Our Place Magazine Issue 41

Issue 41 Aug / Sep 22

Taboo-busting Physio Emily Burmester

Take Me

Sculptor Jaime Jenkins

They’re Back!

Top Local Festivals

Immerse yourself.

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G

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R AT I B E L N

YEARS • E ST 2002•

A O F

H I S TO RY S U C C E S S !

It's a proud moment making it to the 20 year milestone! We've seen and been part of many of the changes in our business community here in Tauranga – both as a business and on behalf of our clients. Through the good times and tough times and everything in between.

Ready to take your business into the future?

Get in touch for a meeting today!

Founders Rachelle & Christopher Duffy Creative director Christopher Duffy Editor Sarah Nicholson sarah@ourplacemagazine.co.nz Social manager Maddie Banks social@ourplacemagazine.co.nz Advertising enquiries Rachelle Duffy 021 032 7873 rachelle@ourplacemagazine.co.nz Contributors Jim Annear, Clarissa van Emmenes, Phillida Perry, Megan Raynor Photographers Christopher Duffy, ilk, Adrienne Pitts Pick up your copy from The Little Big Markets, plus at selected cafes, restaurants, shops and businesses.

Want to receive monthly copies of Our Place for your business to distribute?

Email rachelle@ourplacemagazine.co.nz To tell us about anything happening in your area right now, email sarah@ourplacemagazine.co.nz

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Cover & contents Cover photography of Jaime Jenkins

by Adrienne Pitts Contents photography by ilk Follow us @ourplacemagazine ourplacemagazine.co.nz

The next two months sees the return of some great local events that we’ve missed (shout-out to the long-suffering events folk!)

First off, there’s Vegan Vibes in the Mount on Saturday 22 October (page 77), which is a brilliant day, whether you’re plant-based, flexitarian or just a lover of good food. It’s been a while between art festivals here too, so we’re chuffed the Escape readers and writers festival is back, 12–16 October (69). There’s a compelling line up of writers’ talks, panels and live acts (some great for tamariki), plus Tauranga Zinefest (see page 59 for examples of some zines we love!).

Speaking of kids, STEMFest returns on Sunday 2 October to deliver a fun day of hands-on activities to get youth inspired by STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). Head to page 83 to see what’s lined up (rockets! robots!) and to get your whānau free tickets.

We’ve long been admirers of Jaime Jenkins’ clay works (33). The artist was one of seven children that were homeschooled on a Tauranga orchard.

We visit her inspiring studio, also set in rural Tauranga, and hear how her upbringing fostered a love of nature that still influences her work today.

We meet more stallholders from The Little Big Markets (23), including Esther from Kenya and Shinji from Japan, and also hear how pelvic health physio Emily Burmester, from Project Mum, is helping women to properly recover after childbirth and return to exercise (51).

Mā te wā, The Our Place team

Contents

51

The Floor is Yours

17

13

What’s Up

Welcome

Pelvic health physio, Emily Burmester

23

The Little Big Markets

Behind the Zines

28

69

59

Photo essay

Meet the stallholders

TLBM

The Great Esc ape

33

77

Sculptor Jaime Jenkins

Vegan Vibes festival

43

83

Escape readers and writers festival

Shopping guide

Breaking the Mould Strictly Good Vibes

Grow Together

Sky’s the Limit

What’s a weed?

The line-up for StemFest

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Events Guide

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Max and loui e

Clean cosmetics Shop online: maxandlouie.co.nz @maxandlouie_beauty Vegan and cruelty free

What’s Up Homegrown Flavours Husband-and-wife team Rodolfo GarcÍa and Dulce Gonzalez, from Tijuana, Mexico have opened Tacos Tocayo, serving super-fast street-style food they love to eat back home. Chef Rodolfo hand-presses the corn tortillas daily, and has short menu of $6 tacos.

There’s asada beef, and adobada pork with avo sauce, charred pineapple and coriander. “For the meat marinades, I asked around back home to find the best recipe,” he laughs. The other tacos are nopales (cactus) and house-made soy-based ‘chorizo’, both vegan, which Rodolfo says happened naturally, especially as the traditional salsas, such as pico de gallo, and marinades are dairy-free. → 45 Grey St, Tauranga (former Falafel Metro site) @tacostocayo_nz

Bloomin’ Good Innerbloom batch brews its cold brew coffee in New Zealand, now using organic Fairtrade coffee beans, along with top-notch ingredients, aiming to offer a more premium energy drink.

Straight Up Cold Brew Coffee is just that, and Elixir Cold Brew Coffee has natural flavours of cacao, coconut and vanilla, and the new bonus of 5000mg marine collagen. It’s all about great tasting drinks with trustworthy ingredients on the can. → innerbloomandco.nz innerbloom.nz

Float Your Boat Zen Float Spa now offers massage, giving you the opportunity to pair it with blissful float therapy.

Plus, when a new client books a 45-minute float, they can enter the code ‘bliss’ for a discount.

Float tanks have 500kg of epsom salts, allowing you to feel free from gravity so you can fully relax.

Perfect for pregnant mamas, those having trouble sleeping, feeling stressed or needing to heal.

Zen also offers a range of handmade products, such as Magnesium Balm with Lavender Oil, and Kawakawa & Hemp Balm and Body Oil. A magnesium spray is currently in the works. → zenfloatspa.co.nz @zenfloatspa 258 Mataphi Rd, Matapihi 17

Come along to this FREE, highly visual community event, dedicated to promoting the unique zine sub-culture.

Bring your best mate, tamariki, heck why not Nanny and Koro too, for a fun filled day of zines, cartoons, art prints, workshops, makers table, zine library and so much more!

Saturday 15 Cctober, 10am-3pm Tauranga Art Gallery, 108 Willow Street @taurangazinefest

What’s Up

Funk You Up Ozi Ozaa is a 10-piece original afro funk band, led

by Yaw Asumadu, a master drummer, composer, African flautist, bass guitarist and xylophone player.

The good news? They’re about to hit Totara St. Yaw has performed with the likes of Oren Marshall, Michael Jackson, Tunde Jegede and Andy Summers (Police). He formed Ozi Ozaa in London in 2008 and was a key player in the Afrobeat scene, he moved to Aotearoa in 2018 and, after meeting local guitarist Tristan Hancock, has formed a new band. The new Ozi Ozaa is packed full of percussion and jazzy horns playing sweet highlife and trad African beats. → Tickets, totarastreet.co.nz oziozaa.co.uk @oziozaa Yaw also teaches drumming workshops, email yaw_asumadu@hotmail.com

Go With the Flow Finding it difficult to head outdoors to exercise with all this rain? Then perhaps a cosy yoga studio is for you.

House of Yoga has an August Winter Warmer sale: join as a weekly (or monthly) member and get 10 percent off retail, a week (or month) free, and an option of membership holds. In other news, renowned yogi Nikki Ralston (left), creator of the Ralston Method, is running Find Your Flow workshops (30 September, 1 October). → houseofyoga.co.nz @houseofyoganz

Drama Queen ‘Legendary’ is a word you can safely use for the band Queen and now Tauranga Musical Theatre is bringing the hit West End musical We Will Rock You to Baycourt in September. It’s a futuristic comedy musical written by comic genius Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, Popcorn) and boasts no less than 24 of Queen’s biggest hits, including We Are The Champions, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and, of course, We Will Rock You. → ticketek.co.nz baycourt.co.nz taurangamusicaltheatre.co.nz 19

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The Little Big Markets

Photography by ilk Art direction by Maddie Banks

TLBM is a thriving community hub on a Saturday, so let us introduce you to some enthusiastic local stallholders with an array of skills, from cooking to making jewellery, that make the Mount markets so good.

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The Little Big Markets

@thelittlebigmarkets

Golden Balls Shinji “Dogga” Mizuno (also on previous page) is well known around the Mount for his longboarding skills, fun-loving personality (look for the video of him surfing in a gold jumpsuit) and food. He’s been serving up his delicious Golden Balls takoyaki at TLBM for years, with many fans who immediately beeline towards his stall.

“I just love working outside and in good vibes!

The market is amazing ‘cause there’s a chance to grow our small businesses and it’s great to see creative people doing cool things.”

