Southland Open Space Priority Settings

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2 September 2017 Southland District Council Southland Open Space Priority Settings

3 Prepared by Xyst Limited with Dave Bamford Tourism Authors: Dave Bamford, Anne Relling and Paul Wilson 13 September 2017

4 Contents 1 Introduction Project brief 1 2 Executive summary 2 3 Visitors to Southland New Zealand context Visitors Spend Nights Southland region and districts Visitor spend in Southland Domestic spending Visitors staying in commercial accommodation in Southland International visitors to Southland Indicator Information regarding visitor use in Southland Te Araroa Trail 11 4 The visitor experience Needs of residents 13 5 Service levels Quality facilities 14 6 The open space network Assessments Visitor survey Results Mararoa Waimea Garston Athol Five rivers Mossburn Te Anau Manapouri Clifden Tuatapere Orepuki Cosy Nook Colac bay Riverton Oban Edendale, Wyndham and surrounding community halls Lumsden Tokanui and Southern Scenic Route Ohai, Nightcaps, Drummond, and Otautau Scenic and District Reserves Wallacetown and Thornbury Winton, Dipton, Browns, Limehills and Ryal Bush Balfour, Riversdale, Waikaia Fortrose, Tararua Acre, Weir s Beach, and Waikawa: the Catlin s Heritage Trail Curio Bay 26 7 Key issues and opportunities Signage Toilets Public dump stations Litter Drinking water Recreation planning 28 8 Role of other agencies New Zealand Transport Agency Department of Conservation Environment Southland Neighbouring Councils 30 9 Freedom camping NZS 5465 Amendment No.2 32

5 9.2 Freedom camping strategy Potential legislative changes Priority Sites Evaluative criteria Kingston to Te Anau Garston/Athol Mossburn Te Anau Town centre Lakefront Boat Harbour Te Anau Domain Te Anau to Makarewa Clifden Bridge McCrackens rest Gemstone Beach Monkey Island Cosy Nook Colac Bay Lumsden Taramea Bay Recreation Reserve More s Scenic Reserve Curio Bay Camping - Catlins Heritage Trail Waituna Lagoon Road Photopoints Funding requirements Funding opportunities Tourism infrastructure fund Pay for USE Southland Camping Pass Land Sales rationalisation Lease arrangements Partnerships Costs Summary 42

6 1 Introduction Increasing visitor numbers and shifting demographic/recreational trends are changing who, how, where and why people use (or do not use) Southland District s open spaces and associated facilities. The Open Space Priority Settings project seeks to provide a strategic approach to the management of the open spaces managed by the Council with the focus on ensuring the needs and expectations of residents and visitors are met. 1.1 Project brief Council is seeking to assess and better understand: what is currently being provided in open spaces/facilities and the experience from a user s perspective; how this compares to what users expect (in particular for visitors); how user demand and expectations are expected to change in the future; what this means for Council in terms of what open spaces/facilities should be provided where, for whom and to what level/standard; what the priorities are and what needs to be done to address any gaps/issues; what level of expenditure/funding is needed and options for how this should be funded? Specifically, the Open Space Priority Settings project seeks to: a. Develop a better understanding of current and future user needs (including expectations and demand) and any gaps from what is currently provided across Council s open spaces/facilities. b. Develop a coordinated district-wide plan that identifies what level(s) or standard(s) of service should be provided where, across Southland s open space infrastructure and priorities for improvement. The plan should: be based on the type of experience intended and ensure that open spaces/facilities are fit for purpose both now and in the future; determine the criteria used to evaluate priorities (e.g. linkages with other sites and visitor flow patterns); identify opportunities (and the merits of) different mechanisms available to fund visitor/tourism-related open space/facility development and/or consistent standards across the District; involve liaising with external and internal stakeholders) to ensure there is no duplication of facilities/expenditure and that any proposals are in line with other stakeholder objectives/plans (including SoRDS); inform policy and planning processes. This will include helping to identify priorities/options/costs/funding for projects in Council s 2018 Long Term Plan; the merits of and opportunity to apply for infrastructure funding from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund, the nature of any changes needed to the local regulatory / bylaw / resource planning framework controlling open space use (e.g. Freedom Camping Bylaw) and opportunities for changes to the Council s funding policies for open spaces and facilities (e.g. new revenue generation from visitors or self-funding ideas). Share any insights about how the management/funding of open spaces and associated facilities by Council could be improved to deliver better outcomes. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 1

7 2 Executive summary The open spaces managed by the Council are important for the health and well-being of local residents and make a significant contribution to visitor s experience of Southland. Whether visitors are residents of Invercargill, from further afield or international visitors, their impression of Southland is in part formed by the presentation of public places and the facilities within them. Positive experiences increase pride in the region and encourages more people to live and play in Southland. Tourism in Southland is significant with over 800,000 visitors going to Milford Sound, over 100,000 to Curio Bay and over 36,000 to Stewart Island. The Southland tourism experience is an important part of New Zealand s Tourism offer. Currently New Zealand hosts over 3.6 million visitors, and this has been growing at around 10% and arrivals continue to grow. It is estimated that this growth will continue at 4.5% and reach around 5 million visitors by While there have been some notable exceptions, facility development within the open spaces managed by the Council has been modest over the last 30 years despite a sustained period of extraordinary tourism growth. Funding does not appear to have been sufficiently prioritised into the districts open space compared with other similar districts. It is also evident that there is a clear lack of professional design input into the majority of developments and some facility improvement has the appearance of being ad hoc and incremental. Communities need affordable access to basic recreation and community facilities such as playgrounds, sports fields and courts, walkways and cycle trails and community halls. Visitors primarily need clear sign s and safe facilities that are appropriately maintained for the setting and be seen to be cared for and loved by the community. The key challenges facing the Council in the management and development of its open space are: 1. Providing appropriate community facilities that are fit for purpose and are relevant for the needs of local communities for the future. 2. Determining the best approach to freedom camping for Southland. Freedom camping is likely to continue to be a popular way to experience Southland. There is potential to develop many of the Council s reserves as freedom camping sites however this would come at considerable on-going cost to ratepayers with uncertain economic benefits. 3. Funding the development, maintenance and renewal of infrastructure to meet the needs of local communities and visitors Considerable investment in the design and improvement of facilities is required to make Southland s public spaces attractive. While the Queenstown Milford Sound route will always be the most significant visitor corridor in the district there is potential to increase visitor flows along the Southern Scenic Route from Te Anau to Curio Bay. Emphasis on facility development for visitors should be placed on these two routes. The funding base for facility development will need to be widened. Grouping facility development projects together as packages of work will assist in attracting funding from partners including government. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 2

8 3 Visitors to Southland 3.1 New Zealand context VISITORS New Zealand currently attracts 3,614,000 international visitor arrivals per annum, and this is forecast to grow by 4.48% p.a. to 4.9 million arrivals by Australia, China, the US and the UK are the key source markets (in order of significance). Of these visitors, 1,883,000 were holiday visitors, and 1,044,000 visiting friends and relatives SPEND International visitor expenditure accounted for $14.5 billion, and domestic visitor expenditure accounted for $20.2 billion 2. Total international spend is expected to reach $15 billion in 2023, up 52% from Most of this forecasted growth is expected to come from holidaymakers and those visiting friends and relatives NIGHTS For the year ended June 2017, there were 38,957,936 guest nights, an increase of 1,392,551 (3.7%) from the previous year. International visitors made up 16,915,230 nights (up 8.3% on previous year), and domestic visitors made up 22,042,708 nights (up 0.4% on previous year) Southland region and districts 4 The focus of this report is on the Southland District. However, as visitors travel to attractions and places via this district (e.g. Invercargill) it is important to understand trends for the broader region. At a regional Figure 1 Visitor Spending for years MBIE year ending May MBIE year ending March Note not all domestic expenditure will be tourism related. 3 Statistics New Zealand, Commercial Accommodation Monitor, year ending April (Note: Southland Region has been used rather than the Regional Tourism Organisation boundary so as to include Fiordland) Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 3

9 and district level the best indication of visitor trends is via visitor spend, commercial accommodation used, international visitors (and DOC track use and Qrious 5 data if available). 3.3 Visitor spend in Southland Visitor spend 6 in the Southland region for the year ending June 2017 International visitor spending in Southland region was $262 million; the majority of which was spent in Southland District ($200 million), followed by $52 million in Invercargill and $10 million in Gore, with the majority being spent on food and beverage services, retail (especially fuel), other passenger transport, and accommodation. Key international markets for Southland region are Australia, the USA, Europe and the UK, and Asia. Figure 2 Distribution of visitor spend in Southland was $619 million. This has been steadily increasing over the past five years. Of this $619 million, Southland District received $330 million, Invercargill City $219 million and Gore District $70 million (refer figure 2). The majority of spend in Southland Region was by domestic visitors ($357 million) with the key areas of spend being retail, other passenger transport, food and beverage and accommodation (refer figure 3) DOMESTIC SPENDING Domestic spending in the region has been increasing over the past five years. Domestic visitors in Southland District spent $130 million, $167 million in Invercargill and $60 million in Gore, with the majority being spent on retail, transport and food and beverage. Domestic tourism spending figures should be treated with some caution due to the difficulty of separating visitor spending from local spending. Figure 3 Visitor spending by product and country 5 Qrious is a Data analytics service delivered by Spark Venture company that analyses Spark mobile phone location data 6 MBIE, Regional Tourism Estimates, year ending June 2017 Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 4

