Sharyn Smart

Crochet hooks women at Craft Haven

RETRO CROCHET: Bronwyn Aish, top right, teaches, from left, Claire Harkness-Gower, Janet Armstrong, April Maindonald and Chris Drewery the art of crochet at New Plymouth’s Craft Haven. Photo: Sharyn Smart
RETRO CROCHET: Bronwyn Aish, top right, teaches, from left, Claire Harkness-Gower, Janet Armstrong, April Maindonald and Chris Drewery the art of crochet at New Plymouth’s Craft Haven.
Photo: Sharyn Smart

The “retro” craft of crochet is making a comeback at Craft Haven in New Plymouth.

Co-owner Bronwyn Aish said crochet, which is the latest craft added to its list of classes, was a fun handcraft with many possibilities.

“There are so many different things that you can make from garments to cushions to jewellery, tea cosies, mittens, leg warmers and boot cuffs,” she said.

Crochet is passed down from generation to generation and Craft Haven wants to ensure the skill can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Classes cater for beginners who have never picked up a crochet hook to others who might have learnt years ago from their mother or grandmother and forgotten the art, through to experts who are looking for the next challenge.

People came to the classes for many reasons, said Mrs Aish.

“Some people come for help reading a pattern and others are looking for reassurance after not doing any crochet for many years,” she said.

Janet Armstrong, who has only lived in New Plymouth for three months, was pleased to discover Craft Haven near to her upper Vogeltown home.

“With the community classes going out of the schools it is difficult to find these sorts of classes,” she said.

New Plymouth woman Chris Drewery has quickly become a dedicated crocheter after not doing it for many years.

“I did crochet something years ago.  I watched my grandmother and thought one day I would like to do that. But it never happened until now,” she said.

A crochet kit costs $20, which is included in the first lesson, and workshops cost $10 which includes patterns.

Workshops are held Wednesday 10am–12pm or every second Tuesday at 7pm.  The Tuesday dates for next month are September 10 and 24.

Craft Haven also offer classes in scrapbooking – catering for varied interests and abilities, photography, card making and cupcake decorating.

Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting Deb Rawson or Bronwyn Aish at info@crafthaven.co.nz or 7533523.

This article was published in the North Taranaki Midweek on September 4, 2013.

La Nuova is recycling junk into cash

Clean and Green : La Nuova sales team leader Brad Craig, left, and Hive social enterprise co-ordinator Dion Cowley are joining forces to build a network of sustainable businesses in Taranaki. Photo : Andy Jackson Fairfax NZ
Clean and Green : La Nuova sales team leader Brad Craig, left, and Hive social enterprise co-ordinator Dion Cowley are joining forces to build a network of sustainable businesses in Taranaki.
Photo : Andy Jackson Fairfax NZ

Junk from overalls pockets has turned into an unlikely revenue stream for one sustainably switched on Taranaki business.

And La Nuova Apparelmaster, an environmental award winning business, is hoping to help teach other businesses to get sustainable.

Sales team leader Brad Craig said becoming a sustainable and environmentally-friendly business had paid big dividends for La Nuova.

“We feel we have done the basics and learned a lot and we can pass a lot of that knowledge on.”

Mr Craig said La Nuova wanted to quash the misconception that green products didn’t work.

“We wouldn’t just go and throw out all the old chemicals that are harsh and go to a green alternative that isn’t going to do the job,” he said. “We’ve always been about quality and we are quite mindful of that.”

Mr Craig said simple initiatives like putting in skylights had reduced the company’s lighting bill by 25 per cent.

Emptying the pockets of about 2000 pairs of overalls a day has also proved profitable. The rags they find are washed and sold, and the various nuts, bolts and pieces of metal sold for scrap.

“There’s not many things that you can take out of your skip and then create into a revenue stream,” Mr Craig said. “We’ve thrown all that stuff in the skip for years and years and all of sudden we don’t need to.”

