Matching Newsitems

• • Shaw Baton HVH results

    • 5 May 2016
    • Hutt Valley Harriers
    • Shaw Baton Relay Results – 23 April 2016 Battle Hill Park Girls U12 – Pink team 2nd place Sophia Avery 11:55 Amy Murray 10:32 Emalise Alding 11:03 Charlotte Ross 11:02 Total time: 44:32 Girls U14 – Orange team Jorja Watt 9:41 Lily Trompetter 12:00 Gemma Gordon 11:29 Rylee Watt 9:51 Total time: 43:01 Boys U12 – Green team 1st place AJ Pritchard 8:17 Josh Allen 9:02 Nicholas Green 9:08 Nathaniel Graham 8:10 Total time: 34:37 Boys U12 – Black team Tyler Rollo 9:45 Nkhata Hollywell 9:21 Oscar Strickland 9:17 Regan Kowalczyk 9:40 Total time: 38:03 Boys U12 – Purple team Thomas Pritchard 10:05 Ashton Tietjens 10:15 Jonathan Green 10:04 Nick Drayton 9:12 Total time: 39:36 Boys U12 – Red team Harrison Kowalczyk 10:20 Kian O’Connell 9:27 Harvey Butler 11:08 Nick England 11:07 Total time: 42:02 Boys U12 – Brown team Aiden Jackson 9:46 Hunter Hughes 11:01 David Gordon 12:07 Liam Carson 15:19 Total time: 48:13 Boys U14 – Blue team Johnathon Roberts 7:36 Logan Stoupe 8:21 Luke Stoupe 9:26 Johnathon Roberts 8:30 Total time: 33:53 Senior Women Isobel Franklin 12:01 Chloe Thorne 12:49 Kristi Perkinson 9:35 Keryn Morgan 10:52 Total time: 45:17 Junior Women Phoebe McKnight 7:23 Jayme Maxwell 8:07 Hannah Gordon 9:51 Mieke van den Bergh 10:54 Total time: 36:15 Senior Men Mathew Rogers 6:56 Nick Sasse 6:57 Grant Pritchard 7:43 Jared Bothwell 9:18 Jay Waters 10:15 Jack Hammond 7:28 Total time: 48:37 Junior Men Peter Roberts 7:05 Reuben Goldingham-Newsom 7:24 Matthew Roberts 7:51 Jayden McKnight 7:35 Gus Reece 7:22 Ben Wall 7:28 Total time: 44:45 Masters Men 40+ Stephen Cummings 8:33 Darren Gordon 8:35 Reon Rollo 7:19 Paul Strickland 9:58 Myles Carson 8:59 Brendan Quirke 9:02 Total time: 52:26 Masters Men 50+ Marcus Smith 8:23 Richard Kellett 8:44 Karl van Polanen 8:36 Paul Newsom 9:18 Graeme Burr 9:39 Donald Coley 9:49 Total time: 54:29 Composite Team Steve Robertson 9:56 Liz Gibson 11:12 Vanessa Trompetter 11:17 Mike Butler 10:29 Keith Holmes 12:21 Albert van Veen 12:28 Total time: 1:07:43
    • Accepted from HVH news 108 months ago
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• • Drivetribe will be a mecca for motorheads—Autocade readers welcome

    • 22 Nov 2016
    • Jack Yan
    • Now that the first episode of The Grand Tour has aired, and we’re nearing the official launch of Drivetribe (November 28), we’re beginning to see just how good an investment £160 million was for Amazon when it picked up the cast of The Goodies, I mean, Top Gear (sorry, I get those BBC shows mixed up, and they do have the same initials), along with producer Andy Wilman (who himself presented Top Gear segments many years ago, but we are now spared his nude scenes).    Essentially, you can’t do a show these days without an internet community, so what did the four men do? Create their own. They’ve put their money into Drivetribe, which has attracted an eight-figure investment from additional parties, chief among which is 21st Century Fox—that’s right, Rupert Murdoch. Amazon’s reportedly quite happy with the arrangement—and it certainly helps boost their show.    There are already signs that Drivetribe is going to succeed as a motoring portal–social network, for those of us who have been playing with it. Maybe the Murdoch Press has learned from Myspace? Or, it’s put their money in, but it’s letting experts do their job–among whom is none other than Cate Sevilla, formerly of Buzzfeed UK, and whose blog I followed even before she arrived in the UK the good part of a decade ago. It isn’t a surprise that Cate would do well in social media—she had a knack for it, even back then.    Car enthusiasts were invited to pitch their ideas for tribes some months back, recognizing that we’re not all the same. Additionally, there’s a bunch of us who work in some aspect of the industry, and looking through the tribes, we’re the ones whose ideas have been adopted. For those of you who use Autocade, there’s one linked to that very venture.    As many of you who follow this blog know, I founded Autocade in 2008, a car encyclopædia that wouldn’t have the fictions of Wikipedia (or ‘Wikiality’, as Stephen Colbert calls it). Eventually, I succumbed to modern marketing trends and very lately started a Facebook page on it, at least to post some behind-the-scenes thinking and publicity photos. While it proved all right, my blog posts were here and things were all over the place.    When I first proposed doing a Drivetribe tribe many months ago, I centred it around the marketing of cars, and the result, the Global Motorshow, can be found here. And now that it’s started, it’s become clear that I can put all the content in one place and have it appreciated by other motorheads. In a week and a half it’s grown to about a third of the following of the Facebook page, and Drivetribe hasn’t even officially launched yet. Those members are either other tribe leaders or those who signed up early on. The question must be asked: why on earth would I bother continuing with Facebook?    In addition to Cate, Drivetribe is not faceless. The support crew respond, and there are humans working here. I’m impressed with how quickly they get back to us, and how the site is reasonably robust. On all these points, Drivetribe is the opposite of Facebook.    Granted, I don’t know the other members there, and some I only know through reputation. But then I didn’t know a lot of the people I now find familiar on Facebook car groups. Nor did I know the people on Vox back in 2006, or some of the folks at Blogcozy in 2016. Communities build up, often thanks to common interests, and here’s one that already has a massive online community ready to flock to it. Having three celebrities helps, too, and all three Grand Tour presenters post to the site.    If you’re interested, the scope of the Global Motorshow (originally without the definite article, but when I saw the GM initials in the icon, I rethought it) is a bit wider than Autocade. I thought it might be fun to post some of the marketing materials we come across, the odd industry analyses that have appeared at this blog (updated in some cases), and even commercial vehicles, which aren’t part of Autocade. I’ve chosen to keep the tribe public, so anyone can post if they find something interesting. Let’s hope Drivetribe can keep the spammers at bay: something that the old Vox.com failed to do, and Facebook is desperately failing to do now as well.    Come November 28, we’ll know just how good things are looking, but I’m erring on the side of the positive—something I was not prepared to do for sites such as Ello or Google Plus.
    • Accepted from Jack Yan posts 102 months ago
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• • Sporting students staying motivated during Lockdown (Part 2)

    • 7 Apr 2020
    • College Sport Wellington
    • Connor Lusty bowling in the Boys Premier Youth Cricket competition What does the lockdown mean for sporting students? How has it affected them and what are they doing to stay fit and motivated? Following on from our catch-up with two Queen Margaret College rower Mollie Nicol and Wellington Girls’ College runner Emma Douglass HERE, we check in with two local male athletes to see what they are doing to keep fit and motivated. St Pat’s Silverstream sprint champion Oliver Krijnen and Onslow College First XI cricketer Connor Lusty. We put a few questions to each below. College Sport Wellington: Please tell us what you were preparing for before the Lockdown? Ollie: Before the whole lockdown happened I was preparing for the second day of the Wellington Junior Champs and looking ahead to the North Island Champs in Hamilton which would have been the last big event to close the season off. Connor: When the lockdown started our cricket team had just finished our Saturday competition games for the term, finishing with 3 wins and 4 losses to qualify for the 6-team competition for term 4 for the first time since 2016. We had been starting to prepare for our Summer tournament Week, which for cricket is the Hunt Trophy three-day Twenty20 tournament. I’m also a part of our Onslow College 1st XV Rugby team and I was about to start attending pre-season training the week that the lockdown was put in place. CSW: what you are doing to keep fit and train? Ollie: To keep fit and keep my body active at the moment I’m doing home exercises like plyometrics and lots of core work as well as doing a lot of power work to try and get stronger When I can get out, depending on the weather, I normally try to work on my block starts and my technique in the front yard or at the park close by. Connor: I’ve been trying to stay as fit and active during this period of lockdown as possible. Cricket is my number one sport, and being a spin bowler I’ve found myself going to the nets quite often just to have a bowl, to stay as fit and to keep my training levels up. I have also been regularly going for runs, not only to stay active and keep a routine going, but as we have been advised by our 1st XV coaches to stay fit and keep some sort of fitness programme going. I have been running up Mt Kaukau most days. CSW: Please share a lockdown sports practice or training tip for your school mates and others out there in the same situation? Ollie: Make sure you are drinking enough water as with nothing to do sometimes I forget to drink and this affects my energy levels greatly. Another tip I have is getting your family to do it with you for example my brother and I have been working out together and we do core work and simple things together like push ups and burpees and whatever else we can think of. Really make sure you are eating right. Connor: If there is any tip I can give to anyone out there, it’s just to stay fit and active! During times like these it’s often hard to maintain the same diet as to what you’d normally have, but staying fit during this lockdown time is something that is in your control. Challenge yourself, make yourself work hard. Go for a run, go kick a football, go to the cricket nets. Do what makes you happy and active! CSW: Are you in contact with your sporting friends about the above and are you motivating each other remotely? Ollie: I’ve been in contact with most of my training partners and friends checking up on them. We want to see how each other are doing and to share exercises to make sure all of us are staying in shape and healthy. Connor: We have a Facebook Messenger chat going for our 1st XV team, which a lot of the boys are using to send through their progress of either just running/fitness or strength and conditioning. By doing that, I believe we are motivating one another. On our 1st XV group page, we also have our assistant coach Dean Gorrie figuring out programmes which are best suited to us all, and reminders to stay fit. Are you a student in Wellington who is involved with sport and wants to feature in an article like this? Fill out the form HERE and send it to james@collegesport.org.nz to be considered. -Story courtesy of College Sport Media The post Sporting students staying motivated during Lockdown (Part 2) appeared first on College Sport Wellington.
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• • 

    The City Gallery Pub Quiz

    • 26 Apr 2020
    • City Gallery
    • Which New Zealand artist painted herself as a smoking modern woman in 1937? Who had joined her on a painting trip to remote Cass the previous year? In 1941, who wrote the manifesto ‘Individual Happiness Now’ with British writer Robert Graves? In 1947, who wrote ‘New Zealand’s Oldest Art Galleries’ and what were they? What is New Zealand’s oldest (conventional) public art gallery? In 1948, who said McCahon’s work ‘might pass as graffiti on the walls of some celestial lavatory’?  When did McCahon move to Auckland to work at Auckland City Art Gallery? Who was Director of the Gallery back then? When did Bill Culbert leave New Zealand? Who was born Barrie Bates? When did he go blond? When did Peter McLeavey open his Wellington gallery? Who curated New Zealand Māori Culture and the Contemporary Scene in 1966? Who said: ‘My work is an investigation of positive/negative relationships within a deliberately limited range of forms.’ Where and when did he first show his koru paintings? Who was Otago University’s first Hodgkins Fellow? When was Gordon Brown and Hamish Keith’s book New Zealand Painting: An Introduction first published? Of whose work was it said: ‘When you offer only three vertical lines precisely drawn and set into a dark pool of lacquer it is a visual kind of starvation’. Who wrote that? What was the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery’s opening show? Who was its Director? When was Ngā Puna Waihanga formed? What was it? When was the first issue of Art New Zealand published? Whose work was on the cover? Who painted Drinking Couple: Fraser Analysing My Words? And who was Fraser? Where did Jeffrey Harris go to art school? When did Richard Killeen make his first cutout? Who was crucified in Christchurch the same year? When did Wellington City Art Gallery open and who was the Director? What was his last job? What was ANZART? Has Marina Abramovic ever performed publicly in New Zealand? When did Wellington’s Women’s Gallery open? That year, to where did Robin White and her family relocate? What’s White’s religion? And what’s her tribal affiliation? Auckland art dealer Gary Langsford played guitar in which famous New Zealand band? When and where did Te Māori open? At Art in Dunedin in 1984, who made music using his own dripping urine? Who made Gates of the Goddess: A Southern Crossing Attended by the Goddess and when? What was it made of? Cass Altarpiece has been described as ‘expressionism with nothing to express’. Who painted it? What Christchurch artist based much of her work on alchemy and kabbalism? Who depicted herself as a rat and a tiger? When did Auckland’s Artspace open? How many buildings has it occupied?  What New Zealand artist featured in the show Magiciennes de la Terre in Paris in 1989. What do Marlene Cubewell and Merit Groting have in common? Which Lyttelton artist had a game-changing experience in the subantarctic? What did The Active Eye, Views/Exposures, and Imposing Narratives have in common? In Views/Exposures, who presented five identical images of his own naked torso? Who dressed-up her Uncle Hugh (then suffering from dementia) to restage a series of iconic historical photos?  Which artist died at Waitangi aged 50, the day after the 1990 Waitangi Day celebrations? Who did his pe’a? Who photographed him getting it? With him, which two other expressionist painters comprised the Militant Artists Union? How old were both Clairmont and Giovanni Intra when they died? In 1992, who based the design of his exhibition catalogue cover after the one for the Nazis’ 1937 Degenerate Art show? In 1994, Hamilton city councillor Russ Rimmington was reported in the media saying: ‘I’ve got a mind as broad as a Roman sewer, but this is just sleaze.’ What was he describing? In 1997 who ‘stole’ McCahon’s Urewera Triptych and why? How did they hide it? Where did they steal it from? Who designed that building? What photobook was described as ‘a charismatic exposé of the hideous truths and self-conscious mythologies of unemployed psychopaths who frequent Verona cafe and actually believe in drag’. Who said it? When did New Zealand start going to the Venice Biennale? Who did we send? What was the Bart Wells Institute? Yvonne Todd won the inaugural Walters Prize in 2002. Who was the judge and what the name of her winning photographic series? What did Pakuranga’s Fisher Gallery and Titirangi’s Lopdell House become? Who was in the hot seat longest: Paula Savage as Director of City Gallery Wellington or Chris Saines as Director of Auckland Art Gallery?  When did Bill Culbert represent New Zealand in the Venice Biennale? In recent years, Christchurch Art Gallery acquired five ‘significant’ works by Martin Creed, Antony Gormley, Ron Mueck, Michael Parekōwhai, and Bridget Riley. Why five? Who won the Walters Prize in 2016 for a video where he talked to animals? Who has been the Herald’s art critic for over fifty years and is known for wearing a cape? What group protested Luke Willis Thompson’s inclusion in the 2018 Turner Prize? Answers here.
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    Wellington City Gallery, Civic Square, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Hundy Club Profile: Tomasi Palu

