Community-Led Taskforce

On 26 March 2024 Nelson City Council (NCC) held a City Revitalisation Summit and as a result, three Taskforces have been established:

  • The City Revitalisation Taskforce, chaired by Deputy Mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens

  • Waterfront Redevelopment Taskforce, chaired by Councillor Mel Courtney 

  • The “What If Whakatū Nelson...?” Community-Led Taskforce chaired by Brian Riley

The “What If Whakatū Nelson...?” Community-Led Taskforce will provide governance, oversight and capacity to deliver agreed projects and initiatives identified in the findings of the “What If Whakatū Nelson...?” process.

The Taskforce will be expected to draw on other community organisations and community led initiatives where they will contribute to the Taskforce’s goal of progressing the enhancement of the central city.

The "What If Whakatū Nelson...?" Community-Led Taskforce is supported by the Nelson City Council, sponsors, donors and volunteers to build on the success of the Community-Led Engagement project at 263 Hardy Street (13 November - 16 December 2023).

You can read the full report below.

A group of citizens have agreed to serve on this board and a contract has been signed with NCC to support with some modest funding. Make/Shift Spaces will facilitate this process.

  • Brian Riley - Chairperson, member of Make/Shift Spaces Board

  • Ali Boswijk - Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce & Chairperson Nelson Arts Festival

  • Alan Gray - Urban Designer at Boffa Miskell

  • Richard Brudvik-Lindner - Convenor, Whakatū Intellectual Capital Kohanga [WICK]

  • Kindra Douglas - Community Arts Network with long standing work in Community Led Development

  • Sophie Kelly - Festival Director & working member of proposed Arts Development Agency

  • Anton Drazevic - CEO, Nelson Environment Centre

  • Matty Anderson - Councilor, Nelson City Council

  • Mathew Benge - Councilor, Nelson City Council

Spring Clean the City
12 - 20 October 2024

This is the first project the Community-Led Taskforce has agreed to deliver.

As a starting point for the Spring Clean the City project a team carried out a photographic mapping exercise of the city centre identifying neglected gardens, graffiti, posters and tagging. It has been a fascinating process to find potential places where we can work with retailers, property owners and NCC in Spring Cleaning Whakatū Nelson.

The Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce and Uniquely Nelson are poised to activate their networks with NELMAC coming on board as a major in-kind and financial sponsor.

To compliment the clean up strategy, we are working with Arts Council Nelson on art projects to go on metal Elgas wraps which have been tagged with graffiti.