But a staff report said Gisborne Park could still be an option in 20-plus years if demand required.
The council table was supportive of the other major change to the business case which proposed a $35m indoor sports hub at Waikirikiri Park in Kaiti, an area that has seen generations of underinvestment.
The business case being prepared by the council, Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti and Trust Tairawhiti is expected to go to central government in September and will request an investment of $90m over ten years to renew sports and recreation facilities in the region.
They will look for $20m funding from within the region.
It is significantly down from the draft business case put to councillors in December that said they would be asking central government for $150m.
The proposal said that every dollar invested into facilities would deliver $1.91 in social return.
Cr Andy Cranston said the original hub concept, which he had been involved in developing, had been “diluted”.
“I still feel we should be looking at Park golf course because that is identified in the report as being something we'll probably have to look at in 20 years time anyway.
“Do it once, do it right,” he said.
The efficiencies of hubbing — shared lighting, parking, toilets, fencing, access, management, pavilions, changing sheds — would be lost by splitting to two locations, he said.
“I'm kind of disappointed that it went that way.
“So then do we turn around in 20 years and say ‘we put millions and millions into these two areas, but we kind of need a hub'?”
Councillors Terry Sheldrake, Pat Seymour and Debbie Gregory expressed similar concerns.
But council community facilities partnership adviser Tyler Kirk said while “hubbing” was an attractive prospect, the proposal had evolved during consultation with the community.
“What we've found through feedback is that actually we just need slightly more (than four hubs) to ensure that our communities can access the facilities that we're proposing,” he said.
The key roadblock to the uber hub at the Gisborne Park course was feasibility to fund and operate, Mr Kirk said.
“With major investment into sport and rec facilities now, it's going to be a lot harder to sell another $45m facility.”
In regards to future demand, he said moving to Gisborne Park was a “consideration” for 20 years time and there was no evidence to suggest it would be required.
Mr Kirk said they were expecting discussions with central government to take six to 18 months.
Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga disagreed with Cr Cranston, saying that through discussions with the community it became clear that hubs weren't “as smart a solution as originally thought”.
“I'm very comfortable with where we are. I'm actually quite stoked with the golf course being left alone,” he said.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz said she was excited about the proposal, acknowledging that it had evolved from what they started with.
“I want to encourage everyone to get on board, because I need to go and see the Minister in September.
“We have talked about this for a long time and soon we will see stuff happening on the ground so I'm very happy to support this.”
Cr Isaac Hughes supported the case, saying it was a “win-win”.
“Park get to keep their course, Thistle get to keep their field, Waikirikiri Park get what they've longed for.
“I don't think everything needs to be in a super-hub.”
Sport Gisborne Tairwwhiti chief executive Stefan Pishief was asked to the microphone to clarify the position of the board of its partnering organisation.
“There was a lot of sentiment around preferring the uber sports hub at the Park golf course,” he said.
“What we've done is said this is where things are at, this is where things have evolved to, do we support it getting over the line now and going into central government as is?”
The feedback he had received was that while a lot supported the uber hub, they recognised the need to get with it and submit, Mr Pishief said.
Cr Meredith Akuhata-Brown supported the reworked case which addressed the inequities in sport and recreation resources in Kaiti brought about by generations of underinvestment.
“Our tamariki who come from the most impoverished parts of the region have to travel to get to those parts of town to enjoy and be included in sports.”
When Waikirikiri Park came up as the location for a possible sports hub, many “Kaitisians” including herself, were very excited, she said.
The original proposal mooted four hubs - an indoor and court hub on Childers Road Reserve, an outdoor and field hub at Gisborne Park golf course, a river sports hub at Anzac Park and Marina Reserve, and an East Coast regional hub at Whakarua Park in Ruatoria.
The indoor sports hub is proposed for Waikirikiri Park, with a courts hub for Victoria Domain.
The river hub is still proposed at Anzac Park and Marina Reserve, as is the East Coast regional hub at Whakarua Park in Ruatoria.
