Te Whau Pathway Project Update: Documenting West Auckland’s Iconic Coastal Walkway
Nathan with the team from Te Whau Pathway.
From left to right; Sir Bob Harvey, Dai Bindoff, Sharon Davies, Former Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and grand daughter and Chairperson Tony Miguel.
If you live in West Auckland, you may have seen the work happening on the Te Whau Pathway. It is a massive project connecting the Waitematā and Manukau Harbours with an elevated path on piles. However, it is only part completed with a long way to go.
I'm a Te Atatu South local, so when the opportunity came up to partner with Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust , I was really excited to jump on board.
The Story Behind the Shoot
I am a big believer in using my skills to support local initiatives that I support and especially when they make Auckland a better place to live.
We got interviews with former Mayor Sir Bob Harvey, former Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Sharon Davies.
I also felt that getting the drone shots was critical to flesh out the video and show the path properly. Below is the full drone video of the pathway.
My focus was also on making sure the people on camera felt relaxed. But you could tell how years on talking in public office meant Sir Bob Harvey and Penny Hulse were so clear and concise on camera. When you are talking about community projects, you do not want a stiff corporate script. You want the natural passion of the people building it to come through.
Looking Ahead It was a privilege to play a small part in the Te Whau journey. This pathway is going to be an awesome opportunity for West Auckland families to get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air for years to come.
If you are involved in a local project or a business doing something cool in the community, I would love to help you show it off. It does not have to be a stressful process. We just get out there, capture the work, and tell the story.
Nathan
Video Transcript-
I'm Sir Bob Harvey and I lived on the banks of the Whau when I was a young boy. So I've known this walkway and this place all my life and it is one of the most outstanding projects that any city could have and I'm delighted to see it coming to fruition. Not finished yet, not by a long way, but we can do it together. Kia ora, I'm Penny Hulse. I'm a long time Westie. I used to be Bob Harvey's deputy mayor in Waitākere and then was the first deputy mayor of the Super City. I'm a keen biker and scooterer and a grandmother to five grandchildren and we love getting out and about around our city and no way is better than off-road cycleways and walkways. The Te Whau pathway offers opportunities to connect with community, to exercise and to be out next to our beautiful harbour which needs our love and care. If we can get kids on bikes and scooters and walking to school it would be an amazing thing and the Te Whau pathway connects so many of our schools out West to each other. Hi, I'm Sharon Davies known as Shaz. I'm a true Westie and my connection to the Te Whau pathway is that I'm a current trustee and also secretary of the Trust. My desire and my dedication is to ensure that the pathway is as inclusive as possible. Inclusiveness is not just for people with mobility impairments, it will also ensure that families with pushchairs, walkers, cyclists can be included. Please don't think it's finished. It's nearly halfway there, but it's success depends now on you. This is where the pathway stops and we want to see the next section completed and you'll need to get that submission in by the 29th of March to tell people how important it is. And we need your help, by making a submission to Auckland Councils annual plan by the 29th of March to help us get it finished. It's so important that you get the submissions in. Together we have to finish this wonderful walkway. So to get this finished you need to get on and get your submissions into council. Tell them how much you want them to support this pathway and get that done by the 29th of March. Let's get this finished.
