It was a sunny day when I drove up the Cook Hospital Hill, and quite surreal to see the difference in the landscape from when I had worked as a shorthand typist at the Cook Hospital in the 1980s. Here in Tairāwhiti, we have some of the most beautiful botanical gardens and arboretums in the country. I was stoked to be checking out one of the less known Tūranga gardens with Ray Gowland to learn more about this grassroots community project. The gardens are in a 1.85 hectare Council reserve close to where the old Cook Hospital had overlooked the city. You can access the tranquil little valley from either Diana Avenue at the top of Hospital Hill or Valley Road, opposite The Farmyard, in Mangapapa. It was interesting to note while I was digging around historical documents that the main hospital in the late 1800s had been in Aberdeen Road. The new hospital was built on the hill because new premises were needed for the increasing numbers of sick people with “Gisborne fever” and epidemics of typhoid, diphtheria, and influenza. Very relatable as we experience our own Covid-19 pandemic! The hospital was built on what had previously been farmland, at the top of the hill where the water reservoirs now stand and was opened in 1914. By the 1980s, the time had come to modernise again, but due to land movement, a new hospital facility was built in Ormond Road, opening in 1985. It was noted at the opening of the current Gisborne Hospital that there was no longer any need to have typhoid or tuberculosis wards. The old hospital was demolished in 1988 and residential housing popped up in the 1990s and 2000s. Ray Gowland recalls it was the Turanga Lions Club’s idea to create a “small Eastwoodhill” close to the city. Lions Club members began the garden project in 2001, and despite the club closing in 2011, Ray stayed on as Project Convenor to develop the gardens. The site had been left untouched for some time, so it took a massive effort to get it under control. “It was just a steep cliff. A complete jungle covered in honeysuckle and weeds. A dumping ground for rubbish and machinery. We put up fences and walls. Cleared it. And planted the full gambit of native trees, Rewarewa, Kauri, Manuka along with Rhododendrons, Camellias and other flowers. There’s an underground bunker, but we never found it.” Volunteers have been helping Ray with the mahi - developing, improving, and extending the gardens ever since. In addition to thousands of volunteer hours, donations from the Turanga Lions Club, Williams Family Trust and Gisborne District Council have contributed to the project. The Council staff and contractors continue to provide support with plants and advice. At the moment, four volunteers meet every Friday morning for three hours of weeding, planting, maintenance, some good banter and a cuppa. Two of them, Martin Cox and Graeme Miller, share similar stories as retirees wanting to give back to the land and the community. The camaraderie and putting the world right are top of their minds most days. Martin has been helping for eight years and Graeme, two. Martin asks anyone sitting at home, retired or at a loose end, not to be shy to lend a hand. He likes to meet and talk to people from different walks of life and have a bit of a laugh. While Graeme is a keen gardener, he also got involved to meet people and keep up his fitness, “It’s a big job with only the four of us.” Ray, Martin, Graeme and the other stalwart of support for the gardens, Gail Wadham, are doing awesome work. They are achieving lots for Papatūānuku and for the nature she provides. Like many other voluntary projects, there is more work than they can handle. We highly recommend you take your whānau to check this lovely little corner of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa out. They are peaceful and easy walking with heaps of different tracks for the kids to explore. Afternoons in the gardens are especially lovely with the golden sun filtering through the tall gums. If you’re interested in lending these guys a hand, or for any further information, you can contact Ray Gowland on rayandleonie@gmail.com or follow Turanga Gardens on Facebook. Story by Sandra Groves Photographs Sarah Cleave

We are born. We live. We die. At the age of 21 Anne Meredith was studying toward a degree in World Religions at Victoria University in Wellington and working at a spiritual healing centre in town, which complemented her field of study rather nicely. One day a man came in and asked whether they had the book ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.’ When Anne couldn’t find it on the shelves, the man said he would bring his own copy in for Anne to borrow, adding that it was requisite reading for someone in her field of study. Once the book had been left in her care, Anne took it home and lapped it all up, finding herself in possession of a newfound understanding of the central tenet of Buddhist philosophy; the impermanence of all things. Anne recounts a Buddhist parable, which describes this: “A woman whose baby has died goes to Buddha and says ‘I will do anything if you will just bring my baby back to life’. Buddha replies ‘okay, bring me some mustard seeds from another home, but they must come from a home that has not experienced death’. The woman visits home after home but of course does not find a household untouched by death. Through this process woman reaches enlightenment, and her own understanding of the impermanence of everything”. Not long after reading this book, Anne’s grandmother died. Anne drew upon those themes of impermanence in the speech she gave for her grandmother at her funeral. Following the ceremony the funeral director approached to congratulate Anne on her speech, noting that she would make a great funeral director. A seed was planted for Anne that day, and Anne has lived ever since in the knowledge that she would one day work in the field of death and dying. So while Anne went on to teach for the next twenty or so years and absolutely “loved it”, her interest in death and in dying, has endured. Throughout that time she has been involved with the organisations, ‘National Association for Loss and Grief’ and ‘Growing through Grief’ and has continued to be drawn to learning and talking about what she describes as “the biggest thing we will experience in life.” It was while living and working with her family in Samoa from 2015 to 2019 that Anne realised that if there was ever a time to make the change it would be on their return to New Zealand. Going on that initial seed planted by the funeral director so many years ago Anne approached the local funeral directors, but there weren’t any opportunities going, which led to her discovery of this whole other, as yet untapped (here in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa at least), area of death care. Death Doula [deth doo-luh] Noun. The word comes from the Greek 'doulē' meaning 'female servant/slave'. Also known as a soul midwife or end of life doula, the support this person offers often focuses on the emotional, psychological and spiritual side of dying, as well as the more practical things. Since returning to Aotearoa from Samoa in 2019 Anne has been working as a support worker, hospice volunteer, funeral celebrant and building the foundations for her business ‘Three Seeds’ in which she offers her services as an end of life doula and deathcare advocate. She is involved with a couple of national projects relating to deathcare and provides free community workshops on a variety of topics. She also led a fundraising campaign to provide a Cuddle Cot for our community, which is a cooling system for a baby that has died, allowing the family to spend some precious time with their child before saying goodbye. Anne sees a big part of her role as empowering people to reclaim death care for themselves. She’s happy to be able to help people understand the range of options that actually exist in death care, and provides a supportive space in which people can ask all the questions they like, and can help with advance care planning. The best time for people to talk about death, Anne says, is when we are well. “Practically