Step forward for Rakaia rec centre
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Finishing touches are being made to the designs for the new Rakaia Recreation Centre before the project goes out for tender next month.
Rakaia rugby club's past president Mark Hanrahan says things are finally set to go from concept to concrete, to community centre.
“Next year will be a big year for our club and the Rakaia community,” Hanrahan said.
The club is preparing to tear down the out-of-date changing room facility in the Rakaia Domain and replace it with a fit-for-purpose building with clubrooms, changing sheds, and public toilets.
The club has been fundraising for 10 years towards the project and is close to reaching an initial target for a ballpark figure for the build, “but we won’t know the total cost of the project until we find out the final price”.
The construction timeline is also unknown, he said.
“In an ideal world, it would be ready for the next rugby season, but it’s a maybe, and it really won’t matter.”
The club already sold the clubrooms that were on the other side of town and has been utilising the neighbouring Rakaia Bowling Club as temporary clubrooms for the last two seasons, Hanrahan said. That arrangement can continue until the new facility is completed.
As part of the project, the Ashburton District Council is funding the replacement public toilets in the new facility, as the current public toilets are part of the existing facility that will be demolished.
It committed $351,000 towards the toilets in the 2022-23 annual plan, and will likely carry that forward to the 2023-24 budgets to cover its portion of the build.
Acting chief executive Jane Donaldson said the council has already procured the prefabricated toilet block which is to be incorporated into the facility.
The council committed to funding the toilets in June last year and at that point in time the rugby club had initially hoped to have the project completed by now.
Things didn’t quite pan out that way but the silver lining was another 12 months to fundraise, Hanrahan said.
With the project now set to go out for tender, the Rakaia Domain is set to finally have its new facility.
Back in 2015, the Rakaia Stadium Trust had pitched to the council the idea of backing a new sports complex at the Rakaia Domain, but as the EA Networks Centre was readying to open, the council balked at the $1.5m funding request towards the estimated $5m proposed facility.
The new Rakaia Recreation Centre is a rugby club-led project but will be a community facility, Hanrahan said.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.5% Yes
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49.6% No
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2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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