Horahora set to celebrate hall renovation
The Horahora Hall Committee and Renovation Project Team (Left to Right): Ian Fraser, Kevin Holland, Gina Williams, Ingrid Laxon, George Baxter, Tony Woodhouse, Donna Woodhouse, Selina Oliver. Not pictured is Jessica Cogswell.
The Horahora Memorial Hall will celebrate its new lease of life at a reopening event this Saturday.
The hall received just over $293,000 of funding in July 2020 to restore and renovate the community building as part of the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).
The PGF fund for town halls and war memorials was set up by the Government in a response to COVID-19, to create new jobs and stimulate local economies.
The funding has been used to complete phase one of an extensive renovation, including re-roofing, an entranceway extension, acoustic baffles on the ceiling and upgrades to toilet and kitchen facilities.
Horahora Hall committee president Kevin Holland said, “the hall is an integral part of our community. Our focus is on creating a real hub for the community. Receiving this initial funding has given our hall and committee a new lease of life.”
“Wherever possible we’ve used local tradies and suppliers as well as holding a number of working bees to help manage our costs. The whole community have got behind this project over the past twelve months, and it’s exciting to see phase one of the renovation complete,” added Gina Williams, renovation project team member.
As part of the celebration, the committee will install a time capsule which will include Horahora School children’s reflections of living through a pandemic.
The event will be attended by Waipā Mayor Jim Mylchreest, Deputy Mayor Liz Stolwyk, Councillors Elwyn Andree-Wiltens and Roger Gordon, Cambridge Community Board chair Sue Milner, Cambridge Community Board member Jim Goddin, and Kānoa and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment senior regional advisor Craig Purcell.
The second phase of the renovation is set to begin in July which includes capturing the history of the hall and the community on its walls.
The Horahora Memorial Hall, owned by Waipā District Council, was built in 1953 and transported to its current site, from Oreipunga in 1974.
The reopening event is open to all and will be held from 4pm, Saturday 26 June. A pot luck dinner will follow the ceremony.
