Public access to Hawke's Bay Showgrounds' Waikoko Gardens is threatened following an arson and vandalism attack.
An empty house, a clubhouse for a former nine-hole public golf course, was found with broken windows, fire, flood and graffiti damage on Monday morning.
It was strewn with drug paraphernalia and a fire had been lit in the middle of the lounge, Hawke's Bay A&P Society general manager Brent Linn said. The fire did not take hold, possibly because of deliberate flooding. "In the last week I have been in touch with police three times for three separate incidents - we've had a car doing donuts in the grounds and a suspicious swapping of car number plates in the driveway."
The building was insured, with a $1000 excess, and Mr Linn expected the insurance-policy premium to rise. "It is really disappointing. We want to keep the place open to the public but this is the risk we encounter when we do. The last thing we want to do is put a security fence around the whole place."
The commercial part of the showgrounds was fenced but the gardens were open 24-hour-a-day "like any park".