News from the Valley

The Centre has a rich history. In 1973, the newsletter of the Dunedin Collective for Women reported: "On the local scene, a group of dedicated, energetic parents, frustrated by the scarcity of established and quality pre-school centres, is endeavouring to open an independent centre with a difference. Its function is two-fold – to provide a stimulating educative programme for pre-schoolers, while at the same time fulfilling an urgent daycare need for parents working outside the home and helping to free women from gender discrimination. The group envisaged housing the school in the Leith Valley." The Dunedin Collective for Woman …

You're Invited to The Valley Project AGM! We are excited to invite everyone in our community to our upcoming Annual General Meeting. It’s a great opportunity to get involved, share ideas, and help shape the future of our neighbourhood. We’re especially looking for enthusiastic members to join our executive team. Whether you’ve got ideas to help our community thrive or simply want to learn more, we’d love to have you! Date: Wednesday, 13 November 2024 Time: 5.30pm Location: North East Valley Normal School Hall, 248 North Road, North East Valley Interested in joining the executive? Nominations are open until …

Due to the adverse weather predicted for Thursday 3 October we have moved this year’s event to The Valley Project, 262 North Road, Dunedin. On Thursday, 3rd October join the Valley Project, community and conservation  groups, local schools and your neighbours for an afternoon of family-friendly fun put on by The Valley Project and its partners! 1pm – 4PM The Valley Project, 262 North Road, North East Valley COMMUNITY STALLS + ENTERTAINMENT + FOOD TUCKS FREE but Koha is always appreciated. To celebrate Lindsay Creek, learn and engage with environmental topics and practices that benefit the awa and …

Join us for our annual Keep NZ Beautiful Clean-Up! We will be meeting at the Valley Project office, 262 North Road, at 10am on Friday the 27th of September. Please wear appropriate footwear and sun safe clothing. Gloves and bags will be provided. If you have any questions please email openvue@northeastvalley.org or call 473 8614.

North East Valley Community Dinner Food provided Saturday 7th September 2024 5:00 - 7:00pm Dinner served at 5.30pm Valley Community Baptist Centre, 270 North Road, North East Valley Join Us for a Night of Connection and Fun! Connect with others in your community and enjoy a delicious meal together. You’re welcome to bring something to share if you wish! Bring your friends, family, or just yourself and make new connections in a warm, welcoming atmosphere and enjoy a night of great food and good company. Koha welcome We appreciate your support for future community initiatives or help for …

Do you enjoy making things? Are you tired of spending money on menstrual care every month? Would you like to reduce waste by using reusable pads instead of disposable ones? Are you looking for alternatives due to allergies or discomfort from conventional pads or tampons? Want to manage your period more sustainably? Join us for the Pad Kit Making Challenge! Research shows that a menstruator can save on average at least $2000 by using reusable options instead of disposable products, and we believe the real amount is even higher. Using reusable pads can benefit your health by avoiding chemicals …

On July 20th 2024 the Valley Baptist Community Centre buzzed with the Winter Warmer free market, an event attracting dozens of Dunedinites thrilled to share in the bounty on offer.  The local neighbourhood, anxious to ensure everybody feels warm and nurtured through the colder months, donated generously so everybody arriving was greeted by tables laden with donations: cosy coats and versatile jackets, onesies and hand-knitted jumpers, every kind of sweatshirt and pants, all kinds of boots, shoes and good as new slippers - a bonanza of giveaway clothing inviting a thorough rumage. Eager volunteers were on hand to help with the thoughtful …

The results are in, and we can count ourselves lucky here in North East Valley! Thanks to students from Otago Polytechnic and the Nature Club at North East Valley Normal School, we were able to contribute data for the 2024 NZ Bird Count from four different locations in North East Valley. Observations were made between 29 June – 7 July, and sites included Chingford Park, Bethune’s Gully, Wilkinson Street Park in Pine Hill, and the North East Valley Community Garden behind the Normal School. Manu pango (blackbirds), korimako (bellbirds) and pīwakawaka (fantail) were observed at all four sites. Students …

Open VUE is holding a native plant sale to celebrate World Environment Day on Wednesday, 5 June from 9am-2pm at the Valley Project office in North East Valley. The sale will include tree fuchsia/kōtukutuku, coprosma robusta/karamū, veronica salicifolia/koromiko, cabbage trees/tī kōuka, kunzea ericoides/kānuka, kōwhai, and dodonaea viscosa/akeake, among others. The prices will range from $3-$4, depending on the size of the plant. Cash and eftpos are accepted. These plants were germinated and grown as part of our native propagation nursery. All proceeds from the sale will fund future projects associated with the propagation nursery's efforts to tackle climate change …

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 …

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 …

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 …