Project Description
With close to 40 kilometres of sandy beaches, a warm climate, an abundance of native wildlife, friendly people and only a 45-minute drive from Wellington city, Kāpiti offers visitors a great opportunity to engage with the natural environment. Just five kilometres off the Kāpiti coastline lies majestic Kāpiti Island, one of the country’s most valuable nature reserves, and host to one of the largest accessible island bird sanctuaries in New Zealand.
Kāpiti Coast District Council wanted to strengthen specific parts of the Kāpiti Island Gateway Feasibility Study undertaken by TRC in 2013 as the Gateway project was being progressed as through Kāpiti Coast’s Toitū Kāpiti 2018-38 Long Term Plan.
Since the original feasibility had been conducted, various park management plans had been adopted alongside other developments which needed to be taken into consideration such as i-SITE closure and environmental factors, Council infrastructure plans.
The intention was not for TRC to develop a master plan for the area, but to ensure that the Gateway development would fit with the overall positioning and experiences/programmes of the park, and links to surrounding areas such as the business/retail precinct.
The Update was developed by TRC through market research, expert advice, input from Kāpiti Coast District Council and inclusive consultation with community stakeholders in the district. The steps in developing the recommendations within the Update were:
– A comprehensive review of existing documentation and research.
– A site visit of the proposed areas within Maclean Park boundary open to the scope of the project.
– Inclusive community stakeholder consultation.
– Analysis of all information gathered during consultation and research.
– A second round of consultation to test the recommendations made, and ascertain the level of community acceptance and comfort.
The recommendation presented by TRC was considered the optimal solution that offered the greatest benefits for the Kāpiti Coast District.
