Pauatahanui Village Planning
This page describes the partnership between Porirua City Council and the Pauatahanui community to develop a village plan for Pauatahanui. It also updates the latest news and outlines how village planning projects are developing. To learn more about the Village Planning Programme visit the home page.
On this page you will find:
Pauatahanui's village planning - news
Work underway on final stage of Pauatahanui Village upgrade
Work underway on the final section of the Pautahanui Village upgrade (May 2013)
Contract let now work can begin
Work is underway on completing the upgrade of Pauatahanui Village.
This final and third section of work includes paving and widening of the footpath past the cafe and store to create one long, even pathway through the village. Trip hazards in the footpath and the pedestrian crossing have been evened out. Extra carparks are also being created through the removal of an old, rundown, stage area and the tidying up of the corner by the Pauatahanui Store to open up more space. The work is expected to be completed by the end of May 2013.
The improvements were requested and signed-off by the community and link in with earlier upgrades to the northern and southern ends of Pauathanui village, which were completed during 2011.
Download and view a copy of the stage three plans
The photographs below show (left) the area by the Pauatahanui store before it was upgraded and (right) the area after the upgrade, including the old telegraph pole which was previously buried in bush.
Village parking limits set
Parking times have been limited through the village at the request of the community. Time limits of 90 and 15 minutes have been put on some parks along the village's main street, which were being filled by all-day parkers. The changes were made in early 2013.
Extending village footpath beyond the cemetry
Design work has been completed to extend the current footpath, that stops at the Pauatahanui Cemetry entrance, futher along Paekakariki Hill Rd to the roundabout and junction with SH58.
The intention is to give pedestrians, many of them school children, a safe place to walk as they travel to and from their homes further along SH58.
Funding for the project will be sought in coming financial year.
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Water and sewage scheme for Pauatahanui
A sewage and water scheme for parts of Pauatahanui is about to get underway (April 2013) following consideration by the community.
Council considered the options for the Pauatahanui sewerage scheme in September 2012 and resolved to adopt the pumped pressure sewerage and water reticulation scheme as its preferred engineering option for the Village.
You can read the council report on the scheme here.
Council also agreed to fully fund the capital and operational costs of the scheme, and will review its Revenue & Financing Policy in order to introduce a special fixed charge for the properties that will be joining the scheme.
A sewage and water scheme for Pauatahanui was one of the key priorities raised in the Pauatahanui Village Plan.
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Pauatahanui History project
Pauatahanui history book - orders being taken now
Orders are being taken for a book on the history of Pāuatahanui.
The Pāuatahanui History Group has been driving the project since early 2010 and the book Pāuatahanui: A local history is expected to be ready for sale August/September 2013.
The group has raised more than $50,000 through fundraising evenings and grants to pay historian Helen Reilly to write the manuscript and for Geoff Norman and his team to design and produce the book.
Fundraising is on-going to raise the $10,000 needed to publish the book and complete the project.
The book will be around 300 pages long and will have 60:40 text:images. It has over 300 historic paintings, photos, maps and graphics in both colour and black and white.
It covers the period from pre-Maori to the present and includes the whole of the old Pāuatahanui district which stretched from modern Camborne to Paekakariki, Moonshine, and included Whitby.
The price of the book will be around $60 and the History Group is seeking expressions of interest from people keen to purchase a book. The book will not be for sale in book shops.
If you wish to find out more about the book, take a peek inside, or place a provisional order, please visit http://www.pauatahanuihistorybook.co.nz/
When the book is printed and available you will be contacted to re-confirm your order.
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Extension of Pauatahanui Pathway complete
A walker strolls along the new section of Te Ara Piko that winds alongside the Pauatahanui inlet towards Pauatahanui village.
Te Ara Piko boardwalk extended
A 300m extension of Te Ara Piko, the Pauatahanui Inlet pathway, is complete. Work began in late May 2012 and was finished by the end of the year.
The work involved an extension of the boardwalk from Ration Point to Ration Creek. It provides access for pedestrians through one of the most dangerous sections of Grays Road where there are tight bends and no shoulders.
The next stage to be undertaken will take the pathway another 350m into Pauatahanui Village. The community has signed off the intended pathway and the aim is for the physical work to go ahead in the 2013/14 financial year.
At the same time, discussions have begun around extending the pathway from its current starting point at Motukara Point back along Grays Rd to the waterski club and the end of the Cambourne walkway. The community and other affected parties have been involved in a walk along the section, and planning will now be undertaken to resolve the best way to develop a pedestrian walkway/cycleway along this narrow section of road.
Te Ara Piko pathway is a joint project between Porirua City Council and Plimmerton Rotary Club. (see below for more information)
This photograph shows another section of the Te Ara Piko walkway around Pauatahanui Inlet.
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Volunteers go extra mile for Pauatahanui Pathway
The Rotary Club of Plimmerton won the Recreation Volunteers Award at the 2011 Encore Awards for its work in creating Te Ara Piko.
And Porirua City Council was highly commended in the Excellence in Compliance section for minimising impact on the environment during its construction.
The awards, announced in December 2011 reward people going the extra mile to restore, protect and enhance nature and history, and enable others to enjoy it.
The Rotary Club of Plimmerton campaigned for years to encourage the Council to include the pathway in its long term plan, and partnered with the Council to bring its vision to fruition.
Club members advocated for the pathway, and acted as project ambassadors, promoting it at festivals, organising revegetation plantings and establishing their own nursery.
The Te Ara Piko pathway runs along the northern edge of Pauatahanui Inlet through native salt marshes and wetland habitat. It currrently stretches 1.8kms but the intention is for it to eventually ring the inlet.
