After decades of discussion and planning, Whangamatā’s long-envisioned community marae and wellbeing hub has taken another significant step forward, with concept plans unveiled to a packed public meeting on Sunday.
It was a full house at the Whangamatā Area School gymnasium to view the first public presentation of the proposed development at 101 Lindsay Road, a project supporters say has been discussed in various forms since the 1970s.
Attendees included former mayors, councillors, iwi representatives and community leaders, reflecting what organisers described as strong local backing for the ambitious proposal.
The proposed Whangamatā Community Marae and Wellbeing Hub would create a multi-purpose cultural, social and wellbeing space bringing together a wide range of local organisations under one development.
Groups involved include the Whangamatā Community Marae Trust, Eastern Coromandel Community Services Trust, Whangamatā Resource Recovery Trust, Whangamatā Arts Collective, Menzshed Whangamatā and Lions Whangamatā.
The project gained momentum in recent years after community opposition emerged to the possible sale of council-owned land at Lindsay Road, with advocates instead pushing for the site to become a shared community facility.
A major milestone was reached in April last year when a lease agreement for the land was signed and the site’s classification formally changed from commercial use to a Community Purpose Reserve.
Since then, organisers have secured approximately $75,000 in funding through Lotteries, the Community Organisations Grants Scheme, the Thames-Coromandel District Council Waste Levy Fund and other community supporters.
Technical investigations including geotechnical, stormwater, contamination and topographical assessments have also been completed as planning work continues.
While supporters say the newly released visuals show the scale and potential of the project, organisers acknowledge significant hurdles remain, including resource consent, detailed design, fundraising and eventual construction.
If completed, the development is expected to become one of the largest civil construction projects undertaken in the Coromandel.
Despite the enthusiasm generated at Sunday’s meeting, some acknowledged the journey ahead could still take years.
“But then,” one supporter remarked, “it’s already been almost 20 years since it was first proposed.”
