Press Releases Archive - The Clarion Tour

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Young Labour Completes Summer of Service Tour

The Young Labour Clarion Tour completed its 12-day journey through New Zealand today, contributing 600 hours of voluntary community service over the course of 3000 kilometers travelled.

The Clarion Tour, which was comprised of 17-26 year olds from across the country, was created in order to enable Young Labour members to help charitable and non-profit organisations across the country.

Young Labour Vice President and Clarion Tour organiser Ella Hardy said that the tour was the perfect way to share Young Labour’s “…values of social justice and building strong communities with the people of New Zealand”.

Throughout their journey, from north of Auckland to the depths of the South Island, the Tour team has been well received by local community groups and members of the public. Rory McCourt, a participant on the Clarion Tour said “It was fantastic working with everyday kiwis who give so much to their communities, and providing a helping hand so they can focus on their great work”.

“Land Ho!” Young Labour heads South

The Young Labour Clarion Tour has reached the Mainland after an intense, but rewarding week of offering a hand to community groups throughout the North Island. The refreshed team (with some members having left in Wellington and others joined) will spend Monday to Friday working in various South Island communities.

First stop is Motueka; where Young Labour will help out the in the local community gardens. Work towards sustainable and resilient communities, said Vice President Ella Hardy was “alive and well in centres such as Motueka, where Young Labour is passionate about helping out groups like those active in the heart of Tasman.”

The second stop will be Nelson, where the group is hoping for a spot of sunshine after battling poor weather to contribute to the restoration of Bell’s Track native bush in Wellington. The Clarion Tour team will bare their green thumbs once again as the 17-26 year olds help build a vegetable garden and establish a barbeque area at the Orchard Street Reserve at House 44, a community home on Karaka Street. Local Labour List MP Maryan Street will join the group in while they assist in Nelson.

Wellington rain does not deter Young Labour

The Young Labour Clarion tour has spent the day in Wellington at the foot of Mt Kaukau doing bush restoration with the Rainbow Gardeners despite persistent rain. Since Monday Young Labour members from around the country have been lending a hand to different community organisations.

Des Smith from Rainbow Gardeners, who organised today’s effort, said “It is great to see young people out there caring about the bush and thinking ahead. It is great that there are young people who are going to keep up this kind of work.”

The team of eleven Young Labour members worked with Des to clear ground and spread mulch to support the growth of native plants around Bell’s Track. Bell’s Track is part of only five percent of forests left in Wellington after settlers used the timber and burned the remaining land. The ground left behind was deprived of nutrients and much work is needed to help the bush recover.

Young Labour’s Community Service Journey begins in Auckland

A dozen young people are about to embark on the 2011 New Zealand Clarion Road Tour and the first stop is Auckland.

“Our day on Monday in Auckland is jam packed with community activities, it’s a really exciting start” said Young Labour Vice-President Ella Hardy.

The Clarion Tour will involve members of Young Labour journeying from the Rodney District in Auckland through to Dunedin putting the principles of social justice and community service into action.

The members of Young Labour will begin the tour on Monday the 17th in Orewa cleaning up and helping with maintenance at the Hibiscus Coast Kindergarten.

“This is where I began life, at this kindy, and now I want to give something back – it was an important starting point for me and an appropriate beginning for our activities,” commented President of Young Labour, Analiese Jackson. Read more …

Clarion Tour 2011

A dozen young people are about to embark on the 2011 New Zealand Clarion Road Tour, stopping in a number of towns across New Zealand in order to take part in various community activities and talk to their peers about the issues that they perceive to be most important for the coming year.

From January 17th, members of Young Labour will journey from the Rodney District in Auckland through to Queenstown in the hopes of putting the principles of social justice and community service into action.

This isn’t the first time that Young Labour, the youth wing of the Labour party which has members spanning from 15-25 years of age, have organised a tour of this sort. “The first Young Labour Clarion Bus Tour was undertaken in the summer of 2004 and travelled from Auckland to Invercargill in nine days. This time, we’ve expanded the length of the tour to an ambitious two weeks and we’re covering a lot more ground” said President of Young Labour, Analiese Jackson.