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Clean Streets & Good Vibes 💚

It’s amazing what a bit of teamwork can do for our village! Our second Te Kamo Spring Clean was another great community effort, and even with slightly fewer volunteers this year, the shopping centre is looking fantastic. We’ve had so many lovely comments from locals noticing the positive changes.

This year really showed what happens when our community gets stuck in together, local businesses, service providers, council staff, artists, and volunteers all played a part. Thanks to funding grants, donations, and heaps of local support, almost $30,000 was raised for Spring Clean projects, with Te Kamo Community Inc contributing $6,000. Every bit of support made a difference!

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A Fresh Start for the Village

In the week leading up to the event, Te Kamo’s main street got a serious spruce-up. Waterblasting (done by Washrite Northland) cleaned and brightened the footpaths and bollards from the lights all the way to Z Petrol Station.

Next came the arrival of two new dual rubbish and recycling bins made locally by Ten4, funded through a Grassroots Trust grant and generous local donations, and installed by the Whangārei District Council. One sits beside the disability picnic table installed earlier this year, and the other across the road by the bus stop.

We’ll be fundraising for more bins next year to help keep the village clean, tidy, and supporting good recycling habits.

Citycare also refurbished all the existing bench seats along the street. They’re looking clean, fresh, and ready to enjoy a pause in the sunshine!

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Art That Tells Our Story

Just before the big day, two murals began transforming walls in the village:

• At Four Square, artist Haser refreshed his original mural — although “refresh” hardly covers it. It has become a stunning reimagining, and the community is loving it.
  ➜ See more of his work: https://www.hasernz.com/
• Near Liquorland, local artist Marino created a brand-new piece, supported by Liquorland and the WDC Community Fund. The design draws inspiration from Te Kamo’s people, land, and natural beauty.
  ➜ Check out Marino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modern_mauri

We’re planning to add an interpretation plaque soon so everyone can learn about the story behind the artwork.

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Community in Action – Cleanup Day

On the day, we teamed up with Tiakina Whangārei to hand out free rat traps, helping residents keep pests under control in our backyards.

Volunteers organised through F.O.R.C.E (https://force.org.nz/) collected a huge 280kg of rubbish and around 20kg of recycling from across Te Kamo — an amazing effort for a smaller crew!

The TKCi team and volunteers also freshened up garden beds throughout the village, thanks to generous plant donations from Hammer Hardware, Citycare, and others.

We even had a local Te Kamo police officer team up with the Post Shop owner to waterblast around the building and repaint the Post Shop walls. Goodbye graffiti, hello clean and fresh!

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🌞 A Big Day – and a Bigger Thank You!

The sun was shining, home baking magically appeared to fuel the troops, and the vibes were high even with a few sunburned noses!

Huge thanks to everyone who:

🌱 Volunteered
🌱 Donated
🌱 Cheered us on
🌱 Helped in any way

All the small improvements add up to a big lift for Te Kamo. Together, we’ve refreshed and uplifted our village and we can’t wait to build on this momentum next year!

Notice of AGM

Kamo Community Inc

6.00pm 09 July 2025

Kamo High School Library, Te Kamo

All welcome to attend.

KCi AGM Agenda

6pm 09 July 2025 at Kamo High School Library, Te Kamo.

1. Welcome and Apologies

2. Approval of Minutes of AGM held 10 July 2024

3. Chairperson’s Report

4. Financial Report

5. Election of Office holders and committee members

6. General Business

i. Subscription fees

ii. Benefits of being a member of KCi

iii. Decision on re-registering KCi

iv. Decision to change the name of KCi to Te Kamo Community Inc.

v. Proposed changes to the constitution

vi. Other business

End of Formal AGM

Light refreshments will be served.

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Kamo Community Inc is making some changes to our constitution.

The following remit, to be put to the AGM (09.07.25), was unanimously passed by the Committee at the June Meeting
Remit for Proposed changes to the Constitution:

• 2.1 Incorporated Societies Act 1908 becomes
“Incorporated Societies Act 2022.”

• Correct Kamo to “Te Kamo” throughout the document

• 3.1 becomes “Revitalise Te Kamo Village and environs
as an attractive and vibrant safe place to live, work
and play.”

• 7.1 becomes “The Society shall maintain the minimum
number of members (being 10) as required by the Act.”

• 8.12 This section says a committee member shall
automatically vacate his or her position if absent from
four consecutive meetings of the Committee without
leave…. that “shall” be replaced with “can”

On a beautiful spring day in September 2024, Te Kamo Village got a much-needed refresh thanks to the hardworking volunteers and generous local businesses that came together for our very first Te Kamo Spring Clean. The event exceeded all expectations. What started as a simple initiative from Kamo Community Inc quickly grew into an event that may well become an annual tradition for our community. And what a day it was! From garden and rubbish cleanups to water blasting pavements and even handing out rat traps, the difference it made was incredible.

This event wasn’t just about a quick tidy-up—it was about community. It was about showing pride in Te Kamo Village and taking steps to create a cleaner, greener space for everyone to enjoy. With over 50 enthusiastic volunteers and several local businesses, we achieved so much together.

Waterblasting Power

A few days before the event, in the early morning hours, Wash Rite Northland‘s water blasting tackled the weathered surrounds, generously providing their services free of charge. Around Bin Inn, Hook Inn, and over the road at Soda Cafe, they cleaned the shop fronts, windows, signage, and even the concrete footpaths. It’s amazing how much fresher the place feels. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how much difference a thorough clean can make to a space we see everyday.

