Timebanks a gift to community

PAY FORWARD: Timebanking founder Edgar (centre) spoke in Masterton on August 31 before NZ First deputy leader Ron Mark and Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson.

An advocate of "timebanking" in Wairarapa says the movement could strengthen the region to prepare for difficult times.

Helen Dew last week spoke to Carterton District Council about using timebanking as part of a 'Resilient Communities' programme.

Mrs Dew was invited to speak to the council after making a submission on its Long Term Plan to seek funding for a programme which would help to strengthen ties between community groups.

She says Resilient Communities is run under the umbrella of registered charity Living Economies.

Mrs Dew says a strong community is one that is able to look after itself in a time of crisis.

"You find what you need to be a community, and then ask 'What amongst that can we do for ourselves?' -- which means we cut down on travel and transport costs.

Food is one of these essentials, Mrs Dew said, hence the importance of Farmers Markets, one of which recently started in Carterton.

"It's a case of supporting these locally; the tourists are just the cherry on the cake."

Labour is another essential.

"That's where time banking comes in."

Mrs Dew said society is "moving away from the monetarisation of people's energy to the gifting of energy".

"People who earn time very often use very little of it on themselves. You don't have to worry too much about balancing the books."

Mrs Dew said when an organisation uses timebank labour, it creates something that is not so much a debt than "a record of the gift those people have got to make to the community -- there's the potential for expanding what they do".

"They can grow their team ... it's a record of the gifts those people have got to make to the community".