Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

Saturday 1 October  12.30 – 6pm

 St Joseph’s Catholic School, Great North Road, Grey Lynn

• Food, beverage, craft and community stalls
• Organised activities for the children
• Performance and entertainment

The event is free and all are welcome

The Shout for Samoa Community Festival is the last of the Grey Lynn Business Association’s Adopt-a-second-team activities. Grey Lynn  adopted Manu Samoa for the Rugby World Cup and has hosted a number of events to celebrate. The Community Festival will promote Grey Lynn’s support for Manu Samoa and our diverse cutural and artistic heritage.

Grey Lynn has adopted Manu Samoa as their second team for the Rugby World Cup.  With the support of the local community, schools and churches the Grey Lynn Business Association would like to welcome Manu Samoa to New Zealand and to celebrate their involvement in RWC 2011.

The following FREE family friendly events have been organised to welcome the Manu Samoa team, celebrate our community and to showcase Grey Lynn to the world.

GREY LYNN STREET PARTY
Thursday 22 September, 4.30pm-8pm
Grey Lynn Shops, Great North Road
A celebration of  Samoan culture including music, dance, craft, Samoan language and a variety of Grey Lynn flavoured stalls.

SAVALIVALI (HERITAGE WALK)
Saturday 24 September, 12pm-3pm
Meet at Joseph’s Catholic Church, Great North Road for the start of a Savalivali (heritage walk) led by Grey Lynn historian Sofi Pua and other local legends.  Be introduced to the rich cultural and artistic history of Grey Lynn, and its strong pacific roots.  

WEST LYNN STREET PARTY
Thursday 29 September, 4pm-8pm
West Lynn Shops, Richmond Road
An evening of culinary and creative delights, with stalls by local businesses and community groups. Music , dance and performance art. Local shops open late.  

COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
Saturday 1 October, 12.30pm-6pm
St Joseph’s Catholic School, Great North Road
Hosted by St Joseph’s Catholic School, the Community Festival will be a fun celebration of our neighbourhood and its people and will showcase our food, arts and craft, music and performers.  Bring your children for a fun community event.

www.glba.co.nz

On Tuesday 5 July, the Adopt-a-second-team subcommittee held a public meeting at the Grey Lynn RSC inviting the community to participate in organising festivities to celebrate Samoa in Grey Lynn during Rugby World Cup.  The meeting outlined the various activities planned, including two Samoan Heritage Walks, two Street Parties and a Community Cultural event at St Joseph’s School. The meeting was well attended and much support was forthcoming from the Samoan community.
The Adopt-a-second-team subcommittee are looking for performers, food stall holder, Samoan cultural displays, and assistance with organising the events.  If you would like to be involved, please email membership@glba.co.nz.

Media Release: 8 June 2011

Grey Lynn Adopts Samoa as Second Team for Rugby World Cup
The Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn will be putting on its loudest shirts and shouting for Samoa during the Rugby World Cup, thanks to the Adopt-a-second-team programme. Thirty-four local communities will take part in Auckland’s RWC 2011 Adopt-a second-team programme, led by Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and Mainstreets. The programme enables local communities to demonstrate support for one of the 19 international teams involved in the Tournament. The Grey Lynn Business Association (GLBA) is the driving force behind Grey Lynn, West Lynn and Westmere’s involvement and is working with other community groups to make supporting the Samoan team a success.

Grey Lynn Business Association RWC Subcommittee Member, Soala Wilson says: “We are very excited to have been given Samoa as a second team because it is such a fitting selection. Grey Lynn has a long association with the Samoan community and this link remains very strong today.”
As well as decorating the main shopping areas in Samoan colours, the GLBA has a number of projects underway to involve local businesses, the local community and visitors in the festivities with the aim of creating an authentic community experience for everyone. This reflects the Auckland RWC’s promise to bring 100% Pure hospitality to visiting Rugby fans.

One of the highlights of the events planned are the historical walks, which will be led by Samoan Grey Lynner Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua.  “We are thrilled to have Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua as the guide for these walks, which will highlight the diverse history of the area. The Reverend grew up in Grey Lynn and is a well-known figure in our community both as a minister and as an artist, poet and social activist.” says Wilson. In the spirit of Samoan community, the GLBA is also working with other community groups to bring more festivities to the area in support of Samoa. Details of these will be released shortly.