10 3.4 Visitors staying in commercial accommodation in Southland Commercial accommodation 7 used in the region provides another indication of visitor patterns, however there is a high number of visitors undertaking day trips to Te Anau/ Milford Sound from Queenstown. It also excludes visitors staying in private accommodation. For Southland District, there were approximately 407,044 visitors per annum staying an average of 1.87 days over the past year. Visitor numbers and nights have been increasing steadily over the past five years. Compared with other regions in New Zealand, Southland has a high ratio of visitors to population. 11 Invercargill City attracts approximately 283,708 guests, staying an average of 1.71 days. Growth over the past five years has been relatively modest and the previous year has seen a slight decrease in visitor arrivals. 3.5 International visitors to Southland There were approximately 464,485 international visitors to Southland Region in the year to September 2016, up from 337,422 in the previous year. Of these visitors, 425,209 were estimated to have visited Southland District, and 102,447 to have visited Invercargill City 8 Key places of interest visited by international visitors in Southland Region per annum include: 760,000 Milford Sound scenic boat visitors, plus approximately another 80,000 day visitors (source DOC), 272,458 to Te Anau, 67,935 to Invercargill, 36,000 9 to Stewart Island, and 4,026 to Kaka Point 10 Figure 4 Locations visited by international tourists Statistics New Zealand, Commercial Accommodation Monitor, year end June Statistics New Zealand, International Visitor Survey 9 Stewart Island Visitor levy figures MBIE, International Visitor Survey estimated average from previous five years, 11 MBIE, Tourism Insight Series, Tourism Infrastructure, August 2016 Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 5

11 Figure 5 Estimated international visitor numbers and nights to Te Anau - average for the past five years. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 6

12 Figure 6 Estimated visitor numbers and nights to Invercargill - average for the past five years. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 7

13 Figure 7 Estimated visitor numbers and nights to Stewart Island - average for the past five years. (note actual 36,000 in 2017) Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 8

14 Figure 8 Estimated visitor numbers and nights to Kaka Point - average for the past five years. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 9

15 stopping off for camping/ walks/rest stops in Southland District. These include: Table 1 Season trends for DOC recreational sites in Southland 12 Campsite 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 Cascade Creek Henry Creek Deer Flat Mackay Creek Upper Eglinton Totara Kiosk Creek Walker Creek Lake Gunn closed closed Smithy Creek closed closed Mavora Lakes n/a Figure 9 Ratio of annual visitor nights and visitor counts to population INDICATOR INFORMATION REGARDING VISITOR USE IN SOUTHLAND There is useful data from DOC counters for campsites and tracks in Southland District that provide an indication of how many people are There were approximately 150,000 visitors through the Catlin s Coastal Region over the past year 13. Specific locations include: Curio Bay - 88,616 Nugget Point 84,000 YTD, (4 months of data left to capture for 2017_ Waipapa Point - 58,528 Waituna Lagoon Waipohatu Use of the Rakiura Track has risen from 2,748 bookings in 2010/11 to 6028 in 2015/16. Approximately 50% of users are domestic visitors DOC Te Anau DOC Murihiku 14 Extracted from OIA request mith%20great%20walks%20nov% pdf.html Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 10

16 The SDC should consider investing in visitor monitoring at its own sites including installing counters in public toilets and on trails. A visitor monitoring strategy should be prepared. Data from Geozone (an app used by campervans) provides an indication of the routes used by free and independent travelers in Southland (See Appendix 3). An estimated 47 percent (97,013 vehicles) of campervan traffic in Southland travelled to Milford in 2016, 42 percent (87,110 vehicles) on the Lumsden/ Te Anau road, 28 percent (58,506 vehicles) on the Tuatapere / Te Anau road, 28 percent (58,477 vehicles) on the Lumsden/ Invercargill road, 14 percent (28,084 vehicles) to Bluff and 24 percent via the Catlins (49,190 vehicles) (refer figure below). Table 2 Campervan Travel Routes in Southland 2016 Jan Dec (GeoZone)/Venture Southland These figures confirm visitation has increased on the previous year TE ARAROA TRAIL Trail walkers on Te Araroa start their journey at Cape Reinga and after 2800 km enter Southland and pass through Mossburn, Ohai, Otautau, Colic Bay and Riverton (Mores Reserve). These 550 through walkers 16 stay in Southland somewhere. In addition, it is estimated another 500 walkers also use the Southland sections of the Trail. Given the 50% annual growth of use of the Trail in the last three years it is likely that use of the Southland section of the trail will continue. This will potentially impact on public facilities including toilets and camping sites. Route % of vehicles 15 SH6 Frankton-Five Rivers 58% SH94 Te Anau-Milford Sound 47% SH94 Mossburn-Te Anau 42% Southern Scenic Route Lorneville-Te Anau 28% SH6 Invercargill-Lumsden 28% Southern Scenic Route Invercargill-Balclutha 24% SH97 Five Rivers-Mossburn 23% SH1 Invercargill-Gore 18% SH1 Invercargill-Bluff 14% SH1 Gore-Balclutha 12% SH94 Gore-Lumsden 10% SH90 Raes Junction-Gore 2% 15 Note: Due to sporadic scattered app usage of app usage at routes and rounding, percentages may not always appear to add up to 100%. 16 ( season figures source - Teararoa.org.nz May 2017) Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 11

17 4 The visitor experience A visitor s experience of Southland is determined by a broad range of influences, some of which are shown below; Clearly not all of these influences can be controlled by the Council. Nonetheless the open spaces managed by the Council can have a significant impact on a visitor s overall impression of Southland and therefore promote Southland to more people. New Zealand s natural environment remains the key reason for visitors to come to New Zealand and satisfaction remains high with our built and natural environment. 17 Visitors have the following basic needs from the parks and open spaces provided by the Council: 1. Clear wayfinding the ability to locate places they want to visit and be informed and directed to what is on offer 2. Safe facilities facilities and services provided should be safe to use. Structures such as bridges and playgrounds need to be well maintained and services such as drinking water needs to be clean and safe to drink. Parks and public places should feel safe to visit and be designed in accordance with crime prevention through environmental design. 3. Good environment facilities should be appropriately maintained for the setting and be seen to be cared for and loved by the community. Facilities need to be designed to protect the environment from impacts caused by visitors Figure 10 Visitor experience 17 Tourism New Zealand Insights extracted from Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 12

18 4.1 Needs of residents Residents predominately require facilities that are fit for purpose and affordable. Within the open space asset this primarily means sufficient access to facilities such as: playgrounds playing fields tennis or ideally multi-purpose courts community halls walking and cycling opportunities picnicking facilities dog walking/exercise areas Southland has a relatively static population and the Southland Regional Strategy 2015 outlined this as a key problem to be addressed to grow the economy to give a brighter future for the region. The goal is to increase the population to 10,000 by Jobs and education are the initial drawcards however quality of lifestyle, leisure opportunities and environment will nurture the desire to stay. The environment in Southland is world class given the outstanding landscapes of Fiordland National Park, Stewart Island and the Catlins. Residents also treasure the South coast; their family getaway places such as Mavora Lakes, Piano Flat; the more rugged Takitimu Mountains and the Longwood Range; and the small gems like Forest Hill, Dunsdale, More s Scenic Reserve and Waipohatu. Many Southlanders are boastful of the bounty of places to go hunting, camping, fishing, diving, surfing, tramping and boating. It should be upon the Council to enable these traditional outdoor activities to take place, and often facilitating access (road or pedestrian) is all that is required. Boat ramps are often a forgotten asset but are critical to many of these activities. With the desire to make Southland a family friendly region, the Council will need to maintain focus on the playground reserves, keeping the playgrounds up to date and at some sites this could include additional nature play areas. Safe walking and cycling opportunities are a great way for families to spend time together and they tend to strengthen a communities connection to their place. Use of the many south coast bays and beaches for swimming, beachcombing, picnicking and BBQ s are a popular pastime. For the local youth skateparks, pump tracks and court space with a hoop are some of the options to give them a communal place to hang out. Community centres and public halls are often important venues for playgroup s, playcentre and Mainly Music type programmes as well as other community social functions. With the continued growth of the dairy industry and the relative high changeover of dairy employees these venues become even more important to support new arrivals feeling connected and settled within a community. This is especially important for migrant arrivals who are less likely to be involved in the traditional New Zealand sports such as rugby and netball. Southland is no different from the rest of New Zealand in that there is a growing older (65+) population who are increasingly active. Safe walking and cycling opportunities are being sought after by this group to keep active and social. Voluntary projects such as historic restoration and native habitat replanting are often strongly supported by retirees and they encourage a sense of pride in a place. An ample distribution of sports fields and courts is a vital component of any Council s recreation facility supply. Sports teams are often the lifeblood of the rural community providing for valued recreation and social interaction for players and spectators alike. With the decreasing resident numbers in some rural towns sports participants are sometimes having to travel further to recreation grounds but this is Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 13

