Takeaway summit and Te Puke Easter trail on again this year

Jo Jensen and granddaughter Isla Schaumkel at last year’s Easter trail.

If something is a success, it’s a no-brainer to do it again.

So it is that two events organised by EPIC Te Puke last year will be on again in 2024.

Later this month there will be a repeat of Takeaways Takeaway: Town Teams Summit, an evening get-together for groups and individuals who have the community at heart.

“Basically, on the back of last year’s successful one, we thought that it was something that should be done again,” says EPIC Te Puke marketing manager Rebecca Larsen.

Groups and individuals are invited to speak and tell the rest of the room what they do and the plans they have for 2024.

“People can come in fresh after summer and come forward with some ideas and see who’s in the room who might want to collaborate. They will get to know what’s going on so they can support it or just be aware of it.”

One of the things she intends to highlight is the events calendar on the Te Puke Online website.

“We hope that will help everybody [organising events] so we don’t end up competing for the same weekends or days [for events] in the community.

Last year, as a result of the event, EPIC Te Puke made a strong connection with Te Puke High School that resulted in support for the school’s centenary reunion and student Kaela Tutahi gaining work experience with EPIC through the Gateway programme.

The town teams summit will be on February 28 in the Settlers Lounge of Te Puke Memorial Hall, starting at 5pm.

The Easter trail will be on March 30, with the Kahikatea Pathway becoming a blank canvas to showcase local art.

It will be similar to last year’s trail, which featured eggs on easels painted by groups and individuals.

This time the artwork won’t be eggs, but an Easter element is encouraged.

“We thought it was so good last year with the eggs on easels, we wanted to use the same format and [decorate] the pathway with sculptures and installations.

“We hope people will use sustainable materials.”

So now the hunt is on for artists and creative people, school groups and individuals who might want to take part.

“They don’t have to be artists. They could be into gardening and put something into a wheelbarrow and wheel that in, or they could be into metalwork, knitting or patchwork – anything like that.”

One idea could be to yarn-bomb a location, or hang Easter eggs in trees or create things out of stones.

“There will be prizes for the artists and also prizes for people doing the cycle or walk.”

The trail will start and finish at Jubilee Park, where there will be entertainment and a market.

“It’s about spreading art into the community so we can celebrate it at an event that pulls everyone together.”

Each artist will be given a blog and the opportunity to auction their work if they wish.

More details, including how to register, can be found at Te Puke Online.