NZ: Takapuna Golf Club at risk under Auckland Council proposal
More than half of Takapuna Golf Club will be turned into flood storage under a new proposal by the Auckland Council.
The proposal will see AF Thomas Park, on which the 18-hole public course stands, turned into a wetland to help reduce future flooding in the area.
Under the proposal, the park would become part of a blue-green network able to be used by the community for the majority of the time and could incorporate walking and recreational facilities as well as a wetland that floods in large storm events.
Tom Mansell, the council’s head of sustainable partnerships (healthy waters and flood resilience), said changes to land use in the park would be done with community input and, if approved, would not be introduced for several years.
“As part of this work, we will engage with community and key stakeholders to review both the golfing and wider recreation needs of the North Shore,” Mansell said.
“This will inform how we develop this space into a vibrant recreation area for the community to enjoy, and there will be time to transition the golf club members to other facilities in the community as required.
“We must get the balance right, and we can only do that by working with the Wairau community.”
Club spokesman Stephen Dowd said lease renewal negotiations were put on hold by the council recently, before plans for the new proposal were released.
A public meeting about the proposal will be held at Takapuna Golf Course on Saturday, March 8 from 2pm-4pm, during which people can provide feedback.
The proposal, part of the council’s Making Space for Water programme, is co-funded with the Government. It follows three previous projects approved to improve flood resilience in areas hit hard by the Auckland Anniversary floods in 2023; two in Māngere and the other in Rānui, Henderson.
