Wharf and Waterfront News
Our Wharf Trust – five years on!
It was a strange situation to say the least, when the Kororāreka Russell Community Kaitiaki Wharf Trust was established! But five years on, things have settled down and the Trust has quietly been going about its business. The original Russell Wharf and Waterfront Trust was established to address an urgent need to repair the boat ramp and wharf, both much neglected. The FNDC didn’t seem interested in Russell so some community-minded individuals bandied together created a Trust. They managed to raise enough money to repair the boat ramp and make a start on the Wharf – we owe them a debt of gratitude for their efforts. A few years later, as part of a Provincial Growth Fund Application, Council proposed to transfer the Russell Wharf over to Far North Holdings. After a period of community engagement, Far North Holdings agreed that they would work in a co-governance arrangement with the community to upgrade the wharf. For this to happen, [...]
Pop-up Recycling Centre
We were delighted to support a community initiative for a Pop-up Recycling Centre on the Wharf this summer, putting the funds earned from ramp fees and berth sales to good use. The Russell community has for a long time been frustrated at black trash sacks being dumped on the wharf, particularly from boaties, because there are very limited options for them to dispose of their rubbish, let alone for any recycling. Local community group Resilient Russell approached us with a plan to set up a manned pop-up rubbish and recycling centre for three weeks this summer to keep the wharf and waterfront tidy. Although it was a "user pays" service, the cost of providing the manned service was nowhere near enough to cover the wages cost for the 3-week period, so it was a team effort to make it all happen. Northland Waste provided the bins free of charge, while the Russell Wharf Trust and Far North Holdings contributed [...]
Santa Comes early for some lucky winners
Riki and the awesome team at the Duke have just sold the last raffle ticket – 250 of them for $100 each in a monster fundraising effort towards the Waharoa and Wero carvings for the Russell Wharf. Sincere thanks from all the Trustees and the Community for their initiative and for helping the Trust to end the year on a high note. Merry Christmas to everyone in the Russell Community and we look forward to a busy and positive 2021.
Russell Beach Swim Pontoon gets some TLC
Many of you will have noticed the swim pontoon resting on the beach recently and investigation by Trustee Lance Sigley soon pointed to a broken mooring fitting. After checking around it became evident that some volunteer maintenance would be welcome. So he and Steve Hardcastle got on to it. Steve made some new parts and welded them into place, Lance organized some new chain and a cleanup. Recently with the help of Lance’s son Bram as the diver, the pontoon was put back in place ready for action. Thanks go to all the brawny locals who stopped and helped push and lift as Lance was dragging it down the beach from his boat.