19 unlikely to impact on the uptake. Clear signage to direct new arrivals and visitors to recreation grounds is important. The uptake of cycling (both mountain and road cycling) by New Zealanders over the last 10 to 20 years has been huge and Southland is no different. The Te Anau to Manapouri Cycle Trail is likely to bring increasing numbers of cyclists to Manapouri. Further opportunities for mountain biking tracks on Council land may be sought in the future. There are also private mountain biking tourism operators and Welcome Rock above Garston is a great example of this. 5 Service levels Considerable work has been done in New Zealand on the development of open space categories and service levels to help ensure visitors experience a consistent level of service and communities can determine an appropriate and affordable levels of service to meet the needs of the community and visitors. The New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) established an industry standard for the application of open space categories together with an associated levels of service framework in This has recently been reviewed and refined and it is recommended that the SDC should formally categorise its open spaces using the NZRA categories and develop service levels under these categories. The categories provide a baseline framework for individual organisations to utilise as appropriate to their circumstances. In broad terms, the categories selected are based on the following factors: i) Character (what the park looks like) ii) iii) Purpose (what the park is used for) Level of service (standard of provision, development and maintenance) The NZRA Parks Category Framework also provides a range of recommended management standards which guides the level of asset provision and maintenance. Figure 11 Te Anau Pump Track The NZRA Parks Category Framework is included as Appendix 2. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 14

20 5.1 Quality facilities The quality of facilities influences the visitors experience of a site. It is important to provide facilities that are appropriate for the site and are well design and well placed. Professional landscape design or recreation planning advice can often assist with: Planting that is appropriate for the site (species selection, density of planting) and can be successfully established and maintained as well as contribution to biodiversity and habitat restoration Control of vehicles and pedestrians through a variety of techniques to minimise infrastructure requirements and avoid degradation of sites and safety conflicts Design and placement of furniture and structures that are durable, attractive, fit for purpose and adds to placemaking Consideration of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles to reduce vandalism and increase public safety As with all professional services having a good control on the brief and ensuring that those engaged can produce practical and fit-for purpose designs. While local solutions have their place, investment in design and planning and the use of proven and standardised designs for facilities such as toilets, bins, signs and furniture can reduce costs and ensure facilities are safe and can be maintained in the long term. Improved facility planning, design and asset management will result in improved outcomes for residents and visitors, a reduction in ad hoc and reactive decision making and more sustainable facility development. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 15

21 6 The open space network The open space network managed by the SDC is characterised by predominately small domains reserves primarily established to meet the needs of local communities. Council administers about 1250 hectares of reserves, including 34 sports fields and 36 playgrounds. Only a few reserves have been established for their outstanding natural, scenic or recreation values that would be attractive to international visitors in their own right. Yet a number of reserves are now catering for significant levels of use and there is a need to ensure that the facilities available in the reserves are fit for purpose and add to the quality of the experience for visitors and encourage visitors to spend further time in Southland and tell others. 6.1 Assessments Each open space managed by Council was visited (with some minor exceptions) and assessed for: level and condition of existing facility development (facilities) signage site values (ecology, cultural, heritage, recreation etc) standard of maintenance social media comments use (international, domestic and resident) visitor experience development potential potential for MBIE Tourism Infrastructure funding Recommendations were made for each site and each site was given a percentage score against the criteria developed. 6.2 Visitor survey Where visitors were using sites, they were requested to participate in a short survey asking the following questions: 1. Travel mode? 2. Origin 3. Where did you come from today? 4. Where will you stay tonight? 5. Why did you visit this park? 6. How would you rate the standard of this site (1-5 stars) 7. Did the facilities and presentation of this site meet your expectations? RESULTS As the majority of site assessments/surveys were undertaken midweek and in winter, numbers of visitors encountered was relatively low as expected. Seven surveys were completed, as such the results should not be considered as representative. Visitors interviewed were independent travellers travelling by non-selfcontained campervan (four) or car (three) with domestic visitors accounting for (three) of visitors followed by International visitors (two) and Southland residents (two). Everyone felt facilities on site had met their expectations and five rated the site four stars while two rated the site five stars. The reason for visiting included stopping for view (three) free camping (two) playground (one) and walking (one) The two international visitors were heading from Te Anau to Milford and from Te Anau to Wanaka. Both had stayed overnight at Lumsden. Domestic visitors were making daytrips from Kingston to Lumsden or Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 16

22 Invercargill to Waikawa. Residents were making local trips to local reserves. The site would benefit from an overall landscape plan to guide future development. Reason for Visit 14% 29% Free to camp Playground ATHOL The two key facilities in Athol are the community centre and the recreation reserve. The toilets in the Community Centre are adequate for local use however their location is not ideal as they are somewhat obscured. The recreation reserve is largely a conventional rugby field and clubroom building. Some minor improvements are currently being made to the site. 43% 14% View Walk Expansion or redevelopment of the toilet facilities should be avoided until an overall plan for toilet provision is prepared FIVE RIVERS Figure 12 Reason for travel to reserves There would be benefit in undertaking a survey such as the NZRA Yardstick Visitor Measures survey to determine use and satisfaction with open spaces from a visitor perspective. 6.3 Mararoa Waimea GARSTON The Garston Village Green playground and toilets have developed over recent years as a popular rest stop for visitors passing through Garston. The toilets have been expanded and redeveloped and there is good quality visitor information on site. The site lacks the overall cohesiveness required to become a desirable stop for visitors and to stimulate the economic development of the adjacent businesses. The community hall at Five Rivers is on the main tourist route between Queenstown and Te Anau. The hall meets local needs and no additional facility development is recommended MOSSBURN The Mossburn Adventure Park Playground is a large community facility that has been adapted to cope with visitors passing through Mossburn. The toilets have been refitted to manage the peak loading associated with passing coach traffic. As with Garston the site lacks an overall presence that encourages visitors to stop and enjoy what the site has to offer. The site would benefit from an overall landscape plan to guide future development. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 17

23 6.3.5 TE ANAU The open spaces in Te Anau can be broadly divided into local reserves/neighbourhood parks to serve the residents and premier parks for residents and visitors alike Local reserves Local reserves are generally under developed with modest play facilities and walkways. New reserves in subdivisions have variable level of design and development. The Te Anau Gardens has seen introduction of a very good pump track and skatepark but the siting of these does not seem to have been well considered. The park has considerable potential but needs long term development plan Premier parks The town centre gardens are attractive and generally well maintained however they could be considerably better with improved planning and design. Anzac Reserve/Little Lake Te Anau is maintained to a high standard yet the water feature is hidden from most visitors and there is a poor connection to the larger Te Anau Gardens. The Lions Park has had some recent development but is not to the standard that is common in most Council facilities around New Zealand. The exception is the public toilets/showers which are a high standard facility. The waterfront walkway has strong potential to be redeveloped as an attractive promenade/shared use cycleway and be the start of the Te Anau Manapouri cycle trail as well as connecting all the key facilities from the Boat Harbour to the Wildlife Park. With professional design and community input the redevelopment of the promenade would be a significant project to enhance the appearance of Te Anau. The boat harbor area and lakefront north of the boat harbor to the Rodeo Grounds is generally undeveloped and offers a significantly different experience of Lake Te Anau than the more sheltered bay adjacent to the town centre. Improving the connection from the boat harbor north would be worthwhile including separating vehicle and pedestrian traffic. An overall lighting plan should also be considered for the town centre as it appears very dark at night and many of the existing lights are reaching the end of their life. We understand an upgrade is proposed to LED lighting using existing poles. This will not necessarily yield any significant improvement and more coherent main street improvement plan (for example see recent improvements in Balcultha) should be considered MANAPOURI The surrounds of the Community Centre are currently unattractive and poorly utilised. These have potential to be redeveloped to serve local needs and cope with peak season parking requirements especially for buses and boat trailers. The upper car park area off View Street could be formalised for car and campervan parking Other reserves are undeveloped with uncertain functions. They would benefit from careful planting now to be established as public spaces and give flexibility for future use. Frasers Beach and the commercial area between Frasers Beach and Pearl Harbour is disjointed. There is no clear sense of arrival in Manapouri and this feeds a tendency for visitors to carry on to Pearl Harbour. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 18

24 Preparing a concept plan for the enhancement of this area would be beneficial to place a greater focus on the Manapouri businesses and the interface with Frasers Beach CLIFDEN The Clifden Bridge is a popular picnic and overnight camping site. The small size of the site naturally limits the numbers of campers and keeps an appropriate balance between day use and overnight use. Minor improvements to drainage, rationalisation of signage and the improvement of the fire place would be desirable. Promotion of the Clifden Caves at this location would also be desirable. Additional camping space could be developed on the true left approach Bates Road in future. This area is currently unkempt and has been used to stockpile roading materials in the past TUATAPERE The Tuatapere Domain is a significant site with potential for development. The Jack and Mattie Bennett Memorial Playground and Greenheart Reserve are both well developed and very pleasant with little need for further improvements (other than continuing planting efforts). Information boards are located at the Blackmount Monowai turnoff which provides information on Lake Monowai and tramping opportunities beyond Borland Lodge. Similar information is provided in Tuatapere with regards to the Hump Ridge Track and other opportunities for tramping and jet boat activities in Fiordland National Park. These boards could be consistently themed throughout Southland to raise awareness among visitors of the value of these as visitor information stops and promote other visitor attractions OREPUKI McCrackens Rest is a popular and well developed viewpoint. Minor improvements to landscaping would be benefical. The current approach of directing visitors to toilets at Tuatapere or Orepuki is a good approach at this time given the isolated nature of the site. Further development at the site or significantly increased numbers of visitors may necessitate the need to provide public toilets. Gemstone Beach has potential for further development. We understand access improvements to the state highway are being progressed with NZTA. Sensitive development of the car park, access road and beach access should be programmed as this site is likely to receive increased visitation. Figure 13 Clifden Suspension Bridge site Monkey Island is a site with excellent potential. It natural environment and history of the site provide for a memorable visit. Sadly, the site is Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 19