Shinji started cooking takoyaki in his hometown of Osaka, Japan, at age 15, around the time he fell in love with surfing, which has taken him to Byron Bay, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka in search of waves.

Settling in the Mount, he finally opened his own business. “I had lots of takoyaki parties with my friends here and they loved my balls!” he laughs. “So my friend [surfboard shaper] Jordan Griffin helped me set it up.”

Traditional takoyaki include octopus, but Shinji’s are vegetarian with mushies, cabbage and spring onions, served with mayo and takoyaki sauce. He also offers a mean chicken karaage, and his Golden Ball merch ranges from hoodies to condoms and totes. @goldenballs__

Thirty-Two Halloos Juliette Gudsell of Thirty-Two Halloos handcrafts vibrantly coloured earrings from polymer clay. She’s known for her ranges of one-of-a-kind pieces, including studs and dangles, and once they sell out, they’re gone (she’s pictured with Dijon Hues in the Rainbow Dangle (left) and Pastel Dreams in the Circle Hoop).

Born and bred in Tauranga, Juliette worked in graphic design and marketing for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mum. “When I first started making polymer earrings, the process was purely for myself, as I found it very therapeutic. The idea of being able to make myself something that brought me so much joy was a great feeling. Then I started making jewellery for friends and family, and it all went from there... Knowing that what I’m creating is giving someone else happiness is what I love the most.”

Unsurprisingly, given her joyful-looking pieces, Juliette herself is a bright, bubbly personality at TLBM, often sporting colourful hair and clothes.

“My designs are inspired by my love of dopamine dressing [Google it!], some of my favourite children’s books, and wanting to share the joy of colour.” thirtytwohalloos.co.nz @thirtytwohalloos 24

@goldenballsnewzealand

The Little Big Markets

@thelittlebigmarkets

↑ Monisha and husband Vishal with some Mon’s Flavors spice mixes. customer base around the Bay and her husband Vishal is also now full time with the business.

Arguably, the most misunderstood aspect of spices is thinking of them as mere flavour enhancers, when the benefits are much broader.

With a background in naturopathy, Monisha brings a unique ability to create blends that not only explode with flavour, but are also intentionally chosen to serve specific functions in the body. She cites an Ayurveda proverb as one of her core guiding principles: ‘When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.’

The blends are made in Rotorua, with no artificial colouring, refined sugar, MSG or salt. This dedication to using only the purest ingredients and remaining close to the process, allows them to produce the highest quality blends. Monisha believes this is key to their success: “We focus on putting effort and love into the spice blends with a long, careful process that locks in the flavour and makes all the difference!”

Mon’s Flavors “I’ve always been interested in how things grow and how they impact your body,” says Monisha Sharma, who spent her childhood in India learning to use medicinal ingredients to create wholesome, healthy and great-tasting food.

Upon moving to Rotorua 11 years ago, she initially shared her lifelong love of home cooking through her blog and by hosting popular Indian fusion cooking classes. “I really wanted to change the perception around Indian food, and show the unique flavours that can be created using spices from all over the world. I wanted to share that knowledge with others and hoped it would help them create their own Indian fusion-inspired meals at home.”

This led to Monisha launching her Mon’s Flavors spice blends (including tea blends, such as turmeric latte), which have gone on to take out national awards, and Monisha herself is now a much-loved face of the Bay of Plenty food scene.

Her business enjoys a dedicated, ever-growing

monsflavors.co.nz 25

@monsspiceblend

The Little Big Markets

@thelittlebigmarkets

← Esther with her Roho Safi Sisal Handbag made in Nairobi, Kenya. The bag is handwoven with sisal (a plant), then leather artisans add the detailing.

“Most people in this sector have little to no education or can’t find any employment so are much more vulnerable to poverty. Research shows that there is still a large population of people in African countries living on under $2 a day... some are living under $1, and it’s even worse now with Covid.

“My mum and grandma weren’t artisans but they started small businesses in the informal sector to escape the throes of poverty and this was able to provide an income for their families for so many years.”

Esther currently works with more than 40 artisans from around Africa. “When a customer buys a product, they’re directly providing an income to the artisan and, in turn, they’re able to afford food and medical care and to take their children to school, among other wellbeing benefits. I’ve been living in New Zealand for four years now so this is also my way of giving back to my community.

Hamilton-based Esther travels to the Bay each month to set up shop at TLBM, which she says are “quite unique in the sense that there are high-end and well-made products, which fit well with what I sell”.

“I travel once a month to engage with the community here, plus the people here are so lovely, and I love the beaches, food and markets.”

Sawubona Hand-carved wooden kitchenware adorned with intricate beading and paintwork, chic handwoven baskets in brights or neutrals, soothing teas, delicious sauces and more — Kenyan-born Esther Gathambo is offering Kiwis a stylish, sustainable and ethical taste of Africa via her homeware store Sawubona.

“Sawubona is a social enterprise with a beautiful collection of handcrafted homewares curated from African countries,” she says. “We’re on a mission to provide customers with quality, long-lasting homewares while improving the quality of life of African artisans, their families and communities. A lot of artisans were left without income when Covid hit and have continued to struggle throughout the pandemic due to a lack of support from the government, so I started this business to open a market for them overseas. I’m hoping to keep working with more artisans as the business grows.”

Esther says Sawubona’s story starts “with two women who are so dear to me”, her mum and grandma in Kenya. “They didn’t finish high school, so jobs in the formal sector were out of question for them, instead they turned to the ‘informal sector’ of traders and artisans or jua kali, as we call it, which loosely translates to ‘hot sun’. This is because most people in jua kali work outside... in the hot sun.

sawubona.co.nz 26

shopsawubona

When you buy local, it has a positive impact on the whole community. Check out these fantastic products from The Little Big Markets and see all the market dates on our events calendar.

Me and the Brave

Seaglass Bags

Beautiful 100 percent wool, wide-brim fedoras, plus jewellery and apparel for all those brave, authentic and fearless souls.

Showroom: 12b Kopukairoa Boulevard, Pāpāmoa. @meandthebrave meandthebrave.com

Seaglass upcycled sail bags arose from nomadic wanderings, a passion for sailing and a love of op shops. It donates 10 percent of purchases to provides sailing ventures for foster teens, restoring hope, purpose and resilience. @seaglassbags

Small Batch

Noxen

DZ Pure Beeswax Candles

Small Batch is chef-crafted peanut and nut butters from the Mount. Try the Super Butter: peanut butter with almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, chia and flax seeds. See them at TLBM on the first weekend of each month. smallbatch.co.nz @smallbatchnz

100 percent cotton hooded ponchos towels, surf accessories and custom apparel for everyone in the whānau, from groms to grandparents. Showroom at 12b Kopukairoa Boulevard, Pāpāmoa. noxen.co.nz @noxensurf

David Zencominierski is a generalist from Germany on a quest to return to the land. He uses pure beeswax and 100 percent cotton wick for his handmade candles. Other passions include community projects, sailing and facilitating sound journeys. dzcandles.co.nz @dzcandles.nz

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Coined Ltd

Inspired by Jett

The Cottage Gallery

At Coined Ltd, they love to make items to be touched and admired.

All their unique products are created by using upcycled materials, from furniture and sculptures to jewellery. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! coinedltd.co.nz

Inspired By Jett specialises in children’s clothing that is fun and funky, including vintage inspired rompers, bloomers and more. Handmade locally by a Mum with your children in mind. inspiredbyjett.co.nz @inspiredbyjett

The Cottage Gallery is a boutique craft business specialising in New Zealand pounamu (greenstone), which they carve into beautiful taonga — much loved, special pieces of jewellery. thecottagegallery.co.nz @thecottagegallerynz

Umami Larder

The Little Big Markets

Mount Longboards

Blends of nuts, dukkahs and seed scatters made in small batches with spray-free/organic ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. Silk Road Seeds & Nuts (above) includes almonds, cashews, macadamias, seeds and a secret spice mix. umamilarder.co.nz

Support little businesses and let everyone know about it! Get yourself one of these stylish TLBM totes and fill it with the brilliant, creative products you pick up from locals at the markets.

Check out all the cool tees too. thelittlebigmarkets.co.nz/shop

The dream began in the ‘70s, crafting original surf apparel. In the new Heritage range, you’ll find quality wool and leather. Visit the new showroom at the Cruise Deck, 160 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui. mountlongboards.com @mountlongboards

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L’amour

Mr Sfiha

Remy & Co

The Colombian brand L’amour creates hair products that are made with plants and oil extracts.

