2013 from midday (12:00 noon) until midnight (12:00am) only. At participating outlets only, and stock will vary by store. The product must be paid for in full on the day of the sale. Quantities are limited and there are no holds or reserves on product allowed. Discounts apply to RRP, and applies to selected flooring products only. Carpet is sold in broadloom metres. *Finance offer available on purchases $500 and over. Prevailing interest rate applies to any outstanding balance on expiry of the interest free period. Credit and lending criteria and fees apply.

12 NOON–12 MIDNIGHTFRIDAY 4TH MARCH

12 HOURS ONLY

www.carpetcourt.co.nz

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MADNESS SALEMASSIVE MIDNIGHT

CC2904 Midnight madness sale NZH FP v2.indd 1 22/02/11 5:19 PM

229 Manukau Rd, Pukekohe.Ph 09 238 6951211 Great South Rd, Takanini.Ph 295 0430

Book your free measure todayBe ready to save on

• Carpet • Vinyls • Laminate

PAY NOTHING UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2013*

Remnantsfrom$10/m *

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

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