Racing Tauranga has showcased the diverse range of events and groups that use its facilities in an attempt to provide certainty for its future.

Options for future use of the Tauranga Racecourse Reserve are being looked at by Tauranga City Council through the Greerton Maarawaewae study.

The study began in October 2021 and the council consulted on multiple options for the 85 hectares of crown reserve land before settling on three.

Option A includes a health precinct, sports fields and the golf course. Option B is a large central park with sports fields, community spaces and connection to Kopurererua Valley.

Option C is an enhanced status quo with the current users remaining with sports fields and connection to Kopurererua Valley added.

The Tauranga Golf Club and Racing Tauranga have leases until 2039. The facilities are also leased by Tauranga Equestrian Sports Association that represents nine clubs from all sectors of the equestrian community.

Public hearings were held on Monday and Tuesday [SUBS April 3 & 4] after the council's final round of consultation last year.

At Tuesday's hearing, Racing Tauranga's general manager Louise Dean told the commission the club had held 17 race meetings in the last year with 34,000 people attending.

These people weren't necessarily horse lovers or punters but the community and everyday people, said Dean.

'We pride ourselves on being in an inclusive environment.

'It's [racing] not just for elite people, everyone can have a piece of it and everyone can enjoy it.”

When racing wasn't held the racecourse and events centre opened up to anyone, she said.

Around 106,000 people had been through the venue in the past year for events like the Garden and Art Festival, Bloom in Bay, the Lions book fair and Plantfest, said Dean.

It was also the home for community groups like Taoist tai chi and Tauranga Taekwondo, who could not afford venue hire at other places around the city, she said.

'I can't stress it enough that we do have a lot of people using our venue.”

The Greerton Maarawaewae study is looking at the best future use of the Tauranga Racecourse Reserve. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Racing Tauranga deputy chairman Michael Bayly said the club supported status quo with enhancement - the only option that retained the racecourse.

'We the original and current lease holders wish to remain in situ with certainly of tenure beyond 2039 and remain the guardians of this valuable greenspace

'We've been told this process was to provide certainty to current leaseholders. However, we are almost four years in and we're still in limbo.”

Commission chair Anne Tolley responded: 'We realise that this has dragged out a bit and that's through no fault of ours.”

She said Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty and Transpower 'had come out of left field” with their submissions on use of the space.

'We are trying to work towards giving you some certainty.”

Transpower presented on the potential need to use some of the reserve to expand its Greerton substation that borders the site.

Senior environmental planner Trudi Burney said Transpower wasn't 'talking the whole reserve but just enough to be able to expand”.

She said they hadn't done any in-depth studies into the cost or how much land would be required.

Regional engagement manager Tania Lund said Transpower was working out a development plan for the Western Bay of Plenty.

'The Western Bay of Plenty region does have some critical issues with its electricity infrastructure.”

Over the past 20 years there had been exponential growth in the region and Transpower had been 'patching together and upgrading” where it could, but it had come to a point in time where 'major upgrades” were needed, said Lund.

Transpower was looking at feasible options with one of them being expanding the Greerton substation, she said.

Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston asked if any additional capacity could be shouldered by the city's two other substations in Mount Maunganui and Kaitemako.

Lund responded that those areas were 'heavily constrained” and there was no way to avoid major upgrades.

Sport Bay of Plenty space and places lead Duncan Pearce said the organisation supported Option B. Using the racecourse land for recreation would 'reduce pressure” on Blake Park and prevent the need for people to travel to Mount Maunganui, he said.

'Our open spaces are a critical component of thriving cities.”

Resident Maree Cooper echoed many submitters about the need to retain the area as greenspace because it was the last 'significant area” of greenspace in Tauranga.

She reminisced about her and her mother going to the racecourse as children and attending fairs and dog shows at the site.

'The value of those memories and those experiences that the previous generation had and what I had, is equally important to the new generations.”

During formal consultation a total 897 submissions were received with 201 in support of Option A, 128 in favour of Option B and 548 preferring Option C.

The hearings saw 21 people present and the commissioners will deliberate on an option to recommend to the government on May 1.

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