Bright ideas come from consultation
Pahiatua’s Main Street upgrade second consultation round was held recently, taking from feedback garnered from the first round and applying it.
“It went extremely well. We were run off our feet with a constant stream of locals coming through. It was encouraging to see interest across a crosssection of all ages and different people in our community,” said Pahiatua On Track chairperson Louise Powick.
“There was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to phase 2. Both concept plans address issues that need to be rectified, they are stylised differently.
“We are looking at creating a Centre of Town and to connect the sides of the street so it feels more interlinked and to enhance pedestrian access across the Main Street.
“The green centre is a wonderful opportunity to do something quite different compared to other town upgrades in the Tararua District. All the project team members think we have an outstanding foundation to build from. That’s why more focus has been put on the centre strip. We’ve got something that’s unique to us and New Zealand, having such a wide Main Street. We want to enhance it. The community is telling us they want to be using it more, so its a real asset and has formed quite a focus on what we are doing.
“To open up the centre of town a little bit more, making it obvious that it is the middle of town is a priority. It creates an area the locals can utilise. When people travel through town they will recognise that this is a place to stop. A shelter will be built for outdoor activities.
“I’m really excited and really encouraged by the positive feedback and the interest from the community. It is our opportunity to shape what we want our Main Street to look like and for Pahiatua to position itself for the future.
“We are experiencing growth in Pahiatua, it’s going to continue to happen. We have to look at the development of housing. You can’t grow if people haven’t got somewhere to live. We are starting on a journey that’s going to see Pahiatua prosper.
■ Project manager Rob Sharp: “It was funnelling ideas into a concept with key items being pedestrian access, a town core focus and a covered space.
“We are on track, at the phase we expect it to be and we’re doing well on our timeline. There will be another round when a final concept is completed.”
■ Tararua District Council’s economic development and communications manager Mark Maxwell: “The depth of consultation that we’re doing and the feedback that we’re getting is really influencing what is going to be the final design.
“A bigger team is involved and a different approach is being taken with different ideas
‘We are starting on a journey that’s going to see Pahiatua prosper.
— Louise Powick, chairperson, Pahiatua on Track
coming in this time around compared to previous town upgrades in the Tararua District. Getting the right consultation and taking time to do it well will give the best outcome for everyone in Pahiatua for the future.”
Shirley Hull, Tararua District Councillor and lead for the governance of the upgrade project, says the biggest thing for her is engagement. “So that everybody has an opportunity to have their say. That’s been my main role so far.
“The project team has been working at an amazing pace — they’ve been really and truly engaged as a team with the community. We’re trying to get a two-way investment here. We have to look at what we’re doing with the utilities, so that’s having an impact on how the team is formed — we have quite an input from the Alliance Network because we are doing a lot of the underground services. It’s a good opportunity to replace them.
“The waste water goes right through the centre of town. It’s been heavily impacted in the past by trees and tree roots. It will be moving to where you would back out if you park in town on each side of the road. Some piping will be put in for future-proofing for example extra fibre will be able to be blasted through — technology will be leading our future. This will get underway before the end of the year and above-ground works will start in February next year,” she says.
“It’s quite an exciting time for Pahiatua, our tablecloth in front of us is just beautiful. Our job is not to take the tablecloth away, our job is to enhance the tablecloth in consultation with the community’s wants.”