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see.be seen.The all-new HR-V ... a new-generation, five-door crossover

Dream makersHonda’s sporting ambassadors

Try and mightyThe new Jazz Black Edition

Bloomin’ lovelyPrepare your spring garden

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COVER: The Honda HR-V ... brand-new five-door crossover.Contact Honda: www.honda.co.nz | FREEPHONE 0800 246 632 | marketing@honda.co.nz | Eclipse inquiries, Honda NZ Ltd, PO Box 97340, Manukau City, Auckland 2241.Eclipse magazine is published by NZ Contract Publishing Ltd for Honda New Zealand Ltd. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced in any form without written permission.Designed and printed: Image Centre Group.

04 HEAD TURNERThe car that created a class of its own is ready to rule again ... all hail the Honda HR-V.

10 THE TOUGH KEEP GOINGUp-and-coming Kiwi sports stars share their secrets on turning dreams into reality.

14 SUPER STUNNERThe legendary Honda NSX is roaring back on to New Zealand roads.

16 BLOOMIN’ LOVELYGardening guru Lynda Hallinan leaps and bounds into the new spring season.

18 DREAM TEAMSWhether you’re captain of a business, a network or an event, you’ll want Honda on your side.

20 TRY AND MIGHTYGet into the spirit of the 2015 Rugby World Cup with the new Jazz Black Edition.

22 F1 REVIVALFifty years after a landmark Grand Prix victory, Honda returns to Formula 1.

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20The Jazz has taken the nation by storm and in

this issue we launch another important vehicle we’ve all been waiting for – the Honda HR-V. The

Jazz swept up multiple awards in 2014 (see page 21) and strong sales are continuing for this popular vehicle.

The TreeFund reached a milestone with more than $3 million raised for funding the planting of more than 600,000 native trees. TreeFund money is donated to councils, community groups and organisations to assist with a wide range of environmental projects, all aimed at making New Zealand a greener place to live. Every time we sell a new Honda, the TreeFund grows.

Last year we launched our 5-year Warranty, with

unlimited kilometers, and 24-hour, seven-day roadside assistance, and have had fabulous response from the market during 2015.

Honda is supporting young New Zealanders with extraordinary sporting talents to reach for their dreams through the Honda Ambassador programme. You might see our new ambassadors zipping around the country in their new Hondas. In this issue of Eclipse, they share their success strategies as they work towards their dreams (page 10). We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we have.

Regards,The team at Honda New Zealand

It’s been a great year here at Honda

The S600

Honda Motor Company has welcomed a new CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, who says he plans to focus on developing vehicles that promote Honda’s “challenging spirit”. As a result we can expect more exciting technological and design advances in the years to come.

Hachigo says: “Instead of a numerical target, my priority is building Honda-like products that deliver dreams to our customers.”

Honda is currently combining resources with other manufacturers to create a Hydrogen Refuelling Network throughout Japan. Twenty-three refuelling stations have been built so far, with hundreds more planned. The cost of the project is between $40-50 million and it’s the perfect backdrop to the launch of Honda’s zero-emission concept vehicle, the Honda FCX.

Also, the Honda NSX is making its return. This luxury supercar is coming to New Zealand in 2016 and we have more details on page 14.

The Civic Type R has been creating a buzz internationally after destroying the front-wheel-drive speed record at Nurburgring, Germany. The Type R has 306 horsepower and a top speed nearing 274kph.

The S600, a compact sports car made for the Japanese “Kei” category, was a huge hit at the Tokyo Motor Show and signals a return to two-door sports coupes.

GLOBAL NEWS

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Highly anticipated, highly engineered and highly desirable, the all-new Honda HR-V is ready

to take the sub-compact SUV market by storm.

First unveiled at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show to a universal chorus of approval, the original HR-V didn’t just break the mould, it was the mould, and is responsible for creating a class of its own.

