Latest news with #NewPlymouthDistrictCouncil
Scoop
7 hours ago
- General
- Scoop
Fear Of Confusion Sparks Name Rethink For Manutahi Park
Worries about a new Manutahi Park being mistaken for another Manutahi an hour's drive away has New Plymouth's council considering adding the name of a British Military Settler. The park is a planned green space in Lepperton village, about 15km from New Plymouth, on the site of a hall demolished three years ago. New Plymouth District Council asked mana whenua about a name for the park, and Manutahi was suggested by Puketapu hapū. Manutahi remembers the name of the Māori village where Lepperton now stands, as well as nearby Manutahi Pā which was built to defend against British invasion in the Taranaki Wars. The name - literally One Bird - references local bird-hunting forests and is supported by neighbouring Pukerangiora hapū. Manutahi is already widely familiar: it's the name of one of the two country roads intersecting in the village. But a council report said consultation found some locals worried that people would confuse the new park's location with an even smaller hamlet - also called Manutahi - 80 kilometres away between Hāwera and Pātea. "Generally, those who did not support the name felt that [Manutahi Park] did not reflect the Lepperton location and non-locals will not know where it is," staff reported. "The name 'Manutahi Park - Lepperton' is proposed to address this potential confusion." Although, perhaps confusingly, not necessarily as the official name. "The addition of Lepperton ... could either be a formally recognised part of the name or a component that is put in place as required to confirm the location, as opposed to formally recognised as part of the park name." Council policy is that reserves' names reflect history. "If there is a strong Māori cultural connection to a reserve, a Māori name should be considered in consultation with mana whenua. "Likewise, a strong European cultural connection to a reserve should result in an appropriate European name. "Where appropriate, both Māori and European names will be used." The report recognised the name might be disputed. "There is a risk that adding the location descriptor of Lepperton to the name could be seen as not needed by hapū and/or some of the community that were supportive of the proposed name." Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell Lepper was a British soldier with the 14th Regiment, redeployed from colonial duties in Ireland to fight Taranaki Māori in 1860. Retiring from the Empire's army, Lepper then commanded the Taranaki Military Settlers - volunteer troops who were rewarded with land taken from Māori in return for 'policing duties'. In 1865 the area was proclaimed confiscated and Manutahi declared a military settlement. Lepper was honoured with the town's name and the family thrived on that confiscated land, with many descendants also recognised on Lepperton's war memorial obelisk and as contributors to Lepperton School. Locals who spoke with Local Democracy Reporting said they were not confused about Manutahi. Out with the grandkids, Lindy Moratti said she didn't even know where the other Manutahi is. "I cannot see any issue with it, I would not think that would be a problem at all. "To me it's very, very clear and very obvious that it would be here." Speedway driver Sean Price didn't think Manutahi alone would confuse people, but was happy either way. "I'm on the fence really," he said. "Definitely you know where it is, if you say Lepperton - I mean, that confirms it. Lepperton would be bang on." Dave Trinder was delivering taonga pūoro, traditional musical instruments, to Lepperton School for a practice session with students. He deferred to hapū leaders with more knowledge, but neither he nor the kids helping with the taonga had any confusion about Manutahi. The naming decision goes before NPDC's iwi committee Te Huinga Taumatua on Tuesday.
