Saxton skatepark momentum ramps up

MAX FRETHEY Local Democracy Reporter

The installation of an Olympic-standard skate park at Saxton Field is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Last week, the Saxton Field Committee agreed to add a regional skatepark facility into the complex’s development plan.

“It’s quite exciting,” says Skate Nelson Bays president Douglas Jackson. “There’s no reason why Nelson couldn’t have a facility like that.”

The Nelson-Tasman region is well served by smaller low to medium skill skate parks, but there’s nothing to challenge the proficient skaters.

“We have an example of a kid that had outgrown everything, he was too good, and he ultimately just stopped,” Douglas says. “You’re limited living in Nelson, trying to achieve those goals.”

But while the primary goal of the new park would be to ensure talented skaters had somewhere to hone their skills, it would also possess facilities geared towards learners or intermediate skateboarders and be accessible to all.

The sport is something to be invested in, according to Douglas.

“It’s not just ‘here’s something to do,’ kids can actually become professionals and earn money doing skateboarding,” he says. “But you need the right facilities.”

Skate Nelson Bays has almost 200 members, and with one of the organisations surveys showing another 400 who were largely in favour of a Saxton Field skatepark, says the facility would be welcomed.

“The numbers are there, the interest is there,” he says. Nelson City Council’s group man- ager community services Andrew White says that a dedicated skatepark facility would be “a fantastic addition” to the region but warns that it’s still “very early days”.

Nelson City and Tasman District Councils jointly manage and fund the Saxton Field complex, and both must agree to include the project in their draft LongTerm Plans for 2024-2034.

The Saxton Field Circus Green is the indicated site for the project, however that too could change.

“Council staff will continue talking to Skate Nelson Bays about potential locations, but no action will be taken until the funding is confirmed through the Long-Term Plan processes of both councils,” Andrew says. The recommendation put forward by the Saxton Field Committee is for $20,000 to be allocated in the 2024/25 financial year for investigation works which include location and concept designs.

A further $800,000 is asked to be earmarked across the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years for initial capital works on the basis that Skate Nelson Bays can cover 80 per cent of the cost.