In March 2024 Gizzy Local will be hosting our first exhibition, and we’re looking for local artists to be a part of it. After the year that has been, the theme of Tāwhirimātea’s Battle feels apt! For this exhibition artists are invited to draw upon this enduring story of the struggle between the god of the weather, Tāwhirimātea, and Tūmatauenga, deity of war and people. As we experience the effects of climate change first hand in Te Tairāwhiti, this battle between Man and Weather continues to play out before our very eyes. We welcome expressions of interest from local artists - from emerging through to experienced as. We welcome a wide variety of mediums from visual art forms to photography, sculpture, installation and interactive art, to craft. Expectations and Requirements: A body of work can look like one large installation / 3 large works / 3 - 8 pieces of varying sizes / 20 small pieces. Tell us about your creative vision and how you envisage it being presented within the space. Completed works to be received by Thursday 29 February 2024. Works to have hanging equipment attached or provided. Framed work to be framed to a gallery standard. When you submit your artworks please note details on medium/s and pricing. You'll also need to submit an Artist Bio with photo. Exhibiting artists are expected to attend the opening night and to promote the exhibition via their social media. You'll be working with our curator to hang your works. The exhibition and opening night will be promoted through Gizzy Local online and social platforms, plus printed posters. Exhibiting artists will be featured on Gizzy Locals Social platforms and Website. We're looking forward to a great Opening night with music, kai and refreshments! Artists are expected to attend and be able to talk about their works, even if just one on one with people. In bringing together this exhibition we are committed to walking alongside emerging and less experienced artists. Our curator will be available to assist you with framing, pricing, hanging your work to a gallery standard and writing your artist Bio and artwork details. We encourage interested artists to come and check out the exhibition spaces. There is an outside courtyard, hallway, traditional exhibition space, internal windows, and various other options depending on the nature of your work. To express your interest in showing your work as a part of this exhibition, please email kesampson10@gmail.com with images that convey your style and a brief outline of the body of work you are proposing. If your work lends itself to something less traditional in hanging, let us know so we can work with you to accommodate it. We have space for about 10 - 12 artists to participate in this group exhibition which will be held at the Gizzy Local space in Lowe Street. The opening night will be 15th March and the exhibition will run for 1 month.

Making music is just the output of sound, right? Actually a huge part of making music is tuning into the environment around you, like your bandmates or the audience. That keen awareness and perception is what allows musicians Annabelle & Ash to move between the mainstream world of musical performance into the more intimate and closed-loop world of leading musical healing, Medicine Music Ceremonies. This journey started over a decade ago when the two began making a partnership together, both in life and in music. Annabelle is a Gizzy girl whose post-music degree career led her to the cruise ship stage. There, she and Ash really honed their musical talents. Ash, who is also musically trained, credits the cruise ship environment and later getting positions in some great HB-based bands with helping him tune his ear for improvisation. Says Ash, “It was such a learning space for me. I was playing with accomplished jazz musicians, learning how to listen to what they were doing, to improvise.” When I asked him if he had a favourite style of music to play, it was less the genre and instead the improvising. “Creating music is where my art is, where I’m most joyous.” This music creation is what happens at a medicine music ceremony. Annabelle and Ash tune into the energy of the attendees and tailor the music to the room. I recently attended a Medicine Music Ceremony as a newbie and was surprised by the jumble of paradoxes. It was ancient and yet modern. It was foreign but also right here and now. The other people there were both inconsequential to my little experience but also compulsory to the undeniable sense of unity. They played a half a dozen songs, starting with a song that featured the Hare Krishna mantra. I’m not experienced in mantras or musical medicine. But I am the daughter of a big Beatles fan, so I knew the Hare Krishna mantra from the Beatles’ famous study of Transcendental Meditation and specifically George Harrison’s incorporation of it into his famous song “My Sweet Lord.” Annabelle and Ash shine as gifted musicians and musical ceremony leaders with the songs they’ve written around the mantras. These are no 3-chord numbers. They are modern and musically complex – maybe where you could recognise all those hours improvising with those jazz musicians. But they’re also easy to learn in a matter of seconds. The reason mantras are so effective at calming the mind and honing in on an intention is that they are simple, repetitive, hypnotic. Attending a musical healing ceremony by Annabelle and Ash, it could be understandable if you attended just to listen to them play. Because in addition to the power of the mantra and the beauty of the ceremony, what I want to tell you is how sublime and enchanting the music was. Ash plays the acoustic guitar in a way that grounds and also lightens the songs. He grounds the songs with percussive strumming and lightens the song with intricate and complex chords that serve as accompaniment to Annabelle’s voice that’s both bell-like and soulful. These ceremonies have a touch of an intimate concert in that the regulars knew the songs. I even heard quiet whoops of glee at one point when Annabelle told us the mantra that was coming next. But even as a newbie who knew none of these songs, it was impossible not to get swept up in the beautiful melodies and the soft choir of voices around me. It was like the best kind of concert, one where the artist plays all the songs you know and love and you sing along. Although they happily still play mainstream gigs, like wineries or weddings, it’s been a personal journey for the two of them to find themselves leading musical healing workshops. It was built on their curiosity about world music and the staying-power of these ancient words and instruments. They found themselves in a place in their lives, re-evaluating their priorities. “Do we love this? Is this making us happy? Purely happy? Not just a facade of happiness?” They embarked on a quest of introspection that at times felt like a major upheaval. When looking at alternate ways to live, when choosing happiness as the marker for success, it can feel like you’re reprogramming yourself. Says Annabelle about the mainstream life they’d left, “You ask yourself, ‘Is it acceptable to live this life?’ Because we’d given up our 9-5s in pursuit of this happiness. And inevitably there was a lot of judgement out there, people wondering what we even do. So we were feeling some hard emotions about it.” As musicians, they turned to music to help them. “We used music as a tool to help ourselves transform.” Ash says, “Those hard emotions came up and we were able to use music to express those emotions. And once expressed, you feel amazing.” They’d found a way to lighten the emotional load. This was one of the things that Annabelle stressed at the start of the ceremony. The mantras have the power to help you move the unwanted energy out of your body. It’s pretty well-accepted that stress, anxiety, negative emotions and thoughts can wreak havoc on our physical state. We might clench our jaw. The muscles in our neck and back can tighten into knots. Our blood pressure can rise. And similar to guided meditation, Annabelle reminds us that music, the process of setting an intention, bringing these ancient words into our minds, breathing in and singing them out, can allow us to let go of the negative emotions that aren’t serving us. We too can lighten the emotional load. In the beginning of their journey, they made familiar music that allowed them to express emotions. In talking with them, I was reminded that actually we all do this all the time. Were you ever a teenager who got dumped and felt hurt and rage and found comfort in yell-singing along with Alanis Morrisette? Too GenX-y? What about Taylor Swift? A bit over-excited for this party? Get the up-beat bangers on and belt it out. Soon, Annabelle and Ash began attending musical healing retreats. They explored accessing altered states of consciousness through holotropic breathwork. They were now surrounded by people with different knowledge and expertise who then introduced them to sanskrit mantras. “The words are some of the oldest in the world.” says Annabelle. “They’re known to hold the power of creation.” It’s no coincidence that folk singing and mantras have been well-preserved and shared over centuries, and still have relevance today. It’s because they still have power. They ground us in the moment. They link us to the people who are with us. They spiral our consciousness around an intention. In a word, it still works. And in our modern lives, with an infinite amount of input, Annabelle and Ash are seeing increasingly more people opting for a break from the modern onslaught of content and choosing this ancient and primitive kind of input. Annabelle and Ash’s songs are simple and comforting, containing maybe half a dozen words, sung in mainly the same order, with a couple variations of melodic lines, with just a guitar, a few percussion instruments, and a few dozen voices guiding you along. I found myself closing my eyes and singing along with the other voices and weirdly forgetting there were other people there. As Ash says, “It’s powerful enough to have these experiences by yourself. It’s even more powerful to have them with a group.” Annabelle adds that while there might be emotions that people let go of, mostly the ceremonies are about actively creating joy and a sense of unity, which might be lost amidst our rushed and busy lives. And that’s exactly what I felt: the delight in listening to the beautiful music and then the simple, infectious joy of singing along. Thankfully, as a society, we are talking about mental health and the importance of sharing your emotions with others. Suffering in silence serves no one. Annabelle and Ash seek to provide a safe space where people can express those emotions, literally usher them out of your body, without judgement. We all feel fear, grief, pain of one kind or another. Music can help us acknowledge and then let that pain go little by little, breath by breath, word by word. Says Annabelle, “We started to wonder, ‘How can we use music for another purpose, not just to entertain people? To help people heal themselves?’ Because we’re not actually doing the healing. We’re providing a safe space for people to heal themselves.” And that’s exactly how it worked for me. I felt happier and lighter. (Although, I was also definitely entertained a bit, too.) If you are looking for ways to be mindful, to let go of your busy thoughts for a time, or to do some introspection and introduce ancient musical medicine to your life, seek out Annabelle and Ash and their Musical Medine Ceremonies.

I recognise the goth girl in the photo because we both went to Lyton High in the 80s. Where I strived for homogeneity Mel Tahata gave a middle finger to the norm. She stood out from the crowd, and at the time I admired her bravery in being authentically herself which is something I struggled with. I saw her as a rebel. She wasn’t a rebel when it came to being studious, she says. Bookish and creative with good grades in school, Mel moved to Auckland to atend university and in 1997 she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts. We discuss our mutual enjoyment of watching TV with cats, as cats feature heavily in Mel's latest exhibition. I ask her if she's an introvert. "I guess I am, but I haven't always been. I used to be socially out there, DJing at goth festivals" playing tunes from the likes of Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy and The Cult. However, her whakapapa is here, and in 2005 she came home to raise her son and become more involved in iwi and community projects. Mel works full time as a graphic designer and sign writer and does her art in her spare time, along with completing a masters at Toihoukura. Her range spans from sculpting and painting to intaglio printmaking. Some of the pieces in her latest exhibition 'Rima Tekau' are etchings on aluminium. The intaglio process is when the artist carves an image into a metal plate using different tools or chemicals. This manipulates the plate to hold ink, ‘creating unique textures and tones.’ Mel has used printer's ink on hers and there is a playfulness to the images on metal. She also dabbles in filmmaking, animation, writing and producing but most importantly, she is a mother, and I can see the whanaugatanga and aroha for her son in her art. He and her cats, her whānau, feature in many of the pieces, with the artist herself in the bones of each piece. I note a mix of contemporary Māori and gothic in the exhibition. When I say gothic, I don't just mean aesthetics. Goths in the 80s were socially and politically anti-establishment and there is a sense of that in these pieces, too. Mel explains that the style is a type of indigenous surrealism, based on whakairo/carvings of iwi carvers from Ruatorea like Hone Taahu. "There is fun in his style of carving." Some of her other art influences are international, like Marcel Duchamp and Ai Weiwei, so there is a mix to suit different preferences here. Rima Tekau is on at the Tairāwhiti Museum until the 10th December. I especially recommend this exhibition to anyone who loves cats and Māori families. Take the opportunity to buy a slice of aroha from the artist’s home, to hang on the walls of yours. By Aimee Vickers Images supplied.

