“Watch your step” might be a familiar instruction, but it’s one that will be easier at Āwhitu Regional Park courtesy of a new boardwalk and steps from the youth centre to the beach.
Youth organisation Blue Light runs the centre and worked with Mitre 10’s Helping Hands project, through Mitre 10 Mega Takanini, to provide secure beach access.
Blue Light’s Tracey Newland says after a lot of hard work the project will be blessed on 23 March, when the group will also unveil stage one of its Iwi Murals project, completed in partnership with Ngati Te Ata Waiohua and Franklin Local Board.
“The works are proudly on display at our facility and tell the history of the peninsula.”
She says while the new accessway is on public land as part of Āwhitu Regional Park, the work has been done at no cost to Auckland Council or the community.
Blue Light CEO Brendon Compton says the beach access was badly damaged in last year’s floods, making it dangerous for the group and wider community to use.
“Our work supports at-risk kids and is outdoor-focused. Being able to use the beach is an essential part of the Āwhitu experience.”
This one's a bit out...nothing a pinch bar won't fix.
Mitre 10 Mega Takanini viewed the damage and decided to cut and frame new steps. But then the company decided to go a lot further.
“They didn’t ask for a whole new track, but they got one. Our Helping Hands ambassador Stan Scott and our building consultants thought if we were going to do the job, we were going to do it properly,” Mitre 10 MEGA Takanini marketing manager Toni Brumby says.
Franklin Local Board chair Angela Fulljames says what’s been achieved proves yet again that by coming together, good things can happen.
“It made sense to get involved with mana whenua to tell the story of the area in the murals that now grace the centre. They reflect our partnership with Ngati Te Ata Waiohua, and its involvement with the camp, where it holds fishing, weaving and bone-carving programmes.”
A second Iwi Mural stage will be completed in 2025.
Franklin
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