Cash on tap for Matauri Bay
The Government’s Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than half a million dollars for a safe and reliable water supply for the picturesque Matauri Bay campground and native nursery.
Matauri Bay, with its white sands, warm water and attractions, was a popular holiday spot and also historically significant. The nearby Cavalli Islands were the final resting place of the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior which is now a reef. It was also the site of early contact between Ma¯ ori and Europeans, and was where missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden made landfall in 1814.It is the turangawaewae of the Nga¯ ti Kura hapu¯ of Nga¯ puhi.
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jone said the $527,250 grant to Matauri X Inc would not only create five immediate construction jobs, but would add much-needed infrastructure to the bay, and improve the local economy.
“The funding will mean there is a reliable, safe and sustainable water supply for the Matauri Bay community. It will supply both the campground and the community native nursery, which is often at risk during the dry summer months when visitor numbers are higher,” he said.
A reliable water supply would also enable Matauri X to increase the number and variety of native plants it grew at the nursery.
The project was being funded from money set aside from the Provincial Growth Fund post-Covid-19 reset criteria to create immediate jobs, and get social and economic recovery under way via projects visible within regional communities. The reset criteria also enabled the PGF to make small-scale investments in critical municipal water and flood management schemes.
“As part of the PGF reset we are investing in projects that grow Ma¯ ori firms and Ma¯ ori assets in sectors that will be at the centre of the economic rebuild in their communities,” Jones added.
“We are also continuing to invest in projects that meet Whenua Ma¯ ori criteria, such as increasing productivity on under-utilised Ma¯ ori land, announced in February this year.”
Matauri Bay, with its white sands, warm water and attractions, was a popular holiday spot and also historically significant. The nearby Cavalli Islands were the final resting place of the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior which is now a reef.
It was also the site of early contact between Ma¯ ori and Europeans, and was where missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden made landfall in 1814.
It is the turangawaewae of the
Nga¯ ti Kura hapu¯ of Nga¯ puhi.
A toolkit developed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga to provide councils and community stakeholders with information and strategies encouraging the retention, preservation and reuse of heritage buildings, was launched last week.
Saving the Town is described as a user-friendly guide to rehabilitating and repurposing historic buildings to enable them to enjoy a “second life” as commercially viable assets, as opposed to being demolished.
The toolkit includes successful case studies from around New Zealand, including cities and small towns that have taken steps to preserve and repurpose heritage buildings, and are enjoying the economic and social benefits that those historic buildings now bring.
Dr Glen Hazelton, director of organisational development at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and a key figure in the successful redevelopment and revitalisation of the Warehouse Precinct in Dunedin when he worked for the Dunedin City Council, said the guide, which he wrote, took a “cando” approach to older buildings that had reached the point of no return, where the choices are either rejuvenation and repurposing, or demolition. It included case studies that illustrated how things could change when the red carpet replaced red tape.
“Historic buildings give towns and cities their unique identities. They are familiar and often well-loved by local communities, both for their architectural beauty and for the stories they tell about these places,” Hazelton said.
“When retained and reused, these buildings provide communities with a point of difference, and can result in substantial benefits. These buildings can become drivers of broader positive change, including economic growth.”
Besides Napier, which he described as a standout example of a city with a unique and lucrative point of difference based on its Art Deco built heritage, success stories included case studies from such diverse places as Auckland, Christchurch, O¯ amaru, Reefton, Whanganui, Dunedin and Invercargill.
“In addition, Saving the Town includes information about a range of strategies, programmes and practical initiatives that people can use to be proactive about encouraging the retention, preservation and reuse of older buildings, whether they’re owners, potential investors or regulators,” he added.
“The toolkit is based on the premise that positive outcomes are possible, even in the challenging environment we find ourselves in today. It avoids taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but acknowledges that each location will have its own individual dynamics and issues to address, as well as its own advantages and opportunities that can potentially be leveraged.”
Saving the Town is available online, at www.heritage.org.nz/ resources/saving-the-town