Watch NZH Local Focus: Tairua's new bid for a skate park

Tairua locals are on a mission to get a skate park in their community.

It's part of a campaign being organised by Selina Tee - who is acutely aware it is a sensitive issue in the area.

"Our main thing is we don't want to upset anybody, we're not wanting to say here, the skateparks going to be here and you're not going to have a say and that's it get over it. We want everybody to be happy about it and we want to find the best place and we want to find the best people to build it."

It's not the first time the idea of a skatepark has been raised.

In fact - the discussion has been going for 20 years.

In 2011 a skate park was proposed to be built in Cory Park Domain.

But - despite having the overwhelming support of submitters - it never went through.

Those opposed to the Cory Park Domain site took their case to court - and won.

Tairua Pauanui Community Board Chairman Bob Renton says no one wants it built on their back doorstep.

He says: "we had 120 thousand dollars to actually construct it, unfortunately, the community is extremely divided over where it will go or what will be done and at that stage we just couldn't find a suitable site in Tairua that the community would sign off on."

The money was put towards another community recreational facility instead.

Skater Beni Coleman says currently they set up makeshift ramps on quieter streets - but that causes problems when cars come along and they have to move the ramps off the street and get out of the way.

"We've been skating up and down the streets, like, that's all we really do because we can't really go anywhere else, there's no skatepark."

There is a skate park that some of the bigger kids use - but it is old and run down.

Samuel Kinzett says it's not really suitable for his BMX bike.

"There's a crack in the half pipe, there's copings not right, nails are sticking out, there's rust everywhere you look, there's weeds overgrowing through the cracks. Yeah super rough concrete, stone, sand - all the things that are wrong for a skate park really."

If a skate park was built in Tairua long-time skateboarder Brad Turner says it would keep kids safe and off the streets and be a confidence booster for some kids who not academically minded.

"They could be outstanding skaters, scooter users or bikers and they could progress that and go and enter competitions and put little Tairua on the map."

The group is investigating ten possible sites for the skatepark - but such is the sensitivity of the issue - they won't say publicly where those sites are.

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