Waitati

Waitati is a small community, 20 kms north of Dunedin and Dunedin North on Blueskin Bay - just over the hill from Port Chalmers. Waitati is nestled among other small coastal communities, and functions as a 'hub' Blueskin Bay community. Blueskin is a zone of linked coastal communities, a bounded energy zone (around the Waitati Substation), a diverse food production area, and a geographical area bounded by hills and the sea. There are about 1000 households in all the Blueskin area and 200 of those comprise the settlement of Waitati.

We're a small community with a lot of ommph. There's a long history of trying out alternatives and starting initiatives for sustainability and environmental awareness. In 2006 we began thinking more precisely about Peak Oil, Climate Change and managing the challenges. Since then, much has happened in an increasingly structured way, while still remaining incredibly creative and diverse. Now in 2012 the BIG but by no means only project, is the Blueskin Energy Project - aiming to achieve New Zealand's first community owned and developed wind cluster, and provide a social enterprise vehicle for community benefit.

We've got many plans and initiatives, and we do 'Blue Sky Visioning' to help us get there.

The Key Transition Initiatives

The Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust provides governance and support for transition initiatives

Blueskin Energy Project has much voluntary energy focussed on building a more energy resilient, efficient and healthy community and is the key funded action area for BRCT

The Waitati Edible Gardens (Weggies) group encourages and promotes a community food web

The Get the Train initiative aims to re-establish a commuter rail service

The Blueskin Low Oil Commuting group was launched on 10/10/10 to reduce local hydrocarbon use via low oil transport

Other Important Social/Alt/Enviro Institutions and or sites

• Mushroom Magazine was founded and printed in Waitati until 1985 (it is in print, not online at all - only this)
• The Waitati Film Society is a key Waitati institution
• The Orokonui Ecosantuary is now established and open to the public
• Our local library (Blueskin Bay Library) is an information and activity hub, along with the hall
• Blueskin Baywatch is a group interested in promoting appropriate land-use and planning. See Lee's blog
• The Blueskin News keeps us informed, both in the electronic format and free (more comprehensive) print version
• Waitati School is an Enviro School and is where many of our youth begin to appreciate the challenges we all face and certainly learn about gardening, energy, the environment, community and much more
• W3 Rideshare is an informal rideshare system for the Northern Districts
• The East Otago Walking-Cycling Network aims to build a foot and pedal pathway network encompassing Blueskin Bay
• The Blueskin Youth Centre Administration is a local committee aiming to build resources for Blueskin youth
• Blueskin 10:10 was a local campaign for 2010 supporting the global 10:10 campaign
• Waitati Neighbourhood Support fosters community spirit and addresses local issue

Fundraising

The Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust board is a volunteer board and BRCT is a charitable trust.

The trust seeks to maintain a funded community office based in Waitati. The trust aims to build an eco-social business model to sustain community transition/development goals while maintaining existing services.

BRCT is a registered NZ charity (Registration number CC42634) and accepts donations to support our community work. A copy of our audited financial statement for the year ending March 31st 2011 can be obtained by phoning the BRCT manager on (03) 4822048 during normal working hours. Any support, whether financial or in-kind, is appreciated and will be noted in our annual accounts and/or annual report.

Waitati Energy Project/Blueskin Energy Project Columns

This page is a collection of WEP monthly Columns. The column provides the public face to WEP action locally and is a partial log of activities.

Blueskin Resilient Community Trust: Columns

(Click the link)

Here is a page of BRCT columns as they've appeared in the Blueskin News.

New Zealand Network of Action

Since receiving Hikurangi Support in August 2009, BRCT has been working with other key groups around New Zealand. Our collaboration has the goal of develop and deliver action, develop common strategy, learn more about what works and what doesn't and get greater access to expertise, mentoring and inspiration. Take a look at these dynamic hubs for action on Climate Change.

Forum and Discussion

It is not just here at Waitati, though there are many diverse activities here. Related things are happening in our general Dunedin area. The Dunedin Area Forum is where different forum topics relating to the greater Dunedin Area is located, and is interactive - an open space for discussion. Other than that, you could go to the different transition initiatives (their pages) in Dunedin: so far Dunedin North, Port Chalmers, and Dunedin, and expanding! (Actually, expanding along the East Coast of Otago - have a look at the East Otago Transition Collaboration discussion, emerging as a project based regional grouping of Transition initiatives to make things happen).

In the Media

The Blueskin News is 'our' news, and then there's...

• Otago Daily Times, on Waitati, snow and sharing resilience, 25th July, 2011
• Otago Daily Times, on the Fickle Winds of Change for Waitati, 11 June 2011.
• Science Express - Electricity futures for New Zealand, Dr Morgan Williams on Energy, 7 April 2011
• Radio New Zealand, a wee mention of WEP in Chris Laidlaw's interview with Jinty Mctavish, 10 April 2011
• Radio New Zealand, on Community-owned power, 13 March 2011
• Otago Daily Times, on the MoU between BRCT and Our Wind Limited, 10 March 2011
• Otago Daily Times, on the Blueskin Energy Park idea, 5 Jan 2011
• Otago Daily Times, on energy partner Powerhouse Wind's turbine in Waitati, 5 Jan 2011
• Otago Daily Times, on BRCT's new Patron, 1 Dec 2010
• Scoop, mentioning the Blueskin Power project, 4 Nov 2010
• Otago Daily Times (not quite correct) on the Climate Change Hikoi 8 October 2010
• Otago Daily Times, on Get The Train's Waitati Train, 23 September 2010
• Otago Daily Times, on WEP 'Blueskin Power' turbine project, 7 May 2010
• The Timaru Herald, on Waitati Energy Project, 27 April 2010
• Otago Daily Times, on Waitati Commuter Train and Port Chalmers Transition, 9 March 2010
• Otago Daily Times, on Waitati Commuter Train for March, 3rd Feb, 2010
• Otago Daily Times, on Eco-hero awards and Spring Festival, 26th October, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on the Blueskin Youth Centre Administration's ambitions for youth
• Otago Daily Times, on our Wind Turbine ambitions, 23 September, 2009
• Otago Daily Times on Car Free Day train (from Waitati), 23 September, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on submissions to the ORC's 10-year transport plan, 29 June, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on the petition to reinstate the train, Thursday 30th April, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on Powerhouse Wind's Waitati trials, Wednesday 29th April, 2009
• Electrical + Automation Technology, on the WEP, April/May 2009
• Channel Nine News, on Waitati Energy Project's Retrofit Rollout, Friday 27th March, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on Waitati Energy Project's Retrofit Rollout, Saturday 28th March, 2009
• Otago Daily Times, on Powerhouse Wind's trials, Saturday 20th December, 2008
• Otago Daily Times, 'Your News', on the WEP, Thursday, 27th November, 2008
• Otago Daily Times on the WEP, Friday, 8th August, 2008
• Otago Daily Times, General
• TV3, on Powerhouse Wind in Waitati, 15th June, 2008
• Otago Daily Times on W3, Sat. 21st June,
• The Star, Community Newspaper, on Sustainable Waitati, 27th September, 2007