Kawhia Coast
Kāwhia Community Board member Dave Walsh says bureaucracy has slowed the implementation of a community-led fitness trail in the coastal village.
Dave Walsh
Walsh complained after Kāwhia Fitness Trail Group representative Gaylene Kanawa raised concerns in the public forum of the Kāwhia Community Board’s July meeting.
Her group, which had identified five destinations for the trail route, was feeling disappointed and pushed to the side, she said.
The fitness trail, developed to support health, wellbeing, and an active lifestyle, featured in Ōtorohanga District Council’s proposed Aotea and Kāwhia Plan – Better Places Together.
“We thought we already had approval,” Kanawa said.
“We approved this four years ago,” Walsh said. “That’s a ridiculous bureaucratic process. It’s taken five years and nothing has happened. It’s happening too much around here.”
Hinga Whiu
Board deputy chair Hinga Whiu promised to follow up with mana whenua, after hearing that they were required to be involved in the conversation.
“I am a bit surprised myself that we need any approval to walk around town,” Walsh said. “We are not putting any structures up.”
The board was not asking for iwi approval but was being respectful of taonga, Whiu said.
“If there is a site of significance we will go back to mana whenua to ask,” she said.
Board chair Geoff Good described the 10-year plan as a living document.
It also outlines the Kāwhia Urban Design Plan and Jervois Streetscape Update alongside development proposals for Omimiti Reserve, Aotea Beach Reserve.
The only contentious thing he could see was the proposal to remove parking from Kāwhia Wharf.
“Everything that does happen will have to come back to the board,” he said.
Mindful of the council’s 10.19 per cent rates increase for the 2025-26 year, which local council member Kit Jeffries said could turn Kāwhia into a ghost town, board member Richard Harpur was concerned about the lack of costings in the report.
“People want to know how much this is going to cost,” he said.
“The public should have some idea.”
Good said the finances would be included in the council’s long-term plan.
“There is an intention to create a rough order cost,” said council chief advisor Ross O’Neill.
The costs would not all necessarily be rates funded.
“There will be a mix and match approach.”
In a council report that went to the board, community projects lead Sahndra Cave said the plan was the result of comprehensive engagement with mana whenua, community members and key stakeholders, including open days, hui, surveys, and workshops.
“It reflects strong local support and incorporates cultural values, community aspirations, and site-specific opportunities,” she said.
“Not all aspects of these projects can be completed at once, so the plan represents a five to 10-year horizon for implementation, with its delivery subject to available funding/resourcing. Securing external funding, not rate funding, provides greater certainty that projects can be completed and some community groups have offered assistance. To support the plan’s recommended adoption by Ōtorohanga District Council, the board’s guidance on priorities is sought.”
Walsh, a former board chair, told the board he did not plan to seek re-election in October.
Kawhia Coast. Photo: Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
