‘Give it a go, bro’ … this slogan was the key concept that came out of an eutrepreneurial summit designed to produce five ideas for boosting national productivity. The slogan is meant to encourage people to approach the challenges of life in New Zealand today with a more positive attitude. Check out this
NZ Herald story for more details of the meeting. For me this raises the question of what role Happyzine has to play in assisting an increase of positive and creative thought processes throughout Aotearoa. This ezine is a great forum for positive news, but with a subscription base of 180 subscribers, it’s not even touching the tip of what’s possible. How do you think Happyzine could be of greater service to New Zealand?
Email me with your suggestions on this topic.Please don’t be shy, I’d love to know what you think.
Charlotte Squire
Good News Roundup
Te reo Maori is
mov’n with the times, the words ‘Aotearoa’, ‘whanau’ and ‘kia ora’ are now part of Telecom’s mobile phone dictionary (NZPA).
What are you doing for the
forty hour famine? Two things
these students won’t be doing is using their their cell phones or the internet (The Timaru Herald).
Perhaps they’ll venture out doors, into the snow. Queenstown is facing a
great ski season, the pre-season snow is building up nicely (Stuff.co.nz).
Need something built before winter settles in? The
good news is that these days you needn’t wait a month for help with your roof, they turn up promptly (Taranaki Daily Times).
New Plymouth based Gwen Herbert has seen her share of winters – from being raised by her widowed mother during the depression, to nursing during the war, to becoming an active member of her community. She’s one of our beloved
Elders –
check out her story (Taranaki Daily News).
More good news about
music – the award winning quartet Musical Island Boys are
lending their talents to the Napier Arts Festival this week (The Timaru Herald).
New Zealand based, Iceland born, singer/songwriter Hera Hjatardottir is being sponsored by the New Zealand Music Industry Commission to
mentor music in schools (The Timaru Herald).
Onto home grown
food, do you like to meet the
people who made it or grew it? It’s just become easier in Marlborough. A new winter twilight market is all set to go (The Marlborough Express).
Let’s pull back to the broader subject of
social change. According to
Ode Magazine the key word today is
‘self organisation’. Making things happen it’s no longer about doing what you’re told to do, but giving what ever you feel you can towards the greater good. Take take
Wikipedia as a prime example – this online community based encyclopedia exists because thousands of people freely share their knowledge and time to provide information for users of the world-wide web.
Check out the
BEGIN programme – using the tool of
opera, it’s helping visually impaired children to find their voice, work within a team and generally build self esteem (CNN).
More good news on the
environmental front – the Kiwi, the Takahe and the South Island Robin will be
reintroduced into the Orokonui Ecosanctuary next year thanks to funding from the New Zealand Government (Otago Daily Times).
Five years ago only the optimists would have seen this coming: The New Zealand government has
committed thirty six million dollars to
domestic biofuel companies over the next three years (The Marlborough Express)
Finally, this year’s
whale migration has begun in New Zealand and DoC are
asking the public to call in with sightings (the Marlborough Express)
Got another spare five minutes? Check out the Happyzine blog.
Voices of our community