St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral - why has it taken so long for work to start on the Restoration of our Cathedral?
The 'Daily News' reported on Wednesday 5 October 2023 that work was hopefully going to start soon on our (stone) Cathedral. I thought we could re-start the Neighbourly conversation of a few week's ago, re: where has all the Money Raised from the Community Fundraising gone? The paper recorded that all the building work so far (on the Vicarage and the Brown Building next to it) amounted to $20 million! And the $5m from the Provisional Growth Fund would have gone into the mix for that too! As I believe all the Money has now been spent! I am most concerned that all the Funds given so Generously by the Public, by Philanthropists, by Businesses, by those with Tangible Connections to the Cathedral (eg having been Married there) were taken under false pretences! Over the past 6-7 years many of us were asked to Give what we could afford, towards the Restoration of the Cathedral - I remember it well - 2 ladies would go around all the various Groups in Taranaki and give a Speech asking for Financial help, showing the Plans etc. of How the Repairs to the Cathedral would be staged and how it would look in the Future! These Presentations did the job, and much Funds were Raised over several years! The City/Region were kept informed and we were all excited that soon, our Cathedral would once more be Open for Business? However, since approx. 2018, we've heard Nothing! And seen Nothing! What happened? Who was in Charge? Unless you were a 'Regular at the Interim Cathedral', we heard Nothing! But since many of the Funds came from Others 'Outside of the Church', they deserved to be kept Up to Date as well as everyone else. It is only this week (in 2023) that we have learnt Anything about the Progress of our Cathedral. Why? And why has so much of the Money Raised been Used for these other Projects (Vicarage and Brown Building) without the Approval or at least the knowledge of the People who thought they were Paying for the Cathedral itself NOT for other bits and pieces.....
What do you all think?
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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81.9% Yes
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15.3% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
Have you heard of Community Comms Collective?
Who are they and what do they do?
Well, to answer that question and others you may want to listen to Access Radio Taranaki 104.4FM on Sunday December 1st 2024, to hear Gemma share information about all that the Collective can offer Not for Profit – For Purpose Organisations.
But here are a few questions and answers to other information you may wish to be informed about to support your organisation.
Who are they? They are communications people volunteering their time to help community organisations with a communications boost. Their services are free, and they are 100 percent volunteer run, from the matchmaking and workshop presenters, through to the communications experts who they match you with.
What do they do? They are a matchmaking service which involves learning what kind of communications support your community organisation might need, then matching you with one of the collective of volunteers who has the right skills for that particular job.
Who do they work with? We at Volunteering New Plymouth have had the privilege of having utilised the services of the wonderful Gemma, who recently completed an assessment on our website. Bringing our attention to a number of modifications that will enhance our visibility and useability going forward.
Others who have benefitted from the services of the collective in a variety of ways are Volunteering Auckland, Wellington Access Radio, Pregnancy Help Inc, Neighbourhood Support New Zealand, Hospice New Zealand, KIDZ NEED DADZ, CAB - Citizens Advice Bureau, Cancer Society, Age Concern New Zealand to name a few organisations that you may recognise.
Where are they operating? This is a nationwide service and they welcome requests from all over Aotearoa. They also run workshops on communications topics, usually in person in Wellington, but can record these for the benefit of those around the regions. Their website is packed to the brim with resources across related topics such as media relations, branding, and social media. This is also where they have amazing templates and information on how to improve your communications. So, no matter where you are in the country, you can seek their support.
Where can you learn more? If you are interested in learning more about Community Comms Collective, visit communitycomms.org.nz and listen to Access Radio on 1st December. This show is also available to listen on Spotify and Apple Podcast - to find these go the either Access Radio Taranaki website and these recordings can be found under Community or to Volunteering New Plymouth website and look under Volunteers and Volly Calls.
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about what is involved and / or how you can get involved then contact Wendy (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 or Email: admin@vnp.nz. to take the next step.
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If eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equal?
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