Help shape the future of our recreation reserves

Taupō District is lucky to be blessed with many beautiful reserves; and every one of them has a different role.

Some are places for walking, running or playing sport. Others are where people gather with friends and whānau, enjoy nature, take the dog for a walk, or simply find a quiet place to relax.

Taupō District Council is currently reviewing its reserve management plans and the team working on this review would love to hear from members of the community about how they like to use their reserves. You can have your say between 1 August and 30 September.

Many of the current reserve management plans were developed years ago. Since then, communities have grown, recreation trends have changed, and some reserves are being used in different ways. This review is an opportunity to make sure future management reflects how people use and value reserves today. It is focused solely on ensuring reserves are managed well to benefit users and protect the environment, not about planning for selling off or otherwise removing reserves from community ownership and council management.

The new District-Wide Reserves Management Plan will first review the existing reserve management plans, then group them into one comprehensive plan. That plan will guide how recreation reserves across the district are used today and how they should be managed in the future, balancing community use with protecting the natural environment.

The council wants to hear people’s views, including which reserves they use most and what they do there, what they value about them and whether there’s anything in the current reserve management plans that they think needs updating.

Community feedback will help build a picture of how these spaces are used today and how they should be managed in the future.

The survey link can be found at www.taupo.govt.nz/haveyoursay.