​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Alert

Toxic algae warning for the Waiau River. Click here for more information.

Contact

Search

Life-long volunteer turned Mataura Community Board Chair

After raising her family in Mataura for the past 20 years, Nicky Coats is proud to be the first female chairperson elected to the Mataura Community Board since its establishment.

The five board members, elected at the October Local Government elections last year, play a vital role as they represent the community and advocate for local issues - a job Nicky doesn’t take lightly. She hopes that with guidance from local government, the members can drive business growth, development, and even tourism.

“I want to see Mataura thriving again, and I want it to be a desirable place for future generations to raise their families.”

Serving her first term on the board, Nicky is excited about the future and knows the town has so much potential. Whether through fishing tours, river cruises or a cycleway along the river – she is inspired to bring about positive change.

Over the years, Nicky has volunteered for several local organisations and community groups, such as The Mataura Youth Trust, a group she has supported for more than 12 years. The trust affectionately repurposed the old town hall to create ‘The Bunker’ - a function room for family and youth. Nicky runs weekly events at the venue and believes the relationships she made through the trust are one of the reasons she was elected to the community board.

As a mum of three, she has experienced first-hand the benefits of connecting through community groups. In fact, 15-years on, Nicky still facilitates the much-loved preschool group her children once attended.

“Mataura is an awesome community to be a part of. I enjoy the people and the banter - that’s one of the reasons why I volunteer.”

Through her community mahi, Nicky sees how valuable advocating for change is. The board has worked closely with Gore District Council to connect their vision for their town to tangible outcomes through planning and goal-setting workshops.

“We should have access to quality medical care, parks and playgrounds that families can enjoy and a town centre they can be proud of.”

Since the October elections, she has seen positive changes being made in the community, the most significant being the work Environment Southland has done to strengthen the Mataura stop bank.

Last year, Environment Southland confirmed that river engineers were concerned about a 600m section of riverbank along the Mataura township that was at risk of erosion.

Strengthening work, involving moving 27,000 tonnes of rock, got underway in January. The work is now complete.

“Environment Southland has done a really good job. It’s important work, especially with the recent events in the North Island. The strengthening should give residents peace of mind.”

As the frequency of flooding events is likely to increase, residents across all communities are encouraged to prepare for emergencies and evacuation.

“It’s important to consider what you need in a disaster situation. Everyone should have a survival kit with enough water, food, and medication to last at least three days. Get to know your neighbours and make a plan.”

You can read the full Envirosouth magazine as a PDF online here.

Share this

Share this page

Sharing...