A great start for Walter Nash Park
‘‘The proposed redevelopment of Walter Nash Park has the potential to be amajor asset for the community.’’
First it was the Walter Nash Centre getting a long overdue overhaul. Now it’s the much loved park next door in line for a spruce up.
The Great Start Taita charity will receive $240,000 to go towards the project over three years as part of the Government’s Community Development Scheme.
Six other community projects around New Zealand will also receive $80,000 a year in funding for their chosen three-year projects.
National list MP Chris Bishop said the funding would help make Taita an even better place to live, work and play.
‘‘Great Start Taita has successfully identified the need for a safe outdoor space for everyone to use,’’ he said.
‘‘The proposed redevelopment of Walter Nash Park has the potential to be a major asset for the community.’’
Bishop said the scheme was designed to help communities address issues that were important to them locally.
The project would help boost the Taita community in the same way as the Walter Nash Centre had.
‘‘Redeveloping the Walter Nash Park to provide a large multi-use space for everyone to enjoy is important in promoting the Hutt as a safe, diverse and attractive place to raise a family.
‘‘This is a real, tangible asset that the Taita community will gain through funding schemes such as this one.’’
Great Start’s other projects have also been off to great starts, with its Koha Cafe project being so popular it had to spread to Naenae.
The cafe began operating every Friday in May 2015, offering healthy food cooked by local volunteers for a koha payment.
By May 2016 the cafe had spread to the Naenae Community Hall each Wednesday, offering a similar menu.
Great Start manager Werner Nowitzki said the Koha Cafe philosophy was to offer food that was tasty, healthy and affordable.
‘‘We never use stuff from cans, from the freezer. Nothing is precooked.
‘‘Basically a lot of what we get is from the fruit and vege co-op in Naenae or locally, like Common Sense [Organics] who chip in every second week with produce.’’