New look for council magazine for over-65s

Horowhenua’s magazine for the over 65s, Elderberries, has undergone a few changes.

Not only does it look different, it also has a new name: Pua¯wai, proudly placed at the top on the front cover. Underneath this name it says: (Noun: To blossom or come to fruition) and then “Poipoia te kakano, kia puawai — Nurture the seed and it will blossom”. This should help explain the new name.

“The name Elderberries didn’t necessarily reflect the readership,” the council’s communications team said. “Not all 65+-year-olds think of themselves as ‘an elderly person’. So we changed it to reflect the reader but also to reflect an evolved and inclusive council sub-brand that is working hard to live up to our obligations as an authentic Treaty partner. The English translation is directly under its new beautiful Ma¯ori name, which is “to blossom or come to fruition”.

“Using te reo Ma¯ori in everyday vernacular is integral to the work we at Horowhenua District Council do and at a national level, is also integral for a prosperous and thriving Aotearoa.

“New Zealand has three official languages, English, Ma¯ori and New Zealand Sign Language. Te reo Ma¯ori is the native language of New Zealand. As Treaty partners, the Government’s relationship with Ma¯ori is underpinned by the Te Tiriti O Waitangi. As such we are guided by the principles of Partnership, Participation and Protection.

“Protection in particular means actively protecting Ma¯ori knowledge, interests, values and other taonga including language. It means normalising, valuing and protecting te reo Ma¯ori.

“Before redesigning the magazine we had a brainstorming session as a team and asked questions like what is the purpose of the magazine, who are our target audience, what is the cross section between content that fits the reader and interesting and informative content that council needs to share? Are the name and design fit for purpose? Is the magazine accessible?”

The new-look Pua¯wai magazine is the result. The first edition has 21 pages and contains articles about a farewell to CEO David Clapperton, the civic and youth excellence awards, Foxton’s art collective, Age Concern and loneliness, local businessman Barry Buck and something about the heritage room at the Levin library, a recipe, a puzzle corner and some information about roads.