Mr Craig said more businesses should look at what they were throwing away and think about how they could reuse or recycle more. “In environmental circles there’s a concept that there is no such thing as waste.”

La Nuova has teamed up with New Plymouth’s Hive Environment Centre to help re-invigorate the “sustainable business movement” in Taranaki.

Social enterprise co-ordinator Dion Cowley said it was important businesses were aware of the options available to them. “We want to pull all the resources into one place and act as a facilitator and be able to point local businesses in the right direction.”

Hive aims to get like-minded people together to build a network of environmentally aware businesses.

It has partnered with environmental award winners La Nuova Apparelmaster to help share the drycleaners’ knowledge and experience.

Today, at 5.30 pm La Nuova, 65 Eliot St, New Plymouth, will host the first “Green Drinks” event, an informal gathering for people interested in sustainable business. Hive hopes to make it a regular event that will change location.

This article was published in the Taranaki Daily News on September 26, 2013.

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal

CHRISTMAS GIVING: Witt chaplain Cathy Gordon, left, and Operation Christmas Child co-ordinator Chris Rolston have been busy filling shoeboxes with gifts for children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Photo: Cameron Burnell Fairfax NZ
CHRISTMAS GIVING: Witt chaplain Cathy Gordon, left, and Operation Christmas Child co-ordinator Chris Rolston have been busy filling shoeboxes with gifts for children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Photo: Cameron Burnell Fairfax NZ

 

Contributors to the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal are encouraged to add a personal touch to their gifts – a photo of themselves.

The annual Samaritan’s Purse charity initiative asks people to fill shoeboxes with Christmas goodies for children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“One of the things I like to promote is a photograph. The children open the box and see that a real person loves them and has taken the time to send them a present,” Chris Rolston, who co-ordinates the appeal with her husband Errol, said.

Mrs Rolston said the main focus of the shoebox appeal was the joy of giving and receiving, and each year the organisation aimed to share the Christmas spirit with a new remote village.

“Children who receive the shoeboxes have likely never received a gift before,” she said.

Mrs Rolston visited Witt chaplain Cathy Gordon who is encouraging staff at the polytechnic to fill boxes.

Mrs Gordon has been involved in the shoebox appeal for four years and she has already beaten her target of filling 10 boxes.

“It’s the feel-good factor that people are doing something and it refocuses Christmas,” she said.

Facilities manager Charlotte Dunning is participating for the first time and getting her two sons involved. “They are at the age where they can start learning about charity and helping other people that are less fortunate.”

Witt library staff are foregoing their round of $5 Christmas gifts this year in favour of contributing to the appeal.

“I did it because Christmas is about giving and helping those least fortunate,” said librarian Bridget Knuckey.

Donations to the appeal can be made by contacting Chris and Errol Rolston on 7520552 or Anna at the Northpoint Baptist Church Office on 755 2374. The closing date for the boxes is October 21.

This article was published in the Taranaki Daily News on September 26, 2013.

Wheelchair basketballers the New Plymouth Rollers are back

TEAMWORK: The Taranaki Rollers (from left) Kirstie Fairhurst, Paul Salisbury, captain Ben Hekenui, Bregan Handgrove and Malcolm Preston are playing at the national wheelchair basketball championships in Wellington at the weekend. Photo: Andy Jackson/Fairfax NZ
TEAMWORK: The Taranaki Rollers (from left) Kirstie Fairhurst, Paul Salisbury, captain Ben Hekenui, Bregan Handgrove and Malcolm Preston are playing at the national wheelchair basketball championships in Wellington at the weekend.
Photo: Andy Jackson/Fairfax NZ

Taranaki will make their first appearance at the national wheelchair basketball championships at the weekend after a layoff of more than 20 years.

The Taranaki Rollers are aiming for a top-four finish in the second-tier of the championships in Wellington.

Co-coach Jake Mills said the Otago Panthers were the only mystery side in their six-team division.

“We have played four out of the five teams before so we are looking to try to improve,” he said.

His coaching partner Therese Campbell is more confident of success.

