Meredith Parkin

On a windy autumnal morning I walked through town to a local café to meet artist and Te Toi Mahana tenant Meredith Parkin. We had a good chat about housing, the value of community and art of finding the perfect rock.

Kia ora Meredith, thanks for having coffee with me this morning. Let’s start from the beginning – where did you grow up?

I grew up in Christchurch, in South Brighton. It was great to be a kid then, because we had lots of empty space. It was the days when you just went out, and you didn’t get home until it was dark. I was brought
up in those days, and we did things you probably couldn’t do now, like build forts under the ground or in the sand dunes.

How did you get your way from Christchurch to Wellington?

Ohh, a bloke! I meet this guy, and he decided to move to Wellington. It was back in the days of Robbie Burns which he was managing. So, I found myself here and while I sort of went away for a couple of times, to Nelson and Christchurch, I always found my way back in Wellington.

And do you like Wellington?

Sometimes I like Wellington. Yeah, it’s a nice city. I didn’t realise how green it was at first, you know, the green belts and all the walks you can do.

How long you been part of Te Toi Mahana/City Housing?

About six years now. I wasn’t very smart with money and never earned a lot working in retail. I worked selling fine wine, and got some good deals and freebies, but didn’t really earn that much. But at the time it was good. I liked learning about all the old wines, you know Burgundy and Bordeaux and all the history that goes with it. I really liked Italian wine. That was really my passion. The irony is now I can’t drink, hahah.

Did you ever get to go to Italy?

I didn’t. I’ve never been much of a traveller, more of a homebody. I like my home comforts. There are also
so many great places to visit in New Zealand. My favourite place in the world is probably Golden Bay. You don’t realise how stressed you are until you get there!

Are you still working in the wine sector?

Yeah, I’m more in the corporate side now, but I’m actually retiring in May. I’m hoping to work more on my art.

What sort of Art do you do?

I paint rocks. I first saw it on Pinterest, these really beautiful things and I thought I can do that. So, I got some rocks, had a go and I was actually much harder than it looks! Because I couldn’t do it a first I got quite determined. I started sort of looking at more, more stuff on Pinterest and just trying all these different styles and over time have now settled on a kind style that I love doing.

Where do you get the rocks from?

Tarakena down the South Coast. That’s where I found the best rocks by far. I quite often go for a walk and search for the right type of rocks and there seems to be more there than anywhere else. And it’s just nice. Part of the fun is just pottering around on a beach.

So, what’s the perfect rock?

Well, there is no perfect rock, but there are particular shapes that I like to use, and it can be a lot of fun trying to find them.

And what’s it’s like being part of the Te Toi Mahana community?

I think it’s a gift, honestly! I never thought I would when I got there. I was kind of nervous, you know, because you think it’s social housing and it’s got a certain reputation. But once I started to get to know people and made friends it has been amazing. You know, there’s a kind of community feeling. Like looking out for each other supporting each other. That’s not what I thought it would be like, and I don’t think you get that in other private rental places, which is just more like landlord and tenants.

It’s not where I thought I’d be. I thought I’d be mortgage free and living in a little flat somewhere or down
in Golden Bay, you know? But no, that’s not how life turns out sometimes. But I do I like the sense of
community, the sharing and supporting each other. There is a real community here.

Pictured: Various rock art by Meredith Parkin

You can see more of Meredith’s artwork on her Instagram.