Supplementary Reports Agenda of Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board Meeting

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board Meeting Agenda

8 August 2025

7 Ngā Pūrongo / Reports

7.5 Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan

File Number: A5275399

Author: Emma Manning, Senior Strategic Planner

Authoriser: Roger Ackers, Group Manager - Planning & Policy

Take Pūrongo / Purpose of the Report

To seek endorsement of the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan from the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board.

WhakarĀpopoto matua / Executive Summary

· This report:

- provides a summary of the recommendations contained in the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan (the Plan) prepared by consultants ĀKAU as part of the Broadway Placemaking Project,

- provides a summary of the progress made towards implementation of the ‘Painting the Town’ concept, which was endorsed by the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (KHCB) in May 2025,

- provides a summary of the progress made towards identifying the best use of the town beautification funding, and

- recommends that the KHCB:

- endorse the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan,

- incorporates the Plan into the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board Strategic Plan 2023-2025, and

- recommends that Councils also endorse the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan and approve its inclusion in the 2027-2037 Long-Term Plan.

tŪtohunga / Recommendation

That the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board:

a) endorse the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan in Attachment 1,

b) approve incorporating the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan into the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board Strategic Plan 2023-2025, and

c) recommend that Council also endorse the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan and approve its inclusion in the 2027-2037 Long-Term Plan.

1) TĀhuhu kŌrero / Background

At its meeting held on 19 July 2024, the KHCB resolved (Resolution 2024/74) that a sum of $50,000 be awarded from the Pride of Place Grant Fund to implement priority outcomes resulting from engagement with the Kaikohe community, and that they supported a placemaking plan being developed for the general Broadway area of Kaikohe. A Project Steering Group (PSG) was formed in August 2024, to provide community leadership throughout the project which includes KHCB Chair Chicky Rudkin, Cr Babe Kapa, and Cr John Vujcich.

In November 2024, external consultants ĀKAU were engaged to:

a) establish relationships with relevant Kaikohe town stakeholder groups,

b) undertake engagement with stakeholders and hapū to explore relevant cultural and historical narratives and use those to inform concept ideas, and

c) develop a placemaking plan for Broadway, Kaikohe and its immediate environs.

Since February 2025, ĀKAU have undertaken a number of consultation events, which are detailed in the Plan. At the end of the engagement phase, ĀKAU presented six concepts to the Project Steering Group which encapsulated the priorities of the community arising out of that engagement process. The below concepts are detailed in the Plan in Attachment 1:

1. Hapū Markers

2. Broadway Streetscape Upgrade

3. Tāheke Road Entrance to Twin Coast Cycleway

4. Library Square connection to Broadway

5. Kaikohe Market Place

6. Painting the Town including design guidelines for restoration works.

In May 2025 staff sought approval from the KHCB for the funds to be transferred to Far North Holdings Limited (FNHL) in escrow until the Plan was finalised. This was because the $50,000 Community Board grant funding, allocated for implementation of priority outcomes, would have been lost if not allocated to a project before the end of the 2024/2025 financial year.

At that May 2025 meeting, the KHCB was advised by staff that ĀKAU, supported by FNHL, would be developing a plan for works to the value of $107,000 (includes the $50,000 KHCB grant) be spent on implementation of the “Painting the Town” concept.

Due to the constraints around the requirement for the $57,000 in Town Beautification funding to be spent on Capital Assets constructed on council-owned land, ĀKAU worked with FNHL and the Kaikohe Business Association (KBA) to develop the “Painting the Town” concept utilising the available $50,000 in KHCB Grant Funding.

The additional $57,000 needed for this placemaking project has not yet been allocated.

2) matapaki me NgĀ KŌwhiringa / Discussion and Options

Town Beautification Funding $57,000

The Plan does not include costings, nor could any of the six concepts be realised for $57,000. Therefore, upon reviewing the Plan, staff have recommended to the PSG that the most impactful use of this funding would be to remove the street trees and pit guards under the canopies along Broadway and replace these with planters. This suggestion was derived from observations in the Plan that “current street trees are in poor condition because of small tree pits and being positioned under buildings”.

Staff advised the PSG that it would improve the Broadway streetscape to remove the tree pit guards, trees and vegetation under the canopies and develop a consistent landscape design. The PSG were generally supportive of removing the tree pit guards and later developing a landscape design that complements the new library because five street trees are touching privately owned canopies. However, they raised concerns with the existing tree pits and street trees being replaced with planters due to a history of planters not being well maintained.

Concerns were also raised over removing the trees and then no replacement landscaping being done.

Separately, District Facilities staff have raised concerns about trip hazards caused by removing street trees and tree pit guards if there is no suitable replacements.

Given the reservations of the Project Steering Group, staff will continue to work with the Project Steering Group to identify capital assets improvement that allows for the town beautification funds.

Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan

The Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan prepared by ĀKAU is in essence professional advice. Based on what ĀKAU learnt through the targeted community engagement process which they undertook, ĀKAU are recommending upgrades to improve Kaikohe. The Plan includes six major projects which encompass a range of localised improvements to Kaikohe and a summary of the engagements which informed those concepts. There are no costings in the report. The Plan was reviewed and has been endorsed by the PSG.

The below summary outlines the staff assessment of the viability of each of the proposals:

1. Hapū Markers

The Hapū Markers concept creates a tourist trail which depicts places of significance to hapū in Kaikohe and surrounds. In the long term, once constructed, the markers would become council assets to be maintained by Council. Some markers would potentially need to be located on private land if the item/place of significance is on private land.

ĀKAU’s preliminary advice to staff indicated that this concept could be realised for approximately $300,000. The costings were based on four markers, with costs mainly relating to supporting extensive engagement with the hapū to determine which places of significance should be celebrated. Engagement costs will be variable depending on the scale of the tourist trail and if the focus is on places of significance not already identified by hapū.

Council’s Te Hono team have reviewed the proposal and advise that there may need to be some revisions to which of the hapū should be involved in deciding what places and stories are significant. Staff have been advised, via the PSG, that there is support for this proposal from hapū and in the community.

To implement this concept, further consultation with hapū would be recommended, in addition to working with key stakeholder such as landowners and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Toanga.

2. Broadway Streetscape Upgrade

The Plan includes a map which visually depicts five recommendations to upgrade the central retail core of Broadway including moving street trees onto islands built within the carriageway, widening the footpath, redesigning the Raihara Street intersection, relocating pedestrian crossings, and decreasing the speed limit.

These high-level recommendations do not include any design advice in relation to upgrades to civil amenities or assets on Broadway which are within the scope of the KHCB’s delegations. Also adopting any recommendation relating to redesigning the Raihara Street intersection with Broadway would need to integrate with the new Library site, which has not been constructed yet.

Separately, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) have reviewed the Plan and advised their interest is in the State Highway and its operation through town. Specifically, any changes to the operation, speed or capacity for the highway. Any streetscape upgrade that proposes to alter speeds limits, the number or location of the pedestrian crossings and anything that will affect the intersections or operations along the highway would need to be reviewed by NZTA’s operational teams. This is because NZTA needs to consider any effects relating to maintaining the customer experience and travel time for all users of the State Highway network.

Any proposal of this scale could only be undertaken by Council after significant design work, in conjunction with NZTA (because Broadway is a State Highway) and further consultation with the community. Business cases documented in the Kaikohe Township Plan 2019 estimate a proposal of this scale would cost around $10 million in real terms. Public engagement may be required for this concept, if it involves changes to speed limits for example.

3. Tāheke Road Entrance Way and Cycle Trail

The Plan includes a comprehensive plan for upgrades to the Tāheke Road entrance to the Twin Coast Cycle Trail. This plan is fully developed, and the concepts and design can be closely linked back to the Tamariki Engagement Session. ĀKAU also worked closely with representatives from the Twin Coast Cycle Trail during the engagement.

This concept responds to one of the priorities of the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board Strategic Plan 2023-2025, however the land in question is not owned by Council, it is partially in a rail reserve owned by Kiwirail (north of Tāheke Road) and is partially a road within the State Highway corridor which is managed by NZTA (carriageway and south of Tāheke Road). The land on which the Cycle Trail is located is leased from KiwiRail by the Council.

Also, there are significant issues with flooding at the entrance to the Cycle Trail that would need to be investigated and further mitigated before any works could be undertaken. Depending on the end design and works that may be required, staff would have to give consideration to whether any further consultation would need to be undertaken. This work should be done in partnership with the Twin Coast Cycle Trail group.

4. Library Square

The Plan includes a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of the laneway between Broadway and New World and land adjacent to Library Square. Council will need to make a decision about what to do with the existing Kaikohe Library building once the library facilities are relocated to the new Library being constructed on the corner of Broadway and Raihara Street. Therefore, staff do not recommend investing any funds in replacing or upgrading assets at this location until Council has decided what will happen with the old Library site. Separately, part of the land included in this concept is in private ownership.

With the closing of the old library, this concept may also need to be adapted to reflect future development decisions on Council land. It has been recommended that Council also endorses this Plan, to ensure that when decisions are made on the future of the old library building that the Plan is taken into consideration.

5. Kaikohe Market Place

The Plan explores developing a dedicated market site in Kaikohe. The Plan also explores options for locations and potential partners for a marketplace in Kaikohe and ultimately suggests further engagement be undertaken.

