Section 3: Council Activities

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Parks

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Responsibility

Mark Bruhn (Manager Parks)

Description of service

Parks plan, manage and maintain a diverse and extensive range of community assets, including public open spaces for aesthetic, passive and active uses, community halls, public cemeteries, a regional crematorium, motor camps, public toilets, public artworks and heritage features.

New Plymouth District has a high reputation for the quality of its outdoor open spaces. The importance of these facilities lies in their contribution to the quality of life in the district.

Walkways, playgrounds and other open spaces provide the district’s residents and visitors with important unstructured leisure opportunities.

Scale of service

This describes the size and scope of the activity.

• 10km of Coastal Walkway.
• 1,380ha of park land, including Pukekura Park.
• 70km of walkways.
• 23 sports parks.
• 48 playgrounds.
• One zoo.
• 34 community halls and centres (17 community halls owned by the Council).
• Six camping grounds.
• 10 operational cemeteries and one crematorium.
• 53 public toilet blocks.
• Eight skate parks.
• Public artworks, monuments and heritage items.

Rationale for activity

Local government is the primary provider of public open space for recreational and cultural activities in communities. These facilities have been developed over time in response to community aspirations, needs and demands.

The district’s Parks assets ensure the whole community has opportunities to access a range of facilities and public open spaces for physical activities, leisure, recreation or simply for the enjoyment of their intrinsic values.

Pursuant to the powers given to the Council by the Reserves Act 1977, natural environments, including wetlands and bush areas, can be protected by applying public reserves and covenants.

Tourism is an important driver of the district’s economy and the Parks service provides camping grounds that attract visitors and local residents to spend their holidays in attractive settings. These, together with the sports parks providing for organised physical activities, contribute to the wide range of facilities the Parks service provides for community enjoyment.

The Parks service also contributes to the environmental well-being of the community through the maintenance and beautification of the district’s streetscapes, including suburban and central business areas thus providing attractive locations for businesses while at the same time contributing to the quality of life of local residents and also the positive experience of visitors.

Communities are supported through the provision and maintenance of community halls. The Parks service supports and assists the community halls to function effectively thus contributing significantly to the social well-being of the various community groups and volunteers.

The Parks service manages public cemeteries within the district and also the Taranaki Crematorium.

The Parks service is also responsible for the appropriate maintenance of art, monuments and other heritage items in public places in the district.

Contribution to Community Outcomes

Parks primarily contributes to the achievement of the district’s Prosperous and Vibrant Community Outcomes. Parks contributes by enhancing the aesthetic quality of the environment and providing a diverse range of quality recreation and leisure experiences and activities. This supports the promotion of growth in the district. Parks also makes a contribution to the Secure and Healthy and Sustainable Community Outcomes.

Prosperous

A district that boasts a sustainable, resilient and innovative economy that prospers within the natural and social environment.

P1 Taranaki is an attractive place to work, do business and to visit.

Vibrant

A district that provides high-quality and diverse cultural and recreational experiences, where independence and creativity are encouraged.

V1 People have access to, and are encouraged to participate in, a wide range of high-quality recreational, leisure, art and cultural activities.

V2 The region has high-quality public amenities and facilities.

V4 All people have access to local services and facilities.

V5 There is safe, convenient and affordable access to the natural environment and public access to the region’s coastal marine area, lakes and rivers is maintained and where practical enhanced.

Negative impacts on community well-being

The facilities managed by parks generally make a positive contribution to community well-being. From time to time negative effects do arise and can include effects from such matters as traffic generation, provision of parking and noise. These are managed to comply with the regulatory requirements of District Plan rules and/or the conditions of approved resource consents.

Facing the challenges – assumptions and risks

Population growth and changes to the population composition have implications for the provision of, and capacity of, Parks assets. Given the forecast modest population growth of 0.4 per cent per year over 2009-2019, it is considered that the Parks public open space assets (for both active and passive recreation) generally have sufficient capacity to meet any increased demand out to 2012. This particularly applies to facilities for organised sport. However, the adequacy of the district’s open space is being reviewed, as part of the District Open Space Strategy to be completed in 2011 in consultation with the community and taking into account the Sport Taranaki Regional Sports and Recreation Strategy.

Recent studies into recreation trends show that the community, with an increasing proportion of ageing but increasingly active persons, is participating in more unstructured recreational activities such as walking and cycling.

The most significant challenge for Parks is to continue to maintain and develop its assets at the present quality and levels of service in order that increasing community expectations can continue to be satisfied.

Assumptions

The community will continue to expect the high level of amenity and functionality currently delivered by Parks assets.

Some initiatives for new facilities, such as the Taranaki Velodrome project and Waitara gym sports facility, are community-led projects which the Parks activity supports in partnership through the provision of land.

Minor reduction in funding levels will not affect the levels of service, to a major extent, to that currently enjoyed by the community.

Implementation of halls review and camping ground review outcomes will occur.

