Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

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

In this week’s “City Scene” the Council is promoting the Future Planning Framework for Auckland. If you are interested in GreyLynn 2030 you should be interested in this. Here is your chance to tell the council how you would like to see Western Bays developing.

The web site that accompanies the document, www.Itsmybackyard.co.nz is fun to use.

In case you missed the article in City Scene here it is

Auckland is your backyard: the city where you live, work or play. Because our city’s growing, we’re making plans now to determine how all of us can use land in the future.

The Auckland City Council is hoping that you will get involved with the Future Planning Framework for Auckland. This looks at how and where development should occur in your area.

Ten area plans have been developed for Auckland, sitting under an overarching citywide plan.

Following community input, the plans will form the basis for a revised isthmus district plan, due for review in 2010.

The due date for feedback is Thursday, 7th  May.

As well as reading about the plan for your area, you can see the whole picture by visiting It’s my backyard – a special website that gives more information and accepts feedback and comment.

Look out also for displays and presentations by council officers at shopping malls and local libraries.

A list of dates and venues can be found under public notices.

I read Keith Ng on the Public Address blog this morning having a rant about why get involved with Earth Hour. He suggests there is no need to bother. So if you forget about it, load up some energy efficient light bulbs at home or give some to your friends. And if you can’t afford to buy energy efficient lightbulbs, I have some good news from the council below.

It is a long and (quite funny) post but he makes a good point…

Go buy an energy efficient lightbulb and spend Earth Hour with the lights on watching TV – you’d come out ahead by a long, long way. Better still, take an hour’s wages and buy energy efficient bulbs for people who don’t have them. That’d actually be worthwhile.

Just further to the Earth Hour promotion. In support of Earth Hour, Auckland City is helping to distribute 10,000 energy saving light bulbs (compact fluorescent lights) to the Auckland community. These are Ecobulbs and are being supplied by a NZ company called EnergyMad (they are not being purchased by Council). 500 bulbs are being delivered to each community library to distribute.

The bulbs should be available from Community libraries from Thursday 26th March, morning onwards (and will continue to be available until they run out). The limit is 3 bulbs per person.

These bulbs use 80% less electricity, and last around 10 times longer than ordinary incandescent light bulbs. As most people will probably know, they do contain a very small amount of mercury, however information about this is located at the link below. I note that the mercury in most dental fillings contains up to 50–100 times the mercury of an Ecobulb.

http://www.ecobulb.com/nz/FAQs.htm#3A

Cheers
Keeping Auckland’s Future Bright…
Brent Bielby
Senior Sustainability Policy Analyst

Meola Reef Community Picnic

Grey Lynn 2030 are invited to a community picnic at Meola Reef, organised by Auckland City Council, on Saturday 21 March 2009, 1-5pm.

There will be musical performances and presentations from local groups as well as activities for adults, young people and children. Learn about fresh water invertebrates in the stream with Wai Care, go on a tour of the reef, meet Fairy Clare and find out about how you can volunteer in and around Meola Reef and the creeks. Pack a picnic lunch, water and sunscreen and celebrate your community and environment at the reef.

If it rains, the picnic will be delayed to Saturday 28 March. Due to limited parking near the reef, walking or cycling is recommended. There will also be a free bus operating throughout the afternoon to and from Meola Reef, Pt Chevalier and Westmere.

Bus stop pick up points are:

Pt Chevalier Shopping Centre, Great North Road, Pick up outside WINZ
Pt Chevalier Road. Pick up corner of Dignan St
Garnet Road Shopping Centre. Pick up opposite Oban Road
Garnet Road. Pick up opposite Warwick Avenue

For more information, go to the Auckland City Council website www.aucklandcity.govt/events or call the helpdesk 379 2020.

Eva Lawrence

Grey Lynn 2030 Auckland City Council Lobby / Liaison Group.

Minutes for meeting at 6pm, Wednesday 25th February 2009 at Malt, Richmond Rd.

Present: Gary, Suzy, Paul, Kail, Kim, Lynn, Gillian, Duane.

1. Self introductions, reasons for joining group and areas of interest:

Kim and Lynn are from Waste Away group, Kail works at Lifeline, Paul is on the community board, Gillian has worked on community consultation for the ACC, Gary is a designer of urban landscapes, Duane has something to contribute, Suzy is an eternal optimist. (If I have missed anyone or totally have it all wrong, my apologies, just going from memory).

2. Vision / Mission statement:

This is still a work in progress but some ideas that came up from the discussion for me were:

• To be known as the go-to group for sustainable community issues
• To be an interface between council and community on policy and sustainability issues
• To work with other groups in GL2030 on submissions to council etc
• To enable community groups to engage with council (but not doing it for them).

Focussing on the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP): http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/focus/default.asp

Word drop:

Community resilience / economic and legal reform / doing things differently in the future / understanding processes / achieving desired outcomes effectively for equality and wellbeing for all / enabling / future community / working cooperatively / urban ecology / sustainable systems / learning and growth / validating community input / access and engagement / position / personal growth / advocacy / skill sharing / positive communication / transparency, media accountability, honesty, without corporate bias / channels of communication / influence on practical policy and programmes / representatives / awareness / monitoring / values / consequence / ecological progress as opposed to economic.

3. Renaming:

Likewise, a work in progress. To be mulled over and decided at next meeting.

4. Connections with existing GL2030 groups.

Lynn and Kim from the Waste Away group talked about their process of setting up the e-waste recycling day. Here’s hoping that Woolies pulls through with some carpark space for the event!

5. Team structure, roles and responsibilities

Paul is our contact for the community board. Suzy is doing minutes. Lynn and Kim are our Waste Away contacts.

6. Contacts with council:

Paul to get some names and contact details.

7. Action points:

• Educate ourselves about policy and plans to do with Grey Lynn catchment.
• Think about other community groups we can liaise with
• Think about a name!!!
• Paul: council contacts (invite to next meeting?)
• Gillian: community consultation document
• Eva Laurence is at the community centre once a week. She’s the community services advisor for northern.

8. Next meeting:

Agreed on monthly meetings. Date set for 25th March, 2009. Probably 7.30pm. Malt was a bit noisy… any other good suggestions are welcome. We can keep in contact via email, make sure you “reply to all” and keep everyone in the loop.