People who are passionate about their town centre and riverfront have until 5pm on Friday, 16 October to have their say on how it could be revitalised.
The first of a two-stage engagement process closes on Friday. In this stage, people are being asked to describe the things they love about the Whakatāne town centre and riverfront, and things they would change if they could.
Information gathered from the first stage of engagement will be analysed and used to create concept designs that will be brought back to the community for a second round of consultation. The timing for the next stage is being reconsidered in light of feedback received so far, the fact that retailers will be busy over the Christmas period, and the desire to continue to work with the community to design the riverfront promenade and any changes to our town centre.
Council Senior Policy Planner Deb Ganley says it was important to check back in with the community on their aspirations for the town centre before creating actual concepts, as Te Ara Hou is building on community consultation on the town centre that goes back as far as 2008.
“A lot has happened since then, locally and globally, so it’s important to have those more general, open conversations with the community on their vision for the town’s future before we dive into the detail.”
Government funding of $9.6 million has been received through the Provincial Growth Fund for this once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the town centre and strengthen ties with our awa, with the intention of creating or enabling long lasting social, environmental, cultural and economic benefits.
While the written feedback has not yet been analysed, the project team says there are a number of themes that have become evident through conversations with people at briefing events and feedback received at an engagement pod operating at Wharaurangi.
"Firstly, it’s clear that people love living in Whakatāne and they are passionate about preserving the things that make this town special. They like the convenience of living in a smaller, people-centred community that has its own unique character. We've heard that parking is important, and so are things like improving disability access, creating cycling-friendly facilities, and having more events and activities in the town and along the riverfront. We’ll put all these things into the mix once the engagement is complete and incorporate into the concept designs, says Deb Ganley."
There's still time to have your say on stage one. Visit the pod in Wharaurangi from 11am-2pm daily until Friday. Or find out more information and submit online on the Kōrero Mai website by 5pm on Friday, 16 October.