August 2021 - Ucol-shareholders

Garden group proposal.
by Alex King 25 Aug '21

25 Aug '21

Last week it was evident that there was a bit of a gap in understanding about how the common garden might be managed. People said they were upset after different opinions were aired. I have thought about it quite a lot since then but have not had a chance to have any input into the discussions. I'm not sure when or how the proposal will come to the whole group. I don't want to be in the position of red-carding a proposal from the garden group, if a bit of prior communication can iron out some issues and we can find something that everyone is happy with. TLDR; If private plots for the D units (or anyone else) are necessary, we should have a formal lease arrangement whereby unit owners lease plots from the body corporate at a nominal lease such as $1 per year. Below I explain why I think this is important. It's not necessary to read any further if this stuff isn't important to you, or if you're not interested in philosophical musings. If you think a nominal lease for D units could work, we could just do that? No reason why we can't be getting on with the garden. So my primary concern is that I don't want to see (either a formal, or back-door) privatization of any of our common areas. My top preference would be to manage the common gardens as common gardens for the benefit of all. If this isn't realistic, then I'm happy to explore other models. However, if we come up with a model that gives D units or anyone else exclusive use of any part of our common area, that should be formally recognized through a lease. It's not about money; although there needs to be some payment it could be a token amount, e.g. $1 per season for a bed. It's about formal recognition of an arrangement for exclusive use. I understand the garden group are getting on with establishing the gardens with the best of intentions, and that needn't stop. However at some point we need to be clear about the practices that underpin the common garden. I have some problems with some of the narratives I've heard: * "There is an inequity, because the D units don't have garden areas and everyone else does." Well, all kinds of inequities exist in the world, and the D unit purchasers bought their units knowing they came with no private garden space. In addition, we had a pricing formula that means that all units have paid for the private space they got, and those who didn't get garden areas didn't pay for them. * "Toiora has agreed to fix this inequity by allowing D unit owners to have exclusive use of private plots." Really? Show me the minute. There is one accepted way of our community making decisions, and that is minutes in our group meetings. I don't recall such a minute. * "The plan has been shared with everyone." I've seen the plan that Maria drew up, and think it's a great one. In the common garden I recall there were some separate garden beds indicated. If the plan had indicated that the common garden would be split up for private exclusive use, then it must have been in very fine print, as I don't recall that part of it. * "We have talked about this for ages." It may have been talked about for ages in a sub-group. It may have been referred to obliquely in garden group notes. That doesn't mean it's agreed, or even widely understood. I understand an information day was held in the weekend which is a great idea, unfortunately it was very last minute and I was unable to attend, being away at my parents after my father's surgery. I would have liked to have been able to be there, and I would have had the opportunity for dialog instead of sending emails. * "We don't have enough garden to produce all the food for the kitchen." "There plenty of room, enough for everyone!" These ideas clearly are in conflict. My vision of cohousing, when we were working towards this, was that there was extensive common facilities available for the benefit of all. My idea of the common garden was that, there would be some keen gardeners who would plan and co-ordinate the gardens, some others who signed up to provide labour at working-bees, and everyone in the group would share the outputs of the common garden, albeit naturally people actually working on the harvest would naturally get the most. Personally I'm happy to do some work preparing, planting, weeding and whatever maintenance is necessary in the gardens, but I don't want to do planning, I just want to be given jobs to do. (My view is it's the garden group's responsibility to engage with and draw in participation from the wider group.) This might be unworkable and the better plan might be to divide the garden into different areas controlled by different people. I would accept that, if it's the recommendation of the garden group. Let's have Rainer's garden and Min's garden if it's necessary and the best way to do it. However, it's the private, exclusive use of a patch of our common garden without an official lease that I object to. The principle is that common areas are available for the use and enjoyment of all residents. (Unless there is a lease.) If I see a ripe strawberry in Donald's garden and I eat it, is that a problem? A founding tenant of capitalism is the tragedy of the commons, the idea that privatizing everything results in the greatest production (and welfare). This of course has elements of truth, however taken to the extreme (as it is in our current society) it becomes problematic and works against welfare. So cohousing is one way that we push back against the appropriation and privatization of land, by providing common lands. I'm disappointed if we struggle for 8 years to establish cohousing then immediately decide to manage our common land by dividing it up for private plots. (Another founding myth of western food production is that state and cooperative growing as demonstrated by the Soviet Union are a failure, while western private farms are the most productive. Again there is an element of truth to this, but again taken to extremes it's a destructive model. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/farms-race-rebroadcast/ is an interesting podcast on the rise of the supermarket and America's state subsidization of their private farming system as part of the cold war.) So I don't mind if we have gardeners enjoying and even taking control of their own plots in the common garden. I don't mind them getting 80% of what is produced. It seems fair that we agree a split of the produce between the gardeners and the owners of the land. I do object to the narrative that because some units don't have garden areas, they have some kind of greater rights to the common garden. If gardeners from the D units continuously garden an area for 10 years, and they see it as their right in recompense for not having a private garden area on their title, then it becomes an enclosure, a customary right, a privatised area of the common land. If instead there is instead a lease, then there is an annual acknowledgement that this land belongs to the commons, and that the community accepts the exclusive but temporary use of that land by the lessee. I'm very happy that the gardeners have been getting on and doing work in the gardens and things are being planted in time for spring. I have no desire to stop any gardening activity. I await the proposal to the group with interest. And would be happy to help with it if that was useful. One other thing I think many of us are aware of is that we are in an unusual situation with landscaping money from the company being available to spend on landscaping including establishing our common gardens, which is not something that will be available next year. I'm glad that some of that landscaping money can be used to establish garden beds since I value food production over aesthetics. However it does rankle a bit that common resources/money is being spent on establishing gardens, if some of those gardens are going to be for private benefit. It seems at the moment, the common gardens are common when it comes to paying for inputs, but it's suggested that some of it will be private when it comes to harvest. Thanks, Alex

