Cricket set to return at Amberley’s new Eastern Reserve
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Cricket is set to find a new home in Amberley's Eastern Reserve, as the council plans to develop the area, including a potential play area, pump track and tennis courts.
The Hurunui District Council is revamping its reserves management plan, which helps shape how large green spaces are used in the region.
Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said the new Eastern Reserve in Amberley, also known as the village green, attracted interest among the submissions on the plan.
Cricket is proposed to be the main sport at the four hectare Eastern Reserve, leaving the Amberley Domain as the main football ground.
An area has been set aside for other sports and it will include a children’s play area and a pump track.
There was potential for tennis courts, croquet and various other sports, as well as a modest sports pavilion.
Mayor Marie Black said the development of the Eastern Reserve was an opportunity to ‘‘bring our community together’’.
‘‘We have an ageing demographic, but it is not just older people.
‘‘But older [people] love to walk across and see little kids playing cricket.’’
Submitters noted the Amberley Cricket Club had played cricket at the Amberley Domain since the 1890s, but it had not been played for several years due to the overlapping season with football.
It meant children were travelling to Sefton and Rangiora to play cricket.
Submitters hoped a new cricket ground in the Eastern Reserve would revive interest in the game in the town.
The council received nearly 200 submissions during its consultation, which coincided with the Long Term Plan submissions process.
After two days of hearings and deliberations last week, Dobbie said the process had been adjourned until August 6.
‘‘There is a lot of complexity in our reserves and how they work,’’ he said.
The Reserves Management Plan was adopted by the council in 2012, with the review beginning last year.
‘‘It is about setting a template. It is just a parcel of land at the moment," Dobbie said.
‘‘There is growth in the town and new people come in and they might have a different view about how things should operate.
‘‘Communities change.’’
Submitters also advocated for outdoor areas for light exercise and fellowship for the growing elderly population.
Other submissions addressed other reserves in Cheviot, Hanmer Springs, Glenmark, Omihi, Leithfield, Waipara and other parts of the district.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
Autumn Sale on Now
We have slashed the prices of 100s of trees, shrubs, flowering plants, hedging and more.
✅$5 Cupressus Stricta 1.5L and Agapanthus 7cm!
✅5 Beech tree's for $100 🏖🏖!!!
✅3.5M tall London Planes ✈ for $27.50
✅ Instant Hedges of Pitto Small ball - Coprosma Lobster $37.50
✅ $11 Lemon Tree's 🍋🍋🍋!
✅ 50% off Azalea Autumn series $17.50
www.cjsplants.co.nz...
Poll: Does a savoury scone require cheese on top, or folded inside?
Help settle the great kiwi debate ... cheese on top, or folded inside?
-
76.5% Inside!
-
23.5% On top!
Loading…