“We have a good chance of getting to the semifinals,” she said.

The team, made up of captain Ben Hekenui, Luke Leathers, Kirstie Fairhurst, Bregan Handgrove, Paul Salisbury and Malcolm Preston, has been playing in the New Plymouth social division against disabled players using wheelchairs.

The Rollers are hoping this experience will pay dividends in Wellington.

Campbell said the team still faced difficulties. Some players were using regular day chairs and they didn’t have enough specialised chairs to put two teams out on court at the same time.

“It makes it hard to practice as the team is playing against each other. It doesn’t get the team playing together as we can’t play five-on-five,” Campbell said.

Parafed Taranaki is fundraising for new chairs, customised for each player, at a cost of about $3500 per chair.

“We are trying to raise enough money to purchase customised basketball wheelchairs to have five-on-five games, so any donations are welcome,” Mills said.

New chairs would make the team more competitive at tournaments because other sides presently had the advantage of using customised chairs.

Anyone interested in getting involved in wheelchair basketball or wanting to make a donation can contact Mills at Sport Taranaki.

This article was pubished in the Taranaki Daily News on September 20, 2013.

Penguin Hotel at Chaddy Charters fills fast

New arrivals: Little blue penguins are already booking into the "penguin hotel" at Chaddy Charters at Breakwater Bay in New Plymouth. Photo: Cameron Burnell /Fairfax NZ
New arrivals: Little blue penguins are already booking into the “penguin hotel” at Chaddy Charters at Breakwater Bay in New Plymouth.
Photo: Cameron Burnell /Fairfax NZ

A mild winter and early spring has little blue penguins heading to New Plymouth’s shores earlier than normal this year.

Warmer days and a plentiful food supply have seen bookings at the “penguin hotel” at Chaddy Charters at Breakwater Bay filling fast, and the number of new chicks points to a successful breeding season.

“At the same time last year we only had one penguin sitting on eggs whereas this year we already have four,” David “Chaddy” Chadfield said.

Penguins incubate their eggs for about four weeks and then care for the chicks for about another month before they venture into the world.

“You can tell if there are still babies in the nest by reading the pads (prints) when they go to the beach,” Mr Chadfield said.

Once outside the nest chicks are easy prey for domestic pets.

“What we worry about is cats and dogs in the area. That’s a biggy,” Mr Chadfield said.

He asked that people keep an eye on their pets during the penguins’ breeding season.

He said he had once seen a cat attempt to attack an adult penguin only to come off second best as the bird easily knocked it to the ground.

People are advised not to get too close to little blue penguins as they are big on attitude and have a sharp beak.

“I’ve seen one of these kill a rat. Hit it right point blank between the eyes,” he said.

Visitors to Chaddy Charters are able to view one of the nests at the penguin hotel through a closed circuit TV setup, paid for by the George Mason Charitable Trust.

This article was published in the Taranaki Daily News on September 17, 2013.

Vetro chef whips up the perfect mix

Foodie heaven: New Plymouth Chef Gavin Hayes loves creating new and exciting dishes using his deli as his pantry. Photo: Sharyn Smart
Foodie heaven: New Plymouth Chef Gavin Hayes loves creating new and exciting dishes using his deli as his pantry.
Photo: Sharyn Smart

Chef Gavin Hayes’ decision to combine his catering business with a delicatessen is proving popular with New Plymouth foodies.

About a year ago Hayes realised his life-long goal of owning a deli when he and his wife Kerryn bought Vetro Mediterranean Foods on Egmont St, New Plymouth.

“Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to own a deli,” said Hayes, who has worked as a chef for 26 years.

The couple had been running Delicious Catering but after eight years were ready for a new challenge.

“I saw this opportunity come up and grabbed it.”

Initially the couple hoped to run both businesses but soon realised it wouldn’t be possible.

“It was pretty easy for me to give up the catering because I had been doing it for eight years and was getting pretty tired of it,” Hayes said.

