Have you ever dreamt of developing your musical skills under a skilled vocal coach while performing with a professional choir? One that sings contemporary music, harmonising modern pop and classic rock songs? Well, you’re in luck. The recently rebranded Gisborne Vocal Collective, directed by Letitia Lindeque, is seeking to expand its membership and develop into a professional choir, with ambitions to perform locally. You don’t need to know how to read music. All you need is the ability to sing in tune, and Letitia, using her expertise as a singer and 17 years as a vocal coach, guides the rest. “I teach people how to harmonise... I'm not just giving them a part and saying, ‘You sing this.’ I'm actually teaching them how to hear harmonies and how to use their voice,” Letitia says. As I sit with Letitia in her home studio on Russell Street, with guitars and various vocal pedagogy books lining the walls, her passion and knowledge for developing people’s voices are tangible - and her embodiment of music is clear. She flows between speaking and singing as she describes her teaching methods and the choir's repertoire, which so far includes beloved hits such as Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" and Bill Withers’s "Lean on Me." While “no two voices are identical”, Letitia believes anyone with a “functional voice” can learn to sing. She says, “Look at a guitar. It can do a lot of amazing things depending on who plays it.” The guitar can be used to play any genre; however, it is limited by the skill set of the person playing it. The same principle applies to the voice, Letitia states. “I teach the voice like an instrument…I help you to develop your instrument so that you can sing whatever you want.” She describes the Gisborne Vocal Collective as “unique” and not what you normally imagine when you hear the word ‘choir,’ as they do not sing classically. They will be similar in “sound and feel” to the Leeds Contemporary Pop Choir, Letitia explains, showing a video of the 50-plus vocalists performing a vibrant rendition of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” on Britain's Got Talent. Think of the Rock Choir, or Glee, but with more group singing. There will also be opportunities for solos and for musical instruments. The choir will mostly use high-quality backing tracks; however, at times, they will also sing a cappella. Speaking about the diverse repertoire, Letitia notes the group will perform jazz standards such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by The Mamas and the Papas, pop hits like Sia’s “Titanium”, rock anthems like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and even musical theatre numbers. The collective started in February and has 11 members so far, but they want to grow it. In a promotional video (attached below), current members report that, in addition to improving their vocal skills and making new friends, they’ve also experienced greater confidence using their voices and joy when singing together. Letitia says everyone shares an ambition to perform when they’re ready, and as the group progresses, there could be chances to join the NZ Choral Federation and enter singing competitions. The choir welcomes anyone aged 14 and upwards, from experienced singers to those returning to singing or those who have always wanted to give it a go. “You’re never too old to join!” The Gisborne Vocal Collective meets Tuesday, 6.00-7.30 pm, at the Poverty Bay Bowling Club, 111 Ormond Road during school terms, and costs $150 per term with the first 2 sessions free. Contact Letitia Lindeque on 0211 396 297 or email letitialindeque@gmail.com Curious what it’s like to be part of the collective? Hear from the members themselves below.

