Paeroa, Kerepehi and Ngatea are set to benefit from the Government’s “Better Off” funding package with the Hauraki District Council adopting placemaking plans for each of the settlements.
Led by design company Isthmus, the plans were designed to reflect aspirations of iwi partners and communities to improve public spaces.
Placemaking plans set out a series of key projects and a toolkit of interventions to support communities to deliver local opportunities.
The council heard from communities in each of the towns with key projects and opportunities framed and tested with stakeholders, including the Waikato Regional Council, schools and rangatahi, mana whenua and local communities.
In Kerepehi, priority projects included playground upgrades, green link connections and street identity activations with walking and cycling tracks and a wharf upgrade tagged as placemaking projects.
Colour scheme concepts, signage, street furniture, planting and application zones were also presented in the plans.
For Ngatea, the McDuff Mural Hangout, Tilbury Reserve and Human Comfort Spots were listed as priorities while placemaking projects included a State Highway 2 bridge upgrade, stopbank walkways and a Link the Loop Ngata fitness route.
Also included were colour scheme, street furniture, planting, application zone and signage concepts.
In Paeroa, the priorities included Paeroa Karangahake entry signage, Wharf St upgrade and town structure revitalisation.
Placemaking projects included a Karanga Tūī/TeTūīkairangi/Primrose Hill upgrade, Domain Park edge activation, Ohinemuri crossing upgrade and Paeroa local cycle loops.
A council spokesperson said they were ready to begin the work in bringing the ideas to life by “showcasing local history, values, and community spirit while fostering love and connection to these towns”.
“You’ll see some projects take place over the next year, while others will take longer as we work with partners to secure additional funding.”
The bridge over Piako River at
Ngatea forms part of the plan.
Some projects would be done within one to three years and others over a longer period, the spokesperson said.
“Council staff will report back on options for creating a community advisory group to assist in the implementation.
“This project is funded by the Government’s Better Off Funding. Due to the redirection of some funding to other Government programmes, additional funding sources may need to be explored for certain projects.”
In September 2023 Isthmus was contracted as the lead adviser to undertake the Placemaking planning work. The initial scope of the project was workshopped with the council’s community partnerships committee.
Council staff met with mana whenua in October 2023 to discuss the idea of placemaking and how the council could partner with iwi.
The first project update was reported to the council in December 2023 with two subsequent updates going to the Community Partnerships Committee.
Speaking together – In this first co-design phase Isthmus and council staff undertook a stocktake of the three towns, met with Hauraki iwi, and engaged with the community via face-to-face events. The focus of this engagement was to establish a story of place and what people’s vision and goals are for their town, what they want to see more of in their public spaces, and what challenges and opportunities exist. The communities’ initial ideas and comments were presented to the community partnerships committee in February in the placemaking plans stocktake.
Imaging together – This second co-design phase took place during the week of February and included Isthmus-led public workshops in Paeroa, Ngatea, and Kerepehi. Workshops were also held at Hauraki Plains College, Paeroa College and Goldfields School. The co-design conversations centred on high-level vision and goals for the towns, specific projects people would like to see happen, and inspiring creativity through the use of collage. A report on this co-design phase was presented to the community partnerships committee in June. Hui were held with iwi to discuss what collective stories, history and key principles they would be happy to share with the community in the placemaking plans.
Planning Together – This phase of the project involved meetings between Isthmus, council staff and key stakeholders, such as the Waikato Regional Council and Waka Kotahi to further discuss the proposed projects. A hui was held with iwi to receive feedback on the draft plans. A hui was also held with councillors to receive feedback on the draft plans. The meeting with staff from the Waikato Regional Council centred around the importance of the stopbanks to the communities as recreational spaces and the importance of the stop-banks for flood protection. Isthmus and staff discussed the potential of working together to maintain the integrity of the stopbanks, while also enabling placemaking projects.