Fun, functional, safe and clean, it was the urban vehicle that would get you out into the country at the weekend. It was also one of the first petrol-powered vehicles to achieve a Low Emission Vehicle standard in Australia.

Fast forward to 2015 and the new version provides the perfect balance of personal space, utility and style. “Sixteen years after the original practically invented the crossover genre, it has returned to reap the benefits of the market’s huge popularity,” said Top Gear when the car was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

“ Apart from safety features like the LaneWatch Camera, Reversing Camera and Parking Sensors, the thing that really struck me was how big the interior is for a car of this size. It’s so roomy and the heated seats come in handy when you’re on the way to an early morning training session.

“I took five teammates down to Hamilton in July for a match and everyone was impressed by how much space there was. These are big guys, but it was an easy fit, and with the Magic Seats I was also able to pack in their massive kitbags!” George Muir New Zealand Black Sticks hockey player

Important questions

Can I beat the school traffic? Sure. Push button start, reversing camera and daytime running lights mean you’ll be away from the school gates before you can say, “Have you got any homework?”

Can my HR-V make me a more efficient driver? Definitely. Honda’s Continuously Variable Transmission provides G-Design Shift, no interruption to power flow, smooth and seamless shifting, better acceleration and improved fuel economy.

Am I lean and green? Oh yes. The HR-V S features a fuel economy of 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres (combined urban/extra urban), while Honda’s powertrain provides enhanced fuel economy and low emissions.

What about my mountain bike? The HR-V’s centre-tank layout, its low, wide flat floor and Magic Seat technology (there are 18 different configurations to provide even better cargo-carrying options) mean you can load up with bulky sports equipment and the family pooch.

Safety first? The range has a raft of safety features including six airbags, Emergency Stop Signal, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Assist and Intelligent Tyre Deflation Warning System.

Will I stand out in the crowd? The new HR-V comes in a variety of models, colours and with optional accessories.

With two children, three bikes and a whole lot of luggage, I took the new HR-V on a trip from central Auckland to Russell in Northland, a four-hour, 231km journey along the more twistier sections of State Highway 1.

First impressions? The exterior is sharp and sleek, and because it makes great use of space with intelligent upper-body modelling (including hidden rear door handles and dark grille), it looks longer and larger than other vehicles in the class. Luxurious touches include LED headlights (for the Sport models) and really rather cool daytime running lights.

Inside, the cabin feels incredibly spacious and is a blend of pleasing concepts: a sporty yet clean dash, and the Magic Seat technology that provides huge amounts of space for two boisterous children and a tangle of mountain bikes and weekend baggage. The electric parking brake adds to the space savings and allows for even more storage space beneath the shift lever.

The keyless push button start – a real touch of sophistication – gets things moving and before we’ve left the North Shore, the state-of-the-art Display Audio System with Bluetooth compatibility has already been put to good use.

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The seven-inch touch screen is clear and after practical use of the excellent wide-angle full-colour reversing camera and the front and rear parking sensors due to a fellow motorist’s tight and cosy parking, we’re on our way.

Safety, as always, is a big concern for Honda, and the LaneWatch Camera is a great addition around Warkworth when fellow motorists make some hasty driving decisions as the great weekend escape from Auckland hots up.

And what about the drive itself? The most testing part of the journey was the 90-minute section from Whangarei to Russell – a twisting and arduous section of highway that can catch out even the most experienced drivers.

No problem for the HR-V. Its 1.8-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC engine is efficient and ultra-smooth. Acceleration is reassuringly rapid and as the car reaches 90kph the engine purrs rather than growls. I felt in total control throughout.

That great feeling of “smoothness” is also created by the usual satisfying road grip so often associated with Honda vehicles. The car really does stick to the road and was untroubled by a sudden torrential shower just outside Russell.

