Author: grant corbishley

August 12, 2019

Our school is inviting you to …

Quiz Night: coming up this Wednesday 14 August, 7.30 pm at the Pines. 

Houghton Bay Plan and Prepare, Tuesday 3 September, 6:45 – 8:00 pm: come along to this free event for all residents and visitors of the Houghton Bay area. Houghton Valley School has provided the space to host this gathering, which will cover tips on how you can get prepared both at home, work or even school. Refreshments will be served from 6:45 pm and the session will start at 7 pm. We invite you to register at www.getprepared.nz/course. (link not current)

Houghton Bay Earthquake Drill, Tuesday 24 September, 6:00 – 7:30 pm: find out how your community can work together during and after a major disaster. We will be opening up the Community Emergency Hub at Houghton Valley School to host this interactive session for all residents and visitors of the area.

HV Progressive Association membership

Annual subscriptions are now due at $10 per family. For online payments:

• Houghton Valley Progressive Association
• BNZ Kilbirnie
• 020 520 0143013 00

Please make sure you give your name and “subscription” in the payment details. Let Ken know a physical address and you will receive a free set of these Hall Cards from banners made by local artists.

Bus route consultations for No. 23 and No. 29

The GWRC says that the closest drop-in session to Houghton Bay is going to be held in Island Bay at the Island Bay Presbyterian Church (88 The Parade) on Saturday 7 September between 11am and 5 pm. If you can’t make any of the Southern drop in sessions, and you work in the CBD, you may be able to pop into a City Centre drop-in during working hours. An online survey will be available online shortly – please sign up at haveyoursay (link not current) for updates and they will let you know as soon as this is available.

Some sessions seem to be run by people with no real knowledge of the routes. However, Darren Ponter confirmed that Anthony Cross, who is a route planner, will be there.

Local body election candidate meetings

Thursday 12 September: GWRC candidates will speak at St Anne’s Hall, Newtown. Time TBC.

Thursday 19 September: Paekawakawa/Southern Ward candidates will speak at St. Anne’s Hall, Newtown. Time TBC.

Saturday 21 September: Mayoral and Motukairangi/Eastern Ward candidates will speak at the Kilbirnie/Lyall Bay Community Centre, 56 – 58 Bay Road, Kilbirnie. Time 2 – 4 pm.

(136 recipients, 96 opens)

July 19, 2019

Community Notices 

Planting at Bann Street Reserve: this Saturday July 20 is another try for weather good enough to get some plants in the ground. From 10.00 am – 12.00 midday. Help revegetate our local landscape! Bring a spade and sturdy footwear and meet at the entrance to the reserve.

Helping out at the Alice Krebs Lodge: our little lodge up on the hill in Te Raekaihau Park at the end of View Road needs a few people to help out with stacking firewood and clearing weeds from around the plantings nearby. If you can help please contact Brenda.

Local Vandalism: Further to the report about the throwing of books in our library down the bank, the Playcentre has also had some trouble recently with people throwing eggs and fruit at the building, drawing on things and using the play equipment inappropriately. It may well be the same people, so keep an eye out, especially in the evening.

Houghton Valley Progressive Association AGM: at the AGM, Ken Munro was re-elected as President / acting Hall Manager, and Grant Corbishley as Secretary. Brian Fowler will take over the role of Treasurer from Christine Fowler. (This will be the first time in over 20 years Christine not been doing a job of one sort or another!) Discussion was held around how the hall is being managed (as it is currently a shared role) and it would be great to have an event in the hall for spring … is that talking to you?

Drama classes for children: Marrzipan Drama run classes in the Community Hall on Thursdays from 8 – 8.45 am. Enrol now for Term 3!

Marrzipan drama helps the development of shy children, especially those with anxiety, autism and selective mutism. But the classes are also for the super crazy and dramatic types too, as they focus on positive leadership and social skills. They are super fun and exciting for children and work towards an end-of-term production. For more information and registration go to: www.marrzipandrama.co.nz .

