MATARIKI IN MALVERN

Matariki in Malvern is back for 2023! The Matariki in Malvern team are really excited to continue running this special event so the local community can come together and celebrate Matariki (the Māori New Year). Matariki is a time marked during winter when the Matariki cluster of stars reappears visibly in the early dawn sky after a short time when it is hidden below our horizon. The main themes of Matariki are, remembrance of those close to us who have passed during the last year, celebrating the present through sharing kai (food) and doing activities together and looking to the future preparing for the year ahead.

Matariki in Malvern is a fully funded free event held on Saturday, June 24th, from 5 - 8pm at the Darfield Recreation Centre. The event is being held on this date to keep a consistent date of running the celebration. Matariki falls later in July this year, and with it being in the winter school holidays organisers wanted to ensure people are around to contribute and attend the event, which will provide a fantastic opportunity to kick start the Matariki season.

It will begin with a special mihi whakatau (welcome), followed by kapa haka performances from a collective group across Malvern, as well as the Darfield High School Kapa Haka group. This year there will also be dancers from the Springfield dance studio Danz Fit, and the Darfield Ukulele Group will join the kapa haka performers for some waiata (songs).

Darfield Playcentre will provide the special entrance decorations and will have some tuff trays in the foyer with activities for young tamariki to enjoy during the performances. There will also be artwork from some of the local kura (schools) and preschools continuing with the learning of Matariki.

The team is incredibly proud of how the event enables the opportunity for our amazing rangatahi (young people) to take responsibilities of leadership, sharing their knowledge and skills. They also draw in groups from across Malvern who are on a learning journey of how to build tikanga Māori into the activities they do, with both young and old learning together.

After the performances, a very special part of the event is sitting together to share kai (food) as a community. There will be hāngi cooked meat and vegetables, bread rolls (including gluten free options) and salads, which are sourced locally to support local businesses. The event will conclude with some hands-on activities, including, House of Bricks Lego (recently on New Zealand Lego Masters), local artist Soon-Lee Spicer with a printing station, harakeke (flax) weaving, rakau stick making, have -a-go at poi and ukulele, Selwyn Libraries with a variety of crafts and activities and moko face painting. There will also be a scavenger hunt around the theme of the nine Matariki whetū (stars) with some handmade spot prizes drawn from the collected answers.

Matariki in Malvern is free to attend, but organisers do greatly appreciate a koha (donation) towards the cost of the kai. There will be Eftpos available on the night to make this easy. Please keep an eye out for updates on the Matariki in Malvern Facebook page. Organisers are really looking forward to seeing you there!

Selwyn Art Show

The 2023, Selwyn Art Show was, once again, another huge success, which saw over eighty artist entries from all over the Selwyn District and the wider Canterbury area. This was the 21st year of this annual exhibition and the Show continues to grow in popularity and size. The event was held at the Rolleston Community Centre stadium, which was filled with a wide range of artistic mediums, including sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, fused glass and fibre crafts.

The Show opened on the evening of Friday, May 26th, with an address by Margaret White, Chairperson of Arts Heart Selwyn Central Arts Council. She spoke of the way the Show has risen to meet the needs of a growing number of artists residing in our district.

“The event celebrated the milestones of the past as well as looking forward to the opportunities for the future,” commented Margaret.

The opening evening was also complemented by wonderful mellow jazz, provided by local musician Stephanie McEwin

A popular section of the Show, over the weekend, was the High School Showcase. This year featured work by Year 11 students from Ellesmere College, including beautifully rendered self-portraits in pencil, and a fun, eclectic mix of colourful artwork by students from Waitaha School.

Two awards were presented at the conclusion of the Art Show, with recipients receiving vouchers to spend on new art supplies from The Drawing Room. The People’s Choice Award went to Gabriel Bosman of Southbridge for his creative steel sculptures. The Youth Artist Award was presented jointly this year to Olivia Cassie of Rolleston for her watercolour landscape paintings and to Aleks Bryant of West Melton for his carefully rendered and detailed felt pen artwork.

The Arts Heart Selwyn Central Arts Council, were pleased with the high attendance of local art lovers over the weekend and the number of artworks that found new forever homes. The aim of the event was to celebrate and support the arts in Selwyn, with the majority of the proceeds going back to the hardworking artists themselves and the remaining money used to cover the running costs of the event and fund art related workshops during the remainder of the year.

The future looks bright for the Selwyn Art Show, and Arts Heart expects the event will continue to grow and flourish. They believe that the Selwyn District is a great spot to be an artist, and the Show is an important celebration of the amazing artistic talent in our region. For more information on the work of Arts Heart Selwyn Central Arts Council visit: www.artsheart.nz

Friday 2nd June 2023

Local Ram Raid

In the early hours of Monday, May 29th, the Darfield Dairy become the latest victim of a ram raid burglary. Owner, Errol Barnes, was alerted to the alarm activation at about 1.40am, arriving on the scene six minutes later. The vehicle that had been used to ram the door was still on the footpath with the lights on. He phoned the Police, who arrived shortly after.

The offenders involved took ice creams and a donation box for the Blind Foundation, before fleeing in another vehicle stolen from the nearby hotel car park.

“This is the first time we have been ram raided but not the first time we have been broken into,” Errol added.

“It is a waste of people’s time and energy, but I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from the local community. The contractors involved have been fantastic, and thankfully the shop was secure by Monday night.

“The overall repairs are costly and will take a while to complete. It’s estimated that it could cost up to $8,000. It is very frustrating and brasses you off,” Errol concluded.

“The Police were very prompt and the offenders, three youths, were located in Christchurch a short time later,” commented Errol Police have confirmed the offenders will be referred to Youth Aid. ThedoorsbeingrepairedatDarfieldDairyaftertheramraid.

Dhs Work Experience

Darfield High School (DHS) has many local businesses in the community that allow students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience each week.

Charlie Tasker, a current Year 12 student, has been completing work experience with Bray Street Engineering, a long standing engineering business based Darfield.

Charlie has been working with Manager Gary Woolf and his team since the start of the year. Gary has over forty years in the industry and Charlie commented that he is really enjoying learning new skills and working with great colleagues who are extremely supportive of him.

Charlie also recognised that the skills and knowledge he is acquiring, will be extremely beneficial to his future plans to attend Pre Trade Engineering full time.

DHS are grateful to Bray Street Engineering and other local businesses for providing this invaluable opportunity.