Deepawali in Rotorua - communitymatters.govt.nz

Ngā Take Hapori
Issue 29 / Summer 2009
Deepawali
in
Rotorua
Te Taurima Deepawali i Rotorua
Lighting the candles of diversity
Te tahu i ngā kānara o te kanorautanga
Deepawali (Festival of Lights) is an annual
Hindu festival celebrating the victory of
good over evil. Last year, Rotorua’s Hindu
community decided to share their festival
with the whole city.
So the first Rotorua Deepawali was celebrated
in a grand manner on 8 November 2008 with
more than 1500 people participating.
With funding of $6050 from the Lottery
Grants Board's Bay of Plenty / Gisborne
Community Committee and wide community
and local business support, the festival turned
out to be an exercise in well lit community
bonding.
Even though it was election day, many MPs
and councillors took part in the opening
ceremony, which was held in the Rotorua
Convention Centre. Kaumatua Mita Mohi
blessed the occasion and Mayor Kevin Winters
officially opened the first Rotorua Deepawali
by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
The opening ceremony was followed by
various workshops on such subjects as ancient
Indian art (rangoli), yoga, Bollywood, how
to wear a sari, and henna hand decoration.
There was also an exhibition of Indian musical
instruments and clothing, and food stalls.
More than 60 Hindu elders came from
Auckland to support the festival, and most
stayed at Apumoana Marae, where they
were given a powhiri. They, in turn,
presented the kaumatua of the marae
with saffron-coloured scarves as a
symbol of love.
In the evening, a cultural show
was held at the Civic Theatre,
where it was standing
room only. The show
began with a Maori
blessing and a
Maori dance
performance
by children and
families of the Ngati Rangiwewehi Roopu
Rangatahi. Neelima’s School of Dance
(Auckland), Kalaniketan Dance Academy
and Kadam Dance Academy from
Hamilton performed Indian classical
and folk dances, and there was
excellent classical singing and music
with sitar and tabla (drums).
continued on next
page
inside
A young woman performs the Kathak dance at the
cultural show to celebrate Deepawali in Rotorua
3
Dog therapy
4
Maori Battalion
6
Graffiti art
11
Super women
Deepawali in Rotoroa continued
After the show, everyone went down to
the lake-front for a fireworks display, and
Samblasta, Rotorua’s Brazilian percussion
group, entertained the crowd.
One festival-goer said to the organisers:
“Congratulations for lighting the candles of
diversity in Rotorua.”
Hindu elders hongi at Apumoana Marae, where they were guests during Deepawali
Welcome back, Minister
Nau mai, hoki mai, e te Minita
On 18 December, a whakatau (welcoming
ceremony) was held at the Department of
Internal Affairs head office for new Minister
for the Community and Voluntary Sector,
Tariana Turia. As Minister Turia has held
this portfolio before, she is not a stranger
to the Department of Internal Affairs, and
was warmly welcomed back. Department
Chief Executive Brendan Boyle and Local
Government and Community Branch
managers and staff were on hand to greet
her and her staff.
Manukau on
the move
Kua neke te tari i Manukau
Department of Internal Affairs services in
Manukau are now all under the same roof.
On 19 January, the three previously separate
offices moved to one central location, at 2024 Lambie Drive.
The Local Government and Community Branch
in Manukau is now under the same roof as
Passports, Citizenship, Births, Deaths and
Marriages, and Civil Defence information.
Internal Affairs
CE Brendan Boyle
with Minister
Tariana Turia
Manukau is one of our busiest centres. The
Department will now be able to provide
Manakau customers with a more integrated
service, resulting in greater efficiencies.
There is no change to contact telephone
numbers.
2
Dogs and teenagers a good mix
In brief
When you don’t get a good start in life, the
odds are stacked against you.
See you at Pasifika
Neglected and abused puppies can become
dangerous and anti-social adult dogs,
and so it is with people. Children with
disadvantaged beginnings can find adult
life a struggle and often society suffers the
fall-out.
