The pig named Generosity

Loading the WBS car to the brim at P&K Martinborough.

Or Genny for short, and she’s a sign of just how the community has rallied behind the Martinborough Foodbank since it started in 2020.

WBS visited the foodbank on a wet Friday afternoon, bearing $2000 worth of pantry staples as part of what has become an annual donation to each of the local foodbanks.

Since the foodbank was established just prior to the first Covid lockdown, demand for food parcels has increased exponentially, and the team of volunteers has adapted its processes to suit the local community and keep up with demand.

Food parcels are packed according to individual ‘shopping lists’, My Food Bag-style meal kits are available, and volunteers provide support that goes beyond just groceries to get through the week. 

Originally set up to operate alongside WaiWaste Food Rescue, the Martinborough Foodbank has taken on a life of its own, and now has 22 volunteers supporting around 50 local families at any one time. They gratefully receive donations from local food producers – honey, fruit, veges, dairy products and meat. 

Genny, the pig, is part of that community effort; she’s looked after by a local farmer and is fed any leftovers and food that’s too old or unsuitable for food parcels. … Continue Reading

Boogeying to the Classics

The MMF22 Brass Quintet (back) David Paligora (trombone) Kate King (French horn) Leo Read (Trombone). (Front) Clarke Spence (Trumpet) Nina Noble (Trumpet).

“There were scores of kids up dancing”. Who would have thought that Mozart, Vivaldi, Shostakovich and Holst interspersed with themes from films, TV shows and games would have had the students who participated in the Martinborough Music Festival (MMF) classical music outreach programme dancing in the aisles? 

The Martinborough Music Festival Trust has run a classical music appreciation outreach programme for the past 5 years. Ed Allen, chair of the Trust Board, organises the programme.

It was no mean feat co-ordinating students and graduates of the NZ School of Music (a brass quintet and a string quartet), and the teaching staff from eleven schools, to find suitable dates to present the programmes.

Approximately 700 students from 7 primary schools: Martinborough, Kahutara, Pirinoa, St Theresa’s, South Featherston, Greytown, South End (Carterton) and Carterton, and 3 secondary colleges, Kuranui, Wairarapa and Makoura, took the opportunity to learn more about classical music from these young musicians. Five of the schools had presentations from the brass while the remaining six had the strings.

The musicians explained that music was about telling stories. When listening to music, what did it make them think of? What story did they think it was telling? Was it happy or sad? The workings of their instruments were explained and the versatility of each was demonstrated. … Continue Reading

Councillor comment and farewell

It is time to hang up my Councillor hat and embrace the activities that retirement allows one to do – gardening, travel and just spending more time with family. Not to mention reading and jigsaw puzzles!

Over the last 21 years, since first being elected to the Martinborough Community Board under the leadership of Peter Craig and then Mayor, John Read, my knowledge and understanding of how local government works and evolves has been mind blowing.  In the first years it was a very relaxed atmosphere and revolved around noticing and fixing the small things around the district and providing a conduit between the residents/ratepayers, the Community Board and Council. 

It is great to see that Community Boards are now more actively involved in the consultative part of Council and have the opportunity of submitting to both the Long Term and Annual Plans and any other issues that Council is dealing with.

After retiring from the BNZ, I stood for a seat on Council and was lucky enough to be elected – the last 6 years have seen Central Government put more and more onto Councils without the benefit of extra funding – this takes a huge amount of reading and effort to get your head around, plus sorting the necessary funding to go with this. … Continue Reading

How Well Do We Know People in Our Community?

Marco De Groot

Originally from De Bilt, Utrecht, a small town in the Netherlands, Marco grew up with a passion for sport. “At primary school we would play football and baseball. When Wimbledon was in session we converted the carpark into a tennis court so that we could compete with each other. It was serious competition.

Following secondary school, I really did not know what I wanted to do but after spending four years at the College of Economics and Administration I realised that I wanted to pursue a career in sports. I qualified for a Sports Academy specialising in squash, fitness, and tennis. It was here that I gained my experience in coaching which led to my first coaching position in my hometown.

Tennis is an extremely popular sport in The Netherlands. Even though De Bilt has a population approximately the size of Masterton, there were 4 to 5 tennis clubs. The one where I became the coach had nearly 700 members. I stayed there for 12 years before taking a break and working in an office position for a year. 

Then it was time for some overseas travel to South America, Australia, and New Zealand. 

A tennis coach friend of mine in Holland had family in New Zealand, and contacts in the Wairarapa. A coaching position at Rathkeale was a great starting point. … Continue Reading