mars 2 earth: Te Karaka - online and loving it!

mars 2 earth: Te Karaka - online and loving it!

The Happyzine Blog is Moving

Yes, after six glorious months blogging here, we've upgraded the Happyzine site and so now the good news and the good news blogs are all in one place. This makes for a way cooler site man. So check it out, the blogging continues .....

Arohanui,

Charlotte Squire

One Giant Leap - What About Me?

I loved One Giant Leap - it certainly inspired my heart to take a giant leap - of joy, of connection, of love ... Now they've released What About Me? More on this soon...

Tina's Wordplays - Trust

T- Trust



R - Relief



U - Upon



S - Spiritual



T - Thought

Check out Tina Bridgman on itunes

World First 4 Placentas in Nelson, New Zealand

This from the Nelson Mail

"A former Nelson midwife who could not bear to see placentas thrown out is the inspiration for a new dedicated placenta planting ground to be established in Nelson at the Centre of New Zealand.
Lyndell Rowan, who died unexpectedly two years ago, aged 41, was passionate about the birth process and could not bring herself throw away a placenta.
Her husband Boaz Gabay said that during her 13-year career, she took many placentas home to bury, with her clients' permission.
"She always had a lot of respect for the birthing process, and she'd say that the placenta was the most complex life support system ever invented," Mr Gabay said.
"It was part of a woman's body that created life, and she didn't think it was right to just chuck them out."
Mr Gabay said his wife buried some of the placentas in a vegetable garden and others went into a forest.
"A couple of times when I opened the freezer looking for something to cook, I pulled out a placenta."
Midwife Suzi Hume said a group of midwives wanted to come up with a memorial for Ms Rowan, who she described as a "beautiful, giving woman who people adored having as a midwife".
Ms Hume said the NZ College of Midwives' Nelson-Marlborough chairperson Andrea Vincent had been instrumental in setting up the placenta burial garden, working with iwi and the Nelson City Council to establish it.
Ms Vincent said Ms Rowan's campaign to not throw away placentas was similar to the Maori custom of burying the placenta in a place of significance to their ancestors, as this reinforced the relationship between the newborn child and the land of their birth."

Read more in the Nelson Mail

Tina's Wordplays - Faith

F - full

A - acceptance

I - in

T - total

H - harmony

Check out Tina Bridgman on itunes

Rehome the Kaimanawa Horses NOW

You've heard of the New Forest ponies of England? Or of the Mustangs of America? Well, we've got our own unique breed of horses here in New Zealand - The Kaimanawa (here's the Wiki low-down) - and they need our help. Once again they're getting in the way of the army, and they're also affecting the landscape, so the Department of Conservation want them out of the area and hundreds of them are due to be culled tomorrow - weather permitting.

Incidentally, did you know that these ponies are reported to be great with children due to their excellent well balanced temperament and health, they're hardy and surefooted, they've got a great reputation as show ponies, and they're incredibly cheap to own because they're breed to survive in harsh conditions? I didn't know this myself till two hours ago, anyway, I digress -

Featuring in a recent Nelson Mail article on this subject, is my friend - the lovely Caitlin Rose. Apart from being a highly successful world famous musician, Caitlin is also a horse whisperer. That's right, she 'gentles' horses. In other words, she trains them so that they're safe to ride and work with for all ages, and she does it using the language of the horse. She owns a herd of just under thirty horses (including Kaimanawa) up on her land in the mountains of Golden Bay and she's been gentling horses with amazing results since she was a young lass in England.

Caitlin's been striving to find a positive solution and re-home as many Kaimanawa Horses as possible lately. While she's not alone in her efforts by any means (these dudes have been working hard to save the horses), I'm wondering why haven't I heard more about this in the media? There must be thousands of horse lovers like me who would like to help save these amazing animals.

So, at this point in time (1.37 pm Friday 29th May 2009), to my knowledge the major goal of saving these horses hasn't yet been achieved. Time is of the essence. I'm going to email the link to this blog to the major papers of New Zealand as well as any other media I can think of. I think this issue is important. Does anyone out there have any positive solutions as to how to save this species and re-home these horses? Anythings possible with a little creativity and thinking outside the square.I know that some people have come forward with offers of great homes for these horses and hopefully they'll take these horses home. Surely something can be done for the future of these wonderful horses. I want to see these amazing animals re-homed to great locations, with strong, healthy futures ahead of them. How about you?

Why Sometimes Taking a Break is the Most Productive Activity You Can Do

Do you ever experience that busy-brain feeling, when there are so many details and tasks to do in your head that you have no idea where to start? Maybe you're wiser than you give yourself credit for and it's actually not the time to start anything, but to take a break and relax. Sometimes doing the most mundane tasks such as doing the dishes, or walking the dog allow our brains to calm down and let go. Meditating is another great way to chill out. I find that even saying to myself 'right, I'm going to focus on my breath for five minutes' allows the 'knots' in my mind to ease. Business woman Linda Feinholz features on the website http://www.self-help.co.nz/ in her article 'The New 80-20 Rule for Business'. She points out that twenty percent of her time is dedicated to "being fit and limber for business" in other words she'll take five to do something easy, like weeding her garden. She says that often while she's doing some of these seemingly less important activities, some of her best ideas will materialise. This rule doesn't have to apply to only business people though, it can apply to anyone. We live in a busy world where people tend to believe that success and happiness come at the tail end of hard work and stressful lifestyles. Thankfully increasing amounts of people are choosing quality of life above all. Now, take five minutes and scrub that floor!

