Ian Murton has taken on a project, and it’s a biggie. How long has he been renovating the Junction Hotel for now? “About 500 years, it feels like,” he says. It might be slow going but his restoration has already saved the building – new roof and joinery making it airtight and safe from the elements, which it certainly wasn’t before, with ankle deep water in one of the rooms upstairs. Council’s Heritage Fund and funding from Heritage New Zealand have meant Ian could give the roof a shoulder operation, replace the staircase balustrades, and stonework at the front has been reinstated for the first time since the 1970s... Read more>>

Cabinet art is spreading in Ōamaru. Chorus is again working with Waitaki District Council to extend its cabinet art programme in the district and is calling for designs from local artists. Two further cabinets in Ōamaru have been chosen for beautification and artists are encouraged to get their designs in... Find out more>>