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Looking back on 2021

With the opening of the Sotheby’s New Zealand International Realty Wairarapa Art Review last month, the Friends of Aratoi could look back with sighs of relief on a quite successful 2021. Some activities had to be postponed or cancelled but whenever possible, fundraising events and exhibition openings went ahead, albeit with changed formats.

Other events went ahead just as planned: the opening of Pūkana – Te Karu o te Ika: Moments in Māori Performance was early in the year and was a huge success with a capacity crowd.

One event just squeezed in. On the day in August that the latest covid outbreak was announced, the Friends’ bus trip to Wellington took place. With visits to the Parliamentary Art Collection, the Adam Art Gallery and City Gallery Wellington and the Italian Embassy, this was an outstanding day and a successful fundraiser.

Sadly, we also registered the deaths of three very active members.

The bus trip and the 2021 Art and Architecture Tour would not have been such successes without the work of Friends committee member Steve Davis who had passed away in April. Steve was not afraid to harness big ideas and buoyed by his enthusiasm, the Friends committee adopted schemes that seemed impossible at first but which were always a runaway success.

Steve was great at big picture ideas but also careful to follow projects through, taking care of every little detail. Fellow committee member Stephanie Chilcott remembers seeing Steve in Wellington Hospital not long before he died. Even though he was very ill, Steve was insistent she listen to his advice to follow up on some loose ends of organisation for the tour.

Ro (Rosemary) Worley, with her husband John, farmed at Otahome before retiring to Little Otahome at Homebush where Ro developed a magnificent

Ro Worley’s bequest will assist Aratoi’s education programmes in 2022. PHOTO/BEAU ELTON garden. She was a keen art lover and long-time supporter of Aratoi which she visited regularly and attended exhibition openings and floor talks.

Ro left Aratoi a generous bequest in her will. The education programme and the solar panel project, which will greatly reduce Aratoi’s power bill, will benefit from her generosity.

The third influential member of the Friends of Aratoi to leave us last year was distinguished scholar, literary historian and critic Lydia Wevers, a long-serving member of the Aratoi Regional Trust Board, the governing body of Aratoi. As well as her tireless work for the Trust Board, Lydia’s association with Aratoi included speaking at events and she edited Aratoi’s 50/fifty: 50 Years of Aratoi, published in 2019.

The Friends of Aratoi will miss these three as we look ahead to the work to be done in 2022.

Massive summer at Tauherenikau

One Wairarapa venue is ramping up for a big summer with almost backto-back events planned from now until April.

Although many places have had to scale back activities due to covid restrictions, the Tauherenikau racecourse near Featherston has become the go-to setting of choice for many organisers.

The racecourse had turned into an ideal function spot, with its two entrances well positioned to check vaccine passes. At the same time, plenty of space and good onsite accommodation options meant the venue could easily cater to large numbers, with accommodation for motorhomes and campers and even glamping possibilities. Tauherenikau had kitchen and bathroom facilities, and there was also a large bunkroom for people who didn’t mind sharing.

About seven events catering to thousands of revellers were planned for the summer months.

Wairarapa Racing Club general manager Matthew Sherry was looking forward to it.

“It’s our biggest summer ever. It’s a pretty special place, and it’s going to be fun,” he said.

Sherry listed the packed schedule, which stared with the New Year races on January 2. The Wairarapa Country Music Festival is next up from January 28 to 30, with about 5000 people expected to attend.

“It will be three days of good quality country music and some of New Zealand’s best acts,” he said.

More than 70 motor homes from all over New Zealand had already booked spots onsite for that event.

On January 29, classic cars from the Cruise Martinborough event would park up at the racecourse for the day.

The week after, the Waitangi Day race meet was scheduled for February 7. On March 6, the racecourse would host the first day of the Martinborough Fair, with the second day booked for April 3.

From March 11 to 13, the 121 Festival would rock the racecourse. Organisers of the three-day dance odyssey expected to have up to 5000 participants camp onsite.

On March 27, the Masterton Racing Club would have a meet and celebrate its 150th birthday at the same time.

“That’s quite some timeline and a lot of events,” Sherry said.

“It’s a real team effort. We have a good team here, and it turns into a beehive of activity. I just can’t wait for it all to happen.”

Cruise Martinborough cars alongside the Country Music Festival at Tauherenikau Racecourse last year. PHOTO/FILE

NIBBLE AWAY AT YOUR DOG REGO

Dog registration fees are due at the end of June, but there’s an easy way to take the pain away from payments. For as little as $5 a week, you can cover the cost of registration in instalments – and avoid late fees. Contact Masterton District Council’s Animal Services team to set up an automatic payment for dog registration fees. Phone 06 370 6300 or email animalservices@mstn.govt.nz, and don’t forget to update your contact details if they have changed.

