Seasons For Growth

From a small-town vision to a nationally recognised celebration of creativity! This week, Tracey catches up with Megan Symons, Chair of the Taranaki National Art Awards, to talk about this year's exciting awards and the incredible journey that began 24 years ago! Held in Ōpunakē, these awards celebrate the extraordinary talent of artists from across Aotearoa, showcasing everything from painting and photography to sculpture, fibre art and more! 🎨✨ Hear about this year's entries, the artists, the awards and the amazing community spirit that brings it all together!

This week, Tracey catches up with Jessica Parker, Festival Manager of the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival, ahead of this year's spectacular event! From breathtaking gardens and hidden gems to exciting events, activities and experiences, Jessica gives us a sneak peek at everything this year's festival has to offer! 🌷🌻

This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey brings you two very different but equally heartfelt conversations from our Taranaki community. 🩷💙 Baby Loss Awareness Week begins this week, and Tracey talks about the importance of creating space to remember the precious babies who are no longer with us. We hear about what’s planned locally, how bereaved parents and whānau can become involved, and how the wider community can better acknowledge and support those who have experienced the heartbreak of baby loss. 🎭 Then we celebrate a remarkable piece of South Taranaki history! Tracey catches up with Clive Cullen and Russ Standing from Hāwera Repertory as the society prepares to celebrate an incredible 80 years of community theatre. They look back at eight decades of memories, people and productions — and tell us what’s planned for the big birthday celebrations! Two conversations about community, connection, remembrance and celebration.

What role does emotional intelligence play around the council table, and how important is it when you’re elected to represent your community? 🎙️ This week on Frankly Friday, thanks to Centre City New Plymouth, Tracey catches up with NPDC Councillor Sam Bennett to discuss his recent opinion piece on emotional intelligence and what he believes this means for councillors, the Mayor and leadership at NPDC. They talk communication, self-awareness, relationships, managing differences of opinion and the importance of being able to work constructively with others — even when you don’t agree. It’s an interesting conversation about leadership, people and the qualities we expect from those elected to represent our community.

This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey is joined by Jill Nicholls and Eileen Middleton from Soroptimist International New Plymouth as they get ready to frock up for a fantastic cause this Frocktober! Frocktober is a national fundraising and awareness campaign supporting the fight against ovarian cancer, and the New Plymouth Soroptimists are getting behind it as part of their Heal the Teal campaign. 💙 Tracey chats with Jill and Eileen about the wonderful mahi Soroptimist International is doing for women and girls in our community, why ovarian cancer awareness is so important, what they have planned for Frocktober, and — most importantly — how you can get involved and support the cause. 👗 Frocks, fundraising and a whole lot of heart!