The Grey Lynn Business Association (GLBA) is working on further developing our already strong and functional urban fringe neighbourhood.
We are not a traditional business association in that we have strong community roots which grew from, and we continue to work with, the long-established Grey Lynn 2030 – a community group which is a leader in environmental thinking and change.
Another product of the GL2030 initiative, the Grey Lynn Farmers Market, is another local example that illustrates the ‘Green Fringe’ in action – it has been leading the charge on promoting environmental sustainability, ethically sourced products and integration with community values.
GLBA has an extremely exciting vision that builds on the existing community spirit, but we do need wider engagement with the local 3000-plus businesses to turn our vision into a reality. We can all benefit from tapping into each other’s diverse skills and experiences.
At the moment, GLBA is working on five key projects:
• Unique billboards to promote events in Grey Lynn. The billboards will be designed by a local artist and be displayed throughout Grey Lynn. In keeping with the local ethos, all artists will be paid for their work and we hope the billboards will become part of the rich tapestry of Grey Lynn’s vibrant culture.
• Engagement of a communications expert to ensure our messages reflect the spirit, desire and values of the district.
• Working collaboratively to expand the awareness, attraction and ambiance of the amazing artists, designers and food enterprises in Grey Lynn. This includes participating in and expanding the existing Art Week (mid-October).
• Greening Grey Lynn village with a view to increasing its appeal as a place where people feel welcome and choose to spend their time. Our team working on this project has a focus on getting the community involved in the plan’s design and implementation.
• Garnering wide-ranging support and engagement with our community to ensure change is managed for the benefit of all. In this respect it was very interesting to read the recent developments regarding the proposals to build a new St Helier’s village centre – very clearly a ‘listening’ community is developing which, in our view, is the essence of bringing about high-quality infrastructure developments in village centres.
Over the last two years we have learnt that it is essential for the business and the community to speak as one to optimise their contributions to change.
We look forward to you joining us on the journey as we work to further advance Grey Lynn as a progressive urban community.
Get in touch with us if you would like to be involved in any of our projects, or if you want more information - www.glba.co.nz