Home-made art dazzles at open studios

RING LEADER: Jeweller Craig Winton - pictured with daughter Ella - had just the thing to tempt Nicola Young at his open studio.PHOTO/FILE

"DANGER, danger - do not enter here."

This sign should be added to the Whanganui Artists Open Studios' yellow flags next year. That's because it's impossible to walk in and out and only admire the art without accidentally opening your wallet.

My justification is, of course, supporting local artists and the economy. I walked away with a stunning ring from Craig Winton (I timed my visit to his studio with the last Sunday afternoon and got an incredible price), and an amazing photo montage of Ruapehu by Diana Pottinger for the walls. In fact, it was only my limited available wall space that slowed down my purchasing.

Whanganui artists are outstanding and I appreciate that our flat housing market actually makes it easier for artists to live and work here. Many are also indebted to generous landlords like Ross Mitchell-Anyon who provide spaces for working artists, while retaining some of our heritage buildings.

We need art in our society - it captures our history and tells stories and creates beauty in the world.

I'm impressed with another successful open studios series and only wish I had got to see more.

A new opportunity for more art exposure is coming up, though, with my dear friend organising the Waimarino art awards. With categories including junior artist and novice, plus entries welcomed from Levin to Hamilton, even I'm thinking about putting something in. Find out more via waimarinoaa@outlook.com

To add to my weekend of creativity, I was in Wellington this week and attended the Akina Foundation's Contact Launchpad Pitch Day. This event featured 11 budding social enterprises presenting their concepts to potential investors and partners.

It was inspirational but I need some superlatives to go with that description. The powerful stories caused tears to well in my eyes more than once - these emerging leaders have passion in, and personal connection to, their ventures and they offer hope for some intractable problems we face in creating a thriving New Zealand.

The 11 were chosen from 134 applicants and received mentoring over six months to get to this point. The ideas ranged from providing unwanted medical equipment to developing countries (Take My Hands), to creating a high-end market for the oil from wilding pines (Wilding & Co), to a new model for landlord-tenant relationships to improve healthy living conditions (Livable), to a buy-one, give-one model for Kiwi children with poor eyesight (Mr Four Eyes).

The people's choice winner was Patu Aotearoa, a fitness service with a Maori flavour woven through, aimed at addressing the obesity epidemic. Like all the initiatives, this one had clear results to share, even in its early days, and a solid business plan that just needs investment for the next step forward.

Another one that stood out for me was Thought-Wired. It involved using brain-sensing technology to enable people with severe physical disabilities who cannot speak to communicate for the first time.

And it was great to see Food, Farms and Freshwater looking to expand a successful Taupo-based model of environmentally-sustainable farmed beef.

Many of these ventures would find a welcome home in Whanganui - such as the CareEd4 hub designed to help young sole parents get into work with the support of centre-based childcare accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Finally, there were a couple looking at innovative ways to boost health and safety in the workplace, whether encouraging people to be aware of how to take care of themselves (The Wellbeing Game), or identifying their own risk of impairment through Ora.

These future leaders show New Zealanders have a reason to be optimistic thanks to home-grown solutions that design social and environmental outcomes into their business models from the start.

- Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and New Zealand, and now works from home in Taranaki for a global consultancy. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys. These views are her own.