Parks and reserves for everyone to enjoy

From City Scene, published on 19 August, 2007

Monte Cecilia makeover - Work is already underway to restore Hillsborough's historic Pah Homestead (pictured above), with a masterplan endorsed for the surrounding 12.3ha Monte Cecilia Park that makes the most of the area's fascinating history.

Protecting our parks - The council manages and maintains more than 800 parks and reserves across the city - covering a total of more than 2000ha of public open space.

Our city's parks and reserves help make Auckland a great place to live. These open spaces are places where we can unwind, play sports, socialise and be active. Auckland City Council looks after more than 800 parks and is committed to protecting them for people to enjoy now and in the future.

Planning for the future

Auckland City Council has endorsed a long-term plan to protect, improve and manage our city's open spaces during the next 10 years.

Community consultation helped shape the plan - Our Collective Taonga: Places for people, places for nature - which sets out the council's approach to improve the quality of Auckland's open spaces. These include Auckland's parks, volcanic landscapes, gulf islands, streets and town centres, urban forests and beaches.

The plan aims to ensure our city's open spaces:

celebrate our natural landscape, unique identity and cultural heritage
are accessible, meet local needs and instill a sense of pride and belonging
offer diverse recreation and lifestyle experiences that provide a first-class visitor experience
are safe, clean and highly valued for their contribution to the city's sustainability, green infrastructure and ecological systems.

Our Collective Taonga demonstrates the council's continued dedication to improving the city's open spaces, says Environment, Heritage and Urban Form Committee chairperson, Councillor Christine Caughey. "The quality of the natural and urban environment contributes to Aucklanders' overall quality of life and the long-term sustainability of the city," she says. "We want to do everything possible to ensure our city's open spaces meet our communities' needs and are of the highest standard."

More land for parks

Auckland City Council purchases land across our city to create parks that contribute to our quality of life, increase recreational opportunities, and meet the needs of our city's growing population.In the 2006/2007 financial year, the council purchased about 10,000m2 of land for future development as open space - including land in Sandringham's Duncan Avenue, Blockhouse Bay's Tiverton Road, and Korma Road in Royal Oak.

Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee chairperson, Councillor Penny Sefuiva, says parks are a valued community asset. "The council's programme of land purchases is about thinking ahead to meet the needs of all of our communites."

Community consultation helps identify parts of our city that need additional land for open space and many land purchases are funded through levies paid by property developers to ensure there is sufficient open space in our city as our population and economy continue to grow.

Arts focus for major park

Hillsborough's Monte Cecilia Park is to get an arts focus that makes the most of the area's fascinating history. The Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee endorsed a masterplan after public consultation showed strong support for developing the 12.3ha open space as a unique park for our city. A visual arts centre and sculpture trail, along with creatively themed events, are planned with further work to be carried out to test and develop these ideas. Work is already underway to restore the park's historic Pah Homestead, with restoration of the park's formal gardens and a carriageway also part of the plan. Once the improvements are complete, visitors to the park will be able to enjoy a slice of living history, a peaceful retreat, and a place to experience arts and culture. Chairperson Councillor Penny Sefuiva says the masterplan locks in a vision for the future development of the special park, on the scale of Cornwall Park or the Auckland Domain. "The council wants to make this vision of the park a reality so all Aucklanders can enjoy and celebrate this wonderful and historic open space."

Looking after our best assets

Parks advisor David Barker's day starts early, with a routine circuit around one of the parks he is passionate about protecting. The council manages and maintains more than 800 parks and reserves across the city - covering a total of more than 2000ha of public open space. Mr Barker (pictured at One Tree Hill Domain), says his role involves ensuring maintenance standards are high, dealing with day-to-day issues, and having an input into how our city's parks are developed in the future. "Everyone in the parks services team takes great pride in the range of benefits that reserves offer our communities, the numbers of visitors they attract, and the important role they play in shaping the feel and character of Auckland city," he says. "There is nothing better than going to a reserve you are responsible for and not only seeing it look at its very best, but also seeing local residents and visitors come together to walk, jog, play or simply sit back, relax and take in the fresh air."