If you are planning to attend the mighty
Pasifika Festival, come along and see us
at the DIA stall. This annual festival takes
place at Western Springs in Auckland and
celebrates the art, culture and lifestyle of
Pacific communities in Aotearoa. The stall
will be open on the Saturday (14 March) of
the weekend event. You can find out about
all the services the Department provides,
from how to apply for a COGS grant and
where to go for a passport, to information
about how to prepare for a natural disaster.
See you there!
He pai te hono a ngā kuri me ngā taiohi
Two Nelson women wondered what would
happen if dogs that had been neglected
were paired up with teenagers who had had
a rough start in life. Might this bonding be
mutually healing?
Karen Howieson, a former counsellor and
co-founder of the Nelson Ark programme
along with school teacher Susan MurrayRifici, believes so. She says similar
programmes overseas have had good results
in teaching marginalised kids lessons about
diversity and respect.
The idea is that the teens each take
responsibility for the care and training
of a dog, and that this experience leads
to mutual benefits. The dogs get care,
affection, play and training. The kids
get unconditional love and a sense of
competence, and develop empathy
from having responsibility for a
creature that is dependent on
them.
Local support and
many voluntary hours
went into getting
the programme up
and running. Funding
from the Lottery Grants
Board's West Coast / Nelson
/ Marlborough Community
Committee contributed
towards development of the
six-week pilot programme,
which ran at the end of
last year. The programme
was granted $11,176 last year
towards salaries, training and
supervision, and volunteer
expenses.
Taking part in the pilot were
six teenagers who attend a
learning support centre at
Nayland College. The other
participants were six dogs
of varying breeds that
had been abandoned or
mistreated but were
now all registered
and microchipped.
He whakarāpōpototanga
Helping the isolated
Graduation Day! James and Jed
The youngsters were matched carefully
with their counterpart pooches for
temperament, etc. Though the kids
have “issues”, none are offenders or
have behaviour problems.
There have been difficult times –
dramas, tears and challenges.
Dogs can be stubborn and,
at times, infuriating. But
the sense of self-esteem
and empathy that builds in
these kids when they meet
the challenges is priceless,
says Susan.
Kerry Budge, Nayland
College’s special needs
coordinator, was positive
about the programme, saying
some of the students were
showing signs of increased social
maturity and empathy.
The Nelson Ark programme has
ambitious goals. Susan says future
courses will be longer (10 weeks),
and may potentially include more
challenging kids.
Success! Megan Shand, 16, demonstrates her
leadership skills with Karla the dalmatian
Whitianga Community Services provides
a one-stop social services centre for
communities in the Greater Mercury
Bay, an isolated region on the east coast
of Coromandel Peninsula. It provides
programmes for youth and the elderly
as well as welfare, health, education and
information services. Lottery Grants Board's
Waikato Community Committee has granted
the group $40,500 to cover four parttime salaries, for their community support
worker, two elderly support workers and
their family violence prevention support
worker.
Song and dance
With help from the LGB’s Wellington /
Wairarapa Committee, members of the
Johnsonville RSA Entertainers were able to
tour the Manawatu, where they took their
music to rest homes, retirement villages
and RSA venues. The troupe is made up
of mainly retired men and women. They
usually put on shows in the Wellington
region, but once a year they try to perform
concerts in other areas.
Breathing easier
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation is
grateful to the LGB for its support of the
Foundation’s communication activities, of
its educational out-reach, Puff, its Balloon
Day and the annual convention and AGM.
3
Photo: Gisborne Herald
Old warriors reminiscing at the book launch
Maori Battalion marches again
Kei te rangatū anō te Hokowhitu Māori
The bravery of the Maori Battalion is
legendary. The whole of New Zealand feels
pride in their exploits.
Recently, their story was told in a book, Nga
Tama Toa: The price of citizenship, which is
the fruit of 14 years of research by a large
team of descendants of the Battalion’s C
Company, drawn from East Coast iwi.
Nga Taonga A Nga Tama Toa Trust, the
driver of this vast project, launched the
book in a manner befitting the mana of its
subjects. With funding help of $4100 from
the Community Organisation Grants Scheme
(COGS) and $20,000 from the Lottery Grants
Board Bay of Plenty / Gisborne Community
Committee, the trust was able to stage a
memorable event and to assist some of the
old soldiers, most of whom are infirm or
disabled, in getting to the ceremony.
