Te Pūwaha media release: Community celebrates at North Mole
Published on 27 June 2022
Media release from Te Pūwaha – the Whanganui port revitalisation project
On Friday 24 June, a crowd gathered at the North Mole to celebrate the construction works carried out to date, and acknowledge community support of Te Pūwaha – the Whanganui port revitalisation project.
It was a sunny mid-winters day as Cashmore Contracting, along with Te Pūwaha partners invited locals and recreational fishermen to a community BBQ at the North Mole carpark. Cashmore’s were contracted by Horizons Regional Council to repair and reinstate the North Mole, with works expected to be complete by December 2022.
Horizons project engineer Dougal Ross was there on the day.
“The weather hasn’t been kind to us over the past few weeks, however we are still on track with the seaward end of the mole,” he says.
“Work upstream has been progressing really well over recent months and we are on target with our project timelines. At this point the reconstruction works are around 45% complete with rock deliveries completed by the end of July.”
Around 100 locals turned out on Friday for some free kai and the opportunity to chat with some of the personnel working on the North Mole. Cashmore Contracting project manager Colin Anderson and the team organised the event and were really pleased with the turnout.
“We talked as a team about how we could acknowledge those who have put up with the disruption from the works over the past few months, whether they live down the road from the mole, or they would normally fish here throughout the week,” he says.
“We saw Puanga as an opportune time to for us all to come together, reflect on the progress so far and celebrate together.”
“It is also excellent to see so many people out here fishing off the mole on a sunny winter’s day, making the most of this fantastic community asset.”
By the end of this month, the community will be able to use the carpark on top of the mole during all hours of the day, as the construction will have moved upstream. Cashmore’s will continue to clear sand from the sealed road at the end of Morgan Street to ensure there is enough space for public vehicles to park.
Kahurangi Simon, member of hapū representative group Te Mata Pūau, has been onsite for much of the works, documenting progress, ensuring the works uphold the values of Te Awa Tupua and meeting with interested locals.
“Being here onsite has been invaluable, the team at Cashmore’s have worked with great respect to the awa throughout the whole process, and for them to acknowledge our community in this way shows they understand the importance of people and community at place.”
The works to repair and reinstate the North Mole will cover the length of the embankment from the end of the North Mole to the Whanganui Port. This work, along with scheduled works to repair the South Mole, is vital to enable an operational port as they define the river mouth and ensure a navigable depth is maintained for vessels. Repairing the moles is also necessary to protect nearby developments and critical city infrastructure from flooding.
The reinstatement and repair of the North Mole is jointly funded by Horizons Regional Council, Whanganui District Council, and Kānoa - Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit.
Upon completion of Te Pūwaha, Whanganui will have enhanced flood protection and a modern purpose built marine precinct, securing the Whanganui Port as a community asset for the next 50 years, and beyond.
The community are invited to see the planned works at the Whanganui Port first-hand and hear from project leads at a Whanganui Port Project Open Day scheduled for Thursday 7 July, from 11.00am. All are welcome, and details can be found by visiting www.whanganui.govt.nz/port or facebook.com/TePuwaha.
ENDS
Media contact
For further information, contact Te Pūwaha Communications:
Kate Ritani
022 0636278
kate.ritani@horizons.govt.nz
Acknowledgements:
Te Pūwaha is a collaborative partnership between Whanganui iwi (Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust and Tupoho) and the four other groups invested in the development. These are Whanganui District Council, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust.
Te Pūwaha would like to acknowledge Te Awa Tupua and its communities, who are integral to the port revitalisation project.
The total investment in Te Pūwaha is over $50 million, with the infrastructure works carried out over three tranches or phases.
This includes a $26.75 million government investment managed by Kānoa - Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, with the remaining cost and resources covered by Whanganui District Council, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders, and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust (Port Employment Precinct).