CLOSED - General Policies Reserve Management Plan
Consultation has concluded
The engagement on General Policies Reserve Management Plan is now closed.
Invercargill City Council administers a diverse portfolio of parks and reserves. The Reserves Act 1977 provides for the preservation and management of parks and reserves for the enjoyment of the public.
The Act requires the development of reserve management plans to establish the desired mix of use and protection for reserves and to provide the community with certainty about the function and management of each reserve.
The creation of a new plan will enable a more efficient management plan structure for future reviews combining all general policies into one overarching plan.
The General Policies Reserve Management Plan sets objectives and policies that are common to all reserves administered by Invercargill City Council. This is to ensure a consistent approach to management decisions and compliance with Reserves Act requirements. It also removes the need for generic policies to be repeated in the management plan for individual reserves or groups of reserves.
These objectives and policies will not be repeated in specific reserve management plans that apply to an individual reserve or group of reserves. Specific reserve management plans are intended to address site-specific or category-specific issues, which may require a particular management approach that differs from the norm. These will include sports field reserves, environmental reserves, cemeteries, Queens Park, Anderson Park, Town Belt, Donovan Park and Sandy Point Domain.
If an issue is addressed in both the General Policies Reserve Management Plan and a reserve management plan for a specific reserve, or type of reserve, then the policies in the specific management plan will take precedence over the General Policies Reserve Management Plan.
The General Policies are often high level, generic statements while the specific management plans may add more detail as appropriate to a particular reserve or group of reserves. For example, the General Policies will provide guidelines around the provision of park furniture (such as park benches) while the management plan for a particular Premier Park may specify particular bench designs or colours to be used at that park.
If a specific reserve management plan is silent on a matter, the General Policies Reserve Management Plan shall apply. The General Policies Reserve Management Plan also applies to any reserves or parks that are not covered by a specific management plan (such as newly acquired reserves for example).
Invercargill City Council Parks and Recreation would like to invite you to share your views on the General Policies Management Plan for parks and reserves in Invercargill and Bluff for the next 10 years. This information will inform the development of the management plan in compliance with section 41 of the Reserves Act 1977.
Further workshops and engagement may be held prior to a draft being sent out for further consultation in 2023.