Press Release - Optimists, It's Time to Get Busy

Editor of Good News Website Calls on the Optimists of New Zealand to Get Busy

New Zealand's totally positive news ezine, blog and website – Happyzine - supports the 'Give it a Go, Bro' slogan and campaign.
“Every challenge comes with a number of solutions, and the current financial climate is an opportunity for Kiwis to hone their strengths,” says Happyzine Founder and Editor, Charlotte Squire.
“The Give it a Go, Bro idea about Possum products is spot on. That industry is so untapped and full of potential in terms of export opportunities for the fur, and meat consumption nationally. I've eaten possum meat, it's great, it's lean and flavorsome, it made a tasty pie! I know there are challenges to overcome to monopolize on the possum market, but what have we got to lose? Millions of possums? Life full of challenges. A little creativity is required and we're good at that.”
Squire says that there is a role for the optimists of New Zealand to play right now, given that confidence, or lack of it, is the key ingredient required to boost the economy.
“This is a time to allow the good ideas to flow, and to consider any option. This is a great time to be creative.”
“Good news doesn't have to be cheesy, white picket fence material. It can also be about throwing some great ideas, that would other wise have been passed by, out to the community to stimulate feedback, more ideas and positive change. Good news can inspire people to go for it, and persevere with their dreams, because they see how others before them have. Being positive requires brains and the courage – because it's often about standing out from the crowd.”
Squire, who was a freelance writer focussing on positive environmental news before she started up Happyzine, invites people to submit good news to Happyzine at www.happyzine.co.nz.
“This is about helping each other to remember how lucky we are to live here in New Zealand. Send us in your photos, stories, blogs, video, art, anything to remind Kiwis how to be brave and optimistic. I'll consider anything – good news about the environment, the elderly, youth – if it inspires you and makes you feel good, it'll probably do the same for others. Don't be shy.”
Ends.
Photo of Charlotte Squire availabe at: http://happyzine.co.nz/about-happyzine
Contact
Charlotte Squire
027 404 6373
Charlotte@happyzine.co.nz
http://www.happyzine.co.nz/

Bro! Check out Happyzine!

The Happyzine community are giving it a go. We've been actively providing uplifting, inspiring, positive news for our subscribers for a year and now it's time to take things to the next level - with a Totally Positive News Competition. The Happyzine website is about to undergo a nice wee upgrade, and once the changes are up live online, people can send in their good news - in written word, photograph, video, audio, art form, what ever - the point is it's time for us all to remind each other just how lucky we are here in New Zealand. This is really not the time to get bogged down in all that negative thinking bollicks that the media are using for news fodder.

It's time to get radical and bring out the inner optimist, because, like it or not - as a nation: the more we focus on it, the more it's going to happen. So let's get back to taking a good look at the good stuff in life. Here are some ideas about the many forms of good news:

* Ingenious thinking in the face of challenge
* Refusal to give up on dreams
* Love
* Intelligent and creative approaches to new and old challenges
* Reasons why life is good
* Stuff that's funny (and kind)
* Random acts of kindness
* Totally intended acts of kindness
* Happy endings
* Sporting achievements
* Business victories (little and not so little) that benefit Aotearoa
* Happy old people
* Groups who are defying their negative stereo types by succeeding
* Art that shouts: enjoy life!
* Innovation where we thought we'd run out of ideas
* Stories of positive environmental change eg a swamp reclaimed, a recycling system saved, the revival of a species, a river cleaned up, innovative business ideas, native forests saved

It takes guts to be an optimist in this funny world where the cynics have heaps to say on Stuff. But by gum it's time for the optimists to stand up and say 'I'm happy and I'm proud!'

In the mean time, send us in your good news if you're keen to get started, I'm always open to nice surprises in my inbox.

Also, if you have any ideas, or would like to contribute prizes to entice the nation to send in the good news, please drop us a line.

Subscribe to Happyzine for free today for updates on the great Totally Positive News Competition which is currently under development. Send us in your words of encouragement and your suggestions too please, because kind words go a long, long way, even for grown ups.

Life in my car-less world

Yes. The car object has been missing from my world for the past month. I've had to walk from A to B. Or car pool with a koha thrown in. Or simply make do with what I've got and spend more time at home. It's amazing how I've become quite happy to live without a car. My world has contracted - I've found new and ingenious ways of exercising my dog in nearby parks (for example: throw the stick in the bushes and let her determinedly sniff it out whilst I watch on proudly). I've learned to ask people to pick me up things I need when they go out. I've gotten really good at doing one big grocery shop (via car pooling) and using up what ever's at home rather than nipping down to the supermarket for something extra. I've become more house proud - seeing I'm stuck here. Voxy.co.nz and Cityhop published a comment on the book How to Live Well Without a Car. It's a timely book. The irony is, just when I relaxed about my car less state, my mother left the country and her car in my driveway. Oh well, at least I'll appreciate it far more now.

Love x 10

I must use this word dozens of times each day, and within many different contexts. I love this chocolate. I love my dog. I love living here. I love my son. This is a great little blog detailing ten different ways to love. It's a great reminder of the good in life.

Total babes don't come in one dress size

Check these gorgeous women out. In many parts of the Western influenced world it's challenging to avoid feeling the pressure to look a certain way, regardless of our natural shapes. I've had the pleasure of living in some parts of the world where the outside appearance isn't as important as what's coming from within. This is a very relaxing experience. And then, I've moved into some of NZ's cities where culturally things are quite the opposite and I felt like scuttling for cover because my relaxed attire wasn't quite up to the standard. Ah well, here I am sitting in the comfort of the Happyzine living room, also known as 'home', safe in the knowledge that here anything goes. This list goes some way towards celebrating the lush and fuller figured woman. Actually, I think these ladies look gorgeous and well, pretty normal. Normal in the sense that nature doesn't design anyone the same (thank goodness) and these girls are working very well with what they've got!

Girls and boys, when was the last time you checked yourself out in the mirror and said 'What a gorgeous babe I am!'? I tried it this morning, it was quite a refreshing experience. I challenge you to try it and let me know how it feels!

Heaven for me ....