The Council has agreed in principle to sell Council buildings to clubs, where these premises are used exclusively by the clubs. Financial savings will be applied to annual budgets as any sale takes place (by agreement with each club).

The current policy programme will continue, including completing the Cemeteries Management Plan, Sport Park Management Plan, Lake Mangamahoe Management Plan, Administration Plan for Te Rewa Rewa Reserve and an Oakura Recreation Needs Assessment.

Continuation of upgrades to some walkways to make them suitable for cycling will occur.

Risks

Parks assets are subject to various risks in the ordinary course of business. The most significant of these are as follows:

• Brooklands Zoo may be subject to increasing levels of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry compliance relating to animal welfare. This will have implications for zoo operating costs and potential additional capital expenditure.
• Having regard to climate change predictions, extreme weather events may result in more frequent damage to Council administered public open space, especially adjoining the foreshore, and in particular, the Coastal Walkway and the associated foreshore protection works.
• Adequate future available capacity of the district’s cemeteries.

Managing risks

• Parks will maintain close liaison with Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as a means of monitoring any changes to animal welfare compliance requirements.
• Increased monitoring, inspection and maintenance procedures will be implemented so as to ensure Parks can respond appropriately and in a timely fashion in the event of storm damage to Parks assets in the vicinity of the foreshore.
• A new cemetery to serve New Plymouth District will be developed to be operational prior to Awanui cemetery reaching capacity.

Levels of service and performance measures

The following levels of service and performance measures outline the objectives we will set and how we will measure our progress.

Service objective	Related Community Outcome(s)	Performance measures	Performance targets
			2010/11	2011/12
Maintain the quality of the district’s parks and reserves including the Coastal Walkway and Pukekura Park.	Vibrant 1, 2 4 & 5 Prosperous 1	Percentage of community satisfied with the quality of district’s parks and reserves (NRB survey).	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)
Maintain the quality of Brooklands Zoo.	Vibrant 1, 2 4 & 5 Prosperous 1	Percentage of visitors satisfied with the quality of Brooklands Zoo (customer survey).	95%	95%
Maintain the quality of the district’s urban landscapes and streets, including public flowerbeds and displays.	Vibrant 1, 2 4 & 5 Prosperous 1 Secure and Healthy 2	Percentage of community satisfied with the quality of the district’s urban landscapes and streets (NRB survey).	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)
Maintain access to the natural environment, including rivers, lakes, the mountain and the coast.	Vibrant 1, 2 4 & 5 Prosperous 1 Secure and Healthy 2	Percentage of community satisfied with access to the natural environment (NRB survey).	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)
		Percentage of population living within 400 metres of a public park or reserve.	82%	82%
Maintain the quality of the district’s sports parks and playgrounds.	Vibrant 1, 2 4 & 5 Prosperous 1 Secure and Healthy 2	Percentage of community satisfied with the quality of the district’s sports parks and playgrounds (NRB survey).	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)	95% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)
Provide opportunity for community participation in caring for, and engagement with, the district’s environment, e.g. Friends of Pukekura Park, Arbor Day etc.	Vibrant 1	Number of volunteer hours per annum.	2,000 hours	2,000 hours
Maintain the quality of the district’s public toilets.	Vibrant 2 & 4 Prosperous 1	Number of toilets available.	51	52
		Percentage of community satisfied with the quality of the district’s public toilets (NRB survey).	60% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)	60% (including ‘don’t know’ responses)

 

FINANCIAL PLAN	LTCCP 2011/12 ($000)	Budget 2011/12 ($000)
OPERATIONS
Activity expenditure
Premier parks and foreshore	3,712	3,878
Parks and streetscapes	9,655	9,377
Cemeteries and crematorium	1,263	1,277
Sports parks, playgrounds, campgrounds and public halls	1,566	1,977
Total activity expenditure	16,196	16,509
Activity revenue
Premier parks and foreshore	(169)	(684)
Parks and streetscapes	(1,061)	(1,079)
Cemeteries and crematorium	(668)	(814)
Sports parks, playgrounds, campgrounds and public halls	(452)	(283)
Total activity revenue	(2,350)	(2,860)
Net cost of operations	13,846	13,649
Appropriations and reserves
Depreciation unfunded/deferred	(135)	(538)
Total appropriations and reserves	(135)	(538)
RATES REQUIREMENT FOR OPERATIONS	13,711	13,111
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
Total renewals	5,729	2,803
Total improvements	1,553	577
Total capital expenditure	7,282	3,380
Total capital funding	0	0
Net cost of capital activities	7,282	3,380
Appropriations and reserves
Transfer from depreciation reserves	(5,729)	(2,803)
Total appropriations and reserves	(5,729)	(2,803)
FUNDING REQUIREMENT FOR CAPITAL	1,553	577
RATES AND FUNDING REQUIREMENT
Rates requirement for operations	13,711	13,111
Funding requirement for capital	1,553	577
TOTAL RATES AND FUNDING REQUIREMENT	15,264	13,688

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