    • 8 Jul 2020
    • Old Boys - University Rugby Club
    • #image_1200984324 { width: 100%; } #image_2101861458 { width: 100%; } #image_837846994 { width: 100%; } #image_1484466077 { width: 100%; } Tell us about where you came from to join OBU? I left straight from Wellington College to OBU. My good mate Seminar Manu (also a Hundy Club member, a profile on him coming up soon hopefully), convinced me to come across to OBU. I was supposed to be going to Poneke with my brother Dave but my brother eventually came over to OBU and played a season or two around 2008-09. What’s your favourite on-field memory? My personal favourite on-field memory had to be when I scored 4 tries against HOBM. I had a career-ending injury that forced retirement later that season. Another great team on-field memory is definitely the Jubilee Cup wins!! The 2017 OBU team was the best club team I’ve ever played in. Another great memory was the 2015 Jubilee Cup win – this win was really important to me personally and emotionally because of the death of our OBU manager and my good mate Richard ‘Puds’ Newsome the year before. He always kept in touch with me and one of the things he said was you will come back to OBU from Norths and win a Jubilee Cup. To fulfil that vision, was one of the main reasons I came back to OBU and I’m stoked we managed to achieve that, not only to make history that year but also knowing he would have been having a few wets that night watching over us and celebrating. Who was your best coach? I have been coached by some great coaches over the years but the best has been Jamie Williams, our current premier coach. He definitely had a huge impact on my form and to still keep me performing at a high level. He definitely knows the game inside and out and this shows in the results he has achieved with the club since he came into OBU. Who were some of those other coaches? Jake White coached the Tongan team on our 2016 tour to Europe. He was a great coach and was great at keeping the boys engaged by making the video analysis sessions short and using as much Tongan language as he could to keep the players engaged. Jamie Joseph coached me with the Wellington Lions 2008. Chris Boyd with the Wellington Lions & also coached me for Tonga in the 2011 World Cup, when we beat France at the Stadium in Wellington. We knew the crowd would be on our side and they were in full red Tongan attire! Definitely a career highlight for me playing in front of a home crowd (along with family and friends) at the cake tin, while representing my country of origin. I was also coached by John Plumtree at the Wellington Academy during my first year out of college. What’s your favourite off-field memory? The court sessions stand out with some fun times. Also the Jubilee cup after-parties, as well as some mighty nights at the Cambridge including the annual Mr OBU pageant. Are you involved in rugby these days?. I retired from playing in the middle of the 2018 season, upon medical advice of a prolapsed disc in my neck which caused me to end my rugby career abruptly.  I started coaching the Queen Margaret’s College 7’s team. The following year we made the national secondary schools 7’s tournament that was hosted in Auckland at King’s college. This was a big achievement for the first ever 7’s team in QMC to qualify for nationals, also a blessing as it was the start of my coaching career. Currently I’m now Director of Rugby for OBU. This includes being the Academy Director of the OBU Academy for male and female university students who play for our club. I helped coach the Premier Men’s team last year and I’ve also completed my World Rugby Level 1 and 2 for Coaching and am working on my Level 3 this year. I also volunteer as an assistant coach for the Colts Black team with Norman Ferguson this year, which is fun and keeps me developing my skills as a coach. Also learning the challenges that all coach’s face, and the many hats they have to wear but I enjoy it with a passion! Any messages of inspiration you want to pass back to the Goat community? Join in and get amongst the Goat herd, and enjoy your playing time!! Once you’ve finished, stay connected, stay involved, because without people we have no community and no club. The next generation of Goat players are always needing Goat mentors and support #OneHerd! You won’t regret it!   Thanks Tomasi! You can check Tomasi’s Hundy club profile over here… The post Hundy Club Profile: Tomasi Palu appeared first on OBU Rugby.
    • Accepted from OBU feed 58 months ago by feedreader
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    Westpac Stadium, Waterloo Quay, Pipitea, Wellington, Wellington Region, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  
• • 

    The role of vacant urban space in a Covid crisis

    • 21 Dec 2020
    • Urban Dream Brokerage
    • <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Jan Bieringa, Sophie Jerram, Linda Lee and Jason Muir with 'Exquisite Kaitiaki' by Miriama Grace-Smith, Xoe Hall and Gina Kiel at Urban Dream Brokerage and Brokered Dreams book launch, 2/57, Wellington. Image: Ebony Lamb Wellington communities need more creative and public spaces as inner city population booms and housing crisis puts rental stress on the young and vulnerable  Covid-19 and economic recession leaves empty shops and buildings empty in Wellington Urban Dream Brokerage programme will resume connecting artists with owners of unoccupied property Applications for artists to run projects are now open online www.urbanddreambrokerage.org.nz  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Ariki Bloomwell presenting welcoming karakia. Image: Ebony Lamb As the residential property market escalates, and as increasing numbers move into city apartments, a need for inner city spaces for exchange and community is growing.  With significant growth in commercial property left vacant since Covid-19 hit, the programme Urban Dream Brokerage is relaunching in Wellington to provide vital spaces for people to exchange, meet and help the city develop.    Following its first run between 2012 and 2018 in response to the Global Financial Crisis, creative space programme Urban Dream Brokerage (UDB) has been relaunched funded by the Wellington City Council Tipu Toa: Build Back Better / City Recovery fund.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Ebony Lamb The relaunch is spurred by a rise in unoccupied property around Wellington city due to the pandemic, and the need to create shared public spaces and experiences in a central city whose population is growing fast. The programme continues to run in Dunedin and has previously run in Porirua and Masterton. After the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake many buildings were taken off the Wellington market for strengthening, meaning fewer spaces could be used. Now property owners are embracing the renewed opportunity to enrich the city with artist and community occupied spaces.  “We have a commitment to a city that feels good for the most vulnerable and gives space to the most generous. We see ourselves as intentionally curating projects that will provoke change, for example decarbonising and indigenising the city,” says UDB co-founder Sophie Jerram. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Victoria Singh from The Waiting Room Image: Ebony Lamb “Other cities across the world including Brussels and Barcelona are taxing buildings that are vacant for more than three months, providing incentives to keep buildings occupied, something that could work well when property is surging in value.” The aim of the brokerage is not just to help restore the city to pre-pandemic levels and types of activity, but to help create a new and better place where art acts as a bridge that welcomes all comers.  UDB co-founder Mark Amery makes a case for culture providing a vital sense of place and meaning for city dwellers that leads to economic development.   “A cultural recovery in Wellington is more than about attracting visitors through events.  Culture is fundamental to our wellbeing and a sense of ownership of the city for those who live here. And we also invest financially where we feel a sense of belonging.” <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Mark Amery and Helen Kirlew Smith. Image: Ebony Lamb A book of past projects  Brokered Dreams: 98 Uses For Vacant Space has just been launched. “We also need to test new models of living space as we face environmental and social crises. Artists and community groups are leading the way,” says Amery. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Brokered Dreams: 98 Uses for Vacant Space. Image: Ebony Lamb Wellington City Council is supporting the brokerage to re-enliven the city in 2021 with activities, including support for the performance programme The City as a Theatre and a rejuvenated Cubadupa. UDB is produced by Maverick Creative, managed by dynamic Political Cutz performer Jason Muir with Linda Lee from Shared Lines Collaborative. Muir is already visiting property owners to find homes for projects. “UDB rules! My creative practice emerged from Urban Dream Brokerage so now I feel proud to manage the project and look forward to enabling others on their journey, to share their dreams with the people of Wellington,” says Muir. Urban Dream Brokerage was established in 2012 by Sophie Jerram and Mark Amery as part of their Letting Space entity under the umbrella of Wellington Independent Arts Trust. UDB found spaces around New Zealand for over 120 creative projects, some short and some long term with more than 40 property owners, allowing the artists’ work to infuse energy into the properties while new tenants were found. Some projects continue in the properties where they started - Come Sew With Me in Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park is celebrating this month its third anniversary, while others like Coliberate a ‘mental health gym’ are now successful innovative businesses.  Brokered Dreams: 98 Uses for Vacant Space - the book is available at www.urbandreambrokerage.org.nz/book or at Unity Bookshop Wellington. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Evzen Novak, Thomas Lahood, Darcy Case Laurie Foon, Suzanne Tamaki and Gerry Paul during karakia. Image: Ebony Lamb <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Sam Trubridge. Image: Ebony Lamb <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Crowd at two/fiftyseven. Image: Ebony Lamb <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Ebony Lamb
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    Porirua, Wellington Region, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Cambridge Analytica is merely Facebook’s ‘smaller, less ambitious sibling’

    • 14 Apr 2018
    • Jack Yan
    • Beyond all that had gone on with AIQ and Cambridge Analytica, a lot more has come out about Facebook’s practices, things that I always suspected they do, for why else would they collect data on you even after you opted out?    Now, Sam Biddle at The Intercept has written a piece that demonstrates that whatever Cambridge Analytica did, Facebook itself does far, far more, and not just to 87 million people, but all of its users (that’s either 2,000 million if you believe Facebook’s figures, or around half that if you believe my theories), using its FBLearner Flow program.    Biddle writes (link in original): This isn’t Facebook showing you Chevy ads because you’ve been reading about Ford all week — old hat in the online marketing world — rather Facebook using facts of your life to predict that in the near future, you’re going to get sick of your car. Facebook’s name for this service: “loyalty prediction.”    Spiritually, Facebook’s artificial intelligence advertising has a lot in common with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica’s controversial “psychographic” profiling of voters, which uses mundane consumer demographics (what you’re interested in, where you live) to predict political action. But unlike Cambridge Analytica and its peers, who must content themselves with whatever data they can extract from Facebook’s public interfaces, Facebook is sitting on the motherlode, with unfettered access to staggering databases of behavior and preferences. A 2016 ProPublica report found some 29,000 different criteria for each individual Facebook user …    … Cambridge Analytica begins to resemble Facebook’s smaller, less ambitious sibling.    As I’ve said many times, I’ve no problem with Facebook making money, or even using AI for that matter, as long as it does so honestly, and I would hope that people would take as a given that we expect that it does so ethically. If a user (like me) has opted out of ad preferences because I took the time many years ago to check my settings, and return to the page regularly to make sure Facebook hasn’t altered them (as it often does), then I expect them to be respected (my investigations show that they aren’t). Sure, show me ads to pay the bills, but not ones that are tied to preferences that you collect that I gave you no permission to collect. As far as I know, the ad networks we work with respect these rules if readers had opted out at aboutads.info and the EU equivalent.    Regulating Facebook mightn’t be that bad an idea if there’s no punishment to these guys essentially breaking basic consumer laws (as I know them to be here) as well as the codes of conduct they sign up to with industry bodies in their country. As I said of Google in 2011: if the other 60-plus members of the Network Advertising Initiative can create cookies that respect the rules, why can’t Google? Here we are again, except the main player breaking the rules is Facebook, and the data they have on us is far more precise than some Google cookies.    Coming back to Biddle’s story, he sums up the company as a ‘data wholesaler, period.’ The 29,000 criteria per user claim is very easy to believe for those of us who have popped into Facebook ad preferences and found thousands of items collected about us, even after opting out. We also know that the Facebook data download shows an entirely different set of preferences, which means either the ad preference page is lying or the download is lying. In either case, those preferences are being used, manipulated and sold.    Transparency can help Facebook through this crisis, yet all we saw from CEO Mark Zuckerberg was more obfuscation and feigned ignorance at the Senate and Congress. This exchange last week between Rep. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto and Zuckerberg was a good example:    Eshoo: It was. Are you willing to change your business model in the interest of protecting individual privacy?    Zuckerberg: Congresswoman, we have made and are continuing to make changes to reduce the amount of data …    Eshoo: No, are you willing to change your business model in the interest of protecting individual privacy?    Zuckerberg: Congresswoman, I’m not sure what that means.    In other words, they want to preserve their business model and keep things exactly as they are, even if they are probably in violation of a 2011 US FTC decree.    The BBC World Service News had carried the hearings but, as far as I know, little made it on to the nightly TV here.    This is either down to the natural news cycle: when Christopher Wylie blew the whistle on Cambridge Analytica in The Observer, it was major news, and subsequent follow-ups haven’t piqued the news editors’ interest in the same way. Or, the media were only outraged as it connected to Trump and Brexit, and now that we know it’s far, far more widespread, it doesn’t matter as much.    There’s still hope that the social network can be a force for good, if Zuckerberg and co. are actually sincere about it. If Facebook has this technology, why employ it for evil? That may sound a naïve question, but if you genuinely were there to better humankind (and not rate your female Harvard classmates on their looks) and you were sitting on a motherlode of user data, wouldn’t you ensure that the platform were used to create greater harmony between people rather than sow discord and spurring murder? Wouldn’t you refrain from bragging that you have the ability to influence elections? The fact that Facebook doesn’t, and continues to see us as units to be milked in the matrix, should worry us a great deal more than an 87 million-user data breach.
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• • February Update from DCM

    • 28 Feb 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 February Update from DCM p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; font-size:inherit !important; font-family:inherit !important; 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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } Join us as we follow team DCM for a day… Join us as we follow team DCM for a day… Wellington filmmaker Kieran and the team from Ocular recently spent a day with DCM’s Outreach team leader Natalia Cleland, shadowing her and her team for a day, so that they could share this experience with you all. They learned a lot – in particular about how they themselves can best respond to rough sleeping and street begging on our streets, and why they will now stop giving to people who are street begging. They saw how often the public, wanting to be part of the solution, responded with kindness, kai or coffee – yet this made it difficult for Natalia and her team to connect to people, to encourage them to come down to DCM and to set out on a journey to housing and wellbeing. As Natalia notes, “All of their immediate needs may be being met by people walking past – but not their holistic needs, not the reason why they are there, not their mental health and addictions, and disconnection from their families. These needs cannot be met by people walking past; it’s such a short interaction.” As the film shows, when DCM is able to build that connection with people, we offer them holistic support, a pathway forward. “We work with people as they are, and where they are,” says Natalia. “People feel welcome, comfortable with us. We are whānau to them. There are no barriers. And the depth and breadth of what we are able to offer means that we can support people with all of their complexities. Not just their need for a meal, but with their housing needs, their primary, oral and mental health needs, their addictions, their family needs, their connection to their community and to real purpose in their lives.” “We know the people by name. We are asking the people of Wellington to tell us about the people they are concerned for on our streets, and to trust us; we will do good work.” If you are concerned for someone who is rough sleeping or street begging, call the Wellington City Council call centre on 04 499 4444 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WCC has been a key partner in DCM’s mahi for many years. They will let a member of DCM’s Outreach team know and we will head out to connect with the person. You too can walk alongside Ocular and experience the life-changing mahi which you all support in so many different ways – we encourage you to watch the film clip on Youtube and hit 'share' to forward it on to everyone you know who has wondered how to respond to rough sleeping and street begging, or has asked how they can be part of the solution to homelessness. We are doing this TOGETHER, Wellington. CHECK OUT THE CLIP NOW! <!-- --> Join us in acknowledging our dentists When Natalia and her team speak with rough sleepers, they look for ways to build connection, and to encourage these people to come on down to DCM. Here we can get to know one another and build a relationship of trust. Often these people are experiencing dental pain, and the offer of a dental appointment can be the key hook which first brings them through our doors, and connects them to the rest of the team at DCM. During the month of March, we will be celebrating the 5th birthday of the DCM Dental Service in a number of different ways. Dentist David Corcoran took the very first session at the DCM Dental Service in March 2016. He has been a regular at DCM, and five years after his first session, he will be taking a session during our birthday week in March 2021. Here David shares his story, and two taumai reflect on the support David has provided them with. David Corcoran What David has to say I’m from Sheffield in England, from a big family of six brothers and sisters. I trained in Birmingham, and later met my wife (who is also a dentist, and has taken sessions at DCM) at a dental practice in London. We came to New Zealand on holiday in 1986 and have been here ever since. Some years ago I knew that Graham Symes was involved in starting a new emergency dental service based at DCM. I wanted to help, so got in touch with Michelle. The building in which both DCM and two dental rooms were situated was purchased by Maurice and Kaye Clark, who worked to address the seismic issues. When this was completed, we were able to pilot a new service in March 2016. I was fortunate to take the very first dental session. The service has really grown from there. David’s wife Charlotte Cocks has also taken dental sessions at DCM. I am always amazed at the tolerance for pain that taumai have. It’s a constant thread in everyone we see. They are sometimes walking around in severe dental pain, but always seem to have a good nature about it. They put up with things because they have to. I find it’s a two-way experience – you learn as much as you give when you join the team at the DCM Dental Service. Taumai who come along desperately need dental treatment. Sometimes they like to talk, and have someone listen. But best of all is when you’re able to offer them a release from pain – and that’s what it’s all about. What taumai have to say about David One woman who David saw at DCM had many issues with her teeth, couldn’t eat properly and told us that she hadn’t been able to sleep due to the pain, and the fact that she was rough sleeping. The barrier for her was that she assumed that any dental work would be far too expensive, and so there was nothing that could be done. David was able to do a lot in a single appointment. Afterwards she told us: “This was by far the best dental experience I have ever had. It totally sorted my teeth. I would totally recommend David to anyone!” One man who has seen David at the DCM Dental Service had been assaulted, which had caused significant damage to his teeth. “The whole service was very professional; my damaged teeth were causing me many problems. I couldn’t eat and my diet was restricted to soup. The dentist took a number of x-rays and removed some teeth. I am now not in any pain, and I can eat again. I am very happy.” <!-- --> Join our vibrant team! Would you – or someone you know – love to work for DCM? We need your help to fill several vacancies we currently have. If you have enjoyed our film clip, and experiencing our mahi in this way, please share it widely to give everyone you know a taste of our work. Encourage them to look at the jobs page on our website, and to get in touch with us if they would like to know more. <!-- --> Please help us get the message out there! Forward this email on to everyone you can think of who may be interested in how to respond to homelessness, and just generally people who are passionate about Wellington. <!-- --> Support DCM! Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2021 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCMPO Box 6133Marion SqWellington, Wellington 6011 New ZealandAdd us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 51 months ago by feedreader
    • Automatically tagged as:
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• • Results: Sanders Gough Robbie Burns Shields

