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Get funding for a Kai Connections Neighbours Day event in March
There's nothing like a bit of shared kai for connecting hearts and minds, and WRT is all about sharing the kai and the aroha! We'll be coordinating the Neighbours Day gatherings for the second year on Waiheke with support from the Waiheke Local Board. We're currently reaching out to community groups that may like to be hosts.
This year's theme for Neighbours Day is Kai Connections; encouraging community to engage over kai – growing, sharing, eating. Events are to run between 18 - 27 March and we’re hoping to see a variety of activities on Waiheke that connect people over a shared love of food and produce. Together with the Waiheke Local Board, we are offering up to $400 for established community groups to run a kai connecting event. The aim is to forge some bonds; introducing or reconnecting people to local hubs and others living in the neighbourhood - for safer, resilient communities.
Find out more
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Fishing line pod pilot
Waiheke Marine Project and local young (ocean conscious) fisherman Jude Chambers delivered a great presentation to the Waiheke Local Board following the Fishing Line Collection Workshop held on 2nd February at the Beach Ambassadors stand at Little Oneroa. They have successfully pitched a pilot to install the PVC pipe pods on three popular fishing spots: Old Matiatia Wharf, Kennedy Point Wharf and the Esplanade.
Seabirds and marine life are often trapped or killed as a result of fishing line that was not properly removed from our oceans or beaches. Rescued PVC pipes are repurposed and converted into pods that prevent the lines from blowing away. Jude will collect the fishing lines, along with hooks, weights and lures, and come up with crafty ideas to repurpose them.
Check out the video and to learn more, contact the Marine Project
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$50 discount on your septic tank check!
With the support of WRT's Waiheke Waterways Project, Waiheke Local Board and Greenacres Waiheke, 100 Waiheke properties can access a $50 discount on a septic tank check. Book now to avoid missing out!
The septic tank check can be used to show compliance under the Auckland Unitary Plan for primary systems and can be used as a health check for secondary and tertiary systems. During the checks, service providers can unblock drains, assess drainage fields, clean filters, purge lines, take sludge measurements and assess system health, troubleshoot and also use the time to show people how to better maintain and manage their systems. Post check, they will prepare a report providing details of suitable specialists if necessary. It will take up to one hour on site.
For info, email us or call 09 372 2915
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Out of the Box presents Love at First Bike | 7.30pm-9.30pm | Sunday 13 February | Bike Box (Waiheke Sustainability Centre)
Come down to the last event in this summer series from Out of the Box, run by story-telling cyclist Tanya Batt. This final show at Bike Box brings you Pecha Kucha bike love stories from our little community on a big screen. Bring your own blanket, drinks and nibbles to share.
Find out more
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FREE composting workshop | Waiheke Sustainability Centre | 10am-12pm | Saturday 19 February
Join Waiheke Resources Trust’s composting queen Kayleigh Appleton on a composting adventure. Whether worm farms, Bokashi bins or traditional composting systems are your thing, find out how easy it is to turn scraps into nutrient-rich compost. There’s always a bit of myth-busting and science facts for the aficionados, too. So, bring your questions, masks and vaccine passes and put Kayleigh’s composting know-how to the test!
To register email Kayleigh
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WRT's Beach Ambassadors summer program wrapped up on Waitangi weekend having run throughout the holidays.
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The popular campaign to keep Waiheke beaches awesome during the peak visitor season recruited students who took part in beach cleans, helped keep the BBQ areas tidy and ran educational events. Beach Talks talks explored stream life with tamariki and ran workshops on collecting old fishing lines safely using pipes. See you in 2023!
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Yes, you do like tomatoes!
What to do with all that fruit? Well, WRT's Kathy Voyles has a few ideas and this month she's sharing some tried and tested recipes for (fatigued) tomato fans. If you've never tried Gazpacho, now's your chance. You might be surprised by how delicious it is!
Gazpacho Chilled Soup for humid days!
It’s just so humid and this soup is perfect to use up tomatoes and cucumbers. Pop it in the fridge, chill it for a night and serve with croutons and chopped fresh veggies.
Ingredients
Some stale bread - about half a cup
6 large tomatoes
1 peeled seeded cucumber
1 red or green capsicum
Some seasonings, herbs, and a tad of Thai or other chilli sauce.
Olive oil to taste
Balsamic vinegar or a sherry style sweetish vinegar to taste
Croutons to serve (made from rescue bread)
Method
Boil the kettle and put tomatoes in a large heat-proof bowl or pot. Pour the hot water over the tomatoes. Wait 60 seconds and then pour it out and pour cold water over them. The skin should come away from the flesh easily. Remove the hard inner core. Put the fleshy part in a bowl. Throw the skin and core in your compost. Keep the seeds for planting next season if the tomatoes were especially good.
Take the cucumber and peel carefully. Chop it lengthwise and remove seeds with a teaspoon. (Keep the seeds for planting or throw into the compost). Cut the capsicums open, and take out the seeds and white pith. Chop it up or cut it up with kitchen scissors.
Now put all the vegetables in a blender with the stale bread, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pepper and salt and blend well. Add your favourite herbs (a little basil or chives, spring onion), some balsamic vinegar, some Thai chili sauce plus pepper and salt. This is your version of Gazpacho so you are in charge of adding the tastes in. Don’t overdo it (not too much salt or vinegar). Taste it after you have blended to see what else it needs. Lastly, add in ice cubes, mix and chill. Serve the next day, with a swirl of olive oil, some garlic croutons and chopped capsicum and herbs.
Easy-peasey roast tomato sauce
Especially good for soft, damaged tomatoes and makes a great pasta sauce.
Chop a big pile of tomatoes into quarters. Add in chopped onions, some whole cloves of garlic peeled or unpeeled, a spring of rosemary and some peppercorns into a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and using your hands make sure the tomatoes are oiled. You could even drizzle some sherry vinegar on top. Bake at 170 until edges of tomatoes are slightly caramelised or browned. Remove from the oven and cool. Take out the rosemary and blend to a sauce consistency. Taste for seasonings. Either freeze or store in a jar in the fridge for a week.
Salad Caprese
This is so simple and so delicious. All you need are tomatoes, baby mozzarella (can use Feta as well), basil leaves, dark sweet vinegar and olive oil.
Choose a large plate to arrange your salad. Slice the tomatoes thinly and set out on the plate. Slice the mozzarella thinly and place on top of the tomato slices. Dress the salad with pepper, salt, vinegar and olive oil. Use lots of young basil leaves to garnish the salad and serve with crusty rescue bread.
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What to Plant Now: January
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Catch up with Chardy Parkes in the Sustainability Centre Kai Gardens and get some tips on making the most of water in the heat!
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We're open at all traffic lights
Check out the Sustainability Centre traffic light system to adjust your Covid-19 settings when you come for a visit at Red, Orange and Green.
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