Nelson Pride Postpone the Pride Glamboyant Ball

With a lot of sadness the Nelson Pride Inc., have had to postpone the LGBTQ+ Pride Glamboyant Ball which many in the community were looking forward to. This is like a number of events in Nelson that have had to be postponed or canceled due to Covid.

Nelson Pride sent this statement:

"After a lot of conversation and in light of fluctuating Covid Alert Levels, the Nelson Pride committee chose to postpone the Nelson Pride Ball that was due to be held on 25 September 2021. We didn't feel that we would be doing the event justice unless it were to go ahead in Alert Level One, as we'd originally envisioned it, with 150+ guests and the freedom for everyone to move, dance and shimmy freely around the ballroom. 

The new ball date is 19th February 2022, the Saturday after Valentine's Day. Tickets are still available through Eventfinda and guests who already bought a ticket will be able to use them for the new date - or get a refund if desired. 

The added time not only gives us breathing room to make sure the ball is as epic as it can possibly be, it also gives everyone a little extra time to shop for the perfect ball outfit!

The committee would like to thank everyone who has supported us through this tricky time. For more information, please look for Nelson Pride Inc on Facebook or email us nelsonpridenz@gmail.com" - Aimée Borlase, Chair of Nelson Pride Inc.

Quite a few of the community are disappointed due to the postponement and we hope that the new Ball date on the 19th February 2022 will not be affected.

 

Nelson Tasman Traffic Nightmere

On the 8 September there was a complete traffic jam between Nelson and Richmond due to a sinkhole that appeared on Main Road Stock near Saxton Fields.

An emergency closure of Main Road Stoke was made after a small hole was discovered shortly after 10 am on the cycle path next to the road opposite where Council were already carrying out road works.

Nelson City Council did all they could with the roads that were availabe to avoid the complete gridlock of late afternoon traffic that occurred.

Mr Alec Louverdis, Group Manager Infrastructure Nelson Council, advised “upon investigation, it was discovered this hole was the result of a collapsed culvert over the creek, which posed a serious safety risk to any vehicle or cyclist travelling through the area.”

“The call was made to “close all traffic to Main Road Stoke, except for one northbound lane that was kept open to allow heavy vehicles to access the nearby industrial area, to allow for emergency investigation and repair of the collapsed culvert.” The Council could only have one lane open as they were already working on the other side of the road.

Mr Louverdis also advised that “around 11 am, Waka Kotahi turned on signs at the Richmond Deviation and near the Quarantine Road roundabout to warn travellers of delays.” At 11.45 when Council had ascertained the road would need to be closed for longer. They “began informing the public through social media feeds and Antenno - Council’s emergency notification app, we also contacted radio stations to help spread the news. NewstalkZB, The Hits and The Breeze shared our messaging on air. MoreFM Nelson and the Hits Nelson shared our messaging on Facebook.”

Group Manager Infrastructure said “for those on the road, Variable Message Signs (VMS) were set up at the Annesbrook/Main Road Stoke intersection around midday, with another added at Three Brothers intersection in Richmond around 3 pm.”

 

“Police assisted with traffic control at the Saxton/Main Road Stoke roundabout from early afternoon, and signs were placed along Saxton Road at the entrances to Saxton Field later in the day.”

“At 3 pm, Waka Kotahi put notifications about the delays on their online journey map.”

 

“Social media posts and Antenno notifications continued to be updated and sent out throughout the day and evening as more information became available.”

Nelson City Council discussed with Tasman District Council the possibility of opening Saxton Field to ease traffic congestion. However, this was deemed inappropriate due to the access road off Champion Road (between Avery Playing Field and Garin College) not being suitable for large volumes of traffic. The safety of recreational users of the area, including children cycling and walking, was also a factor in the decision.

Nelson City Council understood this situation was an inconvenience to travellers and caused delay, but we used every tool at our disposal to try and get the news out to the public as swiftly as possible to minimise disruption.

 

One way to ensure people are notified when an unplanned event like this happens is to download the Antenno app. The app sends direct notifications to your phone so that you do not miss out on important news and updates.

