Rodney Heritage Trust to be launched

The Rodney Heritage Trust will be launched at two public meetings - one in Warkworth and the other in Helensville - next week.

The Warkworth meeting, at 7pm on May 24th in the old Masonic Lodge, Baxter Street, will draw people from Wellsford, Warkworth, Puhoi and Orewa and the Hibiscus Coast, and the meeting in Helensville the following evening will cater for people from the west.

Rodney Councillor John Ross, who is the council's delegate to the Auckland Historic Places Trust, says it is urgent for people throughout Rodney to start taking an active interest in the heritage buildings and other sites in their areas.

"Especially in rural Rodney, there are many heritage buildings reaching the point of no return because they are deteriorating and nobody is doing anything about them," he said. The trust will act as a watchdog, and keep the council informed of buildings needing funding.

John said he hoped people from all over Rodney would support the initial meetings of the trust and become founder members. Historical societies and the district's museums are also being encouraged to take part in the meetings, which will be addressed by Gary Russell, chairman of the Auckland Historic Places Trust.

Rodney District Council has 550 heritage sites listed in its District Plan, and has budgeted $20,000 for restoration in its latest Annual Plan. "That's not going to go very far," said John, "but if the money is applied for and used, hopefully the totals in following years will increase.

Further info on the meetings from

    John Ross, Ph (09) 425-6260 or from

    Ian Amoore in Helensville, Phone (09) 420-8626.