Waipā District Council is undertaking a review of the Karāpiro Lake Domain Reserve Management Plan – and now the community can help shape the future of the district’s most popular reserve.
The plan will direct the management and development of the 19-hectare reserve and guide the council in making decisions on its sport and recreation, accommodation, events, activities, and infrastructure.
Property services manager David Varcoe said the council is keen to know how people would like to see the reserve developed over the short and longer term, and what activities they’d like to see the new plan enable or restrict.
Lake Karāpiro Domain is Waipā's most popular reserve.
Karāpiro Lake Domain is a premier venue for water sports, including rowing, canoeing and waka ama, and is increasingly used as a venue for multi-day events such as musical festivals.
It holds car rallies, school balls, conferences and weddings, and can accommodate up to 15,000 people outdoors and 1000 indoors. The facilities include the Sir Don Rowlands Centre, the Podium Café, the Rob Waddell Lodge, campsites, high-performance centres, clubrooms and storage facilities.
“In the last 13 years, so many more people have enjoyed the reserve in many different ways. And there is now a greater appreciation of mana whenua values, and significant changes in the environmental conditions of the lake, as well as to various legislation,” Varcoe said.
Stragglers Car Show and Family Day at Karāpiro Domain is a popular annual event on the custom car calendar. Photo / Dean Taylor
The plan will aim to:
Improve the reserve’s environmental outcomes
Recognise the area’s significance to mana whenua
Understand mana whenua, stakeholders, neighbours and the wider community’s aspirations for the reserve
Respond to increased visitation, changing recreation and environmental needs and conditions
Explore the role of the domain in relation to other reserves around the edge of Lake Karāpiro and the wider open space and accommodation network, and
Align the plan with new or reviewed legislation, national policy statements, strategies and bylaws.
A reserve management plan is required under the Reserves Act to guide the use of and protect reserve land, and includes its legal status and classification.
At the same time, council will develop a separate master plan for more detailed visual guidance on the reserve developments in a document that can be more easily amended as needs change.
