ŌTOROHANGA philanthropist John Oliver is working on a plan to purchase and donate a block of land in Otewa for community use. FILE PHOTO
ŌTOROHANGA philanthropist John Oliver is looking to purchase a block of land in Otewa so the local Riding for the Disabled group can have a new home.
If all works out with the purchase – which has not happened yet – John would like to donate the land to Ōtorohanga District Council for use by the community.
He and landowner Colin Murphy addressed Ōtorohanga District Council this week to share their plans.
Conversations started between the pair about the possibility of obtaining a piece of land out of town for Riding for the Disabled (RDA).
“The exercise has reached the stage where there is 9.3ha on the corner of the Mangawhero and Otewa road which we, the Murphys, are making available,” Colin said.
“And John wishes to buy it and move it on for a community amenity, including the RDA.”
The Murphy family arrived in Ōtorohanga 108 years ago, Colin said.
“My grandparents came here in 1915. I’m the third generation; there are no further generations coming on.
“At this stage, I think we should give something back to our community. This is one way to do it.”
Colin said he was secretary of the county fair in the 1980s and again in 2000, during which time he watched what he described as the “slow demise” of Island Reserve as a fully available community entity.
The 9.3ha in question could be the answer to that.
John said the plan fit well with his personal motto of giving with a living hand.
His “great wish” for the land was to donate it to the council to be held in perpetuity for recreational use by the community.
“We are favouring the RDA, which I think we’ve all got a soft spot for, because their site at the moment is not sufficient for their use,” he said.
RDA, with the support of the national governing body, had contracted a company to conduct a feasibility study of the project, which would ideally see a covered arena built on the land, John said.
John said with there no power lines or drains on the property and all the surrounding land was European titles, so he did not see any other party having influence over the property.
“There are no tags attached to this gift; it’s just a straight-out gift.
“No tags, no covenants,” he said.
“My dream is it will be the second Island Reserve.
“I hope you make it work, because I’m going to try.”
Perpetuity was a factor in why the land would be gifted to the council, rather than directly to the RDA, Colin said in response to a question by councillor Rodney Dow.
“If something happens in 10 years to them, what happens [to the land]?
“My vision was something for the community to have as a recreation facility, which RDA is a part of.”
Other councillors had questions about the “nuts and bolts” of how the arrangement would work, but both Colin and John were clear about the stage they were most focused on currently: getting the sale of the land over the line.
“If you don’t own the land, you can do nothing,” John said.
And in councillor Roy Johnson’s words regarding ongoing costs for the council following a gift of this nature – “where there’s a will there’s a way.”
