"I was just so proud of everyone. It's been a four-and-a-half year journey from start to finish basically ".
The facility was designed to accommodate skateboarders, scooter riders and BMXers of all abilities, and early feedback from users about the design of the park had been "very, very good", she said.
"That was the cool thing, seeing the skateboarders and scooters and BMXers all being able to make use of it at the same time," said Mrs Annand who wanted to give a 'hats off" to development team members Jacob Hema, Jono Craig, Kereti Rahui and Ryan Pauling, who led the project through the consultation and design phase.
"They've made the most the budget they were given, and they have got the best park possible that we, as a small community, could afford and they have ensured a facility for the all young people to enjoy now and into the future," Mrs Annand said.
But just days after the opening, concerns were raised about the amount of rubbish being left at the newly-opened facility. Waipukurau's Kirsty Lawrence caused a stir on social media when she said the litter was creating an "eyesore" at the entrance of town. She called on users of the skate park to show "respect" and keep it clean.
Mrs Annand said the council had provided rubbish bins and signs promoting keeping the area tidy while designer Jono Craig, also Epic Ministries' youth coordinator, was confident it would not be an ongoing problem. He said the new facility was simply a victim of its own success.
"The positives [of the skatepark] are far-outweighing the negatives at the moment. If there's lots of rubbish it means it's being used and just goes to show the concentration of kids down there. It's a pretty busy place at the moment, which is fantastic."