The Waimea South Community Facilities project is the combination of both the Wakefield hub and the Brightwater hall upgrade. They were originally intended as a single project, which is why they appear as combined in the Council’s long term plan, 2024-34. In reality, the two projects are now separate. We formed the Waimea South Community Facility Charitable Trust in 2021 when the two projects were combined, but our focus now is just the Wakefield hub.
The hub project is a partnership between the Wakefield community and the Tasman District Council. At this time the community partner is the steering committee of the Waimea South Community Facility Charitable Trust, a group of local volunteers, established in 2021.
You can find out more about the Trust on our website: www.waimeasouth.org.nz The Trust works closely with the Wakefield Community Council and reaches out to all in our community.
The budget for the Wakefield hub project in the Tasman District Council’s long term plan 2024-34 is $11.2m.
The $11.2m will be funded through:
- $6.6m from Reserve Financial Contributions (RFCs). These are funds paid by property developers to Council. The $6.6m in RFCs have been paid to the TDC by local developers and are currently held by Council for the specific purpose of investing in community facilities
- $2.5m from community fundraising
- $2.1m from a TDC rates-backed loan
The TDC calculates that the combined Waimea South Community Facilities projects (the Wakefield hub and Brightwater hall upgrade) will add 0.03%, or $45,000, to rates. The Wakefield hub’s portion of that increase will be about 0.025%, about $35,000. That’s about 90c per person in the Tasman District.
The RFCs raised locally could be used by Council to fund projects in other parts of the District; for example, the Motueka swimming pool.
The hub will be owned by the Tasman District Council and managed by a governance group (a Trust or similar entity) made up of locals and Council representatives. This is the same as other local facilities like the Moutere Hills and Murchison community centres.
In its consultation document for the draft Annual Plan 2026-27, the Council lists an annual operating cost of $403,000. This figure is unsubstantiated and, at the time of writing (April 2026) we are awaiting details of the costs from the Council. We will post these as soon as we receive them.
Our own calculations of the running costs, vary from $167,000 in year one of operation to a maximum annual cost of $304,000 in year five. The breakdown and details of these costs can be read in our Business Case document on our website: www.waimeasouth.org.nz/about-the-project/
We’ve always recognised that the hub must be able to generate income to cover a major portion of its running costs. Under the present design, the hub will earn revenue from:
- Community gym membership. The Moutere Hills Community Centre is a good local example of this, with gym memberships covering around 50% of their running costs.
- Performing arts. Our hub will include capability to host theatre and other performing arts, principally for the Wakefield Country Players, and for other groups from around the region and further afield.
- Venue hire. The hub will multi-purpose function room, meeting room, commercial kitchen and sports hall will all be available for community and other groups to hire. Hire rates will be affordable.
- Council contribution. Under our business case (see above, Question 6) we calculate the Council will contribute around 9% of the running cost by way of an annual grant
- Grants funding and donations. The hub will be able to apply for a range of grants from funders such as the Rātā Foundation and Lottery, and will actively encourage support from donors and sponsors.
The Council’s seismic survey of the hall, in 2014, revealed that the building is unsafe and not economical to upgrade to the required safety level. This was the basis for developing the hub project.
Even if the hall was to be upgraded, it would still have limited use, lacking many of the facilities (sports hall, gym etc) that the community wants and needs. The hall could be expanded to meet some of these needs, which would restrict the amount of available parking on the site.
With the hall not being up to earthquake standard it will most likely be demolished. The land is classified as reserve, meaning it doesn’t have resale value under its present status. It could be reclassified as commercial land, a slow and complex process, we’re told by Council staff. If that was done the land could then be sold for future business development.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s Wakefield locals raised money to buy the land and build the hall. Later, the community gifted the hall to the Council. We believe any value of the hall site should count as part of the community contribution to the cost of the new hub.
The Wakefield reserve land, bordered by the existing sports fields, SH6, Edward Baigent Reserve and the Wai-iti river, was bought several years ago by the Council for future recreation and amenity use by our community. The new hub will be ideally located on this land because it will serve existing and future needs of sports clubs and other users of the reserve, and is on a site big enough to provide parking and room for future growth. In the major flood events of 2025 the proposed site for the hub on the reserve remained clear of the highest flood levels.
It’s true that getting vehicle and pedestrian access, and other infrastructure, to the proposed site will be a major factor in the cost of the new hub. At the time of writing (April 2026) Council staff continue to gather information about these costs. If these costs are considerable other options may need to be explored, with input from the community.
Please contact us.
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