Officials backpedal on final trail phase

Public safety and consensus issues stalling the ultimate completion of $14m cycleway

ATauranga kaumatua says iwi are prepared to go to court if the final section of a $14 million cycleway — five years in the making — goes ahead as planned.

And it appears he has the backing of local mayors.

Nga¯ ti Kahu kaumatua Lou Te Keeti said local Ma¯ori “strongly oppose” plans for the O¯ mokoroa to Tauranga Cycleway to run past properties, including Wairoa Marae, on State Highway 2 near Wairoa Bridge.

The 19km trail currently runs from Omokoroa ¯ harbour to the bridge, and is expected to connect to Tauranga’s city network at Carmichael Rd. Ultimately, the cycleway is hoped to become a major link in a trail running from Waih¯ı to Maketu¯ , and eventually Rotorua.

The Omokoroa ¯ to Tauranga Cycleway plans were approved in 2015 and sections of the cycleway have gradually been opened since. However, the final 800m part of the project on SH2 remains untouched as Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Tauranga City Council and local hapu¯ continue consultation.

The final section — a 3m-wide concrete path on NZTA land running past Wairoa Marae — was expected to cost $1.5m to $1.8m and would complete the cycleway.

The section has been described as “critical” by those involved in the project but “too dangerous” by others.

Nga¯ti Kahu, of Nga¯ti Ranginui iwi, is the primary hapu¯ affiliated with Wairoa Marae.

Nga¯ti Kahu spokesman Te Keeti, who shot to fame after winning $10m in Lotto in 2017, said access to the meeting house and neighbouring properties clashed with the planned cycleway, creating significant safety concerns.

Western Bay council has been in consultation with landowners in the area since 2017.

However, Te Keeti said the council’s decisions in this time were “always pre-determined” and it should have considered alternative options.

Running the cycleway up Taniwha Place instead of alongside SH2 made “good sense, from our perspective” and was the hapu¯ ‘s preferred option, he said.

In 2017, the council scrapped plans for a new bridge across Wairoa River, and a $4.1m cycling attachment to the existing Wairoa Bridge was approved instead.

Te Keeti said the proximity of the proposed cycleway section to the marae and its people made this situation different from other cycleways running past properties in other parts of the city.

“That’s our marae, the last bastion, and anything that impacts that right there — it’s something the [Resource Management] Act protects us from.”

Te Keeti said the hapu¯ was prepared for litigation, if need be.

“I think the council have an opportunity to seek a remedy that we can support. If it doesn’t, if they are going to proceed, I’d just like to caution them and others we will be using the full strength of the law in response.”

Western Bay mayor Garry Webber said running the cycleway under Wairoa Bridge into Taniwha Place and the city was a far safer option and was being seriously considered.

When asked what had changed, Webber said the council were “victims of our own success” and the rapid rise in cyclist numbers. E-bike users and the speed they travelled at, had become an important factor.

“The volumes are quite significant and from O¯ mokoroa to Wairoa Bridge it’s mainly off the state highway. But as we get closer to Tauranga, there is a great concern about public safety.