Gizzy Local has a special relationship with psychedelic-groove quintet Subset BC… Our resident photographer and all round legend Thomas Teutenberg’s photo essay of the band during a show at the Dome Bar was one of the first arts features on Gizzy Local back when we'd just launched in June 2019. So we are very excited to announce that not only are Subset performing again at the Dome on Saturday 2nd December (their only show of 2023) but that it is in celebration of the release of their long awaited debut album the previous day! Known for their unique sound (ever seen a band with three bass players?) solid beats, moody danceable grooves and mind bending visuals, Subset have put on a number of memorable events over the years and become a much loved part of the Gisborne scene. Finding their sound through continuous experimentation, the band formed in 2016 from a bass players practice group, known as Bass Club, hosted at the studio of drummer Lincoln Wright. One of the group’s three bassists Charles Barrie recalls “in those early days we would do things like draw cards to suggest musical ideas, or play rhythmic or melodic games to spark creativity… exploring the potential of different tones and effects was always a big part of it too.” Following nearly a year of creative exploration, bass players Charles, Paulus Mckinnon and Ryan Raggett along with Lincoln Wright on drums, and the addition of keyboard/synth player Matt Tong, realised that the tones and grooves they could create with three basses, a plethora of effects, drums and keys was an exciting and original sound - the sound they call Subset BC. A sound which has now for the first time been captured on wax (and digital files too of course). The songs and soundscapes of Subset BC, whether live or recorded, cover terrain from soulful grooves and psychedelia to moody drum and bass and stoner rock and as Gizzy Local can attest, their shows always get the dancefloor pumping. Joining them for the album release show are two special Gisborne born, but no longer resident guests. International acclaimed digital artist Johnson Witehira will be providing his original visuals to accompany Subset’s performance, and the band will be supported by Sydney based DJ Olluss (brother of drummer Lincoln Wright). As for the album, it was recorded live in July 2022 (the Bass Club Anniversary month) in Raggett’s Rimu Room studio with support from engineer Simon Mallett. Written, produced and arranged by the band, mixed by Matt Tong and mastered for both digital and vinyl releases by Subvert Mastering UK’s Bobb Macc, the album presents a largely instrumental and layered multidimensional sound journey and also includes a special tribute to Gisborne musician Duncan Munro in a cover of song ‘Jubes’ by his band Bantam, of which Wright and McKinnon were members. Available in a limited edition run of 150 180gm vinyl records with original artwork/design by Mckinnon and innersleeve images by Raggett, or in digital format via Band Camp from December 1st 2023 - with preorders available now - subsetbc.bandcamp.com/album/subset-bc However, If you’re a Gisborne resident, the band suggest you send them an email at subsetbc@gmail.com to reserve your album and you can pick it up at the show to save on the shipping costs. Tickets for the Album Release party gig at the Dome are available from Under the Radar https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/gig/87191/Subset-BC---Debut-Album-Release.utr , with limited door sales available on the night (maybe…). See you there on December 2nd! Subset BC Album Release Party With Johnson Witehira and DJ Olluss Saturday 2nd December - Dome Bar - 8pm Photograph by John Flatt Poster design by Paulus McKinnon

When Mātauranga Māori and western knowledge are equally valued the result is something outstanding. The Bush Kura is a local kaupapa that shows us just what can grown from a shared understanding of te ao Māori and Pākehā worldviews.. Run by Keelan Poi and his Dad, the Bush Kura adheres to a "military structure delivered in a coastie way." Keelan set up the charitable trust with the aim of giving rangatahi a break from the digital world and an opportunity to reconnect with the whenua and te taiao. The Bush Kura holiday programme is the charity's main drawcard, offering youth the chance to achieve missions by working alongside Army team leaders and local pirihimana, learning about bush kai, the stars, navigation and survival skills. And there's free range fun too, like spotlight. I can't think of a better place to play spotlight than in the ngahere at night. The kids love it, Keelan tells me, and I can tell that he loves it too. He speaks with passion and care for the community, and for such a driven guy, he is equally laid back and easy to talk to. He’ll make you feel welcome. And everyone is welcome at Bush Kura, all ethnicities, girls, boys, gender fluid, it doesn’t matter. Although it was designed for 'at risk' youth, Keelan believes it's good to have a mix of rangatahi from all walks of life. There is good learning in getting to know other people's ways of being. On top of the holiday programme there are specific courses rangatahi can sign up for. The first is taste testing. Youth come from all corners of Aotearoa to get away from their screens and camp for 3 days while learning about bush kai. The next step up is the 4 day Pukeko course, which is about bushcraft, basic survival, navigation and a korero about the stars. Then there's Tuatara, 5 day camping, tramping and pūrākau up and around Maunga Hikurangi. And, lastly, Taniwha, which is 8 days of tramping and camping around Ruatōrea. Keelan is also the regional supervisor of the NZ Māori Ranger cadets, Heteri ā Nuku (Guardian’s of Papatūānuku). He is ex-military himself and previously served in logistics. His whakapapa is Ngāti Porou and Ngā puhi so naturally he has given back to the community in Ruatorea and Tairāwhiti. He is the creator and chief of the increasingly popular Maunga to Moana race, based on the East Coast. I have to take a breath at this stage because there's more, and I don't know how he fits it all in. Keelan works alongside EIT running whenua based permaculture and food forest courses, again with a mix of maramataka/matauranga and western garden philosophy. He offers workshops on how to butcher and process meat, from the paddock to the plate. The majority of people who sign up to those courses are whanau groups, passing practical knowledge down through the generations. Keelan and his wife have their own slice of paradise out the back of Te Karaka where they practice what they preach with a permaculture style garden. He says they’ve retired a couple of paddocks to plant with native forest... but that’s a story for another time, and I promise I’ll tell it. Food and native forests are my favourite subjects so instead of talking his ear off during the interview, Keelan has kindly invited me to visit them at harvest time. In the meantime check out their YouTube channel Whenua based Whānau https://youtube.com/@Whenuabasedwhanau?si=oD9yME3PnoB6qmn6 To get involved in Bush Kura - it's easy to sign up online, and nominate rangatahi or self nominate at Bush Kura https://thebushkura.co.nz/ Or you can find them on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100057202339612 Story by Aimee Vickers Images supplied.

