Feedback sought for Hokianga Bowling Club ground lease

The council is seeking public feedback on a proposal to grant a new 15-year ground lease over a Rāwene Recreation Reserve for the Hokianga Bowling Club.

Hokianga Bowling Club Incorporated (HBC) initially leased the site at 61 Clendon Esplanade from the council in 1998. The lease expired in 2017, which was discovered by the council in 2022 when the club sought funding to build a new shed. The club, which has continued to pay rent on the site, now wishes to apply for a new lease.

The club has a long history in the town. It's historic building was built 115 years ago when the site was vested as a Recreation Reserve. In 1925, it was transformed into a bowling club and has remained a focal point for Rāwene and the broader Hokianga community ever since.

The club hosts weekly twilight bowls games for five months each year and organises up to seven tournaments, attracting bowling clubs from across Northland. The club's premises also serve as a venue for team-building events organised by Hokianga Treks 4 Kids, Rāwene Primary School, and Rāwene Ambulance. The Hokianga Bowling Club wishes to maintain its presence on this site and continue offering recreational activities to residents.

It is proposed that the new lease will be for 15 years. Under the Reserves Act, the council must notify the public of a proposal to lease a Recreation Reserve and seek feedback before making a decision. Submissions are open for four weeks from Tuesday 10 October and close on Tuesday 7 November.

If you want to give feedback on the proposal, head to our Have Your Say webpage, email your views to submissions@fndc.govt.nz or deliver a written submission to any Far North District Council service centre. Verbal submissions will be organised at the end of the submission period.