Sixty years for floral show

The inception of the Women’s Instutute was a conduit for stay-at-home Mums (and there were’t many other kinds in those days) to have some social contact, share experiences and support, and ultimately swap baking recipes, gardening, and needlework hints. Many of these evolved into good-natured competition and while today’s lifestyles are vastly different the WI movement is a tradition that has steadfastly stood the test of time.

One such group is the Mangawhai Women’s Institute which, next week, will proudly hold it’s 60th floral and craft show bringing out some of the best flower arrangements, decoratives, baking, art and handcrafts yet seen.

Mangawhai Women's Institute Floral and Craft Show was first held in November 1952 in the Mangawhai Library Hall, the venue for this year’s event on Friday November 16.

In 1968 a children's section was added and all the children from the Mangawhai Beach Primary School entered. In subsequent years as the school grew, so did the entries until it was decided that there would only be two or three classrooms each year put in entries. 

There are six categories of competition and the variety of entries mirror the changes in technology over the years such as new breeds of vibrant flower blooms, the use of digital photography and different mediums in art and handcrafts but great home cooking is still great home cooking. 

One person of particular note is Dorothy Gardner who has been involved in many capacities, in the Show Committee since 1956 (56 years) and is in fact this year’s flower show secretary with a committee of four members to help organise the whole day. Show Day involves all Institute members who assist in many ways with kitchen duties serving morning tea, lunch and afternoon teas, taking door taking entries and raffles sales. 

 This is the major fundraiser for the year and promises to be one of the biggest ever.

Entries are received at the Hall on the Thursday night from 7 to 8pm and Friday morning from 8.15am to 10.45am to enable all entries to be recorded and set out for for judging which begins at 11am. The judges jobs are completed by 12.30pm when the hall is open to the public with fees of 20 cents per entry and on Show Day $3 entry fee to the Hall which includes afternoon tea.

Prizegiving starts at 2.45pm when the major prizes are awarded and raffles drawn.