How busy is Hungerford Road?: a recent road count noted an average of about 2,400 cars traveling back and forth over Hungerford Road. In 2013 a local attempted to convince WCC to do something about the road’s overuse due to short-cut traffic. The planner stated that as there have been very few crashes, any works would fail benefit-cost tests. Benefit assessments do not include reduced local noise, air pollution or community well-being. The planner also boldly claimed any works would find local opposition. He will try again and ask WCC if they consider the volumes and average speeds shown by the count to be appropriate for Hungerford Road.

Koha Coffee: the next Koha Coffee will be on Saturday August 3, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm in case there isn’t another newsletter before then.

Council Related Notices

Infrastructure issues in Houghton Valley: Councillor Sarah Free has made contact with Wellington Water on our behalf about continuing leaks in the valley and Zac Jordan from Infrastructure responded:

• Land Stability: I understand there has been some concern regarding the stability of the embankment adjacent to the pathway leading to 50 – 68 Hornsey Road. I have investigated this internally and have been advised by the Council Roading Team that they are updating their investigations on this pathway and associated embankment – the job is ‘live’ and I am in touch with the engineers from the Roading Team who will see this through and provide you with a more detailed update on this matter.

• Water Leaks: There have been a handful of water leaks in the Houghton Bay area in the past 12 months, some large and easy to access, some smaller and difficult to access for repairs. The residents of Houghton Bay are fantastic at using the Council’s FixIt App and Contact Centre for reporting water leaks. Communication back to those who report the leaks could have been better – the Council and Wellington Water are working on this aspect.

Clearly if there are current jobs that need to be escalated, please let me know and I will do so. Otherwise, Wellington Water has now established a dedicated Customer Hub Team that can respond to escalation issues directly customer@wellingtonwater.co.nz or provide more information as to where a job is tracking. There will be a unique number for the job logged and this number makes the enquiry a lot easier to track if it is quoted.

The HVPA says: please get in touch if there are any specific issues near you and they will collate them and arrange a visit. Contact Ken .

Bus Consultation: our advice is that the 23 and 29 routes that concern most readers will be included in the Southern Consultations and there is no date for that yet. However, this should not impede going along to the Eastern Consultation and raising the issue! Online consultations will be phased in as well with the Eastern one open now. Kilbirnie drop-in bus workshops will be held at Toitu Poneke Community and Sports Centre – the hub, 49 Kilbirnie Cres, Kilbirnie.

• Sunday 21 July – 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
• Monday 22 July – 1.00 pm to 7.00 pm

Let’s Get Welly Moving: The Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay and Rongotai Residents Association has organised a Lets Get Welly Moving presentation on Tuesday July 30th at 7.30pm. The 20 minute presentation by Andrew Body and Willy Trolove of LGWM will include an update on the redesign of the Basin Reserve. They will then open the floor for questions or to voice your opinions.

The venue is the Harbour City Funeral Chapel on Cockburn Street, (not the Funeral Home further down Onepu Road). The entrance is beside the car park behind the Chapel.

(135 recipients, 102 opens)

July 2, 2019

A Community Weekend of Events 

Koha Coffee: coming up this Saturday July 6 from 10.30 am – 12.30 pm, or thereabouts. As well as a general social catch-up we were wondering whether this time could also be spent as a repair cafe, or repair networking opportunity. Come along and we can discuss solutions to what you might like to have help with, or tell us what you can help to fix and/or up-cycle. And we can go from there …

Planting day at Bann Street Reserve: coming up Saturday July 6 from 10.00 am -12.00 midday. Help us revegetate out local landscape! We will be running a few of these planting sessions, starting this Saturday. Bring a spade and sturdy footwear. The postponement date Saturday 20 July (or possibly a second planting day if we don’t get all the plants in on the first session).

Houghton Valley Progressive Association AGM: this is coming up this weekend and anyone interested in community projects or being involved or is welcome. We will be meeting at the hall on Sunday 7 July at 4 pm.

What DID you want to see in the Valley?