The book launch was a landmark event
for Maori communities all around the
rohe (region). It was a focus for regional
Maori community initiatives and provided
strong leadership models for young
people. Relationships with Pakeha were
strengthened by the inclusion of non-Maori
veterans and the gift of a record of the
history of the area.
The celebration at Te Poho O Rawiri Marae,
for what was possibly the final salute of
this elite group of World War II veterans,
was especially poignant. Tears fell from
many eyes.
A crowd of 5000 gathered in Gisborne
for this taonga’s send-off into the world.
People from all over the Tairawhiti region
came together with the veterans and their
whanau, and with descendants of the
soldiers who never returned.
Photo: Gisborne Herald
As the parade of soldiers and whanau
carrying photos of their lost loved ones
arrived at Te Poho O Rawiri Marae, a mass
powhiri and haka began. The photos were
placed in kete on the marae steps.
4
Proud descendants of the Maori Battalion march to Te Poho O Rawiri Marae for the book launch
Christmas at the Lake
In brief
It’s not just the big cities that have flash
events like Christmas in the Park, with bigname entertainers and glittery stage sets.
The town of Cambridge, population 16,000,
has Christmas at the Lake, which does
yuletide razzamatazz very nicely, thank you!
Rocking on
Kirihimete i te Rotomoana
For the past three years, Synergy, a
church-based local trust, has staged a
free Christmas concert for the people
of Cambridge. Last year’s concert, on 14
December, at Lake Te Ko Utu in the town’s
leafy Domain, drew a crowd of 15,000.
With the power of 200 volunteers, support
from Waipa District Council, local businesses
and funding from the Lottery Grants
Board's Waikato Community Committee
and the Community Organisation Grants
Scheme (COGS), Synergy Trust put on an
extravaganza to appeal to the whole family.
He whakarāpōpototanga
By 5.30pm, the crowd in front of the
purpose-built main stage had swelled to
thousands.
Kiwi music icon Dave Dobbyn was one of
the stars of the show. “Dave likes to give
something back to local communities,”
Murray said.
Among the performers were a combined
school choir of 50 pupils, a kapa haka
group from Cambridge High School, and
the Hamilton-based Funky Monkeys, New
Zealand’s very own musical super-group for
children.
A huge, 40-square-metre LED screen
treated the crowd to up-close shots of the
performers on stage, drawing the audience
right in. In a spectacular finale, fireworks
were launched from a barge in the middle
of the lake.
Organiser Murray Smith says the event was
a great success, bringing the community
together, raising local morale and
engendering goodwill. The $7000 Lottery
grant went towards activity, resource and
programme costs, and the $3500 COGS
grant went towards production costs.
The Whangarei College band Eabae
successfully made the Rock Quest regional
finals despite some students having only
recently taken up music. Eabae writes and
performs original material. They say they
are grateful to the Community Organisation
Grants Scheme (COGS) and the Lottery
Grants Board's Northland Committee for
supporting their musical journey.
Sculpture garden
LGB’s West Coast / Nelson-Marlborough
Committee helped the Refinery Artspace
develop its sculpture garden, which opened
last year. The Refinery is a community
gallery that helps Nelson’s emerging artists
by giving them a space in which to work
and showcase their art for sale.
Lifting the community
The Waitaki District Community House
has a new lift. The House provides a
range of services on the upper level of its
building, including the Cancer Society,
Stroke Foundation, Asthma Society, Budget
Advisory, the community hospice office and
Sport Waitaki. The lift, which was built with
help from LGB funding, will enable better
access to the building for the disabled,
elderly and infirm visitors.
The main programme was scheduled to start
at 7pm, but concert-goers began arriving
with their picnic baskets from 3pm to settle
in for the show.
For those arriving early to picnic in the
pleasant surroundings and enjoy the
festive atmosphere, there was plenty of
entertainment, including a skateboard ramp,
clowns, novelty rides, and a bouncy castle.
Volunteers with buckets circulated among
the crowd to raise funds for Pupils at Risk,
a charity founded by local school leaders to
assist disadvantaged schoolchildren. They
collected $6500.
