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

Rita Macdonald is a local treasure; a custodian of treasures, a teller of tales; she is both a survivor and a saviour for others. As she nears her seventieth birthday people often ask her when she is going to slow down. But for Rita, bright blue eyes sparkling with the pleasure of it all, her playtime has just begun. Seven years ago Rita retired from 19 years as the Health and Housing officer at Housing New Zealand. Last weekend she opened her home and garden ‘Rita’s Rusty Rake’ to the public for the first of what she hopes will be many Sunday afternoons; afternoons in which she looks forward to sharing the fruits of her playtime with those who care to come by. “Everything is very old” Rita warns her visitors upon entry. As a lover of old things, I received this warning warmly, however describing just what awaits inside the gates of the Rusty Rake is not at all a straightforward affair.. To say it is filled with nostalgic objects or is an homage to the past suggests some kind of a museum display; staid, still and behind glass perhaps. No, that’s not it at all. Rather I would describe it as a collection of treasures; artful assemblages in every nook and cranny of every room, every corner of the garden, that act as a series of prompts for memories and myriad stories; some of them Rita’s own, some passed on, and some imagined. Rita grew up on Argyle Street, a street occupied entirely by Scots in the 1950’s. A rack of Tartan stands in the front hallway, her grandfather’s Highland Band hat sits atop a table and a photograph of the Gisborne Highland Pipe band circa 1975 adorns the wall. Her father stands in the middle row as the Band’s Pipe Major. Rita remembers him giving her his spats to clean, which she would scrub with sunlight soap and hot water before visiting Mrs Melville, a Sister at the Cook Hospital to ask for a little whitening to finish them off. When there was a wedding or some other celebration and her father wanted his pipes to sound even more sweetly, he would soak the pipes’ bag in a bath with golden syrup and wrap the reeds with strands of his daughters’ hair. Rita says she has always liked the old, faded and broken. “In rust I trust” she asserts, “because you can see it, it’s never hidden.” Over time she has collected and been given treasures to care for, friends asking ‘I don’t know what to do with mother’s cottons, are they any use to you?’ Rita with no other reply in her than “I will care for Mother’s cottons.” She has a simple appreciation for the work and care that went into making things before we started using machines for everything, and she extends that same philosophy to her own life and the objects in her care. She shows me her ‘engine room’, a sunny room to which she retires, when the events of the world become too much. Here she stitches wise and calming words that she might have heard or found in a book onto cloth with a needle and coloured thread. Rita nurtures her ageing chickens, Mrs White, Mrs Black and Mrs Fortesque Brown with cooked porridge every morning for breakfast and Chinese noodles on Friday nights. They roam resplendent amongst the garden, wild with rambling old roses, wandering nasturtiums, soft pink geraniums and cats. The vegetables valiantly hold onto their claim amongst the poppies and violets. A fairy house patiently awaits Rita’s attention after suffering some wind damage (or was it a particularly well-attended party?) and baskets of cacti drip from the trees. Vast fruit trees hold bucketloads of promise for the coming summer. To my fresh eyes the garden is a magical wonderland, for Rita it is full of memories. Over the almost forty years she has been there, people have given her “this and that”, often when they’re about to move into a rest home, knowing that she will save a cherished plant passed down through the generations from the green waste pile. Out the back of the garden is 'Anne’s Room', a garage converted to the little museum that her sister Anne had always dreamed of but didn’t live to see to fruition. It houses a collection of all the dolls Rita ever wanted as a child, as well as all of those that have come since. Not all of the stories I hear from Rita are happy ones, but as she explains it, Rita’s Rusty Rake is her response to the sadness she has experienced in her life. Rita talks about angels, certain “wonderful people” that had faith in her abilities and opened doors for her at the times in her life when she needed it most. In turn Rita put that faith to good use; stepping in and helping out where she could when the chips were down for others. And now, Rita the Resident Scarecrow, as she refers to herself with her sparkling eyes, is opening the door on her home and garden, a bricolage of friendships and memories, stories connecting objects to place and time, a little bit higgledy, with the odd bit of rust, a place that she hopes “people will love to come”. I know that I will love to visit, time and again. Thank you Rita for having me. What: Rita’s Rusty Rake is a cottage garden and collectables for viewing Where & When: 18 Clifford Street, Sunday afternoons, 2pm- 5pm. Cost: $5 per person or $15 per family. Proceeds go towards Rita’s homeless & prescriptions funds for local people. Story & photos by Sarah Cleave

