This weekend, Riverside’s Komitimiti Café will host a day of connection that aims to weave together the community’s cultures and soothe the ache of isolation.
The grass-roots event is being coordinated by Motueka’s Renee Kaipara, who knows what it means to care for others. She spent years working in orchards and packhouses alongside Pacific Island RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) workers, and says that looking after them is “kind of her calling”.
“They’re like my family, and I care about their well-being,” she says. “Some of them still feel isolated and want to feel part of the community.”
Now, Renee is teaming up with Verena Gruner, who is part of the Komitimiti project based at Riverside, to host the Community Friendship Day. The event will be held at Komitimiti Café and its organisers hope it will flourish into a celebration of care, culture, and connection.
With the help of over 30 volunteers, the day will include a range of pampering possibilities, from hair braiding—courtesy of the “expert hair weavers” from Vanuatu—to foot soaks, massages, mini-spa treatments, and a nail station, all for free. Different braiding stations will cater for children, women and men – bring your own brush or comb if possible.
“It’s about friends, mental health, taking care of one another,” Renee explains. “And knowing that places like this exist.”
Many RSE workers, she notes, leave their families behind for months at a time to come to New Zealand. “They want to be more involved in the community. They miss seeing children running around.”
While the event is largely focused on wāhine, “because we are the pillars,” says Renee, everyone is welcome. It’s about bringing people together, she explains.
Verena sees the event as a perfect expression of Komitimiti’s kaupapa. “We always envisioned a place for people to come and connect, to have good food… in a casual, welcoming environment,” she says.
Komitimiti operates as a non-profit organisation with a vision of being a true “third space”—a place that belongs to no one, and therefore, belongs to all.
The Community Friendship Day is being held this weekend at the Komitimiti Café, 289 Main Road Lower Moutere, on Sunday 1 June, from 1pm-3pm, rain or shine. All are welcome, and there is no charge.
