Week One
Toast the beginning of 10 days of Yarns in Barns and celebrate the release of comedian, Chris Parker’s new book, Here for a Good Time.
Chris Parker is the outspoken, witty and charming personality famous for his charismatic sketches of lockdown life. Since then, he has been crowned the winner of Celebrity Treasure Island, had his lockdown felting project bought by Auckland Museum, featured on the latest season of Taskmaster and performed sold-out shows across NZ. His insights as a larger-than-life, openly gay and unapologetically camp man in Aotearoa will have you laughing and relating.
In conversation with Dr Nick Holm, Massey University Media Studies Lecturer and comedy expert.
Venue: Copthorne Solway Park Hotel
Time: 7pm
Price: $25 (includes refreshments and a first glass of beer, wine or juice with a cash bar available)
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books
Award-winning illustrator, Donovan Bixley takes an interactive session for budding artists.
Come along to this fun event where Donovan Bixley, author of the Flying Furballs series will show kids how he creates and illustrates his zany book characters, taking them from simple line drawings to something full of life on the page.
Full of tips and tricks for all levels from his book Draw Some Awesome and fun stories from Flying Furballs.
Venue: Masterton District Library
Time: 11am
Price: Free but must register to attend as places are limited
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the Book
Donovan Bixley reveals the genius of these artists, as you’ve never seen them before! Great fun for adults and teens.
Strip back the layers of varnish and discover the man behind the masterpieces and learn more about the personality that drove one of the greatest minds in history. As he did with Mozart and Shakespeare, Donovan’s latest book, A Portrait of Leonardo, sets out to discover who Leonardo da Vinci really was.
Using Leonardo’s own massive supply of notebooks as well as myriad other writings from the time, Donovan paints a picture like no other biography. This illustrated talk and the accompanying books will illuminate these three geniuses as you’ve never seen them before.
Venue: Masterton District Library
Time: 3pm
Price: Free but must register to attend as places are limited
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the Book
Kate Hall – AKA Ethically Kate – environmental activist and educator shares her philosophy of joy-filled living with people and the planet in mind.
All the daily decisions we make about clothes, food, transport, sleep, stuff, wellbeing and relationships can be tweaked to benefit not only the environment, but also ourselves and others. Doing simple things differently and more sustainably can be freeing.
Kate shows us how to embrace sustainable living in all facets of life. She shares clever consumption tips, encourages us to do things differently, like sleep upside down, to look after what we have, prioritise wellbeing and to live with less waste.
As Kate says, we can all live life a little better. And better is enough. She presents her message in an entertaining and vibrant way.
Moderated by Sylvia Arnold, Wairarapa Library Service
Venue: Greytown Town Centre
Time: 12.30pm
Price: Adults $10 / students $5
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Pre-order the Book
A local book launch: South of Martinborough: Two Soldier Settlements & their Neighbours.
A fascinating story, largely in the words of those living in the First and Second World War Soldier Settlements of Tuturumuri and Tora and their neighbours south of Martinborough.
Venue: Martinborough Town Hall
Time: 3pm
Price: Free but please register to attend. Includes refreshments.
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Pre-order the Book
Week Two
Rosa and Margo Flanagan, the Two Raw Sisters, are well-known for their delicious, effortlessly simple plant-based meals for every kind of eater – from vegans to die-hard meat lovers.
While not strictly vegan or vegetarian, in response to some health issues, Margo and Rosa adopted a ‘start with fruits and vegetables’ lifestyle. Their latest cookbook, Simple Fancy, puts fruits and vegetables first, with more than 90 recipes using familiar, whole food ingredients packed with sweet and savoury flavours.
For extra inspiration ahead of the Christmas season, Rosa and Margo have created more than 20 menus for different occasions to take the guess-work out of entertaining. Simple. And a little bit fancy.
Venue: Carterton Events Centre
Time: 7.30pm (doors open 7pm)
Price: $20 (includes your first glass of bubbles or juice)
Buy tickets via CEC | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Pre-order the Book
Did you know that studies show that reading for enjoyment as a child brings huge benefits – such as an improved ability to learn, social awareness and self-confidence and of course, a flourishing imagination.
That’s why, with the help of authors Jason Gunn and Fifi Colston, we’re on a mission to ignite a lifelong love of reading for pleasure in every Wairarapa child.
