Mana Cycle Group

Firstly, a huge thanks to those that have already supported our fundraising campaign and the awesome comments and encouragement attached to those are extremely rewarding.

You may have seen the announcement of a planned adventure park being developed in Porirua. There have been several questions asked like: what that means for our park, will it mean more restricted access than currently available, what will it mean for the existing trails and for the ones being built, and what are MCG’s thoughts on it?

Based on the limited detail we have, and the fact some of the information is still confidential, we believe the plans for an adventure park are still in the very early concept stage and there is no certainty that they will proceed. But from what we know, there is a strong willingness to make it happen.

MCG’s vision has been for a destination trail park on Rangatui-Colonial Knob parklands and surrounds for several years. We see it as positive if someone wants to come along and invest into that vision and beyond. Having said that we MCG have some core values which we believe are crucial to the success of the park: 1) Access must be free and available to those on foot and bikes except where it is unsafe to share an area e.g. downhill trails, 2) Any development should have a positive influence on the environs especially the stunning two scenic reserves, 3) Connection to the local communities is crucial, 4) The park should cater for all capabilities and skills 5) Park development should add value to Porirua as a destination.

MCG will be strongly advocating for these values to be upheld in any future development be it by ourselves, the council, or a developer. From what we know of the proposed developer and development, their plans and goals are consistent with these values and the discussions we had was about free access to all but paying for a chairlift or other possible facilities. The developer loved the trails we had already created and is aware of our plans.

We have done a huge amount of groundwork towards a master plan of around 50km’s of trails and while there is still uncertainty in what may happen in the future, it is important that we press on as fast as possible knowing that our trails have been planned in such a way that they will add huge value to any future development.

The trails we are developing now, and fundraising towards, are key trails in the parks infrastructure and will remain so. With more funds available, we could fast track other significant projects which are every bit as good as the current planned developments and will make this a phenomenal park and a fantastic MTB destination. In particular, we are looking ahead to some trails that utilise the massive elevation that the park has.

If you can help towards this, have ideas which could help, or know someone passionate about mountain biking that could help, please feel free to contact us so that we can share our plans and the next step of this vision with you. Alternatively, you could help by chucking a few bucks into our give-a-little campaign. https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/poriruatawanewtrails

Thanks and enjoy the ride - which is starting to look pretty exciting.

Kevin Gwynn

President

Mana Cycle Group