Tauranga council approves Harbour Drive safety upgrade to curb drug use, burnouts

Tauranga City Council is making changes to Harbour Drive in Ōtūmoetai to stop drug use and burnouts on the street.

A waterfront neighbourhood resident plagued by burnouts and public drug use says new safety changes will have a positive impact.

The issues were ruining Harbour Drive in Ōtūmoetai, local homeowner Matt McHardy said.

McHardy said drug use and dealing happened in cars parked on the grass verge across from homes, at all times of day.

Up to six cars would park up and pass what he believed were drugs between the vehicles, he said.

There were also issues with cars speeding and doing skids and burnouts on the road and grass berm, he said.

“This is a pattern of behaviour that’s been happening up and down the waterfront for years.”

A narrow shared pathway along the waterfront was used by walkers, cyclists and families.

Harbour Drive resident Matt McHardy shared his concerns with the council in July. Photo / Alisha Evans

There was no barrier between the pathway and berm, and McHardy worried someone could be seriously injured by a vehicle.

He took the neighbourhood’s concerns to Tauranga City Council in July.

Residents suggested the council install a barrier to prevent cars parking on the berm and change the angle parking to parallel.

The council approved a short-term option to address the concerns at a City Future Committee meeting on Tuesday.

The angle parking would become parallel, and boulders would be used to “formalise” parking arrangements.

The parking area would also be upgraded to reduce rutting.

This would provide more green space and prevent people from using the berm for antisocial behaviour, council engineering service team leader Karen Hay’s report to the council said.

The budget for the improvements was $35,000–$38,000 and would come out of savings from the council’s 2026 transport budget.

Damage from vehicles to the berm on Harbour Drive in Ōtūmoetai. Photo / Supplied

Council staff met with McHardy and residents to get feedback on the options presented to the council.

McHardy told Local Democracy Reporting he was pleased the council had listened to them.

“I have been encouraged by the level of Tauranga City Council staff engagement.”

The short-term solution to deal with immediate safety concerns would have a “positive impact” on safety for all users of the Harbour Drive waterfront, he said.

At the meeting, councillor Rick Curach questioned if there was a “real safety issue” with cars parking on the berm.

Hay said there was limited space and some parked vehicles overhung the footpath.

Curach was concerned removing angle parking would stop people from parking up and enjoying the view from the front of their cars.

Tauranga City Councillor Rick Curach. Photo / Alisha Evans

“It’s beautiful and a lot of people enjoy it.”

He asked if the changes could compromise an amenity that was enjoyed by many people.

The antisocial behaviour would “largely be displaced” so he questioned what the council was trying to achieve.

Hay said it was a “trade-off” to change to parallel parking, but it did provide more green space and there were not many other ways to address the antisocial behaviour.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale said there was a “real issue” that needed to be solved and there was a low-cost option to solve it.

“I think we just get on and do it without any further delay.”

The council was also presented with options for a new path and traffic calming measures to address speeding, but the council deferred these decisions.

The council aimed to start work on the short-term improvements by November 17 and be finished by Christmas.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.