NZ CharitiesNew Zealand Charities Community House

Wanganui District Council and the Community Taskforce on Youth Wellbeing are promoting the ‘For our Kids’ joint initiative as part of local celebrations for Children’s Day.On Sunday, March 7, two Children’s Day celebrations are taking place at Springvale Park and Castlecliff Beach Domain, with lots of free fun activities for the whole family to enjoy.Representatives from the ‘For our Kids’ initiative will be at the events to meet members of the community and explain how they can get involved to make a positive difference to young peoples lives.The Taskforce is a forum with representatives from council, Iwi and government agencies. Their aim is to promote the social well-being of young people in Wanganui and provide alternative positive pathways for children and young people who may be tempted into anti-social behaviour and activities.The first ‘For our Kids’ initiative is to develop a volunteer programme. Adults are encouraged to get involved in activities to benefit youth, such as coaching or supporting sports clubs, helping out with homework and providing role models and mentors.All volunteers will undergo an accredited programme to ensure they have the appropriate skills to enable them to interact positively with young people.Local businesses are also encouraged to promote the initiative and support employees who wish to volunteer for the programme.Cr Barbara Bullock, Co-Chair of the Taskforce believes this new initiative has the potential to make a huge difference to young people in Wanganui. “Council is committed to making the city a family-friendly place and this initiative is a step forward to achieving this goal.”“Research shows that if young people spend time with positive, understanding adult role models they are less likely to become involved in negative behaviour. The ‘For our Kids’ initiative offers a great opportunity for the whole community to get behind our young people and make a difference to the future of Wanganui.”The Children’s Day event at Springvale Park runs from 11.00am to 2.00pm and the Castlecliff Beach Domain Park event from 12noon to 3.00pm, which includes a Beach Dig In, Kids Talent Quest, stalls and activities, bouncy castles and a free BBQ (with water provided).

The Big Day Inv - Free Rock Music Festival Date: Saturday, 27 February, 2010

Start Time: 12 midday

Venue: Gala street reserve, Queens Park, Invercargill, No Public parking on site. (Parking on Gala street and side streets Please.)Contact: Maree FrancisPhone: 021 0220 3690EmailPrice: $Free Entry, but Gold Coin Donation welcomed.www.thebigdayinv.co.nzA Fabulous One Day Music Festival.Showcasing Southlands Most Talented Bands and Musicians. Headlining International Rock Band RedRain who are Fresh from Thier 8th World Tour! Saturday 27th February,12 noon to 9.30pmLocal Supporting Bands include:Kramit, The Show of Hands, Midnight Cruise, The Kicks, and many more popular favorites playing LIVE MUSIC ALL DAY….. FREE ENTRY.” The Big Day Inv” is Family Friendly, Smoke Free / Alcohol Free. Entertainment includes:Free giveaways, raffles and prizes, organised activites for primary school children, 2 huge bouncy castles for teens,(Free Admission).A special preschool childrens play area, (Parental supervision required) Free Public access to Clean drinking water and Portaloo’s. There is a Tasty Food Village with a great range of reasonably priced food and beverages available on sale ALL day. Music Merchandise / CD’S etc also on sale.Bring a blanket, slap on some sunscreen and come and chill out at “The Big Day Inv”.

Art in the Parks aim is in holding a celebration of Arts is to showcase the wonderful artistic and creative talent to be found on the West Coast. There are very many visual artists on the West Coast ranging from painters to sculptors and everything in between. It is an opportunity for the artists to network with one another and for the public to meet the artists and discuss their various artforms. Artists are given the opportunity to work on site which is a wonderful experience for many of the public. There are also a large number of very talented performing artists who enjoy providing the public with wonderful entertainment throughout the day.

Date:

6 March 2010

Location:

GREYMOUTH

Venue:

SHANTYTOWN

Email:

be@artinthepark.co.nz

Website:

www.artinthepark.co.nz

Clinicians views sought on new Pharmac role

Clinicians are being asked for their views on an expanded role for Pharmac, which was a recommendation from the Ministerial Review Group last year.The proposal suggests giving Pharmac a greater role in the purchase of hospital medicines and some medical devices.Auckland District Health Board’s Chief Medical Officer Dr David Sage will be meeting with clinicians to discuss their views, and clinicians can also make written submissions by the end of March.Pharmac is currently responsible for managing DHB spending on community pharmaceuticals which people get from their local pharmacist, and deciding which hospital cancer medicines are funded by DHBs.Pharmac also helps DHBs in some other purchasing areas.The Ministerial Review Group was set up to recommend how New Zealand might improve the quality and performance of the public health system, and included some of the leading clinicians and managers from across the health sector.

