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The Super City and You

The biggest shake-up of local government in Auckland’s history is happening right now. What will happen to Waiheke?
In the next few months, decisions will be made that will dramatically change the governance and management of the wider Auckland area. This affects all of us on Waiheke. Your thoughts and ideas on these changes are crucial for the future of our island.

Have your say before it’s too late. Don’t be complacent. This is about our community, our island, our lifestyle and the future of Waiheke.

The Local Government Commission has just released a proposal on ward boundaries and representation at the super-council level. The
final stages of the Super City will be put into place very soon.

The current proposed position is that Waiheke Island is part of a new ward to be called Maungawhau – Hauraki Gulf Islands, which includes the Central Business District and in population terms (88,000) is the largest ward to be represented by a single councillor.

Our public assets are under threat

Many generations of Waiheke ratepayers built and paid for our community halls, wharves, roads, parks and sports fields.

The Auckland Transition Agency, made up of unelected staff, are organising how the new mega-city will work. It is looking at transferring ownership and control of some of these assets into corporate entities (Council Controlled Organisations) that have little public accountability.

Some of these assets may be sold

Some service provision may be sold or be committed to long term contracts (as has already happened in the waste management area) with multinational corporates in control or alternatively council corporations such as Watercare Services in control of waste water services.

Local Democracy

Under the Auckland Governance structure, we will have a local board at the community level, but it may have little or no say or control
over areas that are critical to our lifestyle and the island’s future. These include:

  • effective protection of our environments, landscapes and coastline
  • how are our services and activities are funded
  • control over delivery of services like libraries, waste services and community halls
  • an effective say on roads, footpaths or parking
  • effective involvement in management of our parks, reserves, Arts and Recreation facilities.

What little say we might have – beyond specified local activities such as dog and liquor licensing and brothels – will have to be
negotiated and will be ‘delegated’ to us.

Development of the Island

Will the special character of our island be lost in the one big plan for the Auckland Council?

The two new laws that the government has already put in place say that at community level the Local Boards will not be able to own
anything, or employ staff or have any say in the regulatory processes (for example, resource consents).

This potentially means we will have no effective control over how our island develops or how our environments are protected and enhanced.

Money $$$$

The new laws say our community must negotiate with the new super council for every cent of funding. Funding for communities is
likely to be based on a population base which means our small unique community will be disadvantaged.

What does it all mean?

How can we assess these changes to see what they are likely to deliver for us?

We are being offered an input into strategies and policies. Does that really mean that local decisions will be made locally?

What happens in a worst case scenario if it all goes pear shaped? Can the local board take legal action against the Auckland Council? There does not appear to be provision for this. Considerable confusion exists about the real decision making power a local board will have.

What about the bureaucrats? We have no input into that selection process or their employment or conditions of employment.

What can you do about all this?

Find out more, for example on local boards, the local board plan, local board agreements and the local board funding policy. Go to www.lgc.govt.nz for more information on wards and boundaries, www.ata.govt.nz for how the Auckland Transition Agency is organis-
ing the new city or www.auckland.govt.nz for information on all aspects of the transition to the Super City.

Join the discussion – sign up to One Waikeke Council – at www.onewaiheke.co.nz – for discussion around these issues.

Come and discuss the issues with the Community Board at the Ostend Hall on Thursday 3rd December at 6.30pm.
Come out to a public meeting on Sunday 6th December at 2pm at the Ostend Hall for discussion on local representation on the super council, and these other issues. Help and advice with be provided on making a submission.
Come to a workshop to write your submission on Wednesday 9th December at 6.30pm at the Surfdale Hall.

Do your own submission to the Local Government Commission – these are due in by 11th December 2009. Here is a template: LGC Ward Boundaries Template – please edit into your own words. Here are some Ideas for futher comments LGC submissions

Put out a submission on the third bill on Auckland Governance – this is expected out in December 2009.

Get out and be active on this matter, get friends, neighbours and family involved. Feel free to contact your Councillor Denise Roche for any help or further information, at cr.roche@aucklandcity.govt.nz, 372 6578 or 027 209 7554 or Carol Weitzel on 372 7740.

