Ōkaihau residents outside the town’s boarded-up playcentre, from left, Teaarani Tewhata, Grace Dyer-Tewhata, 9, Nash Campbell, 3, Andrea Kunkel, Melissa Williams with Slade Campbell, 1, and Josiah Dyer-Tewhata, 12. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Ōkaihau residents outside the town’s boarded-up playcentre, from left, Teaarani Tewhata, Grace Dyer-Tewhata, 9, Nash Campbell, 3, Andrea Kunkel, Melissa Williams with Slade Campbell, 1, and Josiah Dyer-Tewhata, 12. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A group of Ōkaihau mums are banding together to reopen a derelict playcentre so they don’t have to leave town to give their kids a chance to learn and get creative.
Ōkaihau Playcentre shut down about four years ago when there were few young children in the town, which is about 15km north of Kaikohe.
Since then the building, on Michie St next to the rugby club, has fallen into disrepair and vandals have repeatedly broken in and made a shocking mess. It is currently boarded up.
These days, however, the town is veritably bursting with small children, but there’s nowhere in Ōkaihau their parents can take them.
Many currently drive to Ōhaeawai for preschool education.
Now mother-of-two Melissa Williams is spearheading a project to restore the building and reopen it as Ōkaihau Whānau House, which would serve as a children’s playcentre as well as hosting various community activities.
“Now there’s a whole lot of parents and young children here. It’d be nice if we had something in Ōkaihau. We have to leave town for everything,” she said.
A core group of five volunteers — three mums and a couple of other locals — were ready to start fundraising and cleaning up the building.
The structure was still sound but it would need new windows, spouting, plumbing, wiring and kitchen equipment. It would also have to be repainted inside and out and the playground needed a good dose of TLC.
Williams is hoping they can raise $60,000.
Vandals have made a shocking mess inside the old playcentre. Photo / Melissa Williams
It’s taken a year but the group has finally secured a lease from the Far North District Council, which manages the land. It’s not clear who the building belongs to but the previous operator, Playcentre Aotearoa, maintains it’s not the owner.
Now the group is in the process of setting up a charitable trust and getting fundraising under way. A Givealittle page is up and running; next the group plans to start applying to grants organisations.
The former Ōkaihau Playcentre is boarded up and suffering the effects of vandalism and neglect but locals say the building remains sound. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Williams said their vision was to set up a community house where people could meet and create together. It would be available to other groups, for after-school activities for example, with a craft group already indicating it was keen to use the venue.
Leaving the building to decline further would be “a wasted opportunity”, she said.
Community stalwart Ross Campbell the old playcentre looked rundown but restoring it was still viable.
“The guts of the building are here. It wouldn’t take too much to bring it back to where it was. Something’s got to be done with it, to put it to use as a community facility.”
Ōkaihau residents outside the town’s boarded-up playcentre, from left, Josiah Dyer-Tewhata, 12, Grace Dyer-Tewhata, 9, Nash Campbell, 3, Andrea Kunkel, Teaarani Tewhata and Melissa Williams with Slade Campbell, 1. Photo / Peter de Graaf