Like your favourite film, that just gets better after multiple watches, the HR-V keeps on surprising en route. Our one and only coffee stop allowed us to discover the newly designed beverage holder that can be configured to hold either large bottles

“ The HR-V is a very good drive. The cruise control is a really intelligent function and the overall feel was great – smooth acceleration and the steering had a good turning circle. When I looked inside, it was pretty flash. I liked how the interior was all black. It’s a really stylish car. For me, it’s all about the sun. I love how the colour of the car changes in the sunlight. The Sky Roof is a very cool feature and opens with just the touch of a button – that helps after a long summer training session.”Tyla Nathan-Wong Part of the New Zealand Rugby Sevens team 2014-15

SKY ROOF

A panoramic glass Sky Roof gives the HR-V an even greater sense of cabin space. The roof opens at the touch of a button to give driver and passengers the perfect amount of fresh air and light, with a built in sunshade if required. This stylish addition captures the exhilaration and essence of open-air motoring, perfect for driving through New Zealand’s stunning landscape.

HR-V SPORT SPECIFICATIONS

1.8-litre Four-Cylinder 16-valve

i-VTEC Engine

CVT Transmission

17-inch Alloy Wheels

LaneWatch Camera

Panoramic Sky Roof

City Brake Assist

Push Button Start/Stop

Parking Sensors Front and Rear

Reversing Camera

Magic Seat System

7-inch Display Audio Touch Screen

Electric Parking Brake with Electronic Brake Hold

or smaller cups – a little touch that adds to the overall driving experience. There’s even a customisable driver feedback system, which illuminates the speedometer ring with different colours, depending on how economically you’re driving.

The HR-V is high quality, a great drive, fun and packed with high levels of technology. It’s rare to find such a wealth of intelligent touches in a sub-compact SUV, but the new HR-V is a dream.

“The HR-V crossover, which slots in below the wildly popular CRV in size and price, promises to be a strong entrant in this burgeoning field,” says caranddriver.com, the influential US-review website. And as a New Zealand Herald review stated: “Honda HR-V … you had me at the cup holder.”

Who am I to argue?

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The seven promising New Zealand athletes chosen to become our Honda Ambassadors are from six very different sports, but they all have something in common: they believe in the power of dreams and they work their glutei maximi off to turn those dreams into reality.

As these inspiring young sportspeople set their hopes on the 2016 Rio Olympics – with the support of Honda – we ask them how they make their dreams come true.

THE TOUGH WORDS Bronwyn Sell

KEEP GOING

TYLA NATHAN-WONG

Tyla Nathan-Wong, 21, part of the New Zealand Rugby Sevens team 2014-15How do you keep motivated when it gets tough?You can get to that point where you think you have nothing left, but you just remember that your body has a lot more to give and that it’s your mind trying to trick you in some way to give up. You know that the pain and suffering you face is only temporary. Our training sessions are intense. By the end of the week your body is sore and you can barely walk. But I love what I do, day in, day out, and I’m lucky to represent my family, friends and country in the black jersey.

What challenges have you had to overcome?When you think of rugby you probably wouldn’t picture me. I’m one of the smallest players in my team and on the international circuit. I wasn’t selected for certain teams growing up because they thought I was too small or not strong enough. But I didn’t let this affect me. I turned the negative into a positive and used it as a driving force. I believed I was capable and pushed myself to be the best I could possibly be. This mindset has helped me to get where I am today. Throughout my sporting career there have always been people who’ve doubted me and my ability. You can’t control any of that. It’s about controlling the controllable, which is me. I know I’m capable, I know I have the ability and I know I’m willing to work hard.

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Kurt Pickard, 24, national BMX championWhat’s the hardest thing you’ve had to cope with?The injuries I’ve had in BMX are pretty real. I think I’ve broken my left arm more than five times, and multiple times on the right arm. I’ve injured my collarbone, leg, back, knees, and I’ve had shoulder surgery. You name it and I’ve most likely broken it. That’s a downside to the sport but there’s also the thrill and adrenaline rush you don’t get in most sports. Getting so many injuries has taught me a lot and tested me a lot. I have definitely gotten a lot stronger mentally, and smarter with my training.

