Chris Tremain: Preserving what we hold dear about lifestyle

Chris Tremain.

ANOTHER CAMPGROUND CARVED UP BY DEVELOPERS, PROTESTERS RALLY TO SAVE ICONIC CAMPGROUND, CAMPGROUND HITS DEVELOPMENT CHOPPING BLOCK...

These are just a few of the headlines that could have made the front page of newspapers around our country if the Waipatiki Beach Holiday Park had been sold to developers.

But fortunately, it has not, and as a result the announcement that the campground has been jointly purchased by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Napier City Council and Hastings District Council was quietly announced in last week's news. It's just the reality that the purchase of the campground by our combined councils was not nearly as newsworthy as a possible purchase and subdivision by developers.

But actually, when you think it through, the purchase of the campground is incredibly visionary and will leave a legacy for Hawke's Bay people for many generations to come. On this note I want to congratulate and thank our three councils for coming together to purchase this iconic campground.

Waipatiki (water of the flounder) is located a short 40 minute drive north of Napier. Surrounded by native bush the sandy beach provides an idyllic location for hundreds of campers throughout the seasons. Predominantly used by local Hawke's Bay people (70 per cent) the campground is also increasingly used by national and international tourists. The campground sits in a prime position overlooking the beach with easy access across the lagoon to surf and to plenty of kaimoana.

There is no doubt that Waipatiki campground could have easily landed in the hands of developers if it were not for the incredible generosity of Bill and Anne Perry who in my opinion have foregone significant profits to ensure it remains in public ownership. A vote of thanks needs to go to Bill and Anne from the entire Hawke's Bay community. The retention of campgrounds, such as this, retain the opportunity for all New Zealand families to have a beach holiday in our beautiful country.

The councils have purchased the campground for $900,000. This will continue to provide relatively cheap holidays to hundreds if not thousands of Hawke's Bay people over the next 100 years or more. For the record it costs more than that to buy just one top end bach at either Waipatiki or Waimarama, providing holidays for just a few families. Recent statistics show that some of the baches at Waimarama now regularly sell for well in excess of $1 million. In my opinion we will look back on this purchase in a decade or two and congratulate our councils for their vision and foresight.

In particular I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Hastings district councillor Tania Kerr (Mohaka Ward) who championed the idea from day one. She, together with the outstanding work of Rachel Stuart, an officer at the Hastings District Council, has been key to bringing this project to completion. Their dedication and "never say die" attitude were pivotal. No doubt other council officers have played a role, John O'Shaugnessy, Mike Adye and Neil Fergus to name a few. So often we are quick to criticise our council staff, in this case they are to be sincerely thanked.

I think that family holidays at the beach or lake are at the very heart of what defines us as Kiwis. Carefree, happy go lucky, sunbaked, barbecues and a few beers. Purchases of community assets such as the Waipatiki campground will help to preserve what many of us hold dear about our incredible Kiwi lifestyle.

- Chris Tremain is a former MP for Napier and former Cabinet minister. He is currently chairman of the Bank of China (NZ) and chairman of Tremain Capital Ltd.