Hiking the stairs of the old post office building, to the 5th floor, I wondered how we once depended so much on this structure for our communications. Pushing through the weighted door led me to numbered offices. Office number 8 held inside of it the precise measurement of determination and tenderness to deliver an important, and sometimes stigmatized moment, becoming and being transgender. Laughter rattled through office number 8’s door. I paused for it to have its full course. When I knocked, a warm and resonating voice answered keenly “come in!” I entered to a room of 3 people, all wearing wide smiles. Tee Wells, Tink Lockett and Jase, “We’re celebrating” expressed Tee, filmmaker and owner/operator of Tairāwhiti TV. Tee is non-binary and prefers the pronouns, ‘they/them’. They handed around a bowl of lollipops - these genuine and nostalgic offerings that would lend insight into the reason for representation of this project. This kaupapa is Transgender in Tairāwhiti, the bones of a 4-part pilot of documentary shorts, representing four people as they express their experiences as trans people in Tairāwhiti. The documentary will consist of a 10-minute clip for each collaborator, with each of their experiences portrayed through videography and photography. Transgender in Tairāwhiti consists of 4 diverse collaborators: Gio, Lesley, Nganeko, and Jase. The first collaborator on the scene was Gio, a trans woman, Tongan and in her mid-twenties. Through connections of Gio came Lesley, also a trans woman, Pākehā and in her mid-sixties. Undeniably, Lesley’s experience stepping into their truer self in a 1950’s Gisborne is unfathomable. From up the coast came Nganeko, a trans woman, Māori and in her early twenties. Finally, and therefore the reason for sugary celebrations, was Jase, Pākehā, early twenties and the only trans man of this kaupapa. The mana in the room was pulsating, Tink Lockett, a renowned photographer of nude imagery expressed her deep desire for fairness, “we’re all the same with no clothes on”. I mistook what Tink’s nude imagery meant. Off the cusp, I thought that her intention for nude photography meant that she was looking for sex appeal. I was quite wrong. Tink wishes to change body imagery, proudly extending an ambition to desexualize how we see our bodies. There sits a bricolage of diversity within this kaupapa. As previously mentioned, these collaborators hold their own ‘identity markers’ within each of their kete. Tee is proudly Queer - we both spoke of our experiences existing as ‘lesbian’ at Gisborne Girls’ High School. Tee has travelled the world working within film, also working with Māori Television and TVNZ. They have also developed some life experience of Queerdom both in Aotearoa and overseas in Australia and Cambodia. It makes sense that a Queer, non-binary person speaks to and captures the experiences of these people trying to navigate their way through their trans journeys. But what of Tink? Well, it should comfort you in knowing that Tink profusely checks herself. She’s very open in knowing her privileges and her status. She reiterates to me, “I’m white, I’ve got blonde hair and I’m straight”, there is something intensely trustworthy in Tink’s transparency. The pair met a few months ago after working with Queer Vocal Loop Artist and Musician EJ Barrett from Taranaki. When Tink found out that EJ was coming to town to film a music video, they tee’d up a time to do a quick nude-art photo shoot during *EJ’s visit. It was the video project itself which piqued Tink’s interest to make contact with Tee. Coffee and kōrero was shared at PBC, and the rest grew out of the 5th floor old post office building. Sitting now in this same office, I watch the two exchange the most fluid discussion; it unravels in front of me, and reveals this excitement of positive representation. I’m told of another collaborator, Chris Shotton, who identifies as Gay and understanding the need for this type of work, donates his time to help Tee and Tink. This project is nurtured in authenticity, with underlying values making up the very beams of this kaupapa. Of course, as is the case with most artistic endeavours, this documentary is being created off of the backs of these wonderful humans. The group wish to secure future funding to help tautoko the continuing movement of this kaupapa. Here at Gizzy Local, we’re fortunate to be welcomed into this space as it evolves. Further to this, we’ve been invited to watch, listen and ask questions of these collaborators at a panel, soon to be announced. * EJ does not hold any gender and prefers to be acknowledged by name only Story by Jordan Walker Images provided by Tink & Tee If you’re keen to follow this journey of Transgender in Tairāwhiti, give Tairāwhiti TV a follow on Facebook and on Instagram. More on Tink’s work can be found on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

