Just to  let you know that you can hear your 8 candidates and 2 Mayoral Candidates speak (5 minutes each) at Picton Primary School

Tuesday  14th September 2010 7.30-9.30pm

For further information, please contact either

Hilary Colquhoun 03 573 6157 hjcpicton@yahoo.co.nz

or Chris Davies 03 573 8131 chrisdavies92003@yahoo.com.au

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Tika

Yesterday there was an open invitation meeting for all Pictonites at the Mercure Conference Room, who are interested in promoting Picton as the hub of the 2011 Rugby World Cup Celebrations.

Essentially if you have any ideas we would love to hear from you. Have a brainstorm and see what you can come up with.

Please email any ideas to info@destinationmarlborough.com

85,000 people will come to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup in 2010, so it would be wonderful to showcase Picton and the Marlborough Sounds.

From the 7th September to 23rd October 2011, Marlborough is in festival mode to coincide with the 3rd largest sporting event in the world that is taking place across New Zealand.

For more information on Love Rugby, Love Marlborough visit www.marlborough.govt.nz/LRLM

One of the ideas is to create a calendar of events available, which can then be promoted locally, nationally and internationally and create a legacy that can be sustainable into the years beyond, drawing people back to Picton and the Sounds on an annual basis – embedding the idea of events like Spring Fest September 17th-18th into the national psyche.

Picton’s Springfest – Celebrating Marlborough’s Seafood and Sauvignon Blanc
Picton Township & Foreshore

Picton’s Spring Festival, celebrates Marlborough’s two most famous products. Marlborough’s international renowned Sauvignon Blanc and Marlborough Sounds’ seafood. Live international music, Maori culture and lashings of fresh seafood, the world’s best wines, fun and games and the world famous running of the fish relay race. Spring into Picton for a weekend of festival fun!

For more information, please email Richard Briggs and see destinationpicton.co.nz website

‘Cruise into Picton’ Campaign is underway, so if you want to get involved, let us know.

Let’s energise and celebrate Picton, the Marlborough Sounds and Marlborough.
It’s a Win Win for everyone.

Tika

Just wanted to bring your attention to NZTradeNetwork, an online marketing site for small businesses. If you are a small business or someone wanting to find a company to do a job for you, this is the site for you.

Check out the Marlborough Express article today 19th August 2010:

Playing field levelled

Network brings buying power to small businesses

By Michael Berry – The Marlborough Express

“It’s hard out there for the little guy, so it’s time for small businesses to unite and save rather than divide and fall, says a Blenheim entrepreneur.

James Hedley launched NZtradenetwork.co.nz last week to create a network for small businesses to band together for the good of them all.

It was free to join and had about 300 members already, he said.

“It’s growing fast and it’s something that’s been needed in New Zealand for a long time.”

Running a small asphalt driveway company in Blenheim showed him first-hand how difficult it was for small businesses to be competitive and profitable in the face of large nationalised companies, he said.

That struggle sowed the idea in his mind of levelling the playing field.

“There are expenses that most businesses have in common … we negotiate deals with suppliers fortified by our collective strength, then we hand those deals down to the individual businesses giving them huge buying power that no one business could ever achieve.”

A group of small businesses could get the good insurance premiums, the cheaper pricing for materials and other benefits usually the domain of large businesses, he said.

And the larger the network’s membership, the more bargaining power.

click to enlarge for article

“Our main aim is to provide all the advantages to small businesses that big businesses have … buying power, marketing exposure, support, opportunity and networking.”

The network would also be a forum for more business, with members able to support other people in a similar position and post requests for products and services, he said. Members could then bid on doing the job. “As a small guy, you can be the best in your field, but if people don’t know you exist it doesn’t matter.”

Any Kiwi-owned business with a turnover less than $30 million could join the network, he said.

The website would make money from advertising once enough traffic went through it, he said.”

There was also an article in The Sun yesterday

So if you are a small business or a customer, join up! Keep abreast of the latest with NZTradeNetwork Facebook. Of course if you are in Picton or the Marlborough Sounds you should also be on here Picton Marlborough Directory, Picton Juice.

If you are thinking of a new roof in either asphalt or shingle shakes, Marlborough Shingle and Shake Roofing Ltd is the company for you.

Owner Tim Newsham is the only Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau Certified Installer of cedar roofing products in New Zealand, and he enjoys and encourages working with the owners and architects right from the concept plans. This gives the owners all the options to achieve the look they want and it can save significant time and costs by getting the drawings and consent applications correct the first time.

For all house building projects, it makes financial and practical sense to do it right the first time. Therefore, all the team at Marlborough Shingle and Shake Roofing Ltd are required to address every detail of the entire roof system to ensure absolute water tightness for the entire length of the roofing product.

