WaiViews

22/08/2022

Issue 2: Midwinter of waiViews is now available in hard copy is now available in:
Featherston at Ferrets Bookstore, The Miracle Room, and Mazzola Jewellery & Gallery
Masterton at Watson Gallery, Aratoi Museum of Art & History
Online at Mazzola Jewellery & Gallery -

Page one waiviews-issue-2-pg-1-2Download Page two waiviews-issue-2-page-2-copyDownload waiviews issue 2 mid winter By adminAugust 10, 2022waiviews

16/06/2022

The first issue of waiViews is now available at:
Aratoi Museum of Art & Culture, Dixon Street, Masterton
Hedley's Bookshop, Queen Street, Masterton
Almo's Bookshop, High Street, Carterton.
The Miracle Room, Wakefield Street, Featherston

As well as:

Watson Gallery, 2 Perry Street, Masterton
Paul Melser Pottery, Norfolk Road, Masterton/Carterton
Ferrets Bookshop, Fitzherbert Street, Featherston
Mazzola Jewellery & Gallery, Fitzherbert Street, Featherston

13/06/2022

KOTAHI AROHA - The History of Reggae in Aotearoa
A photographic exhibition

Hau Kainga, 15 Queen St Masterton
10am - 4pm Wednesday to Sunday
Ends Friday 24th July

Reviewed by Saali Marks

Aotearoa has had a love affair with Reggae music since the genre first flew from its spiritual home of Jamaica, in the form of ska, in the mid-1960s.

Our first taste of ska came in the form of the irrepressible and joyous “My Boy Lollipop”, sung by Jamaican singer Millie Small, a record which became one of the top selling ska records of all time.

Local singer Dinah Lee was inspired by Jamaican rhythm, and in 1965 released “Do The Blue Beat” on her debut album, backed by fellow Aotearoa musicians Max Merritt and the Meteors, probably the first Jamaican influenced recording to come out of Aotearoa.

As ska music evolved with the times it lost some of its bouncy youthful nature, developing in stages through Rocksteady, with its slower tempi and more developed guitar and piano rhythms, and into Reggae, a style of music characterised by pronounced melodic basslines and drum and guitar/piano rhythms that accent beats 2 and 3 in the bar.

Reggae musicians were also not afraid to write songs in minor keys, and tackle some difficult topics in their lyrics - often addressing poverty, systemic racism, Rastafarian culture - including ma*****na use - and politics.

By the mid-1970s Bob Marley was a global superstar and Reggae music was being embraced the world over, its influence being heard in rock musicians such as The Clash, The Police and Eric Clapton as Jamaica spawned a host of revolutionary Reggea artists - the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry, Jimmy Cliff and King Tubby.

In Aotearoa, Maori in particular resonated with the messages coming through in Reggae music, seeing South Pacific parallels in their fight for justice over Te Tiriti o Waitangi, racial discrimination and a history of oppression by colonisation. The fiery delivery of these messages by Bob Marley, coupled with harmonies that wouldn’t be out of place in a waiata, and the hypnotic rhythms of The Wailers, inspired local musicians to take up the Reggae baton in Aotearoa, and they haven’t put it down since.

The exhibition takes the form of a timeline, starting in 1969 with Dinah Lee, and working through key dates and prominent local reggae artists up to the present.

It is interesting to see the development of the form in Aotearoa, from The 12 Tribes of Israel, arguably Aotearoa’s first true Reggae band, through to current crossover bands such of L.A.B.

Each band featured has a photograph and some information - most of which seems to have been taken from Wikipedia.

Two things struck me as I took it in: the preponderance of artists with an association with Wellington, and the lack of women featured. I guess the latter is probably representative of the music industry in general, and I wonder if the proximity to the Beehive has something to do with the former - it makes for a good place to sing out about issues of injustice.

I also noted that Reggae bands in Aotearoa appear to have become less activist as the years passed. While the early bands such as 12 Tribes, Dread, Beat and Blood and Herbs sang about issues of justice, and seemed to exist for that purpose, recent bands are more concerned with the banal, and chasing commercial success - probably a reflection of the Insta times we live in.

Although the information and photographs chosen were relevant, and the timeline was an effective way to view it, I felt an opportunity was missed to present the context - “why are we telling this story”. It’s clear that Kiwis love Reggae. Some of our most successful groups perform in the genre. But I would have liked to have a bit more interpretation as to why.

There was also no music playing - this would be a great opportunity to showcase the musicians featured with a playlist of their music.

If Reggae is your thing it’s worth popping in to Hau Kainga for a look, but if you really want to dig deep it’s probably just a starting point.

Saali Marks is a Wairarapa musician and teacher, member of Wellington ska band "Battleska Galactica".

