Waihinga Centre

The steel truss will brace the north side of the Town Hall.

A Very Generous Gift

The Martinborough Lions have always been very active supporters of our community. Now they’re making their biggest ever public grant.   Over the next 3 years they will be donating a total of $50,000 towards the development of the adventure playground next to the new Waihinga Centre.  

Club President Lee Quayle said members saw the redeveloped playground as an exciting addition to village life.  “It will be fantastic not only for the local kids but also for visiting families.  It will tie in really well with the Library, Plunket and the Toy Library, which will be right next door.”

This generous gift is defined as a ‘Legacy Project’, in this instance commemorating the Lions International Centennial.  Legacy projects are initiated to create a substantial, lasting gift and also raise the visibility of Lions and their work.   “The new playground is a perfect fit for our criteria.”    … Continue Reading

It’s all go at Hau Ariki

Three weeks to go to Hau Ariki DIY Marae -17-20 May 2018

Work has already started in preparation for DIY Marae’s 100^th episode in 3 weeks time in Martinborough.  We have had a fantastic response from our local tradies, with nearly all lead roles filled.  However if you can hold a hammer, a paintbrush or dig a hole then we would love to see you on the mahi, or if you think that your more comfortable in the Wharekai prepping or serving kai then please put your hand up, we have a place for everyone to participate in over the four days. “Many hands make light work”.  

The projects that we will be working on are renovations to improve access to the dining hall, Improving fixtures in the men’s ablution area and replace worn weatherboards, guttering and painting multiple areas. We will be planting new gardens and fences and we hope to include a carved entry way to the marae (these are carvings that have been in storage for over 20 years).   We currently are $14 000 short of our target to meet all projects, but are working hard to build support to close this target. … Continue Reading

Wairarapa farmers get climate ready at this year’s Farming for the Future Seminar

Wairarapa List MP Kieran McAnulty being interviewed by Perception Planning’s Lucy Cooper.

“Climate change – the future is now” was the theme of this year’s Farming for the Future Seminar a collaborative effort hosted by organised by South Wairarapa Biodiversity Group, Mangatarere Restoration Society, with support from Perception Planning and Greater Wellington Regional Council.

The not for profit daylong event was held at Carterton Events Centre with Susie Ferguson from Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report as MC.  The day highlighted how the Wairarapa farming sector can adapt and manage the risks around climate change while taking advantage of the opportunities climate change presents. 

Alex Pezza, Climate Scientist, Greater Wellington Regional Council presented trends and predictions for the Wairarapa climate into the future and emphasised the need for Wairarapa farming systems to change and adapt to these conditions. … Continue Reading

Joyce Hogg, cake decorator supreme

One of her wedding cakes. All the decorations are made of icing.

Creative people find many different ways to use their talents.  For Joyce Hogg it was decorating cakes – hundred of them.   If you wanted a beautifully iced five tier traditional wedding cake Joyce could do it for you.  Perhaps you needed a scale model of your bach down the south coast or a voluptuous mermaid-shaped cake to surprise a work colleague or a perfect replica of a Halloween pumpkin.  Joyce has done them all.  For more than 60 years her creations have been making people smile (and probably put on weight as well).

It all started when she was a little girl growing up in Martinborough.   She would make “cakes” out of her brother’s potting clay.  “I did progress a bit beyond that!! I loved baking and especially enjoyed doing the wedding cakes.”  Before you rush to call and commission one of her masterpieces, I’m afraid you are too late. Joyce, now 85, has hung up her apron these days. “You would have to ask me pretty nicely if you want a cake today.”

Joyce has another claim to fame here in Martinborough.   She was the school’s first teaching assistant back in 1962, and only the second one in New Zealand after the government introduced the scheme.   She’ll tell you she fell into it by accident and that she didn’t have any special skills.   The school obviously thought otherwise and she was given more and more responsibilities and ended up staying 30 years.  She left not long after her eldest grandson, Brent Roper, started there.  “I tease him that the school wasn’t big enough for the two of us!” … Continue Reading