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This week we again feature words and a picture from Louise Thomas, who recently ventured to Whanganui.
"The Chief Porter and I have been hunting the Nankeen Night Heron for some time. Randomly calling into Ūpokongaro to the spot “Behind the Door on 4” where others before us have clocked … View moreThis week we again feature words and a picture from Louise Thomas, who recently ventured to Whanganui.
"The Chief Porter and I have been hunting the Nankeen Night Heron for some time. Randomly calling into Ūpokongaro to the spot “Behind the Door on 4” where others before us have clocked the birds, but, for us, with no success. On Monday we were crest fallen to find the café shut, but thought we would head a little way up Makirikiri Valley Road and drop down into the gulley and scout along the stream that runs into the Whanganui River at Ūpokongaro.
The recent rain had made the stream brown and swollen, water was lapping up onto the shelf with the slight track covered in wandering willy (tradescentia). It was wet, slippery, and muddy and our pants were wet up to the knees just walking through the undergrowth. We were buzzed by fantails and wax-eyes, but saw nothing of the night herons behind the area where the café is.
We pushed a little further upstream, straddling rotten logs which crumbled under our feet and slipping in the thick wet weed. I was about to call time of death on the operation, when the Chief Porter spotted a creamy patch against the dark tangled trees overhanging the stream. It was like magic, three night herons materialised from the gloom, their bodies glowing like warm rich butterscotch.
All three had slicked back black hair, but one roosting in the tree, hunched over like an old man, also had two long thin white feathers waving down his back like crazy antennae. One was actively hunting in the stream, pulling at aquatic plants in the hope they might be tasty, the other perched above and moved along the branches quoorking encouragement about the activities below. Nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)."
The total funds held in our building fund appeal bank account is $45,054.72, resulting from a steady stream of donations from our very generous local community.
For those of you would like to help but do not have access to the internet, you can make donations in person at the ASB Bank Paraparaumu … View moreThe total funds held in our building fund appeal bank account is $45,054.72, resulting from a steady stream of donations from our very generous local community.
For those of you would like to help but do not have access to the internet, you can make donations in person at the ASB Bank Paraparaumu - our account details are: 12-3157-0048639-50.
We are working with our architects A&D architecture Ltd to design an efficient layout of the new building, including the efficient flow of goods from the storage containers and vehicle access. As a result of the robbery we experienced earlier in the year security is high on our list of wishes as is the safety of our volunteers.
A sign board is now erected on the Foodbank entrance which will graphically reflect the donation level in our building fund account. Similar signs will appear on Kapiti Rd, Te Moana Rd, and Raumati Rd next week.
David Edwards (Chair)
Kapiti Community Foodbank Incorporated
www.thekapitifoodbank.co.nz...
WEEKLY FOODBANK BUILDING FUND APPEAL UPDATE
After another successful week, our total now stands at $98,100 - with the $10,000 from Connect Church being received in our hot little hands. Watch this space for photos.
Our Givealittle page has just launched, giving you another easy option for … View moreWEEKLY FOODBANK BUILDING FUND APPEAL UPDATE
After another successful week, our total now stands at $98,100 - with the $10,000 from Connect Church being received in our hot little hands. Watch this space for photos.
Our Givealittle page has just launched, giving you another easy option for donating to our cause.
We are nearly there people, and we cannot thank you enough for the support we have received to date.
Dave Edwards (Chair)
Kapiti Community Foodbank
www.thekapitifoodbank.co.nz...
I have just returned from a meeting of KCDC where the closure of the recycling centre was discussed. I have pasted my address to Councillors below for those who missed the meeting. I don’t resile from anything in this address, although the Mayor threatened me with defamation. In my experience,… View moreI have just returned from a meeting of KCDC where the closure of the recycling centre was discussed. I have pasted my address to Councillors below for those who missed the meeting. I don’t resile from anything in this address, although the Mayor threatened me with defamation. In my experience, however, it’s pretty hard to sue someone for having an opinion. Given the way in which the community has been ignored, perhaps we can sue the council for deafamation.
