Raglan Community Arts Council has gone the extra mile to make the Creative Space Building at Raglan Old School Arts Centre more accessible thanks in part to Waikato District Council’s Better Off Funding.
Taking into consideration the community’s passion for arts and creativity, the funding has been used to help build and install an accessibility lift, creating options for people of all abilities to experience the whare tapere.
“The whare tapere on the first floor is where people go to enjoy music, theatre, crafts and all kinds of artistry, so having an accessible way for everyone to easily enter that floor is really special,” says Rodger Gallagher, Chairperson at Raglan Old School Arts Centre.
“We have over 300 members from children to seniors, along with 800 others who use the arts centre, so the lift was imperative for easy access to the building.”
While the contract for the lift was signed in May 2023, with the final inspection being carried out in July 2024, the first drawing that showed the lift as part of the building was prepared in 2016.
“We always planned to install an accessible lift in the building so the whole community could enjoy it, but we couldn’t complete the project all at once.
“The Raglan community is passionate about arts and creativity, so there was strong community support for the lift and seating, which we prioritised in our plans.”
Using Waikato District Council’s Better Off Funding to build and install the lift shaft, Raglan Community Arts Council fundraised for the rest of the money, with one generous local woman donating $10,000 to start the process.
“Raglan is a very inclusive community, and that first donation is just one example of how passionate our people are,” Rodger says.
The lift has a range of other important uses including taking musical instruments, band equipment, chairs, crockery and food to and from the first floor.
“We want to thank Waikato District Council for supporting our project with the Better Off Funding, as well as the local suppliers who helped bring our vision to life.
“Our next building project will be to install an additional accessibility toilet, which we are fundraising for right now.”
The previous government developed the Better Off funding programme as part of its Three Waters Reform as an investment into the future of local government. Waikato District Council were one of a few councils who took the opportunity to engage fully with their communities and secured an allocation of $7.88 million split across 20 diverse projects.
