What is Te Ara Hou?
Te Ara Hou is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the Whakatāne town centre and riverfront area, strengthen ties within the community and our awa, and create long-lasting social, environmental, cultural, and economic benefits for years to come.
While Te Ara Hou includes three capital infrastructure projects - the Whakatāne Wharf Remediation, a Riverfront Promenade and the creation of a Town Centre Heart – it is about far more than simply creating infrastructure, and is supported by plans to activate tourism and the town centre.
The opportunity to reimagine Whakatāne is made possible through a partnership between Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Whakatāne District Council, with funding support from the Provincial Growth Fund.
What does Te Ara Hou mean?
Te Ara Hou means 'the new pathway'. This is in recognition of the physical works that will occur through the programme but it is also about a new way of working through the partnership between Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Whakatāne District Council.
How did the name come about?
We were gifted the name Te Ara Hou by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa which means ‘the new pathway’; a new pathway that is not only about the renewal of our town but a genuine commitment to a new way of working with Māori.
Who is involved?
Te Ara Hou is a partnership between Te Runānga o Ngāti Awa and Whakatāne District Council. It has also received funding through the Provincial Growth Fund.
The CBD is fine as it is, why is this project going ahead?
Te Ara Hou is about creating spaces that enable better public access between the CBD and riverfront and to pay homage in a significant way to our rich cultural history. The refreshed urban design will provide focal points for entertainment and activity that in turn will create opportunities for economic development, tourism and private sector investment. Te Ara Hou is an opportunity to protect the things we love about our current CBD and riverfront area and enhance others so we future-proof these valuable assets and protect our environment.
How much will this overall project cost?
In May 2020, a $9.6 million investment from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) was announced for the revitalisation of the riverfront and town centre developments that make up Te Ara Hou. The remaining $9.6 million investment is being contributed by Whakatāne District Council via the Harbour Fund.
Additionally, in June 2020 a $2.5 million PGF acceleration package was announced to assist with resourcing and fast tracking the delivery of the funded projects, including the riverfront revitalisation.
What benefits will this project bring to Whakatāne?
Te Ara Hou is an opportunity to reimagine Whakatāne, enhance our relationship with our awa and create a vibrant CBD. The benefits of these are significant – unlocking social, environmental, cultural and economic potential, as well as creating more jobs, tourism opportunities and developments.
The programme will look to create or help facilitate (through things like our investment and property strategies) up to 200 new construction jobs, a similar amount of new tourism jobs and increase investment in our CBD. Te Ara Hou is an enabling programme, designed to provide a base for future investment and development to leverage off.
What are you engaging on?
We want to know what is important to you. By having your say on the Town Centre Heart and Riverfront Promenade you can help influence what Whakatāne looks like and how it functions into the future. We need your input to help guide us on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine Whakatāne.
How do I get involved?
You'll have the first opportunity to tell us what you think, and what is important to you, through stage 1 of our public engagement which runs from September 19 - October 16.
You can have your say online via Kōrero Mai »
How can I stay involved with the project and its progress?
We’ll continue to keep you updated on the progress of Te Ara Hou and the Town Centre Heart and Riverfront Promenade projects with regular updates on our website, as well as sharing updates via social media, our newsletter and other local media channels. We’ll also be coming back to the community later this year with some concept design options for your input.
When will Te Ara Hou start?
Work on the first stage – the Whakatāne Wharf Remediation – is already underway. However, it’s crucial we get our community’s feedback on the other two capital projects, the Riverfront Promenade and Town Centre Heart. We’ll be taking what we hear from this first round of engagement to create more in-depth plans, which we expect to share with our community later this year. We are expecting construction to start on these two projects in June/July 2021.
When will Te Ara Hou be complete?
All work associated with Te Ara Hou is planned for completion by 2023.
What are the other, non-capital projects that are part of Te Ara Hou?
Consultation over the Town Centre Heart and Riverfront Promenade developments is an essential part of Te Ara Hou that doesn’t involve physical works. The programme also includes a Tourism Activation Plan and Town Centre Activation Plan that will be developed. We’ve included these projects because we know it’s not enough to simply build infrastructure, we need to make sure there is appropriate support for these capital projects so we can achieve long-lasting social, environmental, cultural and economic benefits for our community.