1 Captions by Shelley Upchurch. Edited by Amy Park. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 BRISK MUSIC Rangiora lies 29km north of Christchurch, but it doesn't feel as though you're living out in the sticks, because it's surrounded with rugged hills and fantastic coastline. I was born here ` son of a Dutch father and a Kiwi mother, so a real country boy. I just love living here ` shooting, riding my bike and just having fun on the farm. These days, the area is home to 17,000 people and growing, thanks in part to the housing shortage in Christchurch. It's an increasingly vibrant neighbourhood that's learning to embrace diversity in all its glory. In this episode of Neighbourhood, we'll discover some of the people who give this community its unique character. We'll meet the local copper who's helping to build bridges between police and the gay community. I think it's just a matter of being` being you and not allowing yourself to be pulled down by bullies or people who question your lifestyle choice. A man from the UK takes us for a spin in his most prized possession. By modern standards, it's very crude. It's hard riding, but it gives a huge illusion of speed. So even at the legal speed limit of 100km/h, you feel like you're flying in it. A Rangiora resident treats the locals to a taste of Nepal ` with a Kiwi twist. What makes a good momo? (SIGHS) Well, it's what goes` goes inside it, with the meat. You know, with a bit of love and a whole lot of spices. (CHUCKLES) And a woman born in Canada takes us on a magical mystery tour of the place she calls home. I actually surprised myself. I've forgotten how much I've done, actually, over the years, but I was saying to, uh, my friend Kate, 'Oh, I've got so much work. I've been so prolific.' But she goes, 'You've also got a lot of years, Caroline.' (LAUGHS) 'Oh yeah, that's right, I've been alive for a long time. It's a lot of time to make stuff.' So, yeah, that's` that's part of the reason as well. I'm Dean Brettschneider, and this is my neighbourhood. THEME MUSIC RELAXED MUSIC These days, I'm known as the Global Baker. I'm based in Denmark, and I've got businesses in Asia and TV shows all around the world. But it all began here at the Rangiora Bakery, when John van Til gave me my first job, and he said to me, 'If you're half as hard-working as your nanna ` who was from Scottish farming stock ` 'then you'll do all right in life.' RELAXED MUSIC So, this is John's son, Ron. So, tell me, has much changed since I left? Things change, like anything. Things evolve. We do a lot of things the same ways we used to do. We still make the meat pies with the 30-year-old recipe. We've got recipes in the bakery which are like sacred cows ` never allowed to be touched. And even I want to change things, and I can't. So the only thing we do is introduce new products. Still taste the same? Nothing's changed there. That is beautiful. I love the way that my career has been influenced by the tradition of European baking. It started right here. Sometimes, the elements of culture you absorb when you're young can inspire you for an entire lifetime. GENTLE MUSIC We pretty much lived at the theatre when we were little, because my mother` if she wasn't in something, she was directing something; or both my mother and father. I think what I loved was the backdrops. If they had a good backdrop, I was pleased, but if they had one of those really really sparse ones, I was bored and just wanted to leave. So it was the eye candy. I really enjoyed that part of it. I'm Caroline Trevalla, and I was born in London, Ontario, Canada. I'm creative probably because I didn't excel anywhere else. (LAUGHS) I was` I was slow at school and put into the slow groups and that sort of thing, and I` I` and my parents picked it up, and they encouraged the artworks. And that's the ice fairy. So I'll just clean up these little bits around here. She's a bit dirty. I design and create, uh, animated window displays. I` I sculpt. I make costumes; basically anything that's, sort of, just a little bit out of the square, custom-made stuff. But my` my passion is this` these Christmas window displays. I thoroughly enjoy doing them. IDYLLIC MUSIC I have such a connection with my characters that when I used to put them into one of the windows that we worked for, I'd have separation anxiety. Rangiora is inspiring, because we've got everything here. We've got` You know, we've got the river, we've got the beach, we've got mountains. You know? Not to mention the fact that it's friendly, you know, and you can` if I'm working and I need to take a