there’s a lot to know about dying and things can get complicated. People often don’t know their options”. Anne is pro-choice. “Some people want the funeral directors to do everything”, and Anne says, we are lucky to have Funeral Directors who can provide that. Others however, would rather do things themselves, or varying degrees of the process. Anne says that funeral poverty is a significant social issue of our times and she is glad that she can provide people with information about alternative ways of approaching deathcare, which can alleviate those huge costs commonly associated with it. Ownership and environmental aspects are other factors in more and more people wanting to explore alternative pathways, “People are wanting more natural death care these days, and it’s easy to do that actually”. Anne sells techni-ice, and has a mini freezer, which families can hire, which offers an alternative to embalming. She gives workshops on its use and is always happy to discuss this in the chats that she offers from her new Three Seeds premises. After those initial chats or one of the various workshops that she offers to our community, Anne can walk alongside people and their whānau for parts of, or for the whole journey. Annie loves her work because she sees it as such an important time of life and calls letting your people know what your death wishes are “a real gift of love”. Things can get really tricky when people don’t know what you want and Anne suggests that we all have a folder called ‘When I Die’ left somewhere that someone close to us knows about. Through her role as a death doula and a deathcare advocate, Anne Meredith offers seeds of kindness, compassion and support before death, during and after death. And just as times of wellness are the best time for considering our own death, we think that this is a great time to have someone like Anne offering this service in our community. Anne regularly holds free community workshops and has a sliding scale of rates for her services. You can set up a time to have a chat with Anne on 021 299 5774 or get in touch through her Facebook page @threeseeds.info This story was brought to you by the good people at Tāiki e! who are leading local celebrations of Global Entrepreneurship Week next week. They aim to connect the diverse parts of our local entrepreneurial ecosystem, and inspire our community to embrace entrepreneurship as a tool for community transformation and long term impact, which Anne Meredith is certainly doing with Three Seeds. Story & Photo Sarah Cleave

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” - Audrey Hepburn The first seedling idea for an East Coast writers’ garden was planted in the rich and fertile soil of a Tairawhiti Writers Hub meeting, when Gillian Moon (wait up, that’s me!) brought to the table an idea of putting together a collection of writing from the shores of Tairāwhiti. Nurtured with encouragement and enthusiasm by fellow members and by securing and applying a generous amount of compost via a grant gratefully received from the Margaret King Spencer Writers Encouragement Trust Fund, Kaituhi Rāwhiti; A celebration of East Coast Writers began its journey. During the early months of 2020, the four Editors; Aaron Compton, Christopher McMaster, Gillian Moon (me again) and Claire Price put out the call for submissions of work to be sent in, with the opportunity to appear in a published anthology of East Coast writing. Under the unexpected yet auspicious circumstances of lock-down, writers around the region had their pens scrolling across pages and fingers tapping at their keyboards, with the hope of getting published in this celebratory first volume of writing. The motivation behind Kaituhi Rāwhiti was to bring together and showcase the diversity of people who call Tairāwhiti their home and to provide a platform for writers to share their stories and their craft in a safe, creative and nurturing environment. And with thirty four contributors (nine of those Rangatahi from our region), the foreword by Witi Ihimaera, a sell out book launch, and ongoing book sales – it can be proudly deemed that Kaituhi Rāwhiti was and is a great success! With that in mind and a “let’s do volume two” ringing loudly in the ears of the editors, the call has gone out for submissions to Kaituhi Rāwhiti Two! With a slight change of the original line up of Editors, Regina de Wolf-Ngarimu has stepped in to fill the shoes of Claire Price, who is busy with other business and creative projects this year. Regina is a contributor in the original Kaituhi Rāwhiti and brings a wealth of skills in the form of publishing, writing and marketing. What are the Editors looking for? Submissions! Any genre will be considered! We want diversity, we want stories that celebrate different cultures, we want poems, photos with words, drawings that tell a story, essays, memoirs, speculative fiction. Dig out those old, forgotten jotted down stories, notes and words – blow off the dust, re read, re visit, re write and let your imagination go. Gizzy’s sizzling summertime is just the time to chillax at the beach, river or park under a shady, leafy tree and work towards the March 01 2022 deadline for submissions. What will your words bring to the garden of Kaituhi Rāwhiti Two? Check out our Tairawhiti Writers Hub Facebook page and request to join – we love welcoming new members. Or if you want to check out a copy of the original Kaituhi Rāwhiti, the H.B. Williams Memorial Library has a copy to loan or they can be purchased from the Tairāwhiti Museum and from all our supportive bookshops. Alternatively drop us an email at tairawhitiwrite@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Story by Gillian Moon

Being European I had my first folk dances quite young in a country strongly attached to its traditions, famous for its Bastille Day ball organised by local firemen all over the country, and legally-bound to support regional customs, music and languages. I didn’t feel any attraction to dancing to traditional music holding pinkies in barns or community halls back then. I was into rhythm, beats, energy, movement and far more attracted to rock n’ roll, blues, punk music, modern jazz and African dance. How is it that my first go at Folk Dancing in Gizzy thirty years on appealed so much? I haven’t got an answer, there will of course be several, as is pretty much always the case with anything. A folk dancing opportunity was offered at a week-long Contact Improvisation Dance retreat in Gisborne not long ago. Contact Improvisation is about connection, trust and fun based on the foundations of movement and dance. Folk relies on learnt steps, whereas Contact Improvisation is totally free range. The relationship between the two practices might be the constant feel of the partner, and of course the connection, whether negative or positive (which is Contact Improvisation terminology), with or without touch. Jane Luiten is a big advocate for Folk Dance in Gisborne, an incredibly passionate, knowledgeable and talented teacher. She makes everyone comfortable, with no judgment on ability on her dance floor. Young people as much as elderly appear to have a fun time in her classes. Folk Dance encompasses traditional dances of the Old World, including North American dances developed by European settlers, and are as varied as there are countries! They were and are performed at weddings, funerals, festivities, fulfilling many social roles as well as the human need for celebration, connection and fun, which explains their continued legitimacy today. They are most often rooted in gender roles, performed with costumes and accessories, which can be challenging in modern times. I don’t see myself wearing an 18th-century dress or a Croatian costume any time soon, however pretty they are! However some folk dancers still meet in costumes at parties and gatherings. One last quite essential point I’d like to share is how easily I’ve been able to learn steps, despite in the past having been unable to learn and retain choreography whether it was modern jazz or African! I still haven’t figured out why. Is it because the number of steps per dance is reduced and recurrent? Is it because I’m older, more organised in my brain than I used to be and recognise and remember patterns more easily? My epiphany on a folk dance floor a few months ago was seeing the steps and beats as they would show on a music sheet..go figure! Folk dance in a safe and professional environment is highly recommended to people with dementia and Alzheimers. Jane has created a small community of dedicated folk musicians and folk dancers in Tūranga, Gisborne and I hope it will continue to thrive and expand for the benefit and happiness of all! By Pascale Delos

