Another busy month has passed...  Wānaka always springs into action this time of year, and we've recapped some of the key events and news from October.  Looking ahead, we host our last Connection Cafe of the year on Friday November 20, with an exciting lineup of youth-focused organisations sharing how they support our rangatahi.  QLDC is hosting a job fair on November 26 and offering transport from Wānaka -- a great opportunity for job seekers. 

Get connected at the next LINK Connection Café, focusing on youth activities and services in the Upper Clutha. If you have, work with, or care about rangatahi, this is for you!

LINK has lined up local organisations to share what they are doing in this space — anchoring the conversation which all attendees can contribute to. Confirmed are:

Kahu Youth, with a long history of working with 11-25 year olds through drop-in sessions, school holiday programmes, volunteer awards, and more.

The new Get Sh*t Done Collective has been refreshing ideas for youth-driven activities, and exploring employment options for this summer. Liz Breslin has recorded youth voices and faces in a video showcase, sharing what they love about their community, what could be better, and how we can support them.

QLDC has some exciting youth initiatives planned for next year to discuss. 

Social sector professionals will be there to explain social and counselling support available for young people and their families. 

The M!NT Collective will share their collaborative journey toward supporting their rangatahi.

Additional speakers will be updated on the LINK website at link.org.nz as they are confirmed. 

Connection Cafes are an excellent way to share information and find ways to work together. So come along to this free, casual networking session to meet others and turn ideas into action. Friday November 20, 1030am-1200pm at the Wānaka Community Hub. Email kathy@link.org.nz to register; morning tea provided.

Our Hub planter boxes BEFORE...                                          ...and maybe AFTER!

Community gardens are an idea whose time has come… there are lots popping up, like Grow Wānaka's project at the Outlet, and the Hawea Food Forest which has been around a long time.  

LINK is facilitating “LINK Community Gardens at the Hub” to connect those who don’t have the space, resources, or knowledge to plant their own garden, with the space, resources, and mentor gardeners to support them! 

We have 6 planter boxes at the Wānaka Community Hub we’ve made available to individuals, families, and groups to take responsibility for. We are preparing and planting them in the next few weeks with some working bees, then it’s over to the gardeners to water, nurture, and reap the harvest. Volunteers from Grow Wānaka, Mt. Aspiring College, and QLDC will help set up the gardens, and Dr. Compost Ben Elms is our project guru. Mitre 10 has signed on as part of their “Helping Hand” community support – which provides materials and volunteer hours. And of course the Wānaka Community Hub had the foresight to build the planter boxes and provide the space.  

Awesome collaboration and support!! There’s still an opportunity for either gardeners or helpers to get involved – email kathy@link.org.nz if you're interested.

Toi was a wonderful celebration of creativity. A collective of artistically-minded individuals, businesses and community groups came together to champion creativity in Wānaka with a weekend packed full of events, featuring two days of workshops, exhibitions and performance. All events were well attended and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! Retail business was up, music played all day, and there was a wonderfully festive vibe in town.

LINK supported this event as part of our community collaboration work. You can visit the Toi website here to review what was on offer.

WAO! What a Week

6 days, 17 events, 900 participants sums up the amazing WAO (We Are One) 2020 Reset Summit.

Some of the highlights included the 60 odd builders and tradies at the Dunlop Building site learning about zero waste construction sites; visits to five of our high country stations to learn about how the rural sector and Wai Action Groups are addressing soil health, biodiversity, water and climate; the carbon action workshops for businesses and individuals; the first showing of Camilla Rutherford’s Heal the Earth Exhibit; and hugely inspiring conversations with experts on everything from climate change, circular economy, augmented reality’s role in environmental monitoring, energy efficient building to the future of farming. It ended with the Wellbeing day on Sunday, with 700 places booked to attend free wellbeing workshops provided by some of our wellbeing experts.