A (e)utopian vision for Kaiwaka

After sitting down and 'comparing notes' with Mangawhai Matters, a considered and (e)utopian submission for the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 was made to Kaipara District Council at the end of March. Contained within the submission is a summarised overview of the team's vision and focus to see McClean Park turned into a thriving community hub. KDC's General Manager of Infrastructure Services, Jim Sephton, and Funding Officer Jenny Rooney, joined our March meeting, sharing valuable updates on what KDC were working on to drive the clean-up of the park forward, including liaising with the Department of Conservation who own a portion of the land.  

We are so excited to see the Kaiwaka footbridges come to fruition for the community, visitors, and travellers, and a make-over for McClean Park is key to further improving linkage around the township. Drainage of the area and cosmetic enhancement, removal of excess vegetation and weeds to enhance personal safety and security, installation of bollards or other barriers to prevent vehicles from driving on the grass, and establishment of additional carparking and picnic tables are all part of Kaiwaka Can's plan and included in our submission.  

Here's a snippet:  

The currently approved footbridges project will bring important safety benefits to Kaiwaka residents, and will also open up the potential to improve linking of the spread-apart commercial areas strung along SH1.  

However, as planned the northern footbridge will deliver pedestrians to McClean Park, an area which is presently badly run-down… Immediate priority should be given to clean up this park as it is a major potential asset to the community.  

Cleaning up McClean Park would promote its safe use as a stopping/rest area for passing motorists and would provide for the safety and security of pedestrians using the footbridge to reach a picnic area by the edge of the estuary. Connecting the town to the Kaipara waterway will provide great advantage to residents and to visitors alike, giving the town and the state highway travellers a waterside picnic rest area and a venue where kayakers can access the waterway safely.  

The area can provide parking spaces from which visitors can access the town over the new footbridges or walking north to the cafe and beyond. The park will be an open recreational and rest area for the workers associated with the newly zoned commercial areas north of the bridge. With enhancement, this area could also potentially provide an excellent future base for the intended information centre at Kaiwaka: the gateway to Northland.  

A special thank you to everyone who rallied over the last few weeks putting together a sharp submission. We have a fantastic team and look forward to memory-making moments mucking in and getting to know others in the community. Working bees are looking like they'll be in the calendar sooner than expected so keep your eyes peeled and check our Facebook page for updates. And a big shout out to each and every one of our volunteers who generously give their time working towards the community vision for a safe, connected and vibrant town. Legends.  

 If you would like to get involved and/or think you have some skills that might help us push a project forward, please get in touch at facebook.com/kaiwakacan/