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Garden update for meeting thurs 26th Aug
by mariannequinn＠xtra.co.nz 25 Aug '21

25 Aug '21

Morning all. My apologies for this not coming out till this morning - I lost a day in there somewhere. See attached report from the Gardening group, following on from the meeting on 12th Aug and the Q & A on 15th Aug. The ground is moving - I am hopeful that we can keep moving too. Regards, Marianne Marianne Quinn Level 3, 115 Stuart Street, Dunedin P.O. Box 20, Dunedin 9054 ph +6434773115 or 0211612050

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Re Toiora Weekend/Worhshop/Consierations
by Gay Buckingham 25 Aug '21

25 Aug '21

Gay Buckingham +64 27 4544012

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Draft meeting agenda Thursday
by Anna 25 Aug '21

25 Aug '21

Hi all Here’s the agenda so far. Please send me anything else eg Disaster workshop, project management? Group updates for discussion are attached. Thanks Anna Toiora High Street Cohousing meeting agenda (draft) Thursday 26th August, 7.30pm by Zoom: https://otago.zoom.us/j/9016259016?pwd=ZGZQRnM2L2tsai90eENKRExQUEtJQT09 <https://otago.zoom.us/j/9016259016?pwd=ZGZQRnM2L2tsai90eENKRExQUEtJQT09> (password 252525) Chair and Notetaker: Sara Ferreira & Anna Maxwell Apologies: Appreciations Items carried from last meeting: Sound transmission between units: what was to be expected and how this is going. (Pauline) Use of site by non-residents of Toiora cohousing community (Claire) Outreach Group update Letter of gratitude Joining in process documents Inductions Communications Group update Update from meetings (attached) Brief Gather demo Open forum Next meeting date set. Chair/ note taker

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Fwd: Draft meeting agenda Thursday
by Anna Maxwell 24 Aug '21

24 Aug '21

> The attached accountant services proposal from Nicola will be an agenda item and is quite a bit of reading. > Anna Begin forwarded message: > From: Y Lee <yblees685(a)gmail.com> > Date: 24 August 2021 at 8:30:22 PM NZST > To: Anna <akmaxwell(a)orcon.net.nz> > Subject: Re: [Ucol-shareholders] Draft meeting agenda Thursday > > > Hi Anna > Please add this Fees Proposal from our accountant Nicola. As Attached > And could I have a spot in the agenda for "Body Corp Finances - Account fees proposal". > This is urgent, in that some of the proposal is for work already done, so I'd like to have this fairly early in the list of Agenda items. > > Thanks > Min > >> On Tue, 24 Aug 2021 at 20:04, Anna <akmaxwell(a)orcon.net.nz> wrote: >> >> Hi all >> >> Here’s the agenda so far. Please send me anything else eg Disaster workshop, project management? Group updates for discussion are attached. >> >> Thanks >> Anna >> >> Toiora High Street Cohousing meeting agenda (draft) >> Thursday 26th August, 7.30pm by Zoom: >> https://otago.zoom.us/j/9016259016?pwd=ZGZQRnM2L2tsai90eENKRExQUEtJQT09 >> (password 252525) >> Chair and Notetaker: Sara Ferreira & Anna Maxwell >> >> Apologies: >> >> >> Appreciations >> >> >> Items carried from last meeting: >> >> Sound transmission between units: what was to be expected and how this is going. (Pauline) >> >> Use of site by non-residents of Toiora cohousing community (Claire) >> >> >> Outreach Group update >> >> Letter of gratitude >> Joining in process documents >> Inductions >> >> >> Communications Group update >> >> Update from meetings (attached) >> >> Brief Gather demo >> >> >> Open forum >> >> Next meeting date set. Chair/ note taker >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Ucol-shareholders mailing list >> Ucol-shareholders(a)list.king.net.nz >> https://list.king.net.nz/listinfo/ucol-shareholders

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Re: [Ucol-shareholders] neighbourhood response groups
by Susan and Kristin Jack 24 Aug '21

24 Aug '21

Kia ora Toiora, I have a proposal that we've discussed in the Out Reach team, & now we'd like to bring to the full Group. The Red Cross in Dunedin run Disaster Preparedness training (one hour workshops) for individuals & community groups. Steve King, from Dn RC says: "Essentially, we are offering one-hour emergency preparedness workshops to community groups. From these, there may be individuals who are interested in further training to assist in an emergency event." If we can get 15 people from Toiora willing to participate, the RC would be willing to come up & run such a workshop here in the Common House. It seems to us that this would be really good (perhaps one day, essential) for us to do, in order to help each other here if there is a major natural disaster. We could also become an invaluable resource not just for each other at Toiora, but for our wider neighbourhood. If - for example - the trans-alpine fault moved (& as we all know, its over due), we as a new build here in this heritage neighbourhood might be one of the few buildings left intact - & we'd have (hopefully) a large kitchen, dining & beds that could be used. So we're asking two things. How do people feel about 1. Us getting training at Toiora to establish a core of us trained in disaster response & readiness, so that we as a community are better equipped to help each other? 2. Us as a community getting trained so we can be a neighbourhood resource to wider community in the event of a natural disaster? And thirdly: 3. How many people would be willing to participate in such training? thanks Kristin for the OutReach Team Kia ora Kristin Thanks for your email and my apologies because I did see it last week but forgot to reply straight away, and then forgot completely! There might be some confusion between what Red Cross is doing and what Civil Defence are doing. Essentially, we are offering one-hour emergency preparedness workshops to community groups. >From these, there may be individuals who are interested in further training to assist in an emergency event. We aren’t really looking at setting up neighbourhood hubs but I think that is something that you could talk to Paul Allen about and I am sure he would be keen to talk further to your community about it . I have attached a flyer for your information. We would be happy to run a workshop if you think it would be of benefit. Cheers, Steve Steve King Kaiwhakahaereā-Rohe Otakou - Humanitarian Development Engagement Manager Otago New Zealand Red Cross Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa 31 York Place, Dunedin, 9058 PO Box 5210, Dunedin 9054 Phone: 03 477 1527 DDI: 03 466 3215 Mobile: 027 267 2872 Fax: 03 477 1529 0800 REDCROSS (733 276) www.redcross.org.nz Pronouns: He/Him From: Kristin Jack [mailto:manager@rocksoliddunedin.co.nz] Sent: Tuesday, 3 August 2021 11:14 am To: Steve King <Steve.King(a)redcross.org.nz> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: neighbourhood response groups On Thu, Jul 29, 2021 at 11:26 AM Kristin Jack <manager(a)rocksoliddunedin.co.nz> wrote: Kia ora Steve, at the Sth Dn Stakeholders Mtg last Thursday you mentioned the RC project to help establish neighbourhood hubs for responses in the case of civil defense emergencies etc. I meant to grab some info off you at the end of the meeting, but forgot. Would you be able to email me the info? I'd love for our co-housing complex up here to become such a hub (but of course I have to persuade 50 others that this is a good idea too!). ngā mihi Kristin Kristin Jack - Manager/Team Leader, Rock Solid Youth Development Programmes, Dunedin. Mobile: 022075 3286 www.rocksoliddunedin.co.nz The Straight Up Trust *Disclaimer* This message may contain confidential information and is intended solely for the addressee. If you have received this e-mail in error, please advise us by return e-mail or telephone and then delete this e-mail together with all attachments.

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re hopefully final edition of notes from meeting 12th August
by mariannequinn＠xtra.co.nz 24 Aug '21

24 Aug '21

Hi all: not sure how many of you actually read these amendment notes, but here they are. Additions, corrects and clarifications in red to make these clear. I have included the report from the Garden group in these notes, as it seemed that while it had been sent around the day before the meeting, and spoken to at the meeting, important information had still not been heard. Best wishes meantime, Marianne Marianne Quinn Level 3, 115 Stuart Street, Dunedin P.O. Box 20, Dunedin 9054 ph +6434773115 or 0211612050

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groups
by Roz Wilson 24 Aug '21

24 Aug '21

Further to info re communication, complete with the list of ways we talk to each other. I can never remember who is in each group. Could we either have a master list of groups and members, or group email addresses for particular groups? Thanks roz

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Chairing on Thursday night
by Gay Buckingham 24 Aug '21

24 Aug '21

Could somebody else please volunteer to chair on Thursday please? I don't have great chairing skill at the best of times and find Zoom meetings very difficult so for everyone's sales would appreciate someone else stepping up. Best, Gay Gay Buckingham 027 4544012

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Resignation
by Donald Shand 23 Aug '21

23 Aug '21

Dear Toiora community. A considerable amount of my working career has been involved in training and using the skills of conciliation. I now find that I want to enjoy my retirement years at Toiora by contributing in ways unrelated to my professional skills and experience and so resign as a member of the Conciliation Team. Best wishes, Donald

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Ucol-shareholders August 2021