Share your thoughts and ideas on the future of Aotea Lagoon as we work together to create a development plan for the entire Reserve.
The Reserve was opened to the public in 1980, creating a wonderful space for people to enjoy. Forty years on, we want to ensure that the Reserve continues to be attractive and welcoming to the growing population of Porirua city.
There are no pre-determined ideas or plans for the Reserve. As such, no money has been set aside for any new development as yet. All financial planning (ie requests for funding for any future works) must go through Council’s Long-term Plan and Annual Planning processes once the Aotea Lagoon Reserve Development Plan has been completed.
Specifically, we want to know what you value, or don’t value about the Reserve, so that any proposed development, both now and in the future, is based on the views of our diverse and growing community.
The Aotea Lagoon Reserve Development Plan will support Council’s review of the Aotea Lagoon Reserve Management Plan by providing community-based feedback on how the Reserve can be developed.
More than 740 people completed our survey - what a great response! A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to do it, came along to our open day event, or shared your story.
We are now in the process of collating all your responses. We will share the key messages and themes from the feedback in mid-2020.
You will be contacted by email and/or phone if your name has been drawn to win a family swim pass to Arena Aquatics Porirua or a $50 voucher to Cobb & Co Porirua.
Stage one is completed after the survey and Open Day event. It will help us understand the thoughts, ideas, and hopes of individual members of our community, along with those of other agencies, organisations and groups, for Aotea Lagoon.
As part of this phase, we will be releasing plans (such as the Land Plan) and a community report, to help inform the public.
Stage Two
Option plans will be created using the key themes and messages identified in stage one.
The option plans will be made available to the community, other agencies, organisations and groups for feedback.
Finalisation of the Aotea Lagoon Reserve Development Plan will incorporate the great ideas, forward thinking, and values of our community now and for future generations.
Open Day – Sunday, 1 March, 2020:
On Sunday 1 March we celebrated Children’s Day at Aotea Lagoon. We had perfect weather and our Events, Parks and Communications staff interacted with a number of people. Many tamariki shared their visions for the future of Aotea Lagoon by expressing themselves with drawings for our Aotea Lagoon Wishing Wall. We have over 90 drawings entered into the prize draw so far from the day. Even some adults took the opportunity to draw their ideas for the Reserve!
A Management Plan (as per the New Zealand Reserves Act, 1977) is required to:
'…provide for and ensure the use, enjoyment, maintenance, protection and preservation…and the development, as appropriate, of the reserve for the purpose for which it was classified…’
A management plan lets us establish the desired mix of uses and values for a reserve, and set policy that guides the day-to-day management. It provides the community with certainty about the function and management of the reserve. A management plan doesn't provide detailed design of structures and facilities on a reserve.
A development plan outlines how a reserve could be developed and needs to align with the management plan.
We are creating a development plan for Aotea Lagoon to provide a clear framework that will guide future decisions regarding improvements and changes, and avoid further ad hoc development.
No. We are choosing to invest in this process to understand the community’s point of view before investing resources into the creation of a Development Plan.
Once the Development Plan is complete (ie the end of Stage Four) it will guide us so that any future development can be planned.
Any money/funding for new development is yet to be determined – at the moment it is about listening to the community to help develop a plan that meets the needs of our diverse and growing population.
Therefore, no money has been set aside for any new development. All financial planning (requests for funding for any future works) must go through Council’s Long-term Plan and Annual Plan processes.
Yes. Maintenance work is already in the pipeline. For example, there will soon be drainage improvements in the Butterfly Walk area.
However, no money has been set aside for any new development. All financial planning must go through Council’s Long-term Plan and Annual Plan processes.
We want to hear from everyone, whether they love the Reserve, would love to see it changed, or have never been there. To share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions please have your say through our survey, freestyle drawing plans, webpage, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, open days, and/or email from February – May 2020.
Absolutely. You can share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions with us through our survey, freestyle drawing plans, webpage, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, open days, and email during February – March 2020.
In addition, our staff are available to chat with your relative directly by visiting us at our customer service centre in Cobham Court or calling our customer service centre on 04 237 5089.
This engagement closed on 5 April, 2020. We will now review all of the feedback and summarise it into key themes and messages. These will be shared with you around the middle of 2020.
There will be further opportunities to participate in this process so keep an eye out for updates. This webpage will be the main source of up to date information and any changes or updates will likely be announced via our Facebook page.
No. The recent upgrade was part of our routine playgrounds maintenance programme.
The Aotea Lagoon is a special place for Porirua. So we want to hear from as many people within our community as possible - whether or not you use the Reserve, as well as people such as stakeholders from other agencies, organisations and groups, and visitors.
We are starting with a blank page – there are no pre-determined ideas or plans for the future of Aotea Lagoon.
The purpose of the development plan is to ensure that any work we do in the Reserve is in line with our community’s needs and values.
In addition, the development plan will ensure that any future work that is undertaken is structured and future-focused.
The duck pond has been an ongoing concern for some years. We are looking at filling it in. Council will be working with the regional council, via the resource consent process, on this, with funding available in the 2021/22 financial year to carry out the work (if the consent is approved).
All facilities at the reserve will be discussed and consulted upon with the public as part of the development plan process. There have been questions around the toilet block near the duck pond – there is a planned upgrade on the radar, but timing on this is still to be confirmed.
We have received a lot of feedback and suggestions from the community about the toilet facilities at Aotea Lagoon. There will be further opportunity to make comment about the current facilities through the development plan process. An upgrade is on the radar, but timing is not known.
