For nearly five decades, the crack of gunfire has rung out near Bay View in Hawke’s Bay.
Hundreds of police officers and hobbyists have trained at the Hawke’s Bay Pistol Club.
But the club says the good days are nearing an end, and it might have to fold if it is not given more time to find a new location away from its current site of cultural significance.
The land the club has sat on for 48 years, at 45 Onehunga Rd, was owned by Napier City Council and Pamu (Landcorp New Zealand).
Now post-treaty settlement entity Mana Ahuriri wants to purchase the property as part of moves its making to build Ahuriri Station, a massive more than 1000-home project extending southwest out of Bay View.
Ahuriri Station included a commercial and industrial business park, and also the preservation and enhancement of cultural landmarks in the area.
Pamu said decisions regarding the future of the gun club property now rested with Mana Ahuriri and the Crown.
“Ahuriri Station is a deferred selection property under the Mana Ahuriri Treaty Settlement.
“Mana Ahuriri has provided an intention to purchase the property and is currently working through this process with the Crown,” a spokesperson for Pamu said.
Hopes for a lease extension dashed
Pistol club president Lance Bower and secretary Ash Hampton said they had struggled to get answers about how they fitted into the plans. Now they knew they were not part of them, they needed more time.
“Until recently, we believed we had a 15-year right of renewal [with Napier City Council] when the lease expires on November 1,” Hampton said.
“No one has said ‘no, we are not renewing your lease’.”
Napier City Council said it was negotiating a renewed lease due on November 1 with the club, and because lease negotiations were commercially sensitive, it couldn’t discuss it.
But general manager of the Mana Ahuriri Board of Trustees Parris Greening said Mana Ahuriri had been clear to the Pistol Club, Napier City Council and Pamu that it did not support an extension to renewal of a long-term lease.
“We have made contact with the pistol club and recently had them at our July board meeting,” Greening said.
“The club has had plenty of notice – nearly five years’ notice of intent – to look for an alternative site.
“They have only recently engaged with Mana Ahuriri on this matter.
“From our understanding, a relocation plan was part of an infringement notice issued to the club five years ago.
Land of ‘cultural significance’ to hapū
“The club is located on Te Iho o Te Rei, a site of cultural significance for the hapū of Ahuriri,” Greening said.
Hampton said the notice Greening was referring to was an abatement notice issued to the club for earthworks carried out on a historical site without notifying the council.
“We moved a dirt wall that was inside the club and built up a tile wall and that’s when the conflict started.
“Now all we are asking for is a bit of wriggle room. We need time to find another location, and believe me, we have been trying.
“We have been to every council in the region, farmers, real estate people, you name it. All we need is two hectares of land that is not too remote.”
The club is used by Hawke’s Bay police for training its officers, AOS and Diplomatic Protection. They use the facility four to eight days a month, with 12 officers training each session.
Inspector Callum Young said police used it alongside other venues across the country.
“While the club is a valued training location, police have alternative facilities within a two-hour driving radius that could be used if access to the site were to change,” Young said.
“Training venues are regularly reviewed and adjusted for a variety of operational, logistical, and safety reasons.
“Police remain committed to ensuring our staff have access to the training they need to carry out their roles safely and effectively,” he said.
The club also has 110 social members ranging in age from 14 to late 70s.
Hampton said for some of the older members, it was their only social outlet.
Without a club base, it would quickly lose its licence and would have to sell its equipment and firearms.
“We put a lot of time and money into developing the site to meet our needs,” he said.
“We are proud of our members and their achievements, some of whom have competed in Olympic, Commonwealth, Australasian and World Championship matches as well as countless New Zealand titles.
“All we are asking for is some time to sort this out.
“We would be absolutely gutted if we had to close and disband.”
What is the Ahuriri Station project?
Mana Ahuriri has applied for resource consent for Ahuriri Station, a more than 1000-home project situated at 131 Onehunga Road, Bay View.
It has a total site area of approximately 1300 hectares.
The proposed project, if it goes ahead, would be delivered over an estimated 25 years.
It has been included on a list of fast-track proposals for the region, under the Fast-Track Approvals Act.
It is also included in the draft Future Development Strategy, by Napier, Hastings and HBRC councils, earmarking where large future housing projects could be built in the next 30 years.
The project at this stage does not have resource consent and is yet to be approved.
It includes a commercial and industrial business park, and preservation and enhancement of cultural landmarks on that land.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
