Hello kiwis, remember to vote in the NZ election

[Convex]

Edited to reflect new direction of thread!

[Convex]

Meant to say its mostly under 1s but there are a couple of toddlers too. So obv all welcome.

[Pickle]

Thanks for arranging this, it was great to meet a few other kiwis last week.

I attempted the "ma is white, whero is red..." song earlier, and that's about as far as I got. Very rusty!

[Convex]

Don't worry, I have it on a teeshirt, so we can use that as a prompt. I'm extra kiwi, me.

[niwi]

I am kiwi Mum to be (due in Novemeber) and would be super keen to join this group. I want to make sure that my little one is totally in touch with their kiwi side too! Convex - I'll PM you if you can add me to the group.

[Convex]

Just a bump for tomorrows kiwi kids meet up.

[Au'Lait]

Where is the gardens cafe?

[Pickle]

The Gardens is opposite Peckham Rye, on Forest Hill Road, just around the corner from Barry Road.

[Pickle]

Really nice to hear so many familiar accents this morning, thanks again to Convex for getting us organised!

Going forward the plan is to get a proper little playgroup type scenario going, with NZ songs (and stories?), so any other parents of kiwi kids do get in touch of you're interested.

Also, for those without really small kids, we thought a grown up night out drinking wine, NZ made of course, could be a good idea - so get in touch if you're up for the drinking side of it :)

[EJTH]

You guys are aware of Ngati Ranana, the NZ Society, Kiwis in London, etc aren't you? Great groups and Ngati Ranana has a lovely Maori/Pakeha (well anyone really) wee group fr kids to learn about NZ culture.

[Convex]

I haven't organised the next meet which I apologise for... Life got away with me.

Tanks for linking to that ejth - I didn't know about it. I would be keen to go to this, anyone else?

[clarebells]

The guy at Chener Books told me about you guys... how great, a bunch of Kiwis in the area! We (my 3 year old daughter and I) would be keen to come along sometime - I'm 100% K1W1 and she is half. I'll PM for details on the next meeting.

Also if anyone is interested in keeping alive that connection with nature that so many of us Kiwi kids have/had, then I run a outdoor play group every Thursday up in Sydenham Woods.

Check out www.nature-play.co.uk or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nature-Play-South-East-London/207738685928324 for details.

[Convex]

Right I really need to organise this then!

Lets do the night out first.

Would interested parties please pm me your email addresses, I will go back and find old ones but pm them again if you have a sec. Then will start a round robin email for dates etc.

This is for kiwi families, that has a fairly broad definition, so if your kids are half kiwi, yes you count! (Based on previous questions!)

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[lizziegillett]

Hello fellow Kiwis!

The New Zealand election is just one week away and we're determined to make sure every overseas-based Kiwi has their voice heard. This year, voting is easier than ever. You can visit the NZ High Commission at Trafalgar Square to vote in person, or download your voting papers and send them back to NZ by digital upload or fax. All you need is a smartphone and printer. If you would like more information, we've set up a dedicate website at www.votefornz.com to guide you through the process.

In recent elections, international votes have changed the make-up of parliament and with this election likely to be extremely close it's important you have your voice heard. It only takes ten minutes to vote but it lasts three years!

Happy voting!

[clarebells]

Yes, this election couldn't be more important!

'Be a tidy Kiwi' ...and vote.

[lizziegillett]

Hi Clarebells,

Great to hear back from you. I couldn't believe that only 1% of kiwis living overseas voted in 2011. The stats look higher already this time so hopefully people do their democratic duty!

Best wishes

Lizzie

[clarebells]

Hi Lizzie

I went into NZ House to vote on the 3rd day of voting. The guy there said they had already been run off their feet... a good sign.

Lets hope that the 3/4 of Kiwis living IN New Zealand who didn't vote last time can get their a into g this time too!

Fingers crossed.

Clare

[lizziegillett]

Hi Clare,

Good on you! We also heard it's been much busier this year and the stats for advance voting show more than double the number of advance votes as in 2011.

If you're interested, we're hosting an Election Breakfast on Saturday morning (Sept 20th) to watch the election results come in live. Tickets and info at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/e/865517

Cheers

Lizzie

[clarebells]

Thanks Lizzie, I did see this already. However, what with a wee baby and my 4 year old bestie, I think the luxuries of breakfast parties are a while off for me.

Hope its a great success!

Clare

[lizziegillett]

Hi Clare,

Oh yes, that would be tough with two wee ones. Lucky you, sounds like a great age gap. I have a three year old daughter, turning four in October, and I'm starting to get panicked about too-large an age gap although not panicked enough to do anything serious about it!

Thanks for the good wishes.

Let's hope we see some positive change in that beautiful country of ours.

Cheers

Lizzie