News from the Valley

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 …

Thank you for your interest in the Garden Star program. Please fill out the form to calculate your garden biodiversity rating. By completing and submitting this form, you'll be eligible for a FREE VOUCHER to purchase two native plants from Ribbonwood Nursery. You can submit the form by emailing it to openvue@northeastvalley.org or you can print it out and drop it to the Valley Project office at 262 North Road. 

"I think it was a success! Sarah seemed to get a lot of notes and contacts from those present. Interest seemed quite high." Peter Begg, Secretary of the Dunedin North Men's Probus Club, was pleased to see the community response to the second instalment of NEV history talks presented by local historian, Sarah Gallagher, and listing advisor, Alison Breese. "We are always working hard to become more involved in the community," Peter ensures.  It was a full house of 50-plus guests at last month's meeting which served as another 'step' in collaborations with Heritage New Zealand to rebuild our …

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 …

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 …

Take part in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey!! 26 June to 4 July It’s coming up to a time of year that I love, when I wrap up warm and find a nice possie in my backyard to sit for an hour just watching and counting which birds come and visit. I also find it’s a great time to reflect on all of the other wonderful things about my backyard – the harakeke (flax) that when flowering attracts tūī and korimako (bellbirds) and the koromiko (hebe), which often has tauhou (silvereyes) and insects bouncing around it; or the …

A NEW addition to the Valley Project team, a New Zealand Falcon, or kārearea in Te Reo Māori, can be found enhancing the entrance to the car park on North Road. This beautiful mural, painted by Bruce Mahalski from the Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery signifies all of the amazing biodiversity found within the North East Valley and surrounding suburbs. His image is inspired by a photograph by Keith Payne. But, why the kārearea, and why is it so special? We have heard many stories from local community members remarking on the wonderful and fierce nature of the …

Open VUE will be propagating native plants from seed and cuttings collected right here in the Lindsay Creek Catchment! We are practicing a loose definition of the term, “Ecosourcing”. Ecosourcing strictly speaking means collecting wild seed from original source populations. Collecting seed from sources that have been growing here for hundreds or thousands of years will produce offspring that are more likely to survive as they have adapted to the local conditions. However, in the urban environment, this can be a little difficult. We would love any seed collected from original or regenerating forest or trees growing on properties …

The infamous Crush the Cargill kicked off Saturday 12th December at 10am with 86 humans and 7 doggos embarking on the trail with 24 hours to get as many laps under their belts as possible. For those who aren’t familiar Crush the Cargill is a 24 hour race that sees participants running, or walking, up and down the mountain as many times as they can. Mount Cargill, also known as Kapukataumahaka, is a volcanic outcrop and has an elevation of 680m, A singular lap of this race is 8.5km, starting at Bethunes Gully and stretching to the summit and …

Recognised through-out the world as the toughest, highest, longest 24-hr race since Pheidippides did not exist, since Adam wasn’t a boy, and since bread was sliced. The 24-hour fundraising race sees participants running, or walking, as many times as they can to the summit of Mount Cargill and back down again. The races’ inception came about by a group of running buddies contemplating crazy challenges for themselves over beers. The annual Crush the Cargill event is all set to commence at 10am on the 12th of December. Crush the Cargill and The Valley Project are about getting people together …

How about taking a ramble for the holidays? With the days becoming longer and warmer, I feel the pull of exploring the outdoors becoming much stronger. With the school holidays and warm spring weather, I find myself with some spare time to spend outside. Chingford Park up North Road offers plenty of opportunity to satisfy my craving for the outdoors. Lindsay Creek, running through the heart of Chingford Park and the Valley itself is particularly alluring as the sight and sound of the water flowing across the river-bed has a calming effect. The creek is also home to many …