Damon Meade is a landscape photographer, film maker and time lapse artist. A graduate of the Fine Arts programme at Massey University, he’s managed to crack that seemingly elusive formula for many creatives and has been self-employed as a full-time creative since 2004. Damon happily claims his home and his whenua, Tūranganui-a-kiwa, as the best place in the world, and the images he’s been creating and sharing over the past fifteen years or so certainly make a compelling case for that claim. It could be said that through his photography and his often lyrical written accompaniments, Damon Meade is one of the region’s most avid and far-reaching proponents of this place. Damon started out his photography career standing on the beach, where he spent a good few years sighting his lens in on many of the country’s best surfers. Even then, his gaze often wandered to bring the wider geographical context into shot. An appreciative eye and attention to sense of place are noticeable trademarks of his work. In the early years of his career Damon produced the surf films Wolfskinz (2007), Under The Weather (2013) and a number of short surf films including The Beaten Track (2015). He describes this as an inspired period and is proud of the lasting snapshot he captured; of what some epic local surfers were getting up to, and some of the remoter parts of the country, at a particular moment in time. There came a point however, at which Damon was ready to get off the beach and try something different. He had been playing around with photography and low-fi time-lapse photography and it was to these mediums that he turned his focus. As for the subject matter, he was heading for the stars. After a few years of experimenting with time-lapse photography Damon discovered how much he enjoyed the challenge of lining up celestial elements with familiar features in the landscape. Using this as his starting point, Damon has created a body of work that depicts our landscape in a way that hasn’t been done before. Many of Damon’s photographs and time-lapses are months in the planning, and certain shots he will return to, year upon year, with one eye on the astronomical calendar and the other on the weather forecast. Each mission yields new insights into the character of the landscape and so the intimate knowledge he has of this place he knows and loves continues to grow, as does the internal running catalogue of shots he’d like to capture in the future. “It keeps me fit and keeps me honest” he reckons. Damon’s creative perspective is far from limited to that which he captures through his camera lens. Often an artist will leave the picture to tell the story, but Damon isn’t afraid of adding subtext to the “thousand words” already told by his photographs, usually in the form of some kind of back story or commentary as to what is going on behind the mesmerising beauty of the photograph. When deep sea drilling was on the cards for the government in the early 2000’s Damon was unafraid to spoil his sublime surf footage with talk of what was going on within those very scenes, ‘Drilling ship arrives in Raglan area 10 days from now’, ‘It needs to stop’. As he captures our landscape from manifold angles, so too does he speak for it, from the state of our waterways, the impacts of forestry slash or the effect that the Space X Satellites are having and will continue to have on our night skies. There is an element of prescience in Damon’s work, by which we are called to recognise what we have in this moment, knowing that nothing ever stays the same, particularly when human beings are in the mix. Through Damon’s lens a chilly summer morning is ‘unseasonably gruff’ a cyclone ‘chews it's path along our coastline’ and even the wait on some decent surf offers opportunity for philosophical observation and a lyrical one at that, ‘a ruffled wind torn ocean patiently awaits the arrival of fresh new swell.’ Most recently Damon has tasked himself with the mammoth job of pulling the various strands of his work together in one place; an online print store where a selection of his best prints are being sold. The more labour-intensive astro-panoramas are available for purchase as limited print runs, alongside an open collection of prints. Time-lapse video, drone footage, astro-panoramas - the various components of his work all bounce off each other, they are from the same journey. Sometimes a time-lapse frame will become a wall print. Drone footage is accompanied by a still photograph from the same flight. Through many kilometres trekked around the bare hills and rocky coastlines of the Tairāwhiti, hours upon hours of checking the weather and keeping tabs on the stars, and a philosophical outlook on his work and our changing world, Damon Meade is compiling a stunning showcase of our region, which we think is well worth checking out. Epic work Damon Meade. You can check out Damon’s print store here Damonmeade.com And for examples of Damon’s time-lapse work check these out: Shorelight - A Time lapse compilation of the Gisborne East Coast In Our Corner Tuahine Point Lighthouse Under The Stars Uawa Moon Rise Story by Sarah Cleave

