Wāhine came together on Sunday to eat, listen to local musicians Golden Rule, and clelebrate their experiences of Well Wāhine Week 2021. The closing event was a chance for women to connect with providers to learn more about their activities and to meet other women who participated in activities during the week. Honorable Mayor Rehette Stoltz, a guest speaker for the event, praised the variety of events on offer and the women and girls who prioritised their wellness by attending the week.
The celebration concluded a week of 53 free events for women and girls, ranging from surfing, waka ama, workshops and much more. There were over 1000 participants across the various sessions. These included wellness workshops for wāhine up the coast where there were three well attended workshops in Tokomaru Bay, Ruatoria and Wharekahika.
“Feedback so far has told us that women were motivated to attend these events because they were free, but also because the sessions were safe, judgement free environments where they could turn up with or without a mate and try something new” said Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti Active Communities Advisor Helayna Ruifrok.
Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti would like to thank the providers, sponsors and all the wāhine participants who made this week-long event a success in its first year. Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti Active Communities Advisor Sarah Pocock said “We hope that the wāhine who got involved learnt something new, gained newfound confidence, or made quality connections.”
Local businesses sponsored prizes for wāhine who had participated in events during the week. The combined prize value was $3,000. The sponsors were Kingpin, Muirs Books, Palembang, Sean & Fiona Shivnan, artist Steph Barnett, Far East Coffee, YMCA, Peel Street Café, Functional Again, Well Nutrition – Kate Rhodes, Inner Vibrance, Blooms on Balance, Village Homewares, Zephyr Wainui, Juve and Blitz.
With the success of this year’s event, plans to run Well Wāhine Week next year is promising, provided there is continued support from the community. “We have received a lot of positive feedback from wāhine about the week, and some great ideas for what we could do next year. We have been approached by other providers who are interested in bringing new Well Wāhine events too” said Mrs Ruifrok.