Pony club deadlock over land

A legal ruling has failed to settle differences between two riding clubs at Laingholm. Kylie Munro explains.
Laingholm Riding Club members are threatening to barricade themselves inside Owens Green Reserve rather than hand it over to a rival group.
After a two-year dispute, a Waitakere City Council-commissioned adjudicator has awarded the lease of the 13.5ha Huia Rd reserve to Muddy Creek Riders. The new club will take over the five-year lease of the council-owned land on June 1.
But Laingholm Riding Club president Mels Barton says moving could spell the end for the 17-year-old group. She says the 145 members and 12 horses have nowhere to go.
``If council force us off the land and we split our horses up it will be the end of our club,'' she says. ``They will have to chuck us off physically. We're not going anywhere unless we have somewhere else to go.
``I think the council owes us a piece of land.''
Ms Barton says the Laingholm club has sought legal advice and is investigating a High Court judicial review. The council appointed the adjudicator, Matthew Casey, a senior legal counsel, in November, after two years of failed attempts to resolve differences between the feuding clubs.
Muddy Creek Riders formed the break-away club in 2005 after then-Laingholm members disagreed with a management committee decision.
In his ruling, Mr Casey found the Muddy Creek Riders' management structure more democratic than the Laingholm club. He says he was impressed by Muddy Creek Riders' management plan for the reserve and ``less impressed by the lack of planned management'' of the Laingholm group.
``I also consider the MCR will have the better financial ability regarding both maintenance and improvements on the reserve,'' says Mr Casey.
Ms Barton says the decision is ``grossly unfair''.
Muddy Creek Riders secretary Debbie Lawrie says the group would like to integrate the two clubs.
``If they are willing to come on board with us and work towards a positive future, we're willing to work with them,'' she says. ``It wouldn't work to have two clubs on the same piece of property. It has already been explored in the past.
``What we'd like to see is people, as individuals, to become members.''
The decision means Muddy Creek Riders' 120 members no longer have to use makeshift facilities on a Watercare-owned piece of land renowned for 4WD ``hoons''.
MCR president Andreas Bodenstein says one of the club's first projects will be to finish a half-completed all-weather arena at the reserve.
Ms Barton says joining Muddy Creek Riders is an option, but the land cannot accommodate all of Laingholm's members and horses. She says they want to keep running their own club.
The council's public affairs manager, Dai Bindoff, says the Laingholm club has been issued a termination notice and is required to leave the reserve by May 31. If the club does not leave, the council will decide what action to take.
``While the council is not obligated to do so, it would be prepared to try and help the Laingholm Riding Club find a new site if requested,'' says Mr Bindoff.