You may remember that Mr Monkey conducted a survey a couple of months ago. There was a relatively low overall response rate and this means the sample may not reflect the wider community. However the response rate for the Council’s two recent huge surveys was less than 2% of the adult population, so it’s about on par even if Mr. Monkey did try his hardest. Thanks to Ken and Rachael for putting it all together for him. Here are a few of the results:

• Most respondents live local to the community hall;
• Craft fair, pop up shop, local market and games nights are most popular suggestions;
• Dinner and dance, beer making and reading least popular suggestions;
• There is interest in events for youth;
• All respondents found HV hall a suitable (or more than suitable) venue;
• Promoting community connections is an important benefit to most, with spray-free zones being the lease important to most.
• The community newsletter, facebook and neighbourly are the most preferred communication methods with the noticeboard being the least popular.

Wee Free Library

Oh no!  Someone has been throwing the books over the fence and it’s becoming a regular nuisance. I think it probably happens in the dark but keep your eyes open so we can reform this odd person.

Wellington Light Rail

The FIT Wellington website: includes basic information on recommended design features and performance expectations for a light rail system in Wellington. It provides answers to questions already asked by other residents’ groups along the route. There is a CONTACT form if you wish to request feedback on specific issues for your neighbourhood, or you can email questions or comments direct to them.

(133 recipients, 85 opens)

May 3, 2019

The header photo shows the community gardens facelift created last month with the help of a couple of Victoria University students and six locals, putting in more new garden bed timbers.

What do YOU want to see in the Valley?

We’d like to get your opinion about the hall and the Houghton Valley Progressive Association. Click on the link below for a “Survey Monkey” survey (thanks Rachael). We will keep it running through May and then have some feedback at the AGM in July.

Houghton Valley Survey  or https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HNLL52J (link not current)

Koha Coffee at the hall

Koha Coffee is on this Saturday May 4 from 10:30 am at the hall with a special theme….and CAKE!

The District Plan Review will continue for at least a year. Before the plan gets narrowed down to proposals, council planners want to get some ideas on how we see the future of our city. It is likely that there will be different scenarios in different parts of the city. The current invitation is for feedback about what we see as the most desirable values that we want to keep reflected in our city in 2030.

Until  May 10, feedback is sought in any form. You don’t have to follow all the questions given in the survey form but may choose just to give broad opinions. If you want to brainstorm or talk it over with others, come along to Koha Coffee and do it in a relaxed way!

There’s loads more information at https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/projects/planning-for-growth (link not current)

(129 recipients, 98 opens)

April 3, 2019

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at doing the newsletter once a month, more-or less on the Wednesday before Koha Coffee at the Hall (first Saturday in the month). Unless that is, there is something extra special that just can’t wait.

So if you have anything coming up that you want put in, please bear this schedule in mind. And don’t forget our community Facebook Group for another way of communicating. Anyway, a lot of news has built up over the last few weeks.

Enjoy!

Coming events in Houghton Valley

Wednesday 3 April Yoga: Kundalini Yoga session (koha) at 7.30 pm tonight at the community hall. See the blurb below.

Saturday 6 April Koha Coffee: coffee, munchies and chat at the community hall. Starting at 11 am this month. All welcome, it happens on the first Saturday of each month.

Sunday 7 April Garage Sale: a few local families are getting together to sell some great pre-loved toys, books and clothes, as well as baked goodies. They would love to see you at the community hall from 9 am.

Sunday 7 April Gardens’ working bee: the community gardens near the school are getting some more garden beds built by seven Victoria University student volunteers from 10 am. Come along and watch or pitch in too.

Sunday 14 April HVPA meeting: The Houghton Valley Progressive Association quarterly meeting is at 4 pm. Come along with community ideas you want to share.

Regular yoga at the hall

A regular community koha yoga practice has started up at the hall, from 7.30 – 9 pm on Wednesdays. They are alternating each week between a led Koha Kundalini Yoga session with a qualified teacher and a drop in self session where anyone can turn up with a mat and use the space for their own yoga or meditation in whatever form that takes.