    • 28 Jun 2016
    • Hutt Valley Harriers
    • Sanders Gough Robbie Burns Shields Hosted by Hutt Valley Harriers Saturday 25 June 2016 Senior Women/Masters Women – 6 km – Burns Cup Placing Name Time   Club 1 Kristi Perkinson 27:10 HVH 2 Georgina Cox 28:47 Wainuiomata 3 Nicky Braniff 28:51 Wainuiomata 4 Shelley-Ann Tietjens 28:55 Wainuiomata 5 Belinda Walker 30:08 Trentham 6 Trish Coley 31:01 HVH 7 Liz Whiteside 31:08 HVH 8 Keryn Morgan 31:19 HVH 9 Vanessa Trompetter 32:01 HVH 10 Lisa Kynaston 35:04 Trentham Burns Cup Place Club Points (2 to count) 1 Wainuiomata 5 2 HVH 7 3 Trentham 15 U20 Men and Women – 6 km – Gough Cup Placing Name Time Club 1 Luke Carman 24:28 Wainuiomata 2 Matthew Roberts 24:32 HVH 3 Randall Tyler 25:51 Trentham 4 Jack Thompson 26:41 Trentham 5 Natasha Goldsworthy 32:26 Wainuiomata Gough Cup Place Club Points (2 to count) 1 Wainuiomata 6 2 Trentham 7 Walkers – 6km – Walkers Cup Placing Name Time Club 1 Richard Willis 43:00 Trentham 2 Robyn Green 43:02 Masterton 3 Joseph Antcliffe 43:12 Trentham 4 Claudia Baechle 43:57 Masterton 5 Brendan McCauley 46:27 Wainuiomata 6 Sonja McLean 46:33 Trentham 7 Cathy Gordon 46:53 HVH 8 Unknown 51:18 ? 9 Vivienne Antcliffe 51:43 Trentham 10 Rose Martin 54:19 Wainuiomata 11 Barbara Coley 57:28 Wainuiomata 12 Robyn Small 1:00:58 Wainuiomata 13 Karen Forsyth 1:05:37 Wainuiomata 14 Maree Carman 1:05:37 Wainuiomata Walkers Cup Place Club Points (2 to count) 1 Trentham 4 2 Masterton 6 3 Wainuiomata 15 Boys/Girls U13/U11/U9 – 2km – Challenge Shield – (Times only for first 30 to finish in the race able to be recalled) Place Name Time Club Grade Age Grade Place 1 Joshua Jordon 7:21 Trentham BU13 1 2 Nathaniel Graham 7:22 HVH BU13 2 3 Colton Foss 7:35 Trentham BU13 3 4 Josh Allen 7:37 HVH BU13 4 5 Chris Coetzee 7:42 Trentham BU13 5 6 Marco Coetzee 7:50 Trentham BU13 6 7 Luke Stoupe 7:56 HVH BU11 1 8 Logan Stoupe 7:57 HVH BU13 7 9 AJ Prichard 8:00 HVH BU11 2 10 Nicholas Green 8:02 HVH BU13 8 11 Regan Kowalczyk 8:04 HVH BU13 9 12 Ashton Brew 8:10 Wainuiomata BU11 3 13 Oscar Strickland 8:16 HVH BU13 10 14 Callum Wos 8:23 Trentham BU11 4 15 Nhkata Holliwell 8:27 HVH BU13 11 16 Emalise Alding 8:28 HVH GU11 5 17 Amy Murray 8:29 HVH GU11 6 18 Quentin Carlson 8:33 Trentham BU11 7 19 Thomas Prichard 8:37 HVH BU9 1 20 Ashton Tietjens 8:40 HVH BU11 8 21 Trent Magee 8:40 HVH BU9 2 22 Kiara Flutey 8:49 Trentham GU13 12 23 Harrison Kowalczyk 8:50 HVH BU11 9 24 Aiden Jackson 8:51 HVH BU11 10 25 Gabriel Marenzi 9:00 HVH BU13 13 26 Ben Maluschnig 9:02 HVH BU13 14 27 Tyler Rollo 9:04 HVH BU13 15 28 Jonathan Green 9:05 HVH BU11 11 29 Taine Flutey 9:06 Trentham BU9 3 30 MacKenzie Winter 9:08 Wainuiomata GU13 16 31 Autumn Bradley Trentham GU13 17 32 Rebecca Forsyth Wainuiomata GU13 18 33 Gemma Gordon HVH GU13 19 34 Elliot Barr Trentham BU9 4 35 John O’Grady Trentham BU9 5 36 Finn Brew Wainuiomata BU9 6 37 Bailey Rollo HVH BU9 7 38 David Gordon HVH BU11 12 39 Sophia Avery HVH GU11 13 40 Katie Jordan Trentham GU9 8 41 Maddy Ross Trentham GU9 9 42 Sarah du Toit Trentham GU11 14 43 Skylar Langstraat HVH GU11 15 44 Lily Trompetter HVH GU13 20 45 Chloe Bothwell HVH GU13 21 46 Savannah Allen Trentham GU9 10 47 Joseph Trentham BU9 11 48 Chloe Bignall Trentham GU9 12 49 Heidi Carman Wainuiomata GU13 22 50 Tim Cherry HVH BU11 16 51 Sebastian Marenzi HVH BU11 17 52 Piper Carson Trentham GU9 13 53 Eloise Bothwell HVH GU9 14 54 Liam Carson HVH BU9 15 55 Ruby Flutey Trentham GU9 16 56 Jack Carson HVH BU11 18 Challenge Shield Place Club Points (5 to count) 1 Trentham 29 2 HVH 30 3 Wainuiomata 159 Men and Women U15/U18 – 4km – Robbie Shield Placing Name Time Club Grade 1 Joel Carman 13:22 Wainuiomata MU18 2 Logan Slee 14:03 Trentham MU18 3 Gus Reece 14:12 HVH MU18 4 Thomas Strawbridge 14:38 Trentham MU18 5 Daniel du Toit 14:54 Trentham MU15 6 Jonathan Roberts 14:55 HVH MU15 7 Cameron Forsyth 14:58 Wainuiomata MU15 8 Harry Poland 15:04 Trentham MU18 9 Oliver Barrass 15:08 Trentham MU18 10 Bill Gray 15:15 Trentham MU18 11 Jayme Maxwell 15:32 HVH WU18 12 Anthony Rowe-Penny 16:20 Masterton MU18 13 Tristan Bagnall 16:43 Trentham MU15 14 Philip Bewley 16:53 Wainuiomata MU18 15 Maria Geoghegan 17:13 Trentham WU15 16 Lucy England 17:21 HVH WU18 17 Bianca Green 17:51 Masterton WU18 18 Luke Te-Moana 17:53 Trentham MU15 19 Madison Robinson 17:54 Trentham WU18 20 Hannah Gordon 18:52 HVH WU18 21 McKenzie Jacques 19:19 Trentham WU18 22 Sam Lightfoot 20:30 Wainuiomata WU18 23 Grace Forsyth 20:31 Wainuiomata WU18 Robbie Shield Place Club Points (3 to count) 1 Trentham 11 2 HVH 20 3 Wainuiomata 22 Senior Men and Masters Men – 8km – Sanders Cup Placing Name Time Club 1 Michael du Toit 28:50 Trentham 2 Mat Rogers 28:52 HVH 3 Joe Durant 30:11 Visitor 4 Mark Searle 31:23 Trentham 5 Michael Beaumont 31:48 Trentham 6 Dominic Green 32:00 Masterton 7 Kevin Thompson 32:10 Trentham 8 Brendan Quirke 33:07 HVH 9 Darren Gordon 33:16 HVH 10 Marcus Smith 34:31 HVH 11 Bill Trompetter 35:11 HVH 12 Malcolm McDonald 35:23 Masterton 13 Jared Bothwell 35:27 HVH 14 Paul Newsom 35:29 HVH 15 Graeme Burr 35:51 HVH 16 Ray Haste 36:51 Masterton 17 Neil Sargisson 36:55 HVH 18 Matt Poland 37:11 Trentham 19 Mike Wespel-Rose 38:11 HVH 20 Paul Richardson 38:29 Wainuiomata 21 Paul Strickland 39:52 HVH 22 Warren Pettigrew 39:59 Wainuiomata 23 Andrew Smith 40:35 Trentham 24 Stewart Clement 40:52 Wainuiomata 25 Steve Robertson 41:33 HVH 26 Tory Martin 43:30 Wainuiomata 27 Keith Holmes 44:05 HVH 28 Martyn Cherry 44:29 HVH 29 Albert van Veen 49:05 HVH Ray Wallis (6km) 42:01 Aurora Sanders Cup Place Club Points (3 to count) 1 Trentham 10 2 HVH 19 3 Masterton 34
    • Accepted from HVH news 107 months ago
    • Tagged as:
    • wainuiomata
    • hutt-valley

    Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  
• • 

    A response to the Destiny Church: applying Christian ethics in a time of pandemic - Rev Allister Lane

    • 17 May 2020
    • St John's in the City
    • <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Last week Brian Tamaki vowed to hold a Destiny service this Sunday in defiance of the decision by the Government to continue the ban on large gatherings under Alert Level 2. Tamaki urged other churches to join him (see Stuff Article). Many of us will have our own instincts in responding to the pandemic, with varying appetites for social controls and government guidelines. So, as well as assessing the risks of the virus, how do we assess how we do ‘the right thing’? What should guide us in whether we side with the opinion of Destiny Church, or not? Christian ethics offer resources for us at this time, to know how best to respond as individuals, as churches, as communities, being attentive to what really matters. Here are five points of Christian ethics for us to consider in how we respond to the pandemic. The sanctity of human life Truth telling Social justice Church Witness in the world Government. Each of these is consider in more detail below as an offering toward a moral framework to help respond well in a time of pandemic. 1. The sanctity of human life. God has shown through scripture and the incarnation of Jesus that human beings have sacred worth. Given this understanding of the inviolable sacredness of human life, there is an imperative for us to protect human life. This value of human life is linked to love of neighbour. In Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, we are invited to consider what this means with regard to responding to the physical health, safety and well-being of the stranger (Luke 10:25-37). In his book Kingdom Ethics, David Gushee states “Love sees with compassion and enters into the situation of persons in bondage.” (David P. Gushee, Kingdom Ethics (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 204. ) The life and teaching of Jesus has shaped our understanding of prioritizing human health, and influenced the medicine and nursing vocations in caring for the sick, disabled and dying. Because Christians value the sanctity of human life, we strive to minimize any threat that destroys human life. We have all been presented with the evidence of the risks of large gatherings and how they unduly danger the lives and health of our neighbours. 2. Truth telling. A commitment to truthfulness is recognised as a hallmark of humility and forgiveness exercised in Christian discipleship. An openness to recognising the evidence and facing reality, in a way that allows our perceptions to be changed, is necessary in the pursuit of truth and the sharing of truth. We can therefore support the provision of clear and transparent information that offers guidance for making informed decisions. Insofar as the New Zealand Government and Health officials have offered clear and direct guidelines for mitigating the risks of the pandemic by limiting large gatherings, Christians should take this into account. 3. Social justice Scripture shows that human freedom is important to maintain. But human freedom is not ‘individualistic moral authority’ ( Gushee, Kingdom Ethics, 209) , rather it thrives when we live with love toward others by fostering compassionate justice. We must always recognise and advance the freedom of the other. In scripture justice is always ‘from below’, showing consideration and caring for the most vulnerable among us. Justice is only full when it includes justice for those who are the least in society. A pandemic affects everybody, but does not affect everybody equally. Our response must pay special attention therefore to those who are most vulnerable. Covid-19 is particularly dangerous and deadly to those among us who are elderly and have underlying health issues. Christians must therefore have particular regard for these vulnerable people among us. 4. Church Witness in the world Jesus says to his followers “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The witness of the Church is to point to the person of Jesus as God’s revelation of truth, justice and compassion. What does the Church look and sound like when getting all grouchy and demanding our rights? Civil disobedience can be noble, and has been part of campaigns by Christians for standing up for what is right, but whose interests are we protecting? If we are witnesses to Christ, our actions will align with the interests of the least powerful and influential; we will demonstrate Christ’s love for those who may be otherwise overlooked by society. The Church exists for the sake of the world, and therefore its primary concern is not the preservation of its own internal activity. 5. Government. As part of Christian ethics, the Church must consider what is the ‘right’ relationship to hold with the Government. This needs to be assessed according to the system of government and the particular governing authorities of the time. In scripture we hear the deliberately subversive teaching of Jesus, who stated “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 22:15-22; Luke 20:20-26). Jesus distanced himself from the Roman power structure and tax system that oppressed the poor, and cultivated idolatry. Christians live in a tension that recognises the appropriate role of the governing authorities, while giving ultimate loyalty to God as citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Importantly, the prohibition on large gatherings is not a prohibition of worship. Indeed, most churches are creatively using multiple forms of technology to continue worshipping. Therefore the ban on large gatherings for the sake of the common good is part of the appropriate role of the governing authorities – it is part of ‘the things that are Caesar’s’! Conclusion These five points of Christian ethics are offered to assist us in adequately considering how we best respond to the pandemic. They are guidance for us, as we try to do the right thing. These points are offered as a contribution toward a robust moral framework that helps us assess particular actions, decisions, proposals and priorities. But, we also need to maintain a gracious disposition toward others – especially those immediately around us. Let us not be too quick to condemn. With grace as our guide, we can assume the best in others, discover the way forward together and default to human solidarity – just as Jesus shows us. With thanks for the input of Dr Derek Woodard-Lehman and the group members of the St John’s Daily Devotion Together.
    • Accepted from News - St John's in the City Presbyterian Church 56 months ago by tonytw1
    • Tagged as:
    • covid-19

