Bay Buzz

Jules Nowell-Usticke has spent more than 17 years supporting Hawke’s Bay Foundation and in many different guises – she was a founding donor, manager, has held the role of board chair and been a trustee. Now, as she approaches her 65th birthday, she has found another, rather novel, way to give, donating her government pension directly to the Foundation each fortnight. “As we stand right now, my family is financially stable and I won’t need to rely on my pension,” Jules explains.

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.] As you know, our Hawke’s Bay councils (three of them anyway, with HBRC as an adopted stepsister) have proposed an amalgamation plan, taking advantage of the Government’s ‘Head Start – Simplify Local Government’ process. The ‘advantage’ of doing so lies simply in avoiding the threat that the Government would otherwise reorganise Hawke’s Bay local government for us.

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.] Sometimes politics hands you lemons. The trick is deciding whether to make lemonade, a lemon tart – or something that has never been on the menu before. The Government’s Simplifying Local Government proposal, and our region’s Head Start submission, have opened up a world of possibilities. And sitting in the middle of it all is a rather intriguing opportunity.

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.] Much of the struggle facing local councils over the past decade comes down to one issue politicians have been reluctant to confront: who pays? Ironically, as New Zealand heads toward a general election debating land taxes, wealth taxes and capital gains taxes, that discussion remains largely separate from debates about council reorganisation.

Between 1820 and 1839, Ngāti Kahungunu was in a state of immense change. The migration of the first English settlers had introduced the musket as a key trade commodity. War parties of musket-bearing iwi had a devastating effect on Ngāti Kahungunu. In 2024 we commemorated the 200th anniversary of the battle of Pakake at Ahuriri, where hundreds of Ngāti Kahungunu men, children and women were killed.

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.] The discussion about the future structure of Hawke’s Bay’s councils is gaining momentum, with a locally led reform proposal now submitted to the Government. There will be strong views about representation, identity, geography and whether Hawke’s Bay should have one council, two councils or retain elements of the current structure. The Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce does not need to become an advocate for amalgamation or an opponent of it.

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.] Federated Farmers’ Enough Talk: Fix it proposed a single layer of local government built around unitary authorities. For provincial New Zealand, it identified three things that matter: rural and provincial interests must be clearly represented, governance must reflect distinct communities of interest, and outcomes must not be driven solely by larger metropolitan centres. On those principles, Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers agrees.

Parking, traffic flow, and improving the overall experience for visitors are among the top priorities as Hawke’s Bay’s premier sporting venue looks to expand. Plans are underway to add 8.5 hectares to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park, now known as Mitre 10 Park – with the park’s trust developing its 10-year masterplan. Mitre 10 Park general manager Glenn Lucas Mitre 10 Park general manager Glenn Lucas said they had some really good ideas around how the land could potentially be used.

Last Monday morning found me worrying about two health issues. Here are the two health care pathways and outcomes that resulted when I sought help. From a human to GP re severe back pain: Monday 31 Aug, 10:30am Message sent to GP via the practice’s online portal: Acute back pain for past week originating a bit above/behind my right hip. If I bend over to pick something up, I need to raise up VERY carefully. Hurts if I lean to the right. I can think of an aggravating event last Tue on property.

[As published in September/October 2026 BayBuzz magazine] The unlikely double life of Don Kennedy Don Kennedy was ten years old, box brownie camera in hand, when he ducked under the fence at Levin and found himself standing on the grid five minutes before the start, tugging on the overalls of Jim Clark. Nobody stopped him. In the 1960s, if you were a kid with enough nerve, you could get that close to the two-time Formula One world champion from Scotland.