December 2025 Newsletter
Club Notes and Updates
Ceramicus 2025 guest artist and selector Aaron Scythe presents awards at the gallery opening on 4 November.
Wrapping up Ceramicus 2025
Ceramicus 2025 opened on Tuesday 4 November, it was excellent to see so many members there and a great celebration of our club and our creations.
We acknowledge our guest artist and selector, Aaron Scythe who, in addition to having the difficult task of selecting the award winners also taught a 2-day wheel workshop while he was in town.
Fun facts:
• 57 members entered a total of 150 pieces
• 13 awards
• 148 pieces on display (including our guest artist)
• 43 pieces sold
• Approx 3,500 visitors
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THANK YOU to our volunteers!
A lot goes into our annual exhibition, we’d like to thank everyone who put their hand up to help out.
• Behind the scenes: Kate Mac (convenor), Chloe M (all the paperwork!), Heather B (all things graphic design and print)
• Space prep & plinth pack in: Heather P, Tomo S, Geraldine S, Mara , Wiebke H, Penny R, Moira S, Peter R, Martin Henty
• Receiving & selection day: Elaine M, Shar Y, Paola N, Chloe M, Vivian R, Chrissy B, Coral D, Sarah D, Georgina P, Kate Mac
• Making us all look good, always: Mel Waite Photography
• Install: expertly led by Coral D; ably assisted by Georgina P, Sarah D, Kate Mac
• Pop-up market: Mareike P, Geraldine S
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Pop-up Market
Our pop-up market was another success! Held over 4 days this year, we had 68 stalls, thousands of visitors and hundreds of people taking home new work.
Shout out to all our members who donated pieces for our raffle and sales table! Between the raffle and the sales from the table, we raised over $1000 for the club!
Donated raffle pieces: Shar Y & Mal S, Vivian R (below), Julie H (below)
Donated sales pieces: Elodie L (below), Karley S, Lina N, Rachael H, Ingrid P, Peter R, Julie H, Kate M, Chrissy B (below), Christine W
Believe it or not, this year's raffle winner, who selected a beautiful platter made by Mal S and decorated by Shar Y with some very handsome kererū, ALSO won the raffle at the pop-up market last year - a beautiful vase made by Mal S and decorated by Shar Y with a very chonky kererū! It seems these two pieces were destined to be together and will soon be travelling back to England with winner, Vanessa, and her partner and will be a perfect reminder of the 4 years they lived in Wellington.
Will there be a pop-up market next year?
We hope that we can return to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden next year, however this will be dependent upon construction activity in the Begonia House. If that is not an option, we will look into other potential venues.
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Introducing WPA’s newest Life Member: Shigemitsu Ohashi
Shige Ohashi oversees the anagama kiln at Te Horo, with Mal Sole.
Presented at the 2025 Annual General Meeting
Shige moved to Waikanae in October 2000 and soon found his way into the pottery community. After attending an exhibition in Jenny Shearer’s garden—where he met many WPA members—he joined the club within just a few months.
Over his years at WPA, Shige served on the committee, designed and led the build of our Anagama kiln, taught numerous classes and workshops, and forged many lifelong friendships.
When asked what inspired his move to New Zealand, Shige shared:
“When I was a part-time potter, I travelled to NZ and felt NZ had nothing—but I felt that ‘nothing’ was rich and brilliant. Japan had everything, but ‘everything’ was not very meaningful to me. I met Mirek Smisek and Pamela Annsouth at Te Horo, and they accepted me with their kindness. I saw a natural potter’s life in NZ there.”
Fellow members speak of Shige with great affection
Mal Sole recalls that during an anagama loading, Shige would often climb into the kiln to study the newly stacked ware and consider the path of the flame. On one memorable occasion, after he’d been inside for quite some time, Alan Ross went to check on him—only to find Shige propped peacefully against the kiln wall, fast asleep.
Peter Rumble also shared a story from his early days learning to load the kiln under Shige’s guidance. After assisting for a couple of years, he was finally given the chance to try loading himself. Picture Peter deep in the belly of the kiln, with Shige watching from the far end. After arranging each shelf, Peter would glance back for Shige’s approval. A slight side-to-side tilt of Shige’s head meant “try again.” This could go on several times until—at last—a subtle up-and-down nod signaled that he had passed muster.
Many WPA members describe Shige as both a gentleman and a friend.