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity with the aim of raising awareness of the value of biodiversity and what we can do to safeguard it.

2010 International Year of Biodiversity logoBiodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals, and ecosystems in an area. Wellington’s natural environment is unique – from the penguins and pingao around the rugged South Coast to the flax-covered coastal escarpments and the dolphins in the harbour. From the tall miro and matai in our remnant forests to the kokopu in our streams and the tui and kaka flying through the central city, our environment is at the heart of what many Wellingtonians say they love about their city.Wellington City Council’s vision is for Wellington to be a city that protects and restores biodiversity and proudly showcases its natural areas.The Council’s Environment Portfolio Leader, Councillor Celia Wade-Brown, says “Everyone has an impact on biodiversity, positive or negative, and can play a part in its conservation. The healthy wild environment, interwoven with our cosmopolitan capital attracts residents and visitors alike.”"Globally, the rate of extinction of species is accelerating.  It’s essential for us to become more aware and more responsible. The planting being done by volunteers all around the city is a great example. Transport, pollution and consumption choices all affect our local and global environment too.”The Council has a Biodiversity Action Plan that coordinates biodiversity activities, and identifies local priorities and actions to protect and restore biodiversity. This plan focuses on indigenous biodiversity. It aims to protect and enhance biodiversity through a range of projects and services.A variety of Council projects directly benefit biodiversity. These include providing environmental grants and support to environmental community groups, pest management, conservation of threatened plants and revegetation projects using eco-sourced plants.The Council runs a city-wide revegetation programme with more than 60,000 eco-sourced plants going into the ground each year.  Under the community greening programme, we also supply up to 40,000 eco-sourced plants to environmental community groups and to people planting on public land beside their houses, Cr Wade-Brown says. Almost 50 environmental groups are supported around the city, from Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves in the north and Island Bay Coast Care in the south, to the Miramar Track Project in the east and the Makaracarpas (Makara Estuary) in the west.”Pest plant species in 23 key native ecosystems, such as Otari-Wilton’s Bush and Trelissick Park, are controlled and we also have citywide programmes for some species of weeds.”The Council works with Greater Wellington Regional Council to control possums on more than 2000 hectares and there are also goat and pig control programmes as required and a mustelid (stouts, ferrets, weasels) programme supported by volunteers who bait and check the traps.Education programmes are also supported through Wellington Zoo, Zealandia - Karori Sanctuary, the Botanic Garden, Otari-Wilton’s Bush and revegetation work with schools.Monitoring programmes are in place to look at the changes in vegetation distribution and to monitor the condition of selected ecosystems. The Council also does regular bird counts to look at the distribution and abundance of native birds around the city, which has increased since counts began.To mark the International Year of Biodiversity the Council is supporting a series of community events throughout 2010, says Cr Wade-Brown.”Restoration Day will be held on International Day of Biodiversity on Saturday 22 May. It will have a strong focus on biodiversity and how lessons learnt from the past will ensure better biodiversity conservation in the future. This year we will be involving schools by asking them to do posters on their restoration projects and how they are helping indigenous biodiversity.”Other events to look out for include Seaweek; Berhampore Nursery Open Day on 15 May where there will be a ‘Biodiversity in the Backyard’ theme; Arbor Day on 4 June; Conservation Week, including Otari Open Day in mid-September; and Spring Festival at the end of September/early October.”I encourage people to go along and support these events and find out more about biodiversity and how Wellington households, schools and businesses can support it,” says Cr Wade-Brown.

