Our Story

More than just a building, Te Pou Ō Mata-Au Is inspiring the future, serving the present, and honouring the past.

Te Pou Ō Mata-Au

Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre

Te Pou Ō Mata-Au | Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre is a community-led facility owned and operated by the Clutha Community Hub Charitable Trust.

A community consultation was conducted in 2016 by Clutha District Council, which showed that the future of the dated Balclutha War Memorial Hall was a distinct priority for our community.

This led to a committee of volunteers banding together, ranging in age from 20 years to 70+ years. This passionate, skilled, dedicated and resilient group put in a staggering 25,000 hours of volunteer time to design and build a facility that would meet the needs and vision of our community.

More than just a building, but a multipurpose space for our community, visitors, businesses and events. An adaptable facility that will be financially sustainable and meet the needs of our rural community for years to come. An opportunity for regeneration, revitalisation, and grassroots solutions to our rural strengths and challenges. These outcomes will positively impact our community's well-being.

The facility focuses on inclusiveness, diversity, culture, community, and commercial success, continuing to build an inspirational area in which to live and work. TPŌMA is distinctly Clutha.

The Road to TPŌMA

2017

An Idea…

Community consultation by the Clutha District Council showed an overwhelming support of creating a multi-purpose visitor hub at the current Balclutha War Memorial Hall site. A committee of local volunteers was formed to explore options.

2018

A trust formed

The Clutha Community Hub Charitable Trust was formed to represent the community as a legal entity and to progress the project.

2019

Feasibility

A Feasibility Study concluded that a new build of a two-storey complex on the existing site that meets functional needs was the appropriate solution. Formal agreement between Council and the Clutha Community Hub Trust was reached to redevelop the facility.

2020

Funding and Consultation

Further consultation was undertaken with the community, and funding was secured for the build. Working alongside our locally appointed design and build partner, Calder Stewart, and their teams. Floor plans and concept plans were then developed.

2021

Breaking Ground

Demolition of the Balclutha War Memorial Hall began, and a construction contract for the base build of the Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre was signed with Calder Stewart.

2022

Further Developments

Further funding was secured from the Otago Community Trust, combined with contributions from the Alexander McMillan Trust and Clutha Foundation.

2023

Doors Open

The build entered its final stages, and the official opening of Te Pou Ō Mata-Au was held on 25 August 2023.

Looking Ahead

Today

Te Pou Ō Mata-Au Is dedicated to it’s vision of inspiring the future, serving the present, and honouring the past. We look forward to welcoming you to our community space.

Design Principals

Construction

The use of local contractors and local building materials was an important driving principle of the build, including recycled materials from the previous War Memorial facility, carpet tiles made from New Zealand wool from our farmers, and concrete panels made from stones sourced from our local river.
Location

An inspiring, district-wide facility which is centred around, and looks out over our awa, the Mata-Au Clutha River. Flowing through the centre of our communities, and returning home to its central core at TPŌMA.
Experience

Committed to providing an unforgettable experience for all visitors, TPŌMA boasts state-of-the-art community amenities in addition to flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, and communal areas designed to foster collaboration and productivity.

Our Ambitions

Central for our communities

Creating an inspiring, district-wide facility centred around the Mata-Au, our awa (the Clutha River), flowing through the centre of our communities.

A place for gathering and sharing

Providing a space where the local mana whenua, Waikoau Runanga, to share their stories, history, and taonga.

Community and wellbeing

Enable community services to deliver their mahi to clients in an integrated, collaborative way for children, and their whānau.

Affordability And Accessibility

Having neutral, affordable and accessible spaces that volunteer groups, community groups, and commercial businesses can access without the overheads and maintenance costs of running their own facilities.

Attracting visitors

Our ambition is to gain additional expenditure for the district, resulting in an increase of people choosing to stay an extra night (or more) through business activities and district promotion within the facility.

Honouring our History

A space that honours the purpose and retains the heritage of the original facility, the Balclutha District War Memorial, while creating a district-wide memorial space to capture the stories of local family history, for future generations.

An attractive venue space

A large, multipurpose auditorium to seat 450+ people, to meet the needs of larger events that we have historically not been able to host, such as national and international productions. All the while continuing to host diverse community events on an ongoing basis.

Inspiration and Culture

Inspiring current and future generations by enabling wider access to arts, theatre, culture and local heritage.

A Networking hub

Delivering a modern business environment, offering co-working spaces, permanent offices, hotdesks and break-out areas, lowering the barriers for new business ventures. With seminar spaces and meeting rooms that provide more space for larger, formal meetings, enabling networking and collaboration for new and established businesses.