25 quite degraded with run down facilities. Improvements on this site including toilets and development of sheltered camping areas would be justified to improve the visitor experience and protect the environment. With improvements this site would receive significant use and has potential to be able to be charged for to recover some costs. Facilities within the township of Orepuki are suitable for expected levels of use. development is also likely to detract from the unique qualities of the Cosy Nook COLAC BAY Facilities include the Colac Bay Hall, playground and freedom camping area at the end of Colac Bay Foreshore Road. The freedom camping site is used by tourists but is also popular with southland residents over the Christmas period. Providing water at this site would facilitate greater use and enable improved toilet facilities to be introduced. Improving shelter to the camping areas would also be beneficial RIVERTON Riverton is an appealing coastal town within comfortable commuting distance for those that work in Invercargill. The Southern Scenic Route brings many tourists through the centre of town and it is a popular spot for Southland residents. To a lesser scale Te Araraoa walkers come round the coast from Colac Bay and then traverse More s Scenic Reserve before crossing the bridge and continuing on to Bluff. More s Scenic Reserve is a district treasure for its ecological values and importance to the Southern coastal landscape. The facilities at the reserve are adequate for current use however it is suggested that consideration is given to safe pedestrian access (alongside Richard St) from the reserve down to the urban edge where the footpaths begin. Figure 14 Gemstone Beach parking area COSY NOOK Cosy Nook is a unique and interesting place but is somewhat off the beaten track. Facilities are basic and other than being renewed in the future are appropriate for the setting. The limited space available within the road reserve limits potential facility development. Further Riverton has a number of reserves on prime waterfront locations including Koi Koi Park, Taramea Bay Recreation Reserve and the Pilot Reserve. A wonderful shared walking and biking path could be developed from the bridge to the far end of Taramea Bay Recreation Reserve. The public toilets at the latter (the bunker) are very dated with tiny windows covered in grill and the site warrants a new toilet block using natural light and encompassing a changing area for swimmers. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 20

26 The town is well served with playgrounds with the extensive play area at Taramea Bay on the foreshore and the more compact, centrally located one at Palmerston Street OBAN The key visitor facilities provided by the Council include the Museum and small playground on the waterfront in Halfmoon Bay and at Butterfield Beach. Traill Park provides for local sporting needs. Visitor information is well catered for with the Real Journeys Visitor Centre, Department of Conservation Visitor Centre and various other commercial business offering visitor information. The key visitor facility requirement is for public toilets and at present these are well located at the key visitor destinations. A landscape plan for the redevelopment of the foreshore at Halfmoon Bay could be considered when existing assets are requiring renewal EDENDALE, WYNDHAM AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITY HALLS Both Edendale and Wyndham have central playgrounds set amongst attractive garden settings. They allow a safe place to play for local families with small children and a pleasant picnic spot for travellers. The recreation grounds in both towns are extensive, catering for multiple sports and provide an area for freedom campers albeit low use at this stage. If numbers of freedom campers increased substantially at Edendale this may impact on resident use of this site. However tourist use of this area is fairly low as most are travelling on the Southern Scenic Route or State Highway 6. The facilities provided at these township reserves are fit for purpose and cater to the local population allowing for some growth. The Wyndham Wildlife Refuge situated between the edge of town and the Mataura River has the potential to become a popular site for both residents and visitors. There is obviously community interest with native planting and a walking track installed. By enhancing this area with further native planting and perhaps extending the track it would add to the attractiveness of Wyndham as a place to settle. A number of community halls surround the two towns and they include: Brydone, Seaward Downs, old school Seaward Downs, Menzies Ferry, Mataura Island and Mokoreta-Redan. They range from well-used, maintained and supported e.g. Brydone, Seaward Downs, to nominal use and no maintenance e.g. old school Seaward Downs, Menzies Ferry. It is understood a review of these halls and their future use is underway LUMSDEN The central reserve in Lumsden serves as a village green for this small rural community. The reserve is neatly surrounded by retail, café s, and accommodation. The reserve contains a wealth of facilities for both residents and visitors alike. The playground and skatepark appear to be well-used resources for young people. In the middle of the reserve is the old railway station and platform with restored carriage on-site. This is part of an ongoing community project, the Lumsden Railway Precinct, that is preserving some of the early Northern Southland rail history. The parking, platform and adjacent green space is a designated freedom camping site and proving to be very popular. The popularity stems from being the closest free campsite to Te Anau and Milford Sound, and may have been exacerbated by DOC increasing its fees at campsites on the Milford Road. Also freedom campers are attracted to this site by the Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 21

27 24 hour free Wifi transmitted from the library 18 The numbers peaked at 108 vehicles a night over the 2016/17 summer period 19, and it is hoped will self-regulate due to lack of parking space. A development project is being planned to upgrade the public toilets, tarseal the parking area, addition of kerb and channel, a rubbish compactor and some landscaping. This is with the intention to improve visitor management and to enhance the visitor experience both for the freedom campers and other users of the site. Some campers could be redirected to the nearby campground within the Lumsden Recreation Reserve. It may attract those willing to pay a low fee to gain extra facilities, power and a sheltered site. Another source of visitors to the town are cyclists on the Round the Mountain Cycle Trail, which includes Lumsden in its route. Cycle trail users are more likely to spend money on accommodation such as motels and BnB s, and use the available cafés and restaurants. They are unlikely to place much pressure on the central freedom camping site TOKANUI AND SOUTHERN SCENIC ROUTE Tokanui township is well serviced by community facilities with a central playground/picnic space with toilets, a relatively new community hall and extensive recreation grounds. There is no designated freedom camping site at Tokanui but there is a dump station for use by campervans. With the sealing of the alternate Catlins Heritage Trail road in 2017 it is likely that more FIT s will travel on this more scenic route rather than through Tokanui on the Southern Scenic Route. Many visitors to Catlins will traverse the entire area within a day but there are many things for people to see and do. Tourism promoters wish to prolong this stay and allowing a full range and distribution of accommodation will help facilitate this. Also the Weir s Beach and Waikawa freedom camping sites; and the Curio Bay campground are limited in capacity OHAI, NIGHTCAPS, DRUMMOND, AND OTAUTAU Ohai and Nightcaps both have playgrounds associated with picnic facilities although only the Ohai reserve has public toilets on-site. These toilets are painted a very dark colour and would improve their appeal by being painted a lighter colour. Nightcaps has Bank Corner Reserve, a pocket park sited on a prominent intersection for travellers passing through or visiting the town. This is an attractive roadside rest area in a garden setting with accessible toilets. Nightcaps has the added bonus of McGregor Park, a streamside reserve situated on the western edge of town. This is a designated freedom camping site as well as picnic area and could be improved on if a toilet block was added. Ohai has recreation grounds but these appear to be disused other than the swimming pool. To encourage visitors to use the swimming pool (and support a costly asset) a more appealing, inviting entrance could be added. It would appear residents of Ohai and Nightcaps involved with team sports travel to Otautau and Drummond where there are very good recreation grounds for rugby, netball and tennis etc. A decision on the future of the Ohai bowling and rugby clubroom buildings will need to be made if they are no longer of use rather than leave them in a dilapidated state. Otautau has a good range of reserves and recreation facilities provided which tends to reflect the vibrancy of the community. Centennial Park is the main community park with playground, war memorial, plunket 18 Campermate comments 19 The Southland Times article, July 31 st 2017 Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 22

