New Way for Squeak Lane

The squeak has been removed from a private road in central Kerikeri after Far North District Council agreed it should be renamed.

Community housing organisation Habitat for Humanity bought 10 homes in March this year on Squeak Lane, next to the BP service station on Kerikeri Road, and requested it should be renamed Te Arapū Way. This was supported by elected members at the council’s meeting on 19 October.

Te Arapū means “Te piringa aratika, hei ihi mo te oranga pūmau” or “a home that enables new beginnings with dignity, wellness and stability”. The name was gifted to the project by local hapū Ngāti Rēhia, and the development was formally opened by Kahikā Moko Tepania earlier this year.

Te Arapū is Habitat for Humanity northern region’s first community housing development in Kerikeri, offering affordable homes for people in need on the housing register.

Chair of Te Rūanga o Ngāti Rēhia Trust, Kipa Munro, supported the name change and praised Habitat for Humanity for delivering high-quality homes for those in need.

“The decision to rename Squeak Lane to Te Arapū Way is deeply meaningful to us,” he said in a letter of support to the council. “Embracing this name will instil a sense of pride and belonging in our people and all those who call this place home. It will serve as a testament to our enduring cultural heritage and the spirit of unity that binds us together.”

The $6 million development provides nine two-bedroom homes and one three-bedroom home.

Photo: Squeak Lane in Kerikeri is being renamed Te Arapū Way.