Kia ora, from the RECAP team. 

Christmas Hampers 

RECAP are working with representatives from the Ashhurst Memorial RSA and the Ashhurst Food Bank again this year to provide hampers of Christmas food for some of our community. 

We have a box in the window of the Ashhurst Community Library (look for the tinsel!) for donations of various shelf stable items for these hampers.

Items we would like are: Christmas puddings, Christmas mince tarts, chocolate biscuits, fizzy drink, juice, passionfruit syrup, tinned fruit and chocolates. Contributions can be placed in the box during library opening hours.

If you have any questions about the Christmas Hampers, you can contact Marianne on 027 627 2054 or chris@recap.org.nz

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Some info from the Emergency Preparedness Seminar we held on September 6th. We have left some resources at the library including a new guide for lifestyle block owners in our area. The library has a reference copy and also info on how to download it. Our local fire department does home visits where they assess fire risk and advise on what you can do to minimise these risks. You can contact them directly to enquire about this free service. RECAP will be following up with the PNCC to create a list of community groups and volunteers and to gather resources to aid in our community response to any future emergency situation. If you’d like to be involved please contact us. For those in Pohangina, you can contact: pohanginaemergencyresponse@gmail.com 

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Ruahine Whio Protection Trust fundraising calendars for 2024

These are $20 and have beautiful photography from a number of  local photographers. To purchase a calendar and support the trust with the vital work they do, please contact: A.vanbrunt@xtra.co.nz

A message from chairperson Janet Wilson: 

“The Ruahine Whio Protection Trust raises funds to support the volunteer led trapping work helping to  protect  the endangered Whio (Blue Duck) population in the Ruahine Range, particularly on the western side. Your support is now even more appreciated as we no longer have Department of Conservation funding via their Community Conservation Fund.  Volunteers work hard locally in the Oroua and Pohangina Rivers which hold the southernmost whio population in the North Island”.      

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Ngā mihi nui to Noel Birchall for building and donating the beautiful Tui feeder in the community garden next to the library. It’s been super popular with our feathered friends. And another ngā mihi nui to Ross and Jill at the library for keeping the feeder full!

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We'd like to give also give a quick signal boost to landbasedtraining.co.nz

They facilitate a number of excellent educational opportunities, from short entry level courses to more in depth learning on a number of topics (agriculture/horticulture/apiculture/pest control and more).

They are currently enrolling students for their level four Sustainable Primary Production course, which includes some permaculture based content. As RECAP/Slow Farm are not offering the Permaculture Design Course at present, this is a fantastic local alternative.

This course is FEES FREE if you enrol before September 30th 2023 (enrolments after this date will have a fee of $490) and can be done full time or part time.

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The last RECAP Crop Swap for the year is Saturday October 28th from 11am-1pm  at the Ashhurst library. This is a free sharing event, where you don't need to give in order to take or vice versa. It’s a great spot to bring the fruit from the trees you can't keep up with or to offload some of your glut or excess seedlings. Or just show up to collect the bounty from other gardens. There is often a lot of great kōrero on various gardening topics, so bring your questions, too.

To be on our newsletter database, please email info@recap.org.nz with your email address.

Noho ora mai

chris@recap.org.nz

www.recap.org.nz

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The Ashhurst Community Library is home to the Ashhurst Sharing shelf. This is a place to share any excess food or gardening items. We ask that you please refrain from leaving any other items, and do not leave food products that need refridgeration, or that are past their best before dates.

This sharing shelf is attached to the garage in the library garden, just behind the picket fence and sheltered from the weather. This is to the left of the garden gates once you enter.

As part of its ongoing commitment to building resilience and engaging the community, RECAP members have created this facility and will oversee its use.  Please make use of the shelved with these requests in mind:

Share your excess
Reduce waste
Only take what you can use
Clean up rotting produce
Keep it tidy

Waste produce will be composted if not taken.  

Follow The Ashhurst Sharing Shelf on facebook for updates on what's on the shelf.

Each year we aim to offer a range of workshops, seminars, talks and films that are grounded in the Permaculture ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share

Over the last few years we have run workshops on an ever increasing list of subjects. These are open to all, and are either free or well subsidised.

We run three annual workshops: summer pruning, winter pruning and composting.

Some of the workshops, seminars and volunteer opportunities we have offered: solar power, sourdough, seed harvesting & processing, seed sowing, foraging, espalier trees, public clean ups and stream cleaning, drought proofing your garden, natural building, rainwater tanks, backyard poulty keeping, beginner gardening, berm gardening, zero and low waste living, soap making and many, many more.

RECAP is committed to providing education around sustainability and resilience and dedicated to increasing community connectivity in Ashhurst and Pohangina.

Please email us on info@recap.org.nz if you would like to receive our monthly mail out, or like us on facebook to keep up to date with what we are offering

Did you know that RECAP has a seed library within the Ashhurst Community Library?

It is free to register to use for Ashhurst & Pohangina residents and you are able to access 3 packets per month. 

If you save seeds from your garden and have enough to share we would gratefully accept them to distribute. Please contact info@recap.org.nz or drop them off to our wonderful librarians (with as much information about the seeds as you can provide us) and we can package them up and label them for our community.

As we wish for people to be able to continue to collect seeds from their plants, we only ask that you don't donate hybrid seeds (if you have any bought packets it should tell you on the label).