Twenty-four hours of non-stop shearing, 8300 lambs successfully shorn and more than $115,000 raised.Memories were made at the ‘Clip for a Cause’ fundraiser on Friday and Saturday, and there will be more memories to come.The Maniototo and wider Central Otago shearing community got stuck in and raised enough money for Murray and Lizzie Kirk and their four children, to have an unforgettable holiday together.Murray has a brain tumour and thanks to the shear-a-thon, the family are now able to go away and spend some quality time overseas for a break.He said the family hasn’t been away anywhere for at least eight years, and they are looking at travelling to both the States and Europe.Shearer Murray Kirk on the tools at the shear-a-thon at the weekend. Image: Supplied“Lizzie and I are just overwhelmed. We are struggling to comprehend it. You just don’t expect something like this to happen to you,” he said.One of Murray’s mates that he used to shear with flew in from Australia and another from the North Island. They just kept coming all through the night, and even the kids were getting involved.Co-organiser Paddy Henderson, who also used to shear with Murray back in the day, said the generosity from the community was incredible, both in their time and donations.Former All Black Andrew Hore donated a rugby jersey, which was auctioned off - raising $2,050 and a local teenager donated seven SufTex rams, which raised $14,500 alone.Even the brooms that the rousies used were auctioned off for $80 each.“It was just so good to be part of it,” Paddy said.Co-organiser Trina Armstrong said the auction just snowballed from 12 items initially to over 30, including some last minute items from the New Zealand Rugby, including a signed ball and a Maori All Blacks jersey as well.So how does a community pull off an event such as this at such short notice and without the help of an event management company?"We didn't have to chase anybody because everyone has such a high opinion of him," Trina said.

A new Cromwell community initiative is using shared cooking and meals to strengthen local connections, particularly for young families and people new to town.Kai Connect is a monthly programme run by Cromwell Community House, bringing people together to prepare food, share a meal, and support others through donated excess food.Cromwell Community House programmes facilitator Sandra O’Callaghan said the idea grew from a trend she and her colleagues had noticed in the growing town.“We try to close a loop in the community. That’s what we’re always looking out for,” Sandra said.“Something that we feel is missing in the community is a real sense of connection and a safe place that people can come together.”She said food was an accessible and inclusive way to create that connection across ages, backgrounds and abilities.“Everybody’s on the same level,” she said.“So, whether you’re a chef, or whether you can’t cook at all, or you just want to come along and have a meal, that’s fine.”Kai Connect is centred on preparing food together before sharing a communal meal, with any surplus saved and distributed to others.“All they have to bring is themselves,” Sandra said of people curious to come along.“We prepare the food there, connect over it and share it, and then if there’s any excess food, we put that into a community freezer, which we put out to people in need.” Participants can be involved in different ways, from helping with food preparation to simply arriving for the shared meal.“We just kind of want to add a little bit of warmth to people’s Wednesdays,” she said.Sandra said the need for connection was especially evident among young families who had moved to Cromwell without established support networks.“A lot of them come here and they don’t have that family here, they don’t have that support,” she said.“So, connection is quite important.”Kai Connect runs on the third Wednesday of each month from 10am to 1pm - starting tomorrow (Wednesday January 21) - at the Scout Den, 31 Ortive Street, Cromwell.People can arrive from 10am to help prepare food, or from about 11.30am to join the shared meal.Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz 

Maniototo Area School principal Melissa Bell is a typical roll your sleeves up and get stuck in, kind of a gal.If there’s a job needs doing – a self-confessed, got to be busy workaholic, Melissa will likely volunteer.Even if there isn’t she’ll probably create one – all for the benefit of her beloved rural Central Otago community.Despite juggling multiple school and community roles, including choreographing school productions, when the Cromwell ballet teacher who covered Ranfurly pulled out, Melissa, and another woman, stepped in.A massive dance lover herself from a young age, she could feel the local students’ disappointment.Just a few weeks ago they pulled off their first big end of year show with 35 kids – A Night Before Christmas.“I don’t think country kids should miss out,” she says.Melissa with some of the ballet pupilsSo passionate about this, Melissa asked students at her school last year what they thought they were missing out on. “They said, ‘We live in Ranfurly so our sports teams don’t get to go overseas or visit other countries and we’d love that experience.”So Melissa rolled those sleeves up along with teachers, parents and kids, fundraising well over $100,000 - $6500 per student, to make it happen, thanks to generous input from the local community.In April this year they took 35 Maniototo Area School students, aged 14 to 18, to Vietnam to experience an entirely different culture, food, climate, language, customs and beliefs. “They were fully immersed for two weeks. It was such a great group of kids.“We organised the trip and fundraised locally – quiz nights, a fashion show, catering for weddings and tailing on farms,” she says. “The whole community got behind it, including people with no kids, businesses. Everybody was so generous.”And just like she’s got the spare time, this year Melissa, who successfully fought off cancer 13 years ago, spent her sabbatical trekking the iconic 850km Camino Trail in Spain - a pilgrimage from the French border to Santiago.“I did it with my mum, who’s 75, and ticked that off my Bucket List.”All this 13 years after winning her cancer battle, at the time a busy fulltime working mum of two young boys at the height of her career.She says despite her natural tendency to give everything her all and work long hours, the move to beautiful, rural Central Otago in 2022 has been the best thing for her:“Here I do all that work with people, whereas before I was in the office or always at meetings,” she says.“In the country teachers go above and beyond. I’ve always felt so welcome here. Our school is like a family, only 150 kids from new entrants to Year 13. It’s pretty special seeing 5-year-olds holding hands with high school kids on sports day.”Country adults don’t want to miss out either.Local women asked for Barre Fit classes too – a blend of Pilates and dance strengthening.” I’ve got 82 people in the community signed up already,” she says.“Strangely enough the Maniototo males are a bit hesitant but we’re all inclusive and there’s space for everyone.”Melissa herself started ballet, aged 7, while at Centennial School in Waimate where she grew up amongst strong teaching stock.“Teaching wasn’t a choice. Both my parents were in education – Mum one of 11 kids, seven or eight who became teachers. Education was in my gene pool,” she smiles.A diligent student who loved school, dance was her life, studying and teaching ballet and dance from age 14, once the family moved to Dunedin.“I avoided sport at all costs. I had two noisy brothers. Dance was my escape. Every day after school I’d be at the dance studio training or teaching. For years I was the only one in my class. That was my world.”Wagging school wasn’t an option.“I snuck home while at Queen’s High in Dunedin once and got caught by Dad who taught at King’s across the fence.”It was the fence where she met husband of 31 years, Nigel Pacey. “Dad was Nigel’s dean. I remember him running away in horror when he realised he’d just dropped off the dean’s daughter,” she laughs.Melissa and her husband Nigel. Image: suppliedAt just 17, Melissa, already younger than her school peers, was off to Teachers College, studying for a history degree at the same time.Even then she liked to work, working part time as a waitress and teaching ballet.Flatting in Dunedin’s notorious Castle Street, Melissa didn’t fit the norm. “I was pretty well behaved. I took it all very seriously,” she says.Teaching has always been something of a baptism of fire for Melissa, after realising during her first placement she’d found her thing.“My first year teaching at Macandrew Intermediate I was 20 and had 39 kids in my class, some of whom could be challenging.”It was a social teaching family, running fun time trials through the corridors on a kids’ bike left at school during a Christmas staff barbecue.However, the horror she heard during a family group conference for one challenging student was hard to rationalise at 20. “I was young and naïve.”After four years Melissa was awarded a Royal Society Fellowship to go back to uni and study science, which she’d loathed at school, amid a shortage of specialist primary school science teachers.“No one else wanted to so I stepped up. You do what needs to be done,” she says.She completed the three stages of chemistry in one year, writing resources for all primary schools in New Zealand.That led to fours years teaching science and maths at St Hilda’s then teaching trainees dance and science at Teachers College.Teaching at John McGlashan College under fabulously supportive principal Mike Corkery for three years, at just 33 he encouraged her to apply for the St Hilda’s principal’s role which she got.“That was an incredible opportunity to lead a really strong school in good heart,” she says. “I was so excited. I felt so privileged and ready.”However, she could not have been ready for the high-profile murder of one of her ex-students Sophie Elliot, by then an Otago University student, during her first week on the job. A new young principal, Melissa found herself organising Sophie’s farewell at the school and speaking during extremely tragic circumstances.“I was supporting the community through grief and working closely with Sophie’s parents Lesley and Gil. I was proud of how I coped with that so young, looking back,” she says.Then in 2013 Melissa, by now Mum to two teenage boys, was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, leading to her decision to resign.“But on the happy side, the way I was loved and supported by the community was incredible,” she says. “My head student even came to chemo and radiation appointments with me.”Melissa during cancer treatment. Image: suppliedThankfully, she’s in good health now, but says the hardest part was thinking how her family would be without her.“It changed the way I did things. I knew I had to work a bit less. I’d been a workaholic, so I went back to the classroom at John McGlashan and absolutely loved it.“When I reached 10 years cancer free, I thought, ‘I’ve dodged a bullet’ and I have another principalship in me,” she says.The Maniototo role came up at just the right time, both Melissa and Nigel huge fans of Central Otago, Nigel scoring a teaching role too. “I’m now my husband’s boss at home and at school,” she grins.Santana Minerals is proud to support the Community Champion Feature - Nominate a Community Champion

