Newest Development Confirmed: Porirua Adventure Park
Last week Select Contracts CEO Chris Sutton and Regional Director for NZ & Australia Darron Charity attended the official public announcement of Porirua Adventure Park, a development by Select Contracts.
The park will be the first of its kind in New Zealand with an indoor surf park, lift-access mountain bike trails, sightseeing trails for walking and hiking, a 200-seat cafe located at the base with a smaller cafe at the top station of the lift. All the biking and hiking trails will be free to use.
Select Contracts is very excited to announce their partnership with Porirua City Council for the development of the Porirua Adventure Park.
“This is going to be a world class destination for local, regional and international guests to enjoy the beautiful surroundings in a safe environment giving them a unique experience each time they visit on a bike, by foot or on a surfboard.” -CEO Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton (right) with Mayor Mike Tana (left).
From the Porirua City Council media release:
“This is going to be a world class destination for local, regional and international guests to enjoy the beautiful surroundings in a safe environment giving them a unique experience each time they visit on a bike, by foot or on a surfboard. Our aim is to create an amazing family friendly facility that will become a world class destination to add to New Zealand’s international offering and to work very closely with the local community to make sure their needs are met with this facility. We are at the beginning of a lengthy and complex resource consent process and there are no pre-determined outcomes yet. A lot of work must be done before the development can break ground but we look forward to working with all parties to make this happen and to a positive response from the community and market”. -Chris Sutton
Work is expected to start on the park next year, once the necessary consents have been secured, with the opening due in 2019. Porirua Mayor Mike Tana says the approximate $21 million investment in the city will create jobs for Porirua and be a huge drawcard for visitors.
“This is an amazing opportunity for Porirua. We expect over 100 new jobs will be created to manage the influx of visitors to the city. Estimates show around 80,000 local users will visit per annum and a potential economic impact, over five years, of around $40 million coming into the Wellington economy.
“Most tracks will be ridge-riding/walking experiences and no tracks will be built through Porirua Scenic Reserve.”
Ngāti Toa Manager Resource Management and Communications Leana Barriball says the iwi supports what they’ve seen of the development.
“Select Contracts and the Council have engaged Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira on the proposal to develop an adventure park that spans across DOC and PCC land. Discussion points included Rangituhi as a significant site for Ngāti Toa, other significant sites in the area, allowing free public access, environmental impacts and restoration potential within the plan.
“We don’t have any concerns with Select Contracts applying for a concession to DOC for the proposed adventure park. In all circumstances like these Ngāti Toa are concerned with destruction of wāhi tapu sites and other significant sites which may be the case here, however we will work with Select Contracts to ensure conditions provide for this protection as well as other concerns we may have going forward.”
Parks Manager Olivia Dovey says the need to protect the area and make sure the developement is sympathetic to the natural environment is top of everyone’s mind.
“We’ll be working actively with the developer to ensure a win-win for Porirua. We all want to get the balance right between providing an excellent recreation opportunity while also protecting our special green spaces. This development can be great news for for both recreationalist and environmentalists.”
Wellington Region Economic Development Agency General Manager Venues, Marketing and Destination Development David Perks says the Porirua Adventure Park will be a welcome addition to the greater Wellington outdoor fitness and entertainment scene.
“We expect it to be hugely popular with the Wellington market as well as attracting overseas adventure addicts to the Wellington region.”
Wellington Trails Trust’s Anthony Edmonds says the trust is keen to support the Porirua City Council on the completion of trails that will add to the overall experience at Porirua Adventure Park.
“When I told my kids about the new park they instantly wanted to move to Porirua. This highlights what an incredible asset the park will be for the Porirua community and Wellington region, which is why the Wellington Trails Trust totally support this initiative. I love that the trails are also free to anyone who is keen enough to ride, walk or run up to the top of the park. As a keen walker, runner and mountain biker, the new park will be incredible.”