Hanmer’s Soldiers’ Block restoration remains on track
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Work remains on track for the opening of an iconic Hanmer Springs building, as local leaders eye up a future Weta Workshop exhibition for the site.
Hurunui Tourism product development manager Graeme Abbot says the restoration of the former Soldiers' Block in the Queen Mary Historic Reserve is progressing, ahead of its planned official opening on Anzac Day.
‘‘It will be a very important day for the town. That building has been sitting there since 2003 not being used, so to have it back in use is important for the town.’’
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.
When the building opens it will have a small historical display of information about the building’s past use, Abbot said.
Longer term plans are to create an interactive experience called ‘‘A Place of Light and Life’’ in partnership with Weta Workshop to tell the story of the site.
But it will require the community to raise a further $6 million.
Abbot said the newly formed Queen Mary Historic Reserve Charitable Trust Hanmer Springs has been working behind the scenes and plans to kick off its fundraising effort over the next few months.
‘‘We are excited by the challenge and the work we have done should set us up well.’’
Last week the Hurunui District Council voted to appoint mayor Marie Black as its nominee on the trust for a three-year term.
‘‘As a long-term resident of the Hurunui district, I'm incredibly passionate about this project and want to see it fostered and grow to be a really important part of our shared history,’’ she said.
Black recently visited Belgium on Remembrance Day with Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon and a delegation from the Rangiora and Amberley RSAs.
She said the visit gave her ‘‘great insight into what this project could potentially do for this district’’.
Black joins Abbot and Hanmer Springs locals Mark Inglis and Jason Fletcher as trustees.
Council chief strategy and community officer Judith Batchelor said Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura has been invited to appoint a trustee, while the trust deed allows for the appointment of three more trustees.
Batchelor said the trust was established to fundraise and provide input into the design of the interactive visitor experience.
The council has also agreed in principle to lease the Soldiers’ Block building to the trust to support the ongoing project.
The $3.6 million restoration 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.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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!
⚠️ 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 ❤️
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