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Fear of confusion sparks name rethink for Manutahi Park
Manutahi is also a tiny town on State Highway 3 in South Taranaki, an hour's drive from Lepperton. Photo: Supplied / LDR Worries about a new Manutahi Park being mistaken for another Manutahi an hour's drive away has New Plymouth's council considering adding the name of a British Military Settler. The park is a planned green space in Lepperton village, about 15km from New Plymouth, on the site of a hall demolished three years ago. New Plymouth District Council asked mana whenua about a name for the park, and Manutahi was suggested by Puketapu hapū. Manutahi remembers the name of the Māori village where Lepperton now stands, as well as nearby Manutahi Pā which was built to defend against British invasion in the Taranaki Wars. The name - literally One Bird - references local bird-hunting forests and is supported by neighbouring Pukerangiora hapū. Manutahi is already widely familiar: it's the name of one of the two country roads intersecting in the village. But a council report said consultation found some locals worried that people would confuse the new park's location with an even smaller hamlet - also called Manutahi - 80 kilometres away between Hāwera and Pātea. "Generally, those who did not support the name felt that [Manutahi Park] did not reflect the Lepperton location and non-locals will not know where it is," staff reported. "The name 'Manutahi Park - Lepperton' is proposed to address this potential confusion." Although, perhaps confusingly, not necessarily as the official name. "The addition of Lepperton ... could either be a formally recognised part of the name or a component that is put in place as required to confirm the location, as opposed to formally recognised as part of the park name." Council policy is that reserves' names reflect history. Taranaki Military Settlers - including their commander Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell Lepper - were volunteers rewarded with Māori land in return for 'policing duties'. Photo: Supplied / Puke Ariki Museum "If there is a strong Māori cultural connection to a reserve, a Māori name should be considered in consultation with mana whenua. "Likewise, a strong European cultural connection to a reserve should result in an appropriate European name. "Where appropriate, both Māori and European names will be used." The report recognised the name might be disputed. "There is a risk that adding the location descriptor of Lepperton to the name could be seen as not needed by hapū and/or some of the community that were supportive of the proposed name." Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell Lepper was a British soldier with the 14th Regiment, redeployed from colonial duties in Ireland to fight Taranaki Māori in 1860. Retiring from the Empire's army, Lepper then commanded the Taranaki Military Settlers - volunteer troops who were rewarded with land taken from Māori in return for 'policing duties'. In 1865 the area was proclaimed confiscated and Manutahi declared a military settlement. Lepper was honoured with the town's name and the family thrived on that confiscated land, with many descendants also recognised on Lepperton's war memorial obelisk and as contributors to Lepperton School. Locals who spoke with Local Democracy Reporting said they were not confused about Manutahi. Taonga pūoro teacher Dave Trinder and Lepperton Primary students like Esme Nesbitt and Maia Lilomaiava had no worries about the name Manutahi. Photo: Photo / Te Korimako o Taranaki Out with the grandkids, Lindy Moratti said she didn't even know where the other Manutahi is. "I cannot see any issue with it, I would not think that would be a problem at all. "To me it's very, very clear and very obvious that it would be here." Speedway driver Sean Price didn't think Manutahi alone would confuse people, but was happy either way. "I'm on the fence really," he said. "Definitely you know where it is, if you say Lepperton - I mean, that confirms it. Lepperton would be bang on." Dave Trinder was delivering taonga pūoro, traditional musical instruments, to Lepperton School for a practice session with students. He deferred to hapū leaders with more knowledge, but neither he nor the kids helping with the taonga had any confusion about Manutahi. The naming decision goes before NPDC's iwi committee Te Huinga Taumatua on Tuesday. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
New Plymouth council to undertake safety audit of new cycleway
Devon Intermediate School principal Jenny Gellen says the cycleway is an accident waiting to happen. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin A safety audit has been ordered for a controversial cycleway that has divided opinions in New Plymouth, with a view to identify improvements that can be made to the design. Contractors began installing 4 kilometres of concrete separators for the dedicated cycleway earlier this year and most have been in place since April. The $3.8 million NZTA Transport Choices project along Devon Street West and South Road was developed in conjunction with the New Plymouth District council and fully funded through the Transport Agency. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom said the cycleway was always going to be controversial, with submissions on the project being split 50/50 for and against. "Once construction has been completed our team will undertake a safety review to assess the new layout, feedback from road users and the views of residents living along the route. "I have asked our team to report back following that process to provide council with any options available to improve the design." Since the beginning of the installation of the concrete separators, which have been nicknamed Tim Tams due to their resemblance to the popular biscuits, there has been a flood of complaints. Residents and businesses have griped about lost car parks, motorists have hit the raised separators damaging tyres and wheel rims, and others have said they couldn't pull over to allow emergency services through because of them. NZTA director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said it was important to note the new cycleway was not yet complete. "We are not aware of any significant safety concerns with the cycleway construction at this stage. "Once it is complete any new roadway layout then has a 'transition' period where it is monitored, and adjustments or fine-tuning is carried out. Equally, road users also take a period of adjustment to new road layouts including cycleways, signalised intersections etc." Stewart said NZTA had worked closely with NPDC on the design and construction phase of the project and would continue to do so in the post-construction phase." North Taranaki Cycling Advocates member Elric Aublant says the concrete separators remind vehicles to stay in their lane. