Central Hawke's Bay's money-spinning trees pay-off for region

Pat Portas, Andrew Watts and John Marshall with some of the pines that will be felled to raise money for the $1.5 million multi-sports turf under construction at Russell Park. Photo / Warren Buckland

A seed of an idea planted more than a quarter of a century ago will soon pay dividends for the Central Hawke's Bay community.

The Tukituki Trails at the end of Ford Rd in Waipukurau will be closed off for up to a month from this week, as 2.5ha of pine trees owned by the Waipukurau Rotary Club on Hawke's Bay Regional council-owned land are felled.

But club president Pat Portas said the minor inconvenience of the milling operation would be more than offset by the long-term benefits for the community.

He revealed the bulk of the proceeds from the sale of the timber would go towards a "five figure" donation to the $1.5 million multi-sports turf currently under construction on the other side of the river at Russell Park.

"We at the Rotary club felt that because the multi-sports turf is going to benefit the whole of CHB and will be able to be utilised by different school groups and different sports and not just one code, it was a cool project to get behind," said Portas.

Spearheaded by the Central Hawke's Bay District Community Trust, the facility will a full-sized artificial hockey turf and three asphalt netball courts along with new fencing and lighting.

Due to be completed by November, CHB District Council has provided the land and $250,000 and is acting in a project management role to get the facility built.

Portas said his Rotary club had a figure in mind about what it hoped to realise from the sale of the trees, planted more than 25 years ago, but was reluctant to reveal exactly how much because of commercial considerations.

"But the price of timber at the moment has kind of fallen into our hands.

"We have committed the bulk of the money to the sports turf but obviously there's going to be replanting costs and other things afterwards, so we need to make sure we have a little bit left over for that."

As a hockey coach in CHB for decades, Rotarian Andrew Watts was delighted the funds would be going to the facility.

He said he and club member Marty Jensen had the idea of planting the trees as a long-term fundraising strategy back in the late 1980s and then approached another former CHB local, Sam Robinson, who was on the old Hawke's Bay Catchment Board.

"Sam was able to get the land designated so that we could plant trees on it. So it's public land. But it's turned out to be a good, long call by the Rotary club," he said.

Club treasurer John Marshall said the Wellington-based logging company enlisted to do the job had sub-contacted the work out locally.

"So it's all staying in the local community."

He said about 1km of the pathways from the area at the end of Ford Rd to the Tukituki Bridge on SH2 would be closed during the work, but walkers and cyclist could take an alternate route along Ford Rd and back to Waipukurau.

"The contractor has told us work could be up for a month, but we tend to think it could be done in two to three weeks," he said.

Pat Portas said Higgins had agreed to beef up some shingle access roads for the Rotary club for the work to go ahead, while local artist Sue Higginson was also creating signage at little cost.

"And the regional council is also right behind what we are doing and are very keen to see the area replanted and enhanced, which is what we are trying to do."