WHITIANGA OCEANS FESTIVAL COMING SOON
27 August, 2024 | Proudly locally owned and operated Issue 1120 Circulation 9000
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adults with five of us being in the 50 plus bracket. The young people looked smart and engaged. Here’s the kicker. They were all scrolling or working with, or absorbed by, their phones. True! No one was talking. I imagined that they might have been involved with small talk, pitching for a date or something. No. Their personal phones were the only show in town. The café music played rhythmic South American music with a strong dance rhythm. I tapped my fingers along with the beat. But no one in the café was talking. All were phone absorbed. Across from us was a dad with two daughters, about fourteen and eleven. The eleven-year-old wanted the dad’s attention. She leaned over and pushed his phone away. They exchanged a few words. The daughter obviously received the answer she was after. Without any sign of emotion, Dad and daughter returned to their phones. I don’t know what it means or where it’s going, but this is the world we live in.
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SOLAR FARM COMING TO WHITIANGA
Bizarre? No, it’s normal.
The sign said BIZARRE. The store was closed. It was Sunday afternoon in Coromandel. These three boys were fully engaged in their phones. They were together but each one was with his phone. The word ‘Bizarre’ spoke to me at that point but yet it was really very ‘normal.’ We asked would they mind if we published a photo of them. Without hesitation they said, “Go ahead’. “Thank you, boys, – you are a sign of the times”. A few days ago, we sat in a café on the Coromandel. Our meal took a little time coming, so it gave time for me to look around. This is what I saw. Some had already been served and were tucking into their meals. We weren’t the only ones waiting for our order. The cafe had 23 patrons. Ten were of European descent, two were Maori, eight were Asian, and two from Africa (I think). They were mostly young
SEE PAGE 4
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA
FATHER’S DAY BUFFET BREAKFAST
BY STAN STEWART
@theinformernz
Z’s leading utility-scale solar energy company, began generating electricity at its farm in Kaitāia in late November. It is the country’s largest solar installation to date and the first solar farm in NZ to bid into the electricity market.27 N Lodestone’s first five solar farms will generate enough energy to power 50,000 homes, or a city the size of Hamilton. These five farms delivered by Lodestone Energy will make the largest solar project Aotearoa’s ever seen and will give Kiwis an alternative power option and play a key role in meeting our zero carbon goals. The Whitianga solar farm is Lodestone’s fourth North Island project within its Phase 1 five-site plan. Construction will commence in Spring 2024 with plans to be generating by late 2025. This site was chosen because of the high sunshine hours in the area, its proximity to local electricity demand, and a nearby distribution network connection. Previously a dairy farm, the low-lying land adjacent to the Whangamaroro River suffered from surface flooding and boggy conditions. Lodestone’s agrivoltaic solar design sets panels widely apart and two metres above the ground allowing machinery to operate and sheep to
•PRICE EsuP R E UFURNIT R
The location of the solar farm near Whitianga.
graze comfortably around the panels. Lodestone’s project team and construction partners are currently working with local community stakeholders including the local iwi, Ngāti Hei ki Wharekaho. Once operational, the Whitianga farm will have a capacity of 33 MWp and will be capable of powering the equivalent of 6,800+ homes a year. The solar farm will open 6 September, 2024. Note: The Informer was unable to speak with Lodestone Power personally. This information is from their website and recent press releases. Energy is urgent topic for new Zealand’s economy and wellbeing. Read Alastair Brickell’s article 20 August and Denis Tegg’s article in this issue page13.
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The Coromandel Informer – 27 August 2024 | 1