break, I can just take a walk down the street and see people and have a chat, so that helps. That's an inspiration. When I met Pete, all I knew is that he did computer work, you know? And as we got to know each other, he started getting more and more interested in what I was doing, and then he, sort of` at one point I got, sort of, stuck and I really needed to get an animator, and he said, 'Well, I've always wanted to do that.' So I went, 'What, really? Can you do that?' and he goes, 'Oh, yeah.' When I start a project, I do some design drawings, and then, uh, we just discuss what the movements will be and where they're gonna be placed and how they're gonna be lit. GENTLE MUSIC My favourite memories are when we used to` we used to hike to, uh, this local, sort of` well, I guess it was sort of a theme park/park called Storybook Gardens. And when I was growing up, they had pigs and` the three little pigs, and then they had a static wolf; you know, a big bad wolf, who looked very scary. I think it was a huge inspiration for me at that age to be exposed to that sort of sculpture ` storybook sculpture ` and that sort of thing. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. When I got to NZ, I created, uh, Goofy Ghouls, and these are some of the images from Goofy Ghouls. I made this crazy poster and what I` I call it an interactive art experience. And I just` It was, really, just an excuse for me to make, um, out-of-this-world things, because I didn't want to make normal things. I actually surprised myself. I've forgotten how much I've done, actually, over the years. But I was saying to my friend Kate ` who's staying with us at the moment ` I said, 'Oh, I've got so much work. I've been so prolific.' She goes, 'You've also got a lot of years, Caroline.' (LAUGHS) I went, 'Oh yeah, that's right! I've been alive for a long time. It's a lot of time to make stuff.' So, yeah, that's part of the reason as well. INTRIGUING MUSIC We're just unloading one of three modules that we're going to be displaying in an empty space in the pharmacy, and it's the first in a series of three that tells a story. This scene is, uh, Imogen, a little girl living in NZ who is infatuated with ice skating, and, of course, her dog Robert is as well, cos Robert likes everything Imogen likes. And she's writing a letter to Santa asking if she can have snow for Christmas so she can ice-skate for Christmas. I'm outside the pharmacy, and I'm painting a little surround around this, um, module, just so that it won't be so square. I wanna make a nice little frame for it, so I'm gonna paint all this, sort of, flora and fauna all the way around. So just getting on some white paint first, and then I'll paint it with some colour afterwards. My dream is to make a theme park, or a` or a destination ` something that people can come to Rangiora and is established here. It's not, like, just a one-off quick fix. I wanna have` I'd love to have a permanent, interactive either an art museum or, you know, a science museum, or even just a theme park, you know? It would be so much fun. RELAXED MUSIC LIGHT LAUGHTER, CLAPPING Rangiora High School ` some great memories for me. You know, this is heartland, hard country rugby, but I actually grew up playing soccer, and that was an influence from my father being European, and I was considered a little bit of a girl. So I did bend to peer pressure, so I started playing rugby, but at the same time I played soccer, and both of them at representative level. It's tough for teens that are perceived as being different, especially in a rural community, so it's great when help comes from an unexpected source. I wouldn't say it's choosing a different life. You're not choosing. You're living a life you want to live. You're being who you are. It's` It's hard. You're always having to think about coming out to people. I've got some very close friends. We've been mistaken as a couple, or a married couple, and as you get older you, just` it's not a` it doesn't worry you. But you just go with it, because it's just easier just to go with the flow than it is to` But in actual fact, you should actually say, 'No, this is my best friend, 'and I'm gay and I've got a husband,' but you just don't bother. It's just` You just don't, because if you did that, you'd be forever coming out to people. (LAUGHS) I've been in the job for 18 years as a gay male, and I` you know, I've never had any problems. I've worked alongside some really cool people that` A lot of people haven't ever met a gay person, which is astounding to me. I mean, really? It's just` (LAUGHS) You probably have, but you probably didn't know it. And I think the big thing for me is they go, 'Oh, well, you are just quite normal, really. 