Latest news with #VanessaEdwards
Otago Daily Times
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Printmaker's poignant homecoming
Te Atamira exhibitor Vanessa Edwards. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A prominent Māori printmaker has dedicated an exhibition at Queenstown's Te Atamira to her mother, who died in a Kingston Rd car crash when her family lived in the resort. Whanganui-based Vanessa Edwards, who helped found Toi Whakaata Māori Print Collective in 2006, says she moved from Perth to Queenstown with her Māori father Neil Edwards, 'southern' mother Debra Louise, from Wyndham, and older brother in the early 1980s, when she was 3. She recalls attending Queenstown Primary — "I thoroughly enjoyed school, the outdoor education was amazing" — and she was also into art. Her parents managed the Pinewood backpackers lodge and her mum started Queenstown's first nail salon, Elegant Nails. In March 1992 her mother died in that car crash, aged 35, and is buried in the Frankton cemetery — "it was really sad for us," Vanessa says. After year 7 at Wakatipu High she left with her dad and brother for Taumaranui in the North Island. "It was a massive cultural shock for me and my brother because we realised what being Māori was as we moved in with our Māori grandparents." Vanessa later trained at art school in Whanganui, majoring in printmaking — she later completed a masters in Māori visual arts at Massey University. She says she decided to exhibit in Queenstown because she's noticed Te Atamira's "already had some powerful print shows, and there's not many places that advocate for printmaking". "I've returned to honour my mother with this beautiful exhibition" — 'karanga atu, karanga mai', or 'calling outward, calling inward'. Also exhibiting are three other collective members, Alexis Neal, Jasmine Horton and Tessa Russell. Officially opened last Saturday, the exhibition runs till September 22.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Passengers air views on 'cashless' bus trial
Bus passengers have expressed mixed views on whether bus travel should be 'cashless' after a scheme to encourage contactless payments was launched in Kent. Adult single fares on Stagecoach services 12 and 17 - which run between Canterbury and Deal, and Folkstone and Canterbury - will only be on sale by contactless payment or via the company's bus app. A Stagecoach spokesperson said most customers already used cashless methods to help "make boarding times quicker and the journey experience hassle-free". However, one customer said she preferred using cash and sometimes she had problems using the app on her phone. Laura, a bus passenger using a service in Folkestone who did not give her surname, said: "Everything's tap, tap, tap nowadays. "You can't keep track all the time in your bank, and it takes a few days to come out. It's that worry of having enough. "Whereas if you've got cash, you know what you've got." Vanessa Edwards, who has a bus pass, said she was neither for, nor against cashless payments. "This day and age, it is all about technology," she said. And Kayleigh, who also did not give her surname, said she always used her card. "Obviously, everything's electronic these days so I don't even carry cash anymore," she said. Stagecoach said "no-one who wishes to travel will be turned away if they can't make a contactless payment" during the four week trial, which does not affect tickets other than adult single fares. "We are interested in finding out more about how people might be affected," the firm added. The company's website said there were no set plans to introduce cashless payments across its services. "It's very much a learning exercise to help us get a better understanding of the impact it may have," it added. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Bus firm to give away thousands of free rides Double decker buses scrapped from park and ride Bus services at risk of being cut saved by grant Stagecoach
