The future of the Tauranga racecourse and golf course is once again in the spotlight with Tauranga City Council commissioners set to decide which options to put out for further consultation.

At a meeting on Monday the commissioners will select which of the 10 options should be presented to mana whenua, existing users, and the public for consultation.

Future use of the 85 hectares of crown land that is currently leased by Racing Tauranga and Tauranga Golf Club has been discussed since September 2020 when the land was included in the Te Papa Spatial Plan.

The Greerton Racecourse Reserve was permanently reserved as a recreation ground and racecourse in the late 1800s and the clubs have a lease until 2039.

The space is also used by the Tauranga Equestrian Sports Association (TESA) that represents nine clubs from all sectors of the equestrian community.

The association has occupied the land in the centre of the racecourse since the 1980s and have an all-weather sand arena, buildings and horse pens.

Council has called the investigation into the best future use for the reserve the Greerton Maarawaewae Study.

Its purpose is to identify opportunities that support wellbeing and liveability as the city grows as well as providing certainty to the current users.

Options for the reserve include leaving it as is (the status quo), an enhanced status quo that includes playing fields and community spaces, this would require relocation of the racecourse but retain equestrian and the golf course.

Other options are a golf course with housing and possibly a new school, health services and enhanced community spaces with active recreation, and a central park that includes the golf course, playing fields and a community centre, these options see both equestrian and the racecourse relocated.

In the report to the commissioners' council staff have recommended three options these are: the central park, enhanced status quo and health services and recreation, that would revert to the central park if Health New Zealand decided not to progress with health services.

The recommendations come after two rounds of public consultation and multi criteria assessment of the options.

Tauranga City Council programme director of urban communities Carl Lucca previously told Local Democracy Reporting the criteria considered the community engagement and the city's needs as it grows.

Consultants placed 20 per cent weight on future health needs, 25 to 30 per cent to housing, 25 to 30 per cent on green space and active recreation, 10 per cent to existing stakeholders and 15 to 20 per cent to cost.

Using the criteria, the top option weighted both with and without costs was health services and recreation.

Racing Tauranga want to continue racing on the reserve which has been their home for 150 years and have expressed their preference for the status quo or enhanced status quo.

Tauranga Racing Club chairman Carl McComb. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Carl McComb, chairman of both Racing Tauranga and Tauranga Racecourse Reserve Charitable Trust previously told Local Democracy Reporting the club was happy to share the space.

'We recognise that enhanced community use has got to be factored in,” says McComb.

'The city is growing, and we've got to look at the area in 10, 20 years' time and how do we all fit in?

'We still hope the commissioners make the right decision and do what's best recognising us as an historic user,” he says.

Another sticking point for future use is the potential for a Treaty of Waitangi claim if the land's reserve status were to change.

Mana whenua and representatives of Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapū lodged a claim via the Treaty of Waitangi Act in February.

Hapū representative Buddy Mikaere says if the status were to change to enable housing for example, that would trigger the claim.

The land was confiscated after the Battle of Gate Pa in 1865 and because the land was being used for public good the hapū didn't pursue it as part of their treaty settlement, said Mikaere.

In council's report to the commissioners, it recommends council removes general residential housing options from further consideration.

The options will be confirmed by the commissioners on Monday with consultation proposed from mid-July to mid-August.

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