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By Andrew – December 1, 2009

Ward Boundaries and Council representation for Waiheke Island

On Sunday 11th at Ostend Hall about 50 islanders met to discuss the next stage of the supercity process – The allocation of ward boundaries and our proposals for council representation. As a result of discussions at that meeting and afterwards Councillor Roche has prepared the following submission.

To: The Local Government Commission
From:  Denise Roche
Re: Ward Boundaries and Council representation for Waiheke Island

16th October 2009

Introduction

On Friday 2nd October Commissioners held an information gathering and feedback session with councillors and community board members from the Auckland City Council and elected representatives were invited to provide further written information about wards in the new Auckland Council, boundaries of those wards and local boards.

During her presentation to the commissioners Waiheke Community Board member Eileen Evans said that the first preference for Waiheke islanders is to have our own councillor on the Auckland Council.  She also said that there would be further consultation with the Waiheke community regarding the ward boundaries and issues of representation.

Consequently two articles appeared in the two local papers last week and a public meeting was held on Sunday 11th October where the 50 people who attended were invited to express their views about how Waiheke can best be represented in the new Auckland Council.

That meeting and other feedback to elected representatives by email and a one-to-one survey of over thirty local business people by community board member Eileen Evans reinforce the view that the Waiheke community wants Waiheke to be a ward in its own right within the Auckland Council and to have our own councillor at that level.

It is widely recognised that the Great Barrier community have a different view to this one and subsequently the call for a separate ward applies to Waiheke Island only.

Background

According to Department of Statistics 2008 data Waiheke has a permanent population of 8230 people.  This figure does not take into account the semi-permanent summer residents who own properties on the island and who live here part time during the warmer months.   Nearly half of the housing stock on the island is owned by people who have an off-island address and it is estimated that up to a third of the total housing stock is empty during the winter months and occupied during the summer.  Taking this into account for about half of the year the population is around 12,000.

In addition, during the summer months the population can swell up to 30,000 at any time when short-stay holiday makers, day-trippers and boaties are taken into account.

The community of Waiheke is engaged and active in civic affairs.  The letters to the editor pages of our two local papers are always full and are testament to the level of discussion that take place within the community.  There are 198 community organisations on the island that rely on voluntary contributions from our citizens and they range from the health services through to sports and recreation clubs and welfare groups.

In addition Waiheke has a consistently high voter turn out in both local body and central government elections.  Community board decisions and council papers are thoroughly inspected and elected representatives are held accountable with a consistently high number of local people turning up to the public forum part of monthly community board meetings.

Local Boards

Waiheke and Great Barrier are both assured of having their own local boards within the Auckland Council.  We are in no doubt that this is the direct result of the level of activism and engagement that the people in both communities took in advocating for more democracy and local decision-making during the submission process to the Royal Commission on Local Governance and also during the select committee process for the Auckland Governance bills.

The current members of the Waiheke Community Board are very hard working and responsive to the community’s needs.  The existing membership is of 6 members in total (including the Auckland City Councillor) and given that the legislation for Auckland Governance will result in greater powers – and most probably a greater workload – for locally elected representatives the board numbers need to be a minimum of six members but could probably be greater to better distribute the workload.

A separate Waiheke island ward

In the Local Government Commission ‘s A guide for the establishment of new governance arrangements for Auckland it states under ‘Determination on wards’ (page 7):

Statutory compliance with: ….

v) so far as practicable, the boundaries of wards and the numbers of councillors for each ward provide fair representation for the electors of each ward (i.e. the population of each ward divided by the numbers of councillors is within +/- 10% of the population divided by the 20 councillors – referred to as the ‘+/- 10% rule)

vi) if the Commission considers that effective representation of communities of interests so requires, wards may be defined and membership distributed between them in a way that does not comply with the requirements of v. above

We ask that you invoke vi) above and do not apply the “+/-10% rule” to Waiheke and allow us our own ward and ward councillor on the Auckland Council for the following reasons:

1) As an island Waiheke is already recognised as a community of interest.  One of the main concerns for this island community is that there is no similar community of interest elsewhere in the Auckland council region with which we can combine.  This island community has a strong sense of identity that is not shared by residents and ratepayers in the CBD or elsewhere on the isthmus.