Is a cool autumn evening on a stony beach. Sky meeting water with exactly the same hue of grey-blue. Dog jumping through waves eagerly anticipating yet another stick. Small child heading with wet feet heading back to the ocean. Sausages sizzling. Fire blazing. Marsh mellow sticks sharpened and at the ready. A full bottle of apple Fresh Up beckoning. Old friends nearby. Family at my side. Belly full and warm.

What about you?

Mummy's Day doesn't have to be about spending money

I've been thinking about Mother's Day. As a new mother myself, the key ingredient of this day, for me, is feeling appreciated. We were musing about what to get our mother this Sunday. I said out loud 'what would be the best present we could give to Mum?' and someone very perceptively replied 'go to church with her'. Now the church issue has long been a colourful one on our family. Mum's a born-again Christian and my father was a staunch atheist (what ever that means these days). Being closer to my father I was raised to be an atheist too. So as soon as this innocent suggestion was made I felt my old defences rise and I automatically began to shun the idea. On second thoughts though, I realised what it would mean to Mum, and how easy and possibly quite interesting it could be for me. There was even the chance, I realised, that I might even come away feeling quite inspired. So, my little sister and I are accompanying Mum to church this Sunday. We've already announced our intentions and my mother was suitably impressed. She was lost-for-words impressed, and excited - holding her breath with anticipation excited. Just goes to show, when we really think about what would make our loved one's happy, even the simplest actions, acts that don't mean much to us, can mean the world to them. And they don't need to cost us a cent.

Good News Being Broadcasted Across Ten Community Radio Stations

Good news for Happyzine - the top three good news stories of each week are now going to be broadcasted across ten community radio stations within New Zealand. Gradually, the good news is seeping through the nation ... hee hee hee. There's just one small detail - we need a major sponsor. So if you have any suggestions or ideas please drop us an email: info@happyzine.co.nz

When Happyzine is playing on Fresh FM

Would you like to absorb the good news in audio form as well? If you're in the top of the South Island you can now tune into Happyzine on Fresh FM on Mondays at 7.10 pm, Wednesdays at 10.10 am and Saturday at 4.10 pm. Happyzine will also soon feature on nine other community radio stations around Aotearoa!!! Ahhhh happy happy joy joy.

Check out Erin Cole-Baker

I'm just listening to Erin Cole-Baker on the National Programme (NZ) and she's got the most beautiful melodic voice and this amazing attitude to becoming a successful musician. She's a Kiwi with ties to Nashville, US. She's toured and performed heaps in the States and here in Aotearoa. It's not often I get excited about new musicians, I'm pretty fussy. But this woman is fresh, unique and going places. You've just got to listen to her.

How to be Happy - Three Easy Ways

a) Ask yourself what feeds your soul and brings you happiness and observe the first thought that flashes into your mind - don't judge it, just pay attention. It may be something you're already doing, something you know you could be doing, or something you've hardly given any thought to for ages. It may be a few things. Don't be afraid of what ever comes to mind. Your subconsciousness is powerful, and what ever flashed into your mind is worth contemplating. If you're not already doing at least one of these things, take small steps to begin, today.

b) Ask yourself which foods fill you with energy - are you eating them? Can you eat more of these foods? Organise a great kai (food) date for yourself, put it in your diary, organise it, make it happen, enjoy it and pay attention to how you feel afterwards. If it makes you feel good, you deserve it as often as possible.

c) Think physical - how can do you get the most enjoyment out of that amazing human body you're living in? What makes it feel fantastic? Is this activity a part of your general lifestyle? What's an activity that makes your body thrive, that you absolutely can incorporate into your weekly schedule? Become your own personal trainer and make it happen.

Happy as Larry

An introduction to Happy as Larry from Larry Cat:

Happy as Larry is a 'no catch' word of mouth project promoting random acts of giving, generosity and good karma!Larry is a cat and his own philosophy is "You get what you give".There are at least 10 giveaways each month, which have either been randomly donated to Larry, or stuff that Larry has himself has scored Robin Hood style. Its free to join just visit http://www.happyaslarry.co.nz/

Regards

Larry Cat

Yoga blossoming as economy drops leaves

Check this article out. It's interesting to see that during these time of change people are seeking "refuge from the storm" in Yoga.

"At the YogaWorks chain of studios in Manhattan, a short subway ride away from the doom and gloom of Wall Street, attendance is up 20 percent from last year. “The community genuinely wants to help each other in acts of kindness and compassion,” says Regional Manager Jill Bauman. “The networking is a great benefit.” “This has happened before — in the dot-com bust of 2000,” observes Tim Dale, owner and operator of the YogaTree family of four studios in San Francisco. “Many people had to make a huge adjustment [and] downsize. But in yoga we had a surge. Change often empowers people to do something positive for themselves."

I'm hoping the same trend is occurring here in Aotearoa.

GUEST BLOG - by the founder of Trade Kids - NZ's Kids Gear Swapping Service

"Why buy new, when you can swap what you've already got?".
My name is Tracy, and I am a Mum of two pre-school girls.
I came up with the concept of swapping kids gear, when I looked at the pile of clothes that my daughters had outgrown very quickly! Rather than throw it out or give it away, it occured to me that there must be other Mums' in the same situation; and why not swap with them?
I figured the internet would be the obvious choice to reach as many parents as possible, and so in August 2008 Trade Kids' Gear was born. Trade Kids'Gear is a website that allows NZ parents to swap kids clothes, toys and accessories online. It works on a points system, a great alternative to replace & recycle your kid's gear as they grow.
When a member registers with Trade Kids' Gear, they automatically receive a$2.00 credit (enough for 5 standard listings) so they can try our website for free. When they place their first listing, they will receive 15 freeTrade Points so they can start trading straight away. When the initial$2.00 credit has been used, members can top up their account via PayPal or internet banking transfer. Listing fees will automatically be deductedfrom their account balance. A standard listing is 40c for up to 10 days, with the option of up to 3 free automatic relists.
We now have 381 parents' from all over NZ who have joined our website toswap online.
Check out http://www.tradekidsgear.co.nz/ to find out more.

