Progress for the Hokianga

Last week Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Economic Development Minister David Parker announced more than $21 million in new funding from the Provincial Growth Fund for Northland.

Included was $3.2m to rebuild Opononi’s seawall and improve the resilience of SH12. This is great news for South Hokianga residents experiencing the impacts of coastal erosion along this road. As Hon Shane Jones said, SH12 is hugely important, and the only coastal link between businesses and schools in Opononi and Omapere.

The announcements take new PGF funding for Northland projects to more than $130m.

But it’s not just central government investing in our district. The Far North District Council and its partners are also involved in many projects, large and small, that are making the Far North a great place in which to live.

Elsewhere in the Hokianga, Panguru residents will soon see an end to flooding that has frequently cut their only road link to the rest of the district. During a hui at Waimirirangi Marae in February, they agreed to a 50-year flood resilience plan that will see West Coast Rd raised by 1.5m and Otengi Road by .75m. We have worked closely with the community and Northland Regional Council to come up with this plan, and residents will see physical work begin next summer.

For Omanaia and Rawene, we are on target to complete a new $2.8m water treatment plant in August. This is great news for a number of Omanaia families, who for many years have tapped into raw water supplies before it was treated at the Rawene water treatment plant. The new plant will mean an end to a long-standing Boil Water Notice for these residents.

Supplying enough treated water to O¯ pononi and O¯ mapere residents and visitors over summer should soon be easier. A test bore at Smoothy Rd has proved successful, and resource consent is now being sought to make this a permanent water source. It is hoped the bore will augment our existing water sources by next summer.

Another exciting project we are seeking community support for is a proposal to create a 700sq km dark sky reserve over North Hokianga.

These reserves keep light from street lights and other sources to a minimum to preserve night sky clarity for star watching.

A dark sky reserve would very likely encourage visitors to stay longer and boost low-impact tourism to the area.

Other Hokianga projects we are working on include new public toilets for O¯ pononi, new road seal on a section of Punakitere Loop Rd, and repairs to slips on West Coast, Broadwood and Rakautapu roads.

I believe that with the government and our other partners, we are making good progress addressing historic infrastructure gaps in the Hokianga.

Together we are making this a great place for residents and our many visitors.

"I believe that with the government and our other partners, we are making good progress addressing historic infrastructure gaps . . . "