Community

Taking the crown for the Wakatipu’s oldest living born and bred local, Bill Dagg epitomises the Southern Man… and not because he drinks Speights.

Hāwea is now home to a set of consistent waves thanks to some Kiwi ingenuity. YourWave is a unique artificial surf wave and the brain child of product designer Ross McCarthy. It’s suitable for surfers of all abilities – beginners can learn to pop-up, while experts can carve steeper breaking waves.

In a day long before it was fashionable Tonnie Spijkerbosch led the charge on repurposing, renowned locally as a creative entrepreneurial visionary, plumbing genius and King of DIY.

The Cancer Society invites courageous people to ‘Jump for Cancer’ to support the 1 in 3 people impacted by cancer. The skydive fundraiser will happen at Skydive Wanaka on Saturday, 27 May and at NZONE Skydive Queenstown on Sunday, 28 May where Cancer Society staff will be cheering on the brave jumpers. Skydivers can also arrange another time in May if these jump days do not suit.

A bright idea to make the LUMA Southern Light Project accessible to all is being sponsored by Queenstown Airport.

About 470 trees are likely to be felled from Kelvin Heights Golf Course, most of them this month – at least 330 Douglas Firs and 100 aging poplars, because of safety and nuisance concerns.

A couple of Queenstown-raised brothers, who owned several local rental properties each by their late 20s, are showing young people how to be cash savvy after huge demand from others wanting to know their secrets.

Recent extreme climate events and unseasonable weather got your eco-anxiety at an all time high? Join the Repair Revolution and be a part of the solution!.

If you were at the Remarkables Market on the 15th of April, you might have seen me and a bunch of people walking around in our green Headlight T-shirts holding post-it notes. We were there talking with our community and asking them to ‘write a message of support to someone experiencing mental distress’. Maybe you saw us, maybe you wrote a message or maybe you wondered ‘what’s that all about?’

A selection of 18 inspiring short films and documentaries will be featured at the first Wao Film Festival in Wanaka next month. A film inspired Wao co-founders Arna Craig and Monique Kelly to create the sustainability-focused non-profit in 2018 and Arna told the Wanaka App the transformative power of film inspired them to create the new festival.

Queenstown Trails has launched a new look fundraising campaign inviting locals – and visitors – to become official Trail Lovers. The campaign that kicked off earlier in the moth replaces the annual Friends of the Trust appeal. The idea with the new campaign is to connect with, and garner support from, all trail users.

Grandchildren can be bad for your health, as I just discovered - don’t mention it to any of the safety morons of our country or they might ban contact with grandchildren or insist on us wearing hard hats and steelcapped boots and hiring orange vested security people to keep us SAFE ( I do hate that word these days). I did a bit of poor handling with our delicious two year old, and ended up having to go to the acupuncturist to get prickled back into a painless...

Miranda Spary is a tired, old, has been columnist that we feel sorry for. She used to write a weekly book column in the old Queenstown Times which was read more for the local gossip in it than the book part. She is quite lazy and very grateful if readers send in ideas about what’s been happening locally on miranda@queenstown.co.nz

Good Bitches Baking Queenstown & Central Otago is a group of individuals who are keen to share a bit of kindness with the Central Otago community. Part of a national organisation, our chapter consists of 31 people who donate their time and baking prowess, and their own pantry of ingredients, to make treats for people who may need a touch of kindness.

People living in Arrowtown, Arthurs Point, Crown Terrace, Dalefield, Gibbston, Lake Hayes and Shotover Country can now have their say on who represents them around the council table as voting begins in the Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward by-election.

With a huge variety of cultural, sporting and community events firmly back on the calendar, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is inviting organisers to apply for grants to help them deliver successful and sustainable entertainment.

We invite active seniors to Te Atamira arts and culture centre for an immersive art programme and morning tea on Saturday mornings this autumn. Te Atamira Senior Arts Social will be a rotation of concerts, art workshops, dance/movement class and artist talks. To secure your spot for each session please call 027 1800 2868 or email hello@teatamira.nz

Miranda Spary is a tired, old, has been columnist that we feel sorry for. She used to write a weekly book column in the old Queenstown Times which was read more for the local gossip in it than the book part. She is quite lazy and very grateful if readers send in ideas about what’s been happening locally on miranda@queenstown.co.nz

I was having dinner at the bar in Little Aosta this week, and noticed the young woman working like a demon in the kitchen. She was bubbly and bright and SO efficient, whipping pizzas and steak in and out of the woodfired oven, cheerily calling “SERVICE” to the waiters when dishes were ready, quick with a “YES, CHEF” when he gave her an order.

A prominent member of Queenstown’s Maori community will stage a play in the resort this winter which he wrote 40 years ago to heal in the aftermath of losing someone dear to suicide.