Editorial: New lease of life for Grays site

Site of the abandoned Grays Funeral Home. Photo/File

It was nice to report more positive news today, that new life is about to be breathed into a development that ground to a halt almost two years ago.

Grays Funeral Services went into receivership in 2014, with its funeral home development in Ngongotaha unfinished.

It wasn't looking good.

At the time, receivers said they were holding out hope someone would buy the business and assets and complete the project as it was originally planned.

But that never happened and Ngati Whakaue Tribal Lands "reluctantly" took control back of the site and unfinished buildings on it.

Ngati Whakaue Tribal Lands general manager Tina Ngatai said the organisation had since spent a lot of time and effort on the site and the signing of the lease with local drug and alcohol counselling service Te Utuhina Manaakitanga was a great outcome, with the partnership called "a great fit".

They are to be congratulated for the work they have done in getting the site up to scratch and finding a suitable tenant.

Not only that, they tried to use original contractors where possible - many of whom were left out of pocket when the original developer when bust.

It's a win-win situation, in that the land will enable Te Utuhina Manaakitanga to expand its residential drug and rehabilitation unit and help the people that most need it attempt to overcome their additions.

It's a nice irony that a facility that was intended to be all about farewelling the dead, will instead now help people learn how to live. In my eyes, that's a great result.