Happyzine Scheduled in on Fresh Three Times per Week

Well, it's all on. Yesterday I recorded the first 'top three good news stories for Happyzine this week' segment at Fresh FM, Nelson, New Zealand. I rather like recording Happyzine into audio form. It's fun down at the Fresh FM station. The team there are lovely and I feel very at home there. Perhaps because I've already spent hours recording my albums I really enjoy sitting down in front of a microphone again. So, from next week onwards, they'll play it three times per week. HOW EXCITING!!! So now we're working on enticing other radio stations to play Happyzine around the country (can anyone help out here?). Hee hee hee ... soon my grand plan for nationwide happiness shall become a reality! This may be a 'drop in the bucket' but gradually Happyzine's beginning to influence NZ's mainstream media to also focus on the positive side of life. So now one of the main focuses for Happyzine is attracting more good news, in written, photographic, audio, video, musical, artistic or anyothermediumyoucanthinkof form. There is so much to appreciate in life and this is one way of spotlighting the yummy side of life.

Kiwi Ellen Fans Get Very Excited

Has anyone seen the Kiwi Kids on the Ellen Show? Check this clip out for a highly charged example of pure joy as three kiwi teenagers realise their dream waaaayyyyy sooner than they expected to. It nearly had me in tears. Nearly.

Tell me what to write an ebook about and you could win my album

It's a quintessential Golden Bay album - recorded in the valleys of the Bay, the call of the Tui filtering in ... and out. It took me three years to record Turangawaewae - Place to Stand. It started when I decided to take up singing, song-writing, and playing guitar, on a whim, all at once. I entered a Golden Bay music competition and to my astonishment won the judge's choice. I decided to take at as a blessing and I was off after that, playing music all around the top of the South Island, forming bands, writing music prolifically, even teaching music (though I'm not sure who was teaching who). After my father died I become very inspired to write music and some songs detail the journey of living life to the full after someone I love dearly had passed on. Becoming a mother virtually stopped me in my musical tracks, meanwhile Kiwi FM and Fresh FM have continued to play the album. I never toured this album, but my son's old enough now that I'm nearly ready to take to the stage once more! Check it out, I hope you like it.

Onto the key subject: an ebook. I'm going to write one. A free one for the Happyzine community. I've got all sorts of ideas - let me know which ones you like, or suggest some more and I'll send the person with the best idea a copy of my album. Here they are:
1. How to live intuitively and stay you and why you'd be doing the world a favour
2. Ten ways to find meaning in life
3. How to stay optimistic and thrive - the little NZ ebook
4. How to relax and maintain your mojo while you parent
5. Ten ways to relax and be you whilst pursuing a lucrative career path
6. Five ways to save the planet and remain optimistic

Email me with your ideas! I'll announce the winner of the album as soon as I find you.
Charlotte

The Gift of the Piwakawaka

This morning I woke with the urge to go escape and go walking with my son Kahu, and Maia the teenage retriever. I could have done with a little more sleep and I was looking forward to feeling the breeze on my face.

I hoisted Kahu onto my back and we headed down the steps to the Nelson's beautiful old Railway Reserve. Here, the trains used to run, several times per day, carrying people who wore the fashion of Aotearoa/New Zealand about one hundred years ago.

As we walked and Maia sniffed out the delicacies of the dog world (dead animals), I began to relax and listen to Kahu pointing at things, telling me in toddler language all about the world and how exciting it was.

And then we saw the Piwakawaka - the fantail. I think the Piwakawaka are the dolphins of the trees. They're cheeky and friendly and trusting. I pointed them out to Kahu and we watched them feeding. Soon they noticed us and began to swoop close by. This had Kahu shrieking with joy, and the feeling soon spread. I made that noise that they make, like a cork rubbing on a bottle and they accompanied us back along the track. I was soon shrieking louder than my son!

The simple pleasures of life - sometimes it's merely a matter of relaxing enough to notice.

To Get What You Want, You've Gotta Relax and Enjoy.

Life tends to serve things up in the most interesting and often unexpected ways. Some times our wishes are granted easily, things just seem to appear effortlessly. And then there are those other moments when no matter how hard we try we can't seem to get from A - Z. At times like these, it just seems easier to give up, and in a funny kind of way, that's exactly what we should do - let it go for a moment.

These are the times when a good dose of relaxation is in order. It's time to feed the spirit by allowing ourselves to feel happier. Though it may feel tempting to do the opposite, it's important to remember that once we've asked for what we want, it's time to let go and enjoy life. This part is really important. Why? Because, as we're enhancing our lives and upgrading to what ever we consider to be the better version of existing, we've got to be in the best space possible to recognise and receive the new improved version of life! It's important that we know, down to our very bones, that we deserve it and this can only happen when we're relaxed and happy.

This attitude to creating the life we want runs contrary to our culture of 'work hard, play hard', it's more along the lines of 'breath deep, and go with the flow' and it's much much more in alignment with a healthy body and a relaxed state of mind. It's pretty win-win really. I mean, just think: at the very least you're enjoying yourself and along the way you just might get what you asked for. So do me a favour - relax, breath deep and go do something easy.

What IS Good News?

Happyzine is New Zealand's totally free, totally positive news ezine and blog. It's been running for around ten months and it has around 150 subscribers. I (Editor and Founder - Charlotte Squire) am seeking to define 'good news' specifically for Happyzine, within a New Zealand context. Here are my musings:

I've been mulling this one over for a couple of years. I want Happyzine to host positive and uplifting news. Yes, that's one layer of Happyzine. But what does 'good news' mean? Every body has a different idea of 'good news' don't they? I might think it's great that it rained, you might think it's not so good, because you can't play soccer. Very simplistic example I know, but you know what I mean - it's a subjective term - we all have different beliefs when it comes to positive and negative.

