First Steps Completed in Waverley Town Revitalisation​

Waverley celebrated a major milestone in its ongoing revitalisation project on Tuesday 29 October, with a blessing ceremony for the recently completed section of the new town belt multi-use pathway.

This event brought together community members, local iwi and Council representatives to celebrate the work to make the town more vibrant, managed by the South Taranaki District Council in partnership with the Waverley Co-Design Group.

The Town Belt pathway, of which the first 1.5km section has been completed, will ultimately link Aotea Park to Dallison Park in a 5km loop, creating a community-focused space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Plans are now underway to extend this via a boardwalk pathway in a restored wetlands area to the east of Dallison Park.

Upgrades to State Highway 3 (SH3), including four pedestrian refuge crossings, a decked area, new rubbish bins, and improved lighting have also been completed as part of the larger town revitalisation project.

Council’s Community Development Manager David Pentz says the blessing marked not only the project’s achievements to date, but also the spirit of community and cultural acknowledgement driving Waverley’s transformation.

“As Waverley continues to grow, these projects serve as both enhancements to safety and quality of life and symbolise the town’s shared vision of a connected, vibrant future,” says David.

He says the Waverley revitalisation work is just one of a number of projects the Council is undertaking in townships across the District.

“One of the Council's key social and economic initiatives is to improve vibrancy, amenity and connectedness in Waverley, Pātea, Eltham, Manaia and Ōpunakē town centres. There is a $10.6 million budget over several years to do this work, which has been funded from our Long Term Investment Fund fluctuation reserve, so there is no direct impact on rates to do these projects.”