They smell delicious, are nourishing without being greasy and will have your hair looking amazing in no time. @lamour_nz

Mr Sfiha is a food trailer offering sfiha (a Middle Eastern dish, now popular in Brazil, where we’re from).

It’s a flatbread-like dough with toppings; beef and lamb are most traditional, but we offer a range, like falafel, sausage, and cheese. @mrsfiha

Luxurious comfort and quality for your precious baby. These are exclusive sleep pieces designed to make your journey through motherhood easier, while you enjoy the little moments making very precious memories. remyandco.nz @remyandco.nz

Alarf

Kiwi Az Creationz

Stick Hunters

The name says it all, doesn’t it?

Well, not quite. Alarf caters to Kiwis that want colourful, sustainable (and humourous!) garments you won’t see elsewhere. The aim is to offer a new wave of creative clothing, especially in menswear. havealarfnz.com

Kiwi Az Creationz is owned and operated by Hamish and Rachelle.

They have handcrafted furniture and decor designed from French Oak wine barrels, and have also just introduced epoxy resin tables and art. kiwiazcreationz.com

Stick Hunters is clothing for adventurous kids. A local kids’ brand focused on an outdoorsy lifestyle, from joyously jumping in a muddy puddle, to enjoying a sunny day at the beach. stickhunters.co.nz @stick.hunters

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How you pay your regional council rates has changed

To sign up to pay by direct debit or to find out more visit boprc.govt.nz/rates or call our Rates team on 0800 BOP RATES (0800 267 728)

Cold Brew Coffee in a can.

Grab & GO! @innerbloom.nz innerbloomandco.nz

Breaking

Story by Phillida Perry

Photography by Adrienne Pitts

the Mould Whether creating delicate hanging works or those with solidity and heft, the diverse skills and vision of artist Jaime Jenkins allow her to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with clay.

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→ Jaime assesses fired work from her kiln — these tiles are glaze testers from her collaboration with Séraphine Pick.

Opposite page: In the studio’s dappled light.

Previous page: Jaime with the delicately linked work, Forever Love — one of her pieces that challenges perceptions of what can be created from clay.

Jaime Jenkins is on a quest to find the perfect hue of yellow.

“I love this yellow,” she says of her woven clay basket that’s finished in a delicate yellow glaze.

“But I’m still trying to achieve the yellow I have in my mind.” The basket, with a unique capillary pattern, has a satin finish and feels like silk to the touch. Like many of Jaime’s works, it’s a remarkable object that defies expectations of what can be made with clay.

Jaime, 29, is a born and bred Bay of Plenty artist, whose ceramic works are garnering attention throughout New Zealand and beyond. Te Papa has acquired multiple pieces, she’s taken out major awards and collaborated with eminent artists. Her work is admired by collectors and fellow artists alike. She’s currently preparing to show at the Aotearoa Art Fair with Jhana Millers (her Wellington-based gallerist), who says people are already on

a waiting list for Jaime’s work at the Auckland event.

Jaime’s hand-built pieces, and her glazing and firing techniques, are a combination of practicality and whimsy that push the limits of clay. A mixture of fragility, stability and strength, her work gently challenges her audience to ask: Is this sculpture or furniture, as it pushes away from the floor or grows out from a wall? Is it best described as a structure, a plinth, a surface or a ledge? What’s the function of this delicate chainwork?

Nature’s influence Every day, Jaime makes the 20-minute trip from her Mount Maunganui flat to her studio that’s built on family land in the Ohauiti hills. Her artistic practice draws on this natural world, taking cues from heady sunsets, expansive Bay of Plenty skies, glittering Tauranga Moana 34

coastlines and the rustic setting of her bush-clad enclave.

“I’m surrounded by nature so that comes into my work a lot, and the ocean and coastline have always been a really big influence,” says Jaime. Jhana observes: “In her work you can feel the flutter of leaves on the trees, dense and imposing rocks and cliffs, or the fade of the sky as day turns to night.”

Jaime credits her love of nature to her rural upbringing on an orchard. Her Dad managed kiwifruit and avocado orchards in Matapihi, and her mum homeschooled the children (sometimes up to five at once), allowing for plenty of time to explore outdoors. Jaime is the third eldest of seven siblings, and her parents had an ethos of supporting those in need, so for most of Jaime’s early life, there were foster children living with them. “We had room at home and capacity to help kids who really

“In her work you can feel the flutter of leaves on the trees, dense and imposing rocks and cliffs, or the fade of the sky as day turns to night.”

35

needed the support. All these children were my siblings at one time.”

Perhaps it’s this compassionate upbringing and wonder at nature that gives Jaime’s sculptural forms a language that transcends the everyday. Regularly described as a ceramic artist, Jaime prefers ‘sculptor’ and when you spend time in her studio, you understand why.

Studio in the hills The Ohauiti property has a fruit orchard and a host of well-established native trees (with many more currently being planted), as well as stunning vistas out to Mauao and the western Kaimai Range.

Jaime is often outside her studio, gathering fired pieces from the neighbouring outdoor kiln shed. It’s a curious structure, the geometric shape made from found materials that friend and architect Gerard Dombroski sourced and made for her.

Essentially it’s a big chimney that sends the kiln’s heat up and out.

She wanders out to the overgrown vegetable garden out front to pick verbena leaves, then returns to make tea in a handthrown teapot, a striking blue and yellow artefact with a keen Bauhaus vibe. She pulls a mug from a stack of other handmade vessels — functional objects and dining ware in a spectrum of earthy colours. There’s not one manufactured item in this studio.

Jaime is a maker who lives by the forms she creates. Art is an essential function of her life.

There are two generous rooms: a kitchen with a mezzanine bedroom and library. “I don’t live here but sometimes I stay over,” she says, gesturing to the upstairs bedroom. Shelves line the walls and display works by Jaime and artists she’s collaborated with: a pair of painted plates that are fired and rendered to perfection, a tall ‘pinched’ bud vase, ceramic

painted leaves, glossy ceramic bells, bowls and vessels, forms and shells. It’s difficult to take in all the details.

There’s a wide table for art making. A potter’s wheel awaits. Jaime points out her favourite tool, the red-handled slab roller: “It makes the perfect slab”. She credits it for transforming her larger hand-built pieces — giving them more strength and consistency. “I also love this scorer,” she says, picking up a paintbrush stuck together with Sellys Knead It and pins. “I use it every day to score clay, to adhere pieces together.”

A collection of finished works gather in one corner, works at various stages of progress sit in another. An assemblage that echoes the sycamore leaf drops from the ceiling. Fired swatches of clay line up along a ledge: ocean blues, sage greens, dense forest greens, multiple shades of yellow, mustard, ochre, milky whites, copper and sanguine reds. It’s a space that makes creative bones tingle.

Not so secret recipes “Glazes are like recipes in cooking.

I’m always on the hunt for a good glaze recipe,” says Jaime. “There are a couple that I’ve found to be really good bases; I have a good limestone glaze, I have a purply one that I can add cobalt to that helps me move deeper into blues.

“I’m drawn to glazes and colours that have a richness and vibrancy to them. I really like people to be able to be lost in the surface of the piece. Kind of like a large painting, you can get lost within it — even if it’s just one colour, the glaze can break and change within a piece.” There’s also another similarity to cooking recipes — sometimes there are secrets. “I’m very happy to share my glaze recipes but not everyone is!” she laughs.

Some of Jaime’s glazes are reflective, liquid finishes like sun 36

bouncing on water or dark stormy squalls in grumpy purples. Others are shot through with bursts of red and fizzy whites, or are deliberately flat and matte and read as a large blocks of colour — stained with a deep forest green or a bank of celestial blue.

The pieces work together to create a language that’s unique to Jaime. There’s an effortlessness to them. Part of this is due to Jaime’s ease at taking risks, letting chance play its role, allowing imperfections to shine. “I like that with glaze there’s unpredictability and movement.”

Jaime herself presents with the same level of strength and fragility, and the confidence to leave things to chance.

