Daffodils for Picking

“Cancer doesn’t stop so we won’t either”, is the message the Cancer Society uses to promote Daffodil Day. Each year they raise between $10 to 12,000 from the sale of daffodils and all of the funds go to the Wairarapa Cancer Society to be used to support people in the Wairarapa area.

But before people can purchase those daffodils they need to be freshly cut.

And that is where help is needed.

On the Sunday 20^th August, rain or shine, between 10.00am and 11.30am, Jacqui Sutherland is requesting help to pick those fresh flowers at Whangaimoana Garden Retreat.  559 Cape Palliser Rd.

All you need to do is to bring some friends and your gumboots. 

And if you are new to the community what better way of taking part, connecting with others and at the same time helping the Cancer Society support those in need. 

Country Dog City Dog

Martinborough Community Board

Decisions Decisions – We seem to have had a lot of opportunities to consult on various topics recently, starting of course with the Annual Plan.  Thank you for everyone who took time to do this it is so important to hear from as many people as possible.  Local Easter Trading Hours and Dangerous & Insanitary Buildings consultations close on the 10 July.  Consultation on The Draft interim Speed Review document closes on the 23 July.  These topics are important to our community, especially the speed of our roads, if you haven’t already done so read this online, or contact the council to ask them for a copy.  We have a passionate caring community, make your voice heard. 

Each month I have included a little Be Prepared message in this column – one of these tips was around water storage, as a result of this and an emergency expo in Greytown I am pleased to report 66 Water Storage Tanks have been ordered.  That equates to an extra 13,200 litres of water once they are installed. (These discounted 200 litre tanks can be ordered from the council and will fit into the back of most cars for easy pick up)

Supporting the community to be prepared and plan for an emergency is one of the Martinborough CB priorities.

Do you know where the Martinborough Emergency Community Hub is located?  Do you know what it is?  We are looking for members of the community to come along and learn more about how we as a community would respond in an Emergency.  This will involve a couple of sessions led by a representative from WREMO and a public event to be held at the end of September.  You will learn how to prepare at home and how you can support your community should a major event occur.  If you are interested in finding out more, please contact me to register your interest angela.brown@swdc.govt.nz   

Next Meet the Community Board Second Saturday Session is on 8^th July at the Waihinga Centre 10am-12pm – if you have a suggestion for another time or venue please reach out.

Community funding success for local groups

Wairarapa is a special place. We know this, but were reminded again by the healthy number of applications received in the latest WBS community funding round, which closed on 30 April 2023.

We are now humbled to be able to recognise the range of wonderful initiatives and sheer hard work being carried out in all corners of our communities, each improving and enhancing the lives of so many.

We were delighted to grant funds to so many community organisations in this latest funding round, fulfilling the WBS purpose, ‘Helping our community prosper’. These funds went out to a diverse range of applicants: to organisations and people dedicated to their fields of sports, arts, community support, education and environment. WBS is very proud to continue supporting this important work.

Many folk from the Martinborough area will benefit from funds allocated across the wide range of applications. A few of the successful applicants specifically from the Martinborough area include:

– Martinborough Music Festival – for funding towards the music festival costs

– Martinborough Wai Waste – for a vacuum sealer to seal new products from bulk suppliers

– Martinborough Junior Cricket Club – to go towards a new artificial cricket pitch

Like you, we’re local. It’s the wonderful people of Wairarapa — the parents who coach, the volunteers who support, the people who keep on giving —that make our region such a great place to live. And that’s why our profits at WBS don’t go offshore but get invested back into our local communities. Through the WBS Charitable Trust, we can make a big difference to these communities by supporting all sorts of groups and initiatives with grants and benefits.

Our next community funding round is open for the month of October this year. For more information on funding criteria and how to apply, visit www.wbs.net.nz/funding/