Southland Attractions
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1 Cover art Tui by DEOW (Danny Owens) Magazine design Gloria Eno Produced by Southland District Council communications team ou’ve most probably seen his both his art and his technique, he says. spray paint. And then if I was only using work. Whether it’s a beautiful Y “I’ve turned it into a twist with New brushes there’s effects I couldn’t get with woman on a wall in a paddock, or brushes that I can with spray paint. a stunning mural in the city, you’ll Zealand heritage and the native birds recognise the graffiti art of New and my subject matter I’m working on “I think I’d be an idiot if I didn’t use Zealand’s southern-most graffiti artist, right now,” he says. “It could change - mixed media and different media to Danny “Deow” Owens. it might be cows next year or sheep the create what I’ve created.” year after.” Born in Invercargill, Deow has always Going from the raw rebellion of dabbled in art, but considers himself Deow enjoys painting birds and the his outdoor work to the relative self-taught. A year in California in challenges they pose to him as an artist. refinement of his native bird series is his mid-teens cemented his love for “Their features; their feet, their eyes, reflective of his journey as an artist. graffiti and started him on an “epic their feathers. It’s a content that’s “I haven’t forgotten the roots where I journey” that now sees him able to helped develop my art in general - the come from but it’s an image of where travel the world with his work. different techniques I’m using in these I want it to go.” pieces,” he says. He may be based in California now, but » For the full interview go to he says it’s always good to come home. “I’ve always limited myself to only Southland District Council’s Deow recently held an exhibition to open using spray paint because I’m a graffiti Facebook page the Vault pop-up gallery in Riverton. artist so I use spray paint and nothing else, but now I’m finding I can get His work there was the refinement of effects with brushes that I can’t with Deow (right) discusses his exhibition with Southlanders Deborah and Ross Mackie. 2 The shape of representation in Southland was at the heart of discussions at nine Community Conversations held around the District in November. Southland District Council has a mayor, 12 councillors, The roles of councillors, community boards and community eight community boards, each with six members, and 19 development area sub-committees are all going under the community development area subcommittees (CDAs), each spotlight in the review. with six members. Mr Tong says it is important for the Southland community This is a total 175 elected members – meaning the District to come up with a workable proposal because if it doesn’t has one elected representative for every 165 residents. the Local Government Commission will take the decision However, about 10,000 people in the District are not into its own hands. represented by either a community board or a CDA and Council believes this needs to be looked at. Less formal community groupings are one option – with Mr Tong citing the success of the South Catlins Charitable Trust In April next year Council needs to recommend an option in developing the Curio Bay Tuma Toka Heritage Centre. for public consultation. However, before that Council would like the opportunity to talk to you about what you think. This includes: ◊ where you see your community of interest ◊ the number of councillors and where they should be elected from If you were unable to attend any of the Community Conversations there are plenty of ◊ whether we should have community boards and how opportunities to get in touch. many and whether they should cover the whole of the District. Residents have until the end of January to put their ideas and feedback into the mix – and there Southland District Council governance and democracy are several ways to do this: manager Clare Sullivan says Council is keen to get as much feedback as possible on ideas about how Council can deliver Email us at: effective, efficient and affordable representation. [email protected] At the Community Conversations meetings, Southland Fill out the quick online survey: District Mayor Gary Tong encouraged people to think about wwwsurveymonkey.com/r/J2P3QSL where they go for services, schools, shopping, socialising and sport – the things that embody a community of interest. Or visit our Invercargill office or one of the area offices. 3 MAYOR GARY TONG or a year where not a lot of change was expected a lot sure has changed, and 2018 promises to be equally challenging Fand rewarding. As I look back on the year, there have been many fantastic achievements recognised and plenty of challenges to get our heads around. Southland District covers a vast area – about 12% of New Zealand’s total area, but has under 1% of the country’s population. This equation has always presented some unique challenges around governance and asset management, among other things. In 2018 we will again be tackling questions around representation in Southland. At our Community Conversations we’ve been asking people what they consider their community of interest to be – where do they shop, where do their kids go to school, where do they socialise and where do they play their sport or watch their shows. Lines on maps identifying wards, community board and community development areas in Southland may be outdated and not fit for purpose in 2018 – and that’s what we’re asking people about. We’re taking feedback until late January, so please get in touch with your thoughts and ideas. By April we are required to come up with a proposal for public consultation. It’s important we do this together to come up with something that best fits as many of our residents’ needs as possible. If we don’t put up a proposal, the Local Government Commission will decide for us. ranger in the Catlins on a trial basis over summer from December to March. In March plays host to GODZone, the world’s largest outdoor There are plenty of options adventure race, which will be an amazing event for Te Anau and around potential boundary surrounding areas. Each of our communities has its own dynamics and challenges and the changes and make-up of Community Conversations give us a real taste of what’s on people’s minds. representation in the District. During 2017, we were asked about roading, fracking, elderly care, power supply options on Stewart Island, representation levels, cellphone Throughout the year, we’ve been challenged by coverage, freedom camping and a whole host of other issues. projects such as the Te Anau wastewater disposal scheme and the Around the Mountains Cycle Council doesn’t have all the answers – we believe in partnering with Trail with significant progress starting to be our communities to help develop a collective understanding of the made on both fronts. many challenges and opportunities in front of us. Tourism and aquaculture are two key pillars The year has seen some great wins for our District with the of the Southland Regional Development Government’s $1.08 million contribution to the Rakiura Heritage Strategy. One aquaculture opportunity has been Centre and $500,000 in funding for the Curio Bay Natural Heritage investigated at Port Pegasus, and there appears to Centre among the highlights. be no stopping the tourism train. For me personally, being able to acknowledge the efforts of the South Island councils are keen to see District’s many amazing volunteers is a real highlight – including the improvements in the way freedom camping presentation of bravery awards on behalf of the Governor-General is managed and we want to work with Local to two long-time Nightcaps residents who risked their own lives Government New Zealand to develop a draft attempting to save the life of a neighbour. Freedom Camping Bylaw that can be adapted and used by councils throughout the country. Council’s new brand has been praised and the upbeat and contemporary feel of the new logo and colours has put a spring in We are working alongside some of our everyone’s step – and it’s up to all of us to live the Southland Story neighbours on some cross-boundary matters, and be proud of our fantastic District. such as freedom camping, in the Catlins. As 2017 winds down, I’d like to wish everyone the best for the festive Clutha District Council, Southland District season and for whatever lies in front of you in the year to come. Council and the Department of Conservation are all chipping in equally to cover the costs of a Let’s make it a good one. 4 CHIEF EXECUTIVE STEVE RURU hile we’re all dreaming about areas. Meanwhile, many other regions the new landscape might look like and a scorching summer break, across rural and provincial New Zealand how and if we can determine our own I’d like to wish you a merry have a static, or in some cases declining, fate by creating new ways of working ChristmasW and all the best for 2018. population and an economy that goes that reflect what the needs of our through ups and downs as, for example, communities might be in the future, Before you get that well-deserved the dairy industry payout fluctuates.