The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: SWDC needs to improve

By Ray Lilley

The votes are in and residents have slapped the council’s wrist for their leadership, reputation _ a sadly low 7% approval rating _ and even for chopping back library opening hours in the three towns. 

One somewhat bright spot: residents have slightly lifted their view of the council’s overall performance _ up six points from 27 % in 2023, but still at just 33 percent, a fail by any measure. 

While quality of life in the district is given a high positive rating (85%), the community’s judgment on the council and its performance remains low.

Perhaps the worst result _ 7% for “reputation,” (18% 2023) _ is an effort to send a message. “Reputation” means “the general belief or opinion people have about you/the organisation.”

In a note on the result, officials say they “are not aware of any specific reason for a drop in reputation but believe it to be a combination of rates, leadership and council processes around consultation and finances.”    … Continue Reading

THE STAR BOOK REVIEW

By Brenda Channer – Martinborough Bookshop

“The Waiting” by Michael Connelly

I read a lot. Not as much as some, but I generally always have several books on the go at one time. 

It is, of course, a part of my job, but it is also a pleasure – until it’s not and I find myself bogged down in the first third of multiple books and none of them have caught my imagination. 

What to do? Abandon ship. Life is too short for unenjoyable reading.  … Continue Reading

Toast to the new Taste Wairarapa

By Joelle Thomson, Wine Writer

Taste Wairarapa stepped in where Toast Martinborough left off on the third weekend of November this year.

The well-known Toast Martinborough food, wine and music event has run for 30 years and will return in January 2025 in a reincarnated form with Foley Wines as the festival’s new owner. In the meantime, a group of Wairarapa winemakers wanted to see something in its original place.

Enter Taste Wairarapa.

“The Toast Martinborough date of the third weekend in November has been a long-standing tradition for decades, pencilled into many wine lovers’ diaries,” says Wilco Lam, chief winemaker and partner of Oraterra Wines and chair of Wairarapa Wine Region, the industry body. … Continue Reading

Toast’s Festival Road makes for a walkable event

Take away the cars and they will come? 

The new owners of Toast Martinborough (Foley Wines) are offering a major revamp of the 30-year-old wine, food and live music weekend, with shanks pony a bigger part of the activities _ and cars banned from Festival Road.

The updated and up-priced event now covers Wellington Anniversary weekend, stretching from Friday night through Monday, instead of its traditional latish-November weekend slot.

Festival Road as it’s branded, along its 2.5 kilometers, leads past the six key wineries signed in to the event _ The Runholder, Moy Hall, Luna Estate, Poppies Martinborough, Tirohana Estate and Ata Rangi. Each venue has wine. Then there is food and live music. … Continue Reading