I’m Pietro, I’m from Brazil, and I love playing music. How else could I start a story about the Latin Music community in Gisborne? We play music, Si! Latin music, Si! And of course: we love it! Most of us – my Latin Muso friends and I – have been playing music or been in close contact with instruments from a young age. For different reasons we ended up in this small, amazing town, far away from home. We are all very happy to live in Gisborne, but there is one thing that we miss from back home: making live music. So, we have no alternative except to pick up our instruments and build a band. Or 3 bands! As I am writing this story, administering my daily caffeine intake at the Raglan Roast cafe, I look up to find a poster on the window with the headline: “Live Latin Music - November 18 @ the Dome”. With a big smile on my face I think of all the behind-the-scenes moments in preparation for this event and I know it will be a great night. Whether we hold one of these nights at one of Gisborne’s great live music venues, the Dome Cinema & Bar or at Smash Palace Bar, or in someone’s backyard, every Latin music night we organise is an opportunity for us – the Latin Musos in Gizzy – to showcase our culture and to take our people back home for a moment. It’s an opportunity to prove that all those things you heard about South American party nights are real: the music will lift you up from any kind of mood and make you dance as if there is no tomorrow. Being part of this musical environment and lifting people’s spirits by manifesting our culture is a privilege that I feel honoured to have in my life. But it’s not a purely selfless act that I make music. When I see the crowd really feeling the music, appreciating it, loving it and dancing to it… ooh, that is IT! It is pure medicine for me. It makes the band feel proud and fulfilled. It is the harvest of all the hard work we put in during the weeks and months prior to the event. Oh yes: hard work. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to prepare the show. So let’s go deep into a rehearsal: it is 6:15pm on a Monday and I am running late. Guitar in one hand, water bottle in the other, I walk down the driveway towards the studio (someone’s living room). While I feel bad that I’m running late, if I’m honest, I secretly enjoy that moment. (My bandmates are surely reading this so let me explain.) I enjoy that moment because this is what I get to experience: It’s a quiet night and I hear the instruments as soon as I step out of my car. Trumpets, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, guitar, bass, ukulele, bongos, cajon and beautiful voices singing. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and can “see” inside that room and “feel” the vibe inside that room: people who I love playing songs that I love. And I am about to join them! So, just like a 3 year-old walks towards a lollipop, I follow the music and walk towards that room, leaving everything else behind. It is music time. I get in there and we say hello. We hug, we laugh, we make tea or, if we are lucky, hot chocolate. As we set up our instruments, we catch up about what is going on in our lives: someone is changing jobs, someone bought a double bass, someone is going on a trip to Mexico next week, someone is taking an audition for a show, someone’s dog almost ate someone’s cat, and finally someone says: “Should we play ‘Vamos’?” “One, two, three, four!” Someone counts us in and we start jamming. Just like that, it’s a moment of beauty and grace. It’s familiar and loving and fun, like a family getting together (but we bring our instruments and play music). My Sunday lunch at Grandma’s in Brazil is now a jam session on Monday evenings in Okitu. And just like a proper family gathering, there are a lot of great moments, but there are also some challenging times. Especially when we are getting close to a gig and finalising a new song. Those are the moments that bring us closer together. Like a family, it is about give and take. We lead and follow. Great music is about listening as much as it is about playing. We pay attention to each other’s tone, the timing, the dynamic changes and styles. And like a family, we feel the emotions that others are expressing. The songs we play and write are full of emotions that we express when playing. Doing that connects us on a very deep level. And that’s what us Latin Musos in Gizzy are doing. Making a family for ourselves far away from our Latin homes. The three bands playing on Saturday put in a lot of effort to make each song sound as good as possible. Because what we’re doing is important. We’re creating live Latin Music where it wouldn’t otherwise exist. And by doing this, a big group of people, coming from different countries and cultures (Brazil, Chile, USA, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, New Zealand and many more), have created a Live Latin Music community that makes us Family. So I invite you to come over and join us for this event on Saturday night where we will be celebrating our culture: getting together with people we love, and playing the music that we love! Our Family is having a party! Don’t forget your dancing shoes! On November 18, 2023 at the Dome, three acts will create music from different parts of Latin America. “Batu-cada Tairawhiti” will open the night with chilled drum beats, starting with a shamanic vibe building up to a more energetic sound. The band plays a variety of Afro-Brazilian hand drums and other percussion instruments. Second on the line-up, “Lars and the Clandestinos” will carry on with the show. “L&C” has an interesting set up where each one of their 8 members plays a variety of instruments. After they finish each song, you will see them rushing around and swapping instruments. It feels like if any sort of a sound-producing device were to fall from the sky and land on the stage, someone from the band would pick it up and start jamming with it. “L&C” plays a range of world music and for this event they will be focusing on up-tempo Latin pieces from Mexico and my home country, Brazil. To close up the night “Sonora Latina” will set the place on fire with a one-hour set of intense, upbeat Chilean Cumbia. Cumbia is high energy music that makes it impossible not to dance. The dance floor will get so hot you might feel like ringing the fire brigade, and if you do, please tell them to bring their dancing shoes. Story by Pietro Behar Images supplied.

My name is Molly, and I’m an artist. Like many, I still feel somewhat uncomfortable saying that, but the space Nathan created in his tiny home felt companionable and warm, enough for me to open up and talk candidly about my creative journey. We settled across the table from each other, the sun dipping behind the hills surrounding Tatapouri Bay as we cradled mugs of hot tea. It would be understandable to mistake this scene for two pals hanging out, and in a lot of ways it was. The key distinction being the two high tech mics bowing their heads together as we each snuggled a set of headphones over our ears. Nathan Foon is a Gizzy born-and-bred man of many hats. Some may know him as co-manager of Tatapouri Bay campground, or as co-founder of Studio4 Artspace, but there’s no ‘co-’ about Artists Anonymous Club. This is all Nathan. “When I was first thinking about the podcast, in a selfish way, I was thinking ‘this is going to be cool, I'm going to get to talk to people that I'm interested in, that I can connect and have meaningful conversations with… And can grow a community through.” Nathan’s strength lies in creating a safe space, of gently holding the conversation without twisting it out of shape. He talks passionately of the art of conversation, of the importance of listening, and of his desire to get to the nitty gritty of the creative experience. Whether a professional artist or hobbyist, we’re all trying to find ourselves, to