Waitati

The open day in Waitati: The Waitati community even made their own sign!Well we’re back at the camp ground in St Kilda after another good day out spreading the change. Sally is working on the presentation for tomorrow’s school visit and we’re getting some food on. Tonight we’re being the change by eating some good local produce that Jo bought at the Otago Farmers Market yesterday. Buying local is good because locally grown produce is transported only short distance and therefore incurs less ‘carbon miles’.

Most people have an awareness of climate change but over in Waitati today we found a small pocket of particularly well informed people. In the Waitati hall when we got there, the local community were setting up their own climate solutions displays to compliment ours. Instead of just us and the Be The Change bus it was a veritable climate action bazaar!

There’s some really good things happening in Waitati. Kirsty showed us her GIS mapping of potential sea level rise in the area. Scott told us about his pilot project with Otago University Energy Research Centre tracing the implication of energy policy into communities. They aim to reduce energy consumption by improving energy policy initiatives and promoting small scale energy production more appropriate to communities. Power House Wind told us about their small scale wind turbine enterprise. They aim to "establish small wind turbines as an energy appliance for the distributed energy revolution" and they’re hoping to enable more and more people to go ‘off the grid’ – generate all their electricity needs from the power of the wind.

Great stuff Waitati!

A Waitati welcome: The Waitati folk welcomed us in by 'taking a pop at climate apathy'I’ve had some good welcomes in my time but the one we got in Waitati is certainly amongst the most memorable. We were welcomed into the settlement with a salute from a home made potato firing cannon. Has to be seen to be believed but this photo gives you some idea…

A little Waitati background from Wikipedia
For many years the settlement has been known for its appeal to alternative lifestylers. The Waitati Militia, a non-lethal warfare group, was founded here, and the village featured in the history of the Values Party, Mushroom magazine and anti Vietnam war and Aramoana aluminium smelter protests, as well as the development in New Zealand of Environmental education.

Waitati has no sewerage system, and has become a centre in New Zealand for the development of composting toilets and other alternative sewage disposal systems. Some villagers are edible garden and alternative energy enthusiasts. [ref]

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Waitati settlement check out the very fine local publication – The Blue Skin News

- Nick