Park sale spurs petition
The legacy of a late businessman is under threat as officials look to sell the park he once gifted to his Rangitı¯kei hometown.
Owen Haylock bought the 1-hectare block of land on the outskirts of Bulls in 1986, with the hope it would one day become a centre for recreational activity.
Once developed, he believed the park would eliminate the need for children to walk across the bustling highway to the Bulls Domain. He donated it to the Rangitı¯kei District Council before he died in 2002.
Apart from a lime walking track, the land was never developed into a recreation space.
Instead, part of it was fenced off and leased to nearby farmers to graze stock.
At a council meeting on Thursday, Bulls resident Bruce Dear will oppose the sale of Haylock Park and will present a petition with more than 200 signatures.
Having lived in Bulls for 40 years, Dear knew Haylock and his wife’s family had once owned the land surrounding the park.
‘‘He purchased that land for the council. He saw it as a green area for a future domain,’’ Dear said.
‘‘I can see a soccer field, play equipment or a skate park. It doesn’t have to be fancy stuff, but there’s a shortage of recreation spaces and once it’s gone it’s never coming back.
‘‘I’m fighting for Owen, because it will be the end of his legacy.’’
Dear said the council had ‘‘buried’’ details of the sale in its Long-term Plan and he wasn’t aware of the park’s fate until he saw a newspaper advertisement calling for expressions of interest from developers.
The council’s chief executive Ross Mcneil said the land had been earmarked for sale three years ago, with the proceeds to go to the $5.2 million Bulls Community Centre, which should be completed by December.
‘‘I think the council has been very clear from the outset,’’ Mcneil said.
‘‘The decision to look at selling part of that block of land has been signalled to the community for a number of years.’’
Mcneil said the council didn’t intend to sell the entire block, but would discuss on Thursday how much it would offer to developers.
Haylock became an international exporter when he created wooden boards from wood fibres known as medium-density fibreboard, or MDF, and sold them all over the world.
It was often rumoured that he would fly back to New Zealand from business meetings in Australia and the United States so he didn’t miss council meetings.
He was the chairman of the former Bulls and District Community Council.