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King Street Artworks celebrated

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Another month has come, and another exhibition has opened at Aratoi. The jubilant artworks, from the community of King Street Artworks now fi lls Aratoi’s Wesley Wing. King Street’s annual exhibition is one of my favourite exhibitions of the year, it adds vibrancy to our Aratoi community. With 140 diversly diff erent works on display there is something here to brighten anyone’s day.

And isn’t that what art is for. King Street Artworks aims to promote wellbeing in the community through creative expression; placing whanaungatanga [family togetherness] at the heart of what they do.

There is an incredible range of media and art forms on show this year, refl ecting the diversity of the artists – ceramics, paintings, drawings, printmaking, Toi Māori, fi bre art and more.

Art making is the perfect tactile pastime for the climate we live in, and a great antidote to the digital world. Artists at King Street are free to explore new media and new techniques and are guided by artist-tutors. This year’s exhibition shows a strong trend towards ceramics with over half the works on display being made of clay. When you see the beautiful glazed fi nished works, it’s hard to

Sharon

Bloom eld, Funnel Web Spider. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

imagine the fi rst stages of the art making, where clay-

St Andrew’s thanks Greytown

St Andrew’s Union Church held their annual sales table fundraiser event and wish to thank all those who supported their morning. Sadly it was a bit cooler with passing light showers. A last-minute marquee was put up while Bevan from the Off ering loaned us his three big ‘sun’ umbrellas and the day was saved.

On off er were three raffl es; a grocery box, a Christmas cake, and a beautiful crocheted rug. Tickets remain available through November at $2 or three for $5. Call Jocelyn Gray 304-9468 if you would like to support us and be in with a chance.

St Andrews has been a combined Methodist and Presbyterian parish since 1971 and for the past few years has joined in shared fellowship with the Wairarapa Lutheran congregation of St Francis.

The Lutheran parish had traditionally been at Mauriceville, north of Masterton, but with several of their congregation now living in South Wairarapa, and their pastor travelling from his parish in Wellington, this has proven a perfect fi t for us all.

Pastor Jim Pietsch from St Paul’s Lutheran Church leads a combined communion service every third Sunday at St Andrew’s at 3pm followed by afternoon tea. Call Bruce Farley 304-9088 if you wish to inquire.

St Andrew’s services are all other Sundays at 9.30am, with communion on the fi rst service of each month. And yes, we share morning tea afterwards as well. Everyone is most welcome to join us at all services.

We are also very thankful for the support of all our church hall users; Knowledge Shop [Teaching English] during school term, Nana’s sewing group [weekly], Pilates [three times a week], Quilters [weekly], Floral Art [monthly,] yoga group, Early Years [each Wednesday] and Meditation group [weekly]. Your continued patronage fulfi ls our ambition to have the community involved with us.

We have donated $500 each to Greytown School and Kuranui College to assist in their student programmes, along with a donation of $300 to the Masterton Hospital Chaplaincy programme.

Our Christmas focus covered hands would have felt and shaped out the pieces – there is a healing power in touch and these works remind me of that.

I particularly love the ceramic, Funnel Web Spider, by Sharon Bloomfi eld. The realistic shape and textures of this creature could only have been achieved by close observation of these amazing spiders. I love the way the pincers are raised as if the spider is sensing its next step. There is a real tension in this work between wanting to lean in for a closer look or wanting to run away.

Another favourite work in the show has a completely diff erent feel. It is strong with an edge of darkness. All Out, by Veronique de Bock depicts a black ninja in action. I love the mixed media of this work –the experimentation in this work is fantastic. Looking closely, you can see the fi ngerprints of the artist imprinted in red paint. This technique gives the work an intimacy that suggests there is a personal narrative being told.

Don’t miss this joyful exhibition – King Street Artworks’ 24th annual exhibition runs at Aratoi until December 5.

service this year will be on Sunday, December 19, at 3pm and all members of the community are invited. So if you fi nd it diffi cult to attend a church over the frantic Christmas days why not come along and

St Andrew’s in Greytown. PHOTO/SUE TEODORO

stretch your vocal chords with us and give thanks for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in the traditional way. We look forward to seeing you.

St Andrews Parish Council.

A HOME FOR A PET

Hi, my name is Ragnar. I’m a medium-sized, mixed-breed boy, about eight months old. I have been a very well-loved pooch and I am hoping to find another family that will love me just as much! I am very friendly and look like I am smiling all of the time. I have lived with young children before and I like playing with other dogs. My new home will need 1.5m + high fencing to keep me safe. If you and your home are ready for an energetic young dog, and you think I would be a good fit with your family, please give the team at the Masterton SPCA a call on 0800 467 732 and make an appointment to come and meet me.