03/06/2022

Just when you thought you would never see anyone attempt a form of media you can hold in your very hands, waiView is proud to announce that the first print edition of the publication is now available in the following locations to pick up for free, with more locations to be added in the next week or so, hopefully:

Watson Gallery, 2 Perry Street, Masterton
Paul Melser Pottery, Norfolk Road, Masterton/Carterton
Ferrets Bookshop, Fitzherbert Street, Featherston
Mazzola Jewellery & Gallery, Fitzherbert Street, Featherston

Featuring reviews of Jason Burns, the Rodger Fox Band, poetry by Ellen Rodda and feature story Death of a Masterton Stream, waiView, the print copy, is a luxury in the modern world - a sensory experience that makes art out of an early 2000s office photocopier, scissors, glue stick, and satisfying content, using words, some of which are over 500 years old in a format that takes you back to 1982.

Only available in limited numbers, get your copy now to start your collection from the very first issue!

29/05/2022

Wairarapa Country Music Club
Monthly meeting: Sunday 29 May 2022
Senior Citizens Hall, Cole Street, Masterton

The word amongst some musician friends of mine and a recent article in the Wairarapa Midweek is that Wairarapa Country Music Club is going through a period of renewal after fading over the past decade or so from its former strength as a club promoting country music and country musicians.
As someone who enjoys listening to some country music and playing it on a few instruments, I thought I would check out the club’s monthly meeting to see how things currently stand.
Country music, like pretty much every other genre, now includes a vast number of subgenres, but in places like the Wairarapa, country still pretty much means heritage country, most specifically from the 1940s to the 1970s.
To be even more specific, it tends to be the country music that managed to find its way into the pop charts and commercial radio stations like Masterton’s old 2ZD.
Thanks to Mixcloud, which has an infinite number of curated DJ and radio show mixes, I’ve discovered in recent years that there is a vast amount of country music recorded in the United States which was never released in New Zealand.
A fairly well-known subgenre like Western Swing, never saw the light of day in New Zealand until a few tape releases in the 1980s. And then there are all the small pressings of maybe 500 copies that you can still find in second-hand record stores in the United States.
If you are interested in exploring these, I suggest checking out Dollar Country on Mixcloud, “dollar bin classic country radio with a bend towards the unknown and absurd. Played on vinyl and shellac.”
Anyways, as I was saying, the music most of the members of the club would be most familiar with are classics and standards from the 1950s to 1970s that made it here.
The format of the day is that officially the afternoon starts at 1pm but a good half hour after that, people are still arriving, setting up things and putting their names up on the white board to perform.
Everyone gets the opportunity to do two numbers in the order of where their name is in the whiteboard list.
The Senior Citizens Hall is a nice old fashioned hall, and I estimate around 50 to 60 people are in attendance.
I suppose, not surprisingly, they tend to be mostly old folk in the 60 to 80 age range. A very friendly atmosphere.
There’s a more than competent backing band who play behind pretty much all of the performers who get to do one number before afternoon tea and another after it.
This makes for quite a long afternoon with it being 3.30pm before the first round is completed, and the very nice afternoon tea is served in the separate supper room.
I just stay for the first round as I can only sit and listen to live music for about two hours max before I get restless. This applies to all music events I go to.
The song choices are mostly familiar – Tie A Yellow Ribbon Around The Old Oak Tree, Love Me Tender, South of the Border and so on – with the occasional interesting surprise like the controversial Endless Sleep, sung by Jody Reynolds in the United States and Marty Wilde in Britain, which was banned for its double su***de theme.
Although there is a sign saying “Shhhhh – no talking while the artists are performing” there is a bit of chatter but I don’t think this is particular problem given the format and general environment, and a bit of singing along here and there.
I think it would be fair to say the club takes an egalitarian approach to its monthly meeting, with the talented and less talented, skilled and less skilled all getting their chance to perform.
While I don’t have a problem with this forgiving environment, which is perfect for giving beginners the opportunity to take the big step of performing in front of a live audience, it does at times really end up being much like one of those events you might get at a retirement village where everyone has a good sing song – when the meeting should be intended to be a showcase for country music for visitors who are there to enjoy a good performance.
Like many other country music clubs, and country music festivals, Wairarapa Country Music Club is faced with the dilemma of catering to its primary existing audience, its club members, at the same time as wanting and needing to see new faces.
Being a club, I imagine it has rules and personalities that are steering its direction, and having to walk the tight rope of not alienating the majority of members at the same time as wanting to get more people through the doors must be tricky.
My view is that the best way, and most least disruptive, is to make a few simple alterations to the format, starting with reducing the number of songs that all-comers can perform to just one and making this the first part of the meeting.
As much as I would struggle to sit through four hours of performances as is presently the case, I would be even more adverse to returning the following months to see much the same faces singing again – as it is mostly in the singing where the ability most varies.
I would make the first part of the meeting open to all comers for one song, and the second half for invited artists and those recognised as being the best.
I imagine even that even this format might ruffle a few feathers. But it has to be remembered that part of the purpose of a country music club is to foster local talent which inevitably needs to recognise and reward those with the most of that. Probably the most popular but lesser talented performers could be put in that section as well.
An alternative would be to hold separate meetings, one for walk-ups and another that is a curated show designed to appeal to people who want to enjoy a bit of good quality country music.
The only other possibility is to simply to encourage more performers to play.
But given how many people performed twice on Sunday, and how long that probably took, I could see this approach leading the meeting to go on well past dinner time.