David Timbs runs his business decidedly outside-the-box. But it does involve a box: that’s where people leave their koha after receiving treatment from him, and it’s the only form of payment he accepts. David first opened his Natural Therapy Clinic doors some 40 years ago, and for the last decade or so, he’s successfully managed to operate on koha alone. The idea is simple, and perhaps a bit idealistic: David asks people to pay what they think is fair, anonymously. And once he started down that path, he’s never given a thought to doing business any other way. A lifelong student and traveler, David is educated and trained in a wide variety of modalities, and they all influence what he offers at his small clinic at Wainui Beach. The majority of his work is spinal manipulation, but he also provides polarity therapy bodywork and Iridology, a study of the eye’s iris to reveal information about a person’s overall health. He holds diplomas in Naturopathy and Ayurveda, and his treatment often blends the different therapies and wisdoms. David himself admits it’s difficult to describe what he does. For him, chiropractic practice always felt a bit too specialized, “I’ve always been more interested in the whole person. I wanted to draw on other things.” His business card reads, ‘Practitioner. Teacher. Surfer’. The koha payment structure arose when he noticed a conflict in client feedback. Until that point, he hadn’t changed his fee for 20 years. Some people were urging him to put his fees up because he was charging too little, while others were clearly struggling to pay and often delaying treatment of their pain as a result. David remembered hearing of a “by donation” system in the States, and he decided to try it out for a week. After the initial week, he decided to continue it through Christmas, which then was just weeks away. “And then I thought, I really like the feel of this.” The clinic has run on koha ever since. In the traditional fee setting, David felt uncomfortable with how close a connection there was between the treatment and the money. “If you relieve someone of pain and then they put money in your hand, that’s too close. It makes it seem as if my motivation was money”. In David’s mind, the motivation is to relieve suffering. So much so that he aims to have no repeat appointments, hoping that once someone has seen him, their pain is gone. He has no idea what each individual person pays, and he doesn’t take personally what amount he receives. “When I go to my box at the end of the day, I know that I’ve been rewarded greater than what I would’ve set as a fee. Other times when you realise someone has put a lower value, maybe it’s what they can afford. If I wasn’t any good at my job, people wouldn’t come or wouldn’t pay. So it’s an honest view of where you fit into the bigger system. But I would rather not think about the money, and just think about doing the best I can for each person”. David’s perspective draws from a lifetime of travel and exploration. He grew up in Wellington, in Titahi Bay, and studied to be a primary school teacher. A keen surfer, he initially came to Gisborne to surf and teach. But at the time, teaching didn’t feel like the right fit. He felt that a person should be worldly and wise before being a teacher, so he set off to adventure abroad, exploring, sailing, and surfing. On one formative trip David went to America to visit his brother, who was studying to be a chiropractor in Iowa. David arrived in San Francisco with $70, a one-month visa, and no ticket out. He hitchhiked across the country to get to his brother, and found himself joining the chiropractic program. After nearly a year of study in Iowa, immigration complications forced him to leave, and David resumed his travels in Canada and ​England. He later discovered Polarity Therapy, and trained with pioneering teacher Pierre Pannetier in California and Mexico before he returned home. Ready to share his knowledge, David opened his first clinic in Gisborne in 1980. In the ensuing decades, he developed a pattern of alternating work at home with travel and study, adding Iridology, Naturopathy, and Ayurveda to his repertoire. He regularly returned to India and America, both to continue his learning and share his wisdom through teaching. When David’s offspring Darnelle and Robson were in university, he decided to return to study too, earning his Bachelor of Education, “I’m always a student, the more you learn the more you realize you don’t know.” Much of David’s focus has been Ayurveda, the Indian ancient medicine system, or “science of life.” After studying with prominent international Ayurvedic scholar Dr. Robert Svoboda, the two became close, and David even hosted him here in Gisborne. During one trip to India for an Ayurvedic Conference, the organiser announced, much to David’s surprise, that David would give the closing address. He remembers, “I thought, either I grow a new arm and do this or crawl into my shell. So I did it and it was fine. But I also thought if my mates could see me now, they would be rolling on the ground.” David is not a man afraid to try something different, and that attitude may well make his patients more receptive to his various methodologies. You may not expect a rural shearer to seek treatment, but it’s not out of the ordinary for David. His clientele ranges from Wainui locals to people coming from up the coast, a diverse group in age, background, and socioeconomic status, and that means a lot to him. When someone walks through his door, he makes sure that they feel comfortable and safe, no matter what their story is. Now aged 70, David typically only works in the afternoon. In the morning, he goes for a surf or meets friends for coffee at Zephyr cafe down the street, Bosco the dog at his side. Twice a week he teaches Yin Yoga. He lives simply, and without hustle. “Money comes and goes. I don’t ever feel there’s a shortage of it, it’s just how you tap into your share of it.” David concedes the koha model would be difficult to just pick up and do, and that what he built was based on decades of relationships and reputation. He emphasises, “It’s all based on the relationship with the person. The relationship is the reimbursement.” In a world where it often feels like everything has a price, David’s approach is remarkable and refreshing. “I’m not trying to sell myself, I’m just trying to listen to the person and be of some use to them.” He’s also careful to say he’s not a healer, “All I’m doing is assisting them to heal themselves. The whole thing is to empower the person, to make them responsible for their own state of wellbeing.” There’s no doubt David inspires empowerment, showing that a shift in the way business is done is possible, and sustainable. His is a heartening example of what it could be like to operate in an ‘Aroha Economy’ where currency depends a lot less on commodification, and a lot more on community. Story by Victoria Williams Photo Sarah Cleave * This story was brought to you with the support of Tāiki e! Next week is Global Entrepreneurship Week. The festival aims to connect diverse parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, give visibility to key areas of focus, and inspire our Tairāwhiti community to embrace entrepreneurship as a tool for community transformation and long term impact. It also provides a platform for expressing our own unique Tairāwhiti style and flavour of entrepreneurship which is deep rooted in community and aroha. Stay tuned to find out what Tāiki e! have planned for us!

