Mural contest celebrates unsung lockdown heroes
Contest goes online this year
The New Zealand Mural Contest is online this year and the theme is celebrating unsung heroes in 2020. The heroes — who helped the Katikati community during the 2020 lockdown — will be painted from April 19-23 by artists from across New Zealand and Australia. This week Katikati Advertiser is profiling the local heroes who are being celebrated.
For viewing times see www. katikatiopenairart.co.nz or view at The Arts Junction, 36 Main St, from April 20-24 from 10am-2pm, or at The Digital Hub — Pa¯tuki Manawa by the library from April 20-22 from 12-1pm.
Allan Wainwright Katikati Community Centre
The Katikati Community Centre is a not for profit organisation offering information, services and support to meet the needs of the Katikati community in the areas of health, education and wellbeing.
During the 2020 lockdown, Allan led the Katikati Community Services Covid-19 Response group, a group created to support the town’s most vulnerable in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Allan said they had they had organised a shopping assistance service with community organisations, which did deliveries to 24 senior residents and individuals who were having trouble being able to buy groceries.
“We helped connect new volunteers with the Red Cross Meals on Wheels service, we helped source warm clothing for RSE workers.”
They also helped advocate for the Katikati Advertiser to be redistributed throughout the community, to help keep communication open to residents.
Brendan Gibbs Combined Churches of Katikati
Brendan Gibbs had various roles during the 2020 lockdown.
Brendan’s attributes are his passion to serve and help out in his community at every opportunity. In Brendan’s day-to-day role as the vicar of Katikati’s St Peter’s Anglican Church he is a great connector and communicator, handy skills to have during a pandemic.
Brendan helped deliver food parcels from the food bank, he also spent a lot of time supporting the local marae.
One of those organisations Brendan is part of is the Combined Churches of Katikati’s Reach Out Trust. Through this trust the St Peter’s Anglican, St PIUS X Catholic, St Paul’s Presbyterian, Katikati Community Baptist, Carisbrooke Bible Chapel, Katikati Christian Centre — AOG and the two Pacific Island churches, operate the Katikati Christian Foodbank and the Community Van.
Brendan served for a number of years as an elected member of the Katikati Community Board, he is also a member of the Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Anna Menendez Photographer
Anna is a professional photographer based in Katikati. During the
2020 lockdown, Anna used the lens of her camera to find out how Katikati families were coping being stuck inside their bubbles.
The idea came from The Front Steps Project.
Anna offered the idea on the Katikati Community Facebook page, she also contacted people online she knew who might be interested in being photographed. Anna then would co-ordinate a route and time, either walking or riding her bike, she would meet up with them at the front of their house.
By using a zoom lens, she would take their photos. This allowed her to follow the social distancing rules and guidelines of that particular Covid level. The digital photos were then offered free to those who had had their photos taken, or if they wanted, people could make a donation in the way of nonperishable food at the supermarket, or a cash donation of any size to the Katikati Foodbank.
Kristin Crockett Katch Katikati
Kristin was an instrumental link within the community throughout the 2020 lockdown period. She attended all of the Katikati Community Services Covid-19 Response group meetings that meet twice a week.
These meetings were held to ensure that the community needs were being met and have continued on and off since, to ensure those vital services continue to meet those in need.
One of Kristin’s attributes is she is so well connected within the community and when you combine that with her passion to actually help people, saw Kristin out assisting with the community
shopping run, working in collaboration with the Katikati Community Centre. She also organised her own supported shopping run, especially helping those people she knew were at risk.
Kristin also helped deliver Meals on Wheels.
Marg Jordan Katikati Christian Foodbank
Marg Jordan first became involved with the Katikati Foodbank in 1994. Marg steeped up when the service the food bank provided was going to be most needed, she had no choice.
Marg enjoyed doing the buying at the local Countdown supermarket, collecting free bread from the Hot Bread Shop, sorting, filling boxes and doing rural deliveries despite the occasional dog attack,