Mayor pushes joint plan for Youthtown, waka in Mangere

Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis has thrown his weight behind a $1.5 million-plus plan to build a Youthtown and waka ama clubrooms for the city's turbulent young people on the Mangere Bridge waterfront.

He has told two rival groups pushing separate proposals for Youthtown and waka ama that they must work together to build a combined youth centre and cafe cantilevering out over the Manukau Harbour, with provision for a marina for pleasure boats.

Waka ama spokesman and city councillor James Papali'i said the structure would be designed with a Maori/Pacific flavour to be "an icon" for Manukau, the world's biggest Polynesian city.

"This is the building you will see first when you come from Auckland on the way to the airport, so we really want to make it first-class," he said.

The waka ama project has been dogged by controversy since the Manukau Outriggers Club first sought 15 years ago to build a clubrooms on the site, a waterfront reserve between the old Mangere Bridge and the new bridge opened in 1983.

Two years ago, 71 Mangere Bridge residents led by residents' association secretary Ken Taylor signed a petition opposing any building on the reserve, fearing that the clubrooms would attract "drunken marauding youths".

Manukau City Council granted resource consent for the clubrooms. But last February a council committee voted to withdraw a promised $237,496 grant for the project after Mr Papali'i was charged with 15 criminal counts relating to alleged misappropriation of funds from a group set up to promote the project, the Whare Nui Trust.

Mr Papali'i pleaded not guilty and the case is due to be heard next April.

The Mangere Bridge Community Enhancement Trust led by Mr Taylor's wife, Sylvia, then proposed a more ambitious building for the site incorporating Youthtown, an indoor basketball court and gym as well as storage space for waka ama.

Youthtown executive director Keith Thorpe said the Auckland-based Youthtown Trust was keen to offer its services in Manukau, including basketball, water sports, a gym, an after-school programme and school holiday programmes.

"We believe there is a need for programmes that Youthtown provides in an area like Mangere Bridge," he said.

Newmarket architects Catalyst Consulting have designed a two-storey building costing between $3 million and $3.5 million.

Mrs Taylor and Mr Papali'i both envisaged a mix of funding sources for their rival projects, including the city council, charities and corporate sponsors. The ASB Trust earmarked $250,000 for the waka ama project in 2003 if it was matched by the council, but that was lost when the council changed its mind.

Sir Barry said the council could not afford to let the competing projects drift while waiting for Mr Papali'i's court case.

"It's very important, rather than leaving this matter to the local community board, that the Manukau City Council takes the matter in-house. That's why I brought the parties together the other day," he said.

"I would foresee a new trust being created to be responsible for the creation of the building and the management of the building. Trusts are able to access funding for which local authorities are not eligible."

But he said the building would be based on the city's needs and might not be as grand as the original proposals.

"It may well cost about $1.5 million."

Sir Barry has asked officials to report to the council early in the new year on options for the area, including the Manukau Harbour's first marina and a third Mangere bridge, which he has already discussed with Transit NZ.

He hopes the new bridge will include a walkway and cycleway so that the old bridge, built in 1915, can be demolished to let boats through to the proposed marina. He said the plans were also likely to involve removing some mangroves.