Kerikeri Domain upgrade to begin thanks to Covid response grant

Improvement work on the Kerikeri Domain, above, will begin in the new year after $3 million of Government funding was announced.

Work on several improvements to Kerikeri Domain will begin early next year using funding allocated from the Government's Covid-19 Response and Recovery fund - but there'll be no replacement pavilion, at this stage.

The projects and priorities were selected by the Kerikeri Domain Working Group following a recent meeting with representatives of domain users.

About 30 people attended the October 12 meeting, representing 28 domain user groups.
The Kerikeri Domain Working Group comprises Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board members, Far North District Councillors, and staff. The group is chaired by Lane Ayr, one of the three community board members representing the Kerikeri ward.

Some of the projects given the go-ahead in the agreement signed with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment include creating a concept design plan, new play and recreation areas, replacing skateboard and basketball facilities, erecting safety fencing between the Cobham Rd carpark and the playground, installing seating suitable for elderly domain users, and setting aside an area for the recently closed Kerikeri RSA to install a memorial.

Ayr said planning for projects selected by community representatives was already well advanced and flagged in the Reserve Management Plan, meaning work should begin as early as January 2021.

He said the meeting agreed that cricket and rugby league - codes that traditionally called the domain home - can continue to use the open space until new facilities are ready for them. Kerikeri's popular green space will also be available for use by emerging sports to help encourage and foster their growth.

Suggestions the $3 million funding package should be used to build a new multipurpose building to replace the recently demolished pavilion were not pursued during the meeting.

It was, however, agreed that the project will undertake a feasibility study for a new building in order to work through alternative funding options over time.

Ayr said the working group will continue to meet regularly to confirm project designs and funding details.