Creating cleaner, greener urban spaces doesn't always begin with large-scale projects. Sometimes it starts with something as familiar as your local dairy. The Tairāwhiti Environment Centre's (TEC) Keep Tairāwhiti Beautiful initiative is helping refresh neighbourhood streetscapes through practical, community-led action that makes it easier for people to care for the places we all share. Where better to begin than the local dairy? Found in almost every neighbourhood, dairies are some of the most used community spaces making them the natural place to begin. The Keep Tairāwhiti Beautiful project began when TEC invited dairy owners with planter boxes outside their stores to take part in the kaupapa. Existing planter boxes, originally installed to support dairy owners following a rise in ram raids, had gradually become makeshift seats, bins, and ashtrays. Rather than starting from scratch, TEC worked alongside dairy owners to refresh them with new soil, seasonal flowers and practical guidance, creating the foundation for Keep Tairāwhiti Beautiful. Nearby residents are encouraged to awhi the planters, creating a shared sense of care, while a new partnership with Strive Rehab will see next season's flowers propagated and grown by Strive clients before being planted across Tairāwhiti. Steph, Hub Coordinator at Tairāwhiti Environment Centre, said this project is all about making awhi for our shared spaces more visible. "After a tough few years, we wanted to help shift the focus from what's wrong with our streets to what we can do together to care for them. Small actions, repeated often, can completely change how a place feels." As this project got underway, it became clear to Steph that further opportunities could be added to this project. "The gardens were looking great, but litter was still finding its way into these spaces, even where bins were nearby. We realised there was another simple way we could support people who wanted to help care for their neighbourhoods." This led to the realisation of the next stage of the project. Each participating dairy received a litter picking kit including a picking tool, buckets and hi-vis vests. As interest in the project grew, participation expanded from the original 11 dairies to many more across Tairāwhiti, with kura and preschools also joining the kaupapa. For dairies without the space for planter boxes, the kits provide another way to contribute to cleaner, more welcoming streets. In total, the project has enabled 100 litter-picking kits to be distributed throughout the community. To encourage even more people to get involved, 15 kits are also available for members of the public to borrow from the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre. But the project didn’t stop there. Steph recognised another opportunity to connect people with the journey litter takes once it leaves our streets. "We wanted to help make that connection between our streets, our awa and our moana. Sometimes seeing where stormwater goes is all it takes to understand why every piece of litter matters." And so began the third stage of the Keep Tairāwhiti Beautiful project. Working alongside Gisborne District Council, Mountains to Sea, and Enviroschools, TEC is installing 100 blue fish beside stormwater drains across town. These bright blue fish create a simple visible reminder that anything that goes down a stormwater drain flows directly in our awa or moana. The initiative extends across neighbourhoods, parks, industrial areas, busy public spaces and up to 30 schools and kura. Moreover, many locations also feature signs carrying the message "You love the awa? You love the moana? Anything dropped here, washes straight there! See it. Pick it up!" There’s even an online map showing locations of the fish installed so far. Getting involved in this kaupapa is easy. Get picking. Borrow a litter kit from the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre and help give your local street a little extra care. Talk to your local dairy owner, or Steph at TEC, if you're keen to help awhi the flowers in the planter boxes Get educated. Keep an eye out for the blue fish around town. Tell your friends and whānau why they are there and keep learning about the connection between our streets and waterways. Get tagging. Share your efforts by using #keeptairawhitibeautiful to help inspire others! Tairāwhiti Environment Centre is open Tuesday – Friday, 9 am – 3 pm (5pm on Thursdays). Stop in to have a yarn and a cuppa; they are always accepting of new volunteers and good ideas. Visit: 386 Palmerston Road Phone: 06 867 4708 Email: info@tairawhitienviro.nz Website: https://www.tairawhitienviro.nz/ One of the #keeptairawhitibeautiful fish, located outside Cotton On, on Gladstone Road. Steph (far right) and the team at Strive who are already underway planning for the next growing season.

