Blenheim Sun, 72 High Street, Blenheim (2026)

09/09/2026

Thanks to Springlands Lifestyle Village residents for stepping up to help.
With the cost of supermarket shopping hitting us all, what item would you chose to make cheaper on the shelves if you could?

Salvation Army Blenheim is facing a rise in demand for food donations, with almost double the number of people needing help.

People from across the community are queuing up, with up to 30 waiting for help before the doors open.

And a donation of food and gift vouchers from caring residents at Springlands Lifestyle Village in Blenheim will help boost supplies.

Volunteer and food donation coordinator Colleen Newman says the Henry Street centre is busy most of the three days it is open for.

“We’re seeing more older people and working families as costs for just about everything are so high, especially food, she explains.

Picking up the donations on Friday, including a $300 Meaters voucher, a $100 Woolworths voucher plus two boxes of other pantry staples, Colleen thanked residents for their thoughtfulness.

“You have no idea how useful this will be,” she said.

Salvation Army support worker Liz Whitt says the number of people in the community needing help has risen sharply from the same period a year ago.

“Food insecurity is really, really high and you can’t live your best life if you’re worrying about getting food.

“We try to create a welcoming environment, and no one leaves with nothing. We are always in need of donations, especially vouchers. We can use them to buy UHT milk for example.”

Springlands Lifestyle residents regularly collect money and items to donate to charitable groups in Marlborough.

After hearing how high the need for help is, a new collection for the Salvation Army will start straightaway.

Other donations can also be dropped off at the Salvation Army on Henry Street where support services are also available.

Visit www.salvationarmy.org.nz/city/blenheim/ for more details.

Supporting the community: From left, Springlands Lifestyle Village resident Varley Broadbridge, Salvation Army support worker Liz Whitt, Springlands Lifestyle Village social coordinator Lisa Hunt, Salvation Army volunteer and food coordinator Colleen Newman, with Springlands Lifestyle Village residents Glenda Munro and Colleen Grigg.

09/09/2026

Destination Marlborough ‘excited’ to join five international marketing campaigns
Kira Carrington
LDR

Marlborough’s many attractions will be on show as part of five international marketing campaigns granted funding this week.
A Marlborough tourism promoter hopes to see a boost in tourists with the region set to feature in five campaigns hoping to attract international visitors to regional New Zealand.
Tourism Minister Louise Upston announced on Tuesday the Regional Tourism Boost Fund would invest $5 million into six campaigns targeting visitors from Australia, the United States, Canada and China.
The campaigns would encourage people to travel, stay, and dine in the regions this spring and early summer.
“We want more visitors arriving in the quieter months and travelling beyond our main gateways to experience the regions that make New Zealand unique,” the Minister said.
Regional tourism organisations nationwide applied for the fund through expressions of interest, with up to 30 organisations collaborating within each campaign.
Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green said her team was “really excited” to be partnering in five of the six successful campaigns, worth about $4m in funding.
There would be a digital focus, making use of influencers and social media, as well as magazines, apps such as Expedia, and partnering with motorhome rental companies, Tracey said.
Among the five campaigns was a $645,000 top of the south campaign promoting food, beverage and outdoor experiences to Australians.
A broader $975,000 national promotion would target the US and Canada. A $795,000 food trails campaign invited Australian and US visitors to explore up to eight new food trails across New Zealand, and a $595,000 Classic New Zealand W**e and Food Trail campaign would target high net-worth Australians.
A $995,000 Christchurch and South Island campaign aimed to encourage Chinese visitors to journey south.
Tracey acknowledged that some of the campaigns were very broad and Marlborough’s tourism sector might not see large benefits from them, but “we're definitely wanting to make sure that Marlborough is represented”.
She said while it would be difficult to measure the full impact of the campaigns until after the shoulder season ended. They expected to see increased international visitor numbers from September through November as the campaigns took effect.
Government-funded campaigns, which Marlborough “couldn't afford on our own”, elevated Marlborough’s profile, helping the region get noticed in the international market, Tracey added.
China was a key emerging market for Marlborough, she said. While the number of Chinese visitors was “relatively small” compared to Australia and the US, it was growing quickly, with Chinese visitor spend in June in Marlborough up 66 per cent on last year.
The Chinese market had the potential to be a “top five” market for Marlborough, but reaching Chinese consumers could be challenging because they did not use Western social platforms, she said.
“The Chinese market, from a technology point of view, is very sophisticated. They're well advanced [compared] to the Western market in how they use technology to navigate their way around a destination.
“Having a campaign like this just ... gives us another reason to encourage operators to start looking at this market, because it traditionally hasn't been a strong market for us, but we're definitely seeing it grow.”
For Australians, the regions had the advantage of proximity, Tracey said. An Australian could visit New Zealand multiple times, visiting a new place each time.
The top of the south campaign would focus on encouraging Australians to stay longer, with a focus on campervan holidays.
“We're hoping that by targeting ... motorhomes we'll see them spending longer in the top of the south.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

08/09/2026

Such a great idea- here's hoping GateShare helps roadside stall owners and veggie growers everywhere.
Maybe it's just us but we see so many posts about people taking produce without paying!

