The 12 gifts of Christmas
5 Pre-loved Tents
After witnessing the unbearable suffering of refugees in an overcrowded Greek camp, Kate Robertson took action.
With her partner, Sam Reynolds, they founded The Tent Collectors, a not-for-profit group that helps to reduce festival waste by collecting neglected reusable tents, sleeping bags and mats and sending them to aid Syrian and Afghan asylum-seekers on the Greek island of Samos.
More than 6000 people live in the former military base, which has a capacity for about 650.
If we can all do something small, that would be big, Robertson says.
Earlier in 2019, she spent five weeks volunteering in Samos.
With the help of volunteers, she and Reynolds will attend four North Island festivals: Rhythm and Vines, Bay Dreams, Soundsplash and One Love, collecting discarded camp materials as they go.
New Zealanders leave hundreds of tonnes of camping gear at festivals. Not only would this abandoned gear be reused for people in need, it also tackles the environmental impact of such wastage, she says.
She’s put the call out for volunteers to help collect at festivals. Go to www. thetentcollectors.co.nz/
6 Nourishers Nourishing
Saving the planet and nourishing people on the breadline – it sounds big.
But the folks who started Nourished for Nil in 2017 say it just takes someone to do something to make a difference.
Christina McBeth and Louise Saurin make a difference in their corner of the world with their entourage of volunteers.
Together they rescue food that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to the Hawke’s Bay community.
The food is rescued from supermarkets and other food suppliers and given away within hours every day so that it’s always fresh.
McBeth has always fought waste and promoted sustainability. It has been humbling to be able to cut down the waste of perfectly good food and help people who may be struggling to afford to feed themselves and their families, she says.
‘‘We waste an enormous amount – around $1.17 billion a year on food that we buy and throw away uneaten – and getting the support of suppliers and those who believe in our ethos of no waste has been so encouraging.’’
Being able to help those in need makes it especially worthwhile, she says. ‘‘We see the good in what we do every day.’’
7 Actors Acting
Mix improvisation with drama, toss in a bit of storytelling and you get a fine tonic for wellbeing.
Voice Arts charity is administering this thespian tonic to residents of three retirement homes in Wellington and the Ka¯ piti Coast with Third Act, an actors’ group for the elderly.
The group works with residents to help promote mobility, mental stimulation and a fair bit of joy through improvisation and performances.
The 50 residents taking part in the weekly classes say the free programme brings people together at a time when many are susceptible to loneliness and depression.
One act has even got a gig at next year’s Fringe Festival.
The group’s facilitator, Nicola Pauling, asked the senior actors what it was that made them keep coming back to the classes and the answer was universal: laughter, the ultimate tonic for happiness.
8 Potters Potting
Some kids like to plant, some like to design, others prefer just to push dirt around.
But all the kids at Paeka¯ ka¯ riki School get to plant and harvest from their own school garden thanks to the Potty Potters.
This group of sustainably conscious green thumbs meet every Friday morning to prepare plants for their autumn and spring plant sales, which fund the garden programme and teacher aides at their local kura on the Ka¯ piti Coast.
They raise funds to contribute towards teaching children about planting, harvesting, cooking and caring for the environment and use the produce to make soup for children’s lunches in winter.
Their venture was started seven years ago by parents who wanted their children to learn how to grow and tend their own gardens.
‘‘We believe kids need to learn about seasons, growing their food, understanding the cycle of nature,’’ says co-ordinator Tina Pope.
The tangible lessons in gardening come with teaching community, sustainability and environmental values, she says.
9 Cyclers (up)Cycling
The sound of laughter from a former refugee child when she received her recycled bike was pretty humbling for Mike and Hilleke Townsend.
It was confirmation that their charity, ReBicycle EkeRua, was hitting the mark – giving freedom and joy to people in need.
ReBicycle is a charitable community organisation that upcycles donated secondhand bikes into safe, practical commuter bikes to gift or lend to people who need them, starting with newly settled refugees in the Wellington region, but also including anyone experiencing financial difficulty.