Shige returned to Japan in 2016 to care for family, but he came back to New Zealand last year for our anagama firing—a visit that brought joy to long-time members and newcomers alike.
For all these reasons and more, we are delighted to award Shige life membership with the WPA.
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Working Bee Thank You and What’s Next
A huge thank you to the 51 members—about 10% of our membership—who pitched in before or on the day of the Working Bee. A special shout-out to Evan R., who completed his induction on Saturday and still turned up on Sunday, garden tools in hand, ready for Peter to put him straight to work trimming trees!
Members, if you haven’t filled out the volunteer survey yet there is still time to do so here. The survey will remain open until 8 December, and we’ll share the results in the December MMCU.
Keep an eye out for our new “tear and share” volunteer task sheet, coming soon to the corkboard by the sign-in desk. Each “poster” will list small, regular tasks that need doing around the studio. Tear off a task, complete it, jot your name on it, and pop it into the Suggestions box so we know it’s been handled. Once all tasks are done, we’ll put up a fresh sheet.
Thanks again for all your hard work and care for the studio!
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Kiln Room Calendar for December and January
The kiln rooms will close over the holidays for a deep clean and to give our Studio Technician a well-deserved break. Please plan your work accordingly!
• 14 Dec (midnight): No more work may be placed on the “to be fired” shelves
• 15 Dec: Last club kiln firings of the year (Bella will do her best, but we can’t guarantee all work will make it through)
• 18 Dec (by 6 PM): Last club kilns unloaded
• 27 Dec: Last Private Kiln License firing of the year
• 31 Dec (midnight): All work must be cleared from the kiln room
• 1–11 Jan: Kiln room closed for cleaning and maintenance
• 12 Jan (6 AM): “To be fired” shelves reopen; private firings resume
• 19 Jan: First club firings of 2026
We’d really appreciate everyone observing these dates so we can get the kiln room cleaned up and ready for another year of firing all of our beautiful work.
Welcome New Members!
Basil P | Bradean C | Caroline R | Emma S | Erica B | Evan R | Josefine G | Katarina S | Miriam G | Pushpa I | Rachel T | Rachel W | Verena T | Andrea M | Elizabeth H | Grace H | Janine C | Jessica C | Melanie B
Basil P | Bradean C | Caroline R | Emma S | Erica B | Evan R | Josefine G | Katarina S | Miriam G | Pushpa I | Rachel T | Rachel W | Verena T | Andrea M | Elizabeth H | Grace H | Janine C | Jessica C | Melanie B
DID YOU KNOW…?
Selling Work Made Using WPA’s Resources —
A Quick Reminder
Selling work made using WPA’s glazes and club firings should be the absolute exception, not the norm — while it is possible to sell the occasional piece, it comes with important limits to protect our shared resources:
• Please don’t use club glazes for items you plan to sell.
• Club firings may be used, but only for a small number of sale pieces each month (e.g., up to four cups or two medium bowls). We understand the occasional piece might slip through—no drama—but in general, members need to take responsibility for their full creative process.
Why these limits?
Yes, WPA now has a paid Studio Technician, but our weekly club firing capacity and glazing resources are still limited and supported by a mix of paid and volunteer work. When members put commercial production through the studio, it places extra pressure on those resources and the people who maintain them. More importantly, regular commercial output would quickly overwhelm club firing kiln space intended for members’ personal practice. WPA is a community studio—not a commercial one—and these limits ensure the facilities remain accessible and sustainable for everyone.
What are your options?
It’s easy to buy brush-on glazes, ready-mix “just add water” glazes, or make your own. You’ll find links to stockists on the SHOP page in HelloClub.
If you have been through our Kiln Licence training programme, you are entitled to book a kiln and fire items that you have made to sell. If you don’t have a Kiln Licence, you can ask a licensed member to fire on your behalf—either through the FB Members’ page or by emailing wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com. Many members are happy to fire extra pieces if they have space when they’re filling a kiln. Kiln Licences are limited but if you’d like to work towards getting your licence, email wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com to join the waitlist.
Thanks for helping keep WPA fair and sustainable for everyone.
Member’s Gallery: Ceramicus 2025 Winners
Congratulations to our award winners!
Thank you to our award sponsors: Bot Pots, Karla Marie Ceramics, Kiwi Underglaze, Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden, and Nelson Pottery Supplies. Plus a shout out to Elysian Foods who kindly donated some ‘divine dips & delights’ for opening night, and to Jennifer M for arranging and plating it all.