    St John's, Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Ngā Kōrero - Latest Stories from DCM

    • 8 Dec 2023
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • Ngā Kōrero - Latest Stories from DCM Lives and smiles transformed at the DCM Dental Service communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving About Us Contact Lives and smiles transformed at the DCM Dental Service DCM’s emergency dental service has been operating since March 2016 – and is the only dental service of its kind outside of hospital emergency departments in New Zealand. Over 800 individuals have had their lives and smiles transformed thanks to the expertise of DCM’s volunteer dentists, led by Dr. Sophie McKenna, our lead dentist. Volunteer dentist Dr. Sophie McKenna leads DCM’s Dental Service. (Source: 1News.) Sophie’s father was a dentist, and she worked with him as a dental assistant during the school holidays. By the age of 17, she had decided that dentistry was a good path for her. Marrying Andrew, a fellow dentist, and working in different practices in the Wellington area, the two were able to share work and parenting responsibilities. Sophie first heard about DCM at a New Zealand Dental Association branch meeting, putting her name forward as a volunteer. “DCM was a surprise to me,” says Sophie. “I didn’t expect to receive so much pleasure from helping the whānau with their dental care. “When I first began volunteering, our son was dealing with significant health challenges, and I was at a low point. To come into DCM and see good people working hard to improve themselves from their very low points, with the support of DCM staff, was humbling and put my own woes into perspective.” Sophie explains that many of the people coming to DCM’s Dental Service need fillings, periodontal work, and extractions. “They often come to us with broken and missing teeth. When you are experiencing homelessness, living from crisis to crisis, oral health care may fall lower on the priority list, especially due to the expense. “But the big key to DCM’s success is not that treatment is free – but that DCM makes marginalised people feel so welcome when they come here. They don’t feel judged – and that includes when they sit in our dental chair.” Sophie treats Ngata during an emergency dental session at DCM. (Source: 1News.) “I’ll say, ‘what’s the most important thing that I can help you with today?’ And they look astonished,” says Sophie. “They are normally told to lie back, open up, and then a health professional gives them a carefully worded lecture about what isn’t being done, how disastrous things are. “And that’s not we’re here for. We’re here to make them feel better.” We know that poor oral health has been linked to gingivitis, oral infection, heart disease and strokes. But additionally, aesthetic issues can affect your ability to eat and speak – with a huge cost to your self-esteem. DCM Manahautū (Director) Stephen Turnock says that most of the people DCM works with have missing or decayed teeth, and the feelings of shame around this can take a toll. “When someone is continually looking at the ground, and not wanting to smile or feeling whakamā, then that creates more barriers.” This is why in 2023, we have begun creating dental impressions (diagnostic models or moulds) on-site at DCM and fitting whānau with partial plates – often of upper teeth. Sophie has been joined in this initiative by her husband, Andrew, who is no longer able to practice dentistry on his own due to an injury. Still wanting to support DCM, Andrew is able to assist Sophie in various ways. Sophie shares how life-changing their work has already been. Toko before and after. Toko was someone with missing incisors – the most visible teeth in the upper mouth. Sophie and Andrew created a mould and fitted him with replacement teeth. “Toko was exceptionally happy with the partial plate, and his ‘after’ smile filled the room!” says Sophie. Another person whose smile has been transformed is Lisa. Lisa has experienced homelessness, including rough sleeping, before she was housed through DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First service. From there, she was able to focus on her wellbeing, including her oral healthcare. Lisa before and after. Sophie had to encourage Lisa to do a ‘before’ photo while smiling so we could compare the results. “Now she can’t stop smiling!” Sophie says. When DCM first met Simon, he had little to smile about. DCM Outreach workers Ngaire and Hazel approached him on the street in Kilbirnie, where he says he was at his lowest ebb. “DCM saved my life, literally” Simon explains. “If there’s a God, it was great timing on all fronts.” Simon also survived the Loafers Lodge fire. On the tragic night, he knocked on people’s doors, urging them to evacuate, while managing to escape with his phone and wallet, and the clothes on his back. After a move into transitional housing, Simon was able to concentrate on other pressing matters, including agonising dental pain. He popped into DCM one day, and met Ali Janes, who coordinates our dental clinic. Ali got Simon in to see Sophie and Andrew, who extracted the problem teeth. “You could really see the difference it had made for him, which was awesome,” says Ali. “He left pain free and basically floated out of here!” Simon was left with very few teeth, but Sophie and Andrew supported him through the life-changing process of getting a full denture. “I’m still learning to smile properly, which is something I haven’t done for a long time,” Simon explains. “But – I can almost look in the mirror again. “When I needed DCM the most, you guys have always been there. Now I’m trying to pay it forward.” Simon popped into DCM to show us his new smile. DCM’s new initiative creating replacement teeth for whānau has been supported by a $5,000 community grant from the New Zealand Dental Association. “My vision for DCM’s Dental Service is that we are able to expand our services a little,” says Sophie. “Ideally, we would like to offer more opportunities to replace teeth that have previously been extracted, as we’ve been doing with the grant this year. “Currently, relief of pain is great, but what can we do to support our lovely people and lift them up even more? It is obvious from the beaming smiles of Toko, Lisa and others that restoring their smile boosts their sense of worth. Society inadvertently judges those with missing teeth. “When someone’s smile is restored and they feel and look good, they project a confidence and positivity that is difficult to measure. It is infused in their posture, their willingness to engage with others – and we see that their approach to issues that challenge them is altered for the better. “It’s a no-brainer to try to help with this more.” We mihi to Sophie and Andrew McKenna for their passion and professional expertise as they help to transform the lives and smiles of our whānau. Can you help support DCM’s Dental Service this Christmas? DCM is grateful to all those dentists who, like Sophie and Andrew, give their time to allow us to provide emergency dental care to the most marginalised people in Wellington. We would also like to thank the NZDA for their community grant, the St. John’s in the City Carter Fund for a grant toward a new dental chair for our service, and the Bowen Hospital Trust for their on-going support. But DCM’s Dental Service is primarily funded by YOU, the people of Wellington. If you would like to support the most marginalised people in our city – like Toko, Lisa, and Simon this Christmas – please click below and consider donating toward our appeal. Or, if you know a dentist or dental assistant who would like to learn more about working at the DCM Dental Service, we would love to hear from them! Support DCM's Dental Service Copyright © 2023 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCM PO Box 6133 Marion Sq Wellington, Wellington 6011 New Zealand Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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    Loafers Lodge, 160, Adelaide Road, Newtown, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • DCM Bookfair 2018 - One Week to Go!

    • 27 Jul 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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DCM Bookfair 2018 - One Week to Go! View this email in your browser DCM's annual, fundraising Bookfair is ONE week away! Saturday 4 August, Shed 6, Queen's Wharf, 8am-6pm. Wellington's annual DCM Bookfair has been raising funds for vulnerable Wellingtonians for 23 years - but unless a new storage venue is found, this year's event will be the last. Our thanks to Lee-Anne Duncan for this story, published in today's Your Weekend. There's never a shortage of donations but the storage unit DCM has relied on will not be available next year, leaving the future of the book fair in doubt. Every year, book lovers flock to the DCM Bookfair on Wellington's waterfront to grab an armful of bargains in support of vulnerably housed citizens. But unless a new storage venue is found, this year's event will be the last. Lee-Anne Duncan reports. It's catnip to bibliophiles, that smell. It's the bouquet of books, heavy with dust and knowledge, to be stacked and sorted, packed then transported to Wellington's Shed 6 for next Saturday's DCM Bookfair. This year is the 23rd time hundreds of volunteers have poured thousands of hours into collecting, sorting, boxing and setting out nearly 100,000 books for the country's biggest book fair. The event is also DCM's biggest single fundraiser. Formerly known as the Downtown Community Ministry, DCM works "at the serious end" of homelessness. Along with supporting people to find sustainable accommodation, DCM provides a variety of services to support vulnerable Wellingtonians. The organisation calls the people they work with "taumai", meaning "to settle", preferring it to the less personal "client". While DCM receives funds from local and central government to carry out some of its work, donations and fundraising events like this one are its lifeblood. If this book fair is as successful as those past, a near quarter century of book fairs will have collectively raised at least $2 million to fund DCM's work. "That's $2 million we haven't had to ask of central or local government agencies," says Stephanie McIntyre, DCM's director for the past 14 years. "The only reason we have been able to raise that money is through the generosity of Wellingtonians who donate their books, the people who buy them, and of course the volunteers who give their time to make it all happen." A fundraiser's success often comes down to those volunteers, especially for an event as large and complex as DCM's annual book fair. But this year's event might be its last, as the planned development of Shelly Bay means the Wellington City Council-owned warehouse used to store and sort donated books won't be available next year. "All this is absolutely at risk," says McIntyre. "We have had zero response trying to find another warehouse. We'd love to have another book fair as it's become such a classic Wellington thing and it's essential fundraising for us. Next year is our 50th birthday and it would be a great shame not to have a book fair in such an important year." DCM director Stephanie McIntyre. Many – if not most – of the fair's volunteers give their time year after year. A core group of about 30 helpers travel to the warehouse on Thursdays or Saturdays, or both, for generally five or six hours a day every week between April and August. There, wrapped up against the winter chill, they receive donations, sort the books into categories, then into subcategories, and sometimes even into micro-categories. "I've found quite a few books on grief. I'm hoping I can get enough together to make a section of its own," says long-time volunteer Wendy Nelson. "And I've got all these diet books. This year we seem to have a lot of paleo books." Spirited exchanges have been known to happen over categories. All Blacks Don't Cry by John Kirwan, for example: "Is that sport or mental health? I even found copy in Psychology earlier," says Nelson. If there's more than one copy – and often there is – the books can be allotted wherever book seekers may think to find it. A marine biologist, Nelson works full time as a principal scientist at Niwa but spends her Saturdays sorting. She's been involved in the book fair every year since the first, in 1996. "The then director, Helen Walch, said she'd had this great idea to hold a second-hand book fair as a fundraiser that would engage the volunteers and community. "I thought it sounded like a good idea – I like books, so why not get involved? DCM does such important work, and is such an important part of Wellington. Sometimes it's hard to know how to contribute, but this is a way for us to do our own small bit."  Volunteer Wendy Nelson, a marine biologist and book lover. Each year DCM supports about 1000 people who are experiencing homelessness or in danger of becoming homeless. But the work DCM does goes far beyond putting a roof over their heads. Every DCM day begins with a karakia and waiata. DCM kaimahi (staff) and their taumai gather to give thanks for the new day at 9am when the organisation's doors open in Te Aro's Lukes Lane. Social workers are on hand to talk to taumai to get to the heart of why they're experiencing homelessness. They support the person to access a benefit and manage their money, find and sustain housing, and connect to whānau and culture, health and other services. Statistics New Zealand defines homelessness as: "Living situations where people with no other options to acquire safe and secure housing are without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing accommodation with a household, or living in uninhabitable housing." Research by Otago School of Medicine in 2016 put the number of New Zealanders living this way at more than 40,000 people, nearly 1 per cent of our total population – the highest rate of homelessness in the OECD. It's difficult to accurately quantify homelessness. During this year's census, DCM staff worked with Statistics NZ staff to encourage and support people who were homeless to complete the census forms. "We explained that government funding decisions are made on census data, so filling out the census made sure they were counted," says McIntyre. DCM's own data vividly describes the increase in demand. Over the past five years, the number of people who are homeless that come to DCM for support has increased by more than a third. "Even more worrying, the number of people we see who are actually without shelter – so rough sleeping, or sleeping in cars – has more than doubled." McIntyre expects the number of people DCM supports to increase this year. "When you get a severe housing crisis, as we have now, it's the most vulnerable who are kicked to the end of the line. As housing gets harder for everyone it gets especially hard for these people, which makes our work even more necessary." In May, the Government announced $100 million to address homelessness – $37 million of that was allocated to find places by the end of this winter, with the rest spent over four years on the Housing First programme. While DCM will be at the forefront of delivering Housing First in Wellington, the organisation will continue to rely on volunteers and donations to pay for its core services. We visit four Saturdays from sale day. There's a stiff nor'wester whipping the waves a few metres from the warehouse. Out in the harbour, a rare southern right whale is leading the news. Te Amo Roberts, another volunteer and someone DCM has supported, reports he saw the whale on his way in. He stirs himself a coffee between breaking down cardboard boxes and helping with some of the "grunt work". Volunteer Te Amo Roberts received assistance from DCM in the past. Today, he's an important part of the book fair team. "There are some biscuits on the sideboard, Te Amo – Cameo Cremes," says McIntyre, who's holding a brief meeting with a small group of volunteers, a long, tightly written to-do list on her crossed knee. Cut sandwiches and fruit are boxed on the sideboard, along with those Cameo Cremes. Everyone knows a volunteer army sorts and packs on its stomach. Most of the fair's book-sorting volunteers stick to their areas of expertise – a retired anaesthetist is set to work deciding which medical books are still useful, and a war buff flicks through the military books. They determine which books will sell and for how much, which subjects are likely to be "in"' this year, and which – judging by the number of those donated – are on their way out. The volunteers' knowledge also means they're well-placed to spot a valuable book. Then, with the aid of local auction house expertise and internet bookseller searches, a price is applied and the book is included in the high-value stack. "We do get some amazing finds where people might not have realised they've gifted us an extraordinary treasure, but we have no way of reuniting it with its owner," says McIntyre, who, drawing on her own pre DCM music industry career knowledge, found a rare Beatles book some fairs back. "At the same time I'm sure we've had books we've sold for $2 that may have been worth hundreds. But you've got to be philosophical." A hand-drawn diagram of the Shed 6 book fair layout is pinned to the wall. Each table has a number assigned to a book category: children's, history, health, fiction (so much fiction), New Zealand, art, and so on. The more work done now, the better 100 or so volunteers on set-up day know exactly where everything fits. Taking too many books to fit a category's allocated section would lead to chaos – setting out 90,000 books is a precise science. "We've got a phenomenally good offering of children's books this year, so we've had to shuffle up some other things to accommodate that," says McIntyre, scrutinising the diagram. "The foreign languages are fine but the music is the big headache at the moment," says one volunteer, popping in to give McIntyre a quick update on her areas. The team is following a packing plan with scheduled revision points. According to the plan, by this day 75 per cent of books must be sorted, tallied and packed on pallets (each holding about 800 books) ready for transportation to Shed 6 at dawn the day before fair day. With clipboard in hand, Alexi Manouilenko is responsible for the tally. DCM stepped in when he needed support a couple of years ago, which led to him volunteering on fair day in 2016. "As well as wanting to give back to DCM, I'd been out of work for a while and people are reluctant to hire you when you don't have anything to explain your time off. I realised the best way to get back into work was to volunteer to show I could work. I already knew DCM so I volunteered for two years. That led to some paid work and now I have a full-time job with DCM."  Part of Manouilenko's job is to decide how many books in each category should go to the fair and use his maths skills to keep tabs on the packing. "I look at the previous two years to see how many books were taken in each category and how many were sold. From that I try to guess at what we should take this year, and I tell the volunteers how many boxes in each category to pack." This level of organisation is why DCM must close the book on donations four weeks out from the fair. Even on the last day, every few minutes book-toting donors poke their heads around the peeling-painted door. "I just want to drop some books," says a man, setting down his burden. "Thank you, mate," says McIntyre. "Come to the fair and buy a whole lot more, won't you?" Surely he will – book lovers only clear their shelves to fill them with new finds. While the DCM Bookfair is certainly about finding new homes for old books, it's also about raising funds to support marginalised Wellingtonians into homes of their own. Nelson remembers when the team was ecstatic to raise $15,000 – now the book fair raises around $100,000, which goes directly into funding DCM's work with people experiencing homelessness. It's that work, as well as their shared love of books, that motivates the volunteers. Volunteer Tamara Morton with stacks of books ready for the fair. Tamara Morton is a consulate advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but spends her Saturday mornings in the warehouse's fiction section, estimating the book-buying public's appetite for Philippa Gregory and Dan Brown. "When I was living overseas, circumstances happened that I found myself looking for a place to live. It was short-lived and I've never been truly homeless, but I can't forget the anguish that came with thinking, 'What am I going to do? I've got nowhere to go.' To be able to help an organisation with the resources to address that is why I do this for DCM. "There's also the huge bonus of making connections with people you wouldn't meet in a lifetime of routine days. The people who work here come from all sorts of backgrounds and different stages of life. It's really cute to see the cheeky banter that goes on between a Millennial and a Baby Boomer. It's really delightful to be a part of that." Nelson is busy assessing travel guides (nothing published before 2010 goes on sale). "What I love about the book fair is that everyone's winning," she says. "The people off-loading their books feel they're going to a good place, the people who rock up to the book fair get fantastic bargains, and the people who volunteer get satisfaction from contributing to something. And it's about making connections into the community." Our thanks to Lee-Anne Duncan for this story, published in today's Your Weekend. Feel free get in touch with us at DCM over the coming week if you have any questions about the Bookfair on (04) 384 7699 or events@dcm.org.nz Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • Ngā Kōrero - Latest Stories from DCM

