TAPAWERA MEMORIAL PARK RECREATION RESERVE
Location
Tapawera Memorial Park Recreation Reserve is located at 10 Matai Crescent, Tapawera. The park is comprised of five separate parcels, shown as 5a-e on the image opposite. Parcel 5a, the ex-Railway land (which is dissected by Matai Street), is not subject to the Reserves Act. Parcels 5b-e are all classified as Recreation Reserve.
Values
There are three existing buildings at Tapawera Memorial Park: the Tapawera Rugby Football Club clubrooms, a covered shearing stand and sheep pens owned by Tapawera Shearing Committee and the MenzShed Tapawera building. The reserve area is flat, grassed, tidy and well-maintained. There are several sportsfields and a few established trees are scattered along the central part of the reserve. A vehicle access track and part of Tasman’s Great Taste Trail run through parcel (a), the ex-Railway land.
Issues and Options
The Council’s Long Term Plan 2024–2034 allocated budget for provision of a Tapawera Community Hub.
After considering several options for creating the hub, including the potential to repurpose and expand existing buildings, the Council is proposing to build the new hub at one of these three locations at Tapawera Memorial Park (see image below):
Option 1: on parcel (b) near the shearing stand building, i.e. on the Recreation Reserve; or
Option 2: on parcel (a) (the ex-Railway land), between Matai Crescent and the existing rugby clubrooms; or
Option 3: on parcel (a) (the ex-Railway land), north of Matai Crescent.
The Tapawera Community Hub could include spaces for:
- community use, community functions and meetings
- health services for the community
- private spaces for support services
- informal gathering spaces for youth and the elderly
- reception hub area and Wi-Fi facilities and information areas (visitor centre)
- a commercial grade kitchen, to support meeting and function spaces
Accessible parking areas and green space will also be provided.
