Skateboarders give Te Puke's $280,000 facility at Jubilee Park good workout during opening

Despite rain and breezy conditions, keen skateboarders, scooter riders and BMXers turned up in large numbers for the official opening of the 626sq m skatepark on Saturday.

The skatepark, three years in the planning, joins up with the existing bleachers and half baseball court within Jubilee Park.

The celebrations began with a blessing, speeches and a ribbon cutting, but the wet weather meant BMX, skateboard and scooter age-group competitions had to be postponed until June 10.

The skatepark was designed and built by Rich Landscapes and J-Stone Skate Parks - the same companies which created Omokoroa's award-winning skatepath.

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council's project leader, Stephen Lun, said the design incorporated lots of feedback from the Te Puke's skating community.

"It's been really great to involve the local skating community . . . They've been heavily involved throughout the process, and vital in fundraising and contributing to the design."

Mayor Garry Webber said it was rewarding to see the community's reaction, especially from young families.

"There was one happy little fella aged about 4 learning to skateboard encouraged by his parents and grandparents, and some of bigger kids were also sharing their skills.

"It was fantastic to see that. This is a great thing for Te Puke and I'm sure the skatepark will become an inter-generational hub for the whole community," he said.

Richard Crawford, a member of the Te Puke Skatepark Project Control Group, said the hard work getting the project off the ground and attracting funding was all worth it.

"It has been a long time in the making, and it was a bit of a lonely journey at first,
but once council came on board other people also agreed to support it.

"I'm quite pleased and happy with the end result, and all the talk about it has been really positive," he said.

Mr Crawford said the skatepark had already proved hugely popular, with some of those who attended the celebrations having travelled from Auckland, Raglan and Hamilton to compete in the competitions.

It had created another great reason for people to want to visit Te Puke township, he said.

The council would like to thank everyone who contributed to the making the project happen, including an anonymous donor who gifted $15,000, Mr Lun said.

Financial contributions came from:

Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust (TECT)

First Sovereign Trust

Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions

Te Puke Community Board

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Te Puke's Skateboard Project Control Group