Fresh Look at Commercial Use of Parks and Reserves

The commercial use of Council-owned parks and reserves is under review.

On 4 December the Policy Committee will consider releasing a discussion document on commercial activity and events on parks and reserves for public feedback. The comments received would help in the drafting of separate policies for events and commercial use, which would later be released for public consultation.

“Currently the management of commercial activities is handled by several existing policies. The difficulty is that these policies are outdated and aren’t necessarily consistent with each other,” says Manager Parks Mark Bruhn.

“Having a single policy on commercial activities and one for events would make the requirements clear to everyone.

“This also gives us the opportunity to properly manage commercial opportunities along new reserves – such as the Coastal Walkway extension to Bell Block – in a way that doesn’t detract from people’s enjoyment of our parks and reserves.”

Discussions have already taken place with existing commercial operators, tangata whenua and Venture Taranaki to identify issues that should be addressed.

If the Policy Committee gives its approval, submissions on the discussion document would run from 10 December to 28 February.