Issue 2 - Wintec

Fieldays Exhibitor
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Issue 2
Produced by WINTEC Media Arts students since 2004
FENCING RIVALS
SHIFTING TIMES
Friends pit skills
against each other
Warwick helped build
Fieldays’ dream
Page: 7
Page: 8
‘Tui-tara’ takes to the catwalk
PHOTO: Geoff Ridder
COLOURFUL CREATURE: Tessa Paaymans’ ‘Tui-tara’ entered in the ‘under 21’ category of the AgArt Wear awards
By Bianca Stedman
F
or Tessa and Charlotte entering the Fieldays Ag Art Wear
competition is addictive.
Charlotte Lind, 22, from Te
Awamutu has been competing
since 2005 and this will be third
time round for 15-year-old Tessa
Paaymans from Hawkes Bay.
Both women had winning entries
in last year’s competition.
Tessa’s experience with the Ag
Art Wear competition has given
her motivation and focus towards pursuing a design career.
“It has helped me figure out exactly what I’m going to do when I
leave school and where I’m going
with it. Seeing my garment walk
down the runway is the most incredible feeling – knowing that it
is your design and you made it.”
Charlotte also values her ex-
perience in competing and recommends it to other budding
designers.
“It’s a way to get a taste of the
fashion industry, and why not
do it when it’s at our back door
step and not in Auckland? It also
makes you grow, every time you
do it you grow a little more.”
The Ag Art Wear Competition
was initiated by General Man-
Call 0800 2 WINTEC (0800 2 946 832), text ‘info’ to 8283 or visit www.wintec.ac.nz
ager of Mystery Creek Events
Centre Barry Quayle, in 1994, to
“challenge designers to create a
piece of farm art for the body.”
According to Fieldays organisers it also provides a platform for
many designers into their design
career or enables up-and-coming
designers to challenge traditional
design elements and expose their
creative abilities.
Continued Page 4
2
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
The Exhibitor
Fieldays Exhibitor is created by
Wintec students and distributed to
exhibitors at Fieldays.
The Exhibitor has been
published since 2004 and has
been recognised by the NZ
National Fieldays Society for its
Outstanding Contribution to the
Success of Fieldays.
If you would like to contact
the team at the Exhibitor with
feedback, story suggestions or to
discuss sponsorship opportunities,
please email georgie.gaddum@
wintec.ac.nz
Contributors
Catering for coffee lovers
By Ji-Soo Kim
I
f you had your caffeine hit today
you will already be familiar
with the Nomad Espresso carts
scattered around the Fieldays.
Nomad director Peter Allpress
estimates they go through 400kg
of coffee beans to make around
40,000 cups of coffee over the
four-day period, which makes
Fieldays the biggest event the
company caters to.
“Fieldays takes a month to put
together, and two weeks before that
to work out sites and staff
numbers. You end up with
spreadsheets everywhere,” says
Allpress.
When Nomad Espresso first
arrived at Fieldays in 1998, there
was a lack of coffee culture,
recalls Allpress.
“When we started, no one
drank coffee, and we started off
with two machines.”
Twelve years on, Nomad
Espresso has brought 22 machines
to Fieldays this year and has
56 staff members constantly
pumping out coffee.
The usually cold weather and
foggy mornings drive many
Fieldays-goers to the carts, and
the service is prompt. “We don’t
sell any food or biscuits. In the
end you just want a cup of coffee,
don’t you? You just don’t need so
many options.
“We don’t like the customers
to sit in a queue. You’re there to
shop, not to wait in line,” says
Allpress. Nomad Espresso caters
for 300 events a year.
PHOTO: Supplied
EDITOR’S BENCH
Charles Riddle
Venetia Sherson
Jeremy Smith
Stefanie Young
Geoff Ridder
Georgie Gaddum
Special thanks to Pranesh Lal
JOURNALISTS
Katherine Austin; Jacqui Barry;
Sonia Beal; Heather Chappell;
Jaimee Conn; Karina Cooper;
Laura Drummond; Stephanie
Fawcett; Kerrie Felton; Kelsey
Fletcher; Marika Fricker;
Amanda Harper; Mitch Hyde;
Paul Kendon; Ji-Soo Kim;Austin
King; Laura McLeay; Sam
McPherson; Kahu Miller; Stacey
Oliver; Ceana Priest; Iris Riddell;
Tony Stevens; Xing Yi Tan and
Jess Thorne-George.
