An upgraded Manukau Sports Bowl with exciting new features is coming your way, and Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board wants your input on what to choose.
The Manukau Sports Bowl has been an important part of south Auckland for over 30 years. Built-in the late 1980s for the 1990 Commonwealth Games, the venue is home to sporting events such as cycling, tennis and soccer, plus cultural gatherings like Polyfest, Diwali celebrations and open-air movie viewings.
Given how important the Sports Bowl is to Tāmaki Makaurau, it needs to cater to the community’s needs. That’s why the local board is teaming up with Eke Panuku Development Auckland and the council’s Community Facilities team to give this prestigious venue a real enhancement.
They need to know what improvements you would like to see prioritised for Manukau Sports Bowl, including:
- a new recreational walking and cycling track around the park, with distance markers for exercising
- a pedestrian bridge across the motorway to AUT
- an expanded playground to suit rangatahi (teens) too
- a new indoor court building alongside the tennis centre to cater for basketball, volleyball and futsal
- a pump track for bikes, scooters, skateboards and rollerblades
- a plaza and events space
- a full-sized athletics track
- increased spaces for picnics, BBQs, hanging out with the whānau, kicking a ball around, volleyball etc
- trimmed trees on the boundary to improve visibility into the park.
The goal of this upgrade is to ensure that the park is accessible, inviting and inclusive for everyone in the community. As such, the local board needs to get your feedback on their masterplan, which is based on the input from the community so far.
“It’s important that the people south Auckland have their say on this masterplan proposal – after all, the Sports Bowl is going to be a popular venue for many years to come,” enthused Richard Davison, Eke Panuku’s priority location director for the south of Tāmaki Makaurau.
“We’re excited to get going on this. The popularity of the park, coupled with the enthusiasm shown at the previous round of consultation in 2020, shows how important it is to get this right. So, what do you want to see at Manukau Sports Bowl? Let us know.”
Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia wants locals to speak up: “Eke Panuku has shown real investment in and passion for Manukau through the Transform Manukau programme,” he said.
“Manukau is a metropolitan centre within the Super City, and we need to hear local views, especially from people living near the Sports Bowl. It is still a local park that needs to meet local needs.
“The board looks forward to a new-and-improved Sports Bowl with some fantastic additions based on feedback from this consultation.”
To have your say, visit akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/manukau-sports-bowl or attend the next open day at Manukau Sports Bowl, which is being held on Saturday 16 April.
Feedback closes 26 April 2022.