The Central App’s new marketing and operations executive Alyssa Serignese has an interesting life, living off-grid with her partner in Roxburgh East, and a growing animal sanctuary.Moving halfway around the world - originally from Colorado, she and Antony opened Alexandra Tattoo Co three years ago and also found their perfect piece of land - a 6ha block for their alternative lifestyle.Having moved from the States six years ago to Queenstown, the couple were looking for a slower pace of life, but knew they wanted to stay in the area."We were just looking for properties and so expanded our search and stumbled across Central Otago," she said.Their piece of paradise includes 12 permanent ‘residents,’ including their beloved Australian shepherd/border collie Poncho, along with five sheep, two alpacas, two cats and two chickens.George the Alpaca who lives with Alyssa and Antony. Photo supplied.The animal sanctuary will eventually become a charitable trust to allow them to include rehabilitation and adoption services, as well as education.The couple love the Teviot Valley and say the locals have been good to them."It's been really nice to just be able to go and chat to the locals and get their input and advice.”Meanwhile back in Alexandra, their tattoo and piercing business has seen steady growth, now employing another artist to keep up with demand.Alyssa starts fulltime with the Central App in the New Year, and has worked in marketing for over 10 years.“I’m looking forward to using my skills to see the impact they have on local small businesses and to help the community grow.”The winning Alexandra United Football Club sevens team. suppliedOutside of work and taking care of animals, Alyssa coaches and plays for the Alexandra United Football Club Women (AUFCW).In June 2025 she was part of the first ever Central Otago Women’s League, involving teams from Alexandra, Cromwell, Wanaka and Queenstown.Later in the season they won the Alexandra Sevens aside tournament for the second consecutive year.The team is always welcoming new players, emphasising that age and skill doesn't matter.Life is certainly busy for Alyssa and Antony, and they are looking forward to settling more into the Central Otago community and enjoying the region."I've had to do a bit more planning than usual, just because I’m wanting to take in the animals and having our own property now, but definitely just enjoying Roxburgh... and just really making Central home,” she said.

If you’re looking for a good sort in Central, Dave Ramsay’s your man.Over four decades, Dave has dedicated himself to the region through tireless volunteer work, chasing rabbits, flipping sausages at community events, and releasing dozens of confident young drivers onto Central Otago roads.Since 1985, the Alexandra Lions stalwart and former Jaycee has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for community causes like Friends of Dunstan Hospital, Alexandra Fire Brigade and many more.“You’ll see him on the barbie at the Alexandra Blossom Festival or working the gate at the Omakau Races, it’s just what you do when you’re Dave.”He’s been a member of the Alexandra Lions for more than 30 years, joining in 1995 after a decade with the Jaycees. He served as Lions president in 2001–2002.“We provide community services with the proceeds, spreading what we raise around the community, or to individuals needing a kickstart,” he said. “But it’s all done under the radar. There’s no hoopla.”Still, hoopla found him in July this year.King’s honour for a humble man Dave has spent 40 years helping others, from rabbit control to Santa Claus duties. Photo: SuppliedDave was awarded a King’s Service Medal as part of the New Year’s Honours – an event delayed six months due to weather-related flight cancellations. He travelled to Government House in July, joined by friends and family, to finally accept the award.“It was a significant occasion hearing all the stories of those there and having that citation read out,” he said. “There might’ve even been a bit of liquid in the eyes at one stage,” he laughed. “Cindy is a neat lady. She hosted two showings of Honours recipients every day for a week.”Dave's humility remains. “I really just enjoy people and want to help where I can.”Known as ‘Rambo’, loved as SantaHe’s often called on when the job needs doing, though he’s not too keen on the nickname ‘Rambo’. Grandad to two, Dave is also a sought-after Santa Claus in the lead-up to Christmas.“I’ve got three bookings already this year and it’s still a month out,” he said, clearly chuffed.Perhaps it’s that personable nature and community spirit that also made him a trusted face during his 36-year car sales career — 26 of those years spent with Grant Ward Nissan in Alexandra.Wheels and roots: Ramsay's early yearsBorn in Invercargill in 1954, Dave grew up around cars. His dad, Wattie, sold cars at GWD Russells for 60 years, starting in 1934.“I loved it there. He’d try to get away from me, but I’d ride my bike down there,” Dave grinned.He learned to drive on his uncle’s Ettrick farm from the age of 10 or 11 and got his driver’s licence on his 15th birthday. Holidays were spent in Central Otago with his mum’s family. “I always had a desire to live up here,” he said.After one year of pharmacy school in Wellington, Dave returned south, eventually landing at Grant Ward Nissan — but not without some drama. His Invercargill home was hit by floods just as he was relocating.“I could see our home from work at GWD’s in Bay Road, but they wouldn’t let me go down to check on it, so one day I shot through there on the railway line to assess the damage and got a stern telling-off from the cops.”Giving back through generationsDave’s sons were born in Alexandra and, like him, got stuck into community life through Jaycees and Lions events.“There were a lot of dreamers out there who would’ve loved to own a $25,000 car. They had the $5,000, but not the $20,000,” he smiled, reflecting on his years in sales.“Nissan utilities were just becoming popular. You wouldn’t be on a farm without one now.”He credits the farming community for his success. “It was always a privilege dealing with farmers,” he said. “They’d budget to buy something, and if they didn’t have the cash, they’d put up with the old ute for another year.”Helping young drivers and saying goodbyeIn earlier years, Dave was passionate about the Nissan Young Driver Competition, which he ran in a central Alexandra car park, helping teenagers build road confidence.He also served on the Terrace School board, including as chair.Now retired, (from paid work at least) Dave keeps busy volunteering, particularly with Lions catering at events around the region. “I love eating, so it’s easy,” he said.Another way he’s supported the community? As a funeral celebrant. Dave has led more than 170 funerals across Central Otago and Queenstown.“It’s a particularly tough time for a lot of families, with a lot of costs involved. So not having to pay a celebrant can help. In a difficult time, it makes a big difference.”Still giving back and not slowing downAfter 40-plus years of service, Dave is still not seeking praise. But in Central Otago, people notice.“Moving to Central Otago was the best thing I ever did,” he said.

