Fundraising to start as St John station consented
The Waitaki District Council headquarters in Oamaru's Thames St. Photo: ODT files
Fundraising for Oamaru's new ambulance station starts next week.
The Waitaki District Council has granted resource consent for the long-awaited project.
The new Hato Hone St John station will be built on an area of land that will be subdivided off the northwest corner of 4 Weston Rd.
The charitable organisation hopes that construction of the new station for Oamaru will start in the 2026 financial year.
Otago Southland district operations manager David Milne said the new station would also have a public training facility.
"The team is very excited about getting a new station as once it is complete, it will future-proof our operations.
"Having a new station will have an incredibly positive impact on Hato Hone St John's people and services in Oamaru and will ensure the organisation can support the town and its surrounding rural district for years to come."
"Once it is finished, the new station will also ensure our team can continue operating through any disruption or natural disaster.
"We still need to fundraise for this project, though, so really do appreciate the continued support of the North Otago community," Mr Milne said.
The Oamaru project will form part of St John's annual national fundraising campaign.
This month, the organisation hopes to raise $4.5 million for the building and urgent repair and rebuild of 13 ambulance stations around New Zealand.
Chief executive Peter Bradley said this year's appeal was about more than just raising money for bricks and mortar.
"This is about future-proofing our stations, the home base for our emergency crews, so that no matter what tomorrow brings, our teams will always be there for communities when they need us most," Mr Bradley said.
"For our ambulance officers, they [stations] are also a home away from home and a place to reset, recharge and connect with each other after attending a callout."
Ambulance stations were also often a vital community hub for volunteers including those delivering first-aid training and running St John Youth programmes.
Hato Hone St John staff and volunteers will be out on the streets of Oamaru with collection buckets on June 14 and June 15.
Schools and businesses will be supporting them with local fundraising activities.
• To donate online, visit the Light the Way Annual Appeal website at lighttheway.stjohn.org.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Steampunk Festival gets $10k boost to support growth
PHOTO: ODT FILES Promotion of Oamaru's Steampunk Festival has been given a $10,000 boost to bring in more people. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment manager of investment management performance David Talbot said to receive funding, the funding was assessed against the likelihood of the event being able to attract more out-of-region visitors and additional multi-day visitors, as well as it being able to deliver economic impact for visitors in the host region. "The Steampunk Festival is going from strength to strength each year, bringing hundreds of visitors from outside the district for the long weekend," Tourism Waitaki general manager Philippa Agnew said. "Events such as the Steampunk Festival give the industry a boost during the quiet season." Funding, awarded to Tourism Waitaki, comes from the government's Regional Event Fund. "Investing in these events has a direct impact, with visitors spending money in local cafes, businesses and accommodation providers, driving economic activity in our communities," Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement. "By growing regional tourism, our remote and rural communities can benefit from the economic opportunities it brings. "Events are excellent drawcards to get more visitors into our regions, particularly in quieter parts of the year for the tourism and hospitality sector. "New Zealand is open for business, and we encourage both Kiwis and international visitors alike to explore and enjoy what New Zealand has to offer." This year's festival, held over King's Birthday weekend sold a record 1723 tickets to paid events and attracted hundreds more who came to watch free community events.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Hunting contest to support St John's
Joy Campbell. PHOTO: ODT FILES About 170 hunters from across New Zealand will gather in Cromwell for a hunting competition, with proceeds from entries going to thank Cromwell St John's for their hard work. Cromwell Hunting Competition organiser Joy Campbell said this was the first time she organised such a contest. "I got involved because my kids are into hunting and it's also a great way to raise money for the emergency services" Entries from the competition, as well as contributions from the Cromwell Town and Country Club and Coffee and Equipment Cromwell, would go towards a top-of-the-line coffee machine for Cromwell St John's after the hard few months the first responders had been through, she said. The organisation was close to her heart, as she was a volunteer for St John's herself. The competition would begin at 5am on Thursday with categories for adults, juniors 13-16 years old and 12 and under, she said. Adults could enter deer and pigs, as well other animals in the miscellaneous section. The top adult prize was $1000 from Flat Line Concrete for best pig jaw. The junior age bracket could also enter deer and pigs as well as goats, the top prizes being $500. The 12 and under bracket would be able to enter possums, rats, rabbits and hares for judging, with three prizes of $200 for the heaviest possum, rabbit or rat, she said. The hunt would end at the weigh-in which would begin at 12pm on Sunday, held at the Cromwell Town and Country Club. The weigh-in was expected to be a lively event, with a live band on hand to provide entertainment, Mr Whippy, a coffee cart and lots of prizes. One of the spot prizes available for the adults was a thermal monocular, she said.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Govt chips in $3m for cleanup
The junction of Awamoa Rd and the closed Beach Rd 3km south of Oamaru. PHOTO: ODT FILES Waitaki district ratepayers have now had the burden of a multimillion-dollar environmental cleanup reduced by a total of $8 million, after the government stepped in to provide another big funding boost. This week, the Waitaki District Council announced the government has provided $3m in grant funding to support the now completed Project Reclaim. The project removed 67,000 tonnes of fly-tipped and oceanside landfill waste from three sites along the east Otago coastline in 2024, safely securing it 8km inland at a purpose-designed landfill cell near Palmerston. At the time, the council did not qualify for the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund and was not considered for the additional grant funding provided in February 2024 for projects yet to take place. However, a council media statement says "strong advocacy" from Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher to Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and the Ministry for the Environment resulted in Cabinet approval for the new $3m grant. "We have taken decisive action to remedy past mistakes, led the way in preventing an environmental disaster, and ensured we got the best value for the ratepayer by advocating for both this grant, and the waste levy and emission trading scheme waivers." Combined with the approved waivers of the waste levy ($4m) and emissions trading scheme ($1.4m), earlier this year, the overall cost of the project has fallen from $18m to less than $10m. Project Reclaim was an environmental cleanup of historic dump and illegal fly-tipping sites. The resulting holes left from digging up the road to extract 19,000 tonnes of old refuse left the erosion-prone road unusable, and it has been closed since November last year.