This lack of community of interest extends to Great Barrier as well. Despite the fact that both islands are situated in the Hauraki Gulf, Waiheke and Great Barrier are significantly different islands with different stressors. The Haruaki Gulf Islands District Plan, for example, has caused considerable difficulties for Great Barrier people because of the lack of recognition of the differences between the two communities – and their distinct environments – and the need for different development controls to be applied to each island.

On Waiheke one of our greatest fears is that the ‘isthmusisation’ that occurs now – where the mindset of the isthmus council is transported to the Waiheke community in their decision making – will continue under the much larger Auckland Council and our community feels strongly that to avoid this we need a councillor to not only help with the governance across the region but also advocate for our unique island within the region.

2) Waiheke is already regionally and nationally significant.  We are the largest community in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and our island is seen as being part of ‘Auckland’s playground.’  Consequently having  a councillor from the island will definitely contribute to the regional governance of Auckland and we hope will regionally and nationally significant area.   A major concern for the Waiheke community is that a councillor shared with other mainland areas will not understand and advocate for this environmentally special place and its inhabitants.

3) UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 

Waiheke will play an important role in complementing the new Auckland Council in its attempt to become a world-class city.  It can best play this role by achieving international recognition as a centre for conservation and sustainability.  There is growing support for the idea that Waiheke should pursue this by applying to become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.  Such an ambitious project requires special representation at the top level of Auckland Council and having our own councillor is by far the simplest way to do this.

4) Unlike the other current wards in Auckland City Council the Hauraki Gulf islands community boards and ward councillor have mostly been elected as ‘independent’ – that is, without  political party affiliation.  On Waiheke this means that our elected representatives are accountable to our community first and foremost and do not have to follow a ‘party line.’  If we were to become part of a larger ward it is unlikely that an independent councillor could afford to stand and be elected.    This would usher in a new period of political division that so far has not existed on the island in our local governance.

Conclusion

The Hauraki Gulf Islands have long been seen as being tied as a community of interest with Auckland City, however most of these ties are of a practical nature and have very little to do with the council itself.  There is more affinity with the work of the Auckland Regional Council, which administers the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act, along with the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and other government departments.
There are educational choices both at secondary and tertiary levels in many parts of the region and health services are provided by District Health Boards and transport (including ferries) is a regional problem.

The unique qualities of Waiheke Island simply do not fit in with the ward proposals that are being bandied about but the island is an integral part of the region and should be treated as such by the proposed Auckland Council.

There is a precedent for Waiheke being a smaller ward within a larger amalgamated body.  The Waiheke community successfully lobbied to have its own councillor and community board after the amalgamations in 1989 where the Waiheke County Council became part of the Auckland City Council.   At that time the population of Waiheke was only around 3000 – however the unique nature of the island and the community’s demand for a continuation of local representation was acknowledged in the subsequent arrangements.

While the size of the community has grown over that time good local governance is still an issue that can excite this passionate community.

We therefore ask that when the Local Government Commission is drafting its proposal for the allocation of wards and councillors for the Auckland Council that Waiheke Island be identified as a ward in its own right with its own councillor.

Denise Roche
Auckland City Councillor
Hauraki Gulf Islands Ward

Ph: (09) 372 6578 or 027 209 7554

Email: cr.roche@aucklandcity.govt.nz

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By Andrew – October 17, 2009

Waiheke Parade for the Planet

Forwarded by Mark Parisian.

To make a stand on climate change, meet at the council service centre on Belgium St on Sat 24th from 9.30am for a parade of 350 steps around the Ostend Market, departing from the service centre at 10am.

ALL WELCOME – CHILDREN, PARENTS, WALKERS, DANCERS, SINGERS,MUSICIANS AND PERFORMERS

WEAR BLUE AND GREEN AND BRING DRUMS AND INSTRUMENTS, flags & banners etc. (wear green/blue face-makeup if you wish)
Prizes for most original Adult and child costume, Prizes for Best and Most Original Costume for Adult and Child. Take the bus, walk or cycle to the event- Think Global, Act Local!Bike, walk

We’ll be joining more than 2000 communities in over 150 countries taking action to urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions. 350 parts per million is the most carbon dioxide we can safely have in the atmosphere. The current CO2 concentration is 390 parts per million.

Photos of our event will be displayed with other 350 photos from around the world on MASSIVE screens in the heart of New York City.

