Leading up to the free whānau Matariki Concert being held at the Whirikoka Campus of Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Saturday, July 3 Merle Walker took the opportunity to talk to some of the artists who will be gracing the stage about the reason for the season, Matariki. Merle asked the questions: 1. As a Māori artist and producer within the music industry, how important is it for you to be able to celebrate Matariki not only through your mahi, but also as an individual? 2. As of 2022 we get to move forward as a nation by implementing Matariki as an annual holiday. This will be the first traditional Māori event recognised with the mainstream calendar. What impact do you see this having within the Music Industry, positive or negative? Tyna Keelan Tyna Keelan is a local artist, musician and producer who has been working in the music industry for years. This multi award-winning artist continues to create and produce his own music, while currently working at Te Wananga o Aotearoa as a Tutor and mentoring rangatahi when he has time. “Matariki is an important time in my calendar for a number of reasons. Being Māori and from Ngāti Porou we celebrate our uniqueness and our knowledge or maturanga that makes us special. “As an artist I find Matariki a great time to be creative and work on new projects. I tend to be busy at this time of the year as well with shows and projects so that's cool”. “I can see that there will be a lot of opportunities for Māori artists to exhibit their work regardless of medium, but most importantly it's a chance to share our culture and normalize this important taonga for all New Zealanders”. Tama Waipara While many of us will have encountered Tama as the CEO & Artistic Director of Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival, he is of course also an Award-winning Artist, Singer/Songwriter and Composer. What a treat to be able to experience Tama performing at the Matariki Concert on Saturday… “Over the years Matariki has become an important time for artists to gather, to share new ideas, to recognise the ups and downs and to remember those who have passed on. There was a time when I knew absolutely nothing about Matariki so I feel fortunate there are those who have opened up this Mātauranga for us all to explore”. “Mostly positive I think. The season of Matariki is one opportunity to celebrate who we are as Māori but it’s not the only season. Being Māori is a year round celebration. Musicians are often busy at this time as well as the summer so it’s a great way to map out times of the year for different kaupapa. I don’t know what impact it will have on the industry but I feel very positive about the growth of our Reo Māori artists and young performers coming through who see and embrace a totally different way of making their way in the world”. LEON DAVEY Leon is a multi-talented guitarist, drummer, percussionist, songwriter and producer, and is a member of one of Aotearoa’s favourite reggae bands, KATCHAFIRE. “Honestly, it’s only because I am a musician that I celebrate Matariki at all, otherwise it would probably just be another day! “As an individual, I’m only starting to learn about my culture and language, my upbringing was very strict, and very religious. Also me and my wife have just started studying Te Reo Māori at Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Hamilton, we’re hoping to be able to converse with each other in the next 3 years. “And of course, the more I learn the more I will understand the importance of Matariki. “The fact that Matariki is going to be recognised as a public holiday in 2022 makes me so proud to be Māori. You know, people are gonna have a hard time stopping this movement, because we just won’t stop fighting until we have all that was taken from us, and until we have total equality. We lead the world in the resurgence of culture & language. Damn it feels good to be Māori! Lol!” “Any step forward with our language and culture is only good, because not only will it open the rest of the country to just how beautiful our language and culture is, but it will teach other countries in the world how to live as a nation by respecting each other’s language and culture”. Philly Tarawa Philly is the Program Director and a radio announcer on Turanga FM on a show called ‘The Switch Up’ from 10am to 2pm weekdays. He is also a part of local emerging band Supreme Brother Sound who will be releasing their first EP on July 14th and have a release party soon after on the 24th of July at The Dome. “Matariki is a time of reflection and a time where whānau come together to celebrate the year that was and start working on a year that is about to grace us. It is hugely important for us to use this time to heal the Wairua, the Tinana and the Hinengaro going forward. These things are what are important to me and my whānau, moving forward. “This is going to be huge not only for us as a nation but us as Māori people, for so many years we have put all our kaupapa Māori on the back burner and it’s about time our kaupapa get recognition. It’s about time we normalise this kaupapa so that we as Māori can use this space to uplift our culture and support all artists in all mediums, here in Aotearoa”. Story by Merle Walker Photographs supplied

A couple of years ago Kevin Pewhairangi and partner Kasey Brown were up in Gisborne, visiting from Wellington, where they were settled and raising their three sons. While they were here they saw a young mum pushing her pram through the rain, and upon stopping their car to see if they could help, found out that she was walking to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription. They picked her and her child up and took her to the pharmacy, but the situation played on their minds and ended up being one of those moments that was to change the course of their lives. Kevin, Te Whānau a Ruataupare, grew up in Tokomaru Bay and had worked in the David Moore Pharmacy attached to the old De Lautour Medical Centre in his early days of being a pharmacist. Since living away in Wellington, the De Latour Road Medical Centre had moved to become Three Rivers, and while a new bunch of doctors had started a new medical centre in its place, the pharmacy premises had remained vacant. Kevin and Kasey, who is also a pharmacist, were well aware that the young mum they had encountered was only one of many locals without their own transport who would have been feeling the loss of a pharmacy in the neighbourhood. The seed had been planted. In Wellington, Kevin and Kasey’s daily commutes were 1 ½ and 2 hours respectively, leaving only weekends for family time with their boys. They knew that coming home to Gisborne would enable more time with their young family. They could also see that a Maori-run pharmacy would only benefit the hapū and iwi of Te Tairāwhiti. And so it was that they became business owners just over two years ago, opening Horouta Pharmacy in the very same place Kevin had first worked as a Pharmacist. Kasey is also a pharmacist; a Wellington-born Samoan. She specialises in clinical pharmacy and works part time at Hauora Tairāwhiti, providing back up at Horouta Pharmacy when needed. Horouta Pharmacy then is uniquely positioned as a whanau/fanau-friendly pharmacy improving access to free professional healthcare and advice in its community. The role of a pharmacist is changing. More than just counting tablets now, pharmacies can give vaccinations and some can prescribe. Kevin understands how important pharmacy access is in ensuring that medical care and treatment are followed up with after people see their doctor and it’s particularly important to him that Māori