After years of teaching English in both Chile and New Zealand, Fernanda Silva Garriga has begun offering free IELTS preparation sessions at the Cromwell Library, alongside her weekly language conversation classes and private lessons. IELTS is the English-language test accepted by Immigration New Zealand, as well as universities and employers, as proof of English proficiency. The score someone achieves can make or break their hopes of working, studying or settling here. English teaching wasn’t always Fernanda’s plan. She trained as a translator and interpreter in Chile, having grown up surrounded by teachers and academics.  But while studying and later working in Valparaíso, she often found herself tutoring English on the side.  After moving to New Zealand in 2017, she earned her TESOL qualification and taught at a Queenstown language school before launching her own business in Cromwell earlier this year. Her teaching style is shaped by her own experience of finding school challenging. “When I was in high school, it wasn’t so easy for me - because my brain works differently, and it took me a bit longer to understand certain things,” she said.  “I always felt the education system wasn’t built for the way I learn.” Over the years she adapted her lessons to suit individual students, something they often comment on. “They really appreciate that the way that I teach is different for each one of them,” she said. For her, the reward is seeing people reach the point where something finally clicks.  She believes anyone can learn at their own pace, “as long as they have someone to support them”. Cromwell’s diverse and fast-growing community has only strengthened her sense of purpose.  She sees language as central to building a life in a new place - whether that’s making friends, finding a job or simply feeling confident enough to participate.  “Language is the channel that connects you with pretty much everything,” she said. That belief is partly why she approached the Cromwell Library to offer the free classes.  Having once worked in a library in Chile, she sees the space as more than a building full of books.  It’s a social hub, she said, and one that can help newcomers feel welcome.  “I just want to bring people in to know each other,” she said. Fernanda grew up on Chile’s long Pacific coastline, but Cromwell now feels like home too. She and her French partner endured a long period apart during the Covid-19 border closures before eventually returning to New Zealand to secure residency.  At that point, Fernanda could have moved anywhere, but she chose the town with the Big Fruit. “I don’t see myself in another place right now,” she said. “This is the place that life wanted us, where everything worked out.” Still, she accepts her heart remains divided.“Part of me is in Chile and the other part of me is here,” she said.

There’s not much that veteran, award-winning Central Otago winegrower, viticulturist and co-founder of Mt Difficulty Wines Robin Dicey hasn’t had a go at in his 82 years.South African-born Robin is always up for an adventure, and a good laugh.From driving his ute through far-flung outer Mongolia across Russia, China, Southeast Asia, South and North America, to part-building and crashing his own aircraft and engineering 70 trailers from tiny to large, Robin epitomises ‘can do’.Born in Ceres, near Cape Town, South Africa, Robin ran the family farm for 20 years.His upbringing emulates the story depicted in international bestselling novel ‘The Power of One’.“As a kid my African nanny had the peculiar habit of taking me to the stables where our mules and horses were, lighting a fire on the haystack and sweeping it off with a stick,” Robin said. “I was about six and wished I could do that, so I did, but I burnt a huge haystack down. Nanny got fired.”Robin circa 1948.His education started at the local village school aged six. The post Anglo-Boer War influence was still rife, and Afrikaans ruled at the school. “The older boys chucked me in a concrete silo because I was English. It was pitch black,” Robin said. “But I soon became a hero.” Boils and field sores were also rife, so the government fed a compulsory teaspoon of cod liver oil to the kids each day, “the most revolting stuff”. “There was no way my mother was giving me a silver teaspoon to take so she gave me a tiny plastic spoon that held one drop of oil. That spoon got passed by my classmates right to the back of the queue and they never threw me in the silo again,” Robin said. When he was eight he was sent to boarding school in Cape Town. After school he completed a diploma in winemaking and grape growing at Stellenbosch University, and in 1969 he married Margie. Robin used to grow table grapes in South Africa.The lure of adventure was too much for them so in 1977 they emigrated by ship to New Zealand, three kids in tow, where Robin started out as a viticulturist for Corbans Wines at Tolaga Bay, near Gisborne.In 1980 Robin set up a kiwifruit orchard in Katikati, and in 1981 he developed Morton Estate Winery for owner Morton Brown, leaving his South African Cape Dutch design stamped on that now famous wine label.Robin got back into viticulture when he discovered that “grapes grew quite well” in Central Otago during a Wānaka ski holiday in 1988. “We went on a hovercraft ride, and I hopped off when we saw Rippon Vineyard and met Rolf Mills,” Robin said. “We returned in 1990 when we became a bit more serious. I’d researched the climate, soils and history. We decided this could be a life for us.“We hired a house, went skiing and bought this property in Felton Road, Bannockburn, unconditionally within 24 hours. It was pretty scary. We thought, ‘Now we’re in trouble! How do we find the money?’”Back in Katikati Robin started a grapevine nursery, bringing the plants south in 1992 when they developed the vineyard and built their house.Funds were needed so Robin sold his skills to Otago Polytech as a lecturer at its Cromwell campus, starting its first week-long viticulture course. “I told the Polytech manager, ‘In five years wine is going to be bigger than any of the current crops here in Central, so you really need to run a viticulture course’. “I’d been prepared to be a forecourt attendant if I had to but people started approaching me to plant their vineyards, so I became a vineyard establishment manager.” He planted 40 or 50 vineyards from Gibbston to the Cromwell basin, Bendigo and Wānaka. “I had a big team, and we’d plant nine or 10 vineyards in a year.”Before long he and Margie were starting their own winery with the owners of four of the vineyards that Robin had planted, launching Mt Difficulty Wines in 1998.Armed with experience in the “three essential aspects” (producing grapes, processing and making wine, and selling it) - all the partners having completed Robin’s course, the fun began.Son Matt was completing a chemistry degree at Canterbury University and was home visiting when Ann Pinckney, an early winegrowing pioneer, came for dinner. “Matt went back to uni and signed up for a Masters in Wine Technology at Lincoln.”After graduating Matt gained experience as a winemaker in South Africa, Italy and Oregon before becoming the winemaker for Mt Difficulty. “The four partners brought name ideas and sat down with our suitable glasses of an appropriate libation and made a decision,” Robin said.He and Margie suggested ‘Mt Difficulty’, reflecting the challenges early Wakatipu pioneer William Rees faced negotiating it with a mob of sheep.Ally Mondillo designed the label and before long they were building a winery restaurant with just “a bit of topographical adjustment”, running an architectural competition for that design.There were no arguments. It was all “fun, fun, fun”, Robin said.“An argument is like throwing sand in a bearing. What happens is you put lubrication – lemonade, in it. It was only lemonade,” he said.They’ve never had a total crop loss due to frost or disease in what have been reliable grape growing conditions. “We never lost more than 15 percent. We fought frost hard, sometimes using ‘Choppy’ Patterson (helicopter pilot). They now have frost machines.”A recent photo of Robin in Costa Rica.Mt Difficulty went on to win many awards, including the New Zealand Grape Growers Council’s ‘Best Pinot Noir’ in 2004. Robin served on the NZ Council for five years and chaired the Central Otago one for six. He won the Central Otago Enterprise Award in 2002 and a Lincoln University medal for helping students on field trips.“An American came and made us an offer we couldn’t refuse for Mt Difficulty in 2018, so Matt and our other son, James, both in the industry, went out on their own, starting Dicey Wines, and our family built another winery in Bannockburn.”James qualified in law and accountancy but missed farming so took a post-grad qualification at Lincoln. He’s since taken over the vineyard establishment and management company from Robin.Robin, while ‘retired’, still works nearly fulltime, mostly in his workshop. “I’m ‘cheap design engineer’. I can build anything for no pay,” he said. But there’s still time for tennis three times a week and Pickleball, which he started in Cromwell.Forever passionate about wine, he’s a Life Member of the NZ Grape Growers Council. “That’s a big honour and it’s been an absolute delight with both my boys in the industry.”Photos: SuppliedCommunity Champion is proudly sponsored by:

Hanson has become a household name in the South with its successful vehicle rental business, but the next chapter of the company starts in Cromwell.The family business was created by Jarrod and Colin Hanson in Dunedin 28 years ago, targeting the self house moving market. Jarrod came back from overseas in the late 1990s and teamed up with his father - then he and his wife Anita opened another branch in Cromwell six years ago.But the original Hanson business in Dunedin sold last month, and Jarrod and Anita have embarked on an ambitious rebrand - Driven Rental Vehicles - here in Central Otago.What was once just a single truck for hire, turned into 90 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, trucks, cargo vans, minibuses, trailers, double cab utes, and cars. Driven Rental Vehicles has built up its own fleet of 53 based in Cromwell. Nowadays you can literally turn up at 3am if you need to and collect a vehicle - with its contactless collection as a result of Covid-19.Jarrod said they get a few female pillion passengers who’ve had enough rough riding on motorbike tours and are keen on an upgrade of transport for a day.And campervan owners who haven’t used their vehicle for a year, which then break down half way up the Lindis Pass.There’s also Little Flick the fire engine for hire too (it was moved to Cromwell from Dunedin); it gets hired out for kids’ parties and fundraisers.“They are all real fire engines from Japan,” Jarrod said.Driven Rental Vehicles has a number of vehicles on long-term hire, such as infrastructure or cherry industry companies, trucks for laundry services, councils, government ministries.Being a ‘dry hire’ business means they will look after all of the tyres, windscreens and general maintenance of the vehicles.“We have vehicles that are out for years. Rather than spend upwards of $70,000 on a new ute you can rent one for half the price. Think of it like Netflix,” he said.  “We have people that don’t want to own a vehicle and think about the servicing, the insurance, the registration.”They have the market sewn up, but when the pandemic hit, like many businesses relying on tourism, it took a huge blow - significantly reducing its income overnight.“It put us back 10 years,” Jarrod said.But advances have been made in other areas such as the 24/7 contactless collection, with vehicles now available around the clock.With the business moving more into the corporate and commercial sectors of Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago, such as hiring out vans to couriers when their vans are being serviced, you would think the company would just keep on growing.“The business changes day by day, minute by minute. We’re solutions driven to make an easier, simpler and cheaper alternative. There’s no point overselling something or they won’t come back.”  A comment on the business Facebook page after the Hanson business was sold sums it: “Thanks for riding with us — we’re still the same crew, just a bit more Driven.”Jarrod bought a building in Cromwell (Hughes Crescent) in the early 2000s and expanded the rental vehicle business into Cromwell in February 2019. The Driven brand was already registered 20 years ago, and had been sitting in the background, with the logo all pre-made as well.When they’re not running the business, Jarrod and Anita also foster dogs as part of The Animal Welfare Network, and are one of the biggest in the country. In the past 18 months they’ve looked after 14 dogs from all around New Zealand.Many have been surrendered, abandoned, given up, or abused.The rehabilitation involved toilet training and desensitising so the dogs can then be rehomed into the community.“Dogs know good people. It’s a big mission but it’s good fun. It’s not easy but it’s very rewarding,” Jarrod said.Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz 

Two emus patrol Danielle Lane’s paddocks in the Waikerikeri Valley, towering over the chickens that like to free range under the trees and the toddlers, trailing behind their mother. Life is busy on the 11-acre block just outside Alexandra - home to 300 laying hens, a strawberry patch nearly ready for its first pick-your-own season, rows of freshly planted Christmas trees, and a soon-to-be one year old and three year old.For Danielle, it’s about building a business and creating the kind of childhood for her kids she remembers from her own upbringing.A chunk of her early years were lived on a lifestyle block in Wainui, just north of Auckland. “We went to a rural school and did ag days, hatched chicks and bottle-fed lambs,” she said. “It was just an awesome, awesome childhood, and I always wanted that for my kids as well.”Her path to Central Otago was far from direct. She was born on the island of Guernsey, and her parents moved to New Zealand when she was a baby, seeking a fresh start. Danielle learned to snowboard at Snowplanet in Auckland, which led to a season in Wānaka straight after high school. That first taste of Central Otago set her off “chasing winters” across Canada, America and Australia until she realised she loved the summers here even more.Danielle completed a teaching degree by distance through Canterbury University while living in Wānaka.An emu was always on Danielle’s wishlist - and now she has two. Image: SuppliedA mountain bike race introduced her to Cam, a born-and-bred Central Otago local, and eventually the couple settled in Alexandra. Danielle taught at Goldfields and Omakau schools - some readers will know her as “Miss Lane” - before turning her attention to raising children and chickens.The poultry business began almost accidentally, when Danielle hatched chicks in her classroom. Parents clamoured to take the birds home, and she soon realised there was strong demand for quality hens and eggs. “Lots of people wanted chickens, but no one was really doing them locally,” she said.The enterprise quickly grew, and now she runs 300 commercial layers, selling free-range eggs to cafes, families and at the farm gate, alongside pullets for backyard chicken-keepers. Last year, her eggs picked up recognition at the New Zealand Food Producer Awards.The chickens are just the start. This summer, families will be invited to pick their own strawberries at Tree Range Farm.Danielle admits she’s never successfully grown strawberries before, but saw the idea take off elsewhere and wanted to try it here. “It felt like there was a gap for young families looking for things to do,” she said.This week, she and Cam have also planted “a whole bunch of Christmas trees”, which will mature into another pick-your-own venture in three or four years. Bees, geese, ducks, sheep - and, of course, those two emus - round out the menagerie.Running it all is a family affair. With Cam busy managing his own business, Danielle juggles farm work with caring for their children, Rylee (almost one) and Cooper (three). “It’s wild. We’ve got no staff,” she said.“If I’m collecting eggs and boxing them up, or pruning trees, or planting strawberries - whatever the chores are - the kids are with me, in a backpack, in a trolley, in a pram, crawling around, digging their own holes. “You just have to make it work. It feels really busy at times, but their way of play is my chores.”The brand she’s building reflects her teaching background. She has called the business Tree Range, a play on free range that also signals her philosophy of raising animals and children in natural surroundings. Danielle is developing education programmes too, from glass-sided bee hives she can take into classrooms, to the idea of Tree Range Kids, a nature-based childcare programme she might launch one day.Despite having grown up near Auckland’s beaches, Danielle doesn’t miss life in the city. “I love everything that Central Otago has to offer - the distinct seasons, the skiing and snowboarding and mountain biking scenes, the beautiful lakes and mountains,” she said.“It feels like it’s got everything you need.”Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz 

