City Vision keep stating that NZ Golf supports the current, ill conceived Master Plan. This is one of the many incorrect facts that City Vision are using to mislead the general public! They support our Plan for the Future which includes creating walkways/cycleways, upgrading Meola creek and allowing public access.
Below is NZ Golf’s letter to Council.
"New Zealand Golf would like to make its position around the Indicative Business Case and Master Plan for Chamberlain Park Golf Course clear.
New Zealand Golf see Auckland Council and local boards as key partners in helping us deliver our goal of enriching lives through a love of golf.
“We are supportive of Auckland Council and Albert Eden Local Board having a master plan for Chamberlain Park. New Zealand Golf is not supportive of the current master plan for Chamberlain Park as proposed by the Albert-Eden Local Board.” says Carl Fenton, Senior Relationship Manager for New Zealand Golf.
“We believe there has been some positive work completed around the restoration of Meola Creek; we urge Albert-Eden Local Board and Auckland Council to revisit the indicative business case and master plan with greater insight and collaboration. We have the opportunity to develop Chamberlain Park into an integrated community asset with a focus on positive environmental impact, that future generations of Aucklanders can be proud of. The current master plan lacks real intellect and will not serve the community well. Gone are the days where we can carve bits of land apart and not provide integrated solutions.”
“As one of the only sports that normally maintains and improves the public land that it is using, we are uniquely placed to offer expertise and assistance through the Golf Sector Environmental Group, and the GEO foundation to help make Chamberlain Park climate-positive,” says Fenton.
“It has been achieved at Remuera Golf Club and with Auckland Council declaring a climate emergency we need to take an intelligent approach to what we do with our green space.”
New Zealand Golf want to work with Auckland Council and support opening the green space to more users through the smart design with parks and fitness, walking, running, and cycling trails. There is also an opportunity to relocate some like sports which would free up space in other Albert-Eden parks for the two proposed sports fields, at a potential lower cost to ratepayers.
Chamberlain Park is one of the busiest courses in the country with 63,000 rounds over the last 12 months as of 30 June 2019, it is a true community asset. It is part of the existing wild link corridor of ecosystems linking biodiversity on Auckland’s east and west coasts. A University of Auckland baseline study of Remuera Golf Course found 99 different plant species, 27 of which were native to New Zealand. Further, the wood vegetation lining the fairways provided a well-connected series of habitats for avian species and other fauna.
Golf offers the opportunity for lifelong activity and supports healthier, longer lives for Aucklanders, and offers a genuine lifelong contribution to the prevention of disease. Golf is the largest adult club-based sport in the country with over 500,000 participants. In Auckland there is over 1 million rounds of golf played annually. As the governing body of golf in New Zealand our role is to lead, grow and support the game of Golf in this country.
For more information on the GEO Foundation please visit https://sustainable.golf/
For any inquiries please contact:
Carl Fenton - Carl@nzgolf.org.nz (+64 27 2275 111)
Matt Southerden - Matt.Southerden@nzgolf.org.nz (+64 27 700 4647)