Golf courses provide much-needed green and recreational space, but as land values rise, housing shortages grow, and major weather events persist, are we using these vast areas the best way?
It’s a prospect the Hastings Golf Club is currently facing. The proposal to rezone the club and develop it into a tourist destination with 170 residential dwellings alongside its fairways is up for public consultation. New recreational and commercial facilities, as well as short-stay visitor accommodation, could soon be built along the green.
With aging buildings outside the community’s ability to replace, Hastings Golf Club had the courage to undertake the ambitious plans. The plan looks to revitalise the club and ensure it thrives at a high level for future generations. The region’s Council stated that the plans represent a unique addition to the region, a bespoke tourism opportunity that cannot be easily duplicated elsewhere.
“The vision is to create a residential lifestyle community within the golf course property, that enables enhancement of the facility to a level that transforms the site into a destination asset for the wider community and strengthens and enhances the linkages with other nearby attractions and activities such as the cycleway and vineyards,” says the club’s general manager Michelle Campbell.
Converting golf courses, either partly or wholly, into residential and commercial zones has become increasingly common. Still, doing so isn’t easy; the developers’ application to the Hastings District Council spans over 200 pages of designs, impact projections, and cultural implications.
Further north, the Auckland Council proposed halving AF Thomas Park, the Takapuna Golf Course, and developing the area into a floodwater catchment. “The January 2023 floods had a devastating impact on our community, negatively affecting thousands of homes and businesses in the Wairau catchment and causing millions of dollars of damage to community facilities,” North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills says.
“I recognise the potential changes to AF Thomas Park is upsetting to some of our golfing community and those who use this stunning course. As part of the design process, the council and local boards will work with the community to understand what opportunities may be available to meet the wider golfing and recreation needs of the north shore, alongside providing much-needed flood protection and safety for this community.”
It’s proved a contentious plan, with a public petition launched to save the nation’s most popular course. Stephen Dowd, Takapuna Golf Club spokesperson, says courses around the world have been designed to help manage water during flooding events, and there is considerable scope to increase the Takapuna course’s existing capacity, without destroying a community asset.
Tom Mansell leads Auckland Council’s sustainable partnerships team, which oversees healthy waters and flood resilience. “Changes to the golf course will impact current users, but our priority must be
to reduce flood risks to homes, schools, and businesses, protect vital infrastructure, and create a space that serves the entire community in multiple ways,” he says.
As our cities grow, cases like these highlight the challenges of balancing tradition and progress. While some see these projects as a chance to modernise infrastructure, create housing and tourism, and improve disaster resilience, others worry about losing vital green space. Such large-scale rezone plans shape our urban centres for decades to come.