and Pasifika people have a pharmacy that meets their needs. Horouta has a distinctly Māori and Pasifika flavour, in fact it’s the only Māori-Samoan owned Pharmacy in the country. This means you’re more likely to find Toi Māori than glamour stuff on the walls and shelves with locally-made kete and earrings and colourful harakeke potae alongside the popular Manutuke Herbs range, which originated here in the Tairāwhiti. Customers can kōrero with the pharmacist in te reo and Kevin is working towards fluency in te reo across all of his staff. Which brings us to another local, who has been a significant force in enabling Kevin to realise his dreams over the past two years of being a business owner. Kevin and Kasey had started out with an accountant who specialised in pharmacies, but they weren’t local and they didn’t hear from them until their taxes were due. Then along came James Burn, who had recently started a small business himself. While he was offering accounting services, he took a very different approach to the usual ‘distant accountant’. The starting point taken by James was to find out what Kevin and Kasey’s goals were, not just in their business, but their personal aspirations too. And so the financial plan they devised alongside James was built around them spending time with their boys and using their skills to help our people both locally and nationally. Kevin sits on advisory groups working with Pharmac, the Ministry of Health, and providing a Māori perspective on issues such as the Covid vaccine. Kasey is the Pacific Advisor to Otago’s School of Pharmacy and Kevin is the President of the Māori Pharmacists' Association. James’ role as their accountant is to give them the tools to reach their goals. They get a financial report every two months and James calls up to discuss how they are going. They find his reporting easy to follow, which shows them the areas they are doing well in, and those that need attention. Empowering staff is important to Kevin, having positive memories of being looked after and a part of the team at David Moore Pharmacy under David Moore’s mentorship and support. They aspire for their staff to be fluent in Te Reo Māori, and are currently supporting their pharmacy technician to attend reo classes to learn. As one of only 2% of pharmacists who are Māori, Kevin is adamant that the healthcare system needs change. He visits kura kaupapa to encourage rangitahi to consider pharmacy as a career and makes an effort to be at the table on advisory groups. He knows his day to day experiences need to be represented in those spaces, often dominated by an older and retired demographic. Meanwhile, Kevin finds James Burn a good partner when it comes to helping him to keep it real in his own business. He says that James provides a personal touch that is usually lacking when it comes to finances, and Kevin likes it that their meetings take place at James’ home. They’re doing coaching sessions to plan for the year ahead, looking at past performance and the direction they’re heading, to make sure they’re on track to meet their goals. And when he’s not in the pharmacy, planning with James or advising on boards, Kevin is probably jamming with his band, SuperFly Killa. You can find their EP on Spotify, and surely catch them live at a gig sometime soon?! Once they’ve finished recording their next EP perhaps.. And make sure you visit Horouta Pharmacy next time you’re in the neighbourhood, for a refreshingly local experience of the pharmacy model. Thanks to our wonderful sponsor and accountant with the mostest, JBA Accountants & Business Advisors for getting us in touch with this inspiring local business and the choice humans behind it! Story by Leah McAneney & Sarah Cleave Photograph by Sarah Cleave

A story about Coasty Kidds might have any number of beginnings. It might for example, start with the interviewer turning up to the Coasty Kidds store and spending the first half hour or so having yarns with Dion’s dad, Busby Akuhata - who might just be the original coasty kid himself. It was Busby who taught Dion to dive when he was seven years old, and listening to these two talk diving yielded a pretty good insight as to how Dion had ended up on his chosen path. It would be equally as fitting to start a story about Coasty Kidds with the word ‘partnership’. Dion attributes his partner in life and business, Reremoana with “getting the gears grinding in [his] head” early on in their relationship, and keeping Coasty Kidds evolving and growing into itself ever since. Dion says it was Reremoana who helped him to see the value in all of the experience and knowledge he had accumulated over the years he’s spent in the moana; who eventually convinced him it was worth sharing. A story about Coasty Kidds might begin with some conjecture about when Coasty Kidds actually began.. Was it nine years ago when Dion was working as a commercial diver in the Hawkes Bay and created the Instagram handle ‘Coasty Kidd’ to represent his connection to the Coast? Or was it when Reremoana finally said to Dion something along the lines of “You know that Coasty Kidds kaupapa you’ve been talking about for years, well I’ve started the Facebook page, so now you’ve got to get some content in there”. Which brings us to the starting point that feels most apt for a story about Coasty Kidds, which is that of its kaupapa. Coasty Kidds is about sharing knowledge, values and tikanga about diving and the moana. As a commercial diver, Dion has seen too many people die from preventable dive accidents, “I wanted that badly when I came back to Gisborne, for no one else to die diving. Freediving is the most common dive practice around the world and most people don’t ever learn how to do it safely”. So Coasty Kidds began with education. The pair shared social media posts about diver safety, gathering and preparing kaimoana, about respecting tangaroa. Dion started providing dive training and branched out into supplying dive gear so that he could reach and help educate people when they came in to buy equipment too. Dion is the only qualified freedive instructor from Tauranga to Wellington and is also currently testing a pilot course for children through schools, ‘Tamariki of the Tides,’ which helps kids build a foundation of safety and confidence in the water, and learn how to be kaitiaki of our moana. Then, in November 2019, Reremoana shared a social media post of their whānau wearing the Coasty Kidds branded towel ponchos she had recently made for them. They were immediately bombarded with people wanting to buy them. So Reremoana and Dion set up a small-scale factory in their lounge and, joined by Dion’s brother, his partner and other friends that happened to drop in, everyone chipped in with the cutting out, and piecing together of parts ready for Reremoana to stitch together on her machine. That first run of towel ponchos sold out within an hour of posting them on Facebook and so began Coasty Kidds’ evolution into a lifestyle brand. These days the Coasty Kidds shop is brimming with merchandise designed and even made here in Gisborne, and there’s a winter range on its way. Dion says it had never occurred to him that people would ever be wearing their stuff, but supposes it’s what happens when you put fashion and diving together. From the outside looking in though, I’d venture that it’s more than that. For sure, Coasty Kidds is hearty, and like Dion jokes, heaps of people are happy to hold onto that idea of being a kid at heart, but this isn’t just your average apparel brand with a few fashionable values tacked on for good measure… Coasty Kidds has a meaningful and relatable kaupapa and not just