An accomplished chef and entrepreneur from southern Africa has swapped the spotlight of cooking competitions and television appearances for the kitchen of a Cromwell winery restaurant.Speaking to The Central App, Justina Bain said she is determined to prove newcomers can keep their professional dreams alive in a new country.Justina moved to Cromwell from Eswatini - formerly Swaziland - a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa and Mozambique.She arrived in town in the last week of December with her Kiwi husband Roger and their two daughters, Amelia and Zoey.Back home, Justina was a household name after becoming a finalist on a MasterChef-style competition and running a successful catering and events business. She hosted “cook and sip” events where guests learned to prepare dishes while enjoying drinks, ran festival stalls, and employed staff from communities where jobs were scarce.Raised in a bicultural household - the daughter of a Swazi mother and Mozambican father - Justina said her love of food began with her father’s cooking. “He used to cook quite a lot for us, and I grew up surrounded by food and cooking.”She described southern African cuisine as bursting with bold, fresh flavours - think garlic, ginger, lemon and chilies - often cooked over open flames. Root vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes and cassava feature strongly, alongside nuts and leafy greens, she said, while many of the dishes she grew up with were influenced by Mozambique’s Portuguese colonial heritage too.When her father returned to Mozambique, Justina was raised by her mother and began selling snacks and sweets as a child.“That experience definitely made me love the concept of being like an entrepreneur, of setting up a business,” she said.Justina Bain with her husband, Roger, and daughters Amelia and Zoey. Image: SuppliedArriving in Cromwell during the holiday season brought its own challenges. Her suburban street was quieter and, within days, she received news that her mother had taken a fall in Eswatini. “So that first week, I can't even remember, it feels almost non existent,” she said. Justina said moving to a new country can often mean taking whatever work is available to make ends meet, putting career ambitions aside. But she is determined to follow her own path.She is now chef de partie at Wooing Tree Cellar Door and Kitchen and has been selected for a newcomers business mentoring programme run by Central Otago District Council’s Welcoming Communities, Business South Inc, and Business Mentors NZ. When she was told her application for mentorship had been successful, she cried.“It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s giving me guidance, industry knowledge, and connections I didn’t have before.”Justina is also introducing Central Otago to southern African flavours, with her husband having long been her taste tester - he enjoys her peanut curry and coconut rice but is not a fan of the maize-based porridge she grew up with.Looking ahead, she plans to launch a business that blends her African culinary heritage with local ingredients. “I have high hopes…I want to be that person that shows people (other newcomers) you don’t have to forget about what you love doing (to build a better life for your family). You definitely can have both.”Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz

A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home.Brought to you by Central Interiors, Discover the enhancing world of interior design, that will make you fall in love with your space all over again. When Marion Rouxel left Melbourne during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was pregnant with her second child and craving space, fresh air, and real connection. She and her husband, a viticulturist, had their sights set on Central Otago.  They landed at Tinwald Farm on the outskirts of Cromwell, swapping inner-city lockdowns for big skies and open paddocks. Back in Melbourne, when Covid restrictions prevented her regular 5Rhythms dance class from meeting in person, Marion’s crew headed online - logging in from living rooms to move remotely together. That ritual helped her stay grounded during an otherwise isolating time, and, when she arrived in Central, she continued dancing online.  But, eventually, the desire for in-person connection proved too strong to ignore. Unable to find quite what she was looking for locally, Marion decided to train as a 5Rhythms teacher herself. Now, on Wednesday evenings, the Lowburn Hall transforms.  Music fills the space, feet hit the wooden floor, and a growing group of locals come together to move, breathe and reconnect, with themselves and each other. “I think that’s what I love right now with the group,” Marion said. “People show up, and something happens - it’s this beautiful, organic thing.” Last summer, class-goers often ended their evening with a dip in the nearby Lowburn Creek, while this winter, the ritual has shifted to late-night sauna sessions. Eyes open to the power of dance to do good beyond the dancefloor, Marion was inspired to further upskill in dance movement therapy. She now works with Alzheimers Otago, facilitating creative, movement-based sessions for people in the early stages of dementia - offering moments of connection and lightness, and giving carers a chance to rest.  She also spends time regularly at a Cromwell retirement village, where a movement session can add joy and playfulness to the routine of the day for those who live there. “There can be so much rigidity and structure around them (the residents),” Marion said.  “When you age, when you’re in a nursing home, you have to do this, you have to do that - you need to take that medication, you need to do this for your blood pressure - but you can’t do that.  “And that’s why I value the dance, as well as just hanging out with them.” People often ask her about her motivation – especially because the work can be challenging.  “There are so many layers to it,” Marion said. “The thing is, I just naturally do love humans – the whole range of humans. I know how isolating and difficult life can be.” On summer Sundays, Marion brings a taste of home to the Cromwell Farmers’ Market. Originally from Brittany, in France - the birthplace of crepes and galettes - she’s revived a food cart concept she first began in Melbourne.  Her stall serves up sweet crepes and savoury buckwheat galettes, filled with things like homemade pesto, caramelised onion jam, mushrooms, and ham. She loves the weekly ritual - chatting with customers, sharing good food and connecting to her roots. “It’s a form of legacy, in terms of where I come from,” she said. “I’ve been away for so long, and there’s this nostalgia…but it’s a positive nostalgia. I think there’s beauty in that.” Marion was initially hesitant to share her story with The Central App, aware that not everyone has the freedom to relocate, retrain, or reinvent themselves. She said she sometimes struggled with her own perception of being “a privileged white woman who moves around the world doing whatever she wants”. But, here in Central Otago, through dance, crepes, and connection, she has found meaningful ways to belong and to give back. Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz 

