Sonya Bateson: If the racecourse must go, let’s turn it into something wonderful

Green spaces will safely stimulate curious toddlers, writes Sonya Bateson. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

My toddler has decided he’s too cool for his pram now.

It’s really very sweet watching him grow up and gain his independence, but boy do I miss the convenience of being able to securely strap him in and go about my day.

His pram rejection has its good points: No more trying to manoeuvre a clunky pram around the cramped aisles of shops. No more trying to squeeze bags of groceries into the small spaces left in the boot. No more trying to clean sandwich crumbs from seatbelt clips.

But — and there’s always a but — it has resulted in my exercise coming to a grinding halt.

Going for long walks with the pram every day has been the core of my exercise routine since my little guy came into the world. There has barely been a day in the past few years that I haven’t been able to get my daily steps in. Until now.

Have you ever walked the streets with a small child? It’s super-cute, but not conducive to exercise.

Small kids are curious about everything. “Ooh look, a stone! Ooh look, another stone! There’s another one! Ooh look, there’s a leaf! Woah, did you see that car drive past? Let’s turn around and follow it! That patch of grass looks so comfortable, I might just sit down. Right now. Without letting your hand go. Yoink.”

And that’s nothing compared with the snail’s pace. One day, I had the bright idea of getting him to ride his bike to see if that’d encourage him to move a bit faster. He got maybe 80m down the footpath before deciding he’d had enough of that, thank you very much. So this long-suffering mum had to carry both a bike and a crying toddler.

Sigh.

What I truly long for is a leafy, flat, meandering park with abundant plant life, big open spaces, walking tracks, birds and insects, a playground, and maybe a nearby cafe.

The stuff that my kid would be interested to investigate while moving about. A place for us both to run around without worrying about vehicles.

Is that too much to ask for?

Yeah, it is. It’s a big ask, I know.

Big, open spaces are a touch hard to come by in a city and the amount of money we’d need to develop open land into my dream space would run into the gajillions.

But, oh, what an asset it would be. And it could be somewhat possible if the Tauranga City Council decides to develop the 85ha Tauranga Racecourse into green space.

It is also considering using the land for a future hospital or a mixed-use racecourse and public park, much to the ire of many respondents to a council survey who prefer the status quo.

Rotorua went through something similar a few years back when a report recommended the closure of the city’s racecourse, upsetting many users, although that proposal has been canned for now.

I can see why people in both cities were upset at the prospect of losing their racecourses.

I’ve been to events in both places: race days, 21st-birthday parties, A&P shows, book fairs, plant shows, and other social events. They’re both great facilities with many uses.

But, despite the general antipathy towards the closure of both courses, I couldn’t help but get a little excited when I saw there was an idea to convert Tauranga Racecourse into a sprawling park.

Traitor. I know.

I could immediately picture myself strolling around an amazing space that, in my mind, was something like a cross between Hamilton’s Lake Domain, New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park and Napier’s Anderson Park, the latter also being a former racecourse.

Hamilton’s Lake Domain has an impressive destination playground, botanical gardens, and a picturesque walking track around Lake Rotoroa. Pukekura Park has extensive gardens, bush, water features, walking tracks, manicured gardens, and event spaces. These two also have cafes. Anderson Park has a fantastic playground, waterways, animal life, a miniature railway, and a large event space.

These three parks are also all in the suburbs of their cities and are easily accessible.

Sonya Bateson sees a convincing argument in favour of utilising Tauranga Racecourse (pictured) as a public park. Photo / NZME

The dream. My dream, at least.

There is so much value in having green space in a city.

According to the European Environment Agency, green spaces are hugely beneficial to health in ways that aren’t immediately obvious, even for those people who don’t necessarily utilise the spaces in person.

The agency says green spaces “improve air quality, reduce noise and enhance biodiversity. Green spaces also moderate temperatures during hot periods and provide cool and shaded areas. Local communities use green space for physical exercise and social interactions, and for relaxation and mental restoration. Exposure to green space benefits health by reducing mortality and morbidity from chronic diseases, improving mental health and pregnancy outcomes, and reducing obesity”.

That’s a pretty convincing argument in favour of utilising the racecourse as a public park, I reckon.

If we do have to get rid of the racecourse, let’s take the opportunity to turn it into something wonderful.

There’s a limited amount of green space in a city, we should preserve and enhance it wherever possible.

– Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader, and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.