Green Drinks Whanganui

09/03/2026

Green Drinks tonight at The Barracks - 5.30pm networking, 6pm start 🍹

04/03/2026

Whanganui Green Drinks
Tuesday 10 March 2026

The Barracks Sports Bar, 170 St Hill Street

Join us at 5:30pm for networking and 6pm for talk

This month, Green Drinks Whanganui is teaming up with the I Love Public Transport Whanganui group for an evening focused on our city's future.

We’re excited to be joined by Anthonie Tonnon, Whanganui's public transport champion. Anthonie will be giving us an update on the expanded Whanganui Bus services launching on 17th April, a date that marks both a major milestone for our local transit and the inaugural UITP World Public Transport Day.

Anthonie will share details about the activities the group have planned to support the launch. Come along to hear the vision, share your thoughts, and find out how you can get involved in making these new services a success for our community.

Hosted by Kevin

09/02/2026

🍸 Tomorrow!

🍸Whanganui Green Drinks
Tuesday 10 February 2026

The Barracks Sports Bar, 170 St Hill Street. Join us at 5:30pm for networking and 6pm for talk.

This month, we are pleased to welcome Gordon Cribb, who has served as the Project Manager for the Mouri Tūroa project over the last four years.

Mouri Tūroa is a landscape-scale Jobs for Nature initiative dedicated to restoring the health and biodiversity of Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River). Guided by the Tupua te Kawa value system, the project is led by Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui with support from the Department of Conservation. Key achievements include:

* Installing 170km of fencing to protect waterways.
* Planting over 500,000 native stems.
* Managing over 300 hectares of land for pest control.

Gordon will share his experiences managing complex systems and coordinating with numerous stakeholders.

Looking ahead, Ngā Tāngata Tiaki is partnering with Griffith University to develop the "Building Catchment Resilience" digital platform. This tool will provide critical data for cost-effective decision-making, helping to mitigate the ongoing impacts of flooding and erosion.

Hosted by Kevin

01/02/2026

🍸Whanganui Green Drinks
Tuesday 10 February 2026

The Barracks Sports Bar, 170 St Hill Street. Join us at 5:30pm for networking and 6pm for talk.

This month, we are pleased to welcome Gordon Cribb, who has served as the Project Manager for the Mouri Tūroa project over the last four years.

Mouri Tūroa is a landscape-scale Jobs for Nature initiative dedicated to restoring the health and biodiversity of Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River). Guided by the Tupua te Kawa value system, the project is led by Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui with support from the Department of Conservation. Key achievements include:

* Installing 170km of fencing to protect waterways.
* Planting over 500,000 native stems.
* Managing over 300 hectares of land for pest control.

Gordon will share his experiences managing complex systems and coordinating with numerous stakeholders.

Looking ahead, Ngā Tāngata Tiaki is partnering with Griffith University to develop the "Building Catchment Resilience" digital platform. This tool will provide critical data for cost-effective decision-making, helping to mitigate the ongoing impacts of flooding and erosion.

Hosted by Kevin

06/01/2026

Green Drinks resumes in February 2026.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and managed to enjoy a bit of a break over the holiday period.

Just a quick note to let you know that there will be no Green Drinks held in January.

We’re looking forward to kicking things off again and seeing you all at our first Green Drinks for 2026 on Tuesday 10 February.

Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer, and we’ll see you in February.

Kevin

08/12/2025

Tomorrow's Green Drinks will be hosted by Whanganui Enterprises at their premises at 41 London Street, commencing as usual at 5:30 pm.

They will be providing light finger food and tea/coffee/juice. However, donations to help offset their costs would be greatly appreciated (please BYO any specialty beverages or additional food).

Whanganui Enterprises will give a talk about their activities and, depending on numbers, may also offer a short tour of their premises. Their story is outlined below. Of particular interest to Green Drinks attendees is their employment and training initiative, which includes a new e-waste recycling programme that they hope to expand if there is sufficient demand.

02/12/2025

Next Green Drinks! Tuesday 9 December at Whanganui Enterprises, 41 London Street, Whanganui.
Join us at 5:30pm for networking and 6pm for talk.
Please note that this month’s Green Drinks will be hosted by Whanganui Enterprises at their premises at 41 London Street, commencing as usual at 5:30 pm.

They will be providing light finger food and tea/coffee/juice. However, donations to help offset their costs would be greatly appreciated (please BYO any specialty beverages or additional food).

Whanganui Enterprises will give a talk about their activities and, depending on numbers, may also offer a short tour of their premises. Of particular interest to Green Drinks attendees is their employment and training initiative, which includes a new e-waste recycling programme that they hope to expand if there is sufficient demand.

