He whare hou - New sports facility on the cards for Turangi
A partnership between Ngati Turangitukua and Taupō District Council will see the construction of a new sports facility that will encompass a main hall, changing rooms and a kitchen at Turangitukua Park in Turangi.
The facility was planned for in Taupō District Council’s annual plan this year, with a budget of $1.7 million. A further $300,000 has been secured from a BayTrust grant that will bring the total budget to $2 million.
The project is currently going through the design of the building in consultation with land owners Ngati Turangitukua and main users of the park including representatives from rugby and equestrian clubs. A steering group, including representatives from Ngati Turangitukua and the Turangi Tongariro Community Board has been established to oversee the project.
Chairman of Ngati Turangitukua Maori Committee Jeff Bennett said he was pleased iwi was able to partner with the council to make the project happen.
“Our Turangi community has been without a sports facility at Turangitukua Park for generations of children growing up in our town,” he said. “This meant our sports teams have been unable to host events and visiting teams in the manner that they would like to. We therefore see the sports facility as essential for our community and I praise Mayor David and his team for turning our hopes into reality.”
He said it was a great testament to the town’s community spirit that a joint approach to BayTrust from Ngati Turangitukua, the council, Tongariro Sports and Turangi Dambusters rugby league club obtained $300,000 of extra funding for the project.
Project sponsor John Ridd said the council and Ngati Turangitukua were working closely to come up with a suitable design that would suit a large number of users.
“This is going to be a fantastic community asset that is shaped by the Turangi community and used by a great number of community groups and sports teams,” he said. “Although still in the planning stages, it’s very exciting and we are looking forward to being able to show the community the ideas the group has come up with.”
He said it was hugely generous of Ngati Turangitukua, as landowners, to allow use of the reserve for public benefit. “This will be an excellent asset the community can take pride in. We are looking forward to working with Ngati Turangitukua to get started on the build,” Mr Ridd said.
Many Turangi residents and ratepayers had long held the desire for a purpose-built sports facility at the town’s major sportsground of Turangitukua Park. Some temporary changing rooms built at the site in 2019 had been useful but were not intended to be permanent and did not satisfy all the needs of the community, he said.
“The new sports facility, once built, will be able to host visiting sports teams, provide shelter in poor weather and create a space for community groups to use, too,” Mr Ridd said.
The location of the sports facility will be easily accessible, close to the two playing fields and car parks. It is hoped construction will start in spring of this year.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.8% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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