New story walk for Kaiapoi

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

Kaiapoi residents will get the chance to walk and talk next month.
After the success of a Matariki story walk in Rangiora, the Waimakariri District Council is going to create a new story walk in Kaiapoi’s Te Korotuaheka Reserve (Honda Forest).

The Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board last week approved the story walk, which will be launched to coincide with Te Wiki o Te Reo (Māori Language Week).

The project is a collaboration between Waimakariri Libraries and the council’s greenspace team.

‘‘A story walk is mainly aimed at young children,’’ greenspace design and planning team leader Grant Stephens said at last week’s meeting.

‘‘Families go along and read the story together and the Rangiora one has been incredibly successful and it gets people reading and into our reserves.’’

Waimakariri Libraries staff have obtained permission to use the children’s story, "There’s a Tui in our Teapot", written and illustrated by New Zealand authors Dawn McMillan and Nikki Slade.

The cost of creating, installing and the later removing the temporary story walk panels is estimated at $1500.

It will be funded from within the existing libraries and greenspace budgets.

Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board member Cr Al Blackie said the project had his full support.

‘‘What’s not to like. It’s an excellent initiative and it’s cheap.’’

The idea came out of the Covid-19 lockdown, as library staff explored new ways of connecting with people.

Story walks have been created in other parts of New Zealand, including the Gore, Hastings and Napier districts.

The council launched a story walk with the story, "The Little Kiwi’s Matariki" by Nikki Slade Robinson, in Rangiora’s Northbrook Reserve on Matariki Day, June 24.

Each panel in the Rangiora story walk is like a different page, telling a story and linking to the local environment.

More than 1000 people are estimated to have attended the opening of Rangiora’s story walk.

Te Korotuaheka Reserve is a regeneration initiative in Kaiapoi’s former red zone.

Te Wiki o Te Reo (Māori Language Week) runs from September 12 to 18.