Hiwi the Kiwi - May 2010

With free entry for two children under 14 when accompanied by a paying adult, this year’s Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show provides a great opportunity for New Zealand Sport Fishing to target kids on their stand at the show.

Located on stand 148 in The Fishing Hall, the theme of the stand is fun, fun, fun, with Hiwi the Kiwi and The Minstrel sharing a starring role.
Personal shows of Hiwi the Kiwi are planned throughout the show days, with final times to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Hiwi the Kiwi himself will be on the stand and kids can have their photographs taken with him for free. Mark de Lacy, aka the Minstrel, will be presenting 25-minute shows to visiting schools on the Thursday and Friday, as well as over the weekend.
Another attraction for the stand is the fishing machine from De Coro Fishing Supplies, which simulates a 90kg tuna being hooked and fought on 37kg stand-up tackle. This is a real test of skill for anglers. A 12-metre Rayglass launch provides the fighting platform for anyone willing to try. Kilwell Sports has kindly donated a 37kg fully-rollered stand-up rod for the contest, and the fastest angler to complete the challenge over the show wins the rod.

Adding to the mix, four Auckland mayors will be appearing on Thursday afternoon at 4pm to compete in the ‘Clash of the Mayors’ fishing challenge on the machine.
In addition, personal appearances are expected by several of the Auckland Blues rugby team on Thursday afternoon, and it is hoped some of the Warriors league players will come in, too. However, confirmed appearances by Awen Guttenbeil and Stacey Jones have already been received, and Awen is bringing his Honda Code presenters along to have a go Thursday afternoon. We hope to have some coverage on their show that night, so make sure you tune in to watch. Stacey has agreed to come along Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours, so if you want to meet the legend, then this is your chance. (You might even get your photo taken with him, if you’re nice and he isn’t overwhelmed!)
A junior fish-fighting machine may also be on the stand for those who prefer something less strenuous than a ballistic 90kg tuna on the end of the line.

The stand will have several competitions for kids to enter for free, including the opportunity to win a day’s fishing on The Gambler out of Whakatane, as well as an overnight trip on Triple Vision out of Whitianga. The Gambler will be a lucky draw for any kid who’s parent brought them to the show. As for the overnight charter on Triple Vision, this will be the grand prize in the Spin the Wheel competition.

There will have a ton of prizes and giveaways for the kids as well. Hiwi the Kiwi merchandise and lifejackets by Hutchwilco will be available for purchase too, so make sure you bring some dollars to treat the kids.
A centrepiece of the show will be the Hiwi the Kiwi 5.2 Profile boat with 70hp Yamaha outboard, which was won by Nedilka Radjkovich of Whitianga. Nedika, who won the boat in the recent nationwide HTK fundraiser, has kindly loaned her pride and joy to the show, where the next boat draw will be launched. A kids’ fishing challenge off the Profile boat will be run again, so make sure you bring the kids – they might win you a fishing charter for free!

The stand also features Brian Moore the artist, who created the stunning ‘Spat the Dummy’ limited-edition print, as well as other gamefish art works. Brian is currently working on a sculpture and will be presenting his latest work.

New Zealand Sport Fishing has a dedicated area so they can talk about what they do and promote their member clubs. Alongside will be Blue Water Marine Research, which has been instrumental in the satellite-tagging programme and recently featured on the ITM Fishing Show with Matt Watson. John Holdsworth from Blue Water will be on hand as well to show the satellite tags and discuss the data and information received from them.

Then there are the saltwater fly-tying and rod building demonstrations for those wanting a winter project and/or to try something different.

Phil from Pakuranga’s Big Fish Bait and Tackle Company has loaned his extensive collection of mounts for the show, and a competition will be run around this display. Other chances to win will be through: Spin the Wheel (thanks NZ Fishing News); ‘count the hooks in the jar’, and ‘how many lures on the stand?’ (courtesy of Black Magic). There are several other things in progress too, so you’ll have to visit the stand to see everything.

Certainly, at the time of writing this update in mid April, there will be plenty for everyone to see and do. But remember, you’ve got to bring the kids along to enter all the competitions, apart from the De Coro-Kilwell Fishing Machine Challenge.
Hope to see you there with the kids in tow.- Hiwi

Join the Hiwi the Kiwi Club
Hiwi the Kiwi now has his own website and club – www.hiwithekiwi.co.nz – and children can join free.
Both young and old anglers are invited to sign up. It will cost the adults $5 a year, and for that they go into the monthly draw for a minimum of $500 worth of a nominated sponsors product.
This month Mark and his team at Innovations Direct Ltd have put up a six-rack Bradley smoker for the May membership prize-draw.

It is two years since the Bradley Smoker first arrived in New Zealand. From small beginnings, Bradley Smokers are now recognised as the smoker of choice for users with a wide range of food-smoking specialist interests.

The appeal of cooking and entertaining outdoors has risen significantly over those years. If we look to the origins of the Bradley Smoker – the Canadian west coast province of British Columbia, home of Bradley Technologies – it is the North American tradition of smoke barbecuing that first brought the Bradley Smoker to the market. Barbecue meals with the flavour of smoke are commonplace throughout North America. The Bradley Smoker took smoke barbecuing to a new level by bringing control, convenience and repeatability to what had always been a rather imprecise ‘out in the garden’ affair.

However, for the sake of a smoking pun, in New Zealand our love affair with barbecuing runs hot and cold! Could we be convinced that we will be eating outdoors at every opportunity next summer? And would we do so more often if equipped with a barbecue smoker as good as the Bradley Smoker? Well, we might – and perhaps we should – but we need not allow our enthusiasm for outdoor entertaining to dictate ownership of a Bradley Smoker. Instead, it is the range of uses for Bradley Smokers that have proved so attractive in New Zealand. From smoked fish on the beach, traditional cold-smoked salmon, through to smoked meats such as bacon and ham, as well as more adventurous excursions into smoked game. Plus, of course, there’s smoked cheese, as well as exciting new recipes for smoked vegetables and even fruit!

The Bradley Smoker is truly a smoker for all seasons, and it has hit a chord with all those specialist users who ever wanted a simple and reliable way to smoke food If you thought you needed a Bradley Smoker because you cure your own bacon, there is nothing to stop you creating a home-smoked turkey for Christmas – and for casual summer barbecues the Bradley will produce quick and spectacular results.
For more information, see the Bradley Smoker on the Hiwi the Kiwi stand at the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show, May 13-16, or check out the website www.bradleysmoker.co.nz. 
 
 
Lure sales benefit HTK
In a roundabout way, a $10,000 donation made from Black Magic Tackle to the Guardians of the Sea Charitable Trust will be utilised by the Hiwi the Kiwi programme.
For a number of years Black Magic’s Managing Director, Rick Wakelin, has presented a cheque to the Guardians of the Sea Charitable Trust – the proceeds from the sale of selected game lures.

The Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing programme, developed by the NZ Sport Fishing Council, applied for funding from the trust, which granted it $10,000.
This will be used to further advance the Hiwi The Kiwi Goes Fishing schools education programme.

“New Zealand Sport Fishing is very appreciative of Black Magic’s continued commitment, and the support the Guardians of the Sea Charitable Trust provides to a number of recreational fishing projects,” says NZSF’s vice-president, Evan Mackay. 

Evan Mackay receives the cheque from Black Magic Tackle’s managing director, Rick Wakelin, watched by NZ Sport Fishing’s president, Richard Baker.

- © Fairfax NZ News