    • 3 Jul 2023
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • Ngā Kōrero - Latest Stories from DCM Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau joins DCM's Outreach team, checking in with people who are rough sleeping in the city communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving About Us Contact Reaching out with the Mayor GUEST WRITER: LEE-ANNE DUNCAN DCM’s Toro Atu (Outreach) Team were delighted when Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau, accompanied them as they checked on people sleeping rough on the city’s streets. She declared herself “an advocate” to see their heart, passion – and impact. “Kia ora, gidday, would you like to say hello to the Mayor?” says Rowan McCardle, introducing a man sitting in Te Aro Park to the Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau. The man – who Rowan knows well from his visits to DCM – is keen to chat, almost flirtatious, from his spot in the bright afternoon sun. After a quick chat, Tory, Rowan, and her co-worker Clifton Raukawa, head down to Courtenay Place responding to a notification just through from the Wellington City Council. A woman has been rough sleeping outside a business on Courtenay Place, and while it’s sunny, it’s June, so it’s chilly. “She has only a thin blanket, and the person who notified the council about her is concerned,” says Clifton to Mayor Tory, reading off the email on his mobile phone. “We know this woman. She’s been away but must be back in town, so we will need to see how we can support her.” The WCC email notification is great timing as this is exactly what Rowan and Clifton, workers from DCM’s Toru Atu, or Outreach Team, want to show the mayor – how DCM responds when a member of the public calls the council to report concerns about someone sleeping rough. It’s a service the council helps fund. It’s also not great timing – the woman’s blankets are spread out in the lee of a post box, but she is nowhere to be seen. “It’s okay, I’ll circle back in a few hours. She won’t have gone far,” says Clifton. He’s troubled though. As the woman has been out of town for some time, she’s no longer eligible for emergency housing here and must start the process again. Clifton’s already thinking about how he can support her, ensuring she’s connected in with DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First team. Tory and Mere – Photo by Damon Keen. Rowan, Clifton and the Mayor (and, yes, a couple of photographers and journalists) continue down Courtenay Place. Within a few steps, Rowan spots another familiar face. “Nanny! I haven’t seen you in ages! Kia ora!” It’s Mere, whose face is also familiar to Wellingtonians who spend time at this end of town. However, for some weeks her usual spot outside the St. James Theatre has been vacant as she’s been settled into a rest home. Rowan introduces the Mayor, and Tory and Mere sit down on a bench to discover their whanaunga – who they know in common. It doesn’t take long to find connections, to the evident delight of both. “DCM worked with Mere for a long time to get her into the rest home,” says Clifton. “We had to build a lot of trust with her, but she agreed to go and it’s clearly agreeing with her. She’s looking really good.” Nonetheless, here she is back on Courtenay Place? “Yeah, but that’s her social connection. Coming here to chat to people, to connect with her friends, that’s what she knows. But now we know she’s well housed and cared for, so that’s okay,” says Clifton. Some of the people street begging are housed, but having a house costs money. Benefit payments don’t go far, and often street beggars aren’t physically or mentally able to work. Being on the street supplements their income, but, also, like Mere, gives them the chance to meet up with their mates. Clifton has his own experience of homelessness. Living and working in Auckland, he was visiting Wellington when the COVID-19 lockdowns began. Suddenly, he was homeless and jobless. Luckily, he found a flyer for DCM, which found him housing, then offered him a job as a peer support worker, as DCM values lived experience. Clifton is now studying to bring theory into his practice. Like Rowan, he loves his Outreach work, as tricky as it is at first to bowl up to people who – quite honestly – might tell you to bugger off in no uncertain terms… Clifton - Photo by Juan Zarama Perini. A little further down Courtenay Place, the trio have a quick chat with Mark. With everyone they meet it’s a quick, “Kia ora, how are you, how’s it going?” Much of their work is making repeated connections, building trust, finding the right supports at the right time, even after someone is housed, like Mark. He was rough sleeping but now is permanently housed and being supported by DCM’s Noho Pai (Sustaining Tenancies) Team, as keeping house is tough when you’ve not had to do housework, be a good neighbour, or pay bills for quite some time. The Outreach Team were lucky with the weather the day they took Mayor Tory for an up-close look at their mahi. On the streets of the capital city, the days are not always so clement. Wellingtonians are generally compassionate people, they want to help, and the way many action that support is by handing over food, money, blankets, clothes. “But that’s short-term assistance, which actually makes their situation more long-term,” says DCM Director, Stephen Turnock. “It teaches people they can get money and food by street begging or rough sleeping. At DCM, we are about providing long-term change. So we say, if you want to buy kai or provide support to people on the street, then look at donating to DCM. You’re still helping by ensuring people who are trained to engage will work with that person long term to get more sustained outcomes than just that brief moment where you give someone some lunch.” DCM’s Outreach Team approach street beggars and rough sleepers with nothing more than a warm smile – and often, like Clifton, their own lived experience of homelessness. Every week day they’re out on Wellington’s streets, in all weather, stopping and chatting to people they already know by name, and, importantly, scanning for people they don’t know. If so, they will approach them, encourage them to come to DCM to access the many support services available at Lukes Lane, and get connected with social agencies, all in the one place. Social Issues reporter Hanna McCallum (left) wrote this great article about Outreach in The Post – Photo by Damon Keen. The other thing Wellingtonians can do, especially as winter grips tighter, is call the Wellington City Council on 04 499 4444 if they spot someone sleeping rough on the street, in the bush or in a car. After that call, a ‘ticket’ is created and emailed to the Outreach Team. The team receive at least two a day, but sometimes 10, usually numbering between 90 and 120 notifications a quarter. Sometimes notifications are for the same person, showing people are really concerned. After receiving the notification, the team races off to try to connect with the person, wherever they are across the Wellington region, whether out on the streets or tucked in the bush. “The team’s tagline is ‘Whatever it takes’,” Stephen says. “If they’re told to go away, they’ll respectfully keep checking back in, and usually the person will come into DCM. When they do, that’s a great win for the team. “For people experiencing homelessness, the value our team brings is showing them that someone in the community cares. For the wider city, our team is about recognising that the people we see rough sleeping are people. Yes, they might have some issues, and they come with a history, but they’re so much more than that. Our team brings that insight and knowledge to the wider public.” Walking out with the team has also brought insight to Tory Whanau. The Outreach Team has been walking the streets since 2016, with Wellington City Council providing funding for the team since 2019. Mayor Tory is more than reassured it’s money well spent, and she – like DCM – is perplexed no other council in Aotearoa New Zealand does anything similar. Her walk-out with the team has spurred her to urge other Mayors to follow suit. “Until you come out here and see what the team does, you don’t really see the value. I can see that clearly. Until all the systems are fixed – mental health, welfare, housing, which are all long-term issues – homelessness won’t go away. As a society, we need to have more compassion and see the human side of homelessness. If more of us know the people sleeping rough on our streets, we would be more compassionate and understanding. This city is also where they live.” Tory and Rowan – Photo by Damon Keen. Stephen is equally warm about the council’s support. “Everyone there is truly invested in the social wellbeing of our people. There’s a continued and genuine passion that’s shared about these vulnerable communities. That, I would say, is the primary reason the Outreach mahi exists and is so well supported here in Wellington.” The final stop on Mayor Tory’s tour is for Rowan to check in on a young woman in her early 20s, ‘living’ behind a piece of cardboard down an alleyway an arm’s length from Wellington’s home of high culture, the Michael Fowler Centre. Her behaviour – caused by a history of trauma, mental illness and drug addiction – has seen her evicted from emergency housing, which means she’s no longer eligible for it. So, if she’s not on the psychiatric ward, she must live on the street or with her abusive boyfriend. Usually, she prefers the street. Rowan walks up to the cardboard, calling the young woman’s name. After a few words, Rowan’s back. She wasn’t up for talking today, but Rowan knows they’ll likely see her tomorrow at DCM, at Te Hāpai, where people can come for a cuppa, a chat, and have any health, addiction, housing, benefit and money issues dealt with, and maybe collect some kai from the Foodbank. “She’s engaged with us and we have a rapport with her. If we don’t see her, someone from our team will look for her. We’ve got her working with Aro Mai Housing First, so hopefully we can find her a permanent home soon.” And from there, the Sustaining Tenancies team will step in, guiding this traumatised young woman to keep her home. Photo by Juan Zarama Perini. Back at DCM in Lukes Lane, Mayor Tory Whanau is vocal in her admiration of what she’s witnessed. And she’s hopeful more Wellingtonians will call the council if they see someone street begging or sleeping rough this winter, rather than handing over food, money, blankets, clothes. “It’s been great to be here and see the notification process in action, and then to see the heart Rowan and Clifton have when they approach people in response. That’s how they deserve to be treated. I was already a big supporter of DCM but being out here today has taken it to the next level. “Seeing what’s happening here, and meeting the people, hearing the stories, it brings it home to me even more. If more Wellingtonians could experience what the Outreach Team sees each day, they would have a greater understanding of homelessness, and how we must protect our most vulnerable.” Lee-Anne Duncan is a freelance writer and editor who has written many stories for DCM, such as ‘We count, we matter – and we vote’, the 2020 General Election at DCM, and ‘Right at Home’, the story of Arthur. Thank you Lee-Anne for hitting the streets with Tory and the DCM team. It’s getting cold out there As we have shown in this story, help is just a phone call away. If you spot someone sleeping rough on the street, in the bush or in a car, call Wellington City Council on 04 499 4444 and they will notify us. You can also help by telling all your friends and whānau about DCM and our important work in Wellington with those who need us most. Please forward this email on. Because together – with your help – we truly can end homelessness in our city. Support DCM Copyright © 2023 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCM PO Box 6133 Marion Sq Wellington, Wellington 6011 New Zealand Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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• • Update from DCM - Together We Can End Homelessness

    • 30 Aug 2019
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } Help us celebrate our 50th birthday This year, DCM is celebrating 50 years of working in the city of Wellington to “focus on the needs of, and to help empower, those marginalised in the city” (DCM Constitution, 1969). This month we held our 24th annual, fundraising Bookfair, which was another huge success for DCM, with large numbers of book-lovers coming to support our work to end homelessness in Wellington. Thank you for your support of this important event - we look forward to sharing our final tally with you soon. Next month we look forward to a special photographic exhibition focussing on the many individuals and groups within our city who are very much part of our work. The exhibition will feature 50 different images, each reflecting the contribution of one kaitautoko (supporter) group, business or individual. A number of different Wellington photographers will contribute these images, and the celebration will again be a coming together of the people of Wellington to acknowledge and reconfirm our collective commitment to ending homelessness in our city. Make a note in your diaries – plan to head down to Photospace to see the beautiful images and learn more about the amazing people in your community who are part of this vision. DCM 50th Birthday Photo Exhibition 14-28 September 2019 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm Photospace Gallery 1st floor, 37 Courtenay Place Wellington <!-- --> DCM’s Dental Service gives “lives back” This month we share the story of one of DCM's amazing supporters, our dental assistant Emily Kremmer. Emily has a full-time job and is in full-time study, but she still finds time to volunteer down at DCM, where she helps take away pain and rebuild lives. Thursday is Emily Kremmer’s “free day” – at least it’s the day she’s not at her job with Wellington Periodontics or studying for her degree in public relations and communications. But this 22-year-old dental assistant spends most of her free day in the dental treatment room at DCM. For 50 years DCM has been supporting Wellington’s most marginalised, with a focus on ending homelessness in the capital. In the first instance that’s about getting people without permanent housing into a home, then DCM supports them to stay there, to learn to manage their money and look after their new whare. But it’s also very much about addressing their physical and mental health issues, including their dental health. That’s why in March 2016, in partnership with the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Dental Association, DCM began operating a fully equipped dental treatment room, staffed by dental professionals. While the dentists volunteer their time, the dental assistants may be paid or choose to volunteer. Emily – who began with a monthly shift in August 2018 but lately has been coming every week – says she’s happy to take no payment for her hours. “I really enjoy it, and it keeps me busy. I think I’d waste my day off. I work better with something to structure my day around,” she says. The people DCM works with – who they call ‘taumai’, which means ‘to settle’ – usually have little opportunity to look after their teeth and gums, so nearly all who come into DCM’s dental service are in pain. “I love taking that pain away. As soon as you numb them up, you just see them relax,” says Emily. “And when you’re taken out that painful tooth or cleaned up their gums, they’re so grateful. One patient we had in the other day said, ‘I feel like a new man. You’ve given me back my life. I feel fantastic’, so it’s really great to feel you’re making a difference. “They often ask if we’re paid, and when we say, ‘No, we’re just here to help you,’ they’re amazed. They feel like someone cares about them and values them.” Much of the work they do, Emily says, is extractions and perio-work, with the odd filling, rather than root canals and crowns. “In general dentistry, you try to keep the real tooth as much as possible but here you need to be more realistic. There’s no point in doing a root canal if the patient can’t afford the crown. A lot of our patients here don’t have access to toothbrushes and toothpaste – although we offer them these things when they leave – so we help them in a way that’s best for them. There’s a lot of calculus build-up to scrape off, which is really satisfying!” Aside from that, the Dental Service at DCM runs just like an ordinary dental clinic, she says. Emily works from 8:30am until 1:30 on days that suit her, and is very satisfied with the clinic. “Everything runs well here. It’s super well-labelled, so it’s quick and easy to find things. There’s a new steri-room and a surgery with everything we need – ultrasonic scalers, x-ray machines, very new sterilizer and bar code scanner to keep track of sterile items and equipment. “The people here at DCM are also great. So smiley and welcoming. You never feel like you’re walking into someone else’s workplace. They treat us in the Dental Service like we’re one of the family. We take part in the daily waiata and karakia that begins each day, and they even give us lunch!” While Emily works at DCM every week, most of the dentists she assists volunteer less frequently, so she values that she works alongside lots of different people. “I have learnt a lot and I’ve become really adaptable because I need to be able to work with anyone and deal with any situation. Because I meet so many dentists, I feel strongly like I’m part of the Wellington dentist community. I don’t have plans to move onto being a hygienist or dentist but if you’re a DA who has ambitions to become a dentist, there’s a real benefit to working here.” What Emily does plan to do is get involved in dental health promotion or work for a not-for-profit organisation when she finishes her communications and marketing degree. “But I hope I’ll still be able do this because I really, really enjoy it.” An obvious thought might be, isn’t it a bit smelly working with people who live in less than ideal conditions? “Sometimes, a bit,” she answers. “But you get smelly people in private practice too. And their stories are so interesting. While some are reserved and want to get out the door as soon as they leave the chair, some are really chatty and you learn all sorts of things about them. You meet so many people you’d never meet in your normal life.” And a really good thing – they don’t complain. “In private dentistry people often complain a lot about any discomfort, but these people don’t. I think they’re used to a level of discomfort and they’ve all been living with pain for such a long time that their tolerance and resilience is high. And again, they’re just so grateful for your help so they sit in the chair and let you do your job. I haven’t heard a complaint from anyone since I’ve been here.” Emily says it’s definitely changed the way she sees people sleeping or begging on the street. “Especially if I see them drinking. One patient said to me, ‘I’ve been drinking to manage the pain’. Now if I see someone drinking, I think it may be because they’ve got a sore mouth, or toothache, or gum disease that’s not manageable.” In all, Emily Kremmer highly recommends other dentists and dental assistants offer their time at DCM’s Dental Service. “It’s very easy to work here. You give whatever time you have, whenever your want – once a month, or even less if that’s all you can do. You’re given a full orientation and lots of support while you work here.  “What we do at the Dental Service is humbling and rewarding. And – at the heart of it – we do really good dentistry.” <!-- --> Please help us get the message out there! Forward this email on to everyone you can think of who may be interested in books, how to respond to homelessness, photography and just generally people who are passionate about Wellington. Because together we CAN end homelessness in our city. <!-- --> Read More Success Stories Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2019 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCMPO Box 6133Marion SqWellington, Wellington 6011 New ZealandAdd us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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• • March Update from DCM

