Wellington Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Home
Draft Greater Wellington Parks Network Plan Submission
Kris Ericksen, President
Wellington Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Inc
PO Box 9824, Marion Square, Wellington 6141
Phone: 021 116 4558
skf@paradise.net.nz
I DO give permission for my personal details to be released to persons under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
I do want to submit the submission in person.
Submission
The sports of hang gliding and paragliding are not mentioned in the Network Plan. The plan needs to acknowledge the actual and potential use of the parks by hang gliders and paragliders and make positive provision for these sports.
The WHGPC made submissions on both the Battle Hill Farm Forest Park Plan and the East Harbour Regional Park Plan seeking that hang gliding and paragliding be permitted activities. Both submissions were successful, with policies being revised as follows:
Battle Hill
3.29 To permit the use of the park for Hang and Paragliding with prior approval of the Ranger. This activity may be restricted for management purposes.
East Harbour
3.44 To allow hang-gliding and paragliding within Zone 1 and Zone 4, and to permit the use of other types of aircraft within the park only for management or emergency purposes.
In addition to these areas club members have been flying at the following sites that are or will be managed by Greater Wellington:
Mt Climie (No 2) within the Pakuratahi Forest since the late 1970s
Whitireia Park
Queen Elizabeth Park (dune soaring)
Baring Head
The club seeks that hang gliding and paragliding be a permitted activity within all Network Park areas administered by the Wellington Regional Council. The number of areas that these activities can occur are limited. Control of these activities, if required, can occur through restrictions applying to vehicle access, which apply to all park users.
Under the Civil Aviation Act 1990 hang gliders and paragliders are defined as aircraft.
The following references to aircraft are made in the draft Network Plan:
6.2.4 Specific policies for Battle Hill (pdf 59)
Land management
d. To permit the use of aircraft for farming, management purposes or emergency purposes within the park.
6.3.4 Specific policies for Belmont Park (pdf 63
Land management
f. To permit the use of aircraft for farming, management purposes or emergency purposes within the park.
2. Definitions (pdf 134)
Aircraft means any device using air as its medium for movement from place to place and includes helicopters, gliders, and hot air balloons. It does not include kites.
4. Activities requiring approval (pdf 138)
The following activities can only be carried out in a park, reserve or forest with the prior written approval of the Council, or where the activities are permitted by signage:
4.1 Land in an aircraft or having landed, allow the aircraft to remain in any regional park or forest [except in an emergency]
The WHGPC seeks the following additions or changes:
6.2.4 Specific policies for Battle Hill (pdf 59)
Land management
d. To permit the use of aircraft for farming, management purposes or emergency
purposes within the park.
To permit the use of the park for Hang Gliding and Paragliding with prior approval of the Ranger. This activity may be restricted for management purposes.
6.3.4 Specific policies for Belmont Park (pdf 63
Land management
f. To allow hang-gliding and paragliding, and to permit the use of aircraft for farming, management purposes or emergency purposes within the park.
NEW Specific policy for East Harbour Regional Park
Land management
f. To allow hang-gliding and paragliding within Zone 1 and Zone 4 [including the new Baring Head acquisition], and to permit the use of aircraft for farming, management purposes or emergency purposes within the park.
4. Activities requiring approval (pdf 138)
The following activities can only be carried out in a park, reserve or forest with the prior written approval of the Council, or where the activities are permitted by signage:
4.1 Except for hang gliding and paragliding (unless otherwise specified elsewhere) launch or land in an aircraft or having landed, allow the aircraft to remain in any regional park or forest [except in an emergency]
Points of support
One of the first sites that the sport of hang gliding first occurred in New Zealand was at Baring Head in 1974. Flights occurred from both the southern side in a light southerly breeze, and the northwesterly facing scarp in northerly breezes.
Club members have also flown from a site in southern Eastbourne along the north-westerly facing escarpment. The launch site is on private land, but it is likely that soaring within 500 feet AGL would occur within the East Harbour Regional Park. To fly the Eastbourne and Baring Head sites requires permission from the Airport Tower, as the area is within the airport control zone. Information on how this permission is obtained can be found here: http://paragliding.homestead.com/WHGPCmay04controlled_zones.html. This permission is sought on the day of flying as it is NOT possible to predict whether flying will be possible any earlier.
WHGPC members have been flying from Mt Climie, with permission from Wellington Regional Council Rangers, for many years now. National hang gliding competitions have occurred at this site on a number of occasions.
The "ecological footprint" of the sports of hang gliding and paragliding is very small on the parks, with the craft making no noise and only requiring a grassy area of approximately 10 X 10 metres to launch from. Landings can occur in virtually any clear area.
Kris Ericksen
President
Wellington Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Inc
