Manawatū Conversations

Judy Milne and Alison Mildon, Part 1 of 2. Judy born in Kairanga, great-grandfather settled there. Father saw city expanding over good soils. Judy active since 1997 objecting to changes in subdivision rules. Lifestyle blocks. Town planning. Few farmers objecting to loss of quality land. Expansion of Palmerston North. Class 1 and 2 agricultural land in PN area. Judy’s submissions. 2002 PNCC urban growth study, low weighting on soils. Results not accepted. Longburn industrial land use study.

Kevin Low, Part 2 of 2. PEC development of EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale), at first in petrol pumps perhaps in the late 1980s. Expansion into shops by others. Security systems, card access. Major users here and overseas (Massey University, London Underground). Security division purchased by Gallagher Engineering, Hamilton. Conferences and expos, industrial espionage precautions. Process of product development. 35-40% of expenditure on R&D (eventually about 200 R&D staff).

Kevin Low, Part 1 of 2. Kevin joined PEC in Marton in 1967 after time working on transistors at DSIR. Company wanted to introduce some high technology. Moved to Marton in 1973. Electric fencing. Innovation in petrol pump design, new ways to buy petrol (prepay, card, etc.). Rapid growth in staff numbers. World leaders in electronic pump technology. Exporting. Origins of the company. Marton lifestyle. Over 3 or 4 years had recruited about 50 R&D staff, innovative spirit. Process of product development. PEC Exporter of the Year, small and nimble. Company culture, staff benefits, gym, parental leave. Overseas travel. Recruiting and graduates.

Malcolm Busch Part 2 of 2. 17 years as national rollerskating championship manager, the second vice-president. Rollerskating community. Life memberships. 1991 NZ team manager to Hong Kong. Outfits, no safety gear. Asian approach, hospitality. Team manager for competitions hosted in NZ. Experiences in Hong Kong. Team had to have familiar food. “Golden Arches”. Funding manager, grant applications. NZ international skating achievements.

Malcolm Busch Part 1 of 2. Malcolm’s involvement in rollerskating in Palmerston North started in 1974, daughter Nicola (5YO) keen to learn. After 10 years she was very competent, in national skating championships. 1986 became president of local club. Premises. Local competitions, grades. Daughter’s success, Bronze medal in Hong Kong. Roy Dobbin speed skating coach.

PN RSA Youth Speech Competition, Tuesday 17th August 2021 on the theme of ANZAC Day. Introduction/description by Joe Hollander. Selected speakers are, in order: Emily Connell (Freyberg HS) – Yr 10 | Sophie Cumming (Freyberg HS) – Yr 11 | Matt Feehan (Freyberg HS) – Yr 12 | John Hopcroft (PNBHS) – Yr 13 | Leo Mwape (PNBHS) – Yr 10 | Lily Tavendale (Freyberg HS) – Yr 10 | Winners – Leo Mwape (PNBHS) – 1st, Lily Tavendale (FHS) – 2nd, Matt Feehan (FHS) – 3rd and Sophie Cumming (FHS) – Highly Commended. | Just as the last speaker is introduced, you will hear an alert signal from cellphones in the audience. The competition was in progress when the country was notified that it would move into a level 4 lockdown at 11:59pm after a community case of COVID-19 was detected in Auckland.

Lew Findlay, Part 2 of 2. Grey Power is a stand-alone separate lobby group for older people. Description of Age Concern, a government funded support group for older people. Lew involved with Age Concern for over 20 years. Now active with Grey Power – issues affecting older people, housing costs for renters. Empty houses. Rental house as an investment for older people. Changing provision for retirement, KiwiSaver. Superannuation surcharge and the establishment of Grey Power. Aged Care Commissioner. Supporting students on interest free student loans. Lobbying. Key policy issues. Retirement Villages. Other organisations, Senior Citizens, Age Friendly. Range of Age Concern’s activities.

Lew Findlay, Part 1 of 2. Setting up StreetVan 26 years ago. Early days, volunteers, food. Glue sniffers. Second van to take people home. Community reception. Food and other things donated. Types of homelessness in Palmerston North. Mental health issues. Shepherd’s Rest. Childhood as motivation for this sort of work. War veterans. StreetVan now. Charity shop. Shiloh Rehab centre (now closed). Limited support for people released from prison. StreetVan helping people of all ages.

Gillian Hunt, Part 2 of 2. Changing relationships over the past 45 years less than might be expected. Some change in roles, but human nature is the same. Problems negotiating in relationships. Children. Marriage versus de facto relationships. The Family Court not functioning so well now, less opportunity for effective counselling. Children and separation, blended families. View of the future. Roles in relationships, changed expectations. De facto relationships, repartnering, suitability of legislation. Grandparents, separations, distance. Teenage children. Best scenarios are better than in the past. Increased cultural diversity.

Gillian Hunt, Part 1 of 2. Description of interactive drawing therapy, process, origins (Russell Withers), “accessing the client’s unconscious”. Various courses. Expansion to Australia. Who can benefit and why. Examples of the process. Viewing drawings from a distance. Perception of issues. Types of problems addressed. Transactional analysis (TA). Communication and intrapsychic states. Left brain right brain.