November UPDATE

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

As the year winds its way to a close, the Council continues to be very busy. This month we looked to pass our spatial plan, a document that will help shape how our major towns in particular grow in the next 30 years. South Wairarapa is growing in leaps and bounds and so must our planning for this growth. On the topic of infrastructure, Three Waters continues to surprise, with the Government announcing it will continue with its plan, almost immediately after receiving initial questions from local councils. The actions of this Government certainly make a mockery of consultation, or listening. Three Waters places ownership and management of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater in the hands of four water entities across the country. It’s a major change and public consultation will now happen only through submissions to Parliament. We had hoped that this could happen at a more grassroots level. If you feel strongly about this issue, don’t forget to have your say via your MP. I’m sure he is keen to hear from you all. This month we held three public meetings on our rates increases. It’s been a constructive process - we have been listening hard and fielding many questions. It would be fair to say there is still some frustration at the way we communicated the increase and we hope the meetings have gone some way to clearing the air. More importantly, we hope people will have a better understanding of the demands on the Council to fix chronic underinvestment through incorrect rating for many years. The Council meets on November 17 and our preferred option would be to make savings this year with a view to reducing the rates next year, rather than the expense to reset the rates with negligible benefit. Congratulations to Tauherenikau Racing Club, who won the Supreme Award at the 2021 Wairarapa Business Awards. The entire operation has moved from an old racecourse to a thriving hub of events, weddings, accommodation and, of course, horse racing. Finally, I’d like to note Ngāti Kahungunu’s recent historic treaty settlement. Ngāti Kahungunu is one of our region’s two major iwi and an apology from the Crown for historic injustices was well overdue.

Ngā mihi Alex Beijen MAYOR

Creativity unleashed!

The staff at Wairarapa Library Service are great sources of knowledge but two of them are using technology to go the extra mile. During the last lockdown, Quintin Pope continued his popular Build with Bricks club by creating videos for his “brickaneers”. And Dan Keane, our “bringing reading to life” champion, found fans here and abroad when he recently filmed two writing classes for kids on how to tell a story. Check them both out on the video section of WLS’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ WairarapaLibraryService/videos. Dan has also been conducting writing classes for adults recently and this month began a monthly online book club. Keep your eyes peeled also for details on a visit from bestselling writer and “Tampa boy,” Abbas Nazari on December 1 at Carterton Events Centre.

Voice of youth

This month we introduce one of the amazing young people in our district learning how to be a leader –Taizak Walker. Nineteen year old Taizak Walker is South Wairarapa’s current “mentee” in the Tuia leadership programme. He meets regularly with Mayor Alex Beijen. What is the Tuia Programme ? The Tuia Programme is essentially rangatahi (Māori leaders) working together to better our future. How did you get involved in this programme? I was part of The WAY youth group in Featherston, and the group’s leader at the time, Alan Maxwell recommended me for it. As part of the application process, I also met the South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen for an interview. What are some of the things that you have enjoyed or experienced as part of the Tuia Programme? We (the mentees) have been meeting regularly, and travelling to different parts of New Zealand to learn about specific places of historical significance, and being in our culture in a holistic way. Each time we explored a different theme. In Dunedin the theme was te taiao (nature); all of us got up at dawn to see the sunrise for Matariki. Over the year, we have spent a lot of our time at various marae, which has made it feel like we were just hanging out; it was cool to be with other young leaders. I have enjoyed developing closer relationships with other

Tuia mentees; listening to people and their stories, learning about what is important to them. It’s helped me get a better outlook on life, and has generally been good for socialising, developing people skills and relationships. What do you think are some of the issues facing youth in Wairarapa in the future? There are several things; such as road safety, environmental issues, and jobs and housing – it’s expensive to live here. Would you recommend other rangatahi Māori applying for the Tuia Programme? Yes, it’s a great experience. What are you doing at the moment? I am still a Tuia mentee, and I am working for the Wellington DHB’s Covid vaccination programme. (Interview by Siv Fjærestad) To learn more about the Tuia Programme, go to https:// www.mtfj.co.nz/our-work/ tuia-and-mtfj-rangatahi/

NOTICE OF MEETINGS

Meetings in December will be conducted via audio-visual conference and livestreamed to our Youtube channel. The latest meeting information and meeting agendas can be found at www.swdc.govt.nz

DECEMBER MEETINGS

FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK Wednesday, 1 December at 10am COUNCIL Wednesday, 15 December at 9am PLANNING AND REGULATORY COMMITTEE Wednesday, 15 December at noon ASSETS AND SERVICES COMMITTEE Wednesday, 15 December at 2.30pm Harry Wilson Executive Officer

Out and about

Our lifeguards can’t wait for the summer opening of the Council’s three pools. An opening is planned for November 27 but Covid uncertainties may be at play. Please check our website to see if the Greytown, Martinborough and Featherston pool openings have been delayed before your journey. Many Christmas events have been Covid casualties this year but there is one that’s still on. Pack the Bus, an initiative which involves packing a bus full of gifts for Wairarapa’s less privileged, will be in Featherston and Martinborough on Monday November 29 and Greytown on Tuesday November 30. Please see our Facebook site or listen to the radio for locations and times for when the bus will happily receive your unwrapped gifts and non-perishables. This Council is proud to support Pack the Bus.

A word about berms

Earlier this year the Council decided to no longer mow town berms. The decision was made after public consultation on the Long Term Plan. Many residents told us they already mowed their berms and were happy for the money to be spent elsewhere. So residents, please make note to keep the grass on the kerbs outside your house tidy. The Council will continue to mow berms inside 70 km/hr urban areas.

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