New Zealand town gifted tartan for rebuilding

A NEW tartan has been specially designed to help raise funds for those affected by the New Zealand earthquake in February.

Residents living in Hororata, which is about an hour away from Christchurch, where the quake hit, are to hold a Highland Gathering to celebrate the village’s Scottish roots.

At the event, which has been organised to raise funds to restore the community, the Hororata tartan will be handed over as a gift from Scotland.

The tartan, due to come off the loom this weekend in Selkirk in the Borders, will travel 11,500 miles to Hororata, and on 5 November the fabric will be displayed at the gathering.

Thirty metres of the tartan is being sent in the hope it can be sold off at the event, with all proceeds going to rebuilding the village.

In a bid to generate income, members of the community contacted the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) to ask about registering a tartan for the inaugural event.

But STA director Brian Wilton, one of the world’s leading tartan designers, offered to design a tartan to be gifted to the local community.

Residents then voted on four different designs.

Robin Elliot, from Andrew Elliot Ltd in Selkirk, then offered his company’s time to weave the fabric.

The Hororata tartan incorporates colours which represent the area, including red for the native Rata tree, after which Hororata was named, and yellow and black to symbolise the local sports’ teams and school.

Mr Wilton said: “We wanted to help the people of Hororata to rebuild their community and create a brighter future using the skills at our disposal.

“This tartan was inspired by the people with whom we’ve worked closely over the past three months to design something which will become a part of their community going forward.”