The Plainsmen are Canterbury Country Music legends and hail from the Port-City Timaru in the South Island of New Zealand not far from quake stricken Christchurch.

The Plainsmen were brothers Norman & Claude Stringer (vocals & guitars), Lex Sinclair (bass) & Russell Stevenson (piano).

“The Ballad of the Waitaki” is the story of how the Benmore & Aivemore Dams were built to harness the mighty Waitaki River into producing power for all of New Zealand; once upon a time.