“Priceless on Princess” op-shop key to new model

“Priceless on Princess (op shop) is the most fun thing. It’s just great,” co-founder May Croft of The Social Crust foodbank told The Star during a check on it first year of the shop’s operations helping to fill the foodbank’s continued funding gap.

“It just seems like everybody has these things in a shed or somewhere that they no longer need. One fellow came in … and said: ‘I’m shifting and can’t be bothered selling all this stuff on TradeMe. I’m

very happy to bring it here.’ That happens quite a lot,” May said.

The result for the shop is that “everything is pure profit” as people donate goods, the shop managers are volunteers and, said husband Peter (the accountant), “the cost of goods in nil.”

“In our first 12 months we’ll do 50 grand ($50,000 of income from the shop project).”

“When we started we thought if we do a thousand a month we’ll be happy. At the end of 12 months we’ll do 50 grand,” he said. … Continue Reading

Can Wairarapa and Tararua fix the Masterton water leak?

By Ray Lilley

South Wairarapa and Carterton have abandoned the Wellington regional 10-member water services plan, opting to seek partnerships with Masterton and Tararua _ a strategy which may not proceed after Masterton flew the coop.

The new water services line-up/mash-up of what was recommended as a four-strong grouping and has been named “Wai + T” was given a big tick as a viable water services option by officials, southern councillors, analysts and consultants.

Then Masterton stepped away from the Wairarapa option on a split vote.

Its council staff had recommended Masterton exit the proposed Wellington regional model and consult only on a Wairarapa model and an enhanced status quo model, but five councillors voted against. 

The two southern councils are seeking to focus their energies on developing a Wairarapa water model to consult their residents on alongside a so-called “status quo” option early next year.  … Continue Reading

Celebrate resilience in challenging times

As the holiday season rolls around, we send out our best wishes to all our members and their awesome customers. 

2024 has been a year of ups and downs for many of us, and we’re super grateful for all the support and dedication from everyone in our lovely town.

This year has had its fair share of challenges, but our community of locals and visitors have shown incredible support and loyalty. Despite the tough times, our local businesses have kept on providing new initiatives and top-notch service and products, adding to the vibrant spirit of Martinborough.

This Christmas let’s celebrate the joy of the season and the strength of our local businesses. Whether you’re shopping for gifts, enjoying a meal at one of our fantastic restaurants, or just soaking in the holiday decorations, we hope you feel the warmth and hospitality that Martinborough is known for.

Thanks for being part of our community. We’re looking forward to continuing to serve you and working together to make Martinborough an even better place to live, work, and visit in the coming year.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

Cheers, The Martinborough Business Association

Century-plus of Chinese merchant history

By Patrick Craddock

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark may be surprised to learn that she could be one of the

originators of a splendid book on New Zealand Chinese Merchants, 1860-1970s. 

It was during her watch that the government gave $5 million for the establishment of a Chinese

Poll Tax Heritage Fund to the NZ Chinese community. 

This was to compensate for a blatant racist policy that had demanded Chinse pay a poll tax and for many years denied citizenship to Chinese migrants. Part of that money funded this intriguing book by Phoebe H. Li on Chinese merchants in New Zealand.

Ms Li has amassed a staggering amount of detail, including gems of information showing that as early as 1881 the Chinese in Auckland were running restaurants and also employing European waiters.  … Continue Reading