    • 30 Mar 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 March Update from DCM p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; font-size:inherit !important; font-family:inherit !important; 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} .footerContainer .mcnTextContent a,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p a{ color:#FFFFFF; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } @media only screen and (min-width:768px){ .templateContainer{ width:600px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body,table,td,p,a,li,blockquote{ -webkit-text-size-adjust:none !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body{ width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnRetinaImage{ max-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImage{ width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCartContainer,.mcnCaptionTopContent,.mcnRecContentContainer,.mcnCaptionBottomContent,.mcnTextContentContainer,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer,.mcnImageGroupContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{ max-width:100% !important; 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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } Together we can end homelessness Changing lives one smile at a time This month we have been marking the 5th birthday of the DCM Dental Service. During the birthday week, we offered daily dental sessions, sometimes with a difference. Rāhina/Monday: Monday’s session was taken by John and Emily; they saw several taumai with complex lives, who had not been able to be treated for their high levels of dental pain anywhere else. M had had his jaw broken, with the resulting metal plate adjacent to problem teeth causing him great pain. He had been referred to the hospital, but was not able to go there due to anxiety and addictions. The team at DCM worked to come up with a solution. We arranged for him to come back to DCM the next time that John Buckerfield took a dental session here. John spent an hour and a half with M, talking him through the treatment and successfully extracting the tooth. M also received fillings for other teeth. He left proudly showing off the extracted tooth, and with antibiotics and a plan for his recovery from John. Later in the day he was happily chatting and in a good space. H had a bad abscess and was in a lot of pain. He struggles with his addictions, and was very proud that he had managed to stay drug-free that day so that he could see the dentist. John was able to numb the area and treat the abscess in one appointment. H left pain-free and not needing further work. Rātū/Tuesday: On Tuesday, for the first time, one of our dentists headed out with our team to see taumai in their new communities and housing complexes. DCM has supported D over many years. He recently saw Sophie at DCM; she discovered he had a bad infection that needed urgent treatment. This time she was able to check on his progress in his own community, also explaining how a referral for dentures could work to better improve his oral health. N has recently been housed in the Berhampore area. He hasn’t seen a dentist in a long time and appreciated the chance to see Sophie at Berhampore Centennial Community Centre. Utilising a little side room, sterilised instruments, a dental and periodontal chart and torch, Sophie assessed N’s sore teeth and gums and could feel where any potential holes were located. N looks forward to a follow-up appointment at DCM. Rāapa/Wednesday: David took the very first session at the DCM Dental Service in March 2016. He has been a regular through all of the five years, and was back to take a session during our birthday week, supported by dental assistant Hazel. We definitely kept them both busy. Although DCM has supported T over many years, he had never seen a dentist at DCM. It had been a difficult week for T - not only was he experiencing pain but he had issues with his housing, and had been at a tangi the day before. David was able to extract two teeth, which made a big difference to T. Rāpare/Thursday: Once again, a line-up of people in pain with nowhere else to go for treatment made for another busy day. S is an older Māori man who is staying in emergency accommodation. He recently had a toothache that got so bad he took the tooth out himself! Still sore and with a number of other issues, he saw dentist Sunjna who treated infected roots as well as completing another much-needed extraction. S was so happy to have all his dental issues treated in one appointment. "I love the atmosphere at DCM," reflected dental assistant Issie at the end of the day. "The energy, the singing, the taumai... The highlight today, as always, was being able to offer people relief from pain. The challenge? Today again reinforced for me how difficult it is for taumai here to access support elsewhere. They may be referred to the hospital or other supports, but because of their anxiety, addictions, a whole range of barriers, they cannot get there and continue to live in pain. It's great to be part of the team in this place, where taumai do feel safe and are able to come and receive our support - and to leave pain-free." Rāmere/Friday: A is a refugee from Africa; for some years he has cycled between backpackers, motels and periods in temporary housing. A experiences a lot of dental pain. Last month, he saw a dentist at DCM for emergency treatment of his most urgent pain and issues, including a much needed extraction. He returned for another appointment this week, expecting further extractions. Dentist Laura was able to restore two of his front teeth, which he had assumed would need to come out. A was absolutely delighted to be able to retain his smile; he left praising the “angel” dentist who had made such a difference to him. DCM taumai have so much to contend with in their lives, the emergency dental work they are able to receive at DCM is truly a life-line, and in some cases a life-saver. We acknowledge all of the dental professionals who have made this possible over the last five years, Kaye and Maurice Clark who purchased this building with its dental rooms for DCM, and our supporters who donate money, product and skills so that we can offer this service to the most marginalised people in our community. Together, we have achieved something very special. <!-- --> Bringing a smile to the community We ended our very special week of celebrating the 5th birthday of the DCM Dental Service with seasonal kai. We all came together to share kai and to acknowledge one another and the taonga which this dental service has been for our taumai. How appropriate that the community of dentist Morris Wong, the Wellington Anglican Chinese Mission, should provide kai, along with EKTA, Good Bitches Baking and some Pasifika delicacies lovingly prepared by the family of our kaimahi, Nani. A smorgasbord of delicious food from different cultures, enjoyed together in the sunshine at DCM. <!-- --> Another reason to smile Many of you know and love Te Amo, who DCM has supported for a long, long time. Te Amo featured in DCM’s 50th birthday photo exhibition. He has worked in our foodbank for many years and is now our longest-serving staff member. As Te Amo grows older, and is able to work less hours, he has been looking for other ways to spend his time, so that he can thrive in his own community and in his retirement. We were excited to hear recently from Anne. Looking to downsize, Anne needed to find a new home for her beloved piano, which she has been playing since she was 7 years old. We immediately thought of Te Amo. He is a talented pianist who has learned to play by ear. You may have even seen him around Wellington where he serenades the city whenever he can find a piano to play – including outdoors in Frank Kitts park. It was great to see Anne's piano gifted to Te Amo's local community centre; he can now play whenever he wishes. Thanks Anne and we know you've found a new friend in Te Amo! To listen to them enjoying the piano together at its new home in Te Amo’s housing complex, click the link below. And how appropriate that Te Amo should choose to play this song for her...yes, love IS a beautiful song. <!-- --> How can I help? To mark the 5th birthday of our dental service, we have produced a new brochure, encouraging dentists and dental assistants to join our team. If you would like to pop in to DCM to pick up a brochure to share with your own dentist, or with dental professionals who you know, we would very much appreciate this. Or shout out if you would like us to mail you a copy. <!-- --> Support DCM! Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2021 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCMPO Box 6133Marion SqWellington, Wellington 6011 New ZealandAdd us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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    Berhampore, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6242, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • April Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

    • 29 Apr 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 April Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; 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font-size:12px; line-height:150%; text-align:center; } .footerContainer .mcnTextContent a,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p a{ color:#FFFFFF; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } @media only screen and (min-width:768px){ .templateContainer{ width:600px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body,table,td,p,a,li,blockquote{ -webkit-text-size-adjust:none !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body{ width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnRetinaImage{ max-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImage{ width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCartContainer,.mcnCaptionTopContent,.mcnRecContentContainer,.mcnCaptionBottomContent,.mcnTextContentContainer,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer,.mcnImageGroupContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{ max-width:100% !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer{ min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupContent{ padding:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCaptionLeftContentOuter .mcnTextContent,.mcnCaptionRightContentOuter .mcnTextContent{ padding-top:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardTopImageContent,.mcnCaptionBottomContent:last-child .mcnCaptionBottomImageContent,.mcnCaptionBlockInner .mcnCaptionTopContent:last-child .mcnTextContent{ padding-top:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardBottomImageContent{ padding-bottom:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupBlockInner{ padding-top:0 !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupBlockOuter{ padding-top:9px !important; padding-bottom:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one - Pay heed to the mana of women Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one Pay heed to the mana of women Meda From rough sleeping and pregnant – to housed and hopeful Meda first came to DCM in 2016 – pregnant, and rough sleeping on the streets of Wellington. It has been a long journey for Meda – but she is in a good place now, in her own home and doing well. Photos by DCM kaitautoko Gabrielle McKone Meda grew up in a home she describes as “a house filled with love”, with two half-sisters, and one brother. “As a kid I enjoyed everything from running to swimming – I especially loved building tree houses! My childhood was full of outdoorsy stuff. I enjoyed school and I liked my teachers.” After her parents split, Meda bounced around a bit, eventually living with her aunty. But when she was kicked out of the house, she became homeless, living on the streets of Wellington with nowhere to go. It was a Wellington street friend who told Meda about DCM. “Someone said, ‘If you go down there they might be able to help you out.’ So I did.” It was around this time that Meda discovered she was pregnant. She was able to get into emergency housing, but a week before she was due to give birth, she found out that the courts had decided to uplift her baby once he was born. Losing her son was heart-breaking for Meda, and she describes it as being “the trigger for my trauma”. It led her to drink, and she no longer took very good care of herself. But in the midst of all this, Meda continued to work with DCM. “DCM has supported me in so many different ways,” says Meda. “I’ve seen the dentist a few times, popped in to see the Te Aro Health nurses, received food support and I was also on DCM’s money management service for a while until I got my own bank account. I was really proud when I got that – it felt like a big thing.” Sometimes it’s the little things that count. When Meda reflects back on the years of support from DCM, one of her favourite memories is of a woman greeting her by name, giving her a cup of coffee and a muesli bar each morning – this woman was DCM kaimahi Joanne. DCM helped Meda get into her own place, and continues to provide support so that she can thrive in her whare. Meda has made some friends in her new community and is loving this new feeling of independence, but she also appreciates being part of the wider “DCM family”. Best of all, Meda has been able to see her son. “It wasn't until I was housed and feeling a bit more stable that I was finally able to see him. A highlight for me was when I was able to go down to Nelson for his 5th birthday.” Meda maintains regular contact and is able to see her son from time to time. She’s so proud of this, and how far she’s come. “I’ve achieved a lot in the last year, getting my act together – and along the way I’ve developed a real passion for health and wellbeing. In the year ahead, I’d like to do some studies. I am proud of how far I have come, and I have plans and a lot of hope for the future.” You can read Meda's full story on our website. <!-- --> Regina and Joanne A hīkoi of courage and pride Sisters Regina and Joanne work together at DCM; both have big hearts for our mahi and our people. This month has seen them return from a hīkoi to get their moko kauae. Photos by Kylie Robinson (Regina and Joanne’s niece) It took many decades to get to this point. While the desire and longing was always there, there was too much stigma attached, and although their great grandmother had her moko kauae, it had skipped a few generations. Earlier this year, Regina and Joanne headed home for their grandmother’s tangi. It was a catalyst for them both, and opened up their sense of longing again. They prayed about this as well as speaking to family members. They both laugh as they talk about who was going to speak to their mother. Joanne lost, and spoke to their mum, who fully supported their decision. Joanne had her moko kauae completed at Mataora Bay; this is where their grandmother is buried and a place Joanne returns to often. Regina went inland to Ngahutoitoi marae where their father was raised and is buried. Several taumai challenged and encouraged them to take this step, and it has had a big impact on taumai since. At a taumai tangi soon after they returned to Wellington, Doc approached Regina. He held her hand, and put his hands on her face – “I am so proud of you.” * “Coming back to Wellington, I feel grounded,” says Regina. “I am not ashamed of being Māori. I’m proud of my culture. We have been indoctrinated to be ashamed of who we are. There are those who say that to carry the moko kauae, I would be carrying the bad things of the past. I choose instead to carry all the blessings of my tīpuna.” Many of our taumai, like Regina and Joanne, have received so many negative messages over the years about what it is to be Māori. They have been robbed of their reo; they have given up speaking it or have never learned it. Instead of feeling proud of who they are, they often carry the stigma and whakamā over many years, or over a whole lifetime. Here at DCM, we lift up Joanne and Regina for their courage, for their example, and for their commitment to DCM’s taumai and kaupapa. * Doc Manuel died soon after as a result of an accident in Wellington. Taumai had encouraged Joanne and Regina to set out on this journey, and Doc had blessed them when they had returned from that journey. RIP Doc.  <!-- --> Stephanie Homelessness...and home Stephanie McIntyre stepped down as Director of DCM at the end of 2020. This month, the Dominion Post caught up with her; they asked her to share some of her reflections on homelessness, and discussed what she has been up to since leaving DCM. You can read her reflections and her challenge to us all on Stuff. “We’ve long had the tag line at DCM: ‘together, we can end homelessness’. Without sounding twee, this is something everyone’s got to embrace together, and do together.” <!-- --> How can I help? It would be fantastic if we could take Meda and some of the other wāhine we've recently housed shopping so they can select something for their home. If you would like to purchase some vouchers for Briscoes or similar, that would be much appreciated. Drop these in to Matthew Mawkes at DCM, 2 Lukes Lane, week day mornings, or pop in the post. Kia ora! <!-- --> Support DCM! Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one Pay heed to the mana of women <!-- --> Copyright © 2021 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCMPO Box 6133Marion SqWellington, Wellington 6011 New ZealandAdd us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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• • In the census, did the homeless count?

