Rotoroa Island becomes conservation park

Long-time Salvation Army supporters Neal and Annette Plowman have funded a trust to create a conservation park on Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

The 82 hectare island was the site of a renowned Salvation Army alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation centre, which closed in 2004. The island has been leased to the trust for 99 years.

It will be opened to the public next February and it is hoped Rotoroa Island will become a tourist attraction.

Proceeds from the lease will go to fund the work of The Salvation Army.

It is only now that The Salvation Army has been able to publically acknowledge the generous financial and moral support of the Plowman family, who have preferred to stay largely in the background.

For more than 20 years, two generations of the family have backed the Salvation Army’s work with donations totalling millions of dollars.

Salvation Army Territorial Commander Commissioner Don Bell says the Plowman family have been exceptional friends of The Salvation Army and important partners in the Army’s work.

In 1980, Neal’s father Jack made one of the first donations of more than $1 million to the Salvation Army. The money was used to build the 40-bed Maureen Plowman Eventide Home, named after Jack’s late wife.

A recent bequest from Maureen’s estate will enable the Booth College of Mission to upgrade its library and relocate its archive and museum from Territorial Headquarters to the college’s Upper Hutt campus.

Neal Plowman has also been generous in sharing his business expertise and advice. This has enabled The Salvation Army to establish capital-protected endowment funds that provide an ongoing level of guaranteed, non-restricted income for its future work.

Commissioner Bell says: ‘The Salvation Army is grateful it is finally able to publically acknowledge the contribution the Plowman family has made to The Salvation Army and to the people we seek to assist.’
 
‘This is an outstanding example of philanthropy of the highest order.’

Rotoroa Island has already undergone significant improvement. More than 200,000 native trees have been planted and another 90,000 will be planted this year.

The trust has plans to lease 10 lifestyle blocks on the island to provide some income.

The seven-member Rotoroa Island trust includes two representatives from The Salvation Army.

The Army closed its Rotoroa Island alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation centre in 2004 as addiction treatment methods changed and the costs of running the centre climbed. This island was acquired in 1908.

For more information on Rotoroa Island, go to www.rotoroa.org.nz