Dunedin's Tunnel Beach track now tells the stories of the people who were always there

More than 200,000 people a year walk the coastal track at Tunnel Beach, near Dunedin — and as of this month, the walk tells a fuller story. A celebration on 21 October marked the end of upgrade work that has made the track safer and more weather-resilient, and woven the knowledge of mana whenua — the Māori people with authority over this land — through the whole site: interpretation panels and artwork along the path, and native planting designed to draw native birds back and supply plants traditionally used for weaving. Dr Megan Potiki of Kāi Tahu wrote the cultural narrative behind the panels, drawing on traditional place names and the food-gathering practices of the coast; artist Aroha Novak turned it into the trackside artworks. 'What has been achieved here is much bigger than the physical infrastructure,' said Gabe Davies of the Department of Conservation. Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, the city council, DOC, designers, contractors and volunteers built it together.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: infrastructure build