express ourselves. How do you find the time and energy to dedicate to activities that maybe aren’t the most productive, but that calm the mind or bring joy? Or how might you make money from your work while maintaining creative freedom? “I wanted to connect through common creative struggles that we all had. That was really it. Being able to just openly talk about them and have different perspectives. Having the struggles being talked about as well as the most amazing successes and beautiful things that happen from creating art.” Bumping into a fellow interviewee recently, we joked about how our respective chats with Nathan had turned into what felt like therapy sessions. When I recounted this to Nathan, he laughed, admitting: “Part of it, for me, is about how do you dig deeper? How do you get the most out of the topic? …I try to have a really organic conversation. And listen. Because people don't listen enough, I think. If you’re already too prepared and predetermined, if I researched you, then I would have a preconceived idea of who you are in my head instead of just being open to actually hearing you talk about yourself and your journey.” Each episode unravels bit by bit, as the artist settles in and Nathan carefully allows the layers to unfold. Sometimes to the artist’s surprise. For some interviewees, casting their mind back to what was said, or even listening back, can be a little confronting. The interview hangover. And Nathan admits that he has had one or two artists getting cold feet: “I understand when people want to listen back or they want to pull the episode… there’s been people that have done that and I haven't published. When the recorder’s on, you want to give the best version of yourself. We've all heard great podcasts and we all know they have great anecdotes and quotes, they give advice and share wisdom. I think people are so locked into that part of it, so they worry about the end result.” Perhaps Nathan’s compassion on this subject comes from a deep understanding of this self-doubt, of the imposter syndrome so many of us experience, whether through our art practice, careers, or other aspects of life: “When I think about popular podcasts that I listen to, the host is always someone that's either successful in their field… and they start this journey with an audience already. “Having people listen or take interest in what I have to say feels a little bit weird, but that adds to rebuilding my identity just for me. That’s always been a battle for me." When there’s something missing, when there’s space to create something where once it didn’t exist, the need soon outweighs the imposter syndrome. A sentiment shared by Georgia Harrison, interviewee and powerhouse behind ‘Sexy Dance Class’: “I arrived in Gizzy and there’s no dance like what I want to do… and so I thought ‘I’m going to have to start my own thing’… You just have to do it. And for me, the motivation to dance outweighed the imposter syndrome.” – Georgia Harrison, AAC E08 When broaching this question to Nathan, he responded, “That's what Gizzy does. Gizzy feels like it's still full of so much opportunity.” Slowly working through his friend list and network, Nathan tells me his focus is really just thinking of who he’s interested in interviewing next; choosing guests based on those around him and who he’s inspired by, be that close friends or local artists. This intimacy and organic, artistic approach is something he’s keen to nurture: "I read something in a book recently. It was asking: how do you give yourself to the art form, rather than trying to think about the art giving you something? I’ll see ads for ‘how to grow your audience’ and how to do all that stuff. I think I’m trying to do the opposite, trying to think about it more as an art form, rather than a business.” And an art form it truly is. There is an art to holding space, to creating a safe space, and to listening. Both as an interviewee and a listener, I am struck by the cosy, confessional vibe of Artists Anonymous Club. It feels special and, although I’m a relative new-comer to Gizzy, like an authentic reflection of the beautifully open and supportive creative community here: “I feel like in Gizzy we’ve got such an awesome community here… I reckon encouraging all your friends and encouraging people with what they love is one of the best things we can do as humans.” – Nathan Seaver (Oceanspace), AAC E03 Sign me up. Join the club: listen to AAC on Spotify, or follow @artistsanonymousclub on Instagram, merch coming soon. Story by Molly Wilson Photo by Nadine Probst

Are you familiar with Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti? Their kaimahi work in town and in rural and East Coast communities, supporting community groups to meet their own community aspirations. You may have read here about their proactive and industry-leading wellness initiatives to support work-life balance among their staff. Their organisational vision is “Ka topa te manu ki te rangi - expanding horizons for an active, healthy, connected Te Tairāwhiti” and their work reflects our diverse community and the many ways we define “active, healthy and connected.” Sometimes communities want help to put on quality events or grow or re-establish their sports clubs. Sometimes schools and kura want to do more to connect their tamariki to the local awa in order to test water quality, eradicate pests, and learn how to be good kaitiaki/guardians of their taiao. Sometimes a group wants to learn about nutritious kai that is easy and accessible for their community. In those cases and many more, there’s a Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti kaimahi in the wings supporting that group with resources, admin support, or people power. Our community is brimming with people passionate about making our corner of the world better, happier, and healthier, and we like to think that our readers are more passionate than most. At the moment there are two opportunities to join Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti, an organisation committed to supporting the well-being of our communities and their own staff. We think there’s a great match out there just waiting to happen. Read below for brief descriptions of the roles and follow the links to apply. The first position is a senior leadership role, Kaiārahi Hapori / Community Lead – 40 hours The right person has a passion to lead teams and bring out the best in people as they work alongside communities to achieve great outcomes through the power of sport, active recreation, and health. This is an opportunity to have a true impact and to shape the direction of well-being initiatives across our region. This Kaiārahi Hapori / Community Lead needs to be an experienced leader with an inclusive leadership style, someone who can see the bigger picture and is flexible in their approach. An excellent communicator, with knowledge of the diverse communities in Te Tairāwhiti, and who can build and maintain strong relationships. POSITION PURPOSE: As a vital member of the Senior Leadership Team, this pivotal role will provide leadership for Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti through the implementation of key programmes, initiatives, and services that support the wellbeing of communities in the region and reduce the inequities that stop people from being able to participate in healthy activities. The role will be responsible for the effective leadership of two teams – Active Communities and Ngā Manu Taupua - who between them support quality play, active recreation, sport and health initiatives through a community-led approach. The role also requires the development and maintenance of strong meaningful relationships with a range of key stakeholders and community organisations. You can find more info and apply here: Kaiārahi Hapori/Community Lead – Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti The other position is Intermediate/Senior Accountant & Client Manager – 30-40 hours with flexibility POSITION PURPOSE: This role is the over-arching support for our Taupua Tairāwhiti team. You will apply your top-notch accounting knowledge and client management and organisational skills, and ultimately strengthen the Not-For-Profit sector in the Tairāwhiti Region.  