One word that comes to mind is 'creativity'. I want Happyzine to host creative solutions to challenging issues. I want Happyzine to show that for every so-called problem - there are always options. I want to demonstrate the process of people and the planet working through small or significant road-blocks. I want to show that there are many ways to approach issues and that we all have a choice.

I also want to illuminate the 'strengths' of the people of Aotearoa, for example we have this reputation for being innovative, great! I want the stories that show we are. We also have a the 'number eight wire' reputation - even better - I want to show that with a little ingenuity and lateral thinking we can get what we need. I want to show via story and image the special traits of Kiwis and our environment.

Getting back to the 'process' word, just thinking off the top of my head, I want to show that the process of working towards a solution, can also lead to other solutions. For example the very act of effective communication can open doors between people. One recent example of this is President Obama's visit to the G20 - his manner must have put people at ease as he ended up creating a strong relationship with the formerly hostile French President Nicolas Sarkozy. This will ease future relations between the US and France.

Perhaps it's approaching life with the 'optimistic expectation' that anything is possible', that 'cup half full' thing.

And I also have in mind 'edge' what's our edge as a nation? What unique flavours make us stand out from other countries and is 'edge' different from 'strength'?

I definitely definitely definitely want Happyzine to be about 'community'. I want people to become actively involved in searching out and sourcing news and ideas that they consider to be positive and inspiring. I want the Happyzine community to feel inspired to participate.

Ok, whew, what an exciting blog to write. I wrote stuff I didn't even know I felt! I would really like some feedback on this blog, so I'm going to invite a few people to comment. And if you would do me the honour of sharing your thoughts, I would love that. Happyzine is a living, breathing idea. Happyzine is the people to contribute to it. Please help us create the most amazing positive news option for the people of Aotearoa and beyond.

Some questions to consider:

What is good news to you?

What does 'positive news' mean?

What should Happyzine be about, within the context of Aotearoa?

What should Happyzine's purpose be?

In gratitude,

Charlotte Squire

The Will of the Weka

They're coming back. The Weka are returning. Happyzine ran a story from the Otago Daily Times on the re population of 'buff Weka' in Wanaka. And since then I've heard of other Weka sightings in Golden Bay - specifically in Bird's Clearing and Totaranui. I remember them from my childhood - they were feisty and cheeky. They used to steal my toast in the mornings and I respected them from afar after they tried to peck my (seemingly tasty looking) toes. Despite my mild fear of the Weka as a wee one, I missed them when they disappeared and am very pleased to hear they're repopulating Aotearoa.

When did you last see the humble Weka? And where? What did it look like? What was it doing? What sort of mood did it seem to be in and did it try to steal your food? Did it appear buff and in a repopulating mood? Send in your weka report to Weka Report and become a pin-up Happyzine star over-night (well ... over-week).

Obama and His Wahine Inspire Hope

I'm enjoying seeing these two enter the world stage. I never thought I'd see such an inspirational American president as Obama stepping up to create world change. At the recent G-20 conference in London Obama apparently not only rubbed shoulders with the leaders of today's world, but, figuratively speaking, massaged them. Obama, who was warmly received by UK PM Gordon Brown, managed to appease even French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruffled persona during the visit. He apparently impressed everyone, even the press, some of whom blessed him when he sneezed (apparently this is unheard of)! I think that Obama's presence is rippling out world-wide, caressing even nga tangata o Aotearoa. He's calming and he's inspiring, this bodes well for our future as citizens of the planet.

Parenting - Super Important - my rave

Imagine if ... parenting was so passionately valued in New Zealand that all parents were rewarded with general awe and admiration, strong financial support, and a grass roots drive to ensure each parent felt empowered to parent in a way that felt right on all levels of their being. Imagine if parents were held in such high regard that there were always many people flocking to baby-sit, people delighted the mere presence of a child at social gatherings and everybody kept an eye on our children to make sure they were happy and safe. Imagine if, during pregnancy women were held and cushioned in the bosom of her community, while their partners were supported by their peers through the life change. Imagine if the emotional security of a baby was so highly valued that great care was taken within our culture to ensure that all those people around the baby were healthy and happy, well able to intuitively, lovingly, consistently respond to all the needs of that baby. The likely consequence of this manner of care is a healthy, happy future generation; a culture of people who are kind, happy and sound in mind; people who are comfortable with their needs and in turn, they greatly respect the needs of all living beings and their environment. Just imagine ...

Web Talk - The New Design of Stuff

I'm just checking out the new Stuff website, and it's brilliant! It's clean, and uncluttered. It's smart and user friendly - they seem to have put heaps of thought into the key reasons that people visit Stuff and made those options easily available on the front page. And when you click on a link, you're presented with the option of checking out the latest headlines. With each inch that I scrolled down the page I was met with another link that I was pleased to see, for example they seem to have the important news, in colour down the left side of the page, and more personalised, peripheral material such as blogs and games available on the right - in duller colours. My website designer Galen at Luciddesign is always talking about making webpages more elegant and I was wondering whether this is a growing trend. Seems that it is, if Stuff, which was voted best overall website last year, are going this way, I'd best pay more attention to Galen!

Earth Hour Was an Exciting Time for Me

What I loved about last night's Earth Hour experience was the feeling that we were all in it together, I didn't even have to leave home to enjoy it, it was like there was this universal party going on and all I had to do was join in! This fits in well with me as the mother of a toddler. Kahu (my son) and I stood outside last night as I closely examined Nelson's light-life. He snuggled into his mother, while I stood there watching the hill across the valley to see if people were switching their lights off.

