Thanks guys. Maui's Dolphin Day was awesome. Maori Wardens think it was the biggest event Raglan has ever had!

We had national and international environmental groups, who were all impressed with our passion for the Maui’s Dolphin. Forest and Bird sent 1,000 postcards to the Ministers of MPI and Conservation, and would’ve sent more if they hadn’t run out halfway through the day! Around 300 people were part of our aerial photo of a ‘human dolphin.’ Department of Conservation commented that this is the only community in the country that has such a celebration for its unique environment. They hope that we can teach and inspire other communities to do the same.

We'd love to hear your feedback...

If you would like a print of the Aerial photo as an A1 poster, it will be $30 including GST and postage. Please pay by Wednesday, March 6th and let me know.

Postcards will also be available at WEC.

You can see it on Let's Face It website's news blog... www.lets-face-it-dolphins.com


 Our account details:
Whaingaroa Environment Centre
03-1563-0036271-00

Hello WEC members,

Maui's Dolphin Day is this Saturday!

Here is the Maui's Dolphin Day schedule (below), coming out in this week's chronicle. But you get it first!

Can you help?

We still need a paddle pool for the Xtremely Small Raft Race. Also needed, hay bales to hire. We would love to have some places for people to sit, as the grass isn't growing in this dry weather, and hay bales would be perfect! Finally, does anyone have a megaphone that we could borrow for the beach clean-up in the moring and the aerial photo in the evening?

Maui's Dolphin Day Schedule
All day - Xtremely Small Raft Race with Arocha
All day - Maui's Dolphin Film Tent
10am - Beach clean-up with NZAEE
11am - Karakia
11am - Kids games with Raglan Community House
11:30am - Water Spirits (stiltwalking)
12pm - skateboarding demo
12:30pm - Twisted Timber
1pm - Raglan Area School's Maui's Dolphin Song
1:30pm - Raft Race
2:30pm - Reiki Ruawai
3:15pm - Little Lapin
4pm - Recycled Fashion show
4:30pm - Prizegiving
5pm - Aerial photo!

Maui's Dolphin Day is back on Saturday March 2nd. Aw yep!

More info below about what's happening on the day...

WEC members, can you help out? We need...

- One or two paddle pools for our "Xtremely Small Raft Race"

- A marquee with walls or just the walls for a 3 x 3 or 3 x 6 pop-up marquee

- Volunteers! To help in the WEC tent, film tent, and with set-up and take-down

Press release:

Maui’s Dolphin Day is back on March 2^nd to celebrate our local toanga, Popoto or Maui’s Dolphin. Working together to celebrate and protect our unique environment, Whaingaroa Environment Centre (WEC) and Xtreme Waste have teamed up again this year to bring you this event featuring the Recycled Raft Race

Also, new this year, a Recycled Fashion Show! This will be a “Project Runway” style fashion show, with contestants creating their pieces from recycled materials given to them on the day! Guest judge, Tarja Pabbruwe, who has been a Section and Overall Winner at WOW Wearable Arts will be performing in her Water Spirit stilkwalker costume, which is sure to inspire our contestants!

The event will also include performances from local musicians and schools including Little Lapin, Reiki Ruawia and Twisted Timber. Fundraisers from local groups will offer sausage sizzles, treats and more. Environmental awareness activities and stalls will give everyone a chance to learn more about their local environment. There will be loads of things to do and lots of prizes and fun!

The event will be followed at 5pm by an aerial photo on the beach of a ‘human dolphin.’ Droidworx is providing a flying camera for the photo.

Contact WEC to participate or volunteer. Raft race and Fashion Show registrations now available! 07 825 0480 or drop in to see us at the Town Hall.

We have some Calendula seedlings which need planting soon! They are beautiful orange Calendula, which produce tons of flowers in spring. The more you cut, the more you get. Great for some spring colour, and also to make calendula oil which has medicinal value for healing and skin. Come and pick them up at WEC. We're open Tuesday 9:30 - 3:30pm.

Wondering what to plant this month? Check out our second month of this awesome resource created by Danielle, a Seed Bank volunteer, Seeds to Sow in February. Come into WEC to get your seeds!

Maui's Dolphin Day is back on March 2nd! Please say you're going on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/events/401793153235173/

Volunteers and participants welcome! Just contact WEC. To join in the Recycled Fashion show or Raft Race, please register. Info and registrations available on our website at...

http://www.whaingaroa.org.nz/workshops_events/

Peggy Oki is coming into town on Tuesday January 5th to help support Maui's Dolphin Day. If anyone is coming to Raglan from Auckland (or alternatively, Hamilton) on that day, please let us know! Peggy has done so much to support our events in the past.

Our amazing Seed Bank volunteers have been busy sorting, packing and ordering all the seeds that you need! We've got stuff to put in for summer, and winter stock now available.

See the attached poster of what to plant in January. Thanks to Danielle for putting this together, and Rhonda for all her know-how!

Message from the Seed Bank:

Start thinking now about your winter crops. If you want veges like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or cabbage through the winter, get your seeds in now so they can get some growth in during the warmer months. You can use sprouting broccoli all through the winter. Come into WEC’s Seed Bank. Our winter seed stock is now available!

The Draft Conservation Management Strategy (CMS) for the Waikato Conservancy is out for consulation until 4.30pm on Friday 15th March 2013. You can view and download the strategy online www.doc.govt.nz/cms

“The Department of Conservation is keen to hear from you about your special places. We want to hear what you want to ensure the conservation values in those special places are enhanced, or at least, maintained.

So every ten years, DOC turns to the public to find out what communities believe should be the priorities for conservation....
What do you want them to be like in ten years? What about access? Can we use vehicles? Can we take animals there?”

Whaingaroa Environment Centre (WEC ) wants the Department of Conservation (DOC)  to commit to ongoing work with our community.  In particular WEC wants to see an ongoing commitment to the restoration of biodiversity values of Mt Karioi.  Community initiatives such as Karioi Biodiversity Project must be supported and complimented by DOC.

WEC encourages you to submit feedback to DOC: this could include what your vision for the mountain, what DOC’s role is in our catchment and your personal stories of the mountain and Bridal Veil Falls. DOC has just been through a major restructure, the funding for conservation is less and DOC’s priorities for ongoing conservation work are changing. We need to tell Doc why the mountain is so special and that it is important for them to keep funding restoration work..

A hard copy of the CMS is available for reading at WEC. Section 2.6 – Karioi to Whareorino Place deals with our catchment, including Mt Karioi, Te Toto Gorge and Bridal Veil Falls.

If you have any questions drop into WEC or contact Rachel Kelleher 07 8581000 waikatocms@doc.govt.nz

Happy New Year from WEC! We're happy to see so many people popping into the centre on our first day back this year! Visitors, locals, and new friends can come in to learn about Maui's Dolphins, support local with a RagBag or Te Mauri Tau cookbook, and find out about composting solutions for their holiday home.

Our worms are hungry after the break, so bring in some worm-friendly vege scraps! (No citrus or onion)

We'll be at the Raglan Creative Market at Old School this Sunday. In the busy summer months, we'd love to have a volunteer or two to help with the stall. Interested? Let us know!

Also, friend and supporter of Maui's Dolphin Day, Peggy Oki, will be flying into Auckland on January 23rd. If anyone knows of a ride to Raglan on that day, get in touch!

See you soon!