Thank you very much to all those who made contact with us upon receiving the first newsletter - we received many notes of appreciation, responses to our requests for feedback, and many people took the opportunity to pay their membership fees or join KRRA for the first time. We are very heartened by the response and will continue to work hard to bring you newsletters which are informative and interesting.
The Community has Spoken...
On Monday 4 September KRRA initiated a survey to find out whether the residents and ratepayers of Kuaotunu wanted KRRA to support KAMAG's call against extractive mineral mining and tailings dams in Kuaotunu and the Coromandel.
Over 120 people (and one dog 😊) responded to the email survey, or the web page version of it, and approximately 90% of you said yes, KRRA should support this. We would like to thank all those who took the time to give us their opinion. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to have your say, you can do so here until the 18th of September. The KRRA Committee will then finalise this matter at its next meeting on 21 September.
Pétanque Court
Thank you also to those of you who contacted us with their opinions on the best location for the proposed pétanque court.
Unfortunately the suggestions were split 50/50 between the two proposed locations, i.e. across the road from Luke's Kitchen (possibly near the school bus stop), or next to the soccer fields and tennis courts. So unless we receive any further opinions, the KRRA Committee will make a decision on your behalf. You can give us your opinion here.
Changes afoot at the Kuaotunu Rural Fire Force
For many years the Kuaotunu Rural Fire Force has been part of the Rural Fire Service, and managed and funded through the Civil Defence section of the Thames-Coromandel District Council.
That all changed in July this year when the Rural Fire Service merged with the NZ Fire Service to form Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ). Locals will probably not notice too many immediate changes, but over time you should start to see new logos, new colours on the appliances - and eventually, upgraded appliances.
But one thing will never change - and that is the need for dedicated locals who are prepared to contribute their time on a voluntary basis to ensure our Fire Force can respond when required. If you have a motor vehicle accident in Kuaotunu, or your house catches fire, or you have a medical emergency - it is our own Rural Fire Force that gets to you first.
Can you help?? If you are interested, just turn up at the Fire Station at 6 pm on a Wednesday night, which is when they have their practice. You will be well rewarded with a sense of pride in assisting your local community, and the personal satisfaction that comes from contributing to a well-coordinated team. Besides which, you'll have a lot of fun!
Start of the Busy Season for Kuaotunu Bird Rescue
The arrival of spring always brings an increase in feathered patients for our dedicated KBR team, Annemieke Kregting and Klaudia MacLeod. Donations of cat food sachets and tins of baby food are therefore very welcome to assist with the expected influx of baby birds. You might also like to download this handy guide for dealing with baby birds that you might come across - a good thing to print out and stick on the fridge at this time of year.
Because Kuaotunu Bird Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation which is dependent upon volunteer labour, one of the best things you can do to help is by donating money so that they can buy medications, special food, etc. Donations can be made directly into their bank account: Kuaotunu Bird Rescue, 06-0457-0736392-31.
If you are interested in helping to feed some of the spring babies, call Annemieke on (07) 869 5695 or Klaudia on (021) 0816 3269 to find out what is involved and to be added to their list of volunteers.
Skateboard Half-Pipe
You may have read the recent articles in the Informer and the Matarangi Beach Paper about young Vinnie Russell and his campaign for a skateboard half-pipe in Kuaotunu. Vinnie has yet to meet with the KRRA Committee but we are looking forward to hearing his proposal.
News Flash - Kuaotunu Hall Floor Finally Finished!
The Hall Committee is pleased to announce that, at long last, the final sanding and finishing coats on the new hall floor were able to be finished this week.
We will be notifying regular users of the hall shortly of the official re-opening date, as soon as the cleaning has been done and the furniture reinstated. We would like to thank you all for your patience and understanding, and look forward to celebrating the new floor with the whole village in the near future.
Another Successful Year for the Project Kiwi Trust
At the Trust's recent AGM our very own Paula Williams, Project Manager for the Project Kiwi Trust, reported that a total of 18 eggs were delivered to Kiwi Encounter at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua last season as part of the Operation Nest Egg (O.N.E.) programme. All of these eggs hatched and were released back into the wild once they reached 1kg. To date, the Trust has released 173 juvenile kiwi through O.N.E.
During the catch season twelve more adult male kiwi were caught and had egg timer transmitters attached for the purpose of recruiting their eggs. Seven of these kiwi did not have microchips, evidence they had been hatched and reared in the wild - exciting testament to Project Kiwi's efforts to build kiwi abundance through its trapping effort (all birds reared at Kiwi Encounter are micro chipped).
There is an active network of Kuaotunu locals who happily make the trip to and from Rotorua on a volunteer basis to either deliver eggs or bring back juvenile kiwi. If you would like to add your name to this list, or if you know anyone who makes the trip between this part of the peninsula and Rotorua, please contact Paula. This is an extremely valuable way to contribute towards building Kiwi abundance. Volunteer couriers save the Trust thousands of dollars that can be reinvested into other aspects of the programme, like trapping.
If you'd like to become a sponsor or donate money to the Project Kiwi Trust and help them to help kiwi thrive, please contact Paula at hello@projectkiwi.org.nz.
Friends of the Library Events
Save the date! The Friends of the Library Kuaotunu (FOLK) invite you to a series of events at the Kuaotunu Hall on the 27th and 28th of October.
Phillip Fickling, Paper Engineer, will be holding an exhibition of his amazingly creative works on the Friday and Saturday, and on Saturday evening from 7pm onwards you are invited to meet our local writers, artists, and photographers. Drinks and snacks will be available, and all funds raised will go towards the Kuaotunu Library.
Did You Know??
Kuaotunu has a Community Swap group that meets fortnightly on a Sunday morning at Luke's Kitchen in order to swap home-grown fruit and vegetables (and herbs), home-made baking, preserves, seedlings, fish etc - and to drink good coffee and catch up with our friends and neighbours. If you would like to receive a regular email reminder, please contact Kathy Speirs at kspeirs56@gmail.com. Everyone is welcome!
Get in Touch
We welcome your feedback on anything to do with this newsletter, or Kuaotunu itself. You can either reply to this email or contact us through our website.
You don't need to be a member of KRRA to receive this newsletter, but if you appreciate the work we do on your behalf and would like to have your opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of this wonderful community we call home, please join KRRA today.