How do you keep the dream in sight through all the hard days of training?At the elite level you have to have a passion for the training just as much as the competing. Pushing myself to be the strongest and most explosive guy in the world of BMX is something I thrive on. For the hard, cold mornings? That’s all mental training, becoming resilient to anything that comes up and dealing with it. Often I just have to self-check: what’s the goal? How bad do I want it? What will I do to make it happen? It’s pretty hard to beat competing at the Olympic Games – an unreal experience – and to do it all from riding my BMX bike is pretty awesome.

GEORGE MUIR

Ginny Thompson, 23, equestrian eventerHow hard do you have to work for your dream?I have big dreams and goals. To achieve them I have to put in the hard yards and give it my all. My normal week is full-on, to say the least. In summer I start at 6am and finish between 8pm and 9pm. I ride rain, hail or shine – very often it is not a glamorous sport. When I’m tired I just have to keep going, there’s no other option. The more time I can spend in the saddle, the better I get – no short cuts. The more I train, the more I learn, which means I’m a tiny bit closer to my dream every day.

George Muir, 21, Black Sticks hockey playerHow do you recover from tough times?The hardest patch in my career was at our most recent tournament and it’s still hurting immensely. We didn’t get the result we wanted, meaning that our Olympic dream has become a lot more difficult to achieve. It was a pretty depressing time, but I’ve got over it by looking forward to the next opportunity for redemption and putting all my effort into that. The experiences and pride that come with achieving your dream are worth all the pain and sacrifices, a hundred times over.

GINNY THOMPSON

KURT PICKARD

JULIA EDWARD

SOPHIEMACKENZIE

Sophie MacKenzie (right), 23, world champion rowerWhen did you realise your Olympic dream might come true?I’ve always loved sport and have always had this dream of going to the Olympics but didn’t know what sport that would be in until a few seasons into my rowing career at high school. I realised that I was actually not bad at it and I really enjoyed pushing myself each race, so I’ve given it my best shot since then and now I’m on track to make it a real possibility. Crossing the line first in the lightweight double sculls at the world champs with Julia last year in Amsterdam is a moment neither of us will ever forget – it’s given us motivation to know we have what it takes.

Joelle King, 26, New Zealand women’s number one squash playerWhat’s the hardest time you’ve been through?Throughout any pro career there are a lot of highs and lows. I’m still coming back from my biggest challenge: rupturing my achilles in August last year. I was really starting to hit my straps – I was number four in the world and had just won a bronze at the Commonwealth Games. It was a real shock. But fighting back from it has been such a crazy, amazingly satisfying ride that I think it will help me to raise my standard of play even higher. I want to become the best female player in the world and I’ll do everything in my power to make it to that number one spot. My advice to others? Dream big and follow it through. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t.

Julia Edward (left), 24, world champion rowerWhen did you start to dream about becoming a champion?When I was at primary school we studied the Olympic Games. I went home and said to Mum and Dad: “I want to go to the Olympics.” They replied, “That’s nice, dear.” I hit a hard patch in the dream when I wasn’t selected in the summer squad in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics, but I had a great coach and kept my head down and trained hard. I got back in the elite team, and I made it to the Olympics, in the lightweight women’s pair. Now, the ultimate goal for me and Sophie is to win a gold medal in Rio.

JOELLE KING

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Here’s the brief: take a legendary supercar, build on existing principles of prestige, timeless

sportscar values and advanced technology, and update it into the peak supercar for a new generation.

Thankfully, incredibly, that’s exactly what Honda’s Research and Development team has done with the new NSX, which will be available in New Zealand in 2016.

The original NSX made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show 25 years ago. Famously tested in 1989 by three-time

Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna, the “new sportscar experimental” was ambitious, powerful and innovative.

The latest version ticks all those boxes and more. In development for three years, it features a twin-turbocharged DOHC V6 engine with nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) System. It’s constructed with a lightweight and rigid multi-material body using advanced manufacturing processes.

