For the 2027-28 financial year, $720,000 had originally been allocated in Christchurch City Council’s three-year plan for further coastal pathway works.
However, group secretary Tim Lindley discovered last month that the amount had been reduced to $120,000.
They also asked for $360,000 to be brought forward into this year’s Annual Plan to allow the stopping platforms to start sooner.
Heathcote Ward city councillor Nathaniel Herz Jardine said he was not aware of the funding reduction.
“I’m pretty concerned about that and I’ll definitely be raising it as we move from a draft into the final annual plan,” he said.
"I’m really behind them, as a group they’re reliable and a great partner for council. They’ve got the plans ready – I think we should just crack on and do it.”
Said Lindley at the hearing: “There’s still more to do. The most common request we get from users is for stopping points along the causeway section.
“There’s also re-integrating the pathway with the Christchurch Yacht Club’s platform and lighting along the Moncks Bay section.
“The most important one is the platforms.”
The funding would go towards building two stopping platforms along the causeway section of the Coastal Pathway – a 1.3km stretch from Scott Park to Te Raekura Redcliffs School.
Said Lindley: “There’s so much to see – you’ve got all the bird life sitting around there, the oystercatchers, spoon bills, all sorts of things.
“When people are walking, it’s not just a route, it’s an experience and we want people to enjoy the experience, particularly overseas visitors.”
The stopping platforms were part of the original plan but were not built, as priority was given to completing the pathway itself.
Since revisiting the idea, the number of platforms has been reduced from three to two, and the designs have been updated to ensure they do not intrude on the Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
The group has also been working with Ara Institute students on wind shelters for the platforms.
The Coastal Pathway opened in November 2023 at a cost of $26.25 million.
The council contributed $9.95m, while $15.8m came from central government via the Coastal Pathway Group.
A further $500,000 was provided through in-kind contributions and small grants. Lindley said the group’s estimates show about a million people a year use the pathway.
“That puts it right up there in earthquake recovery projects as getting the same level of use as is projected for Te Kaha and Parakiore,” he said.
HAVE YOUR SAY Should Christchurch City Council reinstate funding for stopping platforms on the Coastal Pathway? Send your thoughts to kees.chalmers@alliedmedia.co.nz in 200 words or less.
