A new community facility in the Manurewa suburb of Randwick Park is a shining light of community empowerment at its best.
Manu Tukutuku – Randwick Park Sport & Neighbourhood Centre is a new $3 million facility overlooking Riverton Reserve, the culmination of years of hard work by a group of local residents working to turn this community around.
Years of hard work pay off
With support and funding from the Manurewa Local Board, Auckland Council and the Wiri Licensing Trust, the building was recently opened by the Manurewa Local Board chair.
It features changing and meeting rooms, multipurpose space, a large kitchen and an office and will be managed by the local community through the Randwick Park Sports and Community Trust.
“It is amazing to see it ready to be used by the community after years of work by so many and times when we never thought it would happen,” says Randwick Park Residents’ Association chairwoman Maree Beaven.
“To us it is more than just a building, it is about how we have worked together to create something for our community and we are grateful for the support of the local board to help us get there.
"It is a place where Randwick Park can explore their dreams and have support to make it happen.”
Community-led transformation
The name, Manu Tukutuku, was recommended to mana whenua by the group. Manu symbolises the Manurewa kite while tukutuku is symbolic of the unfurling of their journey towards becoming an empowered and abundant community.
As well as running the pavilion, Randwick Park has several community-led enterprise including a sub-contract to mow, garden and maintain Riverton Reserve, which is providing work for five local residents and a bouncy castle company run by its young people to support their youth programmes.
