Fresh look for Te Po¯ hue
Hastings council confirmed that they would endorse Te Po¯ hue’s community plan
Since 2019 the Te Pōhue community has been planning to give the town a fresh look. Members of the tiny settlement — Hastings’ northernmost outpost — share a vision to create a connected, flourishing community with country values, and last week the Hastings District Council confirmed that they would endorse Te Pōhue’s community plan.
The plan’s main points follow the residents’ aspirations to have healthy drinking water, upgraded waste and recycling facilities, improved access to public toilets and better road maintenance of State Highway 5.
Other initiatives this year include a refurbishment of the hall kitchen, fundraising for hall disability facilities such as a shower and toilet, and assisting with the Te Pōhue School’s 125th jubilee celebration.
Hastings District Council community
The council will continue to work with the people of Te Po¯ hue to monitor the plan and report on its progress to the community and other partners. Rebekah Dinwoodie
wellbeing and services group manager Rebekah Dinwoodie explained that the plan had been a big collaborative effort.
“As well as laying out the vision, the plan outlines a schedule of actions to achieve the goals,” Dinwoodie said.
“The council will continue to work with the people of Te Po¯ hue to monitor the plan and report on its progress to the community and other partners.”
Along with the new plan, the Te Pōhue community has worked hard over the last few years to purchase, rebuild, and ensure the town hall remains an integral community hub.
The community hall was moved to its current location from the Ohurakura Mill Camp in 1965, and in 1981 was extended with an indoor sports court and stage.
In 2019, Te Haroto resident Kiri Goodspeed submitted to the Hastings District Council calling for a community plan, which signalled that plans to refurbish the community hall needed to be re-ignited. A new committee was appointed in 2021 to manage the hall, and the council provided a building condition report to assist with a laundry list of maintenance items to bring the hall back into compliance and usability, Goodspeed said.
“Once the feasibility was assessed, an enthusiastic group began the task of remediation for the hall and creating a new legal entity to carry the responsibility,” she said.
The newly formed Te Pōhue and Districts Community Charitable Trust will support the outcomes of the community plan and manage the community hall facility.
As well as looking after the hall, the trust will support the wider community where possible.
The charitable trust is responsible for securing funding for two defibrillators from the Hastings District Council and funding for another two from Royston Trust for the greater Te Pōhue, Tarawera and Te Haroto area. “This support is fabulous and much appreciated,” Goodspeed said.