This week of April 3 is a led Kundalini session. Kundalini yoga is the yoga of awareness, it’s a dynamic practice and powerful experience, incorporating all the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of yoga into one cohesive and integrated system. It has a lot of broader emphasis on breathing, meditation, hand positions (mudras), chanting (mantra), and spirituality. Kundalini Yoga mainly works on our energies. It is a yoga that helps you to work through any blocks and to face challenges and provides precious tools to use in our daily life. Kundalini is a unique experience for each of us. No need to be a Yogi, flexible, fit or stretchy. Being you is all you need. Allow yourself a time for you and to reconnect you soul, body and mind together. Bring a shawl or blanket for relaxation.

The milkman is back!

Eketahuna Country Meats is now delivering milk and meat to Houghton Valley letterboxes. Register with them on their website: www.eketahunacountrymeats.co.nz and make your orders there too.

And the books are running out the door …

The Wee Free library at the hall is proving very popular … about 50 children’s books have gone out since it opened. Some are now starting to come back but we need to keep them circulating!  If you have any more children’s books to spare, drop them off at the library.

Harvest time

A pear tree planted several years ago up at the top of Sinclair Park by someone who has since left the area has fruited this year. A nearby resident spotted a pear and found another on the ground.

So are we one step closer to self sufficiency!??!

Interested in playing Pickleball at the hall?

Pickleball is a low-stress tennis game played indoors on a badminton size court. Easy on the joints but still a good workout. The hall is suitable for games, but we need a few people with a basic grasp of the rules. If you are interested, contact Ken.

It might need a few group lessons at the ASB centre first (Mondays 12 – 2 pm or Saturdays 5 – 7 pm).

(129 recipients, 94 opens)

February 27, 2019

The header picture shows flax in the swampy area below the playground just a few years ago. It has now completely vanished. This is due to a return of the harakeke yellow-leaf disease, which triggered a decline in the flax industry in the early 1900s.

The disease is caused by a bacterium and transmitted by a native flax plant hopper. Plants have pronounced yellowing of their leaves, stunted growth and premature flowering. It can take a few months or years to kill a plant. As leaves die off, greener leaves are left, giving the illusion that the plant is recovering. Flax growing in the shade seems to be less affected. Affected plants should be dug up and burnt, as they are a source of infection.

Sonic Tonic Sound Bath with Yee Ley

On Wednesday 6 March at the community hall from 7.45 pm – 9.15 pm, there is a unique event happening. Locals are welcome to come along.

It’s a lovely evening where you get to sit or lie down and relax while Yee Ley creates soundscapes using different instruments including crystal bowls, a harp, chimes, her voice, and other instruments to create a soundscape around you. It’s a bit like the relaxation at the end of yoga whilst floating away on sound. For parents it’s a wonderful indulgent opportunity to lie down and relax uninterrupted, and it leaves you feeling nourished and relaxed.

Bring: mats/cushions blankets if you wish to lie down and a comfortable folding chair or cushions for sitting on the hall seats. Cost $20.

For more information visit:  www.yeeleylau.com

Looking for a Hall Co-ordinator

Ngā mihi ki te hāpori i Haewai! Greetings to the community. We are looking for a special person to take care of the bookings for our community-owned hall. This is not a time-consuming role, and is perfect for someone who is friendly, outgoing and loves our community. If that’s you, we will cover reasonable costs for your role. We would love to hear from you! Contact Ken.

Koha Coffee this Saturday

It’s the first of the month again and Koha coffee is being held in the community hall from 10.30 – 12.30. Come and meet the locals and enjoy chatting, swapping, drinking coffee and eating home baked goodies.

Feedback on our town belt horse grazing

WCC are asking for feedback by March 30 on two tenancies for horse grazing on the town belt. One is on Happy Valley Road and one is off Houghton Bay Road. These leases are for 10 years.  If you want to give feedback, then the link is https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/meetings/committees/regulatory-processes/2019/02/13  (Item 2.3) (link not current)

(129 recipients, 100 opens)

February 13, 2019

Island Bay’s Blessing of the Boats ceremony last Sunday had such a large circle that it was seen from Houghton Bay.

