Flaxmere 'heroes' recognised with street name honours

The late Tama Huata (centre) is one of a select few local icons to be honoured with a local street name. Photo / NZME

Streets being created in three housing developments in Flaxmere will have a distinctly Flaxmere provenance, being named after prominent locals who have made an impact on the community.

The three council-owned areas of land, at 244 Flaxmere Ave, 72 Caernarvon Drive and behind the shops in the Flaxmere Village centre, are set to deliver more than 150 new homes.

Infrastructure groundworks are now under way to install the water network, electricity and new streets within the subdivisions.

Eight new streets will be created across the three sites, and feedback from Flaxmere community members has led to some special names being assigned to them.

Flaxmere councillor Peleti Oli said the names selected had all featured in the Flaxmere Heroes calendar over the 11 years it was published, and represented "Flaxmere heroes who have passed on".

"Naming these streets after our local people makes them part of our community forever – whenever we go here, we will remember what they have contributed to Pāharakeke, and how much they have helped make it the awesome place that it is."

Evelyn Ratima, wife of renowned Flaxmere supporter and advocate Des Ratima, said it was a wonderful gesture to have one of the streets named after him.

"Des was the chair of Te Aranga Marae for a number of years, he did a lot of work within Flaxmere helping families, working with the Māori wardens, the community police, supporting our kōhanga reo, and more, so yes I think he would have been honoured," she said.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said it was wonderful that the legacy of some of the people who had contributed so much to Flaxmere would live on in this public form.

"When new street names are suggested they are evaluated in terms of a number of criteria including cultural significance, whether they reflect a geographical feature, were a historic event or person or were a person who achieved prominence in their field or for their service.

"We are proud to see the community has recommended people who have made a significant contribution to the Flaxmere community."

The street names

72 Caernarvon Drive site

• Kibblewhite Rd, for Ken Kibblewhite

• Poulain Way, for Jacob Poulain

• Tuivaiti St, for Tuivaiti Fetaiaimauso Tuivaiti

• Ratima Ave, for Des Ratima

30 Swansea Rd site

• Pam O'Keefe Ave, for Pam O'Keefe

• Te Ara Moeke, for Haami Moeke

• Te Ara Huata, for Tama Huata

244 Flaxmere Ave site

• Whakaruru Cres, for Steve Whakaruru