New name announced for the Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Centre

Based at the new Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) on Moewai Road, Whitianga, the centre is on track for opening in March 2023. Once operational, volunteers and staff will work to reduce the volume of reusable and recyclable products sent to landfill. A drop-off centre will be integrated into the new RTS, providing the public with the option of off-loading goods before the RTS weigh bridge. Recovered products will then be offered for sale to the public through a shop, which may be accessed via Moewai Road.

Having a name that speaks to the essence of that mahi/ work, feels like an incredibly important part of establishing our identity. Names carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are, the communities in which we belong, and our place in the world. So, we put a lot of thought into selecting our name.

Len Salt – Chair of the Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Centre Trust

The power of a name!

On Te Wiki o Te Re Māori, Māori Language Week, it is fitting that a new te reo name has been chosen for Mercury Bay’s Resource Recovery Centre. Winner Lisa Kearney suggested Tukurua, meaning to recycle. Ngāti Hei then added Wāhi, meaning place, and gave its blessing to the name.

The final name is therefore: Wāhi Tukurua - Meaning Place of Recycling

The direct translation is a place of second use/reuse derived from:

• Wāhi: (noun) location, locality, place, part, piece, portion, section, share, segment, allocation.
• Tukurua: (verb) (-tia) to repeat (an operation), do a second time, replicate, recycle, redo.

The Trustees were pleased to hand over the $200 Prezzy Card prize to Lisa on-site at Moewai Road on a bright and beautiful Mercury Bay day (see photograph above: L-R Manus Pretorius, Tracey Bell, Len Salt, winner Lisa Kearney, Tiffany Reed and Julie Denning-Kemp).

Thank you so much for your fantastic suggestion. It is thrilling to have a truly unique name that fully embodies what we aim to achieve. We look forward to building an iconic brand that is recognised Peninsula wide.

Tiffany Reed – Trust Secretary

The Trustees would like to call out and thank All About Whitianga and CFM, who got right in behind the campaign, collected entries and made a large contribution to the success of the competition.

Invitation to all to join upcoming AGM

On a final note, Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Centre Trust (MBRRCT) also extends a warm invitation to the inaugural AGM this Sunday at the Town Hall, Monk Street, Whitianga.

There’s a lot do over the next six months and as a community-based initiative, everyone can participate in creating meaningful change to the way we recycle and reuse. Everyone is invited to come along to the AGM to find out more about the Trusts plans and projects. Remember the catch phrase is, there’s “No Time to Waste”!

Find out more about the Mercury bay Resource Recovery Centre Trust

To stay up to date with the progress or to join the team, contact the team via their community page.