A disheartened roadside stallholder has created a way to help boost sales and stop honesty box thefts.

When keen gardener Em Nesbit from Kekerengu started her roadside stall, she was excited. The mum-of-two made special signs and proudly displayed her garden produce.

She says when just one driver stopped in two months, she was disappointed.

But determined to find a way to let people know about the stall, she has launched an app and website – attracting stallholders across the country.

Em says she came up with the idea of GateShare after realising people needed a way to highlight their goods. “We had more vegetables than we could eat, so I built a stall at our gate on State Highway 1.

“I was so excited and had all these thoughts that’s I’d sell out. In two months, I made one $6 sale.”

After taking her homegrown vegetables to sell at the Blenheim Rotary Bootsale Market and quickly selling out, Em realised demand was there.

“The food was never the problem. Nobody knew it was there,” she says.

GateShare is a website and app highlighting New Zealand's roadside stalls, honesty boxes and home producers. It went live at the beginning of the month and already has 51 stalls, with Marlborough having the second biggest uptake on nine.

The mum of two says another driver for the idea was to help put a stop to theft.

“Every local group I am in has posts about a stall being cleaned out, and more often than not the tin goes with it.

“People are giving up on honesty boxes over it. So GateShare is built so nothing has to sit out at the gate: a seller can list something as made to order, approve each order and arrange a time to hand it over.

“No produce left unattended, no cash tin at the roadside. It just means there is far less out there to take.”

Moving to Kekerengu from Canterbury three-and-a-half years ago, Em says her family “just fell in love” with their historic homestead. Dating back to the 1800s, it was damaged in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

The family are slowly restoring the home while making the most of the lifestyle block.

Building the app took almost a year as Em worked on it in the early mornings and in the evenings.

“I built it over a good chunk of the year, evenings and early mornings at the kitchen table, with no investors, around being a mum, running our lifestyle farm, a part-time job, renovating the homestead and a seat on the Ward School board,” she explains.

"GateShare is free for buyers. Sellers start free, and paid plans begin at $10 a month. There is no commission on any sale, on any plan, and you can stop or change plan whenever you like"

Find out more at www.gateshare.co.nz

07/09/2026

One person has been seriously injured and airlifted to Wellington Hospital after a two-vehicle accident near Redwood Pass Road this morning.
Emergency services were called to the scene on SH1 shortly before 7am. Fire crews from Blenheim and Seddon attended the scene and Hato Hone St John sent a First Response Unit, two ambulances and a helicopter.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson says several patients were assessed at the scene by crews. Four other patients were taken to Wairau Hospital by ambulance in a moderate condition.
A spokesperson from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said there was stop/go traffic management in place while the incident was responded to, and also a brief road closure while the rescue helicopter was on scene.
The crash response was separate to the planned slip removal works which will continue today.

File Photo

04/09/2026

Some Marlborough Schools have been selected for solar installations - do you have solar at home? What are the pros and cons? 🌞

Seven Marlborough schools have been selected by the Government to have solar power installed.

Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced last month that 500 schools have been selected across the country under the Government’s plan to improve schools’ energy.

Seven Marlborough schools: Grovetown School, Linkwater School, Picton School, Rapaura School, Redwoodtown School, Waitaria Bay School and Witherlea School have been chosen.

All of them are eligible to apply for 10KW of solar panels and Witherlea School can apply for 20KW.

Picton School principal Katie Talbot says she is really grateful the school has been included in the solar rollout.

The school has had its diesel boiler decommissioned and power upgraded so it is “ready to rock and roll with clean and efficient energy” on its site.

She says the process was very smooth and involved good communication from the Ministry team and their partners.

“We are currently awaiting our site inspection to confirm everything is ready to go. When this goes live, we expect to see a dramatic saving in our power bill, which means more money to invest in learning,” Katie says.

The Ministers selected schools facing energy or fuel insecurity, higher energy costs, those scheduled for gas or diesel boiler replacements, or those which have a need for greater energy resilience.

Under the programme, and following onsite assessments for suitability, solar panels will be installed at the 500 schools over three years.

Rapaura School Principal Carey Huria says she expects work to start in November.

"We are really pleased to be on the list for the Solar on Schools programme. It will have a great impact on the school by reducing our energy costs and reducing our carbon emissions.

