Moutere Hills Community Centre

The Moutere Hills October School Holiday Programme was another success story. During the recent school holidays, twenty-four children from Upper Moutere, Mahana, Mapua and Richmond enjoyed an action-packed week partaking in a whole host of activities including crafts, fort-building, basketball with a Nelson Giant, yoga, volleyball, drama, gymnastics, sweet-making, tennis, leather workshop, trick-sticks, baking and softball with Marty Grant. What a busy and fun time we had! Thanks to our team of enthusiastic staff: Samantha Slade (Programme Supervisor), Birgit Klingebiel and Bishnu Aran for making it a truly memorable week.

The programme opened with a Japanese theme day which included calligraphy with master calligrapher Akiko Crowther, fabric dyeing with Upper Moutere artist, Yuko Fujii, sushi-making with Junko Tsuchiya from Richmond and origami with Yuki Egashira from Lower Moutere. Another highlight of the day was a Sumo tournament run by our own staff.

We are already taking names for the Summer holiday programme which will run for one week from 18th January 2010. The October programme was generously supported by development funding from OSCAR and an assistance grant from Tasman District Council.

Over the past year we have been working towards OSCAR affiliation and Child, Youth and Family approval of our holiday programmes. It has involved hours of work and the development of more than forty-eight policies, new systems, staff-training and strict procedures. This culminated in a full inspection visit from Child, Youth and Family, Wellington on Friday 16th October. Now we eagerly await the final decision of our efforts which if successful, will give Moutere Hills access to more financial and professional support from OSCAR and children from eligible families will be entitled to WINZ subsidies for participation in our holiday programmes.