For further info, see www.350.org .  Under ” Find an Action’ you can find the Waiheke 350 Steps event listed and rsvp to register your interest in taking part

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By Andrew – October 17, 2009

Useful information about ward boundaries

If you are planning on going to the meeting this Sunday 11th October, 2pm at Ostend Hall to talk about the proposed ward boundaries, these documents collected by WICPC may be helpful in providing some background.

  • ARC GAC Submission Proposed Local Boards - This gives an idea of of the main population areas and names. In this ARC proposal waiheke joins western bays
  • LGC Governance_establishment_guide - This is a guide to the Local Government Commission’s responsibilities and the criteria it uses to make decisions about boards and wards.
  • LGC Commission_tasks_and_approach - Sets out the Commission’s approach to identification of communities of interest. This also includes the time line.
  • Local Government Auckland Council Act 2009 - The full act. see 
    Sect 16 – decision making responsibilities for local boards, 
    Sect 17 – principles for allocation of decision making responsibilities of Auckland Council, 
    Sect 19 – local boards funding policy
    Sect 20 – local board plans
    Sect 21 – local board agreements
    Sect 31 – delegations
  • LGC Report Back aug 2009 - Report back from LGC on the proposal to move Waiheke to  Thames Coromandel District council. Contains some relevant analysis.

Waiheke is already guaranteed a community board. It is enshrined in the legislation. but it is not large enough in population to gain a full council representative.  The average ward size is around 60,000. Hence Waiheke will be joined with some other part of the City to form a council ward.

Nearby choices include: ( ward, current holder, party) 

  • Hobson –  Aaron Bhatnagar, C+R
  • Western Bays – Graeme Easte, City Vision
  • Devonport – Chris Darby, independent,  http://www.chrisdarby.co.nz

If you can’t make the meeting feel free to add comments here

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By Andrew – October 9, 2009

Public Meeting on Ward Boundaries

From Denise Roche – our local councillor

Representation on the Super City Council – What Do We Want?

Public meeting: Sunday 11th October, 2pm
Ostend Hall, Belgium Street, Ostend

In the shake up of governance in the Auckland region the Waiheke community can claim a victory because all of the submissions we’ve all made over the last year and a half has resulted in Waiheke keeping a local board when the Super City comes into force in as year’s time.

The Local Government Commission is currently developing plans on how the Super City can be divided up into wards and how the 20 councillors that the government says will make up the Super Council could be allocated across the region. Before they decide their proposal they want feedback on how this could work.

I want your thought’s on this – because your elected representatives have a unique opportunity to try to influence the proposal that the Local Government Commission will put out for public submissions so we need to represent all views adequately.

In the next few months there is a lot of work for all of us to do – so this meeting is also about continuing the discussion about democracy and how we can best be represented at a local government level.

The Government is pushing the Super City arrangements through in a helluva rush so the timeframes for our input is tight:

October 16th – last day for informal feedback from elected representatives to the Local Government Commission
November 20th – Local Government Commission releases draft proposal on wards and boundaries and numbers of local boards for public submissions
December 11th – Submissions close (no verbal submissions)
January/February wards/boundaries etc announced

And on top of all that in November we can expect to put in submissions on the the next Auckland Governance bill – which deals with the responsibilities and powers of local boards.

Please come to the meeting on Sunday if you are able to. It’s about democracy.

Naku noa na,

Denise Roche
Auckland City Councillor
Hauraki Gulf Islands ward

ph: 372 6578 or 027 209 7554

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By Andrew – October 6, 2009

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Meeting

ome along and join the CSA to ensure your summer supply of fresh local organic vegetables!!

When: Wednesday 23 SEPT. 2009 7.30pm – 9pm
Where: The CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM DONALD BRUCE RD

What: The CSA Waiheke Trust invites you to a meeting to join up to the first stage of Waiheke Community Supported Agriculture project.

The CSA has been granted the use of a piece of land in Te Matuku Bay, there is a farmer, there is a plan, crops are going in the  ground very, very soon – now we need members and the support of the Waiheke Community.

Please come to the meeting and help turn the CSA vision into a reality.  A good attendance will provide the mandate and support to  take the project forward, so pass this invite on.

 AGENDA.

