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.

Spring build for Pump Track

Martinborough Youth Trust are happy to thank a number of generous donors and acknowledge pledges from Toast Martinborough and Pain Farm which have enabled some “big leaps” in progress on the Pump Track project. 

Until now the trust has been working with a concept drawing. But when funds broke through $250,000 the Trust decided to progress with firm plans and to schedule the build. 

Discussions with The Trail Pro team are underway for a Spring build start. This means we can hopefully look to find accommodation to suit the team who will come down from Auckland and stay locally for the duration of the build. 

“Ideally we are looking to find a homestay with three bedrooms so if you are keen to support the project and be able to offer something at a great rate please don’t hesitate to get in touch,” said co-ordinator Charlotte Harding. 

For a long time the locals who offered “hands on” support for the project have been patiently waiting in the wings but as we get really clear on timing and what we need we will be getting in touch with everyone to make magic happen and this project completed. 

Martinborough Youth Trust members Terry Blacktop, Pat Church and Sue Sullivan are thrilled to finally see this project come to fruition. 

If you are still keen to support, reach out to Charlotte via email  charlotte.harding9717@gmail.com or the Givealittle page: Martinborough Pump Track Project.

Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra Principal Harpist Ingrid Bauer and APO Concert Master Andre Beer.

Greytown Music Group is delighted to present another slightly unusual concert – APO concertmaster Andrew Beer, and principal harpist Ingrid Bauer.

Both are keen chamber musicians as well as orchestral players, and discussions about playing some duo repertoire together eventually culminated in their first duo concert in December 2022.

Andrew will be familiar to local audiences, having played in Greytown previously as part of the Levansa Trio, and with pianist Sarah Watkins. He “likes to mix things up on the duo front”, so we now welcome him back to Greytown with the violin and harp duo.

The varied programme of Romantic and twentieth century works is bookended by two significant original pieces for violin and harp, by Thomas Rajna and Camille Saint-Saens. 

Rajna was born in Hungary, studied and made his name in London as a composer and pianist. His Suite for Violin and Harp was composed for the 7^th World Harp Congress in Prague in 1999. 

The Saint-Saens Fantaisie is a virtuoso piece for both players. The use of harp, rather than the more typical piano, lends a special delicate sonority to the music.

The programme also includes Caprice for violin by Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Grammatte, Impromptu for harp by Gabriel Pierne, Kenneth Young’s Three Folk Songs, Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango, and Debussy’s Plus que Lante – the “more than slow” waltz.

Transporting a harp is a constant challenge for harpists. Ingrid says “It’s always nicer to have your own instrument where possible, especially for a fairly virtuoso programme like this”. Fortunately she has spare days either side of this concert, when the APO doesn’t need her, so she is able to drive down and back avec harp.

Andrew Beer, violin, and Ingrid Bauer, harp: 4:00 p.m. Saturday 22 June at 57 Wood St, Greytown. 

Contact Ed and Juliet Cooke  for bookings – phone 06 304 9497 or efjacooke@gmail.com

Matariki and family key to Aratoi winter exhibits

Aratoi’s fix on family and Matariki. Did Buzzy fly too close to the stars?

This season, Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History has a group of exhibitions that reflect the concept of Matariki and encourage spending time with family over the coldest months. 

The Main Gallery exhibition Thresholds brings together artworks from the Aratoi Collection as well as significant pieces loaned from across the North Island, including artworks that connect the past, present, and future.

In the Social History Gallery is the exhibition In Recognition, which celebrates people’s achievements, in the way they help others, in competition and in playfulness.  In recognition of an event, for a service, or of a visit, one party will often give a physical item to another to mark the occasion and many of these items are on display. 

In the Wesley Wing, families can take a trip down memory lane and explore toys and games from the last 150 years with the hands-on exhibition Pastimes: Toys and Games.

Supported by Ohnyx IT Solutions and Deco Precasters, this exhibition displays some classic old favourite toys and games as well as introduces some new toys from today.

Popular Wairarapa watercolour artist Jacky Pearson completes the Winter schedule. Going with the Flow is an exhibition of her new watercolour works in the Windows Gallery. 

So come out from the cold, take some time to reconnect to family and reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead at Aratoi.

Winter Exhibitions:

Thresholds:  June – 28 July 

Pastimes: Toys and Games 1 June – 8 September

Jacky Pearson: Going with the Flow 22 June – 18 August

In Recognition 11 May- 28 July

Whiriwhiri: Taonga from the Collection 11 May- 28 July