Consultation 2021

21 May 2023
Te Whau Pathway Consultation Open

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Last updated: 23 February 2022

When was the consultation?

Between Auckland Council asked for your thoughts on the proposed design of Te Whau Pathway between 22 November and 20 December 2021.

What kind of feedback was wanted?

The project team wanted views on the design of sections of the pathway that hadn’t been constructed. A pathway design was proposed, and the locations of play areas, access points and rest areas.

Only Areas One and Two had current funding but all feedback was helpful in building the road map for what should be prioritised as more funding becomes available.

What feedback was received?

Support for the pathway
There were high levels of support for the Pathway design, including the proposed areas for rest, play and water access. Most people were happy with the number of these areas, although some people wanted more and others fewer. Mostly, you want to see the Pathway finished as soon as possible!

There was a desire for Te Whau Pathway to be a ‘destination’ rather than just a way of getting from A to B. People suggested extras that could be added along the Pathway and the parks it connects to, including picnic tables, toilets, bike parking, coffee carts, exercise machines and more.

Safety and accessibility
You told us it is very important for the Pathway to be safe and accessible for all. This means ensuring that the pathway is wheelchair accessible, play areas are shaded and the Pathway is well lit at night.

Usability
While there were high levels of support for the rest, play and water access areas, you told us that locations need to be well thought out so that they are usable. This includes making sure that water access areas are located in the deeper parts of the river, and nature play areas are in places that are already well used by children and families.

Feedback also expressed the importance of ensuring that there are lots of connections to local walking and cycling paths along the Pathway’s length.

Storytelling and engagement with nature
People’s feedback showed that they value the natural environment along the Whau and are already engaging in forms of nature play such as building forts in the bush, climbing trees and looking for fish in the river. There is support for both nature play and pūrākau/storytelling along the pathway which will celebrate the Whau.

Feedback in numbers

  • 550 people visited the Social Pinpoint page
  • 90 people gave feedback through the Have Your Say form
  • The chatbot received 253 pieces of feedback, with over a third of this feedback given in Mandarin
  • 106 pins were dropped on the Social Pinpoint

How will the feedback influence the design?

It was great to see that most of the feedback received aligned with our current design thinking, so lots of the things that you want to see are already being considered by the design team such as: 

  • The Pathway has been designed to be universally accessible
  • Where possible, Auckland Council have located nature play areas near existing trees to take advantage of the natural shading they will provide
  • The Pathway will be lit at night
  • Auckland Council will incorporate artwork and storytelling along the Pathway
  • Wayfinding will be clear and legible and will be set well back from intersections
  • Drinking fountains will be added to the design

There were a number of changes requested to the design and locations of areas for play, access and rest, in particular adding more nature play areas and water access areas. Auckland Council will consider these as progress is made on the design of the Pathway.

Finally, while the current focus is on building the structure of the Pathway itself, there is clear support for additional features such as picnic tables and bike parking. Some are outside of the project scope at this time, however, Auckland Council will continue to work with project partners to keep enhancing the pathway and the parks it connects to as more funding becomes available.

What’s next?

The design team will now finalise the detailed design of Areas One and Two. Construction is expected to begin in 2022. Auckland Council will provide another update closer to the start of the construction phase and will share more details about what Areas One and Two will look like. Auckland Council and project partners will continue to seek funding for the construction of the remaining sections of the Pathway.

How did people have their say?

People gave feedback online in various ways between Monday 22 November and Monday 20 December 2021, using the ideas proposed in the landscape plans and designs.

Consultation 2021 presentation

The project team hosted a webinar and question session on 2 December 2021. You can view this on YouTube by clicking on the link below.

> View Consultation 2021 presentation (1 hour)