An organisation offering routine, rehabilitation and connection can now work uninterrupted with the completion of a long-awaited project a decade in the making.
Whakatū RDA officially opened its new covered arena on Friday, a milestone that will allow riders to complete their sessions in any weather.
RDA’s purpose is to improve health and well-being for people experiencing disability, or those with specific needs, through interactions with horses.
Head coach Kelly Craig says routine is crucial for their riders. For as long as many can remember, the rain has been the ultimate roadblock. With the 888sqm covered arena now complete, their programmes can finally run year-round.
“It allows us to provide continuity of care – they don’t miss out on riding, they need the structure and routine,” Kelly says. “When the routine gets thrown out it ruins their whole week.”
The idea for the arena was first discussed ten years ago and added to the organisation’s long-term plan five years ago. Almost three years back, they approached local Rotary clubs for help. Rotary took on full project oversight and governance to guide it to completion.
John Hambleton coordinated the project on behalf of Rotary Clubs of Nelson West and Nelson.
“It’s really taken the infrastructure forward and they are pretty well set up for the next 20–30 years for infrastructure,” John says.
“RDA came to us for help, for any small organisation, putting up something like this is a pretty audacious goal. We take all the unknowns out of it for them.”
Members from both clubs brought specialist knowledge, handling everything from researching and selecting the building type, to quotes, supplier proposals, consents and overseeing construction.
“Rotary is all about service within the community,” John says. “For me personally I think it was the satisfaction of helping a small organisation achieve their goals.
“It’s an organisation we’ve had a grandchild go through and a lot of the people that came forward to help, including professional services, had an association with RDA, so had an understanding of the organisation and what they do.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction in seeing these organisations survive and grow. Rotary has been an enabler so to speak.”
With Rotary’s centenary approaching next year, the two clubs are reviewing the opportunity to amalgamate, which John says would strengthen their capability to support similar large-scale projects in the future.
