The Draft Cromwell Racecourse Reserve Management Plan will be up for community feedback from 19 May 2025 for two months.
Discussion has been taking place for the past few months at the Cromwell Community Board (CCB) about the future use of the 93.49-hectare reserve on Ripponvale Road, to meet the future needs of sustained population growth in Cromwell. The Cromwell Racecourse Reserve is currently managed under a lease agreement with the Central Lakes Equestrian Club Committee Incorporated. In the report to the CCB meeting (Tuesday 6 May 2025), it was cited that the current Reserve Management Plan (RMP), adopted in 2000, no longer reflects the current use, management arrangements, or community recreational aspirations for the site.
Investigations have been taking place to find out if the reserve would support both equestrian use and a broader range of community recreational activities. This work identified that with careful planning and realignment of activities over time, the site could accommodate both.
Cromwell has been identified as being short of sports fields: The Cromwell Reserves Supply and Demand Assessment (2022) concluded that the current provision of sports fields in Cromwell is insufficient to meet projected population growth and growing participation in field sports. Central Otago’s population is forecast to increase by over 26 percent by 2040, with Cromwell’s population alone expected to grow to more than 8,000 residents. This growth is expected to place significant pressure on existing reserves and infrastructure.
At the racecourse reserve, medium term (to 2030) there could be provision for four new full-sized sports fields, and long term (to 2045) an additional four fields, enabling up to eight full-sized fields in total. This development would occur without displacing equestrian users and supports the vision of the site as a future regional sports hub. The plan also allows for possible future uses such as clubrooms, tournament hosting infrastructure, and community events space. Early investment in enabling infrastructure, including irrigation, ecological planting, accessways, and utilities, is recommended, alongside further technical investigation into site suitability, drainage, and turf types.
To support this dual-purpose approach and respond to population growth and increasing demand for sporting and recreational spaces in Cromwell, a new RMP is required to reflect current use and future aspirations for the reserve, provide a framework for future development and decision-making, identify and address any constraints, conflicts, or opportunities; and meet the obligations of the Reserves Act 1977, including the requirement to keep management plans under continuous review.
At the Cromwell Community Board meeting (Tuesday 6 May 2025), Chair Anna Harrison emphasised that “This is not the final document; this is the ‘What do you think?’” aspect in the consultation to gather feedback; not just from the current users CCB member Cr Sarah Browne added, but also potential users.
“We can only consider what we hear, so it’s vital our community give us their feedback, and speak to their submissions, to inform the path we take through shaping this plan. Let’s not just fix today’s problems; we should be blue-sky thinking for the future too.”
The two-month public consultation will run in accordance with Section 41 of the Reserves Act 1977.
The draft RMP will be available online via the Central Otago District Council’s Let’s Talk consultation platform: Let’s Talk Central Otago and in hard copy at the Cromwell Service Centre and Cromwell Library, from 19 May to 14 July 2025.
A drop-in session will be held at the Cromwell Service Centre Council Chambers on Wednesday 4 June, 4pm-6pm providing the public with an opportunity to learn more and speak with staff.
After the consultation closes, all submissions will be reviewed and summarised. Submitters will have the opportunity to indicate during the submission process if they wish to speak to their submission at a hearing with the Cromwell Community Board.
Feedback from submissions will be used to update the draft management plan, with the final version presented to the Community Board for recommendation to Council.
The final management plan will be adopted by Council under its delegated authority on behalf of the Minister of Conservation.
