Coromandel Independent Living Trust

Peak Season (23 December to end of summer) – subject to change for the 2017/2018 season

Entry to the site is not permitted outside of these hours and items must not be left at the gate.

Peak Season Hours
(23 December to end of summer) – subject to change for the 2017/2018 season

Monday 11:00am – 4:30pm
Tuesday 11:00am – 4:30pm
Wednesday 11:00am – 4:30pm
Thursday 11:00am – 4:30pm
Friday 11:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday 10:30am to 5.30pm
Sunday 10:30am to 6.30pm

Non-Peak Season Hours:
(Autumn – 22 December)

Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 11:00 to 4:30pm
Wednesday CLOSED
Thursday 11:00 to 4:30
Friday CLOSED
Saturday 11:00 to 5:30
Sunday 11:00 to 5:30

A local family, the Gilmer’s, were the first customers at “The Goldmine”, Coromandel-Colville’s new Reuse Centre (second hand shop) which opened its doors for its first day of trading at the Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) in Hauraki Rd on 28 December.

Shop Co-ordinator Lucy Te Wani said “it was a wee bit hectic getting set up and finding our feet for the first couple of days. However, the shop is now fully stocked with lots of great household items and we are trading well. We are very pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received from everyone that has visited us so far.”

The Goldmine, as the venture has been named, is located at the RTS which was the site of the flourishing Hauraki goldmine back in the 1800’s. The facility has been established and is operated by the Coromandel Independent Living Trust (CILT) as a joint venture with TCDC (refuse service provider and site owner) and Smart Environmental Ltd (Council’s solid waste contractor). Funding for the project has been received from the Ministry for the Environment waste minimisation fund, TCDC, CILT, Waikato Regional Council, Trust Waikato, SEL, The Seagull Centre Trust (Thames) and from local sponsors.

The philosophy behind the venture is to improve waste management practices in the Coromandel-Colville Ward by minimising the volume of reusable items being thrown away and transported out of the district to be disposed of at the Tirohea landfill, near Paeroa.

The facility offers a sales shop and outdoor display area and also a workshop for repair of damaged items and creative pursuits. A further goal of the enterprise is to provide waste minimisation training and resources for local events. Mike Noonan, Executive Trustee of CILT says “it’s a win/win all around as we all get access to useful items that would otherwise be disposed of at a high cost to both the ratepayer and the environment. The venture offers both paid employment opportunities and work skills or artistic training for local youth. The Goldmine is run by Benjamin, who has joined Ian and Jim, the RTS operators, as part of the CILT on-site operations team. The intention is for the workshop to be operated primarily by skilled volunteers and we are very keen to hear from anyone who would like to offer their support to the venture. If you are interested in volunteering at The Goldmine you can contact Carol Sutherland, our Volunteer Co-ordinator on Ph (07) 866 8358”.

Project Manager, Guy Macindoe, said it all started with the community board asking CILT to investigate ways to improve waste management in the ward about four years ago and it’s been a real team effort bringing the project together ever since. After lots of challenges that caused ongoing delays and some last minute foundation issues that required a creative and expensive engineering solution (we uncovered an old mine shaft during the site works), we have finally made it and Coro’s new ecological Goldmine is now open. This would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support and cooperation of all parties including Council and our wonderful local contractors.

The shop is open for the same operating hours as the transfer station. If you have goods that you would like to drop off or want to check out the bargains available, CILT’s friendly on site-team are there to help you. Stop at the top of the rise at the approach to our flash new building and someone will come to assess your donations. Any unusable items or general rubbish will need to be disposed of into the rubbish compactor and standard Council charges will apply.

The Goldmine team and the Coromandel Independent Living Trust would like to thank the local community and their project partners for all your support. Without it, the venture would not have come to fruition.