Festivals of art, music, and kapa haka find funding success
A number of colourful festivals and events are coming your way in the next few months with funding support from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board.
There was a festival theme to many of the seven community projects and events on the receiving end of almost $20,000 in funding decisions made by Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board at its meeting on Thursday 6 July.
A festival of kapa haka is coming to the Bay of Islands with Te Hui Ahurei o Ngāti Rēhia Kapa Haka. Twelve kapa haka groups and an estimated 480 tamariki are participating in the event on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August. The $5,000 granted by the board will assist with running costs for an event which showcases students’ skills, promotes cultural awareness, and fosters a sense of community among schools and participants.
Playing the blues will be the name of the game during the three-day Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival held from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 August, with $2,500 granted by the board providing an extra boost. Funding will go towards shuttle buses and promoting the music festival, based in the Bay of Islands and Russell.
KOAST Tai Tokerau Art Trail was successful in securing $3,000 for its Labour Weekend event which opens the doors to 50 art studios, and four central venues, for artists to display their work and invite art lovers in. The venues are Kingston House, the Turner Centre, St John and the Little Black Gallery. Funding will help with the costs of hiring the Turner Centre and advertising. The art trail festival is expected to attract locals as well as visitors to the region.
A festival vibe is also likely at the three-day floral art competition organised by the Northland Floral Art Society which was granted $2,000 for its event in November.
Other successful applicants included Busy Bees, a group of community knitters who were awarded $1,000 to pay for wool and other supplies to create their special knitted hats, blankets and mittens that help babies stay cosy from their arrival at the hospital birthing unit to their new life at home. The social knitting circle of volunteers aims to create a sense of belonging for the Far North’s newest residents.
‘Barbed Wire on the Beach’, a book by local Maureen Yorke about her experiences growing up in Northland during WWII, will be reprinted with the help of $2,103 from the board. The historical account of the effect of military operations on day-to-day life in the region was compiled and published in 2011 but quickly sold out. Funding is for a second print run of the original edition. Any proceeds from the sale of the $25 book will be donated to a Northland-based dementia or Alzheimer’s disease charity.
Main picture - Riverview School's kapa haka group who will be competing at Te Hui Ahurei o Ngāti Rēhia Kapa Haka in August.