A group behind Auckland’s newest pathway is putting up one last fight to get enough funding to complete what could be the region’s only off-road route connecting two harbours.
By Torika Tokalau, Local Democracy Reporter
The Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust recently celebrated the opening of a section of a shared path in West Auckland.
But the trust has bigger ambitions: to complete a 13km cycling and walking pathway, linking the Manukau and Waitematā Harbours.
The Horowai connection, from the Te Atatū intersection of the Northwestern Cycleway to Horowai/Roberts Field, means the Te Whau Pathway is 40% complete.
The project was funded through the government’s Covid-19 Infrastructure Reference Group (IRG) "shovel-ready" project fund, and partnered with Auckland Transport (AT), Te Kawerauā Maki, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Whau and Henderson-Massey local boards and Auckland Council.
Trust chairman Tony Miguel said they were not done yet, and they needed to find funding for two more connections of the pathway.
“There’s still more pathway to build,” he said. “The sort of money needed for this project, you can’t raise it from anywhere but council and government. We’d have to do about 300 million sausage sizzles to raise it ourselves.”
The trust wanted to get the Horowai/Roberts Field to McLeod Park in Te Atatū South and the connection between Avondale and New Lynn, at Wingate St to Olympic Park completed too.
Miguel said they were looking to council to include these two projects in its 2026/27 budget. They had the resource consents for the whole length of the path, and machinery to build it already available.
“We need to get the funding in the annual plan, and if that’s not agreed by mid-May, then we’re dead in the water.
“And if we don’t get funding in the Long Term Plan by August, I think we will seriously consider shutting up shop because it will be our last go. We’ve been trying for funding for nine years.”
A break in construction, if funding wasn’t made available soon, would undoubtedly increase costs, he said.
He said they were working through the costs of how much they would need to complete the full pathway.
“It will never be cheaper than now. If we delay it for another 10 years, it will cost three times more.”
The trust, a volunteer-led organisation, developed the vision for the Te Whau Pathway Project in 2015.
Miguel said they wanted to see a shared pathway for walking and cycling, linking the Manukau and Waitematā Harbours along the Whau River Estuary.
“It was really getting people to connect with the Whau river and hopefully get them interested in protecting it – that was the real driver.”
Miguel said the Te Whau Pathway was a complex project because of its length and build over different environments – through water and overland.
Once fully completed, it will connect to other transport projects like the New Lynn Transport interchange, the New Lynn – Avondale cycleway and the proposed Te Atatu Bus Interchange.
Council’s general manager parks and community facilities Taryn Crewe said submissions on the council’s draft Annual Plan 2026/2027 was now closed.
A final decision would be made by the governing body in June.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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