Standing at just under 6ft, she carries herself with the grace and stature of someone on screen or a catwalk. There is a delight and wonder to her, and the way she marvels at the beauty of the world.

Finding the way “I loved making things when I was young. I spent a lot of time building and arranging things, but it wasn’t until my mid teens that I realised that I could study art,” says Jaime.

“I hadn’t done NCEA. I had never written an essay before. I had an interview with artist Laurie Steer, who was at the time head of the art department at Toi Ohomai, and was also setting up a new ceramics course, and he encouraged me to enrol.”

Jaime says that the writing aspect of the course was difficult to begin with, but credits Toi Ohomai for its support: “I was grateful for the English bridging class,” she says. “When home schooling, Mum really wanted us to pursue things that interested us.

I probably wasn’t that interested in writing so she didn’t push it.

“The smaller classes and the hands-on approach to learning was really great. It made

Clockwise from top: Jaime with her favourite tool, the slab roller; at work with the scorer she has fashioned; a cluster of glazes and slips in the studio.

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A group of diverse, beautifully hued works destined for the Aotearoa Art Fair.

↑ Jaime outside her kiln shed at the rural Ohauiti property. sense for me to work three dimensionally. I felt like I could express something that I’d not been able to previously with painting and drawing. I think it kind of fits my brain.”

She completed her study in 2011, then worked as an intern for Laurie in his Mount Maunganui studio. In 2014, Jaime spent three months in London helping celebrated New Zealand artist Francis Uprichard prepare for a show at Whitechapel Gallery.

“I helped her make balata sculptures [South American tree rubber]. I also made tiny clothes and hats, and stitched hair onto all sorts of humans and creatures.

That experience definitely influenced my practice and expanded my view of the world.”

This year has been significant for Jaime. She collaborated with renowned artist Séraphine Pick at Auckland gallery Michael Lett to create the exhibition Coloured Mud — an opportunity which says much about her technical skill and vision. She was a Miles Art

Awards finalist and was awarded the Tauranga City Council Award for her work Bell Tower (Blue), a hanging work made of chain, cross bars and bells in a chandelier structure. She was also a recipient of prestigious Dame Doreen’s Gift, from the Blumhardt Foundation, which was a complete surprise. “They nominate two artists a year and there are no strings attached to the $10,000 gift — I get to spend it how I like,” she smiles.

“I have been needing to buy a kiln to fire larger pieces so I’ll use the money towards that.”

Making connections Jaime takes care to always title all her works and exhibitions.

“I love a good title because it adds both clarity and mystery to a work.” Some of her titles are literal and others are more ambiguous: Break a Fig, Listening to Trees, Salt Pillars, On the Verge of Blue and Green Inside Blue. Whatever their meaning and impression, they 40

speak to the interconnectedness of everything.

She points to a delicately linked hanging work in cerulean blue. “This is probably the most romantic piece I‘ve ever made.

Someone asked me whether there’s a meaning behind using the infinity symbol. That made me realise that I’m drawn to forms, not necessarily the meaning of them. I was like, infinity symbol? I was thinking loops!”, she laughs. “It probably deserves an equally romantic title, like Forever Love.”

This happy accident is the kind of good luck that Jaime is charmed with. So as for her quest to find the perfect yellow, we’re sure she’ll get there. Ⓟ @jaimejenkins_ jhanamillers.com Aotearoa Art Fair, 16–20 November at The Cloud, Auckland. artfair.co.nz @aotearoaartfair For your chance to win two tickets to the opening night, follow @ourplacemagazine

ARPÉGE TARATOA

JAMES ASHCROFT

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR WRITER

ELLIE SMITH

ART HISTORIAN

JESS LOWCHER

PHOTOGRAPHER

JACKI BARKLIE ARTIST

LYNETTE FISHER VISUAL ARTIST

MICAH WINIATA DIRECTOR PRODUCER

INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL CREATIVES. LISTEN NOW THE CREATIVE PATAPATAI PROJECT

P h o to b y B o u n d l e s s V i s i o n

Grow Together

In the Weeds

By Jim Annear Photography by ilk

43

What are weeds exactly? It appears one man’s weed is another man’s feed... or shade, or even something that can help rebalance soil.

Jim Annear takes another look at these much-maligned plants.

We’ve all heard a plant be called a ‘weed’ before, so why is it that some plants are called weeds while others aren’t? What makes a weed? It’s a question that I have long been intrigued and confused by.

There have been countless times where I’ve become fascinated by a plant and then, soon after, get told it’s a “bad plant”, a “pest” or a “weed”.

From a young age, I remember my grandparents stepping out on sunny afternoons for “a spot of weeding”. And I remember learning the words “invasive species” when out walking in our native forests. So is it just a case of personal preference, like when somebody says it’s a bad day just because it’s raining, or is there more to this weedy story?

The word itself has a bit of a stigma to it.

Weed. Besides being a popular nickname for the fast growing and short lived Cannabis genus, it’s usually spoken about in an undesirable tone. I grew up understanding that weeds were unwanted plants.

And if you found one of those suckers, well then, out comes the miracle wonder juice, the good ol’ glyphosate (usually in the form of Roundup) to spray the day!

But there’s another way to look at weeds.

There are people who listen to and study weeds.

In the book When Weeds Talk, American organic farmer Jay L McCaman explains the link between weeds and soil fertility management. He claims that weeds act as indicators of conditions beneath the surface, in particular imbalances in soil nutrients.

Even more interestingly, he observes that once the soil has been rebalanced, the weed will simply no longer grow there.

Therefore, by correctly identifying what weeds dominate an area, we can start to get a good idea of what adjustments need to be made to improve the soil. An example of this is the common dandelion — unlike many other plants, it grows well in soil that’s low in calcium, due to its ability to mine calcium from down deep and bring it back to the surface. This shows that weeds can actually play a role in healing damaged, degraded landscapes by indicating what the soil is lacking, while simultaneously being part of the solution!

Another perspective, one that I personally admire, is that many common weeds are not just edible, but are in fact really nutritious and good for us! You might have the lemony tasting wood sorrel (also known as Oxalis) in your garden, and lambs quarter flourishes in spring in disturbed soil, such as vege gardens.

Tauranga local Julia Sich of Julia’s Edible Weeds is a weed’s best friend! She champions wild edible greens for their quirky characteristics and high nutritional value. She shows that they’re some of the best free food out there, thriving in an abundance in nooks and crannies across the wider Bay of Plenty without anyone’s permission or assistance — you’ve just got to know where to look. Julia has gained a wealth of wisdom from years of interacting with these plants and she holds regular walks and workshops around Tauranga, where you’ll be introduced to an array of wonderful edible weeds.

Different plant species have been introduced to Aotearoa from all over the world. Some of these are invasive plants that have found themselves on the ‘most wanted’ lists of government departments, regional councils and conservation groups, as they threaten our native biodiversity. The threat comes from their ability to disrupt the local ecosystem by growing thick and fast, smothering anything in their way and dominating the landscape.

Take gorse, for example. It may well have seemed like a great idea initially to introduce gorse (Ulex europaeus) to grow as hedges and windbreaks — as Liz Knight points out in her book Forage, gorse was once highly valued in Britain as a food for stock, a fuel and a soil fixer, and acts were even passed to prevent over-harvesting. However, it all goes wrong when foreign species like this are introduced and left to outgrow native species and, through the dispersal of its seed, take over large areas of land. Another example is pampas grasses (Cortaderia sp), which have found their way over the Pacific Ocean from South America and now rival our native toetoe grasses (Austrodera sp).

When I went about looking for a set list of weeds in Aotearoa, I discovered that it isn’t that 44

↑ Pampas grasses now rival Aotearoa’s native toetoe.

Background: Gorse is an example of a plant being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Opening page: Harvesting wood sorrel (Oaxalis).

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Grow Together

Fast-growing brush wattle trees hail from Australia. mulched underneath the fruit trees. It worked a treat, sheltering and feeding the young fruit trees, so I think that the environment and management makes a huge difference in whether a plant is doing good or evil.

There’s a time and a place for all plants.