Check out the offerings from these fine local activity providers who will keep the young ones entertained and engaged during the Winter Holidays! Tōnui Collab STEMM Workshops: TŌNUI Collab invites young people to explore the diversity of STEMM* through innovative and collaborative exploration and experimentation. *Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Mātauranga Māori 7 - 13 years old Tōnui Collab, 466 Childers Road, Te Hapara 9 am - 3 pm each day, need to bring morning tea, lunch and a drink Online bookings and workshop details, www.tonuicollab.com admin@tonuicollab.com 0800 8 TONUI Virtual Reality - Monday 6th July Game Development - Tuesday 7th July 3D Modelling - Wednesday 8th July Digital Art - Thursday 9th July Free Holiday Fun @ The HB Williams Memorial Library Nga mahi kei te haere | What’s on @ the HB Williams Memorial Library Parents and caregivers bring your coffee and kids down to the library for some free fun holiday activities that will keep the kids occupied and off their devices. These sessions are drop-in based and run from 10.00am – 11.30am Monday to Friday. All children must be accompanied by an adult during the sessions. Library Hunt - Te Huna o Matariki Scavenger Hunt Monday, July 6 – Saturday, July 18 Search the library for clues to solve the hidden sentence. Once you have solved the hidden sentence, fill in your details to enter the draw to win a prize Wiki Tuatahi | Week One - All activities run from 10.00am – 11.30am Monday 6 July - Star Gazer Make a star gazer with us. Easy craft for the kids that will get them viewing the star constellations like a pro. Suitable for all ages Tuesday 7 July - Keemū Māori with Whitiora Tairāwhiti Nin from Whitiora Tairāwhiti will be at the library to teach us some fun traditional māori games in celebration of Matariki. For ages 7+ Also check out our “Matariki Herenga Waka” whānau night from 5 pm-7pm, see here for full details. Wednesday 8 July - Whatu | Tukutuku Whatu is a technique used to weave Māori cloaks. We'll be learning the very basic single whatu. Requires patience. Suitable for 8+ years. We'll have other paper weaving crafts for younger children. Thursday 9 July - Storytime & Waiata Mai This year's Matariki theme, "Matariki Herenga Waka", is all about inclusion and encouraging all people to celebrate Matariki together. With that in mind, join us for a fun Matariki story for the kids and waiata for all the whānau. Suitable for all ages Friday 10 July - CLOSED FOR MATARIKI Wiki Tuarua | Week Two - All activities run from 10.00 am – 11.30 am Monday 13 July - Matariki Remembrance Stars Matariki is a time to honour, remember, and cherish our loved ones, so we're making remembrance stars to dedicate to Pohutukawa Suitable for all ages (young children will need a little help from an adult) Tuesday 14 July- Manu Aute Manu aute are traditional Māori kites made from natural resources. We'll be making our contemporary versions of these. Fun craft for all the kids. Suitable for all ages Wednesday 15 July - Matariki Lanterns Easy, fun craft for the kids. Create a lantern to take home to hang and light up at night. Suitable for all ages Thursday 16 July - Parachute Competition Up for a challenge? Can you turn a newspaper into a parachute to save a falling object? If you think you can, then join us for a morning of fun! Suitable for all ages Friday 17 July - Rattle Drum Make a rattle drum! Unleash your creativity with this fun and easy craft using recycled materials. Suitable for all ages Pine Hollow Riding School / Riverview Treks Pine Hollow’s holiday programme runs during the holidays, giving kids plenty of fun-filled days with treks, pony rides, and lessons. The programme runs: Monday 6th July to Thursday 9 July. Friday, 10th July, is a public holiday. Sunday lessons etc Monday 13 July to Friday 17th July. Sunday lessons etc Holiday program $65 per day If you require the minivan, please book at the time of booking - Pick up by the Tav 8.50 am and drop off ia at 4 pm. If you're bringing out to Pine Hollow, drop off is at 9.15 and pick up is at 3.30 When booking, please ensure you choose your days correctly, as there is a cancellation policy. Bank details are Pine Hollow 06-0637-0264724-00. Please use the child's name as a reference. Please contact Jacquie on 0277491629 or pm/text or email pinehollowridingschool@gmail.com Tairāwhiti Museum - Holiday Programme For more info and to register, head over to our friends at the Tairawhiti Museum reception. Kiwi Pools - Holiday Programme Alternating between Inflatables, starting with large - (Sat–Thu) Large: 10 am–3 pm Small: 11 am–3 pm Plus bombing every hour (15 mins) Waterworld Week 1 Fri + Week 2 Sat–Sun: 10 am–6 pm Aqua Kids Wed (Week 1 & 2) + Fri (Week 1 & 2): 11am–12pm Week 3 (Sat & Sun) Artemis Games: Dungeons & Dragons Holiday Programme Young adventurers aged 8+ are invited to dive into the world of Dungeons & Dragons during these school holidays. Learn character creation, paint a miniature, develop roleplaying skills, and embark on an epic tabletop adventure. Suitable for beginners and experienced players alike, with expert Dungeon Masters guiding the journey. 7th & 8th of July from 10 am - 4 pm each day - $60 PP *The 8th will be the full-day D&D session - this one will be suitable for either more experienced players or those who've gone through the beginner session the previous day. Message/Call Artemis Games via https://web.facebook.com/ArtemisGamesNZ or https://artemisgames.co.nz/ Commet Swimming Club Holiday Programme Flippa Ball Winter Holiday Camp Winter Holiday Flippa Ball Camp Open to Year 5–8 students, bring your mates along for a few days of fun, games, and water polo action at Kiwa Pools. $15 per session $20 for both