Vandalism of a lagoon viewing platform for people with special needs has angered the Awatapu community and prompted an outpouring of offers to help.

A wheelchair-accessible viewing platform that had been three years in the planning was opened just two weeks ago. The community project was led by the Trident High School Special Education class Te Marama, carried out with guidance from bird conservation group Halo Whakatāne, and funded by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Environmental Enhancement Fund.

Overnight on Wednesday, April 1, someone tore it apart, removing some of the timber.

Halo’s Bridget Palmer, who has been working closely with the students on restoration of Ōtamakaokao (Awatapu Lagoon), said she was “just gutted” by the selfish act.

“The students have put so much effort into this project and are going to be completely devastated,” she said.

“For the last four years they’ve been doing something here every Monday. They’ve been picking up rubbish around the lagoon, they’ve been weeding, they’ve been putting mulch on our trees down by the Intermediate [school].

The students had been learning about wetland restoration and the important role these ecosystems played in responding to climate change, with support and guidance from Halo, which also works with the Ōtamakaokao Kaitiaki Trust, Whakatāne Intermediate School and James Street School in restoring the lagoon and its surrounding habitats.

Builder Billy Hurrell of Straight Up Contracting went on Thursday morning to put some finishing touches on the platform he had built and found much of it had been pulled to bits and some of the timber taken.

He said someone had clearly planned the destruction as they had used power tools to undo screws and bolts holding the balustrades and capping timber in place.

He was puzzled as to why anyone would want to steal the timber.

“It’s not like it’s going to look any good on someone’s deck or anything. It’s got screw holes all through it.”

The four-by-four metre wooden platform, with a ramp, balustrades and handrails that can be driven to via a gated, unsealed road, provided an opportunity for people of all abilities to experience and connect with the wetland environment and view the wildlife.

Mrs Palmer said the platform was not only for people with disabilities. It was for the entire community, and she had been delighted to see it being enjoyed by people, such as parents with children in pushchairs.

The accessible walkway now allows more students, including those with limited mobility, to participate in restoration work and environmental learning in this important part of the lagoon.

Whakatāne District Council’s parks and open spaces operations team also work to ensure the site remains accessible and protected for future generations.

Mrs Palmer spent most of Thursday trying to decide whether it was worth trying to repair the damage to the platform if it was going to be used only as a source of free timber.

However, after posting a video on the Halo team’s Facebook page showing the damage, she was inundated with calls from people angry about the vandalism and offering to help.

A Trident High School teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, has offered to donate $500 to help rebuild the platform. Local building supply business ITM Whakatāne has offered the building supplies and agricultural services business Glenden Farming has offered to fix the platform and make it more vandal resistant.

“I’m planning to take up all of these offers and come up with a plan for the platform.”