Newspaper Article 2007 – Foundation offers to help pay for wetland

Foundation offers to help pay for wetland

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council looks likely to join forces with the Community Foundation Hawke’s Bay to raise funds for creating public access to the Pekapeka Wetland on State Highway 2.

The estimated cost of the Pekapeka project from 2006 to 2016 has been put at $260,000, with $160,000 of this sum to be contributed by council, and $100,000 to come from external sources.

The Community Foundation approached the council with the offer to raise the external funds and establish the public accessway at the earliest opportunity.

The broad concept of the wetland plan was to provide safe parking and access to and from State Highway Two, information and viewing areas, and paths and broadwalks [boardwalks] through the wetland. Enhancement planting were planned, particularly in the parking area.

Trustee for the Community Foundation, James Morgan attended the council meeting on Wednesday to explain why the group had identified the Pekapeka Wetland public access project as a suitable project to raise its profile and help support a worthy community initiative.

In a letter to council the foundation said the project was especially suitable “because it is a project with environmental, educational, heritage, and cultural aspects to it which appeal to, and will benefit, the whole community.”

The foundation intended to approach various trusts and the lottery grants board for the funding required.

Mr Morgan congratulated the council on the work already completed at the wetland. “I understand the need to remove the willows and the bit people don’t see from the road is the return of all the wildlife.”

Councillor Adrienne Williams questioned whether the council had explored the opportunity of having a large business put its name to the project.

While she said “we should never look a gift horse in the mouth”, she suggested the council should make its own efforts to approach businesses and source the external funding first.

Councillor Alan Dick support[s] the recommendation of endorsing the foundation as a fundraising partner, but only “in principle”, although he believed it was a generous offer from the foundation and the council should “work smartly”.

Councillor Kevin Rose said the council should not by-pass the opportunity.

He said that having approached a charity he was involved with regarding external funding, it was not easy to secure.

Council members voted eight to one in favour of endorsing the Community Foundation Hawke’s Bay “in principle” as the fundraising partner for the external funds needed to establish public access to the wetland.