january UPDATE

A Happy New Year to all our residents. I hope you’ve all had some time to enjoy the great weather over the break. There’s certainly been a lot of people out camping these holidays but everyone has largely been keeping tidy and being mindful of others, which is wonderful to see. A new year tends to give a fresh surge of energy to tackle the issues that lie before us. And it’s a great time to take stock. This is an election year for local government and a raft of important issues are up in the air. We’ve already mentioned the 3 Waters legislation which is currently taking time to gather more feedback from local government. This has a major effect on our plans for projects like Featherston’s new wastewater solution, so we hope matters can be finalised soon. Our combined district plan is also under review. Meanwhile, work continues back in South Wairarapa to meet local needs and plan ahead. The Council will spend the next few months finalising the budget for 2022/23. Our annual report, which shows what we achieved in 2020/21, will be out very soon. And our planners are about to begin the detailed master-planning work needed to flesh out our 30-year Spatial Plan, starting with Featherston. As we know, more and more people are moving to South Wairarapa and the Council is constantly having to plan for their arrival. Our resources aren’t unlimited, and that shapes our decisions. A key focus this year is to help more people understand how local government works and how they can have a voice. Finally, our district has had a number of Covid cases confirmed in recent days. I can only encourage people to keep up the important basics – scan, mask, keep your distance and wash your hands. Booster shots will be key to this so if it’s four months since your second shot, make sure you get it. Keep safe and have a great summer. Alex Beijen MAYOR

An interesting day every day

On a warm summer’s day, animal control officer Dan Curry is waiting with two gorgeous pups, picked up roaming a local street. The cute little guys are too young to be vaccinated so Dan wants to avoid having to put them in the pound. Luckily, he has been able to contact the owners due to the pups being already microchipped, and the owner is on the way. Dan has been with the Council since mid-2020. “I’ve always loved animals. Of all shapes and sizes. I don’t have any dogs of my own but the possibility of working with dogs and being out and about, it just sounded refreshing.” As well as protecting lost dogs, Dan also addresses reports of wandering stock and keeps an eye on coastal camping, with a smattering of bylaws litter enforcement on the side. It’s a people job. “I’ve found a lot of people are wary of council animal control enforcement, because I think they associate it with fines and the pound. That’s a part of it, and it’s a necessary part of it. “If it weren’t for fines and the education we provide when it comes to dog control, people wouldn’t learn and there’d be dogs everywhere. “But most people are really good dog owners. It’s only a small minority that come to our attention. “To me it’s what’s best for the dog. Just because we find your dog out wandering doesn’t mean it’s on a one-way trip to the pound. “If it’s registered, chipped and I can get hold of an owner and it’s not a dog that’s constantly coming to our attention, the first priority is to get it home.” Despite the odd tricky situation, Dan loves his job. “You deal with some difficult people from time to time, but I’m no stranger to that. It makes for an interesting day every day.” South Wairarapa has a very high level of dog registrations and most people know the rules. Sometimes Dan has to remind campers in Council reserves which allow freedom camping that dogs are not allowed. And owners sometimes forget that their dogs must be on a lead when they go for a walk in an urban area. It’s for everyone’s protection. “Even when you’re walking your dog in a rural area you still have to have a level of control. You need to be able to recall your dog to you and intervene if something happens.” Dan’s also a big advocate of micro-chipping which “eliminates all doubt” in ownership disputes. “If your dog’s chipped and loaded with that number, that provides all the proof we need that you are the verified owner.” Perhaps one of the most unusual calls Dan received last year was for a lost goat – fittingly at a goat cheese makers called Drunken Nanny. It appeared to be a pet but wasn’t keen to be caught. After 20 or 30 minutes, Dan managed to wrangle it into his van and contacted the SPCA which had two goats already of the same age. He believes they went to a new owner together - but not before everyone had had a good laugh.

Dan Curry with one of his more unusual pick-ups.

Creative arts grants

The Creative Communities Scheme supports and encourages local communities to create and present diverse opportunities for accessing and participating in arts activities within the South Wairarapa. Applications for the latest round of grants are open from 1 to 28 February 2022. Application forms and guidance are available from the SWDC libraries, Council reception in Martinborough and on the SWDC website at www.swdc.govt.nz/grants

February Meetings

PLANNING & REGULATORY COMMITTEE Wednesday, 2 February at 10am

Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas Street, Martinborough ASSETS AND SERVICES COMMITTEE Wednesday, 2 February at 12.30pm Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas Street, Martinborough MĀORI STANDING COMMITTEE Tuesday, 15 February at 6pm Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas Street, Martinborough FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK Wednesday, 16 February at 10am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas Street, Martinborough WAIRARAPA LIBRARY SERVICE Wednesday, 16 February at 2pm Maungaraki Room, Carterton Events Centre GREYTOWN COMMUNITY BOARD (via

Zoom) Wednesday, 16 February at 6pm FEATHERSTON COMMUNITY BOARD

(via Zoom) Tuesday, 22 February at 7pm COUNCIL Wednesday, 23 February at 10am Supper Room, Waihinga Centre, Texas Street, Martinborough WAIRARAPA COMBINED DISTRICT PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE Thursday, 24 February at 10am

Hurunui o Rangi Meeting Room, Carterton Events Centre MARTINBOROUGH COMMUNITY

BOARD (via Zoom) Thursday 24 February at 6.30pm

Harry Wilson CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Community board meetings will be conducted via audio-visual conference and livestreamed to our Youtube channel. Council and committee meetings will be held in venue in accordance with SWDC’s COVID-19 traffic light system. The latest meeting information and meeting agendas can be found at www. swdc.govt.nz. Public participation is welcome. If you wish to speak during the public participation session at any of the below meetings please phone 06 306 9611 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting or email enquiries@swdc.govt.nz.

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