Heaps has been reported on Earth Hour, in fact, as I write it's still going on. Check out this Twitter comment:

“RT @mashable: Wow, they turned off the lights on the Eiffel Tower for Earth Hour! http://bit.ly/r6bdv”

Now that's the kind of action that Earth Hour is inspiring around the planet, nothing is off limits. This was always actually the case, I mean they could have switched off the Eiffel Tower lights anytime really, or NZ's sky tower lights (which they also switched off), but it's taken this level of excitement to inspire people to take positive environmental action to such a public level. Who knows what's next? Earth Hour every night? And who knows what else is possible when working with this level of interest world-wide - just goes to show: if you can dream it, it can happen.

Earthhour

How thoroughly exciting!!! It's earth hour and I'm here in Nelson, New Zealand with my whanau (family) staring down a dark valley, that was once lit up with lights - cause it's earth hour oh yeah! I love earth hour. Last year I got really excited and took my dog walking around the dark streets of Christchurch to see who had switched their lights off, then I came home and we played music. It was fun. It's fun now too.

Aotearoa/New Zealand World Leader in Sustainable Technology

Check out the 'Renewable Energy Seen as Hope for NZ' printed in the Press recently. Hello! This is the kind of article we need more of! I love a good vision to get excited about, and this article features an ecological economist saying that Aotearoa could stand as a world leader in sustainable technology, thanks to our relatively low population.

Professor Robert Costanza, who heads the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics in the United States, had some interesting points to make about New Zealand's potential future:

"New Zealand could be 100 per cent renewable without much effort, compared to other countries," he said.

And:

"Renewable energy in a big way could make New Zealand the centre of a lot of technology change."

Yep. Oh yes it could. I've been talking about this for years with people in my circles. The fact that these ideas are making it into mainstream media is a sign that these ideas are no longer as edgy as they used to be, and may even actually manifest one day!

People need vision, such as these ideas, to get excited about. Inspiration and engagement of the heart is a great way to motivate positive change.

"It's all doable with the right amount of funding," he said, carrying on to say that New Zealand had an opportunity to become a "model" society.

"You've got a low population ... You don't have to be an export economy; you could focus more on sustainability."

Exactly, more focus on sustainability, and less on the stuff we don't want.

Roger that!
Over and out...

Ten Reasons Why Gardening is Great News

If there's one activity that shouts good news, it's gardening, and this seems to have become a national pass time in Aotearoa.

Ten reasons why gardening is pure good news:

1. It connects us to the food we eat

2. It connects us to the land we build our homes on

3. It reminds us to be patient

4. Growing doesn't need to require much money

5. Something about it gives us permission to get dirty and scruffy - the land doesn't care how we look

6. We have control over what we do (or don't) put on our veggies as they grow

7. It reminds us how simple life can be - all we need are seeds, sun and water

8. The food we harvest tastes great

9. It bonds us with our ancestors

10. It's a way to get close to and understand the cycle of nature - something that we as humans are part of, though we sometime forget.

I've been following NZ Gardener's weekly newsletter (which you can sign up to for free, here). It's written by Lynda Hallinan in her mission to get New Zealanders gardening. We've covered her before in Happyzine, she's the amazing woman who vowed to live off ten dollars per week, plus all the produce of her land for a year. She liked it so much she kept going and has built up a following of nearly fourteen thousand Kiwis in the process. If this doesn't tell you that Aotearoa is getting back to the land, what does!? Wishing you a beautiful harvest.

Happyzine on Radio

Great news! The good news is spreading. Soon you can tune into Happyzine on Fresh FM. The wonderful team at Fresh are supporting me to record the weekly editions of Happyzine into audio form. Then they'll be posted online and available for any radio station (or individual person for that matter) to download. We hope to make Happyzine available on community radio stations nationwide - every week. Cool huh? Soon my cunning plan for national happiness will eventuate ... he he he.

Happyzine on Twitter

So what is this strange Internet social exchange that people are talking about? Well I'm not completely sure yet, but I'm working on it and I'm having fun! Happyzine joined twitter and now I get to tell the world what we're up to in any moment of the day. And I can watch what other businesses and people are thinking about and doing. The 'tweets' (comments) can range from: 'I'm making peanut butter on toast' to 'check out our great deal online'. It's strangely fun. I do feel connected to these people. The cool thing about Twitter is that it's simple and easy and it doesn't seem to take to long to process, unlike Facebook or Myspace. I like that it only has four million users (I'm looking forward to saying this about Happyzine!!!). Somehow it seems more intimate 'tweeting' in such short sentences (you have to keep them down to under 160 characters) with a these people. I've hooked up with other good news media, and with whole food organisations, and kiwi businesses and I'm enjoying feeling that we're even a tiny bit a part of each other's lives. In fact, I'm not the only one. A recent study has shown that Twitter is helping families to recconect accross the generations. What a quirky, yet delightful idea.

Feeling Happy, Staying Happy

I'm often considering the topic of happiness, and recently I've found my way back to meditation. For years I practiced Seido Karate and a key component of this style is Zazen meditation. I remember my teacher chastising an angry Karate student by growling 'More Zazen!'. I've found that since I've reclaimed my meditation - which I simply do in bed when I wake up, during the day while I'm breast feeding my wee boy, and just before I return to sleep at night - my life has become more peaceful. I've calmed down, I feel happier, and I'm relaxed enough to be able to sleep during the day if I need a rest. Some days I find it easier to relax and meditate than others, but in general I notice it making a positive difference to my state of mind.



I found a great article, written for the Winter edition of YES! Magazine - Sustainable Happiness, titled This is Your Brain On Bliss. The author Matthieu Ricard, who quit his career as a cellular geneticist nearly forty years ago to study Buddhism, had this to say about happiness:



"Authentic happiness is a way of being and a skill to be cultivated. When we first begin, the mind is vulnerable and untamed, like that of a monkey or a restless child. It takes practice to gain inner peace, inner strength, altruistic love, forbearance, and other qualities that lead to authentic happiness."



