Whangarei's walking loop and bridge gets Maori name

The bridge over the Waiarohia stream will be known as Kotuitui Whiti. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Maori names reflecting connection with the land and a "pathway of opportunity" and a nod to one of the city's marine industry pioneers will make up the names of Whangarei's central city walking and cycling loop and connecting bridge across the Waiarohia Stream.

Whangarei District Council is expected to ratify the names of the looped shared space and new bridge over the Waiarohia Stream from Port Rd tomorrow.

In February, the council's 20/20 Inner City Revitalisation Committee asked the public for suggestions for names for the loop and bridge with selected members of the committee and three hapu representatives reviewing the suggestions with staff and make recommendations to the council.

Thirty-five suggested names were received for the bridge and 25 for the looped shared space.

The committee will meet tomorrow with the group agreeing that a Maori name was appropriate for the bridge following a review of the architect's design statement which referred to the KO-Maori digging stick symbolism in the bridge piles, stainless steel woven mesh sides (a net), and the weaving patterns of the kete (food bag) in the deck.

It was agreed that the name should be easy to pronounce and following a review of suggested names, Kotuitui Whiti was agreed, meaning "to connect and interweaving and connecting with the land".

When it came to the looped shared space the group said that reference to a walkway was too constraining and agreed that the word loop was all-encompassing and reinforced the journey coming back to where one started from.

It was also felt that to give it a Whangarei identity, Hatea should be used as a geographical reference point recognising that the Hatea River flows through the middle of the loop.

The agreed name was "Hatea Loop".

The group also liked the Maori phrase "Huarahi o te Whai" which means "pathway of opportunity". It was agreed this should be bracketed below the name.

The group also discussed the elements of the total loop that could distinguish different sections.

A number of submissions referred to Ray Roberts in recognition of his business on Riverside Drive, his involvement with the marine sector and representative of marine users on the planning of the two bridges.

The group considered a section of the Hatea Loop on Riverside Drive could be identified as the "Ray Roberts Promenade" with the exact area to be finalised in the redesign of the water-edge section.

Mr Roberts died earlier this year. Local boat building and sailing communities paid tribute to a man credited with helping put Whangarei on the international deep-water sailors' charts.