Whale Song
Kāpiti artist Mike Fuller’s 'Whale Song' is an inspirational public sculpture and community education project proposed for Kāpiti.
The life-sized work of art will be devoted to the truly remarkable, and not often seen, Humpback whales that transverse the Kāpiti Coast each year. The mission of this public art project is to tell the whales' stories and enlighten people about the marine environment and how to look after it.
Whale Song is a reflection on Kāpiti’s proximity to the coast, Kāpiti Island, early whaling and the surrounding marine environment. By engaging with these incredible creatures of the sea, visitors will better understand the need for marine conservation, ensuring a thriving ocean and a healthy planet for future generations.
The installation will comprise a family of seven life-sized Humpback whales swimming in pod formation, suspended over the proposed one acre site.
Several of the whales, those closest to the nearby Wharemauku stream and away from the public viewing area, would be equipped to periodically spout water from their blowholes, creating rainbow effects against the sky.
The song of the male whales could also be played via speakers with Aeolian harps located from inside the whale structures to mimic the sound of the Humpback in the wild.
Ngā Manu Nature Reserve
Ngā Manu's kaupapa is rooted in the Trust’s goals to preserve and enhance native forests so that their inhabitants can flourish.
The 14-hectare reserve protects one of the largest remnants of coastal lowland swamp forest on the Kāpiti Coast and provides a haven for native birds.
Since inception Ngā Manu has partnered with DOC and others in many breed-for-release programmes which seek to re-establish at risk species of birds and reptiles into the wild. This has seen them participate in breeding programmes for kiwi, whio, pateke/brown teal, kāka, orange-fronted, red-crowned, yellow-crowned and Antipodes Island parakeet, tuatara, and Whitaker’s skinks to name a few. In addition to these programmes Ngā Manu has a long history of involvement in the treatment and rehabilitation of native bird species which are brought to the reserve by the local community.
The Shed Project
The Shed Project Kapiti is an organisation based in Paraparaumu, on the Kāpiti Coast, in New Zealand and have been involved in providing training and employment opportunities for local disabled and disadvantaged people since their founding in 2014.
The Shed Project aims to improve the lives of the differently abled and the communities where they live. This is done by:
Enabling differently abled people to achieve their personal goals, live independently, and enjoy happy, healthy and meaningful lives.
Opportunity can be hard to find for the differently abled. The Shed Project provides help in getting around barriers to opportunity, employment, and advocacy.
Inclusion in the community is a vital part of life, but the differently abled can find it hard to achieve. The Shed Project aims to change this, generally by participation in social and fundraising events, setting up and administering community enterprises to create employment, and other activities fostering community well-being.
By enabling the differently abled to gain opportunity and inclusion, The Shed Project changes attitudes and beliefs towards the differently abled.
In a nutshell, The Shed Project aims to show people that They Can - something that often is lacking in their lives.
A Safe Kapiti
ASK provides leadership, advice and strategic direction in the community by interacting with key stakeholders and agencies in Kapiti through networking, meetings and focus groups. Using their knowledge and expertise to manage, coordinate and encourage the development of new initiatives through the pursuit of the following goals:
- To support and advocate for community initiatives that aim to enhance individual and community safety.
- Raise community awareness of crime prevention needs and initiatives through campaigns, programs and information gathering & dissemination.
- To reduce youth offending by providing integrated services for young people at risk.
- To support at risk families and reduce family violence.
- To grow the capacity for the Health Shuttle to ensure all outpatients needing transport from Kapiti to Wellington hospitals are provided with a safe and timely
