Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment

Stage 1: Options/Engagement - engagement with stakeholders and the wider community, to ensure the views and aspirations of the community are included and considered as part of the options and assessments moving forward.  

Stage 2: Detailed Assessment of the favored option(s) – consider community comment & feedback and preparation of material for public consultation, undertaking consultation and confirming the preferred option.

Stage 3: Funding & Detailed Assessment - full detailed assessments undertaken.

Stage 4: Business Case - complete a final full business case, consider the stakeholder/community feedback & make a final decision on whether to proceed.

The four stages should be completed in time for a final decision as part of the 2027-37 LTP.

The project was first included in the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan (LTP), with a capital budget of approx. $7m anticipated over two years 2023/24 to 2024/25.

In the 2021-2031 LTP the Capital budget was increased to approx. $12m and the timing pushed out to three years between 2027/28 and 2029/30.

In the current 2024-2034 LTP, the budget and timing remain the same.

This effectively means that we still have three years and another LTP before the substantive capital works are due to commence, however pontoon replacement and wharf safety improvements have been budgeted separately to occur between now and then.

You can read the reports and minutes below.

5.1 Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront Redevelopment

YouTube time stamp for this item:10.20am

Transition Support, Allan Tiplady was in attendance for this item.

The Board was updated on the future redevelopment of the Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront area.

Mr Tiplady tabled two attachments, omitted from the report.

1. Attachment D - Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront Redevelopment advisory group Terms of Reference.
2. Attachment E - Project Plan Summary.

It was noted the Board had spent a lot of time and contributed to the detail of the project and requested a detailed presentation be made to the new incoming Board, for the next triennial.

Resolved:

That the Mercury Bay Community Board:

1. Receives the 'Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront Redevelopment' report dated 13 July 2022.

2. Recommends to Council to continue to progress investigations into the redevelopment of the Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront area to identify the most efficient and effective way of alleviating current health and safety issues and to provide for growth in the activities currently taking place in the area.

3. Recommends to Council that the following objectives for the Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront area be approved:

a. Creation of a trailer boat launching and parking area physically separated from the other activities undertaken on the Esplanade Waterfront area. This could be in the Esplanade Waterfront area or at an alternative location.

b. A grassed recreation area, which, if a boat ramp is retained in the area, is able to be utilised as an overflow trailer boat parking area in the peak summer period.

c. The area of any trailer boat parking and grassed recreation area providing for the annual Whitianga Oceans (formerly Scallop) Festival.

d. A separate pontoon area and “finger” pontoons, to provide for the tourist boat and charter fishing boat operators, with an associated parking area.

e. Provision for recreational fishing.

f. A separate public play and beachfront area incorporating a playground, a beach to swim from, a swimming platform, a jetty / pontoon (with some elevation) to jump from into the water.

g. A dedicated Whitianga Ferry berth.

h. A separate pontoon / jetty for the Game Fishing Club use.

i. The existing public toilet.

j. Linkages from the ferry pontoon and public area to the Esplanade cafes and restaurants and the town centre via Taylors Mistake.

k. The existing wharf becoming a separate wharf for commercial fishing without public access

4. Recommends to Council that a subgroup of the Community Board be established to make recommendations to the Community Board, to be known as the Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront Redevelopment Advisory Group with membership to be made up of:

a. Two Mercury Bay Community Board members, to be appointed by Council.

b. Two Ngāti Hei appointees.

c. One Whitianga Marina Society appointee

5. Recommends to Council that the terms of Reference for the Governance Group as attached to the report to the Mercury Bay Community Board meeting on 13th July 2022 be approved.

6. Recommends to Council that the 2021/2022 Annual Plan budget of $111,835 for Esplanade Waterfront investigations be carried forward to the 2022/2023 year.

7. Recommends to Council that the unspent 2021/22 Annual Plan budget of $131,000 for Whitianga Esplanade Waterfront improvement works be carried forward to identify and undertake any immediate, economically viable, actions that could be implemented to mitigate current health and safety issues. 

8. Recommends to Council that it be noted that staff resourcing will be required to take the lead on the whole project to ensure the outcomes are delivered and that the engagement of external consultants will be required to provide the expertise for the wide range of tasks to be investigated, reported and delivered.

9. Recommends to Council that the project plan summary as attached to the report to the Mercury Bay Community Board Meeting on 13 July 2022 be approved for implementation.

10. Recommends to Council that the following project budget be submitted for inclusion in the 2023/24 Annual Plan and in the next review of the Long Term Plan.

• 2022/23, $137,200
• 2023/24, $162,000
• 2024/25, $288,000
• 2025/26, $76,000

11. Recommends to Council that the capital development budget currently included in the Long Term Plan be retained and be reconsidered at the appropriate stage as the project progresses and updated costs and funding are available.

Moved/seconded by: Fox/MMcLean

View full Agenda & Reports here View minutes here  Watch video here

 View full minutes here

1. Receives the 'Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment Advisory Group' report dated 14 November 2023.
2. Confirms the establishment of the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment Advisory Group, to provide and make recommendations to the Mercury Bay Community Board in respect of the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment project.
3. Confirms Rekha Giri-Percival and Peter MacKenzie as the Mercury Bay Community Board members of the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment Advisory Group.
4. Confirms Joe Davis and Shelley Balsom as the Ngāti Hei appointees to the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment Advisory Group.
5. Confirms Calum McGillivray, as the Whitianga Marina appointee for the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment Advisory Group.

Moved/Seconded by: Kingi/Hobman

View full report here

Focus on project background and current situation. Discussion on the commercial/public wharf issues and ideas; future of trailer boat launching and parking; fishing competitions and community events.
About 35 participants representing commercial fishing, recreational fishing, boaties, public open space and playground users, ferry operator, event organisers, iwi, Council staff, Community Board Members, local businesses and organisations, Coast Guard, Harbour Master, the Marina.

Meeting notes here(PDF, 11MB) 

Focus on wharf redevelopment; discussion of improvements to address current wharf health and safety issues.
About 23 participants representing waterfront users.

View presentation(PDF, 1MB)       Meeting notes here(PDF, 74KB)

24 participants representing charter boat operators, Lyon Park sports clubs, a few Robinson Road residents, event organisers, commercial fishing, recreational fishing, the Marina, iwi, Council staff, Community Board Members.

This third meeting sought feedback into the wharf arrangement concepts which have been developed in previous meetings, and then explored the challenging topic of trailer boat ramps and parking. The initial user feedback emphasised the importance of keeping all existing boat ramps as there are no feasible all tide local alternative sites. One potential option discussed at this meeting was using Hilton Park for recreational trailer boat parking as an overflow during peak times.

View presentation(PDF, 4MB)        Meeting notes here(PDF, 82KB)

Around 70 participants mostly representing the local residents around Robinson Road Boat Ramp and Hilton Reserve attended the drop-in session in response to a letterbox invitation (to over 340 properties) from our Council. At this drop-in session, the focus of discussion was specifically on the challenges related to trailer boat launching and parking in the Robinson Road and Hilton Park areas. Topics of conversation included the current situation, potential ideas, and how these changes would affect both local residents and waterfront users.

The majority of feedback from the local residents was to oppose the proposed concept of using Hilton Reserve for overflow boat trailer parking.

View meeting notes(DOCX, 37KB)