Community Parks and Facilities

Using the figures compiled in 2004, Patumahoe is oversupplied with recreational facilities and parks, according to Franklin District Council.  Do you share their view?


Just recently Franklin District Council has updated their own figures, and have a revised figure of 940 residents (from 639 in 2004) and applied their expected growth to 2050 to be only 2%.  For those wondering how this is calculated, it is not, the Franklin District Average is applied to areas that have not been individually researched.  Such as Patumahoe.

This is not to say that we have to wait for any council, Franklin District or Auckland to provide us with community facilities.  However, making sure that land is correctly zoned when allocating landuses will provide a fundamentally sound basis on which to work.  

Here are residents claiming their own community space:



David Engwicht is a planning consultant from Australia.  He is the creator of the walking schoolbuses, and encourages alternative methods of traffic design and manipulation.  Below is a video of one of his PlaceMaking seminars, which he ran for Auckland City Council.  This is the first in a series.  Look on YouTube for more if you are interested.




To see what is possible when community works together:



A rural community in Nelson of a population of 500 has been successful in amalgamating their sports clubs and community facilities and can provide a starting point on what would be possible. Go and have a look for yourselves,

Moutere Hills Community Centre

So far, Patumahoe residents have come up with the following ideas  (a reminder: these are ideas about the future of Patumahoe, they do not reflect a collective desire to grab a key and start up a bulldozer!):

• add on to existing sports complex/combine all sports under one roof and obtain land for future requirements while still available and reasonably cheap;
• a multi-use community facility - providing for all age groups, arts and culture as well as some sports, and providing adaptable spaces inside.  eg.  small auditorium that could be used as stage, amateur theatre, conference room, movie venue for Patumahoe residents;
• facilities for teenagers - Ron Gordon, Principal of Patumahoe School - thoughtfully proposed that consideration needs to be made to provide for the older children/teenaged group who currently  have no community facilities specifically targeted towards them.  Some ideas are music room/recording studio/video editing room, non-alcoholic lounge and skatepark;
• community reserves that are not sports oriented, ie.  picnic areas, seating areas, playgrounds, catering to younger families and older residents;
• designed cycleways, walkways around the heart of the village to reduce reliance on vehicles and to promote the vitality of the village centre.

Add your own thoughts below.