Ōtaki Market, Kids' Market

BY CLAIRE ROPER

This January, we wanted to mix things up a bit, and hosted our first ever Kids Market plus regular market. With over 30 tamariki and rangatahi, aged between 6 and 18, having a stall at our market. We were completely overwhelmed with the positive response from the community. It’s was AWESOME! It’s been fantastic to see so many young people experience the fun and excitement of being part of a market. The highs of creating their product and feeling proud of their achievements, and the lows, when due to the weather we had to postpone the kids' market by one week.

Young people from across the region signed up to be stall holders. As well as Ōtaki youngsters, we had kids from Levin, Otaihanga and Wellington. Tamariki and rangatahi made a huge array of products, set up their stalls, created signs and posters, and sold their own products. We had a huge variety of talent, including 16-year-old singer James Stent, (previously appearing on Maori TV, 5 minutes of fame). He sang a selection of easy-listening songs and gave crooner Michael Bublé a run for his money. Our famous sausage-sizzle was run by brother-and-sister team Crys and Darius. They cooked up a storm on the BBQ (with a little help from Mum). Sevenyear-old Maverick and his brothers and sisters sold Yum Balls (aka Lolly Cake), beautiful colouring twirling wands, fresh free-range eggs from their own chickens and foraged edible garden flowers. Even my kids got involved: Fletcher who’s eight, created miniature garden furniture, especially designed for gnomes, fairies and pixies. Our youngest stall holder, six-year-old Saeda, truly embraced the entrepreneurial spirit and drew designs onto t-shirts using fabric pens. And, luckily for us, there were a few adult sizes in the mix!

If it was jewellery you were looking for, then the kids had you covered! The Crafty Monkey’s – trio of sisters Mykah, Indie and Poppy – had a gorgeous array of jewellery, including earrings, necklaces and keyrings. All handmade and specially crafted for the Ōtaki Market.

Local 10-year-old twins Paige and Scarlett hosted a beading and loom-band stall where customers could make their own necklace or bracelet for $1.00. There was also sister duo Elsa (14) and Lida (10) with their stall Popcorn Craft. They created feather earrings upcycled from bike inner-tubes. They also had a stash of sandwich wraps, which were all foodgrade PUL on the inside and perfect for keeping yummy sandwiches fresh (plus all machine washable).

We also had Otaki MP Terisa Ngobi and National candidate Tim Costley being creative on the Face Painting stall.

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Health Matters: Covid is with us still

BY ANN CHAPMAN

Covid is still out and about in our town as you can see by the graph from MidCentral Health (below), but it does not tell us what variant is here amongst us.

The MoH has reported that the new variant XBB.1.5 also known as Kraken is already in New Zealand. The list of variants keeps growing as the virus evolves. There is no evidence at this stage to indicate XBB.1.5 causes more severe disease compared to other variants. The MoH also states that relative to many other parts of the world, New Zealand currently has a high level of immunity based on high vaccine uptake, combined with a recent wave of infections (socalled ‘hybrid immunity’).

Vaccines are still expected to provide protection against severe disease from XBB.1.5, particularly in those who have received boosters. We encourage people to get their vaccine and booster doses when they fall due.

The advice remains the same to keep yourself and your community safe. If you test positive, stay home and isolate. If you think you may be eligible for antiviral medicines, call your pharmacist or usual healthcare provider and ask for a phone appointment to talk about whether antivirals are right for you. You can have the medicine delivered by friends, whānau or the pharmacy’s delivery service. Have RATs on hand so you can test yourself as soon as you feel sick.

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