South Waikato council budgets $180k for Te Waihou Walkway/Blue Spring over summer

Detailed summary

Despite ongoing concerns about public safety and visitor conduct, South Waikato’s biggest tourist attraction will stay open this summer. In an extraordinary meeting this week,…

Despite ongoing concerns about public safety and visitor conduct, South Waikato’s biggest tourist attraction will stay open this summer.

In an extraordinary meeting this week, South Waikato District Council voted to keep Te Waihou Walkway/Blue Spring open this summer with a short-term management plan, costing $180,000, in place.

The plan will come into effect from December and remain in place until March 2027.

The plan includes traffic management, onsite kaitiaki (guardians) from Ngāti Raukawa, and increased toilet and rubbish facilities.

The council said it agreed to these measures because of the growing popularity of the walkway, and safety risks and visitor conduct at the Blue Spring over the summer.

At the meeting, Putāruru ward councillor Dave Shaw said he had personally witnessed a “near miss” near Te Waihou, which was why he called for a summertime closure of the spring’s carpark.

“Accidents come from nowhere, but they usually in retrospect come from stupidity.

He said the council was “behind the 8-ball” with creating and implementing a long-term plan.

“Why don’t we just close it [the carpark]; explain ourselves to the public about the risks involved, and then get working as hard as we can with the community, with Raukawa, on a plan?

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