Join us after school at the Masterton District Library for an afternoon of yarns, fun and giveaways for children and their whānau.
First up, from 4pm award-winning author of Masher and inspiring creative, Fifi Colston, will set your children’s imagination’s alight as she shows you how to make one of her incredible puppet creations.
Then from 5pm, Jason Gunn, former What Now host, will have the kids in stitches as he introduces the first book in his exciting new series in the tradition of David Walliams, Jason Mason and the World’s Most Powerful Itching Powder.
4–5pm: Fifi Colston
5–6pm: Jason Gunn
Venue: Masterton District Library
Time: 4pm–6pm
Price: Free event. Includes treats and loads of fun giveaways.
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Pre-order the Books
Crowd favourite fiction author, Charity Norman returns to Yarns in Barns to discuss her latest book, Remember Me, a heartfelt and suspense-filled tale of the changing relationship between a daughter and her father living with dementia.
Hosted by Wairarapa Word
Venue: Carterton Courthouse
Time: 7.30pm
Price: Free (Koha appreciated) but must register to attend as places are limited.
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Join author and seasoned local story-teller Gareth Winter for an intriguing glimpse into the story of Masterton, captured through the lens of Masterton Trust Lands Trust.
Continuing Legacy traverses the highs and lows of Masterton Trust Lands Trust – from 1997 to 2022. Through economic downturns, construction challenges and an international pandemic, its trustees continue to honour the vision of the first generation of Mastertonians, putting people and community first.
Masterton Trust Lands Trust was formed 150 years ago, born out of the Small Farms Association which established Masterton and Greytown. Unsold land in each township was set aside for trusts to administer, and the income devoted to educational and cultural purposes.
Venue: Masterton Trust Lands Trust, 189 Queen St, Masterton
Time: 12 noon
Price: Free event but please register.
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Be inspired by one of our brightest young farmers and learn his tools for thriving through the physical and mental strains of life on the land.
Kane Brisco overcame his past and the beliefs he held about himself to transform his life for the better. Now, through his Farm Fit bootcamp, social media community @FarmFit_NZ, and new book Tools for the Top Paddock, he’s reaching out to the most isolated corners of our rural communities and inspiring others to do the same.
In association with the East Coast Rural Support Trust, following their annual Rural Touch competition. A cash bar and BBQ will be available with proceeds supporting the work of the Trust.
Venue: Trust House Memorial Park Clubrooms, 161 Dixon St, Masterton
Time: 7.45pm
Price: $10 with a cash bar and BBQ
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Join us among the bookshelves at Hedley’s for the ultimate book club night.
Deep dive into Michael Bennett’s modern day crime story founded in Te ao Māori. Better the Blood tells the story of tenacious Māori police detective, Hana Westerman who is pulled into the search for Auckland’s first serial killer.
Then eminent historian, Dr Monty Soutar’s exploration of the Māori experience of colonisation in Kāwai: For Such a Time as This. A vivid exploration of war and peace in the old world presented as a page turning fictional account.
Moderated by Ron Mark – New Zealand politician and former soldier.
Venue: Hedley’s Books, Masterton
Time: 7.30pm
Price: Adult $10 / student free
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Buy the books
In Jumping Sundays: The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in New Zealand, award-winning writer and broadcaster, Nick Bollinger goes deep into the transformation of NZ life wrought by the counterculture in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Beards and bombs, freaks and firebrands, self-destruction and self-realisation during a turbulent period in New Zealand’s history and culture.
In conversation with RNZ’s Phil O’Brien
Venue: Hedley’s Books, Masterton
Time: 12.30pm
Price: Adult $10 / student $5
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Ever thought ‘I wish there was an adult around’, then realised you’re the adult? Then Emily Writes entertaining tales of growing up as your children grow up is for you.
In her new book, Needs Adult Supervision, Emily paints a vivid picture of all the feelings, fortunes and failures that come with trying to parent when you don’t always feel up to the task. Funny, sad, thoughtful, inspiring, and ultimately up-lifting for parents at all stages of life. Book a babysitter and enjoy a hilarious night out.
Venue: Greytown Town Centre
Time: 7.30pm
Price: Adult $15
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Inspire your children ahead of summer and celebrate the launch of Masterton author, Paul Adamson’s new book Get Outdoors: Brilliant boredom busters for Kiwi kids.