CAFFEINE CALL: Customers line up for their daily coffee
DESIGNERS
Great Indoors
Kirsty Broatch, Monica Shortt,
Laurel Ellis and Amy Bruce.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Dion Mellow; Chelsea De La
Rue; Christal Yardley; Claudia
Aalderink; Erica Sinclair; Erin
Strong; Heather Meyrick;
Kimberly Wright; Kristy Norton;
Nick Reed; Shaz Arlidge;
Stephanie Walker and Ulrike
Schaefer.
Sponsors
We would like to thank our
sponsors, Gallagher Group
and Print House Ltd, for their
valuable support.
By Kingsley Field
As seems to be the situation
for almost every Fieldays
held in the past half-century,
the weather went to the dogs
– cold, wet, and muddy – for
the start of the week when
everyone was frantically
setting up.
But a “big high” is passing
over the country, and right
through to tomorrow the
weather should be clear
and fine. What they haven’t
told us is that it will also be
really cold. And down in the
riverside hollow where the
Fieldays are held that type of
cold often includes a heavy,
localised smothering of fog
for the first few hours of
the morning.
Be that as it may, the
Fieldays are a time when the
people from the nation’s rural
communities take time out
of busy, usually physically
demanding schedules to
see what there is to see.
Plenty of townies seem to
find a reasonable excuse to
also get out beyond the city
boundaries.
A good few forget to bring
adequate footwear.
It’s always interesting to
take note of the footwear
the Fieldays – gumboots in
all shades, shapes, sizes and
colours are often the order
of the day, and are likely to
be much in evidence this
time round.
Not many years ago there
was a media story of a young
Cambridge man desperately
in need of a pair of gumboots,
but he couldn’t find any to
fit. Eventually he located a
local gumboot maker who
agreed to produce a special
pair for him – he needed size
17. When he found they fitted
comfortably, his grin matched
the size of his boots.
At the other end of the
scale, there are the tiny kids’
boots for toddlers; at least
one manufacturer sometimes
sells the smallest boots to
truckies who stick them on
the dashboards of their big
rigs and keep mobile phones
or pens in them.
In between, and apart from
the more standard basic black
rubber boots, there are the
new artistically decorated
ladies’ boots which, with
tight jeans tucked neatly into
them, can look very smart.
They may not be as tough or
hard-wearing as their black
rubber forebears, but they
sure add a dash of colour
among the Fieldays crowds.
It’s all part of the
enjoyment of what is one
of the biggest and best
gatherings in the country
every year.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Fieldays Exhibitor
Carvers are never stumped!
By Michael Kerby
PHOTO: Supplied
S
ome folk just see things
differently.
To most, a chainsaw was
designed and built for cutting
down trees. And a block of wood
is, well, a block of wood.
But to the three men and one
woman invited to compete in the
Challenge Carving event at the
Stihl Festival of Logging Skills
at this year’s Fieldays, a block of
wood is a blank canvas and the
chainsaw is the paintbrush.
Chainsaw carver Wayne Trow
says that while his eyes may
glaze over at the mention of
arty-farty stuff, it’s still art. “It
is an art form, definitely. A very
physical one.”
Fellow invitee Deborah Lloyd
agrees. “It’s really just a
sculpting form – in Germany
it is well accepted as an art
form, and in Australia and New
Zealand it’s art, but it’s still just
chainsaw carving.”
Deborah started chainsaw
carving about 16 years ago after
she saw it at Fieldays. Although
she was initially afraid of
chainsaws, she has since gone
on to compete overseas in the
International Chainsaw Carving
Grand Prix in Tasmania where
she placed first in her first year
at the event. Last year saw her
invited to the Chainsaw Carving
Team World Championship in
Dresden, Germany, where she
CHIPS ARE DOWN: A chainshaw
competitor shows his skill
came sixth against the best in
the world.
The winning carvings were
by Dennis Beach and Dayton
Scroggins from the US.
“You couldn’t fault their work.
It’s just beautiful. It is absolutely
art,” she says.
The chainsaw has been an
artist’s tool for more than 50
years. Chainsaw carving’s first
recorded appearance dates back
to the 1950s, when American
Ray Murphy used his father’s
chainsaw to write his name in
a block of wood. From there
chainsaw
carving
became
an invaluable way to draw
customer attention to an expo
booth: the raging noise, the
swirling sawdust and the highly
detailed carving at the end all
served to demonstrate the ease
and usability of the chainsaw on
display.
