December 2023 Newsletter

Julie Stephenson - Community Employment Liaison, Gr8 Job Hauraki

We have continued making good progress toward our 2023/24 target and have already achieved 24 placements since July 1. It has been heartening to see a small number of apprenticeships become available recently as they have been few and far between over the last 12 months.

Gr8 Job Hauraki hosted an Open Day late November and invited public to call in to meet the team and find out a little more about who we are and what we do. We had a great turnout with a good mix of stakeholders, job-seekers and employers. Our day had a “VRtual” experience or two with the CoDriVR driving simulator and the VR training headsets, which were brought along by the wonderful staff from the Ministry of Social Development.

Looking ahead to 2024 we will be hosting a “Get Ahead with Gen Z” workshop in Waihī on Feb 15. The focus of this workshop is to give employers tools to successfully integrate young people into their workplace. It is very informative and relevant and gives a good understanding of the differences between the generations but shows how these differences can effectively improve a workplace for everyone’s benefit. 

Follow our Facebook page to keep up with the latest news - https://www.facebook.com/gr8jobhauraki/ 

Rebecca Jenks - Community Development Advisor (Economic)

Destination Hauraki Coromandel, the Regional Tourism Organisation for our area, has launched their first-ever travel app for Hauraki Coromandel. It is designed to give confidence to locals and visitors alike that it is easy to get to and around Hauraki Coromandel and enjoy all the things they love about the region. 

Whether you are hosting visitors at your accommodation or family over Christmas, we encourage you to promote the app as a great way to find out everything about the Hauraki Coromandel in one place. From hidden gems and attractions, to weather updates and rubbish collection days, it is a great way for visitors to feel like locals and locals might even learn a thing or two about their patch.

Lou Beer - Event and Business Support Coordinator

The HDC Community Development (Economic) team and Paeroa Information Hub co-hosted a group of local visitor related businesses to discuss two wheeled tourism – those on motorcycles and bicycles. It was good to hear from Diane Drummond - Hauraki Rail Trail Charitable Trust; Michael Tansey - Hauraki Bike Hire, and Mark Revill-Johnson - Rev’s Motorcycle Centre.

Businesses were encouraged to think about what services they could offer these visitors that would add value, for example, offering seating where they have line of sight to their wheels, water bottle refilling options, shade and for overnight guests - under-cover, secure storage.

Mark’s top tip was not to judge motorcyclists by their appearance and noted that there were many more women on bikes than there used to be. Michael mentioned the importance of a safe place to charge e-bikes and Diane described a typical cyclist’s day, pointing out that it is not all about the cycling and they have several hours that they are looking to fill with other activities. Let’s encourage them to spend that time in Hauraki!  

Lyn Randall – Community Advocacy Officer

As the year draws to a close, we can look back and celebrate our successes, the projects we have completed and the challenges we overcame. Some of our community organisations and education facilities have obtained well deserved funding, but as we know there are always more projects in the pipeline and more money to be found.

Next year it will be even more important to be prepared as we begin to see changes and reductions in the funds available from the big players in this field. For example, the Lottery National Community Committee has already announced that it has 46% less funding available in the year 2023/24 and whilst this is at a national and not regional level, it is a clear indication of changes ahead.

This shouldn’t mean all doom and gloom however as I am here to help you create the best chance of a successful funding application and will continue to send out my regular emails and be on hand for your questions or help with funding plans and advice. The emails I send highlight funds opening, workshops and resources, and important information regarding Incorporated Societies, Charitable Trusts and Not-for-Profit organisations. If you are not already on the distribution list and would like to be included, or if you would like to contact me about your organisation’s funding needs, please feel free to contact me at Lyn.Randall@hauraki-dc.govt.nz.

Also, don’t forget to check out the ongoing Community Waikato Workshop Webpage and keep an eye on our Council Events Webpage for further events and workshops held locally, as we will include our funding, governance and incorporated society events there too.

Lastly, I would like to wish you a happy holiday season and I look forward to hearing about and helping you with your funding plans and projects for 2024 in our wonderful Hauraki District. 

Lou Beer - Event and Business Support Coordinator

It’s a case of thinking outside of the bin at events in the Hauraki District! Since the introduction of national guidelines to reduce waste going to landfill, Council staff have been working with event organisers to reduce the event waste that goes to landfill. Organisers have three options: to manage the waste and recycling themselves; to hire bins and liners from Council or to use the services of Hauraki Repair and Reuse Centre (HRRC). At the Paeroa Fireworks, the HRRC diverted 30% of the waste from landfill and then at the Paeroa Santa parade, they diverted an even higher percentage. HRRC is a charitable trust working with the community to reduce waste entering the landfill (Facebook).

Lou Beer - Event and Business Support Coordinator

It is fantastic to see all the community events return with a roar this year – whilst they seem effortless on the day, there is a lot of volunteer sweat and tears behind the scenes. The Event and Business Support Coordinator can help navigate the challenges and support new events to get underway. Our website also has heaps of useful tips Event Planning - Hauraki District Council.

Lou Beer - Event and Business Support Coordinator

It is hard for small, local businesses to get the same air space as the big box stores. Particularly in the lead up to Christmas, the big box stores saturate the media with marketing. Small Business Saturday is the antidote to that. Its purpose is to bring small stores together so that they have a bigger voice. This was the second year that LoveHauraki ran the promotion – if you want to be part of it next year, make sure you are signed up to get the information first. Email lovehauraki@hauraki-dc.govt.nz.

Katie McLaren - Community Development Advisor (Social)

Congratulations and Good OnYa to all the recipients of our 2023 OnYa Awards! Community spirit was alive and well. Ka pai! This year we celebrated 12 amazing recipients from all across the Hauraki District. These were:

OnYa Sports Award - for knocking it out of the park - Michael Read, Julie-Ada Tana and Maramarua Junior Rugby Club team members - Thomas Kereoma, Taylor-James Adamson, Everitt Remnant, Sam Remnant, Luke Johnstone, Max Wicks, Bailey Soppet-Main and Hemi Smith.

OnYa – Arts & Culture Award - for enhancing and enriching our lives - Naelene Donaldson, Luke van Vliet and Sheryl Krissansen.

OnYa Award for Service to the Community - Sam Morrison, Grier Buchanan, Jamie-Lee Owen, Meg Thomas, Ian Bradshaw and Josephine Jebb.

Information on all of the ONYA 2023 recipients and other past recipients can be found on our website. If you know someone who has done great things in your community, put them forward! Nominations for the 2024 Hauraki District Council ONYA Awards will open early next year.

Aoife Hennessey - Assistant Strategic Planner

At the October 2023 meeting of Council, the Public Arts Policy | Kaupapa Here Toi Tūmatanui was adopted. 

The policy aims to encourage the creation of art in our district. It outlines a series of objectives aiming to encourage art and sets criteria around artworks in our public places.

Artists seeking to create public art in public places will need to apply to Council for permission and will also be eligible to apply to the proposed Public Arts Fund for money to go towards creating their artwork. Artists wishing to create an artwork/s on private land (excluded from this policy) will still need to show they meet the policy criteria if they are applying to the proposed Public Arts Fund. You can view the final policy on our website Policies - Hauraki District Council (hauraki-dc.govt.nz).

The Public Arts Assessment Panel and Public Arts Fund are due to be established after the adoption of our 2024-34 Long Term Plan in July 2024.