The Placemaking Programme & The Hikurangi Plan​

Whangarei District Council is currently working on our Placemaking Programme and beginning to develop The Hikurangi Plan. This plan will respond to the growth and changes in our District and the key challenges and opportunities that come with it.

The Hikurangi Plan will be an integrated plan which will develop a 20-30 shared vision for how Hikurangi will change and grow. The plan will respond to:

·       Population growth

·       Best practice urban design

·       Spatial characteristics

·       Infrastructure capacity

·       Community and Mana Whenua Values

Once completed, each place-based plan will identify actions which will feed into the district plan review process, the capital works programme, and align their actions with the Long-Term Plan and annual plan funding.

We are currently working on our initial analysis of the area with our internal team but would like to speak to those in the community to understand what you value, and where you want to see change.   

Whangarei District Council is facing a time where we have to limit face to face meetings and interactions with our communities. However, this is often the most beneficial and rewarding approach to engagement for both parties.  This is because face to face communication allows for back and forth negotiation between people and more interactive and emotive approaches to discussions and education that online and verbal platforms do not always offer. However, this is also a type of engagement that appeals to certain people within our communities.  With the recent COVID-19 lockdown we look to what other tools we can use to continue to speak and engage with our community while maintaining social distance. This is an opportunity to be creative with our engagement approaches and reach other audiences who may not normally engage with us.

We hope to be communicating with you soon so please look out for more information and engage with us where you can. We would also like to hear from you about how we can best engage with you at this time where social distancing is so important.

If you have any suggestions, please get in touch with us at mailroom@wdc.govt.nz (reference Placemaking Programme – Hikurangi Plan).

UPDATE: 20 JULY 2020

Alex Smits has set up a steering group to liase with council on behalf of the Hikurangi district regarding the Council Placemaking Plan.  Specific Community groups have been contacted and asked to participate, but the meeting is also pen to residents.  If you are interested in attending please contact admin@hikurangi.co.nz.  Meeting to be held Monday 3rd August 2020 7pm @ Lighthouse Playgroup (20 George Street, Hikurangi).

UPDATE: 24 AUGUST 2020

The first steering group meeting was held and it was agreed for the meetings to continue on a monthly basis with the council representatives also in attendance.  For minutes of the last meeting please CLICK HERE.  Next meeting: Monday 7th September 2020 7pm @Lighthouse Playgroup (20 George Street, Hikurangi).

UPDATE: 11 SEPTEMBER 2020

The second steering group meeting was held and the council presented the feedback from the survey along with the areas for discussion for the near future.  The council plans to host community meetings starting in October.  For minutes of the last meeting please CLICK HERE. To view a copy of the survey feedback please CLICK HERE.  Next meeting:  Monday 12th October 2020 7pm @Lighthouse Playgroup (20 George Street, Hikurangi).  These meetings are open to the public, ALL WELCOME! ​

UPDATE: 21 OCTOBER 2020

The Placemaking Plan steering group has met again and this time it focussed on the three key themes council has set for Hikurangi (being connectivity, heritage and character, and destination.  The next step for the council representatives is to intorduces these themes to the community through a variety of workshops/drop-in sessions and seek ideas and feedback regarding what Hikurangi needs in these theme areas.  Some topics discussed were better signage on SH1 entries/exits, walking/cycleways, tourism including Tutukaka Coast gateway and local accommodation, which suburbs are considered within Hikurangi, and the strong coal mining history.  For minutes of the last meeting please CLICK HERE.

IMPORTANT DATES:

-Workshop  -  Tuesday 10th November 2020 6.30pm @ Hikurangi Hall

-Drop-in consultations  -  Tuesday 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th November between 10am and 11.30am at Miners Rest

-Consultation walk-around at Hikurangi Fireworks   -  Friday 6th November 6pm onwards

UPDATE: 13 NOVEMBER 2020

The Community Workshop was recently held at the Hikurangi Hall with a turnout out of 30 people. 

There were various questions explored and some maps presented to instigate further discussion around potential growth in the Hikurangi township.  The maps were intended to be used as a way to prompt and guide discussion and display some high level thinking around opportunities for growth and connectivity, as well as provide some information and context.  The maps are a draft and are conceptual.  

Questions Explored: CLICK HERE

Draft maps: CLICK HERE

Key messages for the community are:

•  if you have any questions or ideas you would like to add, please get in touch with the team at placemaking@wdc.govt.nz
• The online survey is and questionnaire is still active so please do fill it in, it can be found at: www.wdc.govt.nz/placemaking
• Feedback will be complied over the next few weeks and a summary will be presented soon
• The team is  aiming to come back out into the community early 2021 to seek feedback on the Draft Hikurangi Placemaking Plan
• Don't forget there are still drop-in days left to stop in at Miners Rest and chat to the Placemaking team, the days are each Tuesdays in November between 10am to 11.30am.

UPDATE: 2 DECEMBER 2020

The council is currently collaborating information received from the community consultation and the online survey.  They will present their findings at the next steering group meeting which will then be disbursed to the wider community.   Anyone wanting to attend the next meeting is welcome.

NEXT MEETING: Monday 7th December 2020 7pm @ Lighthouse Playgroup.  

UPDATE: 19 APRIL 2021

The WDC and Hikurangi Placemaking Steering Group has recently met back up for their first meeting of 2021.  Local Placemaking council representatives were present and gave an overview of the progress to date and informed us that the process is coming to an end.  The final draft of the Placemaking Plan has been released and is to be circulated to the public before one final consultation round, and then the final plan will be completed and presented.  Details to follow of when the final consultation meeting will take place, likely to be in June of 2021.  Keep and eye on Hikurangi Community Facebook page for updates.  To view the draft plan see below:

Hikurangi Placemaking Draft Plan

UPDATE: 19 JULY 2021

The WDC have completed the draft plan and are coming out to the community for another round of engagement, and it is imperative Hikurangi residents and community groups come along and have their say on the draft plan.  Whether something is missing or you have any other input, now is the time to come and have your say on the final plan.

The outline if the meeting will be WDC representatives talking about the overall vision, areas of focus, and short term/funded actions.

The meeting date is Thursday 29th July 2021 6.30pm @ Hikurangi Hall.

See here for the draft plan: CLICK HERE