A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home.Brought to you by Central Interiors, Discover the enhancing world of interior design, that will make you fall in love with your space all over again. Todd (the drummer) and Fiona (the runner) Hayvice have got a bit going on - a furniture business with two showrooms, a Wellington home on the market, a teenage son and a move to Central at the start of 2026.The couple are also known as Mr and Mrs YOYO. They run YOYO Design by Kiwis, a business specialising in high-quality Kiwi-designed furniture, homeware and lighting.Their flagship Wellington premises was established in 2011, and the second YOYO showroom opened in Clyde in April this year.Aside from managing the design business, Fiona trains at an elite level to represent New Zealand in ultra-marathons. She tackled her first ultra in 2010, before her son Spike was born. When he was six-weeks-old, Fiona began incorporating him into her workouts, steadily rebuilding her fitness to compete for New Zealand.The Hayvice family (from left) Spike, Fiona and Todd at the MASH Backyard Ultra on the Kāpiti Coast in January. PHOTO: Supplied Her top finishes in races led her to represent New Zealand across the globe: at the Trail World Championships in Portugal (2016), the 100km World Championships in Germany (2022), and three 24-Hour Championships (two in Taiwan, one in France). She was also on the NZ team for the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships in 2020 and 2022.“Running is what I’d rather be doing 24-7 if I could,” Fiona said.Todd’s passion is playing the drums. He’s been focusing on it for the past five or six years and performing in a band in Wellington. Since the Clyde showroom opened he has been visiting every month to support their employee, Hana. Todd is a third generation furniture maker and retailer. His grandfather Maurie Kleist ran ‘Woodcraft’ in Wellington for 40 years; his father Michael Hayvice’s career was in furniture and design (he launched Country Theme in 1991); and his uncle Peter (who did an apprenticeship under Maurie) had ‘The Gentleman’s Cabinet Maker’, a business who designs furniture exclusively for YOYO until Peter retired in 2023. Todd said the business partners with designers from throughout New Zealand including from Otago, Canterbury, and the West Coast.“We’re always looking for new designers and keen to introduce fresh, innovative products," Fiona said.“A vast majority of what we sell is tailor-made for the customer.”The Hayvice family said their extended family was one of the main reasons for their move south.Fiona’s dad is in St Bathans, Todd’s sister and her family are in Roxburgh, and Fiona’s uncle and his family are in Arrowtown. The outdoors was another drawcard.“Our son loves to ski, and we’re into the outdoors in general.“He has an adventurous spirit and is very sporty.”The Hayvices said they are very excited about the move and looking forward to more space, spending time outdoors and enjoying a semi-rural lifestyle in Central, closer to family.  Have a story to share?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz  

A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home.An anxious six month wait is over for Reno’s Emily Schmith after her visa was approved this month.The 32-year-old US citizen met partner Dunedin’s Gareth Williams in early 2024 while she was travelling around New Zealand. After staying in touch for a few months, Emily moved in with Gareth on an orchard in Central last April.She’s jumped into community life here, while working remotely as a faculty led coordinator at University Studies Abroad Consortium, recruiting US students to go overseas for a portion of their university studies.She has taken on a volunteer event organising role (the "social bitch") for the charity Good Bitches Baking’s Queenstown Central Otago chapter.Emily stumbled across a volunteer role at Otago Community Hospice’s biography service, applied for it, got selected, and completed a weekend’s training to be a transcriber.“I get to listen to this person’s story. They’ve lived a life, that’s what they’re doing. It’s a privilege.”So far she’s transcribed interviews for two people, calling it “mostly interesting” but more time consuming than initially expected.Whenever she can she helps at planting days for Haehaeata Heritage Trust and other not for profit groups, and said missing “the social life of a big city” means she says yes to anything and everything she can get involved in.She’s become the striker of the Alexandra United Football Club’s women’s team, making new friendships across the district through sport.Her ‘up for anything' attitude has led her to orienteering, quiz nights, art workshops, gigs, bowling, book clubs, and more.“I love running into people randomly here… and I’ve always said I’d like a small town life.”Hockey player Gareth and footballer Emily. PHOTO: Supplied Washoe Valley (30 minutes from Reno where Emily grew up) is small with lakes and mountains, but it doesn’t have wineries and orchards of Central. Before she left on her travels Emily lived in Reno, a city of 400,000, also known for its proximity to the mountains (Sierra Nevada) and as the birthplace of the first riveted blue jeans, created by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1871. The future for Kiwi drain layer Gareth and Emily isn’t laid out yet, but presenting evidence to immigration of their genuine partnership, and figuring out all the tax implications of her US employment, has given them three more years to build their life together. Have a story to share?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz

A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home.Central foodies know "French food isn't just a meal; it's a way of life," and in a small Central town two Frenchies have been making a mark.  Friends and co-owners of Omakau’s Muddy Creek Cafe are Alice Caron and Marie-Caroline Dubois. Alice hails from Toulouse in the southwest of France and Marie from Provence. The pair have owned the business since October 2022, but have been in New Zealand for more than ten years, leaving their home for adventures, working and soaking up their OE (overseas experience). Alice said they met in 2014 in Arrowtown and their friendship led them to business ventures together.  First they sold smoked salmon at The Remarkables market in Queenstown (where she met her partner organic farmer Brendan Lopez) and then to Muddy Creek.Last week Alice received her New Zealand citizenship in a special ceremony at Central Otago District Council chambers. Pictured (from left) are Carter Mitchell, Scott Mitchell, Alice Caron and Geoff Moore at the citizenship ceremony. PHOTO: The Central AppShe said it was a lovely ceremony and she was surprised at how emotional she felt.“I really feel torn between the two countries, but I’ve been here for 12 years so it was an achievement too.”Alice said she missed friends, family and the culture and heritage aspects of France.“I could talk about France for hours… you can go and see a medieval castle, or explore ancient caves.”The peacefulness of life here, the landscape and the kindness of the community are the main reasons she has stayed.“Then there is the tramping, the hills, visiting remote huts… that’s a big part of what I love here.”The pair have been holding French Nights which feature one long table, a set three course menu with treats from their home cuisine.They’ve held Korean and Mexican inspired evenings which have been well attended too.Outside of work Marie has been training with the Waka Ama Manuherikia Wahine team. She said she loves the sport and learning cultural aspects, it’s great training keeping her fit for being a chef and on her feet all day.Marie (centre) is a member of the women’s crew. Pictured here she is in Wānaka for the winter kayak series last month. PHOTO: Lu Ann/ Waka Ama Manuherikia FacebookThe crew is training for the 2025 Vaka Eiva Regatta in Rarotonga, and for one of the races paddlers make a 36km trip around the island.  Read more: Central Home: From the French Navy to Alexandra. Read more: Central Home: Ice rink attracts GPs from USA.Do you know a candidate for Central Home? Contact reporter@centralapp.nz

