Waimea Weekly
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Wednesday 26 July 2023
the
Ben Ng-Wai WOWs judges Page 6
PAGES 20-21 PAGES 20-21
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International cricket returns Page 24
Job losses as forestry hit hard ANNE HARDIE Some forestry contractors are “up against the wall” as the industry goes through a major downturn, forcing layoffs and sending skilled workers overseas. The downturn is the result of
China’s economic woes creating less demand for logs for its construction industry. At the same time, costs have sky-rocketed in the past few years and with reduced revenue, forest owners are reducing their harvest operations.
PF Olsen Nelson branch manager Sam Nuske says many small-scale harvest contractors have stopped work completely and larger-scale contractors have slowed down, meaning many have been forced to reduce hours for employees or lay them off.
“Many contractors are up against the wall. The question is how much equity they have and whether workers can find alternative jobs. “The worry is the loss of talent going to Australia, and when work cranks up again we will be
operating from a smaller pool of workers,” Sam says. He says that has led to some contractors creating initiatives to keep employees in work, such as turning scrap wood into
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Gymnasts flip and spin to the top JACK MALCOLM Local gymnasts have picked up 12 medals from the recent National Championships in Tauranga. With a smaller than usual contingent of 11 competitors from across the Tasman region travelling for the competition, women artistic gymnastics coach Karyn Brown says their expectations were exceeded. It was also a younger squad than previous years, with ages ranging from 11 to 17-years-old. “This year we had two senior girls, last year it was five or six,” says Karyn. “It swings in roundabouts. You have kids going off to uni or quitting gymnastics when they leave school, you lose quite a few top athletes.”
Local gymnasts Millie Brooker (15), Elise Morton (15), Ashton Calveley (13), Naleah Tamou-gebert (12), and Ashlee Reddecliffe (16) exceeded expectations at the national championships to bring home a dozen medals. Absent: Logan Mosey-Reid. Photo: Jack Malcolm. One to impress was Ashton Calveley in the level six all-around, finishing with bronze while also coming third in the rings, vault
and parallel bars. At 13 years old, the Waimea Intermediate student, who’s coached by Shane Collins, says he’s proud of how he bounced
back after facing some early adversity. “I felt a bit lost on the second day on bar, but I fixed it up on competition day. I was hoping to
get in the top five.” The third place finish exceeded his expectations, finishing with a score of 64.6 to be just 0.1 points off second place.
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