Petition to ‘save’ Takapuna golf course gets thousands of signatures

A petition to save Takapuna’s golf course has received more than 6600 signatures in the past month.

Auckland’s most popular course, Takapuna attracts 200,000 annual visitors but Auckland Council plans to remove half of its 18-hole course for flood prevention.

The council is in the early stages of the project, which will be callled the Wairau Blue Green Network.

It aims to reduce the size of the golf course, while increasing its ability to hold water by 816 per cent – enough to fill 220 olympic-sized swimming pools.

Auckland Council’s sustainable outcomes programme manager, Tom Mansell, says the council has spent more than a year assessing different plans to accommodate the flood damage done in previous years.

“Our objective in this catchment is to reduce the catastrophic flood [damage] after 2023,” says Mansell.

In response, Takapuna Golf Club has developed a proposal to maintain the 18-hole course and increase catchment.

In a press release, club spokesperson Stephen Dowd said: “The proposal in its current form does not address any alternative design options where additional water catchment can be integrated into the existing layout.”

Takapuna Golf Club is now preparing to present its proposal at the council's next meeting.

If approved, the Wairau Blue Green Network will go ahead in 2027.

The petition can be accessed online or through QR codes stationed around the course.