Monday 9th September at 8.30am saw 16 people on Bank Street to unveil the new signs of Anō, anō! Rethink | Repair | Reuse. This was followed by a blessing of the whare inside signaling the opening of the space next door to the Ecocentre Kaitaia and the beginning of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Maori Language week for 2019.
The premises will serve as a multipurpose venue for Te Pokapū Tiaki Taiao o Te Tai Tokerau Trust who also runs the EcoCentre.
Anō anō means again again and was chosen for a number of reasons, ease of pronouncing and remembering the name; to extend people’s knowledge and use of Te Reo Māori and to challenge people to get into the habit of using things again and again. Reusing shopping bags be they cloth or the thicker plastic ones, using a reusable coffee cup instead of a single use throwaway one, using a refillable/reusable drink bottle for water. Encouraging us to step away from the disposable single use culture that surrounds us today, which is usually plastic options.
The byline of the name Rethink|Repair|Reuse again encourages us to do just that, not only when something breaks but even before we purchase something. Can we borrow or share the item? Do we really need it? Is there a better product, perhaps more expensive that can be fixed if it breaks or reused at its end? Or can we reuse something else we already have rather than purchase a new item? Like an nice old bottle could be a refillable water bottle.
In conjunction with the EcoCentre beside it, Anō anō will help locals in the shift away from the prevailing throwaway consumer culture through hands on workshops, repair cafe type days, as well as use as an exhibition space, potentially a co-op for bulk food purchases, and a place to hui.
Anō anō currently houses a mix of art pieces from local artists, some associated with the Te Tai Tokerau Timebank scheme and others involved in the art group Jen Gay runs for Stroke victims. The exhibition will run until the end of September.
It is hoped Anō Anō will be open most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10-3 if volunteer availability allows.
For any queries regarding Anō anō, use of it or to become involved in this project, please contact the EcoCentre by phone on 09 408 1086 or email info@ecocentre.co.nz.
by Waikarere Gregory