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Rodney Local Board members voted to approve an application to build a pump track at Matakana’s Diamond Jubilee Park at its September meeting, despite last-minute protests from the local pony club.
Matakana Community Group (MCG) wants to fund and install an asphalt track full of bumps and curves for bikes, scooters and skaters on 1600 square metres of land in the northwest corner of the park, behind the tennis club.
However, Matakana Pony Club, which has a non-exclusive licence to occupy the bulk of the 3.8 hectare park, says this would take away space it needs for parking when it holds major events several times a year.
During the public forum at the board’s Kumeu offices, club representative Naomi Marshall said they were concerned there had been a lack of consultation and said communication with the community group had been “very poor”.
“We’re not saying it’s wrong, it might be what the people of Matakana want, but we’re saying the timing is wrong,” she said. “We’re not here to be inflammatory, we just want everything to be fair and the right result. They [MCG] are not reflecting the whole community.”
Local resident and “pony club dad” Brett Howlett claimed board members had been misled by the community group, saying that a perimeter path approved and funded before the pump track had not yet been completed.
He added that with no toilets at Jubilee Park, there would be “urination, defecation and rubbish” on land behind the track.
MCG member Nik Payne said the pump track would be on currently redundant land that didn’t encroach on other users, and the group accepted that managing its use might mean closing it off for “carnival days or tennis tournaments”.
“We’re looking forward to sharing the space with the tennis club and pony club,” he said. “There are plenty of opportunities to co-exist and we’re looking forward to working with them.”
Auckland Council staff were initially confident that a compromise could be reached, parks and places specialist Matt Woodside told members, but relations between the two groups had recently soured.
“I’ve been trying to find a workable solution between Matakana Pony Club and the MCG for pretty much the last year,” he said. “We had some good conversations there, and I was actually sent through a plan which showed that parking could be incorporated in their leased area.”
However, following an acrimonious meeting between the two groups last month, that was now off the table.
“I feel like I’ve taken this as far as I can,” Woodside said. “I’ve been speaking to both parties and there’s some greater friction within this community that I’m not really equipped to deal with.”
When two members suggested further consultation, Woodside said the project had already been consulted enough, it was something that was needed in the area and would be a no-cost asset.
“I believe it’s been publicised adequately in the community. I don’t know why some groups think they haven’t been consulted,” he said. “There’s an underlying conflict here that just needs a decision made.”
He added that noise would not be a major issue, as it would involve rubber wheels on tarmac, and some kind of plant screening could be considered.
Wellsford member Colin Smith said the increasing need for community recreation space was putting pressure on many pony clubs and other rural, animal-based activities.
He suggested one centralised area, such as a large block of land around Hoteo Hall, for pony clubs, dog trials, rodeos and suchlike.
Chair Brent Bailey urged members to make a decision.
“Less hui, more do-ey is what all of the public are saying to us, all of the time and sometimes you’re going to break some hearts,” he said. “But if we come up with some mitigations, as Colin suggests, they may forgive us. Staff are saying we need a decision, let’s get one.”
Members voted to approve the pump track application, which will now need to obtain necessary resource and building consents.
