ABOUT US
Maungatapere Village Inc. is a bunch of passionate community members who love our community and are on a mission to make it an even better place to be! The group is always open to new members to join at any time. If you’re keen to get involved, don’t hesitate to get in touch - we’d love to hear from you.
“Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.”
We’re on a journey…
In 2018 Whangārei District Council contacted key community members as part of their new community-led project to talk about whether they saw a need to build community capacity for our region. From these early chats, a seed was planted. A community group began meeting together in late 2018 and early 2019 to canvass local people’s thoughts and ideas about what was important for them and the community. From these meetings, Maungatapere Village Inc. was born.
We’re a bunch of committed volunteers with a wide range of skills and backgrounds, but what unites us is our passion to preserve and promote our awesome community
Our goals
The group met regularly from mid-2019 and ran three focused consultation hui to get community input into our ideas. This helped us understand what was important for our community.
From working with our community a few themes became very apparent:
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Our village doesn't always feel like a village – there’s a lack of green spaces, nowhere for parents with young children to walk safely, and no central place to gather.
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Highways run through the middle of our house - a major concern for locals was the speed limit through our community, the huge number of trucks at the four-way intersection, and pedestrian safety. Cycling these roads, or walking to school or using them for exercise is
difficult or impossible.
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We don’t feel connected - our community craves connection and wants to stay up to date on what is happening in the area. There are various forms of communication but nothing that is community-wide, catering for everyone.
In early 2020 we gave a presentation to Whangārei District Council and successfully established the Community-Led Project to help fund what’s been identified as important by our community for our community.
What we're working on
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Communication is key. Our goal is to help create a village feeling for our community so
people are up to date and feel connected to each other. So to help better connect us we’ve set up a Facebook Page, a Newsletter and this website.
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Beautification is more than just murals or pretty spaces. It helps create a feeling of togetherness and also lets motorists know that people live here and that we have pride in our village – so please slow down!
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We know that our area is desperate for safe spaces to walk and play – especially for families with young children. We are investigating options for recreation in our community.
Support from Whangārei District Council has also helped us employ a part-time coordinator to help deliver some of our projects because busy volunteers only have so many hours in the day.
What else is happening
Outside of our major project, the conversations with the community have been a catalyst and several new initiatives have been set up, including a community noticeboard, Lilliput library, several murals, and a community pātaka kai (food pantry).
Our community has been very generous, offering resources, expertise, time, plants, and even land.
With our people leading the community-driven change we want to see, we know we are making a positive difference now and for the generations to come.
Get Involved
If you’re interested in getting involved and supporting our work – whether it’s as a committee member, sponsor, or you have skills you are happy to donate please get in touch. We are always looking for fresh ideas and keen community members to lend a hand or get involved.
We’d love to hear from you!
Your support for your community starts here
We are a non-profit community group.
All profits from membership and website listings are used to support our work (like this website).
We'd love to have you join us!
