From frangipanis to neighbourhood houses and siapo
Naomi Faifai finds inspiration for her mixed media works in herself and her surroundings
She tells Madeleine Crutchley how she makes it work
Naomi Faifai has been drawn to creativity and canvases from a young age
I’ve always been surrounded by the arts and creativity in one way or another.”
It’s a method of making that has drawn her back again and again
the artist who grew up in Timaru works from a studio in the city’s CBD
“It took me a while to figure out this is what I wanted to do with my life
but I found my way back here after spending my 20s trying out all sorts of different things
The self-taught mixed-media artist is currently showing 30 works for a solo exhibition titled Inner Workings at The Frame Workshop and Gallery in Herne Bay
“I like to work loose and have fun with my art
I never really make a plan or sketch before starting a painting
I’ve been playing a lot with making patterns out of my own everyday – mānuka
I’m like a sponge and my works are a reflection of my environment
things I’ve seen on a walk that have stayed with me
natural environments and Naomi’s whakapapa
“The last couple of years have been spent playing around with and slowly incorporating more imagery from my Samoan and Māori heritage in my work
I try to use what feels really comfortable
symbols I’ve felt connected to on a more personal level.”
Opening up the work to exhibition brings up a mix of emotions – as the title suggests
Naomi has some strong personal connections to these pieces
she’s looking forward to seeing the reception
putting your work and at the same time yourself on display like that
I think they’re pieces that make you smile and keep your eyes moving around
spotting symbols and imagery you might connect with.”
She’s looking forward to finding more influence for her work with a special trip
“I have my first ever trip to Samoa planned with my family in the next year
I think it will be amazing to get to physically see and experience the sea life
and all the amazing plants and imagery that’s explored in siapo
I don’t know a great deal but you learn as you go
I’m finishing the last season of You on Netflix
I often listen to a bit of true crime if I’m painting
I’ve been reading The Cage by Lloyd Jones at the moment
We watched the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice about 100 times growing up
My favourite place to shop for fashion is..
Everything’s such a good price down in Timaru
I always get a bit of a shock coming back up to Auckland
Taking my two kids on their first overnight walk and stay in a DoC hut
Inner Workings is on display at The Frame Workshop & Gallery until May 17
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A bloom of daffodils welcomed a stream of stars
A new venture opening soon with a collection of 1300 bottles from a team of wine experts
The active botanical skincare brand is rolling out in 50 Sephora stores from May 13
From sushi to souffle and blue cod tempura
Jesse spotlights the very best of Ōtautahi
spiced treat that turns carrots into something surprisingly sweet and snackable
Beetroot is the secret ingredient in this chocolate orange cake
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The area being re-surfaced is between Te Weka St and Beverley Road
Two-way traffic will be maintained for most of this work but some side roads will be affected
Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA in South Canterbury
warm conditions to ensure the new surface sticks and will be long-lasting,” says Mr Chambers
“If it rains or temperatures drop significantly
We will endeavour to keep all the business owners and residents around our work sites informed throughout.”
NZTA thanks everyone in Timaru for slowing to 30km/hour through this work site over the next four or more weeks and being alert for pedestrians using the traffic islands
This consultation is underway until mid March
The proposed no-stopping lines are part of the plan to widen Evans St to two lanes in each direction through this section of SH1 to improve traffic movements/efficiency
NZTA will inform people of the outcome and any changes to the existing road layout before the line marking for the re-surfacing project
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders – from helping new drivers earn their licences
to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport
Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren F1 Team wins over fans with heartfelt response video
By RNZ Sport
Championship leader Norris spent three minutes in a video on the McLaren team’s social media channel going through a book of illustrated letters
sent to him by students from Room 3 at Oceanview Heights School
The laminated book - titled Dear Lando - features a letter from each child
written after Norris won his maiden Grand Prix race in Miami last year
Class teacher Shannon Beatson told RNZ she was shocked when contacted by McLaren last week and told that a video would be posted by the British driver - 10 months after the book was sent
“We were shocked - it was good surprise,” said Beatson
who explained the reason for compiling the book
after Norris ended a career title drought that had stretched to six seasons and 109 races for McLaren
“I’m a fan of Formula One and Lando Norris has always been an inspiration
We’d been following it in class and I’d been teaching the kids about motorsport and science and all of that
“And then when Lando Norris got his first win we kind of had a celebration day and we wrote letters to him just congratulating him and then talking about kindness because I’d used his quote - ‘use kindness to enjoy life and be kind to everyone’
“It was really about showing kindness to Lando because he had been going through a rough time on social media
they had free reign to talk about whatever they wanted.”
who has a reputation as one of the friendliest drivers on the F1 grid
has accelerated into the early lead in this year’s world championship - winning the opening round in Melbourne and finishing runner-up in Shanghai
Beatson said some of the Year 4 and 5 children in her class had become keen F1 fans and were thrilled by the response
who are really keen F1 fans had amazing reactions,” she said
“I’ve got 21 kids in my classroom and there’s 20 drivers so they’ve each got a driver that they’re supporting throughout the year and we’re making posters and everything - really incorporating it into school life.”
