As a lover of all things glittery and expensive, I was particularly taken with the photos of the Sovereign’s Orb. A feature of coronations since 1661, this 1.32kg gold sphere is mounted with nine emeralds, 18 rubies, nine sapphires, 365 diamonds, 375 pearls and one amethyst. According to jewellery experts, should Camilla and Charles ever find themselves a bit short of cash (I presume it can get a bit ‘spensy running all those palaces and stuff), that one orb could be hocked for about £175,000, or in NZ terms, $347,800-ish.
That would pay for a fair few things, wouldn’t it?
You could install a new gas water heating system and replace showers at Kaponga Rugby Club, refurbish a mobile kitchen and help with pay for staff at Inglewood’s Marinoto Rest Home and still have enough change left over to gift $1000 to a local student heading overseas as well as donating to various sports and charitable groups across the region.
I know this because, in the first quarter of this year alone, the Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET) handed out a total of $434,012.48 to groups, organisations and individuals. That’s more money than you need to buy a fancy golden coronation accessory. And unlike coronations, which don’t happen that often, the TET has four funding rounds each year, handing out millions of dollars to a wide range of groups and individuals.
It is thanks to the trust that we have so many of the nice things we enjoy. From turfs to sport club roofs, showers in gyms to carpets in schools and funding to help small groups reach big goals, the TET is quite literally our very own crown jewel.
While the crown jewels (Sovereign’s Orb included) belong to a nation whose king we inherit rather than choose, we do get a choice with the TET. Seven candidates have put their names forward for election to the three spots available as TET Ward B trustees and voting is open now.
Sadly, if last election’s statistics are anything to go by, far fewer of us choose to have a say in who looks after the TET purse strings than choose to watch a king get his crown (and a prodigal son get relegated to row three).
Back when the king was still a prince, and the TET held the last trustee election in 2020, only 30.5 per cent of eligible voters in Ward B bothered to put pen to paper and vote in the TET election.
If Penny Mordaunt can hold a 3.6kg sword for over an hour, and a British pensioner can hold a 1.32kg golden ball, surely we can all hold a pen for a few seconds and put even a little bit of thought into selecting who should look after the TET purse strings for the next three years?
Note: If you want to vote, but aren’t sure who to vote for, make sure you come along to the Stratford Press/NZME Meet the Candidates night on Thursday, May 18, at Stratford War Memorial from 6.30pm. There won’t be any Pimm’s or cucumber sandwiches, but we can offer you a biscuit, a cuppa and the chance to hear from the candidates.