Council tweeted, thanking drivers for their patience.  

Traffic flow had been switched to northbound only on Main Road Stoke which made for a complete gridlock for traffic trying to flow through from Nelson onto Richmond. 

Traffic was held up for hours which made late arrival for mothers,  fathers picking up children from school, late dinner for many families and through traffic like truck’s were quite annoyed.

Both lanes of Main Road Stoke are now open, following emergency repair work by Nelson City Council.

The Last Tango Before Delta

With no community covid cases for 160 days, three cancelled  festivals due to lockdowns, finally the three day Tango festival event “National Winter Tango in Hanmer” got underway on Friday 14th August with tango dancers (tangueros) arriving from all over New Zealand from Dunedin to Auckland. 

The Tango festival Director Anne-Maree Therkleson said “we were very fortunate to have the festival as the whole country went into Level 4 due to delta two days after the festival.”

The newly renovated Hanmer Springs War Memorial Hall, was the location for the festival.  Tango festival director and Tango teacher Anne-Maree Therkleson of Tango Libre Nelson and her volunteers transformed the hall for the keen dancers after months of planning and organising with the hope that no Covid restrictions would be thrown down during the festival.

Hanmer Springs had masses of snow a week before so there was still snow on the ground when all the tangueros arrived and the snow capped mountains were beautiful. Hanmer always puts on a great show for the festival visitors and I’m sure the tangueros have added substantially to the economy of Hanmer Springs.  

The keen tango volunteers took over, under the festival director’s keen eye, to create amazing spaces for the festival. The main hall was creatively decorated with spectacular fairy lights with tables and chairs around the walls, the dance floor in the centre. The stage was transformed into a relaxing Argentinian cafe area with curtains, fairy lights and a moon shaped mural on the back wall representing the “Once in a Blue Moon” milonga (dance evening). The large foyer of the hall became the dining area. 

The core Tango volunteers came from all over New Zealand from Christchurch to Auckland and many places in-between.  “The festival couldn’t have happened without volunteers and dancers pitching in”  Anne-Maree said “we are a family, a community who share our love of dance together.”

 

The event kicked off with keen tangueros converging on Friday evening for a communal dinner. Dancers tripped the light fantastic for 16 hours minimum, visiting the hot pools and spa in between and resting their tired feet … before the next milonga. The three day event erupted into applause at the end on Sunday afternoon. Everyone’s faces were lit up like daffodils with the enjoyment of meeting everyone again, some whom they had not seen for over one and a half years. A fantastic experience was had by all.

Quique Miller, a volunteer and a Tango Teacher from Christchurch commented “ I was so happy to see and feel the happiness from people…the atmosphere was quite special…Anne-Maree is a legend.  From the beginning she moved the right energy to create one of the best festivals.”

After having three festivals cancelled due to Covid 19 the Festival Director’s speech started with “we have done it!” and very loud applause rang out throughout the hall.

Dancers called it “ an inspirational magical weekend, a gift for the tango community, a special opportunity to reconnect with dancers from all around the country”. All held together by superb organisation and by different and exciting DJs from Auckland, Christchurch and Nelson.

The festival ended, just scraping through before the country was shut down due to Delta.  One participant said “The festival will give us fuel and fill us for the coming days in lockdown”. The organiser’s response “Thank goodness for Level 4 we all need a rest!”

The next Tango festival, Spring Tango in Martinborough in October has unfortunately been cancelled due to Covid.  In true positive tango style though, Anne-Maree has organised other opportunities for keen dancers!  There is Summer Tango in Nelson in March and the latest addition to her festival list is Autumn Tango in Arrowtown.  These ones are sure to be packed out if they are not victims of Covid. 

If you want to learn tango and come along to an exciting and friendly tango festival, contact your local Argentine Tango dance school and start lessons asap!  If you want to learn from Anne-Maree in the Nelson/Tasman area contact her on annemaree@tangolibre.com.  Check out her www.tangolibre.com website and see the plethora of dancing on offer.

Winter Tango dancers

Hanmer Springs