It’s been another big year, and we want to recognise and highlight the achievements of people in the Waitaki district who are making a positive contribution to their communities, sometimes quietly behind the scenes, others leading from the front.
This year we recognise Myfanwy Alexander, Cheyenne Cunningham, Trevor Goodin, Lisa Heinz, Terry Kent and Matthew Wicks.
Cheyenne Cunningham. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Black Ferns XV selection crowning achievement
CHEYENNE CUNNINGHAM, Rugby player
Cheyenne Cunningham is not a new name to rugby fans in North Otago but this year her star has risen rapidly.
The 23-year-old spent 2023 collecting representative jerseys like Pokemon.
She began the year by spending the Super Rugby Aupiki season as part of the Matatu squad.
They qualified second on the ladder and beat the Blues 26-23 in the semifinal.
Cunningham was named on the bench for that match, but did not make her debut.
In the final, Matatu upset Chiefs Manawa 33-31 in a thriller.
It was the first match Chiefs Manawa had lost in the two seasons the competition has been held, but again Cunningham did not take the field
She then returned to North Otago where she suited up for the Waitaki Wahine in the Otago premier women’s competition.
The midfielder helped the side to one of their best seasons as they narrowly missed the semifinals.
From there she was selected for the Otago Spirit for the seventh time.
She started every match at centre, including their quarterfinal and semifinal.
Her crowning achievement in 2023 came late in the year when she was selected for the Black Ferns XV squad.
The team was created as a new initiative by New Zealand Rugby to provide another pathway to the Black Ferns.
Cunningham started in the No13 jersey in the match against Samoa in Pukekohe.
Her name also appeared on the scoresheet after she knocked over a late conversion.
"I loved it.
"It was so much fun.
"I actually had a ball.
"I wish it went for longer," she told the Oamaru Mail in the days following the match.
Cunningham has again signed up with Matatu and will be back in action when the 2024 season kicks off in March.
Myfanwy Alexander. PHOTO: CHLOE LODGE
Embodiment of what the farming industry should be
MYFANWY ALEXANDER, Dairy farmer
A remarkable North Otago dairy farmer has risen to prominence this year.
Myfanwy Alexander was the recent winner of the Otago Daily Times-Rural Life Year of the Farmer initiative.
The 37-year-old farmer was described by her nominator as "literally the embodiment of what the farming industry should be".
The initiative was all about celebrating rural people who were creating an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable future while also making a positive contribution to their rural communities.
"I want to give back to this community because they’ve done so much for us," Miss Alexander said.
Nine years ago, Myfanwy moved to the Waitaki Valley with her then partner and their two young daughters, then aged 3 and 5.
He left later that year and she, with supportive farm owners, continued for the rest of the season.
The trio then headed off to manage farms locally for six years before moving two years ago to contract milk on a 1000-cow farm between Kurow and Duntroon.
Hard work, grit, stubbornness and determination had been key to her success.
Miss Alexander now has a partner, Scott, and her daughters, Emily and Isabelle, are 14 and 12 respectively.
Dedicated to her community and industry she is also president of North Otago Federated Farmers and the regional lead for the Dairy Women’s Network.
Passionate about seeing other women do well, she is also a member of the South Island Dairy Event governance group.
Her nominator said, "She is an exceptional farmer with a strong focus on feeding animals well and is focused on welfare with high standards for all things safety, for both humans and animals, on farm."
Excited about the future of the sector, Myfanwy’s mantra was "make the bloody most of it instead of moaning".
Matthew Wicks. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Town brightened by his artwork, murals
MATTHEW WICKS, Street artist
It is hard to walk around town without seeing the work of Wicksey.
Matthew Wicks has done several murals and artworks over the past year to brighten the town.
From the walls to skateboards and electric vehicle chargers, Wicksey’s art is everywhere.
Earlier this year he also opened his studio in collaboration with Art on Thames.
His first exhibition, a series of Oamaru-themed skateboards, acted as a fundraiser for the foodbank.
Half the profit was donated, and a total of $2150 went to the Salvation Army Food Bank.
He has also been sprucing up some of the town’s boring infrastructure.
He designed the cover for the Eden St electric vehicle chargers and painted some of the network boxes, including the miniature version of the Homestay Inn outside the full-size version.
This week he teamed up with artist Tracey Vickers to vinyl-wrap the Awamoa toilets.
In the coming weeks, he plans to finish off the mural near Steampunk with the Waitaki District Youth Council.
Despite all the good he has done, Wicksey has also had his own tragedy this year — a house fire.
This limited his ability to be part of the Meet the Maker and postponed the Taste Cafe mural slightly but since then, it seems he is back in the community doing more art than ever.
Wicksey has also seen a range of facial fuzz over the past few months, his support for Movember, prompting a change from his usual beard.
Over the past two years, he has raised $2140 for men’s health.
