​Using our spaces and places around the Ōpōtiki Wharf

Ōpōtiki District Council wants public feedback on possible interim solutions for commercial use of the Ōpōtiki Wharf. There are public drop-in sessions, online forms and plenty of opportunities to discuss the best ways forward.

Council’s Planning and Regulatory Group Manager, Gerard McCormack, said that things had changed significantly since last year’s public feedback and so council wanted to make sure there was still public support for an interim solution to help ensure that mussel boats could come into town once the harbour was open to commercial users.

“Last year, we had some really good feedback about the community vision for the public spaces around Pakihikura, the wharf, Snell Road and links into town. We even had some young people who came into council to present to councillors on behalf of students about their future use of those spaces. That work helped us create a meaningful Harbour-Wharf Masterplan to frame our future development of the public spaces.

“But things have changed somewhat from when we endorsed that Masterplan, so it is timely to check back in with the community and get thoughts and feedback on a bit of a change in direction in the interim,” Mr McCormack said.

The biggest change is that the harbour development is well on track and the team expect to open the initial channel between the seawalls in the near future. However, there have been delays in other aspects of the harbour development strategy, and the commercial marina on the other side of Pakihikura will not be ready to take commercial mussel boats at the same time as the harbour becomes operational.

This difference in timing led Ōpōtiki District Councillors to ask staff to look into interim options that will allow mussel boats to use the town wharf for loading, unloading and wharfage, maintenance and other industrial use until the commercial marina is available.

“Clearly this changes our vision for that site, at least in the interim. So it is timely to do a pulse-check with the community and check what they want this change to mean for our community vision for those spaces.

“It is still about building community spaces and facilities and any plans and ideas we have are subject to things like funding, feasibility, and being able to make any physical upgrades on the infrastructure. But we want to get feedback on the best ways forward and make sure we are on the right track,” Mr McCormack said.

You can provide feedback online (link removed as no longer current), via email to info@odc.govt.nz, in a hard-copy (drop your feedback into the box in our office reception area), or in person at one of our drop-in sessions at Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi:

• 30 June – come for a chat any time between 10am-1pm
• 7 July - come for a chat any time between 10am-1pm

Feedback closes on 10 July 2023.

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