We had a good turnout of supporters in the gallery and Michelle Lewis presented her petition, with an astounding 1015 signatures collected in 10 days. On the basis of her presentation the Mayor advised he would be asking the CE to provide a report on the district recycling facilities. When pressed, he would not include the Waikanae recycling centre specifically in the scope of the report. Jackie Elliot attempted to move a motion that the recycling centre remain open but was blocked. Jocelyn Prvanov similarly was blocked from speaking. Afterwards, a newcomer to council proceedings commented that she was shocked at the viciousness of the meeting behaviour and the treatment of councillors opposed to the closure. I really admired the persistence with which Jackie made every effort to have her motion put forward.
The purpose of local government contains a requirement to act on behalf of communities, as set out in the Local Government Act 2002. Curiously, the response to my address contained nothing about this, which was addressed in my first point. Instead the focus zeroed in on a brief comment I made about horse trading. This self-absorbed response regarded my comment as libellous. Anyone who has been in politics knows that horse trading is part of the territory. Its what people do. They lobby each other for votes and agree to support each other’s initiatives. So what? The hoo ha over this comment suggests to me that the Council has misread the community and does not understand the depth of feeling on this issue. I think its time they woke up and smelled the dissatisfaction. And its not the only thing with an odor surrounding this. Something smells pretty awful in this whole process.
The reluctance to include the Waikanae Recycling Centre in the scope of the council report is telling. It tells me that this is just another attempt to fob us off and the report is going nowhere. So its business as usual. See you all tomorrow outside the council building at 10.00 am. Bring placards and a good voice and lets send yet another message to council. Perhaps tomorrow they will have their hearing aids turned on.
Address to Council as follows:Good Morning, In relation to the Climate Change Framework I wish to speak to the council decision to close the Waikanae Recycling Centre, in my capacity as chair of Save Our Recycling Targets group, SORT for short. There are three points I wish to make. Firstly
1. The Consultation Process Was Not Adequate
The climate change framework sets out in its principles, item 6 which states “decision making is inclusive, transparent and based on ongoing collaboration and consultation with the wider community” But that’s not what happened when the decision was made to close the recycling centre.
We consider that there should have been a lot more discussion on the issue. The limited discussion that was held was ignored by council. The majority of submissions to the long term plan were opposed to the closure (presumably from those few residents that were “in the know”) and there was no support for the closure from participants in the LTP workshops.
The arguments concerning equality as reasons for the closure are an insult. There was no equality in this decision making process. It was neither inclusive nor transparent. The community had no input into the decision.
In this respect council is in breach of the Local Government Act.
2. The decision to close the recycling centre is inconsistent with Council’s policy on Sustainable Waste Management, the climate emergency action framework and the Long Term Plan..
We know that kerbside recycling has a high contamination rate. A large percentage of what is collected ends up in landfill. The most efficient way to recycle is through a dedicated facility where the waste is sorted on site. In our view, it is short-sighted of Council to close this.
Both the LTP and the Climate Emergency Action Framework talk about supporting the community to minimize waste, enabling communities to be resilient and have access to the services they need, promoting sustainable practices in the community to see a reduction in waste. And here’s the kicker “to reduce council emissions we’ve implemented changes to conserve energy, reduce fossil fuel use, increase use of renewable energy and improve how we dispose of waste”. Since when does closing a recycling facility improve disposal of waste? Since when does driving 15 kms to an outside recycling facility reduce fossil fuel use? This closure make a mockery of these objectives. Set against the closure of our facility, the Long term plan reads like a large pile of empty rhetoric.
The Climate Change Action Group has publicly stated that this closure sends entirely the wrong message regarding climate change. And we agree with them.
In relation to Projected Growth. There are numerous housing projects planned for Waikanae which is expected to grow considerably in the next decade. In excess of 700 housing units are planned. To put it in plain English, as one resident has said
“Why would they want to close it, we are only going to get bigger”
3. Why Indeed?
We do not accept the reasons given for this closure and consider that there are other unstated reasons for closing the recycling centre. It has led us to question the integrity of the process.
Firstly the way in which the vote was rushed through in the LTP workshop. Councillors who initially voted for the centre to remain open subsequently voted for the closure. In our view, there has been some pretty vicious horse trading going on.
We consider that the real reason for the closure of the Waikanae recycling centre is an attempt to circumvent the requirements of the Resource Management Act and provide the Summerset retirement village project with a construction access without having to provide an offset.
