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.
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