Youngest submitter comes to council with skatepark idea

11 year old Harry O'Rourke with his submission towards Hamilton City Council's 10-year plan. Photo / Tom Rowland

Amid the heated debate and cut and thrust of arguments during the city council's 10-Year Plan one submission impressed councillors with its simple honesty.

Hamilton East boy Harry O'Rourke, 11, was the youngest person to front up to the council chambers to speak to the elected members on his written request to city council. Could he and his friends have a skatepark built in Hillcrest please?

Harry who attends Berkley Normal School in Hillcrest put forward his submission to council because he felt there were no activities for older children in the Hillcrest area.

"It started off when I was in the car one day and I realised that there were not many skateparks in Hamilton. I had just been in Mamaku and they had a really good one," Harry told Hamilton News after his big afternoon at council.

"I asked my mum why there were not many skate parks and she said maybe I should make a submission to the council."

Harry likes to scooter in his free time, but the current skateparks in Hamilton are too far for him to travel to, and the facilities are not in great condition.

He sat before council on Monday with his mum Suzanne, who had not told him in advance he would be talking to the full council. While slightly nervous, he was not deterred from speaking to try to make a difference for his age group in Hamilton.

At the meeting, councillor Rob Pascoe noted that a destination playground was planned for Hillcrest if approved. He suggested it would be a good idea to put a skatepark with the playground.

"That would be pretty good, because then it would attract even more people, with the younger kids on the playgrounds and the older kids on the skatepark," Harry told Hamilton News.

"If they do the skatepark they need to do it properly because it needs to attract people and be unique to Hamilton. There should be some Hamilton theme to it to tell people that this is a Hamilton skatepark," Harry said.

Harry would like to see more discussions around how Hamilton can accommodate children and teenagers as there is not a lot to entertain them.

"We maybe need a few more swimming places because really there is only Waterworld and a couple of other ones, but they are all very far away again."

Harry said that in Hamilton East there are a large number of high schools and intermediates that could benefit from a new attraction for children and teenagers.

He suggests putting that skatepark by the cycle track at Hillcrest Park on the corner of Cambridge Rd and Wairere Dr.

In his written submission to council he suggested that there could be a $5 hourly charge to use the skatepark along with a $3 supervision fee for adults. The councillors were keen to quiz Harry on his idea, with councillor Mark Bunting asking if the schools and community would perhaps considering fundraising as well to help contribute towards the project.

"Yeah I think we should,"

"I go over to Melville quite a bit to use their skatepark but currently not any more — it's too far."

A number of youth groups and children have also commented on the plan including Rototuna Junior High school students and 13-year-old Finlay Babbage who represented Northern United Football club.