It’s just when a plant is in the wrong place at the wrong time, that it’s called a weed. Ⓟ

straightforward, as these lists are subject to change, but two things stand out to me about plants deemed to be weeds. Firstly, weeds are really, really good at growing. Almost too good. This is what lands them in trouble as, if left unmanaged (for example, in native bush), they can cause a lot of problems in a short amount of time. But that’s the other thing — out in the wild they can easily wreak havoc, but if they’re grown in a managed environment, can they be utilised in a good way? Well, it’s a yes from me.

For example, a couple of years back I planted out some fruit trees with the aim of establishing a food forest area and I chose to include two brush wattle trees (Paraserianthes lophantha), originally from Western Australia, even though they’re considered a pest all around the country. Their fast and vigorous growth meant they quickly provided a canopy shelter for the slower growing fruit trees that eventually sat underneath, then when they got too big and before they had any chance to create seeds, I chopped them down, chipped them up and

• For a list of common edible weeds, as well as workshop details, visit juliasedibleweeds.com • For photos and descriptions of pests, visit boprc.govt.nz/environment/pests/pest-plants • To read our previous Grow Together columns, visit ourplacemagazine.co.nz For more gardening content, follow Jim @gardennearsy and @homefarm 46

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The Floor

is Yours Story by Megan Raynor

Mount-based pelvic health physio Emily Burmester wants to normalise talking about, and seeking help for, the pelvic floor issues that affect so many. We find out about her classes and clinics, plus get some tips.

Emily Burmester of Project Physio never set out to be a pelvic health physio. In fact she’d never even thought about it for the first nine years of her career.

But like a lot of her clients, her pelvic floor — or rather the failings of it — was something that became top of mind after the birth of her first child.

As an avid long-distance runner, competing in trail ultra-marathons and on-road half-marathons, Emily’s main area of focus had always been fellow runners and other athletes. Although whether that was simply natural interest or the lack of pelvic health education in musculoskeletal degrees, could be up for debate. “The word pelvic floor wasn’t even mentioned in the physio master’s degree I did in the UK,” says Emily, who points out that even now, if you want to learn about the pelvic floor, you need to seek out specialised education. Her own search took her to Australia for a course.

This lack of information isn’t just in tertiary education. It’s just as hard for your average person to find any clear guidelines on how to help their pelvic floor, or even how to know if there’s anything wrong. This was something Emily struggled with postpartum when looking for ways to get back to running without leakage.

“My pelvic health was having a massive, massive effect on my life. And as a physio, I know what I’m doing and am really ‘body aware’ — there must be so many women that have just absolutely no idea what to do. The information is so conflicting and hard to understand, not to mention when you start Googling, it comes up with all the scary stuff, like prolapse!”

It’s no wonder that for many of us, pelvic health feels like an unknown, and something that

can seem overwhelming. And that’s without even starting to delve into the stigma that comes with it.

Emily started researching and testing techniques and ideas on herself, until she was back to being able to run without the worry or anxiety about her pelvic floor being able to withstand the movement. This made her appreciate the importance of this area of physiotherapy because the ability to do things we enjoy, along with our mental health, confidence and even the way we see ourselves, is all impacted when pelvic health isn’t good.

Despite the huge impact it can have on our lives, it’s usually one of those things you don’t think about until you have a problem with it. And even then it’s not something that you really want to talk about!

“Nobody wants to talk about wetting themselves.

Nobody wants to talk about uncomfortable sex.

Nobody wants to talk about constipation,” Emily says, referring to symptoms of pelvic health that need help.

But talking really is part of the solution. The more people that open up about their pelvic health journey, the more others around them feel comfortable to share too. This approach is really where Emily’s pelvic health service started — talking to the mums at her own Space group (a postpartum programme run through Playcentre) about how she wanted to get back into exercise and the issues she’d been having along the way. To her surprise, almost all of the mums were in the same boat and wanted to join her as she worked her way back into movement, kicking off the first of her Project Mum groups, which now include pregnancy and postnatal classes that cover off exercise and education.

Four years and another child later, Emily has now had more than 400 women go through her 52

← Project Mum is all about being active through pregnancy as well as recovering properly after birth and getting back into exercise. ↓ Emily says many people live with their pelvic health issues rather than seeking help.

“My pelvic health was having a massive, massive effect on my life. And as a physio, I know what I’m doing and am really ‘body aware’ — there must be so many women that have just absolutely no idea what to do.”

classes (some twice, with second babies). “It’s pretty cool to see that many women gain this knowledge and empowerment on their exercise journey,” she says.

She still visits Space to educate mums around the importance of considering their pelvic floor as the first step to getting back into exercise. Compared to when she first talked about her own issues, she’s found the mums are increasingly aware that it’s a topic they need to think about, and that the things prior generations accepted as ‘normal’ postpartum challenges (like not being able to sneeze without leaking), no longer have to be that way.

You might have also seen this progress in your social feeds, with more posts around pelvic health, memes around trampolines being off limits for mums and an increase in raw postpartum sharing. But is it enough? Emily doesn’t think so. “It’s definitely more talked about in recent years, and I think social media has helped people become better at talking about it, but there’s still nowhere near as much information available as there should be. And there’s still an embarrassment that comes with admitting to having some of these issues.”

This extends to the words we use, with clients visiting Emily to ask about ‘pain down there’ and discomfort in their ‘lady bits’. “We wouldn’t make up a silly word for shoulder, why do we do it for our vagina?” Emily laughs. By normalising conversations around our bodies, we take a step closer to making a visit to a physio for pelvic troubles as normal as any other injury.

Another point that’s (so far) been missed in the increased conversations is that pelvic health isn’t just a topic for mums. Everyone has a pelvic floor; 53

↑ Emily runs pregnancy and postnatal exercise classes. work those pelvic floor muscles. Specialist physios, like Emily, can help ensure you’re doing the ones right for you. Pelvic floor exercises are for life, not just for the short time after babies, and not just for those who have given birth.

there are people of all ages and genders who have trouble with their pelvic health and need support to get it working properly again. Things like painful periods, erectile dysfunction, issues post-prostate surgery, urgency to use the loo, unexplained abdominal pain, painful sex, and vaginal dryness from perimenopause onwards are all symptoms that could be related to your pelvic health.

One of Emily’s clients put up with (many!) years of symptoms and eventually got to the stage where she didn’t feel able to leave the house as she was scared of her urgency to wee during social outings. As someone whose coffee group catch-ups formed a big part of their social calendar, this really impacted her life and mental health. For another client, it was wearing a pad every single time they ran for eight years postpartum. When she realised leaking while running was something she could actually do something about, she was horrified that all those years could’ve been free of pads and anxiety.

Emily is driven to keep sharing, keep educating and keep normalising these kinds of experiences in the hope that it’ll stop anyone — postpartum, teenage, menopausal or other — from keeping their own issues hidden in shame. Because it doesn’t need to be shameful. Pelvic floors are just part of our body, another muscle to be worked on so that we can all keep doing the things we love.

Engage your floor When you’re lifting something (a box, a child, a crate of beer), engage the pelvic floor before you lift to add support while you do the movement. This also applies to things like sneezing, jumping and coughing. This is more essential for those with a weak pelvic floor.

Strengthen supporting muscles Your core and glutes help support your pelvis, so strength work, such as Pilates, can be a good way to target these areas.

Breathe well Your diaphragm and pelvic floor work together, so it’s important you take deep breaths with your diaphragm rather than breathe with your upper chest, as we tend to do when busy and stressed.

Keep your bowels healthy Constipation and straining puts huge pressure on your pelvic floor, but you can reduce this by going as soon as you have the urge and using a stool also helps (if you’re unaware, there are special stools — kind of footrests — that put you in an ideal squatting position). Keep an eye on your bowel movements — we want the middle ground between Malteser consistency and McFlurry. Good bowel habits start from an early age so ensure kids are going about it correctly.

TIPS FOR BETTER PELVIC HEALTH Do pelvic floor exercises Also known as Kegels (named after Arnold Kegel, a gynaecologist who invented them), this is an exercise where you squeeze your pelvic floor on exhale (as if you’re holding in a fart), then fully relax. This is the only way to directly

For more information and to seek help, see a pelvic health physio or GP. Every person is different so having individual management is ideal. projectphysio.co.nz @projectmumnz 54

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Writers Thinkers Poets

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Performers & more.

Behind the Zines

Tauranga Zinefest is back with an excellent array of zines, as well as workshops, cartoons, art prints, makers’ table and more. Feast your eyes on these extracts from some of our favourite zines.