Junior Touch
Dave Dobbyn sings for the people of Cambridge
COGS funding contributed to a successful
season for Kaikohe Junior Youth Touch,
which organises a competition involving
350 tamariki and rangatahi in teams
drawn from Kerikeri, Kawakawa, Kaikohe
and Hokianga. Kaikohe Junior Youth
Touch’s kaupapa spells T.H.R.E.A.D – trust,
honesty, respect, excellence, attitude and
development.
The literary Far North
Photo: Cambridge Edition
Stingray, Northland’s first free arts and
culture magazine, was launched last
year thanks in part to LGB’s Northland
Committee. Editor Natacha Chossudovsky
says the quarterly mag, an initiative of
the not-for-profit Arts Promotion Trust,
was founded to “reflect the artistic
effervescence of Northland … to engage
Northlanders and make them proud”.
Big stage, bright lights … Christmas at the Lake rocks
5
Spray It Up
Waituhia
If we think of civic beautification societies,
teenagers and graffiti don’t automatically
come to mind. But exactly that combination
has been brightening up the city of
Invercargill.
Under the Spray It Up programme, 14 to
18-year-old offenders or those at risk of
offending are given art lessons, including
how to paint on walls. But definitely
not tagging! The programme combines
scrubbing off tagging with opportunities to
develop creative self-expression through art.
Spray It Up is one of a series of initiatives
developed as part of the Crime Prevention
Scheme (CPS) project run by Awarua
Social and Health Services, a kaupapa
Maori service which provides for whanau
wellbeing by meeting social, health and
education needs.
The Crime Prevention Scheme has been
merged with the Community Development
Scheme to provide communities with more
flexibility in developing local approaches
and local opportunities for development.
Awarua Services’ CPS project aims to
strengthen communities in the Southland
region by reducing rangatahi (youth)
offending and to encourage positive
participation by young people in their
communities. The Spray It Up initiative
aims to reduce vandalism and tagging in
Invercargill.
As well as educating the kids about solvent
abuse, chemical hazards and the community
hurt resulting from vandalism, art tutors
The Spray It Up boys in front of one of their works of art representing the concept of aroha, a theme chosen by
the boys themselves. This mural adorns the outside of the Awarua Social and Health Services playgroup room
and forms a wall to a courtyard that, according to Alesha Kereru, was little used until the mural went up.
introduce them to the world of colour,
design and composition. They teach them
a variety of ways to use different media,
from acrylic paints to air brushes, and on
different surfaces.
Graffiti art, a visual dimension of hip-hop
culture, is viewed as an established art
form throughout the world. Community
worker Alesha Kereru says the boys love the
programme and have grown in confidence
and respect.
The planning stage
Bringing cultures together
Te whakahuihui mai i ngā ahurea
The Dunedin Multi-Ethnic Council exists to
support the rights and responsibilities of
ethnic individuals and groups in that city.
The Council enables ethnic groups to
express their commitment to and pride
in New Zealand while still protecting and
sharing their ethnic heritage. It organises
events to promote and share different
cultures. These include regular social
gatherings, monthly citizenship ceremonies
and an annual festival in connection with
Race Unity Day.
6
Community Organisation Grants Scheme
(COGS) funding of $4000 enabled two
members of the Council’s executive
committee, Sophia Kelty and Suhair
Sabouba, to attend a New
Zealand Federation of Ethnic
Councils meeting in Palmerston
North. Apart from valuable
networking with other ethnic
councils and finding out
how others in their
field worked, the
pair said that the
highlight of their
trip was meeting
Race Relations
Commissioner
Joris de Bres.
Sophia Kelty, left, Joris de Bres
and Suhair Sabouba
Sweet sounds on the wild West Coast
Ngā tangi rōreka i te Tai Poutini kūwao
Taboo, 5th Element, Ecko … the colourful
band names reflect the energy and style
of the young people who are pumping out
music on the West Coast.
Trust co-ordinator and musician David
Morgan says the Trust provides mentoring,
education, a place to rehearse and access to
a network of musicians.
