FAQs
To help answer some questions you may have about Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, please read below to read our FAQs;
Click here for FAQs for State customers
Click here for FAQs on the Spatial Plan
Click here for FAQs on Wastewater Pipes Project | Click here for FAQs on the pine tree removal
Click here for FAQs on Parks Project
Click here for FAQs on the Wetland
For social housing customers
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I'm a social housing customer
You will continue to be housed and will continue to receive the help and support you currently receive.
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What is the Choice to Return commitment?
Kāinga Ora requires social housing customers to relocate while we work to replace existing social housing stock with new warmer, drier, healthier homes. Relocating can be disruptive and a common concern for our customers is the prospect of moving to a new neighbourhood, away from their community, their schools and their work.
At the heart of everything we do are the people living in eastern Porirua. That’s why Kāinga Ora implements a ‘Choice to Return’ policy for our social housing customers. This means that if a tenant is relocated as part of our development work and would like to be rehoused in their current community, Kāinga Ora will try to make this happen.
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What other factors do you consider when rehousing customers?
Kāinga Ora works closely with social housing customers to find a home suited to their needs and abilities. This includes taking into consideration mobility issues, proximity to local and tertiary education facilities, and access to jobs and medical services.
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What if you can’t find a suitable home in the customer's community of choice?
If we cannot find a suitable home within the community straight away, Kāinga Ora relocates customers into a temporary home while we continue our search. Customers will receive progress updates from Kāinga Ora every six months until we find them a permanent home suited to their needs.
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Can I accept or decline a property?
As with any rehousing initiative, customers are given the chance to view and accept a property before committing to a permanent residency.
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Who does the policy apply to?
The Choice to Return is open to all customers rehoused due to redevelopment of their home. Customers moved for other reasons, such as a house fire, historic moves for antisocial behaviour, or at their own request, are exempt.
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Got questions?
If you are a Kāinga Ora customer and you have questions relating to the development, please contact your Customer Liaison Advisor. For general questions regarding your tenancy, contact Kāinga Ora customer service on 0800 801 601.
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What about private tenants?
While we cannot guarantee the decisions private landlords make, we will try to make sure local people have access to training and employment opportunities so they share in the benefits of social and economic development as part of this project.
We will explore a wide range of affordable housing options and also alternative housing ownership options – such as shared equity and long-term rentals – to get the best outcomes for local people and the communities of eastern Porirua.
Spatial Plan frequently asked questions
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What is a spatial plan?
A spatial plan is a high-level strategic approach on how large areas will change and develop over time. It also outlines what actions must be taken to support that change. They are used to set the direction for an area and inform where further detailed planning and investment is required.
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What will the Spatial Plan mean for eastern Porirua?
The draft Spatial Plan has been created from community, partner and stakeholder feedback gathered over the last few years. It sets the proposed direction on what the precinct (Rānui, Cannons Creek, Waitangirua and Ascot Park) may look like in the future.
For Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, the Spatial Plan provides strategic direction on building new housing as well as outline other key projects that will support the wider community during development such as upgrades to infrastructure and transport networks, waterways and greenspaces.
Fundamental to the success of the Spatial Plan is the ongoing collaboration between development partners (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Kāinga Ora and Porirua City Council), other government/non-government agencies and the people of eastern Porirua.
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Who will deliver the Spatial Plan?
Delivery will be led by different organisations depending on the activity, and always in consultation with the community and relevant key stakeholders.
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Following community feedback what will happen from here?
We will be using the feedback from this engagement to refine the draft Spatial Plan. The updated draft will be shared on our website by the end of 2023.
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How much will this cost to deliver?
Operational and delivery costs change with the market. The delivery of each piece of work will be investigated and funded on a case-by-case basis.
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Why has it taken so long to return with the draft Spatial Plan?
We first engaged on the draft Spatial Plan with the community in 2019.
Over the last few years there have been significant impacts and changes due to COVID-19, infrastructure funding announcements and organisational changes.
Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development wanted to ensure that when we returned with the Spatial Plan, the community had time and energy to review and invest in the engagement process.
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What is a key move (changes)?
The key moves are important changes that need to happen to enhance eastern Porirua.
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What are the key moves (changes) for this spatial plan?
The key moves include:
- Enhance transport connections via Mungavin and Warspite Avenues to improve connection through neighbourhoods, Porirua CBD and public transport routes.
