From The Mayor

By Martin Connelly

Firstly, can I thank the Deputy Mayor for keeping this column going and keeping you informed of council developments during my absence.

This week I have been reflecting on festivals and the impact they have on community wellbeing. Last weekend I was at Booktown and it made me wonder about how such an event can have such a powerful impact on so many people. Festivals have been around forever; they are part of our culture. They enable us to observe our traditions while enabling us to reinforce community pride and a sense of belonging.

While I was at Booktown, I bumped into several of the people who are organising the Martinborough Music Festival, which takes place at the end of September. 

For me and many others, the Music Festival is one of the “big events” in the calendar. The programmes are exciting, the players will be world class and we can enjoy all this right here in

Martinborough.

My thanks to the people those people who live among us who plan, organise, and crew the Music Festival. Especially the Biggs, the Trustees, and the volunteers in the bright aprons. A shout-out to Glenys who always allows large posters advertising the Festival, to adorn her fence.

The Music Festival is not a council event, so you might wonder why I mention it. The reason is that we all have a part to play in fostering the health and wellbeing of our towns. 

In this case, The Martinborough Music Festival Board of Trustees organises the Festival and the council is a minor player. The council’s major contribution is to keep the wonderful auditorium in tip-top condition. But we can all encourage, celebrate and support the Festival Trust Board, which is what I am doing.  … Continue Reading

EVENTS

Matariki Rising from 29 June

Nine stars herald the New Year

Remutaka Hill Closures by NZTA

State Highway 2, Remutaka Hill

5 NIGHTS 16 – 21 June

Hau Ariki Marae

Free health Clinic

Saturday 8 June, 9:00 a.m – 12noon

Clinic will provide:

Free flu vaccines

Ccovid boosters

Blood sugar checks

Blood pressure checks

Clinicians available to speak to people.

The Tudor Consort presents

“REPAST” _ intimate mid-winter song fest

4:00 p.m.Saturday, June 8 

Martinborough Town Hall

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/

Metlink fares increases  

Greater Wellington Regional Council is  

raising public transport fares 10% from July 1. 

Fares have risen 13% in the past decade, 

the biggest rise – 6% – last year.

First Church Winter Book Fair

Martinborough Town Hall (Waihinga Centre).

Saturday 22 June, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

Sunday 23 June from 10am till 2pm. 

How Well Do We Know People In Our Community?

Sue Sullivan at a key workstation: Kitcheners coffee machine.

By Lyle Griffiths

Sue Sullivan is a well-known identity in our community. Where else are you greeted by “Hello Darling,” giving an immediate uplift to your day? And the Havana coffee is now a basic necessity of life. 

Bruce and Sue both lived in Martinborough when the children were small, working on farms at Hinekura, Bush Gully, and Arohanui. When the Hinekura School closed they moved to Wellington for the children’s education. One hour on the bus each way to Martinborough School for 5-year-old Jasmin was just too long. 

After the girls had finished their secondary education, Sue and Bruce returned to Martinborough. Her Mum and Dad were keen for them to return and help with the family farm.

Meanwhile Sue completed her Wine Industry Certificate and worked on vineyards taking cuttings for the Budwood Industry contracted by Riversun.

Bruce and Sue bought Kitchener’s Dairy in 1996. It originally had 6 owners who ran a tea rooms, the post shop, and a dairy.

After a day of working in the vines Sue and Chrissy, her sister were heading back to the tearoom for a sausage roll, when they noticed a tiny, printed sign half hidden by a curtain: “Business for Sale.”

They discussed it and plunged in. Sue had worked in Wellington, owning two cafes so had plenty of experience.

In the tea rooms there were four chairs. The kitchen possessed only two domestic ovens. There was no dishwasher. Facilities were minimal.

The Post Office was a facility where people paid their phone bills, power bills, road user charges, and posted their letters and parcels. … Continue Reading

FIRE BRIGADE REPORT – Call-out milestone: SIX each week

Martinborough’s Volunteer Fire Brigade crews reached the 150 call-out milestone in May. That’s an average of 6 calls per week across our fire and medical response units.

Did you know that volunteers make up 80% of all firefighters in New Zealand? Martinborough is

100% volunteer crewed, so we’d like to thank those of you who employ our volunteers and allow

them to respond during working hours. 

We know the strain it can place on the workplace at times, but without you, we can’t respond to those emergency calls. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has an employer recognition programme, so do ask your volunteer about that if you haven’t already signed up.

The Fire Season has moved to OPEN. While this means you can finally deal to those burn piles, there are steps you can take to make sure they don’t get away on you – go to

www.checkitsalright.nz/reduce-your-risk for advice on this. Keep your burn piles 5 metres away from trees and other flammable material and check the wind conditions first.

We know some of you are reluctant or unsure about when something counts as an emergency

worthy of a 111 call. Call takers are trained to triage these, so if in doubt, please reach out. Our

firefighters and medical first responders are all your neighbours and friends, so we would rather see you early on than respond later when things have turned serious.

Please contact Acting Chief Fire Officer Lisa-Marie Ireland on 027 363 1066 if you’d like to find out more about becoming a volunteer or for more information on any of the above.