Hosted by Kevin

09/11/2025

Tomorrow at the Kai Hub!

05/11/2025

Next event: Tuesday 11 Nov! 5.30pm for networking, 6pm for presentation.

Please note, this month our Green Drinks will be held at the Kai Hub; tea and coffee will be provided but food and drinks will be BYO.

This month's speaker will be Sam O’Sullivan, clinical psychologist and coordinator at Pīwaiwaka Farm, the Learning Environment.

Sam is currently developing a community wellbeing clinic as part of the Learning Environment’s kaupapa (purpose). They intend to focus on supporting youth and adults who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and pain management. Sam is seeking community feedback about the vision for this service to inform its ongoing development.

The Learning Environment is a charitable organisation based at Pīwaiwaka Farm, a 72-hectare regenerative farm-forest in Papaiti, Whanganui. The kaupapa is to support people and the land to thrive together. Their place-based approach includes inclusive and supportive volunteer sessions; deeply transformative youth and adult camps; fun and inspiring educational visits; and workshops for children, young people, and adults. They also host vibrant community events, such as their annual Harvest Festival, tree planting day, and apple picking events.

06/10/2025

This month’s Green Drinks speaker is Eryn Gribble, the new Lead Coordinator at Whanganui Kai Hub.

Date: Tuesday 14 Oct
Time: 5.30pm networking, 6pm presentation
Venue: The Barracks, 170 St Hill Street

Before joining the team, Eryn was Kaiwhakahaere Matua/General Manager of Te Whare Hapori o Ngā Puna Waiora (Newtown Community Centre) in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), a vibrant, community-led organisation that included a Timebank, Tool Library, and digital inclusion project, Smart Newtown.

Eryn has spent her career in community development and the for-purpose/not-for-profit sector. “I’m passionate about grassroots, community-led projects that build resilience and create real change,” Eryn says. “At the Kai Hub, my role is to lead and support our team, volunteers, and wider community as we continue to grow and strengthen together. That means ensuring the Hub is sustainable, professional, and impactful.”

Right now, the Kai Hub is focused on strengthening its finances and backend systems, laying the groundwork for future growth. Looking ahead, there are exciting opportunities, from rescuing more food from supermarkets, cafés, backyards, producers, and growers, to reaching more recipients, including those in rural areas. The team also envisions opening the Hub to community groups, hosting workshops and cooking sessions, creating new volunteer and employment pathways, and partnering with local events and organisations.

Eryn is excited to share these opportunities and the Kai Hub’s vision for the future at the upcoming Green Drinks session and to talk about how you can get involved, offer support, and help shape what comes next. As Eryn says, “Together, we can reimagine a sustainable kai system with zero waste.”

09/09/2025

Green Drinks tomorrow night!

Meet the Candidates Forum

At tomorrow’s meeting we will be joined by candidates standing for the Horizons Regional Council Whanganui constituency. For our forum, we’ll be focusing on a single but vital issue: Public Transport improvements for Whanganui in the coming local government term, particularly inter-regional connections.

We’re delighted to have the support of I❤️PublicTransport Whanganui, who will provide candidate questions and help moderate the evening.

You may have already seen the great news that Horizons Regional Council has confirmed significant public transport upgrades for Whanganui, thanks to strong community submissions (many from you!). The new network will extend services into areas like Pūtiki and provide seven-day-a-week buses.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for what promises to be an important and engaging discussion.

At The Barracks Sports Bar function room from 5.30pm for networking, 6pm for presentation/forum.

02/09/2025

*CHANGE OF DATE*
At our August catch-up we announced plans for a ‘Meet the Candidates’ forum focused on sustainability and the environment, with candidates standing for the Horizons Regional Council Whanganui constituency. This was originally scheduled for Tuesday 9 September.
We’ve since learned that the Ratepayers Association is hosting their own ’Meet the Candidates’ forum on the same evening, which includes both regional and local council candidates.

To avoid a clash (and to allow both candidates and community members to attend), we have moved our event to:
Wednesday 10 September at The Barracks – Ammo Room 5:30pm – 8:00pm
For our forum, we’ll be focusing on a single but vital issue: Public Transport improvements for Whanganui in the coming local government term, particularly inter-regional connections.
We’re delighted to have the support of I❤️PublicTransport Whanganui, who will provide candidate questions and help moderate the evening.
You may have already seen the great news that Horizons Regional Council has confirmed significant public transport upgrades for Whanganui, thanks to strong community submissions (many from you!). The new network will extend services into areas like Pūtiki and provide seven-day-a-week buses.
👉 The final consultation on the proposed network is open until 8 September – have your say here:
https://haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz/whanganuionthemove

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 10 September for what promises to be an important and engaging discussion.

Hosted by Kevin