Drawing on inspiration from the

original NSX, the new version looks the part. It’s sleek, fast and wonderful to look at. It’s an “event” drive. Few supercars live up to their billing and expectation, but the NSX offers so much more.

“The NSX delivers pinnacle supercar performance with zero-delay acceleration and exhilarating, confidence-inspiring driving dynamics,” says Ted Klaus, chief engineer and global development leader for the new NSX.

The NSX is the world’s first car to be developed using ablation casting where

rapid cooling techniques work to combine design flexibility with strength, while intelligent airflow management systems keep things cool in the process.

Intuitive and instantaneous driving is at the heart of the NSX. Honda has come up with some clever additional technologies to unite driver and car, including SH-AWD offering dynamic torque vectoring even at low vehicle and engine speeds, and variable gear ratio steering.

What also sets the NSX apart from its peers, as it did a quarter of a century ago, is its driveability. It’s the supercar you can use every day – so long as you don’t mind standing out from the crowd.

SOME LEGENDS ARE BORN,

ON TO NEW ZEALAND ROADS IN

THE HONDA NSX IS BOTHSOME ARE MADE.

AND IT’S ROARING BACK

2016Jim Murdoch, owner of the Jim Murdoch

Honda Service Centre in Kerikeri, Northland, should know. Jim, who worked with Bruce McLaren on the McLaren Formula 1 team in England in the 1970s, is lucky enough to own a 1993 dark-grey NSX which he imported from Japan three years ago.

“People often talk to me about it when I park up,” Jim says, “and when you’re driving it, people really notice it. Most of the people who come up to me are very knowledgeable about the NSX and know of its history and its mystique.”

Jim uses his car to visit family around the country and regularly powers down State Highway 1 to Auckland.

“You can certainly use it as an ordinary road car, and it’s a beautiful touring car. It’s easy to drive, handles well and has the same controls as a normal car. The new version looks stunning,” he says.

With supercar performance, zero-delay acceleration and exhilarating, confidence-inspiring driving dynamics, the new NSX is a perfect blend of exotic sportscar form and supercar function. It’s time to buckle up and make some more history.

To secure your new NSX due in 2016, contact your local Honda Dealer on 0800 2 HONDA.

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5 FAVOURITE DRIVES

Clevedon Village Farmers’ MarketOur Sunday-morning local for breakfast calzones and coffee, plus the best heirloom tomatoes from Curious Croppers, heritage seeds from Running Brook Seeds, locally made buffalo mozzarella, a huge range of salad greens, and pony rides to keep the kids amused. clevedonfarmersmarket.co.nz

Piha Beach, West AucklandI spent my childhood summers on the Coromandel’s East Coast but my husband is a born-and-bred Westie with an original family bach overlooking Piha’s black sands. Brave the waves or take a walk – the Tasman Lookout has stunning views over the beach, while the Kitekite Falls loop track cuts through kauri logging history. Then grab a pizza from the café and chill out as the sun sets.

Roger Hunter’s Garden Centre, Tidal Rd, MangereAn Auckland institution and, handily for me, on the drive home from the airport. Grab a pink wheelbarrow (or two) and load up on great-value plants and Roger’s honest advice. If he doesn’t approve of your planting plans, he’s not afraid to tell you! I take a trailer.

Ayrlies Garden, WhitfordBeverley McConnell MNZM is the elder stateswoman of New Zealand gardening and her astonishing country garden, a labour of love 50 years in the making, is both a horticulturist’s paradise and an absolute treat for the uninitiated. ayrlies.co.nz

Paeroa My love of gardening is very nearly topped by my obsession with op-shopping, and Paeroa’s main street is a mecca for lovers of retro homewares, vintage clothing, antique furniture and collectibles. Refuel at The Refinery, a groovy café in a beautiful converted brick building just off the main drag on Willoughby St.

