Day 98 - Bletsoe Av rep

Lucy D'Aeth has agreed to be the street rep for Bletsoe Av.

Lucy lives in the area.

Lucy will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 97 - Selwyn St (North) rep

Fatima Noori has agreed to be the street rep for Selwyn St North of Brougham St.

Fatima is a recent refugee migrant to New Zealand. Her dad is Afghan and her mum is Nepali so she speaks Hindi, Nepalese, Dari, and Urdu as well as English. Fatima is a 15 year old student at Cashmere High School. Her dad Sayed is helping with transport for Addington Action.

Fatima and her dad Sayed will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 96 - donation of books and toys for kids

Ngai Tahu have donated cartons of children’s books and toys to be distributed in the area. Every food parcel going out to families with young kids will now get some books as well.

Jo McLean dropped them off. Jo is a union organiser for EPMU, a Runanga alternate rep to Ngai Tahu and now the new street rep for Leamington St and Longley Pl.

Day 96 - cost of living survey

Wigram Labour is taking part in the Labour Party's nationwide survey on the cost of living this weekend. It would be great if you could fill in this form so we can better understand how life is for you. Thanks so much, Megan Woods, Labour Party Candidate, Wigram.

Day 95 - help for people in Addington - Spreydon

Addington Action is a working committee made up of a resident from each street, workplace union delegates, church leaders and school principals. It meets monthly to co-ordinate activity and is evolving rapidly. Volunteers are co-ordinated by cell phone text messages.
http://www.addingtonaction.org.nz/p/about.html

Food parcels
0800 Hungry are supplying food parcels each week which are being distributed by Addington Action to hungry families in Addington - Spreydon. Christchurch City Mission has also supplied food which has helped with a very flexible response.

Workplaces
Food parcels are also being distributed via union delegates at Addington workplaces to the families of workers who have greatly reduced income due to the quake. A meeting with the CTU next week will organise this further.

Books and toys
Ngai Tahu have donated children’s books and toys to be distributed in the area

Posters
500 laminated posters are now up on the power poles of 100 streets so residents can easily get help and join in.

Earthquake emergency house repairs
Everyone with a damaged home in Addington - Spreydon should contact Addington Action about arranging emergency repairs. A fast efficient system has been set up to refer people directly to the local EQR hub. It’s working really well.

Repairs to homes of elderly
A plan is underway to organise the repairs needed to the uninsured homes of elderly residents. Fund raising has so far raised $5,500 donated by Rotary. Building supply companies are now being approached for good discounts and volunteer builders organised so that working bees could start in a few weeks. Contact Addington Action if you can help with the repair effort.

Migrants
Community leaders from migrant communities are being actively approached to participate so that these communities don’t become isolated or get a hard time due to the unfolding social disaster.

Vegetable gardens
Christchurch South Community Gardens will be assisting residents establish vegetable gardens from July. More news soon.

Social agencies
Addington Action is working with an increasing number of existing agencies to assist people and avoid duplicating efforts. There is a lot of help out there that people can be referred to.

Street representatives
25 streets in Addington and Spreydon now have a community minded person as the point of contact for their neighbours to Addinton Action.
http://www.addingtonaction.org.nz/p/streets.html

They need to keep an eye out for

• Homes that need emergency repairs
• Is a family in your street going hungry
• People who want to help

Addington Action is able to offer more assistance to residents of streets that have a representative.

Contact Addington Action if you want to help or need help
http://www.addingtonaction.org.nz/p/contact.html

Day 94 - Addington Action gets organised

Yesterday, the committee discussed the earthquake solidarity being organised in the Addington area.

• Food parcel distribution
• Emergency repairs of damaged homes
• A resource kit for all committee members

The demands on the food parcel distribution system are growing. More drivers are needed to transport all the parcels from Bromley to Addington on Tuesdays. Will also need the loan of a truck soon.

Passing over details of homes needing emergency repairs to EQR has been very successful and is ongoing. Fundraising is underway to buy building materials to repair uninsured homes of the elderly. So far $5,500 has been donated by Rotary. Building supply companies will now be approached to get the best discount possible and volunteer builders are now being sought for working bees that could start in a few weeks.

Silt has been recently blocking up the brick sewer pipes at Sacred Heart School. A plastic pipe liner is being inserted to keep them working. It is possible that the winter rising water table is the cause for this event.

There is growing liaison with union delegates from workplaces for food parcels. A meeting with the CTU will be held next week. Addington Action is establishing strong links with all schools and churches of all faiths. Further links with leaders of ethnic communities is being actively pursued.

A resource kit of solutions to issues the committee members face is being developed. 50 3-hole ring binders will be needed to give everyone a personal copy.

