The newest sections of Te Whau Pathway in Te Atatū South have received national recognition, with the project winning an Outdoor Access Champion Award from Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa – Outdoor Access Commission.
The award was presented on Friday 24 April at Te Ipu Kura a Maki – Henderson Civic Chamber during a ceremony celebrating the many organisations, community groups and individuals who helped bring the project to life.
For Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust Chair Tony Miguel, the recognition belongs to the wider community.
“It’s not about building beautiful infrastructure,” he said. “It’s about connecting people with the awa, connecting communities.”
The award comes just weeks after the opening of the new boardwalk sections between Roberts Field and the Northwestern Cycleway — a project locals have embraced immediately.
Since opening in March, the pathway has already recorded more than 30,000 individual trips across the new sections, with daily averages reaching close to 1,000 users in some areas.
Tony Miguel said even those numbers had exceeded expectations.
“The modelling predicted that when the whole pathway is finished there would be around 700 daily trips, but even now, with just one section open, we’re getting outstanding numbers.”
Several speakers also reflected about the years of advocacy required to bring the project to life.
Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust Chair Tony Miguel acknowledged Te Atatū MP Phil Twyford for helping secure crucial government extra shovel-ready funding in 2022 when was at risk due to the increase in construction materials worldwide.
“We had some very dark days in 2022 when the pathway almost didn’t happen,” Miguel said. “Without those efforts, none of this would have happened.”
The project was recognised not only for the physical infrastructure itself, but also for the environmental education and community programmes built around the pathway.
Auckland Council General Manager of Parks and Community Facilities Taryn Crewe said the project demonstrated the wider value of connecting communities to nature.
“One of the important bits that connecting to nature brings — and we hear this so much from our communities — is that connection supports physical and mental wellbeing,” she said. “And, the section open is already exceeding expectations for public use!”
The educational impact has also been significant, with more than 4,000 students from over 50 schools participating in environmental activities linked to the awa, including kayaking, canoeing, planting and water testing.
Retired Kelston Intermediate teacher John Hughes spoke about the enthusiasm students brought to the environmental programmes connected to Te Whau Pathway.
Over several years, students took part in kayaking, planting, water testing, rubbish clean-ups and public artwork projects alongside the awa. Hughes said one of the highlights was returning with former students to see trees and artwork they had helped create still thriving years later.
“They’re now taking ownership of it,” he said.
He described how the activities encouraged students to engage with the natural environment in new ways — from gardening and birdlife to spending time on the Whau River itself.
“We inspired them to look and feel what’s special about that place.”
Speakers throughout the ceremony described Te Whau Pathway as more than a transport route — framing it as a project that combines recreation, education, environmental restoration, climate resilience and public wellbeing in one connected urban space.
Outdoor Access Commission Chief Executive Dan Wildy described the pathway as “a nationally significant piece of infrastructure” and highlighted its future role linking the Waitematā and Manukau harbours along historic portage routes.
“If we want public access to work, it needs to be close to where people actually live,” he said. “What better way to do that than have it literally on the doorstep of tens of thousands of people.”
Wildy said Te Whau Pathway had become an example of the kind of urban access projects New Zealand needs more of.
“You really have provided me with something that I can use as an example and an exemplar as we go out and encourage people to think about access opportunities,” he said. “You’ve given us something really special to talk about as we go around the community and the country.”
Once fully completed, Te Whau Pathway will connect the Waitematā and Manukau harbours through a continuous walking and cycling route alongside the Whau River — reconnecting communities with their awa and reshaping how people experience West Auckland.
