Mindful that there were not enough weavers in the small membership of the local Ngā Puna Waihanga branch for the project, it was decided to approach community groups and school whānau to ascertain possible interest levels. Notices were sent out to various schools from Rangiora to Cashmere, from Lincoln to Aranui, inviting their participation; while community would-be-weavers were invited to participate through an advertisement in Ngāi Tahu Newletter and through the Ngā Puna Waihanga newsletter.
For two months, through April and May, Helen and Patricia – sometimes together, sometimes independently - attended meetings and initiated negotiations with possible partners. Finally, whānau from Hagley Community College, Lincoln High School, Avonside Girls High School, Christchurch Polytechnic and Aorangi Primary School made commitments to work on panels, along with other wider whānau groups. Although a community project, participants were required to pay for the workshop, as community funding requires financial input from applicants.
This page reproduces information from page 16 of the booklet Pūawaitanga o te Ringa - Fruits of our busy hands