28 rooms, public toilets and BMX track. All facilities appear well used and fit for purpose. At Holt Park the amenity and plantation trees on the edge of the rugby fields provide a scenic backdrop to the town and no doubt shelter for outdoor sports. This large reserve is mostly plantation forest but also has rugby fields and pavilion, tennis/netball courts, squash courts, swimming pool and sports complex. A small pay or donation camping area is situated next to a toilet block at the back of the park and has a basic playground. Freedom camping is allowed in the parking area next to the sports complex and there are no issues with this. It is a fairly unappealing campsite. Continuing the theme of amenity and plantation trees, the Alex McKenzie Aboretum on the road south of Otautau is a large collection of native and exotic trees. They were originally planted as part of the Forest Research Institute s investigation into viable plantation trees for Southland. Now run by a Trust it is an attractive site with information on arboretum history, a track to view the trees, open area for picnicking and a freedom camping site. These towns receive very few tourists and those that do visit are more likely to be intrepid New Zealanders travelling the backroads. They would support and stay at places such as the Alex McKenzie Arboretum and McGregor Park with their natural settings. Another source of visitors, particularly to Ohai and Otautau, are the Te Araroa Walkers. The trail route runs through the Takitimu Mountains, Woodlaw Forest and the Longwood Range. The walkers need to resupply along the way and will head to the nearest town when required. Ohai has no camping area and the most suitable camping in Otautau is the small campground at the rear of Holt Park SCENIC AND DISTRICT RESERVES The purpose of the scenic and district reserves of Tyneholm, Kamahi, Kowhai Reach, Glenure Allan and Dunsdale is either to conserve stands of native vegetation or as casual recreation areas associated with DOC conservation reserves such as Glenure Allan and at Dunsdale. The protected area reserves are significant for their ecological values, importance to the Southland landscape and education opportunities. It is unlikely that the two Tyneholm reserves have any potential for recreational use other than hunting. The only maintenance required is fencing, weed and pest control to protect the ecological values. At Kowhai Reach an esplanade reserve protects remnant streamside vegetation on the Winton Stream. The esplanade reserve adjoins a further streamside area protected by the QEII National Trust. It is the only remaining example of a naturally meandering and relatively unmodified stream on the Southland Plains. Conservation is the primary purpose of this reserve and adequate fencing is the only requirement. At Glenure Allan, Council provides the rest area where visitors can appreciate the reserve and fabulous views across Northern Southland. It is also an entrance for visitors to access the walking track and for the local community to undertake voluntary work within the reserve. This entrance/rest area is in a poor state and should be improved with a new picnic table and some landscaping. Kamahi and Dunsdale reserves have similarities in visitor use as they have established picnic/camping areas adjacent to an area of native bush with walking track. They would both most likely attract more locals and travelling New Zealanders as opposed to international tourists. Dunsdale has a very attractive setting for the picnic and camping area with a large open space interspersed by native planting Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 23

29 and overall surrounded by large trees providing great shelter. The two toilet blocks are well spaced, although these and picnic tables are near the end of their life and should be replaced soon. The access road in is along a forestry road and ambiguous for first time visitors. It should have better wayfinding signage installed. Kamahi Reserve has a smaller grass area for picnicking and camping and needs further development. A small gravel carpark should be added near the entrance with ability to block off vehicle access onto grass during winter. Design input is required to get layout right WALLACETOWN AND THORNBURY Wallacetown and Thornbury are situated on (or near to) the Southern Scenic Route (SH 99). Both have well maintained community playgrounds. Gwen Baker Park is well hidden on a back street of Wallacetown and would benefit from direction signage. Ellerslie Square is a local purpose reserve containing the Community Centre, a large open grass area and more recently a BMX track at the far end. The Wallacetown School s swimming pool, courts and sports fields are all used by the wider community for local sport. The Thornbury Bridge Reserve situated beside the Aparima River is a pleasant picnic and freedom camping site with good shelter and amenity trees. Basic facilities: toilets and picnic tables are supplied and are fit for purpose for this back road campsite WINTON, DIPTON, BROWNS, LIMEHILLS AND RYAL BUSH Winton has a wealth and variety of reserves which should serve this vibrant community well. Sports are well catered for at Centennial Park and More s Recreation Reserve. Centennial Park is obviously a wellloved multipurpose park with the skate park and playground particularly popular. With this high use the addition of adjacent toilets would be of benefit. The internal gravel roads require improvement. The Mackenzie Street playground is a great little neighbourhood play area. Although the surrounding trees are attractive care needs to be taken that there is not too much screening from the road. In the future some may need to be removed to make this playground a safe area to play. The Ivy Russell Reserve and the patch of native vegetation at More s Recreation Reserve provide great settings for walking opportunities and community involvement with native replanting. As well as attractive garden parks such as Anzac Oval they imbue community pride in their town. Anzac Oval is a small but important garden park in the centre of Winton adding to the overall aesthetic appeal of the main street. The large gravel parking area at the rear is available for freedom campers but is not well supported by campers as considered a gravel truck stop. At times trucks come and go from the site at night disrupting sleep. A better site could be More s Recreation Reserve if residents supported this. The old school site at Ryal Bush has been put to good use as a community hub for the surrounding area. The Limehills Community Centre parking area is a designated freedom camping site. Campers noted it was a sufficient, simple camping site but was hard to find. This is probably exacerbated because there is no Limehills sign on the State Highway only Centre Bush, causing confusion. Better signage would clarify the destination for travelers. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 24

30 Browns Recreation Reserve is primarily used for rugby but also allows for freedom camping. The site is not listed on the Campermate app and being away from State Highway 6 is considered low use. The small rural community of Dipton has an appealing playground and rest area despite it being alongside a busy highway. Freedom campers are also able to use the site although it doesn t appear very popular, a comment about traffic noise may explain why. At Dipton West, the David Milligan Park is a pleasant open space reserve beside the Oreti River with scattered trees and several patches of fenced native plantings but no facilities. It is also designated for freedom campers but is not listed on the Campermate app. With the addition of some picnic tables it would be a nice place stop. If promoted on Campermate it may act as an overflow for Lumsden albeit 20kms away BALFOUR, RIVERSDALE, WAIKAIA Both Balfour and Riversdale have substantial tracts of green space with amenity plantings giving the towns an attractive appearance. The playgrounds appear well used and are in good locations. State Highway 94 Lumsden to Gore has only low tourist use so playgrounds and reserves are generally used by locals and New Zealanders travelling. Waikaia and in particular Piano Flat (DOC managed protected forest with campground and tracks) has always been a destination popular with hunters and kiwi families. Now a local community group is developing a new museum in Waikaia to tell the history of goldmining and farming in the area. This may encourage further people to the area which would be good for Waikaia. Alongside the new museum, which will have public toilets, is Dickson Park with playground and picnic facilities. The location works well alongside the museum and near the shop. The recreation reserve in Waikaia covers a large area and allows for multiple recreation activities. The sports facilities appear to be well used and maintained. At one end is a small campground and freedom camping is allowed for outside the Community Centre. Indications are that the latter is very low use. The rest area north of Mandeville (Taylor Park) is a pleasant stop for motorists with a mixture of open grass areas, amenity trees and ponds but no facilities. This is a designated freedom camping site and comments were a quiet, scenic spot and not crowded. The addition of a couple of picnic tables would improve this rest area FORTROSE, TARARUA ACRE, WEIR S BEACH, AND WAIKAWA: THE CATLIN S HERITAGE TRAIL A fantastic vista of the Waituna Wetlands and Awarua Bay is gained from the highway before it drops down to Fortrose heading east. If a rest area could be created off the highway it would be a great photopoint for tourists. The Catlins Heritage Trail road is to have the last remaining section of gravel sealed in Once this happens it is expected that more tourists will use this route to take in the scenic highlights enroute such as: Waipapa Point, Slope Point, Curio Bay and Niagara. The Moray Terrace Recreation Reserve at Fortrose, Weir s Beach and the Waikawa Recreation Reserve all have freedom camping sites situated on the coast and are proving very popular to domestic and international tourists wanting to explore the Catlins Coast. All three sites require the grass areas used for camping to be drained to avoid the damage that occurs after heavy rain. There is limited capacity at Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 25

31 all three sites however it is considered that the Weir s Beach site may be able to be expanded. Communities along the trail seem to be well serviced by community centres and include the Fortrose, Otara and Niagara halls. Locals would head to Tokanui for their club sports. important to develop the site with good quality facilities as far as funding permits. The capacity of the campground is limited and some thought should be given to possible expansion. The Tararua Acre Cemetery is very close to Waipapa Point (lighthouse and wildlife viewing), a DOC site which received 58,000 visitors over the last year. Only a small portion of these visitors would stop to visit the Tararua Acre nevertheless it is an important historic site. To support visitors it is proposed a small carpark is developed near the gate and poles are placed across the paddock to direct people to the cemetery and interpretative information CURIO BAY Curio Bay has high natural values, provides great wildlife viewing opportunities and has an internationally significant petrified forest remains. This all contributes to making it a key visitor site for Southland, and one that should set a high standard for facilities. The Catlins Heritage Centre will perfectly enhance what is available on-site. The open space available is limited thereby making it more difficult to allow easy flow of pedestrians and vehicles. The visitor flow to the Heritage Centre and the petrified forest seems to work well with the planned work underway. However, the area in towards the campground where day visitors also go to access the Porpoise Bay beach and headland viewpoint seems poorly laid out and would benefit from further design work. Recent improvements to the campground facilities are functional however the overall quality of facility development is below that which would be consistent with its status as a key visitor destination. The Heritage Centre will further boost interest in Curio Bay and it is Figure 15 Cosy Nook toilet Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 26