The idea for Noise Vacancy came into being in 2020 over the course of an evening in which a group of friends, Nikki O’Connor, Lina Marsh, Katy Wallace and myself had come together to discuss an event in which for local artists to show their stuff, potentially as a part of the upcoming Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival. Over the course of the evening the topic of vacant buildings in our inner city came to the fore and the concept of NOise VACANCY was born. Last year’s NOise VACANCY was a grand experiment. We initially envisaged a walking tour winding through the streets, an otherworldly coming alive of disused spaces strung across the city. However the months passed and landlords were not exactly jumping at the opportunity to have a group of artists bring their unused buildings to life for a night. The answers we received were always the same, “it’s about to be leased” or “awaiting earthquake strengthening” or in most cases no reply at all. Many of the buildings we enquired about in those first few months still stand in the same state today. Empty. There were two wonderful people who had a different answer for us however and so it was that Patrick McHugh and Jill Tomlinson handed us over the keys and told us to ‘go to town’ in their two level Lowe Street building. A couple of months later they were amongst the most excited audience members as a night of magic and mystery unfolded for both those who participated and attended. Hundreds of people explored, discovered, pondered and puzzled alongside each other, with much excited chatter about how they had never experienced anything like it - at least not in Gisborne. This year’s event was no different. Another landlord stood apart from the rest with Tony Robinson opening the doors to the Public Trust building on Childers Road for a bunch of artists to explore and occupy for a few days during Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival. Despite the Covid restrictions meaning that the audience had to book into specific time slots the air of discovery and excitement remained. The brief to the artists is to respond to the space and its history using sound. By its very nature art will also reflect the socio-political contexts of its time and some of our current issues were certainly in evidence in this year’s works. Curator Nikki O’Connor is always interested to see how the artists and sound makers connect to the kaupapa, and how they incorporate sound, “As they spend more time with the space and it’s stories it’s fascinating to watch the ideas take shape. The range of creative disciplines and approaches adds to the surreal dreamland feeling of the night”. As the original tenants of the building, the Public Trust Organisation gave some artists the nudge to explore notions of trust, the housing crisis was given a few strong nods and Wendy Kirkwood’s vintage clothing store ‘Unfinished Business’ and the Family Planning Association also inspired installation and performance. Other pieces responded directly to the space in experiential forms such as dance, chanting and spoken word. As the audience meandered around the two storeys of the building in the changing light, projections spoke into various corners including the street outside and the yard out back. A few hardy performers kept going for the entirety of the experience - no less than 4 and a half hours - while others popped up during each session. One of the things about the altered reality of an experience like this - both immersive and sometimes interactive - means that the lines between art and real life can become blurred. And so an empty paper cup set upon a window sill might be picked up and turned over for clues as to its purpose, and a couple passionately kissing on a corner may be unflinchingly observed as a courageous piece of performance art (in a small town such as this), until it becomes clear that actually, the performance is just about to begin… It was great to have a few more young people involved this year with a stairwell installation speaking directly to the regenerative power of rangatahi. 12 year old artist, Wolfe Jackson says he felt really lucky to be a part of NOise VACANCY, “It was really cool and inspiring being around so many other different artists. It was my first exhibition and I was a bit nervous that my art would be just seen as kid’s drawings, but the feedback from people was surprisingly good so that was a relief. It was a great night, a bit tiring but so worth it in the end”. One of this year’s curator’s Katy Wallace loves the way in which “NOise VACANCY gives local creatives the chance to push their practices in different ways and to work with or alongside each other. It is a refreshing challenge to any creative practice considering sound, installation, and performance in one package”. One of the highlights for curator Lina Marsh was working with a great team of wahine who were open to giving anything a go. This included launching NOise VACANCY 2021 online during lockdown. “Neither of us really knew what we were doing and it made it hard to communicate online as opposed to in person, but we embraced the opportunity and created a kookie zoom recording announcing our aims for this year’s performance. NOise VACANCY definitely pushes you out of your comfort zones”. NOise VACANCY provides a fantastic opportunity to show what local creatives are capable of, for our community to experience something out of the ordinary, and it also achieves the original intent of bringing energy to spaces which had been previously forgotten. In a happy epilogue to NOise VACANCY episode one, 64 Lowe Street is currently occupied by a bunch of creatives and the record store Spellbound Wax, all of whom are overjoyed to have an affordable and inspiring space, which they otherwise might not have, if it were not for the NOise VACANCY experience. Story by Sarah Cleave Photographs Tom Teutenberg

Recently a couple of us Gizzy Local crew were having a chat, peering into a very murky crystal ball, trying to imagine how things might pan out for us all out here out East, this summer. We were delighted when through the haze we perceived a sparkly lapping tide, the faint sound of a coffee grinder beneath some lively summery tunes. “Aha” we thought “It’s all going to be okay!” When uncertain times make it difficult to plan a faraway holiday, it’s a great relief to know that a wonderful staycation option awaits, just over the Makorori hill. Tatapouri Bay. Anyone who’s had their eye on local social media or who has ventured beyond the Tatapouri boat ramp over the past couple of years will know that the Tatapouri campground has undergone some tremendous transformations lately. The humans behind it all? Nathan Foon and Shanti Probst. Shanti and Nathan met at Massey University in Wellington about thirteen years ago, Shanti studying Industrial design and Nathan, Visual Communication Design. After graduating they travelled together and had ended up in Auckland with Nathan working as a graphic designer for the television and film industry, which he loved. Shanti had taken some time off work as she kept experiencing vertigo and dizziness. Nathan was surprised to learn that his dad Meng had invested in the Tatapouri campground after selling the Kaiti Mall, but seeing an opportunity to get a branding project on his design portfolio, they headed back to Gizzy for the summer. They thought they’d check the place out and lend a hand, and then soon return to their lives in Auckland. Nathan started out on the branding and website for the campground but soon realised that a swish-looking sticking plaster wasn’t going to cut it. So Nathan and Shanti proceeded to get stuck in, planting, painting, and coming up with simple ideas on how to inject some life into the place. When they realised that Shanti’s health was improving with the outdoor work and as the potential of the place began to dawn on them they eventually decided to take the opportunity to take the ball and run with it. And while it was a big decision to not return to their previous life, their imaginations were bursting with inspiration from