Ranui Town Centre
Introduction
The early part of Ranui's history was linked with Swanson for both Māori and European settlers. It was originally part of the portage area through which local iwi, Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua, travelled. Ranui is a Māori word meaning
"big sun" and it is thought that the area was named either by a local orchardist or as a result of a newspaper competition.
In the late 19th century, Ranui began to be settled by gum diggers, farmers and orchardists. By the 1940s it had become a well established rural area and over the next 40 years the construction of a large number of low density houses attracted many people who have since settled in the area.
Today Ranui has a diverse demographic and ethnic structure, and its population is one of the fastest growing in Waitakere, increasing by 15% between 2001 and 2006. Ranui also has one of the City's youngest populations which is reflected in the large number of preschools, primary schools and community youth programmes.
The
draft Waitakere Growth Management Strategy identifies Ranui as a local centre that can accommodate additional residential and business growth over the next decade. This growth needs to be carefully managed and planned for, to ensure that it meets the needs not only of the region in terms of accommodating projected population growth, but of the local residents and a changing population.
Town Centre Vision
The vision for the future of Ranui began with public
discussion in late 1999.
The community asked for:
- a community 'heart' at the upgraded Community
Centre and Library
- an enhanced railway station
- a safer Ranui Domain
- slower traffic through Ranui town centre
- more community art
Over the next few years Council responded to the community with a number of revitalisation projects.
These included:
- a new library and community centre, constructed in 2001
- artworks with a strong environmental theme that have created a community focal point
- upgrades to street furniture, paving treatment and road surfaces
- Ranui entrance/exit signs
- new streetlights and the undergrounding of power lines on Swanson Road
- the maintenance and planting of green networks
- upgrading of the Ranui Train Station
Draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan
In April 2008, the Council and its design team, local residents and community stakeholders participated in a community vision workshop to explore issues important to Ranui. This workshop built on consultation undertaken with the community in March 2008 at the Ranui Whanau Fun Day and consultation undertaken since 1999 by the Council and other agencies.
In response to the community vision and design workshops, the Council and its design team have prepared a draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan that details how the centre could grow and evolve over the next decade.
The draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan proposes to create a mixed-use, two-sided town centre on Swanson Road to provide for a range of business opportunities and services for the local community. The concept also seeks to address community concerns regarding the safety of Swanson Road for pedestrians and the connection between the town centre and the Ranui Train Station. The community expressed a desire for a central gathering area and better connections to the Ranui Domain. The concept also considers how residential growth can be accommodated with more intensive housing options within an 800m walking distance of the town centre and train station.
A plan summarising the main elements of the draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan can be found below, along with a link to download the full report and plans.
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Ranui Urban Concept Plan Summary (Size 1632K)
Part 1 (Size 3028K)
Part 2 (Size 4681K)
Appendices (Size 1484K)
Full Version (Size 10M)
Ranui Library
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| Ranui Public Library Building |
The existing Ranui public library and learning centre currently operates from approximately 200m2 of floor space, in a building it shares with the Ranui Community House on Ranui Station Road. It is the smallest of the Waitakere Libraries branches and it was always envisaged that the library would be enlarged at a later date.
For a number of years, Council staff have been exploring options to address space requirements and in February 2008 the Council decided to acquire land for a new larger library. The
draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan shows the Council's preferred location for the new Ranui Library with 500m2 of floor space. The Council is currently in discussion with the landowners of this preferred site, to acquire the land as a public work. The co-located community house in the existing library building also needs to expand and has similar issues, with small rooms, difficult access and poor connection and flow between spaces. Overall, the building is not fit for these uses and Ranui's community services are constrained as a result.
The new larger library will allow for improved services to the community, especially for its children and youth, and the existing community house will be able to expand into the space vacated by the existing library and offer more activities. It is likely that the new library will be open by early 2010. However, this is dependent on when the land is acquired and when resource consent approval is given.
Ranui Community House
The Ranui Community House is a neighbourhood resource centre that provides for social, educational and cultural activities for the people of Ranui and the surrounding area. The centre is used to host a broad range of groups, meetings and day and evening adult education classes. The community house is currently at capacity and intends to expand into the library building once the library
has been relocated.
For more information on the Ranui Community Centre check
here
Ranui Domain
Ranui Domain covers 6.3 hectares and provides two sports fields, training areas, clubrooms, a carpark, children's playground, toilet and changing room facilities and walking paths.
Ranui Domain is managed within the framework of the Massey Ward Local Reserves Management Plan. It is a significant community asset that the Council has identified the need for improvements. The draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan also recognises the importance of this community asset and makes recommendations to improve its connection to the town centre and increase surveillance and safety so as to encourage greater community use.
