Coromandel Community Hub
- Completion Date01 October 2022
Te Pūtahi Whaiora | The Coromandel Hub
After many years of planning and fundraising, the vision of providing a centre for community and social services in Coromandel Town and the Upper North came to fruition in 2023.
Our Council has been working with Coromandel Independent Living Trust (CILT) since 2018 to purchase land to build a community centre, with a Deed of Grant signed in 2019.
The Coromandel Hub, Te Pūtahi Whaiora, is a 395 square metre building that includes CILT offices, shared workspaces, meeting rooms, tourism amenities and office space for other service providers.
The Hub is designed as an accessible, inclusive facility aimed at improving the quantity and quality of services provided to the community in the Upper Coromandel. It has provided a practical and flexible home for social and government services and community groups, and a place where groups providing these services can share resources and spaces.
The front desk is the first stop for the public wanting to access support and a wide range of social and wellbeing services. This purpose-built facility will also ensure further development and sustainability to deliver services to the community into the future.
Update 6 August 2024
Coromandel Independent Living Trust (CILT) moved into its new building, Te Pūtahi Whaiora (Coromandel Hub), on the 15 January 2024.
The not-for-profit Trust runs a resource centre, financial mentoring, a foodbank and whānau social services from its headquarters, while the shared office and meeting rooms regularly host a variety of people and organisations, including nurses, lawyers, mental health workers and counsellors.
Te Mana Tangata runs from the orange cottage next door to the main hub. It’s open weekdays from 9am - 3 pm, providing a safe, welcoming space for all, including people with disabilities or barriers to participation.
Since moving in, CILT has been busy making improvements, including landscaping, adding concrete accessways through the front garden to help people with mobility issues, and hanging beautiful local artwork from CILT’s Te Mana Tangata and Artists in the Making programmes.
CILT received Recovery funding of $1,200 to support local whānau and provide Christmas food parcels over the busy summer period. A $32,500 MSD recovery grant is supporting the development of Te Puawai Nursery and Maara Kai community garden to grow kai to support the CILT foodbank and Coromandel community.
Project background:
May 2022:
- Funding application submitted to Aotearoa Gaming Trust. Despite increased budget due to rising building costs.
- CILT secured 81% of the funding required for the completion of the Community Hub building, with a further 14% funding indicative.
April 2022:
- Downer/Powerco offer to contribute $50,000 towards required transformer
- Working with Gallagher Group to develop custom access control system for Tourism Amenities
- A third $50,000 grant from DV Bryant Trust
- First wiring fit out - including data, security system, power and lighting.
- Partnership with Gallagher Group, sponsoring door security access system (Valued at $55k+)
March 2022 - The roof is on!
- Application to Tourism Infrastructure round six for further funding
- Application to Momentum Waikato for a low interest loan
- CILT apply for further funding from DV Bryant Trust
January 2022 - Framing completed.
November 2021 - Ross Gamble generously volunteers to project manage the Hub build and raft slab foundation completed.
October 2021 - Earthworks begin on site by James Drainage the construction began.
September 2021 - Huri whenua - soil turning ceremony to signal the beginning of construction.
August 2021 – Building Consent issued and Steve Wilson contracted to build the Hub. Final QS report completed indicating increased building costs Total budget now stands at $3,721,345.
July 2021 – Application for Building Consent submitted to TCDC.
May 2021 - Second Application to PGF declined.
April 2021 - An additional $50,000 grant from DV Bryant Trust.
March 2021 - $140,000 grant received from NZCT and $80,000 grant received from Len Reynolds Trust.
February 2021 - Stage One is now revised to 395m2, with Stage Two being 160m2.
December 2020 - CILT received the welcome news of a $500,000 grant from the Lotteries Community Facilities Fund. This allows them to proceed with final designs for Stage One of our hub building, and construction is planned to begin in May 2021.
November 2020 - Resource consent variation received.
September 2020 - TCDC approves a 5 year lease of 100 Pound Street to CILT for native plant nursery project, adjacent to the Hub.
September 2020 - Trust Waikato grants 1 year extension of funding
August 2020 - Budget revised from 4,995,000 to 2,218,180
August 2020 - Building size revised to 356 sq/m, with a planned second stage of an additional 240 sq/m to be added in the future
August 2020 - TCDC gazetted rezoning of adjacent depot site for community use.
June 2020 - TCDC support for rezoning of adjacent land for community use (currently used as a depot)
March 30 2020 - Resource consent Granted.
November 2019 - PGF application declined.
October 31 2019 - Resource consent submitted.
August 28 2019 - Land Transferred to CILT from TCDC
July 2019 - 531,000 confirmed to go towards tourism amenities.
July 2019 - Ground core samples taken for analysis
June 2019 - Application to Provincial Growth Fund
May 2019 - Community consultation, funding applications and design ideas continue.
April 2019 - Funding application to Tourism Infrastructure Fund for public amenities.
March 2019 - Strong support from Coromandel business community incl. Acqaculture, Tourism and Hospitality industries
February 2019 - Thames Coromandel District Council resolve to transfer land at Pound Street to CILT for Hub
January 2019 - Discussions underway with preferred Architect and design requirements being fine tuned
December 2018 - Concept Plans received from Architects
September 2018: We have engaged with 3 architects, and are anticipating concept designs from them soon.
August 2018. Trust Waikato has granted $574,000 towards the project.
July 2018: Feasibility Study completed, read it here