Public meeting minutes

5/5/08 at the Castle, 327 Willis St.

Agenda: 1.Steering Group report 2.Name 3.Logo 4.Formalising 5.Reconnect debrief 6.World Environment Day 7.Film Screening(s) 8.The Great Unleashing 9.Library 10.Ideas of actions 11.Announcements 12.Events

1.Steering Group Minutes to be posted on the website and emailed to group

2.Group Name Proposal that the name of the group should be changed form Wellington Central to Aro Valley. Reasons for this were that: -Aro Valley has a distinct culture and community, therefore needs its own group. -We need an area in which we feel as though we can make a change and Wellington Central seems too big for that. -We need a brand and an identity that would appeal to the local community.

Concerns were raised that people in other areas of Wellington Central would not have a group to go to.

The conclusion was reached that the name will be changed to ‘Transition Towns Aro Valley’ but that our group remain as inclusive as possible. Work will also be done in creating a district group that co-ordinates the smaller community groups.

3.Logo To be worked on at a later date, but is aimed to be completed before the posters go out for the film screening.

4.Formalising Simon to send off application for formalising our Transition Towns group. This allows us benefits such as resources and support from the Transition Towns hub and also allows us to apply for funding. Later we will need to send off a written constitution.

5.Reconnect Debrief This was a follow up from ‘Connect’ which was held two months ago. It was a gathering of environmental and social justice groups to see what synergies were there and to allow for connections. Both events were organised by Four Million Dreams, Christian World Service, Transition Towns and Gecko. The event used open space ideas which created an informal and social, but also highly productive and energetic atmosphere. The main focus was on possible activities for World Environment Day.

6.World Environment Day For events see the ‘events’ section at the end of the minutes or visit the 42 collective Google Groups site at http://groups.google.com/group/42collective/web/world-environment-day Or the official Ministry for the Environment site at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/wed/

Other ideas that were put forth at the Reconnect event were: -A downtown Eco-therapy event. -Critical Mass bike ride. -Handing out eco-friendly name tags to promote talking to other people at the events.

Concerns were raised about the lack of coordination and publicity from the Ministry of the Environment about World Environment Day.

There was talk of a ‘big announcement’, though it is unsure who will be giving it and what it might be. Possibilities of who might be giving it include the Wellington City Council or maybe Helen Clark.

7.Film Screening(s) ~Action point: Anne to confirm 9th of June screening at the Castle.

A projector has been donated to the Castle, so if we get to go ahead then it is possible to screen films there.

Farmer John was a possibility of a film to show => Rimu has found out that it is still being screened at cinemas so it is unlikely that we will be able to get a copy to show publicly. If anyone has any suggestions of other films that are relevant, would appeal to a wide audience, and inspiring/hopeful then please email the group.

Andrew spoke to Roger who owns Havana and he will be willing to screen ‘The Power of Community’ there on a Tuesday night. This will be sometime after the proposed film screening at the Castle.

Ideas of promotions for the film screening are: -An article in Valley Voice (needs to be in by the 9th of May). Andrew, Alison and Anne to do this. -Fliers/posters. -Emails. -Chalking the streets.

~Action point: Andrew to find out about borrowing seats from Aro Community Hall.

8.The Great Unleashing To say that we exist! Currently planned for spring.

Ideas for the event included: -Ralph Chapman, the Director of Environmental Studies at Victoria University, might be available to give a talk on climate change. -An Eco-therapy (potting up plants) event. -Some teachings and activities around permaculture. -A talk about Transition Towns. -For it to be similar to Aro Gardener but more practical and centralised. -For it to also be a celebration of Aro Valley: invite many cultural groups to perform or run activities. -It could either be before the ‘Skilling Up for Power Down’ permaculture course or the event could somehow operate as a part of it.

9.Library An idea was put forth to have some sort of a library system because there are many great resources that are lying around without being used. It was decided that this would take form in a page on the TT website where people could list what resources they have (e.g. books, DVDs, magazines), including the titles, perhaps a brief description and the contact details of the owner. If someone does not have the time or ability to put the information on the website then it can be emailed to the group and someone else will put it up.

10.Ideas of Actions Each member at the meeting was asked to give one or two ideas of actions that could be implemented before the next meeting and would be in the direction of making our lives/communities more sustainable.

Ideas included: -Taking composting home from work and also putting up posters around work to let others know that this is being done. -Buying Zoodoo compost for the garden. See www.zoodoo.co.nz -Plant some beans in the garden, mainly because they have nitrogen fixing bacteria and can put nitrogen back into the soil, making it more fertile for other (more delicious) plants to grow in. -Start using newspaper to line bins, this would avoid buying plastic bags for this purpose. -Get involved in a co-op farming/community supported agriculture venture. This is a more sustainable way of obtaining food and it promotes a sense of community. See http://www.simplygoodfood.co.nz/ -Composting human manure, though this probably will not be done before the next meeting. -Try to get a worm farm on the Victoria University campus. -Go to the weed swap during World Environment Day, see ‘events’ or http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/wed/ -Make signs to put on hand towel dispensers in bathrooms, along the lines of ‘do you really need three paper towels to dry your hands?’ -Bring good environmental practices (e.g. recycling) to the awareness of friends who do not already do them.

