Category News

As the star cluster of Matariki rises in the northeast sky our small town is making plans to gather once again to celebrate, connect, reflect and commemorate. The public holiday for Matariki this year will be Friday 10th July, and…

Kia ora booklovers! Around 10,000 booklovers descended on Featherston for the 11th Karukatea Festival, officially the biggest and most successful in the event’s history. Across 47 events and 75 presenters, the Festival drew record crowds, building on the momentum of…

This issue of new Phoenix is devoted to acknowledging ANZAC Day. Featherston and the wider Wairarapa has a unique association with the ANZAC memory. Not only was the WWI Featherston Camp the leaving point for 60,000 New Zealanders to serving…

Featherston Booktown unveiled the programme for its 11th annual Karukatea Festival at Anzac Hall on Friday, 13 March. After a welcoming karakia by Liz Mellish and an introduction from Chair Peter Biggs, Festival Director Jordan Hamel revealed the lineup of…

Our gym has officially opened the doors to its new premises at 74 Fox Street, Featherston, marking a major milestone for the gym after nine years of steady growth. What began as a small community initiative has developed into a…

The countdown is on! From Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, Featherston Paetūmōkai will come alive with stories, experiences, food and history for the first-ever Featherston Heritage Festival. Whether you’re a bookworm, a walker or a lover of good food,…

Featherston is about to make history – by celebrating it! From 7 to 9 November, our town will host the very first FeatherstonHeritage Festival, a new annual event dedicated to the stories, places and people that make Featherston Paetūmōkai unique.The…

Our trustees have appointed acclaimed Aotearoa New Zealand writer, teacher and performer, Jordan Hamel, to the role of director: Featherston Booktown. The director position is an expansion of the current operations manager role currently held by Mary Biggs who will…

Kia ora Paetūmōkai, apologies that our autumn and winter guides have been a bit late, we will start fresh with your spring guide coming in the September issue. If you caught it, our autumn guide talked about the soil ‘going…

Ngā mihi nui ki a koe – Paetūmokai once again comes together to celebrate the rising of Matariki.Our celebrations and commemorations for Matariki 2025 began with a dawn ceremony, where about 70 people gathered towelcome Matariki rising. Eight wonderful volunteers…