Royal Wolf supports Kiwi teenager’s mission to Niue

Media release

2 December, 2013

Royal Wolf supports Kiwi teenager’s mission to Niue

What started out as a challenge set by his dad has turned into a foreign aid-style mission to Niue for 17-year-old Matt Wilson.

The Wairarapa teenager, a budding architect and designer, has undertaken a project to landscape an area and build a series of day bed structures for elderly patients at Niue Foou Hospital.

“I just hope to achieve a better way of life for the people in the aged care facility,” says Matt modestly. “I enjoy helping people and designing things so it’s a good thing to do.”

When a solution was needed to transport the structures to Niue, Matt contacted Royal Wolf, the shipping container hire and sales specialists, who donated a 20 foot container for the job.

Once located on the tiny Pacific island, situated 2,400km north east of New Zealand, the container will remain there permanently and be modified to incorporate laundry facilities.

Royal Wolf is a perfect solution for Matt’s project because their containers are portable, reliable and strong and can also be modified to meet a customer’s unique needs.

Paul Creighton, Royal Wolf Executive General Manager NZ, says when the Company learnt about Matt’s vision, it was delighted to be part of this very important project.

“Our Company motto is, ‘You can do anything in a Royal Wolf’, and so we connected to Matt’s concept - doing this for a very worthy cause,” says Creighton.

The idea for the project was sparked by Matt’s dad, Garry Wilson, who set him a challenge to “embark on an educational adventure” which involved designing, building and then donating a structure to a community in need. There were a few conditions, including having an overseas element and funding it through sponsorship, donations and fundraising.

“I think it’s important that parents take an active role in opening up the world to their children as they get to the end of their schooling years,” says Mr Wilson. “I suspect most kids don't have any idea about what they want to do - and to kick them out of the nest without an initial career path or goal is failing them.”

Matt agrees with his dad: “I’ll get skills and experience that should set me up for life - and I wish this would get me automatic entrance to architecture school, but sadly I don't think it does.”

The hospital, located in the capital of Alofi, was rebuilt after cyclone HETA destroyed the old one in 2004.

Mr Wilson, who has been to Niue a number of times, suggested the small island nation to Matt because it relies heavily on overseas funding for major infrastructure projects and has limited resources of its own.

After liaising with the local community, government officials, hospital staff, and other interested parties, as well as New Zealand High Commissioner to Niue Mark Blumsky (a former mayor of Wellington), Matt settled on developing the aged care unit.

He then got a team from Victoria University of Wellington’s architecture school on board, and secured support from local building and electrical suppliers. The local high school in Niue has also committed to help with landscaping during the construction phase.

“Matt accepted the initial challenge thinking it would be simple and reasonably easy,” says his dad. “But when the hospital, whose staff do a fantastic job, became the project I think the focus shifted away from him to those who deserve something special in their later years. “

Royal Wolf is proud to be involved in a project that will allow Niue Foou Hospital to continue to provide a high standard of care for patients in the aged care unit.

ENDS

Royal Wolf is the industry specialist in the hire, sale and modification of new and refurbished shipping containers. With over 17 years of experience, a network of over 30 locations including 28 dedicated Customer Service Centres across Australia and New Zealand, Royal Wolf is the largest shipping container provider in Australasia.

Royal Wolf containers can be specified to meet portable storage requirements for general purpose, refrigerated or hazardous goods and are available in a variety of sizes with flexible rental and purchase options.Royal Wolf’s portable storage containers offer the perfect solution to many storage problems. Ideal for sporting associations, household furniture, community groups or schools, Royal Wolf’s general purpose containers are inexpensive, safe, secure, and they have the additional benefit of being delivered direct to your nominated site.

Royal Wolf regularly modifies shipping containers by adding doors, internal walls, windows, electricity and water supply, etc. This can transform a shipping container into a kitchen, kiosk, temporary accommodation unit or a home office, just to name a few.

Royal Wolf’s Work Site Range offers a selection of shipping containers as hoardings and gantries, construction site office, change rooms, first aid rooms, ablution blocks, and are available as a “stock item” to provide an immediate solution for all their construction clients.

Royal Wolf has specialist divisions focused on road and rail, removals, mining and defence industries. We provide specialised freight containers for road, rail, bulk commodity, construction and project applications. Many operators in the transport and logistics industries know of Royal Wolf as the provider of specialised transport equipment such as pallet wide containers, curtainsiders and refrigerated containers for road and rail.

© Scoop Media