Be a Hero!

I know it has been said before ... ST JOHN need more volunteers for the ambulances.

The team we have in Kaiwaka and Maungaturoto are amazing.  They give up so much of their time already, like alot of rural volunteers.  Yesterday a loved one needed in ambulance in Waipu, and as there was no-one available nearby the ambulance had to come up from Maungaturoto which from the original call was 1 hour!!!

Not the ambos fault, just a symptom of the fact there are not enough people giving their time to be available to help others.  So even if you can do only a shift a week it would be better than making someone who couldn't wait have to miss out on treatment.  The more volunteers the more lives that can literally be saved.

So if you have been thinking about it don't think any more.

Just do it - volunteer for St John and be a hero in your community.

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.

Support us so we can support you!

 

Kaiwaka Cares is establishing a community space and drop-in centre in the front room of Kate’s Place. We have been generously given some gloves by Mitre10 to help us fundraise for the community space and other community projects.

These fabulous small gardening gloves normally retail for $14.95, all we are asking you to pay is $5!
Made by Digz, this garden glove with either adjustable wrist strap or elastic band makes it perfect for outdoor tasks. The 4-way spandex provides comfort while palm and knuckle padding provides protection. This decorative glove is made to fit a small women's or child’s hand for better fit and functionality.  There are three different colours to choose from. Brown, Spots or Mint.

To buy either email caring4kaiwaka@gmail.com or phone/text #0276636802. Payment is cash or by internet banking into the Kaiwaka Cares account.

    

Are you are a volunteering super hero?

National Volunteer Week is on! There is a place for you to volunteer, he wahi mohou hei tuao.

Alot of what is done in our community relies on volunteers to make it happen.  These heroes of Kaiwaka are the ones who work tirelessly for others and are often forgotten.

Unfortunately there are not as many people volunteering as there are jobs to be done.  What you do to help others could be something little or something big.

As it's National Volunteer Week look out for opportunities to assist others.  These are just some ideas on things you might want to do.  Can you think of others?

• Your neighbour is sick with a cold so you could offer to pickup supplies from Jaques so they don't have to go out.  
• A friend needs help keeping up with their gardens so you could volunteer to mow their lawns. 
• Know a new parent, offer to go over and do dishes or fold laundry (trust me that can be an amazing help in those first weeks of getting to know your newborn.
• Hold open the door for another person.
• See someone struggling to carry their parcels up the hill and you know they live near you, offer them a lift home.

We have many volunteer heroes in our community.  Some are obvious, ie Fire Service and St John Ambulance staff.  Others less so, ie the people working in the Op Shop, our librarians, our sports coaches, and the team who put together the Bugle are great examples.

So open your eyes to the volunteers around you, and if you are able to help ... do!

Volunteering has a massive impact on Kaiwaka, do you have a volunteer story to share? 

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We are in need of more ambulance staff for our St John station.  Are you willing to help?  Follow this link to find out more.

Always wanted to ride on a Fire Engine and fight fires and help others?  Our volunteer Fire Service is always on the lookout for more to join their team.  Follow this link to find out more.

Spotlight on .... Kaiwaka Library

Read, Set, Read!

We are very lucky in Kaiwaka in that we have our own library full of books for us to enjoy at our leisure.  If you haven't taken the journey inside before then I suggest you make a date with the library soon.

Our library is run by a team of volunteers headed up by Wendy Howard.  The team open the library each week on Mondays 4pm-6pm and Wednesdays to Saturdays 10am-2pm.

Library's are not just about reading.  They are a place to explore, interact and imagine. As residents we are all able to join our library and borrow the books, DVDs, blue-ray disks, audio books, puzzles and large print books within it's walls.  More books are being brought out to the shelves regularly so there is always something to catch your eye.

If you can't find the book on the shelves the librarians will be able to look to see if it's within the library system and may be able to get it in for you.

Another option as a library member is if you like e-books you can 'borrow' virtually via the Northern E-Library.  Once the software is on your computer, tablet or phone all you will need is your library card and your pin number and you can download ebooks and audio books to read or listen to at your leisure.  Don't worry about getting the books back on time as when there borrowing time is up they will 'return' themselves to the library by removing themselves from your reading list.

I have already downloaded a couple of children's audio books for the next time I take Miss 3 to the city.  I am hoping she will like listening to Margaret Mahy's books as much as I will.

It is important we encourage young children to enjoy books.  Studies have shown the more children enjoy books in the preschool years the more they will want access to them when they are older.  Which helps them achieve better at school.

Reading for a young child often means being held close and having special time with an adult or older child.  It doesn’t take long for them to realise that reading means closeness and pleasure. Your child learns from an early age how important reading and learning is. As they hear you read a story to them they are not only learning about words they are learning how to say words and from the pictures learn about their meaning.

So next time you see the library open sign step through the doors and open the door to your imagination.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."   Dr Seuss