Blessing starts journey!
Massive thanks to the Iwi of Te Tau Ihu for their blessing of the site on Wednesday the 14th. It was an early start with dubious threatening rain but it stayed away and we managed to complete the blessing and celebrate as a group over a cup of tea and some breakfast snacks.
This was a momentus milestone for the club and the Nelson region marking the start of our journey toward our new clubhouseots more work to be done of course with ongoing fundraising to bridge the last funding gap. As a club we greatly appreciate the support from council, NZ Surf and the Nelson community. We could not have done this without you.
Special thanks to Dayveen and Ihakai and all mana whenua in attendance for the blessing, Brent Matehaere from NZ Surf lifesaving, Noah Hosie (club president) and Pete Rainey (Deputy Mayor) for their words.
I provide below a transcript of the Deputy Mayors speech which sums up the work and effort to get to this point and the gravity of this important milestone.
Tēnā koutou katoa.
Thank you, Brent, for your introduction. Dayveen and Ihaka, thank you for leading this morning's karakia and waiata, and helping us mark the beginning of this project with care and purpose. I acknowledge Club President Noah Hosie, the club's members, volunteers and supporters, Brent Matehaere and Surf Life Saving New Zealand, and my fellow councillors Campbell Rollo, Mel Courtney and Sarah Kerby. Mayor Nick Smith and Councillors Nigel Skeggs and Tim Skinner send their apologies from the LGNZ SuperLocal conference in Rotorua.
Tāhunanui Beach holds a lifetime of memories for many of us: swimming with our children, summer holidays, walks with friends, and long evenings beside the sea. In summer, around 3,000 people a day come here. Helping them enjoy this place safely is a responsibility Nelson Surf Life Saving Club has carried for more than 60 years. Behind every patrol are volunteers who have given their time, trained, checked equipment and prepared to respond when someone needs help. Most beachgoers simply see the flags and feel reassured. But when something goes wrong, that preparation can make all the difference. Your service also reaches beyond this beach, into flood rescues and search and rescue missions across Nelson and Tasman.
To our lifeguards and volunteers: thank you for your skill, commitment and willingness to look after others. The club also gives young people a place to belong and grow. Alongside water safety, they learn teamwork, judgement, responsibility and leadership. Today, we take an important step towards giving that work the home it deserves. This new facility will provide a proper base for the club's volunteers, equipment and future growth. It will also welcome the wider community, with accessible facilities, a commercial kitchen and space for meetings, and workshops. Council commitments along with a further $1.6 million from Surf Life Saving New Zealand's Central Government Capital Fund helped move the project to where we are today. So today marks the commencement of physical works.
Noah, thank you to you and your team for the determination that has brought us here, and to every funder, donor and supporter who has helped. May the work proceed safely and well, and may this become a welcoming home for many more years of service to Nelson and Tasman. On behalf of Council, I wish you every success. We look forward to seeing this building take shape.
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.