About the project

We all love our beautiful Strand: a place to meet, to stroll, to sit, for our kids to swim and play. And visitors love it. It’s one of the things that makes Russell so unique, our beautiful seaside boulevard. Could our iconic Strand be even better, could our favourite place be an even more special place?

What’s the plan

You may remember something similar back in 2021, which is when this project actually began. It was funded then by a grant from the Bay of Islands Whangaroa Community Board but it got way laid by elections, staff leaving and other internal stuff. But it’s now being restarted, funded by the same grant from 2021 – good things take time!

That’s what The Strand Placemaking project is all about. It’s a chance for our community to take a fresh look at the Strand, come together to share ideas, decide what we want, and make them happen.

Community activation

Once the feedback from the pop-up shop has been gathered we will have a community activation event, where everyone is invited to brainstorm ideas.

Our facilitator will help us select ideas and prioritise things that can be done, the things that may be longer-term projects, or ones other groups might do.

It will bring everyone together for a common purpose to do something good for our community.

Action

The next step is for the community to start on some projects.

Placemaking is an ongoing activity. Some ideas may be straightforward and can start immediately, while others might need to wait for fundraising.

Some suggestions could be passed on to other community groups, and there may be requests that are forwarded to the Far North District Council.

We may find that we enjoy this way of doing things that we can find other parts of our village that we can overlay a Placemaking process, and apply for more funding.

ty Board. This will allow the community to undertake a number of initiatives should the community wish. Should a specific initiative need a larger amount then if the idea is good and the community wants it, we will find a way to get funding.

FAQs

We all love the waterfront and The Strand – it is one of the outstanding areas of our heritage village. But perhaps there are some tweaks that could make it even better – sometimes it’s the little things make the biggest difference. We’ve all got ideas that could uplift this beautiful space – let’s share them and let our community to decide. 

We are really fortunate to have a grant from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board. This will allow the community to undertake a number of initiatives should the community wish. Should a specific initiative need a larger amount then if the idea is good and the community wants it, we will find a way to get funding.

We all do! But that’s where the facilitator comes in. She will help us decide and prioritise the things that can be quick wins, the things we can select to do over the coming year, the things that other groups might like to champion, the things we can ask the council to do, and the things we might never be able to do. 

This is a Russell rumour! But the safety of allowing cars on The Strand is an ongoing topic of conversation in town and this is a great chance to have an open talk about it.