A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home. Bonjour and welcome to the fourth feature on the diverse and interesting people that make Central their home.A French woman who served for seventeen years in the French navy spoke on Anzac day and her message resonated with community members across Central.Hélène Legeay has called Central home since 2018 after moving here with husband Stephane 11 years after they resolved to build a life here.She used to be an air traffic controller and worked on an aircraft carrier “a bit like Top Gun” she said.She was based in Brittany on two naval bases for several years looking after fighter jets, other aircraft, submarine surveillance and more.During her Anzac day address her main message was that people are not alone.“Speaking out, feeling pain, feeling distress is not weak. “As military personnel we need to be really strong, and courageous… and letting people know [the more personal] experiences of war and losses is [part of that].”Hélène giving her Anzac Day speech. PHOTO: Supplied She said she was pleased to get through her public address on Anzac day and keep her emotions under control.Husband Stephane works as a dam safety technician for Contact Energy overseeing the Clyde and Roxburgh dams.He is a former professional fire fighter in France and he could transfer his skills of emergency response and confined spaces to this role in Central.Hélène said her skills from the navy were very technical and therefore in New Zealand she retrained as a massage therapist, and has been running her own business for the past five years. On task at the clinic. PHOTO: Supplied The couple came to New Zealand for a holiday when they were unable to go to Vietnam for political and security reasons due to Hélène’s job.  “We fell in love with New Zealand.“Each time we visited we ended up back here… we became friends with people here.”She said they have never been city people and the safety of life in Central was a big drawcard.“It was the era of terrorism when we left France, with armed forces in the street.”She said they had tried their best to create bonds here.“The people [in Central] are very nice and welcoming, but even after seven years it is still hard to make [deeper friendship connections].”She said one of the things they miss is food from home.“Nothing compares to French food.”Stephane and Hélène are medics for both the Alexandra Armadillos and Otago Country rugby teams. They’ve been on the sidelines for several years supporting players.For Otago Country this means travel around the lower South Island most weekends from July.Hélène facilitates New Zealand Sign Language classes at Central Otago REAP, keeps up connections with the Returned Services Association (RSA) and is involved in archery.Hélène at an archery competition in Invercargill. PHOTO: Supplied She was a professional dancer with a dance company for five years and said her love of movement underpins many aspects of her life and her career.“When I look at a plane flying I see a ballet or a movement.“Signing [with your hands] it's like dancing.”Along with massage she teaches group and private pilates classes.“Pilates is very useful for dancers, I love the precision of it.” Read more: Central Home: Ice rink attracts GPs from USAHave a story to share? Do you know a candidate for Central Home?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz New to Central? We now have a section for all those moving, or moved here to make it easier for you to navigate the shift. Check at the bottom of the App on the navigation bar, or go to the community section and click on New to Central?

At 15, he’s clocked more volunteer hours than most people contribute in a lifetime, starting at the ripe old age of six and showing no signs of slowing yet.Alexandra teenager Taine Ballantyne has already hit the big time in volunteering, contributing a whopping 650 volunteer hours for his community.Asked by his mum, Donna, why he does it, Taine, from a very young age, has always replied: “Because I love helping people, Mum.”From offering to mow elderly widowed neighbours’ lawns and cleaning their spoutings to turning up at the Cromwell Speedway early after a big meet to scrub the barriers and empty the rubbish bins, being kind to others is just in the Ballantyne genes.Mum Donna used to do the local Scout Hall lawns and gardens, Taine, when old enough, joining her with mowing the lawns.He’s also tagged along helping Dad Glenn clean out the local Scout Hall rubbish.A keen family of speedway racers – Taine himself up there in his youth mini stock race car.\Taine in his mini stock race car. Photo: SuppliedHe’s attended almost every working bee at the racetrack during the off-season from May to September, through many a chilly winter weekend. I’m the youngest there by 20 years,” he grins.He’s raced mini stock cars very successfully for two years: “The trophy shelf in my room is getting quite full,” he says – five trophies to be precise, all for participation, Most Outstanding Youth Driver and Riverview Contracting Youth Allrounder.Most special of these was the probably the Daryl Ainsley Memorial meeting and racing as part of the Rees Tour in Christchurch, Blenheim, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Greymouth and Cromwell.Taine’s always at the forefront during meets, volunteering to help the tow trucks and remove any pranged race cars, helping get them to the pit if he’s not racing himself. “Most weekends I’m at the racetrack.”Taine ready to ride. Photo: SuppliedMuch older brother, Liam, is also a speedway racer and Taine loves nothing more than to help him do a motor change.This love of tinkering with cars has instilled a long-held desire to do his motor mechanic’s apprenticeship.A 1st Alexandra Scout Group Kea at age five, Taine was well used to monthly rubbish collections, climbing up to the town’s famous clock and clearing the Central Otago Rail Trail.As an older Scout and Venturer, Taine’s also helped with Keas and assisted with the local Park Run every Saturday as a timekeeper or marshal.Scout Taine at your service. Photo: Supplied“When our elderly neighbour moved into Ventry Street, she needed help with her garden and lawns, so I said I’d be happy to do it for as long as she’s living here,” Taine says.And if there’s any spare time, Taine played softball during summer and does all his volunteer work after school and in the weekends. “I have to do my homework before I go to school.”A practical bloke, Wood Tech is his favourite subject, and you guessed it, Taine’s right there amongst it in the Dunstan High School Student Volunteer Army, his teachers regularly congratulating him on his selfless community efforts.“We meet once a month and report on what volunteer projects we’ve been working on,” he says.Unsurprisingly, Taine won the school’s Waldron Volunteer Cup in 2022, despite only being in Year 11, clocking 540 volunteer hours from Year 9 until now.The Can Drive at Christmas and Vincent Country Motorcycle Rally at Galloway are all on his repertoire, Taine even camping out at the rally for three days to drive participants to their campsites on the quad bike, sell tickets at the gate, or clean up rubbish.At Easter it’s Taine who erects the town’s large white cross on the hill and takes it down.If there’s a volunteer role needing filled in Central Otago, Taine’s usually the first stop, but it’s not like he can’t say ‘no’: “I just really want to help people,” he says. “People just expect to see me everywhere.”His reward comes in the kind words he receives: “My neighbour I help always says, ‘You’re amazing! You keep doing it.’” Taine says.There’s always nice baking and chocolates come Christmas and a nice cold drink or ice block mowing those lawns in the Central Otago heat.As if he’s not just busy enough, a man has to make a buck as well, especially when he’s competing at speedway meets around the country.Taine works full-time every school holidays at Eden’s Orchard’s Juice Factory, making and bottling the juice, or packing it into boxes.He’s keen to earn his forklift licence to load them onto the trucks.“I do all my volunteer work after that each day,” he says.There’s not much down time and while most parents are nagging at their kids to get off the Xbox, Mum Donna says she’s elated when Taine occasionally says: “Mum, I’m off to my room to play a bit of X-Box with my friends.”Donna couldn’t be more proud: “He’s just amazing, and he always initiates it,” she says. “You can’t say ‘no’ when your teenager asks for a ride to do good.Little Taine. Photo: SuppliedSometimes I get home from the speedway at 11pm and he says, ‘Mum, can you take me back up there early to clean up?’ I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘no’.Why would you?” Donna says.After all he’s seen it modelled, tagging along on her volunteer duties from a young age.He was right there at primary school too with that giving heart, helping the kids with neurological disorders and learning difficulties, buddying up in particular with one wee boy who was non-verbal.On school athletics day it’s Taine who stays behind to pack up the gear. "Our friends were away for a few days, and they came home to a couple of barrow loads of wood at the door from Taine,” Donna says.It all comes back sooner or later.Taine’s just been accepted for the Spirit of Adventure sailing expedition north of Auckland in July, the local Lions Club donating him the money to get there.“He works his little butt off so it’s well deserved,” Donna says. “He would’ve clocked literally thousands of voluntary hours throughout the whole of his life so far.”Taine shouldn’t have any trouble getting a job. “I think I might eventually move up to Wellington when I’m working but I will carry on my volunteer work,” he says.“I’ll probably do a bit of overtime and work and not get paid for it.”We want to hear about someone who’s made a difference in the community or in your life. Nominate them as our Community Champion of the month

