The flourishing communities of Opotiki, Porirua

The flourishing communities of Opotiki, Porirua and Whangarei

The Mental Health Foundation is encouraging all New Zealanders to play their part in looking after their mental health and by doing so helping create a society where all people flourish.

Throughout the week the Foundation has been releasing articles highlighting flourishing communities from around the country. Today, the stories of Opotiki, Porirua and Whangarei are being shared.

In Opotiki, a recent mural project has seen hundreds of local youth create 16 murals around the town.

The artworks not only brighten the city but have helped improve civic pride and reduce graffiti. Each of the designs reflects Opotiki and its people. Some incorporate cultural symbols or historical events whilst others reflect the lifestyle of the residents.

The residents of Opotiki got behind the murals with family members bringing lunch for those painting and others putting in extra time at weekends because they wanted to create a quality artwork.

To read more about the Opotiki Murals project please visit http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/newsletters/view/article/21/287/2010/.

Anyone spending time in Porirua can’t fail to notice people walking the streets in lime green uniforms.

The wearers are members of the Porirua Community Guardians: volunteers who spend time patrolling the city streets to make it a friendlier place to live.

Since their inception in 2003, the Guardians have done everything from helping with crowd control at large public events to stopping vandalism and thefts to acting as ambassadors for their city, stepping in wherever the community might need them.

All Guardians undergo a police check and receive on-the-job training from a more experienced member plus additional training in first aid. The Guardians receive financial support from the local council and chamber of commerce and the council also helps by providing vehicles when needed.

To read more about the Porirua Community Guardians please visit h .

For nearly 20 years a disused quarry just outside of Whangarei was simply used as a rubbish dump but thanks to a group of volunteers this once abandoned area is now a subtropical public garden.

The campaign to create the Whangarei Quarry Gardens began in 1990 and by 1997 enough local residents had been motivated to start work on the gardens.

The garden now receives more around 5,000 volunteer hours a year helping maintain and improve the considerable 24-hectare site.

As well as providing an attractive space for locals and visitors to walk and relax in, and hosts around eight to ten weddings a summer.

“Throughout the week we have shown activities that can help a community flourish” says Judi Clements, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation. “These activities can have a flow effect that help to create a more positive environment.”

A series of exciting events have been held throughout New Zealand over Mental Health Awareness Week and to check out what is still to come please visit our events calendar http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/page/777-2010-flourishing-for-everybody+events-calendar .

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 4 - 10 October and ends with World Mental Health Day taking place on Sunday 10 October. It is endorsed by the World Federation for Mental Health and marked in over 150 countries.

ENDS

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