Kia ora koutou,
As many of you know, ‘KaariamaiPāpa (daughter of Janis & Anthony de Thierry), sadly passed away recently. The service held in Whakatū was sad, beautiful and touching. I will always remember the message of how the unconditional love of whānau will overcome any adversity. Following the service, ‘KaariamaiPāpa was laid to rest at Te Hora with her grandparents Joe & Shirley MacDonald.
Given the circumstances, the Wairau Whānau Kirihimete party that was planned for Saturday, 8 December was cancelled. We would like to thank you for your understanding. Tamariki who were registered to attend the party will receive their presents this week.
Our kaumātua had their Kirihimete lunch at Ūkaipō last week where they were entertained by Whitney St School kapa haka group. This was a great afternoon enjoyed by all.
The news that Marlborough Boys’ College will be combining with Marlborough Girls’ College has been confirmed. We are waiting for more detail from the Ministry of Education to fully understand if and how this will impact on the lease of our property.
The Trust had the pleasure of welcoming new Trustee Riki Palatchie to the table last Monday at their first hui. We have some exciting new projects planned for 2019, many of which involve construction. Riki’s architectural skills and knowledge will be a great addition to the team.
Next year is going to be an exciting and eventful year. By the end of this week, we expect the first part of the Woodbourne Right of Refusal settlement process to have been completed with the purchase of the NZDF section next to the airport carpark. This has been a lengthy process, however, the rest of the purchase should be relatively straightforward. We start construction on the Watercraft showroom in Horton St this January with a completion date in the third quarter of the year.
Christmas is a very busy time of year and like most organisations, we are trying to get a lot done before the holidays. The office will be closed from Monday 24 December and will reopen on Monday 7 January. Our focus in January will be business planning and budgets.
For me, the past 8 months have flown by and it has been a lot of fun. The most enjoyable part has been meeting Rangitāne whānau and working with a great team. Memorable moments were the launch and events for Tangata Rau Reo Kotahi, Maara kai, the Kaumātua haerenga to Te Whanganui a Tara and in particular the warm welcome my family and I have experienced since arriving in Waiharakeke.
So, from all of us in the office and the Trustees, we hope you and your whānau have a memorable, peaceful and loving Christmas and a joyful New Year!
Mā te wā
Nick