Fresh Start for serious youth offenders

“Fresh Start legislation targeting the country’s most persistent, serious young offenders with a range of tough new measures has now become law,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.”Intervening early to divert these young people from a life of crime could save taxpayers from the $90,000 a year it costs to house an adult in jail.”"Early intervention is a proven prevention method,” says Ms Bennett.The Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill passed its third and final reading this morning.The bill, aimed at the worst 1,000 young offenders provides greater Youth Court powers, including extending jurisdiction to 12 and 13 year olds and tougher, more effective sentences.”This Bill gives Youth Court judges the ability to determine what’s needed to change the behaviour of our most serious youth offenders, and order them to follow through on it,” says Ms Bennett.The reforms include doubling the maximum residential sentences to six months, with twelve months supervision and increasing supervision with activity orders to six months with another six months supervision.Military activity camps for the most serious repeat young offenders will teach self-discipline, respect and responsibility, with mentoring, parenting and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes to address the causes of offending.”The Army has been incredibly successful in preparing thousands of young adults for work and training with its Limited Services Volunteer (LSV) programmes. We know young people respond well to the mix of teamwork, self-discipline, responsibility and pride delivered by soldiers,” says Ms Bennett.Fresh Start will cost $84 million over the next three years.”This Government’s commitment to frontline youth justice services, better equips judges with the tools they need to deter young offenders from a life of crime,” says Ms Bennett.Police will be able to refer 12 or 13 year olds who commit very serious crimes to Youth Court for the first time.”New Zealanders have long been appalled at our inability to hold the very small number of children, who commit serious crimes, properly to account”.”We have the opportunity with this investment to make a real difference in the lives of young offenders.  Getting it right will have huge benefits for all New Zealanders,” said Ms Bennett.More information: http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/media-releases/2009/pr-2009-02-16.html

10 March

Walk2Work is a national event created by Living Streets Aotearoa to encourage kiwi workers to leave the car at home and walk to work instead. Try walking to work once to discover how easy and pleasant it can be.

Free breakfast!

Walkers can enjoy a free breakfast and possibly pick up some great spot prizes.

Nelson

1903 Square at the top of Trafalgar Street from 7am - 9am.

Richmond

Central Queen Street from 7am – 9am.

Contact

Margaret Parfitt, Transport and Road Safety Coordinator, phone 546 0390 or 027 678 3384

It’s a tale of a healthy obsession with buildings and their make up, documentary photography, ‘green’ buildings, birth and renewal and Japanese Shinto temples.

Two architecture lovers are next in line to exhibit at Toi Pōneke Gallery from Friday 5 March with Built Fabric.Though their disciplines differ - Tane Moleta being a designer and Mizuho Nishioka being a photographer - both artists discovered that they are working on theses with a similar theme, and decided to exhibit their work together.”We’re both working on themes that deal with buildings’ demolition,” says Tane. “Mizuho has taken a series of photos at the construction site of the new ‘green’ building on Willis Street, and I’m working on a series of architectural drawings that explore the evolving nature of Shinto temples in Japan.”Shinto temples - some that date back three or four thousand years - are dismantled and put back together roughly every 20 years. The vast majority of materials are reused, but more are added. “This ‘newness’ is seen in a very positive light in this particular area of Japanese culture, a ritual that dates back thousands of years due to rice harvests. It’s quite different to how Westerners generally think about the demolition or dismantling of old buildings,” says Tane.The new ‘green’ Telecom building under construction at Willis Street, however, has a similar ethos behind it. Mizuho says when she was photographing the construction and bones of the new building, she found that every last bit of waste, such as glass, stone or sand, is carefully weighed, labelled and put into an inventory. The materials are then either reused on site or shipped off to another construction site.”So I took images of these fragments,” says Mizuho. “People will see images of these next to images of the area that they were taken from.”Mizuho particularly wanted to document a construction site as they are traditionally hidden from the public domain. “Why is it that we don’t seem to care about what happens between the moment of demolition and the unveiling of a new building? Being quite a fan of buildings and architecture, I would rather see the process of change as I am walking around an urban space. Most people may not be concerned with change - this is part of what the exhibition is about.”Both Mizuho and Tane are about to finish their masters degrees. Mizuho will complete a Masters in Fine Arts at Massey University, and Tane will complete a Masters in Architecture at Victoria University. Built Fabric opens at 5.30pm on Thursday 4 March at Toi Pōneke Gallery, 61 Abel Smith Street - just up the road from Real Groovy.

