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Keeping on composting
WRT's Compost Co is Waiheke's only commercial composting site. Without it, all those compostable cups and plate would be off to landfill. Like many of WRT's projects, without grant funding, it couldn't have been established. This is why we were thrilled to receive $24,500 Lottery Community grant funding to keep this crucial social enterprise going for another year.
Compost Co. supports a circular economy on Waiheke, collecting food scraps and compostable waste from restaurants and processing it into nutrient rich compost that is sold in bags at the Sustainability Centre. This rejuvenates local soils and contributes to a more sustainable way of life.
The social enterprise's income generation has been adversely affected by Covid-19, with hospitality closed for so long and many events being cancelled and postponed. WRT sought to supplement the lost income so that Compost Co. can reach out and expand to a new customer base and reinvigorate itself post-lockdown.
Thanks to Lottery Community for this composting lifeline!
Find out more
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New futures at WRT
Maria Verdinelli joined WRT as a wetland restoration team leader a couple of years ago and under the guidance of Restoration Manager Kym Rawson she has become our new Assistant Restoration Manager. We love having her energy and organisation skills on board, and look forward to more awesome mahi out in the wetlands.
We recently welcomed our new Administrator, Laura Lynch, to WRT’s Sustainability Centre HQ. The team are excited and relieved to have Laura on board supporting project leads, helping ecostore refill customers, selling seedlings and generally keeping the WRT wheels turning.
Meet more of our people
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Do you love wetlands?
If you’re an outdoorsy-type with a passion for the environment, then we want to hear from you. WRT’s Love Our Wetlands Waiheke restoration team works across seven wetland sites, doing weed removal, caring for previous plantings and putting new native trees in the ground.
We welcome applications from both those who have previous experience in gardening, planting, or restoring wetlands and waterways, and those who are wanting to get into this kind of work for the first time. Chainsaw and scrubcutter experience are an advantage.
Find out more
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13.5 tonnes of food rescued in 3 months
In the first three months of 2022, our Kai Conscious team has rescued a whopping 13.5 tonnes of food and redistributed it to the Waiheke community.
WRT is a member of Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA), who helped us to calculate what this rescued food represents in environmental impact and financial value. It's good to know we didn't waste it!
Find out more about AFRA
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Kai Gardens seedlings for sale
We've seedlings galore at Kai Gardens! The autumn season is here and thanks to our diligent volunteers, we have got plenty of crops to be planted in your garden.
Tatsoi, broccoli, misome, silverbeet, cauliflower, beetroot, lettuce and more! Our social media posts regularly update what's hardened off and is ready for purchase, or come visit the Waiheke Sustainability Centre to see what's growing. Punnets are $3.50 each, individual plants are $1.50 each, and if you’re a community group there’s a discount. We're open 9-4pm for sales, Monday to Friday.
If you’re after some compost to plant your seedlings in, or crushed shells to cover the garden beds (or paths) with, don’t forget that you can order from The Compost Co and pay online for sacks to be delivered to your door.
Connect with us on Facebook for updates
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Bike Fix Workshop - Chains and (Gear) Changes | Tuesday 19 April | 6-8pm | BikeBox at Waiheke Sustainability Centre
How do I look after my bike chain? How do I clean the chain? Why is it making funny noises? Why does my chain fall off when I change gears? Bikebox mechanics Cassie and Brad are aiming to answer all these and any other questions you may have about chains and gears and changing gears in this upcoming workshop at Bikebox, the community bike repair hub behind the Sustainability Centre in Oneroa.
Knowing how to look after your chain and understanding how the gears work will help you keep your bike out of the repair shop for longer and keep you happily rolling along on two wheels.
This workshop is FREE and spaces are limited, so please register via this form. For any questions, email Cycle Action Waiheke
This workshop is brought to you by Bikebox and Cycle Action Waiheke with support from Auckland Transport.
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Middle Eastern Cooking Course with Hadas Ore | Monday or Tuesday 6-8pm, May or June 2022 | Waiheke Sustainability Centre
Hadas Ore, food anthropologist and Kai Conscious cook, is hosting two four-week blocks of classes on Monday and Tuesday evenings throughout May and June. Classes will teach valuable kitchen skills and low-budget, healthy meals using seasonal ingredients and fragrant spices. Come learn about the culture, traditions and food of the Middle East and bring your midweek cooking to life!
Classes are based on a cook, eat and enjoy philosophy, so you’ll go home with a full belly and leftovers. There’s a cap of 12 people per class and a four-week block costs just $15 per person! First come, first served.
Register now
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Neighbours Day shared meal | Saturday 14 May | 4-7pm | Surfdale Food Forest
Celebrate Neighbours Day with a Kai Connections theme by joining a shared meal at the Surfdale Food Forest (Surfdale Reserve / Hall). Hosts Kylee and Jane will be putting on some kai and introducing you to what's going on at the Food Forest. Bring some kai to share if you can, along with your own cutlery, cups and plates. This event will be zero waste and scraps will be composted in the dedicated compost area. Extend your knowledge of Surfdale, tour the Food Forest, and make some new local connections.
Find out more
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FREE Septic system care workshop | Tuesday 3 May | 5.30pm-8pm | Waiheke Sustainability Centre
Join us on Tuesday 3 May at 5.30pm for our Septic System Care workshop at the Sustainability Centre. This workshop, run by WRT's Nathalya Larson, includes a presentation on keeping your septic tank healthy and running efficiently, followed by a Q&A. Participants will be in the draw to win a Bokashi composting bin and an Ecostore Prize! Dinner will be on us, so don't miss out.
Sign up here
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Mural unveiling at Waiheke Dive and Snorkel
Photo credit: Chino Alberto Samuela
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The big reveal
Highlighting the vision of rangatahi, the Waiheke community and mana whenua, an ocean themed mural that acts as a welcome and a vision for a thriving Tīkapa Moana was unveiled last month.
The artwork was created through a collaboration of WRT’s Marine Education Initiative (MEI), Waiheke Marine Project (WMP), Ngāti Pāoa ki Waiheke, Waiheke Dive and Snorkel and Waiheke High School Year 8 students. It is placed, in full view, along the length of Waiheke Dive and Snorkel shop in Oneroa Village.
Waiheke High School students participated in workshops and brought the mural to life alongside local marine conservationist and artist Ari Vanderschoot from Sea Stewardship, designer Jeanine Clarkin and artist Whetu-Marama Rikihana from the Ngāti Pāoa ki Waiheke, ropu, who designed kowhaiwhai for the mural.
“Weaving in ideas and projects from both Marine Education Initiative and the Waiheke Marine Project is exactly what MEI is trying to achieve. Connecting our students to mātauranga, conservation, and regeneration work out there in the community gets them hands-on and connected to our wider network of local experts, of which there are many here on the island.” Says MEI Project Lead Kristin Busher.
“This mural acts as a message to those visiting and a reminder to our island community of the commitment we make as people living on the motu that it is our collective responsibility to care for Tikapa Moana and all the biodiversity that lives within it.”
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What to Plant Now: April
Join Kai Gardens Coordinator Chardy Parkes outside the Waiheke Sustainability Centre as she guides us through the types of seedlings we should be putting in the ground now. Top tip: Hardy Asian greens such as misome offer good yield through winter months!
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Not everyone is on Facebook
So please share this newsletter with folks who you know are interested in WRT or sustainability on the motu but won’t be following our updates and upcoming events on social media.
If you’re reading this because someone forwarded you the email, haere mai! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter
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