    • 27 Mar 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 In the census, did the homeless count? p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; font-size:inherit !important; 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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templatePreheader{ display:block !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templatePreheader .mcnTextContent,#templatePreheader .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateHeader .mcnTextContent,#templateHeader .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateBody .mcnTextContent,#templateBody .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateFooter .mcnTextContent,#templateFooter .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access. Lee-Anne Duncan visits Wellington’s DCM. In the census, did the homeless count? View this email in your browser   Ngā mihi mahana, In this month's census, DCM was determined to ensure that our taumai were counted. We wanted to share this story from The Spinoff with you at the end of this tax year, and invite you to make a donation to the on-going work of DCM in Wellington. Remember that for every dollar you donate, you can claim one-third back as a tax deduction.  In the census, did the homeless count? With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access, who still need someone to knock on their door. But what about those without even a door to knock upon? Lee-Anne Duncan visited DCM. The southerly marks a sharp turn from a stunner summer to chilly autumn. At the start of each season, DCM marks the change with “Seasonal Kai”, a lunch they put on for their “taumai” – which is what DCM calls the people it supports, Wellington’s vulnerably housed or homeless. Some 30 taumai – meaning “to settle” – have come to the lunch. About half are Māori and there’s only one woman, a fair representation of DCM’s clientele. They’re very welcome. With the food waiting, a karakia is given and everyone is asked to consider what the change to the colder months means for those sleeping rough, those without a home. It’s happenstance the quarterly kai has fallen on that day, one of three in early March that hi-vis-clad Statistics New Zealand’s field officers are at DCM to guide taumai through filling out the census forms. But it likely means a few more have turned up and will agree to add their details to the national count – something DCM encourages those assembled to do. “This is a really important time for taumai to have a voice and tell the government we need to build more houses and feed more support and resources back to you. Filling out the census helps you add your voice,” the group is told. Situated on the site of Wellington’s Te Aro Pā, DCM’s kaupapa follows what would have happened at the pā all those years ago. “This is where people came for food, for shelter, for community, to have a voice, to speak, to be heard, to be lifted up, to be counted,” says DCM’s Michelle Scott. “So for us, supporting our people to be included in the census reinforces the kaupapa of this place. “It’s been a great opportunity for our community to get together, to chew the fat about what’s important, what’s necessary for them to move forward, and what society should be prioritising.” That’s exactly what Statistics NZ’s Dr John Mitchell set out to record when refocusing on how to count the hard-to-reach. “Many of them have high needs in terms of government services. Since government spending decisions are made on the basis of census data it’s even more important they are counted.”   Without needing as many people to go door-to-door this time, John says they could dedicate field officers to target people who couldn’t be reached with an internet code. “That includes groups who are low responding and need more encouragement and assistance to be enabled to do the census. We had a community engagement team out talking to many communities – Māori, Pacific, culturally and linguistically diverse communities – getting the message across why it’s important to do the census, and looking at ways to enable them. A subset of that was obviously the rough sleeping homeless.” As John’s team was out engaging, Michelle was also looking for ways to enable taumai to take part in the census. The organisation had worked hard to encourage them to vote in last year’s election, and many did. The feeling of empowerment, of having a say and being heard, remained. John and Michelle came up with the idea of having census officers at DCM – and other similar organisations around the country – to help marginalised people fill in the census. “Usually that’s done by a street count,” says John. “Where field officers walk along looking for people sleeping rough, and try to persuade them to give enough information to complete at least some of the individual form. “This census we’ve taken a multi-faceted approach. We’ve done a street count, but in eight cities we’ve worked with organisations who engaged directly using different approaches depending on what would suit their clients.” “It seems to have gone well, with lots of buy-in by letting the people the rough sleepers know and trust recommend doing the census.” Trust is certainly a major issue for  taumai and others like them. While voting is just ticking a box, filling out the census means handing over personal information. “But they trust DCM and trust us not to get them into trouble,” says Natalia Cleland, one of DCM’s social workers. “We’ve been talking about the census for weeks. We put up notices covering what the census is about, why it’s useful and what happens with the information. Our taumai also had the chance to tell us their concerns, then we could get the right information to give them confidence.” “It also gave them time to gather the information they needed,” says Michelle. “We could say, ‘If you’re Māori and you aren’t sure about your iwi, go away and find out so you can include it in the census’. “We wanted them to come with that rich part of who they are and what’s gone before them. It really appealed to them as a topic of conversation and it was fascinating to see them connecting and discussing their various backgrounds. So lots of other positive things have come out of doing the census here.” But for the country the main benefit of having three days of census filling at DCM, and like organisations, is that many people have registered their existence who otherwise wouldn’t have. “Some of our people don’t have any ID and may not even be recorded on any databases. If they’ve filled out the census they are recorded somewhere as a human being and as a New Zealander,” says Michelle. While not having an address is one barrier to filling out the census, low-to-no literacy is another. Even taumai who DCM has supported into housing came in for support, with one knocking at DCM’s door at 8:55am on census day morning, waving his census form. Yes, Statistics NZ offered to send field officers to people’s homes if they needed help, but that wouldn’t have worked for all of DCM’s taumai, says Michelle. “This is where their whānau is. Here, some of them have sat in our marae atea and discussed their answers with each other. They had kōrero with others who had already done it, and they’d say, ‘Well, I did that, I ticked that box’, so they got a huge resource from one another.” Robert is one who wouldn’t have completed the census without DCM’s help. Released from prison in 2016, he slept for a while in his van. He’s housed now, but came to DCM to do this census – his first ever. “If someone hadn’t helped me, I would have just got pissed off with trying. We were told the story of why you should fill it out, and then it made sense to me so I did it. “I encourage people who have been in prison all their lives to do this. It’s a piece of the puzzle that is missing. When we include ourselves in things like this, it helps us to feel part of the bigger picture and you want to do it more and more. It feels pretty cool to fill it out.” Jason sleeps anywhere that’s (hopefully) warm and dry. Along with homelessness, literacy issues would have prevented him filling out the census. “I understand we’re not counted but they’re trying to make a change, the government. I wanted to fill it out because it adds to the big picture. But without someone helping me, I couldn’t. I appreciate DCM giving us the opportunity to have a voice.” The staff at DCM are happy to play their part in drawing that big picture. “It’s not giving an accurate picture of New Zealand society if we count only people who are willing and able to fill out their census forms,” says Natalia. “We’re helping provide New Zealand build an accurate picture of who we are, and who are the ones with the highest needs. That feels really valuable.” Statistics NZ can’t pinpoint when this year’s data will be available, but be sure everyone at DCM will be watching to see how that data is used. “We’ve reinforced that this is about reciprocity – ‘tuki atu, tuku mai’, another of our kaupapa,” says Michelle. “We told our taumai that they give their information so, in turn, the government can support them – with enough houses, hospitals, doctors, etc. “They now feel like they have a voice, that they count. Now they are watching to see if they’ve been heard.” Freelance journalist Lee-Anne Duncan contributed this piece as a volunteer for The Community Comms Collective, whose pro bono clients include DCM. Thank you for your ongoing support, From everyone at DCM.   Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • In the census, did the homeless count?

    • 27 Mar 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templatePreheader{ display:block !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templatePreheader .mcnTextContent,#templatePreheader .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateHeader .mcnTextContent,#templateHeader .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateBody .mcnTextContent,#templateBody .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templateFooter .mcnTextContent,#templateFooter .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access. Lee-Anne Duncan visits Wellington’s DCM. In the census, did the homeless count? View this email in your browser   Ngā mihi mahana, In this month's census, DCM was determined to ensure that our taumai were counted. We wanted to share this story from The Spinoff with you at the end of this tax year, and invite you to make a donation to the on-going work of DCM in Wellington. Remember that for every dollar you donate, you can claim one-third back as a tax deduction.  In the census, did the homeless count? With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access, who still need someone to knock on their door. But what about those without even a door to knock upon? Lee-Anne Duncan visited DCM. The southerly marks a sharp turn from a stunner summer to chilly autumn. At the start of each season, DCM marks the change with “Seasonal Kai”, a lunch they put on for their “taumai” – which is what DCM calls the people it supports, Wellington’s vulnerably housed or homeless. Some 30 taumai – meaning “to settle” – have come to the lunch. About half are Māori and there’s only one woman, a fair representation of DCM’s clientele. They’re very welcome. With the food waiting, a karakia is given and everyone is asked to consider what the change to the colder months means for those sleeping rough, those without a home. It’s happenstance the quarterly kai has fallen on that day, one of three in early March that hi-vis-clad Statistics New Zealand’s field officers are at DCM to guide taumai through filling out the census forms. But it likely means a few more have turned up and will agree to add their details to the national count – something DCM encourages those assembled to do. “This is a really important time for taumai to have a voice and tell the government we need to build more houses and feed more support and resources back to you. Filling out the census helps you add your voice,” the group is told. Situated on the site of Wellington’s Te Aro Pā, DCM’s kaupapa follows what would have happened at the pā all those years ago. “This is where people came for food, for shelter, for community, to have a voice, to speak, to be heard, to be lifted up, to be counted,” says DCM’s Michelle Scott. “So for us, supporting our people to be included in the census reinforces the kaupapa of this place. “It’s been a great opportunity for our community to get together, to chew the fat about what’s important, what’s necessary for them to move forward, and what society should be prioritising.” That’s exactly what Statistics NZ’s Dr John Mitchell set out to record when refocusing on how to count the hard-to-reach. “Many of them have high needs in terms of government services. Since government spending decisions are made on the basis of census data it’s even more important they are counted.”   Without needing as many people to go door-to-door this time, John says they could dedicate field officers to target people who couldn’t be reached with an internet code. “That includes groups who are low responding and need more encouragement and assistance to be enabled to do the census. We had a community engagement team out talking to many communities – Māori, Pacific, culturally and linguistically diverse communities – getting the message across why it’s important to do the census, and looking at ways to enable them. A subset of that was obviously the rough sleeping homeless.” As John’s team was out engaging, Michelle was also looking for ways to enable taumai to take part in the census. The organisation had worked hard to encourage them to vote in last year’s election, and many did. The feeling of empowerment, of having a say and being heard, remained. John and Michelle came up with the idea of having census officers at DCM – and other similar organisations around the country – to help marginalised people fill in the census. “Usually that’s done by a street count,” says John. “Where field officers walk along looking for people sleeping rough, and try to persuade them to give enough information to complete at least some of the individual form. “This census we’ve taken a multi-faceted approach. We’ve done a street count, but in eight cities we’ve worked with organisations who engaged directly using different approaches depending on what would suit their clients.” “It seems to have gone well, with lots of buy-in by letting the people the rough sleepers know and trust recommend doing the census.” Trust is certainly a major issue for  taumai and others like them. While voting is just ticking a box, filling out the census means handing over personal information. “But they trust DCM and trust us not to get them into trouble,” says Natalia Cleland, one of DCM’s social workers. “We’ve been talking about the census for weeks. We put up notices covering what the census is about, why it’s useful and what happens with the information. Our taumai also had the chance to tell us their concerns, then we could get the right information to give them confidence.” “It also gave them time to gather the information they needed,” says Michelle. “We could say, ‘If you’re Māori and you aren’t sure about your iwi, go away and find out so you can include it in the census’. “We wanted them to come with that rich part of who they are and what’s gone before them. It really appealed to them as a topic of conversation and it was fascinating to see them connecting and discussing their various backgrounds. So lots of other positive things have come out of doing the census here.” But for the country the main benefit of having three days of census filling at DCM, and like organisations, is that many people have registered their existence who otherwise wouldn’t have. “Some of our people don’t have any ID and may not even be recorded on any databases. If they’ve filled out the census they are recorded somewhere as a human being and as a New Zealander,” says Michelle. While not having an address is one barrier to filling out the census, low-to-no literacy is another. Even taumai who DCM has supported into housing came in for support, with one knocking at DCM’s door at 8:55am on census day morning, waving his census form. Yes, Statistics NZ offered to send field officers to people’s homes if they needed help, but that wouldn’t have worked for all of DCM’s taumai, says Michelle. “This is where their whānau is. Here, some of them have sat in our marae atea and discussed their answers with each other. They had kōrero with others who had already done it, and they’d say, ‘Well, I did that, I ticked that box’, so they got a huge resource from one another.” Robert is one who wouldn’t have completed the census without DCM’s help. Released from prison in 2016, he slept for a while in his van. He’s housed now, but came to DCM to do this census – his first ever. “If someone hadn’t helped me, I would have just got pissed off with trying. We were told the story of why you should fill it out, and then it made sense to me so I did it. “I encourage people who have been in prison all their lives to do this. It’s a piece of the puzzle that is missing. When we include ourselves in things like this, it helps us to feel part of the bigger picture and you want to do it more and more. It feels pretty cool to fill it out.” Jason sleeps anywhere that’s (hopefully) warm and dry. Along with homelessness, literacy issues would have prevented him filling out the census. “I understand we’re not counted but they’re trying to make a change, the government. I wanted to fill it out because it adds to the big picture. But without someone helping me, I couldn’t. I appreciate DCM giving us the opportunity to have a voice.” The staff at DCM are happy to play their part in drawing that big picture. “It’s not giving an accurate picture of New Zealand society if we count only people who are willing and able to fill out their census forms,” says Natalia. “We’re helping provide New Zealand build an accurate picture of who we are, and who are the ones with the highest needs. That feels really valuable.” Statistics NZ can’t pinpoint when this year’s data will be available, but be sure everyone at DCM will be watching to see how that data is used. “We’ve reinforced that this is about reciprocity – ‘tuki atu, tuku mai’, another of our kaupapa,” says Michelle. “We told our taumai that they give their information so, in turn, the government can support them – with enough houses, hospitals, doctors, etc. “They now feel like they have a voice, that they count. Now they are watching to see if they’ve been heard.” Freelance journalist Lee-Anne Duncan contributed this piece as a volunteer for The Community Comms Collective, whose pro bono clients include DCM. Thank you for your ongoing support, From everyone at DCM.   Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • 