Taupua Tairāwhiti exists within Sports Gisborne Tairāwhiti to strengthen Not for Profit operations in Tairāwhiti such as sporting and recreation codes and clubs, community organisations, and marae. There is widespread demand for a local support system for our sector and we are looking for a special someone with a heart for helping and the skills to deliver accounting support. Taupua Tairāwhiti is managed by a small team and works to provide the following key services:  Financial Management and Accounting Support Administration assistance and compliance Communications and Marketing Support  Funding Application advice and assistance Central Point of Contact for Not-For-Profit support in the region.  This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team who deliver fit-for-purpose support services that can meet the needs of Not-For-Profit groups who wish to strengthen their systems, compliance and financial management for long term sustainability. It is a diverse role that will suit an ‘out of the box’ thinker, who is a strong and organised administrator with intermediate/senior level accounting knowledge and enjoys intellectually challenging work that will ultimately help hundreds of people. There will be regular task-based work such as Xero file management, GST return preparation and filing, and financial management work; you will be the lead Point of contact for clients and be the glue that binds the team together.  Find more information and to apply, Intermediate/Senior Accountant & Client Manager – Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti

Daffodils and blossoms are blooming, birds are singing, and the trees are budding with fruit and new leaves. Thank goodness for Spring! Eastwoodhill puts on a show at this time of year. It might not be the busiest time at the arboretum, Autumn is the jewel in the crown with its colour, contrast and crunching of leaves beneath our feet, but every season has its beauty. Even in winter, the craggy lichen covered trees make me feel like I'm walking the pathways of a haunted forest. We have a special taonga right on our doorstep and we need to use it, to protect it, and enable it to be maintained. “Eastwoodhill belongs to all of us” says Jane Williams, Chair of the Eastwoodhill Board. It's been a tough time here in Tairāwhiti and on the back of the pandemic and extreme weather events the number of visitors to the park has decreased. To keep it viable and contemporary, changes have been made to the structure of the Eastwoodhill board, including paid staff now manning the cafe, which is open in the weekends. The volunteers are fantastic Jane tells me, and it would be nice to welcome some youth into the team. She encourages locals to join the Friends of Eastwoodhill, a group of volunteers who aim to increase general public awareness and knowledge of native and exotic flora, and to help raise funds for maintenance and development. "If you’re interested in helping to preserve and develop Eastwoodhill, becoming a volunteer is a rewarding experience as working to uphold New Zealand’s National Arboretum is a privilege and a legacy to be left for many generations to come.” Historically, the Eastwoodhill Board members have included a Williams family representative, and reps from DOC, GDC, Poverty Bay Horticultural Society and NZ Farm Forestry Association, but recently there is a move to partner with iwi, and discussions are taking place with representatives from Te Whānau a Kai to join the Eastwoodhill Board. Eastwoodhill Arboretum cloaks the lands of Ngati Hine, one of several hapū that make up Te Whānau a Kai iwi. Back in 1910, William Douglas Cook, better known as Douglas Cook, an eccentric forward thinker, won the land in the ballot for the Ngatapa subdivision, which he named “Eastwoodhill” after his family home in Scotland. Much like the story of Noah who foresaw the threat of ecological disaster and built an arc to save the animals, (William) Douglas Cook created an arboreal arc to save the trees. As the nuclear arms races escalated in the mid-20th century, Douglas Cook created a safe haven for northern hemisphere species threatened by the possibility of war. The arboretum’s remote location served as a place to propagate new plants that might restore species should they be lost in their native eco-system. Today, these threats remain, plus a few new ones, like climate change. Already, all over the world, forest ecosystems have been changed dramatically as keystone species are threatened or lost. Eastwoodhill is rare in its ability to host plants from the northern hemisphere in relative isolation. This unique characteristic combined with New Zealand’s stringent biosecurity regulations, makes the arboretum an ideal environment for the cultivation of threatened species.  25,000 of them! Tawera Tahuri (Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Uenuku, Tūwharetoa) is a visual and performing artist, teacher, senior advisor for Indigenous Exchange at Creative NZ and organiser of the recent Houpapa Indigenous Sculpture Symposium, which was held at Eastwoodhill in July this year. The collaboration provided an opportunity for artists to work with various species of wood, which had either been felled by extreme weather or in an effort to improve resource sustainability. Local Te Whānau a Kai affiliated artists and carvers, and international indigenous guest artist, Shirod Younker (Coquille Nation in Port Oregon, USA) spent five days creating artworks. For Tawera Tahuri the sharing of indigenous knowledge and art forms that took place “gave space to the creative reindigenisation of Eastwoodhill” and Shirod Younker acknowledged the importance of collective guardianship of all tree species, as well as the important work being done by Eastwoodhill in the protection and conservation of these globally endangered species. Looking forward, Tawera is excited about creative projects such as the installation of a waharoa or gateway to the arboretum and pou aranga or directional posts from the Waipaoa River bridge roundabout to Eastwoodhill, indicating specific waahi tapu or sacred sites of significance for Te Whānau a Kai on the way to the arboretum. When we think about Eastwoodhill Arboretum, it pays to remember that it’s not just about getting to enjoy a bit of nature - by enjoying this taonga we are also helping to maintain a rare safe haven for trees. And there are a few different ways that we can support this important kaupapa… Head out for a stroll and a picnic. There is a mobility scooter available for use if you need it and most of the pathways are wide and relatively accessible for people with disabilities. Make a weekend of it! Check out Eastwoodhill’s clean and comfortable accommodation options. Purchase a Friends Membership to Eastwoodhill which entitles you to free entry all year, or sign up to become a volunteer. The Arboretum relies heavily on donations and bequests for the ongoing maintenance and development of the National Arboretum. Find their Give-a-Little page here: https://givealittle.co.nz/org/eastwoodhill You can be sure they they appreciate all and any support, big or little, everything makes a difference! Story by Aimee Vickers Symposium photograph by Hone Read Photography. * In partnership with Te Whānau a Kai, Indigenous Exchange Creative New Zealand, Toihoukura and Tairāwhiti Arts Festival. The symposium name, ‘Houpapa’, references the history of Te Whānau a Kai, and remembers the ancestress Hinepuakirangi and her leadership and power upon the land.

