The Minister of Internal Affairs, Jack Elder, has agreed to contribute $150,000
from his Ministerial Lottery Discretionary Fund toward upgrading Pitt Island s
wharf and barge.

Pitt Island, in the Chathams group, will be an international focus at the
dawning of the new Millennium and residents are concerned that already
inadequate facilities will come under further strain by a rush of visitors, Mr
Elder said.

The wharf and barge, which form a lifeline for the island, are owned and
operated by the community. The islanders have been seeking for some time to
upgrade them.

“Obviously as a small, isolated rural community, Pitt Island has limited means,"
Mr Elder said. "However Pitt Islanders will not only provide the balance of
funding required to complete the $250,000 project, but will also voluntarily
give of their time and labour to help carry out much of the upgrading work.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media