A three-year plan has been drafted for Franklin but it’s only as good as the people who help shape it. It’s your area so it needs your voice. Share your feedback from 23 June – 23 July 2026 at AKHaveYourSay.
In 2023, 155 people shared their feedback to help shape the local board plan. That input was valuable – but with a population of more than 84,000 people, there’s still plenty of room for more voices at the table.
Not interested or don’t think it makes a difference? Here are four outcomes that were shaped by locals from the 2023 plan, which may or may not impact you.
Supporting isolated communities
Progress on key community facilities such as the Beachlands Community Hub, Clevedon Library and new parks like Clarks Beach is improving access to services and shared spaces.
Commuting from areas like Kawakawa Bay, Ōrere Point, Beachlands-Maraetai, Clevedon, Clarks Beach-Waiau Pa, Glenbrook Beach and Āwhitu Peninsula, can be challenging. For those who can’t drive, local networks and facilities are even harder to reach.
Local board investment is helping change that. Plans are progressing to transform Beachlands Memorial Hall and the rural library into a multi-purpose hub, with council library services, flexible spaces and expanded community programmes.
In Clevedon, a partnership with the Clevedon Association (residents and business) has helped revitalise the village centre, volunteer library services and community spaces, with further upgrades underway including a new playground, toilets and green spaces.
Clarks Beach Reserve Playground
Upgrades at Ngahere ki Uta / Stevenson Reserve (also known as Clarks Beach Recreational Reserve) have also created a major youth-friendly destination with courts, skate facilities and improved amenities.
These projects respond directly to community feedback, improving access, supporting young people and reducing isolation. The draft plan proposes continued investment in community hubs in Pukekohe, Beachlands and Waiuku to enable more accessible services.
Predator Free Franklin
How important is it to you that Franklin's local environment and native biodiversity is restored and protected?
Continued support for pest control initiatives has helped protect local biodiversity and strengthen community-led environmental action across Franklin, with $230,000 allocated to this work in 2025/2026.
Franklin-based organisation, Te Ara Hīkoi facilitates Predator Free Franklin bringing community groups together to support pest control efforts with coordination, tools, training and shared knowledge. The programme has grown quickly in recent years, now connecting more than 20 local groups carrying out conservation work across Franklin.
With support from the local board over the past decade, this network of volunteers and landowners is making a real difference. Many areas are seeing a return of native birdlife not observed for decades.
Predator Free Franklin not only supports healthier ecosystems and protects native species but also creates employment, voluntary and training opportunities for people to connect with nature, build relationships and contribute to something meaningful. Participation helps people feel more connected, purposeful and positive through affecting local impacts.
Over the next three years the local board proposes to continue funding Te Ara Hīkoi to support local groups with funding advice, delivery support and how to access expertise relating to pest management and environmental restoration.
Walking and cycling connections
How do you feel about the Franklin Paths targeted rate programme extending?
Investment in the Franklin Paths Programme is improving safe, connected walking and cycling links.
In its first year of delivery, three out of 38 projects have been completed and are already making a difference for locals. A total of $2 million has been budgeted for the 38 projects over 10 years.
The programme is funded by a targeted rate of $52 per property rates bill yearly, which is expected to generate approximately $20 million over the 10-year period (2024-2034).
In the 2023 plan, the local board proposed a targeted rate to support the delivery of a local programme of paths across the area to help people actively move between places they live rather than relying on cars.
Shelly Bay Road's new footpath
Upgrades delivered in the past year include the Liberty Crescent path, now a 1.6m wide paved path connecting to local parks, the new Shelly Bay Road footpath connecting key roads and a safer pedestrian crossing space on Reynolds Road. Projects in Clarks Beach, Clevedon, Hunua, Ararimu, Patumahoe, Whitford and Waiuku are underway.
In the upcoming plan pending community feedback, the board intends for the programme to progress delivery of scheduled projects; test community appetite for extending the programme with the targeted rate to continue onto 2037 deliver additional paths; and work with community providers to increase uptake of walking and cycling.
Community-led action
Franklin’s Community Partnership Programme has enabled projects like planning for the Clarks Beach Waiau Pa Community and Business Association community garden and Menzshed, and Clevedon Community Association’s welcome packs for new residents. It has also helped activate spaces like Clarks Beach Golf Club as a community hub.
With just over $440,000 allocated to the 2025/2026 work programme, it replaces one-off community grants with longer-term investments that foster local connections, collaboration and community-led delivery.
Partnerships with the board has also supported events including:
· Beachlands Trolley Derby
· Clevedon A&P Show
· Franklin A&P Show
· Positive Aging Expo
· Franklin Hop
· Pohutukawa Coastal Fun Run
· Christmas on the Green
· Waiuku Steel and Wheels
· Tuhiōnōrangi Matariki Festival Waiuku.
The local board plans to continue supporting this programme, empowering local organisations to access council resources and board funding to deliver activities that address its priorities.
There’s more in the draft plan. Have your say and help shape what comes next.
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