The couple decided to move the catering company’s commercial kitchen into Vetro and offer a take-home meal option branded Delicious Friday.

The deal means customers can collect a gourmet dinner from the deli to take home.

Each week Hayes creates a menu using ingredients from the shop which he emails to his regular customers.

“I want to do the cooking myself using the ingredients from the store. I want to show people how to use the products in everyday meals,” he said.

Initially he planned on taking orders and having meals ready to sell in the shop.

“I am pleased to say that I haven’t been able to do that as they tend to sell out before they get to the shop.”

Hayes has also spent the past year expanding the range of products he stocks in order to meet customer demand.

“I am really working hard on building the stock and getting confidence back into the store,” he said.

This was published in the Taranaki Daily News on September 9, 2013

Tramping in blizzard hardest part of Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award

Stephanie James at Government House, Wellington receiving her Gold Award for her Duke of Edinburgh Adventure
Stephanie James at Government House, Wellington receiving her Gold Award for her Duke of Edinburgh Adventure

 

Overcoming blizzard conditions on a trek was just one of the challenges New Plymouth teenager Stephanie James faced to earn her Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award.

“We were all starting to freak out a little bit.  It was just all white and we could hardly see anything right in front of our faces,” said the 19-year-old who was recently presented with a gold level award.

Miss James was in a group of five trampers which had an experienced guide trailing 10 minutes behind them in case of an emergency, but said it was still one of the scariest moments she had faced.

“He was happy when we came back to him,” she said.

Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae presented Miss James and 57 other recipients their awards at a Government House reception.

“We had each been asked to write a little comment about the experience of the award and this was read out at the ceremony,” the Victoria University student said.

She described the four years it had taken her to earn the award as a character building exercise.

“I learnt many new things and in the process learnt a lot about myself.  I got to take part in some amazing activities like the volunteer work and the residential project,” said the former Havelock North College student.

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Taranaki Guides and Brownies Provincial Outdoor Fun Day

HAVING FUN: Rotokare leader Vanessa Butcher encourages Brownies and Guides to give “jump rope” a go as part of the Provincial Outdoor Fun Day. Photo: Sharyn Smart
HAVING FUN: Rotokare leader Vanessa Butcher encourages Brownies and Guides to give “jump rope” a go as part of the Provincial Outdoor Fun Day.
Photo: Sharyn Smart

Volunteering to plant native shrubs and grasses on the Coastal Walkway, turned out to be harder work than expected for a group of Taranaki Brownies and Girl Guides.

About 100 girls, leaders and family members took part in a Provincial Outdoor Fun Day this month which incorporated the Great Living Legends Muck In.

The job of planting about 3000 native shrubs and grasses with other members of the public proved quite tough.

“I brought my own shovel and ending up bending it,” Brownie Keira Hills-Wilson, 8, said.

Girl Guide Laura Smith, 12, also found the going a bit tough.

“It was fun and hard work digging,” she said.

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Ethan Ritchie visits Pouakai Zoo’s mischievous Monkey

MONKEY BUSINESS: New Plymouth’s Ethan Ritchie, 8, met Poppet the capuchin monkey during the school holidays as part of Pouakai Zoo’s Encounter Experience. Photo: Sharyn Smart
MONKEY BUSINESS: New Plymouth’s Ethan Ritchie, 8, met Poppet the capuchin monkey during the school holidays as part of Pouakai Zoo’s Encounter Experience.
Photo: Sharyn Smart

 

New Plymouth youngster Ethan Ritchie got to sample his dream job when he took part in Pouakai Zoo’s Encounter Experience over the holidays.

Interacting with the zoo’s blue tongue skinks Bluey and Sky, and its Australian bearded dragons  Norbit and Spicktoria, impressed the eight-year-old the most.

“Holding Bluey was the best part of the day. They’re funny because they liked walking all over us.”

Pouakai Zoo’s owners Bart Hartley and Fiona Carson have been running the zoo keeper programme for three years.

“Some children asked if they could spend time helping out at the zoo in the holidays.  It’s been really popular,” said Miss Carson.

