Tote bag sewing at the Farm

A group of Mangere Bridge locals gathered at the Farm this week to try our hands at creating a stylish tote bag from recycled material.  The workshop was hosted by Friends of the Farm and facilitated by the very talented Stacey Pinique, a Mangere Bridge resident who champions craftiness in the wider Auckland community as co-founder of the General Collective Market in Ellerslie.

Stacey sourced the material for free from Nick’s Fabrics in Otara and pre-cut the tote bag pattern to give us a head start on the night.  While measuring, cutting, pinning, sewing and drinking tea, we managed to fit in convivial conversation, swap neighbourhood gossip, and share ideas for possible future crafty workshops.  By the end of the evening, all 11 of us had managed to produce beautiful lined tote bags that will help us reduce the need for plastic bags in our lives. 

Thanks Stacey for the wonderful evening and for all the hard work you put in voluntarily to making it happen!  The workshop fitted beautifully with our Friends of the Farm vision of fostering a wastewise, caring, connected community.

Written by Justine Skilling 

Sustainable Coastlines Hui

Friends of the Farm members recently took part in a hui facilitated by Sustainable Coastlines, an organisation that mobilises and trains people around New Zealand to run beach clean ups in their local areas.  The organisation is looking to co-ordinate a huge Manukau Harbour-wide clean up in March 2016, to coincide with Sea Week, and arranged the hui to gauge interest from local groups.

Groups from all around the Harbour attended, including people working and living in Mangere, Otahuhu, Waikowhai, Hillsborough, Titirangi and Waiuku.  A common love for the Harbour was shared by all, including some that belonged to Mana Whenua groups with several centuries of connection to the area.   Grief and sadness was expressed by many at the way the Harbour has been abused and polluted in recent times.

Sustainable Coastlines plans to contact local schools towards the end of October to offer education and training, in preparation for the clean up next year.  The training includes a powerful presentation showing the impact of rubbish on sea life and, consequently, on us, as we are at the top of the food chain.  It is hoped that children will play an active part in the clean ups through participating schools.

Local groups are committing to partner with Sustainable Coastlines to facilitate  a clean up of “our patch” of the Harbour, so Friends of the Farm will focus our efforts on the Mangere Bridge waterfront from the bridge to Ambury Farm.  We’d love for as many Mangere Bridge residents and groups, as well as our local schools to get involved in this.  We hope this event will give people a real sense of guardianship of the treasure that is our Manukau Harbour and that it will send a strong message of our desire for the Harbour to be cared for and respected by the wider community.

 Written by Justine Skilling