About Sustainable Spring
Sustainable Spring is a collaboration between Council and our community to inspire and educate through workshops, event and learning experiences across Kāpiti.
We provide the coordination, promotion and funding towards the programme, while workshops and events are run by organisations from within Kāpiti or the wider Wellington region.
In light of the current fuel crisis, where possible our 2026 programme will include a focus on household energy efficiency and local food security.
The 2026 programme will run during September and October.
If you’re interested in running an event, read on for key details and submit your application below. We’ll be in touch to discuss further.
Running a workshop or event
Alignment with Council values
We support workshops and events which are inclusive and respectful to all workshop/ event organisers and participants. We reserve the right to refuse workshops or events from the Sustainable Spring programme if they do not align with the purpose and core values.
Event dates and scheduling
In 2026, Sustainable Spring will run for approximately 9 weeks from the start of September to late October, ideally with workshops and event spread evenly across this period. Please refer to key dates listed below when planning your workshop/ event.- Organisations may apply to run multiple workshops/events, but priority will be given to first-time applications in case of scheduling conflicts.
- When applying, please provide both a preferred and alternate date for each workshop/event to help with scheduling. If we cannot accommodate either of your preferred dates, we'll be in touch to explore further options.
Council contribution
We recognise there are costs involved in running any workshop or event, including planning time, resources/materials, expertise, and time associated with workshop pack down and follow-up. To support your efforts, we offer the following contributions:
- $250 (plus GST if applicable) for shorter workshops/events (1–2 hours)
- $400 (plus GST if applicable) for half-day workshops/events (3–4 hours)
- $600 (plus GST if applicable) for full-day workshops/events (6–8 hours)
These contributions cover preparation, materials and facilitation. Additional support for community venue hire may also be available. In some cases, variations on these contributions may be considered for larger events or special circumstances.
Event promotion
We'll promote the Sustainable Spring programme through a number of channels, including website, newspapers, social media, newsletters, posters and more. Any promotion you can do for your event and the programme will also help to ensure good publicity and attendance.
All Sustainable Spring workshops/events will be included in an online calendar of events with an event tile which links to registrations and/or your website for more information. This will appear on our Sustainable Spring programme page, and on our main Council events calendar.
More detailed event information is displayed when you click on the event tile. You must provide a photo and a description of your event. Event listings can also include a link to register or book if needed, and can include your logo if provided.
Example of an event listing on our website
Example of detailed event information on our website
Use of Facebook for event promotion
We highly recommend you create a Facebook event and invite Council to co-host to help promote your event more widely. Facebook doesn't send automatic notifications of co-host invitations, so let us know when you've invited Council to co-host your event at [email protected].
Other options for promotion
You're welcome to promote the Sustainable Spring programme on any social media platforms or websites you oversee, and to put up Sustainable Spring posters on your premises if appropriate. Please let Council know if you need help with any of this.
Registrations and managing bookings
If you're workshop or event has number restrictions, you'll need manage your own registration and bookings process. This offers a number of advantages:
- simplifies communication between participants, workshop providers and Council
- allows workshop providers to:
- track booking numbers in advance
- email participants with any useful pre-event information, for example:
- what to bring on the day
- any changes due to weather forecast etc
- how to get there, including parking, active and public transport options
- who to contact for any questions
- send follow up emails after your workshop, including any useful information to support participants
Registrations and bookings can be managed through:
- a platform such as Eventbrite, Humantix, Jotforms or Google Forms:
- Eventbrite - Free to set up and no fees for free events. Just send us the link to your event for bookings. These also appear on other websites that display the Eventbrite feed and a useful tool for the community.
- Humantix - free set up and no fees for free events or 5% + $0.49 per paid ticket. Share the URL for your event with us so we can link to it.
- Jotforms - free for first 5 forms and up to 100 responses. Easy to use, drag and drop fields. You just need to send us the form URL to link to.
- Google Forms - free to use, easy to use, drag and drop fields. Send us the form URL to link to for bookings.
- through your organisations own booking system, or
- simply using an email address to direct booking enquiries to.
Larger events that do not have capacity restrictions may not require a registration/booking process to be set up.
Feedback
Feedback is helpful to workshop providers and a really important aspect of demonstrating the positive impact of the Sustainable Spring programme and maintaining ongoing funding. To help with this, Council will provide you with a feedback form with a QR code you can use at your event, and a feedback survey link to include in your follow up email.
We also ask you to include the following phrase within the booking system that you set up:
"Contact details may be shared with Kāpiti Coast District Council for the purposes of event and programme evaluation and reporting. These details will remain private and will not be publicly available in any way. "
We'll share participant feedback received regarding workshops/events with relevant providers and will also ask you for your feedback.
Health and safety
Please note that all Health and Safety planning will need to be carried out by the workshop/event organiser. Council is not responsible for any risks associated with planning and running the workshop/event, nor any losses or damages incurred to people or property during workshops and events.
Confirmation of workshops and events
Expressions of interest to host Sustainable Spring workshops/events close on Friday 26 June at 5pm. Once expressions of interest close, we'll confirm details with workshop/event hosts, and schedule workshops/events into the programme Calendar.
You'll need to sign a sponsorship agreement before your event goes ahead.
Low registration numbers for workshops and events
Please note that Council reserves the right to postpone or cancel a workshop should registration numbers be considered too low for the event to be viable.
Sustainable Spring programme starts: Weekend Sat 29/30 August
Fathers Day: Sunday September 6
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: September 14-20
School holidays: Saturday 26 September – Sunday 11 October
Labour Day: Monday October 26
Sustainable Spring programme ends: Saturday 31st October
Submit your event proposal
Ready to get involved? Submit your event proposal below, and let’s make Sustainable Spring 2026 a success together!
Enquiries
Please email [email protected].