METRONEWS
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Local community group asks for certainty

phillipstown hub
celebrations at the opening of the new gathering space.  Jack Loader

The Phillipstown Community Hub is asking for the Ministry of Education to make a decision on the future of their site at the old Phillipstown Primary School.

The hub has been operating at the site since 2015 on a month-to-month right to occupy agreement but their future is still unknown.

Board member, Wayne Hawker, said they want a decision to be made on the future of the site and are asking the new government to gift the school to the council or for the council to buy it off the ministry and support the organisation for the good of the community. 

Hawker added the previous government gave them the opportunity to utilise the site to help the community and they wanted it to stay in the community's hands.

National Party MP, Nicky Wagner, said the Phillipstown community hub provides a place for people to come together to collaborate, work on projects and form a community. 

On Sunday, a new gathering space opened at the hub, which was constructed using donated materials from around Christchurch.  Wagner says the design and build of the space was a great example of what the Hub was about - "people collaborating on projects for the good of their community".