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.

    

Slow down you move too fast!

Trying to walk across State Highway 1 in the Kaiwaka town zone is like dancing with the devil.  You can your life in your hands trying to navigate across the road without a car or truck exceeding the speed limit bearing down on you.

My daughter (Miss 3) often asks if we could walk to the post office, however as it would require us to cross the road I am just too frightened to risk it.  Particularly as our post office is situated just after the speed reduces to 50.  I truly worry about the children that need to cross that road each and every day.

Although lets be honest here, how many people actually reduce their speed going through Kaiwaka!

On more than one occasion I have been tailgated by a truck either coming down the hill or going up.

I know it has been tried before, there has to be something said though for perseverance.  A petition is currently circulating about this very topic.  If you haven't read about it more information is available in the 23 June 2015 version of the Kaiwaka Bugle.

The petition is available to view, and sign, at Kaiwaka Foodmart/Post Office, Coffee Pot Cafe, and Caltex Station.  If you would like a copy of the petition for people to sign at your place of business then please email us on caring4kaiwaka@gmail.com.

As the police advertising warns us speed kills, so save a life by signing the petition and helping us get the speed in Kaiwaka lowered.

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.

Pay It Forward

The concept of pay it forward has been around for awhile now.  Whether you know it from the book and/or movie or from an act of kindness from another the act of paying it forward has many benefits for both the person giving and receiving.

Doing one good deed for another might not seem like much.  However to the person at the receiving end it can mean the world.

As a bonus when you perform these random acts of kindness it makes you feel better about yourself and can have a positive effect on your immune system. The act of giving and receiving contributes to improving the self worth and self esteem of yourself and those around you.  It can also prevent people from feeling alone or isolated, as well as getting us out of our comfort zones.

Also studies have shown that the positive energy you receive from giving to others helps to relieve stress, which to be honest we all need in this day and age.

Paying it forward doesn't have to be something big, in fact the small things can often mean the most to others.  Examples could be:

• catch someone doing something right, if you get great service at a shop or cafe then say so 
• buy some Instant Kiwi tickets and and put them in your neighbour's letterbox or leave on a co-workers desk
• pay for the person in front of or behind you's food in the queue - even the act of paying for someone's milk can make a huge difference
• hold the door open for others
• if it's raining offer to share your umbrella with someone
• be a mentor for someone who needs your support
• clean out a cupboard and donate anything that you haven't needed or used for a year to someone else or the op shop
• pick flowers from your garden and drop them to a sick neighbour to brighten their day
• where a sign around your neck offering free hugs
• when doing baking drop some off to your neighbours 
• offer excess fruit or vegetables from your garden on facebook for someone else in the community to have

Really the options are as endless as your imagination.

So give back to those around you by paying it forward.  And you will be amazed how good karma means that good things make their way back to you too.

Massive Hikoi

WALK TO SUPPORT "MASSIVE" MONDAY 1 JUNE 2015

Too often we hear via the media about another sexual attack, or some case that is going through the courts.  Unfortunately that is only the tip of the iceberg.  Most events of sexual violence are not reported.

It's a sad fact that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 8 boys will be 'exposed' to sexual violence before they turn 16.  For these children there innocence in childhood is shattered and the emotional and physical impact will go on for many years, if not for their whole lives.

There are lots of services available to help the victims of sexual violence, but is that enough.  We need to stop the violence before it happens.  We need to make it so unacceptable in all forms, at whatever age.

The hikoi that will be coming through Kaiwaka aims to raise awareness as it is much easier to prevent sexual violence than it is to recover from it.

Tomorrow at 12:00 the hikoi is due to reach Kaiwaka.  If you want to walk to support this initiative and say no to sexual violence then meet at the corner of Settlement Road and State Highway 1 at 12:00.

The hikoi will then walk through Kaiwaka before it heads out of our town.  If you can't walk all the way through town then join where you can or meet the hikoi as it goes over the bridge and on into Northland.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

Being Neighbourly

One of the things I disliked about living in Auckland was that often people weren't interested, or simply didn't care, about who their neighbours were.  Even though we are in a small community there are still people who might not know their neighbours.

Three of the most important reasons why it's good to know your neighbours are:

• creating a safer community
• helping each other out 
• and the real bonus of knowing your neighbours is that you may make a new friend!

Breaking down the barriers is part of the reason behind the new community social space that we are creating at Kate's Place.

Whilst sometimes technology can hinder neighbourly relations, it can also be useful way of finding out what is going on.

On Facebook there are many groups for all kinds of interests.  Of particular use for those of us interested in knowing our Kaiwaka neighbours are:

• Kaiwaka Community - ask and answer questions, buy and sell, find out what's going on
• Kaiwaka Community Cinema - catch a movie and meet other locals
• Kaiwaka Sports Association - meet like minded people and enjoy sports at the same time
• Kaiwaka Library - expanding your mind whilst meeting your neighbours
• Kaiwaka Cares - where you can find out what's happening at the community space

Another group that also supports people being able to easily communicate with neighbours is the site Neighbourly.  This is a New Zealand website setup to try and bridge the divide and get neighbours meeting and communicating with neighbours.  

Some of you may have received a letter from Neighbourly recently.  That was because of me, Janine Boult.  No it's not a scam or trying to sell you anything it's just another way of keeping in touch if you want to join.

If you know of any other sites we should highlight or add to this list then please l

I Love Living in a Small Town

Today is one of those Fridays.  You know the type when your 3 year old climbing into bed and peeling your eyelids open.

After two days in Auckland I have arrived home with a cold, and I feel miserable.  It seems every time I go to Auckland now I get a cold.  My mother suggested that maybe I am allergic to the city.  Not sure about that I do know though that I am definitely allergic to the traffic!!!

So here I was at home after a few errands and went to make a nice cuppa.  No Milk!  So off down to Jaques to get the necessities, as my daughter informed me yesterday Jaques is where all good food comes from.

Get home after my short journey to find fresh cut flowers perched in the cats water bowl.  The cats didn't look amused.  Well tough to them - I loved it.

There is something about an unexpected gift that brightens your day and makes you feel appreciated and cared for.  I have no idea who they are from, although have my suspicions.  I just know they are a small kind deed that most likely wasn't hard to do and yet means so much to me.

It's one of the many reasons I love living in our small town.  It's the way that people look out for one another and actually care.

We may not have some of the conveniences of a larger settlement.  Who needs that though when we have a community who watches out for one another and actually care about the people around them.

Today is just one of the lovely ways that the people of Kaiwaka constantly delight me.  Thanks for letting us live here and I hope that in some way I am able to give back and make someone else's day brighter too.