Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

Have you mentioned yet that it’s possible to be removed from the weed ‘spray list’?

Auckland City keeps a list of people who don’t want the verge/curb at the
front of their houses sprayed for weeds.

Call 379-2020 to take your houseoff the spray list!

Only 300 homesout of 400,000 in the city area have requested to be exempt, according to Tony Jonas, Manager for Streets (846-3919).

The herbicide that is currently being used is called Hitman, an ‘organic’ weed killer made by WetandForget, a NZ company (476-4440).  The ingredients of Hitman are a mystery.

The companydeclined a direct request for an ingredient list, besides saying that the active ingredient iscoconut palm oil.

Tony Jonas said it also will contain petroleum by-products for stickiness.

Also a smelling agent has been added to it soit can be located by the herbicide user.

The website for WetandForget says that Hitman is not safe for fish in ponds, so who knows how it works
when it flows down the storm drains to the harbour.
We were going to be sprayed for the second time in a month, so I asked the operator what was going on and found out that we could request to
be exempt.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get entire blocks to request to be spray free?
Especially streets like Commercial Road, where we are almost completely tar sealed — no weeds to speak of!

No grass, either, but that’s another story.  At least we have olive trees.

Regards
Nancy

Come over to our Place: a cross-cultural friendship project

Auckland City is rich in diversity and opportunity. There are however, often language and cultural barriers for people from newer migrant communities and from more established groups, who want to mix socially , understand and enjoy what each other have to offer.

We are looking for approximately 12 participants to take part in a pilot project starting 23 May and finishing 4 July 2009.

The project is being organised by Auckland City Council with the Chinese New Settlers Services Trust (CNSST). The purpose of this project is to provide opportunities for people to meet and spend time with people from a different cultural background.

New Zealand born, native English speakers will be matched up with Chinese-speaking migrant New Zealanders with English as a second language, for the 7 weeks of the project. Participants will take part in a range of social activities including a Chinese cooking class and a creative session at Artstation. The commitment required from participants is to spend around two or three hours per week with their ‘buddy’ and a willingness to learn about another culture. Participants will describe their experiences through photographs, pictures or words at the conclusion of the project.

New Zealand born English-speaking participants will have the opportunity to;

• Build new friendships with Chinese-speaking Aucklanders
• Increase their knowledge of Chinese cultures and languages
• Support new migrants to feel ‘at home’ in Auckland
• Take part in a range of creative and social activities together
• Share their experience of being a New Zealand-born Kiwi
• Have lots of fun

Chinese-speaking new migrant participants will have the opportunity to;

• Build new friendships with Aucklanders from another cultural background
• Increase their knowledge of English language and ‘Kiwi’ cultures
• Take part in a range of creative and social activities together
• Share their Chinese cultural background with others
• Have lots of fun

We are looking for people from any of the following areas to take part; Pt Chevalier, Westmere, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Arch Hill, Herne Bay, St Mary’s Bay, Freeman’s Bay, CBD, Eden Terrace, Newton, Grafton, Parnell, Newmarket. We welcome enquiries from people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and abilities. Places are very limited so we may not be able to take everyone.

• To register your interest, please contact:

Sarah Cole – Community Services Adviser

• Auckland City Council
• Phone 354 2041 or
• email sarah.cole@aucklandcity.govt.nz

Grey Lynn 2030

Possible Legal Structures

1. Currently Grey Lynn 2030 is operating as an unincorporated society with no rules/constitution.

2. As an unincorporated society, the members of the steering group are personally liable (jointly and severally) in the event that something happens at an event organised by Grey Lynn 2030. This is because in law the Grey Lynn 2030 group has no separate legal existence. For example, if last Friday night with the screening of the short movies, the projector caught fire and burnt the community centre down, the community centre’s insurers would go after members of the steering group to recover the costs of the fire.

3. Creating Grey Lynn 2030 as a separate legal entity is therefore desirable, not only for members of the steering group to avoid personal liability, but also because it is easier to secure funding from organisations, that is, organisations such as trust boards etc are more likely to give legal entities rather than groups of people.

4. There are two possible legal structures which Grey Lynn 2030 can use:

(a) Charitable trust; or

(b) Incorporated society

In addition, to allowing members of the steering group to avoid personal liability, both can allow Grey Lynn 2030 to claim tax exempt status. But note, tax exempt status must be applied for and is not granted automatically.

5. The differences between the two structures are set out on the following page.

6. I believe that the better structure of the two for Grey Lynn 2030 is that of an incorporated society, for the following reasons:

(a) Grey Lynn 2030 is not sitting on a large amount of money or other assets and deciding how they should be used, maintained etc. Rather as the vision statement currently says, the aim of Grey Lynn 2030 is:

“[t]o be a participatory organization that aims to serve all sectors of the Grey Lynn community by facilitating, supporting and generating sustainability in all dimensions of urban development.”

