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Just Transition Summit 09 May 2019 09 May 2019 TSB Stadium The Just Transition National Summit, to be held in Taranaki in May 2019, is a chance to have your say in defining what a just transition to a low emissions future looks like in New Zealand, and what steps we need to take towards a new kind of economy with good, high paying jobs.It’s also a chance to hear from and engage with local and international speakers and experts in the field, including those who are already taking their own great strides towards a low emissions future. We all have a role to play – government , business, workers, Māori and the wider community – so come along and take part in this exciting Summit.

Stay warm and dry this winter thanks to NPDC 12 April 2019 Winter is just around the corner and our Maunga is already getting its blanket on. NPDC can help ratepayers to heat or insulate their homes to keep the cold weather at bay thanks to the Home Energy Scheme. Ratepayers may be eligible to apply for up to $5,000 for clean heat products (such as a heat pump) or $2,600 for installing insulation, paying this back through their rates. “Paying for expensive items like a heat pump or installing insulation can be difficult so NPDC tries to make it easier for residents with the Home Energy Scheme,” says NDPC Chief Financial Officer Joy Buckingham. “Many homes aren’t warm enough or have poor insulation so give us a call and we’ll see if the scheme can work for you to get your house warm and dry this winter.” To qualify, residents need to be ratepayers, be up to date with rates and pay by direct debit. For help with insulation, your home has to have been built before 2000 and your home must be insulated properly to qualify for assistance to pay for water heating and clean heat products. To find out if you qualify for the scheme, call us on 06 759 6060 or go to newplymouthnz.com/Council/Sustainability/Home-Energy-Scheme. NPDC works with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to bring the scheme to ratepayers. EECA can also fund heating and insulation through grants for those with a Community Services Card or SuperGold card. The Government has allocated $142 million over four years for insulation and heating grants. To find out if you are eligible free phone 0800 749 782 to talk to EECA Energywise or use the eligibility tool on their website www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/warmer-kiwi-homes-tool/ Home Energy Scheme fast facts The scheme is used by ratepayers to pay for insulation, water heating and clean heat products. Money is paid back through rates via a Voluntary Targeted Rate, over 9 years. Ratepayers should get in touch with an NPDC-approved installer for a free assessment of their homes. For solar water heating or a wood fire, residents need to apply for a building consent.

Rat skin cape (1930-40). Collection of Puke Ariki (A83.576).

The weird and wonderful world of Whare Kahurangi 05 April 2019 What does a dog-skin cloak, a meteorite, a missing face towel possibly belonging to King Edward VII, the oldest picture of New Plymouth and a Transformer all have in common? They are just some of the many weird and wonderful objects that are part of a major new exhibition at NPDC’s Puke Ariki looking back on a century of collections and collecting. Opening on 6 April in the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery, Whare Kahurangi: 100 Years of Collecting not only features objects from the Museum’s storerooms but also from private collectors from around Taranaki. Puke Ariki Acting Director Colleen Mullin says the exhibition has been a century in the making. “NPDC’s Puke Ariki is continuing what the Taranaki Museum started when it opened in 1919 – we’re combining the historical with the high-tech, the entertaining with the educational, and we look to forever preserve the stories of the past and present for the visitors of the future.” Whare Kahurangi means house of treasured possessions and Curator Chanelle Carrick says the exhibition celebrates everyone who has contributed to the museum over the past century, from hundreds of generous donors to visitors who come from all over the world. “The exhibition explores the diverse history of our region and we hope that it will inspire people to keep recording and sharing their stories for future generations,” says Chanelle. “Puke Ariki is such a unique place and we hope this exhibition will instil a sense of pride in what our museum and libraries are today.” The exhibition includes interactive experiences from putting yourself in the shoes of a curator and coming up with a fake news story, placing your own treasured possession into the Cabinet of Curiosities, to voting on an ethical dilemma - should the museum open the sealed pages of a letter book dated 1841? Puke Ariki issued a call last year for people to come forward with objects for Whare Kahurangi and the response was fantastic with a number of items on-loan for the exhibition. Whare Kahurangi fast facts: The exhibition runs in the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery until 6 October. The Taranaki Museum first opened its doors on 28 August 1919 with the foundation gift of Māori taonga by William Henry Skinner. Whare Kahurangi features a number of items from the Skinner Collection. The oldest food item is a jar of preserved plums from 1900. As well as the dog-skin cloak, there’s a rat-skin cape made by possum trapper Mike Murphy in the 1930s. Vintage computers give visitors the chance to programme a ZX Spectrum from the 1980s. The exhibition includes oral histories, music clips and interviews. Whare Kahurangi was curated in-house and many of Puke Ariki’s staff have contributed to the exhibition. Puke Ariki fast facts: Puke Ariki is owned and managed by NPDC. It is the world’s first purpose-built, fully integrated museum, library and visitor information centre. It opened 15 June 2003. The total number of visitors to Puke Ariki and district libraries in the 2017/18 year was 801,703. In that same period, Puke Ariki and community libraries issued 779,908 items. Puke Ariki has three long-term galleries (Takapou Whāriki, Taranaki Naturally and the Gallery of Taranaki Life) and components of these get changed out regularly. The temporary exhibition space shows touring exhibitions that are either curated in-house or brought in from other museums.

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