Open Day
We were thankful the rain held off for the recent open day in Mā-koromiko which gave people the opportunity to see the completed seawall sections in this bay.
Following a walkthrough with the Mayor, local councillors and invited media, the community were able to get a close-up look at the pre-cast seawall blocks which our team has been working hard to install.
“I’m really excited about the progress we’ve been able to make on this project,” Mayor Campbell Barry said. “Many in the local community have been advocating for this for a very long time and to be down here seeing the seawall and how it’s going to function, as well as all the work the incredible team on the ground has been doing is really cool.”
Members of the project team, council staff, mana whenua representatives and subject matter experts were also at the event to chat to the public and answer their questions.
“It’s great to be able to talk to people about the project and show them what work’s been done so far,” Hutt City Council Head of Transport, Jon Kingsbury, said. “The new seawall will increase the resilience of Mā-koromiko by pushing the waves back towards the sea and protecting the road from storms and erosion.”
Check out the video from the event!
Construction update
We’re nearing completion of the seawall in Mā-koromiko, with almost all the foundations now laid throughout the bay and more than half the pre-cast seawall blocks in place. The team is aiming to install 30 blocks per week and has exceeded this goal over the past month.
Paving works on top of the completed seawall sections for the shared path are also progressing well. We expect to finish construction in this bay by mid-August, with audit and certification processes to ensure the path and beach area are safe for public use to follow.
Construction has also started in Sunshine Bay. We’re carrying out excavation works for the new seawall ahead of laying concrete foundations which the pre-cast seawall blocks will be installed on top of. The seawall will provide the platform for the new shared path. The expected completion date for works in this bay is late this year/early next year.
Pre-construction tasks that took place in Sunshine Bay included survey works and ground investigations, as well as ecological sweeps to check for wildlife and minor modifications to the rock revetments to ensure penguins don’t nest in the area during construction works at this bay.
As works are happening in Mā-koromiko and Sunshine Bay at the same time, a lane will be closed in both bays with stop/go traffic control in place and a protected section for pedestrians to pass around the work sites. Traffic monitoring is being carried out to ensure this will not result in excessive delays.
Thank you for your patience as we carry out these works.
Ecology update
Establishment of the first bird protection area is almost completed at HW Shortt Park to a standard the Department of Conservation has approved for use as a site to temporarily relocate any kororā found in our construction zones. This is the first of four bird protection areas required by our resource consent to mitigate the environmental and ecological impact of the project.
We’re also waiting for the lizard breeding season to finish before we can move these creatures, ahead of completing works at the south end of Mā-koromiko.
Design update
We’re close to finalising the urban design plan for York Bay.
Where possible, the team has incorporated feedback received from the community during the consultation process. Following the certification of the plan, we’ll publish it on our Tupua Horo Nuku webpage and let you know when it’s available.
We’re continuing work to develop a new design plan for Whiorau Reserve alongside local kororā experts and this will be circulated for consultation in the near future.
We’ll also be developing the designs for Ngāu Matau (Point Howard) and the Bishop Park bird protection area in the coming months and will share these with you for feedback when they’re ready.