Our Trustees

The Te Pou Ō Mata-Au trustees are a mixture of new and old representatives who have been the driving force of TPŌMA since the project’s 2016 inception. They have dedicated thousands of hours to drive the capital project from feasibility to business case to funding applications, building relationships with community groups and stakeholders, and overseeing the project’s management. They have now transitioned to supporting the facilities management team.

Natasha Munro

With a background in education and public service, Natasha understands the importance of creating authentic and meaningful relationships to develop a collective vision.
Natasha grew up in Balclutha and is passionate about the Clutha District and its opportunities for growth. A keen volunteer and enthusiastic about causes that keep our rural communities vibrant, she is involved with many community groups and not-for-profit boards. She values the mahi and input of all other team members.
Building is in Natasha’s blood, as the fifth generation of a family of builders and the director of a local building company, which also assisted in bringing this space to life. She is passionate about the positive outcomes this building will provide the community.
Dale Anderson

Dale moved to Clutha over 10 years ago with his family from rural Canterbury, and has become a staunch advocate for the district since his arrival.
While qualifications in interior design led him to join the project, he has also had a broad career across rural, customer service and automotive sectors, and the last 20+ years have been in the tech space. Dale is currently working remotely as tech lead for a Dunedin based company, specialising in real-time situational awareness in the global wildfire sector.
He has been impressed with how the facility has been utilised to date and is looking forward to seeing what it enables in the future, including cultural and learning opportunities for the district’s tamariki/rangatahi, and local businesses through programmes driven out of the co-work aspect of the facility.
Ken Payne

Ken is a born and bred, third generation Clutha local, and is passionate and proud of the Clutha District.
Ken feels honoured to be part of the wider community group and the Trust that has brought Te Pou Ō Mata-Au to life. His motivation was always simple, revolving around our Clutha communities and the need to have a succession plan for future generations, with a key driver being to bring and keep our people in the district.
The dream to build a multifunctional facility that serves the wider district is now a reality, and the success is evident. Ken is grateful and appreciative of the mahi and team-effort it has taken to get to this stage.
Nicole Edwards

Born and raised in Balclutha, Nicole graduated from the University of Otago in August 2013. Nicole is a Chartered and Associate Accountant with Shand Thomson in Balclutha.
Nicole has experience and a natural talent for IT solutions for small businesses and enjoys encouraging and supporting new business setups, especially those that benefit the Clutha District.
Nicole has a lot of outside interests - she completed her first Spring Challenge in 2018 and has completed a number of challenges since. She is keen to get involved in the community and sees a lot of benefit in volunteering for charitable organisations that benefit everyone.
When she has spare time, Nicole enjoys being with her friends and family, spending weekends in Cromwell, biking the Dunstan Trail.
Zabeen Lateef

Zabeen brings a range of experience to the Trust with a background in allied health, academia and business.
During her career, she won competitive grants, published research in international journals, and provided mentorship for sudents and staff. She also held a project management role, gaining experience in investment analysis, benefits management, and risk assessment for IT and capital development projects, ranging from $0.5M to $300M.
Her governance experience stems from various committees within tertiary institutes, city councils, community groups and district health boards.
Zabeen and her husband have been married for 26 years and they have two daughters. Zabeen says she is honoured to be part of the Te Pou Ō Mata-Au board and looks forward to using her experience and initiative to help achieve the vision and goals of the Trust.
Jim Johnstone

Jim is an advisor to the Trust and has been involved in the project from the early stages. His skills and experience in supporting and driving other community projects across the years have been paramount in ensuring the successful completion of the capital building project, and entering the operational phase.
Jim is a principal and director of Shand Thomson, a local accountancy firm in Balclutha. He has extensive experience in governance in the rural sector.
His commitment to supporting voluntary community ventures includes serving on community health, sports and education boards, as well as securing funding for the many health projects he has worked on, as well as the Catlins community multi-purpose museum, cultural centre, library and visitor information centre.

Thank You To Our Community Sponsors And Contributors

Lotto New Zealand and NZ Lottery Grants Board

Our Clutha Community Hub Charitable Trust and Committee

Dale Anderson
Natasha Munro
Rodd Pearson
Ken Payne
Jim Johnstone
Sarah Van Asperen
Lisa Watt
Wayne Felts
Carol Sutherland
Michaela Groenwegen
Alison Ludemann
Russell Carr
Maureen Renton
Nicole Edwards
Zabeen Lateef

Respecting The ground in which we stand.

From tennis courts, bowling greens and a band rotunda in 1940, to the build of TPŌMA’s predecessor, The Balclutha and Districts War Memorial Hall and grand opening in 1962, to the present day. Learn more about the rich history of Te Pou Ō Mata-Au.

Our Heritage