Manawatū Conversations

Dave Harding, Part 1 of 2. Born in England. Many moves in early life. To Palmerston North in 1973. Early family connection with New Zealand. Moving to Canada. Came to New Zealand aged 19 for university. Similarities with Canada. No assisted passage for the family. Choice of chemistry. Travel after graduation. International calls. Canadian weather. Trips to Egypt. Departmental name changes.

Stuart Birks, Iola Haggarty, Alison Mildon, Part 2 of 2. Iola’s bach or second home at Foxton Beach. Beach houses in the past. Quarter acre section lifestyle. Kiwi weekends. Holidays in 1950s. Alison on freedom in childhood. School holidays. Better in the past. Extended family ties. More organized activities now. Focus on safety. The Fitzherbert Avenue tree protest 25 years ago. Outcome of the protest.

Stuart Birks, Iola Haggarty, Alison Mildon, Part 1 of 2. Local government responses to Covid and other disasters. Voluntary networks, ethnic communities. Reliance on the authorities. Civil Defence workshop on mapping communities. Privacy issues, conflict with monitoring and databases. ID cards with facial recognition. Local government failure. Submissions to council. Referenda? Training for council staff. Governance versus management.

Kirsten Holst, Part 2 of 2. Gerontology and getting to know families. Personal experience of her mother’s dementia. Mental and physical activity beneficial, also social activity. Memory problems. Changing technology, party line phones. Handling finances. Growing up with a famous mother (Alison Holst). Brother went into the food business. How mother started on TV, impact on NZ cooking. Living with ageing people. Mother finding it harder to cook. Family food rituals. Husband’s stroke.

Kirsten Holst, Part 1 of 2. Geriatrician, looking after frail people, mix of conditions, so more holistic, teamwork. Dementia. Families more dispersed. Ageing in place. Erosion of community living, family networks. Kirsten’s career progression. Changing hospital environment and administration. Working hours for junior doctors. Few GPs per capita.

Eileen Curd, Part 2 of 2. A chorus girl in the UK. A film extra with Richard Attenborough. Dancing, ballet and tap. Working in Wellington. Shipboard romances. Women getting pregnant before marriage. Moved to Palmerston North in 1960, quiet then. Lagoon in garden, later filled in. Early experience of earthquakes. Annual earthquake drills (New Zealand ShakeOut day). Her dog, perhaps her 5th. Place of a dog in the home. Earth from College Street used to fill the lagoon.

Eileen Curd, Part 1 of 2. Eileen just turned 90. Came to NZ from UK in 1953, 10 pound Pom. Went to NZ for 2 years’ OE after future husband (Fred) had gone there, although he had dumped her. Got married. Years later she met the other woman. 5 o’clock at St James’ corner. Knowing Fred in UK. Husband’s experience in Royal Navy in WWII. Eileen finished school at 14. Stopped work when 6 months pregnant. Settling in to NZ. Learning to cook. Wartime childhood. When the war broke out.

National Council of Women, Part 2 of 2. The Cotton On protest. Disability access to the courthouse. 1957-59 campaign to keep the bus waiting room open until the last bus leaves. Other activities. Disagreements within the NCW. Diversity, ethnic, education, age. Afghan women voting. Meeting on voting not allowed at the library, meet the candidates. Targeting young people. Young people’s view of NCW. Most volunteers are retired, but also focus on issues for young people. The future for NCW. Online meetings. Access to Ministries and politicians. Suffrage in Stitches exhibition. Size of the local branch, impact of Covid.

National Council of Women, Part 1 of 2. Involvement with the National Council of Women. Organisation of the Council, an umbrella for numerous women’s groups and individuals. An advocacy group for half the population. Court case about charity status. Also active in education (about proposed legislation). History of NCW. National and regional organization, age of membership. International connections. Areas of interest. Approach to issues. Influence due to numbers represented. If alternative views, present more than one perspective. Book, 115 Years of Resolutions. Public attitudes towards NCW. Is NCW a feminist organisation? Women in local government. Julia Wallace.

Judy Milne and Alison Mildon, Part 2 of 2. About 2002, proposed use of Longburn land for industry. Conflict between urban and rural, “reverse sensitivity”. 2007 Flygers Line mega-mall proposal. The One Plan (Manawatu-Whanganui region). Palmerston North residential land strategy, documents 2012, finalized 2016. PN expanding to Longburn on class 1 and 2 land. Who objects? Many do not make submissions. Retrospective consents, weak monitoring and enforcement. Alison concerned about windfarms. Aesthetic appeal of the ranges. Types of political activity.