Wayne says that while a
chainsaw carver is not the
“typical type” of artist; the
activity is well recognised as an
art form in New Zealand.
“I do see myself as a bit of an
artist, yeah. It certainly gives the
creative streak in me an outlet.
“Although there is definitely that
sideshow appeal, since you’re
whirling around with chainsaws.
But through commission work,
people appreciate the artistic
design that goes into it.”
But how does that level of
design factor into a competition
like the Challenge Carve?
According to Wayne you need to
be open to ideas before heading
into a competition. He tries to
have a collection of ideas on what
to carve to suit the block of wood
he’s given in a competition.
“You
can’t
have
a
predetermined ‘I’m gonna do a
bird’, because it’s all determined
by the size of the log.”
Deborah takes a similar approach.
“I’ll have three different
things I want to do and I’ll just
start carving and one of them
comes out.”
When carving she tends to
feel out the proportions of the
sculpture as she goes, rather than
sketching it out beforehand.
“It’s intuition. I just feel it, so
it’s different each time I carve.”
Wayne says since you can’t
remove a mistake, you have to
just go with it.
“You create it as you go. You
use your artistic licence and
make it look like you intended
it that way!”
Deborah believes the speed
with which chainsaw carvers
work, forces the artist to make
decisions at a subconscious level,
free from second-guessing.
“It’s so quick. I find it’s like
meditating. I know it’s noisy
and I don’t like the noise but
to me it’s like going into a
deep meditation.”
That meditation produces
stunning works of art, all from
a humble, unassuming block
of wood.
“You see it in the log before
you start it,” says Wayne.
These logs – once carved - will
be auctioned off in the St John
charity auction at 3.30 tomorrow
afternoon.
The
Challenge
Carving event takes place today
and tomorrow as the chainsaw
carvers compete for $3000 in
prizes.
The event is part of the
STIHL Festival of Logging
Skills, held at sites J14-16
behind the STIHL marquee.
What’s on today
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0800 2 wintec
3
All day: Waikato Vintage Tractor
and Machinery Club. Historic Village
9.30am: Rural Bachelors
challenged by Suzuki Cheerleaders
squad. Village Green
10am: V8 and vintage chainsaw
demonstrations.
10.15am: Creative cooking with
Cathedral Cove Macadamias. .
Kiwi’s Best Demonstration Kitchen
10.30am: Tractor Pull competition.
Tractor Pull Area
11am: Ag Art Wear Theatre.
11.30am: Axe throwing.
Demonstrations Area
12pm: Chelsea and the Dog Stars.
Village Green
12.40pm: New Caledonian
chef Gerard Perraut Kiwi’s Best
Demonstration Kitchen
2.30pm: Suzuki Extreme Airshow.
Demonstrations Area
3pm: Rural Bachelors compete in
Hyundai heat. Village Green
4
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
Designers hooked on Ag Art Wear
Continued from Page 1
This year there are four judging
categories in which designers can
showcase their creativity: Designer-Traditional; Under 21; and
Avant Garde and a new category
– Landcare Awareness.
NZ National Agricultural
Fieldays communications advisor
Ariana Tucker says Landcare
Awareness challenges designers
to explore the environmental
conscience of land-based farming.
“The creations should utilise
natural fibres found on the
New Zealand landscape and
must have a strong supporting
story regarding the Landcare
Awareness theme,” she says.
Last year Charlotte won the
Designer Fibre category, the first
time it had been offered. She
chose the Designer Fibre category
because she used cow hide as the
main material of her garment.
Charlotte found her inspiration
from her family farm.
“I got my idea from the cows
in the paddock at home.”
Tessa won the
Under-21
award in 2009 and is trying to
take it home for a second year,
along with trying her hand at the
Designer Traditional category.
Her Designer Traditional gown is
called “Pink Delicious” and was
inspired by international fashion
icon Oscar de la Renta along with
Tessa’s home of Hawkes Bay.
“I got my idea
from the cows in the
paddock at home.”
“It is based on Oscar de la Renta
gowns because they are stunning
and flowing and gorgeous! This
is what I was aiming for in my
gown. Hawkes Bay is also an
influence because it is the fruit
bowl of New Zealand, we have
lots of orchards and in spring
there are blossoms all around so
the colour of my gown which is
baby pink comes from that. Also
the name delicious is the name
of an apple and the top is made
from hand-made rosettes, like
blossom.”
