Waipā District Council: Horses, walkers to have priority at reserve

Members of the Pirongia Horse Riders Club at the reserve in Sainsbury Rd, Pirongia. Photo / Supplied

Horse riders, walkers and runners will have priority in Pirongia’s Sainsbury Road Reserve under a new management plan adopted by the Waipā District Council.

The new plan will have the reserve planted exclusively with native species, aligning with the Taiea te Taioa Ecological Corridor project. This project aims to restore an ecological corridor between Maungatautari and Pirongia along the Mangapiko River and the Ngāparierua Stream.

The plan was adopted by the district council’s strategic planning and policy committee in June with the support of a community stakeholder group.

District council community services manager Brad Ward said the group, which included representatives from mana whenua, the horse riding community, the lessee, the mountain biking community, the Taiea te Taiao Ecological Corridor project and a representative from the sustainable forestry sector had been “instrumental” in driving the plan.

“They provided very good direction and did a lot of work to encourage community input into the process. We’re very confident the reserve will be developed in line with community aspirations and mana whenua values, so that’s a great outcome.”

Mt Pirongia in Waikato. Photo / Supplied

Sixty submissions were received on the draft plan with three submitters speaking directly to elected councillors.

The plan also allows for a two-way cycle track to be built on the edge of the reserve to keep cyclists off the road. But the council has no intention of building cycling tracks on the land, noting the close proximity of the Pirongia Mountain Bike Park and following community feedback.

Work on a reserve management plan began in 2015, but stalled due to staff shortages. The plan for the reserve has four goals: restoring native forests to improve nature’s strength and resilience; enabling people to care for and restore nature; maximising recreational opportunities for a range of users; and enhancing people’s connection with, and experience of, the reserve.

The 41ha reserve is grazed with livestock so dogs are not permitted. Future dog provisions will be subject to a bylaw now under review.