for us here on the East Coast. Dion reckons they get photos from all around the country of people wearing their gears and he has realised that it’s not just people from around here that consider themselves Coasties; we’re all kids of the coast in New Zealand. This story about a creative, kaupapa-driven local business which continues to evolve and grow, looks and sounds pretty rosy right? A little bit like a starry eyed couple - a diver and a designer - who jumped in their waka and let the current lead them straight to fame and fortune? I wouldn’t be doing their story any justice if we were to leave things there, so let us continue... Dion tells me he dropped out of school when he was 13 or 14 years old. He describes learning at school as being ‘in the too-hard basket’ and as “nothing really processing”. It has only really been since meeting Reremoana that he has been able to recognise that he has really good ideas and knows how to carry things out, but when it comes to putting them down onto paper or trying to fit them into the system that we’re living within that he finds not only difficult, but actually, often impossible. The Freediving Course for example, that Dion had to do in order to become an instructor - he describes that day as the hardest of his life. Of course, having been a diver his whole life, he knew all the answers, but he didn’t know how to answer questions in the way he was required and so he failed that test the first time around. It has only been very recently that Dion went to a psychiatrist in order to try and understand why his brain works the way it does and a diagnosis of ADHD has come as something of a relief. Learning about why his brain is always going a million miles an hour and why every day is so draining is helping him with acceptance and motivating him to learn ways to better cope. “If I’d known this years ago, my life would have been way different” he says. Dion can also see how his neuro-diversity has probably enabled him to do things that other people might not manage so easily. He talks about how he could stay in the water for 8 hour days when he was on the reality TV Show, ‘Gold Hunters’ and is starting to appreciate the way it enables him to keep continually evolving Coasty Kidds, even though it is also taxing on him and his whānau. He can say now, “I’m good with people but not with the books” and know why that might be, rather than simply feeling bad about it. He’s starting to learn about how he best learns. Dion’s neuro-diversity may also go some way towards explaining what may look from the outside at least to be some kind of superhuman drive that has kept Reremoana and himself moving from the early days when Dion was still working in forestry, would get back from bush to open shop from 4:30pm and would work until late. Dion and Reremoana’s baby was born just 4 days after opening the Coasty Kidds store and soon after that Lockdown hit. Their supporters kept them going with online purchases through lockdown and after lockdown the pair sold their house, bought a caravan, and then lived off the grid in Pouawa over summer. Reremoana was hapu again and their baby learnt to walk at the beach. It was a chance to really test their mettle as true Coasty Kidds. “It’s been a crazy journey” says Dion and the pair are showing no signs of slowing down for anything or anyone. As their new baby’s due date draws closer, Reremoana has launched a new American Vintage Store out the back of Coasty Kidds. Dion is exploring Gyotaku, an art form, which remembers and respects a fish’s life by printing it, a nod to his own Cantonese ancestry and he is currently doing his Level One training, which once completed will enable him to teach people to dive to 20 metres. All driven by a single-minded passion to empower people with the confidence, the right gear and ability to provide kai for themselves and their wider communities indefinitely. It’s inspiring to find kaupapa-driven businesses like this, and not surprising to see it thriving when it’s built as it is on the stuff that matters.. No one’s saying it’s easy, but neither did anyone ever say it was meant to be, eh… Thanks for doing what you’re doing Dion and Reremoana - hearty as, you two! You can follow the adventures of the Coasty Kidds whānau on Instagram @coasty_kidds and Facebook @coastykidds. Story by Sarah Cleave Photographs supplied by Coasty Kidds

Creating an animation about mental health for our community was a daunting prospect. The topic is so weighty, because the outcomes can be so devastating. But, if we normalise, destigmatise and learn more about mental health, then we can save lives. If we keep talking about it, keep saying ‘it’s okay to not be okay’, then we’re more likely to reach out to each other during challenging times. We’re more likely to prioritise our mental well-being and take time off when we need to. I want mental health normalised to the point where it feels just as easy and acceptable to stay home for your mental health, as it is to stay home with a cold, migraine or physical injury. I want people to feel safe to talk about feeling fear, self-doubt, inadequacy and shame and to know that it’s okay to not be okay. Resources for support here in the Tairāwhiti: Call 111 in an emergency FACE TO FACE Te Waharoa (previously Te Kuwatawata) Free to drop in - no appointment needed 26 Peel Street, (opposite the library) Gisborne 8.30am to 4pm weekdays Phone: (06) 868 3550 Pinnacle Health Referral through your GP doctor I Am Hope Go to iamhope.org.nz and click ‘I Want Help’ then scroll down to ‘Choose a Counsellor’ and type in Gisborne. ONLINE / PHONE 1731 Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained mental health and addiction professional Lifeline 0800 54 33 54 to speak to a counsellor, available 24/7 (or free text HELP to 4357). www.lifeline.org.nz Depression Helpline 0800 111 757 or text 4202. https://depression.org.nz Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends. Kidsline 0800 54 37 54 for children aged 5 to 18 years. Those who ring between 4-9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy - specially trained teenage telephone counsellors. 0800 WHATSUP Children's helpline - 0800 9428 787, available between 1-10pm on weekdays and from 3-10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7-10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz. Animation and story by Steph Barnett (ONO Project)

Sandra Groves recently stopped by the Tairawhiti Environment Centre to catch up with the Centre Manager Rena Kohere to learn about Te Rea, the Tairāwhiti Agroecology Recovery Programme, funded through The Ministry for the Environment and Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature. The idea behind Jobs for Nature is to help revitalise communities through nature-based employment and stimulate the economy post-COVID-19 on both private and public conservation land. Here in the Tairāwhiti local kaimahi are restoring their whenua, waterways and protecting native species through Te Rea. The programme is a collaborative venture of whānau, hapu and iwi, the Department of Conservation, Ministry for the Environment and Tairāwhiti Environment Centre and is supported by a range of government agencies, working towards catchment restoration. Te Rea came about after an eight-week pilot funded by the COVID-19 redeployment Provincial Development Fund, with two whanau groups working in Mangatu and Ruatorea. Since October Te Rea has grown to 8 whānau/hapu teams and 62 kaimahi (workers). Talking to Rena, the focus is on supporting whānau to undertake kaitiakitanga on their whenua and encouraging an ongoing commitment to Taiao, the