Psychologists call it spring fever: the rush of serotonin – aka happiness hormones – that kicks in when the first buttery daffodils

bloom, when foot-loose and fancy-free lambs gambol in verdant pastures and orchards are engulfed in clouds of blossom.

Gardeners get it worse than most, of course. After a winter of discontent – mud and mashed potatoes, boiled swedes and sulking cats, frost and frost-bitten fingers – nothing rejuvenates my mood like the promise of spring.

In spring, I swear the GPS unit in my car automatically defaults to any route past a garden centre.

In spring, my house smells like an air freshener factory, thanks to an olfactory overdose of fragrant sprigs of daphne, hyacinths and narcissus.

In spring, I splurge on heirloom vegetable seeds to sow in trays – those leafy broods later jostle for space with the linen in our hot water cupboard.

In spring, my vegetable garden emerges again from hibernation, with globe artichokes budding up, asparagus shooting up, Florence fennel fattening up and all the brassicas you could ever wish to eat heading up at once.

Inevitably, the weeds also go mad but, in the glass-half-full spirit of the season, I take that as a positive sign that the soil has warmed sufficiently for me to get out the hoe and boldly grow where no-one has grown before.

I’m blessed with ample acreage in the country, but every home can accommodate a garden, even if it’s just a few pots of salad greens on a sunny balcony. When the famous Australian chef Stephanie Alexander recently downsized to an

BLOOMIN’

apartment, she installed a vertical garden on a communal wall and harvests all the herbs she needs.

Never grown your own? Don’t put it off a minute longer. It really is much easier to grow more than you need – plus enough to swap and share – than not enough.

Vegetable gardens aren’t particularly choosy but they do need decent soil, at least six hours of sunlight a day and access to water for irrigation. Raised beds look smart but aren’t particularly cost effective once you’ve factored in the price of construction materials, labour to build them, and soil or potting mix to fill them up.

It’s far better to commandeer the sunniest corner of your existing garden and simply dig it over. You can lift up the existing turf, or spray it off using an organic oil-based herbicide (these clog the pores of vegetation, smothering it).

To prepare the soil, dig it over and shovel in as much compost as you can lay your hands on. A popular old-time method that’s making a comeback is “trenching”, in which you dig 30-40cm deep trenches and line them with a 10cm layer of organic matter, be it kitchen scraps, sheep pellets, grass clippings, fish frames or unfortunate roadkill. Cover with soil and plant straight on top. By the time the roots delve down deep enough they can tap straight into that reservoir of rich nutrition.

Seeds to sow now include beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, all types of lettuce, radishes, rocket, parsley, peas in the pod, potatoes, spinach, spring onions and snow peas.

It’s tempting to try to grow everything at once, so heed my advice: don’t sow it unless you actually want to eat it – or you keep hens.

Gardening guru Lynda Hallinan leaps and bounds into the new spring season. Lynda, editor-at-large of NZ Gardener magazine, is also a Honda Ambassador. She produces a blog – lyndahallinan.com/lynda-hallinan/ – and shares her 17-hectare property in Hunua, 45 minutes south of Auckland, with her family and a menagerie of animals.

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TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND This scenic bicycle race from either Cape Reinga or Bluff to Wellington can be as fiercely competitive or agreeably social as you like. The bonus is that participation means money for charities and maybe a Honda for you.

After the inaugural 2012 Tour, race director Peter Yarrell approached Honda for support. “For us bike-riders,” he says, “brand was a no-brainer. Honda is passionate about social responsibility and doing all it can to minimise emissions by engineering its cars to run clean and lean. That sits perfectly with our philosophy of a healthy planet and healthy people.”

Honda provided two Jazz to lead the 2013 Tour. (Afterwards, a cycling team of brothers bought one for their mum.) To Honda, the Tour’s fund-raising potential was “a future without a horizon” and in 2015 competitors who managed to raise at least $250 entered a draw to win a lead vehicle. Result: 2013 raised a modest $40,000; 2015 raised more than $500,000.