cool cafes, accommodation and restaurants that they’d visited all over the world, helping them form their ideas about the kind of space and experience they could create at Tatapouri Bay. On their way home to Gisborne they had taken a short holiday in Raglan, staying at campground, venue and cafe Solscape, and it was this last pocket of homegrown inspiration, which has really helped the couple hone their vision of a community-focused, inclusive space with different price points and accommodation options; a place where you can gather, stay, eat or play, for both locals and travelers alike. Tatapouri Bay really does provide us with an easy getaway when you want to do something or go somewhere special, whether for a whole weekend or even just a few hours, and this Labour Weekend the crew will be emerging from their winter hibernation with the oceanside cafe opening up its doors for summer good times. This year bagels will be joining the menu alongside coffee, baked treats and ice cream and this weekend also marks the return of sunrise yoga sessions, which run every Saturday and Sunday morning throughout the summer season. While it is known as a campground, Tatapouri Bay has evolved into a gathering space for tourists and locals alike, with people flocking to the Bay for a coffee, yoga class, ‘Sunday session’ of live music, or just good vibes in general. Nathan and Shanti have done very little hibernating themselves over winter and this year a new covered outdoor space will provide a sheltered venue for community events and workshops with artists and wellness practitioners, and some sparkling new accomodation options have also joined the ranks. Accommodation at Tatapouri Bay ranges from the newly completed super luxe Zen cabins, to furnished glamping tents, to campsites. In addition to finishing the Zen cabins, the Tatapouri team spent their off-season performing a general upgrade of all the facilities. There’s a new outdoor kitchen for the glamping area, and refined landscaping all over the property. Shanti emphasizes the work has a distinctly personal touch “We’ve poured everything into it, every little corner has had time spent on it, or has a story around someone who came in and put their energy into it.” The team feels lucky that they haven’t felt the impact of restrictions on travel, as the majority of their market is local and regional. Nathan observes that even travelers from farther afield are looking for a “local experience” rather than the “touristy things” typically marketed to international tourists. That local experience is provided and celebrated throughout Tatapouri’s offerings. Exterior walls are adorned with murals by local artists, yoga classes are provided by a rotation of local teachers, and the cafe sources its coffee and baking from the Far East Coffee Co. and Curbside Kitchen. And the team has hopes for hosting bigger events in collaboration with other Gizzy businesses throughout summer. Nathan and Shanti are starting to see the best testament to their efforts - it’s increasingly common for guests to want to extend their stay, “they don’t want to leave!” Beyond the incredible view and the outstanding hospitality, there seems to be an intangible element to Tatapouri’s appeal. As Nathan puts it “This place just has a really good energy. That’s exactly what we were trying to achieve and it’s the locals who help us hold that.” Story by Victoria Williams & Sarah Cleave Images supplied.

We have a housing crisis, it's more problematic than you might think, and unless we have the maturity to make some sacrifices today we are sacrificing our future generations. A Housing Crisis The average house price in Aotearoa is more than $900,000, we have a shortfall of more than 100,000 dwellings, all urban housing markets are considered severely unaffordable by international standards, 500,000 Kiwis are in overcrowded housing situations, 300,000 households are on accommodation supplements, Māori home ownership sits at just over 30%, less than 50% of people in our largest city (Auckland) own their own homes, and 1 in 100 people — that’s 50,000 people — are living in ‘severe housing deprivation’ (sleeping on the streets or in cars, in emergency housing, temporarily staying at a relatives or friends, etc). Our housing situation is driving inequality and it’s dangerous. The Fall of Rome, the French Revolution, the Arab Spring and Brexit, were all driven in part by inequality. Inequality is a key contributor to crime, violence, abuse in its many forms, and mental illness. It destroys social cohesion by eroding the bonds that make us feel like we’re all in the same boat. As it stands, the current housing system is growing the divide, creating conditions where those who own homes are witnessing their wealth grow — without having to exert any effort, and in many cases faster than their incomes ever will — while those who do not, watch the prospect of obtaining one become more and more prohibitive. Some people will choose to take on large and unprecedented sums of debt; many more will acknowledge that homeownership is out of their reach. At the same time, a growing number of hard-working people in this country are in unsuitable living situations, staying in cars, sheds, garages and overcrowded houses. Every week an article is written examining the various drivers of expensive housing in New Zealand: lack of supply, easy access to finance, low interest rates, investors, speculators, red tape, restrictive building codes and council rules, material costs and so on. And every other week an article is written with solutions to these issues: a tax, a change in regulation or policy, a homeownership scheme or a building programme. Why is it that despite our best efforts — that is, knowing the problems, having the technical expertise needed to address them, and making efforts to do so — the trajectory for quality affordable housing is only getting worse? Could it be that we are not addressing the heart of the problem? I believe it is timely to reexamine and update our values and beliefs that lie at the heart of both the issues and the solutions to our housing crisis. We are all in the same boat We do not get to choose the circumstances into which we are born. We don't choose our race, our gender or our economic position, and yet these circumstances have far reaching implications on our lives. We need to design our housing system so that every member of society, no matter who they are or where they are born, has equitable access to good quality affordable housing, along with fundamentals such as quality education, healthcare, and food, in order to lay the foundations for a strong future society. Our current system perpetuates unaffordable housing as the status quo, and isn’t good for the millions of individuals who are not in homes which they own or have unprecedented amounts of debt in their names. We have to be fair An expensive house or no house isn't much of a choice. Why should future homebuyers, who are entitled to the basic human right of adequate shelter, be forced to pay ever higher prices for property that hasn’t necessarily had any real value (such as habitable space) added to it? Is it fair that those who have been on the receiving end of property sales have accumulated large sums of money at the expense of buyers? If large sums of money have found their way into the hands of current and previous property owners without any real value being added, wouldn’t it be only fair to look at how that money could be redirected and redistributed towards things that add real value to our society? Given our current state of crisis, we could begin by looking at how such money could be directed towards solutions to the housing crisis. No pain, no gain It is not possible for the average house to be both unaffordable and affordable at the same time. In order to move towards affordability, we're going to have to give up our expensive housing. This will mean a sacrifice for some individuals who, relatively speaking, have more than others. It is not easy to give up something that we enjoy, even when we know the outcome of giving