23 January 2013

Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust

By Scott Willis

 

BRCT's staff and trustees had a well-earned break over the Christmas period, and the summer holiday has been a nourishing font of ideas. I hope you've all had a refreshing break as well! We're back in 2013 with enthusiasm for this cluster of Blueskin settlements and what the future holds.

There was no complete stop over summer though. As other columns note, the Blueskin Wind Cluster was engaged in a very successful fundraising campaign to enable the next critical phase of the project; the solar project was receiving tenders for the delivery of a bulk order of solar PV & solar thermal installation; we wrapped up our energy advice trial collaboration and have begun another collaboration; and work on the Climate Change Plan for Waitati continues (if it's not in the Blueskin News you can subscribe to the BRCT e-update for more details. See www.blueskinpower.co.nz).

The start of the year is also a very good time to reflect on all that is possible through volunteer skill and commitment. BRCT, like most other community organisations, has a volunteer governance body of trustees. Trustees are essential in creating a strong future by continuously steering towards a vision and making sure the day-to-day management is always lined up with BRCT goals. Without this group of dedicated individuals in BRCT (and in other community organisations), nothing much could happen.

What BRCT is slowly working on is a realignment of economic activity around social well-being while reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. It is no simple ambition, however it is deeply rewarding!

It is also exciting to see so many initiatives throughout Blueskin working towards greater local resilience, as well as many individuals active on the big challenges. Under the DCC's new austerity approach in which the council is reaching out to community groups, it is important to consider what greater collaboration might enable and require of us all, and how we can be effective participants in designing and managing our future.

Visit us at at the office at 1121 Mt Cargill Rd, Waitati (on Waitati School grounds), or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blueskin-Resilient-Communities-Trust/180367402010248). Telephone us on 482 2048.

 

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Proposed Development in Waitati

 By Jason Ross

The DCC has just issued a Public Notice of application for resource consent to subdivide 13 McLachlan St (being the paddocks between McLachlan St and Brown St/Doctors Point Rd) into 4 new rural-residential sites. Within the current Dunedin City District Plan this is a non-complying activity as the land is zoned rural and if it goes ahead would set a precedent for this sort of development within the community.
The wider community is encouraged to make submissions about this proposal which are due by February 18. Copies of the Public Notice are available from the Blueskin Bay Library or through the DCC website dunedin.govt.nz
Some residents have expressed interest in a community meeting to discuss the application and will advertise on the Harvey St blackboard when a date is confirmed.





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From blueskin.co.nz and 'Blueskin News' published by Blueskin Media: voluntary/non-profit community publishers in Blueskin Bay (Seacliff, Warrington, Evansdale, Waitati, Doctors Point, Purakaunui), Dunedin, New Zealand. All material sent to or published by us is "copyleft" in the public domain and may be freely shared, archived, re-edited and republished. If you want to credit the source it's "blueskin.co.nz".

22 January 2013

Solar News Update

By Chris Le Breton, Solar Project Manager (Volunteer), BRCT



SOLAR STOP PRESS - GET YOUR DIARIES OUT/SMARTPHONES READY!

The Blueskin Solar Syndicate now has nearly 40 households signed up!

We have received back responses to our call for tender (December 2012) to supply (i) solar photo-voltaic equipment and (ii) solar water-heating [thermal] equipment to the solar syndicate members.

A small group of us is considering the finer details of each offer to make recommendations to the first meeting of the solar syndicate on Tuesday February 4 at 7.30pm at Waitati Hall. (Members only, please RSVP)

It looks at the moment as if there are three broad options to consider: (i) A community solution; (ii) Installing and operating via a new social enterprise; or (iii) Installing independent units.

It isn't too late to join the Blueskin Solar Syndicate either! Another 10 people would bring us to close to 50 households, beating down average prices further! Email Chris@solar@blueskinpower.co.nz if you wish to join the Blueskin Solar Syndicate.  

