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| Judith helping to set up the Love Your Mountain Day display at the Village Centre 6 Dec 2012 |
Councillor Christine Fletcher is a board member of the Mt Eden Methodist Church Charitable Trust. She posted the following tribute to Judith on Facebook on 11 August, the day of Judith's end-of-life celebration at the church.
Remembering Judith Holtebrinck
1968-2017
by Councillor Christine Fletcher
It was with great sadness the Mt Eden community came together today to
farewell Judith Holtebrinck, a fearless and visionary campaigner whose
contributions to improving the quality of life in our Mt Eden community, and in
Auckland generally, are tremendous. While she never sought personal accolades
for her considerable achievements promoting sustainability and inspiring urban
development, all Aucklanders should know the champion who tirelessly, over many
years, helped secure important policy changes that many take for granted today.
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| Judith and Rev. Saane Langi at the Little Day Out 4 March 2017 |
Judith and I first met when I was Mayor of Auckland City. Her passionate
advocacy for waste minimization and planting fruit trees on public reserves and
berms were infectious and resulted in a wonderful legacy of green across the
city.
She was a part of the Transition Town movement in Kingsland and wanted
to plant fruit trees that everyone could enjoy and also because of rising food
prices. In her own words: "It's a nice thing to do for the community. The
idea is that kids on the way to school can pick a piece of fruit or have trees
near playgrounds."
As a founding member of The Mount Eden Village People, along with
Michele Donovan, Sara Rishworth and Gail Batten, the group focused mainly on
four projects – fruit tree planting, minimising waste, establishing a community
garden and holding workshops on growing food. One of their first goals was to
make Mt Eden the first plastic bag-free suburb in Auckland.
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| Judith and husband Dave at the Wish Tree on Maungawhau, Love Your Mountain Day 7 Dec 2014 |
The landscape photographer had noticed bags turning up as rubbish in
unexpected and really remote places like Rangitoto. She spoke to the local
business association and put on a photography exhibition to help raise
awareness.
The strategy for minimizing waste was another joint community effort.
Judith persuaded the merchants in Mt. Eden Village to get involved with the
campaign. Today, cafés in the village donate their coffee grounds which are
used for gardening; a pig farmer collects leftover produce from a local fruit
and vegetable shop; while a goat owner collects deli leftovers. The group also
set up battery recycling stations at Civic Video and the MBE Copy Shop.
According to Judith, "By changing the environment people will
realise there are opportunities to recycle and make the changes at home as
well."
I regret that some of this progress has been lost with the amalgamation
of the Auckland Council. But I also believe this will change over time because
Judith’s work and examples of what can be achieved when people in communities work
together, are a legacy to be drawn upon in the future.
Aucklanders should also know of her inspiring leadership in establishing
Mt Eden Village Centre. This precious asset, so hard fought for by our Mt Eden
community, is the result of a partnership between the community, Council and
the Methodist Church. Such partnerships can make for challenging governance. It
took an outstanding leader such as Judith, by gentle persuasion and regard for
all parties, to make the Centre a reality.
Judith was both a leader and a teacher. What I loved about her
particular style of leadership was her inclusiveness, kindness, generosity and
thoughtful respect for everyone. These are so important in a city such as
Auckland where diversity is a cornerstone of our growth and development.
I hold this marvellous woman in the highest professional and personal
regard. We salute you, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Judith. We
have lost a champion, but your legacy will long endure.
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