25-year-old Norris said he was touched by the book and read some of the letters aloud
A letter from Malia read: “I like Lando because he is kind and respectful of other people
McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri playfully says to Norris: “I like your so kindness too.”
Norris signs off with a message to the class
“It’s very nice to hear that I’ve inspired and you watch my races and you’re supporting me,” he said
keep listening to Miss Beatson and all of your teachers
Enjoy your classes and maybe I’ll see you all soon.”
Norris’ response continues an association between Timaru and the McLaren F1 team
which was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963
The Warriors have been hit with a string of injuries after a thrilling Magic Round win
The site that was home to the Smithfield meat plant in Timaru for nearly 140 years is now on the market
Alliance Group confirmed the closure of the 139-year-old site and 600 jobs to go with it in October
due to the country's declining livestock numbers and weaker demand for red-meat in markets like China
A month later, the farmer-owned co-operative reported a net loss after tax of $95.8 million in the year to September - $51m of which went towards the costs of shutting down the Timaru site and redundancies
The 32.4 hectare industrial and rural site bordered the Showgrounds retail complex on Bridge Street just north of Timaru
"The historic Smithfield meat processing plant has been a major icon in this growth location and is now offered to the market for definite sale," the Colliers real estate listing read
It said Alliance had largely de-commissioned the meat works operation
Three titles included buildings with cold storage
and service infrastructure like "huge" high power supply and water take
protected WW2 observation bunker adds some character to the coastal edge," it said
Its deadline private treaty sale will close on 26 March
The farmer-owned co-op reported a $70m loss after tax in the year to September 2023, a serious dive on the year before's $73.6m profit, which prompted the co-op to ask its shareholders to help raise capital
It then hired Craigs Investment Partners to explore external capital raise options
Red-meat co-op Alliance says it will be an "emotional time" for the 55 remaining meat workers at its Smithfield plant today
It could be months or even years before the full impact of the Smithfield closure becomes clear
The loss of 600 jobs in Timaru is hitting the local economy hard
The cost of shutting its Timaru meat works is costing the troubled red meat co-operative more than $51m
South Canterbury man Ray Bowman did not muck around when he learned that he - like hundreds others at Smithfield - was facing probable redundancy
Join us for free park entry to Thundercorss
BBQ lunch and the chance to trial Surron Farm Utility electric bikes and polaris UTVs
The 2025 Deer Industry conference makes a return taking place in Queenstown and celebrates 50 years of NZ Deer Farmers Association
Take a night off from cooking and join us and others at Pukuru School Hall for a community dinner.
The Waikato Primary Industry Adverse Event Cluster wish to invite you to join them for a relaxed BBQ lunch.
You can contact your local Trust using the email form on their page
or call 0800 787 254, 8am - 6pm.
If you wish to donate directly to a region, you can find your region here and find donation details on their page
New Zealand’s top playspace – at Caroline Bay in Timaru – provided the perfect setting for a group of enthusiastic young people to learn about the environment and history of the area
Ākonga (students) from St Joseph’s Fairlie and Waimataitai Primary School joined our Youth Engagement, Education, and Enviroschools team at the award-winning Caroline Bay playground (CPlay) to discover the history of the area
Ākonga were tasked with finding answers to a scavenger hunt on the many information boards scattered around the playground – topics included Māori and European history of the area
This teaches the importance of being kaitiaki/guardians of the environment
Students were taught how to create a mōkihi (canoe) out of harakeke/flax and then race them in the playground’s paddling pool
Mōkihi is an example of a vessel that early Māori settlers would have used to explore the coast
so as well as being a fun challenge for the children
The schools then learned about the life cycle of tuna/eels from Andrea Askin-Mills of South Canterbury Museum
The final activity was student-led: planting native seedlings in the dunes of Caroline Bay with the help of Gary Foster
This deep dive into history helped the children consider how lessons from the past can inform the sustainable actions we take today
organised the day and said it was a huge success
and it was especially warming to note the camaraderie developing amongst the students because of the activities we had organised.”
was delighted by the “range of different activities for the children – it has been a fabulous day.”