Peter has traded in his BMW for a Honda Euro Civic: “It’s the perfect vehicle for driving the country and meeting up with sponsors, riders and charities in preparation for Tour 2017.”

www.tourofnewzealand.co.nz

DREAMTEAMS Whether you’re captain

of a business, a network or an event, you’ll want Honda on your side …

BELTON IT NEXUSThe dream began with an old Honda City, a small newspaper ad, a receipt book, a screwdriver and some screws and cables. Today, as Belton IT Nexus, Jason and Amy Agnew employ nearly 50 staff, run nine Hondas, and rank among Auckland’s top IT providers to small businesses.

Jason had computer skills; Amy worked for a bank so had financial and customer service knowledge. At first they flew by the seats of their pants, but research, customer service and word of mouth grew their business to the point of serious expansion.

For $6000, virtually all they had, they bought an IT company whose client database included numerous one-off customers. Amy mailed them all. Sales reached $250,000 a year. In 2008, they bought IT Nexus. Turnover hit $1 million.

About five years ago they signed up for Hondas – at present a mix of Insight and Jazz. “They accommodate our technicians’ service equipment and, as techies, we appreciate their extremely efficient engines,” says Jason. “Our impact on the environment is considerably lower than it was with our previous brand partner’s cars. We’ve doubled the size of the fleet but maintained the same level of fuel consumption.”

www.belton.co.nz

“ My dream is for Manukau to be a city of healthy, active young people who want to achieve.”Sir John Walker

JOHN WALKER FIND YOUR FIELD OF DREAMS FOUNDATION

Launched in 2008, the not-for-profit Foundation helps young people in Auckland’s areas of greatest need improve their lives through regular sport and physical recreation. More than 60,000 South Auckland primary and secondary school pupils participate in Foundation programmes every year. The aim is to develop a new generation of fit, active and healthy individuals who make positive choices and dare to pursue their dreams.

When the Foundation’s two-year lease on a Honda Insight expired in 2013, GM Rick Pickard met Honda representatives to discuss sponsorship. Impressed with the Foundation’s goals and activities, the synergy of the healthy lifestyle it promoted with Honda’s efforts to minimise damage to the environment, and the synchronicity of Find Your Field of Dreams and “The Power of Dreams”, Honda presented the Foundation with a new Civic Hybrid.

“A vehicle that’s very economical to run lets us maintain our focus on fund-raising for the programmes,” says Rick.

Everyone’s a winner.

www.fieldofdreams.org.nz

“ Ride the Tour for the adventure or race it for the podium.” Peter Yarrell

“ Awesome IT support should be available to every business, regardless of business size.”

Jason Agnew

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The unique, new Black Edition Jazz adds these features to give your model a stylish new look

Practical and effortlessly cool, the Honda Jazz mirrors Kurt Pickard’s busy lifestyle. The 24-year-old Papamoa

man is 14-time national BMX champion and represented New Zealand at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

A Honda Ambassador, Kurt was delighted to test drive a Jazz RS Sport Limited. “It certainly got plenty of attention,” he says. “I was lucky enough to drive the Alabaster Silver Jazz RS Sport Limited model with black tint, the Mugen 17-inch MD8 alloy wheels and Mugen exhaust. It gives it a really amazing overall look.”

After 19 years of relentless competition, Kurt is taking a bit of time out, but has one eye on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He says: “London was an awesome experience

and taught me a lot of lessons about planning and preparation and how you have to be in the best physical form of your life, as well as being prepared mentally.”

Kurt loves the versatility of his Jazz: “The push-button start is a nice touch, and I was amazed at how firm the car was on the road. The paddle shift is awesome and I love the comfortable driving set-up – perfect for long drives.”

