Kāinga Ora project backing on to State Highway 1 needs footpath, says principal

The Kāinga Ora development backs directly on to State Highway 1. Pictured here is an artist's impression of an entrance from Kauika Road. Photo / Kāinga Ora

A principal has raised concerns for the safety of children residing at a new Kāinga Ora development if no one takes responsibility for providing them with a safe footpath.

But Whangārei District Council has said investment into the shared path network would discourage children from walking near the State Highway.

The Kāinga Ora development on Kauika Road in Woodhill backs directly on to State Highway 1, Western Hills Drive; however there is no planned footpath for that side.

The build will comprise six standalone dwellings and 90 walk-up apartments, with the first homes due to be completed in 2025 and housing around 300 people.

Kāinga Ora says it is responsible only for requirements within the consent approval, which includes pedestrian access to Kauika Road and a future connection requirement through the development to the west side, with high fencing.

However, the future link is what Hora Hora principal Pat Newman has dubbed a “footpath to nowhere”.

Pat Newman is concerned a "footpath to nowhere" required in the Kāinga Ora resource consent will encourage children to take a shortcut.

He says a crucial link was missing and that it was “non-negotiable” to have a footpath that led to the main Maunu intersection on that side.

Newman believed students on their way to school would instead choose to walk alongside the verge directly next to busy State Highway 1, which is a stretch of road known for having high volumes of traffic during peak hours.

He was also concerned not just for during school times but in the holidays as well.

At the revelation that a fence would be erected, he took a cynical view.

“It’s better [than nothing], but there’s [still] a pathway to nowhere.”

He believed the fence wouldn’t act as a deterrent to take a quicker route and it would be cut or climbed over within no time.

“I don’t give a damn whose problem it is, it’s our problem when the first kid gets killed,” he said.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has said in areas under 70km/h along state highways the agency only maintains and operates the road surface. Local councils are responsible for footpaths.

However, Whangārei District Council has said it discourages children from walking along state highways “wherever possible” and has instead made investments in the shared path network on the other side of the development.

“We work with local schools on a regular basis to provide active transport plans for students and support them in finding the best and safest option for their students,” the council said in a statement.

Whangārei District Council says investment into the shared path network should discourage students from walking near the state-highway.

Newman said he felt the public housing system was flawed because buildings were placed into communities with little consideration as to how nearby infrastructure would cope.

He also felt that both the council and Kāinga Ora were taking a “Pontius Pilate approach” and washing their hands of the problem.

However, Kāinga Ora regional director Jeff Murray said the wellbeing and safety of those living in the development was of “utmost importance” to both the agency and their development partner, Phoenix Property Advisory.

“Throughout the planning of this 95-home development, we have carefully considered our customers’ needs and how we can make it safe and easy for them to move around.”

Newman said he met with Kāinga Ora representatives two weeks ago to look over the plans, immediately identifying that there was a “big problem”.

“I said: ‘How do you think the kids will come to school?’ And [Kāinga Ora] said ‘Walk along the avenues and up the road’ and I just burst into laughter. I said ‘Do you know kids? They will take the shortest route’.”

The site of a new Kāinga Ora development will back directly onto State Highway 1. Photo / Google maps

He said it was laughable that a walking bus was suggested to manage the issue and if there was going to be 100 kids “in there, they have a responsibility to those 100 kids to ensure their safety”.

Murray said Kāinga Ora and Phoenix Property Advisory had consulted with the community about the development and were in the process of meeting with school principals.

Stage one of the development is well under way with the first 27 homes set to be delivered by June 2025, he said.

Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.