Thus, from both a democratic and environmental standpoint, this closure and its process, lacks integrity. It does not honour Council’s commitment to climate change and it has ignored the wishes of the community. We call on council to revoke this decision.
Dear fellow citizens. You would do well to listen to the Westland Mayor talking about the Labour Government's three Waters initiative. It's 16 minutes of solid sense and calm logic and I promise you will NOT be wasting your time.youtu.be...
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Please delete if not allowed.. My nephew is devestated, please be on lookout.. Many thanks
When:- Sunday 1 August 2021, 10:00am–1:00pm
Where: Te Horo Community Hall, 54 School Road, Te Horo,
A truly friendly, local, country market with a fundraising popup cafe with yummy treats and over 40 stalls both inside and outside.
There will be Plants, Skincare, Hand Made Soaps, Food - … View moreWhen:- Sunday 1 August 2021, 10:00am–1:00pm
Where: Te Horo Community Hall, 54 School Road, Te Horo,
A truly friendly, local, country market with a fundraising popup cafe with yummy treats and over 40 stalls both inside and outside.
There will be Plants, Skincare, Hand Made Soaps, Food - Artisan Breads, Honey, Avocados, Jams and Chutneys, Olive Oils, Baking, Eggs and more), Books, Bric-a-Brac, Quality Up-Cycled and Re-Purposed Home Wares, Furniture and lots lots more.
Also included are Arts & Crafts (Art Works, Pottery, Jewellery, High-Quality Stationary, Bird Feeders, Toys, Candles, Fabric Creations, Mosaics, Ceramics, Pottery, Patchwork Quilts, Tableware, Clothes, Knits, Skincare, Merino Goodies, Hats, Gloves and Scarves).
We also have the Seasonal Surplus table – a local fundraising effort with surplus items from local gardens for sale.
NZ COVID Q Code Tracer Poster, Sign-In Forms and Sanitizer will be available.
Do come and enjoy a day out at a real country market day - There’s plenty of parking with the market located just up the road from Ruth Pretty's.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 1 August at the Te Horo Community Hall. All welcome!!
Note:
The new permanent access to and from School Road is in place.
Northbound traffic - turn left off SH1 onto Te Horo Beach Road (at Hyde Park Village), then go East over the new bridge.
Southbound traffic – turn right off SH1 onto Te Horo Beach Road then East over the new bridge.
Solid pallets for general use or can be used as sides for your compost heap.
Please pm me with your interest.
Tēnā koutou! Are you a teacher or educator who is keen to help your school and your students embrace a culture dedicated to climate action? Does the idea of sustainable behaviour patterns for life appeal to you? Or maybe you’d like to be the person who transformed the way your kura/school or … View moreTēnā koutou! Are you a teacher or educator who is keen to help your school and your students embrace a culture dedicated to climate action? Does the idea of sustainable behaviour patterns for life appeal to you? Or maybe you’d like to be the person who transformed the way your kura/school or kōhanga/early childhood centre thought about and dealt with waste?
Well, thanks to funding from the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainability Trust is holding a FREE 1-day workshop to help you do this.
This workshop is part of the Your Sustainable Schools (YSSN) Train the Trainer programme.
YSSN Train the Trainer Kāpiti is on 19 August from 9 am to 4 pm at Paraparaumu Library. Get in quick as there are only 25 spots at this workshop.
For more information & to book, head to - Your Sustainable Schools Kāpiti
Join the movement to help make Aotearoa a better place to live!
Recreate a Kiwiana classic using butterflise and Resene testpots.
Find out how to create your own.
New works by contemporary Māori artist, writer and curator Dr Rangihīroa Panoho provide a relevant reminder that the passage of time has not shortened the shadow cast by Ngā Pakanga Whenua o Mua The New Zealand Land Wars.
There will be an Artist's Floor-talk with Dr Panoho, Saturday 21 … View moreNew works by contemporary Māori artist, writer and curator Dr Rangihīroa Panoho provide a relevant reminder that the passage of time has not shortened the shadow cast by Ngā Pakanga Whenua o Mua The New Zealand Land Wars.
There will be an Artist's Floor-talk with Dr Panoho, Saturday 21 August, from 2:30pm. Free entry. All welcome.
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