Last week Buller District Council hosted a public open day to present the “Waterfront Redevelopment” project. The project includes the Toki Poutangata Footbridge as designed by DC Structures Studio. The project is only at the Preliminary Design stage and it is great to see such a proactive approach from council to engaging the community.
I remember Mike Duff from BDC sending my original ideas/sketches straight to local iwi Ngāti Waewae for comment and input. Literally these were ideas sketched on the back of Napkin (well… free hand doodles on some google images of pounamu). Far too often we take a concept all the way to fancy renders before seeking feedback. By starting at the “ground floor” iwi were able to understand the “idea” and input/collaborate from Day #1. This was a very refreshing approach from council that shows a clear commitment to working collaboratively with (and not for) stakeholders. Bravo!
See more info about the bridge here: Toki Poutangata Pedestrian Bridge
Check out the cool video of the community presentations.
See below the original sketches. First sketch was produced 23 June 2020 and was sent straight to Ngāti Waewae for feedback. The second image was produced 1 July once the idea for a toki truss was considered. Again this was then sent straight to Ngāti Waewae for comment.