Hear about the Te Matuku Project

  • Meet our farmer and discuss the growing and distribution plans –  tell us what vegetables you want
  • We’ll be setting up some committees for those with the  time to  join us
  • We’ll be discussing ways in which you can help us, resources we need.
  • AND we’ll be signing up our first subscribers.

What is CSA and why?

   There has been a huge surge in interest in locally grown fresh
   organic food, as people have become aware of the environmental costs
   of transporting food over huge distances, the health costs of eating
   denatured highly processed food from supermarkets, the improved
   flavour of fresh locally produced produce, the concern for the
   plight of small farms and family farmers as industrial scale
   agricultural enterprises put them out of business, and the desire to
   reconnect with communities at a social and cultural level.

   CSA is a community-based way of providing our food, with minimum
   environmental cost and maximum community gain. Its a partnership
   between farmers and consumers, to provide the farmers with a sure
   income and the consumers with good quality local food. There are no
   middle people. CSA are well established in the USA, and usually
   involve an existing family farm. Ours is a bit different, in true
   Waiheke fashion. We started without a farm or the farmer, just a
   vision, but now we have both farm and farmer. All we need is for
   consumers to come on board.

   Here’s how it works: people subscribe a weekly amount of money and
   in return receive a weekly box of produce. The money pays the
   farmers wages and whatever resources are needed to get the crops in
   the ground, grown and harvested.

   More information on the Waiheke model will be provided on Wednesday
   evening…

   Kind regards,

   Trustees of Waiheke CSA Trust

   Brian Griffiths, Meriel Watts, Eleanor Bauarschi, Sue Connor

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By Andrew – September 18, 2009

Wake up our leaders on Monday ::: tck-ing down to Copenhagen

Wake up!  
Don’t forget to turn up on Monday 21st  at 12.15 at the  “Wake Up” event by the Red Cross building in Oneroa.
  
Bring your mobile phone if you have one or an alarm-clock, a bell, or anything that makes a noise….
We need to Wake Up John Key & his mates, in parliament, to the fact that Climate Change is happening & is speeding up with potentially disastrous consequences not only for us & our kids but for life whole planet…    Wake up & take action!   

Pass on this message + check out the tcktcktck webside (google it).   We’re already registered in it (check out NZ & Waiheke Island)

Let out voices be heard & let’s be seen to make the “Wake Up” call together with well over a million others all over the World.

Kia kaha & cheers,
Rien-peace

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By Andrew – September 18, 2009

The Cove- Fundraising Screening for Sea Shepherd NZ

When: 8:00pm, Friday 25 September

Where: Waiheke Community Cinema, Oneroa- $15 entry

In the 1960s, Richard OBarry was the worlds leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program Flipper. Day in and day out, OBarry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, OBarry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and
deadly secret.

The mysteries they uncovered were only the tip of the iceberg. This movie created tremendous international pressure on Japan’s
fishing of dolphins and is starting to impact Japanese policy toward the killing of dolphins and small whales, who are not protected by IWC.  This year is the first that has seen the dolphin killings suspended.

Pete Bethune, Captain of the record-holding biodiesel boat Earthrace will be joining Sea Shepherd to harass the Japanese whaling fleet this season in the Antarctic. The launch party for the newly tricked out Earthrace will be on October 16th at the Viaduct. All are welcome. Funds raised will go directly to this effort.

Come support the cause and watch an award-winning documentary at the same time! This is an excellent example of the use of media to effect an outcome. The timing of the release of the movie has strategically built international response  and is a good model for those interested in effecting positive outcomes via filmaking.

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By Andrew – September 18, 2009

Cellsites community engagement

Telecom, Vodafone, Woosh and Kordia have formed an association known as the Telecommunication Carriers Forum (TCF).

The TCF have released Guideline re Community Engagement re Cellsites and are calling for public input.

The closing date is AUGUST 20, only days away, we only found out about the Guidelines on AUGUST 11 even though they were released on July 9.

We ask everybody to submit a submission.  Send it to info@tcf.org.nz

Here are some example submissions.

There is a 23 page example of a full submission from an Environmental Lawyer, and Mother, for those who are looking for more information.

The guidelines can be found on the TCF website www.tcf.org.nz

Time is short so please send in the submissions today.

