- Rt Hon Winston Peters
The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand will receive an increased annual contribution to support its restoration efforts of rail heritage buildings and structures, Rail Minister Winston Peters announced today.
"This is about our national industrial heritage and the volunteer power and engineering pride of railway communities," Mr Peters says.
"Only fools steam ahead without any knowledge of where they have been, and communities that value their past are not fools.
"KiwiRail has a small amount of funding for public good initiatives like rail safety campaigns, helping the public enjoy historic steam locomotives and carriages access on the network, and minor infrastructure works for community benefit.
"We requested KiwiRail's board consider increasing its public good investment in heritage and were pleased to hear from new Chair Sue Tindal that they have increased the annual contribution to the Trust from $125,000 to $500,000.
"The Trust has restored many railway buildings, including the famous Cass railway station, as depicted in the painting by Rita Angus. The Trust has a long list of valued sites which they want to support with local financial and volunteer backing.
"Discussions are underway to transfer ownership of the historic Mataura Railway Station from KiwiRail to the Trust, with this funding increase enabling its restoration with the support of local volunteers and donors. This project has been at an impasse for too long, and we have heard the provincial champions who have worked hard to see it restored so we are fixing it.
"Resolving another neglected heritage site, KiwiRail is repairing the historic rail footbridge at Moana on the West Coast and is in discussion with the Trust about it taking responsibility the for the bridge's ongoing upkeep," Mr Peters says.
