Sunday, January 30, 2011

Into February already

Hard to believe that the first month of the year has flown by already.  Now it is time for getting kids back to school and getting back to work.  We will be starting back at the Women's Centre next week too, as they are only open during term time, and I am still working on getting a guest speaker in to talk about employment issues.

Would it suit to have the guest speakers on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning?  The Women's Centre is such a great venue (hot drinks, kid's toys, outside garden and large room) however not many of us are making it to the shared lunch on a regular basis.  They are unable to offer us a morning slot and so I am wondering if it is better to just meet for morning tea each week or do people think they will come to a shared lunch (probably suit those without napping kids) one week and morning tea the next.  Can you let me know as I will have to make a decision this term.

This week we have two events to join in with; the Sport Wellington Buggy walk (Thursday 3rd) and Waitangi Day celebrations at Tainui Marae (Sunday 6th).  Hopefully the Summer behaves itself and we can enjoy good weather for both days! The walk this Thursday is approximately 1 hr long beginning at 10.30am, meeting at 10.15 at the picnic area by Whareroa Beach. If you click on the word 'Upcoming Events' on the right hand side there is a link for the Sport Wellington website which will give the full details.

Waitangi Day is a very special event in New Zealand and one that has also been surrounded with controversy.  Maori were the only indigenous people of the time to form any kind of agreement or treaty with the English however the wording of the treaty and interpretation have been hotly debated ever since.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitangi_Day more information.  We have been invited to the celebrations at Tainui Marae in Otaki which start at 10am, this is on Convent Road (half way between the State Highway and Otaki Beach).  See Google maps for the best directions from you.

Look forward to seeing you all soon.

Monday, January 17, 2011

We've hit the news!

After a couple of phone interviews a reporter from The Kapiti Observer is writing an article about our group which should be in this Thursday's edition of the paper.  Check it out!! 

The reporter is planning to come by on Friday and take a photo of all of us for another article at a later date, possibly in connection with an event, which will be great for creating interest in the group and encouraging more members to come along.

I was thinking about having guest speakers this term and wondered what you all think.  It would be great if you could give me and idea for the kind of topics that interest you.  Settlement Support can offer workshops, if there is enough interest, about various aspects of New Zealand life and law which may be of use.  These would probably be during the shared lunches on a Wednesday as it is a great facility for a group as well as having toys for the kids.

Let me know your thoughts and I can get organizing.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you all had a great break in the sunshine.  There is lots lined up from now till Easter and hopefully the changing venues and times will allow everyone to come along at least a few times. 

Our next planned meet up is this Thursday, 13th Jan 2011, in Campbell Park, Paekakariki.  This is the large playground on Wellington Rd before you get to Queen Elizabeth Park.  The outlook for Thursday (Oh quoting a bit of classic kiwi rock there!) is a bit mixed so if it is raining we'll just have an indoor picnic at mine.  I'll e-mail in the morning to confirm the venue.

We have also been invited to Waitangi Day celebrations on 6th February at Tainui Marae in Otaki.  This starts at 10am and is a family event so partners and other family members are all welcomed.  This will be a great opportunity to experience an important part of NZ culture.  Remember the hats and sunblock though as you may be outside in the heat for a while.

Apart from that check out the events tab (on the right had side of the screen) to see all the other dates and venues.  As always I will e-mail to remind you and if anyone has any suggestions of good venues please let me know.