Our Pathway of Opportunity

Mayor Sheryl Mai opening Kotuitui Whitinga in 2017.

HIS TO RY Our Pathway of

Opportunity BY MAYOR SHERYL MAI

I have a unique perspective on the Hātea Loop/Huarahi o te Whai (Pathway of Opportunity).

From 1995-2001, I was working for the Whangārei District Council Parks and Recreation Horticulture team, and was involved in the very early stages of the

Loop pathway 21 years ago. Our team managed the first stage of concreting the path from the

Whangārei Theatre Company (WAODS in those days) through to the soon-to-be-installed Waka and Wave sculpture, a collaborative Millennium piece by Ngātiwai sculptor Te Warihi Hetaraka and Chris Booth.

I remember comments such as ‘what a waste of concrete, and ‘no one’s ever going to go there’. I remember the dark, thick mangroves and the boggy ground. I also remember being impressed with the foresight of Council, that they supported the vision of a wonderful pathway for our community. Today, I often hear the Loop described as ‘the best thing Council has ever done.’

In 2004, I was elected as a councillor. By this time, the Hātea Loop had taken another step forwards, and it was being referred to as ‘an impressive new pathway along Hātea river’. The

Waka and Wave sculpture had been completed the year before, and the Town Basin Sculpture

Trail landscape preparations were well underway.

In 2012, on returning home after a year travelling overseas, I saw the completed Town Basin

Sculpture Trail for the first time, and I recall thinking “this is world-class”.

I was elected into my current Mayoral role the very next year, and Huarahi o te Whai has continued to grow and improve every year since.

The Hātea Loop is now one of Whangārei’s most heavily used recreational areas, extending in a fully-accessible 4.2km stretch around our upper harbour. It’s an achievable distance, and constant improvements such as lighting, car parks, benches and water fountains are continuing to make the Loop more popular. Every year we see the Loop being used for more events, from charity runs, festivals, markets and promotional activities, to volunteer-led group activities such as the popular weekly Whangārei 5km Parkrun. Best of all, we’re seeing kids everywhere – on their bikes, scooters, walking their dogs, spotting fish and birds, and enjoying our beautiful environment with their families.

It’s a wonderful sight, and something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching.

Like adding jewels to a necklace, our community and Council are finding new and creative features to contribute to the Loop experience. Most recently we celebrated the opening of Camera Obscura on Pohe Island, soon we’ll see the fascinating engineering of the Rolling Ball Clock plus the Pohe Island bike park completion. Our New Town Basin Park beside Hundertwasser will open in December 2021 and the Pohe Island Destination Playground early in 2022.

The Loop outdoor exercise equipment, Rolling Ball Clock and Camera Obscura are all communityled projects, and Council is continuing to receive fantastic ideas and input from our community. To have this level of interest in a community asset like the Loop really puts the ownership back into the hands of the people who live, work and play here, which is exactly the way it should be.

A real highlight for me in my time as Mayor of Whangārei was cutting the ribbon on Kotuitui Whitinga in 2017, declaring Huarahi o te Whai officially open. In June 2019 we celebrated the opening of stage One of the Hihiaua Cultural Centre, another collaborative Loop project which is fast becoming a world-class attraction in its own right. What started as a jigsaw puzzle of many pieces is finally making sense, and our community is embracing it as a free attraction open to residents and visitors alike.

The Pathway of Opportunity is living up to its name, and I have no doubt the Hātea Loop will continue to be Whangārei’s star attraction for many generations to come.