Whether it be a roof penetration like a chimney, or a gutter detail, they go to extreme lengths to ensure that there will never be a chance of leaks.

Marlborough Shingle and Shake Roofing will also issue you with a Producer Statement guaranteeing its workmanship and have developed systems to ensure perfection of application, and our fine finishing detail ensures the best possible look for the materials.

Just a quick post to bring this to your attention, as I just had an email from Picton Resource and thought it was something that people might like to be involved in.

Department of Conservation is looking for volunteers to participate in the restoration of the theatre at Perano Whaling Station along with external framing and metal work.  There will be a hard core team of builders and space for up to 3 volunteers per week.  Work starts form September 13^th and runs for approx 10 weeks

Travel, food and accommodation are supplied all you need to supply is a “can do attitude”  be reasonably fit and own a set of steel capped boots, sound like you follow it up with a phone call to Mark Nelson the programme manager at DoC  5200 3002.

Lend a hand make a big job a lot lighter for all and be proud to assist in preserving Marlborough’s history.

Ok…next blog will be Marlborough Shingle and Shake Roofing

A piece of paper I picked up at Le Cafe has been on my deck for a few days and it’s nipping my head, so without further ado.

Please support Taylor Burn from Picton, who has been selected to Represent New Zealand in Sailing at the Optimist World Championships in Langkawi, Malaysia in December 2010. Apart from a small donation from the New Zealand Yachting Trust the $8000 plus per sailor is self funded.

The NZ Optimist Worlds Team applied to the “Toyota Believe Campaign” and are one of three projects selected from hundreds to vie for $3000 towards the team fundraising to get to the event.

All they need you to do is Vote For them online. It’s free and only takes a minute.

Please go here and get voting before it closes at 5pm on 10th September 2010. A huge thank you from Taylor and the team for taking the time to make your vote count for them.

Thanks tika

A wonderfully inspiring event is to take place on 6th August at 5.30pm at the Taylor River, Blenheim (amphitheatre steps at the end of High Street) to promote peace and commemorate Hiroshima Day. There will be candle floating singing and a few short speeches highlighting the significance of the occasion. It will be magical if the community gets behind this initiative.

If you feel inspired please bring along a lantern or candle and enjoy

Floating Candle Lantern Instructions

MATERIALS (measurements are approximate):

2 strips wood – L 130cm x W 3.5cm x .5-1cm

2 pieces of wire (smaller than #8) – 80cm each

1 thin wire (e.g. florist’s) – 18cm

2 screws – 1.5cm (minimum)

1 nail – 2.5 cm

2 polystyrene strips – L 20cm x W 3.5cm

glue

candle stub

roll of lunch paper -

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION:

1) Drill holes through each end of both pieces of wood

2) Nail through the centre of 1 piece of wood to create a candle holding spike on top

3) Screw both pieces of wood together near the centre nail to form a cross shape

4) Glue polystyrene strips to the bottom of the top piece of wood, both side of the centre

5) Put long wires through holes at each end of the wood pieces, crossing over each other in

the centre. Twist the bits of wire sticking out the bottom with pliers to secure

6) Make a loop with the small thinner wire and twist the bottom of the loop around the big

wires where they cross at centre – securing all wires together and creating a hanging loop

7) Fix the short candle on the nail

Fold lunch paper to approx 20cm wide (approx L 88cm).

9) Placing the double thickness at the bottom of the lantern frame, wrap the lunch paper

around the frame until it overlaps. Trim and glue.

This video is kindly shared by Amanda of my favourite blog www.soulemama.com

Enjoy your weekend! tika x

Cruises leave from Picton Town Wharf for Ship’s Cove at 10.15am on Monday’s for the two night Backpackers Cruise.This cruise is available from 4 October 2010.

The vessel M.V. Flightless is an ex Navy Inshore Patrol boat, originally named Moa, which has been converted for your enjoyment.

Alternatively you can charter the entire vessel for a bare boat day rate private boat charter with skipper and one crew member provided or a tailored exclusive boat charter cruise. Catered or non catered, it’s up to you.

Just contact Backpackers Afloat – Picton Charters for more details.

In addition they will be offering Rugby World Cup cruising & accommodation options for central city Viaduct Harbour Auckland so book with them quickly and secure your holiday accommodation now.

Okay I’d best away and do some work… I might have to make do with a walk to Bob’s Bay to get my Marlborough Sounds hit for the day……bon voyage….tika

Picton is definitely the place to be this weekend. Food,  Wine & Music – good company, all of the best. tika