Community kōrero 

Siv Fjærestad, Community Development Coordinator, South Wairarapa District Council 

Ehāra taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini. 

(My strength is not as an individual but as a collective.)

Pack the Bus

South Wairarapa towns are getting ready to welcome “Pack the Bus 2021”- and as always it promises to pack a few surprises! A heartwarming, generous and fun Christmas gift and food drive, this event pulls all of the Wairarapa community together in kotahitanga (solidarity), and the South Wairarapa District Council is excited to be involved. 

The Council encourages local businesses and individuals to come along and donate Christmas gifts and non-perishable food items, for distribution by the region’s food banks to those in need.

How it works: 

The Tranzit Coachlines Christmas themed bus will be touring the Wairarapa community, visiting local schools, supermarkets, shops and businesses from 29 November until Saturday 4 December. Check out the More FM event schedule for more details on events, or see the full list of park-up events on South Wairarapa District 

How you can contribute:

You can help pack the bus by contributing gifts at any of the stops, or to any of the collection points in our libraries as well as Council offices in Martinborough, or the i-SITE Waihinga Centre until the campaign ends.   

Pack the Bus Wairarapa is an initiative between Tranzit Coachlines, Masterton District Council, Carterton District Council, South Wairarapa District Council, Mitre 10 MEGA, Property Brokers Wairarapa and proudly supported by Wairarapa’s The Edge. We also acknowledge the generous contributions of Craggy Range.

Funding:

Lottery Community Wellington/Wairarapa Round 2 opens on November 3 and closes December 1, 2021. Community grants are available for not-for-profit organisations with a community or social service focus for ongoing operating costs or projects. 

If your organisation requires support to apply, please make sure you connect with your local Department of Internal Affairs advisor, Winifred Mahova at Winifred.Mahowa@dia.govt.nz or head to https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/lottery-community/  for more information.

Vaccination update – Keep our whānau safe from Covid-19:

The DHB and Whaiora will continue to hit the road to make sure everyone is able to get vaccinated so keep an eye on the DHB Facebook page or website to find out where they will be.

Everyone 12 years and over can be vaccinated against Covid 19. Is it hard for you to leave home? Would you like to be vaccinated with your friends or family? 

If you want to be vaccinated together, in your home, club or workplace, anywhere in the Wairarapa, e-mail the Outreach Team on CVC@wairarapa.dhb.org.nz to book. 

Vaccination is the one thing we can all do to stay protected from the virus, and keep people that cannot vaccinate, safe. Our tamariki can’t be vaccinated yet, and some people with medical conditions can’t either. 

Widespread vaccination means we will be able to return to normal, sooner. It will save our local health system from being overwhelmed if we do get Covid in our community.

If you have been vaccinated already – great stuff! Now you can help by encouraging and assisting others to do the same. Thanks for playing your part.