At the Raglan Community Board meeting on 13th August, Colin Chung, Chairperson of the Raglan Kopua Holiday Park Board, advised the community board members that the Holiday Park Board was willing to provide $600,000 towards a new Multi Purpose Sports Building for the Raglan Community.
The funds are available as the Holiday Park Board has been able to run the Holiday Park business with a financial surplus over the last few years. The Holday Park Board advised that it has surplus funds available for improvements in Papahua/ Te Kopua and can provide the foundation funding for the Multi Purpose Sports Building project of $600,000. Other external funding would be required to cover the whole project cost of about $2 million.
In addition Mr Chung said that they would subsidise the ongoing operating costs for the project. Mr Chung explained that the Raglan Kopua Holiday Park Board is responsible to the Waikato District Council and the people of Raglan for operating the Raglan Kopua Holiday Park. While the Board runs a not-for profit holiday park, it does achieve financial surpluses. As part of the gifting deed from the Maori owners, the Board has a policy of investing any surpluses in improvement of the Raglan Recreational Reserve (Te Kopua). The surplus funds are not available for projects in other parts of Raglan.
Mr Chung said that the Park Board Board has a need to provide an all weather building to encourage visitors to stay at the Holiday Park during the winter. In addition there have been many requests from groups in Raglan for this type of facility for indoor netball, basketball as well as storage facilities for the sport groups using the recreational reserve. The building would also incorporate the current ‘camp store’. Resulting from these requests the Board had prepared a feasibility study for the Multi Purpose Sports Building and was now confident the building was feasible.
The Holiday Park Board requested the Raglan Community Board to begin community consulation on the project. The Community Board passed a resolution agreeing to this request.