Waihī Recreation Hub development receives resource consent

Waihī Community Forum. Back row - Nani de Ocampo (left), Paula Blackman, Donna Fisher, Pala Trubshaw, Kyle Welten and Mike Hayden. Front row - Anne Marie Spicer (left) and Bindy Burke (right).

Waihī's outdoor recreation hub is taking off with a new pump track booked to be built in February.

The Waihī Community Forum has received resource consent for this first stage of the hub and is working alongside Hauraki District Council and Velosolutions to see riders enjoying a new free facility by the time autumn arrives.

Waihī Community Forum chairwoman Bindy Burke said it had taken longer to get to this stage than expected and thanked everyone who had supported the journey so far.

“We’re all very excited to now have everything needed to get the track under way in the new year.”

The new outdoor recreation hub will be located near the old netball courts’ carpark at Morgan Park on Kenny St, Waihī and once complete, the Waihī community would also have a replacement skatepark, a revitalised playground, adult exercise equipment, and a wheelchair swing.

There would also be a barbecue area with seating and shading, “so all generations of whānau can enjoy time together”, Burke said.

“Now that the pump track is well under way, we’re starting to focus on fundraising for stage two, which is the rest of the hub.”

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

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

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.

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 2023, the project received a significant boost of $150,000 from OceanaGold Waihī.

Valder Ohinemuri Trust, Waihī Lions Club, Lion Foundation, The Waihī Herb Society and the Lottery Community Facilities have also been involved in the development.