Waihinga Centre

On the 24th of February Stage One of the new Waihinga Centre Project was given the green light in a unanimous decision by South Wairarapa District Council. This marks an important moment for Martinborough, representing the development of the first new major public building in the town for many years.

The existing Town Hall will be strengthened and upgraded to make the building accessible and usable for all sectors of the local community, wider region and visitors. This will see the legacy of this landmark continue into the 21st century. The new adjacent building will provide spacious, purpose-designed spaces for the Library, Plunket, the Toy Library and the i-Site as well as attractive seating outside. It will open up the old Town Hall for use during the day for community groups and organisations and social gatherings as well as providing a space for larger events such as Round the Vines and the Martinborough Fairs.

Many sectors of the community have had a hand in shaping this design through an extensive consultation process. Whilst it is always impossible to please everybody, particularly in aspects of the visual design, the Steering Group has worked hard to take into account the needs of everyone; young and old, residents, visitors, social services providers, health providers, and the business and tourism sectors to develop a concept which will serve the community well into the future and provide much needed infrastructure for the social and economic growth of the area. The Steering Group is looking forward to kicking off the project and starting a new and exciting chapter in the history of our town.

The strengthening portion of the overall project is funded by a $900,000 loan. This was already part of the Long Term Plan (2012). The new building is being financed by land sales, grant funding and donations from the community (donors have already pledged a total of $1.5 million and grant funding is sitting at $825,000).

A charitable trust has been set up to accept donations and to distribute these as necessary, in accordance with the trust deed. The charitable trust is independent of SWDC and the Council retains ownership of the Town Hall. We already have a resource consent and therefore the next step is to complete the building consent process. It is hoped that the new Centre will be up and running during 2017.

If you want more information on the project, as finally approved, visit the SWDC website, or see it on noticeboards in P&K and in the display windows at 14 Jellicoe St. If you would like more information contact enquiries@swdc.govt.nz or call 06 306 9611

If you would like to join the donor group, or contribute in some other way to this community project, please contact Vicky Read 0272 271 252 or email her at victoria@victoriaread.co.nz. We welcome your feedback.

“This is fantastic news for the future of Martinborough and in particular for our children.” Craig Nelson, Principal of Martinborough School

“It is essential for the town to keep moving forward and this project is going to bring new vitality, especially to that side of the square.” Clive Paton

“I take the long view and see the new centre as a great asset for my kids and their kids after them.” Kev Rickey

“This is great news – this is a 100 year decision for Martinborough. It’s great to see hard work and perseverance come to fruition.” Conor Kershaw

“ I love the “can do” attitude of this community when it comes to large projects. I’m looking forward to experiencing the safe, warm and welcoming community hub that the centre will create.” May Croft

“I am interested in architecture and spatial design and the new town hall will add so much to the town, the prospect of having a community area is very exciting.” Georgia McNeill, Head Girl of Kuranui College

“We are so thrilled that the Waihinga Centre is going ahead. It will be so good for families to visit.” Lia Wood, Martinborough Plunket??”A new Marty hall is well overdue, and I’ll be stoked to see the impact it will have on the identity of the town” Louis Murphy-Harris