sk8tairawhiti.org.nz for Tairawhiti Skateparks

From the GDC's December 2007 newsletter, Town and Country Matters, issue no 48:

Elgin youth to benefit

"Elgin community groups are seeking improved facilities at the Blackpool Reserve behind the Whare Wananga to give their young people more to do. Community facilities asset manager Terry McMillan says Elgin has enjoyed a resurgence of community spirit in the past few years with active involvement from E Tu Elgin, Cobham School and Te Whare Wananga o Aotearoa.
...
The community has a high percentage of young people and is calling for a basketball court and skate park and more plantings including flax. With the LTCCP coming up early next year, communities need to think about the projects they would like to work towards with Council.”

So, with both a new Elgin skatepark (at Blackpool) and the overall GDC LTCCP (Long-Term Council Community Plan) coming up for review, NOW is the time for ANYBODY and EVERYBODY interested in Gisborne's skateparks to begin thinking about what kind of new facilities might benefit the community. Do you want just another copy of the same spine set that is currently in Gisborne's Alfred Cox town park as well as Tolaga Bay's skatepark? Maybe an improvement on it? For example, some have requested smaller spines for beginners, and some would like to see rounded & bowled-in "corners" to allow for more flow. Or perhaps you would like something entirely different, perhaps another bowl, a snake run, and more street facilities. And remember that these are not "either"/"or" issues, as we can provide recommendations which include a variety of elements.

To provide a best overall plan for Elgin and Gisborne's skateparks in general, it would be best to consider Elgin not as yet another isolated park, but as an integrated part of our skateparks community as a whole. What are we currently missing, and what do we need in Gisborne? Try to think not only of skateboarders, but of features that could benefit all possible park users (bikes and all), and all ages and skill levels. And to spark some ideas of thinking even bigger and longer-term, also consider what possible new features might be of interest for the town park, for Kaiti, and for possible "satellite spots" around town including little urban street spots (such as little one-off aesthetically interesting structures to grind along a bicycle paths, etc.) or even a series of little "beach bowls" near some of the local surf spots. The possibilities really are endless, and it's just up to US as the community of interested skateparks users, to provide a voice and vision to the Gisborne District Council and any possible funding groups.

Please join in and share your vision of Gisborne's skateparks here.
Cheers!
-Remo