This is a wonderful initiative by the TCF.  Present methods aren’t working and as more communities get shocked by a cellsite as the phone companies look to develop the infrastructure the clashing of wills will only get worse.

If we are to get the joy of 3G and onwards then we need to let the TCF know what it will take to get our support.  The Guidelines are the beginning.

Submissions are being sought worldwide so we get the best ideas not just the thoughts of a few NZ Telco executives.  Spread the word, be part of securing our safety.

Andrew Crawford

safetowers@gmail.com

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By Andrew – August 17, 2009

Waiheke vs Auckland City Council – legal update.

Waiheke vs Auckland City Council  - legal update.

At the public meeting in Surfdale on June 22nd 2009 the people of Waiheke agreed that the Waiheke Does it Better campaign should continue activities on a number of fronts – one of which was to be an investigation into the possibility of legal action. A fund was set up to help pursue that action.

 

What has happened since then 

Over the past two months Pita Rikys and others have worked with local solicitor Matthew Tetley-Jones on a potential action for judicial review.  This work has necessarily taken place out of the limelight. The legal team discussed the issues informally with a number of notable barristers.  An Auckland-based barrister who lives on the island, Kevin Glover, recently gave a formal opinion to the group on the prospects for such a claim and other matters relating to the case.  

 

As a result of all this the steering group of the campaign have decided that a claim for judicial review would not be cost effective in the circumstances.

 

Why are we not taking the case 

I hope here to try to summarise the issues and our reasoning. Anyone wishing further details can get in touch with the legal group to review the documents.

 

In short the problem is that although it is clear (to us at least) that ACC acted badly - (either through incompetence or ill will) this does not automatically make the decision void.

 

Local authorities are given broad powers to determine decision making processes under the Local Government Act. The Act allows the council to make a decision which is inconsistent with an existing policy – providing they do so deliberately.  The council can justify their decision on the basis of unification of waste services and cost reductions. In effect the council is allowed to ignore environmental concerns based on the law as it stands.  

 

They can also claim that the the decision was made in full knowledge of the errors of fact and process – as we had helpfully pointed them out, and therefore the contract with TPI stands as the full council’s final decision. 

 

Even if we could succeed in convincing a High Court judge that the decision was unlawful, it would be extremely unlikely to get the contract with TPI overturned and/or have Clean Stream re-instated.  The more likely outcome, on a best case scenario, would be a declaration that the Council did not act properly, but even this might not come until long after the council had been replaced.

 

Our case does have public interest, natural justice and the fine detail of the law on its side. However it is difficult to prove and the likely end results may not be worth the time and potentially large sums of money involved both in taking the case and the exposure to paying the council’s costs if we do not succeed.  

About the fighting fund

We raised over $4000 specifically to support the legal action.  Of this $1000 was spent on the formal opinion. This represents a huge saving on what would normally have needed to be spent to get to this information. The fund managers will be in touch with donors to check that they are happy with this expense and to return the remaining funds. If you were an anonymous donor please get in touch.    

What next for the campaign

Although this is a disappointment it is not the end of the story. This was just one strand of our activities and the others all continue.

 

Perhaps the most immediate effect of the whole affair was the impact the story had on the Auckland Governance select committee.  The committee came to the island to hear a full day of personal presentation and the waste issue came up again and again not just as a complaint about the malevoleance and ineptitude of ACC but also as an illustration of the danger of an even larger and more detatched super city.  The waste issue really hammered home the need for a large amount of local autonomy for Waiheke.  So we are now watching out for the revised Bill with interest.

 

The Charter group is meeting with the community board and TPI this week to talk about how waste is to be managed on the island. I’ll send out an update after that meeting.

 

The Direct Action group is mainly focussed now on a No Wheelies campaign.  The key goal here is to get a resounding NO THANKS response to the Council’ ‘bags or bins’ letter to ratepayers. Grab a No Wheelies sticker before they all sell out – they will be valuable one day – does anyone have a complete set of No Nukes, No GM, stickers ?

Please continue to talk to friends, write to the papers etc about why big bins mean more rubbish. The goal is that less than 10% take up that means TPI have to find another (better) way.

 

The Waste Resource Trust and Clean Stream Waiheke Ltd are still active – Junk to Funk is coming soon. More details soon.

 

Andrew

 

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By Andrew – August 11, 2009