The historic building that has serviced as a police house in Russell is to be sold.
The historic house on the Russell waterfront owned by the NZ Police as a Crown entity is to be sold.
It was built in 1870 from a Gothic design by W.H. Clayton, the first Colonial Architect to New Zealand as a Customs House. With the eventual drop-off in shipping the Customs House was no longer required and the police agreed to take it over. The jail on the land was still used for a time.
The house eventually became home to the local Russell policeman, Mike Gorrie, until last year when he vacated it at the request of NZ Police. An alternative house owned by police was offered in Paihia but he decided against moving there and opted to live in the Russell community.
Now the police no longer want to own the house (and the jail, which is still on the land) and have begun the disposal process. As part of that process, Superintendent Tony Hill, Northland district commander, said it was anticipated the section will be subdivided to split the land to cover the house and the police station.
”The building is unique as it is a historical building,” Hill said.”
“The community’s view on the disposal is important, particularly that of the hapu who have been engaged.”
The hapu consulted are Ngāti Manu, Patukeha and Ngāti Kuta. The Russell Protection Society said in an open letter to the Russell community late last year that despite assurances from the police hierarchy they would consult with the Russell community before any decisions are made on the future of the historic building, the police have not made anyone available for discussion since early September 2021.
Bob Drey, chairman of the RPS, said the building was important to the tourism industry and was an “integral part of our local character, as is the much-loved Moreton Bay fig tree located there”.
According to the Land Information New Zealand (Linz) website, the list of Crown land properties in the disposal programme is considerable. It includes 17 properties in Northland for sale, eight of which are in the Far North.
The Kerikeri Theatre Company is conducting a school holiday programme focusing on different aspects of theatre making each day.
Many of the company’s experienced actors and stagehands are involved in the programme.
Starting from April 11, there are theatre games under the guidance of the highly experienced and popular Willi Henley. April 12 is prop design and building with props master Maura Bailie-Belew.
And on April 13, lead designer Kylie Penn (who put on The Magic Play House recently) will teach set design and building. The following day, April 14, she is running a programme in costume design and building.
On Monday, April 17, musical director and composer Suzi Hurd is conducting a class called Music for Theatre.
Then on April 18, lighting and sound designer and technical operator Spencer Fairhurst will conduct a workshop called Tech for Theatre.
The workshops are designed to inspire creativity and imagination in the children and allow them to develop new and practical skills. They will work on creating aspects of the theatre’s mid-year production of Fantastic Mr Fox.
For more information: https://kerikeritheatrecompany.co.nz/theatre-workshops-for-kids
New face on village board
Paula Baker has been appointed to the Kerikeri Retirement Village board. She replaces the former director and chairman David Hansen.
She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and has an MBA (Distinction) from the University of Waikato. She is a career board member.
Kerikeri Retirement Village is owned jointly by the Kerikeri Village Community Trust and charitable social services provider Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN). Baker becomes an independent trustee on the board.
She is trust manager of Braemar Charitable Trust, the owner of Hamilton’s Braemar Hospital, which is one of New Zealand’s largest private surgical hospitals. Baker sits on the boards of Northern District Cricket, the Waihikurangi Trust and Hamilton’s Alandale Retirement Village. Her other roles include trustee for the Hamilton Sky City Community Trust, member of the Waikato Community Lotteries distribution committee and health sector lead on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Waikato regional skills leadership group.
The board of Kerikeri Retirement Village is a mix of shareholder representatives and independent directors.
The Hokianga Village Arts gallery in Kohukohu is holding an exhibition entitled Heaven and Earth. It opens on April 1 and is a mixed-media show of the work of three artists from South Hokianga — Tira, Rachel Miller and Denise Batchelor.
The artist known simply as Tira, came to live in the Hokianga seven years ago. She learned to weave harakeke and says she uses the skills to “make statements that celebrate women’s experiences and to draw attention to what I perceive are unjust practices”.
One of her pieces is called Seven heavenly midwives and consists of red and white kete with red muka pito (harakeke fibre used to tie off the umbilical cord). It is one of an installation of seven kete that celebrates the tradition of the Seven Heavenly Midwives.
The second artist is Rachel Miller. In part of her written introduction to the series entitled Beneath an Earthly Sky, it asks where mankind is standing in its present relationship with the natural world. She says her creative response in this exhibition goes some way to contribute to the inquiry.
Denise Batchelor is a visual artist living in the Hokianga. Her practice is “deeply connected to an engagement with the natural environment”.
She works primarily with photography and video and says her focus captures moments that are often overlooked or unseen. Village Arts is a non-profit charitable organisation that operates under the umbrella of the Kohukohu Community Trust with the aim to support the development of the arts community in Kohukohu and Hokianga.
For more info go to www.villagearts.co.nz/
The exhibition opens at 2pm on April 1, all welcome.
Police are appealing for more information.