The Grey Lynn Business Association is working with EcoMatters Environmental Trust to clean up Grey Lynn and West Lynn. The Tidy Up Your Town Centre Project is running a number of ‘cleaning days’ to weed, garden, clean and paint the town centers.

Paul Dalton, Chairman of the Grey Lynn Business Association says: “The Grey Lynn Business Association is about promoting vitality, prosperity and sustainability within the area. Having a tidy township engenders pride and brings greater prosperity. The Tidy Up Your Town Centre Project will help do that.”

Soala Wilson, the organiser and driving force behind the Tidy Up Your Town Centre effort is looking for volunteers to help the project. She says: “Ten volunteers, including three kids (and a dog), have already weeded and cleaned outside Urban Jungle on Great North Road over one weekend. It was a great effort and a fun day. Now we’re looking for extra willing volunteers to help the Grey Lynn Business Association to weed, garden, clean and paint for a couple of hours this month. We’re also looking for a volunteer handyman.”

The tidy up dates are:

• 10th July 10am – 1pm: Gardening  outside Urban Jungle Cafe
• 17th July, 11am – 1pm:  Gardening, weeding and planting in Grey Lynn and  West Lynn
• 23rd & 24th July, 11am – 1pm:   Painting in Grey Lynn
• 31st July, 11am – 1pm: Window cleaning and street cleaning in Grey Lynn and West Lynn

Volunteers are welcome to join the GLBA for however long they can spare. On the 31st there will also be a celebration and refreshments at the Grey Lynn RSC to thank all volunteers.

Anyone interested in helping should contact Soala Wilson at info@glba.co.nz or call 0274 372 698.

Media Release from Grey Lynn 2030 and the Grey Lynn Business Association

Subject: NZ Post closures

9 June 2011

Locals fight to save iconic Grey Lynn Post Office

NZ Post was left in no doubt last night that Grey Lynners feel passionately about their Post Office (a Post Shop) and are willing to fight to save the services it provides and the historic building. At a public meeting hosted by community group Grey Lynn 2030 and the Grey Lynn Business Association over 50 locals called on NZ Post to urgently reconsider its decision.

Located on the corner of Williamson Ave and Great North Road, the NZ Post plans will see the relocation of the post office boxes and postal services from the Post Office building to a Post Centre franchisee. Kiwibank and bill payment services are to be discontinued. Four NZ Post staff also face an uncertain future.

“NZ Post has clearly misjudged the needs of the Grey Lynn community, many of whom are not internet savvy, and the importance of the Post Office in creating a vibrant hub that supports a lively shopping area for a range of businesses” says local hair dresser, Soala Wilson “I feel incredibly angry and saddened that NZ Post is planning on ripping out the heart of Grey Lynn”

Chair, John Elliott reminded the meeting that the new super city structure will only work if local communities are strengthened and sustainable. “The NZ Post plans are a backward step when Grey Lynn has been identified as a growth area by Auckland Council”

Cr Mike Lee, while acknowledging NZ Post’s need to run at a profit, called on the company to consider its obligations to communities as set out in its Statement of Intent and grant a stay of execution until what he called a “community rescue team” led by local business people could come up with a solution which would enable continued postal, banking and bill paying services in Grey Lynn.

A resolution was unanimously passed at the meeting for a working group to be formed to negotiate with NZ Post to delay the closure and to reconsider the decision.

Government and Community Relations Manager Peter Fa’afiu, who fronted the meeting for NZ Post, said he had heard loud and clear the message from the Grey Lynn community. He acknowledged the passion for the Grey Lynn Post Office and committed to taking the proposal back to Wellington to discuss with CEO Brian Roche.

Notes:

Save our Post office public meeting held at the Grey Lynn Community Centre on Wednesday 8 June.

Attendees included Deborah Harcus of the Eden Tce Business Association who is fighting to save the Symonds Street Post Office from closure, Waitemata Local Board members Shale Chambers, Rob Thomas and Pippa Coom; Waitemata & Gulf Councillor Mike Lee and Denise Roche, Green Party candidate for Auckland Central. Apologies were received from MPs Jacinda Ahern and Nikki Kaye

Chair John Elliott

Hosted by Grey Lynn 2030 and the Grey Lynn Business Association

Contact person for the working group: Soala Wilson

soala.wilson@gmail.com

phone 027 4372698