Although meetings may be held on the last Monday of every month, there are many firsts for the Taradale Residents' Association (TRA).
As well as changing the venue and time, there will be two other "firsts" at next Monday's meeting — a giveaway and quite possibly the first time all three official languages of New Zealand are featured at a meeting, says secretary Emily Otto.
"Since we are holding the meeting at the HB Deaf Club meeting room we've extended an invitation to members of Taradale's deaf community to come along. We are also looking at introducing a karakia as part of the welcome to open our meetings and having just completed a Level 2 Te Reo Māori course at EIT, I am busy working on composing something meaningful for the TRA to use."
General manager of the National Aquarium, Rachel Haydon, will be the guest speaker. She will be giving away a free family pass to the aquarium to one Taradale resident who attends the meeting. Membership of the TRA is open to any resident/s living in Taradale and at the present time, there is no membership fee.
"This is reviewed each year in June at the association's annual meeting, " says TRA president Allen McMillan.