environment, in our rohe. Many of the kaimahi are already used to working on the land, having come from other fields like forestry or farming. With the support of various specialists, kaimahi are gaining new practical skills and qualifications and increasing their knowledge of other environmental areas through a mix of both theory and hands-on experience. While The Environment Centre is the hub for business development support for Te Rea, ensuring funding best practice and safety, whānau set their own work plan and focus, depending on whānau and hapu aspirations for their whenua. The team in Ruatorea for example have a strong background in fencing, and have added pest monitoring and control to their skillset. Te Wairoa at Te Araroa started by maintaining the Project Crimson plantings at Matahi Marae and protecting a pingao population that was at risk from stock and invasive weeds. The Uawa team came with the skills and passion for water monitoring and their taonga species, the tuna, and have shared these skills with the other teams through wananga. Kaimahi benefit from regular wananga with each other and local experts as well as formal training and qualifications through EIT. Skill sharing is crucial and the teams have learnt from Dr Wayne Ngata about matauranga Māori and Taiao, Tina Ngata on freshwater monitoring and have had Graeme Atkins, Joe Waikari and Trudi Ngawhare from the Department of Conservation sharing knowledge about their work in the region. Ripeka Irwin, Team Lead for the Te Wairoa Team in Te Araroa, is a big advocate for Jobs For Nature. She says that joining the programme was a far cry from working as a subcontractor for the Council doing amenity maintenance. She has enjoyed the variety of work and focusing on ‘what needs help’, whether it is the land, river or sea. Her introduction to Taiao mahi, or environmental work, was at Matahi Marae on the East Cape, maintaining Project Crimson plantings, shelter windbreaks of native trees, pest control and monitoring. Right now, she is at the Peka Block Awatere building a native nursery and vegetable garden which will bring an abundance of food for the community and security of supply of native species for further restoration work. Ripeka says it was while in lockdown last year that she realised the value of these kinds of resources and since doing this mahi her biggest learning has been to slow down, to care about the environment and appreciate what is around her. Ripeka is hoping the Jobs For Nature funding will continue, as her dream is to carry on doing this mahi and involve even more people in the community. Te Rea reflects the region’s demographics, with many young people getting the opportunity to work for the environment and gain skills and knowledge at the same time. 95% of the 62 kaimahi are Māori, 37 were previously unemployed, and 17 are under the age of 25. 35 of the kaimahi are completely new to this kind of work but have quickly become some of the strongest advocates for the protection and restoration of our environment. Rena says this is one of the reasons Te Rea pushed to get funding throughout the coast. This work is important in a region such as ours, which is so dependent on primary industry and therefore our environment. In order to grow as a region and achieve our environmental restoration goals we also need to invest in growing our people as well. Te Rea has the potential to be transformational for mana whenua as well as our Taiao and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact this incredible initiative will have well into the future. The 8 teams are: Te Wairoa at Te Araroa Ruatorea with Hikurangi Enterprises Taniwha Connections at Uawa Whaia Titirangi at Titirangi Maunga with Ngati Oneone Te Ao Tipu at Tarere Marae, Makauri Maungarongo at Matawhero with Nga Uri o Te Kooti Mangatu with Nga Ariki Kaiputahi Te Mahia with Rongomaiwahine Iwi Trust Story by Sandra Groves

Meet Dylan Haley, a guy with an infectious laugh and the organiser of the monthly Far Out Film Nights at the Dome Cinema. Dylan grew up in Berkeley, California, a city well-known for its liberalism. An epicentre of the anti-Vietnam war and Free Speech movements of the 60’s in the US, Berkeley has kept that tradition of radical politics and challenging the status quo to this day. “It’s a pretty groovy place” says Dylan that most people born there never leave. But Dylan did leave, initially to go to art school in New York and then to Los Angeles to “surround himself with artists”. It was while he was living in L.A. that Dylan met Sarah, a Kiwi lass who had ended up immersed in the music industry, starting out DJing in bars and moving into music licencing, with a role placing music in film and Television. Whilst Dylan still sometimes feels as if being here in Gisborne is some kind of happy accident, the pair made a conscious decision to ditch the rat race and find a place to raise a family of their own. With Sarah’s family all living here, Gisborne was that perfect place and Dylan reckons that in some ways Gisborne and Berkeley share a similar vibe in some ways; a special kind of soul that you don’t just find anywhere. Since moving to Gisborne five years ago Dylan says he’s been educated on all sorts of things from beekeeping to growing vegetables to fence building, and he’s enjoyed growing friendships built upon shared interests in music and art. However he’d been here for a while when he started to realise how much he was missing chewing the fat about film with other people who were as excited about it as he was. For Dylan it was time living next to some excellent video stores, first in NY and then LA that really got him into watching movies. It was always something of a solitary endeavour until the company Dylan did graphic design for opened a film distribution wing; restoring old films, repackaging them and redistributing them. Dylan started doing the poster design for the films - something he continues doing to this day - and finding himself surrounded by film nerds, his appreciation for film and talking about it with others, was thoroughly entrenched. In his early days of Gisborne living Dylan would wander over to the Ballance Street Village to grab some lunch from the bakery. He’d often stop by at Retro, to yarn with Ro Darrall. When Sally from the Dome Cinema also showed up at the shop on one of those occasions, Ro prompted Dylan to share his idea for a regular film night showing classic films with her. Sally was sold, and in true Gizzy-styles, Far Out Film Night was born. So what is Far Out Film Night? Each month Dylan chooses a film from his own personal catalogue of favourites. He goes for films that have stood the test of time but that are also somehow a little fringe-y, left of centre, usually with some kind of anti-hero theme, and always with substance. Getting the rights to screen any particular film is an exercise which can have Dylan communicating directly with the family of deceased filmmakers or the original film producers and it’s a part of the process he enjoys. On the night Dylan introduces the film, touching on anything from the social or political history which may have shaped the film, to the backgrounds of particular actors, fun facts about the director or the likes. He is passionate about the films he shows, as an intentional curation of some of the best films that have ever been made. He especially relishes seeing old films on the big screen, likening the experience to time machine travel into the past. For Dylan the Far Out Film Nights have achieved his own personal goal in finding people to talk film with, with some of the regulars soon becoming firm friends, and for Gisborne