Frankly Friday

This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey brings you two very different but equally heartfelt conversations from our Taranaki community.
🩷💙 Baby Loss Awareness Week begins this week, and Tracey talks about the importance of creating space to remember the precious babies who are no longer with us. We hear about what’s planned locally, how bereaved parents and whānau can become involved, and how the wider community can better acknowledge and support those who have experienced the heartbreak of baby loss.
🎭 Then we celebrate a remarkable piece of South Taranaki history! Tracey catches up with Clive Cullen and Russ Standing from Hāwera Repertory as the society prepares to celebrate an incredible 80 years of community theatre. They look back at eight decades of memories, people and productions — and tell us what’s planned for the big birthday celebrations!
Two conversations about community, connection, remembrance and celebration.

What role does emotional intelligence play around the council table, and how important is it when you’re elected to represent your community? 🎙️ This week on Frankly Friday, thanks to Centre City New Plymouth, Tracey catches up with NPDC Councillor Sam Bennett to discuss his recent opinion piece on emotional intelligence and what he believes this means for councillors, the Mayor and leadership at NPDC. They talk communication, self-awareness, relationships, managing differences of opinion and the importance of being able to work constructively with others — even when you don’t agree. It’s an interesting conversation about leadership, people and the qualities we expect from those elected to represent our community.

This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey is joined by Jill Nicholls and Eileen Middleton from Soroptimist International New Plymouth as they get ready to frock up for a fantastic cause this Frocktober!
Frocktober is a national fundraising and awareness campaign supporting the fight against ovarian cancer, and the New Plymouth Soroptimists are getting behind it as part of their Heal the Teal campaign. 💙
Tracey chats with Jill and Eileen about the wonderful mahi Soroptimist International is doing for women and girls in our community, why ovarian cancer awareness is so important, what they have planned for Frocktober, and — most importantly — how you can get involved and support the cause.
👗 Frocks, fundraising and a whole lot of heart!

What does a more sustainable Taranaki look like — and what can we learn from the people already making it happen? 🌱🏡
This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey catches up with Jen Hammonds from Sustainable Taranaki to talk about the Sustainable Backyards, Farms & Builds Trail, hitting Taranaki from the end of October!
Jen gives us the lowdown on this fantastic event, which opens the gates and doors to inspiring backyards, farms, homes and builds across the rohe, showcasing practical ideas for living, growing and building more sustainably. 🌻🐝♻️
We’ll find out what you can expect from this year’s trail, some of the incredible places and people involved, and why events like this are helping create positive environmental change right here in our own backyard.

This week on Frankly Friday, Tracey is joined by Sue Jameson from the Taranaki Women’s Refuge Pop-Up Shop, which is getting ready to throw open its doors later this month! 👗👜👠
What started as a great fundraising idea has become an incredible Taranaki institution — and last year the Pop-Up Shop raised more than $118,000 for Taranaki Women’s Refuge! ❤️
Tracey chats with Sue about the story behind this amazing fundraiser, the huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes, and what shoppers can expect to discover at this year’s sale.
Most importantly, they talk about where that money goes and what the support of our community means for Taranaki Women’s Refuge and its ability to support women and children across our rohe.