Advocating for physical activity: Sport Bay of Plenty’s engagement with local councils 

At Sport Bay of Plenty, we take pride in our role as advocates for the broader play, active recreation, and sport sector within our region. Our collaboration with the region's councils is essential in shaping decisions that directly impact community engagement with physical activity. With our expertise, insights, and sector intelligence, we're aiming to advocate for better outcomes for resources and opportunities that support physical activity across the region.

Over the past year, Sport Bay of Plenty has actively participated in the long-term planning processes of all councils in our rohe, submitting comprehensive proposals to six long-term plans during the 2023-'24 financial year. These submissions highlight our commitment to leveraging our sector knowledge to support councils and advocate for community needs.

A significant theme across many councils’ draft long-term plans was the necessity for reduced spending amid economic challenges. While we understand the importance of fiscal responsibility, through our submissions we also emphasised the need for adequate and continued investment in the physical activity sector. Our submissions provided a balanced perspective, outlining the essential role of councils as one of the largest funders of play, recreation and sport and the impact their decisions have on community wellbeing.

“Our advocacy efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that the voices of our communities are heard during council planning processes,” explains Sport Bay of Plenty Chief Executive, Heidi Lichtwark.

“By providing data-driven insights and sector intelligence, we have sought to inform key decisions in ways that prioritise the wellbeing of our residents and enhance access to physical activity opportunities now and into the future.”

Here’s a brief overview of our key contributions to draft long-term plans and the outcomes:

Tauranga City Council

Active Reserves and Sports Fees: Our insights supported the reshaping of field user fees for organised sports to ensure long-term affordability for clubs and participants, while also balancing the need to fund maintenance and upgrades. In March 2024, Tauranga City Council removed the match fees proposed in the long-term plan and delayed the introduction of new training fees until 2025.

Funding for Active Recreation Infrastructure: We highlighted community needs and advocated for more funded actions from council's Play, Active Recreation and Sport Action and Investment Plan (PARS Plan). Council resolved through deliberation to reallocate $650,000 of existing Spaces and Places budget for a pump track in the west of the city.

SmartTrip and Road Pricing: We advocated for further investigation into the impact on recreation and sporting opportunities before pursuing a road pricing scheme. After an approach from NZTA Waka Kotahi, Tauranga City Council has decided to work on a nationally consistent road pricing strategy instead, and at the same time investigate ways to address community concern regarding road pricing.

Whakatāne District Council

Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub: Our support for the redevelopment plans emphasised community engagement and essential upgrades. The Rex Morpeth Recreation hub is a much loved and utilised community facility that is under pressure due to limited capacity and aging infrastruture. The hub is also identified as a priority project in the Spaces and Places Strategy. We therefore advocated for the redevelopment of the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub as soon as possible. Whakatāne District Council ultimately decided to:

• integrate a stop/go decision-making point into the 2027/28 Long Term Plan regarding the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub’s redevelopment budget.
• retain budget allocation for co-funding the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub project.
• prioritise health and safety, making the building watertight, and functionality-focused improvement works during the next four years, up to $7.8 million.
• finalise the master plan for the hub and explore the feasibility of a separate indoor court facility.
• develop an external funding plan before the next Long Term Plan.

Rotorua Lakes Council

Inner City Skatepark: We supported the sector in the initial phases of their own submission process, and advocated for investment toward an inner-city skatepark development. An inner-city skatepark development was identified as a priority project in the 2020 Spaces and Places Strategy. Rotorua Lakes Council has committed $650,000 in year 3 of its long-term plan for a new skate park, contingent on community fundraising efforts for the balance of required investment.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Community Facilities Fund: We advocated for a structured funding plan to ensure adequate resources for community facilities. With a growing population, urbanisation and rising costs, the supply of spaces and places for play, active recreation, and sport is increasingly under pressure across our region, and in particular the Western Bay of Plenty. Developing sufficient funding mechanisms to support new spaces and places as well as maintain existing facilities is therefore of paramount importance.

A reshaping of the community facility funding framework is detailed as a priority in the recently refreshed 2024 Spaces and Places Strategy.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council decided to create a fixed fee per property to help fund these projects. This is introduced at $25 in year three of the Long Term Plan and will increase to $50 per property from year four.

The Council heard from the community that they wanted more information on how this fund would operate so they plan to use years one and two to develop the criteria of the fund, and to ensure they make fair decisions that will fund facilities for everyone to enjoy. Decisions on community facilities during the interim period will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Regional Parks: We supported investigations into new parks. Given the Bay of Plenty's reputation as an outdoor playground, we felt regional council was in a unique position to amplify this reputation and support community wellbeing by investigating further opportunities for regional parks.

On 9 May 2024 the Noble family gifted land on Hot Springs Road, Katikati, to Council. This generous donation means that Council will not need to undertake all the investigations originally planned and has chosen to redistribute the initial budget of $450,000.

This means that the investigations for a Rotorua regional park will be allocated $250,000 and the Hot Springs Road property will be allocated $200,000 to fund capital works to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards. An additional $50,000 per year will be budgeted for years 3-10 of the Long Term Plan for property management and maintenance for the Hot Springs Road property.

Our proactive engagement with local councils is crucial in navigating the complexities of resource allocation within our region's play and recreation sectors. By advocating for thoughtful investments, we have worked with councils to find suitable solutions that align with community needs and aspirations for increased access to physical activity.

Looking ahead to 2025, we remain committed to collaboration with local government entities, ensuring that our sector expertise continues to inform their decisions. Together, we are building a healthier, more vibrant Bay of Plenty, fostering active lifestyles and strengthening community bonds.