Your occupation, job title, artistic discipline (or very brief description of what you do):

Director and maker for Brooke and One Small Change.

Brooke is a zero-waste business making timeless bags from blind cut-offs destined for landfill.

One Small Change focuses on consumer behaviour change by offering individuals and households alternative ways to manage the collection of household waste and food storage solutions.

What cities/towns have you lived in (or spent more than a few months in) beginning with the place of your birth?

I was born in Somerset West, near Cape Town, South Africa. When I was seven, my family and I moved to Melbourne. Melbourne is where I spent my formative years. After 21 years in the beautiful city, my husband, two kids and I moved to Pāpāmoa.

What’s your favourite Bay of Plenty landscape, park, building, location, suburb, or side street? Why?

The beach in Pāpāmoa to the east, beyond the houses. It’s quiet and peaceful, the perfect place to let the creative juices thrive, the mind settle, and energy flow.

What’s an average day in your life at present?

I love an early start. I usually rise around 5:30 a.m., make myself a cuppa and head to the beach to watch the sunrise. This ritual is incredibly important to my mental health as I really value time in nature. I love the community down there at that time. There are a few usuals who are close by, enjoying the beauty, and sometimes we get treated to Zane McGregor’s rake art at low tide.

I head home and get myself ready and run the kids to school (very appreciative of my hubby for doing the majority of the load in the mornings, which allows me to enjoy mornings like this regularly). At this stage I usually head to Mauao for a quick run up and down (sometimes not so quick), then head for coffee and breaky at Special Mention in The Mount to get some work done. I find working in public environments incredibly effective for keeping me accountable and motivated to complete tasks. After a few hours, it’s time to head home. I usually sneak in some time in front of my sewing machine before school pick up. I use this time to complete orders for my two businesses, or play around with ideas for new ways to use the waste I gather, turning it into functional, beautiful pieces.

I am lucky enough to be able to enjoy the afternoons with my kids. You’ll find us most days at the beach by our home. My kids are eager and pretty much swim year round so cold and rain don’t keep us away. We have amazing neighbours, so there’s usually a bunch of us down there daily.

I am obsessed with all things creative, so my evenings are always centred around my current make. Lately, I have been very keen on knitting, and have started the Tauranga Stitch ‘n Bitch night. I’m passionate about people and community so this group is very important to me. We are able to connect with people we otherwise wouldn’t have stumbled upon, and do something we enjoy

I am not a night owl so I am quite content heading to bed nice and early with my book (and sometimes my knitting).

What music was present and still memorable from your youth/adolescence?

My parents had a great record collection. We mostly listened to Queen, The Police, and Simon & Garfunkel. Queen remains my favourite band, with Freddie being a true icon in my opinion.

For you as a creative person, who are three influential artists or thinkers?

Yuval Harari: I love history and am fascinated by Yuval’s perspective of the world.

J. K. Rowling, for making me fall in love with literature and enter the wonderful worlds possible inside our minds.

David Attenborough: he shows us the beauty surrounding us everyday which can so easily be lost for good.

If you went away from the Bay of Plenty for a long time and then came back, what are the first three things you would do or visit?

I’d head to the beach with a cuppa.

Take the whānau up Mauao, and then get ice creams.

And go for a big walk to ‘the pines’ on the beach towards Maketū.

Looking back at your teen-age self: what one sentence describes that person?

Confused because from the outside I looked confident and like I had everything sorted but on the inside I suffered from a lack of direction and self doubt. But don’t we all?

If you had to eat the same meal every day, what would it be?

Spag bol (made in the traditional way with milk).

What are you planning for 2022/2023 that nobody knows about yet?

I am hoping to try create a new product and approach another local maker to collab with me on it. I’m not sure how it will turn out yet.

If the Prime Minister asked you to make up a new policy or law for New Zealand, what would it be?

A zero-waste requirement for the construction industry with compulsory waste reporting for every business. This would need to be supported with extensive infrastructure to manage the waste; recycling and reusing where possible, and sending only minimal amounts to landfill.

In one sentence, can you define art?

An expression of one’s self through creativity.

What is missing or lacking from your Bay of Plenty community or environment?

Accessible culture throughout every community. This could look like small local art installations on every corner, makers’ fairs, street-food night markets, small gigs featuring a wide variety of music from all over the world.

In addition to this, greenspace. We need to value and prioritise greenspace in our suburbs, allowing people to gather and connect. These spaces should be well designed to allow them to be used year round, allowing space for community gardens to grow, share and educate, natural ‘playgrounds’ (trees to climb, streams to get wet in, rocks to scramble over) for children to take risks and learn on. If everyone is living on 300sqm lots, its the responsibility of the developer/council to create spaces for people to commune.

What was your first real job, second, third?

Dishy, retail assistant, trade mark assistant. Nothing exciting at all!

Where would you like to live, but have yet to?

Florence, Italy.

What word of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?

Have fun, never take yourself or your creations too seriously.

What is your dream of happiness?

Waking up each day to do whatever I am passionate about in the moment, surrounded by the people I love… and lots of delicious food.

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