Part-time Local Work Available at the School

Houghton Valley School has a part time cleaning job available at the moment. The school Principal, Luana Carroll writes:

“Traditionally we have been fortunate to be able to employ members of our community to provide basic services to our school for the mutual benefit of us all. One of our school cleaners is moving on and we are looking for her replacement in 2019. The position is about 10 hours a week, Monday-Friday.

Very occasionally the position requires the successful applicant(s) to perform a full school clean – typically about 5 hours after 3 pm. There is the possibility of increased hours. Hours can be flexible to accommodate study or family needs.

Individuals can apply or maybe you are a group of students or a family who could use supplementary income while helping care for our community’s school?  Please feel free to contact me.”

A New Butterfly Trend

At Te Kawakawa commons they are struggling to provide enough swan plants to feed those hungry fat Monarch butterfly caterpillars so in desperation the caterpillars have started pupating … on lettuce leaves!!

They might have to stake up the lettuce leaves, I hope they last long enough!

HVPA Meeting This Sunday

The next meeting will be on Sunday 17 February at 4 pm at the community hall. We are particularly interested in ideas for managing the hall in 2019.

Another Little Library Coming Soon

Following the success of the View Road library, another one has been constructed and decorated by Ken and Miranda. Keep your eyes open for where the next branch will be sited.

Interesting children’s books are welcome as donations.

Proposed New Local Playground

WCC are considering either Sinclair Park or Southgate Park for a new playground (not both). If you have a preference you can complete a survey via wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay (link not current) to give a plug for your favourite option. The survey is open until 24 February.

(128 recipients, 94 opens)

December 20, 2018

View Road ice cream stall

The View Rd ice cream stall is open for one night only this year. Make sure you put it in your calendar!

• Sunday December 23 from 6.30 – 8.00 pm;
• Ice creams are sold from the garage at No. 27 View Road;
• Only $1 a scoop, be there or be square!

Our community hall gets some new heaters

Three new infrared heaters have been installed in the hall and the HVPA committee (and interested users) will assess how well they work before deciding on whether to replace further units.

Rongotai social action day

Rongotai College had a volunteer community work day on November 30, and in Houghton Valley they helped a group of locals clean the hall, build the new garden beds at the community gardens, and spread mulch at Te Kawakawa Commons. They also did a bit of track drain digging on the path down to the community gardens.

A bonus for some of the Rongotai College boys was the chance to experience bird banding with local expert Kate Pickard and a friend. Check out an interview with Kate in the NZNBBS October 2016 Newsletter.

E-bikes in Houghton Bay

Dave McArthur has found another e-bike family from our community to interview:

“People were standing around chatting or ambling along in twos and threes, as people are want to do mid-afternoon any day in Cuba Street. I then noticed a tall, stately lady deftly weaving through the stream of people and as she came near I realized she was preceded by two boys sitting in a box. Both were buried in books, oblivious to the people around them. I recognized them as Finn-Oskar and Sven-Aksel and their mum, Sarena, from Houghton Bay on their cargo e-bike. So I flagged them down and begged a photo.

Later when I ask what two words they most associate with e-bikes, Sarena says with a laugh, “Bicycle Junction”, this being the name of their family’s business. The speed of her response indicates e-bikes feature large in their lives. She then adds, “Fun. Speed”.

Finn-Oskar says “Scarey. Fast.” while Sven-Aksel says, “Fun. Electric”.
Being able to read a book while being chauffeured on an e-bike sure brings a new dimension to commuting!”

Electric vehicle charging stations

The Council recently proposed to install Electric Vehicle charging stations in the suburbs so that people with no off road parking could charge their vehicles. However, for the proposed sites they only contacted people up to 2-3 houses away, whereas the impact of less parking in some cases affects the whole street. Whilst residents in Hornsey Road were quite happy, those in View Road were not, as parking is at a premium and dedicated carparks meant that others could miss out on a place to park. So in response to objections the Council has put the whole project in the too hard basket. Surely installations could go ahead on a case by case basis!