This reminded me of the fact that our brains are muscles, and with a little perseverance they can be trained in all manner of ways. Ricard goes onto say:



"The most important time to meditate or do other types of spiritual practices is early in the morning. You set the tone for the day and the “fragrance” of the meditation will remain and give a particular perfume to the whole day. Another important time is before falling asleep. If you clearly generate a positive state of mind, filled with compassion or altruism, this will give a different quality to the whole night.


"When people experience “moments of grace”, or “magical moments” in daily life, while walking in the snow under the stars or spending a beautiful moment with dear friends by the seaside, what is really happening? All of a sudden, they have left their burden of inner conflicts behind. They feel in harmony with others, with themselves, with the world. It is wonderful to fully enjoy such magical moments, but it is also revealing to understand why they feel so good: pacification of inner conflicts; a better sense of interdependence with everything rather than fragmenting reality; and a respite from the mental toxins of aggression and obsession. All these qualities can be cultivated through developing wisdom and inner freedom. This will lead not just to a few moments of grace but to a lasting state of well-being that we may call genuine happiness.


In this state, feelings of insecurity gradually give way to a deep confidence that you can deal with life’s ups and downs. Your equanimity will spare you from being swayed like mountain grass in the wind by every possible praise and blame, gain and loss, comfort and discomfort. You can always draw on deep inner peace, and the waves at the surface will not appear as threatening."



Check out YES! Magazine and this article, if you're open to the discipline of meditation - whether you practice for five minutes or five hours a day, the results equate to one path towards increased, and sustained happiness.

In the End... the Goats are the Real Winners

We mentioned the National Cheese Awards in last week's Happyzine, but we just found out that Happyzine sponsors Aroha Organic Goat Cheese tasted sweet success last week in the Cuisine Champions of Cheese Awards. They won two awards - the Champion Goat Cheese Award and the Champion Flavoured Cheese Award. They also won three Gold Medals, one Silver Medal and one Bronze. What I love knowing is that these people adore their 'girls' - check out the care they take to make sure their goats lead happy, healthy, well nourished lives. And if you're interested, check out their cheese range, they sell them online all over the country.

Congratulations Aroha Organic Goat Cheese!

Love,

The Happyzine Team.

xxxxx

Some businesses are still feeling the love ...

I recently met Elliot from Endemicworld.com via the e-waves. This is what they have to say for themselves:

"We want to make New Zealand design accessible worldwide and help our designers build their businesses and brands."

They've got some funky, affordable gear available on their site. Aotearoa designs have this wonderful edge to them, a fresh way of speaking out to the world and I feel so proud to check out this site and see what my people have been up too. Knowing that guts it takes to put yourself out there as an artist, and to keep doing so while you build up a following, I think these designers deserve all the support they can find. Endemicworld.com are onto a great thing here.

I checked out an Endemicworld.com promo video (made by the Made from New Zealand team). And you know what? These dudes feel good about their future as a business! Right on. What I loved about their video was that they basically said their sales were still increasing and that their future looked strong. It's so refreshing to tune into some visual information that is inspiring (for me as a business-minded-girl) and where businesses people are referring to their futures with relaxed expressions on their faces.

Long may the people relax!

Candy on a Beach

How I LOVE walking my dog on the beach. Tim Shadbolt (wonderful Invercargil Mayor) once mused to me that the beach is a place of negative ions and is thus a great place for 'letting go'. I was down on the waters edge a few days ago laughing at the confederation of happy dogs that appeared out of nowhere, when I got chatting to a fellow dog walker on Tahuna Beach. It turned out that her name was Candy Clarke and she's an artist. I checked out her site and fell in love with her self-described 'post-modern pop' style. I love her strong, bold colour; her use of words and her familiar subjects. Some of her work just seemed MADE for Happyzine!

One Straw Revolution meets Good News Revolution

Oh the revelations of these revolutions! I've just read 'The One-Straw Revolution' by Masanobu Fukuoka and I was filled with 'yes-ness'. It just made so much sense. This book was written in 1975 by an agricultural scientist who had turned farmer on his family's land in Japan. Over decades he developed a method of 'no dig' growing that resulted in crop yields rivaling that of the best growers in the country, who were using conventional, more energy intensive methods. Don't discount this no-dig thing, I always left the gardening to my brother, father and grandfather, the result being that my confidence in myself as a gardener was pretty low until recently and even I'm inspired to give this no-dig thing a go.

This book is partly about growing healthy crops, whilst replenishing the earth, via nature's divine tendency to mulch. Oh how I love mulch, and this book has inspired me to mulch with a fervour. And Fukuoka, who died just last year at 95, talks passionately about his feelings that people, nature, spirit, emotions - all aspects of life are connected. I think that many of us know this already.

What I loved about this book was that it largely points to the amazing, way beyond anything we human beans could ever imagine, intelligence, complexity, beauty and sheer power of nature. Ever since I can remember I've had the urge for things to be 'natural'. As a 'grown-up', the more I live, learn and experience, the more certain I feel - that planet earth has got it sussed and if we'd only step out of our way and allow nature to get on with what she's good at, health and balance would return.