Waikouaiti Coast Community Board

By Gerard Collings, Chairperson

Happy New Year to you all. I trust the festive season treated you well and that you are refreshed and ready for any challenges the new year may bring.

The Waitati Hall committee have requested the removal of the bottle bank from the Waitati Hall car park. They have a particular issue with the amount of refuse being left beside the bottle bank. The Board will consider this issue at our January meeting.

DCC have started this year's annual plan process and are currently considering the draft annual plan for public consultation.  At this stage DCC expect to issue the 2013/14 draft Annual Plan for public consultation at the beginning of March with submissions scheduled to close early April.  The specific details of how DCC will consult are yet to be finalised. I will advise the specific details in the March issue, however I strongly urge you all to take the time to make yourself familiar with its content and participate in the consultation process.
I was disappointed to hear of a number of instances of littering in and around reserves over the Christmas period. I can assure you DCC parks staff take this issue very seriously. If you see instances of this occurring please don't hesitate to contact the DCC directly.

Copies of DCC documents out for consultation are available from Council and through Council's website http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/currently-consulting-on
The Board's next meeting is at 5.30pm, 30 January 2013 at the Karitane Hall. Our following meeting will be at 5.30pm, 13 March at the Waitati Hall.
Members of the public are welcome to speak at the Board's public forum, however those wishing to do so need to advise Wendy Collard, our Governance Support Officer (Phone 4743374), before 12 noon on the day prior to the meeting.

Remember, you can view the Board's meeting agendas, reports and minutes at either the Waikouaiti or Blueskin Libraries or through the DCC's website at www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/council-minutes
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Members of the Board are only too happy to hear (by phone or email) from members of the community about any issues within our area.

 

Board Contacts

Home

Work

Mobile

email

The Board

 

 

 

wccb.public@dcc.govt.nz

Gerard Collings (Chairperson),

4657604

4707494

0274848800

gerard.collings@xtra.co.nz

Alasdair Morrison (Deputy),

4822505

4822505

0274354384

info@calmarine.co.nz

Andy Barratt,

021890048

 

021890048

asbarratt@farmside.co.nz

Andrew Noone

4657157

 

0274301727

anoone@dcc.govt.nz

Geraldine Tait,

4822517

 

0212175492

gstait@clear.net.nz

Les Pullar,

4658138

 

0274358020

lesgwen.pullar@xtra.co.nz

Mark Brown,

4822833

 

 

 

 

21 January 2013

New Free Stuff Shed

By Mandy Mayhem

A special thank you to Ross Cameron of Orokonui for welding together a new shelter / facility. Ross took it on himself to make a new building after our old bus stop was tragically burnt down on Christmas morning.
The new full metal structure should be hard to harm!
Thanks also to John 'B' for donating the materials and the Amazing Phoenix for the flame artwork adorning it!
It is people like these two that make our community such a special and amazing place to live!


Music Gig at Waitati

By Mandy Mayhem

On Friday February 8 the Waitati Hall will ring with the sound of music from Bond Street Bridge and Luckless $10.
Auckland Alt-folk outfit Bond Street Bridge will present tales of courage, endurance and Edwardian pluck in their multimedia song cycle 'The Explorer's Club: Antarctica'.
Inspired by the incredible stories of Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, songwriter Sam Prebble has produced a series of stirring vignettes drawn from the diaries and letters of these stalwart adventurers. Tales of shipwrecks, frostbite, and stiff-upper-lip survival in the snow are presented in a combination of spoken-word storytelling and original folk songs, along with projected illustrations by Auckland artist Emily Cater and heritage photographs from the expeditions themselves. Performances range from ethereal to foot stomping; arrangements run the gamut from delicate vocal harmonies to dramatic percussive explosions.
Joining them is Indie-rock act Luckless, with songwriter Ivy Rossiter leaving her band behind to perform solitary and stripped back. Armed only with stomp boxes, loop pedals and a vintage guitar., Luckless swells with distortion and shimmers with light, aching and revealing all at once. Rossiter alternates between blasting out driving rhythms and playing with the lightest, sweetest touch while wrangling riffs and singing over layers of loops and reverb. Influenced by PJ Harvey and Cat Power she is the New Zealand equivalent.
Brendon Turner, bass player for Bond Street Bridge and blues songwriter in his own right, will also join the line-up to support at the Waitati Hall.
Bond Street Bridge presents a show that will take listeners on a journey from heartbreak to ice-melt, from triumph to defeat. Audiences can expect to be transported back to a time when the ice was unforgiving and the pole was untouched.