While we are on the subject of low carbon cities…

At the same Council meeting there was a presentation from a woman on behalf of her 16 year old nephew studying economics. She was keen to get the Council to explain to him why the business plan for the convention centre (also on the agenda) seemed to be contradictory to the Low Carbon Capital Plan and why there was no analysis of the total transport footprint if it was to be as successful as lobbyists claim.

Will the Convention Centre (and hotel) have a carbon credit levy for travellers from out of town to offset their travel footprint, which can be used to restore local natural habitat? Will there be a comprehensive, reliable, frequent, low cost electric public transport system available to bring in the local punters (or is that what we already have … hmm)?

Will there be a corporate event levy to help fund the myriad of community events also hosted in the city so that exhausted volunteers don’t need an overseas trip afterwards to recuperate? And when you think of it, how many events does a city really need? There is plenty to do right on your doorstep!

Also, touted as a sustainable building, one wonders whether harvesting rainwater, LED lights and installing photovoltaic panels is enough these days? Will the concrete be Magnesium Oxide based, which sequesters carbon instead of producing it? Will the PV cells be integrated into the building structure, leaving the roof free to be white and thus enabling it to reflect light back into space without turning it to heat? Will the textiles used be made from durable, locally produced hemp? Will the plastics used be from a local plastic recycling centre that also generously supports community fundraising through cleaning up our coast days, or recycles of the refuse from the Great Ocean Cleanup ships? It’s time to tackle true sustainability!

(128 recipients, 80 opens)

November 14, 2018

School Fair a Great Success

A huge THANK YOU to all those who supported the school fair this year. In spite of the rain, which arrived about 12.15 pm, the attendance was good, and the atmosphere really great. Our new teacher Mr Harland was chosen to kiss the goat this year, we had the usual excellent entertainment from our children and their whanau, delicious food, and exciting stalls and activities.

Financially the result was almost identical to last year, with approximately $27,000 profit made on the day. This is fantastic news for the school’s fundraising kitty, and the money will be used for playground and IT upgrades. It was wonderful to see so many members of the wider community at the fair. A special thank you to Grant and the community gardeners, who ran the ever-successful plant stall – Ngā mihi koutou!

And the community says …

Thank you for saying thank you Houghton Valley School. We’re happy to support the greatest school fair in the southern hemisphere!

A Good Spring for Rain

The heavy rainfall in recent weeks has once more sent pollution into our marine reserve. This was reported in Stuff on October 26.

 

This happens during heavy rainfall, when the weir diverting the landfill pipe contents to the sewer overflows and sends the surplus into the bay. We have an archaic system and all our stormwater (and fresh stream water) is directed into the landfill leachate pipes.

The article suggests that the sediment is runoff from the developments up the road, but if one thinks about it, our soil is not that colour. This bloom is tainted with iron from the landfill.

The article also talks about the odour as coming from decaying seaweed at the pipe outlet. However the smell often comes out from the stormwater drains around the valley. Have a sniff next time you pass one.

And finally, although the pipe flushing has reduced the frequency of this sort of spill, one can see it isn’t the solution. We need to separate the storm and spring water from the leachate, and preferably recap the fields with clay to prevent good rainwater from percolating down and becoming contaminated.

E-bikes in Houghton Bay

Dave McArthur has interviewed another e-bike user from our community:

Most school days Andrea breezes into the Houghton Valley School on her e-bike to pick up Rim after school, her helmet a little blob of sunshine that can be seen from afar. It could be that a little bit of rivalry between pedal power and battery power starts at this point.

When asked what two words she most associates with “e-bikes”, Andrea says with great enthusiasm, “ Fun, Yeah!” and adds “No problems with parking!”
When asked what two words he most associates with “e-bikes”, Rim says without hesitation “Fast”. Then after some deliberation he drawls in a scathing way, “Unnecessary”. When asked to elaborate, Rim explains he cannot see the point of carting “a big heavy battery” around on a bike. Andrea protests that it is a great help to her when biking up the hills. Rim grudgingly concedes she has a point and flexes his muscles …

Art Studio Sale

Miranda has run out of room in her studio and would love some of her paintings to go to new homes before the new year. Prices will be low and all reasonable offers accepted. (Cash only sales.)

