Kia ora tātou,

Welcome to our Haratua Pānui! This month we celebrate Kiwi conservation efforts of Te Ara Taiao, aim to inspire with tips on building with pallets, discover more about Garden to Table in Taranaki, highlight KAItiaki Composting service for businesses, and offer 2 for 1 tickets to see Kate Hall (AKA Ethically Kate) live!

In this pānui you will find:
🌿New Article! Te Ara Taiao and the dream of Kiwi conservation becoming reality
🔨5 tips for building with pallets from the recent Building with Pallets Workshop
👩‍🌾Tamariki growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing kai with Garden to Table
🌱Food waste collection for New Plymouth and Stratford businesses
🎉Special offer for Pānui subscribers! 2 for 1 tickets to see literary speaker Kate Hall (AKA Ethically Kate) at the upcoming Winter Fest on 15 June 2024.
🦸 Meet Binni Bilia, our Volunteer of the Month and check out our volunteering calendar!
📆 Our Event Calendar to make sure you won’t miss any sustainable events in Taranaki!

🏆Our top 3 most read articles this month:
1. Local Taranaki Markets in 2024
2. Time to #justakeithome - reusable items left behind at music events
3. Why and how to recycle your soft plastics

Ngā mihi,

The Sustainable Taranaki tīma

NEW ARTICLE!
🌿Te Ara Taiao - The Dream of Kiwi Conservation Becoming a Reality!

Within the Te Ara Taiao programme, tamariki (children), Kaiako (teachers), Kairuruku (coordinators) and key partners, see this mahi in the Pou manu (birdlife activities) learning steam, as playing an important role in increasing the Mauri and ecology of Taranaki Maunga.

At a recent Kiwi release at North Egmont, Tane Houston from Taranaki Mounga Project shared, “this is the realisation of a dream, of bringing Kiwi back to life and it’s happening now.  More people are having the opportunity to experience a Kiwi release and of hearing and seeing Kiwi in their natural habitat, and it’s amazing”.

Read more about this important mahi of Te Ara Taiao in our latest article HERE.

 Nō tō rourou, nā tōku rourou, ka ora ai te Kiwi. With your food basket and my food basket the Kiwi will thrive.

5 Hot Tips for Building with Pallets

Our FIRST, Building with Pallets Workshop on 27th April was sold-out! But don’t worry we have more in the pipeline. Keep an eye on our socials, events page, and in upcoming Pānui to be first to know. In the mean time check out our pallet building tips below. 👇

5 Tips for building with pallets:

1. Where to get FREE pallets? You can snag them from hardware stores (Mitre 10 or Bunnings), garden stores, pet stores, Tegel and many other places in The Valley. Facebook marketplace is another resource.

2. Choose your pallets and wood carefully - only pick pallets with fresh clean wood, (no oil marks or broken pieces), and make sure they’re heat treated only. Look for the stamps - HT = heat treated. If you find an EPAL logo, do a little dance then grab it then and there! They’re the best quality! Pallet wood lasts 5 years or more.

3. Keeping it off the ground will make it last a lot longer. When the wood does start to breakdown, use new wood from pallets to build around the old wood.

4. It’s all about technique, and the right tools. When splitting the pallet the ‘Pallet Buster’ is super easy and a time saver. You can also use a crow bar. It’s worth investing in good quality tools when choosing to repurpose or upcycle building materials. Commonly used tools include:
- A hand saw or jig saw
- Electric drill with drill bits the size of the wire you’ll use
- Hammer, screwdrivers, pallet buster or crowbar
- Measuring tape and spirit level if you want it as straight as possible
- Two sizes of screws and nails - approximately 4cm and 8cm. Try and re-use as many of the nails as possible.

5. Get creative with what to build - choose from a variety of planter box styles, a mini green house, a wood shed, a seat, a table, or even a bike rack. Check out our garden resources page (button link below) for gardening group info and where to find tools.

Building with pallets can seem overwhelming at first. But it’s easier and a lot more satisfying than you think! Give it a crack and you might surprise yourself.

Empowering Taranaki Tamariki with their Kai through Garden to Table

Have you heard of Garden to Table? Garden to Table aims to enable schools and kura to deliver, embed and sustain impactful food education. Through their curriculum-linked food education programme, learning is taken out of the classroom, and tamariki are empowered to grow and cook their own fresh, seasonal, and environmentally sustainable kai.

The programme immerses tamariki in rich learning for life - how to grow, harvest, prepare and share kai.

Heather Allington, Taranaki Regional Coordinator for Garden to Table, was recently interviewed by Anne Dawson from Access Radio about this inspiring programme that is being brought to our local schools. The interview also includes interviews with New Plymouth based tamariki involved in Garden to Table. Click the link below to listen.

KAItiaki Composting - Changing the World one bin at a time!

Do you know a business who wants to be more involved in kaitiakitanga o te taiao? KAItiaki Composting is the solution! 🌱

A youth-led initiative, rangatahi at ZEAL will collect a business’s food waste on a weekly basis and turn it into compost for the community to grow more nutritious food.

Your food scraps or “resources” will support positive health and social outcomes, and won’t contribute to the mounting food waste in landfill that produces harmful greenhouse gases.

Ready to find out more about the positive impact your business can make here in Taranaki? Contact Luke at ZEAL on 021 190 6292 for enquiries or visit zeal.nz/updates/kaitiaki-community-cares/

Special Offer for Panui Subscribers!
2 for 1 tickets to see Kate Hall at Winter Fest!

Winter Fest 2024 is fast approaching and this year Kate Hall (AKA Ethically Kate) is one of the exciting line up of literary speakers. Kate is a social media sensation and environmental activist.

In her session on 15th June, she’ll talk about her philosophy on living a sustainable and joy filled life. Kate shows us how to embrace sustainable living and shares clever yet simple consumption tips to inspire people to live a little better.

For our Pānui subscribers you’re first to know about the opportunity to BUY 1 GET 1 FREE! Simply visit the 4th Wall Theatre website to register and book online HERE!

⏰When: Saturday 15th June, 4pm (duration 60 minutes)
📍Where: 4th Walll Theatre, 11 Baring Street, Strandon, New Plymouth
💰How much: $25.00 plus $2 booking fee - Book online here
💻More info on Kate’s session and Winter Fest 2024 HERE

Learn more about the Sustainable Taranaki Volunteers programme here.

Stay connected and informed by joining our Facebook group Taranaki Waste Warriors! ☀️

You can see our Volunteering Calendar here!

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