Tessa’s second entry this year
will be for the ‘Under 21’ category
and is called “Tui-tara”. “Pipe
Dreams” was Tessa’s winning
entry in 2009. She used irrigation
piping and zip ties in her winning
garment and in doing so learnt
how to work with fibreglass and
use a grinder. Creating fashion
with unconventional clothing
materials and working the tools
to do this allows designers to
show talent not typically linked
with fashion.
According to Fieldays organisers, submissions for the Ag
Art Wear competition get more
original and innovative as
designers produce outfits that
challenge the way we relate
fashion and farming.
Judges
assess
garments
according to appearance, the
innovation in material use, the
originality of the design, its
artistic element, and its overall
impression, with judging based
on visual inspection.
Cost is a consideration when
designing garments and entering
the competition. Both Tessa and
Charlotte live outside of the Waikato
and this adds to the expense.
“For me because I live out of
town it means I have to drive up to
Mystery Creek and also with the
products I’m using it’s ended up
being costly. For both garments
altogether it will be around the
$1200 mark,” says Tessa.
Charlotte found sponsorship
from a business in her home
town of Te Awamutu.
“Time is my biggest cost; it
takes up all your spare time for
a while.”
Prizes for winning entrants
range from $2000 for the Avant
Garde section to $1200 for the
Designer Traditional section. But
Charlotte says prize money isn’t
the driving force behind entering.
“I enter because I love doing it “.
Competing has been a positive
experience for both Tessa and
Charlotte, with Tessa admitting
the one downside of the
competition for her.
“It’s the suspense when you
are waiting for your category
winners to be called out.”
The Ag Art Wear show will take
place in the Spantech Pavilion
11am to 2pm daily.
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
5
PHOTOS: Dion Mellow and Geoff Ridder
From farm to fashion...
SEAMLESS BEAUTY: Entries in this year’s Fieldays Ag Art Wear Competition
6
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
Clean, green push for NZ wine
By Karina Cooper
N
ew Zealand winegrowers
are pushing forward in an
effort to stamp the industry as
clean, green and sustainable for
overseas markets.
And winegrowers’ individual
attitudes are the driving force behind
environmental sustainability in the
wine industry, say two Waikato
University researchers.
Drs Michèle Akoorie and
Paresha Sinha, with colleagues
Dr Scott Marshall in the US and
Dr Ralph Hamann from South
Africa, have been studying
environmental practices in “New
World” wineries.
Their work is on display at the
university’s stand in the Premier
feature site.
Dr Akoorie said they found
the main driver for improving a
winery’s environmental habits
comes from internal influences.
”Wineries are adopting good
practices and this is different from
other businesses where it is usual
for regulations to be put in place
and then new practices become
the norm and then people’s
values change. So what is driving
it are the individual attitudes
rather than the institution.”
She said the idea of “heritage”
in the wine industry is fuelling the
demand for increased sustainability.
“Every individual feels a
responsibility for what they do
and what they pass on to future
generations – it is that heritage
idea and being stewards of the
land.”
In 2008 New Zealand winegrowers developed a draft
sustainability policy that aims to
have the nation’s grapes and wines
produced under independently
audited sustainability schemes by
vintage in 2012.
The US and South Africa are
also developing sustainability
programmes.
These sustainability programmes are voluntary and are
carried out with self-audits.
The New Zealand-based researchers discovered competition
“Every individual
feels a responsibility
for ... what they
pass on to future
generations”
between wine producing companies is huge and there is a huge
challenge in establishing New
Zealand as the brand of choice in
the wine world.
Dr Akoorie said in the past the
environmental practices of New
Zealand wineries had not always
stacked up as clean and green
but now there was evidence that
they were becoming increasingly
environmentally aware.
“Up until now we didn’t
have any evidence to say that
winegrowers
actually
were
looking after the environment
and they were sustainable in their
environmental practices. They
would use sprays, they would
use herbicides, and now with
these programmes they are not
doing that to the same extent and
that is why they are becoming
more sustainable.”
The researchers surveyed
the environmental practices
and attitudes of over 500 New
Zealand winegrowers with a
response rate of 26 per cent.
They specifically focused on
their use of energy, water, waste,
chemicals and recycling efforts.
World watches Fieldays’ innovation
PHOTO: Supplied
BUY BRITISH: A ‘quadrate’ designed by a British company is turning heads at Fieldays
By Tony Stevens
F
ieldays is rapidly becoming
a global must-see event
with the largest contingent of
international visitors present at
this year’s show.
New Zealand’s premier farming exposé is the largest agriculture exhibition in the Southern
Hemisphere and has consistently
attracted a strong international
presence.
Fieldays
Communications
Advisor Ariana Tucker said New
Zealand is widely accepted as
being an authority when it comes
to all things farming, and foreign
delegations come to Fieldays to
see how we have achieved this
reputation.
“There is only a limited number
of farmers in New Zealand but
we are considered highly skillful
on the world stage. Bringing
international exhibitors here gives
us a chance to show the rest of the
world the efficient methods we
use in farming and agriculture.”
“If they want to be present
in this part of the universe they
should be at Fieldays.”
According to Tucker the
number of registered international
visitors has increased 50 per cent
since last year. But they don’t
come to Fieldays just to observe.
“International
exhibitors
make a valuable contribution
to Fieldays. The quantity has
improved as well as the quality,”
Tucker said.
British company Allingham
Quadcrates Ltd has brought
their innovative farming tool the
‘quadcrate’ to the annual event.
The quadcrate can be retrofitted
to any quad-bike and is designed
to enable more flexibility for
the user to perform complex
farming tasks, such as carrying
heavy loads to remote areas,
efficient fencing, and livestock
transportation.
The President of Chile’s
National Agricultural Society,
Luis Mayol, will be visiting
Fieldays, alongside a delegation
from the Mexican Ministry of
Agriculture. Deputy Director
of the Latin-American Foreign
Affairs
Ministry,
Heather
Ward, said the representatives
recognized
Fieldays
as
a
chance to take some valuable
agricultural inspiration back to
their home countries.
“It is an excellent opportunity
to learn about New Zealand’s
capabilities in agricultural business,
agri-technology
research
and
farming techniques, as well as
promote greater commercial links
between the countries.”
Representatives from China’s
own
agricultural
exhibition
bring their experiences to this
year’s Fieldays. Located in the
Shaanxi province, the Yangling
Demonstration Zone is the
only state-level development
zone in China that focuses
on agricultural industry. The
delegation’s presence at Fieldays
is part of their goal to intensify
global agricultural relations.
Other international exhibitors
include an Italian delegation
focusing on technology and
knowledge in the olive oil and
wine growing industry, and the
US Commercial Service Network
offering opportunities for New
Zealand agricultural businesses
to seek partnerships in America.
International exhibitors can
be found in the International
Exhibition Area, now a dedicated
zone for foreign delegations
located within the centrally
located Mystery Creek Pavilion.
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
PHOTO: Nick Reed
7
PM drops in
... and gets to
mind the baby
By Heather Chappell
P
rime Minister John Key was
nearly herded into a corner
and ended up holding the
ubiquitous baby when he opened
Fieldays yesterday.
He spent some time casually
chatting to anyone who was
brave enough to approach him.
Mr Key said he was “delighted
to be here at Fieldays again” and
it was an honour to be officially
opening it.
“I’m really impressed with the
focus of innovation this year and
the future of agriculture in New
Zealand is looking bright” Mr
Key said.
“Because the dairy payout
has grown there seems to be a
lot more interest in Fieldays this
year and there is a lot of optimism
surrounding the dairy industry.”
On his way to the grand
opening Mr Key was subjected to
the usual attention and requests
for photographs.
He has attended Fieldays for
“a few years.”
Mr Key said he was pleased
to be back and part of such a
major event on the New Zealand
calendar.
POLITICAL PAL: Prime Minister John Key with a Fieldays’ friend
Fencing friends face off again
By Ceana Priest
PHOTO: Ceana Priest
A
s the pressure mounts and
their fences stretch into the
distance, two men will be keeping
a watchful eye on each other’s
progress as their friendship is put
on the line.
Fencing partners for more
than 10 years, Wayne Newdick
and Paul van Beers will be bitter
rivals today while competing
in the prestigious Golden Pliers
fencing competition.
But then all grudges are put
aside as they team up for the
Silver Spades doubles event.
They are a formidable team.
If they win this year, it will be
their eighth Silver Spades in the
Cyclone / Wiremark Fencing
Championships. Newdick admits
it’s difficult to be critical of your
opposition when they are a teammate too. “It’s hard to fault Paul.