Zines are short-run, self-published (maga)zines that can cover any subject — from music to politics, be written or drawn, serious or hilarious. Historically zines have been an outlet for content that‘s considered to sit outside the mainstream, and they can provide a platform for underrepresented, marginalised voices.

Each year, Tauranga Zinefest welcomes young and old to celebrate this unique subculture, so gather your whānau and head on down for some good times.

Tauranga Zinefest is at Tauranga Art Gallery, 10am–3pm, Saturday 15 October @taurangazinefest

This is George by Amanda Gray (cover on previous page) 60

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61

The Book of Letters by Cove Sattler, who was 8 years old when he created the zine.

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Tandem Tandem (“Snack Size” second edition), by Ezra Whittaker ezrawhittaker.com @packed_lunch_club 64

A Polite Backhand, 2015, by Loryn Engelsman lorynengelsman.com lorynengelsman 65

Phobias, 2019, by Hannah Wynn, director of Tauranga Zinefest.

A graphic designer, Hannah also has a few beautifully designed zines that celebrate te reo Māori.

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The Great Escape

Escape readers and writers festival is finally back with a compelling line-up of storytellers, panels, live acts and more. Artistic director Gabrielle Vincent gives us an insight into “the little festival with big ideas”.

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award-winning local investigative reporter and author of Gangland, Jared Savage.

“We also have two live events that platform local people — the Wham Bam Poetry Slam, which features rising poets, and we have a very special performance called News News News, which will be co-created and performed by the students of Mount Maunganui Primary School.”

Auckland-based Gabrielle programmed Tāmaki Makaurau’s multi-use Basement Theatre for six years. She came on board with the Tauranga Arts Festival Trust as the first artistic director in early 2021 and was slated to visit the region once a month, but says it has often ended up being more frequent.

“I travel down and spend half the week here, having board and staff meetings, and meeting with local people as well. Before this role I didn’t have any connections into Tauranga, I had one friend here… so it’s been really nice getting to know people.”

The response to this year’s festival, she says, has been incredibly positive, but Tauranga Moana is a place that’s passionate about supporting the arts, year round.

“I think that people are really keen. I felt that after the 2021 Arts Festival launch — we got to launch our programme but it didn’t go ahead — people just seemed to be so alive and buzzing and excited about the arts,” she says. “There seems to be a hunger for

“I have just been furiously reading!” says Gabrielle Vincent, the artistic director of the Tauranga Arts Festival and Escape, its alternate-year offshoot, that’s back in October.

“All the new release books and all the reviews, just seeing what really resonated with me and what I felt would be appropriate for Tauranga — the conversations we haven’t necessarily had before that I think would be important to have now.”

Gabrielle’s referring to her preparation for the imminent festival that’ll focus on both “the writer and the book lover”, with talks, panels, writing workshops, live performances, a podcast, poetry slam and the Zinefest. There’s a mix of both local writers and storytellers, and those from a bit further afield, but Gabrielle’s remit was more just about presenting the best of what’s current and compelling to the Bay. “I think we’ve been really lucky in New Zealand that so much incredible literature has come out in the last one to two years — it has really exploded,” she says. “So yes, we’re bringing quite a lot of writers in, but throughout the programme we also celebrate local voices and stories. We have local writers and speakers and those that whakapapa back to Tauranga Moana, such as Chelsea Winstanley, who’ll be speaking on a panel of powerful wāhine alongside NUKU founder, creator and publisher Qiane Matata-Sipu, and 70

“There’s an awesome local artistic scene but there’s also that great opportunity ... of bringing people in, from New Zealand or internationally, that Tauranga usually wouldn’t get a chance to experience.”

← ↑ From left to right: News News News; Elisabeth Easther; Tauranga Zinefest at Tauranga Art Gallery.

Opening page: Thom Monckton’s The Artist involves skilled theatrics and comedic storytelling. her play A Rare Bird and Rebecca K Reilly’s talk on her book Greta & Valdin, which are each just $10. All our other writers’ talks are $20. We’ve got a diverse range of writers that work across many genres.

“A new thing for us this year is that throughout our programme, we’ve noted which events are accessible for deaf and hard of hearing audiences, and all our venues are wheelchair accessible. We’re consciously trying to open it up so more people can experience the arts,” she explains. “Also, I think I’m just very passionate about live performance and different ways of storytelling, which can be seen throughout the curation.

“What’s also slightly different about this year is that there’s a larger family focus within the Escape programme. It happens across the school holidays, so we wanted to provide fun and educational experiences for the whole family.” Gabrielle says this includes News News News, Rutene Spooner’s

this year’s Escape, because there hasn’t been a big arts festival for a while — but at the same time, I think year-round there’s a lot of really cool artistic things happening in Tauranga.

“There’s an awesome local artistic scene but there’s also that great opportunity that our festival has of bringing people in, from New Zealand or internationally, that Tauranga usually wouldn’t get a chance to experience.”

The festival team is focused on making sure the whole community has an opportunity to see, engage with and enjoy some part of the programme. “Whether it’s the Arts Festival or Escape, we want to make it accessible for our whole community and, particularly with Escape, we want to spark a love of reading and writing. Accessibility and inclusivity is key for us, so we’ve got numerous free and low-cost events, such as the free Tauranga Zinefest that’s produced by Hannah Wynn [see page 59], Elizabeth Easther’s reading of 71

↑ Left to right: Charlotte Grimshaw discusses The Mirror Book, her gripping memoir; have morning tea with Nici Wickes, and hear her chat about her new cookbook, cooking for one, giving up alcohol and more. of New Zealand’s most well-known literary families: that of poet, novelist and memoirist C K Stead.

Nici Wickes, author talk and morning tea Join chef, author and broadcaster Nici Wickes in kōrero with Sandra Simpson for Escape’s everpopular morning tea event. In this session, Nici talks about her new cookbook A Quiet Kitchen — a collection of recipes and reflections dear to her heart, and shares some delicious treats.

Gone By Lunchtime, live podcast recording In an Escape first, The Spinoff’s popular political podcast, Gone By Lunchtime, will record an episode live in Tauranga. In this delightfully acerbic session, they’ll peer into the turbulent times of the Tauranga City Council, and discuss the current and future political landscape of our city, joined by two special guests.

Mohamed Hassan, author talk Award-winning New Zealand writer, poet and journalist Mohamed will speak with friend and fellow writer Rosabel Tan on his debut non-fiction title How to be a Bad Muslim, which maps the personal and public experience of being Muslim through a lens of identity, Islamophobia, surveillance, migration and language.

Pīpī Paopao — a one-man-concert-band for preschoolers, writing workshop Owning Your Story for 11–14 year olds, and Thom Monckton’s The Artist.

“Thom’s an award-winning physical theatre and circus performer originally from Pātea. He trained in Paris and he was recently based in Finland for several years but has now moved back to New Zealand. He has performed in Tauranga before, many years ago, and I’ve been told by audience members how much they loved it — they still rave about it.

“The Artist is incredibly funny, different and has some amazing skilled theatrics and circus in there. It’s a work that’s suitable for families, but it’s not just for families,” says Gabrielle. “When I attended the show in Wānaka, I saw grandparents and grandchildren attending together, young parents on a night out without kids, large groups of friends who just adore theatre and are ready for a laugh…

So I just feel this show appeals to everyone and is really needed right now because it just brings joy and silliness.”

More Escape highlights...

Charlotte Grimshaw, author talk Nominated for a 2022 Ockham NZ Book Award, Charlotte’s explosive and thought-provoking memoir The Mirror Book is a vivid account of growing up in one

Escape runs 12-16 October. For the full programme and to book tickets, visit taurangafestival.co.nz 72

To Good Health

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Lijē Promotion

Two sisters from Christchurch have delivered something novel to the supplements market in Lijē (a blended name). They’ve taken sustainably sourced and culturally important ingredients from around the world, created high-end health-boosting drinks and capsules, and given them sophisticated packaging.

The Collagen Collection Lijē collagen products take a different approach to most collagen supplements on the market. The range has six drinks — all containing 100 percent wild-caught fish collagen and elastin — with sustainably and ethically grown ingredients that were chosen for their health giving properties.

