Regional parks of New Zealand are protected areas administered by regional councils, the top tier of local government. Regional parks are found across five regions of New Zealand: the Auckland Region, Waikato Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Wellington Region and Canterbury Region. Regional parks in the Auckland and Waikato regions are administered by the Auckland Council, while parks in other areas are administered by regional councils: the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, [1] Greater Wellington Regional Council, [2] and Canterbury Regional Council. [3]
Regional parks in New Zealand are large open spaces typically outside the metropolitan boundaries of cities; larger than city parks and smaller than the National parks of New Zealand. The first regional park in New Zealand was the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, which was established in 1964 when the Centennial Memorial Park of the Waitākere Ranges had its administration transferred from Auckland City Council to the Auckland Regional Authority. The first park purchased and established by the Auckland Regional Authority was Wenderholm Regional Park in 1965. [4]
East Harbour Regional Park, managed by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, was the first regional park established in the Wellington Region in 1979. [5]
The Local Government Act 2002 empowered other local government authorities outside of Auckland and Wellington to establish regional parks. [4] The first of these was the Papamoa Hills Regional Park in the Bay of Plenty Region, established in 2004. The first regional park in the Canterbury Region was the Waimakariri River Regional Park, established in 2006/ [6]
In November 2010, local government reforms merged the different local government authorities of Auckland into a single unitary authority, the Auckland Council. During this process, areas of Franklin District and Manukau City were reassigned to the Waikato Region, including areas which included regional parks. Because of this, three regional parks are found in the northern Waikato, which are administered by the Auckland Council. [7]
This table lists current regional parks from north to south.
This table lists areas administered under regional park systems or by regional councils, from north to south.
Regional Park | Image | Region | Area km2 [7] [8] | Established | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mount Smart | Auckland Region | 0.22 [25] | 1985 [26] | 36°55′05″S174°48′43″E / 36.918°S 174.812°E | Domain and stadium in central Auckland, which came under the administration of the Auckland Regional Authority in 1985, later the Auckland Regional Council from 1989. [27] Until the dissolution of the Auckland Regional Council in 2010, Mount Smart Domain was mentioned in regional park documents. | |
Te Motu a Hiaroa / Puketutu | Auckland Region | 0.187 [28] | N/A | 36°57′54″S174°44′46″E / 36.965°S 174.746°E | Island in the Manukau Harbour, South Auckland. While officially designated as a regional park by the Auckland Council, [15] the island is currently leased by Watercare Services, who are reconstructing the quarried hills with biosolids. [28] Once filling operations have ceased by 2049, the island is planned to be redeveloped into a regional park and cultural centre, including a marae and wānanga. [28] [29] | |
Hutt Water Collection Area | Wellington Region | 89 [30] | 1951 [31] | 41°00′36″S175°09′18″E / 41.010°S 175.155°E | ||
Whitireia Park | Wellington Region | 1.8 | 1976 [32] | 41°06′00″S174°51′14″E / 41.100°S 174.854°E | Southern headland of Porirua Harbour. While it shares features with regional parks and is listed alongside other regional parks of Wellington, it is not a regional park due to being administered by the Whitireia Park Board. [33] | |
Hutt River Trail | Wellington Region | 41°09′43″S174°58′39″E / 41.1619°S 174.9774°E | Walking and cycling path along the banks of the Hutt River | |||
Wairarapa Moana Wetlands | Wellington Region | 90 | 41°14′02″S175°11′35″E / 41.234°S 175.193°E | Lake Wairarapa, Lake Ōnoke and a section of wetlands on the eastern shore of Lake Wairarapa | ||
Wainuiomata Water Collection Area | Wellington Region | 41°15′43″S175°00′36″E / 41.262°S 175.01°E | Proposed site of the Puketahā wildlife sanctuary. [34] | |||
Northern Pegasus Bay | Canterbury Region | 43°16′05″S172°43′12″E / 43.268°S 172.720°E | Shores of Pegasus Bay north of the Waimakariri River mouth |
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas. Five territorial authorities also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that is similar to a unitary authority.
Franklin District was a New Zealand territorial authority that lay between the Auckland metropolitan area and the Waikato Plains. As a formal territory, it was abolished on 31 October 2010 and divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Region to the north and Waikato and Hauraki districts in the Waikato region to the south and east. The Auckland portion is now part of the Franklin Ward, which also includes rural parts of the former Manukau City.
Auckland is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing 33 percent of the nation's residents, it has by far the largest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.
South Auckland ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th century, and has important archaeological sites, such as the Ōtuataua stonefield gardens at Ihumātao, and Māngere Mountain, a former pā site important to Waiohua tribes.
The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui.
Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for public transport under the brand Metlink, environmental and flood protection, and the region's water supply. As of 2023, it is the majority owner of CentrePort Wellington with a 77% shareholding.
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Bay of Plenty Regional Council is the administrative body responsible for overseeing regional land use, environmental management and civil defence in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island.
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Papamoa Hills Regional Park is a protected area in the Bay of Plenty Region, owned and managed by Bay of Plenty Regional Council. It is located between Papamoa and Te Puke, on Poplar Lane off State Highway 2.
Whitireia Park is a headland north of Tītahi Bay and Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour in Porirua, in the Wellington Region at the southern end of New Zealand's North Island. It is a park administered by the Whitireia Park Board, in collaboration with Wellington Regional Council. The park includes Onehunga Bay, Kaitawa Point and part of Rocky Bay.
Whakatīwai Regional Park is a regional park on New Zealand's North Island. It runs from the eastern side of the Hunua Ranges, where it adjoins Hunua Ranges Regional Park, down to the Firth of Thames coast, just north of the settlement of Whakatīwai. It is in the Hauraki District and the Waikato Region, not far from the border with the Auckland Region, and is owned and operated by Auckland Council.
Waharau Regional Park is a regional park situated in the Hauraki District and the Waikato Region of New Zealand's North Island, four kilometres north of Whakatīwai Regional Park. It is just south of the border with the Auckland Region, and is owned and operated by Auckland Council. It runs from the eastern side of the Hunua Ranges, where it adjoins Hunua Ranges Regional Park, down to the Firth of Thames coast.
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