Busy time for local MP
Talofa lava. I hope that you and your whanau had a happy and safe long weekend.
This Anzac Day marked 100 years since the first Poppy Appeal in New Zealand, held on April 24, 1922. It is an incredible century of work by the RSA that has provided thousands of New Zealanders the opportunity to remember our veterans and feel pride in New Zealand having done our bit in providing a safer world.
This year’s Poppy Appeal will run throughout April. The Poppy Appeal and Anzac Day commemorates New Zealanders killed in war and honours current and exservicemen and women.
I spent the Easter weekend visiting markets and attending an Easter Celebration at the Nga Manu Nature Reserve in Waikanae. My children enjoyed the Easter egg hunt and fed some eels.
Nga Manu is open during the school holidays with so much to do including feeding the eels, visiting the butterfly and bird sanctuary, visiting the Kiwi, bush walks and so more.
My recess week started off with a coffee from Kaias Coffee Cart at Hinemoa St, Paraparaumu. Kaia is an inspiring rangatahi in the electorate who despite being under 18 years of age, has followed her dream and bought her own coffee cart. It was great to hear her story.
During my electorate day I popped into Ka¯ piti Youth Support (KYS) to check out their donated goodies. All of the proceeds from the shop go to KYS so I recommend supporting a good cause.
I spent the rest of the morning checking out some art in the electorate with my team. We went to Summerstone Gallery in Paraparaumu. Mike and Judy showed us around their pottery exhibition, which is on Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 3pm. We then went to the Mahana Gallery in Waikanae. Janet showed us around the pop-up space, where they are showcasing some of Mizuho Nishioka’s work.
My electorate day ended at the iconic Marycrest site in Te Horo. It was great to have Ant and Drew show us around the property. The old Marycrest site was purchased by Ant
Ryan and Drew Mackenzie five and a half years ago, when it was a deserted ex-Catholic boarding school. They fell in love with the native forest — a remnant of how the whole Ka¯ piti Coast would have been. They, with the support of Ngati Raukawa, reclaimed the original name of Makahuri.
They are establishing a cohousing community based on consensus decision-making.
Buildings that once housed girls and nuns are being recycled into apartments, community gardens are being established and solar panels installed. Currently there are five separate households living onsite with more waiting to come once the resource consent procedure to unit title happens.
The plan is to have 14 separate households living in a village-style atmosphere. It is amazing work and I can’t wait to see the progress to come.
At Orange, people are still encouraged to wear a face mask indoors wherever practical. For more information visit the Unite against Covid-19 website.
Follow my Facebook page to keep up-to-date with what I do during the week.
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