32 7 Key issues and opportunities 7.1 Signage Signage was found to be either completely absent or inadequate. Seventy percent of reserves were not sign posted from adjacent streets or main roads while only 8.5% of reserves had a Council branded entrance sign showing either the reserve name, administrator name or the experiences that were available on site. 36% of reserves contained some form of warning or regulatory sign where 20% contained some form of interpretive sign giving information about local history etc. Road style signage was generally used which was uninspiring and while functional provided little information and did not contribute to the visitor experience. There were some notable exceptions including the excellent visitor information shelter at the entrance to Te Anau and on the South Coast at McCracken s Rest. Developing an overall wayfinding plan for parks and reserves should be a priority for improving the visitor experience and recognition of the Council as the administrator of the reserves across the district. 7.2 Toilets Public toilets were generally clean and well maintained. The most comprehensive facility is the Te Anau serviced toilets. This is an excellent facility however the user pays model discourages use. We observed coach tourists urinating against the building in the morning as the facility was yet to open and the after-hours toilets could not cope with the peak load of tourists. It would be worthwhile reassessing the operating model for this toilet to ensure it is meeting the needs of visitors. It was clear that some older toilet designs were now at or nearing the end of their economic life and that other toilets have been modified in an attempt to cope with visitor demands some less successfully than others. A common service standard should be developed for remote, basic and high quality toilets to ensure amenities are appropriate to the setting. Where possible standardised and proven designs should generally be used to reduce design and maintenance costs. Toilets are high cost items to both develop and maintain and it would be worthwhile having a specific assessment of existing toilet condition and performance to assist in the development of a strategy for toilet provision and funding. 7.3 Public dump stations The Council has provided 11 dump stations. These are well distributed and would enable most the visitors to empty campervan holding tanks frequently. The design of dump stations and amenities should be addressed however. Most negative comments from campers are regarding the non-standard tap size used by the Council, such that campers cannot use their own hose (as many prefer to do for hygiene reasons) to fill drinking water tanks. Other improvements to facilities include lighting, vehicle access and providing freedom camping information at dump station sites. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 27

33 7.4 Litter Providing litter bins at remote sites should be generally avoided. Visitors should be encouraged to carry-in carry-out litter to facilities at town centres where litter can be better managed including providing recycling. Providing litter bins at remote sites is very costly and can be difficult to manage at peak times. Overflowing bins or bins damaged by vandals can lead to more loose litter than would otherwise occur without litter bins. Where bins are required, new technology such as smart compacting bins with notification technology could be justified. A review of the cost and distribution of litter bins cross the district would be worthwhile. 7.5 Drinking water The provision of clean drinking water is important for visitors, especially those travelling by camper van. Comments on social media often referred to the availability or absence of water. While provision of safe drinking water at remote sites can be difficult, where possible it should be provided. This could be provided in a similar fashion to DOC sites where water is available but users are asked to boil water. SDC should consider obtaining professional parks and recreation planning advice in-house or utilise external contracted resources to address the above issues and improve the quality and consistency of solutions proposed for parks and recreation facilities. The SDC organisation structure utilises community engineers who are responsible for the full spectrum of issues from roading to waste water to parks within their ward. This has the potential to see differing solutions and varying standards. This is not intended as a criticism of the professionalism of the community engineers but rather an observation that a specialist parks manager/office would provide consistent standards and potentially bring more specialised knowledge and skills. Greater use of professional landscape architects and recreation planners will result in higher quality and more sustainable outcomes. Facilities for bottle filling (such as an exterior tap) should be included in all public toilets that are connected to potable water supplies. 7.6 Recreation planning It is evident from the analysis of the sites and the issues identified that there has possibly been an under investment by the Council in professional parks and recreation advice. Many of the above issues would normally be addressed by a professional parks manager or recreation planner. Figure 16 Gemstone Beach Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 28

34 8 Role of other agencies 8.1 New Zealand Transport Agency NZTA is responsible for all State Highways and has, over the years, provided many rest areas for travellers. Some 29 official rest areas have been established with some providing facilities such as picnic tables and rubbish bins within the SDC area. The National State Highway Strategy recognises that NZTA has a responsibility to ensure the provision of stopping places that contribute to safety objectives by providing road users with the opportunity to break their journeys and reduce fatigue. On most State highways, demand for stopping places is usually met by NZTA through the provision of rest areas, viewing points and similar stopping places. Stopping places are suitable areas of surplus road reserve that have or can be developed to form a safe and attractive off-road parking place for road users. They must have safe entry and exit points readily negotiable by cars, with or without trailers or caravans, and trucks as appropriate 20. The NZTA s current policy regarding roadside rest areas is to work with local authorities to provide approved rest areas and develop written agreements with regards to maintenance. NZTA currently does not provide toilet facilities at rest areas but does have a policy of providing safe access and egress, signage and litter bins. NZTA rest areas are also excluded from the Freedom Camping Act meaning that anyone can camp overnight at a rest area. Further discussion with NZTA on the management of roadside rest areas and the Regional Highway Stopping Places Strategy would be worthwhile. Figure 17 NZTA rest areas in Southland 20 NZTA SM012 State Highway Control Manual Part 17 Consolidated Stopping on Highway Sections Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 29

35 8.2 Department of Conservation DOC administers most of the key visitor destinations in Southland, the largest being Fiordland National Park. SDC and DOC have a positive working relationship and should continue to work together to ensure facility development is planned and maintained in a coordinated way and that actions by one party do not have unintended consequences for the other party. One example is the possible relationship between camping in the Eglington Valley and freedom camping in Lumsden. DOC reported 21 that there was a 40% reduction in occupancy of the Henry Creek conservation campsite (the closest to Te Anau) in the Eglington Valley after DOC increased prices from $6 to $13 per night on 30 June This would seem to coincide with a significant increase in camper s freedom camping in Lumsden in the last season. 8.3 Environment Southland ES does not manage any land for visitor facilities within the Southland District. In Invercargill City it has provided land and resources for various walkway and cycle ways. There may be opportunities for ES and SDC to work together on recreation facilities where these are associated with catchment management works. Figure 18 Visitor information in Te Anau 8.4 Neighbouring Councils Close contact should be maintained with the QLDC, Clutha District Council and Gore District Council to ensure actions by one Council do not have unintended consequences for other Council s and opportunities for cooperation or shared services are maximized. Figure 19 Informal rest area on the Mararoa River at Weir Road 21 Department of Conservation Campsite Report 2016/17 Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 30

36 9 Freedom camping Freedom camping has become an increasingly popular means for independent travelers to visit and stay in New Zealand. Freedom campers can be divided into three broad groups; the first consist largely of New Zealand residents who own their own campervan and who travel around the country experiencing different regions for either short term or extended periods. These people are generally travelling in specialised camping vehicles and are (certified) self-contained with respect to waste. Often these visitors will be members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association and will include Southland residents who may use their campervan for short term visits locally within Southland. The second group are predominately international visitors who are touring throughout New Zealand in rented specialised campervans that are fully self-contained. These visitors will use a variety of accommodation types including hotel, motel, holiday parks and freedom camping sites. While these visitors will occasionally freedom camp, generally their impact is limited. The third group are predominately international visitors who are touring throughout New Zealand in vehicles that may or may not have been converted to some extent to enable sleeping within the vehicle. These visitors will predominately stay in their vehicles at both unauthorised or authorised freedom camping locations but may use other lower cost options such as Conservation campsites, camping grounds and backpacker accommodation. The lack of adequate waste facilities onboard means these visitors place a greater load on the environment and on public facilities such as toilets. These visitors are extremely sensitive to cost and will seek out free opportunities over even low to moderate cost alternatives. Freedom camping has always been a popular option for low cost travel but the growth in numbers in freedom campers and increasing tensions between local communities and freedom campers drove the Tourism Industry Association to facilitate a Freedom Camping Forum with industry representatives that resulted in the adoption of the Freedom Camping Act The Act enables Councils who have adopted a bylaw under the Freedom Camping Act to designate places controlled by the Council where freedom camping may take place and under what conditions and issue a $200 fine for breaches of the Act. Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) was one of the first Councils to adopt a Freedom Camping Bylaw and enforce the bylaw by issuing fines. The Queenstown Freedom Camping Bylaw 2012 limits freedom camping to areas outside of the urban town centres and residential areas and only permits freedom camping on council land where the vehicle is certified as self-contained. As the bylaw is proactively enforced, compliance with the bylaw is very high. The QLDC policy has likely had some impact on Southland by encouraging those travelling in non-self-contained vehicles to stay outside the district either before entering Queenstown or immediately after leaving Queenstown. This is evidenced by the popularity of sites such as the NZTA rest areas on the shores of Lake Wakatipu near Kingston and the Jollies Pass and the Lumsden Freedom Camping Site. The SDC Freedom Camping Bylaw (2015) has taken a community based approach with each community determining the extent to which freedom camping is prohibited, restricted or permitted. Camping is generally permitted on Council controlled land in areas such as beaches and riversides. Camping is generally not allowed in urban areas, car parks, boating areas (including wharves, jetties & boat ramps), playgrounds, sports grounds, cemeteries, walking tracks, signposted lookouts. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 31

