| Community Support Programme
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We are committed to being a good neighbour in the communities in which the company operates. To achieve this we assess local needs, promote community involvement and partner with local stakeholders to improve educational, social and cultural development in those communities.
We provide assistance through our Community Support Programme, with preference given to three focus areas:
- Education that increases future options
- Initiatives that support strong communities (ie. helping communities to help themselves)
- Community infrastructure
Each year we work with our communities to identify priority needs in these three areas.
The assistance we provide comes in several forms:
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Examples of the Community Support we provide:
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Blue Penguin Research
Holcim has a five year sponsorship with the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust, helping to provide assistance for tracking and counting colonies of blue penguins, to better understand the nature of their breeding and migrations, as well as carry out habitat enhancement, predator control and planting to help improve the area. Holcim has a particular interest in
helping to enhance penguin habitat near its Cape Foulwind quarry.
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Westport Recreation Centre
Construction of Westport’s new recreation & events complex at McDonald Park has been supported by a significant contribution from Holcim New Zealand. The complex includes an aquatic centre, dry court facility, fitness centre, hockey turf, two squash courts and seminar and meeting rooms.
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Hukanui eco-classroom
Students at Hukanui primary school have researched eco-friendly building materials and have worked with a Hamilton architect to design New Zealand’s first eco-classroom, with an ecological footprint half the size of a normal classroom. Holcim New Zealand is sponsoring the project by providing concrete for the classroom floor.
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Westport Wetland Sanctuary
The creation of a wetland and bird sanctuary on eight hectares of Holcim land at Cape Foulwind was announced in 2008 as a five year community project to mark the 50th anniversary of operations commencing at Westport Works. The wetland site, used for quarrying up until the 1960s, will be turned into a unique wetland habitat complementing existing conservation projects at Cape Foulwind. Features will include a series of small lakes, a walkway around the wetland, a bird hide, and interpretative panels explaining the wetland eco-system.
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Digger School
Greymouth-based Tai Poutini Polytechnic students undertaking its civil construction course have been provided with access to our Bombay Quarry to attend a “digger school” on an enclave site in the overburden area. Students were tutored by Holcim staff in the safe handling of diggers, loaders, trucks, compactors and rollers.
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Teaching & Research Position
Holcim New Zealand has, since 2003, sponsored a part-time teaching and research position at the University of Canterbury School of Engineering. Professor Des Bull, who holds the position, is working with the building industry on concrete construction technologies.
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Westport Scholarships
For more than 25 years Holcim has awarded a tertiary study scholarship at Westport. The scholarship pays $2000 per year for up to four years of study, as well as providing holiday work at Holcim Westport Works. From 2009, scholarships are also being offered to communities relating to our Hastings Quarry and our Bombay Quarry.
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Examples of further sponsorships that Holcim New Zealand has undertaken for 2009 include:
- Adult Literacy Franklin
Contributing to fuel costs for volunteer tutors who provided free reading, writing, maths tuition to adults.
- Puni School
Sponsorship of their Franklin Multi-cultural Festival.
- Age Concern Franklin
Funding purchase of Lifetubes (emergency medical information kits) for 200 elderly Hastings residents.
- Camberley Community Centre
Purchase of crockery / cutlery to foster community gatherings at the Community Centre.
- Buller High School
Supporting pupils to attend a Model United Nations event and Spirit of Adventure programme.
- Ngakawau Community Hall
Cement for hall restoration and improvement.
- Westport South Primary School
Purchase of dictionaries and spellwrite books.
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