20 January 2013

WAITATI FILM SOCIETY

by Leonie Rousselot

We start the film year on Tuesday, 26 February at 8pm with Ruggles of Red Gap.  Come along to the Waitati Film Society at the corner of Orokonui and Mt. Cargill Roads to our (initially) forthnightly screenings.
Membership for one year is $60 and covers 29 nights of entertainment. We offer drama, comedy, history or just plain entertainment in a warm, pleasant environment with convivial company.  For more info ring Brigitte 482-2829 or Leonie 482-2508.

Tuesday, 26 February

RUGGLES OF RED GAP             USA 1935

The great Charles Laughton found one of his most iconic roles in Ruggles of Red Gap a wryly humorous tapestry of the American West at the turn of the 20th century. When the Earl of Burnstead transfers the services of Ruggles (Laughton), his immaculate English valet, to Egbert Floud, a wealthy, brash American, the repercussions prove more dramatic than anyone could have anticipated. Relocating to Red Gap, Washington, Ruggles slowly overcomes his disconcertment as he encounters new alliances, enemies, the route to independence, and, possibly, love. A riotous clash between the Old World and the New, McCarey's legendary comic instincts combine with his customary tender respect to make one of the most glorious and enduring comedies of classical Hollywood. – Masters of Cinema.

14 January 2013

Who speaks for the trees?

Dunedin City Council media release: (3 December 2012)

The Dunedin City Council is inviting people to think about the trees that matter to the heritage and environmental fabric of the city, and to nominate them for consideration as Significant Trees.  Trees could be nominated for consideration if they are particularly magnificent, of historic significance, great stature or scientifically valuable.

As part of the preparation of a second generation District Plan, the Dunedin City Council is reviewing Schedule 25.3: Significant Trees, which currently has more than 1200 trees and more than 100 groups of trees identified as worthy of protection.

Dr Anna Johnson, City Development Manager says, "Dunedin is a city that takes pride in its amazing landscapes and environment. Trees in the urban environment are part of Dunedin's charm whether these are large natives, which support bellbirds and tui, or exotics planted by early settlers. We want to ensure we identify and protect these special trees that significantly contribute to people's perceptions and enjoyment of our city."

Once nominated, a DCC arborist and landscape architect will assess the tree to determine whether it warrants inclusion on the revised Schedule of Significant Trees. The assessment is based on the Standard Tree Evaluation Method (STEM) which evaluates positive and negative aspects of each tree against a criteria relating to the health of the tree, its characteristics and any other important values it has (including stature, historic or scientific value).

Property owners can also request a reassessment if they believe the status of a tree or stand of trees has changed notably since it was included on the Schedule.

Trees that are assessed as significant will be included in a new Draft Schedule 25.3: Significant Trees to be processed next year as part of the wider work on developing a second generation District Plan.

The nomination form is available from the DCC's Customer Services Centre, by phoning 477 4000 or at www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp/io/trees. Nominations should be posted to City Planning, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Moray Place, Dunedin 9058, Attention: J Baker. Nominations close at 5pm Friday, 1 March.

For more information: Anna Johnson, City Development Manager, phone 474 3874.

International Year of Quinoa 2013

by Paul Guy, Botany Dept, University of Otago

Chenopodium quinoa (keen-wa) is known as the mother grain of the Incas. It has a higher protein content than the cereals (Poaceae: the grass family) and has a high lysine content in contrast to cereals which are low in lysine. It is easy to grow and harvest and being a dicot does not suffer from the diseases which attack cereals. Quinoa comes from the Chenopodiaceae family which includes sugar beet, beetroot and spinach. It is relatively disease-free.

