• Ann O'Sullivan
  • Kate Alexander.
  • Terehia Walker.

Local Life in July

In Channel Magazine we love highlighting people in our community who make a difference. Two local Devonport peninsula people, Kate and Lauren, have created ‘Local Life NZ’ a social media entity doing similar online. We love what they do, so we’re no

Ann

“I do love making pots and making people happy. I do love business – I can’t help myself.”
Ann owned a number of successful cafes in Sydney, but she was a potter long before she got into hospitality. She started Corelli’s in Devonport on her return to New Zealand in 2010, after hankering for a place where she could have a coffee after 3pm. She grew it with the knowledge that she wanted to do something different. “The fun is getting something going and making a place where the community can gather,” she says.
She was always a little nervous about putting her pottery in the café, but people grew to love it. First it was the plates, and then people demanded to drink out of handmade cups. “There was no handmade experience in a cup from Briscoes,” she says.
She believes people are more mindful of what they spend their money on now, and they love to know the story behind what they’ve bought. Whether it’s anchors, crowns, Virgin Marys, yellow-eyed penguins or Miffy, Ann puts a bit of what she loves into everything she makes.
Ann originally hails from the West Coast of the South Island, but says that “Devonport’s the only place in New Zealand worth living in now”.
— Ann O’Sullivan, Potter, https://annosullivanpottery.co.nz


Kate

“Your home is a reflection of who you are. My passion is to help people figure out what they love and how to incorporate that in their space.
“When I style people’s houses, I think the ones that capture my imagination are those filled with things that have a story, items that evoke a memory. Your home should make you smile.
“Bring on the blankets. Keep one close at hand – on the arm of a couch or the end of your bed. Layer them together and use them to bring a change in colour, vibe and texture.
“Alter the hue. Colour goes a long way to setting the mood of space. In winter we crave cosy and warm, but we equally long for light and bright. Consider painting a room in a way that makes the most of its natural light - in darker rooms opt for either a deep tone, or a pale tone - avoid the in-between shades.
“Nurture with nature. We don’t get outside as much in winter so bring some of it inside -- whether it’s a plant, a bowl of sea glass, or the odd piece of driftwood or beach-combed object on top of a book. And be sure to check in with your plants – they need love too.”
— Kate Alexander, Interior Designer, Places & Graces Interior Design
https://www.placesandgraces.com 


Terehia

Tēnā koutou katoa,
Ko Terehia Walker ahau, I am a Māori Italian,
No Ngapuhi, TeAtiawa me Tainui oku iwi.
 “My passion is to walk alongside our non-Māori people in our community and to help them to look at our whenua, maunga and waters through a Māori lens. Te Ao Māori is for everyone. When we change our Western goggles and put on Te Ao Māori goggles, we can work together on our health and wellbeing in a new way.
 “I had a karanga to give back to my community when I retired from Harbour Hospice and it’s been so beautiful engaging with everyone in our classes and listening to how their perspectives are shifting.
 “Now when they look at Maunga Uika or Takarunga, they don't just see a maunga or a big pile of dirt. They see the spiritual connection with Papatūānuku. When they look at the grass, they don't say that's just the grass we've got to cut it. They see the korowai (cloak) of the whenua of the earth and how we should look after it. They don't see a native plant now and go, that's just a native plant. They actually see it's something we can live by. It can be sustainable and we can eat edible plants like kawakawa and horopito.
 “All these new perspectives really lift my heart because it's something that’s so valuable. I’m going to keep walking alongside my local community sharing my world of Te Ao Māori, and working to bring my two communities together hohonu ake te marama (in deeper understanding).”
— Terehia Walker
Terehia volunteers for Restoration Takarunga Hauraki, Devonport Peninsula Trust, Depot Art Space and The Devonport Business Association. She also leads workshops in local schools. In June Terehia co-led lantern-making workshops for Devonport’s Puanga Matariki Celebrations