The Council has appointed Irving Smith Jack Architects Ltd to develop their concept plans for the Library & Exhibition Facility along with the refurbishment of the current Museum into an Archive, Storage and Research Facility.The Council made the decision at its meeting on Wednesday 24 February 2010 and follows extensive independent review of the three concept plans plus community feedback on the proposals.Whakatane Mayor Colin Holmes says the decision is a culmination of a long process towards the development of modern arts and culture facilities for the District.In September 2009 Council purchased the former Briscoes building for the purpose of developing it into the Whakatane Library & Exhibition Facility.Prior to making this decision the Council went through a Registration of Interest process which resulted in three architectural firms developing concept plans. The firms wereIrving Smith Jack Architects LtdJasmax LtdOpus InternationalThe three designs were presented to key stakeholders and neighbouring property owners and then displayed at various locations around the district to seek community feedback.Mr Holmes said in addition to seeking community’s views of the concept plans, an  independent evaluation of the concept plans was conducted by experts Mr Jim Geddes QSO who is the Director of the Eastern Southland Gallery and Mr Malcolm Walker NZIA who has been a member of independent judging panel for Architectural competitions. A quantity surveyor also confirmed that all designs could be achieved within the set budget for construction.Thanking the people who took an interest and put forward their views Mayor Holmes said the Council wanted feedback on advantages and disadvantages of each proposal and with this in mind the consultation was very successful.“The community provided very valuable views which in most cases were well thought through and this feedback will be taken into consideration when developing the detailed design. The comments from the public shows that there is no design that clearly stands out above the rest”.Community Projects Manager Barbara Dempsey says the process from here is the development of a detailed brief to allow the Architects to develop the detailed plan.  This is a key component of the process, the Arts and Culture team will have an opportunity to ensure that the lay out of the building works from a practical point of view. The Arts and Culture team will work with the architect and use their expertise, and their knowledge of customer’s requirements to inform the design. The feedback received through the consultation will also provide valuable input into the design at this point.For more information please contact Community Projects Manager, Barbara Dempesy or Arts and Culture Manager Wynne Marriot on 07 306 0500.

The Datsuns headline Summer Sounds Nixon Park

The Datsuns, The Bats and Clap Clap Riot are expected to pack out Kingsland’s Nixon Park in a fantastic Summer Sounds 2010 finale on Saturday, 27 February.Hitting New Zealand stages for only a handful of gigs this summer, Summer Sounds Nixon Park is the only chance fans have to see this internationally based band free!Formed in Christchurch, but definitely part of the 1980s Dunedin sound, The Bats have been going strong for more than 25 years. They’re joined by Auckland-based indie maestros, Clap Clap Riot, who have been receiving rave reviews for their highly energetic and captivating live performance.Summer Sounds is one of four series in Auckland City Council’s Music in Parks programme, now in its 17th successful year.The 2010 Music in Parks programme runs until March and features over 40 concerts showcasing the best musical talent Auckland has to offer.Summer Sounds 2010 is proudly provided by Auckland City Council, and made possible with the support of grabaseat, The Radio Network, Juice TV and Youthtown.Visit www.musicinparks.co.nz for the full Music in Parks 2010 programme and more details of the great line up of participating artists.

G. Wright  an exceptional depiction of artistry.Exuding vision & passion which sprawls from heighten senses, his creative genius captures the essence of Landscape/Seascape design

www.artnz.info 

Helen Williamsonembodies the true ability of creative sight.

Through Art, Photography & many other channels, Helen creates and takes life from untapped momentary images

www.helenwilliamson.co.nz 

The PositiveNZ Trust is proud to endorse both individuals as part of the PNZ Events Programme

www.pnzevents.com 

You can see G.Wright & H.Williamson at the Stafford Villa High Tea 28th Febuary 2010

www.nzcharity.info 

Nelson City Council is taking the opportunity to recognise and reward our most outstanding residents with the Community Spirit Awards 2010.Mayor Kerry Marshall says “From the many selfless volunteers in community groups and sports clubs, to our outstanding inventors, innovators and athletes, there are things happening throughout the community that put Nelson on the national and even the international map. The Community Spirit Awards are a way for Nelson City Council to celebrate those groups and people that enhance our wonderful lifestyle.”The Community Spirit Awards will only be held every three years so the calibre of the nominees will no doubt be high and the judges’ decision tough.The Awards are based on the Civic Awards of days gone by but have been redesigned to make them more accessible and relevant to wider sectors of the community.Nominations are invited from Friday 26 February until Thursday 1 April.Nominate can be for an individual or an organisation. Each nomination needs to be signed by two people. The criteria for the Community Spirit awards are wide open.  Awards will simply be given for outstanding community service in Nelson, either in one specific area or across many different fields.A judging panel made up of Councillors and community leaders will assess the nominations and choose this year’s recipients. The awards will be presented by the Mayor at a special ceremony at Civic House on Tuesday 4 May.Nomination forms are available from the Council office in Trafalgar Street, from any of the three libraries or from the Council website.