The meetings are monthly, last one hour and is made up of a resident from each street, workplace, church and school to co-ordinate activity. Committee membership is currently 25 and is expected to be 40 by the time of the next meeting in a month.

Agenda items for the next meeting so far include

• Encouraging vegetable gardens
• Resident organised local security
• Lost or abandoned pets

Day 93 - Cobham St (East) rep

Lyn Jones has agreed to be the street rep for Cobham St.

Lyn has recently retired and lives on Cobham St.

Lyn will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 92 - Cotterill St rep

Barb Cowan has agreed to be the street rep for Cotterill St.

Barb has a family and lives on Cotterill St.

Barb will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 91 - plight of Filipino immigrant workers

It seems that a growing number of Filipino immigrant workers living in Addington are in a spot of bother because of the earthquake. They are now being told by NZ Immigration Department that their work permits will not be renewed and they have to return to the Philippines.

This is quite unjust, since these workers and their families have sold up everything when they came to NZ to do a job no one else was prepared to do - working in the aged care homes. Addington has large numbers of Filipino families and their kids all go to Sacred Heart School.

From all reports, people who have been cared for by the Filipino workers have nothing to say but praise.

They are victims of the earthquake like everyone else and deserve the right to carry on working in New Zealand. Its not a crime to want a better life for your family.

They are all hard workers, do a great job, most have families of young kids and deserve solidarity.

Filipino volunteers pitched in to help Addington in the aftermath of the Christchurch Earthquake building long drop toilets for the local residents.

If the goverment is allowed to sacrifice one section of the Christchurch community because of the earthquake, who is going to be next!

Day 90 - Hammond Pl rep

Amanda Wallis has agreed to be the street rep for Hammond Pl.

Amanda has a young family and lives on Hammond Pl.

Amanda will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 89 - Family Expo

Today there was a Family Expo hosted by Spreydon Baptist Church on the corner of Lyttleton and Cobham Streets in Spreydon. The free expo ran from 10am till 4pm and was open to the public.

Addington Action had a modest display to find more volunteers willing to help and explain how solidarity is being organised amongst the residents.

Another four people volunteered to join the committee and take on regular responsibilities. [The committee now has 22 active members all pulling their weight]

Representatives from several organisations offering social services made themselves known. As a result meetings will held this coming week to put in place a referral process.

Day 88 - Edinburgh St (East) rep

Charlotte Boyes has agreed to be the street rep for the eastern end of Edinburgh St.

Charlotte is a youth worker and lives on the street.

Charlotte will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 87 - claim deadline May 23

There are 6 days left to make a claim for the 22 February Earthquake

• phone 0800 326 243
• international call +64 4 978 6400 or +64 4 978 6401
• online http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/claims

The deadline for claims is Monday May 23

Day 86 - food parcel distribution working out

A distribution system using volunteers has been put in place to efficiently get food parcels to Addington people who really need it.

The weekly food parcels are very generous in size and also cater for pets. For most people a once off is all that is needed. A donation of $5 is collected to help cover 0800 Hungry or Anglican City Mission overhead costs (phone, rent, fuel).

How it works
Monday noon - Orders received from school principals, churches, street reps and workplace delegates

Monday 4pm - Spreadsheet of weekly orders for Addington emailed to 0800 Hungry

Tuesday - Food Parcels delivered to Addington Action

Wednesday - Food Parcels picked up and distributed by street reps, churches and workplace delegates

Any urgent request for food parcels are quickly meet from a stockpile of canned goods held by Addington Action, till the next weekly order can be arranged. (Thanks to Anglican City Mission)

Seems to be working OK. Thank you everyone who is helping.

Day 85 - November Addington Concert & Fair

The last fair and concert was a great success so it's back by popular demand as "Christmas in the Square"!

The next Addington concert and fair will be held Saturday November 19 in Church Square. The wet weather back up day is Sunday 20.

The event is being organised by Coralie Winn from Gap Filler with assistance so far from Alan Hudson from St Mary's Church and Mike Peters from Addington Action.

More details to come later on.

Day 84 - Whiteleigh Av & Chatham St rep

Phil Nussbaumer has agreed to be the street rep for Whiteleigh Av and Chatham St.

Phil has lived in the area for many years and helped with the building of long drops after the quake.

Phil will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce himself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 83 - Walsall St rep

Tony McDonald has agreed to be the street rep for Walsall St.

Tony was a team leader of the chimney removal and shifting rubble piles effort during the first 18 days after the Christchurch quake.

Tony will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce himself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 82 - Poulson St (East) rep

Florence Preston has agreed to be the street rep for the eastern end of Poulson St.

Florence has lived in the area for many years.

Florence will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 81 - Collins St rep

Alan Hudson has agreed to be the street rep for Collins St.