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| Sports fields, childrens playground
and the local stream at Ranui Domain |
Ranui Train Station
Ranui was the first area in Waitakere City to benefit from a new railway station, built as part of the Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited's (ARTNL) station upgrading programme. The new station was officially opened in 2004 and the recent Western Line double-tracking provides a 15-minute peak train frequency between Swanson and Britomart. This has significantly improved peak period accessibility in Ranui and as a result patronage exceeds that expected for a local station.
The Council has invested in the creation of a station plaza, which includes landscaping, benches, public toilets and a drinking fountain, to enhance the amenity and functionality of the station. A new at-grade pedestrian crossing with electronic gates has recently been installed to improve safety and reduce trespassing incidents.
For further information see the
OnTrack website.
Ranui Action Project
Established in 2001, the Ranui Action Project (RAP) was tasked with improving health and wellbeing outcomes for the Ranui community. The initial RAP funding received from the Stronger Communities Action Fund (SCAF) of the Child, Youth and Family Services initiated about 60 community-driven projects. About six years later, this funding ceased when SCAF was transferred to the Ministry of Social Development.
The growth of the organisation has seen the implementation of a new structure at governance and management levels and the development of both strategic and Treaty of Waitangi responsiveness plans. A consolidation of those earlier projects which had gained momentum, including the Ranui Market, Radio Ranui, Ranui Community Garden and youth development, is presenting RAP with a focus on its sustainability. Through RAP's partnerships, new projects have also emerged, such as Housing Advocacy and Support, Sustainable Ranui and Project Twin Streams Ranui-Massey.
Projects that involve celebrating Ranui is a role that RAP supports by holding events like the Ranui Whanau Fun Day annual festival, providing the Ranui Achievers Profile awards and distributing a regular
'RAP RAVE' newsletter highlighting positive people and activities in Ranui. The project is co-managed by Emma Frost and Verle Cahill, who are based at the RAP house at 476 Swanson Road, Ranui. For more information contact (09) 832 6048, or check out their website
www.ranui.org.nz
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| Ranui Whanau Fun Day (March 2008) |
Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
Located in the heart of Ranui is Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, New Zealand's first co-housing neighbourhood based on permaculture principles and eco-design. Earthsong chose to locate in Waitakere because of the City's eco-city policies.
Earthsong consists of 32 homes based on the principles of sustainable living. The Council regards Earthsong as a leading example of an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable community.
More information is available on the Earthsong website:
www.earthsong.org.nz
Town Centre Artworks
 Mokomoko Sculpture (Gecko)
At the first Project Twin Streams community planting day, local people painted tiles that were used in the creation of the mokomoko (gecko) sculpture, which sits outside the Ranui Library and Community Centre. The gecko was designed and completed by children involved in the Ranui After-School Programme. It has become an important symbol for Project Twin Streams in Ranui.
Urlich Reserve Sculpture
Project Twin Stream's is currently working on a new sculpture to be located at the entrance to Urlich Reserve. This sculpture is set to become an identity marker for the local Ranui-Massey community and the 10 community groups that plant in Urlich Reserve. The sculpture, which will look similar to a nikau, will be decorated with mosaics referencing the cultures within the local community. The base will feature traditional Maori designs, the middle section Croatian designs and the top section Pacific designs. In total, six community groups will be working on the sculpture, assisted by six artists. The sculpture is due to be completed in late 2008.
Community Corner
Other town centre artworks include graphic tiles on the outside of the library and community centre building by local painter and artisan Fatu Feu'u and a community sculpture project led and produced by Phill Rooke, which incorporates wood, ceramic and metal elements and holds the information sign for the library and community centre building.
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| Ranui Town Centre Artworks |
Project Twin Streams
Project Twin Streams (PTS) is a long-term council/community partnership which, in Ranui/Massey, is coordinated by Te Ükaipö, working with Ranui Action Project (RAP). PTS Ranui/Massey was the first contract established in 2004. PTS engages with the community and schools to repair, restore and replant parts of the City's green network, with the Swanson, Waimoko and Momotu streams being the focus in the Ranui area. Over 50,000 plants have been planted by the local Ranui community and 100 percent of public areas in the project have been adopted by community groups and residents.
Changing people's behaviour to live more sustainability is also an overarching goal of Project Twin Streams. A Sustainable Household-Sustainable Living Demonstration Project has been developed to work with households to identify and implement actions to live more sustainably. In particular, the project aims for a significant reduction in water and energy use and waste production and encourages people to use their cars less. More information on Project Twin Streams is available at:
http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/Abtcit/ne/twinstreams.asp
http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/Abtcit/ne/twinstreams.asp#ranui-massey
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| Project Twin Streams Community
Planting at Ranui |
Other Relevant Information
There are a number of planning documents and agreements covering this area. They include:
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