Love Heart - Social Learning for over 50's

Creating a Visual World for Theatre
This one-off class introduces the art and practice of scenography, exploring how designers shape the visual world of a production. You will follow the creative journey from initial concept through research, collaboration, design development, and final realisation to opening night. With a focus on discovering and articulating a cohesive visual language, the session will examine how space, colour, texture, light, and form communicate meaning on stage. Through discussion and practical exercises, you will gain insight into the designer’s process and leave with tools and inspiration to approach theatrical storytelling with imagination, clarity, and creative confidence.

### Key Takeaways

• Discover how theatre designers use space, colour, texture, light and form to create compelling visual worlds and bring stories to life on stage.
• Explore the creative design process through discussion and practical exercises, developing tools and confidence to approach theatrical storytelling with imagination.

Date: Tuesday 17th November
Time & format: The workshop will start at 10am, with a coffee and tea break followed by a lively facilitated discussion to answer all your curious questions. The workshop will finish at 12pm.
Location: The Nelson Theatre, Keirunga Creative Arts, 6 Puflett Road, Havelock North 4130

SESSION ABSTRACT: Understanding ADHD & Autism - Myths, Beliefs & Truths
Kayla Oughton is both autistic and ADHD (AuDHD), diagnosed as an adult after a lifetime of wondering why things felt harder. Now a Certified ADHD-Informed Coach and founder of Dopamine & Co, she helps a global community of 115,000+ understand their brains and build lives that fit.
In this warm, myth-busting session, you’ll learn:

1. What ADHD and autism really are (and what they’re not)
2. Why “naughty”, “lazy” or “rude” behaviour is often an overwhelmed brain
3. Simple, practical ways to connect with and support the kids and grandkids (and possibly yourselves) in your life

Come curious. Leave with tools you can use straight away.

Dates: Wednesday 18th November, 2026
Time & format: The workshop will start at 10am, a tea/coffee break at 11, followed by a lively facilitated discussion to answer all your curious questions. The workshop will finish at 12pm.
Location: Keirunga Creative Arts Venue, 6 Puflett Road, Havelock North 4130
Parking: There is plenty of free parking outside the venue.

What do you get when you take one large group of curious people, add 2 subject matter experts, and stick 'em all in a pub?
The Think & Drink.
An evening of thought-provoking talks and great conversation - accompanied by your favourite tipple.
Scientists, Ground-breakers, Authors, Leaders, Innovators and Obsessives will be stepping out of the classroom and into the pub to share their knowledge and get the conversation flowing.
They’ll be talking history, the environment, finance, art and culture, vampires plus probably a few things none of us even knew existed.
And rest assured, nobody's handing out homework.
It’s a laid back night of new ideas and good yarns for the actively curious.
So grab a pew, a drink, and get ready to learn something you didn’t even know you needed to know!
Welcome to The Think & Drink!
Let's introduce our wonderflul speakers:
Speaker: Professor Nat Waran OBE
Topic: Of mice and men: the secret lives of our pets
Does your dog really love you, and is your cat secretly bored out of its mind? Join Nat for a fascinating, fun and research-backed look at how our pets see the world, what they feel and what they really need. Busting common myths about animal behaviour, Nat explores the surprising connections between animal, human and environmental wellbeing through the concept of One Welfare. Expect fresh insights, a few surprises and a better understanding of the animals we share our lives with.
Speaker: Bruce Ngataierua
Topic: What’s Really Written in the Stars?
Hidden inside Napier Boys’ High School is a Cold War-era star machine with a story of its own. It’s part of New Zealand’s oldest planetarium, where the mysteries of the universe meet the skies above Te Matau-a-Māui. But whose stories do the stars tell? And what can we discover when Māori and Western astronomy come together? Join Brice Ngataierua, Director of the Hawke’s Bay Holt Planetarium, for a fascinating journey through Ngā Whetū (The Stars), challenging what you think you know about the night sky and revealing a universe of knowledge right on our doorstep.