With funding from the Lottery Grants
Board's West Coast / Nelson-Marlborough
Community Committee and the Community
Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS), the
Youth + Music Development Trust is helping
the region’s kids find themselves through
music.
“When you combine the commitment and
talent of our kids with support from
their parents, the Trust and the wider
business and arts community, we can
provide really great music and some
cool opportunities,” says David.
Based in Greymouth, the Trust works with
young people from up and down the West
Coast to help them develop as musicians,
performers and people.
“For example, as a part of the 2008 NZ
Music Month, Greymouth hosted a
concert called Little Town, Big Gig.
Two of our bands, Taboo and 5th
Element, opened the show with
Op Shop in front of 800 screaming
fans. It was an exceptional night for
the area’s youth, for our musicians,
our tutors and for the whole
community.”
Budding rockers hone their band
skills at Greymouth’s Youth + Music
Development Trust
Animal hospital for zoo
He hōhipera hōu mō te rohe kararehe
The attractions at zoos are educational
these days as well as being purely
entertaining. Zoos have come a long way
from the indignity of chimpanzees dressed
up in floral frocks and hats partaking in tea
parties!
Wellington Zoo is about to add to its
knowledge capital by building a state-ofthe-art hospital, which, as well as fixing up
zoo animals, will also serve as a teaching
facility for veterinarians, vet nurses and
biologists.
Last year, the Lottery Grants Board,
through the Minister’s Discretionary Fund,
contributed $7084 towards the building of
the new hospital, to be named “The Nest”.
It is to have two large treatment rooms,
allowing observation of the operations.
The Nest will have the capacity to take
injured and sick native wildlife for care and
rehabilitation as well as in-house patients.
Zoo boss Karen Fifield said visitors would
be able to witness the conservation work
normally done behind the scenes.
As well as informing and educating the
New Zealand community, this addition is
expected to make the zoo more attractive
as a tourist destination for the region.
An artist’s impression of the planned hospital at Wellington Zoo.
7
Bringing people
together for
Glen Innes
Te whakakotahi tāngata
mai mō Glen Innes
Ka Mau Te Wero Charitable Trust (KMTW)
and Tess Liew are all about helping “GI”. For
those of you who don’t know, GI is short for
Glen Innes, a suburb of Auckland.
With funding from the Community
Development Scheme, Tess and the team at
KMTW are helping the people of GI work for
the benefit of their community.
The Scheme pays the salary of a community
development worker, who helps the
community achieve its goals.
As the Trust’s community projects manager,
Tess oversees several programmes that
connect GI people in the common cause of
strengthening their neighbourhood.
Tess Liew shares a smile with LG&C advisor Nikhat
Moulvi in the community garden at Glen Innes
Friendly Chinese in GI
Ngā Hainamaina Hoa Aroha i GI
When looking for a place to come together,
socialise and hold special events, the Glen
Innes Chinese community asked Ka Mau Te
Wero Charitable Trust for help.
Local Chinese people formed a group with
the aim of providing opportunities for
networking, socialising, physical exercise, as
well as educational and cultural activities.
With help from Tess and KMTW, the Glen
Innes Chinese Friendship Group became
an incorporated society last September. It
has received funding from the Community
Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS).
The Friendship Group offers a place where
people can meet to play mahjong, table
tennis and badminton, or take part in
classes in English and Cantonese, choral
singing, dancing and cooking.
8
The Glen Innes Chinese Friendship Group brings people
together to dance, smile and have fun
Bringing people back to the park
Te kukume tāngata kia hoki mai ki te papa rēhia
After a murder in Maybury Reserve in 2006,
Glen Innes residents felt uneasy about
using the parks in the area. Local residents
wanting to renew people’s confidence in the
parks formed the Glen Innes Parks Working
Group.
With Ka Mau Te Wero Charitable Trust, the
working group turned to the community for
ideas. One idea was to create an arts project
in the park. Residents would create artworks
to encourage other residents to come back
and enjoy the parks.
Fellowship for
Lottery scientist
Auckland City Council provided funding
for the Maybury Reserve Community Art
Project. To create an artwork specially for
the Reserve, local artists worked with seven
Glen Innes groups: a Tongan group, the Glen
Innes Chinese Friendship Group, a Cook
Island group, the Glen Innes Adult Literacy
Group, Ruapotaka Marae, a Maybury
residents' group and a collection of young
people who use the park.
