Waitangi improvements taking shape

Diggers, scrapers and shapers are in full swing at the Waitangi Regional Park project site, and on track to have the first part of the makeover completed by Waitangi Day 2017.

A long dry run of weather has helped the Fulton Hogan project team to transform this most visible part of Waitangi Regional Park. Good progress has been made on the creation of new wetlands, creating an earth platform for the celestial compass, elevating the access road and car-parking area.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Open Spaces Manager Steve Cave acknowledges that this construction phase is a disruption to regular users of the area, but firmly believes the results will be worth it.

“Our contractors are doing a first-rate job. We’ve done a lot to minimise the disruption to users and we expect to have public access to the river back again by the end of November,” says Mr Cave.

“The Waitangi site is full steam ahead just now, though in days of creating these wetland areas, new bird life has arrived and is getting in amongst it,” he adds.

Fulton Hogan’s project lead Harry Donnelly is happy with progress and conscious of public interest from regular users of the area and passing traffic.

“I’m comfortable with the progress we’re making, keeping in mind the cultural heritage and ecology of this special area. We’ve had a few challenges with the materials, but we’re on track for completion by Waitangi Weekend,” says Mr Donnelly.

A gallery of project images is available on HBRC’s Facebook page at hbregionalcouncil.

Caption: Waitangi estuary project members, (left to right) Fulton Hogan’s Grant Buckendahl, Charlie Fergus, Harry Donnelly and HBRC’s Martina Groves, review plans with progress visible in the background.

16 November 2016

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