Latest news with #BetterOff
Otago Daily Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Oamaru businesses get makeover
Three Oamaru businesses have had a makeover as part of a city-centre revitalisation project. Thames St businesses Soul, Surf & Skate, Spark and Morcomm Systems Ltd have had the top level of their two-storey building facades painted. The makeover is part of the Central Oamaru Masterplan, the fourth in five community-led projects aimed at revitalising the town centre. Waitaki District Council community and economic development manager Mel Jones said the project was about protecting the heritage of the buildings and to generate more foot traffic. "Each building has undergone careful restoration and received a fresh coat of paint, adding colour and energy to the street while remaining true to its historic roots. "It is about how can we get more interest and more people into the CBD," she said. Mrs Jones said the facade improvement project was due to the efforts of many business owners and the council team that included Virginia Barlow (VBA Ltd), Kristina Lowe (McBrimar), Laura Byars (National Group), and council officers David Campbell and Chloe Searle. "The collaborative project with building owners was developed on the go and was about how do we build trust and move forward together," Mrs Jones said. She said in the "tough economic climate" it made sense to work collaboratively with business owners to make the budget go further and to encourage co-operation. "It's great they can all work together with different ideals, but it all blends together." Funding for the project has come from a combination of contributions by building owners, $15,000 from the Waitaki Heritage Fund, and the government's Better Off Funding. The next phase of the Facade Improvement community-led project is the repair and restoration of the building verandas and the installation of new signs. The final cost of the project will be known upon completion, Mrs Jones said. Painter Peter Keogh has been working with the business owners to help paint and restore the facades, she said. The MorComm Systems Ltd building was originally designed in 1879 by architect Thomas Forrester as a store for bookseller James Cagney. MorComm building co-owner Shirley Morris said they had "wanted to restore their building for some time but there had always been other priorities". "Working with the project team has been great. we were able to bounce ideas off each other and collaborate on things like shared scaffolding, which made the work easier and more cost-effective for everyone," Mrs Morris said. The online community reaction to the project has been divided, with some questioning whether the government Better Off funding could have been better spent on more vital services such as water, while other Oamaru residents were more positive about the upgrade. "These buildings look stunning, well done to the business owners," one person posted. Another said "the paint job is world class". Mrs Jones hoped the project would inspire other heritage building owners to consider facade renovations. Three other projects have been completed to date as part of the CBD revitalisation initiative, the Underland Artscape Trail Moa murals at Oamaru Creek; the lower Thames St streetscape pilot and a Heritage Building forum.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Facades restored as Oamaru businesses get makeover
Three Oamaru businesses have had a makeover as part of a city-centre revitalisation project. Thames St businesses Soul, Surf & Skate, Spark and Morcomm Systems Ltd have had the top level of their two-storey building facades painted. The makeover is part of the Central Oamaru Masterplan, the fourth in five community-led projects aimed at revitalising the town centre. Waitaki District Council community and economic development manager Mel Jones said the project was about protecting the heritage of the buildings and to generate more foot traffic. "Each building has undergone careful restoration and received a fresh coat of paint, adding colour and energy to the street while remaining true to its historic roots. "It is about how can we get more interest and more people into the CBD," she said. Mrs Jones said the facade improvement project was due to the efforts of many business owners and the council team that included Virginia Barlow (VBA Ltd), Kristina Lowe (McBrimar), Laura Byars (National Group), and council officers David Campbell and Chloe Searle. "The collaborative project with building owners was developed on the go and was about how do we build trust and move forward together," Mrs Jones said. She said in the "tough economic climate" it made sense to work collaboratively with business owners to make the budget go further and to encourage co-operation. "It's great they can all work together with different ideals, but it all blends together." Funding for the project has come from a combination of contributions by building owners, $15,000 from the Waitaki Heritage Fund, and the government's Better Off Funding. The next phase of the Facade Improvement community-led project is the repair and restoration of the building verandas and the installation of new signs. The final cost of the project will be known upon completion, Mrs Jones said. Painter Peter Keogh has been working with the business owners to help paint and restore the facades, she said. The MorComm Systems Ltd building was originally designed in 1879 by architect Thomas Forrester as a store for bookseller James Cagney. MorComm building co-owner Shirley Morris said they had "wanted to restore their building for some time but there had always been other priorities". "Working with the project team has been great. we were able to bounce ideas off each other and collaborate on things like shared scaffolding, which made the work easier and more cost-effective for everyone," Mrs Morris said. The online community reaction to the project has been divided, with some questioning whether the government Better Off funding could have been better spent on more vital services such as water, while other Oamaru residents were more positive about the upgrade. "These buildings look stunning, well done to the business owners," one person posted. Another said "the paint job is world class". Mrs Jones hoped the project would inspire other heritage building owners to consider facade renovations. Three other projects have been completed to date as part of the CBD revitalisation initiative, the Underland Artscape Trail Moa murals at Oamaru Creek; the lower Thames St streetscape pilot and a Heritage Building forum.
Scoop
23-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
More Than 700 People Have Their Say On Playspace Whakatū
More than 700 people have had their say on Playspace Whakatū, the new playground set to take pride of place in Whakatū Nelson's Rutherford Park. Around 200 primary school students kicked off the engagement process in February, collaborating and creating their dream playspaces through drawings, miniature models and oral submissions. A further 500 people had their say online, while 54 made physical submissions at public collection points. Playspace Whakatū is being led by Ngā Iwi o Te Tauihu in collaboration with Nelson City Council, making use of $2.4M awarded to Council from central Government's Better Off fund under the previous Three Waters reform. Council also committed just over $600,000 to the project under the Long Term Plan 2024-2034. Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui chief executive Justin Carter said it had been heartening to see the effort put in by tamariki in Whakatū, alongside their whānau and the wider community. 'Ultimately, this is a space for our tamariki, and their ideas have been truly inspiring. Our main aim with this project is to create an intergenerational and accessible space, and it's amazing to have so many thoughtful and creative ideas to consider as we move forward,' he said. 'Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to share their thoughts.' Some of the more creative ideas have included a whole plane, a giant Mako head, a candy machine, a swimming pool and a zoo, while many of the more practical submissions covered the need for shade, fencing and water. Zip lines, an adventure playground and water features like splash pads were a common theme, as was the need to create an accessible and inclusive space for all. 'We can't do it all, given limited resources, however there is a lot riding on this new space and we will do our best to include as many of the common features as we can, within our constraints,' Justin said. While the submission process was underway, a robust procurement process has also been underway to appoint a design and build partner for the project. The appointed partner will be announced early next month. 'Once the design and build partner is appointed, they'll be provided with all of the submissions to help them create an amazing, accessible playspace that tells the story of Whakatū, is appealing to all ages and will attract families to the city centre,' Justin said. If you want to keep up to date with progress on the playspace, head to to sign up for email updates.