Each group painted a pou, and these
are now on permanent display in the
park. The designs on the poles show the
groups’ connection to the land and to the
surrounding space.
He takuhe mō tētahi
kaimātai pūtaiao Rōtō
Dr Sarah Young, who serves on the Lottery
Grants Board’s Health Research Committee,
has been awarded a four-year research
fellowship.
The $500,000 Sir Charles Hercus Health
Research Fellowship is to fund her research
into vaccines and therapies to prevent
and fight against colon, cervical and skin
cancers.
The pou have recently received a coat of tag-proof paint
and are fenced off while the paint dries
Sarah’s research project involves the use
of virus-like particles and aims to develop
cancer vaccines based on the use of
harmless virus shells as vehicles to deliver
immunising tumour proteins.
Cooking up a bit of knowledge
A senior research fellow at Otago University,
Sarah works in the microbiology and
immunology department.
Te tao i tētahi wāhi mātauranga
Sarah says she always loved science as a
child, even though she was arty as well. She
carried these two strands right through her
schooling till she became seduced by a spell
of research in an immunology lab, at which
point she knew she had to choose science
for her life’s work.
Several individuals and community groups,
including stallholders from Glen Innes
community markets, approached Ka Mau Te
Wero Charitable Trust for help in organising
a basic food hygiene course. Tess helped
get the course arranged and even managed
to negotiate a discounted course fee from
Auckland City Council.
When she started out in her field, she
says, she was grateful to be a recipient of
Lottery funding and sees her service on the
Health Research Committee as a way to put
something back.
Participants in the food hygiene course are happy to learn
something new
Photo: Otago Daily Times
Led by food safety officers, a basic food
hygiene course was held at Ruapotaka
Marae last November. With 31 participants,
it was a great success. The course also
provided a good opportunity for a diverse
group of people in the Glen Innes area to
get to know each other.
Sarah Young is happy to
put something back
9
New Harbourmaster at Taupo
He kaihēteri moana hōu ki Taupō
One of the more unusual communities the
Local Government and Community Branch
of The Department of Internal Affairs serves
is that of Lake Taupo boaties and other lake
users.
Ten golden rules for
safe boating
As part of the Branch’s Local Government
Services team, the Taupo Harbourmaster
provides boating facilities and regulates
boating activity on the lake.
1. Watch the weather
Ngā ture matua tekau e haumaru
ai te whakatere waka
After the retirement last year of longserving Harbourmaster Les Porter, Philip
King took over the helm.
2. Don't overload
Philip’s last job was as a captain on superyachts sailing around the Caribbean. He
says he doesn’t miss the high life and is very
happy to be able to renew his love of all
the outdoor activities that abound in the
region.
4. Wear tested lifejackets – a lifejacket for
every person on board is compulsory
Philip had been in the job less than a couple
of months when a young water-skier died
as the result of a tragic accident on the lake
and investigations were launched by the
Police and Maritime Safety.
5. Ensure your engine is reliable
6. Know the Collision Rules, the
Water Recreation Regulations,
the Lake Taupo Regulations
and the Distress Signals
7. Guard against fire
8. Don't mix drinking and
boating
9. Carry reserve fuel
Photo: Taupo Weekender
Philip, who originally hails from Taupo, says
the position of Taupo Harbourmaster is the
only job that would have brought him back.
“My wife especially is happy to be home.
We’ve had the first family Christmas in five
years.”
3. Carry full equipment and warm clothing
10. Tell someone
where you
are going
“It’s been a bit of a baptism by fire,” he said.
Philip looks set to be in the job a long time
yet. He is only the seventh person to take
over the Harbourmaster's role since 1953.
Philip King goes to work
Community worker lived life to the full
I pau katoa ngā kaha o tēnei kaimahi ki tōna hapori
Andrea Needham, a member of the Lottery
Grants Board’s Taranaki Community
Committee, lived life to the full, but in
January, aged just 59, she lost her last battle
with a rare genetic lung disease.
