Over coffee at Wild Oats, Josie Askin sat down with Renee Renata for the November GoCarterton Business Spotlight — a conversation about creativity, family, community, and the many ways local people contribute to Carterton life.
Many people in the local business community already know Renee as the person quietly helping keep GoCarterton running behind the scenes. From organising events and newsletters to supporting members and coordinating communications, she wears many hats. Alongside her work with GoCarterton, she also runs her jewellery business Eden Skye Design and recently stepped into a new role as Service Manager for Hōkaitahi, supporting women and whānau across Wairarapa through pregnancy, postpartum and baby loss.
“My business wouldn’t have been as successful if I was still in a big city. Wairarapa friends, family and other businesses really rally behind each other.”
Renee Renata
Finding Carterton
Renee and her family moved to Carterton in 2016 after discovering they could find more space, more affordability and, unexpectedly, a stronger sense of community. What began as a practical move quickly became something much deeper.
“We doubled the house size for less money,” Renee laughed. “Then on the way out of town we saw a horse and cart going down the road, and another horse in the New World car park. We thought — where have we moved to?”
The family never looked back.
“It’s the best thing we’ve ever done,” she said. “The community here really gets behind people. I honestly don’t think my business would have grown the same way if we had stayed in a bigger city.”
The story behind Eden Skye
Eden Skye Design began almost accidentally at the kitchen table while Renee and her son experimented with polymer clay together. After making a pair of earrings for herself, people started asking where they came from. Before long, a hobby became a business.
Named after her daughter, Eden Skye also carries a deeply personal meaning. Renee explained that the name honours her son Beau, who passed away, with “Skye” representing the stars and sky connected to his memory.
“It became a way of bringing him into the business too,” she said.
Creativity, family and entrepreneurship
ne of the things Renee values most about running her own business is the flexibility it gives her family — and the example it sets for her children. Her son has already started learning about entrepreneurship through helping at markets and even launching his own small product ideas alongside her stalls.
“That’s probably one of the biggest wins for me,” Renee said. “Teaching my kids that there are different ways to build a life.”
Why local business connection matters
The conversation also explored GoCarterton’s Business Connect events, monthly socials and the value of creating spaces where business owners can meet, share challenges, build confidence and feel less alone.
Renee’s story reflects much of what GoCarterton is about: local people wearing many hats, supporting each other, creating opportunities and helping Carterton remain a place where business and community are deeply connected.
What quickly becomes clear during the conversation is that Renee’s work — whether through GoCarterton, Eden Skye Design or Hōkaitahi — is deeply connected by the same thread: supporting people.
That sense of connection runs strongly through her experience of Carterton itself.
“When you’re in business on your own, it can actually be really lonely,” she said. “That’s why things like Business Connect and the monthly socials matter so much. You realise other people are dealing with the same challenges too.”
Much of Eden Skye’s growth has happened organically through local markets, workshops and word of mouth. Renee described how the workshops have become not only a creative outlet for participants, but also a surprising source of inspiration for her own designs.
“I’ll watch what people create and sometimes they come up with combinations or patterns I would never have thought of,” she said. “It’s almost like accidental market research.”
Her honesty about the realities of running a small business was refreshing. Like many local business owners, Renee spoke openly about the pressure of social media and the constant challenge of staying visible online while balancing family life and multiple responsibilities.
“You spend ages creating something and then post it online and nobody sees it,” she laughed. “It can become a bit of a cycle where you lose motivation because you’re not getting the engagement.”
Despite the challenges, her passion for creativity and community remains obvious throughout the conversation. One of her proudest moments came when Eden Skye Design was named a finalist in the Wairarapa Business Awards.
“I was sitting there thinking, I’m just a mum making earrings at my kitchen table,” she said. “Then suddenly I’m standing alongside all these incredible businesses.”
For Renee, though, success is measured less by awards and more by the life her business has helped create for her family.
“It’s given me the ability to be there for my kids,” she said. “To do school pickups, go to athletics days and still build something meaningful.”
Supporting others through Hōkaitahi
Renee’s new role with Hōkaitahi is close to her heart. The service offers free counselling and practical support for women and whānau across Wairarapa navigating pregnancy, postpartum and baby loss.
The conversation also explored Renee’s new role with Hōkaitahi, formerly known as Crisis Pregnancy Support Wairarapa. The organisation provides practical and emotional support for women and whānau navigating pregnancy, postpartum challenges and baby loss.
After experiencing the loss of her own son, Beau, Renee said the kaupapa feels deeply personal.
“To know there’s support available for other families now — support we didn’t have at the time — that’s really special to be part of.”
Alongside sharing Renee’s story, the conversation also highlighted the role GoCarterton continues to play in bringing local businesses together through events, networking opportunities and community initiatives across the district.
From vineyard walks and wine tastings to business socials and workshops, the organisation’s goal remains simple: creating opportunities for local people to connect.
And perhaps that sense of connection is exactly what sits at the centre of Renee’s story too — building businesses, supporting others and creating space for community to thrive.
As the conversation wrapped up at Wild Oats Café, one thing felt especially clear: Carterton’s business community is shaped not just by the businesses themselves, but by the people quietly working behind the scenes to help others succeed.
This conversation was originally recorded for the GoCarterton Business Spotlight series on Arrow FM, celebrating local businesses, stories and community connections across Carterton District.
