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The news that their Guide den in Ōrewa was to be sold came as a shock to Guide leaders, who were told about the plan by representatives of their national office, GirlGuiding NZ, last month.
A key reason given was that maintenance on the old hall is no longer affordable.
The Ōrewa leaders’ reaction caused GirlGuiding NZ to look at the issue again, next month.
If the den is sold, Guides will have to find an alternative venue that could be rented for meetings.
Brownie leader Liz Morris describes it as devastating news.
“We made it clear how angry and upset we were, there’s no doubt about that,” Morris says.
District coordinator, Barbara Hamer, says while she was aware head office was disposing of buildings, she thought the focus was on underutilised halls, which she says Ōrewa hall is definitely not.
Ōrewa Guides’ catchment is a fast-growing area that includes Hatfields Beach, Millwater and Dairy Flat as well as Ōrewa. As at the end of term 3, the numbers in Ōrewa Guiding are 53, with 24 on the waiting list.
Hamer says the Ōrewa hall has been in use since the mid 1950s and to Guides, it is not “just a hall”.
“It holds decades of memories,” she says. “Past Brownies now bring their own girls to the same place they met at. We use the walls to display our girls’ achievements. It is a source of pride.”
She also points out that having storage for gear such as tents and equipment, and outdoor space for activities may not be replicated in a rented space.
“We have the opportunity to grow guiding here, because of the rapid growth in the area,” Hamer says. “Guides also use the hall for events that raise funds for charity and engage with the community, and it is hired to other organisations as a venue, and for functions.”
GirlGuiding NZ’s financial reports show deficits of between $1m-$2m in recent years. The organisation has 19 properties listed for hire, and total property expenses in its summary statement for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $781,546.
Currently the property in Centreway Road, which is 809sqm and in the Mixed Housing Urban zone, has a rateable value of $1.6m.
In a statement, GirlGuiding NZ says in 2019 the membership voted to reduce the number of properties that the organisation owns.
“This was not an easy decision and we all acknowledge the passion that many members, past and present, feel for their local Guiding properties.”
GirlGuiding NZ says Ōrewa Guide hall is an example of a property treasured by many in the local area, but that the operational costs exceed any income from hireage.
“This property also requires significant maintenance to bring it up to a safe and acceptable standard.”
The organisation plans to reinvest the funds from the sale, and annual savings from no longer owning the property, “into supporting the delivery of Guiding experiences”.
Its property team has begun investigating potential alternative hire venues.
A building report in 2015 identified significant structural issues with the den but nothing was done until 2021, when, following publicity by Hibiscus Matters, local Rotarians and tradies who donated their services, did a lot of work on the building.
In the past, a merger with Whangaparāoa Guides, which has a hall in Stanmore Bay, has been considered and GirlGuiding NZ’s statement points out that the Whangaparāoa Hall is less than 10km away and that there are no plans to sell that hall “in the near future”.
Hamer says while the distance may be 10km ‘as the crow flies’, for the Ōrewa guides, travelling up and down the peninsula means sharing that space for meetings won’t work.
GirlGuiding NZ’s new chair, Adrienne Kenney, says the organisation has heard the feedback from the Ōrewa leaders and wants to work together and find a win for everybody.
“It was unfortunate that the meeting went the way it did, because it was a surprise to them, although it had been on the cards for three years,” Kenney says.
She says the board will formally consider all the feedback at its meeting in November.
Hamer says that is good news for the Ōrewa Guides.
“We are very sad to hear that national office has plans to sell our hall. The leaders and some parents have sent feedback to the board. We are pleased to say that this has resulted in the decision being reviewed at the next board meeting.”
She says any past or present members, parents or community members who wish to share stories about the Ōrewa den or support efforts to retain the hall are invited to email orewaguides@gmail.com
Backstories September 16, 2015; February 3, 2021