'There's nothing unusual.' So it's quite` kinda nice. It's sort of like a back-handed compliment, really, if you know what I mean. When I joined the police in 1998, I had a male partner, and I put that on my application from day one, because it was who I was. I didn't think it was a big deal and never was. Um, but a lot of people think and have spoken to me since then that, 'Oh, that must have been quite groundbreaking,' but I never` I was never about, you know, breaking ground or waving a flag. I just wanted to be a police officer. I started teaching at the Rangiora rec centre when I was about 22, and I'm still teaching there now. Now I teach Les Mills fitness classes. THUMPING MUSIC The thing with fitness is you don't realise how social it is until you get into it, and I get a big buzz out of people exercising and moving from the back of the class to the front of the class, getting confident, losing weight, getting fit. Um, and you can see it. I don't think it matters what or where or how you live your life. I think it's just a matter of being` being you and not allowing yourself to pulled down by bullies or people who question your lifestyle choice. Well done, everybody. Awesome class. Lots of energy. Have a great night. Give yourselves a big round of applause. ALL APPLAUD 2005, I did the Diversity Liaison Officer course at college. As a DLO, we specifically worked alongside the GLBTI community ` so the gay and lesbian, transgender, bisexual, intersex ` um, which encompasses quite a large range of people from all walks of life. And basically, we were there to liaise, to assist them if they were unsure about making a complaint; how they` if they were being bullied or if they were having family violence issues. And I think the youth group is very similar to the gym group, because people come along` or people join for a reason. I mean, It's nice to see people evolve, get more confidence, become stronger. If you see bullying, if you see somebody that you don't think is being treated the way they should, give us a ring. Tell us. Well, the youth suicide rate in NZ for GLBTI is five times more than any other youth. So this is why the government has decided to put $150,000, I think, towards Rainbow Youth in the next couple of years, I believe, to try and assist. I know it's quite a morbid subject, but it's out there, and it's real, and lots of people have to deal with it. And I think it's` If it's talked about and mentioned and, you know, in the public eye, it's better than being brushed under the carpet like it would have been years ago. You'll find that as you go through life, you're all gonna be working alongside people who don't understand or are negative or homophobic. Just don't stand for any bullying. Don't stand for any rubbish. Just be who you are. Our community has had a long history of being marginalised, and with that comes a lot of fear of authority. Um, and so it's really great that they can see that, um, people are just like them, and, um` and that` yeah, he's around to help out and be part of our community. You can contact us through Facebook ` on our Facebook page ` and that's done confidentially, or you can even ring us through Crimestoppers. I learnt from the talk today that it's OK, um... it's all right to say, like, what you've been through, and the police can help you no matter what it is, and you don't have to say your name or anything. You can` It can be anonymous. I came to Q-topia because I wanted somewhere to be myself and to be free and be in an accepting group of people, and I` I love it. I like to be able to show them that you can be whoever you wanna be ` be proud, um, stand up and ignore the haters, ignore the bullies. Carry on. Head up. Be confident. TRANQUIL MUSIC I don't get to NZ very much, but when I do, it's a real treat to spend time with my dad and my son. PAN SIZZLES So these are pannenkoeken. And they're basically like a pancake, and they're really really important to, sort of, family tradition, because we used to make them every Sunday without fail. It's sort of an` a recipe which has gone from generation to generation, yeah? I absolutely loved it. You know, a little bit a brown sugar on here, and now roll it up, yeah? Cut it` oh boy! Lovely. (CHUCKLES) That's it, yep. > Share the family pancake. > < (LAUGHS) But these days, we're not the only ones in Rangiora enjoying traditional foods. My name is Alok. I was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. My