Dates are Saturday 24 Nov 9 am – 12 midday and Sunday 25 Nov 9 am – 12 midday at 56 Hornsey Road. The studio is round the back. You can see her work on her website at: www.mirandamunroart.com (Photo from website.)

Koha Coffee

Thanks again to Andrew for a November catch up at the hall for Koha Coffee. A keen eye might spot Claudia’s gluten free apricot sponge on the table but keen eyes don’t satisfy stomachs!

See you the first Saturday in December.

 

(128 recipients, 98 opens)

October 25, 2018

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks and it is lovely to be back again in Houghton Valley. Very sad to see the burnt out house in Hungerford Road though, I hope the residents are all OK. A neighbour was going to check to see if the community could help in any way. If you are happy to help if needed, go to our community Facebook Group Houghton Valley & Hornsey Rd Community Project and leave a comment on her post.

Jenny

School Fair This Weekend!

Saturday October 27, 10 am -2 pm, rain or shine.  

Come along to our annual fair for a great day out in the valley. We will have dog agility, kid’s sumo, petting zoo, pony rides, games, great entertainment from our local talented artists, clothes, books, toys, cakes and crafts on sale. A selection of great bargains to be had at the silent auction, and of course the legendary food court, with an even greater selection of curries and salads than ever before, a South African braai, Coco at the Roxy with ceviche and pulled pork, a NEW wood fired pizza stall, crepes, sausages, freshly squeezed drinks, Havana coffee ..the list goes on. We are aiming to be landfill free this year, so please bring your re-usable bags for any purchases. We look forward to seeing you there, possibly in the rain.

Pre-fair clothes sale

The clothes sale held on October 19 at the Community Hall was a great success. It was wonderful to see the Hall abuzz with local people, chatting, and browsing for clothes. The school fair organisers hope that this might be the first of many such events, and would like to say a big thank you for the loan of the Hall for both storage of clothes and the event itself. We would also like to thank Lesley of Instep Dance for her patience while we shared her space. Mel Dash, the organiser, reports takings of just under $1000 for the school, so from a financial and a community perspective,  it was well worth doing.

Little Free Library

Our first Little Free library is up and running now, located at 27 View Road. It was built by Morgan, painted by Jessica, and is hosted by  Brian.

People are welcome to take a book or leave a book that they wish to share. The requirements are that they are good books that are worth sharing. It is not a place to offload unwanted items. It is also important to consider that all ages will be using the library, so use discretion when leaving books. If the library needs a tidy up, anyone is welcome to do so. If it has been vandalised or is in need of repair, please let Jessica know.

We hope to have more Little Free Libraries in the community. If anyone is interested in making, painting, or hosting one, please contact Jessica. The idea is to connect with others in the community to create something that will contribute to the unique culture of Houghton Valley.

Happenings at Te Kawakawa Commons

At Te Kawakawa Commons locals gathered recently to celebrate their new garden shed built by locals from reclaimed material, and a garden upgrade and new watertank, which was partly funded by a grant from the Wellington City Council “Stone Soup” gardening fund.

The Commons is also supported by working bees with Conservation Volunteers. The next will be on Friday, November 23 and locals are always welcome to join in. We also look forward to the annual volunteer day with Rongotai College on November 30.

Koha Coffee

Come along to the community hall on Saturday 3rd November, 10.30 – 12.30, for coffee, tea, munchies and great conversation.

Houghton Valley Progressive Association Meeting

At the last HVPA meeting we discussed a refresh of Hall Management. The Hall Manager’s role is a voluntary one as the first point of contact for bookings and oversight of the hall. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to introduce some new ideas for community events and activities. As well, we are looking for expressions of interest for a contract for hall cleaning and that would suit a local resident. If you are interested in either or both opportunities, contact Ken for further information.

(123 recipients, 96 opens)