Kawerau Golf & Squash Club future-proofs facilities with support from Trust Horizon

Over 120 members of Kawerau Golf & Squash Club are now enjoying the facility’s brand new heating and lighting, made possible with the help of a $72,000 grant from Trust Horizon.  

The Kawerau Golf & Squash Club is a hidden gem; a quiet and scenic 18-hole course, which sees over 2,500 visitors each year for golf, squash, and social gatherings. To keep these visitors coming, maintaining high-quality facilities is a must. 

“If you play somewhere and it’s not up to scratch, you won’t go there again,” says club president, Willie Copeland. “Presentation and keeping it fresh is really important to keep people coming back.”

First built in the 1980s, the clubrooms had been operating with the same fluorescent lighting for decades. The facility’s heat pumps were also inefficient to operate, and certain parts were no longer available on the market. 

To ensure the club’s facilities and services were fully future-proofed, new lighting and heating was required throughout. The volunteer-run committee applied to Trust Horizon for a grant to finance the upgrade, and gained approval in July this year.

“Since then we’ve redone all the lights inside the clubrooms and squash court, out in the courtyard, and have put new lights in our two shed workshops as well,” says Copeland. “We’re now planning to extend the workshop and put in power points so we can hire out golf carts.”

The grant also went towards the removal of existing heat pumps, and installation of a new air conditioning system. A new fridge, freezer, oven and chiller are also still to come. 

The upgrades haven’t only made the facilities more energy-efficient to operate; they’ve also improved safety and security. “Meetings at the club can sometimes finish up fairly late, and now with the whole exterior lit up you can really see where you’re going. The extra lighting is a brilliant anti-theft measure,” says Copeland.

Trust Horizon trustee, Edwina O’Brien, says that the Kawerau Golf & Squash Club is one of the many kinds of facilities the Trust aims to support. “The club has been an active part of the Kawerau community for over 50 years, with a dedicated and hard working committee ensuring it continues to provide a venue that welcomes golfers across the region to our special part of the world. We’re very pleased to be able to support this upgrade for the benefit of both current and future members.”

Copeland and the committee are thrilled that these upgrades have been completed ahead of next year, when it will be the Kawerau Golf Club’s turn to host the Eastern BOP Golf Clubs Annual Interclub Challenge. “Especially as the Club is a non-profit volunteer-run organisation, grants like this make such a massive difference,” says Copeland. “So on behalf of the whole committee, thank you very much Trust Horizon.”

Find out more about Trust Horizon community funding here.