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Reserve Management Plans 2021/2022

Two new 10-year Draft Reserve Management Plans have been prepared for Eskdale Park and Frimley Park.

At the same time, the current Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa and Hikanui Reserves Management Plan has been reviewed, with a focus on cycling and walking tracks.

The preparation of new Draft Reserve Management Plans and the review of existing plans enable Council and the community to work together to establish the desired mix of use and protection for a park or reserve. It sets in place the policies and management methods that will best protect the recreation, sport, landscape, natural and cultural values of our parks and reserves.  It can address all matters relating to a park or reserve, from asset replacement and development, to planting and grounds management.

Typically, preparing a Reserve Management Plan takes about a year. That time is spent ensuring that everyone who wants to has the opportunity to provide their input at each stage of the process, and that the input is carefully considered before a final plan is formally adopted by Council.

Where are we up to?

Stage 1: Early community engagement; closed.

The findings from the public engagement and the reports are published online (links below).

Stage 2: Community workshops; completed.

Community workshops were held towards the end of last year, with workshop groups asked to focus on values, constraints and opportunities.

Stage 3: Key themes and concepts presented to the community for feedback; completed.

The results from the previous engagement phase and the workshops were then developed into the ‘Themes and concepts’ documents (links below).

Stage 4: Draft Reserve Management Plans prepared; completed.

The draft plans were developed with the community over 12 months using surveys, interviews, workshops and park open days.

During this time more than 1000 people provided feedback on Eskdale Park, over 200 on Frimley Park, and more than 500 on the Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa and Hikanui Reserves review.

A number of specialist reports also informed the draft plans.

Stage 5: Public submissions on the Draft Reserve Management Plan are called for; closed.

The three draft Reserve Management Plans were presented to Council in June. This signalled the start of the regulatory phase of the process, detailed in the Reserves Act. Next, the parks team, as required by the Reserves Act, announced the publication of the drafts via a public notice on Saturday 2 July, 2022.  Formal consultation got underway on July 2 and continued until September 7, 2022.  

As with previous reserve management plans, this was supported by a broader communications strategy to ensure all of those who wish to make comment on the drafts had the opportunity to do so. This strategy included emailing a draft to all of those who registered their interest in a specific plan with Council.

Draft Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa and Hikanui Reserves Management Plan - Questions & Answers 

Draft Eskdale Park Reserve Management Plan - Questions & Answers

Public submissions on the Draft Reserve Management Plan are now closed. In total, 143 submissions were received for Eskdale Park, 97 for the Havelock Hills plan and 20 for Frimley Park.

What's next?

Frimley Park
A one-day hearing for the draft Frimley Park Reserve Management Plan was held on November 29, with the plan adopted by Council on 15 December, 2022. It can be viewed here: Frimley Park Reserve Management Plan 2022-2032

Eskdale Park 
The Eskdale Park RMP is paused while Council works through the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. Updates will be communicated via this project page, as well as via Council’s email and social media channels.

Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa, Hikanui Reserves and Keith Sands Grove

Cyclone Gabrielle had a significant impact on the natural area reserves in Havelock North, particularly Tainui and Tauroa reserves, with extensive tree failures, slips and damage to structures. Council is currently working to remediate the damage within these reserves. Tracks will be progressively reopened as repairs are completed. Following the tree works some vegetation has been left on site. When tracks are reopened users are asked to stay on the formed tracks and to not disturb areas beyond these (including moving vegetation).

Following the failure of mature trees around Hikanui Pā, Council is implementing landscape resilience measures, including indigenous revegetation, installation of erosion control matting and drainage. These measures are consistent with those proposed in the draft Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa, Hikanui and Keith Sands Grove Reserve Management Plan.

Mana whenua, Archaeology Hawke's Bay, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Tyne Nelson (Ngāi Toroiwaho, Ngāti Whatuiāpiti) taiao restoration, Paper Street Tree Co. and GHD have all formed part of the project team responding to the cyclone damage on the site.

The submissions hearing for the draft Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa and Hikanui Reserve Management Plan will be rescheduled in due course. Following this, full archaeological management and protection works as confirmed by Council resolution will be undertaken. The rescheduled hearings will be held in the Council chambers on Lyndon Rd and will be open to the public. At the end of that process Council will deliberate on the plan and the submissions related to the plan and may request changes, after which the plan will be adopted.

RMP Process

Specialist reports

Workshop results

Park and reserve information

Frimley Park aerialAs for all parks and reserves, the preparation of the 10-year Reserve Management Plan for Frimley Park canvases all matters relating to the park, from asset replacement and development, to planting and grounds management.

Specific to this park, the maintenance sheds near the playground are scheduled to be removed within the next two years, with that area being reintegrated into the park. Council is interested in hearing everyone’s ideas for the use of this space.

The Reserve Management Plan process will include consultation with all interested parties as well as the general public, to ensure Council has a wide range of input to factor into the plan.

Got questions? Go here.

For background information on Frimley Park, go here.

Until the new plan is adopted, this park is managed under the District Wide Reserve Management Plan.

Eskdale Park riverAs well as canvasing all matters relating to a park, the process can also address issues specific to a park that a community is concerned about, which is the case with Eskdale Park.

The preparation of the Eskdale Park Plan has been brought forward in response to community concern at a suggestion from Hawke’s Bay Mountain Bike Club that it is considering applying to Council to use Eskdale Park to access its trails on private PanPac land. As at the start of the Eskdale Park Reserve Management Plan process no application had been received by Council, however the club has indicated that if it proceeds with an application it would likely include a car park and pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Esk River.

The Reserve Management Plan process will include consultation with all interested parties as well as the general public, to ensure all points of view are considered.

Got questions? Go here.

For background information on Eskdale Park, go here.

Until the new plan is adopted, this park is managed under the District Wide Reserve Management Plan.

2 TauroaActive plans are reviewed after 10 years, however they can be reviewed at an earlier stage should the need arise. That is the case with the Tainui, Tanner, Tauroa and Hikanui Reserves Management Plan (adopted in 2015).

The unscheduled review is being carried out in the wake of community discussion about the safety of mountain bike trails and shared walking and cycling paths in the reserves.

Council is taking the opportunity provided by the review, to also investigate possible access improvements at the Keith Sands Grove entry to Tainui Reserve.

Additionally, a cultural report of the reserves by Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and an archaeological report by consultant archaeologist Gaylene Carter have been commissioned with recommendations from those reports considered for inclusion in the plan.

The Reserve Management Plan review process will include consultation with all interested parties as well as the general public, to ensure all points of view are considered.

Got questions? Go here.

For background information on the four reserves, go here.

To read the current plan, go here.

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