7am down at Waikanae Beach. A hushed morning preceding a warm Spring day. Empty apart from the occasional jogger and the rhythms of the ocean. A man arranges himself next to a structure of driftwood; he has organised for a photographer to come capture the scene. Adel Salmanzadeh brings an immense energy to everything he does. His latest initiative is Toi Rito – Art for Social Action, an accumulation of Del’s experiences in art, education, and development. The idea of using art for impact is not unfamiliar for Del. Coming to New Zealand as a refugee in 1989, he is a recognised UNESCO Refugee Integration through Language and Arts Affiliate Artist, having previously used art to explore notions of identity and advocate for marginalised groups. Del sees art as the ideal means to communicate important messages – it is fun, engaging for a range of audiences, and has the effect of sparking curiosity. Designed to be an inclusive endeavour, Toi Rito is less about hard skills and more about the act of being creative. Del asks, if someone went down to the river, picked up 50 stones and proceeded to arrange those 50 stones in any form, their name for example - would this be art? For him, yes and thus, every single person can be an artist. Toi Rito is the second chapter following his Prints for Good initiative, borne from using prints to raise funds for victims of the 2019 Mosque terrorist attack. Whilst Prints for Good used the one art medium, this time around Del has opened the floor to both different types of art and collaboration with different sectors of the community. Adaptable to different purposes, Del has chosen to align Toi Rito with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), something he came across during his work in the international development sector. These 17 goals spearhead the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the internationally accepted blueprint to achieve a more peaceful and prosperous world for both people and the planet. Such unanimity in the international development and governance world is unprecedented – but these are unprecedented goals. They offer a common purpose for the global community, with relevance for all people at local, national and international levels. The SDGs take on the most pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change, eliminating poverty and good health. As the name suggests, these are things the world must achieve by 2030. For something so monumental, they have been slow to capture the imagination of New Zealand. The crucial question then becomes how do we make society aware and knowledgeable about the SDGs, so that they might be better adopted and enacted? How do we connect the extensive knowledge this region holds and mahi already underway to the greater umbrella of the ‘sustainable development goals’? Del knew he wanted to be part of the solution to these questions. Through Toi Rito, Del is coordinating a series of 17 art workshops for the SDGs, each art workshop being matched to an fitting SDG, which are intended to be a way of communicating the goals practically and creatively to the Gisborne community through various art mediums. Taken under the broad wings of fellow social impact gurus Tāiki E, Toi Rito has found itself a home in Te Tairāwhiti, this ‘arty place’ feeling like the right fit for Del’s work. The series launched with a driftwood installation at Waikanae beach to raise awareness about SDG14 Life Below Water, which was meticulously arranged by the hands of around 30 people over several hours on a Friday afternoon. Heading down to Waikanae beach now, you wouldn’t find a trace of what existed there before. This is a part of the ethos of Toi Rito – the art itself embodies sustainability and treads softly on the earth. This week as a part of Tāiki E’s Entrepreneurship week, is a print-making workshop addressing SDG8: decent work for all and economic growth on Wednesday morning, followed by a workshop run by the Riposte Team on Friday around SDG9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, with upcoming workshops including another beach art installation to draw attention to SDG15, hiwa āhuarangi – climate action. Of course, one man alone cannot run 17 workshops. Staying true to the nature of Tāiki E, collaboration is at the heart of this initiative. Numerous Gizzy creatives have been brought onboard to lead workshops that showcase their skills, endeavours and businesses. Kirsten from Puawai & Co, led attendees through bouquet making, and mushroom grower Mariska who guided a beeswax wraps session to encourage sustainable consumption habits. One workshop included a trip to Tairāwhiti Environment Centre for the Tāiki E pataka to get a makeover for SDG2 Zero Hunger. The support of Cain, Renay, the Tāiki E residents, and daughter and fellow artist Carmel have been instrumental in giving life to Del’s ideas. As if Toi Rito were a child, the village has gathered around to raise it. The SDG Art Workshop Series will culminate in a public SDG Art exhibition to not only advocate for the our community’s adoption of the SDGs, but also to demonstrate various ways that ‘art’ can be conceived. Bigger workshops are on Del’s agenda for 2021, as well as plans for a nation-wide release of 17-limited edition prints that speak to the 17 SDGS, paired with 17 poems and songs. The SDGs are undeniably big, big goals; unless ways are identified to make the goals attainable, they are rendered merely as aspirations. Far from being the government’s job, the SDGs crucially depend on the everyday, bite-sized contributions of local communities, giving substance to the notion of ‘think global, act local’. Toi Rito might just be one piece of the puzzle, but Del believes that it is these little things, when pieced together, that will pave the way to a sustainable future. Words by Lauren Turner. Life Below Water images X Tom Teutenberg.