Lower Hutt Field Trip

SoPac:

And we're back!  We've just spent one week on the North Island in the greater Wellington region as the field component of our Sustainable Community Development course.  The aim of the week was to see how some of the principles and theory of community development is put into practice in a real life New Zealand setting. 

The week was filled with guest lecturers and site visits. Some included meeting the mayor and community development team of the Hutt City Council, attending a lecture on the politics of global climate change at Victoria University, and hearing various speakers on the topic of the NZ prison system.

One of the highlights was visiting Billy Graham's Nae Nae Boxing Club. Billy is a great example of an ordinary citizen doing extraordinary work to better his community.  A Nae Nae local, Billy takes young men into his boxing club and uses the medium of sport to build their character.  He is an inspiration, to say the least. 

Kameron and Noah (Westmont) take a shot at each other under the instruction of Billy Graham.

Throughout the trip we stayed at two different maraes, Maori meeting houses.  We were fortunate enough to hear some of their unique stories and learn from them.  A special thanks to the people of Te Kakano and Orangomai for your hospitality and love. 

Emma Jane (Kitchen Manager) at the door of Te Kakano o Te Aroha Marae in Lower Hutt. 

Friday was a free day to explore Wellington City, and many took the opportunity to visit Zealandia, the Karori wildlife sanctuary.  The songs of the tui, bellbird, hihi, whitehead, saddleback, and other native birds filled our ears in a remarkable glimpse of what the forests may have sounded like a few hundred years ago. 

Takahe, a remarkable flightless bird, in the the Karori Sanctuary.