Supporters’ Celebration
7/11/2024
With our new Covered Riding Facility practically completed, it was time to celebrate and thank our major supporters and funders who contributed to make it happen. We were able to hold this in our new Community Room. It was wonderful to welcome all these wonderful community-minded people and show them through the new facility.
Karakia
14/06/2024
Yesterday was a special day for us. After just 2 years since the sod turning for our new covered arena we held a small event to bless the building. This was carried out by our dear friend and local kaumatua Papa Fred Holloway. After President Norma Hayward welcomed everyone, Papa Fred performed a karakia. He and Norma then walked through the building to bless each space with everyone following. Getting to this stage has been a long process and is such a great milestone for us. We look forward to a formal opening ceremony and celebration to be held later this year.
Roof Shout!
14/04/2023
Yesterday we reached huge milestone with our Covered Riding Facility. The main roof is up, and along with a number of our funders, supporters, volunteers and valued community reps, we held a Roof Shout to celebrate and acknowledge everyone’s support and hard work that has got us this far. Very exciting indeed!
Volunteer of the Year Award
05/07/2022
This year’s recipient of the NZRDA Tom Atchison Volunteer of the Year Award was our own president and chief, Norma Hayward. She brought home this amazing trophy and medallion from the NZRDA conference in Wellington this weekend.
We actually think Norma should win volunteer of the decade! That's how long she has been relentlessly moving our group towards having a covered riding arena to enable West Auckland RDA to reach more riders and change more lives.
Norma started with WA RDA in 2003 and became President in 2008. She inspires and motivates our group by example. She believes RDA can be many things to many parts of the Community and will respond to all who express an interest. She has managed to get most of her neighbours involved and of course her lovely family too.
In spite of a more than a full time task with the covered arena development, fundraising, consents, deputations, meetings, and more, while simultaneously leading the governance and strategic planning and business operation of the group, she will definitely to find time to visit volunteers who are unwell, assist with personal issues, and deal with the many tricky issues that land in her presidential lap.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have a person of Norma’s calibre and talents taking a lead role in our group. So this week Norma was deservedly showered with congratulations and heartfelt thanks from our volunteers and our wider community.
Happy 100th Birthday Jack!
06/05/2022
Yesterday we celebrated our longest-serving volunteer Jack Field’s 100th birthday!
Jack has been volunteering with us since 1976 and was one of the founding members of the group. He still comes along each week to help us out and stay connected. Jack is much loved by us all and has made a massive contribution to our group over the years.
We all had a wonderful day with Jack's family, his fellow volunteers, some of our riders and a lovely cake. We also surprised Jack with a visit from Hilary Barry and crew from Seven Sharp! View the TVNZ clip here.
Back in the Saddle
15/02/2022
Finally we have been able to re-open after 6 months away due to Covid-19 Lockdown in Auckland. Joyful children and volunteers had an awesome first day back, and look forward to their weekly riding days in the term ahead.
As a ‘Close Proximity’ service we have to operate with Vaccine Passes and masks, but it won’t be forever, and we are pleased to be offering a service even with the current restrictions.
Covid Closures
26/10/2021
With Auckland under Covid-19 restrictions Level 3, Step 1, we haven’t been able to offer riding sessions this month. We have had many inquiries about when we will be able to recommence riding sessions, and are working in the background to be ready to reopen as soon as the government restrictions allow.
WSP Community Day
22/12/2020
A team of 9 people from WSP gave us a day of community work on our grounds today. They got stuck in and did a fantastic job of clearing about 150m of fence-line which was completely overgrown. The area cleared will make way for our new planting which will border our new Covered Riding Facility. The WSP team worked so hard and were a pleasure to have with us. Many thanks WSP!
End of year
11/12/2020
During the last week of riding for 2020, our riders enjoyed receiving medals or toy ponies. The medals were donated by Team Saxton of Barfoot & Thompson, and the toy ponies were donated by Andrew Higgott of the Lindsay Foundation.
We hope all our riders, families and volunteers have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all next year
Olivia Wilkins Award
8/12/2020
Each year we present the Olivia Wilkins Memorial Trophy to our Supporter of the Year. This year we had great pleasure in awarding this to Pam Unkovich, a fantastic planner who supported us through getting Resource Consent, providing help and guidence and many weekend pro bono hours to help us across the line. Very community minded and a wonderful lady to work with, it helped that she really understood our purpose and our needs.