When he’s not winning races on two wheels, Kurt enjoys driving on four, and appreciates the Jazz’s many accessories. “I find the on-screen satellite navigation really useful – especially on super-misty mornings – and the reversing camera is a great addition. The whole car handles really well. It hugs the corners and is a great vehicle.”

MIGHTY!IT’S TIME TO SHOW YOUR TRUE COLOURS WITH THE NEW JAZZ BLACK EDITION – AND CELEBRATE THE 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP IN STYLE.

The Honda Jazz and the All Blacks are the perfect teammates: classy, dynamic and leaders in their field. With rugby’s biggest event, the World Cup, taking place in England and Wales in September, Honda has put together a special range of black accessories for your Jazz. There’s never been a better time to show your support for our boys in black.A real head-turner – just like the All Blacks – the Jazz epitomises passion and fun while setting the highest of standards.

AWARD WINNERDID YOU KNOW THE HONDA JAZZ WON MORE AWARDS IN 2014 THAN ANY OTHER SMALL CAR? HERE ARE A JUST A FEW ACCOLADES:

AA NZMWG Small Car of the Year 2014

Stuff Motoring Top Small Car of the Year 2014

NZ Herald Driven Small Car of the Year 2014

NZ Autocar AMI (sub-$30k) Car of the Year 2014

TRY AND“ JAZZ RS SPORT LIMITED It certainly gets a lot of attention”

Black-painted wing mirrors

Black-painted alloys

Black Limited Edition badge

Tinted windows

SPORTY STAND-OUT

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When American Richie Ginther drove his Honda to victory in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix it represented

a remarkable achievement for a carmaker that had produced its first road car just five years earlier.

Fifty years on, Honda’s return to Formula 1 also sees the renewal of the McLaren-Honda partnership. Honda engines are powering the 2015 campaigns of former world champions Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Britain’s Jenson Button, both of whom are committed to rebuilding the ascendancy of one of motorsport’s most iconic unions.

Honda broke new ground in the 1980s by creating a turbocharged engine that was unparallelled in its output and its efficiency. Between 1988 and 1992, McLaren-Honda won eight F1 world championships with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and 44 of the 80 GPs it contested. Fernando and Jenson started the 2015 season with a combined total of precisely 500 GPs between them and 47 GP victories.

Returning to the pinnacle of motor racing has meant the development of a revolutionary new turbocharged engine at Honda’s purpose-built, state-of-the-art motorsport facility in Sakura, Japan. But the challenge ahead is as imposing as Mt Fuji because the established teams with European engine suppliers have enjoyed a big head start on Honda. Nevertheless, Chief Officer of Honda Motorsport Yasuhisa Arai believes technical innovation is the way to catch up and eclipse the top teams in the 1.6-litre V6 turbo era.

Expertise in turbocharging and hybrid drive technology means all aspects of the Honda powerplant are very tightly packaged, which has a positive influence on the aerodynamics of the car and contributes to a very low centre of gravity. For instance, the turbo sits within the tight confines of the “V” of the engine, and features a series of small fans along a shaft, which allow it to spin up particularly quickly.

FIA rules restrict aspects of engine development for new F1 entrants, making Honda’s 2015 battle doubly difficult, but progress is consistent, both drivers have scored points and team unity remains very strong. Plus there’s much greater scope to implement more innovative ideas next season.

The McLaren-Honda legacy and the success of Ayrton Senna influenced Fernando’s decision to leave Ferrari to join McLaren-Honda.

“McLaren and Honda are in the process of beginning what is sure to be a long and successful partnership,” he said. “I joined this project with enormous enthusiasm and determination, knowing that it may require some time to achieve the results we are aiming for, which is no problem for me.

“We share a common objective and expectations, and there is a very solid future, with confidence, ahead.”

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OF THE MCLAREN-HONDA THIS YEAR MARKS THE REVIVAL

AS WELL AS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF

HONDA’S FIRSTGRAND PRIX VICTORY.

PARTNERSHIP IN FORMULA 1

WORDS Andrew Kerr