For photos of the exhibition, award winners, and opening night, please email Admin for the link. If you are sharing any photos, please credit Mel Waite Photography
Is there something you’ve made that you are particularly proud of? If so, please email your photos (and descriptions, if you’d like) to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
Suggestion Box
Thanks for your suggestions in the suggestion box! Believe it or not, the suggestion box is NOT a black void of notes from you all. Suggestions get read, discussed, and logged at the Committee Meetings. Below are the suggestions and outcomes from September’s meeting (click the “+” to expand).
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We will ask him.
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We’ve tried this in the past with no uptake, but we will give it another go in the new year.
PSAs from the Club Admin
On the cubby waitlist?
We have a small number of cubbies that have become available after the membership renewal. If you’re near the top of the waitlist please check your junk email folder!
We know it looks like there are quite a few empty cubbies at the moment, however our Cubby Coordinator has been in touch with all of them and they all wish to retain their cubbies.
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Our wheel power points are getting some work done!
Significant work is being undertaken in the main studio during December-January to improve the efficiency and safety of the power points connected to the wheels. Splash-proof electrical plugs will be housed underneath three, spaced benches allowing two east-west corridors between sets of wheels. During this work there will be occasions when power will need to be cut off temporarily. Thank you in advance for your patience. Due to the nature of the work, specific times are not possible to predict. Keep an eye on the whiteboard for updates during the work.
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Primo clay prices
A better deal! Decopot, importers and distributors of the Primo and Primo-Pro brands of clay have improved their discount to WPA. Members will find that they can, in general, buy 'by the bag' equivalent to Decopot's list price, thus:
not having to pay courier fees and
enjoying the convenience of "on the table" delivery...sometimes within hours of ordering via Hello Club. And…
Club funds are supported with a small commission from each sale.
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More clay news
New to Primo range: Mid-fire FSZ. A non-grogged, cream-grey clay when fired to Cone 6. Vitrifies to domestic ware standards (less than 1% absorption rate) at 1220 degrees C. 10kg | $40
For Raku lovers (but not exclusively): Feeneys White Raku is now available in 2.5kg 'sampler packs' for $11 a pack. This is a clay that is highly resistant to thermal shock. 12.5kg bags | $50 (equivalent to a modest $40/10kg)
The few members who responded positively to the Witgert offer are variously upset and devastated that the order didn't reach minimum numbers. We will offer again - about March next year - during which time you will be able to (hopefully) put some money aside at a less demanding time of year but also have had time to read the glowing reports about Witgert clay from its very staunch followers. To the Witgert lovers: send your observations of your favourite Witgert clays to sales@rumbles.co.nz ! These will be published next year to drum up more interest.
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Solar power for WPA
Research into the finer details of the quotes continues. It's a big dollar outlay decision and your Committee is being duly diligent. February should bring positive news.
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A few tasks left
Despite the best efforts by a small group of workers, not all the maintenance jobs were completed at the Working Bee. Those with a couple of hours spare in the new year, please contact Peter at sales@rumbles.co.nz. Work required: minor concreting, asphalt work (bund construction on the bank near the garage) and painting.
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Facebook Member’s page reminder
If you were accidentally removed during the recent resigned member purge on the Facebook Member’s page, please just request to re-join.
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Ngā mihi!
Cookies for December
If you were a table-holder for the first Pop-Up Market weekend, then you know these delicious biscuits from Julie H. And bonus: they are gluten free!
Photos from loveandoliveoil.com.
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INGREDIENTS
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 300g (1.3c) caster sugar
• 500g fine almond meal
• Icing sugar for dusting
• Silver ball for decorating (optional)DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Gradually add sugar and whisk until combined
Add almond meal and mix until just blended
In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until just soft peaks (don’t over-mix)
Fold half of the whites into the almond mix to loosen it. Then fold in the reminder of the whites until just mixed.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight)
Preheat oven to 150C and line a tray with baking paper.
Roll dough into small teaspoon-sized balls (approx 13g). Coat in icing sugar and put silver ball on top (optional). Put 20 per tray and chill dough between baking batches. IMPORTANT NOTE: if the ball shape does not hold, your dough is too wet. Add a bit of almond meal and mix in gently. Reshape.
Bake until lightly golden, approx. 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!
Community News & Events
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Links to other clubs’ current newsletters:
Have some content for the newsletter? Email it to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
NOTE: There is no January 2026 Newsletter.
The deadline for the February newsletter is 22 January.
