Auckland Council is refreshing its approach to providing open spaces and opportunities for sport and recreation so all Aucklanders can benefit. You can have your say on the draft Manaaki Tāmaki Makaurau: Auckland Open Space, Sport and Recreation Strategy until 10 March 2025.
Councillor Alf Filipaina chairs the group overseeing the development of the strategy. He says it aims to contribute to a healthier Auckland in different ways, including supporting Aucklanders to live active lives, greening the city, and helping our region to respond to climate disruption.
“We know Auckland will continue to grow, increasing the need for housing and urban development As this happens, we want to continue to weave vibrant open spaces into the fabric of our region, so all Aucklanders have places where they can be in nature, relax, be active and connect with friends and whānau, no matter where they live.
“The many benefits of open spaces are well documented. They provide meeting spots, a home for wildlife, and can soak up excess rainwater which makes us stronger against climate disruption.
“We also have an opportunity to support more Aucklanders to be active and get involved in something they enjoy.
“We are thinking about how we do this and reap the benefits over generations, so we enhance the quality of life for our residents, our whānau and our environment.
“We want to hear from Aucklanders on this, so I urge you to have your say by taking part in the consultation,” he says.
Doing more with what we have
Insight from Aucklanders, elected members, mana whenua, Aktive, the Department of Conservation and other groups has informed the draft strategy. It has led to five themes that will guide the council when providing open spaces and sport and recreation opportunities:
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making all of Tāmaki Makaurau our backyard
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delivering innovative open spaces in high-density areas
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enhancing our response to climate disruption
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protecting and enhancing our environment, biodiversity and heritage
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supporting Aucklanders to live healthy, active lives.
Our aim is to provide these opportunities equitably across the region. The council will consider oranga tāngata (health of people), oranga whānau (health of families), oranga whenua (health of land) and orange wai (health of water). That way, we can achieve long-term benefits that support healthy communities, foster physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen our resilience to climate and enhance our environment, biodiversity and heritage.
Making all of Tāmaki Makaurau our backyard
Our region boasts 4,500 local parks and 28 regional parks spanning 45,000 hectares, as well as beaches, coastlines and urban spaces like civic squares. Aucklanders have told us that open space like this helps make Tāmaki Makaurau so liveable, so they would like them to be more accessible for everyone.
The draft strategy champions a wide view of open space to maximise what’s on offer in an equitable, efficient and effective way. It covers parks, sports fields, beaches, waterways and other ‘traditional’ forms of open space. It also applies to urban spaces, like streets, carparks and rooftops, so city dwellers, including those living in apartments and high rises, can enjoy nature, socialise and be active too.
We propose to do more with what we have, ensuring many open spaces are high-quality, safe and accessible. We will also continue to deliver new parks and local paths across the region as it becomes more urban, so built up areas get their fair share, and Aucklanders have ways to be active and enjoy nature locally.
A greener and ‘spongier’ city
Greening Auckland not only improves the quality of life of those who live here, it can help us respond to the challenges of climate disruption. Open spaces allow for more trees, increasing canopy cover to cool the city. Parks can be used to capture and absorb rainwater more efficiently and streams can be adapted to better manage stormwater. This is another way we will do more with what we have. Helping Auckland to become ‘spongier’ can help mitigate the impacts of natural hazards, like flooding. This will support work on this that’s already happening on this.
Enhancing our open spaces can also create new habitats for plants and wildlife, giving them a place to thrive.
An active Auckland
This draft strategy isn’t just about open space. It also focuses on helping Aucklanders to live healthy lives by providing ways to be active in your local area. This could include fitness programmes, sports facilities and services, that we will work with our partners to provide.
Investing where it’s needed most
The draft strategy guides councillors and local board members to make decisions on what to invest in.
We propose four principles to guide these decisions, underpinned by a drive to make access to opportunities fair and equitable:
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deciding what to invest in based on the long-term benefits and costs
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investing based on evidence of need, so funding is targeted to where it is needed most
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honouring our Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations
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working with our partners such as iwi, government and community where we can.
This gives us a consistent way of targeting our efforts to help us achieve good outcomes.
The ball is in your court
Are we on track? Tell us what you think of our proposed approach to providing open spaces and sport and recreation opportunities. You can have your say on the draft Manaaki Tāmaki Makaurau: Auckland Open Space, Sport and Recreation Strategy now, on the AK Have Your Say website.
Consultation closes Monday 10 March 2025.