Kyōto contains organic matcha from the rolling hillsides of Uji in Kyōto; Nelson is an organic apple cider vinegar drink (just add sparkling water) made from Nelson apples and naturally sweet monk fruit extract; and Cusco is a cacao, beetroot and berry latte drink (add chilled water

or any milk) with cacao from the Amazon and organic beetroot from Canterbury.

There’s also a beautifully packaged gift set containing all six drinks, for those who want to find their favourite, or would like to give an original present.

You can add these products to a smoothie or protein shake, but they’re all designed to be a delicious standalone drink. Unlike many collagen powders on the market, they tend to have subtle flavours and are not sweet — you can choose to add your sweetener of choice.

Instead of having to go out to buy your smoothie or turmeric latte, you can derive pleasure from taking time out to make something a little luxurious at home.

The Capsule Collection The capsule range doesn’t feature your run-of-the-mill supplements, with the likes of camu camu, a sour berry grown on the Amazon river banks, which contains 30 times more vitamin C than an orange; wildly grown Indian 74

ashwagandha, used in Indian ayurveda for more than three millennia to assist with stress, low energy and anxiety; and Indian boswellia, also highly valued in ayurveda. Another capsule, organic black maca, a vegetable that grows in the Andean mountains, has long been used by the Incas for strength and endurance. Plus there’s a chewable Vitamin D3 tablet with a luscious peach flavour.

This range also comes in an attractive gift set — perfect for the person who has everything!

The whole package The super-stylish, pared-back packaging was also created with the earth in mind. Lijē capsules are based on a refill model — once you have your glass jar from your first order, you can then purchase refills that arrive in home compostable bags. The Collagen Collection tins can be reused and are recyclable, and the inner packaging is also home compostable. lije.co.nz

lije

lije.nz

Lijē Promotion

↑ Black Maca capsules: the Incas used the vegetable for strength and endurance. ← Kyōto contains ceremonial grade matcha.

Opposite page: The chic Collagen Collection gift set.

Opening page: The apples in Nelson, an apple cider vinegar drink, are from a family owned organic orchard.

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WE CAN’T ALL BE PERFECT,

WE MAY AS WELL BE

QUITE GOOD A blend of vodka, organic kombucha, organic fruit extracts and sparkling water. With less than 1.6g of sugar per 100ml and delicious flavours of Pineapple Mango and Lime, you might think that’s starting to sound...

Quite Good

Strictly

Good Vibes 77

Vegan Vibes festival always has excellent kai, innovative food products, fascinating speakers and kicking music, but this year also includes a lush botanical section, kids’ pottery, jewellery making and handpoke tattoos.

Are you looking for plant-based inspiration in the kitchen? Want to sit in the sun with friends (and/ or dog!), listen to live music and graze on delicious vegan delights? Interested in listening to a range of experts speak about a plant-based lifestyle? Vegan Vibes has it all on offer, whether you’re vegan, flexitarian or just love eating good kai.

This year’s festival is Saturday, 22 October in the Mount and the line-up is getting bigger as we write, but here are some of the superb things already confirmed...

You’ll be inspired and educated by the people behind great vegan food products. Good Vibes Fungi will be sharing its passion for fungi and the amazing health and environmental benefits. Hear more about the organically grown mushies, mini mushroom farms and grow kits. Angel Cheese will showcase its dairy-free cheese alternatives. Founder Alice Shoplan (a speaker on the day) says many people want to reduce dairy consumption but find cheese is a tricky food to give up, and their products make that transition easier.

Other speakers on the day include Ben Eitelberg, environmentalist, athlete, coach and plantbased diet advocate, Hannah Mellsop demonstrating some of her Real Rad Food, and Nat Bos of Max & Louie, running a makeup tutorial.

Meet the teams from Uncle Dunkle’s wood-fired chilli sauces, Solomon’s Gold chocolate (handcrafted right here in Mount Maunganui), Plant Projects plantbased milks and The Brothers Coldpress nutritious juices. Langos Fried Bread Puffs will have a new offering of cashew nut, fresh lime and beetroot with a tamari sprinkle — to add salty to the sweet, and sour; its usual favourites of watercress and walnut pesto, and something sweet, to boot.

Aside from superb food offerings, you can check out a range of like-minded brands, such as Ethically So with homewares and body products, Come Clean (a natural water-based lubricant), and Turkish cotton beach towels from Ruapuke.

A lush new botanical section will be another highlight, so all you green fingers can get beautifying your abode. There’ll be affordable plants from Bay Botanics, Plants by Bee, Plant Decor’s plants, ceramic

pots and neem oil natural insecticide; a bright and bold selection from Tui Pots, The Enchanted Florist and Mama Kali’s Farm with all the things you need to grow microgreens on your windowsill.

The Pottery Studio from Tauranga will be in action in the Kids’ Zone, where kids can get their hands into some clay to make some special Vegan Vibes creations, with the option of kiln firing afterwards. There’ll also be free face painting.

The Alchemists Bazaar is all about taking a sustainable approach to jewellery. Feel free to bring along old beaded jewellery to donate, or kids can bring a beaded piece they would like to rework, so they can see how to give jewellery new life.

Hand poke tattooing is the term used to describe the oldest skin marking tradition practiced by indigenous cultures all over the world, before technology and steel tools. Liam Makawe will be on site practicing this time-honoured tradition. He says the process is simple but less painful, meditative and heals without trauma (see his work @whai.tohu).

There’ll be great sounds to set the scene too, including Bluey Green, Brown Sugar Factory, Caribbeanz Southern Stars Steelband and Carnivorous Plant Society. Bring an appetite and a big shopping bag, as well as all your friends and whānau, and be ready for a fun filled day!

Follow @veganvibesnz to hear when more speakers and vendors are announced.

Vegan Vibes Tauranga → When 10am–3pm, 22 October 2022 → Where Soper Reserve, Mt Maunganui → Tickets ticketfairy.com Prices → $15 Early Bird → $20 Pre-purchased general admission → $25 On the gate → Children under 12 FREE

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Photography: ilk

↑ Vegan Vibes is a day of fun for the whole whānau: visit each stall to chat to makers, experts and like-minded people, plus taste food products, fill up your shopping bag and enjoy great food.

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Sky’s the Limit

STEMFest aims to engage kids with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). Bring the family to this free event to see a rocket, join in fun experiments and play with robots.

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they’re developing, as well as all the opportunities for studies and careers in these fields. This year’s STEMFest theme is sustainability, and encouraging the involvement of women and the Māori and Pasifika communities are also key focus points.

STEMFest founder Tia Lush, a graphic designer and technologist, started the festival in 2016 in the UK’s City of Peterborough, where it continues to grow.

Tia immigrated to Tauranga with her family in 2017 and she launched the inaugural STEMFest in 2019, but there’s since been a two-year Covid-related hiatus.

This year, it returns to the CBD, centred in Durham St and surrounding venues. “STEMFest is back, bigger and better. There’ll be something for the whole family, with food trucks and a great street festival atmosphere. We can’t wait for everyone to come and discover the exciting, vast, and varied world of science, technology, engineering and maths.” says Tia. Tia and her team will issue 10,000 free tickets for kids and whānau to book from August. The long-term goal is to eventually attract 100,000 visitors to the event, including from abroad, and put New Zealand on the map as a STEM destination.

We asked the team to give us some juicy details about the upcoming event…

For many kids, it’s hard to imagine how sitting in a classroom trying to nut out a calculus problem or conducting a science experiment is going to prove useful later in life. However, if students can see maths being used in building design, or chemistry as a key component in the analysis of water pollution, then engaging with the subject is a lot more likely.

Enter Tauranga’s STEMFest. A free event on Sunday 2 October (the first weekend of school holidays), it’s a hands-on, family friendly day that’s all about getting tamariki and rangatahi enthusiastic about STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) while they still have no preconceptions or misconceptions about the subjects.

It’s actually vital that Aotearoa has more students studying STEM subjects to be able to fill the rapidly increasing number of jobs that require this knowledge. We need to encourage engagement with STEM at an early age to inspire the next generation of inventors, mathematicians, scientists, technologists, engineers and innovators.

STEMFest focuses on fun, fascinating hands-on activities, demonstrations, workshops and experiments from more than 50 exhibitors from across Aotearoa.

