Monday, July 27, 2020 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.40 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY READY TO ROCK N POP FULL STORY P3 Methven, We’re shaken, but Rakaia win P9 far from stirred BY SUE NEWMAN “The country’s in an odd state, a wait jobs, the amount of money in their back [email protected] and see phase. Compared to pre-pan- pocket is less.” The Ashburton District’s economy demic things are still not quite as great While the Ashburton District’s strong might have been shaken by Covid-19 across the country and there’s still a lot primary sector meant it was likely to but compared to many parts of New of uncertainty. When the government’s avoid the worst of the national pain, it Zealand, it’s still in reasonably good sugar money ends the economy will would not emerge unscathed and the health, says economist Brad Olsen. slow and there will be more sobering latest unemployment data very clearly Speaking in Ashburton on Thursday, expectations. This won’t be a fast recov- showed that, he said. the Infometrics economist gave busi- ery and it’ll take one-and-a-half years “We’ve seen an incredible shock to ness leaders a warts and all look at how to make it back to a normal level of the the economy and a significant down the district was faring today and how it economy,” he said. turn and we’ll see some hard times, but was likely to fare in the months ahead The wage subsidy had simply de- we have to keep working on what a dif- once the last of the government’s fi- layed job losses and that was likely to ferent economy looks like. If you want nancial support packages had run their kick unemployment rates up to above your economy to keeping moving you course. 8 per cent by the end of the year, with need to protect your primary sector. New Zealand was living through the a peak of 9.7 per cent likely next year. Confidence is easy to lose and hard to greatest economic shock for many dec- Since the level four lockdown, 63,000 gain back.” Making the ades, Olsen said, and while the recovery jobs had been lost and it was likely an- in the short term were better than an- other 20,000 would be added to that in ticipated it would be 18 months before a second wave, post the wage subsidy, the full effects of border closures, busi- Olsen said. most of life “And while people might still have CONTINUED P3 ness failures and job losses were felt. P2 Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe! News 2 Ashburton Guardian Monday, July 27, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz Making the most of life BY HEATHER MACKENZIE her mum just did it in a plastic bag. That made [email protected] for some interesting conversations around the Jill Newton’s life to date has been a rollercoast- district.” er of emotions and hospital visits, but whatev- By now Newton said she was on the wrong er life has thrown at her, she has always faced side of 45 and to add insult to injury she was it head on, found the bright spots and forged told by a very unsympathetic WINZ worker ahead. that she was too old to retrain. The incredibly fast birth of her much loved “I am not easily beaten, so when she told me baby daughter in the 1970s left the diminutive that, I took myself off and gained a certificate Newton with irreparable damage to her body. in social work.” The entire birth process took 30 minutes all up Not only that, she signed up with Ashburton and it was this speed that caused all the dam- Town Watch which she is still doing 25 years age, she said. later, put her name down for lifeguard duty at “I welcomed the birth of my beautiful the pool, which she has put on hold after 33 daughter, but I was left with a never-ending years, joined the Civil Defence welfare team nightmare of incontinence issues as well.” 13 years ago and if that is not enough, she gets Newton now found it impossible to stay dry up at 5am every week day to go swimming or long enough to hang out the washing or do walking before heading off to work in the Sal- her own shopping. In a bid to fix the situation vation Army office. Newton underwent 18 surgeries, her long- “I was very proud to be awarded the mayor’s est stay at home during all this was just three award last year. There are so many wonderful weeks at a time. people in Ashburton doing great things.” A new baby and endless surgeries would be It would be fair to say the WINZ staff mem- enough to get anybody down, but not Newton. ber had no idea about who she was dealing “I just had to pick myself up, hope for the with when she made the ‘too old’ comment. best and keep going,” she said. After being what is referred to as an osto- A light at the end of the tunnel appeared, mate for 47 years, Newton has a lot to offer the when a urostomy procedure was suggested as other 6500 ostomates throughout New Zea- a solution. In this surgery an opening in made land. in the abdominal wall where urine then passes This she accomplishes through her work as into a bag attached. national president for the New Zealand osto- “I thought to myself, gone would be the days my society and editor of the NZ Ostomy mag- when the number of knickers on the clothes- azine, a position that she has held since 2003. line each day would reach double figures. I The magazine comes out three times a year. would be able to leisurely wander around the The 6500-plus copies printed, right here in supermarket and spend quality time with my Ashburton, find their way all around New Zea- family.” land and also into 23 countries overseas as To a certain extent Newton was right, but it well. was not an easy journey to get to that point. Newton said each issue takes her around For a while life did truck along quite nice- 150 hours to complete it and she tries to come ly for her. She went back to her swimming, up with different material each time. playing sport, cycling and even competed in “I don’t write the articles, but over time I some triathlons, but when her health began to have built up a wide range of contacts that I plummet again, she was booking in for more can chase for stories.” surgeries and had to take more medication. Newton said she has increased the number The final blow came when she was told work- of pages and her next plan is to add a letters to ing was no longer possible. the editor section, where people can write in “My whole world has crashed and suddenly with their questions and she can direct them I had nothing to look forward to. I was a noth- to the right place for help, she said. ing person with nowhere to go except to spe- “There is a lot of misinformation out there, cialists and doctors’ waiting rooms.” but this magazine is a trusted and safe place Being able to find the smallest bright spot to get information from. I try to put in articles in what was a pretty grim time is something that people want to read.” Newton has always been good at. Clearly Newton’s journey has not been an One light moment Newton remembers easy one, multiple surgeries also on her back came from her delightful daughter, who was in and knee, two years in leg brace due to an the infant class at school at the time. Her class achilles issue and an upcoming shoulder op- was having a morning talk on what they had eration all make for pretty daunting reading, to do at home that mummy and daddy didn’t. but as she puts it, if I to take a few antibiotics “She told the class how unfair it was that she so every so often, and have some surgeries, so Jill Newton’s philosophy is without a doubt “when life hands you lemons, always had to go to the toilet to do a wee and what? It is what it is, she said. make lemonade.” PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN News www.guardianonline.co.nz Monday, July 27, 2020 Ashburton Guardian 3 ■ ECONOMY We’re shaken, but far from stirred From P1 Unemployment in the district was up 53 per cent over the last quarter in the district and be- cause it had started from a very low base, that rise appeared sig- nificant and was the 18th highest in New Zealand, Olsen said. “And these are not just num- bers, they are real people, 250 ad- ditional people in the Ashburton District are being supported now and that’s tough. That trend is likely to continue for a while.” The number of people access- ing an accommodation supple- ment was also up over the quar- Rock n Pop musical director and producer Jo Castelow, choreographer Jessie Thomson and director Roger Farr prepare for ter, by 20 per cent.