“Our operational funding is significantly impacted by the increased costs of materials and resources, as well as the opportunities we provide our students.

"Anything that gives us a little extra funding to provide quality teaching programmes and environments is a win for our students.”

Erica Stanford said this programme made use of existing buildings, reducing the environmental footprint, and helping schools keep more money in their budgets year after year.

“Large schools are expected to save around $8,000 a year on average on electricity, freeing up money that can be spent on teaching and learning… This is a smart, practical investment in both our schools and New Zealand’s future.”

Pic cap: from left to right, Redwoodtown School enviroschool team members Sreeveni Suraj, Paulrole Epee, Alex Toms, Amelia Wallace, Havana Van Hoof, Xadie Goodall, Aliyah Taylor, Katelyn Johnstone, and Amelia Gillespie in front of a classroom block with solar panels. Photo: Cathie Bell.

03/09/2026

What do you think- can Marlborough set the standard?🍇

Plans to transform w**e waste into a natural soil booster for vineyards have been unveiled.
Thousands of tonnes of Marlborough w**ery waste could be transformed into a valuable resource for vineyards.
And if successful, the move could set the blueprint for other regions to follow suit.
Marlborough Circular W**e Programme will collect w**ery lees, the sediment left over from w**emaking and combine it to make a special soil enhancer.
Led by Bragato Research Institute, the initiative aims to reduce waste and emissions while returning organic matter and nutrients to vineyard soils.
Programme Leader Dr Seth Laurenson says large volumes of solid and liquid waste left over after vintage place pressure on regional wastewater and waste-management infrastructure.
“Our goal is to create a coordinated regional system that safely returns that organic matter and its nutrients to vineyard soils.”
The programme will collect lees from participating w**eries and process them into a beneficial soil amendment. W**eries pay a disposal fee designed to be competitive with landfill costs,
Over four years, the programme aims to divert more than 3,500 tonnes of solid lees from landfill and wastewater systems each year, mitigating around 4,700 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions.
“This programme is an excellent example of the w**e industry, researchers and government working together to solve a costly waste problem and turn it into a regional resource,” Seth says.
The four-year programme represents a combined investment of $6.98 million.
The Government is investing $2.79 million through the Primary Sector Growth Fund, alongside $4.19 million in co-investment from New Zealand W**egrowers and participating w**eries. The programme is also supported by The Green Circle and Marlborough District Council.
BRI will lead the scientific testing, quality assurance, and system design needed to demonstrate that the model is sustainable and practical at commercial scale. The programme will also develop a business case for establishing a permanent regional facility.
The Marlborough Circular W**e Programme is the first initiative of its kind at commercial scale in New Zealand’s w**e sector, Seth explains.
“If we can demonstrate a safe and commercially viable model in Marlborough, the approach could provide a blueprint for other w**e regions.”

02/09/2026

The water main failure affecting Seddon and rural Awatere has been repaired. The issue was caused by a single failure of the water main on Marama Road near Seddon.

Council staff and contractors completed the repair last night and things are back to normal on the network.

Marlborough Waters Establishment Chief Executive Richard Coningham said water had been returned to the system carefully to protect the network.

“We’re pleased the damaged main has now been repaired and the water supply is back on for Seddon and rural Awatere,” Mr Coningham said.

“Water was introduced slowly and in a controlled way to reduce the risk of pressure-related issues that can occur when a network is refilled too quickly.”

Water storage levels have been restocked. Council trucked water into the area until 9.30pm last night to maintain supplies and replenish the storage tanks.

Mr Coningham thanked residents for reducing their water use during the disruption.

“The community’s response has made a real difference. Conserving water helped us manage the available supply while crews worked to identify and repair the problem.”

Residents on the rural Awatere supply should continue to follow the existing boil water notice. The precautionary boil water notice for Seddon has been lifted.

02/09/2026

Has anyone else noticed a problem at Sheps' Park? As a dog owner do you always carry bags to deal with doggy deposits?

