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Auckland Council says it has no record of advising a resident to film children belonging to a popular Grey Lynn rugby league club he accused of “disturbing the peace”.
Alan Ahmu, Auckland Council environmental health response team leader, confirmed the council received four complaints against the Richmond Rovers Rugby League Club in the past year.
“Two of these were during the daytime stand-down period, when complainants are asked to call back if the noise is still occurring after half an hour,” Ahmu said.
“A call-back was not received for one of the complaints, while for the other a call-back was received to advise the noise had stopped.”
He said the other two complaints were investigated but the noise was found not to be excessive.
“We have no record of the council or a noise control contractor advising the complainant to film the club’s activities as evidence, and this is not something we would recommend or advise,” Ahmu said.
The Herald visited the complainant’s house on Sunday and Monday, but both times he was not at home. A woman who answered the door and confirmed her father was the person who made the multiple complaints against the club.
She was told the purpose of our visit and the reporter left a business card with a request for the man to return our call. He did not.
In a Facebook post, Richmond Rovers junior club convener Rose Iefata said the man complained multiple times about members “playing music while we are training” and that he had walked into the clubrooms and pulled cords connected to its speakers, creating difficulties for members “week in, week out”.
Iefata said the man claimed on Saturday that he had been advised by Auckland Council to film the club’s activities “as evidence that we are playing music over 50 decibels”, which she believed they were not.
“For numerous years, he has made it his mission to come down at any given opportunity to harass our club when we are training,” Iefata claimed.
“Previously, he went door-knocking, approaching neighbours to sign a petition to have any type of liquor licence revoked from our club.
“We feel harassed by his constant passive-aggressive nonsense and we are over it. Why would you purchase a home next to a park which is used year-round for sports fields?”
Richmond Rd Rugby League and sports club in Grey Lynn Park, Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton
Richmond Rovers has been an integral part of the Grey Lynn sporting community for more than 100 years, started by employees at Benjamin William Davis’ Hardware Boot Factory in Richmond Rd in 1912.
Iefata told the Herald the club was a non-profit community organisation run by “very dedicated volunteers” and had celebrated its 110th anniversary this year.
“On a social investment scale, the benefits we provide our rangatahi and tamariki are what help to prevent them from choosing unhealthier and ultimately costly pathways in life,” she said.
“We put these children before our families a lot of the time - there is no way we are out here to make life a misery for our neighbours.”
Iefata said the young players, aged between 9 and 18 years, only train for one hour each Saturday in preparation for the 2024 league season.
The training sessions start at 8am, which she said was outside of the excessive-noise restrictions hours.
“Watching him filming our kids for the second weekend in a row is unnerving,” she said.
Auckland Council says it can only take action when noise is deemed excessive or breaches Auckland Unitary Plan limits.
Council manager of alcohol and environmental health Mervyn Chetty said noise can be audible from another property without it being considered excessive or enforceable.
“Some people are very much affected by noise, others not nearly as much.”
It was best to talk to your neighbour in the first instance if noise was bothering you.
“If this fails and the noise is genuinely excessive and of concern, call Auckland Council on (09) 301 0101 to report the issue. This can be done at any time of the day or night, but it is important to phone when the noise is occurring so that action can be taken.”
If the council assessed noise as excessive, it could serve a written direction to reduce noise which would then be in force for eight days.
Failure to obey the direction could result in equipment seizure, an infringement fee of $500 or prosecution in the District Court, with a potential fine of up to $10,000.
