Melville Syme

Melville Arthur Syme is a community leader from Kaikōura, New Zealand, who has been involved in a wide range of community groups and activities in the town.

Kaikōura Lions Club Syme has been a member of the Kaikōura Lions Club since 1968 and became president after just six years. By 2023, he had been a member of the club for 55 years. He was District Governor from 2001 to 2002.

One of the significant projects led by Syme was the construction of a new footbridge over Lyell Creek, after a severe storm, ex- tropical Cyclone Alison, caused extensive damage in Kaikōura in March 1975, and damaged the existing bridge. The construction of the new footbridge required 26 working bees over a period of six months.

Mayfair Theatre

Syme has had a long association with the Mayfair Theatre in Kaikōura, an art deco building on the Esplanade. The Mayfair Theatre was first opened in 1934 as a venue for cinema and concerts. In 1970 the theatre was leased by Kaikoura High School and purchased for $13,000 by the community. In 1984 after the school lease ended it was run by the Kaikoura Community Theatre Inc. Trust (KCT). Syme and his wife were both members of the Theatre Committee who managed the venue from that point.

Symes and his wife led a further fundraising campaign in 2013 to convert the cinema to digital technology, and this work was completed in November 2013.

The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake caused damage to the theatre building that was beyond repair. However, the 1934 art deco façade suffered only relatively minor damage, and the digital projection equipment was undamaged and was salvaged for later re-use. Syme was involved in the major fundraising efforts to build a new cinema and performance venue on the site, retaining the façade. After a $3.6 million restoration project, the building was re-opened in November 2020 as the Mayfair Arts and Culture Centre Te Whare Toi ō Kaikōura. As at 2022, Syme and his wife are members of the Mayfair Board of Directors.

Native forest restoration Another Kaikōura community project where Syme has had a significant leadership role is the restoration of an area of around of coastal native forest on land owned by the New Zealand Presbyterian Church on the hill adjacent to the racecourse in South Bay. The project includes a walkway, and took five years to complete. Syme had the role of foreman for much of that time.

Personal life Syme and his wife Julie have been farmers. In 2001, they sold of land on the peninsula to the tourist operation Whale Watch Kaikōura.

In 2024, Melville and Julie Syme granted a public access strip easement over their property on the peninsula to provide enduring legal access for a popular walking track from Jimmy Armers beach.