10
After an abusive childhood, Andrea, through
her work with Victim Support, fought
long and hard for people suffering family
violence. While she was fighting for the
disadvantaged, she was also fighting for her
life, barely surviving on 24 per cent lung
capacity before a double lung transplant
in 2007.
“While I loved life before, now I love and
revere it – I’m into champagne big-time,”
she said after surgery.
Andrea wasted no time. The next year she
ran the Round the Mountain relay and
published her second book. It was the
culmination of an extraordinary career.
After training as a teacher, she travelled to
the United States, where she became a top
executive for multinational management
consultants Hay Associates at just 29.
Returning to Taranaki in 1996, Andrea threw
herself into community life.
We all mourn the passing of an extraordinary
woman whose own experience of suffering
led her to make the most of her own life and
help others do the same.
Honour for a lifetime
of volunteering
He hōnore whakaharahara mō āna mahi tūao
Trish Hanlen, who serves on the Lottery
Grants Board’s Bay of Plenty / Gisborne
Community Committee, has been awarded
the New Zealand Order of Merit for services
to the community.
Te Kaiako toa o te Tau
When Palmerston North woman Helen
Johnson began coaching eight years ago,
she had no idea how big a part of her life it
would become.
Coaching has taken Helen all over New
Zealand and to the Special Olympics in
China. And it recently took her to Auckland,
where she was named 2008 National
Volunteer Coach of the Year.
Now social work director for the Bay of
Plenty Polytechnic and Waikato University,
Trish has spent her life donating her spare
time to dozens of organisations such as the
Citizens Advice Bureau and the Community
Law Centre.
Helen, who chairs the Palmerston North
Community Organisation Grants Scheme
(COGS) Local Distribution Committee, says
she discovered coaching when she took
her special needs daughter Keri Anne to a
Special Olympics swimming class.
She says it was something she was brought
up to do. “I used to coach swimming and
the netball team in my youth, and at school
we were always encouraged to go out and
collect for organisations like Red Cross.”
“Everyone needs to help build their
community, and communities need to grow
and develop. I believe you gain as much as
you give from being part of a community
organisation,” says Trish.
Coach of the Year
“It became Keri Anne’s whole world and I
could immediately see the benefits. I was
inspired to get involved, and I now coach
six different sports: basketball, golf, cycling,
swimming, athletics and skiing. I love it. I’ll
be coaching until I am 80.”
Trish Hanlen with Governor-General Anand Satyanand
when she received her New Zealand Order of Merit.
Special Olympics programmes provide
training and competition for young people
and adults who have an intellectual
disability. There are more than 5000 athletes
and 2500 volunteer coaches and supporters
throughout the country.
National COGS Committee election
“We help our athletes do things that they
might not otherwise feel comfortable
doing. It really depends on the individual’s
personality. Some people immediately strive
to be the best in their sport while others
are happy to take part and be competing
in a safe environment where they won’t
always be last. Taking part in sports provides
a sense of belonging, improves physical
fitness, and helps the athletes to develop
life-long friendships.”
Ngā pōtitanga ā-motu mō te Komiti COGS
COGS Distribution Committees have until
27 February to nominate a candidate for
the COGS National Committee.
Anyone who has served on the National
Committee (NCC) for more than two
consecutive terms is ineligible to stand.
The nomination must be submitted on
the Nomination and Declaration Form. It
must be signed by two members of the
Local Distribution Committee (LDC) who
are not standing as a candidate and be
accompanied by the minutes of the meeting
that verifies the decision of the committee
to nominate the candidate.
On 6 March, a list of nominations, copies
of Nominated Candidate Personal Profiles
and NCC Election Voting Forms will be
distributed to LDCs. Voting closes on 3 April,
and the election result will be published on
10 April. Newly elected NCC members will
attend their first meeting at Wellington on
11-12 May.
For more information and to obtain a
Guide for Candidates and Committees and
supporting papers, contact 0800 824 824.
Who is eligible?
