Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board unveils ambitious footpath programme

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board plans to boost walking and cycling options and to improve community safety by investing over $1.2 million in new footpaths over the next two years.

The footpath programme focuses on improving links around schools and sports fields and will be funded using $450,000 of community board allocated funding with the remaining $940,000 coming from the council’s infrastructure fund.

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board has developed a list of 11 paths it aims to build before the end of the 2024 financial year. That list in order of priority is:

1. Horeke Road: end a portion of existing footpath to school. Design and consent along with quick win sections for construction.
2. SH12 Ohaewai: existing footpath to Ohaewai rugby field
3. SH12 Ohaewai: Ohaewai preschool to existing footpath
4. Manning Street: extend existing path to street number 54
5. Parnell Street: close gap between Honey Street and Rawene Primary School
6. Parnell and Nimmo Street, close Nimmo Street at the school and construct a footpath on Parnell Street in the gap created by the closure
7. SH 12 Kaikohe: Reservoir Road to Showgrounds. A phased construction in partnership with Far North Holdings
8. Okaihau: Mitchie Street
9. Kohukohu Road: Tautehiihi Road to Old Beach Road
10. SH 15 (Mangakaihia Road): from street number 77 to Kohewhate Marae
11. Kaikohe: Penny Crescent: From SH 15 along the sports field.

The board concedes that this is an ambitious building programme and that some projects may exceed available funding. It will provide ongoing guidance to Northland Transportation Alliance (NTA), which is managing the building programme, on its footpath priorities if projects need to be rolled over to the 2024 financial year.