The Tīrau Domain Project has won the award in the category Outstanding Active Space Initiative, not only for breathing life back into the town’s reserve but for turning it into an inclusive multi-use space.
The domain has a longstanding history as an active space, but in recent years it was largely unused because its location close to State Highway 1 made access difficult.
As Tīrau has limited open outdoor spaces, the community came together to revamp the domain.
Tīrau Ward councillor Kerry Purdy said it had been a true community project.
“Going back, two or three community boards realised we need a place where we can all ... get together ... This idea came up and South Waikato District Council ran with it.”
The domain now features an extended walkway and suspension bridge, a pump track for skateboarding, scootering and cycling, a barbecue area, wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, a water fountain, toilets and a sealed carpark.
Furry friends are allowed on leash at the upper domain and off leash at a dedicated dog exercise area in the lower domain.
“Tīrau Primary School did the planting and Tīrau Lions [Club] helped with [that as well] ... It was a real community project,” Purdy said.
The Tīrau Domain Project had been a finalist in the Outstanding Active Space Initiative award category alongside Taupō Historical Cycle Tours and Korikori Park in Hamilton.
“There is a lot of mana in the domain ... and then it did nothing [for a while], it just went to wreck and ruin. To get it back [to where it was] is amazing.”
South Waikato mayor Gary Petley.
The domain’s history as an active space goes back to 1915 when it was first used for school activities and athletics, rugby, tennis, cricket, croquet and bowling.
In its prime, the 1930s, Patetere Football and Tirau Old Girls Basketball Teams were training and playing there.
First records of the Tīrau Domain date back to before 1915, when it was owned by the Agricultural Department and set aside as a stop-over point for cattle drives.
During WWII, it was used as a type of military camp or a collection point for troops and in the 1960s the reserve was used for Calf Club days.
More recently, the Tīrau Pony Club held show jumping practices and competitions, as well as Polo Crosse, practices at the site.
Then, the domain was largely unused for several years because of difficult access for pedestrians and cyclists from Tīrau’s town centre.
Barriers included the close proximity to SH1 and the fact the reserve was separated by the Oraka River.
To connect the upper and lower area, a swing bridge was constructed and to provide better and safer access to the lower domain, the council worked with KiwiRail to provide access across the railway line and through the former landfill site.
A grove of 100 kauri trees and more than 300 native trees were planted along the river.
Estimated figures from eye movement data saw an increase in people using the domain after the revamp. In June 2022, there were an estimated 944 visits to the domain, while in June 2023 there were 1958 estimated visits.
The revamp has been a long time coming, as Tīrau residents first expressed a desire for more places to walk and play in 2006 as part of the Local Area Concept Plan. Then, in 2014, the community brought up the Tīrau Domain again, when they were asked to identify local projects that required an upgrade.
The initial works were funded through the council’s 2018-28 Long-Term Plan.