- Develop plans to enhance current town centres in Cannons Creek and Waitangirua, laying out opportunities for more high-density living, local commercial and employment opportunities and social/community facilities.
- Improve the water quality, access, safety and environment within Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve.
- Improve three water pipes to support future growth within the community, while also reduce flooding, overflowing of stormwater and wastewater.
- Ensure Kāinga Ora homes are either redeveloped or renovated as well as find opportunities to support the delivery of more market and supported housing options.
These will be delivered by Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development in partnership with key partners or organisations. The key moves are not prioritised, with no single one being more or less important to the overall success of the development.
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What is the key difference between a key move (changes) and a focus area?
Key moves are five specific changes that have been identified in playing a major role to enhance Porirua. The focus areas are seven themes, identified by the community that are the foundation of eastern Porirua. They cover the physical areas of work such as housing, pipes or planting that Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development will be involved with. If Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development works in partnership to improve the focus areas and deliver key moves, the people of Porirua will have an even better place to live, work, play and thrive.
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What is a focus area?
A focus area is a key area identified through feedback from community, partners and stakeholders that is important and needs to be considered whilst new houses are being built. The focus areas then contain a set of guiding principles of what this might look and feel like in the community, along with a series of possible actions. This allows for a structured understanding of the steps required to respond to the issues highlighted to Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, then known as the Porirua Development, through conversations in 2019.
Bothamley Park frequently asked questions
To help answer some questions you may have about the upgrade to Bothamley Park's wastewater pipes, please read below to read our FAQs;
Click here for FAQs on Wastewater Pipes Project | Click here for FAQs on the pine tree removal
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How long will it take to upgrade the wastewater pipes through Bothamley Park?
We anticipate it will take around two years (from Dec 2022) to complete the wastewater pipes upgrade through Bothamley Park. Next year we will be able to share a revised timeline for works. If there are to be any changes to the timeline, we will keep the community updated.
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How did you come up with the wastewater pipes option?
When designing the wastewater pipes route we had an opportunity to make improvements that would benefit both te taiao, and the community. To achieve this specialists have done a lot of investigation work and ground testing through Bothamley Park.
We wanted to create pipes that would:
- Improve water quality in Kenepuru Stream and Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour by significantly reducing the amount of raw sewage overflowing into waterways
- Be built with environmentally responsible materials that will last generations
- Improve the look and feel of the park by significantly reducing (more than half) the number of places the pipe crosses the streams well as reducing the amount of manholes.
- Be more resilient in natural events i.e. earthquakes
- Improve park paths
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What will the new wastewater pipes be made of?
We will replace the current mix of steel and concrete pipes with polyethylene pipes. This material has been proven to be long lasting, more resilient to earthquakes and gives greater flexibility for choosing where we can lay the new wastewater pipes.
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How big will the new wastewater pipes be?
The current wastewater pipes are 450mm in diameter/height. To ensure we invest in pipes that will not only cope with current wastewater, but also population growth in the future, the new pipes will be around 900mm diameter/height.
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How will this be delivered?
We are looking at upgrading the pipes through a couple of different techniques. The first is tunnelling where we use a machine to drill a hole through the soil. The second is open cut. This is where we dig a trench, lay the pipe and then fill the trench back in.
Where possible we are trying to reduce the number of visible pipes and stream crossings through the park.
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Will you be closing the park or roads?
To complete the pipes upgrade as safely and quickly as possible with minimal disruption to local residents and park users we will need to temporarily close portions of Bothamley Park and Champion Street.
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How long will you need to close the parks or roads?
We expect Stage 1 of the upgrade to take about 2 years then stage 2 and 3 an additional year. The work will proceed in different sections of the park through this period, so different parts of the park would need to be closed while the construction work is being undertaken in each location.
The closures were formally notified under the Reserves Act, and will be clearly signposted in advance of a particular area closing. Parkrun will be relocated to an alternative site in Plimmerton for approximately two years while the main track through the park is affected.
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Why are you upgrading the wastewater pipes?
When it rains, stormwater gets into the pipes. When this happens, untreated sewage overflows from manholes and runs into our waterways. Untreated wastewater getting into the stream poses a risk to our health, kills fish and other life in the stream, and prevents locals from collecting healthy kai moana (seafood).