It started with co-founders Hilleke and Mike responding to a call from the Red Cross for bike donations.
It snowballed from there and, over the past three years, they have upcycled and donated 855 bikes.
They expanded to offer riding classes through Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Pedal Ready for those who had never ridden before.
Getting a licence and a car took time and money for former refugees, and bikes give immediate freedom, mobility and the ability to be part of the community, says Mike.
‘‘With the support of our amazing volunteers and the community in bicycle donations, why wouldn’t we do this. We can do this, so we do.’’
10 Sneakers Jumping
Maia Mariner was only 12 when she decided she’d change the world one pair of recycled sneakers at a time.
Discovering some of her peers could not join in sports because they did not have the appropriate footwear, she launched LazySneakers from her home in Island Bay, Wellington, in 2017.
Since then she has collected 1500 pairs of reusable sneakers from the community and distributed 1100 so far to those in need so they can play, participate and reach their potential.
The reaction from those she’s helped has been pretty memorable, says Maia.
‘‘I helped one girl find a pair of sneakers and, when she found a pair that fitted and she liked, she gave me this big smile, a hug and started dancing in front of me, singing ‘Thank you, thank you and thank you’. We find some of the students start dancing in their sneakers when they find a pair they like.
‘‘One young boy came in and saw the sneakers on offer, he did a quick scan, tried a pair on – took them and disappeared. He came back, tried another pair, took them and disappeared, and he did this again, eventually taking four pairs. A teacher pulled him up and asked him why he did this, and he explained that he wanted to take some pairs for his brothers and his dad.’’
LazySneakers is Maia’s way of taking action and contributing to her community.
‘‘I could be one of those people that could watch things happen or make things happen – I want to make things happen.’’
11 Singers Singing
The power of the collective voice cannot be underestimated.
Just ask the Auckland Street Choir, which meets every Tuesday night for waiata and pizza.
The door is always open – anyone can join.
It’s a pretty eclectic gaggle of singers. They come from a huge cross-section of society, but its emphasis is on welcoming the homeless, marginalised, disadvantaged, disenfranchised.
The group of about 30 includes former ‘‘streeties’’, social workers, students and backpackers.
‘‘We’re like one big family,’’ says choirmaster Rohan MacMahon, who started the choir five years ago.
They meet in the basement room of the Pitt St Methodist Church on Tuesdays from 6-8pm, and sing from the heart: gospel, blues, folk, waiata, reggae.
There is no religious aspect to the group, just an ethos of love and acceptance.
The choir has gathered momentum over the past few years and this Christmas will be gigging around the city. Singing from the bottom of their great big hearts.
12 Bitches Baking
Kindness is personified by the Good Bitches of this world.
When Good Bitches Baking started five years ago, founders Nic Murray and Marie Fitzpatrick asked if anyone else wanted to join in – thousands did.
They now have 25 chapters, with 2100 Good Bitches spreading kindness and baked goods to those in need around the country.
Their mission has always been simple: make Aotearoa the kindest place on Earth. Their recipients – from Women’s Refuges to hospices – sure feel the love.
‘‘People tell us they feel a little less alone and a little more worthwhile when they receive a Good Bitch’s home baking,’’ Murray says.
‘‘Baking a cake might seem like a small thing to do but, when you see how many people are doing this small thing, when you see this collective effort to make people feel better, you realise you’re making a huge difference.’’
The charity started out as a payit-forward scenario.
Murray had been dealing with a family illness and, just when things seemed so completely overwhelming, she sought refuge in her workplace bathroom to have a good sob. When she came back to her desk, she saw someone had left her a steaming hot coffee and a cheese scone. Comfort in one small gesture.
It was that small act of kindness that got her thinking. What could many, many acts of kindness with a simple baked goodie do for others suffering?
‘‘That small act lifted my spirits and got me through the day. Marie and I got talking about all the difficulties people face in the world and we thought, let’s do something, even if it’s just tiny.’’
The idea has become a movement and made Aotearoa a kinder place to live.
Good Bitches Baking, Lazy Sneakers and Potty Potters were all recipients of the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards.