By the time of publication, Te Rimutahi will have had a ‘soft opening’ with the construction fences taken down, enabling the community to finally access and enjoy our new civic space.
BRAVO!
The formal opening, hosted by the Waitematā Local Board, is scheduled for Saturday, 17 May, 10am - 12 noon.
EVERYONE is invited, so please come along to help celebrate!
Te Rimutahi has been a long time in the making and is tangible evidence of what a group of determined community advocates can achieve.
Council purchased the site at 254 Ponsonby Road in 2006 for an open space development. The Ponsonby Road Masterplan submission process in 2014 showed diverse views on the desired outcome for the site. Subsequently, it was uncoupled from the Masterplan, and a separate submission process was conducted. This resulted in 77% of submissions being in support of a whole-of-site development.
The Waitematā Local Board then initiated a Community- Led Design (CLD) process. CLD refers to projects led by a community group or organisation. This process effectively involved local people in the decision-making process, from envisioning to implementation and, importantly, did so in an ongoing capacity throughout the entire project.
The CLD process connected the community by:
- Creating a collective vision of what could be.
- Developing a design brief informed by local knowledge.
- Holding that vision on behalf of the community to ensure it was always front-of-mind for the project team.
- Maintaining a communication pathway between the project team and you, our stakeholders.
This produced multiple community benefits, including:
- Putting local people at the heart of the changes made to their neighbourhood.
- Improving civic participation, ensuring a more democratic outcome.
- Creating a strong sense of community by strengthening people’s attachment to their neighbourhood.
And it’s GREAT to finally be here, knowing that Te Rimutahi has truly been informed by the community through the years of sustained and ongoing support and engagement:
1243 people signed the petition to retain the whole site for the new civic space.
698 people responding to the Waitematā Local Board’s 254 Ponsonby Road consultation.
190 people responding to the 1st CLDG consultation. 115 people responding to the 2nd CLDG consultation. 1208 people responding to the 3rd CLDG consultation. BRAVO!
Our volunteer CLD Group would like to take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who has been part of this undertaking. To the many iterations of the Waitematā Local Board for their advocacy and support for this long-awaited and much- needed community asset. And to you, our community, for
consistently and continuously engaging with us throughout the CLD process. For supporting us through this long, long journey, we THANK YOU.
We couldn’t have done it without you!
Te Rimutahi, the new civic space at 254 Ponsonby Road, is a place of diversity and inclusion, where everyone is welcome. It is an urban oasis that is good for the people, good for the environment and good for Tāmaki Makaurau. This beautiful civic space is now available for all the residents, visitors and local businesses to access, enjoy and delight in.
We couldn’t be happier!
See you at Te Rimutahi on Saturday 17 May, 10am - 12 noon – if not before. BRAVO! (JENNIFER WARD)
For more information or to contact the Community-Led Design Group, please see our website: 254ponsonbyrd.org.nz or our Facebook pages: Ponsonby Park or 254 Ponsonby Road.
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