14 Wairarapa Midweek Extra Wednesday, December 15, 2021 ARATOI VOICES
Extra
Great year for education As this crazy year comes to an end, it seems we are all learning to adapt to the challenges of covid. When 2021 began, with the risk of another year of covid restrictions, Aratoi wondered if schools would return to visit our museum. Our education programme relies heavily on teachers being able to take their students out of school to experience learning outside the classroom, something far less common in a covid world. Instead, young visitor numbers to Aratoi have been wonderfully strong this year. A whopping 2500 students participated in our museum education programme. From creating crazy Rob McLeod body parts, making poi out of recycled materials, crafting treasured bracelets, tours of our collection store and printmaking. The educators have loved teaching and exploring
Aratoi education programme. PHOTO/BEAU ELTON
new ways to create art with school children. We send a big thank you out to all the schools and preschools who visited us at Aratoi throughout 2021. One of the highlights was our programme
for the exhibition Pūkana: Te Karu o te Ika - Moments in Māori performance. Students enjoyed sharing their stories and experiences of Māori performance and learning more about the
instruments, traditions and performers who have made their mark locally, nationally, and internationally. The progamme provided students with the opportunity to connect the
Pukaha fundraiser reaches record sum Sue Teodoro
sue.teodoro@age.co.nz
Despite ongoing uncertainty due to covid, a key event on Wairarapa’s spring calendar has been an outstanding success. This year’s Pukaha National Wildlife Centre garden tour was one for the record books, attracting bumper crowds and raising thousands of dollars. The annual fundraiser, held early last month, raised more than $72,000 in ticket sales and donations, the best result ever. In its eleventh year, the centre took a calculated risk of going ahead with the event, with many others cancelled. Emily Court, general manager of Pukaha, was pleased with the outcome. “We are so pleased we did it as it has really paid off. The funds raised will make a huge difference to
the wildlife centre, which has in the past been so reliant on income from overseas visitors.” Court said running one of Wairarapa’s biggest spring events during covid had not been easy, and the safety of all participants had been vital.
We are so pleased we did it as it has really paid off. “Our event manager Rachael Dell did an incredible job and was well supported by an army of volunteers over the weekend,” she said. “The event was able to be run safely because it was outdoors, and visitors could scan in at each garden and also safely maintain physical distance from each other”. Even though the
pandemic prevented Northland, Auckland and Waikato ticketholders from attending, they had the option of a refund or donating their ticket price to the centre. “Many of these wonderful people chose to donate their ticket to us, and their generosity has contributed to the record result. We are truly grateful for their kindness,” Court said. The tour focused on thirteen private gardens near Masterton, eight of them new. Feedback from attendees was positive. The region benefited, with accommodation sold out and retail and hospitality businesses having a busy weekend. Caterers, plant sellers and others who operated the gardens were also kept busy. “Each made a generous contribution to Pukaha to participate, which also
contributed to the success. Some gardens helped to raise money through selling teas, coffees, and sweet treats,” Court said. She also acknowledged the generosity, skills and commitment of the gardeners themselves. “There was so much variety on offer – I was truly inspired. Nothing was a problem either, neither the rain nor the muddy paddocks and, in some cases, rather trampled wet lawns. A huge thank you to everybody and the community that supported us. “This is the biggest annual fundraiser for the National Wildlife Centre, and it makes a real difference to what we can do in the forest. Pukaha has always been a community project built on so much love and volunteer time. All of the gardeners over the last 11 years are part of this
DON’T LEAVE YOUR PET WITH THE HOLIDAY BLUES Leaving town for the holidays? Make sure you have proper plans in place if your pet is staying home. Ideally, a trusted friend or relative should be in the house with them – with your contact details handy in case of emergency. A brief visit from a human once a day for feeding is not a pet’s idea of festive fun. If the worst happens, and your pet is lost, use social media, contact vets and the SPCA, and report the dog lost with Masterton District Council. WWW.MSTN.GOVT.NZ @MastertonDC
past, present and future together through stories, taonga and objects from our community and the wider world. Planning has already begun for next year’s education programme. Aratoi educators are excited about venturing into virtual tours where we will Zoom into classrooms, taking Aratoi’s collection directly to the schools of Wairarapa. Our interactive gallery tours will continue to be a big part of the services we provide. We look forward to seeing you all again in February 2022. Aratoi runs a free education programme Monday to Friday during term time. Each session runs for 70 minutes and always includes a making activity related to the tour. 2022 programmes will begin in mid-February, keep an eye out on our website for further details in the New Year.
If your pet goes missing, fill out our online form and upload a photo at: www.mstn.govt.nz/ report-a-lost-dog or call 06 370 6300.
important conservation story.” Pukaha National Wildlife Centre is a wildlife reserve and captive breeding facility managed by the Pukaha Mount Bruce board in partnership with Rangitane o Wairarapa and the Department of Conservation. Through captive breeding, the centre has successfully reintroduced North Island kaka, North Island brown kiwi, and North Island kokako into their forest reserve. Pukaha expects to hold next year’s garden tour in November in South Wairarapa. People who are keen to open their gardens or who know about a possible garden contender should contact Pukaha. More information about the centre, including how to get in touch, is at pukaha. org.nz/
