Vodafone's move upsets Tect's plans

Tect All Terrain Park operations manager Bill Wheeler said this year's planned $310k in capital projects had been disrupted by Vodafone's decision to pull out of the community cell tower scheme.

The owners of the Tect All Terrain Park are concerned the lack of cellphone coverage at the park doesn't allow high-risk sports to have instant communications after an accident.

Safety concerns around motor sports and other cross-country competitors emerged at a meeting yesterday of the Tauranga City and Western Bay District councils who jointly own the park.

It heard that the Tauranga Motorcycle Club and Te Matai Motorsport had signed leases for their respective areas and continued to develop plans for major facilities.

The motorcycle club had carried out preliminary ground works for an international standard motocross track while Te Matai Motorsport, incorporating a number of different codes, had plans for autocross and speedway tracks.

A report written by the park's operations manager Bill Wheeler said that this year's planned $310,000 in capital projects funded by the councils had been disrupted by Vodafone's decision to pull out of the community cell tower scheme.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said it was important that high-risk activities had good communications, and a solution must be found.

Western Bay council's deputy CEO Gary Allis said they had not found a provider but they were working with Chorus to get a cell tower. Extending the fibre network up to the park and having a lower tech cell tower was a similar price but they needed to find funders.

Mr Wheeler hoped that further progress would be made to establish telecommunications in the park. Opportunities to exploit the new 700 MHz spectrum was being investigated.

Western Bay councillor Margaret Murray-Benge asked whether the Rotorua District Council contributed to the park's costs. Fifteen per cent of the park's users were from Rotorua.

She was told there had been a lot of suggestions but no positive response. Mr Crosby said they had to be careful because a lot of people from the Western Bay used Rotorua's Redwoods cycle trails. There was quid pro quo for a lot of activities, he said.

Tauranga councillor Matt Cowley was "underwhelmed" by the park's strategic plan. He said it had few words and "it is not a very directional document."

Mr Crosby hit back, saying it was not a case of words in a document. "What is happening on the ground is far more important than words in a document."

Mr Allis said the direction of the park was continuing on the basis for which it was established: To find a home for sports disadvantaged by growth and development pressure.

Tect All Terrain Park

• Where: 26km up Pyes Pa Rd

• Area: 1650ha of plantation and bush

• Strategic site: 2.5 million people live within two and a-half hours drive

• Sports include: Motorsport, mountain biking, target shooting, model aircraft flying