Venkat Raman –
There are two ways to touch the heart of a Green Party Member – be an environmentalist or a child. And for a Member of Parliament, being in the midst of both would be as good as (or perhaps better than) being in the debating chamber in Wellington.
Green Party MP Gareth Hughes took home with him dozens of young hearts following his visit to the Rainbow Corner Early Learning Centre based in Mangere East, South Auckland on October 19, 2015.
Centre Director Bhavini Doshii said that the visit enabled Mr Gareth to appreciate the efforts of the Mangere institution not only in preserving and promoting greener environment but also inculcating its importance among children.
Cleaner environment
“Along with Solar panels and rain water harvesting, our Centre works together as a team to recycle and reuse resources and manage waste to minimise landfill. This process enables us to use only the bins supplied by the Auckland Council, eliminating the need for commercial waste management services,” she said.
A detailed report on this Centre appeared in our October 1, 2015 issue.
Ms Doshii said that her Centre has undertaken a project with the Auckland Council on the use of cloth nappies and is in the process of adopting this practice for children attending the Centre. For centuries, mothers in India avoided use of materials other than cloths as nappies for children, although modern style of living has largely changed the habit.
“We plan to embark on composting and growing a community vegetable garden,” Ms Doshii said.
She said that Mr Hughes was treated multicultural performances by children during his visit to the Centre. These included an Indian dance by Payal and a Samoan dance by Hannah. Rene, another child, presented him with a ‘Thank You’ card and a haka.
Strong advocacy
A graduate in Religious Studies, History and Politics from Victoria University, Mr Gareth has been a strong advocate of many issues relating to the environment and to Green Party policies and programmes. He was the youngest Member of Parliament in 2010.
A tech-savvy lawmaker, Mr Gareth hosts online public meetings. He was the first MP to participate in ‘Ask-me-anything’ session on website ‘Reddit’ and successfully push for live streaming of Select Committees of Parliament.
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Photo:
- Gareth Hughes speaking to a child at the Rainbow Corner Early Learning Centre, Mangere East, watched by Director Bhavini Doshii on October 19.
- A group of children during the visit of Gareth Hughes to the Rainbow Corner Early Education Centre Mangere East on October 19.