A dog poo problem at a Blenheim park is ruining the fun for fed up kindergarten children.
Four-year-olds at Springlands Kindergarten visit Sheps’ Park in Blenheim every fortnight as part of their learning.
But an ongoing issue with some owners not picking up after their pets has prompted the children to create signs, reminding people to be more vigilant.
Teacher Kate Harrison says the problem has got worse over the last few months.
“Not only is there more and more dog poo, but people are also dumping their used dog poo bags by the bin and not putting them in.
“Our kids play here, they roll in the grass and up and down the small hill. We teach our children to look after the space they are in.
‘All dog poo should be bagged up and put in the bin provided; no exception. The bin has been moved so it’s right next to the carpark now.”
Each visit starts with a safety walk. The children are reminded how to keep themselves safe and what possible dangers to look for.
Teacher Alice Oswald says they keep a close look out for potential hazards.
“There’s a big bush where they used to love to play but one day we counted nine poos there, so they don’t play there anymore.
“We’re wondering now if we might just have to leave Sheps’ Park and go somewhere else which is a shame as it’s a beautiful space.
Located on Severne Street, the park is owned by the QEII National Trust and managed by Marlborough District Council.
Previous owners of the property, Lloyd and Joy Shepard (now deceased), lived on the property from the early 1950’s to early 2000’s.
They wanted to create a public reserve for the people of Blenheim, and the park has proven to be a popular choice.
With permission from the owner, the children placed handmade signs up on the fence bordering the park last week asking people to be more responsible.
“They’re easy to see and we’re hopeful they will help,” Kate says.
Louis, 4, says he loves the park and enjoys running up and down the hill but knows to be wary of dog waste.
“We pick it up and any rubbish we find,” he says.
Four-year-old Jai says he climbs trees and wants to tell dog walkers to “pick it up please.”
Marlborough District Council have been approached for comment.

02/09/2026

New Zealand’s only living Victoria Cross recipient is set to share how he got through some of the worst times in his life.
Willie Apiata was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery under fire during service in Afghanistan.
Now in a bid to help Marlborough farmers and growers doing it tough, he will speak about resilience, mental wellbeing and the importance of connection.
Hosted by the Top of the South Rural Support Trust, the “I’m good... are you?” series, is geared towards helping people feel less alone.
Top of the South Rural Support Trust regional coordinator Sarah White says the events, being held in Renwick and in Motueka, come at a time when parts of the region are dealing with a range of pressures.
The effects of adverse events and difficult markets extend well beyond farm or vineyard owners, she explains.
“Viticulture is going through some tough times at the moment and that has a considerable impact on Marlborough,” she says.
Bill Henry "Willie" Apiata is a New Zealand Special Air Service veteran.
He was awarded the honour in 2007 for carrying a badly wounded comrade across open ground under heavy fire. Willie carried him across 70m of exposed ground to reach relative safety and help before returning to the battle.
Sarah says Willie’s message is particularly relevant to rural communities.
“One of the messages Willie conveys is recognising that no one gets through the hard times alone and understanding the importance of looking after the people around you.
“That is such a relevant message for our rural communities, and it is something we hope people remember after the evening.”
“Sometimes it is simply getting off the farm or vineyard, seeing other people and having a conversation that can make a difference,” she says.
“We’re very mindful that these pressures affect not only owners and their families, but staff, contractors, rural professionals and the wider service community as well.
“That is why opportunities to bring people together are so important.”
The Top of the South Rural Support Trust supports rural people across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough, including those working in farming, horticulture, viticulture, forestry and other rural industries.
Tickets are free, and registration is essential as capacity is limited. Events are recommended for those aged 16 and over.
Event details (separate box please)
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
6.15pm to 9.30pm
Renwick Sports & Events Centre
8 Uxbridge Street, Renwick
Doors open at 6.15pm for a light supper and mingling.
Event begins at 7pm.
Bookings and further information are available at rural-support.org.nz/events.
For support, call 0800 787 254 or visit www.rural-support.org.nz

01/09/2026

Major leak on Awatere rural water main – residents urged to conserve water immediately.

Residents in Marlborough are being urged to save water immediately following a major pipe leak.

The Awatere water main, which supplies the town of Seddon and surrounding area, including Seaview, Grassmere and rural Awatere south of the river, is leaking.

Rural Awatere supply water storage tanks are now empty, while the Seddon water supply tank is at approximately 40 per cent capacity.

Water is being trucked into the Awatere area to replenish both the rural Awatere water storage tanks and the Seddon water supply tank.

Earlier investigations indicated the problem may be associated with the section of the water main that crosses beneath the Awatere River, which could make the repair complex.

Marlborough Waters Establishment Chief Executive Richard Coningham says conserving the remaining water supply was the most important thing residents could do right now.

“Trucking water into the area means we can begin replenishing both the rural Awatere tanks and the Seddon tank while crews continue working on the leak.

“However, we still need everyone connected to these supplies to use as little water as possible. Please keep water use to essential drinking, cooking and hygiene needs and avoid all non-essential use.

“Every bit of water people can save today will help us maintain the available supply while crews continue searching for the leak, and we bring in additional drinking water to the area.”

People are also asked to avoid all non-essential water use, including watering gardens and washing vehicles.

Council is also working to make the Awatere Memorial Hall in Seddon available as a drinking water collection point for rural Awatere residents.

People will need to bring their own clean containers to fill.

Further details, including when the collection point will be available, will be provided as soon as arrangements are confirmed.

Blenheim Sun

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