The new wharf could be accessed via a pontoon and gangway or by stairs. <\/p>\n
Timber from the old wharf would be recycled, with some of it being woven into the design of proposed structures, such as seats and picnic tables, on the adjoining foreshore reserve. <\/p>\n
The council said in the statement it had worked closely with local iwi and hap\u016b throughout the project to ensure the design and construction reflected cultural values and community needs. <\/p>\n
The five hap\u016b that connected to Matakana Island were part of Ng\u0101i Te Rangi iwi and included Ng\u0101i Tuwhiwhia, Ng\u0101ti Tauaiti, Te Ngare, Te Wh\u0101nau a Tauwhao and Ng\u0101i Tamawhariua. <\/p>\n
Nessie Kuka, of Ng\u0101i Tuwhiwhia, said it was exciting to see the wharf finished. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt will make a real difference for everyone who lives here, especially for our tamariki getting to school on the mainland,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to see the wharf already being used and enjoyed.\u201d <\/p>\n
Western Bay Mayor James Denyer said it was a vital link for Matakana Island and an important community asset. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe new wharf provides a safer, more reliable way for people to get to and from the island,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see a project like this come to life after years of planning and working closely with the community. It will make daily life easier and more connected for residents.\u201d <\/p>\n
The council resolved to transfer 172ha, commonly known as Panepane P\u016brakau, to a local hap\u016b Trust in October 2021. <\/p>\n
Under the transfer agreement, a 13-ha public reserve was to be created to ensure public access to the foreshore was protected in perpetuity, and an esplanade strip would follow the harbour\u2019s edge to the ocean side. <\/p>\n
This meant the public would still be able to fish off the wharf, walk along the beach and use the recreational areas such as water skiing lanes. <\/p>\n
Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said while the public could access the wharf and foreshore, people were encouraged to respect the whenua (land) and nearby forest. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are commercial forestry operations nearby, so please stick to the harbour margins and don\u2019t wander along the road or into other parts of the forest,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe would also like to remind people visiting the area that lighting fires is strictly prohibited. We don\u2019t want a repeat of the fire that occurred on the island two years ago.\u201d <\/p>\n
Peter pointed out that there was a wharepaku (toilet) next to the new wharf, which was available for visitors. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also planning new signage to help visitors understand the dos and don\u2019ts while visiting, so everyone can enjoy the area safely and respectfully.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new wharf could be accessed via a pontoon and gangway or by stairs. Timber from the old…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[806,9632,3381,20388,2514,57912,117,111,43,139,69,59966,5493,89556,3263,13639],"class_list":{"0":"post-129471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-as","9":"tag-celebrates","10":"tag-complete","11":"tag-connection","12":"tag-island","13":"tag-matakana","14":"tag-new","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-newzealand","18":"tag-nz","19":"tag-officially","20":"tag-open","21":"tag-panepane","22":"tag-project","23":"tag-wharf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}