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Waikato District Council - Te Kaunihera aa Takiwaa o Waikato

Whaaingaroa Harbour Strategy

From October 2021 to August 2022, we worked closely with our mana whenua partners, stakeholders and the wider community to develop the Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy.

The strategy includes actions to:

  • Improve the health of the harbour
  • Improve walking, cycling and boating connections around the harbour
  • Address parking issues at the wharf
  • Enhance the Te Akau boat ramp to make it easier for residents to travel to and from Whāingaroa by boat and,
  • Limit commercialisation of the harbour, among other things.

    Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy

    pdf,  4784 KB Download

    What you told us

    In 2021, we received feedback from more than 100 residents, stakeholders and hapū representatives letting us know what was important to them for the future of the harbour. Some of the key themes included:

    • Improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of the harbour
    • The harbour should be a space for recreational activities such as swimming, kayaking, jet skiing, boating and fishing
    • Development should reflect the natural environment and be in line with the current look and feel of the wharf.

    This feedback has been used to shape the Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy.

    What is the Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy?

    The Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy is a plan for the enhancement of the harbour to better-connect Whāingaroa and the surrounding communities.

    It is an aspirational yet practical plan which outlines how the harbour will look and function in the future and provides guidance on which projects are needed to make it a reality.

    It is important to have a plan in place so that we know where we are going and why. It also ensures everything we do moving forward is well thought out and reflects the aspirations of the Whāingaroa and surrounding communities for this important space.

    Project milestones

    1. November 2021 - December 2021
      Speaking to iwi partners, stakeholders and the wider community about what is important to them for the future of the harbour.
    2. July - August 2022
      Feedback is considered and used to develop the draft strategy.
    3. July 2022
      Further feedback is sought from iwi partners, stakeholders and the wider community.
    4. March 2022 - April 2022
      Feedback is considered and used to develop the strategy.
    5. September 2022
      Strategy completed.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Want to know more? We’ve put together some FAQs to help answer some of those burning questions.

    The Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy is a plan for the enhancement of the harbour to better-connect Whāingaroa and the surrounding communities.

    It is an aspirational yet practical plan which will outline how the harbour will look and function in the future and will provide guidance on which projects may be needed to make it a reality.

    It is important to have a plan in place so that we know where we are going and why. It also ensures everything we do moving forward is well thought out and reflects the aspirations of the Whāingaroa and surrounding communities for this important space.

    This is a long-term visionary document which will take a 30–50-year view of the harbour.

    It will complement the work that you will start seeing soon on the other projects. However, this strategy will go a step further and create a vision for the future of the harbour and outline what would need to happen to make it a reality.

    Once the strategy is finalised, we’ll have a better idea of what these steps would be. These could include working with community groups to achieve some of the actions in the strategy and a range of projects for inclusion into future Council Long Term Plans.

    We’ve been granted $2.5 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to improve the Whāingaroa wharf and harbour, now and in the future. This funding has been split across four projects, including the strategy, to upgrade and enhance the existing wharf.
    The actions in the strategy may be funded through a variety of avenues depending on which organisation/s has been listed as being responsible for that action. This could include funding from the Long Term Plan or from central government. You can view the action in the strategy and the organisation/s responsible for carrying them out here.

    We’ve used the feedback received from the community as part of these projects to form the basis of the Whāingaroa Harbour strategy.

    Together with the Raglan Community Board, we worked closely with our mana whenua partners, stakeholders and the community from late 2021 to mid-2022 to develop the Whāingaroa Harbour Strategy.

    There are several projects underway to improve the existing wharf including:

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