Energy poverty real for many
One of the greatest-ever Kiwis is to be honoured with a symphony score set to premiere in time for his 100th birthday.
The Hillary Centenary Steering Commission (HCSC) has commissioned the work as a tribute to Everestconquering Sir Edmund Hillary, who died in 2008.
Renowned New Zealand composer Gareth Farr has received a $51,000 Creative NZ grant to compose the symphony.
Sir Ed’s son, Peter Hillary, reckons his father – who would have turned 100 in July, 2019 – would have been ‘‘secretly chuffed’’ at the birthday honour, but also humbled.
Such a commission has become a rare thing in New Zealand, reserved only for events of a significant or special nature..
The Hillary family was excited to see how Sir Ed’s incredibly varied life would inspire the creation of the piece, Peter Hillary said.
Farr, who was made an Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 for services to music and entertainment, has composed numerous works performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Royal New Zealand Ballet.
‘‘I want this piece to be an elating experience that gives the audience a sense of the overwhelming beauty of the Himalayas, but more importantly the down to earth charm of this iconic Kiwi.’’
‘‘Writing a symphony like this will be a bit like climbing a mountain.’’
It was important that aspects of the Tibetan and Nepalese cultures were incorporated into the symphony as this would help the composition remain original sounding and not fall in to cliched ‘‘film music’’ he said.
The score will be performed by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, which Farr saw as fitting because Christchurch sat under the shadow of Aoraki/Mt Cook, or New Zealand’s Mt Everest.
Farr hoped to tour the symphony globally after its premiere in 2019.
HCSC co-chair Clive Craig said the symphony ought to be ‘‘the most important piece of music ever composed by a New Zealander, for New Zealand’’.
He hoped it would carry on Sir Edmund Hillary’s legacy for as long as New Zealand existed.
‘‘It really is an important period in a sense that it will be the final opportunity for New Zealand to say Ed was rather important to us,’’ he said. Reduced summer power bills used to be a welcome reprieve for struggling families: the sun’s out, the heaters are off, and everyone’s outside saving on power use.
But high power bills are becoming a year-round phenomenon.
An Otago University study says one-fifth of all New Zealand families have experienced energy poverty, defined as 10 per cent or more of household income going on energy.
Wellington mum Kelly McLeod, who does community work through her church, estimated about 90 per cent of the people she worked with struggled to pay their power bill, and over the past 18 months, she’d seen the situation worsen. The problem had become year-round, she said.
Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods said the Government’s Winter Energy Payment would help older and fixedincome New Zealanders afford the heating they needed. ‘‘Around a million Kiwis will receive up to $700 a year to help them heat their homes this coming winter.’’
Energy analyst Molly Melhuish was concerned a business-friendly New Zealand and a limited number of companies could create a ‘‘rough monopoly’’.
‘‘They’re not actual monopolies but [companies] have enough control over central prices and I think that’s the underlying reason more and more people are suffering energy poverty.’’
However, Electricity Authority chief executive Carl Hansen found it hard to believe anyone could say a monopoly existed.