Last of 2017's Snowboarding

This will be a picture-heavy, word-limited post, and I'll tell you why at the end. Fortunately, the pictures are wonderful.

Overview: We went snowboarding more times this winter than almost all the other winters combined, and would have gone even more had the weather cooperated. We went from lots of falls to entire days with only a couple of falls, even on more challenging slopes. It was all very exciting and invigorating. 

This is Mount Ruapehu from the road on the way home. I love the drive there and back, because the countryside is beautiful and we often see many tiny lambs in the vibrant grass.

This is on the road up the mountain, just before we hit the snow.

The majority of our days were like this - snow, fog, low visibility. But it didn't bother us.

What did bother us was the occasional tendency towards hail, which hurt our faces!

We learned to come prepared to have 100% skin coverage, and that fixed that problem.

And sometimes the sun came out, and it was glorious. In addition to this cloud-bow, there was also a beautiful rainbow that day.

We stayed at mostly average places (as we made reservations last minute, waiting on confirmation of passable weather), but one time we stayed at Cairnbrae House, which was stunning. 

We got a free upgrade to the master suite, and it was fantastic!

They even have their own hives and serve their own honey there with breakfast, which was a special treat for us, as we're definitely bee enthusiasts.

In case you're wondering, this last picture is the reason for the minimal text. I have a tendency towards tendonitis in my right wrist, and I have thought for the past several months that a couple of my harder falls had aggravated it, because it's been really painful. When it started waking me up in the middle of the night, I gave up on my "It will get better on its own" plan, and went to a hand specialist. She told me that it isn't tendonitis, it's a sprain, and put me in this complete immobilization splint. No wonder it had been so unreasonably painful! Anyway, I can type (obviously) but am trying to avoid more than is necessary as I'm healing. I am glad that I finally went to the doctor, and also thankful for being fairly ambidextrous, such that avoiding the use of my dominant hand is not too great a hinderance.

The end.

Surprise Labour Government!

I will preface this post by again acknowledging my ignorance of political systems, and by asserting my intention to make up for this shortcoming by providing you with links.

So here is what I understand: After the election that ended on the 23rd of September, National (more conservative) had a larger percentage of the votes than Labour (more liberal), with New Zealand First and Green both having a small but meaningful percentage. I mistakenly thought that this would mean that National would be mostly in charge, and that their party leader, Bill English, would continue to be Prime Minister. Wrong! In NZ, after the election, the parties go into negotiations where they discuss their policies and form partnerships to combine their percentages and get a majority. This means that for this election, where National and Labour (the two biggest parties who always get the vast majority of the votes) were fairly close, either of them could form the majority by joining up with New Zealand First. So the debates were apparently about which of them New Zealand First could collaborate with to achieve their goals. People seemed to be assuming that they would side with National as they have done in the past (hence the disappointment in the education sector), but they didn't! They chose Labour, and so we're going to have a Labour-lead government! Yay for education, healthcare, and the environment!

You can read more about New Zealand's First's decision at this link. Feel no obligation to watch the video, which is half an hour long, but the summary below it is helpful.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/nz-s-new-government-nz-first-chooses-labour.html

You can read more about Labour's policies and intentions at this link. If you're going to read any of them, I'd read this one, as it is so encouraging - if they're really able to get all this stuff done, it's going to be fantastic!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97964558/labours-top-priorities-and-those-wholl-make-it-happen

I like the video on this link, which is Jacinda Ardern, our new Labour Prime Minister, responding to some questions. I appreciate the respectfulness across party lines.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/pitfalls-and-benefits-in-nz-first-labour-coalition-government.html

Speaking of Jacinda Ardern, I am very excited to have a young woman as our Prime Minister, and I think that she's going to do a wonderful job. You can read more about her at this link. The more I read about her, the more I like her.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacinda_Ardern

How exciting that she's our Prime Minister!

I think that all of this is still technically subject to confirmation, as official ceremonies and swearing ins and such have not yet taken place. But I also think that it is unlikely to change. So I'm going to be happy about it starting now.

Maui and Te Rā

As promised, today we'll learn about another pūrakau (legend) about Maui, the Māori demi-god. He also features in the legends of many other pacific islands, but obviously I know him through the NZ Māori versions.

