EDITORIAL - The resurrection of Okara Park

Laura Franklin, Editor
As the deal was done yesterday by which Okara Park is to be dragged into something approaching the modern standard of sportsgrounds, it was fascinating to discover in our archives an old Northern Advocate special feature from 1964.
Printed to celebrate the milestone of Whangarei achieving "city" status, the publication trumpeted the achievements and assets of Northland's thriving urban centre, and among them was the then-just-beginning project to develop a stadium at Okara Park.
It was costing a princely 70,000 and would provide seating for 12,000 on the first-built terraces, with open seating later to accommodate 60,000. Car parking would be available for 550 vehicles.
The writer proudly proclaimed: "When completed the sports stadium will give the new city a facility which will be second to none and become nationally known ... Just as Auckland has Eden Park, Wellington Athletic Park, Christchurch Lancaster Park and Dunedin Carisbrook, so Whangarei will have Okara Park."
The article looked forward to the 1965 Springbok visit and the British Lions playing in Whangarei in 1966, and then went on to state: "It is known that Northland could have had international athletes here if suitable facilities had been available ... It seems certain that Okara Park will attact stars who in the past have not gone north of Auckland".
Sound familiar?
That was the vision back then, and although the park no doubt had its glory days, more recently it has been slated by critics as a joke, failing to attract touring teams and no longer providing the basic facilities required by today's sportspeople and their supporters.
The criticism of the 1960s - that Whangarei could not provide a venue to attract stars to travel north of Auckland - was, in 2005, once again an embarrassing reality.
But now, with the Northland Rugby Union securing a $1-a-year lease for up to 70 years, together with $2.5 million from the Whangarei District Council to kick-start its upgrade, and planning to find its own funding sources for a revamp, maintenance and running costs, a rescue plan is afoot to bring the stadium up to standard.
And not before time, as the NRU had to meet the criteria of the New Zealand Rugby Union if it was to be part of next year's revamped NPC competition.
The rugby union is making noises about its upgraded stadium being "multi-use" and available to meet the needs of community groups and many other sporting codes - not just rugby. Since it's the ratepayers' asset they're working with, we hope that will be the case - and the new 2005-model Okara Park will be a boost for the whole region.