| Kia ora (Māori) | Talofa (Samoan) | Mālō e lelei (Tongan) | Bula (Fijian) | Namaste (Hindi/Fijian Indian) | Ni hao (Mandarin Chinese) | Asalaamu alaikum (Arabic) | Bonjour (French) | Guten Tag (German) | Hello!
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou | Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed a festive season filled with love, laughter, and connection. I’m looking forward to the (hopefully) consistent summer sun and the many events and activities that make our Taieri community so special.
Soon our tamariki will be heading back to school and summer sports will be back in full swing. Even sooner, just around the corner, is the wonderful Taieri A&P Show this Saturday, 24 January – always a delight for young and old, and a true celebration of what makes our community unique. With locally born and bred Mr Yipadee and Rylan Urquhart taking the stage, it promises to be a day of Taieri-bred excellence and entertainment.
Upcoming events & opportunities And many more events are featured below in the newsletter.
🍳 Have you got a favourite recipe to share?
I’d love to hear from you and maybe feature it in a future newsletter.
⭐ Christmas Tree Pack-down
The Christmas tree came down Wednesday night without a hitch. Huge thanks to the Chevron Traffic Services, Mosgiel Volunteer Fire Brigade, Mosgiel Rotary Club, and ProPower for their time, expertise and generosity, as well as good taste in music. Another big thank you to Fairfield Transport, for doing all the heavy lifting and whisking the container back to its hibernation spot. The wonderful Neville Goodsir has also generously offered to improve the star attachment so the star can shine even more regally next Christmas. Thanks Neville!
What a fun community effort it is to bring Christmas tree joy out for all to enjoy.
Here’s to a vibrant 2026 filled with connection, fun, and community spirit!
Ngā mihi nui | Best regards,
Jean Bonner
Kaihono Hapori | Community Connector
Taieri Network |
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Our A Very Taieri Christmas celebrations saw amazing community participation, including several bus trips to view the displays. Here are this year’s winners: |
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Winner: 😍 9 Shaw Street – Jill Campbell 🎉
Jill received a $500 prize generously donated by Shoz Wheeler. For 2-3 nights each year, visitors can enjoy her incredible display in exchange for a koha, with all proceeds supporting Red Frogs NZ. Jill’s support reflects the organisation’s commitment to caring for and safeguarding young people through practical help, emotional support, and harm-minimisation services. |
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Special Mention:
🥳 Jo Smith (1 Arran Street) – awarded $100 cash for her lights, which shone brightly all winter. She even shared that they help her dogs find their way around at night!
A huge thank you to Shoz Wheeler for her incredible generosity in supporting this competition and our community, to all our entrants for truly being the shining lights of it all, and to everyone who voted, enjoyed the lights, and joined our bus tours. |
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Facilitator: Marcanui Taura
Dates: Weekly on Thursdays, 5 February – 9 April 2026 (10 weeks)
Time: 9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue: Oak Lounge, East Taieri Church, 12a Cemetery Rd, East Taieri
Cost: $100 for the full 10-week course Join us for a rich and supportive introduction to Kete Whakairo (patterned kete). No prior weaving experience is needed—this course begins with the basics and builds skills over the term. What you’ll learn: Harakeke harvesting and preparation Foundational and advanced weaving techniques Reading and understanding patterns and their meanings Dyeing techniques Learning grounded in Māori culture and values
This course is more than just weaving. It’s a welcoming space for connection, creativity, mental well-being, and cultural enrichment. By the end of the term, students will feel confident weaving independently and creating their own kete. What to bring:
Please bring some food to share for a shared lunch
Hot beverages will be provided. Questions or enquiries: [email protected] or 022 121 3325 We look forward to weaving, learning, and connecting together. Thank you to Creative NZ for the grant that helped subsidise ticket costs! |
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You can now pick up your FREE copy of Dunedin's Community Newspaper, from our Taieri Network Office, 176 Gordon Rd, Mosgiel. Delivered on Thursdays.
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Community Fruit Harvest - a wonderful way to get involved in our local food-growing efforts. You can register a tree or sign up as a volunteer to help pick fruit and share it with the community.
Got fruit? Register your Fruit trees (and other produce)
We can’t pick fruit if we don’t have fruit trees! We take all fruits and vegetables. We prefer to pick larger quantities and won’t take food that is rotten or inedible. We will travel all around Dunedin (and sometimes outside!). We can provide our own ladders, boxes and volunteers. You just need to tell us when and where, and if there is anything we should know about your property.
Pickers & Distributors We need help all around Dunedin to pick the fruit. Some jobs are less labour intensive than others and don’t require heavy lifting or climbing ladders. Some jobs are suited for tamariki and families. We’d love to find opportunities for everyone, so just ask! General mobility and fitness are required. Shifts are usually announced a week before, with various times and days (it all depends on when the fruit is ready!). Picking is generally 1-2 hours, and supplies are usually provided, and carpool options are available. If a co-ordinator isn’t available to do a shift with you, they will share all of the relevant information and where to deliver the fruit to. You get to see some amazing gardens around the community, and volunteers are welcome to take some of the fruit they pick home.
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