Parks reach global standards
Heretaunga Hastings turned it on for the start of the summer events season this month with spectacular weather greeting the thousands who came here for the Mission Concert.
Robbie Williams was a huge drawcard and put on two amazing concerts enjoyed by locals as well as visitors – it really signalled our region was open for business and tourism.
He wasn’t the only attraction that weekend – to warm up for the concerts we also welcomed more than 1700 people into the city to enjoy Taste Hastings.
This was a wonderful celebration of our region’s wineries. It offered wine tasting, live music, delicious food and more – to see the buzz in our inner city was really magical.
The Hastings Farmers’ Market that weekend was also humming, and the weather was perfect for the annual Rose Sunday event in Frimley Park.
Frimley Park, like all of our parks and reserves in Hastings, is treasured by our community.
It’s important we look after and manage our parks to ensure they are sustainable for future generations. As well as their environmental value, these green spaces are important for the social and cultural benefits they bring to our community.
What we do in our parks and reserves is guided by our Reserve Management Plans – these are compiled in consultation with the community, so they represent the aspirations of those who use and enjoy them.
Our council’s parks team and contractors are hugely dedicated to looking after and preserving these important open spaces, and it was a thrill to have that work recognised in this year’s Green Flag Awards.
Green Flags are presented around the world each year for parks that meet global benchmark standards in open space management.
Our premier parks – Cornwall Park, Flaxmere Park and Havelock North Village Green – all had their Green Flag status renewed for the fourth year in a row, and Frimley Park received a Green Flag for the first time.
The judges noted how these parks were obviously much loved by the community and managed by a dedicated team.
We can all be very proud of all our parks and reserves which often have
rich histories that help connect us to the people who came before us.
This summer I encourage you to take the time to explore our green spaces – we have about 190 parks, and almost 40 of those have playgrounds – so there’s something for every wha¯nau.