Pat O'Sullivan (left), Chris Wood, Jan Jordan and Debra Betts would like to see the footbridge in Waikawa Beach maintained.
Pat O'Sullivan (left), Chris Wood, Jan Jordan and Debra Betts would like to see the footbridge in Waikawa Beach maintained.
The Waikawa Beach footbridge is the subject of a petition to be presented to Horowhenua District Council this month.
The group behind the petition says the bridge is at risk of being lost in the future because funds for its maintenance are being reallocated, but the council says the budget is still there and the funds have not been reallocated.
Jan Jordan, Chris Wood, Debra Betts and Pat O’Sullivan all live in Waikawa Beach and are four of the people behind the petition. Betts and O’Sullivan are co-chairs of the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association.
Jordan said they started the petition after the Horowhenua District Council decided to merge funds dedicated to the footbridge with a general fund for the whole of Waikawa Beach as part of its long-term plan (LTP).
She said that meant they had no assurance the footbridge would be retained when it needed upgrading, which she stressed it inevitably would.
The online petition states the money for bridge maintenance might be used elsewhere.
“There is an assumption by councillors that the bridge is not well used and some councillors have suggested the money dedicated to maintaining the bridge should be used elsewhere in the community as a priority.”
Council chief executive Monique Davidson said it was still awaiting cost estimates for potential upgrades to the footbridge, but stressed the funds had not been reallocated.
“During the long-term plan 2024–44 process, councillors decided to merge the budget lines for both the Waikawa Beach Accessway and the Waikawa Pedestrian Bridge. The total budget remains the same and no decisions have yet been made on how the funds will be allocated.”
She said allocating the budget this way allowed flexibility to better address community needs.
The group plans to present council with its petition, which so far has garnered more than 450 online signatures, to the meeting and to ask for assurance that the bridge will continue to be maintained.
Jordan said the petition was a way to demonstrate the bridge was loved and used by many.
“We thought we had to give them some indication the bridge is well used.”
She said it wasn’t only Waikawa residents who used the bridge and people came from as far away as Wellington and Palmerston North to walk across it.
Having access to the other side of the river gave people the ability to walk their dogs safely because no cars can get there, children a place to play in the forest, and access to the beach where there was a shag colony, Jordan said.
Davidson said the council wanted to hear from the community about the use of the bridge and would be gathering information on it.
“We’ll be sending out a community survey in the coming days to gather feedback on how frequently the bridge is used. This input will help us make informed decisions about any future improvements.”