it up is better for us. Whether it's giving up or reducing smoking, alcohol, or sugary drinks for a healthier lifestyle, or forgoing a social outing or sports activity to spend more time with the kids, all of these require some sort of sacrifice on one level in order to achieve a greater objective. The same is true when it comes to expensive housing. We will need to find and develop the strength within ourselves to overcome our self-interest for the benefit of all. The media The tone of the conversation about housing and especially housing as ‘an investment’ needs to change, and our media industry needs to lead this charge. We need to critically examine whether it’s appropriate to talk about rising house prices as if it’s a good thing, when in reality, rising house prices also plays out as rising inequality, crime, mental illness and violence. Newspaper stories with headlines “Major urban centres continue to show strong gains” and “Cheaper suburbs leap ahead” could accurately be rewritten to headline “Major urban centres witness inequality and child poverty grow” and “Rents increase for already struggling families in cheaper suburbs”. Just substitute any reference to ‘rising house prices’ with ‘rising inequality’ and you have a fuller picture of what is going on. Some hard choices We have some choices to make. We can allow our house prices to rise. We can watch as our homeless population grows, more people sleep in cars, and the prospect of home ownership slip away from more Maori and Pasifika families. We can build taller fences and put up barbed wire to keep thieves out as we further isolate ourselves from ‘the other’ — people in different socio-economic circles than us. We can witness our society become more and more divided. Or we can design our housing system to ensure that everyone, no matter who they are, has access to quality affordable homes, homes that they can own should they wish. We can make the price of property commensurate with the real value of property. We can stop concentrating wealth via property into the hands of a minority at the expense of the majority, and we can think about how wealth that has been obtained without creating any real value can be redistributed in a sensible fashion. Redesigning the housing system to be more fair and equitable means we are going to have to make some changes in our thoughts, attitudes, policies and practices. We are going to have to give up a system that is helping an increasingly small segment of society get ahead economically for one that is more holistic and considers the wellbeing of all over the wellbeing of only some. It may be hard in the short term but a more equitable society, a society where we all feel more connected and safer, one in which all human potential is given the chance to develop, is surely a society that we’d rather live in. Be sure however, that if we fail to make the necessary sacrifices soon, it is our future generations that we are sacrificing. Story by Zane Sabour Image by Sarah Cleave

Hear4U is a movement which brings friends, families, and strangers together to support each other in speaking up about men’s mental health and suicide here in the Tairāwhiti. July 2019 saw a loss that rocked our local forestry community. Krissy Mackintosh remembers her partner coming home early that day with the news that a fellow forestry family had lost their 21 year old son Toby to suicide; she recalls a community in shock. Krissy had recently discovered her love of making art from dried flora. At a friend’s request she gathered up all of the flowers that had been sent to the Fraser family following their son’s death, dried them, worked them into three heart-shaped wreaths and gave them back to Toby’s family. In that act of not giving up on those masses of flowers, and instead extending their ability to keep on giving and sharing their message of love and hope, Krissy found the seed for an idea, which was to become the Hear4U movement. Listening to the outpourings of shock and grief that followed, Krissy recognised herself in so many of the stories about Toby as ‘so outgoing, ‘the happy one’, loads of friends, the last person anyone thought this would happen to…’ Having been in that space multiple times herself, and having survived it; hearing the words, which would supposedly explain it all - the language of depression and anxiety - Krissy began to think more and more about the importance of destigmatising mental health and getting people talking about the stuff that she knew so intimately is a very normal part of life for many of us. Having lost ten of her own male friends to suicide Krissy decided that the best way to move forward was to “get guys out there, talking about this stuff”. Thinking about the things that have lifted her own spirits at times throughout her own life, like art, exercise and music, she set about creating projects and events to bring people together to understand men's mental health and suicide prevention better, through listening and learning from each other's stories and experiences. Jo Higgins-Ware and Renee Grant were an integral part of the establishment of Hear4U, which set about creating events to raise funds, and support established foundations, programmes, and charities that were already championing the cause. Connection, healing and education are at the heart of everything Hear4U does, and of course as the name of the movement suggests, the importance of letting people know you are always here to listen. The Hear4U team encourages us to keep asking the kinds of questions that let friends and family know that we are listening “Are you okay? Do you want to talk? Do you know how much I love you? Want to catch up? What’s up bro? You seem distracted.. You don’t seem yourself lately..” The first event was the Hear4U Exhibition and Auction, in which men modelled dried floral wreaths and an auction raised over $53K for the Movember appeal. To date, this is the highest amount raised for a foundation in Australasia. The donation helped fund ‘Headstart’, an educational programme that teaches men from all walks of life the importance of understanding mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention throughout the country. Since then a Hear4U Trailer built by Toby Fraser’s best mate Griffin Law, which went to Speedway events all around the country advocating for men to speak up on suicide prevention during Mental Health Awareness Week last year. The Good Blokes Xmas Appeal brought together photography and art with local builder Steven Huzzy modelling floral wreaths, another event which achieved some epic raising of funds as well as awareness. Just recently 140 people ran the Taupo Marathon for Hear4U. Almost everyone in the team had lost someone to suicide. Many had lost multiple people, across generations, and most of them male. Krissy was recognised for her contribution to men’s health in the community at this year’s Eastland Forestry Awards, receiving ‘The Good Deed Award’. It’s not an easy space to work in, but it’s clear from the richness of relationships that have formed amongst the Hear4U team, which continues to learn from each other, advocate for and work with over 100 men and their families, from all walks of life, that Hear4U is making a difference here in the Tairāwhiti. The group are in the early stages of becoming a registered charity and developing a new website, which will allow them to continue raising awareness, sharing stories and promoting their events and projects as well as enable people to support the cause. Krissy has also embarked on a book about Hear4U. If you want to know more or to join the movement, you can follow #Hear4U on Facebook or contact Krissy Mackintosh at ahear4ustory@gmail.com. Story by Sarah Cleave Photos 1. by Sarah Cleave, 2. supplied by Krissy MacIntosh

