April 2026 update
Kia Ora & Welcome,
Despite the lamentable lack of newsletters, we have started the year running. 2026 is a Garden Festival Year and we’re already well underway with event planning. The dates are set…7th and 8th November. It includes election day, so a busy weekend! By some quiet, organisational miracle we already have 10 gardens confirmed….and its only April!! This year offerings are truly magical, a collection of large and small with formal, tropical, cottage and native options. Eight are brand new, the bi-annual ‘jewel in our crown’ Sacred Blessing Sanctuary has agreed to inclusion again, and there is one very pretty, re-vamped and updated repeat. All reflect the passion and enthusiasm of their owners, and we cannot thank them enough for the generosity with which they share their private pieces of paradise.
Fine detail planning is still ahead but we do know with 10 gardens we need a minimum of 80 volunteers, and that is just ‘on location’. We also need help with parking, signs, food, baking, stalls, music and art in gardens etc. This is a big local event on our Island and takes a lot of logistical management…PLEASE CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR …we need volunteers for the weekend if you are available.. If you are prepared to be more involved on an organisational level, please contact Jo Ewer at info@jassydeantrust.org - we need all the help we can get!
Speaking of calendars…and fundraising…the Waiheke Garden Birds 2026 calendar proved to be a great fundraiser for the Jassy Dean Trust. It was the brainchild of Vicki Jayne who is also responsible for the enchanting bird photographs it features. Thank you Vicki for sharing your talent with us. The calendars proved very popular, sold out quickly and we painlessly raised around $5,000 from Vicki’s efforts. To be repeated!
We’ve also reaped the benefits from another bird in a fictional Waiheke garden …’Koro the Kiwi’. Thanks to the generosity and imaginative pen of Jane Parlane her delightful children’s book has raised well over $7,000 for the Trust. We are enormously grateful to Jane, not only has she written this charming book, she arranged for it to be illustrated by her talented cousin Gill Hay, and she has also covered all publishing costs … THANK YOU! The Trust has earmarked these funds to go towards a mental health programme where we support Waiheke children facing social and emotional challenges. If you'd like to purchase a copy, contact us at info@jassydeantrust.org.
Ongoing, week after week, month after month, Ngaio Lewis generates significant funds through the Jassy Dean Plant Nursery at 403 Seaview Road. Ngaio is indefatigable! Her plants are superbly healthy and bred especially for local conditions and soil. Someone confessed to me recently "I’m no gardener, but everything I’ve bought from Ngaio has been a triumph!" Presently she has a good selection of cycads, palms and hybrid clivia along with some stunning prickle free bromeliads still on offer. There is also a good range of native shrubs and trees available. Now is a great time to plant. The Nursery is open seven days a week…take a peek at her beautiful garden while you are there!
Last, but certainly not least, a big welcome to Poppy Judkins who has joined us as the newest member of the Jassy Dean Trust. Poppy brings a wealth of governance experience to the table; she’s worked all over the world but remains very much a local girl at heart. She grew up on this island, she knows it’s every nook and cranny and seems to know every resident…this is home! We could not be more delighted to have her on board.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP US!
Mailing Lists - If you find you are receiving multiple newsletters - please unsubscribe to one of them.
Volunteers - If you know someone who might be interested – please encourage them to get in touch (info@jassydeantrust.org)
Spread the word – If you have new neighbours or know new families to the Island – please let them know what we do and direct them to our website https://jassydeantrust.org/
Applications are confidential and easy to make. Help is available for the health needs of all local children under the age of 18. Visit www.jassydeantrust.org/apply
Donations – are hugely welcome at any time – visit https://jassydeantrust.org/make-a-donation
Until next time
Nga Mihi
from
The Jassy Dean Trust
