LEAD STORY: Motown hits high note at Mission Estate

The stars of Motown weren't the only ones giving Saturday's Mission Estate Winery Concert the thumbs up at the end of the night.
Police, medics, security and other agencies involved in overseeing the event turned in the sort of post-concert report card the promoters and the Mission management were hoping for.
Despite the heat, relatively liberal liquor entry allowance and an estimated 22,000 crowd, arrests and injuries were down, and crowd behaviour was described as the best in recent years.
For the past couple of years there had been growing concerns the strict licensing regulations they work under would be taken to a more extreme step if there were major problems.
It led Mission Estate Winery chief executive officer Peter Holley to give an "abuse it and lose it" warning last week on taking alcohol on to the site.
On Saturday, despite 11 arrests, the concertgoers played ball.
"On the whole we were pleased with the general crowd behaviour," Senior Sergeant Sarah Stewart said, adding the trouble list was less than previous years.
Intoxication was a factor in 10 of the arrests - the 11th being an 18-year-old man who tried to sneak in.
"People drink alcohol before coming to the event, but not so much that they appear intoxicated at the gates," she said. "But with a couple more drinks once inside this quickly sees them go past the point of having control of their faculties, ability to be rational or use common sense."
One of the arrests was made within 20 minutes of the gates opening. But they were an exception to an otherwise colourful and happy crowd.
The 30-strong St John Ambulance team, which included an on-site doctor and three nurses, treated about 120 people for everything from cuts and bruises and allergic reactions through to heatstroke.
The most serious injuries, the result of falls, were a fractured ankle and a dislocated shoulder. The medical crews started at 2pm and wrapped up at 1.30am.
"It was a long day for them," St John's on-site chief, Geoff Bates, said. "But it was a bit quieter than in previous years."
Sport and Entertainment Ltd director of operations Garry Craft said the Motown stars were "blown away" by the whole experience.
"The greeting they got, the venue and the view and the show itself - they loved it," he said.
"They were a long way from home but they felt at home - they really enjoyed themselves."
While they only had a short time in Hawke's Bay some of the artists were spotted on Saturday afternoon wandering around the central city.
 Mr Craft said he was delighted with the crowd response to a show he said offered variety and nostalgia.
Overall the event ran smoothly.
There were, however, some reported delays at one gate after a barcode reading computer froze, but it was quickly sorted out.
So what about next year?
"Yes," Mr Craft laughed. "That's how the cycle goes. Who's next for the Mission everyone is asking. We don't know yet, but we're working on it."
The 60-strong Motown entourage flew out on a chartered plane yesterday morning for the Australian leg of the 50th anniversary tour.