people, it’s an opportunity to enrich both our cultural and social lives; an opportunity to step out of our own lives for a couple of hours to experience someone else’s reality, in another time and place. Far Out Film Night is on the last Tuesday of the month (that’s tonight!) at the Dome Cinema. The doors open for pizza and toasty hang outs from 5pm and the film starts at 6:30pm. Bookings are essential (027 590 2117) because these nights are pretty popular! Tonight’s film is a documentary about the life of pianist and jazz great, Thelonious Sphere Monk. Featuring live performances by Monk and his band, and interviews with friends and family about the offbeat genius, Dylan reckons this is another banger of a film! Bonus Hot Tips from Dylan: #1 If you are searching for something quality to watch on Netflix right now, look for the film Crip Camp. Not only does it prominently feature Dylan’s hometown, he reckons it will have you remembering what we are all here for. #2 If you’re wanting to break free of Netflix you might want to check out streaming platform mubi.com - comparable in price to other platforms, available in NZ and good for films in particular. You can follow the Far Out Film Night on Instagram @far.out.film.night Story and photo by Sarah Cleave

Why isn't housing part of the Long Term Plan? Tūranganui-a-kiwa has a housing crisis. The problem may be nation-wide, but it is amplified here. House prices locally have gone up faster in this latest boom than almost any other part of the country. There is basically nothing to rent. And of the one or two properties that might be available at any given moment on TradeMe, they are more than a rip off; the prices are unconscionable. Sure, if you're on the right side of the divide there's no problem. You've just been given tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, without having to lift a finger. But if you're on the wrong side of the divide, the prospect of owning a house just vanished. You might be sleeping at your relative’s house, staying in overcrowded accommodation, or have flatmates you don’t want. If you’re lucky enough to have a rental, your rental payments are almost certainly higher than your landlord’s mortgage repayments; so to top it all off, your landlord is almost effortlessly accumulating wealth while you may be working yourself into the ground and unable to even save for a deposit. “If something about this story feels wrong, that’s because it is wrong” We need to change it, but change isn’t going to happen by itself and in order for it to be effective it must be approached in a systematic way. How many people have said Goodbye to their dreams of ever owning a home lately? How many have found themselves without a place to call home? That is why we need to make sure that housing is part of our Long Term Plan in Tūranganui-a-kiwa. So why isn’t housing in the Long Term Plan? I honestly don’t know. I’ve asked, but haven’t received a satisfactory answer. Maybe the Council isn’t aware that they can make a difference? Maybe it just seemed too hard? Maybe it’s not a top priority? Maybe it’s not clear how to fix the problem? Maybe the infrastructure costs to facilitate more housing seem too high? Maybe the Council feels that it's the Central Government's responsibility to fix such things? It doesn't really matter what the reason is. The reality is that there are a great number of people in Te Tairāwhiti - often people who don't have a voice - who lack quality affordable housing, and this is a major issue affecting their lives. For many, remedying their housing situation is not an issue they can solve by themselves. For many more, the socioeconomic system they are entangled in prevents and disempowers them from doing so. “To be clear, I’m not just talking about people in the bottom 10%, or people who are homeless, or people who are in social housing. I’m talking about people who work full time and earn the median annual salary. I’m talking about your “average” person too”. The housing crisis is affecting a large cross-section of our community, and it touches one of our most fundamental human rights - the right to adequate housing that ensures the wellbeing and upholds the dignity of every person. If housing is an issue affecting so many of us in this region, surely we have to include it in our Long Term Plan. We need to look at how we can move towards quality affordable housing. To overlook it, for whatever reason, is an injustice to our community. Of course the Central Government must work on the issue at the same time, but to ignore the agency of Local Council and its responsibility to look after its community will only lead to the perpetuation of growing inequalities. For some, this road will end in hospital, having been afflicted with health issues arising from inadequate shelter; others will gravitate towards gangs as a means to try to regain control over their lives and better their personal circumstances. While the solution to our housing problem isn't solely within the Council's domain, the remedy will require action from the Central Government all the way through to the individual. There are plenty of steps our Council can take towards affordable quality housing. As a start let’s put housing on the agenda and include it in the Long Term Plan. Then let’s also make it part of a short term plan. After that, the Council can look at its planning rules and policies, identify which ones slow down the development of housing, and eliminate them. It's an absolute pain to develop housing, especially if you want to do anything different. What’s the problem with apartments? What’s the big deal with tiny houses? Why can’t we go ahead and convert the garage if we use professionals? “We need to stop making it illegal to easily improve the housing situation”. And while we are here let’s look at what sort of things will encourage more housing to be built, especially that which will increase density. And then let’s do it. We live in a country with some of the lowest density in the world; in that country, we live in a city with even lower density. Just because people aren’t used to change doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen. What is worse, people sleeping in apartments or cars? Studios or emergency housing? My wife and I lived in a small one-bedroom apartment for four years, and it was great. There's nothing wrong with a three, four, five story building with a number of dwellings (remember it’s not density that creates slums, it’s poverty. Is New York City one massive slum?) If infrastructure is what's holding housing up, then fix it. Don't tell me that some people can't have a house because we don't know how to fund a sewage pipe. Find a way. Crowdfund if you have to. Housing has a massive influence on the quality of people's lives, and the current system is growing inequalities between those that have it and those that don’t. Within this context, Māori and Pasifika populations are almost always dealt the bad hand. The situation as it stands continues to sustain and promote inadequate housing for Māori and Pasifika and is a clear example of systemic racism that must be uprooted. If we are going to make a difference to our housing crisis, we have to make housing a priority. We can’t ignore it. The problem is only going to get worse if we sit on our hands. So let’s put it on the agenda, make it part of the plan, make some changes and move forward. By Zane Sabour Photograph Sarah Cleave | Model Alex Andrews This story was written with the support of Gizzy Local. Check out www.lowcosthousing.co.nz for information about Zane & his research into affordable housing in Aotearoa.

