Ngā Hau Māngere is the name of the new walking Mangere bridge that runs over the Manukau harbour in South Auckland, which was officially opened to the public over the weekend.
“It is quite a huge relief, I would say talking on behalf of the Mangere bridge community,” says kaumatua David Wilson Te Kaanini who was in attendance at the opening on Saturday along with at least 500 people who came to enjoy the event.
Work on the new bridge started in 2019. It was originally expected to cost $16m, and the final cost eventually grew to $51m, but Transport Minister Michael Wood says it's money well spent.
“It was worth every single dollar,” he says.
“This is a critical connection with our communities. It's about how we will learn to live in a low-carbon way. It's about how we provide opportunities for communities to come together.”
Ngā Hau Mangere opening on Saturday, August 27
The bridge itself is about 150 meters long and metres wide - not including the two-metre-long fishing bays on either side. There’s even parking that goes all the way up to the bridge on the Māngere side.
Long-time community member Israel Senikaucavk from Fiji is glad to see the bridge back after the old one was closed back in 2018.
“When I came here in 1973 I would walk it every day to Penrose morning and evening. I use this bridge - that's why I said 'Please, nobody demolish it again'.”
The local community has contributed with artwork from iwi-appointed artists and local schoolchildren while unused timber from the project had gone to the local pony club.
The SH20 underpass, which has been serving as an alternative route since the old bridge was deemed unsafe, will be closed by the end of this year.
Though the new bridge had been delayed by Covid lockdowns, the SH20 bridge beside it had a record delay as it was being built - 21 and a half years as union disputes led by the then Boilermakers Union held it up.