My Account
The draft Rodney Local Parks Management Plan covers all parks and reserves in Rodney owned and managed by Auckland Council, amounting to around 330 parks and more than 1400ha of land.
Once adopted next July, the plan will supersede 56 existing management plans.
Just over 323 submissions were received when the draft was released for comment earlier this year.
Younger age groups, especially children but also those under 35 years, were under-represented and older age groups, especially those over 45 years, were over-represented when compared to the Rodney area demographic profile.
Most submissions were from people of NZ European ethnicity, with submissions from those of Māori, Asian and Pasifika ethnicity under-represented.
Council staff describe the draft plan as “a handshake between the Rodney Local Board and the local community on how to manage local parks”. They say the aim of the plan is to guide day-to-day management in a way that reflects the values of mana whenua and the community.
Particular matters that people commented on most were:
• the need for greater recognition of equestrian activities throughout the plan
• encouraging people to share with care and to be considerate of other park users in busy parks/on pathways
• while there was majority support for the unmanned aerial vehicle/drone policy, many submitters also felt the policy was too restrictive
• the need for play experiences for children and young people
• park access and water sources for fire and emergency purposes
• the need for monitoring and enforcement of overnight camping in self-contained vehicles
• more clarity that scattering of ashes is not permitted
• desire for paper roads to be formalised as parkland
• acquisition of parkland (this is out of scope of the plan)
• management of dogs (this is also out of scope of the plan).
Impassioned plea for equestrian space
Pony clubs across Rodney made a plea for their grounds to be protected from development during a hearing on the draft Rodney Local Parks Management Plan, which was held in Orewa earlier this month.
Several club representatives including Warkworth, Matakana and Silverdale spoke at the hearing asking the Rodney Local Board for long-term leases so they can apply for grants and invest in club facilities.
There was also concern that sharing parks could lead to conflict.
The Matakana Pony Club gave the example of a pump track being proposed around the perimeter of the reserve, on Matakana Valley Road. Club representative Lydia Harris said the two uses may be incompatible.
“Pony clubs are such an important part of the community, but as the area grows, these spaces will become increasingly comprised.,” she said. “Horses need space.”
In a written submission, Wendy Simpson said pony clubs were being pushed out, farms were being subdivided and roads were now often too dangerous to ride on.
“Private facilities are expensive to hire to the point of becoming prohibitive,” her submission said. “Most of the few equestrian facilities and spaces left are out west or south, an hour float trip away for many [in Mahurangi], so a simple ride involved considerable time and cost. “The Warkworth Rodeo and Pony Club provides a safe and accessible place for horse riders of all ages in our local eastern area. Don’t take away this precious equestrian facility to become yet another soccer field or carpark. Please continue to allow local Rodney and greater Auckland equestrians, and future generations of riders, a place to ride.”
Range of issues raised
People love their parks and reserves if the wide range of submissions on the draft Rodney Local Parks Management Plan is anything to go by.
One of the more contentious items raised during the submission process was the use of the spit at Sandspit.
The Kawau Island Advisory Committee called for the current classification of Allotment 340 to be changed from recreation to local purpose reserve.
In its submission, the committee said that the Kawau Island community provided funds to the Rodney County in 1962 to support the purchase of land at Sandspit, specifically to ensure that Kawau Island community has access to parking, storage of waste and provisions, and shelter while awaiting the departure or arrival of boats.
Meanwhile, the Sandspit Residents and Ratepayers said carparking was already extending beyond Allotment 340 boundary.
It was in the process of compiling its own management plan and opposed any increase in the amount of reserve land used for parking, but recommended better management of the problem.
Further north, Margaret Fishlock said it was imperative that the land and reserves that bordered Spectacle and Slipper Lakes at Tomarata was left in the hands of ratepayers playing a targeted rate and Healthy Waters. She said with no proper management of the drainage from the lakes, surrounding farmland could be flooded for weeks.
One submitter complained that there was too much mowing at the Omaha Beach northern end, while another opposed the removal of freedom camping from Mathesons Bay. There were calls for more destination playgrounds, flatter camp sites at Tawharanui and a dunes management plan for Omaha.
Any idea of creating a wastewater dispersal field on the Whangateau Reserve was opposed, with one submitter calling for better drainage in the domain.
Concerns were also raised about the competing uses of the Rainbows End reserve, where there was increasing tension between swimmers and boaties.
The Rodney Local Board is expected to adopt the final plan around July next year.
Plan criticised for being non-specific
The Rodney Local Parks Management Plan was criticised for not including specific detail on individual reserves during a hearing in Orewa earlier this month.
Both Omaha Beach Golf Club representative Richard Brabant and Coatesville resident Rowena Mortimer said there was a lack of information about exactly what Council was proposing.
Mortimer said what Council had put forward was not a management plan.
“A plan gives a community a clear view on what is intended so that submissions can have value,” she said.
“Council has drafted principles for the management of reserves, but that does not constitute a plan for individual reserves.
“The ‘management intentions’ in the ‘plan’ are that Council commence discussions with community groups, but this should have happened first so that the ‘plan’ has some certainty.”
Mortimer felt the balance of power in any negotiations would rest in Council’s favour.
Brabant said the management plan was complex and not user-friendly and had been done without site visits or any consultation with the residents’ association.
“As a result, it is superficial and not focused on the needs of individual reserves,” he said.
Another submitter made the following observation: “ … for many individuals and organisations, the documents are rather unwieldy and interpretation could well beyond most lay people, preventing meaningful engagement via the submission process. In some instances, planning documents referenced in the Management Intentions for specific parks were difficult or impossible to find. This makes it impossible to provide considered feedback on those intentions.”