Painting Kelly Spencer adopted this lucky plastic cat years ago. Thanks to lockdown she got to sit down and give her a fabulous new paint job. @kell.sunshine This canvas is another family effort, Courtenay, Nick and daughters Shiloh (8 years old) and Rosa Butler (4 years old). Green Flash by Marg Hansen. 1. Cate King has started creating art works using the beeswax from their family beekeeping business @pauarikihoney 2. Cate has put a contemporary spin on the traditional Batik process. Find more of her lockdown creations @resist_studio. Brett Summerlee and 4 year old Key painted this mural ‘Tama nui Te Ra’. With the message ‘The Sun will always Rise no matter how Dark the night’ it acknowledges the better, brighter days that lie ahead. If anyone is keen on a swap, trade or Koha get in touch with Brett (or us and we’ll pass it on!) Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.2m Soon to be a basketball backboard. Collaborative painting in progress by Lennox (6 years old) Pippa (9 years old) and parents Sarah and Matty. Phoebe Gander has been painting peoples’ ‘Lockdown Walks’ @phoebeganderart Amanda Rutherford has completed the top painting for Montessori Kindergarten and has also been working on these floral works. Digital Art A Collab between Matt and Brendon showing two artists’ interpretations of a Hannya mask - used in Japanese theatre and often appearing in Japanese-style tattoos. Left side: @mattvoidtattoo / Right side: @brendon_the_barber ‘Gisborne Surf’ by Nikki Renwick @namiko_native_design Mixed Up Media Archie (13 years old), Benny McKinnon (10 years old) and their mum Katy Wallace are making a stop motion soap of family life in lockdown featuring themselves. Episode 1 is about Archie getting caught hiding his phone under his bed. Roimata Earrings, carved from stranded sperm whale jawbone by Guy Tuterangiwhiu O'Connor. @Kiwibone on Facebook Newspaper outfit by Irelyn Purnell (10 years old). Using some of the skills she's picked up at Tairāwhiti Museum Holiday Art Classes and a stack of Gisborne Heralds she created this swish little number. Pen on Paper by Rosie Cairns Mixed Media on board by Rosie Cruddas @rosiecruddas Photographer Tink Lockett and a photographer friend in Auckland set themselves a creative competition. This shot depicts feelings of opportunity and life going down the drain because of lockdown. @Tink M Lockett Flower crown made by Yulia Clark, Masha (11 years) and Yana (7 years). Preserved Protea Wall Hanging by Kate Briant @theruralflorist At the end of a few days of hard mahi in the garden Pascale Delos decided to stop some flax on its way into the compost… Amanda Roe has been collecting trash on the beach for the past year. Lockdown gave her the time and inspiration to make something with it. A magical fairy house for a magical place by Lily Rose Cairns, 9 years old. SSC News Banner by Sammy (12 years old) and Diego (10 years old) On the Tools Kelly Spencer knocked out this charming little drink shelf for the hammock - it was surely for this kind of job that lockdowns were made for…@kellsunshine The Scallywag: A bike by MattyK ‘Twas born of a bike or seven A free frame in freeze-frame, propped against an almond in blossom When lockdown was sprung on us like a frosty morning late for work What else do you do when there’s little to do and even less places to be? Create you do, that’s what. So we do. I strip, bang, sand, cut, weld, mask, spray away the days. Bolt it together all hotchpotch like and pop a wheelie for the freedom of days of youth and reliving it soon. As we get back to level 2, it’ll be my taxi. Me and ‘The Scallywag’ a steed thats stands for freedom Freedom so close I can taste it in the air. Aiden Nomell (14 months old) has had a super busy lock down renovating an old caravan to a sleep out, making a cool play area with Mum and Dad. Both projects have been done using stuff that was lying around and of course pallets! Writing By Neherā Kopa “The answer is that greed, which is to demand ever more, is a praiseworthy quality provided that it is displayed under the right circumstances. Thus, should a person show greed in acquiring science and knowledge, or in the exercise of compassion, high-mindedness, and justice, this would be most praiseworthy. And should he direct his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty tyrants who are like ferocious beasts, this too would be most praiseworthy. But should he display these qualities under other conditions, this would be deserving of blame.” - Abdu’l-Baha Right now there’s a clip of a woman being flogged in the street. Her prosecutors take it in rounds, enjoying their time before handing the flog off for the next man’s turn - that’s only fair business. They’d forced a crowd to watch, dragged from their safe spaces. Made to surround so that the heat of their skin and eyes beat down heavy in tandem with the sun and the whip. Children can be heard playing just off-screen. Her prayers get louder so that now I can hear its cuts ring high above the rest and I don’t want to look at this anymore. Should’ve scrolled down first thing. Could have left it to get lost amongst the masses, sandwiched as it is between @globalpositivenews and @overheardnewyork. Let it gather dust. I can brush it off over a pint someday. Question: what use is it for me to subject myself to this when nothing is all I can do? If you’re familiar, you’ll know with shameful intimacy, the whisper of resentment that flickers right before the deep roiling of guilt washes in. If habit and conditioning can perverse the character, then surely rejection of iniquity is something that must be trained also. This is where I double-back, make myself watch, breathe through my nose, swallow down on my racing heart and closing throat. Did I do that right? Is it making a difference yet? (Stop. Train myself not to think so of myself when exposed to someone else’s pain) If your expectations were for a joyful sidepiece about my dog, take this as an apology. Nothings happened to him, he’s right here beside me, wrapped up tight, snoozing. Tomorrow is another day in the bubble; we’ll play in rays of light or cool waters. He’ll be a menace to society, as per. Maybe next time I’ll tell you how his antics caused a meltdown (mine: not his) of astronomical proportions. He waka eke noa. Wiggle Woo by Miro O’Neill Divingboards by Silke Steffen Shiny wet concrete Steam rising up through my nose and mouth Higher and higher to the painful blue skies Arrows of sun shooting down through my bodies, right Into the heart of an eccentric tiny, little golden flower Let's run, let's fly Let's dive right into it Race to the bottom of the seemingly neverending stairs to life I arrive and look: who took the stairs? Gone, nothing to climb and nevertheless so much to discover I never liked feeling my achy muscles hurting from tiny steps upwards upwards and upwards and upwards and upwards and upwards and and I turn around leave the stairs behind which are gone. Now. Turn around and dive into Oceans of sweet and wonderful tasting greens and softly colourful flowers Which are The stairs of tomorrow - At least in my dreams "Artitecture" “Seven years ago we decided to build our own place. Fast forward to now and I feel obliged to share some actual progress I have been making on the semi-rural legend that is “The Round House.” During this lockdown I’ve sacrificed many sunny days out on the farm to sit in my office with the hope of making this huge undertaking a reality for my family and the people that are tired of hearing me talk about it! I trained as an industrial designer but have been working in film and TV for 23 years. I’ve always found my initial, left field ideas are the best ones so when I started designing our future home around constellations, I kind of got lost in the weirdness of it. What a strange thing to do. Te punga (the anchor), māhutonga, the southern cross, croix du sud are just a few of the names for our most recognisable southern hemisphere constellation. A great metaphor the anchor is for a house: semi-permeance, safety and a connection to the earth, albeit a bit dubious. Until now, we have used our small farm as a testing ground for a more natural construction methodology that might relate to our future home. Our own building policies on the farm include: no paint, no treated timber, and no plaster. All floors are made of earth, all posts are recycled hardwood and all the labour has come from our family, friends or wwoofers. To me, sustainability is synonymous with perfection. It doesn’t really exist in our modern human world but I think we all need to push ourselves in that direction as much as we can. It is a slow process but the transition needs to happen and we all know it”. @barrywhitesnake Experimental Art After reminiscing with workmates about childhood junk food over a zoom call Sarah Pocock was inspired to try to re-create some old favourites at home. Sarah made these dark chocolate and sea salt pop tarts. A bit of a process but a good outcome apparently! Tamariki Beautiful creative moments from Juniper, Alfie and Esmeralda, a collab between Felix and mum Rosie, and Dehstinee’s Dad as a superhero :)