The City Centre Action Group (CCAG) gave its first report to Council yesterday .Established in mid-July 2009, the City Centre Action Group’s (CCAG) role is to champion the delivery of the vision, objectives and actions of the City Centre Strategy. Membership of the CCAG is at an operational level and is made up of representatives from:

• Bay of Plenty Property Council
• Creative Tauranga
• Priority One
• Tauranga Chamber of Commerce
• Tauranga City Council
• Tauranga Mainstreet
• Tertiary Partnership (Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and University of Waikato)Tourism Bay of Plenty

CCAG is charged with fulfilling its role by:

• Following up and driving actions.
• Assisting in resolving resourcing issues.
• Maintaining national and international awareness.
• Anchoring collaboration.
• Identifying implementation gaps.
• Recognising and furthering unique opportunities.
• Advocating for the City Centre Strategy, including submitting to Council on decisions that could impact the city centre.
• Consulting with sector groups, as appropriate, in driving City Centre Strategy actions.
• Checking ongoing validity of actions, including a three yearly review.
• Reporting to Tauranga City Council.
• Communicating City Centre Strategy action and implementation to stakeholder groups and the community.

Priority One is the administrative agency for the City Centre Action Group which includes preparing for and chairing regular meetings, monitoring progress by organisations and agencies, maintaining an up-to-date implementation plan and reporting progress to Council every six months.For more information click here to view a copy of the first CCAG presentation to Council.

 Over 400,000 records within the New Zealand Card Index have been digitised and the online index is now free to access within our Digital Library.

The New Zealand Card Index – Auckland City Libraries’ database of 420,000 records – is now in digital format and available within our Digital Library.The information within the database focuses on people, places and organisations, and includes references to Auckland buildings, businesses and places, as well as obituaries, death notices and marriage notices between 1877 to 1886.The index began in the 1950s and closed in 1996, providing references to a range of sources including local and national newspapers, New Zealand periodicals and books, with some going back to the 1870s.The online index provides vastly improved keyword access to local history, biographical and family history references from sources such as Auckland, New Zealand and obituary scrapbooks as well as key newspapers including the New Zealand Herald, the Auckland Star and Auckland area suburban newspapers before November 1996.Benefits of using the online index:

• Keyword search (fast and easy)
• Bookmarking or sharing with social networking sites (rapidly share info with your contacts)
• Creating lists using ‘My Collection’ (so records can be printed or exported)
• Add comments to records (these may be helpful for other researchers).

 Date 27 February – 20 June 2010This programme is composed of three courses, which can be completed in any order. Pick and choose courses of interest.Parents who, presently, do not feel ready to support others but would like to learn more, are welcome on these courses. Existing Support Parents are encouraged to attend courses to help refresh their skills.Accreditation as a Support Parent can be applied for on completion of the Personal and Communication Skills Courses.

1. Personal Support Course (One-day module)

• Learn new ideas on how to manage stress
• Understand grief and how it is portrayed
• Identify your support network and how to grow it
• Find ways to build yours and your family’s resilience

2. Communication Course (Two-day module)

• Develops your communication skills to help you in your own life
• Enhance your listening skills so you can provide phone support to others

3. Navigating the System (Half-day module)

• You don’t know what you don’t know. This course looks at all the resources available within the disability sector and gives you the opportunity to ask questions of people who work in it.

We invite all parents and family/whānau members interested in learning more about advocacy skills to attend this training. The 12-hour course covers assumptions (and the dangers of making them), questioning skills, active listening, planning and researching.This training is free to parents and family/whānau members.We are now able to offer limited fee paying places to those who would otherwise not meet our criteria. The course fee is $360.If you would like more information on these courses, including course dates and locations, visit: http://www.parent2parent.org.nz/training.htmOr contact Parent to Parent: 0508 236 236.