Tairua Skatepark will officially open on April 15 after 30 years of discussion, controversy and High Court action.

The skatepark has been a long time in the making, but after opposition by Preserve Cory Park Domain Inc was dismissed at the High Court in August 2023, it was ready to roll.

Justice Grant Powell dismissed claims by Preserve Cory Park Domain Inc that the process and public consultation used by Thames-Coromandel District Council and contractors to make decisions about the skatepark were flawed.

In coming to his decision, Justice Powell noted that for about 30 years, there had been agreement Tairua needed a skatepark.

Despite an apparent consensus, it had not yet been built and the appropriate site remained a matter of considerable contention, and in particular, whether it should be located within the Cory Park Recreation Reserve, Justice Powell said.

This week it was announced the ramps and bowl had been poured with just a few of the flat areas remaining, in preparation for an official opening on April 15, from 1pm.

Site furniture was being installed and the final shaping of the acoustic mound was taking place.

A council spokesperson said the concrete still needed to be sealed to avoid it being damaged and there were still a lot of hazards around the construction site.

“We ask that, although it is starting to look complete, you do not let yourselves into the site and try to skate the fresh concrete.”

Landscaping was expected to be completed in June when the weather would be more suitable for planting.

The final plans for Tairua Skatepark were approved at a Thames-Coromandel District Council meeting in April 2023, which also authorised the project team to proceed with procurement and construction.

“The project team has continued to engage with users of Cory Park Domain, the site of the skatepark, to fine-tune any minor design changes needed for health and safety purposes.”

The concept design for Tairua's new skatepark. Image courtesy TCDC

Thames-Coromandel District Council had appointed Veros to manage the second stage of the Tairua Skatepark Project through detailed design and construction phases to completion. Acid NZ designed the skatepark.

Stage one involved community consultation on the appetite for and preferred site of the skatepark which involved site walk-throughs, in-person public meetings, online public meetings and digital surveys.

To guide the design of the skatepark, a skatepark design reference group was set up which included representatives from a range of groups such as skaters, residents who live beside Cory Park, The Protect Cory Park Domain Society (PCPDS), Tairua Sports and Rugby Club (TRSC), Tairua Recreation Sports Trust (TRST), and police.

A total of 1044 submissions were made to a formal consultation asking if the Tairua community agreed with Cory Park Domain as the proposed location for a skatepark in Tairua.

Sixty-three people indicated they would like to speak to their submission at hearings in April 2022.

It was then confirmed 92 per cent of submitters agreed with Cory Park Domain as the location for the skatepark, 7 per cent of submitters disagreed with Cory Park Domain as the location for the skatepark and the rest were neutral or provided no response.

An initial survey in October 2021 helped shape the site selection criteria, sites to be shortlisted and skatepark design elements.

A second survey in November 2021 was run to understand people’s official preference on the site from the shortlist of Cory Park Domain, Pepe Reserve and Tairua School.

In February 2022 the council adopted Cory Park Domain as the preferred site for the skatepark.

The final stage was the submission process, held between February and April 2022, on the preferred location of Cory Park Domain.

The article was originally published on NZ Herald, here