wife's name is Nikuru. My eldest son, Marli; then Rico; and my youngest is Maya. I was 17 when I left Nepal. Uh, we came as a family. I didn't even know where NZ was. I thought it was in Europe somewhere. (LAUGHS) So, one of the memories is all of us making these dumplings to fill a big woven platter; filling that with close to 200 dumplings ready to be steamed so that, you know` that's the longest process, and as soon as it's steamed,... (CLAPS) it will disappear (LAUGHS) in no time. What makes a good momo? (SIGHS) It's what goes` goes inside it with the meat, um, what you add to it, you know, with a bit of love and a whole lot of spices. (CHUCKLES) Before I came to NZ, I thought momos were a Nepali thing, you know? That's the unique Nepali dish. But I realise dumplings, like everything else, is made in China. It's the local ingredient that makes it what it is. Obviously, the food, you know, even though it was borrowed, we've made it our own by what we have; uh, what kind of flavours, uh, we like, I suppose. Yeah. My mum taught me how to make momos. Um, we get together as a family and make momos, so, um... yeah, it's a... traditional, um, recipe that's been passed down, really. Yeah. We've got beef in it today, but obviously, we won't do beef in Nepal, because cow is still a sacred animal and you don't get beef there, but we get buffalo, which is very similar to beef. So this one is` the buffalo is my favourite flavour. When we married, uh, my parents moved down from Auckland, and Nikuru's parents also moved down from Wellington. So we all live here now. Today, we've got my dad and mum coming over, and my mother-in-law is coming over for this. Marli, can I just go there? Daddy, look, I made this. Oh, money bags. That's the easiest one. > Rico, your one's looking pretty good. > Yeah. > You gotta wet the edges so that the edges close down and, um, put your thumb just on top of the meat ` but not actually touching ` and we just close the` close the edges like that. There we go. Nikuru and Rico seem to make these ones ` the Mohawk ones. My one is like a` like a fern, if you look at it. RICO: That's what I've been doing! The first time we ever had momo was, ah... would it be at a Nepali party that we went to? Yep, probably. > Probably was, yeah. Yeah, yeah, a Nepali gathering. > Yeah. So that would have been probably about two or three months after we met. That was all` yeah. (LAUGHS) We've been having them ever since, now. BOTH LAUGH My favourite one is chicken. Yeah, everybody like this, my momo. (LAUGHS) Yes, I do sell my momos at markets. The kids came up with the name from the Kung Fu Panda, and, you know, in that movie, they keep eating the kung fu dumplings, so that's how the name comes from. It's just a` a catchy name. I do make NZ-inspired momos, and they... Because I do markets` I did a market in Waitangi Day last year, uh, and I made pork and puha, um, you know? The Waitangi flavours. So, yeah, I made those. They're quite popular. Ooh, yummy. I want a money bag. You want the money bag? Yeah. That's beef. There you go. Marli is going to Nepal with us in January, so he is trying the hot one. (LAUGHS) ALL CHUCKLE He was in Nepal when he was 22 months old, no? Mm. Now he's` after 10 years he is going back to Nepal. I think this is the best. Um, I think that they're really yummy. The future for us, I think we'll still be in North Canterbury, and with an empire of the Kung Fu Dumplings. (LAUGHS) I don't know. Post-war Europe was still a bleak place, and many Dutch immigrants came to NZ at that time. The pace here was, sort of, very slow. You know, like a 'She'll be right' attitude. You know, everything will be right. Take it easy. No need to hurry. So, this is literally where I was born, right, Dad? Yeah, Dean. That's the window over there. So, that happened about 4 o'clock in the morning, and Mum yelled out, 'Ah, I think the baby is coming. The baby is coming.' I freaked out a little bit there, but that's all right. Uh, we rung the doctor, and just as well we did not, uh, let you come, because you had that cord around your neck, and that scared me a little bit there. And the doctor came along. He rushed into the room there, and he took the cord around your neck. So that was fine. That is your story. That's how you were born here. Actually, the Dutch were not the only ones that headed this way. Many people from the UK came to NZ and still call Rangiora home. INTRIGUING MUSIC SHED DOOR CREAKS My background for all the things that I've built over the years is really traditional. First, I was a Meccano kid, then I moved on to model