Welcome to the third installment on the diverse and interesting people who make Central their home.Adventure, the ice and the mountains called American doctors Ally and Danny Ross and their family, and now they love living in Alexandra.The couple moved here in February to work as general practitioners (GPs) at Health Central.Their four children have settled into St Gerards School and early childhood education and life is busy but fun according to Ally, as everyone is jumping into their winter sports.Ally was late to medicine, completing Anthropology study first, which took her to do field work in Africa and to a leprosy colony.“I’ve always loved adventures and exploring,” she said.The oldest of five girls, her dad was a doctor and she didn’t see him a lot when she was growing up.An idea to find a career that could lead to adventure while helping people meant medicine was a logical choice for her.She trained in rural medicine and during her residency came to Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand for five weeks, 12 years ago.She said that’s where it all started as she loved exploring Northland, hiking, visiting beaches and touring around.Danny and Ally exploring the South Island. PHOTO: Supplied She signed up to a social media group for GP opportunities around the world and landed a swap situation in Cambridge in 2024, where her family moved into another GPs home, and had the use of their car for a year.  “We enjoyed it, there was a great community there, but we missed the mountains.”Ally is from Idaho and her husband Danny is from Montana; both states are known for their mountainous terrain, natural beauty and wildlife.“We wanted to be somewhere we could stay and [Cambridge] wasn’t that for us.“I googled all the towns with ice rinks in the South Island and then emailed and cold called all the GP clinics.“We took a road trip through the South Island and interviewed at clinics all over, including Gore.”“As soon as we arrived in the [Alexandra] valley my son loved it.. It has similar topography with schist, rocks, high desert...and defined seasons.”Pictured are (back row) Ally, Danny, Archer and front row Coleman, Lyla and Josie. PHOTO: Supplied Danny is a keen ice hockey player and together with Ally, and oldest kids Coleman and Lyla they’ll be on the ice with the Flames ice hockey club this winter. She said the welcome they’ve felt has been warm, including a “delivery of venison” but it was humbling having to get to grips with a hugely different health system.“I’ve done better than I thought I would away from my family.”The things about New Zealand she said she rates are the unique culture and mindset, Kiwis' sense of humour and the sustainable ethos.“People have an inclination to protect the world and the environment, people shop second hand… you are ahead of the USA in terms of plastic.”Residents in Roxburgh who have had a stream of locum doctors in recent years can look forward to some certainty, Ally is in the town one day per week and said so far their new home was delivering all the adventures they were after. Read more: Central Home: Meet the Dhakal family, from Nepal to Alexandra. Read more: Central Home: Sisters make Ida Valley home. Have a story to share? Do you know an interesting candidate for Central Home?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz

Welcome to the second installment of a new fortnightly spotlight on the diverse and interesting people that make Central their home.Sisters Amanda Grant and Olivia Thomas and their spouses Yohann and Devin own and operate Parkside Farm, 175 ha of rolling terraces in the picturesque Ida Valley.It has been six months so far of the two families living and working together - their plan is to cater to the local community and follow a ‘paddock to plate’ approach. Frenchman Yohann Bourdin and wife Amanda left Wānaka after 12 years and made the move to combine their skills with Amanda’s sister and brother in law (Olivia and Devin Thomas) in a life and business venture.“We wanted to find a farm for space, we couldn't afford Wānaka and we ended up in Central.“Maybe it was a bit of a mid-life crisis and combination of too many wines, we [talked] about how to combine our skills and [decided] farming differently would be the way for us.”Yohann said everyone has a different area of expertise to bring to the business. Olivia is a whizz at the accounts and administration, Devin is practical, can build or fix anything, manages the livestock, and Amanda who grew up on a sheep and deer farm also helps to look after the animals and animal welfare.His own background is in tourism, marketing and business management. The farm has 1500 free range hens, who produce approximately 8000 eggs a week.Yohann said the business was going “more than well” and he would like another 2000 birds.“We started small… but now we’re from Waipiata to Wānaka and our eggs are on the shelf two days after they get laid.”They have grazing sheep and beef on the farm and plan to introduce an agri-tourism glamping component later this year.A resource consent for six units (a maximum of 12 guests) has been granted and Yohann has dome tents on order.He wants to build three over winter and all going to plan have glamping on offer by summer. Going into business with family has been relatively easy for the couples, and although the chickens are a daily commitment, they strive for balance and to give each other a break when possible.“We help each other as much as we can.”“We’re all grown up, we live in the same house, we have a yarn and we make it work.”Yohann said working together meant they all benefited and ended up being stronger. “Communication is key.”He said they had fallen in love with the people in Central and the region.“We’re amazed by the local support, people knew who we were before we moved in.”Soon after their arrival last September, after a day spent in St Bathans the four returned home to find brownies, cookies and flowers on the table to welcome them to the community. “We knew what to expect from a small village … and we’ve been blown away.”Check out the Parkside website for more informationRead more: Central Home: Meet the Dhakal family, from Nepal to AlexandraHave a story to share?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz 

Despite being almost 12,000km from where they grew up, a Nepalese family new to Alexandra are enjoying learning about rugby and soaking up Central’s beautiful weather. Awatar and Muna Dhakal and their five year old son Aayam moved to Alexandra from Cromwell about a year ago.The family own and operate Everest Mart, a grocery store on Tarbert St (formerly known as Alx Wholefoods) selling herbs, spices, baking products, bulk bin items, home brew supplies and eco-friendly cleaning items.Awatar moved to New Zealand in 2019 first and worked in hospitality in Cromwell, before Muna and Aayam joined him two and a half years later.He said they had found locals friendly but it was hard being so far away from family.“We miss the festivals and [Hindu culture] from home, like Dashain, Holi, and Diwali.”Awatar said they had connected with others in the Nepalese-New Zealand community, but as far as they knew there was only one other Nepalese family in Alexandra.The attractions of Alexandra to them were the weather, the safe atmosphere, and the small town feel with all the conveniences needed for a family.Awatar, Muna and Aayam, on the way to school drop off in Alexandra. PHOTO: The Central App He was working hard in their store six days a week and said he wants to build a successful business to support his family. They couple had an arranged marriage, which is very normal for families in Kawasoti, Nepal where they both grew up, only a few kilometres from each other.Muna said they had met three or four times prior to their wedding day, which was a big affair with around 300 guests, music, food and dancing.She trained as a nurse at home, and had been employed as a support worker in New Zealand.Muna hoped to pass the exams to be able to work as a nurse here one day, and maybe work at Dunstan Hospital in the future. At home they speak Nepali, and are raising Aayam to be bilingual. Next time you greet them try out the Nepali ‘Namaste’ (hello). The family were looking forward to making more multicultural connections and had joined the new multicultural partnership group in the district. Read more: Multicultural partnership group welcomes membersFind out more about Everest Mart on their listingHave a story to share?Contact reporter@centralapp.nz