Two local residents want to transform an east Auckland green space into a multi-purpose sports facility hosting national and international competitions.
Richard Wagener and Tony Mitchell recently presented their group’s vision for the ‘Ostrich Farm Sports Track’, located in Flat Bush, to the Howick Local Board.
They want a facility that increases opportunities for children, people with disabilities, lower socio-economic users and learners, and expect it will attract more than 85,000 people annually.
It could include a cycling track, bike hub and learn-to-ride space, barbecues, playgrounds, a skatepark, basketball courts, toilets and car parking.
The group wants to build a 3km-long tar-seal track with a minimum six-metre width, additional loops, and options that incorporate hills.
Wagener is the group’s co-ordinator as well as a local football and cricket coach, a runner and Pakuranga Athletic Club committee member.
Mitchell is on the management committee of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body of cycling, and president of the Oceania Cycling Federation.
The pair told the board the track would be accessible and dedicated for activities including road cycling and running, wheelchair racing, and alternative biking.
“It’s getting harder for us to find places to hold events and for people to safely participate in these sports,” Wagener said.
“So participating numbers in some of these sports are dropping. Safety is a massive issue.
“A lot of parents don’t want their kids biking on roads even if they’re half closed.
“The cost of running events is going up and that’s becoming prohibitive.”
Aucklanders are force to travel around the country to participate in events as there’s so few staged in this city, Wagener said.
“There’s growing need, and it’s got worse over the past few years.
“What we’re asking for is a … circuit to be built which would enable cycling, running, skating sports, wheelchair-adaptive riding, and duathlons.
“It would be a safe environment that has a variety of events and would be used by a wide cross section of the community.”
Regarding costs, Wagener and Mitchell told the board they see it as a shared arrangement.
Auckland Council could carry out the earthworks and drainage and the group would undertake to fund laying the track.
“The maintenance side of things, we believe we can do that through maybe introducing a $5 fee per participant at any event and that gives us potentially $100,000 a year,” Wagener said.
They believe it would cost about $4.5 million to construct the facility.
Mitchell said the track would present a unique opportunity for Auckland.
“I’ve been cycling in and around Auckland for 30 years and I’ve wanted to have something like this available for road cyclists but also the wider community.
“Looking at the money cycling has been able to bring in in other places, but also in Auckland, for this I think we’ll be able to attract good commercial partners to support this as well as the grant funds.”
The board’s members asked numerous questions of Wagener and Mitchell about their proposal before voting to ask their staff to provide advice on it and potentially hold a workshop as well.