They’ll showcase amazing concepts and projects 84

← Soldering with Steam-Ed. → Kids getting an introduction to Tinkd Makerspace.

Opening page: An activity with Envirohub’s Precious Plastics.

Envirohub’s Precious Plastic project turns plastic milk bottle tops (that can’t be recycled kerbside in Tauranga) into a range of products, from clocks to jewellery. Come along to find out how and to take part in some entertaining games.

Biosecurity New Zealand will exhibit a range of threats, from plant viruses to marine pests, and show how they can enter our country.

Tell us about this year’s International Space Zone! Rumour has it, there’ll be a real rocket on the street?

We’re excited about the International Space Zone, which is supported by Kiwi-led company Rocket Lab. And yes, on the day, the New Zealand Rocketry Association will give you the chance to get up close to a real high-powered rocket!

Tauranga Astronomy Society will offer a fun and interactive presentation of astronomy basics, and the New Zealand Astrobiology Network is bringing the The Astrobiology Dome (a portable planetarium), along with several rover robots to play with.

What else can we expect?

STEMFest sponsor’s exhibits include a Xero hands-on workshop that relates to solving some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals using programming and Edison robots. At Zespri, you’ll be able to whizz up a kiwifruit smoothie on a smoothie bike, and LawVu will show you how to empower a robot to draw.

Plus, She Sharp will offer interactive tech activity to encourage girls to enter STEM studies, you can head to House of Science for some cool experiments, the Institution of Civil Engineers will have a 13m-long bridge on site, and at School to Skies (part of the Royal New Zealand Air Force), you’ll learn about the principle of flying with their Grumman aircraft.

It’ll be a day for rangatahi (and their whānau) to meet STEM heroes, be inspired by creative and groundbreaking ideas and inventions, and have their imaginations fired up.

What exhibits highlight this year’s theme of sustainability?

Local company, Manawa Energy will be focusing on the different types of renewable energy, hydro, solar and wind energy. They will have a 3m hydro power model and a machine helping elvers (baby eels) pass over dams on their migration upstream.

Tauranga City Council’s wastewater programme is about the journey of local water from source to sea, including the conservation of drinking water, pollution of stormwater and treatment of wastewater. See where our water comes from, how it’s cleaned and used, then cleaned again before going out to sea. Plus, try an interactive activity that explores the intricate pipe systems that make all this possible.

Manaaki Whenua — Landcare Research lead the research and development of remote sensing, which helps to monitor and better understand our environment. See how it captures land data that feeds into research and tools for land owners and decision makers. And test your flying skills at the drone cage!

10am–4pm, Sunday 2 October, Durham St, Tauranga CBD. Free tickets will be released in August so follow @stemfestnz or subscribe to the STEMFest newsletter at stemfest.nz to find out when you can book.

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Our Place Events Guide Sat

Tauranga Farmers’ Market 7.45am–12pm, Tauranga Primary School, 5th Ave, Tauranga

Sun

Mount Mainstreet Urban Farmers Market 8am–12pm, Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, 137 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui

August 2O22 6.

The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui

10.

Donna Bucket Hat Workshop 5.15–8pm, Remaker, 27 Spring St, Tauranga, remaker.co.nz

11.

Cards 500 12.30–4pm, Mount Community Hall, 345 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui

12.

Skilaa — Single Release Tour 6.30–11pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, eventspronto.co.nz/skilaa1

13.

Skatescool — Greerton Roller Disco 2–4pm & 5–7pm, Greerton Hall, 1263 Cameron Rd, Tauranga, skatescooltauranga.co.nz Tami Neilson — Kingmaker presented by Chamber Music New Zealand 7.30pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz

15.

Paintvine Watercolour & Wine Night — Barn Owl 6.30–8.30pm, The Freeport Bar, Dine precinct, Bayfair Shopping Centre, paintvine.co.nz

17.

Learn to Sew 5.30–7.30pm, Remaker, 27 Spring St, Tauranga, remaker.co.nz

20.

Family Roller Disco 4–7pm, Mount Sports Centre, cnr Maunganui & Hull rds, Mt Maunganui. Door sales only.

The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui

Tequila Fiesta — 5-Course Degustation 6–10.30pm, Papa Mo’s, 4 Golden Sands Dr, Pāpāmoa, eventfinda.co.nz

14.

16.

20– 21.

Mind, Body & Spirit — Tauranga 10am–5pm, Tauranga Racecourse, 1383 Cameron Rd, Tauranga. Door sales only.

25.

Paintvine Paint & Wine Night — Bob Ross Autumn Forest 7–9pm, Cornerstone Bar & Eatery, 107 The Strand, Tauranga, paintvine.co.nz

26.

Jarred Fell Comedian Magician 7.30–10pm, World’s End Bar & Restaurant, 227 Fraser St, Tauranga, eventfinda.co.nz Tauranga Singles Night 6.30–10pm, Tauranga RSA, 1237 Cameron Rd, Tauranga. Door sales only.

27.

Mount Maunganui Half Marathon 8am, Mt Maunganui Beach, eventfinda.co.nz

Harry Potter Quiz 6–8.30pm, World’s End Bar & Restaurant, 229 Fraser St, Tauranga, trybooking.com

Ōmokoroa Home Worm Composting Workshop 1–3pm, Omokoroa Pavillion, 28 Western Ave, Omokoroa, eventfinda.co.nz

Kintsugi Workshop 10.30am–12.30pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, emafrost.com

The Boss — Bruce Springsteen Tribute Show 7.30–10.30pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz

Pot Club — Pottery Group Monthly Gathering 4.30–7.30pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, eventfinda.co.nz 1

27– 28.

Tauranga Food Show 10am–5pm, Trustpower Baypark Arena, taurangafoodshow.nz. Door sales only.

@ourplacemagazine

31.

TJS Jazz Jam 6.30–9.30pm, Mount Social Club, 305 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui

17.

September 2O22 2.

Gumboot Tango 7.30–10pm, The Arts Junction, Katikati

3.

Improv Comedy with The Honest Liars 7.30–9pm, 16th Avenue Theatre, 164 16th Ave, Tauranga, eventfinda.co.nz The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui

6.

Watercolour and Wine Night – Bubble Kitty 6.30–8.30pm, The Freeport Bar, Bayfair Dining Lane, eventfinda.co.nz

10.

Family Roller Disco 6–7.30pm, Mount Sports Centre, cnr Maunganui & Hull rds. Door sales only.

Henika: Strange Creatures Tour with We Will Ride Fast 7–10pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, eventfinda.co.nz

Community Music Co–cration workshop 2pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, eventfinda.co.nz. Free.

The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui

14– 18.

Tauranga Women’s Lifestyle Expo 10am–5pm, Trustpower Baypark Arena, eventfinda.co.nz

19.

Pot Club — Pottery Group Monthly Gathering 4.30–7.30pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, eventfinda.co.nz

23.

Another Life – Eddie Rayner, Andrew McLennan, Pat Kuhtze 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totarastreet.co.nz Looking For Alaska and In The Shallows 2022 Spring Tour 7–11pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, eventfinda.co.nz

24.

Landslide — Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks Tribute Show 8.30–11.30pm, Totara St, totarastreet.co.nz

Ozi Ozaa 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totarastreet.co.nz (see page 19) Ring Making Day 10am–4pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, workspacestudios.co.nz

14– We Will Rock You 1/10. Various times, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz (see page 19).

24– 25.

Bay of Plenty Baby Expo 2022 9am–4pm, Trustpower Baypark Arena.

Free, register eventbrite.co.nz

15.

RunNation Film Festival 2022/2023 6.30–8pm, Rialto Tauranga, runnationfilmfestival.com

25.

Silver Earrings Workshop 9.30am–12.30pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, workspacestudios.co.nz

16.

Kořeny — Slavic music, storytelling & poetry 7pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, eventspronto.co.nz/koreny Seattle Tribute — Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice In Chains 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totarastreet.co.nz

Stacking Rings Workshop 1.30–4.30pm, The Artery, The Historic Village, workspacestudios.co.nz 30.

2

Tauranga Motorcycle Club 2022 School MX Challenge 6.45am–4pm, TECT All Terrain Park, Whataroa Rd, Tauranga, taurangamcc.co.nz

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