It is currently estimated that 40,000m3 of untreated wastewater overflows into Kenepuru Stream in a typical year. That’s enough to fill 16 Olympic swimming pools! As more houses are built in the area, this puts even more pressure on Bothamley Park’s wastewater pipe and results in more overflows of untreated sewage.
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Will replacing the wastewater pipe solve sewage pollution into our waterways?
Investigation from a range of partners, local government and government agencies has identified three opportunities to help to fix our wastewater problems:
- Upgrade the Bothamley Park wastewater pipes with newer, larger pipes.
This will be installed along a similar route as existing pipes and where possible, we will lay the pipes underground, rather than across Kenepuru Stream. - Build a large wastewater storage tank just north of the Porirua Station carpark.
Wastewater will overflow into this tank when there is not enough capacity in the wastewater network downstream, instead of overflowing into Kenepuru Stream. This work is currently underway and being led by Wellington Water. - Renew old, leaky pipes within eastern Porirua to reduce the amount of stormwater that gets into the wastewater pipe.
Together, these three improvements are designed to significantly reduce overflows of untreated sewage into waterways in eastern Porirua. This current work is focused on the first of these opportunities – upgrading the wastewater pipes through Bothamley Park
- Upgrade the Bothamley Park wastewater pipes with newer, larger pipes.
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Currently there are special places in the park, what will happen to them during the construction?
We have been working with Porirua City Council, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and local community groups to ensure places valued by the community are protected and maintained during construction.
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What will you be doing about construction noise or vibration?
Specialists are looking at how we minimise noise or vibration during construction. A detailed construction plan in line with New Zealand standards and guidance has been prepared, as required by our consent.
We will also monitor and test during construction to ensure noise and vibration are kept to a safe standard.
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What are you proposing to do about access for walkers, runners or cyclists?
We will be constructing a new path on the north side of the stream opposite the Champion Street carpark, to provide an additional route through the park while the works are taking place. When the main track is closed from Champion Street carpark to the blackberry harvest area, walkers, runners and cyclists will need to divert through the streets in Cannons Creek (if they are taking through route), or use another area of the park (if they are just using the park for recreation).
Parkrun are relocating to Plimmerton while the main track is closed.
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What will you be doing to reduce dust and mud during construction?
Our construction planning includes making sure that industry good practice standards are in place so that any dust or mud is minimised. Proven techniques include lightly spraying water on site to keep any soil damp, doing work in stages to avoid disturbing large areas, and using straw or other materials.
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What about construction traffic?
We will have to move some large equipment, significant amounts of materials and workers to and from the construction areas. We will prepare traffic management plans that minimise disruption and keep the community safe during construction, and these will be approved by Porirua City Council and/or Waka Kotahi, as required by our consent.
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Who will deliver the work?
Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development is a partnership between Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. To remove and replace the wastewater pipes, Porirua Development have contracted construction and infrastructure experts Te Aranga to deliver the work. Te Aranga Alliance is a partnership of construction and infrastructure experts Higgins, Goodman, Beca, Harrison Grierson and Orogen with Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
Pine tree removal frequently asked questions
To help install new wastewater pipes as safely and quickly as we have removed many pine trees along the ridgeline of Cannons Creek Park, as well as trees through Bothamley Park.
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Why are you removing trees?
As with all living things, trees have a life cycle. Since February 2022, there have been 15 incidents where individual or groups of trees have fallen.
The trees through Bothamley and Cannons Creek Park were planted around 50 years ago which means many are now at the end of their life cycle.
To help reduce the risk to public using the park and houses along the ridgeline, we have an opportunity with the wastewater pipes upgrade to remove any trees that are vulnerable. Removing some of the trees will not only future proof the park but also create an opportunity to replant and landscape the area to make it more environmentally sustainable, safer and user friendly for the community.
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What areas will you be removing trees?
We have had to remove all the pines trees that are near the walking track or neighbouring houses between Bellona Place and Champion Street. In addition, work will be starting shortly to remove the pine trees along the ridgeline in Cannons Creek Park.
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With the removal of the trees will wildlife lose their habitat?
Many of the pine trees will remain in Bothamley Park. We will be leaving some of the trees that are well away from the main track through Bothamley Park, as well as the trees in the eastern parts of the park, near Waitangirua, because these are not affected by the wastewater pipe works. Leaving these trees will keep some habitat for birds that like roosting in high trees.