11.Announcements Paul Bruce (a regional councillor) is going to create a forum on oil depletion and ways to mitigate the effects. He would like input on how to set this up and has organised a meeting for this purpose. Anyone who is interested or who feels as though they can contribute is welcome to attend. It is at 5pm on Wednesday the 7th of May at the ICLEI office, level 3, 276 Lambton Quay (Cable Car Lane).

12.Events -World Environment Day related events:

Hopefully MfE will post new events as they come to light at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/wed/ Weed swap. Civic Square. 11am - 3pm. Bring in garden weeds and swap them for native plants. Contact Matt Barnett Children's painting exhibition. Te Papa. 30th May - 8th June. Paintings focus on actions to reduce climate change. Contact MfE  Art for the Environment exhibition.  Te Papa. 5th - 8th June. International art exhibition. Contact MfE Junk to Green Funk art auction. Town Hall. 4.30pm Tuesday 3rd June. Art on display now in TraidAid shopd. Contact TradeAid or MfE. Green Ribbon Awards. Town Hall. 5pm - 8pm Tuesday 3rd June. Annual awards presented to sustainability leaders. Contact MfE. -The Transition Towns Brooklyn group is showing ‘The Power of Community’ followed by a presentation on permaculture given by Andrew (who I hear gives pretty fantastic presentations). This is at the Brooklyn Community Centre, from 7pm to 9pm on the 21st of May.

-On Wednesday the 14th of May at Crossways, 46 Brougham St, Mt Victoria there will be a movie by Bill Mollison (probably about permaculture) followed by a discussion.

Monday 7 April ‘08

Agenda: 1. Form a steering group 2. Geography of TT Central 3. The 12 steps 4. Energy Descent Action Plan 5. Announcements

1. Form a steering group Done! Simon, Andrew, Alison, Stuart, Anne

2. Geography of TT Central - Feeling that there is a need for a more local, community-based identity - Most TT movements are based on towns, rather than cities - Acknowledgement that there is a tension between needing to regenerate our local community and needing a central city group that can more appropriately affect change on wider urban issues, especially relating to the Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) - Recognising the need to get consolidation and momentum before we start to spread ourselves too thin – start the movement, then others will come and join - Maybe rename our group Aro Valley, Aro Valley to be the focus of the group, with people from other areas welcome to join us  Decision not to rename the group yet, but bring it up at the next few meetings so people can discuss and know what’s happening

3. The 12 Steps 1. Set up a steering group and design its demise from the outset - ideally 4 or 5 people

2. Raise awareness - TT website - personal contacts - The Valley Voice (press release??) - liaising with Gecko 3. Lay the foundation - liaising with other groups, get input into broader vision e.g. EDAP 4. Organising a Great Awakening - big public event “This is Transition Towns!!” 5. Form groups - breaking into subgroups, especially to do with EDAP (energy, food, health etc) 6. Use OpenSpace - principle of running meetings, open conversational space 7. Develop visible, practical manifestations of the project - real activity in the real world, results, tangible change in the community 8. Facilitate the Great Reskilling - community education projects, learning new skills, remembering old skills (e.g. bottling, preserving etc) 9. Build a bridge to local government - especially important for EDAP - good networking opportunities given success of Greens in recent local body elections (Iona Pannett, Celia Wade-Brown (WCC); Paul Bruce (GWRC) 10. Honour the Elders - interviews, conversations, speakers - especially people that have lived through things like the Depression 11.Let it go where it wants to go 12. Create the energy descent plan - vision for Aro Valley - creating plan for the community at different scales - legitimacy to be gained from the ongoing projects that came before - should start building relationships with different groups, not just environmental groups but all groups in the community working towards a community we want for the future

4. Energy Descent Action Plan - Council is putting out a document in 4-6 weeks on energy use in Wellington covering aspects like road transport, electricity usage, international and domestic air travel etc - Wellington actually comparatively well-off in terms of public transport, compared to Auckland and especially many cities in the US (this skews a lot of the literature about energy and transport) - Greater Wellington Regional Council – 50% of budget dedicated to public transport

5. Announcements - suggestion that everyone reads up on one particular area of The Transition Handbook to report back to the group and collectively educate ourselves - Alison to read chapter on what Totnes has done (Chapter 12) to fill us in next time - Andrew, Simon & Co. are planning on running a permaculture workshop “Skilling up for Power Down” in spring, at the planning stages at the moment, any suggestions or ideas welcome - for info on other permaculture courses check out Permaculture in New Zealand http://www.permaculture.org.nz/ (I think this is the site you guys were referring to, the one you said took me to Puppeteers in New Zealand!!) - for anyone interested, Richard Heinberg’s recent article is particularly relevant to TT – see http://www.richardheinberg.com/museletter/192