Rosa Meredith looks like a regular high school student in her GGHS uniform. She is.. and she isn’t. Rosa is also a young entrepreneur, under the mentorship of Tāiki e. Rosa makes and sells hand-printed wrapping paper at markets and through her Instagram page @pasifika.prints using vibrant colours and traditional Samoan patterns to decorate the paper. This isn’t the first time she’s made and sold the gift wrap. As a Year 6 student in Samoa, she and her sister Eve needed to make some money. They were in Samoa to connect with their heritage, a year long family trip that extended to four years in Vailima, near Apia. Rosa loved being immersed in the culture and experiencing the different lifestyle of Samoa. She describes it as vibrant and colourful; poor in economic terms but rich in family values, the sense of community and incredible hospitality. She was humbled by her experiences. In the village, her extended family live communally, a group of small houses – fale – around a central meeting house. They were fed fabulously when visiting relatives in the village and she remembers kind gestures like her cousins swatting flies away from her food while she and her sister ate. Local boys sold stencils that they’d carved in traditional designs, out in the street. Rosa and her sister bought some stencils and started printing the paper after school. They sold the paper at a car boot sale and to friends and family, who loved it. The stencils are made out of discarded X-ray films from the hospital. You could still see someone’s broken leg or ribs on them. But that is the ingenuity of it – repurposing something that has been discarded. Sustainability may not have been a word in Rosa’s vocabulary back then, but the concept resonated with her, and it’s a cornerstone of her business model. She still buys the stencils from Samoa, supporting local artists who in turn can support their families with the income. The prints reflect the vibrancy of Samoa. Rosa uses bright colours, choosing those that best suit the pattern. The designs include flowers - frangipani, teuila (the national flower of Samoa), birds - the toloa, and shark teeth. Stencilled onto rolls of brown paper they retain a traditional feel, and the family component is there too, Grandad has cleared space in his shed for a safe spot for the printed paper to dry out. Rosa’s been asked to include other items like duvets and reusable bags, and hopes to extend the range in future. The Pacifica connection has continued for Rosa back in Gisborne, joining the Pacifica group for Girls and Boys High students and going along to Tautua Village, a space underpinned by Māori and Pacific values in which rangatahi can connect. It was at Tautua Village that Rosa found out about Tāiki e. Tāiki e were offering business mentorship for young people. Rosa, now in Year 11, was ready to get back into business and develop her skills. Rosa, Eve, and their friend Neela started having weekly Zoom meetings with Cain Kerehoma of Tāiki e during lockdown, learning the steps to build a successful business. In November they scaled back the meetings - it was time to get into production! They sold Pacifika Prints at a few different markets and Rosa was hooked. Rosa has continued the business by herself, fitting it in between school, the school Pacifika dance group, her roles on the school cultural council, as a Year 11 class representative, Hospice Youth Ambassador, and oh, and her holiday job! In continuing her business and sharing her story, Rosa hopes that more opportunities are created for Pacifika people. She enjoys creating reminders of home and sharing the beauty and culture of Samoa with the people of Tairāwhiti. She’s had plenty of challenges along the way, but the mentorship has taught her to learn from any failures and where to go from there. Rosa’s mentor Cain, says he saw Rosa and her team’s confidence grow during the mentorship growing from shy, reserved rangatahi to future leaders. Environmental concerns were embedded in their plan and he loved the beauty of their business idea in terms of celebrating and showcasing their culture. Rangatahi should give it a go, says Rosa. Better to give something a try, even if you're not successful at first. It’s just the thing to develop the skills to get started as a young entrepreneur. YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUB Starting in April, rangatahi keen to learn about entrepreneurship have the opportunity to head along to Tāiki e, meet other like-minded youth, and get a leg up into the world of business. It doesn’t matter if you have a business idea or not. You’ll build confidence, network, learn how to use business tools, get mentoring, access to seed funding, and market opportunities. It’ll be one afternoon a week from 3 to 5 pm, alternating between Tāiki e and Tautua Village. It is run pretty informally. Think of it as a group of aunties and uncles sharing their knowledge and skills, rather than formal business mentoring. But don’t be fooled, just because no one’s in a suit and tie, these guys know their stuff and are back here to share it and develop the raw talent of Tairāwhiti. The club will be held 3 - 5pm Mondays at Tāiki e! and 3 - 5pm Thursdays at Tautua Village. Check out Taiki e! on Facebook for further details. Story by Leah McAnneny

I’m positively buzzed. I was sitting at my desk some months ago when - DING! - “you’ve got mail.” Sheridan Gundry had sent an email to The Gisborne Herald about a swarm of bees in her backyard. If you have never seen one they are dangerous-looking things. Menacing and wandering. A pretender to the throne has hatched in the hive and there can only be one queen in the hexagonal home. I picked up the phone and gave Sheridan a buzz. It turns out she was the communications manager in her house. It was her partner Mike who was the bee man. We got chatting about the funny honey-making insects and that was that. As a perennial YES man I put down the phone having agreed to take up the sweet task of beekeeping. The best part of beekeeping is the minimal amount of anything. The bees do the work. Your job, more or less, is to not let them die. Kind of like children or plants. The hardest part of beekeeping is the minimal amount of anything. You have to remember you helped bring them into this world and not forget they exist. But the hobby ain’t cheap. The gear costs a fair few hundred. Thankfully our species is pretty flaky. "Oh beekeeping sounds cool! Let's give it a go babe, I think we could really make a go at this!" People love experimenting and trying things out. You probably know three or four people who have given up on the craft already. Go borrow all their gear until they forget they ever gave it to you. As it was, my sister had bought Practical Beekeeping before she gave up on the honey game and handed that over. Another friend lent us all the other gear we needed. But it was Mike who was the real MVP. Someone who has very much not given up on the sweet life. Mike runs beekeeping