Knock, Knock…Who’s there?

Opportunity…

…Opportunity Who?

Opportunity to make our region FABULOUS!

Off the Top of My Head

By Paul Murray

When opportunity knocks, you open the door right? Well, the Karamea community has a golden opportunity ringing its doorbell and it’s time to open all entrances and welcome it in for a cuppa, some scones and a chat.

Karamea has been granted a partnership with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) for five years through its Community-Led Development Programme (CLDP), which will offer financial, logistical and professional support for community projects. There are five communities across New Zealand to have this chance to improve their lot and Karamea is the only community on the South Island to have been selected.
Karamea Community Incorporated (KCI) applied to DIA for the CLDP alliance and the application was successful, largely due to the savvy and acumen of KCI coordinator Clive Hellyar who drew up the application with support from committee members.

What does all this mean? I hear you ask…Well, in the first year, there is $1 million available for distribution to the five communities that have been selected for the programme. Yes…that is $1,000,000 large! (…and that’s just in the first year of a five-year programme).

In order to access this money, the Karamea Community (and the Little Wanganui Community) need to come up with serious plans on how we might improve our lot, draw up proposals, apply for funding, get the money and then get busy at a practical level to turn our dreams into reality and we have the support of the Central Government through the DIA’s CLDP to back it up financially and make it real.

This is an opportunity that needs to be embraced and nurtured so that we can improve local employment opportunities, strengthen our regional economy, make our region more attractive for local people and visitors, enhance aesthetics, increase local recreational activities, upgrade existing infrastructure and generally give the place a good spruce up.

The association with the DIA will dramatically improve the chance of success for funding applications and the DIA will support grants with “partnership funding” by adding to successful funding applications to get projects across the line financially.

 KCI is a group of local people passionate about improving our community for the people living here. We need your help, Buller REAP in conjunction with KCI have arranged for a community forum called “Love (Y)Our Place.” Megan Courtney, a facilitator from “Inspiring Communities” is coming to Karamea on August 12, 2017, to enable all the members of our community to have a voice and share their thoughts on how we might take full advantage of the opportunity the CLDP offers. We need your help by coming to the forum and contributing to the future of our region by sharing your thoughts and ideas.

The forum is a chance to have your voice heard and to shape the future of our region. Your opinions and thoughts are important and this is an opportunity for you to be heard and for your ideas to be put into action. This one Saturday afternoon will be time well spent, as you will have a chance to shape the future of our region with your input to the forum.

So come along on Saturday, August 12, 2017, to the Last Resort Café from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and express yourself with other members of the Karamea and Little Wanganui communities and let’s work together to make this great place even better for all concerned.