Jo Shanks, from Kaitāia’s Te Pokapu tiaku tiao Far North Environment Centre, helps others get creative and divert tonnes of fabric from going to the tip, at Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions at the centre. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
Jo Shanks, from Kaitāia’s Te Pokapu tiaku tiao Far North Environment Centre, helps others get creative and divert tonnes of fabric from going to the tip, at Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions at the centre. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
If it wasn’t for the efforts of an interactive Kaitāia recycling project, tonnes of fabric would go to the tip.
Instead, the Far North Environment Centre’s Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions are taking that material and converting it into colourful and creative new items for people to use again.
Jo Shanks runs the sessions out of the centre’s Bank St premises, and gives advice and help to others to work on the materials so they have another life in the community, rather than just going to the landfill.
Many children come to the sessions, where Shanks and volunteers teach them sewing and other skills so they can create their own garments from the donated fabric. There’s also plenty of education and advice on recycling and other environmentally sound practices.
Shanks said the organisation’s mantra was “rethink, repair, reuse”, and she was proud of the efforts made by those attending the sessions to do their bit to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
“It’s called waste because it’s just a waste of resources. Here we can reuse those resources and create exciting items from things that would have otherwise just gone to waste,” she said.
“If we didn’t use it, it would all go to the tip, and that would just be a total waste of something we can use.”
Tomomi Saito and daughters Kayami Atkinson, 9, and Miwa Atkinson, 7, enjoy making new things from old fabric at Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions in Kaitāia. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
Every week she gets about 12 wheelie bins of fabrics from just one of Kaitāia’s op shops, and as well as the recycling, some of the fabric was to be used to make insulation to put into Far North properties so they became warmer and healthier homes.
Shanks said while the sessions had a serious and important role — reducing waste to landfill — they were also about making contacts, learning new skills and, ultimately, having fun.
“We want people to have fun here — it’s all about the fun — and we have plenty of giggles. It’s great for the kids to learn new skills and feel they are making a difference with our environment. A lot of people feel that they cannot do much to help the environment, but it’s all about everybody doing what they can, and this is a small thing that makes a big difference.”
Mum Tomomi Saito takes daughters Kayami Atkinson, 9, and Miwa Atkinson, 7, to the sessions and they all love the chance to learn new skills and make new items.
“We really like coming here. They [the girls] love it here. They are learning to make their own things and new skills. I no longer have my parents to teach them skills like sewing , and they are very helpful here,” Saito said.
“Jo is amazing and this is a nice social place to come to meet people and learn things.”
Dinnie Tepania with the peace dress she’s making at Far North Environment Centre’s Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions. She’s got back into sewing at the sessions and this is the first dress she has made for many years. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
She had a bit of advice to anyone at a loose end who wanted to learn new skills and divert items from the rubbish dump: “Absolutely come along. You will enjoy it too.”
Dinnie Tepania said she had not made anything for years before coming to the sessions. She’s just completed a colourful peace dress.
Tepania said the sessions helped her make new friends and to upskill.
But the daily clothing rescue sessions are just a small part of what the centre does, with a repair cafe held once a month, and community gardening behind the community house at 12 Puckey Ave on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is also a variety of programmes coming up, including a fungi adventure that has a search for winter fungi, composting, and crafting reusables from plastic.
For more details of what the centre provides, go to www.ecocentre.co.nz or check out the EcoCentreKaitaia Facebook page.
Kaitāia’s Anō Anō (Again Again) night sessions — with the mantra "rethink, repair reuse" — diverts tonnes of fabric from the tip into items that can be used again. The fabrics are stored by colour for ease of use. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
