The week in good news
Philip Matthews
looks on the bright side.
An unhinged president, climate emergencies, the mystery of Jeffrey Epstein ... the world can indeed be a very dark place. But there is good news, too, if you know where to look.
Birds of the past
Like everyone, we have become big fans of the recent exciting trend in megafauna. In particular, the New Zealand megafauna of giant birds that have been extinct for ages but are now being imaginatively reassembled thanks to the fossil record in the South Island. Last week saw a giant parrot emerge from the dusty soil of Otago. Not to be undone, Canterbury responded with a new species of giant penguin, which stood 1.6 metres tall and weighed in at around 80 solid kilograms, which is a good 10 times heavier than the parrot. This penguin was a big unit: in its publicity material, Canterbury Museum helpfully offered an illustrated comparison between the massive bird, whose scientific name is Crossvallia waiparensis, and a present-day woman who looks tiny next to it. What comes next? Surely a giant kiwi must be ripe for discovery.
Quake hangover
Hard to believe, but we are still talking about the cost of repairing homes damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. EQC Minister Grant Robertson and Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods unveiled a payout scheme which should finally solve the longrunning problem of people stuck with unrepaired or botched homes bought after the quakes. Payouts will be made available to people who own on-sold houses and can’t access private insurance, but have more than $100,000 of earthquake damage. There are estimated to be about 1000 of them. Woods described the problem as ‘‘an absolute nightmare’’ for those affected, and this scheme will give homeowners ‘‘trapped in limbo’’ a way to move on with their lives.
Song sung blue
Ruru Karaitiana wrote the classic New Zealand song Blue Smoke while on active service in World War II. He saw smoke from a troop ship off the coast of Africa and a melancholy, homesick tune naturally followed. He later put together a group with singer Pixie Williams to record the song, which was released in 1949 and is generally agreed to be the first record composed, recorded and pressed in New Zealand. Karaitiana wasn’t too happy with the recording, but it was a hit, selling 20,000 copies in its first year and staying in the national consciousness ever since. Dean Martin did a version and reportedly phoned Karaitiana to see if he had more songs like it. Seventy years later, the composer and performers will be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame – Karaitiana and Williams posthumously, while guitarist Jim Carter will be honoured in the year of his 100th birthday.
Going electric
Some may need to have the keys to their fossil-fuel cars ripped from their cold, dead hands but there is no doubting the way the trends are moving. The number of registered electric vehicles has almost tripled in the past two years, from 5363 in October 2017 to 15,453 now. To kick that along, the Government announced a further $4.5 million for electric vehicle infrastructure in its Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, matched by $12m from the private sector. It includes more than $750,000 to get electric trucks and heavy vehicles onto the road. The Government made the announcement from a vehicle dealership in Christchurch that received $115,425 towards an electric truck it can loan to customers for long test runs.
Second chances
Remember Puk Kireka, the Mongrel Mob member whose facial tattoo was mocked on social media by noted rapper 50 Cent? Kireka has the word ‘‘notorious’’ in black and red across the lower half of his face. ‘‘I wonder why he can’t get a job?’’ 50 Cent joked to his 24 million Instagram followers. But Hawke’s Bay business owner Robbie Gale clearly saw something the rapper did not, hiring Kireka as his personal trainer and paying for Kireka’s first year of study in sport and exercise science. So far, Kireka has helped Gale lose 10kg in eight weeks. ‘‘People like Puk don’t think they’re entitled to live a life like that,’’ Gale told Stuff. ‘‘But once they get the understanding that it’s all possible, it’s all go. He’s a very driven guy. This is probably the first time in his life he’s ever had any encouragement ... Even in the gym I notice now that people are getting to know him, he’s just a great guy.’’