The Lawrey Story

Journalist and former Nelson City councillor Matt Lawrey loves unearthing the wonderful things Nelson has to offer. In between penning cartoons, managing Bike Hub Nelson and exploring the region with his whanau, Matt will be writing a monthly column for Nelson Magazine, where the topic is simply - Nelson.

If you’re reading this column, there’s a good chance congratulations are in order. I say this because, if you’ve got a copy of Nelson Magazine in your hands, there’s a very high likelihood that you’re a resident of Whakatū. This makes you very lucky, very smart or, quite possibly, both. Lucky because you were born and raised here. Smart because, if you weren’t born and raised here, you had the brains to move here. Both lucky and smart if you were born and raised here and then had enough nous to stick around or return.

We live in a colourful little city full of interesting people and shops and businesses, and great cafes, restaurants and bars. A town with taonga like The Suter, Nelson Centre for Musical Arts, Provincial Museum, Theatre Royal, Whakatū Marae, Refinery Art Space, Brook Waimarama Sanctuary and Saturday Market. Not only do we have all this great city stuff, we also have this incredible natural environment on our backdoor step waiting for us to enjoy whenever we get the chance.

Geographically, Nelson-Whakatū is one of the smallest districts in the country yet within the city limits we have Tāhunanui Beach, Tasman Bay, the Maitai/Mahitahi, Cable Bay, the Boulder Bank, the Centre of New Zealand, the Grampians, the Glen and Delaware Bay. It’s extraordinary! In fact, it’s so extraordinary, I sometimes worry that we’re spoiling our kids by raising them here – we’re effectively setting them up to be disappointed with just about anywhere else. Having said that, I kind of like the idea that spoiling them for anywhere else increases the chances of them choosing to live here and looking after us in our old age. Then there’s the community itself. The weave of different people that make up this place is special as well. You only have to look at the incredible number of volunteers we have in this city and the extraordinary number of events that Nelsonians are constantly putting on to know what I’m talking about. I think a big part of what sets this community apart is the high percentage of people who have made a conscious decision to live here.

Think about it: we’re off the main trunk line in an island nation at the bottom of the world. You don’t live here to get rich, powerful or famous. You come here, or stay here, for deeper reasons. I think that’s why so many of the people who call this place home are engaged in their community and make a point of contributing to it. Nelson’s not perfect but it’s pretty bloody good and, in times like these, that’s worth keeping in mind. There’s no question that the world is facing a few challenges right now but, if you’re living in Nelson-Whakatū, there’s a good chance you’re better off than most.