Erika Bouwmeester, Norma Hayward, Shirley Furneaux, Penny Hulse, Sharon Davies QSM
A visit from our patrons
25/06/2020
We were so pleased this week to welcome our Patrons for 2020, Penny Hulse and Sharon Davies QSM, to West Auckland RDA. They delivered a great speech of thanks to acknowledge all our wonderful volunteers in recognition of National Volunteers Week. They also presented us with beautiful flowers to congratulate us on obtaining Resource Consent for our covered riding facility. We look forward to working with Penny and Sharon to make the building a reality for the West Auckland community
Welcome back to our riders and volunteers
10/06/2020
We are expecting lots of big smiles this week as our riders are reunited with their horses after the big covid break.
Covered Arena - One step Closer
30/05/2020
We have fabulous news! We are one step closer to getting a covered riding arena built for West Auckland Riding for the Disabled. We have been granted Resource Consent for the facility by Auckland Council. The RC process has taken 12 months. It was wonderful to have had the assistance of a number of very skilled and community minded professionals throughout the process. And…. if there are any more of you out there who can lend us a hand with the fundraising and building process going forward, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
RDA sessions temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 alert
24/03/2020
The health & safety of our community is paramount so we will be taking a break from riding sessions until further notice. In the meantime, we will continue to do all the work that happens in the background to ensure we can get back to providing a great riding therapy programme as soon as the threat has passed. If you have any questions, you can email us on office@westaucklandrda.org.nz or for questions about volunteering, please email volunteers@westaucklandrda.org.nz
New Lease
05/02/2020
Saturday marked the start of a new lease arrangement on the grounds where West Auckland Riding for the Disabled operates. We have been allocated a 20 year lease (10 years with a 10 year right of renewal) for half of the grounds at the Henderson Valley Park. Henderson Valley Pony Club has been granted a similar lease over the other half of the grounds. The south west side will be RDA's and the north east will be Henderson Valley Pony Club's. Having a lease will enable RDA to apply for funding for a covered riding facility. RDA and HVPC have negotiated a Transitional Memorandum of Understanding, effective from 1st February until the covered riding facility is completed. This MoU sets out shared usage of the grounds and facilities. There are no major changes to our current operations. Pictured here are Norma Hayward (West Auckland RDA President) and Jess Richards (Henderson Valley Pony Club President) signing the MoU document on 30 January.
Many thanks go to Henderson Valley Pony Club, Auckland Council and the Henderson Massey Local Board for their support.
That’s a Wrap
17/12/2019
A final ride before the Christmas break.
Even the ducks came to have a look at the tinsel tailed horses!
Olivia Wilkins Award
10/12/2019
Each year we present the Olivia Wilkins Memorial Trophy to our Supporter of the Year. This year we had great pleasure in awarding this to Hampton Jones https://hamptonjones.com/.
We were delighted to have Matt Earley and Rupam Kaur from Hampton Jones join us at our end of year barbeque to receive the the award.
Open Day
25/11/2019
Thanks to everyone who supported our Open Day on 24 November!
We had approximately 200 visitors, including Councilliors, a great riding therapy demonstration and dozens of children enjoying the pony rides.
We also had lots of interest in our covered riding facility information stand.
The sun shone all day and it was a pleasure to host this event for the local community!
Great to see Councilors and Local Board Members there too!
Happy to see the sunshine but…
05/11/2019
Our riders and volunteers were happy to see the sunshine last week, but unfortunately RDA has to be cancelled on Guy Fawkes week because of the uncontrolled use of the fireworks around their paddock area. They have to be taken off to another site for the week. Last year one of our horses was injured when they were spooked by a firework. Once we have our long-dreamed-for covered riding facility, we won't have this problem as we will have stables where the horses will be safe.
Volunteer Training
20/09/2019
RDA volunteers have access to some great training opportunities.
Recent Training courses include:
Practical Refresher in Horse-leading, Side-walking and Health & Safety.
Rare Medical Conditions seen at RDA.
Brainwave - The Early Years Last Forever.
Sorry we are closed for the winter term. But you will see us out and about fundraising for our Covered Arena, so look out for our gingerbread horses.
05/08/2019