aeroplanes, and then I moved on to old clapped-out motorbikes that I built and rebuilt, clapped-out cars that I re-engined, and then finally, I saw a picture in a magazine that struck my interest and decided that I would try building my own car. OK, well, this is a 1973` 1973 Acorn Lucy; uh, the first car I built. This is, uh, shall we say a teenager's idea of a cool car way back in the early '70s. Spent about four years of my life building it while I was at teacher's college. The whole thing is fibreglass body. About 1 ton of plaster of Paris went into making the mock-up for it, and then for casting the body panels. The dust from it killed the neighbour's garden, but that's another story. And if I want to, I can get in and out. You just simply lift the entire thing, where it's held up with Austin A40 boot springs, for the technically-minded. Getting in definitely is a challenge. Certainly not elegant with girlfriends with short skirts, but entertaining. So one slides in, recline backwards. It's actually like lying in a hammock. Um, I had to be this far back, otherwise my head would hit the roof. Once you're in, you just pull it down. And as you can see, very little visibility. Very low, (CHUCKLES) but very interesting to drive. When we arrived in NZ, I was just turning 8 years old. And I had my 8th birthday, and I can still remember I had a kite for my birthday present. We were called Ten Pound Poms in those days, because a family of four could immigrate to NZ for �10. Ah, the trip out was brilliant. You know, for a kid to have the run of the ship ` you know, the food, the choice, and everything was just wonderful. BRISK MUSIC Altogether, I have built seven cars. My early inspiration all came from English books. For the car fans amongst you who have a long memory, a famous book by Mr Lockwood, How to Build a Sports Car, was my initial bible that I followed; written in the 1950's. One thing about it ` it's actually built to be like a '30s car, so by modern standards, it's very crude; um, it's hard riding. It's not a comfortable car, but it gives a huge illusion of speed. So even at the legal speed limit of 100km/h, you feel like you're flying in it. ENGINE TURNS OVER Yeah, it feels like something out of the past. It's what I was trying to capture, was that feeling that I'm driving something from 70 years ago. SOFT PIANO MUSIC How did I meet Margaret? I stopped off to see friends in Melbourne, and by coincidence, Margaret was there at the same time with her parents, and so they took us out to a restaurant. One thing led to another. We started talking; several nights kept talking. After knowing each other for about I think it was five or six days in total, um, we basically decided to get married, much to the shock of our friends, the horror of her father and the amusement of her mother. Margaret had crossed over the road to her parents' campervan, and on the way back, um, taken one step into the road just as a car came down the hill. But she ended up in a Melbourne hospital in a coma. Was there for about two weeks before we were able to fly her back to NZ. Following that, there was one year of regular physiotherapy trips back and forth into the Christchurch hospital while Margaret relearned how to walk and` you know, basically to walk, to talk and to function. We talked about it and decided if we were going to get married, we might as well do it now. There would always be an excuse not to. And so we got married a month later, and two days later, on a one-way trip ticket, we went to London, bought an old campervan and spent six months travelling around Europe. Whee! (LAUGHS) Whee, my foot! You got to` got to scare the locals. I hope the cows and horses don't get upset. Express yourself! The travelling in the van, the six months in the van, is something we've done on and off ever since we were married. That was 36 years ago. We never get on better than when we're stuck together, six months, about 2m apart at the most. As an inveterate show-off, I always love the attention the car builds. I try to cultivate a sense of enormous modesty, but inside, I'm a real arrogant so-and-so, and, really, as I go down the street, I look at myself in the shop windows for the pure pleasure of seeing myself drive by. RELAXED MUSIC Waikuku Beach is just down from my house. I have such fond memories of swimming and surfing and just hanging out here. Coming back to Rangiora really connects me with what's important ` strong work values, family and tradition. Captions by Shelley Upchurch. Edited by Amy Park. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016