Butterfly Walkway

Butterfly Walkways provide a place for whānau to remember and reflect on the lives of children who have passed away. Built near gardens featuring plants that attract butterflies, they are a space for families to grieve and feel close to their loved one. Tiles can be purchased to commemorate their short lives and displayed by bereaved family members in tribute of their child/ren.

As part of our Long Term Plan 2021-2041 community engagement, Council was asked to consider creating a Butterfly Walkway for Horowhenua. We would appreciate your thoughts.

How the walkway will be designed

Following the lifecycle of a butterfly, the walkway will be designed in four sections:

• The egg section – for babies born sleeping.
• The caterpillar section – for infants who passed before their first birthday.
• The chrysalis section – for children who left us between the ages of one and four.
• The butterfly section – for children between the ages of five and twelve.

Losing a child is a sensitive topic and we would like to hear how you feel about adding a Butterfly Walkway to Horowhenua. The closest Butterfly Walkway to Horowhenua is at Aotea Lagoon, Porirua. It’s important that if we do install a Butterfly Walkway the location be well thought through, as it will likely change the existing energy and use of the location proposed.

Feedback on the Butterfly Walkway closed at 5pm on Friday 15 July 2022.