Anzac Day opening planned for historic Hanmer building
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The restoration of the historic Soldiers’ Block in Hanmer Springs is on track to be completed in time for Anzac Day 2025.
Hurunui mayor Marie Black says she is excited at the prospect of unveiling the restored building, given the building’s history.
The Soldiers’ Block was opened in 1916 to rehabilitate soldiers returning from World War I, and was later used as a drug and alcohol treatment facility.
The site also has cultural significance for Ngāti Kurī, with the council working closely with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura.
The project is part of a $3.5 million redevelopment of the Queen Mary Historic Reserve and includes earthquake strengthening and restoring the building for public use.
‘‘There is a real sense of excitement in the community and not just in Hanmer,’’ Black said.
‘‘People have been coming up and asking about it at community events, so I think it is quite special from a district-wide perspective.’’
Local firm O’Brien Construction was granted the contract to create a multi use community space in the middle of the building.
All going to plan, the wharenui will be available to Ngāti Kurī to occupy by Anzac Day, and the two octagons will be ready to use, but not fitted out.
Community groups from Hanmer Springs and the wider region were starting to think about how they might use the space, Black said.
Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said it had been a long journey, since the buildings were signed over to the council in 2010.
The $3.5 million project is being funded by a Lotteries grant, $1.5m from the Government’s Better Off funding, development contributions and a grant from the council’s Earthquake Prone Buildings Fund.
A 2022 report, prepared as part of a concept plan developed by Weta Workshop, of Wellington, says Hanmer Springs was known as Te Whaka takaka o te karehu o te ahi a Tamatea (the resting place of the embers of the fires of Tamatea).
The thermal reserve was recognised as a place of regeneration and healing, making it a sacred place for Ngāti Kurī.
Stage two of the project involves turning the two Soldiers’ Block octagons into museum spaces to recognise the site’s heritage.
It would require the community to raise a further $6m, the council’s chief strategy and community officer, Judith Batchelor, said.
‘‘The vision is to potentially create something similar to the New Zealand experience at Le Quesnoy in France.’’
Staff plan to bring a report to the council later this month to ask for funding, in the form of a loan to be paid off through fundraising, and approval to establish a community trust.
The council is also proposing to build a new sports pavilion on the site and has budgeted $400,000 in the long-term plan.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Older residents call for Amberley bus service
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A lack of public transport and access to healthcare were among the issues raised in recent a survey of older residents in the Hurunui district.
The Hurunui District Council surveyed residents aged over 60 during August and September, as it looks to develop an age-friendly community plan to support an ageing population.
There are currently no public bus services in Hurunui, which includes the town of Amberley, about 40km north of Christchurch.
Community development facilitator Vanessa Nelmes said public transport is a big issue for many elderly people, while accessing medical care when needed remains a concern.
While there are a number of community vehicle trusts operating in the district, respondents felt a regular bus service from Amberley to Rangiora and/or Christchurch is needed.
Hurunui mayor Marie Black has been among those advocating for a bus service, but for now Environment Canterbury says there are no plans to offer public transport in the district.
The distance to medical care in Christchurch and the lack of a dentist were also mentioned, Nelmes said.
The survey received 213 responses from residents aged from 60 to their 90s, with half coming from residents in the south ward, which includes Amberley.
Nelmes said the survey found a majority of the respondents felt confident using computers, internet and / or smart phones.
‘‘It kind of puts that myth to bed that old people don’t like using technology.
‘‘I think we really do need to change our mindset compared to what is really happening in our community.’’
Although about 50 respondents said they were not confident using technology, showing there was still a need for providing support.
The survey also asked if people would like to improve their skills with technology and it was ‘‘evenly split’’, Nelmes said.
A concerning trend in the survey was a number of respondents who said they felt socially isolated, especially those new to the community, she said.
‘‘We had half a dozen people who replied along the lines, ‘you have to put yourself out there, but it’s how to make the first step’.’’
The survey has been analysed by the age-friendly steering group, which plans to widen its membership to include different agencies such as district nursing and is seeking a rural voice, Nelmes said.
Council staff plan to do a stocktake of services available for senior citizens in the district, before beginning work on a draft age-friendly plan.
Environment Canterbury public transport strategy and planning manager Sonia Pollard said there are no plans to extend bus services into Amberley or the wider Hurunui district.
‘‘The focus for public transport improvements is on delivery of the core routes in Christchurch and the direct services between the main urban areas in Waimakariri and Selwyn districts and Christchurch City.
‘‘Service improvements are reliant on funding through local rates and the National Land Transport Programme.’’
She said routes outside large urban areas are unlikely to meet the funding criteria in the 2024/27 National Land Transport Programme.
But as part of the 2025/26 annual plan staff are considering how to best serve the rural community, including assessing new routes outside the Greater Christchurch boundary.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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