workshops at the Environment Centre and has hives all over the show. It was he that got the ball rolling finding a swarm of bees out in the wild, captured it and brought the usurper queen and her followers to our kingdom. What a kind man. Now my brother and I are beekeepers. Jethro bought the boxes and paint so my total outgoings so far is 26 dollars to account for the six-pack of beers that must accompany us to the hives. For me, joy in life comes from toddling into a new world for a while and having a look around, talking to the people inside their spacetime and hanging about in their secret worlds. The honey world is one worth dipping your toes in for a little nectar. Bee people are just like us, except maybe a little sweeter. They walk and talk about bees, a gentle hum in conversation about the weather, flowers and sky. It’s a relaxed hobby, like panning for gold. And like gold, there are those who enjoy the business, and there are those with the Fever. The crazy eye. Darting tongue. Shaky hands. The big M. Manuka is where the money is at and where the bad blood starts. Don’t look at them, just keep walking. If you do get stuck talking to one, DO NOT ask them where their hives are in case they take you as a thief after their gold. Anyway. That's all I know. Jethro and Mike have done most of the beekeeping. I'm more of a moral support worker. Conceptual and thoughtful. Start asking around. Call up your flakiest friends with too much spare coin and recommend they give beekeeping a go today. There is a free course at EIT Tairawhiti and the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre runs courses from time to time. Story & photographs by Jack Marshall

Late December 2020 a certain section of Gladstone Road received a visionary splash of colour and energy with the arrival of Hoea! Gallery and Project Space. A thick orange rope of paint winds and wheels across the aquamarine street frontage, and through the glass, neon lights, stray objects such as a solitary door frame and blocks of bold colour form a visual feast that beckons you inside. You’ll find those doors wide open from Thursday to Saturday, 11am - 3pm when Hoea! operates as a Gallery for the public. The kaupapa behind this, one of the latest art galleries to grace our CBD, is encapsulated perfectly in its name, Hoea! which means to paddle and implies dynamism and forward movement. ersation. The three wahine Māori paddling this waka are Melanie Tangaere Baldwin (Ngāti Porou, Rongomaiwahine), Nikora Te Kahu (Ngai Tamaterangi, Ngāti Makoro, Ngā Puhi, Ngai Tuhoe) and Rangimarie Makowharemahihi Pahi (Ngati Hinetu, Ngāti Kurukuru, Moriori). They wanted to create a space in which to continue the national conversation about contemporary Toi Māori and to champion indigenous mahi. A space in which for fellow artists to experiment and move their own waka forward; a place in which for people to experience contemporary Toi Māori in all of its dynamism and different forms. Mel, Nikora and Rangi first met at Toihoukura, Gisborne’s School of Māori Art and Design. Mel was tutoring a contextual studies paper as she worked on her own Masters in 2019. Nikora and Rangi were amongst her students. Mel recalls Rangi and Nikora buzzing out on the artists they were learning about: Marcel du champ. Rebecca Beomore, Yayoi Kusama, Edgar Heap of Birds, they always seemed to be hanging out for more.. Mel watched as Nikora and Rangi got excited about expressing themselves in ways that were wholly Māori, yet experimental and when it came time for the pair to graduate, she offered to mentor them, hoping they would continue with their art practice. A forward motion, which in turn led to them opening Hoea! with the help of fellow contemporary artist, Sjionel Timu, Ruth Quirk on the business end of things and weavers Kaa Te Mihi Puketapu and Michelle Kerr. Hoea! opened on January 30 with ‘Wahine Toi’, an exhibition which celebrated the opening of a wahine Māori-run space. A nod to Robyn Kahukiwa’s seminal book of the same name, the exhibition was a karanga to welcome people into the space as well as an acknowledgement of those wāhine Māori who have paved the path before them, making a space like this possible. The trio plan to install a new show every six weeks. Group shows will be favoured over solos, and according to the guiding principal of tuakana-teina, upon which the space has been founded, you will always find the works of emerging artists alongside those of the established artist. Hoea! will feature artists from both here and away with the intention of enabling people to experience new artists and practices as much as possible. It will however be rare to find a room filled with paintings in Hoea! as the collective continue to stretch people’s ideas as to what Toi Māori is. Therefore you will always find installation, sound and video work, and pieces that don’t necessarily fit with peoples’ ideas of what indigenous art should look like. And while it’s a space in which the conversation about indigenous mahi is front and centre, non-Māori are welcome to contribute to that conversation. The gallery will be open from Thursday to Saturday, with the space available for the rest of the week for wānanga and other artist-run projects. Ron te Kawa will be visiting in March for a wānanga and life drawing classes will begin soon. The collective are working with two kura kaupapa Māori to provide weekly mahi toi workshops and with Turanga health to provide programmes for hapu and new mums. Talking to these three wāhine about their space and their mahi is very much like experiencing the space itself. The energy is as palpable as the neon lights that glow from different parts of the room. Laughter bounces off the pink walls that they so recently finished painting. Alongside the humbleness there’s a sense of pride, “we have created something that feels beautiful and it is” says Mel. This is a space that welcomes passersby off the street and which promises up new experiences, ideas and ways of thinking as well as hearty laughs and youthful hospitality. And just as Mel, Rangi and Nikora are grateful for their newfound CDB alleyway/carpark community and helpful neighbours who have shown such enthusiastic support for what they are doing, they are also visibly grateful to be getting to do what they are doing. “It’s mean going home and thinking to myself ‘I just finished work’ that’s always my biggest buzz - this is work!” Rangimarie Makowharemahihi Pahi. Look out for the next show at Hoea! ‘Korou’ - Opening 12pm, Saturday March 13, 2021. Story by Sarah Cleave Photographs by Tom Teutenberg