    A city with a vision? AKL x WLG

    • 6 Sep 2020
    • Talk Wellington
    • Wellington’s got a lot of bustle and noise (Let’s Get Wellington Moving – Spatial Plan – new subdivisions – convention centre – library) but where’s the coherent vision? Hey Auckland – can we learn some things? The Wellington Urbanerds invited some insightful Aucklanders to talk about the Auckland City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) because it’s getting a lot of positive interest in nerdy circles nationwide, and we thought “Wellington needs one of those to galvanise our progress!” But it turns out that the CCMP is not the cause of Auckland’s progress – it’s a milestone marker of a bigger evolution in Tāmaki.  Auckland City Centre’s chief urban designer George Weeks was insightful, visually engaging and occasionally very funny. Auckland city centre’s chief transport designer Daniel Newcombe injected insights that were pithy and thought-provoking. All up it’s worth watching the video – details at the bottom. But this post has some of the big insights for Wellington that we took away.  Hat tip to Charles Dawson for invaluable note taking. A galvanising vision, with a strong whakapapa  What makes the CCMP unusual as an official planning document, Weeks told us, is that it’s not “a planner’s plan” – 2,000 pages of vision down to prescriptive requirements. Instead it’s “the brochure for the city centre”. He told us that “with the 2012 CCMP, we thought it was better to have a 200 page document that 10,000 people see, or at least have skimmed, than a 2,000 page document that 100 people read in detail. We have used this approach to shape the 2020 CCMP.” It has had a major refresh in the last 8 years and the 2020 version is quite something. Galvanising vision  Weeks took us through how the updated CCMP works: how it delivers on the Auckland Plan’s promise of life in Auckland, through the city centre’s form and function. It’s worth laying these out because while we definitely have bits of the formula, there’s some powerful elements we’re missing.   Experience of being there The Auckland Plan (essentially the Tāmaki-Makaurau 30-year plan) sets out ten Outcomes for the city – effectively the promise of life experience that you should get, being in Auckland. The whole super-city is supposed to fulfil these promises, and the city centre’s no exception. In the CCMP, the ten citywide Outcomes or life promises are intertwined with eight place-specific Transformational Moves. The latter are the major initiatives to change the physical environment of the city centre so it can deliver those outcomes – the good Auckland experiences – for anyone who’s there.  A lot of this has come into the 2020 CCMP thanks to Access for Everyone (A4E), the city centre’s transport programme done to support the CCMP refresh process (more on A4E later). Street forms and place shapes… So the 2020 CCMP has street explainers that show – conceptually but with a lot of verisimilitude – the components of the streets and buildings, the overall shape of the whole public realm that’s needed for the city centre to give people that great experience.  a generic “transit street” explainer – from the CCMP These explainers are conceptual, but are tied enough to specific places, that everyone can see the trajectory of how their specific bit of the city will be changing, but crucially they can see a really solid why. …because This means “X street, and its environment, should have Y shape and form because…”. We saw, for example, that one of the biggest streets in the Learning Quarter, Symonds Street, will be a transit street for all these reasons: Symonds St, for example, needs to become a transit street not because of some abstracted notion of “sorting out the transport” but because it is at the heart of Auckland’s city centre universities, and “transit street” is the form for Symonds Street that will let it best serve people in the Learning Quarter with the good experience the Auckland Plan promises. Weeks flicked through a few examples of how the CCMP is signalling change to the built environment of Tāmaki’s city centre (which is pretty interesting – have a play here, the 2020 version is fully digital!) Our impression of all this was that the CCMP, thanks to the Auckland Plan and Access For Everyone (the transport dimension), has pretty well integrated two things that any self-respecting city needs to integrate. This is the roles of movement (transport) and place or exchange (destination activity) in any given area of the city centre. And Auckland manages to integrate these with a nice clear Why and Because for each set of changes. [Hold on, is that anything special? We know about this stuff… This tight integration – of form to function, place with movement, built form to people’s lived experience – seems pretty elementary for self-respecting cities. And you’d be forgiven for assuming Wellington has that integration in place. Indeed, things like the street concepts in Auckland’s 2020 (refreshed) CCMP don’t look too dissimilar to what LGWM put out for the Golden Mile. And the material coming out from LGWM and the Central City elements of the Spatial Plan and Wellington 2040 use a lot of the right words. Golden Mile concept from LGWM But in listening to Weeks’ presentation, we realised just how explicit and unequivocal the CCMP and A4E are about the why, the because for the physical city changes they describe, anchored home to that lived experience promised in the Auckland Plan. And the locked-in coupling between the place / destination train and the movement / transport train so they’re pulling each part of the city in the same direction towards that better experience for all Aucklanders. This coupling is something we’re muddling around in Wellington. We’re hedging our bets on saying explicitly what lived experiences we want to prioritise and privilege in our city centre. This means the transport planning and place planning are making (at best) vague bows in each other’s direction, with lots of hedging our bets about whether and how we’re prioritising “drive-through” vs “go-to” in our city centre. OK back to the presentation…] Galvanising and enabling Weeks told us that in the CCMP, when you combine the Auckland Plan’s Outcomes and the CCMP’s Transformational Moves, the product is the city centre “Opportunities”. Opportunities are projects, quite specific things, and there are quite a few listed. click on the image to have a play in the CCMP Opportunities But they’re not a set of business-case investments that clamp tunnel-vision onto ambition. They seemed to be as much illustrating the kinds of projects that would make the city centre better at giving people that great experience of Auckland living. As Weeks emphasised: “anyone can come up with an Opportunity”. (We imagine the galvanising could run like this… Hello, I’m a developer looking at buying or developing neighbouring Building X and Building Y, I can see the direction of profitable change and unprofitable change that I could make to that property, given the trajectory of change in its environment.  And I can make up a project that creates a much better laneway space between them, plus better delivery access, better stormwater handling, and augmented residential-plus-commercial uses… This bundle of investments will make me money, and enhance really well that little corner of the city – so public investment and other private are likelier to come join me… ) CCMP’s generic laneways explainer (click to expand) Lesson for Wellington: let the vision be the vision, get other activity making it reality A big lesson for Wellington, Weeks said, was to “be clear about what different plans are to do. The City Centre Masterplan sets the vision, which allows many actors to work out how to deliver its different facets, or to develop their own ideas too.” The CCMP is only the green-circled bits in this picture. CCMP: a strong whakapapa The CCMP’s technical pedigree is strong – it makes good application of internationally-accepted principles of urban physics and urban dynamics. But – as Weeks put it – if the CCMP can “see further, it’s because [it is] standing on the shoulders of giants”. Complementing the CCMP’s technical pedigree is its collective human ancestry: the people, organisations, and relationships that have coalesced around it, the support that it’s known and seen to have, and the mana that this contributes to its strong legitimacy and mandate today.  From the presentation a few points stood out on each of these… The technical pedigree of the CCMP  Weeks and Newcombe gave us a whistle-stop tour of the set of transport and urban planning documents of which the 2020 CCMP is the progeny. Auckland Unitary Plan – The supercity’s first joined up District Plan, the “rulebook” for implementing the Auckland Plan. Forced much more collaboration in planning, for everything. City Centre Future Access Study – NZTA, Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Treasury, Auckland Transport found the City Rail Link would blitz all other 46 options for getting people to and from the city centre. The City Rail Link (CRL) –  an underground railway link turning the city centre heavy rail terminus into a through-station, building 4 new underground stations. Doubles the number of Aucklanders with 30min access to city centre. After years of arguing, finally underway once tax was to pay 50% (thanks ATAP). Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) (2016-17, updated 2018) Auckland-region-wide (not just one bit) merit-based priority list of all the big-ticket transport projects, costed and agreed by all funders and deliverers.  Crucially: first acknowledgement by central government that Auckland couldn’t road-build its way out of its traffic problems Business Case for Walking – first quantification of the value of city centre walking to Auckland’s economy, done in 2017. [Hey “walkable capital”, where’s ours?] The creation of documents always sounds more coherent in retrospect, but Weeks and Newcombe emphasised that it’s not been a nice clean sequential progress.  Key principles of urban physics (like the role of people walking) have only been given oxygen relatively late in the sequence. The need to get tax funding to co-fund megaprojects has meant a lot of back-and-forth raruraru with central government, and between the various bits of Auckland’s council family.  And some great documents – like the Business Case for Walking mentioned above – have no official legal weight: a decision-making body can completely ignore them if it wants.  But we heard that the various documents have meant that amongst the bureaucracy and other government power-holders, there’s been an accumulation of key principles of good urban physics, akin to accumulation of organic matter. Sometimes it’s just leaves falling, but sometimes there’s a large trunk. These accumulations in the establishment’s hivemind make it much harder to go back and relitigate, as there’s been some crystallisation in the thinking. (Though, of course, as Newcombe noted, that doesn’t stop people trying!)   Access for Everyone – the complementary transport element of the City Centre Masterplan which was developed as part of the CCMP refresh – is a great example. In traditionally car-mad Auckland, the entire Auckland Council voted unanimously to begin A4E trials “enabling a decisive mode shift away from private vehicles, to make better use of finite city centre space and improve the quality of the environment.” Wow. Access For Everyone’s car-free Queen Street / Horotiu Valley with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods around. And no more driving through the city centre! The human side of CCMP’s whakapapa We heard that a major benefit of the sequence of documents was the relationships and conversations that a document creates a pretext to have.   There’s been a lot of investment in behind-the-scenes engagement, with big stakeholders in the city. This has paid off in an unusual level of big players’ trust and buy-in to the vision and the big moves to get there. From large developers, through Heart of the City (the inner city Business Improvement District), through the AA, NZTA, to the City Centre Residents’ Group  (fun fact: 40,000 people live in Auckland’s city centre alone). This good stakeholder engagement bears fruit: it enabled councillors to support the 2020 CCMP relatively easily, despite it having relatively little engagement from the wider public (a few hundred submissions compared with the Unitary Plan’s ~10,000). It’s not a coincidence that Precinct Properties has seen fit to drop a billion (with a B) dollars of its shareholders’ money into the Commercial Bay development – Weeks observed that it’s on the strength of the new trust and joined-up thinking developed through the CCMP process.  Daniel Newcombe spoke from experience about the collaboration that had eventually started to come, once “you can get people to stop introducing competing plans” and come together. Sometimes this requires biding your time, working by osmosis, and finding the sensible individuals in an organisation on whom to work, and building coalitions that chip away at antipathetic organisations. Getting people to issue formal letters of support on behalf of their organisations can be extremely powerful, he said. Iwi influence  We heard that one major improvement of the 2020 refreshed CCMP over the 2012 original is the inclusion of Māori outcomes. For the refresh, the ADO worked closely in partnership with Auckland’s Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum to develop a Māori outcomes plan. This work shaped Transformational Move 1: Māori Outcomes, with proposals for a papa kōkiri at the waterfront and a whare tāpere at Aotea Square.  The 2020 CCMP manifests the Auckland Plan’s Māori Identity and Wellbeing outcome and Te Aranga Māori Design Principles via Outcome 1: Tāmaki Makaurau – Our place in the world. It sets out the big interventions and systemic changes to bring mana whenua presence, Māori identity and life into the city centre and waterfront.  There are some big-ticket, high-visibility things and pervasive, interwoven ones. To our (Pākehā) ears this sounded pretty great…  Attack of the roadcones! Plans are essential, but how do you get them going, especially when there’s so many large, cumbersome players with inertia?  Weeks had peppered the presentation with cool before-and-after shots of some iconic Auckland changes, including Te Ara i Whiti / the (pink) LightPath, and localised street improvements like our favourite, O’Connell Street (below). O’Connell Street. oh.yes.melbourne We know (though the webinar didn’t go in depth here) that much of Auckland city centre’s evolution that you and I can see today was driven by the Auckland Design Office, with Auckland Transport and Auckland Council partners. Their projects opened people’s eyes to how good street change could be done, and that actually the good “urban physics” did apply in Auckland too. And they gave Auckland council family a chance to practice delivering street change together, and figure out how it can be done without anyone losing an eye.  They did it with a combination of a figurehead / champion / lightning rod / air cover for the ground troops (AKA Ludo-Campbell-Reid) plus a ninja team of designers, engagers and doers, doing on-the-ground projects that brought to life the good practice of urban design.    Projects like Fort Street, O’Connell Street, Fort Lane, and Jean Batten Place showed that – contrary to received wisdom – replacement of on-street car parking with high-quality streetscape was good for business. Collaboration with Auckland Transport led to the creation of a pop-up cycleway along Quay Street (well before the Innovating Streets for People pilots) which is now being incorporated into a permanent street redesign that will finish this year.  It’s not been an easy road: by now, ten pilots of the street changes for Access for Everyone were supposed to be underway, following that unanimous Council vote, but just one (High Street) has been. And the ADO has now been disbanded, allegedly due to their irritating conservative parts of the establishment with cost-cutting as a pretext.  But there’s momentum now…  Auckland’s changing, and has lessons for us  Throughout the session the Zoom chat pane had been running hot with questions and comments from the “floor” (aka the online audience). Weeks and Newcombe took questions from the pane and from the Urbanerds presenters, and a few highlights stood out including lessons for Pōneke… Lesson for Wellington: get partners on the same transport page Weeks’ and Newcombe’s first lesson was to get a multi agency agreement on transport together. It can’t just be the city council or regional council. It has to have central government buy-in; they can’t be pulling in the other direction from the city or region with their ambitions for the city’s transport. Updated ATAP, with all the partners This consensus shifts the conversation from “Do we need that good stuff replacing the bad stuff?” to “When do we need it?”. You have to keep the focus at that “when” level, not allowing relitigation of the fundamental principle of urban physics that you’ve achieved consensus on. We wonder: is this LGWM? Is it shifting our conversation? Is NZTA pulling in the same direction as the city, as the regional council?   Lesson for Wellington: generate the brochure, together A second big lesson is that you have to have the vision, the brochure, the clear picture of the good life that your city wants to give everyone who’s in the city centre, whatever they’re doing there. This has to be the rationale for any the physical changes that you entertain or consider. The Auckland Plan’s 8 outcomes – promises of the experience of life in Auckland, that the CCMP too must deliver This “brochure” must be developed hand in glove with the actors we want to be supporting it, building on any public mandate you already have but not driven by the wider public. This conversation with the big players should not feel like it’s led by any one player (developers, or transport-planners, or inner-city-residents, or businesses – nor even, we wonder, council?). What it must be is very good quality engagement that builds a strong trust and instils a foundation layer of commitment to (or at least grudging acknowledgement of) solid urban physics, and the trajectory of change needed throughout the city.    Lesson for Wellington: CBDs are doomed Listener Sally asked whether a focus on a city centre had been overtaken by COVID and its boost to working from home, and localism, especially in Wellington where there’s such a large commuter population. Weeks’ answer put it in much more professional terms, but the message came through clearly: if your city centre is mostly a Central Business District, where “business” is the dominant activity, it’s doomed. Monocultures always make a system vulnerable to shocks, in agriculture, horticulture and in cities If it’s a central city, with a hundred or a thousand different reasons for people of all different walks of life to be there, then it’ll be fine – it’ll change and adapt, but the power of people wanting to be there is the lifeblood of a city. “The death of the city has been predicted since the invention of the city, in the Bronze Age” Weeks observed – “and if you’ve got an actual city, it won’t happen.” We wonder… how much of Wellington’s central city is a dead zone by 6.30pm? How much are we reinvigorating and diversifying the reasons to be there?   Lesson for Wellington: lock all good plans to something with teeth Weeks emphasised that the power of these plans comes from linking area plans and other non-statutory plans to ones with statutory power.  So despite being a non-statutory document, the City Centre Masterplan carries weight because they mapped its outcomes tightly against the Auckland Plan (the statutory 30-year plan for the whole city) and councillors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of it. diagram showing how the CCMP is making good on the Auckland Plan’s promises, in the city centre We definitely don’t yet have the vision and its trust, nor the solid hook between statutory and non-statutory … but we have some elements of the recipe.    We wonder… how much of the CCMP-style whakapapa do we have, if not the actual document?  Could we build these levels of trust and vision together?  Some Wellington City Council planning and design gurus attended the session and helpfully fielded some questions about where Wellington was at. Our one-liner summary was: it’s not going to hell in a handcart, but it’s definitely all up in the air. Smart engagement from Urbanerds listeners and Talk Wellington readers is really needed. We’ll pick up “so what for us?” in the next post. Here’s the video: link, passcode SUa&tOC5 Meantime… where have you seen signs of a clear vision of good Wellington city life, for everyone?
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