37 Enforcement activity is limited to Te Anau and Lumsden where wardens operate. 9.1 NZS 5465 Amendment No.2 An amendment to the New Zealand Standard 5465 for selfcontainment was adopted in May The amendments mean that Certified Self-Containment (CSC) documentation will only be issued to vehicles that have a toilet that is able to be used inside the vehicle, even with the bed made up. As a result, the poorly-equipped people movers and the like, which have been slipping through a loophole in the requirements for self-containment, will no longer qualify as CSC and will be excluded from freedom camping in areas where freedom camping is only permitted in self-contained vehicles. This is likely to reduce the numbers of freedom campers where policies are in place to limit freedom camping to certified self-contained vehicles and freedom camping bylaws are enforced. 9.2 Freedom camping strategy We understand that a Freedom Camping Strategy is to be prepared. The approach taken to freedom camping is likely to be the most significant influencer of facility development for the SDC. By way of example, the popularity of the Lumsden freedom camping site, is strongly driving facility development. Unless numbers are limited or fees introduced (which would drastically reduce numbers) then there will be a need to improve facilities over time to cope with the demand on the toilets, waste management, general environment and impact on the community. History shows us that many of today s popular commercial campgrounds were once freedom camping sites. As use grew, additional facilities such as toilets and litter bins are required. The cost of providing and maintaining these facilities then required communities to impose charges for use of the sites which then become formalised as camping grounds either operated by the Council as commercial ventures or leased to private operators. There is no doubt that a freedom camping strategy is needed to consider Southland s approach to freedom camping. This strategy should go beyond a regulatory approach and consider the economic and tourism value of freedom camping and cost to the community. Without a strategy the Council is at risk of developing facilities for freedom camping that cannot be sustained or adequately funded. An appropriate strategy would investigate the economic contribution of freedom camping to townships, costs and benefits and potential funding models including options such as a low cost camping pass. 9.3 Potential legislative changes The National Party has announced that it intends to make changes to the Freedom Camping Act if reelected to Government in the 2017 General Election 22. The proposed changes include extending the powers of the Freedom Camping Act to NZTA and LINZ which will enable the margins of rivers and lakes and rest areas on State Highways to be restricted or prohibited camping areas. It is also proposed to prohibit freedom camping in non-self-contained vehicles when located more than 200m away from a public toilet. If these changes are made to the Freedom Camping Act they will likely impact on facility provision in Southland Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 32

38 10 Priority Sites When considering the open space network managed by the Council, priority should be placed on sites which: 1. Meet local community needs for recreation The priority for the open space provided by the Council should be meeting local community recreation needs. In general, community needs seem to be well catered for with communities having good access to playgrounds, parks and community halls. Some existing facilities have reached the end of their economic life or relevance and these should either be removed, renewed or redeveloped with relevant and (ideally multipurpose) facilities. 2. Provide unique experiences with the natural environment Open spaces which offer opportunities to connect with the Southland landscape, wildlife and culture will create memorable and popular visitor experiences. These are the places to focus visitors as long as the environment can be protected. 3. Are on the key existing tourist routes Facility development for visitors should be focused on the key tourist routes between Kingston and Te Anau and the Southern Scenic Route. These routes are already popular and will continue to see growth as long as tourism growth to New Zealand continues. While the inland communities each have their own history and attributes their location off the main arterial tourism routes means facility development for tourism will not be justified at this time. 4. Provide benefits to local communities Facility development should be prioritised where facility development will bring recreation, community or economic benefit to local communities. The impact of greater numbers of visitors on local infrastructure and community well-being also needs to be considered Evaluative criteria We would also suggest that future projects are assessed against the following criteria. 1. Visitation the site has existing demand the exceeds the capacity of the site causing damage to the site, the surrounding environment or the reputation/visitor experience 2. Growth the site is located on a key visitor route and is likely to experience increasing use 3. Need the facilities proposed are in the best location to address demand and do not duplicate other nearby facilities including those managed by other agencies 4. Sustainability the operating and renewal costs maintaining and renewing the facilities can be sustained by the funding and revenue model for the facility 5. Planning prior to committing to facility development within, sufficient planning has taken place to ensure option selected is the best option and risks, including financial and consenting risks are sufficiently understood. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 33

39 10.2 Kingston to Te Anau GARSTON/ATHOL Garston is the first easily accessible stop for visitors on the journey from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Approximately one hour from Queenstown, the toilets are frequently used by travellers. The growth in visitor numbers on this route will mean that the existing public toilets will be under pressure to cope with multiple coaches stopping at this location. Planning for a more significant toilet facility with bus parking between Kingston and Te Anau needs to be advanced including consideration of waste treatment options. For example, the toilets at Garston could be downsized and a more extensive facility developed at Athol to replace the Garston toilets. Athol is approximately half way between Queenstown and Te Anau and there is more land available at Athol to provide for a significant toilet facility. At present three toilet facilities are provided between Kingston and Te Anau and it is suggested that one significant facility and two lesser facilities may be more cost effective. If a significant facility was developed, then this may enable reduction of capacity in Garston or Mossburn with subsequent cost savings. The development of toilets/rest area in either Garston or Athol would be specifically developed for visitors including parking capacity for multiple coaches and would be suitable candidate project for consideration under the MBIE Infrastructure Fund MOSSBURN As discussed above, consideration should be given to one primary toilet facility between Kingston and Te Anau and this would impact on requirements for facility development in Mossburn. The main facility development opportunity in Mossburn is to plan for the redevelopment of the adventure playground, toilets and park in general. At present the facilities are not well set out and could be significantly improved with good design including the introduction of other facilities for residents such as a pump track or multi-purpose court Te Anau TOWN CENTRE The town centre is comprised primarily of the Anzac Gardens/Little Lake Te Anau, street gardens and the area in front of the library. The gardens are of good quality and while there could be some improvement in furniture selection the main opportunity for improvement is the upgrading of street and park lighting. The lighting infrastructure is does not contribute to the daytime aesthetic of the town centre and at night the town centre appears dark and unwelcoming. The library toilets are heavily used by visitors (anecdotally by people who don t want to pay to use the lake side toilets) and consideration should be given to the development of a new standalone toilet unit in the northern part of the town centre which could be a candidate for consideration under the MBIE Infrastructure Fund. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 34

40 LAKEFRONT The lakefront walkway is a key feature of Te Anau. The path has potential to be significantly improved to be an attractive promenade with a wider path that could be safely used by both cycles and pedestrians as the start of the Te Anau to Manapouri cycleway. A redesign of the foreshore path, viewpoints, planting and lighting would be a major project but would provide significant benefits to residents and visitors. The Oneroa Waikanae Beach walkway cycleway in Gisborne is a good example of the quality that can be achieved BOAT HARBOUR TE ANAU DOMAIN There is significant opportunity for improvement and development at the Boat Harbour. Better organisation of boat harbour/marina activity and day use would be beneficial as well as encouraging visitors to travel further into the reserve to experience the very different views of Lake Te Anau and Fiordland National Park from the northern shore of the Domain Te Anau to Makarewa CLIFDEN BRIDGE There is potential to develop this site further for freedom camping. It will be important to ensure the day use aspects of the site are preserved. This could be achieved by developing toilets and freedom camping sites on the upper terrace and retaining the lower area for day use and picnicking MCCRACKENS REST Improvements in landscaping and presentation could be made to this key site. The provision of toilets at this site should only be made as part of a broader consideration of toilet provision via a toilet strategy GEMSTONE BEACH Figure 20 Oneroa- Waikanae Beach Gisborne (Gisborne Herald) Improvements to car parking and beach access would be desirable as this is a popular site which will see increasing levels of use based on visitor feedback MONKEY ISLAND There is a need for a well-developed plan for the development of Monkey Island that should include the development of separate day use areas and freedom camping areas, upgraded toilets and replacement of the shelter along with roading and Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 35

41 landscaping/revegetation works. Options for supply of potable water should be considered. With improvements, Monkey Island has potential to be a very attractive and popular camping area and together with other sites has potential to be considered for the MBIE Infrastructure Fund COSY NOOK Planning here should be limited to replacement of the toilets when they reach the end of their life and minor improvements to the immediate area around the toilets COLAC BAY A landscape plan for Colac Bay setting out the establishment of freedom camping and day use areas at the end of Colac Foreshore Road would give direction for future development. With further improvements and the development of sheltered and level camping sites, improvements to toilets and ideally the provision of water the site would be popular with residents and visitors alike. Packaged together with other sites (such as Monkey Island), Colac Bay has potential to be considered for the MBIE Infrastructure Fund LUMSDEN Lumsden has become a destination in its own right due to the freedom camping site. Free Independent Travellers (FIT s) mainly those in the budget campervan range more likely to be from Europe, UK, USA and Australia are flocking to the place to take advantage of the free site. This popularity has been welcomed by some locals but been the bane of others. The community and Council are now implementing some measures to manage this overwhelming visitor use in a more coordinated fashion so the quiet, appealing nature of this small rural town is not damaged. By sealing the car park, marking out parking spaces, addition of kerb and channeling, and some landscape planting for screening it is hoped this will improve the visitor experience for the campers and other users. An upgrade of the public toilets will also boost the available facilities. Central to the designated camping area is the old railway platform and there may be an opportunity to display the further attractions of Southland to this ready audience using a simple photo montage or similar. Council could look at making a small amount of revenue by placing a coin operated BBQ in the camping vicinity. Another option is a nominal fee (e.g. $2) to have the unlimited wifi and this could be paid for either online or through a voucher bought at the supermarket. To ease the pressure on Lumsden from freedom campers Council could look at promoting David Milligan Park at Dipton West (with the addition of some facilities such as water supply) or their own leased campground at Lumsden. Round the Mountain cyclists stopping off in Lumsden for accommodation and meals will no doubt appreciate the Lumsden Railway Precinct and the ability to have an insight into the town s early history and character today. These sort of attractions are fairly low key but add to the overall aesthetic appeal and how long (and much) day visitors will spend in a town TARAMEA BAY RECREATION RESERVE This narrow strip of foreshore reserve in Riverton is a popular attractive coastal park for Southlanders and a nearby safe sheltered beach for Invercargill residents. The beach and park is a great family friendly location. It is in moderately good condition but could be improved on with the addition of new toilets with changing facilities. Coin operated Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 36

