East Skate Club founder and chairperson Aaron Martin is calling out the Howick Local Board for failing to deliver for east Auckland’s skating community.
Martin has advocated to the board on the club’s behalf for years to have more skating facilities built in the area and for rundown existing facilities to be upgraded and improved.
He addressed the board’s members at a recent business meeting, saying not much has changed for skaters in east Auckland in recent years.
“We’ve got more people but the same amount of facilities. We have a halfpipe on Lloyd Elsmore Skate Park, however it’s still basically the same.
“Our vert ramp at Lloyd Elsmore was demolished in 2000. In 2020 the ramps at Howick Bowling Club were removed.
“On the back end of that we had a 2000-person survey from the local community identifying how important those ramps were.
“On a post on the East Auckland Grapevine [Facebook page] there were more than 400 comments from people screaming out saying we need this space.”
Martin said a ‘pump track’ was installed in the area but most local skaters don’t use it and it’s more suited to children.
“We’ve still got those 2000 people in Howick who have got basically nowhere to skate.
“That’s on the backend of all the lessons we’ve done. We’ve had 400 kids a week skating.
“They’ve all died off because they’ve got nowhere to do it.”
Board member Bruce Kendall asked Martin if he’d looked at the whole area and identified “where we can have quick wins”.
Martin said he’s identified areas where sports clubs can give East Skate Club space to use “but then the policy around that fell over”.
Martin added that he and his club appreciates the board’s support and he doesn’t want to be negative.
“You guys have been awesome. You supported us with temporary pop-up stuff which we really appreciate and haven’t forgotten, so don’t get me wrong.
“When we had those wooden ramps at Lloyd Elsmore it was pumping, like 50 to 60 people.
“When we had the thing at Highland Park we had 80 families a day, all people that now I know are not skating because there’s nothing happening.”
Board member John Spiller asked Martin if the club was pursuing commercial sponsorship or financial assistance to develop a larger concept skate park.
“We’re a charity,” Martin said. “We’re not scared of getting funding, but the barrier there is we can’t get funding without the land.
“We don’t have the land. We’ve been on the lease waiting list for three years. Landowner approval costs $1000.
“We’ve already sunk $3000 of our own money to better these assets when the Barry Curtis playground got like $1 million.
“When I see other things that money is being spent on, that’s what gets me going.
“How are dog parks with 15 people with dogs getting prioritised over skate parks with 2000 people, and a petition, and strong community backing? I don’t get how that priority works.”