It’s sorta obvious the current owner of Smash Palace, Darryl Monteith is a musician. As I walk in, he’s already on stage cranking out “History Never Repeats” by Split Enz, accompanied by his mate Mo. A young fulla and his dad have arrived at the same time, guitar case in hand, obviously here to play. Others, like me, are here to listen, to support budding musicians gaining their confidence, and perhaps experience a seasoned talent bust out something special. Build-a-Band started about 4 years ago, and used to be on Fridays. The instruments are all on loan from local musicians, but bringing your own is pretty standard too. Electric guitars (including left hand), acoustic guitar, bass, drums, bongos, various percussion instruments…. all there. If you’re a bit shy there’s a post to stand behind, but that spot can get a bit crowded. The original concept was that individual musicians get up and jam, some would gel as a group and go on to start a band. Darryl reckons there’s loads of musical talent in Gisborne and sees Build-a-Band as a way of helping to nurture and develop that talent. Mostly folks are happy to just come along and jam. Try out a song they’ve written. See what sort of reaction they get, or have that one time a week they are totally in the zone. It’s building bonds between local musicians who probably wouldn’t otherwise have known each other existed. As we know, Gisborne attracts a few travellers, and even though our borders are closed we still have interesting folks from far off places passing through or basing themselves here. Some of them have proved to be accomplished musicians and thrilled to have a chance to play. On nights like that, Smash patrons get to experience something they may have to pay big bucks for in another setting. But this is Build-a-Band. Everyone’s welcome. The ages vary, the styles of music vary, the levels of experience vary, but everyone’s all about the music. As I head out the door there’s a call from the stage, “We need a blues guitarist!” Build-a-band At Smash Palace Bar, 24 Banks St, Awapuni Every Thursday night, 7 - 11pm Free - wouldn’t hurt to buy a beer while you’re there though! Story by Leah McAneney Photographs by John Flatt

A local business venture is pitching in to reduce the number of tents that end up in landfill after festivals and events around Aotearoa and, just as it has its beginnings here in Gisborne, it will be launched at Waiohika Estate for Rhythm & Vines 2020-2021. Meet Lisa Taylor, otherwise known as Camp Mother to thousands of kids who have passed through the gates of RnV over the past 15 years. Lisa first stepped into her role as Camp Mother in 2007, when she was employed to manage one of the BW Campgrounds. In that first year her team were responsible for 1500 campers, a number which swelled over the years, culminating in the 4000 punters that camped at Te Kuri A Tuatai Marae under Lisa and her crew’s care. Lisa attributes the success of the campgrounds she’s managed over the years, “we’ve only ever had to cut one wristband” she says, to the spirit of manaakitanga, a way of receiving their visitors which comes naturally to her and her crew of camp managers and staff, which has remained fairly consistent over the years. Lisa’s role has now extended to HOD Festival Camp Manager, managing all of the eight campsites and staff, which this year includes seven Camp Managers. All of the Camp Managers except one are women, Maori, and “bloody amazing” Lisa says. “They’ve got that natural manaaki, which they bring from the Marae. As soon as the kids arrive we’re looking after them. By the time they leave, they’re calling us ‘Aunty’, ‘Whaia’ or ‘Bro’”. The Camp Managers see their main jobs as keeping their campers safe, “We look at it like, that could have been my daughter or my son - we know we’d be grateful that there was someone looking after them”. By the end of each festival, life stories have been shared, and many a new Facebook friendship has been formed between staff and campers. Lisa strongly believes that camping is one of the success stories for R&V. She notices more and more kids coming back year after year and she says that often tickets are selling before the lineup has even been announced, “What it’s done is it’s flipped the whole experience of R&V on its head I suppose. Kids are now coming for the experience rather than just the lineup”. Lisa reckons they were quite strategic about how they went about managing the camps, especially those early days, “knowing our communities more than anyone, we were able mitigate any mischief making. We had some hearty locals stay at our campsite to uphold a kind of family atmosphere that encouraged good behaviour”. In collaboration with one of R&V and BW’s founders, Andrew Witters, Lisa has now applied that same underpinning of kaupapa Māori, namely the principal of kaitiakitanga, to approach the problem of so-called single use tents at events such as R&V. That solution is called ‘Bookatent.’ As Andrew Witters puts it “there’s no hiding behind the fact that until now, two days after R&V there has always been this sea of rubbish, namely tents” and while enterprising locals had done their best to turn the situation into an opportunity by passing the tents onto charities to sell as fundraising, Andrew says that in reality “the issue had overwhelmed a lot of the charity groups - it became their problem”. Bookatent has been created by Lisa and Andrew to provide sustainable tent solutions for events in New Zealand, which will be providing pre-pitched camping options at various festivals around the country this coming season, starting here with Rhythm & Vines. Their Bookatent website provides an easy-to-use booking system for tent and ticket packages at the different events, offering punters a quality festival experience that starts with a purchase and ends with the good vibe of reducing their environmental impact at their favourite events. Bookatent has also joined the Sustainable Business Network Product Stewardship scheme with the catch cry ‘If you can't "Love Your Tent", love one of ours and we will use it again, and again, and again.’ Some of Lisa’s 200 camping staff start as early as August and last week began the mammoth task of pitching perfectly formed lines of tents ready for occupation come December 27. There are ranges of both nylon and canvas tents, catering to 2 - 4 people and with optional extras such as stretchers, which tackle the problem of airbeds - one of the worst offenders when it comes to landfill-fillers. Rhythm & Vines is the first festival in Australasia to do anything of this scale, and the Bookatent team had one of the tent manufacturers there onsite for set up, for problem-solving and to help shape their future plans, in which they hope will include more and more event campsites filled with booked tents as opposed to cheap tents only fit for a single outing. “We’re all learning” both Lisa and Andrew agree, but in bringing together their experiences from the past into play they hope that this new venture of theirs will not only make a big difference at Rhythm & Vines but will help change that particular aspect of festival culture across the country. They hope that Bookatent will provide a sustainable and affordable option for local groups, schools and events too - a local business which provides a local solution to a global problem. Story and Photos Sarah Cleave