Coromind

I have a photo of myself as a 3-year-old standing beside a dozen large rainbow trout, which of course couldn’t have been caught by one so young, but it was the beginning of my conditioning to become a future catcher of our finny friends. At a slightly older age, I remember my dad waking me at 5 am with a cup of tea and a marmite sandwich to sustain me for the next three hours of trolling trout lures around Lake Rotoiti. 

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We all have different responses to the conflicts and challenges we face. Some people fly through them unscathed; others get bogged down, avoidant, frustrated, tearful or just wish it would all go away.

This model, based on Stephen Karpman’s ‘Transactional Analysis’, might help you see your typical response to conflict.

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As a proud Māmā to three boisterous reo rua/bilingual māori boys, Waitangi was a given for our rātaka/calendar this year. With the life we choose to live as tangata whenua reclaiming our identity, it was right up there amongst attending the Rangiriri activation/peaceful protest to protect our Mana Motuhake/sovereignty, learning our maramataka (māori lunar calendar) and kōrero māori ia rā, ia rā! (Speaking māori every single day.)

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When was the last time you gained some legit life advice from someone 20 years younger than you?
I’ve always thought that we (and by we, I mean we middle-aged folks!) have been quick to write off the younger generation. I mean, what do they know, right? They’ve yet to reach ‘adulthood’ and still have all that ‘life experience’ to rack up. But here’s the thing. We have plenty to learn from our rangatahi, especially this current generation. I had one such aha moment with one of Mercury Bay’s brightest young stars, Francie Lidgard. 

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Proud to be Local is our inspirational feature, highlighting homegrown Coromandel Peninsula folks doing wonderful things out in the world.

In this edition: Stevie Macfarlane

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My mum has always said that I had no choice but to learn to swim and compete. Swimming is something handed down to me by my dad and to him from my grandad, whose whole family swim and compete.

My dad competed in swimming from a young age (in England and New Zealand) and so did grandad and they both went on to coach, teach and even run a swimming school when I was a baby.

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After a lot of thought and planning, Vessel opened its doors in October 2021. Initially Eben was running exhibitions through the shop in Pollen Street, but due to the lockdowns business was slow. The idea of creating a Co-op as a place to sell art seemed an excellent solution.

It was their intention that Vessel would be more than a shop or gallery and that it needed to be a place of support and connection for artists as well as the community. 

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There are more reasons than ever to think about ethical and environmentally conscious shopping as the impacts of climate change give us pause to think about the food we buy. Under capitalism, every dollar spent is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in so it’s good to think long and hard about who those votes are supporting. With this reasoning, it becomes preferable to put your money into the small businesses owned and run by people in your community.

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Common Ground is a space dedicated to expression. In this edition: Book Keeper by Mary Fox, The Old Man and the Mountain by Chris Porter and drawings by Aila Wills

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The mural that lifted a gym's spirits

In May 2020, we moved into our new gym space on Joan Gaskell Drive. It all happened so fast – the gear from our Coghill St gym was moved and the new premises were fitted out. We put a lot of thought into the design and functionality of the gym space, dojo and classrooms, but we overlooked one thing: the bare white walls in the reception area. Three and a half years later, they had to go. They were uninspiring to us in such a key part of our business.

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