The newly formed Taieri Network will focus on community and collaboration. The network was born of the Encouraging Safety Project, which is a joint initiative between several community groups.
It aims to support community-led development initiatives, provide a space for community groups to share knowledge and skills and increase the number of people who are engaged in the community.
Network board member Kristy Compton said that since Mosgiel-Taieri was a growing area, the network recognised the need for a paid community connector.
So it applied for the Dunedin City Council’s place-based community grants funding and received $62,861.
Most of that would go towards the connector’s salary, Mrs Compton said.
Board members interviewed several candidates for the role last week and would appoint someone this week to start in January.
The community connector’s objectives would include engaging with the community about people’s wants and needs, raising the network’s profile and forming connections with groups in the area to collaborate on community-led initiatives.
"We’re here to help the community achieve their goals," Mrs Compton said.
"Anything that is ever done well is done when people work together."
The network had formed a collaboration with the Taieri Rugby Football Club to allow its connector to work from the club building, Mrs Compton said.
Fellow board member Sam Graf, who was previously on the rugby club committee, said they hoped the clubrooms could be used as a hub for the community.
Often, sports clubs were unused during the off-season, so it was great the Taieri clubrooms could be used throughout the year.
"It’s not so much about the revenue, it’s about the greater good of Mosgiel," he said.
Since Mosgiel-Taieri was such a diverse area, it was important that was represented on the board, Mrs Compton said.
"That way you can have robust discussion with different points of view and hopefully meet the requirements of the community based on that," she said.
Members included local business owners, law enforcement, community leaders and a student.
Everyone who had worked on the network for the past six months had put the "hard mahi in, knowing that we’ll get the treats later", she said.
The network covers Henley, Outram, Strath Taieri and Mosgiel.