 

The leaves can be harvested and cooked like spinach. The mature seed is collected and washed several times to remove bitter tasting saponins and cooked in the same way as cous cous. It is quite tasty hot or cold in salads. There are lots of recipes on the internet. Saponins, as the name suggests, are soap-like compounds which the Incas used for washing clothes. Other plants contain saponins and other cultures have taken advantage of their cleansing properties.

 

Quinoa is a useful tool in promoting increased food security for most parts of the world. The United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. It grows in a variety of situations and is a low input/low maintenance crop. Wheat production is under threat from the Ug99 variant of stem rust which is currently moving across the Middle East and if new resistant lines of wheat can't be developed and deployed in time there will be moderate to severe shortages in the coming years.


An important question is whether or not to use genetic engineering to solve particular agricultural problems. For example GE to produce high lysine cereals has been proposed but the use of quinoa circumvents the need.

Quinoa is a potential buffer against food shortages and encourages greater diversity in agricultural systems (increased resilience). The more efficient use of agricultural land reduces pressure on converting more conservation land to food production. Population continues to increase but the amount of high grade agricultural land continues to decrease.

 

My interest in quinoa is its pathology. I used it for many years as a virus disease indicator before I knew of its use as a grain crop.  Quinoa seed is available from a few sources on the internet. I have a few spare seedlings from time to time which I will place in the exchange bus shed near Blueskin Gallery. If you notice any diseases in quinoa please send me some close-up pics (paul.guy@otago.ac.nz)  particularly any that look like virus infection. Viruses often cause yellow spotting and streaking and yellow vein-netting and the leaves are often smaller and distorted.

WARRINGTON SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

 Warrington Surf Life Saving Club is back in business for the New Year

Young life guards in training – our 'Nippers' aged 4-16 years -- meet at Warrington Beach at 10am on Sundays and if you would like to come along and find out what we do just join us on the beach starting Sunday 20 January, and then back at the club house for a hot shower and sausage sizzle lunch at 12 noon, all welcome -- $1 per sausage, free cuppa for mums and dads, meet your neighbours and join the 175 locals who are members of Warrington Surf Life Saving Club.

Coming up -- Warrington will be host to lots of events this term:

  • IRB racing events on Sunday 20 January and Saturday 26 January. Come down and watch – racing starts at 9am.
  • A huge event involving nearly a thousand competitors and supporters will be held 2 and 3 February – The Southern Ocean Athletes -- look for Warrington competitors and families at the big yellow tent.
  • More IRB racing will be held from 4pm on 6 February and 9am on 17 February (the Otago Champs).
  • We have surf swim, board and sand running championships at Warrington on the 10 February and again 16 February and 3 March.
  • A huge flotilla of IRB racing boats will be on the beach the weekend of 2 March for the South Island IRB Racing Championships. Come and watch or join in the fun.
Warrington is the beach of choice for surf life-saving events due to our safe beach and wonderful weather, not to mention our competent and friendly life guards!  Have you met Ryan, Carina and Arthur, Sam, Kim or Immy? These are Warrington life guards who are paid to watch out for the safety of swimmers between the flags in the holidays. Once school is back in, our 40 voluntary life guards take it in turns to patrol the beach on weekends, 12-5pm for the rest of the summer. Swim between the flags at Warrington Beach on weekends from 24 November until 3 March and every day between 11am and 7pm in the school holidays.

Why not join up now? We have enjoyed our full-day holiday program for 12-16 year olds weekly in the school holidays with 25 teenagers attending for fitness, surf and rescue boat training, but we still have life guard camps, training days and lots of great experiences on offer for the rest of the season

In it For Life!  Warrington Surf Life Saving Club warringtonslsc@xtra.co.nz

PS  Many thanks for all donations made on Jandal Day in December.