The Urban Enhancement Strategy is not a blueprint and does not provide a definitive set of outcomes. Rather, the focus is on investigating what the current values are that people attribute to each place – what is it about these places that people are attracted to, why do they live or visit there.

 

With this knowledge, Council and community together can then consider what opportunities exist to expand or grow these values. How they reinforce or enrich people’s connection to such places, how they can develop identity?

 

The Strategy begins this process. It builds on feedback from the community through various engagement processes and begins to suggest some key directions. However its success will depend wholly on the communities within each place it investigates. It will be up to those communities to embrace the ideas and directions suggested, to come together to support their development.

 

The initial section of the document provides background information, including providing an overview of the community engagement that was undertaken to inform this strategy, and an introduction to national guidance on the enhancement of urban areas.

 

The document then focuses on Tararua by identifying the key pillars that will inform opportunities. These include factors such as identity and place – those things that make our towns and villages unique and enjoyable.

 

The last sections of the document then focus on each of the towns and villages. For each a brief history is provided and an examination of the key attributes of the town centres. A photo-board is also included that provides both existing and aspirational images that have guided the development of opportunities.

 

Under each of the five pillars, potential urban enhancement opportunities are identified. These have been developed to be unique to each town, although there are similarities across the district. These opportunities are then captured on a map and in imagery that demonstrates how they might be realised.