Northland Inc have been involved in discussions with the Kaikohe Business Association (KBA), in the context of the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Project, and have noted the benefits of a weekend market for bespoke Māori products potentially attracting domestic tourism to Kaikohe. This proposal is distinctly different from the existing Thursday farmers market for fresh produce and food held on the vacant land at 65-67 Broadway owned by the Ngāpuhi Rūnanga. Therefore, staff acknowledge the economic benefits that could be achieved if this concept were realised.

6. Painting the Town

This concept is being advanced as per the Community Board’s decision on 16 May 2025, and is discussed below. The below renewal programme is proposed in three stages and can be closely linked back to the KBA Engagement Session undertaken with ĀKAU.

Staff will be involved in the Refresh stage, after which the KBA will implement the Repair and Revitalise stages:

· Refresh – paid for by $50,000 KHCB Grant Funding. KBA will hand deliver a letter co-signed with the Community Board advising the tenants of the opportunity to have their shop cleaned for free, and in return the tenant/owner can make a contribution to KBA to fund the ‘Renewal’ stage. Staff will support the KBA by contacting owners of vacant properties.

· Repair – painting shop fronts, fixing up verandas, and general shopfront maintenance will be facilitated by the KBA. This could include providing introductions between service providers and tenants, helping to fund upgrades and advice and support.

· Revitalise – relates to ongoing maintenance to the upkeep of Broadway including building a new culture of taking responsibility for keeping Broadway clean, teaching businesses about maintenance of the adjacent public land and encouraging businesses to clean, maintain, weed public spaces.

KBA has reached out to other government agencies and Northland Inc for advice and support. Advice is also being provided by our Strategic Relationships group.

Funding and Implementation

This Plan contains concepts that require private and public investment for it to be realised. It is not financially viable for Council to fund this solely via rates, as some concepts are estimated to be in the range of $10 million. Nor would Council be able to implement all projects, as some concepts relate to land or buildings in private ownership.

As demonstrated by the Painting the Town concept, some of these concepts may also be better led by other groups or the private sector, with Council supporting where applicable. As a result staff are recommending that the KHCB seeks endorsement form the Council for the Plan, rather than it just sit at community board level.

Option 1: Endorse the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan at both Community Board and Council level of the organisation

Advantages: the PSG have considered the Plan and are broadly supportive of the findings, however, they have concerns about anti-social behaviour and the quality of maintenance of existing public spaces in Kaikohe. Therefore, it may be appropriate for Council to undertake further consultation with the community before committing to funding any of the other five concepts outlined in the Plan because the Plan may not reflect the community’s priorities for the use of Council’s limited resources more broadly. However, it is also noted that some of these concepts have been identified in other plans that have gone already gone through a public consultation process, and Council may have confidence that this endorsement already exists.

Regardless, the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan emulates the aspirations of the Kaikohe community for its public spaces to be upgraded and developed. The proposals are also generally in line with the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board’s Strategic Plan 2023-2025 but in practical terms implementation would mostly fall outside the delegations of the Community Board, hence recommending that Council also endorses the Plan.

Disadvantages: as public consultation has not occurred, staff are not able to advise as to the overall level of community support for each of the proposals in the Plan. Funding is not secured for the six concepts and frustration may be created in the community that yet another plan is adopted and does not proceed to implementation.

Staff Recommendation option 1 as the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan is supported by the PSG and many other community groups. Hapū have also participated in the engagement activities undertaken by ĀKAU. While lack of funding is a potential barrier, by having this Plan adopted by Council in addition to the KHCB it can also be an opportunity to enable investment into Kaikohe, similar to the placemaking funding that was invested in Kaitaia by the Government under the Provincial Growth Fund.

Option 2: Reject the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan

Advantages: Council would not have any obligations financing or helping to implement the concepts outlined in the Plan.

Disadvantages: given the extent of the community who participated in engagement events that contributed to the development of the Plan, rejecting the Plan may be disheartening for the community who invested their time to help shape the future of the town and make it a better place to live. It will also be a missed opportunity to get potential private and other investment into the town.

Staff Recommendation: Staff do not recommend this option.

Option 3: Endorse the Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan only at the Community Board level

Advantages: This would signal that the Plan is a document created to enable the Community to activate these concepts, rather than it being the role of Council to implement. This would be consistent with how other placemaking plans have been endorsed.

Disadvantages: This placemaking differs from Russell and Taipa which were recently endorsed by the relevant community boards, as it relates to one of our main towns, and involves private and public land and commercial developments. Because of this a different approach may be required to help achieve much needed re-development of the main business area of Kaikohe. It may put an unreasonable level of expectation on Council to fund or support these concepts.

Staff Recommendation: Staff do not recommend this option.

Next steps

1. Staff are currently working with the KBA, PSG and KHCB to realise the Painting the Town three stage concept.

2. If the KHCB are supportive of the Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan, the recommendation will go the Council for consideration, and

3. Staff will continue working with the KHCB, Project Steering Group, hapū, and stakeholders to identify a suitable capital works projects to be implemented by FNHL with the town beautification funding.

TAKE TŪTOHUNGA / REASON FOR THE RECOMMENDATION

The Kaikohe Broadway Placemaking Plan was the culmination of community engagement activities that enabled the Kaikohe community to identify ways to improve the public realm in Kaikohe. The public realm relates to the spaces people use, regardless of ownership. While there are technical, financial and legal (ownership and delegation) limitations to advancing all of the concepts in the Plan to implementation stage, the Plan communicates to the Community Board and, if applicable the Council, ways to improve Kaikohe which it could adopt after consultation with the community.

PĀnga PŪtea me ngĀ wĀhanga tahua / Financial Implications and Budgetary Provision

All funds associated with the priority implementation of the Plan concept have been transferred to FNHL. This includes $50,000 of KHCB grant funding for implementation, $57,000 Town Beautification capital assets funding for implementation and $10,000 of KHCB grant funding for professional services fees totalling $117,000.

No other funds have been committed in the endorsing of this plan, however by adopting it Council will be seen as having a role to help facilitate its implementation, which will require significant investment.

Āpitihanga / Attachments

1. Broadway Kaikohe Placemaking Plan - A5295916 ⇩

Hōtaka Take Ōkawa / Compliance Schedule:

Full consideration has been given to the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 S77 in relation to decision making, in particular:

1. A Local authority must, in the course of the decision-making process,

a) Seek to identify all reasonably practicable options for the achievement of the objective of a decision; and

b) Assess the options in terms of their advantages and disadvantages; and

c) If any of the options identified under paragraph (a) involves a significant decision in relation to land or a body of water, take into account the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral land, water sites, waahi tapu, valued flora and fauna and other taonga.

2. This section is subject to Section 79 - Compliance with procedures in relation to decisions.

He Take Ōkawa / Compliance Requirement	Aromatawai Kaimahi / Staff Assessment
State the level of significance (high or low) of the issue or proposal as determined by the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy	Due to the importance of Broadway to the users of Kaikohe, implementation of the unfunded concepts would have high public interest. Therefore, staff recommend consultation as part of the Long-Term Plan (LTP) process if Council were to decide to progress any of the unfunded concepts for inclusion in the LTP.
State the relevant Council policies (external or internal), legislation, and/or community outcomes (as stated in the LTP) that relate to this decision.	Accessibility Policy (2022) Art and Memorials in Public Places Policy (2017) Community Gardens Policy (2013) Community Grant Policy (2018, currently under review) Parks and Reserves Policy (2022) Footpath Policy (2016) Iwi/Hapu Environmental Management Plans Policy (2016) Procurement Policy (2020) Public Toilets Policy (2011) Street Lighting Policy (2014) Long Term Plan (2024-2027) Sustainable Procurement Policy (2020)
State whether this issue or proposal has a District wide relevance and, if not, the ways in which the appropriate Community Board’s views have been sought.	Due to the importance of Kaikohe as the hub of the north, and its placement on the Twin Coast Cycle Trail and Twin Coast Highway, improving the aesthetic of Kaikohe has District wide relevance. As a result, the Project Steering Group includes the KHCB Board Chair and two Councillors.
State the possible implications for Māori and how Māori have been provided with an opportunity to contribute to decision making if this decision is significant and relates to land and/or any body of water. State the possible implications and how this report aligns with Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi.	ĀKAU engaged widely throughout the engagement phase, this included: - Officers presenting the project to a hapū rōpū including Ngāpuhi Rūnanga, Hauāuru Takiwā, Ngā Hapū o Kaikohe, and Te Uri o Hua - Hapū representation on the Project Steering Group - Engagement sessions at Marae - Hapū representation at the Tamariki and KBA Engagement Sessions.
Identify persons likely to be affected by or have an interest in the matter, and how you have given consideration to their views or preferences (for example – youth, the aged and those with disabilities).	ĀKAU engaged widely throughout the engagement phase. However, as no public consultation has been undertaken on the Plan, staff are not able to provide advice on the level of community support for each proposal. Therefore, consideration of whether there is a need for further consultation is recommended prior to implementation of any of the unfunded concepts which is conducted in line with the requirement of s82 of the Local Government Act 2002.
State the financial implications and where budgetary provisions have been made to support this decision.	All funds associated with the priority implementation of the Plan have been transferred to FNHL. This includes $50,000 of KHCB grant funding for implementation, $57,000 Town Beautification capital assets funding for implementation and $10,000 for KHCB professional services grant funding for implementation totalling $117,000.
Chief Financial Officer review.	This report has been reviewed by the CFO