Dumpsite transformed into open space by Moerewa community

What was previously a spot filled with rubbish is now a recreational space for the Moerewa community. Photo / Yolisa Tswanya

A piece of land in Moerewa once littered with rubbish has been transformed into a community space that was recently home to a unique kind of activity, remote-controlled car racing.

The initiative was led by community champion Pamela-Ann Simon-Baragwanath, who grew tired of driving past the space as rubbish continued piling up.

Frustrated by the sight, she decided to take action and contacted landowners KiwiRail to ask for permission to use the land in a way that would benefit the community.

The space is equipped with a mini racetrack, benches and grids for hopscotch and four-square.

Simon-Baragwanath said the racetrack was recently used to host an event on January 27 which she hoped would help kerb burnouts in the community.

“I got the idea when I saw one of my cousins down here racing a remote-controlled car, he was injured after falling off his bike while doing burnouts and can’t do that anymore. He said he gets the same adrenaline rush racing the remote-controlled cars.

“He said, ‘When I play with these, it’s like, I’m doing the drifts and donuts myself’. So, I thought this would help. I mean, I’m not saying that it’s going to eliminate it, but it will change it.

Moerewa community champion Pamela-Ann Simon-Baragwanath. Photo / Yolisa Tswanya

“A lot of people are doing burnouts. I guess with poverty, these are the types of activities that come out. It doesn’t mean that they don’t love the town, it’s just their way of expressing themselves, It’s an outlet,” Simon-Baragwanath said.

Burnouts are a regular occurrence in the Moerewa community. Photo / Yolisa Tswanya

After weeks of work clearing out rubbish, planting trees and drawing up a racetrack, the previously neglected space is now a community hub.

“People were dumping here illegally for years; I have lived here all my life, and it has been filled with rubbish for the longest time. And it’s not that the community don’t care, we live in one of the lowest socio-economic towns in NZ and dumping costs money,” Simon-Baragwanath said.

While she initiated the idea, she acknowledged that it was a collaborative effort.

“We couldn’t have done anything without the support of experts like Amokura Carrington and the Sweatshop Crew Lam, MSD, KiwiRail and the 4 amigos.”

Simon-Baragwanath said the community reception of the space was great and many were using it.

“Everybody loves it, I haven’t heard anybody saying anything negative about it. But what can they say, it was used as a dump before.”

KiwiRail programmer director for Northland, Eric Hennephof, said permission for use of the land was granted late last year.

“Previously, the small triangular area was used by KiwiRail for access to our yard, but it has not been used operationally since around 2017. Though not directly involved in the cleanup, KiwiRail supported the initiative by granting permission for the work to take place. The results are excellent, and we are really pleased with the transformation of the area. We are open to similar projects in other communities and encourage any groups with project ideas to get in touch for assessment.”