Mixed views on berm barriers

Barriers put along the edge of a public berm by residents to prevent parking are likely to remain in place, with Auckland Council reluctant to remove them.

Large wooden poles were put on the berm at the end of Wade River Road, near the Weiti Boating Club, last year by residents who are concerned about parking there contributing to subsidence, as well as antisocial behaviour (HM December 12, 2022).

Auckland Council’s area operations manager, Kris Bird, says at this stage Council is not planning on removing the poles.

“The berm is a public space, but the poles are not restricting people from using it, only stopping cars parking on it. There are other areas to park, in and around this area,” Bird says.

However local resident Ken Jerard says the only other public parking is the one with a ‘Park At Your Own Risk’ sign. He says those parks are often taken up with the vehicles of Weiti Boating Club members.

Jerard has asked Council to mark out parking lines with signs for ‘trailer parking only’.

He says leaving the poles on the berm “opens the door for other people to take the law into their own hands”.

However, Fairhaven Walk resident, Riccie de Brouwer, says the barriers have not spoiled anyone’s enjoyment of the area.

“On the contrary, because there are no longer cars and boat trailers parking there and taking up all the space, people come to picnic and swim, couples to enjoy a sundowner, everyone parks on the big green berm a few metres away and walks over the road to sit in the peaceful space,” she says.

De Brouwer says that although the poles offer some protection to the water’s edge, there was further erosion as a result of the Anniversary weekend floods and cyclone.

“The underside of the road from the curves down to the club is even more eroded and the upper side had three slips, at times isolating the community on this side,” she says. She says residents plan to approach the