Riverside project underway

For Rory Mcllelan, chairman of the Alexandra Riverside Park Trust, good looks like this:

“Being able to walk down to the end of Tarbert Street and see the riverside project getting underway. Even better, will be seeing the vista of the Clutha/Mata-au and Manuherekia rivers open up before my eyes.”

Work is well underway to remove the poplars and willows on the riverbank as part of the redevelopment, in the long awaited, much anticipated Alexandra Riverside Project.

“It’s been a long time since people could look across to the Roxburgh canyon from this angle, because of the trees,” Mr Mcllelan said. “It’s going to be so good seeing this area get cleaned up and utilised.”

The tree clearing is a collaboration between the Central Otago District Council (CODC) and the Otago Regional Council (ORC).

“This is a great example of cooperation, that the two councils can work together with us as a community to get this preliminary work done,” he said.

ORC River Engineer Scott Liddell said the tree removal had already been on the ORC’s works schedule.

“ORC had vegetation removal planned in this riverside area as part of ongoing maintenance. The timing of this was changed to fit with the project which will contribute to connectivity to the river.”

The carpark will remain closed for about the next two to three weeks while the tree work takes place.

Mana whenua-owned organisation Aukaha has provided a Kāi Tahu cultural design integration that reflects Kāi Tahu values, narratives and traditional place names specific to the area.

One of those values that mana whenua identified as central to the project is kaitiakitaka, or environmental stewardship.

“Kaitiakitaka is a world view for takata whenua in that we have a role to protect the mauri or life force of our natural environment. By removing these introduced species (poplars and willows), we have an opportunity to restore the awa, rebalance the eco-system and encourage wildlife back to this scenic spot,” an Aukaha spokesperson said.

“The site itself is of cultural importance to mana whenua. Kāmoanahaehae is the name of the junction of the rivers Manuherekia and Mata-au, and a wayfinding marker in the path of the Mata-au system.”

Work recently commenced with stage one of the project, which includes formation of a new entry to The Warehouse carpark.

For more information about the project go to: Alexandra Riverside Project | Let’s Talk Central Otago (codc.govt.nz).