Reflect on the past and plan for the future - celebrating Puanga in Stratford

The Stratford community are invited to visit Stratford's Puanga rakau in Prospero Pl.

You're invited to visit Stratford's Puanga rakau (tree) in Prospero Pl to make reflections and aspirations for Puanga – the Māori New Year.

This week, July 13-19, people can visit the rakau and learn more about Puanga by reading the information boards on display in Prospero Pl.

Community services director Kate Whareaitu says Puanga is an opportunity to reflect on the past, while resetting and planning for the future.

"We're encouraging community members to visit our Puanga rakau in the Percy Thomson Gallery foyer, Prospero P and participate in the reflections and aspirations activity."

The past year and in particular, the past few months during Covid-19, have been a challenging time for many in our community.

Puanga signals a fresh start and allows us to reset, look at what the future holds and to grow.

What plans and dreams do you have for the future? Visit the Puanga rakau and write down your aspirations and goals on the orange leaves provided and place them on our rakau throughout the week.

"This is our second year running the reflections and aspirations activity for Puanga," says Kate.

"Puanga is an opportunity to acknowledge our shared experiences, celebrate our strength and be grateful for what we have together."

The Puanga Flag Competition once again proved popular and had some fantastic designs from local schools.

This year's entries are on display in the library and the winning flags from 2019 and 2020 are flying proudly down Broadway between the roundabouts.

"We hope to increase Puanga activities in the years to come, and encourage community members and groups to come forward with ideas to support the celebration in our district," says Kate.

The Stratford Library has been running a Puanga-themed makerspace table for the school holidays and will continue celebrations with a special Puanga Tot-Time on Wednesday, July 22.