Alan has lived in the area for many years and is involved in St Mary's Church and many community activities.

Alan will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce himself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 80 - Spencer St rep

Barbara Filmer has agreed to be the street rep for Spencer St.

Barbara has lived in Spencer St for many years, is a retired teacher and helped with much of the behind the scenes organising of Addington Action in the days after the quake.

Barbara will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 79 - Taramea Pl rep

Brendon Pope has agreed to be the street rep for Taramea Pl.

Brendon lives with his family on Taramea Pl, he and his whole family helped after the quake with rubble removal and answering phones for several weeks.

Brendon will be visiting every home on that street to introduce himself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 78 - Poulson St (West) rep

Anthony Watt has agreed to be the street rep for the western half of Poulson St.

Anthony lives in Poulson St with his family, was part of the excellent effort by Addington Coffee Co-op that fed 400 people a day for a week after the quake and is a part of Spreydon Baptist Church

Anthony will be visiting every home on those streets to introduce himself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 77 - all rubble gone

Today all the remaining rubble piles were finally removed by the City Council.

The agreement with Civil Defence was that these piles be put on the road, to protect the footpath from the digger when Civil Defense took them away. One street - one pile! To help disposal or recycling, stuff was separated into 3 tidy piles of

• Rubble
• Wood
• Metal

These 18 piles were for the use only of residents in that street. A list of the piles was sent to Civil Defence on 14/3/2011 so that they could come and remove them. The metal had already been picked up for recycling.

Rubble Piles taken away by council contractors on April 4 and May 9
45 Antigua St
12 Barrie St
49 Burke St
82 Burke St
22 Crohane St
30 Dickens St
84 Harman St
18a Kipling St
262 Lincoln Rd
32 Parlane St
10 Poulson St
65 Ruskin St
118 Ruskin St
340 Selwyn St
14b Spencer St
70 Spencer St
22 Ward St
66 Ward St

Day 74 - Ruskin St rep

Christine Blance has agreed to be the street rep for Ruskin St.

Christine has lived on Ruskin St for many years and runs the Christchurch South Community Gardens in Strictland St.

Christine will be visiting every home on that street to introduce herself and will be able to direct people to resources provided in solidarity via Addington Action.

Day 73 - Anglican Care community workers

Anglican Care has four community workers who are available in the Addington area.

• Kay Gardiner (Family and Community Development Worker)
• Kathryn Byfield (Family and Community Development Worker)
• Rachel Anderson (Family and Community Development Worker)
• Vivienne Jackson (Partnership Health Worker)

Addington Action will be referring people in need to these community workers for one on one assistance.

Just got a phone call from the Christchurch City Council. The remaining rubble piles will be gone by the weekend!

The job today is making up a ring binder resource kit for each Addington Action committee member so they are better equipped to look out for the people on their street.

• how to get emergency repairs
• availability of food parcels
• a map
• other services available
• how to deal with lost pets
• community law centre
• dealing with the council

The kit will be updated at each monthly meeting. A lot of it is just knowing whats going on so they can answer residents questions.

Day 72 - grant from community board

Last night the Spreydon Heathcote Community Board approved a $500 grant to Addington Action.

The funds are to be used for Addington publicity campaigns

• Emergency Repairs available
• Big public meeting where local residents can have their say

As a result of attending the board meeting, a way to get around the complete lack of communication with the council has been put in place. So we should now be able to get more problems solved for Addington residents! Its a really good example of where a community being well organised makes a difference when dealing with authorities.

Day 71 - 0800 Hungry

Addington Action will be delivering food parcels to hungry homes in Addington. The food is being provided by 0800 Hungry Ministries Trust and will be brought to a central distribution place in Addington. Deliveries will then be made on a Tuesday by local residents on the committee to their neighbours in need.

Day 70 - award from Rotary and a donation

Tonight, Rotary Club of Bishopdale Burnside gave a community service award to Addington Action for its Earthquake work. They also gave a $500 donation towards building materials for repairing uninsured homes of elderly residents. Dawne Burns and Ahsan "Ali" Ahmadi received the award on behalf of the 150 volunteers.

Day 69 - bulk food in reserve

Earlier this week Terry and his van turned up from Anglican City Mission with 100 cartons of mainly tinned food. This is being put into storage as an emergency reserve so that Addington Action can flexibly deal with.

• Feeding Red Cross volunteer builders working in the area.
• Make up quick interim food parcels for local residents.
• Help with lunches provided by local schools.
• Food parcels to workers at Addington workplaces organised by a union.
• Help set up homes for families being relocated from the east who have lost everything.
• Another earthquake which knocks out services again, so bulk cooking will be required.

Further supplies have been offered if required. This donation follows 2 earlier deliveries in March which were very useful.