Before we start to fell the trees, we are checking if there are any lizards in the area, and if there are, we will be relocating these to an appropriate alternative location within the park. You might notice some stacks of wood being created in the park. These are to create habitat that is great for the lizards to move into.
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What kinds of trees will you be removing? Will you be removing any native trees?
We have only identified a range of pine trees and Macrocarpas which are vulnerable and need to be removed from each park.
Pine trees and Macrocarpas are not native to Aotearoa, New Zealand. This work provides an opportunity to replace pine trees with a range of appropriate native plants which will help to support the park’s environment.
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How many trees will you be removing?
Throughout the two parks, we’ve identified around 500 trees that are vulnerable and need to be removed.
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Will you be replacing the trees post construction?
The tree removal provides an opportunity to landscape and plant a range of native plants throughout the park. We will continue to work alongside local residents, community and development partners Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Porirua City Council to create something that not only meets community aspirations, but is also sustainable for future generations.
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How long will this work take?
The work will be delivered in stages throughout 2023. To enable work to start on upgrading the wastewater pipes through Bothamley Park, we started removing pine trees in early 2023 and work to remove the pines along the ridgeline in Cannons Creek Park will commence shortly.
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What about nearby homes? Will they be in danger of damage?
When we fell the trees, we need to make sure that people are a safe distance from the works. The park will be closed in the areas that we are working, and we will ask people in neighbouring homes to be out of their houses when we are felling trees nearby. We expect that people affected may need to be out of their homes for a few hours while the trees nearby are being felled. Our site teams will visit people that are affected and work with them to confirm the exact time that they will need to be out of their homes. The site teams will look to accommodate any requirements that neighbours may have, as much as possible.
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When will replanting take place?
The areas where trees are being felled will be mulched or hydroseeded (sprayed grass seed) to minimize runoff of sediments (soils) into the stream. In winter 2023, we will begin planting native trees in the areas, where the pine trees have been removed. We have been working with landscape specialists and Ngāti Toa Rangatira to choose the right trees and plants for the park. The trees will be locally grown.
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Who will be completing this work?
The pines will be removed by a qualified clear felling crew and in some instances arborist crews to safely remove the trees.
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What consultation took place?
The Reserves Act does not include any consultation requirements specific to pines. However the public notification for the fast track consent for the wastewater pipes upgrade did. In addition, the Wetland engagement also included some information on pine removal specifically in Cannons Creek Park.
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Who determines how many native plants will be planted and where?
There is a revegetation plan which we have created in partnership with Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development partners Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. This is currently being finalised and Porirua City Council will be approving the plan in their capacity as regulatory authority, not in their capacity as land owner.
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Who do I call if I have a question about the tree felling?
If you have any questions you can call the Porirua City Council contact centre on 04 237 5089, Monday to Friday between 8:00am - 5:00pm to arrange a chat.
Parks projects frequently asked questions
To help answer some questions you may have about the opportunity to improve Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve, view the FAQs.
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What is a Parks Landscape Plan?
A Parks Landscape Plan helps set the direction on how we can enhance the accessibility, safety and function of Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve. The Parks Landscape Plan outlines how we can make the most out of each space to best meet the needs of the community now and into the future. The plan will also feed into the wider Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development work programme to improve public spaces alongside housing in eastern Porirua.
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Why do we need a Parks Landscape Plan?
Eastern Porirua has a great variety of open spaces and recreation facilities, ranging from sports grounds, recreational reserves, scenic reserves, playgrounds and local neighbourhood parks. However, we know that Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve need some improvements to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose.
Community told us that:
- The three parks are underutilised
- There is low visibility and poor water management
- There is a lack of accessibility and safety
- There is significant water pollution within Bothamley Park due to the old wastewater pipes
- Cannons Creek Park has poor drainage at the bottom of the park
- Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve has issues around public safety, vandalism and anti-social behaviour
Creating a Parks Landscape Plan will provide a guide on how we could enhance Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve to meet the needs of the community now and into the future.
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When will you come back to the community for feedback?
Absolutely! We will collate all feedback received in 2021 and share a Parks Landscape Plan with more specific examples of how we could enhance Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve.
Any work outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan will need to be staged and further consultation will be carried out before we start making any significant changes to the parks.
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Will we get more community facilities?
