Fundraising Drive Launched for Community Wellbeing and Education Centre
The Colville Project is reaching out to the wider community to help raise $800,000 to buy land to develop and build a much wanted, multi-purpose wellbeing and education centre for the people who live, work, play and visit the Northern Coromandel.

The centre is the first stage of a much bigger, self-help, community sustainability project to provide locally accessible medical, social, education and training services and facilities, and eventually accommodation and housing options for families who want to work and live in the area and for the elderly who need community care.

“We hope our project will shine as a beacon to other small rural communities seeking to regenerate and build a sustainable future where people can thrive,” says Bronwyn Blair, the Colville Project spokesperson.

The Project, run as a community partnership between the Colville Community Health Trust and Colville Social Service Collective, has identified a 32 Hectare site, above the flood plain, on Wharf Road, Colville, ideal for all four stages of the project, starting with the Wellbeing and Education Centre.

“We’ve signed an MOU with the local owners and the land is ours for the Project if we can raise $800,000 (GST incl.) by the end of July,” Ms Blair says.

To date the Trust has raised $100,000 to go towards purchasing the land, and $170,000 for the fund to build the Wellbeing and Education Centre which research, surveys, consultation and an independent feasibility study has confirmed is what the community needs, wants and will support.
The Trust estimates that to buy the land, and design, build and fit out the Wellbeing and Education centre – Stage One of the Project - $3 million is needed.

“One third, or a million dollars of that cost, must come from the community to meet the eligibility criteria for the big national grants that will be applied for to pay for the remainder, Ms Blair said.

“We have to show as a community that we are committed and can pull together to raise the funds,” she said. “We know that our small rural community cannot raise this amount alone, so we are reaching out to the wider Coromandel community and to New Zealanders who share similar values and aspirations.”

A tiered recognition programme has been established to acknowledge donations over $10,000 with benefactors’ names incorporated in the design and artwork of the centre.

For details go to www.thecolvilleproject.nz

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