This is one of those interviews that I wish I could share with sound effects. At various times in our conversation, vocal coach Letitia Lindeque wowed me with the capabilities of the human voice, pausing to explain a point with an impressively projected note or a climbing scale of “ahhhs.” When you work with Letitia, it’s clear you learn a lot more than how to improve your singing. She wants to help you find and understand your voice, and that has a far greater impact than just the way you sing a song. Letitia has lived in Gizzy for two years, but she just recently returned to vocal coaching full-time, after working at the hospital in business administration. Music has always been a strong calling, and “once you’ve done something you love, you don’t get the same satisfaction from anything else.” She recently opened a cosy studio on Russell Street and is now taking clients at all stages on their musical journey, from professional singers to children just starting out. “I tell people I teach from ages 7-70!” Hailing from South Africa, Letitia emigrated to New Zealand in 2011, and has lived in many places, including Auckland, Taranaki, and Dunedin. Growing up in a musical family, with a father who played guitar in a band and a mother who played the organ, she developed a musical ear early. She was choir leader and sang choir in high school and later performed with cover bands playing at restaurants and weddings. Letitia describes her voice as a naturally high soprano, but her dream was always to be able to belt like Whitney Houston. When she met her husband in her late 30s, he encouraged her to record an album she had written, and in that process, she worked with a lot of different vocal coaches and singing teachers. Her experiences were wildly varied, and often downright bad, including a teacher who taught a technique that made her hoarse, and one who insisted on stepping on her stomach. “Nobody could teach me what I wanted - to sing the powerful belts like Whitney - but from them I at least learned how not to teach.” Then about 13 years ago, she found a Bel Canto Opera teacher in South Africa who finally helped her to understand her voice, and inspired and encouraged her to become a vocal teacher. She gave Letitia the opportunity to study all her old singing books, some dating back to the 1960s, and Letitia was an eager student. “I continued studying the voice and will do so until I die as there is always more to learn. I am a perfectionist.” She keeps up to date with vocal pedagogy from teachers such as David Jones (Italian/Swedish Opera school of singing) and Karyn O’Connor (Contemporary Vocal Technique Instructor) and has adapted her studies into a contemporary vocal programme suitable for all voices. Letitia describes herself as both a vocal coach and a vocal technique instructor. A vocal coach typically helps singers master their song-work for a short-term goal like an audition or performance. A vocal technique instructor focuses on vocal pedagogy, helping singers work through vocal problems to develop and improve the voice. Often singers that come to vocal coaching to master a song or singing style experience other issues which manifest in their singing and take time to be addressed. New techniques require repetition until they become "the normal way you sing." She also teaches healthy techniques to help strengthen and protect your vocals, much like a personal trainer for your voice. Letitia emphasizes that singing is something anyone can learn, but it becomes easier once you understand how the voice works. “It’s like learning how to talk, you’re not born knowing how. Singing is something you can learn.” And it involves a lot more than just the sound of your voice. A lesson with Letitia could also include breathing, posture, and muscle memory instruction, which all have a huge impact on how a person sounds. You may be as shocked as I was to learn that everyone can sing like Whitney Houston. Letitia laughs, “you may not sound the same, and it may take years, but with proper training absolutely everyone can sing with the same skill level as her.” She likens singing to baking a chocolate cake. There are numerous ingredients, and if there is too much of any one thing, or it’s not blended well, then that flavor will dominate and the cake won’t taste right. “9 times out of 10, if you’re unhappy with your voice, there’s just something out of balance, and that’s an easy fix.” Letitia describes her approach as logical and analytical, but she also recognizes that the work involves emotional and psychological aspects too. Often her students are overcoming past trauma or struggling with a lack of confidence. It can be more difficult when students have been traumatized by past criticism. As many times as Letitia has heard such stories, they still make her emotional. Her eyes tear up as she thinks about it. “People just stop singing because they think they can’t. But that is absolutely not true. I will teach you how to sing. ” Indeed, her favorite part of coaching is surprising a student who comes in proclaiming ‘I can’t sing.’ “We’ll work together and then I’ll play a recording of their voice and say, ‘do you realize you just sang that?’ Seeing their surprise and showing them what they’re capable of, that’s what I really enjoy.” Letitia reckons that what really sets her apart as a vocal coach is her ability to hear the potential in each voice. “It doesn’t happen in the first lesson, but once I work with someone, and hear their qualities, I can hear what their voice is capable of. Then the challenge is convincing them of it!” Whether you just want to sing around the campfire or belt a ballad, centre stage, Letitia is eager to support you on your singing journey. She offers all new clients a free introductory 30-min session to meet her and discuss goals. To find more information and book your session, go to Letitia’s website: https://www.letitialindequevocalcoach.com/ Story by Victoria Williams Photographs by Tom Teutenberg

Anyone who’s ever visited our gem of a city or the townships that form our unique constellation of a region, will notice that what we have here is a special combination of a slowed-down, de-stressed pace of life combined with welcoming people and a stunning landscape. It’s this combination, along with some surprising similarities, that have seen the Japanese community grow in numbers over the last 40 years. Later this month, the Japanese community will be sharing with us parts of their culture and heritage at Japan Day. I sat down with 8 women who are organising Japan Day to learn how they found themselves in Gisborne, what helped them make this place their home, and the special reasons that they’re putting on this event. All of our lives could be unique paintings in a gallery of landscapes, revealing the love of the place we call home. When you’re an expat, choosing a new culture to go with your new address, complicated shadows extend across the horizon of that landscape. And just like looking at paintings, it’s wonderful to get up close and look at the brushwork, to see the elaborate texture of their picture of “home”, particularly when “home” means both “there” and “here”. Newcomers are always asked “What brought you to Gisborne?” One woman was a teacher in Japan and with her husband, found themselves in Gisborne seeking knowledge about different teaching styles. Another was here on a working holiday visa and fell in love with the tramping. When she went back to Japan after her year was up, she realised how much she longed to return, but for good. Another was drawn to New Zealand and Gisborne when she was looking for connection to her late husband, a keen surfer in Hawaii. Learning about Polynesian navigation and waka hauora led her to the shores of Gisborne. Life the world over can be ruled by a frantic pace and the big cities of Japan might do that better than most. That pressure and intensity is what drove some of the women I spoke to seek a new life in New Zealand, renowned for its reputation of a healthy balance. Some