Placemaking is about putting people at the centre of a place rather than having others tell you what should be done. It’s community led and community fed. It doesn’t have to be big things, it can be the little things that make a place better and make us feel better.

A good local example is over in Paihia where a drab corner at the south end of the beach has been transformed into a walking and play area with community BBQs. The community came together to decide which parts of Paihia needed some love, funding was made available, and it went from there.

Here in Russell the FNDC has agreed to fund an independent Placemaking Practitioner to help us work through our ideas and plans together. Our kainga, our home has its own special wairua: that is what draws us here, why we love it here – we should listen to her.

We have some awesome creative people in the community, plenty of can-do attitudes, and we know when we work together we can do good things. We also want to have some fun!

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