Whitebait stand

As intimated in the last issue we now own a whitebait stand on the Aparima River. This stand is being used fairly regularly by whānau, albeit with mixed fortunes. Those whānau who have used the stand so far have found the people from the surrounding stands and the general whitebait community to be really supportive and helpful.

The stand is available for whānau to use throughout the season. If you wish to use the stand you will need to fill out a booking form. You will also be required to read and acknowledge our whitebaiting health and safety documentation and have an induction. These forms sum up our expectations, and your responsibilities as a user.

This paperwork only has to be done once during the season. To be fair to everybody bookings can only be made two weeks in advance. If we have multiple requests for prime tides we will ballot out those periods. So come on whānau, what could be better than a few hours on the awa catching a feed of whitebait?

Health and safety

As some of you may be aware there have been substantial changes to the health and safety legislation. On 4 April 2016, the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) came into force bringing with it new responsibilities for everyone in the workplace. These changes affect everybody and as a result we have reviewed our health and safety policies and implemented a few changes to the way we work.

This is particularly relevant for whānau and other groups requesting to use the marae or any of our other facilities for specific events or hui. In some cases you may well be asked to complete a Hazard Risk Assessment that is specific to your activities and any potential risks associated with those activities. This document works in conjunction with the existing hazard register. Don’t worry we can and will help you with this at the time of booking. We now also have a registered fire evacuation scheme at the marae. This is a legal requirement. What this means is that we need to have trial evacuations every six months. We have been working closely with the NZ Fire Service Māori Liaison Officer Paki Johnston on this and have already run our first fire evacuation.

There are also responsibilities regarding the role of the fire warden. It is necessary to have an appointed fire warden when the marae is in use. It has been decided that the simplest way to run this is that the hirer becomes the fire warden for that event. This is not an onerous task and the duties are explained in the fire warden folder which is stored on site. This role will be explained in fuller detail at the time of induction. At other times (such as the general monthly meeting) when staff are present, a fire warden will be appointed and this will be conveyed to those present prior to the event commencing.

So whānau, this affects everybody and each of us has a shared responsibility to ensure we keep ourselves and others around us safe. Please embrace these new changes and let’s all work together to achieve a safe working environment.

Ngā Taonga programme

Please remember our Ngā Taonga programme for tamariki. This exciting initiative runs on the same days as the general monthly hui. Those tamariki who attended the first few have really enjoyed the experience.

Holiday home in Te Anau

Did you know that we have a comfortable house for whānau to rent in Te Anau? This property sleeps eight and is located in the heart of the town. It is within walking distance of all amenities and only a short distance from many of the tourist opportunities the region has to offer. Please contact the office for further details or to make a booking.

Volunteers

We are always looking for volunteers to help out with the varied projects and commitments that we have. There are many diverse roles that we need help with including: representation on boards or appointment panels, helping with bird transfers, assisting at the marae or working in the nursery or wetlands and many more. If you are keen to play a more active role within the rūnaka please contact us here at the office to discuss the options.

Contact details

We are progressively updating our membership database to improve the quality of our information. So if you or any of your whānau have moved house or changed email address or phone numbers then please let us know as soon as possible.

Communication with whānau

We are looking at ways to improve our communications with whānau and are exploring different ways to get the word out there about what is going on.

We have created an opportunities page on Facebook. This page will carry details of any opportunities for our members such as, details of scholarships, bird transfers, vacancies for representatives on various boards and much more. The link below will take you to this page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oraka-Aparima-Runaka-opportunity-pages/1615071675378752

In the interim we will continue to send you emails, however if you no longer wish to receive emails please let us know.