Site blessing paves way for build
A ceremony to clear the way for work to begin on the new Ō taki reservoir was held last week.
“The ceremony, ¯or whakawatea, led by Ngā Hapu ō Otaki, recognised the land’s ongoing role in sustaining its community,” Kā piti District Mayor Janet Holborow said.
“In days gone by, mana whenua gathered food from this area. Then the land was farmed and now it will support a drinking-water reservoir.
“The ceremony also acknowledged the workers who will build the reservoir and wished them a safe project.”
Works on the reservoir began last week, and the first stage involved clearing the area and building earth bunds, which helped screen the reservoir.
The next stage, construction of
the reservoir foundations, is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Construction of the foundation pad and then the main tank will begin in early 2024.
In February, installation of the pipes from the reservoir site to the County Rd pump station will begin.
All going to plan, the reservoir will
be up and running in late 2024.
The council is working with a group of interested community members to develop a planting plan for the reservoir site.
The guiding principle of the planting is to have native trees to help screen the reservoir and attract birds to the area.
The new reservoir will improve the resilience and firefighting capability of the water supply as well as support existing and future homes in Ō taki.
It will also provide more water storage for emergency purposes.
Over the next six years, Kāpiti Coast District Council will deliver $50 million¯ of infrastructure upgrades in Otaki.
This work is supported by $29.3 million from the Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund and is designed to improve our community’s resilience and support present and future housing needs.