He’s a very polished competitor
and has good all-round skills.
He’s hard to crack.”
Newdick’s
fencing
career
started in 1978 with a newspaper
advert. “Looking back, I was a bit
cocky. I went to the local paper and
put an advert in for fencing work.
At the time I had zero experience
FENCING FRIENDS: Wayne Newdick, left, and Paul Van Beers prepare for
another showdown
but I quickly taught myself and
have never looked back.
“I started competing at
the Fieldays when someone
overheard me giving a competitor
some cheek. I thought the guy’s
work was a bit rough and said
I could do better. Someone
challenged me to enter and 20
years later, I’m still here.
“There’s a group of young ones
coming through the ranks doing
some good times. There has been
a bit of pressure for us older ones
to stand aside, but if you’re able
to compete and have the desire
and are reasonably competitive –
why wouldn’t you compete?
“I’d like to think I have a good
chance this year. I wouldn’t put
myself through the gruelling
event and training if I thought
I’d get third or fourth place. You
have to back yourself in this
competition.”
Van Beers trains for the event
on his farm. “I leave all my fencing
until autumn, then get stuck in
and complete it in preparation.”
The intense singles event
requires competitors to erect
a 40m fence. It can take more
than five hours to complete and
judges will focus on wire tension
and workmanship.
After the event the two friends
will enjoy a beer waiting for the
judges to critique their fences.
It’s an agonising wait but Van
Beers is philosophical. “It doesn’t
matter who wins.”
And the future for Wayne
Newdick? “I’ve no plans to give
up. I’ll give up when the body
gives up.”
The Golden Pliers finalists
compete today at 8am and Silver
Spades tomorrow at 8am in the
Fencing Area, river end of M Road.
8
Thursday, June 17, 2010 • Fieldays Exhibitor
PHOTO: Dion Mellow
FIELDAYS MAN: Warwick Johnson has been involved with Fieldays for more then 40 years
Shifting times for Fieldays’ founder
By Iris Riddell
When Warwick Johnson goes
to the Fieldays, he says he tries to
keep a low profile.
That could be easier said than
done, given the 77-year-old’s
extensive background with the
event.
Johnson was among the group
of men who founded the Fieldays
42 years ago.
Over a cup of tea in his office/
house on Airport Rd, Warwick
counts the names off on his
fingers. “You had Don Llewellyn
from the university, Gordon
Edgar from Ruakura, Vaughan
Jones from Alfa Laval, Fraser
Graham… all those different
people, they were characters
who welded together to create a
consortium of about 30 guys.
“I strut around like a turkey
at the Fieldays, I suppose. I go
into the visitors’ lounge and meet
people from overseas and it can
be quite emotional. Never, ever,
ever did we dream it would get
to the magnitude it has done.”
The Fieldays started its life
at the Te Rapa racecourse, but
it soon became clear the event
needed its own patch of land.
“Me being me and knowing
this area, I said ‘out this way
there’s sand, there’s a suitable
piece down there’, so they all
walked down there and bought
the property like that.”
Johnson runs Johnson’s House
Removals and has been in the
business for 62 years.
He’s put these skills to good
use out at Mystery Creek.
“I did the entire historic village
that’s there. I knew they were
coming, so the hospital house,
we got that for free. At Ngatea
we picked up a little church and
put that down there, likewise the
blacksmith’s house and the jail,
we could have gone on.”
He was also responsible for
shifting the Bledisloe Hall to the
Fieldays site.
“I’ve laughed a lot over the
years. Every job has humour in it;
you can’t let the job get to you.”
Over the course of his career,
Johnson has shifted thousands
of structures, including houses,
churches, coolstores, concrete
buildings, as well as DC3s,
helicopters, tractors, bulldozers
and the Waikato Wars gunboat,
SS Rangiriri.“These are things
I’ve done all my life, moving and
shifting houses, so they are saved
rather than destroyed. I can see
the merit in that.”
Tom Smith and Ros Empson
of Smith Pickering Architects
worked with Johnson on the
Rangiriri
restoration
and
describe him as having a “heart
of gold”. “He still acts as though
he’s about 30 or 40. He was
carrying around these great big
beams for the Rangiriri, things
like that,” Smith says. There is
a plaque with Warwick’s name
on it in the historic village,
near a little footbridge. “When
I’m dead and gone I want my
ashes spread there.”