28/05/2022

The Rodger Fox Ensemble
Music from the Forties, Fifties and Beatles
Anzac Hall, Featherston May 27 2022
Organiser: Mulled Wine Concerts

Rodger Fox was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music way back in 2003.
Almost two decades later Fox is still doing what he has been doing since the 1970s, which is acting as an ambassador for jazz in New Zealand and using his band as an incubatorfor the development of young jazz talent in this country.
The line up of young musicians for this concert shows that the latter is still as much a part of Fox’s philosophy as it has ever been, while the 70 year-old continues to wear his crown as the godfather of New Zealand jazz as irreverently as ever.
The song list of jazz standards from the 1950s to Beatles numbers from the 1960s was the perfect way to show off the range of musical flavours that Fox is able to conjure up with an eight piece band. They included ever-greens jazz classics like How High The Moon and Sunny Side Of The Street, to Beatles standards like Something and Love Me Do.
The band showed it was capable of sophisticated and creative jazz arrangements as well as more more funky ones, managing in two hours to encompass punchy big band groves, bossa cocktail, funk, boogaloo, blue note and be bop grooves amongst others, highlighting the versatility and talents of James Guilford on trumpet, Bryn Van Vliet, saxophone, Ayrton Foote, keyboards, Gus Reece, guitar, Rory Macartney, bass, and Lance Philip on drums.
My favourites were the songs that brought the band together in a wholistic jam, rather than the more simple blues and jazz numbers that showed off the individual virtuoso talents of the band.
Vocalist Erna Ferry was in fine form and has the sort of voice that can rely on nuance as well as power.
Ferry and Fox have the sort of “husband and wife” vibe where they can take liberties with each other, which adds humour to the performance, but occasionally to the detriment of the music.
This was noticeable on Blue Skies, a song with so much pathos that it deserves to be played straight. Ferry brought out the emotion of the song beautifully, but taking a light-hearted dig at Fox’s excessive trombone fills.
Jazz is renowned for playing with standards, the problem being that jazz musicians get so good at their instruments that playing a simple melody bores them.
Sometimes this produces something great, as illustrated to perfection with the night’s rendition of How High The Moon which morphed into Ornithology by Charlie Parker (Parker and other Be Bop exponents used to use the chord changes of jazz standards like How High, and change the melody to a “head” to avoid copyright problems.)
But it has come at the cost of emotion. Even at a jazz concert, people still like something that tugs at the heart.
Overall, awesome work by the Rodger Fox Ensemble and nice to hear the richness of acoustic instruments (although miced up) in the Anzac Hall which has great acoustics.

17/05/2022

Update To build on the momentum of this story, I have created a closed facebook group called Masterton Streams to focus on improving the health of Whakaoriori/Masterton's streams

