Source: Whangarei District Council
Updated: 7/08/2020 12:19 p.m.
Ten people affected by the Covid 19 down-turn will be creating a permanent asset for the Tikipunga community to enjoy in the coming months.
“In partnership with Northland Park Care (NPC) and Te Hau Āwhiowhio o Otangarei Trust, Council has taken on 10 people for four months, to build a 350m-long 3m-wide cycleway/shared path, which will be the first section of the Tikipunga Share Path,” said Council’s Parks and Recreation Manager Sue Hodge.
“This will kick off the beginning of a shared path for Tikipunga, (there are already paths between Raumanga, Onerahi and Kamo and the central city.
“Even more important, these workers will be gaining new skills, including first aid, health and safety in the workplace, Growsafe, how to use chainsaws, all of which should help re-entry to the workforce when things improve after Covid. During the project the workers will be earning, and the Trust will be working with their wider whanau.”
Council’s Road Safety and Traffic Engineering Team Leader, Nick Marshall, said making a start on the Tikipunga shared path was the beginning of a great project that would connect Tikipunga to the Town Basin, with a shared path, cycleway that would provide a safe, healthy way for community members to get around without using roads.
“Just like the other paths connecting suburbs to the central city and to each other, this path will take several years to complete and will be done in stages.
“This stage is part of the Kiripaka Road to Vinegar Hill section of the shared path. The next stage of the path, subject to funding, includes a bridge across the stream and continuing to Vinegar Hill Road.
“When the entire shared path is complete it may (if all goes according to plan) stretch all the way from the Town Basin, along the western side of the Hātea River, up to Otuihau (Whangarei Falls). Once there, it is likely to fork, with one part heading out towards Glenbervie, and the other, which the team are working on now, heading towards Gillingham Road, and later to the future Spring’s Flat roundabout,” Mr Marshall said.