Thus having a committee to which people go to and communicate with, plus the committee organising and co-ordinating events, makes it sensible for Grey Lynn 2030 to be an incorporated society rather than a trust.

(b) Difficulty in finding two people willing to be trustees. Reasonably onerous duties are imposed on trustees and changing trustees is time consuming. Incorporated societies are much more fluid in that sense, can have people come and go as they please.

Please put this up on a wall in your neighbourhood.

Thanks

Click on the image to view the PDF

Tree Systems and Agroforestry
Module 9, Permaculture Design Cert
Sat 9 May    8.45am-5pm    $80-$180,
Finn Mackesy & Gary Marshall; Guest tutors Wade & Jenny Cornell

Note – new booking and inquiry details for all permaculture workshops – see above. Pre-payment required.
Introduction to forest ecology; tree crop design; species for firewood, timber, amenity, ecological restoration and habitat; forest restoration; coppicing wood lots; plantation management – pruning, thinning, harvesting; agroforestry – integration with livestock.

Sustainable Home Water Systems
Policy and Design Practicalities
Wed 13 May    6.30-8.30pm    $10
Damon Birchfield, Land-use planner and sustainability consultant/researcher

Water is a precious resource. This seminar discusses both the policy environment related to water conservation in NZ, as well as the practicalities to designing a more sustainable home water system – from rainwater tanks to greywater systems. Find out how much water you could save, and how to access financial assistance when purchasing water conservation technologies.

The Beauties of Biodiesel
Fuel from last week’s fish & chip oil
Wed 20 May    6.30-8.30pm    $10
Andre’ Hamman, Director NZ Ester Fuels Ltd

Imagine having a sniff of your normally stinky diesel tail pipe – and all you smell is a faint cooking oil odor – if that! Andre’ Hamman is director of a new Biodiesel manufacturing company based in Tuakau which has production capacity of 2 million litres pa. Find out about biodiesel manufacturing, hear about the possibilities for use from factory forklifts to the household runabout.

Fruit, Nuts and Berries  Module 10
(prev Mod Permaculture Design Cert
Sat 23 May    8.45am-5pm    $80-$180
Finn Mackesy & Gary Marshall Guest tutor Derek Craig, Oak and Thistle Ltd

Note – new booking and inquiry details for all permaculture workshops – see above. Pre-payment required.
Orchard design, layout and management; selecting appropriate fruits / nuts / vines / berries; beneficial insects; planting and propagation; plant health, pests and disease; herbal lay; integration with small animals.

EDIBLE GARDEN CULTURE Part 3.
Waste to Resource Cycle
Sat 30 May 8.30am-10.30am   11am-1pm (repeat)   $20
Richard Main, co-founder Unitec Hort Sanctuary, environmental educator

An 8-part practical series designed to get participants up-skilled in home fruit and vege production. This module covers: composting, and utilizing available materials in a productive and sustainable garden system. Due to demand we are holding a second repeat class on the same day.

Other news and events!

Biodynamic Organic Gardening Group – May field trip

This month we are going to join the Kaipara BD group in putting down a cow pat pit at Sandie Wendt and Patrick Corfe’s place in Kaukapakapa.  Sandie has been biodynamic on her 33 acre property for 25 years.  She has a large garden, labyrinth, beehives, chooks and other farm animals and a wetland. This will be a great opportunity to explore the use of biodynamic gardening on a larger scale.

The field trip will still go ahead, rain or shine, but in case of torrential rain, please ring Sandie Wendt on 09 420 5624.

Date:           17 May 2009
Time: 10.30 for 11am
Where: Makarau Rd (driveway goes up hill beside Makarau Hall), Kaukapakapa.
Parking: Do NOT go up driveway. Please park at bottom of drive beside hall.
What to bring: Food for shared lunch
What NOT to bring: Dogs
What to wear: old clothes, boots/gumboots, raincoat/sunhat, garden gloves
Cost: gold coin koha and $10 for new BOGG members
Places are limited so please book in early by phoning Sarah on 826 4276.

Bio-diesel Co-op

EcoMatters Environment Trust is pleased to announce we have a bio-diesel co-operative operating.  We have secured a high quality bio-diesel derived from locally sourced waste oils. The oils have been put through a system in such a way that they are readily usable in almost all diesel engines without conversion. It burns so cleanly that you can’t see or smell a thing coming out of the tail pipe!

The diesel will be $1.10 per litre with an annual membership fee of $25. Once you are a member we can come to an arrangement in terms of supply. At the moment people will be able to fill up here at EcoMatters http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&tab=wl but we can to do a pick up system where you can take containers home and use them at your own discretion.

So if you do have a diesel vehicle, here is your chance to power it on a waste product and get around carbon neutral!

If interested please contact Aaryn Barlow on 826 4276 or email aaryn@ecomatters.org.nz