Club chairman Leith Comer, left, Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust deputy chairman David Tapsell and Ngāti Whakaue kaumatua Monty Morrison at the Rotorua Golf Club. Photo / Ben Fraser
Club chairman Leith Comer, left, Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust deputy chairman David Tapsell and Ngāti Whakaue kaumatua Monty Morrison at the Rotorua Golf Club. Photo / Ben Fraser
The change of land ownership of the Rotorua Golf Club will benefit the city as a destination, the club chairman says.
Benefits include enhancing the reserve for more members of the community to enjoy, accentuating the thermal lakes and activity on the land and establishing a golf coaching school.
Itcomes after the Rotorua Golf Club land was transferred from the Crown to Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, as representatives of the original Ngāti Whakaue owners. The land will continue to be leased to the club.
Rotorua Golf Club on the Arikikapakapa thermal reserve. Photo / Ben Fraser
Club chairman Leith Comer said the "most important thing" was working with the trust to enhance the reserve so "larger numbers of Rotorua community can enjoy the physical and recreational delights of being on Arikikapakapa".
Having quality sporting amenities and outdoor activities would enhance the reasons people would visit Rotorua and improve the opportunity for the Rotorua community, he said.
"We've got an active owner who will work with the golf club to improve the quality of the course so that it can get greater acclaim both internationally and nationally as a visitor destination ... and who will work with us to try to encourage the accessibility of golf to a larger proportion of the community, particularly young Māori."
Rotorua Golf Club on the Arikikapakapa thermal reserve. Photo / Ben Fraser
The club was establishing the Rotorua golf coaching school which would provide free access to the community to learn to play golf and would target young people and Māori.
The school would hopefully open "within the next month".
Comer said Arikikapakapa was "a unique piece of land" with thermal lakes and activity.
"We want to improve upon that by adding some new holes to the current layout that more accentuates the thermal lakes and activity at the southern of the Arikikapakapa reserve.
"The new owners now are supportive of that, and that in itself will enhance the reputation of Arikikapakapa as a destination and an asset for Rotorua city."
Comer said the club was opening up its facilities to members of the public who didn't necessarily play golf.
Club chairman Leith Comer, left, Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust deputy chairman David Tapsell and Ngāti Whakaue kaumatua Monty Morrison at the Rotorua Golf Club. Photo / Ben Fraser
"We've got a beautiful old clubhouse which we have renovated. That is becoming a facility of choice for people," he said.
The venue had been used as a meeting place for Lions Clubs, Plunket and schools, and could also be used for events and weddings.
Comer said the clubhouse was "becoming a community heart where people can meet and join" and had good parking, food and "good amenities to relax and enjoy".
On the transfer of land ownership, Comer said the club had "reasonable custodial support" from government departments that had managed Arikikapakapa in the past.
"It is not the same as having mana whenua as owners who will be active and supporting the development of the Arikikapakapa thermal reserve," he said.
"We're really pleased with the change of ownership."
Pukeroa deputy chairman David Tapsell said a Memorandum of Understanding had been agreed upon between the club and trust which allowed it as landowner to give "a bit more security of tenure over their lease".
"[This] is important for them because it allows them to go about and seek funding to undertake a number of course redevelopments - in particular to move some of the holes up more by the geothermal areas. We fully support that," he said.
"As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, we will be able to put more of our cultural overlay across the course [like] naming certain wāhi tapu sites and sites of interests ... which I think is really important for the new layout but also for locals but also tourists understanding what this land means to Ngāti Whakaue."
Tapsell said he fully supported the golf coaching school and had been talking about it with the club and how they could support it with Ngāti Whakaue rangatahi.
"We've already got a good working relationship with the golf club so we're just looking to continue that into the future."