of the families that call Gisborne home started their new life in Auckland. But moving from one busy-paced Japanese city to the hustle and bustle of Auckland forced them to re-think their priorities. “I was in my late 20s, busy busy busy. I had to ask myself, ‘Is this the life that I want?’” The move to Gisborne, to connect to nature and the beaches similar to her childhood in Japan was the best and easiest decision for one woman. Some of the women faced the cruel realities of racism in Auckland. But when they came to Gisborne, they were met with a warm and hospitable community. The people they met in Gisborne looked after them like guests. “The people in Gisborne are so nice!” “It all comes down to the people. Come, you’re welcome, they’d say. They wanted to hear about my culture. I felt respected!” “The people I’ve met and worked with are so lovely. And they’re patient, helping me with my English.” With our beautiful landscapes, friendly nature, and relaxed pace of life, Gizzy said “Nau Mai, Haere Mai.” Here’s where the story takes us to a surprising place – the similarities between their new home and their old. Says Haruru, “Manaakitanga and Omotenashi are very similar - looking after guests and treating others as best as you can.” She pointed out some linguistic similarities with te reo Māori, like awa and the Japanese kawa for “river”, katakata and ketaketa for “laughter.” Once the women started naming similarities, it was hard to stop. Both cultures respect their elders. Japanese temples and Māori marae both have protocol to uphold the mana of the place. Visitors to Japan will know that many modern people sleep in the traditional way, on special floor mattresses, not unlike sleeping in a marae. And similar to Māori Atua who before time and also every day create the world around us, so do the Japanese have gods of creation, gods of elements, spirits that protect and spirits that destroy. The women I spoke to noted that the vowel sounds between Japanese and Te Reo are familiar and comforting. Said one woman, “Even though I’m a beginner learning te reo, I find it almost soothing to sit and listen to te reo speakers.” Tones of home. That’s not to say that they don’t seek out the authentic comforts of Japan, the things that will forever be in their DNA. When the supermarket began carrying a particular kind of dumpling pastry, the Facebook chat lit up. “When they got lotus root? That was exciting!” laughed one of the women. And when someone is traveling up to Auckland, the call goes out: “Anyone need anything from Daiso or JapanMart?” While Japan Day is a great opportunity for our Japanese community to share their culture with us non-Japanese – it’s also a great way for them to connect with each other and they hope this might encourage more regular gatherings. For some, Japan Day is a step closer to themselves. “This will be only the 3rd time in my life that I’ve worn a kimono,” said one woman. Another, “I’m slowly forgetting my Japanese heritage. I’m surprised by what my kids don’t know.” Another woman has been rediscovering her Japanese heritage through her art. In her words, “Through my art, I’m not only connecting to my culture and my mother, I’m connecting my son to his culture too. I’m looking forward to my boy getting to celebrate his heritage, getting to be proud of being Japanese.” Some of the women I spoke to have native New Zealanders as partners and fathers to their kids. For these families, Japan Day is a way to reconnect their own children to the things that matter, their Japanese whakapapa. It means looking back to where their stories began. These expat feelings can be thorny, a landscape painting with lots of shadows. But Japan Day also brings much joy and excitement, as one woman put it plainly: “I love when people want to talk to me about my home. It’s fun!” Mutsuko, who sells her origami creations locally, said “My teaching Origami journey started as a volunteer at Te Hapara school 4 years ago. From that experience, I found how precious our piece of culture is, and how much people were interested in it.” (Mutsuko will be at Japan Day, selling her origami, and her son will be leading an origami workshop.) In the words of another woman, “I was just so surprised when my co-workers were asking me about Japan Day. I’m already so proud.” Don’t miss Japan Day, in Treble Court on Saturday, 28 October from 10am - 1:30pm. There will be demonstrations, performances, food, and workshops all shared by members of the local Japanese community. See the full list and schedule of events here. You can behold and take part in activities like Anime, Yukata costume experience, calligraphy, Tanabata (Japanese star festival) and its wishing tree tradition. The women I spoke to, and many more, will be on hand, joyfully connecting themselves and us to the ancient and modern culture that is Japan, alive and well in Tairāwhiti. Arigatou gozaimasu / ありがとうございます / thank you to the women who told me parts of their beautiful stories: Mutsuko, Reiko, Mina, Haruru, Maiko, Miyuki, Yuko, and lastly Akiko, who brought all of these women together and whose energy is the driving force behind Japan Day. Don’t forget to ask them about themselves and about Japan. As Akiko says, “This is about people. Come and meet us. You may find lots of things or feelings that we mutually share.” I promise you, when you start looking for similarities, it’s hard to stop seeing them. Story by Sarah Pocock

It’s time to pop into our treasured Tairawhiti Museum to get your contemporary art fix and take a look at the latest exhibition 'BREATHE'. This breathtaking and breath-inspired collection by Maiko Lewis-Whaanga will be up until December 3. Maiko opened her exhibition on Friday to a room of art lovers, friends and family. The packed room was welcomed by Maiko in traditional dress; a Japanese kimono and dragon headdress. With son Kiyoji at her side she told us about her art, that has become for her almost synonymous with her journey into embracing her Japanese culture, and began with her studies at Toihoukura. If Maiko's Japanese heritage is the vessel for this exhibition, her discovery of the importance and power of our breath is the content. A multi-media experience, Maiko has collaborated with a number of artists to bring this collection to life. A short film features videography and music by Gana Goldsmith, photography by Tink Lockett captures the artist wearing intricate headdresses created by Sheryl Edwards, also featured in the exhibition. To complete the five sensory experiences on offer, delicious Japanese inspired tasters were created by Maiko's sister and mother. The loving support and involvement of her friends and family is clear throughout Maiko’s work, as they were in her words on the night. The art of the Japanese Enso circle was demonstrated beautifully by Maiko on the opening night. Executed on the exhale, one simple stroke completes a circle and captures a perfectly imperfect moment in time. Viewing Breathe in person you’ll be drawn in by the delicately folded papers, amazed by the hours of discipline, captivated by the teachings and you’ll leave a calmer version of yourself. With this exhibition Maiko has created a space for calm, where we can all reconnect to our breath and also learn about the mindful sigh. Don’t miss this stunning exhibition. You may also be interested in heading along for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony on November 4, or one of the mindful sessions for tamariki and parents (dates and times still to be confirmed). The Tairāwhiti Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 4pm, and 1:30 - 4pm on Sundays and Public Holidays. Entry is free for Tairawhiti residents. For the full experience keep an eye out for the opening nights - take the family and make an evening of it! Find the exhibition listing for Breathe here: https://tairawhitimuseum.org.nz/.../breathe-maiko-lewis.../ Stay up to date with Museum happenings on https://tairawhitimuseum.org.nz or the Gizzy Local Events Calendar gizzylocal.com/events