Any current member of the 37 COGS
Local Distribution Committees (LDCs)
who meets the criteria below. Ideal
candidates will have
• experience as a member of a
governing body for a non-profit
community organisation
• experience in developing policy
and processes for a community
organisation; a leadership role in a
community organisation; experience
working in urban and rural
communities
• commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi
• respect for the diversity of cultures
in New Zealand
• experience dealing with complaints
and resolving conflict.
11
Top coach Helen Johnson
How to reach the Local Government & Community
Branch of The Department of Internal Affairs
Whakapā mai!
Head Office
46 Waring Taylor Street WELLINGTON 6011
PO Box 805 WELLINGTON 6140
Freephone: 0800 824 824
Kaitaia
Hamilton
New Plymouth
Greymouth
26 Puckey Avenue
410 Victoria Street
Level 1, Westpac Building
146 Mackay Street
KAITAIA 0410
HAMILTON 3204
2 Devon Street East
GREYMOUTH 7805
Ph: (09) 408 6677
PO Box 19 230
NEW PLYMOUTH 4310
PO Box 33
Fax: (09) 408 0923
HAMILTON 3244
PO Box 331
GREYMOUTH 7840
Ph: (07) 839 9960
NEW PLYMOUTH 4340
Ph: (03) 768 1001
Fax: (07) 839 9955
Ph: (06) 759 8246
Fax: (03) 768 4200
Whangarei
Manaia House
Fax: (06) 759 8094
41 Rathbone Street
Rotorua
WHANGAREI 0110
Cnr Biak and Giltrap Streets
Palmerston North
PO Box 1755
ROTORUA 3015
Guardian Trust House
96 Hereford Street
WHANGAREI 0140
Private Bag 3041
Cnr Main Street and The Square
CHRISTCHURCH 8011
Ph: (09) 430 2205
ROTORUA 3046
PALMERSTON NORTH 4410
PO Box 4033
Fax: (09) 430 2209
Ph: (07) 343 1680
PO Box 247
CHRISTCHURCH 8140
Fax: (07) 343 1689
PALMERSTON NORTH 4440
Ph: (03) 353 8294
Ph: (06) 355 8088
Fax: (03) 353 8299
Auckland / Waitakere
Level 8, NZI House
Level 1, All Seasons Centre
Gisborne
288 Te Atatu Road
Level 2, Wilson James Centre
Te Atatu South
77 Peel Street
Wellington
Edmonton
GISBORNE 4010
4th Floor, Riverside Towers
10 George Street
WAITAKERE CITY 0610
PO Box 254
15 Daly Street
DUNEDIN 9016
PO Box 83 209
GISBORNE 4040
LOWER HUTT 5010
PO Box 5341
Edmonton
Ph: (06) 868 1915
PO Box 30 454
DUNEDIN 9058
WAITAKERE CITY 0652
Fax: (06) 868 1964
LOWER HUTT 5040
Ph: (03) 479 6515
Ph: (04) 570 5386
Fax: (03) 479 6519
Ph: (09) 834 9701
Fax: (09) 834 9705
Napier
Fax: (06) 355 8084
Dunedin
1st Floor, Burns House
Fax: (04) 570 5381
2nd Floor, East Tower,
Invercargill
Manukau
Dalton Building
Nelson
Level 1
Hastings Street
31 New Street
Lower Esk Street
20-24 Lambie Drive
NAPIER 4110
NELSON 7010
INVERCARGILL 9810
MANUKAU CITY 2104
PO Box 1042
PO Box 1149
PO Box 501
PO Box 76 451
NAPIER 4140
NELSON 7040
INVERCARGILL 9840
MANUKAU CITY 2241
Ph: (06) 834 1350
Freephone: 0800 660 900
Ph: (03) 218 0701
Ph: (09) 263 7372
Fax: (06) 834 1274
Ph: (03) 546 0904
Fax: (03) 218 6411
Fax: (09) 262 0606
Fax: (03) 548 2488
To email known individual staff anywhere in the country: fi[email protected]
Otherwise, email [email protected] Website: www.community.dia.govt.nz
12
Christchurch
Community Matters is published by the
Local Government and Community Branch,
The Department of Internal Affairs
Te Herenga Kaunihera-a--iwi, Te Tari Taiwhenua
Level 2, Menzies Building