Hawke's Bay YMCA President Paul Hursthouse says the building has moved past its use-by date. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hawke's Bay YMCA President Paul Hursthouse says the building has moved past its use-by date. Photo / Warren Buckland
YMCA is ramping up its long-time commitment to Hawke's Bay with a significant redevelopment of its Hastings site.
At a ceremony held on the Pakowhai Rd property on Monday, kaumātua Karanema Bartlett blessed the site and Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst turned the first sod to mark a start on thefirst stage in the redevelopment project – the construction of a $700,000 administration building.
A significant bequest from the Dobson family in Napier is helping fund the 221sq m building, which will provide a board room and offices for up to 15 staff.
Start on the second stage in the construction programme, a youth and community facility estimated to cost $1 million, will follow next year.
YMCA has been delivering youth and community services in Hawke's Bay since 1890. Its Hastings facility, accessed from Lyndhurst Rd, currently operates in a former farmhouse.
President Paul Hursthouse says the building has moved past its use-by date.
"It no longer provides the YMCA with a facility needed to support our services," Hursthouse said.
"The completed development will be a centre for the YMCA's youth programmes and education classes and the community will be able to use the facility to deliver youth programmes.
"We are currently working with the community to identify exactly what is needed to inform the design of what will be a multi-purpose building. A fundraising campaign will be launched to help with this final stage of the redevelopment project."
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, pictured on the building site with Keira and Lachie Coleman, says the YMCA offers some "amazing programmes" for Hawke's Bay's youth.
YMCA Hawke's Bay provides a range of community-focused services including early childhood education, school holiday programmes, before and after school care, youth development, outdoor adventure opportunities and education programmes.
The non-profit organisation has its Napier facility in Latham St, and it partners with schools in Hastings (Raureka Primary) and Napier (Henry Hill Primary, Arthur Miller and Taradale Primary) as venues for a number of its programmes.
YMCA programmes are Ministry of Social Development approved and many qualify for Work and Income assistance.
"Our primary role is to enable young people to reach their potential and we do this in a number of settings," Hursthouse said.
"In the outdoors, we support young people to grow through personal challenge and our leadership programmes help young people realise their leadership potential."
Joining YMCA Hawke's Bay as a 12-year-old and now a trustee, Ross Duncan said the Pakowhai site, formerly part of a 2.4ha farm, was purchased from the Ryan family in the early 1980s.
The YMCA originally used the property for rural training programmes. Over time, it was subdivided and the remaining former homestead and surrounding land became the Hawke's Bay organisation's administration hub, delivering some of its youth and education programmes.
"We used what we needed to meet people's needs and what land we didn't need we sold off, including a large area to the developers of a retirement village," said the former YMCA New Zealand vice president, who has had a 66-year involvement in YMCA Hawke's Bay.
The new administration building has been designed by Andrew Flack of Simply Architecture and is being built by Gemco Construction.