Last week Gisborne became one library richer. This sweet little cupboard with glass doors and rows of shelving sitting on the side of Murphy Road may not be immediately recognizable as a library, but library it is. It is Wainui’s Little Free Library to be precise. More than 90,000 Little Free Libraries can be found in 91 different countries around the world. Touted as the world’s largest book-sharing movement, the intent is to build community, spark creativity and inspire readers. Hayley Trashe’s reasons for getting one up and running in her own neighbourhood of Wainui run true to form. As someone who has always enjoyed having “a toe dipped into some community group or another” the idea of a community library fit rather well with Hayley’s current personal mission to spend less down time in front of TV or phone, and more time reading books. “I like reading but I haven’t necessarily been a big reader. Last year I set myself a reading challenge of 12 books a year with the App Good Reads. By October I’d read my quota so this year I set my goal at 18 for the year. Unfortunately since I have started studying reading for pleasure has taken a back seat. ” She is hoping that [Wainui’s Little Free Library] will encourage her to read more by coming across titles she might not necessarily have sought out herself and hopes that it will also do the same for others. “Books are expensive and while good books get passed around friends, I like the idea of increasing accessibility to those good books”. Hayley also likes the idea of a visit to Wainui’s Little Free Library becoming another thing you might add into your repertoire on a trip out to the beach if you live in town, (especially if you’ve forgotten your book!) She emphasises that the library is not just for people who live in Wainui and sees it as a great resource for backpackers and travellers too. Hayley came up with the idea for a community library at the end of June. Since then she has registered with the Little Free Library organisation and consulted with the Wainui community via the community’s Facebook page to gauge interest and get ideas for a suitable location. The structure itself was built from scratch by her lovely husband Whyte over the course of a few weekends from recycled materials. Installed on Sunday August 4, a microwave cookbook had appeared by Monday morning. Hayley added one book of her own and by that afternoon, there were 20 books sitting pretty in their temporary home. Hayley says it has been a relatively easy exercise and would love to see more of these community resources dotted around town. Earlier on a road trip around the upper North Island I found countless pātaka kai, or community pantries and free clothes piles dotted around the place. It’s not hard to understand why. They are spaces that encourage and enable us to be our own best selves both to each other and our planet, all the while providing an opportunity to stumble across each other and engage in a good old fashioned conversation - in this case very likely over a book. Look for Wainui’s Little Free Library on Facebook and for an even more enjoyable experience go have a browse in real life! It’s situated outside 8 Murphy Road. If you have a book you’ve finished with and think someone else might enjoy, take that too! Story Sarah Cleave Photograph Tom Teutenberg

Walking into TaiTech is a little bit like being enveloped in a hug. You’ll be welcomed at the door by Polly Crawford and depending on the day and time, the air will be abuzz with the hum of laughter and learning, and the whiff of home baking drifting through from the tearoom. The Tairawhiti Technology Trust (TaiTech) is all about giving people a hand up on their business and digital skills journeys. Sandra Groves recently went along to their Whare Atamai drop-in business hub in the Kāiti mall to find out just what goes on in there. TaiTech is run by a group of passionate people who believe in providing a community hub for people who want to develop ideas by using technology. The hub expanded from the ‘Gizzy Geeks’, a group of IT professionals who were working together to better integrate technology into our wider community. In 2019 Taitech started out as a once-weekly-hub at the Ka Pai Kāiti offices, soon growing to five times a week within the space of a few months. Funding from the Kanoa- Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment allowed them to open full-time, running daily courses in their own Whare Atamai hub. TaiTech’s Operations Manager Polly Crawford has been involved from the early days and is amazed at the way in which the hub has continued to grow in popularity as well as scope. There are opportunities to start with the basics and upskill your digital skills, and many of Taitech’s participants are kaumātua/seniors. The hub has adjusted its programme over time to offer a wider range of business training too. One of their offerings is a one-on-one course for people who don’t currently have a smartphone, and in some cases, have never had one - thanks to Digital Wings, who refurbish digital devices. In this course participants can learn the basics like making a phone call, turning it on and off, adding contacts, texting, using voice and swipe texting. It might sound like simple stuff, but for those who have never had the opportunity to use a smartphone, let alone learn how to, this kind of opportunity is nothing short of life changing. A long-time student of the phone and computer course, Turei Walker, thinks the hub is an amazing place. He didn’t know anything about using a mobile phone, and now he feels heaps more confident. He reckons the mix of different cultures of the participants and the manaakitanga of the tutors make for an awesome learning environment “They make you feel at home and really look after you.” Taitech also holds workshops on everything from understanding copyright to small business needs, networking and tax advice. Much of the training is supported by Trust Tairawhiti, IRD, local businesses and subsidised by organisations like the Sunrise Foundation, Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa (DIAA) and MBIE. DIAA provides courses that specifically cater to kaumātua such as ‘Appy Seniors’ for over 65’s and free ‘Better Digital Futures’ computer courses. Classes on email technology, social media, and online banking and shopping are also being integrated into the programme and other training options being considered for the future include how to use a Smart TV and video communications such as Zoom. One of the groups that meet regularly at the hub is the Creative Writing Group. Regina de Wolf-Ngarimu loves the relaxed environment and getting to meet other creative people. Everyone shares their stories and knowledge in a way you wouldn’t normally, she says, and adds that with a lonely pastime such as writing, engaging with other people really helps. So, if you have been thinking it’s time to work on your digital skills, need business training or just want to connect with other people, head along to TaiTech and speak to Polly, she would love to see you! Taitech also offers their venue for seminars, workshops and meetings by other groups. TaiTech is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm in the Kāiti mall. You can contact them by email: office.taitech@gmail.com and you can follow them on Facebook. Story by Sandra Groves