Dreams aired on Mataura community day

A community day in Mataura last weekend proved the town's spirit was alive and kicking with 70 people turning up to share their dreams and aspirations for the place they live in.

Mataura Taskforce chairwoman and community board member Laurel Turnbull said the day had been brilliant, attracting people ranging in age from 10 to 80.

Many good ideas and initiatives had been put forward and it was now up to the community to act.

"We've got a lot of work to do."

United States community developer Bliss Browne organised workshops for the morning session and encouraged people to build a dream tree of their hopes for the town.

Some of the recurring ideas were enhancing community spirit, getting more life into the town and attracting and retaining new families, Mrs Turnbull said.

She was confident the town would be able to move forward from the planning day.

People were willing to work alongside the Mataura community board and not just telling it what they wanted, she said.

The taskforce would hold a debriefing session before Christmas and start working towards getting various agencies on board, Mrs Turnbull said.

- © Fairfax NZ News