https://www.facebook.com/groups/583498323136200

Death of a Masterton stream

By David Famularo

In November of last year, I was alerted to a comment on the Masterton Matters page in regards to Solway Stream drying up.
It said “the kids and grand-kids always fed the eels many eels. Went over the other day the creek is empty with sand on the bottom of it.”
Other similar comments followed from people who have the stream running through their property.
All sorts of theories were being suggested as to why the stream had dried up, from work on the Solway Country Estate housing development behind Copthorne Solway Park through which the stream runs, to drainage work being carried out along South Belt, to the new unmanned Waitomo service station at the corner of South Belt and High Street.
I decided to try and find out the actual cause, and first started by talking to some of the South Belt residents.
Solway Stream is one of Masterton’s lesser-known streams. Like many of the town’s streams, its primary water source are a group of springs along the fault line ridge that runs along the west side of the town.
You can see the ridge when you drive along Judds Road, with springs in Masterton Showgrounds, and Hillcrest Street where springs emerge in Millennium Reserve.
The springs that feed Solway Stream emerge in and around the little-known Solway Reserve, a small but attractive stand of native trees, all encouraged by the perennially moist environment.
The stream then runs through the Solway Country Estate subdivision, underneath Copthorne Solway Park, across High Street and eventually along South Belt, meeting up with the Fleet Street stream and finally flowing into the Waingawa River.
Growing up on High Street, I always remember the stream as having a low volume and being a place where one could find “crawlies” aka kōura or freshwater crayfish.
When I rang Greater Wellington Regional Council , it turned out they were not aware of the existence of the stream, but it does appear on the excellent map of Masterton’s streams created by Kirsten Brown and Tony Garstang.
The property owners I visited in South Belt told me how the stream had always had a continual flow, and at one stage had been quite a healthy stream with kōura as well as eels.
When exactly the stream dried up varied from one property owner to another but it seems to have started happening around August last year and more or less completely dried up by November.
I decided to next visit the springs and by chance met a neighbour of Solway Reserve who gave me a comprehensive tour.
He and others confirmed that the flow of the springs was much less than it had been some years before when the floor of the reserve had been perpetually water-logged.
Water from the springs converges into a stream at the edge of the reserve and then a few metres further along splits into two, one flow feeding Solway Stream and the other a nameless stream that runs through Solway Crescent.
It was obvious that Solway Stream had been altered where it runs through the Solway Country Estate subdivision, with artificial concrete bottom and banks, and what looked like a deviation of the original path of the stream.
A few weeks later a group of interested people got together to take a tour through the reserve including Masterton District Councillor Chris Peterson and Masterton District Council Utility Services Manager James Li.
It seemed to be clear, especially listening to the specialist and local knowledge of Mr Li, that Solway Stream is dying a death of a thousand cuts.
One of the primary causes seems to have been the low flows out of the springs which Mr Li said last November, had been very low for the past couple of years.
He also noted that that although rainfall in the past 12 months had been about normal, the groundwater table in general in Masterton had been much lower than normal.
Mr Li pointed out that it is likely that Solway Stream is being affected by multiple causes, as well as the low flow of the springs.
Subdivision work, for example, alters the hydrology of the landscape in regards to water water retention and the direction that the water flows through the soil.
New houses may be affecting how and where rainwater is penetrating into the soil, and even be leading to higher flows during periods of higher rainfall due to higher run-off.

From what I could tell the alterations done to Solway Stream at the Solway Country Estate subdivision aren’t the main culprit in the drying up of the stream, but could be one of many factors
I sent a number of Official Information Request questions to Greater Wellington Regional Council in regards to the stream and Solway Country Estate and on March 1st 2022 I received a response which said “Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently investigating alleged breaches of the Resource Management Act 1991 and impacts on the Solway Stream, which occurred last year on a development in Solway, Masterton. As this matter is currently under investigation, Greater Wellington cannot comment further at this time.” I don’t know if this investigation has been completed yet.
As of early May 2022, Solway Stream was again flowing again, although somewhat meekly.
One of the South Belt residents I had previously visited said, “The water started to flow in our creek again about a month after I last spoke to you. It has flowed consistently up until today when it looks like it is about to dry up again. In the time that it has been flowing I have seen eels on three different occasions.”
Mr Li reports that by late April when he visited it, the stream flow was “about normal” and he suspects that the major rainfall in February and normal rainfall in March had “probably helped to bring the groundwater table back to sustain the stream flow.
“However, this month we did not see much rainfall which means everything is drying up again.
“The spring flow originating in the bush reserve, though, is still not as high as a few years ago to me.”
Overall, it looks like the flow from the springs that are the lifeblood of the stream is still low, and something is happening to the aquifer(s) that feeds them.
One wonders how long Solway Stream will be flowing again. It may already have dried up by the time of the publication of this article.
One only has to look at the present state of the Waingawa and Waipoua rivers to wonder how the aquifers are doing.
Obviously, a stream that repeatedly dries up does not provide much of a habitat for native flora and fauna.
What is currently happening to Solway Stream may be the future for Masterton’s other streams as well, with changes in weather patterns, demands on aquifers, new housing subdivisions and so on.
Even things like Masterton’s increasing traffic affect the streams, with toxic run-off from the roads ending up in the streams.
A better understanding of what is happening to Solway Stream, would be helpful for all the streams.
Masterton is unusual in having a patchwork of streams running through the town.
While they are still classed as “drains”, a renewed appreciation of them is growing, especially amongst owners of property through which they run.
It would be great to see Greater Wellington Regional Council, which is responsible for the streams, Masterton District Council, Maori and the wider community working together to create a long term plan for the future health of the streams.
The streams are already an unofficial a taonga. It would be good to see them officially recognised as such.

Photo taken on South Belt property in November 2021

David Famularo is a journalist, artist and Wairarapa Eel Activist