Four placemaking projects submitted for the 2024 Taituarā Awards

Our clients have submitted four Boffa Miskell projects to the 2024 LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards.

The awards are open to any council, or council-controlled organisation (CCO) in Aotearoa New Zealand and are for programmes, projects, and approaches that demonstrate professional excellence in local government management.

These projects are now in contention for the Beca Award for Excellence in Placemaking, which recognises projects that shape or create a vibrant local economy, local culture, or promote positive social outcomes.

They are:

• Marine Parade Coastal Pathway – submitted by our client, Tauranga City Council. This shared pathway through a sensitive coastal environment addresses ecological and cultural values. It provides a solution to move people along the coastal margin of Marine Parade in Mount Maunganui with minimal impact on the natural environment. There is extensive dune revegetation, enhancement of stormwater treatment areas and provision of native trees for shade. Throughout the project and working closely with mana whenua, cultural narratives and the telling of important kōrerō are embedded into the design, both overtly and in subtle ways.
• Myers Park Upgrade – submitted by our client, Auckland Council. The project aimed to overhaul public perception and revitalise an urban park by increasing safety, accessibility and visibility. Located in Auckland City Centre, the area has had difficulty shaking its perception as an unsafe space, after a series of unfortunate activities. It’s also the bottom of a stormwater basin that prevents flooding of the area between Myers Park and Aotea Square. The landscape design celebrates the sites heritage as a former stream bed, and the artworks conceptualise this, integrating a strong cultural narrative into the urban environment.
• Taupō Town Centre Transformation – submitted by our client, Taupō District Council. This strategic urban and public realm design refresh was funded by the MBIE Covid19 Relief Fund. The projects has reduced the amount of vehicles passing through the CBD making it safer for pedestrians and freeing space for retail and hospitality improvements and public space enhancements. Heritage and culture are embedded within the new design, emphasising the connections that the local people (tangata) have to the place (whenua). A large atea space with sculptural installations at the centre of Lake Terrace highlights the importance of Taupō and the strong values and associations held by Ngāti Tūwharetoa iwi.
• Whānau Ātea – submitted by our client, Tupuna Maunga Authority. Whānau Ātea is one of the first projects of its kind and scale, which rethinks and recreates what a papa-tākaro (play-space) looks like in 21st-century Aotearoa. It fuses traditional (hupara) and contemporary play, tākaro taiao (nature play), active recreation (skatepark, basketball, kīorahi), and preserve the many cultural practices and traditions that were once prevalent on Te Pane-a-Mataoho | Te Ara Pueru | Māngere Maunga.

Awards will be presented at the Taituarā Gala Dinner and Excellence Awards in June.