From the author of the award-winning Beginner’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing in NZ, Get Outdoors is full of fun ideas to get your body moving and your brain inventing.
Book launch by Black Sticks hockey player, Dane Lett.
Supported by Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing
Venue: Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing, 319 Ngaumutawa Road, Solway, Masterton
Time: 11.30am
Price: Free event but please register
Register via Eventfinda | Register via Hedley’s Books | Buy the book
Join us for our most iconic event, the Yarn in a Barn – or more accurately, a classic NZ woolshed! This year in the barn we have an afternoon of yarns inspired by the natural world. Come for the whole afternoon, or the event that interests you the most.
2–3pm The Boy from Gorge River: Chris Long
Chris recounts his story of how an extraordinary upbringing in the country’s most isolated family shaped an extraordinary life of travel and adventure.
Chris grew up two days’ hike from the nearest road to parents committed to freedom from capitalist society and connection to the natural world. In his bestselling memoir, The Boy from Gorge River, now 31-year-old Chris describes a childhood learning to live in the wild – until, in his teenage years, he began to wonder: could he survive in the wider world. An enthralling account of chasing adventure while forever staying true to where you come from.
Intermission and book signing with refreshments available.
4pm–6pm Under the Big Sky: Tim Saunders & The Rouseabouts
Poet, writer and fifth generation farmer, Tim Saunders shares his stories of the joys and challenges of day-to-day farming in extraordinary circumstances. Interspersed with classic poetry, tall tales and rambunctious music with his band, The Rouseabouts.
In his new book, Under a Big Sky: Facing the Elements on a NZ Farm, Tim shares his experience of the demands of farming through a pandemic, of working with the land and the elements, and what he’s learned from the way his forebears farmed.
With his band The Rouseabouts (as seen on Country Calendar), made up of author and poet, Chris Gallavin and musician Paul Turner, Tim’s poetry is brought to life alongside a fun and eclectic show founded on great story-telling traditions. These raconteurs will have you laughing, crying, and tapping your feet. You might even be roped in for a shanty or two!
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
Time: From 2pm
Price: Adult $10 / Students free
Koha for the band appreciated
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Buy the books
New Zealand fiction writers, Jenny Pattrick and Cristina Sanders, discuss imagining stories within real-life historical events.
Cristina Sanders’, Mrs Jewel and the Wreck of the General Grant, is a vivid imagining of the story behind the enduring mystery of one of New Zealand’s early shipwrecks. While acclaimed historical novelist Jenny Pattrick’s latest book, Harbouring, explores character and place as Wellington is transformed from thick bush and steep hills to a bustling colonial settlement.
In association with our friends at Featherston Booktown and moderated by Mary Biggs
Venue: Anzac Hall, Featherston
Time: 12pm
Price: Adult $15 per event / student $10 or double header price of adult $25 / students $15 for both events
This event is part of the Featherston Booktown Sunday doubleheader of events. Stay for the second session, true crime stories with Scott Bainbridge and enjoy a light lunch in between, featuring freshly made sandwiches, home baking (and gluten-free treats) along with tea and coffee provided by the Featherston Booktown Country Tea & Cakes volunteers team. $8 for a hot drink and either a sweet or savoury item of food.
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Buy the Books
The real-life story of one of New Zealand’s biggest professional swindles – and the young girls who came across their crucial mistake – with true crime writer, Scott Bainbridge.
In 1966, international con-man Robert Gardner brought a highly skilled crew of grifters to New Zealand to pull off one of the biggest swindles in the country’s history.
In association with our friends at Featherston Booktown and moderated by Peter Biggs
Venue: Anzac Hall, Featherston
Time: 2.30pm
Price: Adult $15 per event / student $10 or double header price of adult $25 / student $15 for both events
This event is part of the Featherston Booktown Sunday doubleheader. Come at midday for the first event with Jenny Pattrick and Cristina Sanders, then stay on for a light lunch featuring freshly made sandwiches, home baking (and gluten-free treats) along with tea and coffee provided by the Featherston Booktown Country Tea & Cakes volunteers team. $8 for a hot drink and either a sweet or savoury item of food.
Buy tickets via Eventfinda | Buy tickets via Hedley’s Books | Pre-order the book