A New Touch of Green

No village cleanup is complete without some greenery. Kamo Community Inc was thrilled to add some new life to the area by installing concrete planter pots outside Hammer Hardware and Liquorland. This project showcased the true spirit of community collaboration: Duracrete Products Ltd donated the planters, Greenfingers Landscaping Supplies provided the soil, and Hammer Hardware, who not only helped store the planters but Jase maneuvered his forklift like a pro, placing these beautiful concrete planters in place. With plants purchased by Kamo Community Inc including funds donated by Bin Inn, the planters were filled with carefully selected plants that have already begun brightening up the street.

Rat Trap Giveaway – Tackling Pests Together

While the cleaning and beautification efforts were underway, another important initiative was taking place. Tiakina Whangarei and Kamo Community Inc teamed up to give away 50 rat traps as part of an ongoing pest control project for the village. This practical addition to the day’s activities demonstrated that the Spring Clean wasn’t just about aesthetics – it’s about creating a healthier environment for everyone, from our native birds to our backyard gardens. A huge thank you to everyone who picked up a trap and is contributing to make Te Kamo pest free.

A Team Effort – Volunteers & Local Support

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible volunteers who showed up ready to work . Over 50 volunteers rolled up their sleeves – they were everywhere – on Three Mile Bush Road, down the main street, or the large parking area in between – pulling weeds, clearing dead plants, and planting new ones. Even the kids came along, learning the value of community service, with our KCi chair David, delivering a wheelbarrow full of donated goodies to the hard workers, small and big.

Huge thanks to Nicholas Connop and the FORCE(For Our Real Clean Environment) team, who were were absolute champions . They took charge of ensuring litter was cleared from the footpaths, carparks, gardens & gutters, making sure not a single piece of litter escaped their eagle eyes, and helping to create a space everyone can be proud of.

Generous Contributions from Local Businesses

Our local businesses really stepped up too, proving that Te Kamo’s community spirit runs deep. Four Square, Kamo Dairy & Lotto, Omak Meats, Brothers Barber, Domino’s Pizza, Unichem Pharmacy, Kamo Gifts & Books, Book Inn –all chipped in with spot prizes that kept everyone’s energy up. The Whangarei District Council also joined in with prize donations, demonstrating how the Spring Clean had brought together both private and public sector support.

Other contributors also helped ensure the day ran smoothly. Helen from Citycare provided crucial support with her truck for green waste removal, Jo from Tiakina Whangarei & helpers ran the Rat Trap Giveaway, and Chris and Lou from Northland Scaffolding pitched in with the prep work and made sure everything was ready before the big day. These contributions, though perhaps less visible, were a big part the day’s success.

Looking Ahead – Building a Tradition

The Spring Clean revealed something important about Te Kamo: when the community comes together, impressive things happen. From the youngest volunteers to the most experienced, everyone found a way to contribute. The day showed how individual efforts, when combined, can create significant positive change in a community space.

The feedback from the community has been fantastic, and the results speak for themselves. The village center looks cleaner, brighter, and more welcoming than ever. Kamo Community Inc is already looking forward to next year’s event, and we’re excited to build on what we’ve learned.We hope to make the Te Kamo Spring Clean a tradition that gets bigger and better every year.

So, however you contributed, thank you for being part of something special. This event wasn’t just about cleaning up—it was about coming together, strengthening our community, and showing pride in our village.

Through our suggestion boxes, we had a comment that Kamo should have Lilliput libraries. Not knowing what this was I did some research, and discovered we do already have one in Kamo, outside Kamo Primary school pictured below.

This project began in New Zealand, in 2015, beginning in Dunedin and has since expanded to over 300 throughout the country. They are often painted brightly, sometimes artistically shaped, and filled with books, free to borrow/take/donate and are a quirky and fun addition to the community. If you are interested in reading more or perhaps becoming a “guardian” of a Lilliput library….

This link is to the website of the original project, including a map of Lilliput libraries all over the country (including others in Whangarei).

https://lilliputlibraries.wordpress.com/

This link are the plans to build a Lilliput library – supplies by Whangarei District Library.

https://kamovillage.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Lilliput-Library-box-plan.pdf

Love to hear if you have spotted any others!

Last month, Pest Free Kamo (a mix of Kamo Community Inc, Tiakina Whangarei, and some Kamo residents) was in the community giving out rat traps and talking to everyone and anyone about the awesome mahi the team is working on. (Big thank you to Four Square Kamo!)

We brought 50 traps and trap boxes to give out to residents and all were gone within an hour! Along with the traps, people were also given instructions for registering their trap on Trap.nz and enabling their traps and catches to become part of the New Zealand wide trapping project.

We have since given out another 30, with hopefully more to come. If you are interested in receiving a trap, please get in touch via the feedback page on this website or via Facebook, or get in touch with Tiakina Whangarei.

Notice of AGM
Kamo Community Inc
6.00pm 12 July 2023
Kamo High School Library
Agenda Below

KCi AGM Agenda
6pm 12 July 2023 at Kamo High School

1. Welcome and Apologies
2. Approval of Minutes of last AGM held 10 August 2022
3. Chairperson’s Report – Judy Allison
4. Financial Report – Rebecca Reynolds
5. Election of Office holders and committee members
6. Review and adoption of revised Constitution and Procedures
7. General Business
   End of Formal AGM
   Light refreshments will be served.

Copies of the draft Constitution and draft Procedures are available here and hard copies are available to read at Kamo Library & Book Inn.

Kamo Community Inc – New Constitution and Procedures

In accordance with the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 which was passed into law last year, Kamo Community Inc has revised it’s constitution and procedures. They are currently in draft form until the AGM in July 2023. You can view the draft constitution and draft procedures via the links below.

Constitution – https://kamovillage.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Draft-KCi-Constitution-2023.pdf

Procedures – https://kamovillage.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Draft-KCi-Procedures-2023.pdf