14 November 2011 – MONDAY MEMO

…from Heart of Gisborne acting city manager, Ken Huberts

The week ahead: Congratulations to everyone who took on the challenge of The Gisborne Herald Quarter Marathon and 5km Fun Run yesterday! It was another cracker weekend here in Gisborne thanks to this fantastic annual event, as well as the many other activities on offer such as sampling local wine, listening to jazz music, and even attending a fashion show. In the week ahead, we’re focusing our efforts on the upcoming Christmas Parade, which is sure to liven up the city and get us all into the Christmas spirit in less than three weeks’ time. This is a wonderful family event to get involved in, so make sure you check out all the details below.

Christmas Parade: We now have over 15 confirmed entries for our annual Christmas Parade with another 25+ still due in. The parade will take place on Saturday 3December at 4pm with the theme “Christmas at the Beach”. The roads will be closed and you should all have been advised of this. If you haven’t been contacted and would like to put in an entry, please contact Jade ASAP. Entry forms and rules are on our website www.heartofgisborne.org.nz or email Jade@heartofgisborne.org.nz for more details.

Late Night Shopping:  This is now gaining momentum with more local retailers seeing the potential benefits of a late night shopping night on Thursday 22 December. Just last week we saw one store have a late night sale and it dragged hundreds of shoppers out. When people venture out to shop they’re in spending mode, so get some specials together and start planning! Heart of Gisborne will also be supporting this with some exciting initiatives, so watch this space.

Win a ride with Santa: The Heart of Gisborne and Classic Hits’ ‘Win a Ride with Santa’ colouring competition is on now. We have already received over 20 entries so far, so if your children want to be in to win it’s time for them to get colouring! Entry forms can be picked up from Classic Hits, Paper Plus, Dollar Dream Store, Smith City and the Odeon Theatre, or you can download an entry form here.

Office Stars of the week: This week’s Office Stars are the Gisborne Crime Prevention Camera Trust’s volunteers who operate out of the police station and work tirelessly during busy times to keep our city safe. There are over 40 volunteers who work at night and early in the morning over the weekend, as well as public and school holidays. We would like to extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to all involved in this valuable community initiative. You can nominate someone to be our next Office Star of the week here.

Heart of Gisborne in the news: Find out more about what we’re up to by reading chairman Scott McSloy’s column from Saturday’s edition of The Gisborne Herald here.

Parting thought: With the 2011 General Election just around the corner, I thought this quote was fitting:

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter

On the Street – your news and views=========================

An evening with Peta Mathias: Celebrity chef Peta Mathias will be celebrating the release of her new book Beat Till Stiff in the Dome Room at the Poverty Bay Club on Tuesday 15 November at 6pm. Tickets are $15 from Muirs Bookshop (tickets are limited).

Paper Plus end-of-year deals: Now is the time to get organised for 2012 – 30% off all calendars and diaries, and 25% off all soft toys (the perfect present for Christmas!). These deals are for a limited time only, so get into Paper Plus Gisborne today!

Walk Away From Violence: Show your support for White Ribbon and join the Walk Away From Violence on Friday 25 November from 5pm at Marina Park. Together we will make our way around Gisborne’s famous three bridges to symbolise our community’s decision to ‘walk away from violence’. Picnic and entertainment to follow.

Authentic Pilates xmas party and open evening: You’re invited to attend the Authentic Pilates xmas party and open evening on Friday 2 December at 5.30pm. Enjoy complimentary wine and nibbles, and a live pilates demonstration at the advanced level. Everyone is welcome so come and see pilates in action for yourself!

Are You a Gizzy Guru?Are You a Gizzy Guru? Gisborne i-Site is recruiting a couple of Gizzy Gurus to help them out over the hectic summer months. You’ll need to be fascinated by all things Gisborne, have an eye for detail, a sense of humour, and a smile a mile wide – even under pressure. If this sounds like you, then drop your CV into the Gisborne i-Site or click here for more details. —Read more about this event on our website —

From Emma Lawrence, web-savvy PR and marketing expert: Have you ever thought about creating a blog to help promote your business? In this week’s newsletter, I’ll be revealing five reasons why a blog can be good for business, how you can overcome the ‘lack of time’ hurdle, and what you should be doing right now so you can hit the ground running in 2012! Make sure you’re on the list by signing up to my weekly newsletter today (it’s FREE!).

Michael Cooper celebrates his new wine guide:  Wine writer, Michael Cooper, will be celebrating the release of his 20th Edition of Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines at the Gisborne Wine Centre on Monday 14 November from 5.30 pm. Tickets are $25 available from Muirs Bookshop. Tickets are strictly limited so be quick!

Christmas Function at the Grill Room: Enjoy our Traditional Christmas Buffet by Chef Stephan Kellermann with all the trimmings including roast turkey, roast beef, leg of lamb, fresh oysters, mussels, prawns, fresh fish as well as our famous desserts and much more every Friday and Saturday night starting on 11 November. For groups of 40 or more our events centre is available. For more information, visit www.emeraldhotel.co.nz or contact our events manager on 868 8055 or functions@emeraldhotel.co.nz.