Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival Moves To June. 

Our popular Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival, originally scheduled to be held this year over 4 – 8 May, has moved to 8 – 12 June.

While it’s a little disappointing that we can’t go ahead in May, postponing the event is the right call, given the uncertainty of the Omicron environment and the need to put first the health and safety of our entire Festival whanau. I must say it’s a huge relief to have certainty around dates going forward and we’ll now focus on making a stunning Featherston Booktown Festival happen in June!

This year’s programme is amazing, building on the hugely successful Festival last year – which was our biggest yet. … Continue Reading

KEEP YOUR FITNESS UP

Nuku Ora, Age Concern Wairarapa and the Wairarapa Positive Ageing Co-ordinator for the three Councils are asking our seniors to “keep your fitness up” during the Omicron outbreak. One person who has been doing this is Wairarapa resident Mary, who keeps her fitness up by regularly attending two weekly strength and balance classes – Steady As You Go and Keep Fit! – despite being 90 next month!

Steady As You Go is a falls prevention class run by Age Concern Wairarapa. Mary says she goes along because it helps to prevent falls, and by keeping active she’s able to maintain her independence and not call on others for help. “I don’t use a walking stick despite having to come up three fairly steep steps at home. Going to exercises keep you strong – when we were in lockdown and no classes were running, I noticed my physical ability deteriorated quite quickly. Classes are important as I need the company of others to motivate me”. … Continue Reading

FIRE BRIGADE REPORT 

Well once again we are facing COVID impacts, and have had cases of our Volunteer Firefighters having to isolate due to having Covid or as household contacts. We have been very fortunate that this has not impacted on our ability to respond to calls or our Medical First Response into the community. 

But it has impacted on meetings with response partners, and progressing with recruitment especially of specialist Medical Responders. If you have contacted us but haven’t heard back this is due to us being unable to advance plans for training and we have been closed except for essential business so cannot meet with you.  … Continue Reading

How Well Do We Know People in our Community?

Alister Shennan

After 7 years in Western Australia running the TAB, and surmounting the challenges in the racing industry, Alister returned to NZ in 2015. Having revitalised the TAB retail networks, improved the customer service, and call centres, developed a mobile app and significantly increased the company revenue, he realised it was time for a change. 

Back to Wellington, then a hop, skip and a jump over the hill to the Wairarapa with its warmer climate, and open spaces. … Continue Reading