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin Devon Intermediate School principal Jenny Gellen, whose school was meant to benefit from the cycleway, said the concrete separators were too many in number and too large. "You'd actually have to be driving a quite high-set car, anything that's lower to the ground you're going to take out the bottom of your motor and I don't know what's going to happen to your tyres." The principal had even more serious concerns about the layout of a new pedestrian crossing at Belt Road, a short distance from Devon Intermediate, which was mainly used by West End primary school pupils. It now featured two car parks on the road side of the cycleway separator. "So, students can be standing on the pedestrian crossing with cars parked out in front of it and the students can't been seen by the cars coming down the road ... and the students have to be well out on the pedestrian crossing before they can see the cars. "I have a serious concern that that's actually an accident waiting to happen and it won't be a pretty one." Principal Jenny Gellen says she has serious concerns about road safety. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin North Taranaki Cycling Advocates Group member Elric Aublant rode his bike every day along South Road on his commute to town until recently moving house. He said the previous, painted-on cycling lane wasn't adequate. "Even when there was quite a decent shoulder space, there were a lot of cars running inside the bike lane, so really not giving cyclists enough space." Aublant had been back to try the new dedicated lane and liked what he saw. "And, so yes, the concrete blocks some people think it is quite an issue because people are hitting them, but I personally think it's a good separation and it's actually forcing drivers to stick to their lane and share the road with other users. "And, yeah, it's a much more safe, more pleasant commute on that road now." He hoped that as people became more familiar with the cycle lanes more would get back on their bikes and try them out. Emergency services providers had a mixed views on the cycleway separators. FENZ Taranaki district manager David Utumapu said it made its concerns known during the submissions process. "We advised the council that we were concerned that traffic might not be able to clear the lane when an emergency vehicle is behind them. "It seems to us that people are not always sure what to do when we're behind them, and few seem willing to drive over the lane separators, leaving a narrow gap on the centreline for our trucks to use." Police did not raise concerns about the cycle lane separators and Hato Hone St John area operations manager Blair Walton said it took part in the 2023 public consultation on their installation and "had no concerns at the time". "As it's early days we're monitoring the situation and how the new layout is working in practice." NZTA's Linda Stewart said concrete cycleway separators had been used safely internationally and in New Zealand. Guidance on the safe use and design of separators was on its website. "To achieve the space for the cycleway, essentially one side of parking was removed. The separators effectively act as a parked car in most respects. Drivers can continue until there is a gap in the separators where it's safe to pull over and stop." Council's major projects and planning manager Andrew Barron said the cycle lane separators were designed to best-practice standards. "Similar cycleways have been installed in other cities across the country. "We understood that there would be a settling-in period as drivers get used to the changed road layout. The separators themselves are not causing the accidents. "We appreciate that previously, drivers could use the cycle lane to manoeuvre into and this ability has been removed to increase the safety of cyclists." Barron said the approved designs allowed most cars, as well as emergency vehicles, the ability to negotiate them as the road width had in most instances stayed the same. "The separators are low enough for most cars to straddle without them hitting the bottom of the car." Construction of the cycleway was due to be complete later this month. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Council to undertake safety audit of new cycleway
Devon Intermediate School principal Jenny Gellen says the cycleway is an accident waiting to happen. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin A safety audit has been ordered for a controversial cycleway that has divided opinions in New Plymouth, with a view to identify improvements that can be made to the design. Contractors began installing 4 kilometres of concrete separators for the dedicated cycleway earlier this year and most have been in place since April. The $3.8 million NZTA Transport Choices project along Devon Street West and South Road was developed in conjunction with the New Plymouth District council and fully funded through the Transport Agency. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom said the cycleway was always going to be controversial, with submissions on the project being split 50/50 for and against. "Once construction has been completed our team will undertake a safety review to assess the new layout, feedback from road users and the views of residents living along the route. "I have asked our team to report back following that process to provide council with any options available to improve the design." Since the beginning of the installation of the concrete separators, which have been nicknamed Tim Tams due to their resemblance to the popular biscuits, there has been a flood of complaints. Residents and businesses have griped about lost car parks, motorists have hit the raised separators damaging tyres and wheel rims, and others have said they couldn't pull over to allow emergency services through because of them. NZTA director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said it was important to note the new cycleway was not yet complete. "We are not aware of any significant safety concerns with the cycleway construction at this stage. "Once it is complete any new roadway layout then has a 'transition' period where it is monitored, and adjustments or fine-tuning is carried out. Equally, road users also take a period of adjustment to new road layouts including cycleways, signalised intersections etc." Stewart said NZTA had worked closely with NPDC on the design and construction phase of the project and would continue to do so in the post-construction phase." North Taranaki Cycling Advocates member Elric Aublant says the concrete separators remind vehicles to stay in their lane. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin Devon Intermediate School principal Jenny Gellen, whose school was meant to benefit from the cycleway, said the concrete separators were too many in number and too large. "You'd actually have to be driving a quite high-set car, anything that's lower to the ground you're going to take out the bottom of your motor and I don't know what's going to happen to your tyres." The principal had even more serious concerns about the layout of a new pedestrian crossing at Belt Road, a short distance from Devon Intermediate, which was mainly used by West End primary school pupils. It now featured two car parks on the road side of the cycleway separator. "So, students can be standing on the pedestrian crossing with cars parked out in front of it and the students can't been seen by the cars coming down the road ... and the students have to be well out on the pedestrian crossing before they can see the cars. "I have a serious concern that that's actually an accident waiting to happen and it won't be a pretty one." Principal Jenny Gellen says she has serious concerns about road safety. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin North Taranaki Cycling Advocates Group member Elric Aublant rode his bike every day along South Road on his commute to town until recently moving house. He said the previous, painted-on cycling lane wasn't adequate. "Even when there was quite a decent shoulder space, there were a lot of cars running inside the bike lane, so really not giving cyclists enough space." Aublant had been back to try the new dedicated lane and liked what he saw. "And, so yes, the concrete blocks some people think it is quite an issue because people are hitting them, but I personally think it's a good separation and it's actually forcing drivers to stick to their lane and share the road with other users. "And, yeah, it's a much more safe, more pleasant commute on that road now." He hoped that as people became more familiar with the cycle lanes more would get back on their bikes and try them out. Emergency services providers had a mixed views on the cycleway separators. FENZ Taranaki district manager David Utumapu said it made its concerns known during the submissions process. "We advised the council that we were concerned that traffic might not be able to clear the lane when an emergency vehicle is behind them. "It seems to us that people are not always sure what to do when we're behind them, and few seem willing to drive over the lane separators, leaving a narrow gap on the centreline for our trucks to use." Police did not raise concerns about the cycle lane separators and Hato Hone St John area operations manager Blair Walton said it took part in the 2023 public consultation on their installation and "had no concerns at the time". "As it's early days we're monitoring the situation and how the new layout is working in practice." NZTA's Linda Stewart said concrete cycleway separators had been used safely internationally and in New Zealand. Guidance on the safe use and design of separators was on its website. "To achieve the space for the cycleway, essentially one side of parking was removed. The separators effectively act as a parked car in most respects. Drivers can continue until there is a gap in the separators where it's safe to pull over and stop." Council's major projects and planning manager Andrew Barron said the cycle lane separators were designed to best-practice standards. "Similar cycleways have been installed in other cities across the country. "We understood that there would be a settling-in period as drivers get used to the changed road layout. The separators themselves are not causing the accidents. "We appreciate that previously, drivers could use the cycle lane to manoeuvre into and this ability has been removed to increase the safety of cyclists." Barron said the approved designs allowed most cars, as well as emergency vehicles, the ability to negotiate them as the road width had in most instances stayed the same. "The separators are low enough for most cars to straddle without them hitting the bottom of the car." Construction of the cycleway was due to be complete later this month. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
22-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Plants To Start Green Facelift Of New Plymouth City Centre
Press Release – New Plymouth District Council Around 22 of the oldest and most at-risk trees will be removed between Egmont and Elliot streets to be replaced with a mix of shade trees and street-level greenery. The first stage of a green makeover for New Plymouth city centre starts on 28 April with a pilot project to remove Devon Street's aging alder trees. Around 22 of the oldest and most at-risk trees will be removed between Egmont and Elliot streets to be replaced with a mix of shade trees and street-level greenery. The first group of 13 alders between Brougham and Robe streets will come down this month and the other eight between Egmont and Eliot streets will be removed in autumn next year. 'This is part of our City Centre Strategy vision for a greener, family-friendly city centre where people want to shop, stop and enjoy. This will cause some brief disruption to traffic as we need to keep people and property safe, but the footpaths will remain open and we'd ask people to bear with us while we carry out this work,' said NPDC Manager Parks and Open Spaces Conrad Pattison. 'We'll be replacing the trees with natives and if they're a success over the next six months, we'll be looking to roll them out along the length of Devon Street in the city centre. Our city centre is the business, cultural and social hub of our district and the strategy is a partnership between NPDC and Ngāti Te Whiti hapū to keep it thriving for residents, jobs and businesses,' said Conrad. The work to remove the first group of trees is expected to be completed by 2 May and the new planting will be later in May. Check out our vision for the city centre at FAST FACTS Retailers petitioned to remove the alders in 2020 claiming falling leaves and seed pods were a nuisance for building owners and pedestrians. In 2020 Councillors agreed to replace the Italian alder trees along Devon Street with planting informed by the City Centre Strategy. All 70-odd alder trees between Gover and Robe streets are pruned every two years to keep their height down. The felled trees will be chipped and used as mulch in our parks and reserves. Councillors approved the City Centre Strategy including proposals for a green makeover in December 2021. The Mayor and Councillors approved $500,000 split over two years in the 2024-34 Ten-Year Plan.
