Press Release
Waihinga Centre Gets Green Light
24 February 2016
At the South Wairarapa District Council Meeting on 24 February, Council passed a resolution to proceed with stage one of the Waihinga Centre project.
Building is anticipated to start in July 2016, following the standard tender selection process, and is expected to be completed in approximately one year. Exact start and finish dates have not been finalised.
Stage one of the Waihinga Centre includes a strengthened and refurbished town hall, the new extension and essential landscaping works.
The town hall will have a new back of house area (changing rooms double as meeting spaces), a non-commercial heat and eat kitchen , a restored foyer space, existing toilets will be removed, the supper room floor will be lifted, a new storage room, access and connection to the Waihinga Centre, and general renovation and maintenance work.
The new building will have a wind lobby entrance, i-site, library, Plunket clinic and shared meeting space, a children’s toy library, a gallery for public exhibitions, servery, new public toilets including accessible toilets and a baby changing station.
Also included is essential landscaping including a new car park, entry to the front of the new building including steps and ramps, access to the rear of the building from the new car park and some external lighting.
The strengthening portion of the overall project is funded by a $900,000 loan.
“Each South Wairarapa ratepayer will pay on average $9.00 per year including GST for a rural property or $18.00 per year including GST for an urban property over a 20 year period to cover this loan which will pay for the strengthening of the town hall. The cost of this loan was included in our Long Term Plan in 2012, so this is not a new rate development; Council has been clear to the district over the last four years that this would need to happen when the town hall was strengthened.”
Funding for the Waihinga Centre has been sourced from Council owned land sales, grant funding and community donations through the Waihinga Charitable Trust.”
“The Feasibility Study indicates over 85,000 visitors per year will engage with the entire facility. The new building will be a top-notch facility for everyone in our district to enjoy in all sorts of different ways; it will be where friends and groups can meet, children can learn and play in, visitors can discover our beautiful district and for artists and performers to exhibit and perform in.”
Additional landscaping and the destination playground will be in stage two, once capital funding has been secured.
The Waihinga Charitable Trust was established in 2015 to accept public donations and other nominated funds for the Waihinga Centre project and distribute the funds raised according to the terms of the trust deed. New donations or donation enquiries can be made to Victoria Read 0272 271 252 or victoria@victoriaread.co.nz. Fundraising is continuing.
For more information on the town hall or Waihinga Centre contact enquiries@swdc.govt.nz or 06 306 9611.
Background:
The ownership of the Waihinga Centre including the Martinborough Town Hall will remain with Council.
During the build phase of this project, for safety reasons, the town hall will not be available for events or functions. For the same reason, the playground may also be unavailable for periods of time; Council will ensure there is minimal disruption.
South Wairarapa District Council’s mission is to work with and for the South Wairarapa communities to affect the best possible social and economic outcomes which are based on valuing and respecting the people, the land and the resources.
The South Wairarapa District Council is one of three local authorities operating in the Wairarapa. South Wairarapa follows the coastline from the western end of Palliser Bay to Honeycomb Rock east of Martinborough. The western boundary follows the main divide of the Rimutaka and Tararua Ranges to Mount Hector, from which the boundary runs south east across the Wairarapa plain to the coast.
