“Let’s Talk Rubbish”

Nikki Elder’s story of attending the Waiheke Skill Share, April 2014

As told to Justine Skilling, the Mangere Bridge WasteWise Storywriter

I chose to go to the Waiheke Skill Share weekend to take a break from mothering for a good cause!  I wanted to learn how to be more effective in teaching others about waste and to be better informed about Council’s plans.  Janine and I made the journey over to Waiheke using five different modes of transport (car, bus, train, ferry and walking).

We were welcomed with a powhiri on to the Piritahi Marae. I haven’t experienced a powhiri for a while and it was the start of a weekend that at times felt very humbling.  I don’t usually enjoy the round of introductions, but participating in the powhiri helped me to see the value of sharing stories.  Even though people can be polls apart in life, we were there with common goals.

The itinerary for the weekend gave us various opportunities to see what people and groups are doing on Waiheke to reduce waste. The New Hope Shop, which is refuse and recycling under one roof, was absolutely MAGIC. The shop is part of a not-for-profit trust that fixes and sells whatever items people bring in, from old mattresses and clothes to bits of wood.  The trust diverts waste from landfill, reducing the cost of rubbish collection for the whole Waiheke community.  It creates employment for locals and generates enough income to provide a small fund that local groups can apply to for anything from sports team uniforms to emergency grants for people in need.  The people working at the New Hope Shop obviously love their work. The volunteers don’t need to be supervised because they’re so motivated by what they’re doing.

I also found Kai Conscious Waiheke really interesting.  It’s a pilot project helping people to measure the amount of food that’s wasted by their household. People sign up and are encouraged to think about the food they buy to eat but which doesn’t get eaten. It’s made me think about the food we waste at our place, even though we have a compost bin, dogs and chickens, and has encouraged me to take steps to reduce this wastage.

The weekend also gave us the opportunity to meet like-minded people from our own area of Auckland, including Koia Teinakore, president of the Onehunga Mangere United Softball Club and a member of Papatuanuku Marae, and Anna Jacob, president of the Bridge Park Tennis Club in Mangere Bridge and a neighbor of mine in Ihumatao.  Both will be great connections for us!

The “aunties”, three lovely Indian ladies from the Papatoetoe-based initiative ‘Fashion with Passion’ also attended the Waiheke Shill Share.  Their group applied for and received Council funding to turn unwanted fabric into bags, headbands, restyled skirts, all sorts. Too cool!

         The weekend on Waiheke showed me that every community needs to be set up to reduce its own waste. I’d like to think that what’s happening on Waiheke could happen in Mangere Bridge as well, as there are lots of like-minded people here.  I hate waste, especially when it’s dumped on the outskirts of my neighbourhood and in culverts.  Rubbish is damaging our streams and waterways and destroying our environment. Through our Mangere Bridge WasteWise Initiative I hope we can encourage people who can’t use something to find someone who can (e.g. Manukau Beautification Trust e-cycling service). I enjoy reducing waste and I want to pass this value on to my children and my mokopuna.  The Council has some great initiatives and we need to learn to utilise them effectively for our children’s children and for the environment.