It all began in Nov/Dec 2023, when we held a series of talks that sparked a heap of ideas about how we could make our city better.
From that, we formed a Taskforce so that we could start looking at achievable projects, both in the short and long term.
We decided that the first thing the city needed was a jolly good clean up, so we held Spring Clean Whakatū Nelson in October 2024.
Check out www.whatifnelson.co.nz for updates on the Taskforce, and the Spring Clean Whakatū Nelson campaign. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook.
You can see a pdf of the What If Report here. It’s a seriously interesting read.
What if…began with the question: What if Whakatū Nelson could be better…?
– What if Whakatū Nelson had a youth hub in the CBD?
– What if we had a campaign to spring-cleaning the city and we all participated?
– What if we had a Margaret Mahy style playground?
– What if we told more stories from the eight iwi to Te Tauihu/Top of the South?
– What if we had a café that was open after 3pm?
In Nov 2023, Make/Shift Spaces created an Ideas Hub in central Nelson to collect ideas, start conversations and motivate positive change on how to help make Nelson a vibrant and liveable city for everyone.
There was a series of free lunchtime talks, panel discussions and workshops, to help spark ideas, debates and discussions, and maybe some positive action.
Speakers were drawn from across the community including architects, artists, arts festivals and events, the business sector, retailers, developers, migrant communities, and iwi organisations, with opportunities for others to get involved.
PLUS, we want to hear your own “What ifs…” – you can contribute by writing your “What if…” directly onto the website. Tell us your vision for Whakatū Nelson. What would you like to see the city look, feel or sound like in 10 or 20 years? Keep it short and snappy!
Huge thanks to our supporters:
Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce, The NZ Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga Nelson & Marlborough, Speedy Signs Nelson, NBS, FujiFilm
