Positive energy at Volunteer Open Day

 

BY JULIA WADE

A recent event aiming to further inspire Mangawhai community’s helping-hand spirit has been deemed a resounding success by organisers and local groups. 

‘Volunteers Open Day’ held on August 18 at The Club Mangawhai, showcased 33 of the areas community-focused, volunteer-run charities, trusts and societies, offering locals a chance to discover the various organisations before signing on the dotted line. 

Brainchild of the event, Mangawhai Activity Zone (MAZ) chair Colin Gallagher along with co-organisers fishing club secretary and MAZ supporter Heather Murrell, The Club’s manager Joanne Keating, The Factory’s Ken Rayward and Mangawhai Harbour Restoration’s John Phillis, are well pleased with the event.

“The best thing that actually happened was the general awareness that everyone understood what everyone else does,” he says. “We made one mistake though, we should have called it ‘Volunteer Recruitment Day’.”

Advertised with the inspiring ‘Help to make Mangawhai New Zealand’s volunteers capital’, Gallagher says the event first came to him from pondering Mangawhai’s unknown population due to the areas rapid growth.

“I thought it would be a really neat idea to find out how many people volunteer for unpaid work in Mangawhai,” he says. “From the Open Day we should have a reasonable indication of the percentage of volunteers once the consensus is out, then be able to give people a target, get them motivated and work to increase it.”

He says although with just under 100 people attending the event, the numbers were not as high as the organisers had hoped. 

“But it doesn’t matter as everyone who manned a stand wants to do it again,” he says. “Gordon from Trackies said it was worth it when they got four new volunteers and they ended up with ten. He said it was just what they wanted.”

MAZ managed to sign up 30 volunteers on the day and also launched their new MAZ Club while co-organiser Ken Rayward, representing Mangawhai’s opportunity shop The Factory, says the event definitely impacted on volunteer numbers. 

“I was delighted with the interest from the attendees. The day was an excellent start to what everyone agrees should be a twice a year event.”
Viranda, developing company of future new town Mangawhai Central, also made an appearance with display boards informing of ongoing progress and were available to answer questions. 

“I think it was something really good for Mangawhai,” Gallagher says. “Collectively all these groups are working to build a better community.”

Stepping forward to sign up; locals had a smorgasbord of organisations and activities to dedicate their time and skills too.