News from the Valley

KRYSHA BRZUZA, NEW VALLEY PROJECT EDITOR & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Howdy! Krysha (KRIH-SHAH) here. I'm the one responsible for the recent changes you may have noticed in the Valley Voice formatting and the newsletter's advertising programme. Having a Media Arts background, I simply couldn't help myself! From the first day I clocked in at the Valley Project it was evident my experience with the organisation was going to be a life-changer. It was also immediately noted that my role as editor and communications coordinator was heavily dependent on networking. Indeed, establishing connections within this community is a primary goal. How …

STAFF DEPARTURE - CHARLOTTE WILSON After arriving back in Dunedin in 2010 following work as a primary school teacher in Vietnam for a number of years, I was employed part-time at North East Valley Normal School as the ESOL teacher and ran the Valley Club, an afterschool programme for children considered to be “at risk”. Here they received some kai and homework support, as well as opportunities to participate in a range of activities and to develop positive relationships with adults. I attended North East Valley and then DNI as a kid and my mum grew up in Opoho …

Community Creek Consultation Last month, we gathered as a small group as part of our Community Creek Consultation. We discussed the visions we have and how we can connect with Lindsay Creek Creek in the future. We are currently collating the information from the preliminary creek survey and community consultation and feed this into a River Regeneration Plan. A huge thank you to everyone who filled in the Preliminary Creek Consultation Survey and came along to the Community Creek Consultation evening.  Chingford Park has been a buzz with Working Bees Walking into the Riparian Rhapsody in Chingford Park felt …

We have a range of workshops planned for the coming months. They aim to improve people’s knowledge around food by providing helpful tips, tricks, and recipes across a range of topics including school lunches, preserving surplus, reducing your food waste, and cooking on a budget. There has also been interest in cooking international cuisine, using fresh herbs, and vegan cooking. We would love more support running these workshops. If you think you could help, please email valleykai@northeastvalley.org.  Our first workshop will be focusing on economic, quick, easy, and healthy lunch ideas for tamariki school lunchboxes. This will run …

With long days that always seem to stretch on for hours and hours, I’m often reminded of the wildlife that will be delightfully relishing the warmer temperatures of the summer sun. I’ve mentioned lizards a few times within this blog, but I haven’t delved too much into the different types or species of lizards that we might find around Dunedin.  First, I had to understand the difference between the two different types of lizards - geckos and skinks. Geckos and skinks are both lizards, but there are some physical features that make it easier to tell them apart. Geckos …

Happy New Year, friends! While you were likely making frenzied laps through Dunedin malls as the holidays were closing in, records were being made as Crush the Cargill participants vertically lapped all 676 metres of Mount Cargill! Let's catch you up...  The annual Valley Project fundraising event involves a 24-hour endurance race up and down our beloved Kapukataumahaka, the mountain dominating Dunedin's northern skyline. Starting from its base at Bethune's Gully, dozens of audacious runners take to its slopes at 10am sharp to achieve as many full laps as possible by 10am the next day. A singular lap …

 What is your vision for Lindsay Creek? This is the question on the minds of the Open VUE Steering Group at the moment. While the vision for an open urban unfenced ecosanctuary still proudly stands tall amongst the urban forest, the Creek is a large piece of the Valley ecosystem puzzle. Gaining insight into your vision of Lindsay creek in 5, 10, 20, and 100 years will direct the mahi’s flow. The group is putting out preliminary consultation feelers while we are limited to gather, with plans for wider community consultation early next year.   The journey of the Creek, …

Looking for a way to connect with nature this spring? One way that we love to connect with nature is through nature journaling, the process of recording your observations about nature onto paper. Local Illustrator Jo Bone, shows us how to do this by making string nature circles. Check out the activity below for how to make your own! How to make a string nature circle: Draw a circle on a piece of paper with a compass or plate. Cut a piece of string long enough to make a decent-sized loop, grab something to draw with and go for …

You couldn’t wave a cigarette advertisement in the 1970s without hitting an extravagant dinner party. And with these dinner parties, of course, came food. But not just food! Dinner parties in the 1970s came with inspiration. They came with low angle, overly saturated photos to stick on the fridge and try to emulate. They came with envious guests hurriedly writing down recipes to copy for their superbowl party next weekend. They came with style, with one uppance, with days and days of meticulous planning. More of a triathlon than a sprint, these were not exactly last-minute endeavours. Perhaps …

During this hands-on workshop, you will discover the joy of creating quilts. The idea of the project is a reference to gender equality and the feminist movement as a form of resistance against gender discrimination in society. The Quilt Project will integrate math and art to create your own block to share your views on gender inequality. The Quilt Project is aiming to create the large-scale block quilt with panels created with an applique of math basic symbols such as (not equal sign, inequality sign, and power sign etc.) Each panel will illustrate the inequitable status of women in …

Science Stories A spell in lockdown causes many of us to reflect on what it is that contributes to our feelings of well-being. Getting out of the house every day for a walk or cycle certainly seems popular during level 4, judging by the number of people who can be seen along North Road and in our local parks, enjoying the company of their dog, their bubble-buddies, and nature. There have been many studies in recent years that show that exposure to nature provides a range of benefits for our mental health and well-being. So, when national lockdowns …

Balance Connection is an exercise class for the body and mind that everyone can do. A gentle progression of core strengthening and stretching exercises is followed by a short meditation. Christine Canty is a registered group fitness instructor and physiologist who is new to Dunedin, recently arrived from Melbourne, Australia. She lives in North East Valley with her partner and four children. Exercises are introduced slowly and taught with a focus on technique and mindfulness. Options are provided throughout for beginners through to advanced. Bring an exercise mat and/or a towel and a water bottle. Entry to the class …