The joint project between Plimmerton Rotary Club and the Council received a funding boost in 2010 from the Walking Access Commission who granted the Council $30,000 over two years toward the project.
In early 2011, the pathway was extended another 200m around the shores of Pauatahanui Inlet to Ration Point.
You can view more photographs and information. (3 page word document)
This photograph shows George Williamson (left) and Philip Reidy, of the Plimmerton Rotary Club during work to extend the Te Ara Piko - Pauatahanui Pathway - in April 2011.
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Pauatahanui Village Centre Revamp - stage one and two complete
When Pauatahanui residents wrote a village plan, one of the top priorities was an upgrade for the village.
Much of that work was achieved during 2011, with substantial upgrades to the northern and southern ends of the village.
The work has seen wide, raised footpaths constructed through much of the village, and the carpark area and entrance to Pauatahanui Wildlife Management Reserve sealed and tidied up.
The photograph (below) was taken in June 2011 once work was complete.
Raised footpath developed
Alongside the Challenge petrol station, the raised footpath has been completed and sealed and the owners have taken the opportunity to reseal parts of the forecourt to give the whole area a smarter look. Yellow lines will be painted along the raised footpath to clearly mark pedestrian areas.
Further north, past the shops, the footpath to Duck Creek Café has been widened and sealed.
The picture below shows Council Pauatahanui Project Manager Jason Harvey-Wills and Pauatahanui Residents Association village planning co-ordinator Anna Dellow taking a look at the improved footpaths north of Pauatahanui village.
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Looking back on first stage of Pauathanui Village Planning work
In the first stage of work already carried out during 2010:
- Vegetation was cleared back and trees "lifted" on the stretch of footpath between the General Store and Rushes Restaurant,
- Rushes Restaurant's northern sign and fence has been shifted back from to the pathway to provide better sight lines along the footpath,
- Speed humps to slow traffic through village centre have been installed,
- The footpath linking Pauatahanui and Whitby has been cleared and gorse removed from the planting areas,
- Pedestrian access areas have been clearly defined over the Old Pauatahanui Bridge and its link to Whitby,
- Clean up of broken and dangerous woodwork around the General Store,
- Removal of redundant armco barriers and replacement with sight rails,
- Renovation of pathway outside the cinema,
- Ornamental lights in the village have been repaired and are now working.
Rotary took ownership of the project to clean-up and plant a garden bed near the pedestrian crossing to the school, which is now complete. See photograph below.
This photograph shows the Pauatahanui garden area upgraded by Rotary as part of an ongoing village centre revamp.
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Pauatahanui's historic sites
Pauatahanui still contains a number of historic sites recognised by the Historic Places Trust.
Among them is the Taylor Stace Cottage (pictured below), which is believed to be the oldest residence in the Wellington region.
It has been restored in a joint project between the private owners, Porirua City Council and The Historic Places Trust. The work has involved moving the cottage and putting it back on raised foundations to protect it from floods. While the cottage was off its foundations an archeological dig was carried.
The cottage now houses the Lavendar Room Beauty Spa. To find out more visit the company's website www.lavenderroom.co.nz.
The photograph above shows a view of the historic Taylor Stace cottage in Pauatahanui before restoration began. The photograph (below) shows restoration almost complete in May 2011.
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Heritage roses and historic burial ground
Volunteers Sharon Evans and Rosemary Patterson walk among the Heritage Roses at Pauatahanui.
Historic roses on show
The project to clear the overgrown and neglected Burial Ground site adjacent to the Historic Church of St Albans and to plant Heritage Roses was the vision of 5 local Pauatahanui women in 1991.
With the help of friends and families, the first area was ready for planting in 1992. The bulk of the roses were grown from cuttings, others were donated.
Over the years a notable collection has been built up of mainly older varieties and working parties are held several times a year with local residents and members of Wellington Heritage Roses and the Mana Branch of the Wellington Rose Society, taking part. Porirua City Council also helps maintain the area.
The best time to visit the Burial Ground is from late October, November and December for peak flowering but roses can be found flowering for many months of the year.
The cemetery at Pauatahanui dates back to 1856, when Thomas Hollis Stace donated an acre to the community for a burial ground. Early settlers to New Zealand brought rose cuttings with them from Britain and when a family member died, often planted a rose by their grave. The tradition dates back to the early days of Christianity.
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Developing Pauatahanui's Village Plan
Pauatahanui developed a village plan following an extensive process led by the Residents Association. It involved a series of workshops during 2008 attended by residents, retailers, the school and government, community agencies and council representatives.
The final village plan, launched in early 2009, focuses on issues such as traffic safety, ecology, sewage and reclaiming lost character of the historically significant village.
The aim of the plan is to provide a framework for planning and decision-making on matters concerning the development and maintenance of the village.
Village Plan Projects
The Village Plan has four key areas for action:
- Village Centre Enhancement
- Environmental Protection and Enhancement
- Enhanced Recreational Opportunities
- Heritage Protection and Enhancement
Work is underway on the Village Centre Enhancement and Heritage Protection and Enhancement.
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Contacts:
Porirua City Council
For more information or to provide news updates, contact the Council's Pauatahanui Project Manager Jason Harvey-Wills on phone (04) 237-1458 or email jharvey-wills@pcc.govt.nz.
The Pauatahanui Residents Association
To contact the Pauatahanui Residents Association, email Chairman John Maziner at john@pauatahanui.com or check out the website www.pauatahanui.com
You can also read the latest Pauatahanu Resident Association meeting minutes here. All documents are PDFs.
2013
2012
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