Medical demand lifts emergency call-outs

Chief Fire Officer Jake Hawkins

Another month rolls around and we are rapidly closing in on our call numbers total for last year, this week clocking up our 200th call this year. 

This is mainly due to the huge demand for our Medical First Response team's skills, and we know we have made lifesaving interventions. 

You are starting to see our new Responders out on calls and having them on board is fantastic. Remember our turnouts to these Medical calls don’t activate the siren unless critical so you don’t always hear us out and about.

A special thanks to the Medici Quiz night for their support which has allowed the purchase of a Burns Gel kit for treatment of burns once cooled, leading to better pain management and healing.

We have had several Fire responses lately, and quick thinking action by Brigade members has stopped fire spread along with preventing substantial property damage.

On the achievement front, our DCFO Lisa Ireland, recently selected to represent the Fire & Emergency New Zealand in their New Zealand National Golf Team playing against the Australians – big shout out to Lisa for her part in being successful for the Winning New Zealand Team. … Continue Reading

Library News

The Wairarapa branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community recently gifted the Wairarapa Library Service two copies of the Qu’ran printed in Arabic and te reo Māori. The Qu’ran, in te reo, is Kur’ānu Tapu. Martinborough and Carterton libraries each have a copy.

Considered the Muslim holy book, the Qu’ran sets down laws and commandments governing social and moral behaviour. It has been translated into more than 70 languages worldwide. This translation of the Qu’ran in te reo, considered the first of its kind in New Zealand, is the work of Shakil Ahmad Monir (1932 – 2017).

Mr Monir taught himself te reo over several years, using an English-to-Māori dictionary, te reo Māori Bible and a grammar book as his starting points. It would take him another 20 years to translate the Qu’ran.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes in ‘love for all, hatred for none’ and it is the hope of Tashriq Hanif, the president of the Wairarapa branch, that “the readers enjoy the beautiful teaching of Islam.” If you’re interested in Islam or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, you can contact Mr Hanif tashriq.hanif@gmail.com 

Now for an altogether different sort of book… … Continue Reading

Wairarapa “Bookshop Hop” returns

Martinborough Bookshop is in on the Hop.

The Wairarapa Bookshop Hop returns for 2023 with the region’s 12 local booksellers plotting to make it a full weekend of bookish fun.

Organiser Millie Blackwell of Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop in Greytown, was inspired by an event she participated in while living in California.

“Every spring the knitting stores of Sonoma get together for a Yarn Shop Hop. Like readers, knitters love variety and the chance to visit a collection of stores with other knitters creates a really fun day with lots of happy energy,” she said.

From Friday, October 6 through to Sunday, October 8 everyone is invited to hop around the booksellers of the Wairarapa – including Martinborough Bookshop – for a chance to win a share in $1,000 of bookshop vouchers.

Collect the official Bookshop Hop map from any participating bookstore and have each store stamp the map with your purchase. Every stamp gives you another entry into the prize draws, worth $800.

This year there is a special prize of $200 in bookshop vouchers for the best photo taken on the day. Use the hashtags #nzbookshopday and #wairarapabookshophop on Instagram or Facebook so the judges can discover your image.

Booksellers New Zealand’s “Great NZ Bookshop Day’ is incorporated into Saturday October 7th, and many stores will have special prizes and promotions on that day.

With 12 great bookshops all within easy driving distance, the owners reckon it’s a great way to spend a weekend and get stocked up on the best new summer reads.

Visit www.bookshopday.nz for more information and store hours.

Aratoi’s Current Exhibitions

Rita Angus in the Wairarapa! 

A first for the Wairarapa is Te Papa’s touring exhibition – Rita Angus: New Zealand

Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa. 

The exhibition brings together 20 works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20 th century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970) with many of these never been displayed before in the region.

The paintings span Angus’s life and career as an artist, drawing out the themes of pacifism, feminism and nature that shaped so much of her work.

Sarah McClintock, Aratoi Director, is excited about the exhibition. 

“Few artists have captured the unique New Zealand landscape and light as well as Rita Angus. To have an exhibition of her striking work in the Wairarapa is an exciting opportunity for our community to see some of the best paintings in Aotearoa by one of the country’s most iconic artists.” … Continue Reading