Any opportunities outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan will need to be staged and further community engagement will be carried out before we start making any significant changes to the parks.
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Who will deliver the Parks Landscape Plan?
The plan will be delivered in partnership between the community, Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The work will be staged and there will be further consultation required before we start making significant changes to each park as outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan.
Wetland frequently asked questions
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What is a wetland?
A wetland is an area of land that is covered by water. They act like the kidneys of the earth, cleaning the water that flows into them. A wetland is designed to trap soil, filter out nutrients and remove contaminants.
As well as supporting water management, wetlands can also benefit the community in other ways. Wetlands can be designed to include recreational and community benefits, such as new paths for walking or biking, as well as supporting local wildlife.
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Why do we need a wetland?
Our waterways are feeling the pressure of a growing population and changes to land-use. During community engagement in 2019, the management of storm and waste water featured often, with many people expressing concern about the quality of the waterways and the pollution of the Te Awarua-o-Porirua. These concerns were backed up from a 2019 review of the quality of freshwater in Porirua (which included Kenepuru Stream) that found it to be Grade E, which is the lowest water quality grade.
Run off from rain can cause problems for our taiao, our environment. A lot of rain falls on hard surfaces like roofs, driveways and roads and when it runs down into the drain it can carry with it dust and dirt as well as pollutants like heavy metals from old roofs and oil from our cars.
Soil and toxins end up in our streams and harbour polluting our waterways, harming our marine life such as fish and affecting the quality of water we use for recreation like swimming or fishing.
We want to improve water quality for the community by improving the stormwater entering our waterways. One of the best ways to do this is through investing in water management solutions such as wetlands and pipe upgrades.
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Why might we need a water management solution in Cannons Creek Park?
The bottom (northern end) of Cannons Creek Park is a great option to create a wetland because it is at the bottom of the catchment, so the runoff from all of the area upstream can flow through the wetland and be treated before it gets into Kenepuru Stream.
As part of the development to the east of Cannons Creek Park, we have constructed a large pipe to divert flows from wider urban area into the wetland. This means that more of the runoff from the urban areas can also be treated through the proposed wetland area.
This timeline may change depending on community and Council feedback, as well as availability of resources.
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Will we lose access to Cannons Creek Park?
If resource consent is granted, there will be some temporary disruption during construction, however we will minimise this as much as we can to ensure everyone can still access the main sports areas of the park.
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How much will it cost to create a wetland?
The Government announced in July 2021 that they would be allocating $136 Million of the Housing Acceleration Fund to fund key water infrastructure upgrades to support eastern Porirua. This includes funding to create a wetland to help improve water management.
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What areas could the community influence through providing their feedback in 2022?
There were two key areas the community could significantly influence:
- An accessway from Castor Crescent into Cannons Creek Park
- The area between the sportsfield and the proposed wetland.
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Why were there only two areas that the community could help co-design?
In order for a wetland to be successful there are a list of engineering requirements that must be met. We have contracted specialists to help design and deliver a wetland that will be appropriate for Cannons Creek Park. We have also sought advice from our partners Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Porirua City Council who have knowledge of the area and what can be successfully maintained for generations to enjoy.
The other aspect of the wetland design which requires technical design work in order to meet Porirua City Council standards is the pathways to and around the proposed wetland. In a couple of instances, there are steep banks that the team will need to work on to ensure they are accessible for park users.
The two key areas (mentioned in the previous question) did not have a lot of specific engineering requirements. They could provide opportunities for the community to see their thoughts reflected in the proposed design.
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Why are you focusing on a small portion of the park, when further work is needed to be done in Cannons Creek Park?
The creation of a wetland is one piece of work in a larger plan to upgrade the area. The wetland is a great way to help us to quickly address water quality issues in the area and has been funded through the Housing Acceleration Fund.
Before we can talk about what other improvements we can make in the park, we need to finalise a series of plans for Cannons Creek which take a deeper dive into all the things we need to work on or support to enhance the area. These plans are currently underway and Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development will continue to work alongside our partners to masterplan and share with the community once they’re completed.
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Did you look at other options to help improve water management?
We’ve looked into a variety of options that could help improve stormwater management, such as holding and treating stormwater on private properties. We are proposing to create a wetland at the bottom (northern end) of Cannons Creek Park, as this option has more recreational and water quality benefits for the community.