Before we launch into how Maui slowed Te Rā (the sun), I thought I'd give you the link to the Maui song in Moana, in case you have still not seen it. Did I mention that you should see it? You should.
In the meantime, here is Maui's song, You're Welcome, which very quickly goes through many of the wonderful pūrakau about him. Today's pūrakau is in there as "Also I lassoed the sun - you're welcome - to stretch your days and bring you fun."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpcv-g9TEPI

Again, I've given you the Peter Gossage version in Māori, with English subtitles, for the authentic experience. It's the one most Kiwis know best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbM3PwcGi0g&t=38s

And also a version a early childhood centre made, which is a bit strange, but must have been wonderful for the children bring to life together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ojGahXIb0E

If you're interested, there is also version to read from the Ministry of Education.
http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-slowed-the-sun

Before European settlers came to NZ, Māori was a spoken language with no written version, and pūrakau were passed down from generation to generation through storytelling. This meant that while most tribes had similar pūrakau, the details might differ greatly as they were passed down through individuals over time. My children sometimes find this frustrating, as knowing the "right" answers is a big focus when you're three and four years old. However, I think it's interesting to hear different versions and think about the lessons and values that come through.

J's Exciting New Job

As I shared back in August, J got a new job as Senior Advisor in the Biosecurity Response Team. He has now been there for about a month, and we wanted to update you on how it's going. Spoiler alter: really well.

I'm still developing an understanding of what J does each day, partially because it can vary quite widely depending on what biosecurity threat he and his team are responding to. His knowledge and skills have been noticed and appreciated from day one, and he has already been asked to manage particular aspects within a major response, which is both intense and rewarding. J says that his job is to make things happen and to ensure that the government's response to a biosecurity threat is efficient, effective, and streamlined. He comes up with ideas, coordinates people's tasks, and gets people the resources they need to do their jobs well. He also contributes to the overall response plan, helping everyone think through the reasoning behind their actions and the benefits and risks involved. When something needs to be done, J figures out how to make it happen and distributes the workload so that everything is accomplished. This requires working with a wide variety of people, from farmers out at the site to policy-makers, and many in between. It also means that his team changes based on the specific threat that they're facing.

J finds this work very rewarding, and feels confident and happy with the positive impact his skillset has on his team. He has connections with lots of people in various positions from his previous jobs, so he's very useful in helping people work together. He also has a lot of background knowledge about how the companies and people involved operate, so he can come up with solutions that other people might not see. That is a huge contribution, as it saves time, effort, and money, and helps keep everyone happy. He also likes that his job isn't about developing a polished finished product, but rather about creating a system that will help other people get a job done, and it doesn't have to be pretty or perfect, it just has to be functional. That kind of grounded, practical thinking is a strength of J's, and something for which he is already being recognized.

Another interesting thing about this new position is that J will get to travel from time to time. He is spending most of this coming week on the South Island, handling some aspects of their current response on-site. This is another great way to build connections and broaden his horizons, which is wonderful.

Hopefully things will continue to go great, and he will have many opportunities to be in a leadership role.

Te Ika a Maui

Sorry for the late post this week. I am sick again, or still, depending on how you look at it. I am finally focusing on complete rest and recovery, instead of trying to continue on with all the things I have to do, even though my body is struggling. I'm hoping that it makes all the difference.

For this post, I'd like to share a wonderful pūrākau (legend) with you, and I've decided that a couple videos I found will do a much better job of that than I would. Plus, while you watch them, I can take a nap.

This one is in Māori, but it's got English subtitles, and it's great to listen to Māori language, as it is beautiful. It is a reading of the book by Peter Gossage, who writes amazing versions of many pūrākau. We have this book at work, and read it all the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb9Y99KQG1k

This one is an elementary school class who did a video/storytelling project on this pūrākau, and I thought it was wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=use33jVKo7o

Lest you think that this is unrelated to your life, one connection you might have with this story is to Moana (which I still recommend, if you still haven't seen it). During his song, Maui sings, "What can I say except, 'You're welcome, for the islands I pulled from the sea.'" That's this one! I live on the island he pulled from the sea!

The amazing thing about this (and other) pūrākau is the connection my children have to it, and the sense of ecological identity that it gives them. It is part of their worldview that they live at the head of Te Ika a Maui (Maui's Fish), and this rich cultural heritage forms some of their sense of self in a beautifully interconnected way. I love it.

I will share more fantastic pūrākau in future posts.