Ōmokoroa Men's Shed seeking council land for recreational community building

Men's Shed Steering Committee spokesman Mike Hayden has appealed for council support to lease council-owned land for their community building. Photo / George Novak

Members of Ōmokoroa Men's Shed were left "disappointed and confused" after the council turned down their bid to use the Ōmokoroa sports pavilion earlier this year.

They were the only submitters and in their eyes, "had done everything right".

Yesterday, Men's Shed Steering Committee spokesman Mike Hayden was back in front of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council seeking their support for an alternative - to lease council-owned land and construct their own building.

"Our preference is to have our own building on a council section somewhere else. The old pavilion is the fall-back position if necessary."

After the initial refusal, the group challenged the decision at a community board meeting on April 13, where it was agreed the matter would be discussed further.

Hayden emphasised the importance to councillors of Western Bay of Plenty District Council yesterday of having a facility where retired men could share skills and make friends, which many lose after leaving their jobs.

"When they retire, they're sitting around doing this [twiddling their thumbs]. They go down into a vacuum [of] emotional distress."

Hayden asked for a commitment from the council so the group could raise funds for the building. He cited he already had support from two major funders in the Bay of Plenty.

"When applying for a trust, they want to know what support the community has behind it. The best way to get that evidence is support from council and the community board. That's what we're asking for. But it needs to be concrete."

Councillor Murray Grainger, who attended the community board meeting, asked Hayden for clarification on whether he still wanted the pavilion.

"[The pavilion] is a fall-back position. We don't want to be permanently located in that building on that site. But if we can't get any progress anywhere else, we will certainly go for that as the second-best option."

Councillor Grant Dally asked how many members the Men's Shed had.

"Over 50 have either signed up or have shown expressions of interest. When we first advertised our intention, more than 50 per cent were women. That's because wives can see the problems their husbands are undergoing. There is a lot of support in the community for it."

Councillor Margaret Murray-Benge said the councillors could not make a decision, and could only hear the submission and ask questions before referring it to staff, who would then come back to them with a decision.