Wicksey has been creating smiles and helping out the community.
His selflessness has been shown throughout the year and hopefully the creation of colourful murals from him continue in the following years.
Terry Kent. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Unwavering dedication to St John
TERRY KENT, St John stalwart
There are few in North Otago who were as committed to a cause as Terry Kent.
Mr Kent was well known throughout Waitaki and North Otago for his unwavering dedication to Hato Hone St John, as well as his passion for local arts
He died in November this year.
Mr Kent started his almost 60 years with St John in Oamaru in 1964.
Within a year he was working on the ambulance, doing first aid and sergeant secretary of the division.
He was soon asked to be the superintendent of the men’s ambulance division.
After 16 years of volunteering, he became the first paid station officer in North Otago.
He spent more than 40 years taking on different titles and positions within the organisation.
He spent 27 years as district operations manager in Oamaru and seven as the chairman for St John Oamaru Area.
His efforts did not go unrecognised.
Mr Kent was the third person in North Otago to be promoted to commander after more than 100 years.
He was awarded the Ultra Long Service Gold Medal & Bar for his 58 years of service, becoming only the 43rd person in New Zealand to receive one.
Although Mr Kent was known for his boundless passion for St John, he also cared deeply about other aspects of the community.
He spend more than 30 years involved with Musical Theatre Oamaru, first appearing on stage in 1989 in Camelot.
Seventeen of those years were on the executive committee, two as present and four as treasurer.
He was known among his fellow thespians for his skill and passion for performing, as well as his leadership.
He was awarded a life membership in 2018
Mr Kent also spent about 15 years involved with 45 South Television, for which he was a presenter, interviewer, cameraman, editor, treasurer and chairman.
For his remarkable efforts and passion Mr Kent is this year’s posthumous Waitakian of the Year.
Lisa Heinz. PHOTO: NIC DUFF
Geopark approval highlight of career
LISA HEINZ, Geopark manager
Heard of Waitaki’s Unesco Geopark? Heard of cows?
Thanks to a lot of the work of geopark manager for Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Lisa Heinz and former Geopark Trust chairwoman Helen Jansen, pretty much everybody in New Zealand has heard about Waitaki’s pride and joy.
Getting geopark status approval this year has been a highlight of her career.
Ms Heinz had always been interested in sustainable tourism and how it could add value to a place.
To her, there needs to be a balance between protection, education, and development, while finding a way to "protect the place" but making it accessible — and she believes geoparks can do that.
Ms Heinz first came to New Zealand from Germany in 2016 to complete a semester abroad at the University of Otago.
After returning home and finishing her tourism management degree, she returned to Dunedin in 2018 to complete a master’s in tourism with a focus on sustainable practices.
She did this part-time while interning at Tourism Waitaki.
It was during her internship that she discovered what a geopark was, and she started volunteering for the trust.
The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust was established in 2018 to tell the stories of the land and its people — from the formation of the continent of Zealandia, to the present day and looking to the future.
Much of its journey began over 20 years ago with work started by Prof Ewan Fordyce, his colleagues and Vanished World Centre volunteers in Duntroon, North Otago.
On her LinkedIn page, Ms Heinz said she had really enjoyed being part of the incredible journey towards Unesco recognition and working alongside the team, trustees and the passionate community to bring the geopark to life.
But she said as the geopark and the trust moved into a new phase, the geopark manager role was changing accordingly to reflect these changing needs.
As part of that, Ms Heinz also wants to move on and so she is off to Wellington.
Her hard work has been evident since she first started in 2018 and she leaves Waitaki a better place than it was when she began.
As well as the paid work she did, there were many hours of her own time spent on ensuring Waitaki’s geopark had its status identified internationally.
Trevor Goodin. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Providing service on own time, finances
TREVOR GOODIN, Hireplus owner
Trevor Goodin is not as well known as some others on this list.
The Hireplus owner never intended to serve the community so intensely, but when Oamaru’s shuttle service to the Dunedin hospital shut down he was in a position to help out.
That was in March.
Mr Goodin is still running his pay-what-you-can service almost 10 months later, despite the impact it has had on him and his business.
He continues to advocate for a permanent solution while providing the alternative on his own time and finances.
Sometimes the fares offered by passengers cover fuel and running cost, but not always.
There has been times when the passengers needed their appointments but could not afford to pay anything, but Mr Goodin did not turn them away.
The alternative was that people missed or cancelled their appointments and were unable to get the medical attention they required.
He typically makes the drive a few times a week, depending on the demand.
He has had to hire an extra driver to help cover the work, sometimes driving the Dunedin shuttle, sometimes covering him so he could do so.
When spoken to earlier in the year, Mr Goodin said he starting doing it because people had no other option.
The Oamaru Mail contacted Mr Goodin last month to check on his shuttle service.
While he hopes to no longer need to provide the service, he is committed to doing so for as long as he can.
