Residents say they have made numerous requests for service about the state of the footpaths.
Overgrown footpaths are pushing pedestrians onto a busy Far North highway, after the council confirmed vegetation control in parts of Ōpononi and Ōmāpere is not covered by its maintenance contract.
Residents in Ōpononi and Ōmāpere said they have raised the issue of the overgrown paths with council on multiple occasions.
Resident Denis Orme said he had also logged numerous requests for service and even emailed his concerns to the Far North District Council’s chief executive directly.
He said when the issue remained unresolved, the community took matters into their own hands.
“It’s been neglected for quite some time, to a point where the community, RSA, Lions and other volunteers have done 10 community projects since November to try and clean the place up and make it more attractive for holiday makers.”
Orme said the footpaths are overgrown with noxious weeds and in some instances, there was no footpath left.
“The concrete is completely covered over.
“This is just basic services not provided to ratepayers that the community has to step in and do all these things and, there’s just no fairness in that.”
Another resident, Steven Valentine, said he last raised the issues with council before Christmas after seeing a mum pushing a pram on the state highway because the path was impassable.
“You can’t have people walking on a state highway when there is a perfectly good footpath that’s just been left to disappear.”
Valentine said that despite multiple follow-ups and being told the matter had been escalated, no one had contacted him and the footpath remained overgrown.
Valentine said he sent an email about the footpaths to council last year and the year before.
He said it was particularly concerning as this was a busier time of year and more cars on the road meant more danger for other pedestrians having to step on to the state highway.
Christopher Gallagher said the resection between the school is completely overgrown and hopes council finds alternative solutions soon.
He said the shame is the exact same thing happened in 2023.
“I watched a man pushing a wheelchair down the road as he couldn’t get down the footpath. I contacted the FNDC then, three or four times, and they finally did something just as the school went back.
“I have watched mothers with put themselves in danger by having to walk on the road.”
“I have lived here for three and a half years, and I am starting to believe in what the locals say, when they say I am wasting my time raising it. The common response is ‘this isn’t Coopers Beach, Russell or Paihia so don’t hold your breath’.”
The FNDC said vegetation control along the roads and footpaths identified in Ōmāpere and Ōpononi was not included in its maintenance services contract with Citycare Property.
FNDC group manager for delivery and operations Ruben Garcia said while the Citycare Property contract is significant and has a total value of $16 million over five years, tough choices had to be made by elected members on what to include in the maintenance schedule.
“Vegetation control along the roads and footpaths identified in Ōmāpere and Ōpononi is not currently included in maintenance services contract with Citycare Property.”
He added that issues raised would be investigated by the delivery and operations team.
“Where a clear need is identified, the maintenance services contract with Citycare Property may be varied to address those concerns.
In the months before the service contract was signed with Citycare Property in 2024, council staff worked with three community boards during workshops held in 2022 and 2023 to identify ward by ward the council assets that should be included in the maintenance schedule.
Those assets include playgrounds, reserves, cemeteries, sports fields and footpaths.