From the next Pecha Kucha, to news about Ahuriri Estuary, to HB’s trailblazing women, to Muse Gallery landscape exhibition, to HB Civil Defence progress, here are some noteworthy announcements you might have missed.
Pecha Kucha
The first Pecha Kucha for 2025 – Tuesday 1 April, 6p, Toitoi Opera House
Dementia and memory loss are touching more lives than ever, raising questions, challenges, and hopes for the future.
Pecha Kucha Hawke’s Bay, with the support of Toitoi, is dedicating the first PK of 2025 to shining a light on dementia from every angle—the personal, the clinical, the spiritual, and beyond.
Through powerful storytelling and fresh insights, we aim to make this evening not just informative, but uplifting and even entertaining. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired.
$10 pp – please bring cash. Bar operating for refreshments.
Box Office opens at 5:00pm and the presentations start at 6pm sharp.
Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society
Chair Angie Denby has prepared the latest update on happenings affecting the Estuary, and its full of important news – heaps of council and iwi plans, recent activities.
If you care about the Estuary, Angie’s reports are ‘must read’. Download here.
MTG features HB trailblazing women
The country’s first registered female dentist, a physically disabled national tennis champion and the woman who introduced kiwifruit to New Zealand are among the high achievers highlighted in Hidden in History: Trailblazing Women of Hawke’s Bay.
The exhibition and accompanying book celebrating the lives and work of 26 locals opens to the public on Saturday 29 March at MTG Hawke’s Bay. Emeritus Professor Kay Morris Matthews, Associate Research Curator at MTG, has worked on the exhibition as a volunteer for the past two-and-a-half years.
Laura Vodanovich, MTG Hawke’s Bay Director, says these women challenged the dominant views of their times through both individual and collective action. “They have made a huge contribution to Hawke’s Bay society and it is time their hidden stories are told.” Professor Morris Matthews explains an advisory group used set criteria to select the final 26, covering a period from the 1830s to the early 2000s.
Biodiversity funding available
Applications for the Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay Environmental Enhancement Contestable Fund are now welcome, marking the start of the first funding round this year.
A new partnership between Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, the Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT), and Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay has added $60,000 to the fund, which is already supported by $50,000 from the Regional Council. The fund helps community groups working to protect and restore local biodiversity.
The contestable fund offers grants in two categories:
Smaller or early-stage projects (ranging from $1,000 to $3,000)
Larger or more established projects ($3,001 to $15,000)
HBRC Senior Biodiversity Advisor Natalie de Burgh says a collective approach is needed to address biodiversity challenges in the region. “We know that we can’t tackle biodiversity issues alone and the efforts of private landowners, community groups, and volunteers are crucial for healthy and functioning biodiversity. This funding makes sure those working on the ground have the support they need to continue making a real difference.”
Applications can be made at biodiversityhb.org and will close on 1 May 2025. Successful applicants will have until 30 June 2026 to complete their projects.
Muse Gallery features Sean Beldon landscapes
Muse Art Gallery in Havelock North will unveil its largest exhibition to date on Friday 4 April, as Auckland-based artist Sean Beldon brings his acclaimed landscapes to Hawke’s Bay for the first time.
The exhibition, Between Heaven and earth, features fifteen large-scale paintings inspired by Beldon’s travels through Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast – reimagined in his distinctive minimalist style.
Between Heaven and earth runs from 4 April to 1 May 2025. A public Artist Talk with Beldon will be held at 2pm on Saturday 5 April.
HB Civil Defence reform progress
The Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (HBCDEM) Joint Committee has announced some noteworthy progress in implementing recommendations from post-Cyclone reviews.
HBCDEM Acting Group Manager Shane Briggs said HBCDEM had signed with a leading national provider of training, investing an additional $160,000 into training delivery between now and the end of June this year. “Over 90 training courses, reaching more than 1,000 participants from councils and partner agencies, have been delivered or scheduled within the 18 months from March 2024 to June 2025,” he said.
Briggs also commented that HBCDEM staff had worked closely with councils and communities after Cyclone Gabrielle to adopt a new Community Emergency Hub model. “There are now 27 Community Emergency Hubs established with an additional 65 in progress. Staff have also worked with six communities who have now completed Community Resilience Plans and there are another 20 Community Resilience Plans in development.”
Joint Committee Chair Hinewai Ormsby said the next milestone for transformation is the delivery of ten local emergency management exercises across Hawke’s Bay in the latter half of 2025, culminating in a major combined exercise involving all levels of the HBCDEM system from the community level to local and regional council, and emergency services.
