2010 National Community Award Winners
Supreme Winner: The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust, Far North District
From left: TrustPower Chairman Bruce Harker, Alison Lemon from the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust, Far North Mayor Wayne Brown, TrustPower CEO Vince Hawksworth, Frank Leadley from the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust.
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust has restored and operates a vintage steam railway experience between Kawakawa and Opua. When the Trust inherited this historic railway it was in complete disrepair, closed by the LTSA in 2000 due to its unsafe state.
The Trust was driven by the imperative to ensure that an iconic part of New Zealand's history and culture was not lost. The railway dates from the discovery of coal in Kawakawa in 1864, and it was the first passenger train in the North Island. The longest of 14 bridges is 270 metres with 34 piers and, when restored, will be the oldest curved wooden bridge in the world. The steam engine Gabriel is the only one of its class left in the world from the five originally built in 1927. The railway also runs down the middle of the main street in Kawakawa, which is a state highway - totally unique!
Yet all this was set to be lost to the nation until the Trust was formed with the determination to restore the full 13 km between Kawakawa and Opua, not only to ensure this precious historic heritage and unique railway was saved, but also to generate economic and social value to the wider community.
Over the last eight years the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust have raised $1.6 million dollars and now run a popular service four times a day, at weekends and school holidays. To make this happen has been a team of over 400 volunteers every year, putting in a staggering 105,034 hours over the eight years since the Trust was formed.
The restoration of the railway has revived business in the once struggling town of Kawakawa and has brought the community together. A survey of 250 people in November 2010 shows that 76% thought the railway was very important to the Kawakawa economy, 74% had up to 30% of the business directly from the train users and 21% of the businesss are directly impacted by the train's operations.
For more information on the Trust see their website here.
Runner Up: John's Kitchen, Marlborough District
Above from left: Clive and Yvonne Dasler from John's Kitchen, TrustPower CEO Vince Hawksworth, Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman, TrustPower Chairman Bruce Harker.
Started by the Methodist Social Action, John's Kitchen was a millennium gift to needy families in Marlborough. They provide weekly dinners to a broad cross-section of the community and free bread for school lunches each weekday. A koha café operates daily, offering free soup and a roll as well as nutritious filled rolls, muffins and savouries for a suggested donation of 50c to $1.50. In 2010 12,760 meals were served. This is more than double that provided in 2009. Since 2000 51,838 meals have been provided.
The Kitchen also words alongside local foodbanks, sharing resources and making referrals for emergency food parcels. They offer free budget cooking classes and even published a cookbook called 'Foor 4 U - Cheap Eats for Families' to mark their 10th anniversary.
With no paid staff, there is a total reliance on volunteers to raise funds, liaise with community groups, grow vegetables, collect produce and foodstuffs from suppliers, meet and greet newcomers, prepare and serve meals, wash dishes, care for disabled clientele, clean and maintain the premises, weed the flower garden, launder teatowels, and dispose of refuse.
Volunteers self-select their tasks according to their energy and inclination and work at the times they choose. No roster is prepared for the most popular task – preparation of the weekly two-course dinner – and around 20 people turn up to lend a hand.
As well as helping the Marlborough community John's Kitchen is also proactive when disaster strikes. After then 2009 Samoan tsunami the John's Kitchen team worked alongside local Pasifika to dispatch a container of goods and has opened it doors to refugees from the Christchurch earthquakes - even making muffins to distribute to Cantabrians waiting in line for assistance at WINZ.
While John’s Kitchen is ostensibly about the provision of charitable aid, the reality is that the true mission is to build a healthy, cohesive community where every person can contribute and is valued. This is its strength and proudest achievement.
For photos from the 2010 TrustPower National Community Awards click here.