An impromptu public meeting took place at Tarnica Park in Northpark on Monday, 12 October, as residents rallied to keep the park’s playground.
It followed the Howick & Eastern Post’s story about the Howick Local Board considering proposals from Auckland Council staff to “optimise” play equipment in nine parks across the Board area, including Tarnica Park.
The proposals are in Auckland Council’s draft Play and Recreation Opportunities Provision Strategy for the Howick Local Board area.
Under the draft, playgrounds at some smaller parks would not be replaced as equipment wears out, and the renewal money would be spent at bigger parks nearby instead.
Council papers mark two of the nine, Tarnica Park and Tiraumea Drive Reserve in Pakuranga, as “ASAP”.
Under the proposal put to Board members by Council officials, Tarnica’s money would go to Kilimanjaro Park and to a youth area beside the Logan Carr Reserve skate park.
That came only weeks after the Council installed a new swing set, slide and climbing module at the 28-year-old Tarnica playground in August.
Board members were shown the list at a workshop on 1 October, and several pushed back.
Light, who lives around the corner from Tarnica, told the workshop the nearest alternative, Kilimanjaro Park, was more like a 20-minute walk, and children would have to cross some of the most dangerous intersections in the country to reach other playgrounds.
Council staff are proposing the strategy be adopted at a Board business meeting in December.
The Council has said residents would be consulted park by park once specific changes are proposed.
Gordon Luke, who lives near the park, and his wife Maxine Luke organised a petition opposing any future removal of play equipment from Tarnica Park, or its relocation to another park.
What was meant to be a chance to take photos with residents for a follow-up story turned into a public meeting, with around 20 people turning up in the rain to back the Lukes’ petition.
Board members for Botany, Mike Turinsky and Damian Light, attended, along with Jack Collins and Luke Collings, who represent Pakuranga and Howick respectively.
Luke read out the wording of the petition, which calls on the Howick Local Board to support keeping play equipment in Tarnica Park.
More than 250 households have signed it, he said.
“A lot of people turned up, which was great, especially when it’s raining like anything,” Luke said.
He said the Board members who came had made clear they were on the residents’ side.
“The plan now is to go to the Howick Board with the petition,” he said.
He wants to “explain to them what the people think about Tarnica Park and we want to keep it”.
Residents at the meeting questioned why the Council was looking at Tarnica Park at all.
Turinsky said Board members had asked Council staff the same question.
Staff often did a tabletop exercise first and then came to the Board with questions, he said.
They had not come to the Board saying they wanted to sell anything, Turinsky said, but asking it to consider optimising open space.
He said the Board had fought for years against selling or getting rid of parks.
It was the role of Board members to make decisions based on feedback from the community, he said, and the Board would decide which parks went out for public consultation.
The Board had made no decisions and was not close to making any, Turinsky said.
Light said the park was still being considered and the decision would be made by the Board.
“It’s really important that you have your say,” Light said.
Light said members had asked staff for figures on how many people use Tarnica Park, and the Council did not hold that information.
Board members were told much the same at the 1 October workshop, where a Council parks specialist said she had no usage data.
Maxine Luke said the playground was used by more than just neighbours, with busloads of kindergarten and school children and groups for people with disabilities coming to play there.
“Apparently three bus loads turned up the other day and played on the playground,” she said.
Turinsky said the Board had worked hard to get Tarnica Park upgraded and had wanted to put a lot more money into it.
Members wanted a full refurbishment and had been pushing for years to bring it forward, he said.
He was glad residents were giving feedback now, because it meant the Board could push harder with Council staff.
Several residents raised fears that the land could end up as intensive housing, with the Eastern Busway nearby.
Luke said a lot of people had asked him what would happen if the playground went.
“They’re all scared about high-rise buildings. They do not want it in this area, because we will probably get a lot of crime,” he said.
Maxine Luke said children would lose out.
“The kids will have nowhere to play if they’re in high-rise buildings. There’s no park around here,” she said.
Gordon Luke has campaigned for the park before.
In 2019 he spoke to the Board about antisocial behaviour at Tarnica Park, and members later set aside up to $5000 for a solar sensor light over the playground.
