Good Lives Wairarapa

04/12/2025

WREMO (Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office) have just launched their new emergency preparedness guide for disabled people.

Project Lead Renee Santos says "this guide has been developed by and for disabled people and its whole purpose is to make it easier for disabled people to plan for and get through emergencies in ways that work for them. It’s the first step in a bigger project responding to what we’ve known for a long time: disabled people face disproportionate impacts during disasters, and things only improve when disabled people lead the planning, design and decision-making.

"The framework behind the guide is based on Person-Centred Emergency Planning (P-CEP), originally co-designed in Australia by Associate Professor Michelle Villeneuve and Collaborating for Inclusion. We’ve taken that foundation and, with your support, reshaped it for Aotearoa using the strengths, insights and lived experience of disabled people across the motu."

Renee will introduce the guide at the Wairarapa Disability Expo in February.

Alternate accessible formats and editable PDFs will be available in 2026, led by the National Emergency Management Agency. You can find more information about emergencies on their website: Get Ready Alternate formats

24/10/2025

Here’s the link

Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

13/10/2025

Waste Wonders got off to a great start last week with lots of interest in making compost. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Steff is back to show us how to make our own fertilise from banana skins, egg shells and coffee grounds, amongst other things. See you there - Ngahere O Te Ora Haumanu Community Garden Carterton, 10 to 11.30.

25/09/2025

We had a great turn out today at Ngahere O Te Ora Haumanu Community Garden Carterton. The Good Lives team gave the garden a spruce up and completed some spring planting as well as accepted a generous load of compost from Mitre 10. Then we had a pretty serious BBQ lunch! Well done to the gardeners, painters and cooks!

10/09/2025

Good Lives Wairarapa is partnering with Steff Willmore from Divine River to bring you "Waste Wonders - crafting change from what we throw away": a series of free workshops at the Carterton Community Garden - Ngahere o te Ora Haumanu, on Wednesdays from 8 October to 26 November. Supported by the Carterton District Council Waste Minimisation Fund. Registration not required. All welcome.

04/09/2025

A different day today for the cooking group. Tash our tutor introduced us to her real job as art educator at Aratoi Museum of Art and History in Masterton and what a great time we had! Who knew we had such a talented group of artists and art enthusiasts. Today's art session had a Japanese theme linked to the awesome exhibition in the main gallery, Futatsu no Sekai (Two Worlds). Thanks Tash. We'll be back for more.

02/09/2025

Remarkable about turn on disability funding by the government. It would appear that all our submissions actually worked. Great news for disabled people on personal budgets. The announcement appears to apply to funding more broadly than simply access to respite care.

Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says a rule introduced last year that limited support for parents and carers will be removed from next year.

01/09/2025

A new resource from Flying Kites

A step-by-step guide to help people with disabilities navigate a change in living situation, particularly when that move is towards greater independence.

08/08/2025

Not to be missed. Lock in the date.

IDEA Services Wairarapa are proud to be hosting Te Ngakautaki o nga Kahui-maunga Kapa Haka Festival.

This free festival will be held at the Wairarapa Events Centre 20th November 9am-4pm, and we would love you to come watch.

25/07/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19XFCRg9Aq/

Have you heard about “space weather”?

Space weather is when the sun gives out a lot of energy all at once. Space weather is sometimes called a solar storm.

You can now find Easy Read information on the Get Ready website called “What you can do to be ready for space weather”. https://er.getready.govt.nz/emergency/space-weather

You can find lots of other Easy Read information about how to get ready and what to do in emergencies like earthquakes, flooding or bad weather: https://er.getready.govt.nz/

Thank you to National Emergency Management Agency, NZ Civil Defence for working closely with the Make it Easy service to create these Easy Read resources.