42 BBQ s would be great for the long summer evenings and add to this site s popularity. A combined walking and cycling path from the bridge to Taramea Bay would traverse Pilot Reserve and Taramea Bay Recreation Reserve and provide a valued easy walking and cycling opportunity for the community MORE S SCENIC RESERVE This significant block of remnant coastal forest attracts a lot of visitors for the bushwalking and for the spectacular views north and south. It could be better promoted to those travelling the Southern Scenic Route as a worthwhile place to visit. To support the increasing numbers walking the Te Araroa Trail it is proposed that safe pedestrian access is allowed for from the car park down along Richard St to where the footpath begins CURIO BAY Undoubtedly the highest profile visitor site in the Catlins with visitors attracted by the rich natural features found in this relatively small area. The new Catlins Heritage Centre justly sets a high standard for facilities at this site. The Council s Curio Bay campground should provide moderate revenue for the Council but the quality of infrastructure needs to be consistent with the standard achieved at the Heritage Centre. An expansion of the campground should be further assessed. Visitor flow needs to work well at this compact site. It is recommended the area to the east of the new visitor centre has some design input to ensure day visitors can easily access Porpoise Bay and the headland viewpoint through the campground. Cohesive signage is also critical to ease of visitor use CAMPING - CATLINS HERITAGE TRAIL The majority of visitors to the Catlins are Free Independent Traveler s and apps such as Geozone show that a considerable number of these are travelling in camper vehicles. This makes the availability of camping areas important and Council currently plays a role in this provision. There are currently four freedom camping sites along the Catlins Heritage Trail route and they are: Fortrose foreshore reserve, Fortrose Boat Harbour Rd, Weir s Beach and Waikawa. All except Fortrose Boat Harbour Rd have toilets available although only Fortrose foreshore and Weir s Beach allow for non-self-contained vehicles as well as self-contained. They are all popular sites for campers and they provide spinoffs by encouraging these visitors to spend longer and more money in the Catlins area. The common issue with them is that the capacity is small and only Weir s Beach has potential for expansion. They also all have poorly drained grass surface. A funding application to the Tourism Infrastructure Fund could bundle together the surface improvement at Fortrose foreshore, Weir s Beach and Waikawa; an expansion of the Weir s Beach open space for camping and two coin operated BBQ s for Fortrose foreshore reserve. The only alternative for campers within the Southland District portion of the Catlins is the private Slope Point Rd campervan park or the Curio Bay Campground and the latter is limited by capacity. With forecast increasing tourism numbers the development of other options may need to be investigated. The old Quarry Hills school site could be used to create a new freedom camping site although it would be a detour to use but could be good for overflow. Southland District Council could also look at their land availability to develop a new campground, similar in level of service to Curio Bay, to be leased. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 37

43 WAITUNA LAGOON ROAD The internationally recognised Waituna Wetlands are managed by DOC and they are well presented to the visitor with a boardwalk and information panels. However, the Waituna Lagoon Rd is in a poor state and is a rough introduction to this area. This Council road s carriageway should be improved to a higher standard and allow for safe passing of all vehicles including buses PHOTO POINTS Tourism promotions in Wanaka have employed a clever marketing ploy to sell their area by promoting photo points for tourists to collect photos from. This could be used on the Southern Scenic Route in Southland as there are many photogenic scenes. A potential photo point/new rest area could be developed at the roadside on the hill before you drop down to Fortrose heading east. This gives the best roadside view out over Waituna Lagoon and beyond. Figure 21 Curio Bay Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 38

44 11 Funding requirements 11.1 Funding opportunities The following funding opportunities have been considered beyond rate or debt funding the proposed infrastructure requirements TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Announced at Budget 2017, the Tourism Infrastructure Fund provides up to $25 million per year to support communities facing pressure from tourism growth and in need of assistance areas with high visitor numbers but small ratepayer bases, for example. The purpose of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund is to provide financial support for local tourism-related infrastructure where tourism growth (domestic and international) is placing pressure on, or potential growth is constrained by, existing infrastructure and the local community is unable to respond in a timely way without assistance. The Tourism Infrastructure Fund is intended to protect and enhance New Zealand s reputation both domestically and internationally by supporting robust infrastructure which in turn contributes to quality experiences for visitors and maintains the social licence for the sector to operate. Councils or community organisations with council support are eligible to apply for local visitor-related infrastructure. Priority will be given to: applicants who have high visitor to ratepayer ratios, and are financially constrained and have investigated alternative funding options. projects that address capacity constraints due to visitor growth, support the Tourism Strategy and represent value for money. Applicants are expected to co-fund to the maximum extent they are able and projects will not be eligible if seeking funding under $100,000 (although a series of linked projects can be joined in one application). Commercial projects, infrastructure where central government already has dedicated investment (such as mobile blackspot coverage), or infrastructure projects without a substantial visitor-volume driven component will not be eligible. Eligibility is contingent on the following 1. Receives more than five visitors per rating unit annually? Southland District received 407,044 guest nights between 1July 2016 and 30 June The number of rateable units is 20,749 (1 July 2015). The ratio of visitor guest nights to rating units is therefore 19:1. 2. Revenue from tourism in your area is less than $1 billion per year? Revenue from domestic and international tourism within the Southland District was $330m for the 2017 year. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 39

45 3. Local government funding agency lending limits been reached? Council s current limit per the Long Term Plan is that borrowing of external funds is limited to 100% of total revenue. No external borrowings have been required. As such the Council will not be eligible for funding according to the current MBIE criteria. We understand a number of Councils have raised the issue of this criteria with Government. Assuming that criteria 3 (lending limits was waived) then the following criteria also apply: Carparks Toilets Freedom camping facilities Visitor-related sewerage and water systems Transport capital projects not funded by NZTA Safety upgrades to public spaces, such as shelters > Supporting infrastructure for natural attractions > Feasibility studies for related projects And on a case by case basis: Signage (excluding marketing signage) Rest stop facilities on main touring routes Cruise-related infrastructure (excluding berths) Cycleways not funded by NZTA or MBIE Most of the facilities recommendations in this report would fit the above criteria so if funding was successful it would reduce the funding requirement to be met by the Council. Applications for the first round close of September 4, PAY FOR USE The Council already has a pay for use toilet operating in Te Anau. We have not reviewed the operating costs and revenue associated with this toilet but have made observations regarding resistance to its use and a lack of capacity to accommodate peak loading after hours. Increasing tourism during should seasons may require the current opening hours to be reviewed. Pay for use toilets are not common in New Zealand and the majority of pay toilets that are provided by Council have high servicing costs as staff are located on site during opening hours. Recently a non-staff pay toilet has been installed at Lake Tekapo. This facility is reportedly receiving moderate use. 1/3 rd of the revenue gained is expensed in bank charges. While there may be some potential for pay for use toilets in some locations, the price barrier or at least principle of payment will deter some users which will mean they will either use other free-use toilets or the environment which is counter to the objective of providing toilets. Council could consider removing charges for toilet use while maintaining user fees for the showers which are popular with visitors. The additional cost of pay mechanisms, additional cost of maintenance, cash handling, administration, additional vandalism/theft and the need for electronic payment systems (and therefore mobile phone coverage and electricity) will limit their application. As a funding strategy, pay for use toilets have limited potential. Charging for other facilities such as is more common but again the cost of administration needs to be considered. Charging for access to wifi may be a possibility in sites such as Lumsden where freedom campers are currently using the library wi-fi for free. Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 40

46 SOUTHLAND CAMPING PASS The Department of Conservation offers two types of passes for the camp sites it manages. The Campsite Pass for rental vans is a weekly pass that provides a 50% discount to DOC campsites. The New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) campsite pass gives free access to DOC standard and scenic campsites around New Zealand. The pass can be used at approximately 200 motor-caravan accessible campsites (some exceptions apply). Members can choose either a full year campsite pass option for $175 or a 5-months campsite pass for $100. While the time and cost of investigation, community consultation and divestment can be significant there is potential for on-going cost savings through reduced maintenance and increased rates LEASE ARRANGEMENTS When developing facilities, consideration should be given to the potential for creating lettable spaces within buildings such as public toilets. Consideration could be given to introduce a Southland Camping Pass which could give free access to designated camping areas managed by Southland District Council. This would be a means to gain some revenue and record numbers of users using campsites established by the Council. Southland district residents could be given free access to the pass to encourage local use and recognise the contribution of rates to the establishment and maintenance of the campsites. A feasibility study on the viability and application of this concept could be undertaken. It may also have some interest from neighbouring Councils LAND SALES RATIONALISATION There appears to be a number of reserves that have limited recreation or community value and consideration could be given to rationalising some reserves. This may provide a one-off cash injection that could be reinvested into reserve development. Many reserves however have underlying crown ownership or may be subject to treaty settlements. Figure 22 Commercial tenant in Earnslaw Park Toilets Southland Open Spaces Priority Settings pg. 41