District Sport and Active Recreation Plan

Our Council has adopted the Thames-Coromandel District Sport and Active Recreation Plan, which provides direction for the future of sport in the district, particularly around investment in facilities.

The full Plan is available here(PDF, 3MB).

“We know from the research that went into this plan that Coromandel people like to get out and play and they value the opportunities here to do that,” our Mayor Sandra Goudie says. “But we also know we have challenges: an ageing population, growing numbers of retirees, seasonal population changes, and our towns spread across a big and rugged geographic area. This Plan will help us focus our planning so that we’re meeting the future needs of the community,” Mayor Sandra says.

Specifically, the Plan provides guidance for investment in facilities and spaces for sport and recreation. For Sport Waikato, the Plan provides priorities for the delivery of opportunities and services to grow participation.

The Plan aligns our Council with the Sport Waikato Regional Facilities Plan and other councils in the Waikato with similar plans.

Sport Waikato provides programmes and activities to encourage recreation and a healthy, active lifestyle for all people in the Waikato. It is a charitable trust funded through regional contracts, sponsorship, fundraising and donations.

Our Council worked with Sport Waikato to develop the plan and consulted with sports organisations and the wider public over last year and into January this year.

The surveys and drop-in sessions we held resulted in 70 facility-specific responses. These helped inform the Plan, as well as statistics on population change and trends around participation in sport.

The draft Plan then went to all our district’s Community Boards for further feedback.

The Plan says:

  • There is potential for existing facilities to be redeveloped as hubs for multiple sports in order to maximise resources
  • Planning for future facilities will need to focus on multi-purpose use and be flexible to allow for adaptation
  • Stakeholders will have to work collaboratively to improve delivery of sports facilities
  • Smaller clubs struggling to fund ongoing repairs and maintenance or faced with declining membership, should consider sharing facilities
  • Sports clubs should have asset management plans which take into account the buildings’ lifecycles
  • Encourage amalgamation of clubs when warranted
  • Projected growth of older age groups requires a stronger focus on facility use and needs of older users
  • Partner with schools, especially secondary schools, and neighbouring councils in facilities for community use (an example is the Jack McLean Community Recreation Centre at Thames High School)