The ākonga now have more knowledge of the area they can take back to their schools
12-year-old James from Waimataitai said he had “no idea that there were different types of eels – that was interesting to learn.”
Ākonga from St Joseph’s Fairlie highlighted the next steps they want to take in their learning journey: visit the eels at Opuha Dam and share what they learned with their classmates
“The students we work with are our future decision makers,” said Debbie
“It’s great to get them learning about the environment that they will look after.”
Gary assists the students to plant the dunes
Enviroschools is an environmental action-based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools
We coordinate the Enviroschools programme in Canterbury
working alongside Toimata and our regional partners to create a vibrant and supportive regional Enviroschools network
Our team of experienced facilitators guide
motivate and support our network of schools to develop their Enviroschools journey
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We’re working to build and strengthen the relationship between young people
our region and the work we do at Environment…
A new bug bag deployment follows one in August
where students were taught how to make the bags and judge…
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A fatal crash near Timaru over the weekend claimed the life of a 47-year-old man
Senior Sergeant Richard Quested told the Timaru Herald the man was found dead in his vehicle at the intersection of Spur Rd and Kellands Hill Rd about noon on Sunday
which was found 20m into a line of trees near the intersection
The crash was understood to have happened overnight on Saturday
Quested told the Timaru Herald alcohol and speed were suspected to be contributing factors
The Serious Crash Unit has examined the scene and police inquiries were under way
The ITF World Tennis Tour: Timaru is an entry-level professional event for men and women with official ATP and WTA world ranking points up for grabs
The event — which begins on Monday at the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre — promises to showcase some of the best up-and-coming international talent going head-to-head with New Zealand’s finest
It is the second-biggest tennis tournament in the country behind the ASB Classic
Tennis South Canterbury administrator Anna Telfer said the tournament would be the biggest Timaru had hosted since the Davis Cup in 2000
"It will be a similar size — we have the corporate boxes and stadium seats set up just like we did back then for that
is still here and he’s managing this one which is great
"It’s really good to be able to use the knowledge he has
"He knows how it all works and what we need to do because Tennis New Zealand basically said we could do whatever we wanted in terms of setting it all up and they’d provide everything else."
The six day-competition will feature a 32-player singles draw and 16-pair doubles draw knockout competition for both men and women
A total prize pool of $100,000 will be up for grabs
General admission is free from Monday to Friday
Miss Telfer said she expected the event to be well attended
"There will be 450 seats there so if they all sell for the weekend that would be great
"I’m not sure how busy it will be during the week but hopefully after work it might be a bit busy
once people finish work they can come down and watch
especially during the midweek when it is free and won’t be as busy."
A lot of work had gone into make the event happen
"We’ve been working towards it since last August when it was announced," she said
So we’ve had six months to get things ship-shape
we had to touch up a lot of the stadium seating because you want it looking really nice
put up all the fencing at the back and just get things generally spruced up
"You see one thing and then you go along and see another thing
‘I need to get that done for the tournament’
so there’s been a list a mile long that’s had everyone ticking away
you don’t want to do a big event this size and have the centre look a bit shabby
this centre’s amazing’ so they come back."
She hoped the tournament would be a big boost for tennis in the region
"I think it will definitely help grow the sport here
"It’s important to start offering those things straight away
so people don’t forget about tennis while the sun’s still shining
our Xpress tennis beginner lessons for adults and social doubles big bash tournament starting on the 19th as well as much more."
The action will begin daily from 11am and tickets for the weekend can be bought from the tennisnz website
connor.haley@timarucourier.co.nz
Click here for finals weekend tickets!
ITF World Tennis Tour: Timaru is a professional event for men and women with official ATP and WTA world ranking points up for grabs
This event will showcase some of the best up and coming international talent going head-to-head with New Zealand’s finest
It’s an exciting opportunity for fans from Timaru and the wider region to experience top-level tennis up close
- Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre - 27 Benvenue Ave
- 32 Player Singles Draw and 16 Pair Doubles Draw, Knock Out Competition for Men & Women
Click here for the Women's main draw
Click here for the Men's main drawClick here for live scoring
Check your inbox for a confirmation email and enjoy keeping up to date on Tennis New Zealand
Mr Bruce was born in the Greendale-Darfield district in April 1935 to a Christian farming family at Hororata
He said he had a difficult relationship with his father
"He would leave home early in the morning and would come home tired after a long day and was often too tired to play with his children
there was nobody at home to show me how to do anything
"I had two years at Christchurch Boys’ High School
I went to a newly opened Darfield High School."