The zoo offers a half-day “Encounter Experience” for $35 and a full day option for $50.

After a briefing with Miss Carson the five junior zoo keepers in Ethan’s group were ready to be introduced to the zoo’s animals.

And with his “staff” tag hanging around his neck Ethan was eager to get to work.

First Poppet, a 2-and-a-half-year-old capuchin monkey, visited them in a portacom where he climbed all over them, before beginning to pull posters off the wall.

“Poppet was crazy when he jumped on my head,” said Ethan of the mischievous monkey.

The young zoo keepers were also able to feed the zoo’s white tigers Kal, Azra and Anila.

“It was great fun and I can’t wait to do it again,” Ethan said who was doing the zoo keeper experience for the second time.

This article was published in the North Taranaki Midweek on Wednesday August 7, 2013

Holiday spruce up at Vogeltown School

OFFICE UPGRADE: Vogeltown School pupils Finn Heard,10, Megan Schwank, 9, and Germaine Grewel, 9, approve of the recent renovations to the school’s office block. Photo: Sharyn Smart
OFFICE UPGRADE: Vogeltown School pupils Finn Heard,10, Megan Schwank, 9, and Germaine Grewel, 9, approve of the recent renovations to the school’s office block.
Photo: Sharyn Smart

A steady increase in the school roll over the last five years has meant Vogeltown School‘s office block needed an update.

The office block is currently undergoing a $35,000 interior and exterior upgrade which was started in the school holidays.

Principal Mark Luff said the roll used to be around 230 and currently sits at 270.

“Just today we’ve had six enrolments,” he said.

The “hub” of the school was last revamped in 1998 and Mr Luff said it was now being brought in line with other school developments.

“We also have the centenary coming up in 2015 so we want to make sure the school is looking all tidy,” he said.

Work on the office interior is half done but work on the outside of the building was scheduled for a later date.

Pupils Megan Schwank, 9, Germaine Grewel,9, and Finn Heard,10, got a surprise as they came into the new office area yesterday.

“It looks awesome,” said Finn.

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Tech Talk NZ on Access Radio

TechTalk: Spotswood College students Jeremy Martin-Smith,18, Stefan McIntyre,17, Kyle P Banadera,17, and Jordan Smith,18, share the airwaves for their TechTalk show at Access Radio Taranaki.

A group of Spotswood College students are making the most of having Access Radio Taranaki within walking distance of the school.

Jordan Smith, Jeremy Martin-Smith, Stefan McIntyre and Kyle P Banadera host the TechTalk NZ show on Wednesday afternoons.

On the show they discuss gaming updates, tech news and game reviews, and invite listeners to call in for tech support or join the general discussion.

Jordan Smith initially started out with a five-minute slot in 2012 before taking up an opportunity to do a half hour-long show with support from his mates.

In May this year the show was extended to an hour.

Jordan said station managers Daniel and Alessandra Keighley were great teachers who left them to get on with the job.

“It’s good to have loose reins to be able to do what we want.  There are not many limitations – we are not told what we have to say as the station managers trust us not to break broadcasting standards.”

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Learning outside the classroom with DOC

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Omata School deputy principal Pat Murphy is back in the classroom this week after spending the past six months scouring the slopes of Mt Taranaki as part of a science fellowship.

Mr Murphy, who has been teaching for 35 years, said the Primary Science Teacher Fellowship he did with the Department of Conservation was amazing.

“You are walking around from Holly Hut to the display centre on a beautiful fine day – that is just a great experience that I’m being paid to enjoy,” he said.

“Of course there is also the downside, when there is snow on the mountain and weather conditions aren’t pleasant, and only the truly committed people are out doing their job.”

The fellowship, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is managed by the Royal Society of New Zealand. It is designed to allow teachers to work alongside professionals doing science-driven work and take back their experiences to the classroom.

Mr Murphy worked alongside the Department of Conservation’s Taranaki biodiversity assets supervisor, Emily King.

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