Loving Kaiwaka - the town, the people, the community

It has been sometime since I took to writing on here, so felt it was time to again revisit and promote our wonderful town.

Recently on the Kaiwaka community Facebook page a person who was leaving the area posted a message saying how much they disliked the community.  Of course there was an immediate and quite hostile response from a number of loyal Kaiwaka people.

The sad thing about this is the person who posted the farewell message never got to see the responses as they had already removed themselves from the group.  This made me sad for a couple of reasons.  The person leaving Kaiwaka obviously didn't become part of the community enough to feel that they belonged here and were valued.  And secondly they weren't honest enough to say 'hey this is not the right fit for me I will move on in peace'.

A good thing that has come out of all this is the positivity thread that I started in the Kaiwaka community Facebook page.  There have been some amazing comments.  Some wonderful reasons why Kaiwaka is so great.  Here are just some of the contributions:

• Its just a awesome place. Bianca and her staff are people focused, Sean, the young panel beater. I acknowledge all those self employed businesses that rely on our daily custom to feed their families and pay overheads. Kia kaha Kaiwaka.
•  I love the people. We have so many people in Kaiwaka with differing views yet we all seem to except and in brace this. In times of trouble we all join together and help.
•  Its just a awesome place. Bianca and her staff are people focused, Sean, the young panel beater. I acknowledge all those self employed businesses that rely on our daily custom to feed their families and pay overheads. Kia kaha Kaiwaka.
•  I luv the commitment from all the amazing people who give their time and energy to provide activities for our young people. There is always so much going on for them. A community invested in good things for young people are putting gold into the bank for the whole of the country . Thrilled to be part of this town
• The pies, the people, the fishing...shhh, the weather, the pies, ooh ooh the long doughnuts at Bakery, and the pies..Kiawaka is our town.
• One of the best things in Kaiwaka for me is Jaques Four Square - not just because it's a really well stocked supermarket but also because Paula & Greg are such strong community people: they sponsor local events, allow the shop to be a drop-off point for lots of things, keep Bugles/Avon/courier parcels etc there, keep track of keys to all the community halls, are the collection point for the food bank, allow groups to fundraise outside the shop - and the list goes on!
• Many of my beautiful whanau and dear friends live in Kaiwaka...and is the home town of my Marae..Te Poung
• Pukekararo, The siren, trees, lights, yummy pies and doughnuts, cones on trees, play centre, school, Oneriri Road, home, could go on and on......
• That it is home no matter where you go k town is always here the people and just the feeling of home
• The people; the community; the way the land lies in folds holding dreams like the palm of your hands hold hopes.
•  Mmmmm Doughnuts,,,,,,,,,n Pies, n Ferro cement, n Lights n Sea food , Platter's, Food cart, n the people.." Strangers can be friends you haven't met yet..".

Thank you Kaiwaka for being such a welcoming community.  If you have another reason why Kaiwaka is amazing feel free to add it.

We are not a ghost town!

In case you didn't see it tonight TV3 had an article on 3 News about poverty outside of Auckland.  \

If you haven't seen it then it's available to view online Rural neglect will lead to ghost towns.

Now here's my response to TV3 News which I have posted on their facebook page.

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Dear TV3 News

What seemed like it could have been a great opportunity to showcase small town New Zealand and how we support and care for each other was completely wasted tonight.

As a resident of Kaiwaka I would just like to refute your assumption that our small town is a ghost town.  Your article on the news tonight had many shots of empty shops.  To a viewer who is not familiar with our town they could be mistaken in thinking that was here in Kaiwaka.  In case your reporter didn't notice when they were here, there are no empty shops in Kaiwaka.

The term ghost town suggests that a community is shrinking and going backwards.  Well that is definitely not a way to describe Kaiwaka.  We are growing and we are doing well.  Yes some of our community are struggling, but isn't that true throughout New Zealand including in the bigger towns and even in the cities.

In fact in Kaiwaka our businesses are growing and changing as our community grows.  We are doing everything we can to support and care for those in our community, which is part of what makes Kaiwaka so special.  Maria Paikea and her team, who you showcased providing help via the food bank, are only some of the very caring people we have here.

Life is not easy for alot of people.  Yes there is unemployment here.  Yes there is poverty here.  Hasn't that been something your own Campbell Live have been showcasing is happening in Auckland too.  But in Auckland do they care for each other as well as we care for our people.

Next time you want to make political grandstanding points perhaps you should take your cameras elsewhere and show some respect for communities like ours who are doing everything we can to care for our people.

Kaiwaka is a community that cares, please respect that about us.

The Community Garden Reborn

 

The team hard at work weeding.

This morning a few locals got together to tidy up the community garden.  I think I can safely say I was the only real garden novice.  My job was to pull the weeds once someone had assured me what were weeds and which were actual plants.  Apparently this is an important distinction.

The garden beds are almost ready for planting.

The compost bins had been left for some time so they needed a good turning.  We had some lovely compost at the bottom of two which we added to the garden to give it some extra nutrients to get our plants growing.  There is now a bin waiting for some garden waste to go into it to grow us some more yummy mulch for our garden.

Most of the team spent the time weeding the beds.  Some of the original plants have survived.  Some like the fennel have thrived by being left alone.  Once everything was tidied up and some of the lovely mulch had been added it was time to plant.  A big thanks to Helen and Kristen for donating some seeds for the garden.

There were already silver beet, fennel and lettuces in the garden.  We now have planted carrots, peas, broad beans, garlic, coriander, lupin, oats, and a few other bits and pieces.

Gardening is a great skill especially for the younger generation.  To start some of the youngest in our community on the gardening path we have reserved an area for Small Pukeko's our local early childhood centre.  Being right next to the community garden it will be lovely to see what the children grow.

The finished beds all planted - yummy food growing!

In the future we are hoping to add a worm farm and try to grow some items in the grow tunnel.  Next working bee in the garden is on Wednesday 20th May 2015 at 9am.

So do you garden at home or work?

Not sure when to plant, I found the Garden Grow website helpful.  It shows which plants are good to be planting each month and has useful information on caring for different crops.

Feeding the community ...

There is nothing more satisfying that eating something that you have grown yourself.  Unfortunately for those of us who have grown up in cities we may not have had the opportunity, or the knowledge, on how to grow our own fruit and vegetables.

Many people would like to grow some of their own vegetables and herbs, but just don't have the ability to do it by themselves. Community gardens beautify neighbourhoods and help bring neighbours closer together. They have been proven as tools to reduce neighbourhood crime--particularly when vacant, blighted lots are targeted for garden development.  

Those who are lucky enough to have sunny backyards can plant a garden whenever they have the time and energy. But what about those who do not have a place to garden? For these people, community gardens may be the answer.

We are lucky in Kaiwaka in that a few years ago Northtec ran a course and set up a community garden for the people of Kaiwaka.   Due to people moving on the community garden has been left to founder.

Studies have shown that community gardeners and their children eat healthier diets than do non-gardening families.  Eating locally produced food reduces asthma rates, because children are able to consume manageable amounts of local pollen and develop immunities.  Exposure to green space reduces stress and increases a sense of wellness and belonging.Our community garden is in the process of being awakened.  

This Saturday 9 May at 10.30am a group of like-minded people will be meeting at the garden, located behind the Kaiwaka Hall. 

If you are interested in learning more, or becoming involved please do get in contact or just show up on the day.

We will keep you updated on our progress.