He left school at 16 to work on the farm with his ageing father and continued do so with his wife Margaret and their four sons
"We prayed to God and said ‘if you really want us to go
"I was thinking that after harvest I would put it on the market and just see what happens but then God sent a real estate man from a company I’d never done business with before
and he said he was ‘looking for listings in the district’
"I told him the situation and within three months he’d sold the farm for higher than I asked
"We sat around the dinner table with the boys and they just loved the farm
and building had been put there by our family
we just felt we couldn’t do it in the end but I had made a promise to God and I learnt to never make a promise to God if you’re not going to keep it."
1975 a northwesterly gale hit Canterbury and much of his farm was destroyed
"I asked for forgiveness and that if he ever helped me get the farm back into some sort of sellable order
"The insurance assessor came and said there would be a check coming to pay for it all and a builder
worked like a machine to resurrect the buildings
the farm was in better order than before the storm
"We tested the market and realised the power of God."
In 1976 Mr Bruce and his wife followed God’s call and undertook what they believed would be a short mission to Timaru
to help a man running a large bible in schools programme
David and Margaret took over the programme which had them travelling across all of South Canterbury teaching up to 20 bible school lessons each week as well as running youth groups
In 1989 they began looking for a place where they could train young unemployed people in that work and happened upon North Haven
It had been a children’s orphanage and no sooner had they moved in and began wondering how they could use the place
than they were approached by the Aoraki Polytechnic asking if they would take in overseas students
They took in six as an initial trial and since then hundreds of overseas students have called North Haven their home
Even after eventually selling the hostel in 1999 and the death of his wife in 2001
Mr Bruce continued to run the hostel well into his 80s
he also worked as a farming tutor at the Polytechnic
after being asked to take on a group of 12 prospective students who were without a tutor
"They told me I could make up my own timetable and I could go do bible in schools and come back and teach
"They were prepared to pay me wages that I’d never seen in all my life
"Every time funds seemed to be getting low
God provided miraculously and that’s just one example."
Mr Bruce said God had been very good to him and often wondered why he was chosen to serve him
What have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known
what did I ever do that was worth loving you for the kindness you’ve shown
I could show someone else what I’ve been through myself on my way back to you’
for how much longer I don’t know but He has been with me all the way."
He recently spoke at the Wilson St church lounge and to his surprise over 90 people attended
When the people went out to see John the Baptist in the wilderness
Did you see a reed shaking in the wind or something?’
but I believe God has got me by the scruff of the neck and said
Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) and Timaru District Council are working quickly to resolve a rates issue identified with the Environment Canterbury portion of Timaru district rates bills
the invoices were issued for a higher amount than was required for the Environment Canterbury portion of Timaru district rating units
“We had a few questions from people quite rightly questioning the size of the increase
We are now working quickly to get updated statements issued to all residents in time for the next instalment later this year,” Director Corporate and Public Transport Services Giles Southwell says
The first instalment was due on 20 September
Any overpayments will be credited to the applicable rates account and will be taken off the second instalment amount
The overall reduced amount will be reflected across instalments 2
No penalty fees will be applied for underpayments in instalment 1
If payment has been made for the full year
a refund of any overpayment will be provided following the issuing of updated invoices
Anyone who has concerns can contact us on 0800 324 636
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There are different types of rates that make up the total you pay
Confirmed news that the Smithfield meatworks will close is devastating for the hundreds of people who work there
this closure will leave up to 600 people out of work
Sometimes several members of the same family work in this plant – and this is distressing news for all of them and our community,” Labour MP based in Rangitata Jo Luxton said.“These workers contribute to the local economy and businesses
Now many of them will have potentially have to leave our community in search of work,” Jo Luxton said.This is the latest major employer to close in New Zealand
following hundreds of other manufacturing job losses in the North Island.“We are seeing rising unemployment as the government ignores the plight of workers,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich said.“Even through the global economic shock of the pandemic
Labour supported workers and businesses to keep people in jobs
unemployment rises while the government sits on its hands.“The Government has chosen to lay off 6000 public servants
has not done anything to help hundreds of workers in the manufacturing sector
and has cancelled Jobs for Nature and reduced funding for Apprenticeship Boost – programmes that help create jobs in our regions.“The Government needs to stand up for workers and see the value in keeping people in work,” Camilla Belich said
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