Discussion on local government issues - Iona Pannett, Celia Wade-Brown and Paul Bruce want community visioning input to influence things at the policy level - encouragement to make submissions to local government - Ngauranga to Airport study – WCC, GWRC and Transit NZ looking for input on central Wellington transport issues - initial submissions period now closed - issue to reopen in coming months - City Council still advocating more roads and new tunnel - more progressive groups lobbying for light rail, cycle lanes etc - Council modelling assumes no real increase in petrol price since 2001, and assumes price of petrol will stay constant in future Action Points • Rimu to set up mailing list • Rimu to try and get hold of 220 GB of resources from TT New Zealand to make available on the internet if possible • Alison to read Chapter 12 to report back on next time • Anne to check about regular meetings at the Castle, and possibility of digging up the back garden by the bypass Upcoming Events • Wed 9 April 7.00pm – Andrew speaking on permaculture, followed by a film screening. Venue: Crossways, Cnr Brougham & Elizabeth Streets, Mt Victoria • Fri 11 April – Local currencies expert from Japan to do a workshop in the morning for people who are seriously interested, followed by a talk in the evening, and Green Dollars conference Saturday and Sunday in Porirua – sorry, I didn’t get the details on this, if anyone is keen maybe check the TT website?? • Sun 13 April 5.15pm – Film screening “The Real Dirt on Farmer John” is the story about a farmer/poet/rebel fighting for his farm, his freedom of expression and humanity. An entertaining and uplifting film as much about the personal resilience and the power of community, and as it is about organic food production and the battle against agribusiness. (Green Party fundraiser, $20 per ticket) Farmer John himself will be present at this screening and answer questions afterwards. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJXpKaPA4cw

Tickets: Presales only, from Denise Eilers 389-1079 or email denise.eilers@psa.org.nz

• 1 or 2 May (still being decided on) – Reconnect: Conversations for Change, follow-up meeting on Connect: Conversations for Change at Vic Uni, chance for all the groups involved in sustainability around the city to meet and get to know each other, network, identify synergies and opportunities for groups to work together. Venue to be confirmed, but hopefully at St. John’s on corner Willis and Dixon Streets. Will start as a facilitated meeting at 6 followed by music, food, dancing?? = ) • Iona Pannett to have discussions over coffee with anyone who wants to go along, see bottom of minutes for media release on this.

Next meeting:• Monday 5 May, probably at The Castle, 327 Willis Street big bright yellow building next to Te Aro Health Centre, just south of the Bypass (check website to confirm venue). 6.00 pm

• Steering committee to meet at Lido Café (Wakefield Street) Wed 16 April, 6.00pm

Note for Rimu : I checked if the wireless works in the meeting room downstairs for you to do a quick demo of how to do website stuff at the next meeting, worked fine so shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll have my laptop here.

Media release, Green Party

4th April 2008

Café clinics - come and chat over coffee about council issues with Councillor Iona Pannett

A new style of consultation is coming to town - come and chat over coffee and Council issues with Lambton Ward Councillor Iona Pannett.

"People generally don't turn up to Council meetings so I've decided to try a new tack, organising 8 meetings over the Lambton ward for people to talk to me about the Council's upcoming Annual Plan and any other city issues", said Cr Pannett.

"It will also be a chance for me to introduce myself to more people in the Lambton Ward. As a first term Councillor, I'm especially keen to hear from and meet as many residents as possible", said Cr Pannett.

"Council knows that people often don't feel consulted so here is a chance for people to have a direct conversation with one of their representatives in a convivial setting. Wellingtonians are great lovers of coffee and a café setting is a perfect setting to discuss these kinds of issues," said Cr Pannett.

"I will be paying as I don't want to put up any barriers to people participating in the meetings. Any one from the Wellington city area is welcome to attend," said Cr Pannett.

"This will be only one of many opportunities for people to have a chat with me, more meetings are planned, otherwise, don't hesitate to contact me on 384-3382/021-227-8509 or e-mail me at iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz<iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz>," said Cr Pannett.

Meeting times

Brooklyn meeting: Penthouse Cinema Café, 205 Ohiro Road, Brooklyn, Monday 14th April, 6:30-8:00pm

Thorndon meeting: April Café, 342 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Tuesday 15th April 6:30-8:30pm

Oriental Bay meeting: Parade Café, 148 Oriental Bay, Oriental Bay, Monday 21st April 6:30-8:30pm

Mt Cook meeting: 40 Wallace Street (as yet unopened café), Mt Cook, Tuesday 22nd April 6:30-8:30pm

Kelburn meeting: Red Tomatoes Café, 87-89 Upland Road, Kelburn, Thursday 24th April 6:30-8:30pm

Aro Valley meeting: Aro Valley Café, 90 Aro Street, Aro Valley, Saturday 26th April 1-3pm

Te Aro meeting: Olive Café, 170 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Tuesday 29th April 6:30-8:30pm

Mt Victoria meeting: Mojo Café, 23 Kent Terrace, Mt Victoria, Thursday 1st May, 6:30-8:30pm

Contact:

Iona Pannett Wellington City Councillor (Lambton Ward)

Address: 27 Caroline Street, Mt Victoria, Wellington 6011 Telephone: 384-3382 (work)/021-227-8509 (mobile) E-mail: iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz