Source: Whangarei District Council
Updated: 17/08/2020 9:34 a.m.
No matter what way you count them, the votes in favour of a youth activity zone at the western end of Waihoihoi River Park outnumber those against by about five to one!
As a result, construction of a skatepark at the Waipu site is planned for this summer.
A total 1043 Waipu, Waipu Cove and Langs Beach residents, aged between five and 93 years old, responded to a survey about the site on 6 and 8 August.
Of them, 852 voted yes, 159 voted no and there were 32 responses that could not be counted because no name and address was included, or there was no vote marked, or the person was less than 5 years old.
Several pieces of public land were considered in Waipu before the Waihoihoi River Park was put forward. Factors in its favour included its close proximity to existing toilets, short walking distance from the village, existing parking and good surveillance into the park.
Council’s Senior Landscape Architect Tracey Moore said with the existing playground already a popular activity, adding more activities will enable the park to become a destination for young people and families.
“New picnic tables, seating and planting will also be included in the upgrade with plenty of space left for dog walking or quiet contemplation.”
She said the community decided the skatepark would be the first activity to be built, at a meeting at the church hall in September 2019. It was the highest ranked of three options, followed by a pump track and then a half court.
On Sunday 16 February 2020 there was a community design workshop at Waihoihoi River Park with skatepark designers Rich Landscapes who have now designed a small skatepark that integrates with the existing space and allows for the future staging of a pump track and half court.
In March 2020 a community meeting was held where it was agreed to share a plan of what the skatepark would look like, and seek community feedback before continuing with the project.
“The vote is in and it’s great to have such good support from the community,” Ms Moore said.
