Waihī Recreation Hub development closer to reality after funding boost

Waihī Community Forum administrator Paula Blackman presenting OceanaGold general manager Justin Johns with the forum’s application for funding.

Waihī is another step closer to getting a new recreation hub featuring a skatepark and pump track.

Waihī Community Forum Charitable Trust received $200,000 for the project via a Lottery Community Facilities fund this week.

Forum chairwoman Bindy Burke said: “We know that a lot of people applied to this fund; we also know that funds are tight, so we feel fortunate to have received such a large amount from Lottery and are very grateful.”

The boost comes after Hauraki District Council committed $150,000 to the project, working alongside the forum to develop the outdoor hub at Morgan Park.

“This really has been such a team effort, with all forum members working hard to ensure we can get this hub going,” Burke said.

Thanks to the funding boost and support from the council, OceanaGold Waihī, Valder Ōhinemuri Trust and the Lions Club of Waihī, the forum was now much closer to building a pump track, she said.

“With just a little more fundraising and paperwork, we’ll be able to start work on building the track very soon,“ Burke said.

Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams said the $150,000 the council had committed to the project had been sitting in the budget for several years, and would not affect rates.

While the council was working alongside the forum, he said it was the hard-working people behind the scenes who had made the project a reality.

“They have done the donkey work; we get behind them. Without their work, projects like this don’t happen.”

Morgan Park is already home to a skateboard bowl, floodlit sports fields, a croquet court and pavilion, a bowling green, and tennis and netball courts.

Burke said the group was now working on stage two of the project, a community barbecue area and exercise park, and stage 3, a skate park, which was being co-designed by the community.

Once completed, the project would have wider benefits for the Waikato region because it would act as a major drawcard with its ability to host national events.

The proposal was first tabled in 2022.

Two designs for the hub were received from Velosolutions, a company specialising in the supply of tracks and trails for riding. Those designs covered an area of 1450sq m.

Rich Landscapes, a specialised landscape architect company, was engaged last year to use the community feedback to produce a concept design.

The final concept design was delivered last year and is being delivered in stages so that certain areas of the recreation hub could progress as funding became available, but allowing for items to be scaled back if adequate funds were not secured.

The main components of the concept design included a pump track, a skatepark, a central area, exercise equipment, playground upgrades, toilets and carpark upgrades.

In August, the project received a significant boost of $150,000 from OceanaGold Waihī.