Beautiful Kiwi Vocals

I love the sound of a good Kiwi accent. It reminds me of home. Some how it reminds me of the ocean. It's the cultural talk of a nation of people who share a few small mountainous strips of land somewhere far, far away from the 'rest of the world'. It changes from region to region - which is quite interesting to behold, Te reo Maori seems to have permeated the North Island dialect far more notably than down here in the country South. The West Coast of the South have a definite twang. Scots lingers in the south of the South. But this is some thing new... Apparently we're loosing a few vowels and constanants here and there. Yes indeed, our pronounciation is oozing into something else - how exciting! If it's edgy, well then that makes sense, we are an edgy bunch. We live on the edge of a vast ocean and our ancestors (or possibly we) took a huge leap of faith to a) get here and b) set up home. Here we are, at the 'bottom' of the blue Pacific and our accent is morphing quietly over time, as we grow and change and move with the masses of people who come and go. So we don't sound like Americans? Great! So we don't sound like the English anymore? How on earth could we expect to, given that we live on the opposite side of the planet and many English came here determined to begin a new life, and leave the class system behind? Who we are is people of Aotearoa and I'm proud of how we sound and what our language reflects.

Soooo Much Good News

Happyzine gets built around my parenting, and this week my son's been teething, which means broken nights and days of enforced 'taking it easy' as I feed my body with good food and jump on the 'sleep train' at every opportunity. OK, so that has nothing to do with the title of my blog but just humour me, I've been working hard and I felt the urge to share. So whilst we've been drowsily meandering through the week, the good-news has been appearing everywhere. In fact, this week this week Marty the fantastic Happyzine researcher found so much inspiring news that I have to choose only a small percentage of our 'harvest' and save the rest for future Happyzines. Working on a good news ezine has its advantages, I swear Marty's gotten happier as he's been researching. Sign up now to receive your good news fix from this Monday into the great foreverness.

Kate Winslet - Calling Her Dreams into Action

Did you hear her speech? I heard it three times on Radio NZ. She gushed with joy and used the word 'goddesses'. Now, I've gotta ask: What's the big deal about Kate getting excited (as commented on by some media personalities)? Go Kate! This woman had just achieved a life long dream, she'd been working at it since childhood in a roundabout way, talking into a shampoo bottle in front of a bathroom mirror as she imagined she was receiving an Oscar. Why wouldn't she rave? And why is it that as children our excitement is welcomed and appreciated, yet as adults, public displays of joy and enthusiasm aren't so well received? Guess what? It's OK to be and appear happy. In fact, I declare it a new fad, and very cool. I wonder if the masses will head my trend setting statement...

I could relate to Kate. I've had moments in my life where precious dreams have been realised, I remember the jubilation. I enjoyed being reminded of how it feels. Seeing celebs like Kate expressing their true emotions on the world stage sends out the message that it's OK to show happiness. It gives people permission to be themselves during moments of personal victory. And she wasn't jumping up and down, air punching and shouting 'yeah!' at the people who didn't win an Oscar. She was stumbling over her words, she had a lump in her throat, she was thankful and appreciative and she honoured the talent of all the other actress 'goddesses' - a term I use all the time because it implies the said 'goddess' women are powerful and capable of achieving anything. And we are.

I'm thankful to have heard her speech (accidentally) thrice. I will enjoy this new fad of cool happiness immensely.

Life Balance

I visited my friend Rachael over the weekend and was stunned at the life style she'd created. She works in the corporate sector three or four days per week and when she's not working, well this should give you an idea ... At Rachael's house we dined on home grown salad and a free-range egg omelet with home grown zucchini and hand made feta. There was home-made beetroot relish on offer. We drank the juice of apples and berries from friends. After lunch she gave me the tour of her raised bed garden. It sat on a north facing bank and had once been a blackberry patch, before she cleared it away and built terraced gardens. She sourced old wood and other materials to create the terraces from the tip and her previous home. She designed the garden so that her sprinkler could reach everything with its sweep of water. She grew watermelon, zucchinis, pumpkins, herbs, salad greens, tomatoes, everything and more she might need. She eats out of her garden. Before I left she loaded me up with more feta (she got the milk from her friend's Jersey Cow), preserves and enough salad greens to feed a family of twenty-five. I went home with fresh ideas for our wee plot of land in suburbia, contemplating chickens ...

Made From New Zealand - A Great Way for Kiwi Businesses to Support Each Other

I'm just discovering the Made From New Zealand website. Did any of you see that advert on TV recently where some Kiwis made a huge silver fern on a beach? I was interested in that ad, because I could feel the heart behind the message. And it was them: The Made From New Zealand team. What a discovery. These guys got together with Telecom and had a brainstorm session about how New Zealand business can navigate successfully through the next few years, and not only survive, but thrive. They set up a website inviting members of the business community - small, medium and large - to join up, for free, and so, every week, hundreds do. I'm quite excited to find this site, and this community, because the whole project shouts out HOPE. And 'hope' is one thing we most definitely need to hold onto here in Aotearoa so as to believe in happy future. This website invites blogs, press releases, general news about Kiwi business and far, far more. It reminds me of the power of the media, no, actually the huge responsibility of the media - as a means of quite simply sharing news - to help steer New Zealand towards a future we want. There has to be a forum for dreams and successes and ideas to be shared and this website is one such place.

Wanted: Roving Good News Reporters

That's right. I know you're out there - dotted about all over the country - living your lives, smiling at strangers, thinking kind thoughts about people ...


You know there's good happening out there, in fact you expect it, and life keeps proving it to you. You love to capture these inspiring and heart warming moments via word, or photo, or visual, or audio, or paint, or sketch ... you have your very own unique way of relaying back to the world how fantastic it is. And people appreciate your means of expressing the good in being human, in fact, they enjoy it and ask for more.


You're a strong personality in your own special way, you tend to ignore most of the media because it's not portraying the world you live in. You much prefer to focus on the aspects of life that feel good.


It's OK, Happyzine is here to gather you to its bosom (even though it's an ezine) and share your love with the world. We want to hear about your good news. We want to share it with our readers and inspire more good news. That's right: Roving Good News Reporters of New Zealand and beyond - Your Planet Needs You, Happyzine Needs You!!!


Email us if you'd like to share the good news.