The willingness of the Coromandel Independent Living Trust (CILT) to partner with local government and private business has seen an idea become an initiative as the business of recycling is added to the Trust’s long list of services.

“Providing employment opportunities through recycling is not a new idea for the disability sector, but working together with a private contractor and the district council is new for CILT,” says Mike Noonan, CILT Executive Trustee.

Having visited the ‘Xtreme Waste’ recycling project in Raglan at the request of the local Community Board, Mike became interested in setting up something similar on the Coromandel, in order to provide employment opportunities for disabled persons and youth.

“It became evident this was something we needed to do in partnership, so we approached the district council, and the private contractor already involved in recycling, who were very receptive to joining with a community organisation.

“Timing was the key, it was the right time, there was a lot of willingness to engage with a community organisation,” says Mike.

CILT is looking at the possibility of setting up resource recovery centres in Coromandel, Whitianga and Matarangi. It hopes to provide both voluntary and paid employment opportunities, as well as to generate revenue from selling recycled items that have been ‘fixed-up’.

“We are looking at incorporating a men’s shed, which will not only allow for retired men to come together and utilise their skills, but for them to pass on those skills as they act as mentors for those we employ,” says Mike.

Mike is excited about the many opportunities this project will bring, “Waste management is very top-of-mind and relevant at the moment; it’s about the real stuff.”

As with recycling, the services provided by CILT are driven by the needs of the local community. Their services help to support and empower disadvantaged local people.

In total CILT provides the Northern Coromandel Peninsula with 11 different services, which have been developed over the past 18 years in conjunction with tangata whenua and a wide variety of local organisations and community members.

These include:

• Training and Education – providing opportunities for life-long learning
• Work Co-op – day programmes for people with a disability
• Artists in the Making – day programmes in Whitianga for people with a disability
• Coromandel Resource Centre – providing information, advice and support, computers for
  public use and the Heartland Service Centre
• Affordable Housing – Well-housed Coromandel – quality, affordable housing for older
  people, those with a disability and those on low-incomes
• Employment Opportunities and Environmental Initiatives – Coromandel on Track and the Coromandel Recycling Centre.*
• Youth Development

CILT was formed in 1994, as a result of a comprehensive consultation process by Midland Regional Health Authority. It first operated in a cottage at the old hospital in Coromandel town providing information about disability. In 1995 it was incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957, with three founding trustees. In recent years the Trust has increased its education and training provision and youth initiatives.

While the Trust, which is now based in Tiki House on Tiki Road in Coromandel town, has grown considerably since its cottage days, there are always challenges involved in running a charitable Trust, “Challenges lie in finding trustees, staff and volunteers of a sufficient calibre and working and living in a rurally isolated location,” Mike says.

* For more information on these and CILT’s other services please see the CILT website.