{"id":496941,"date":"2026-06-26T17:51:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T17:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/496941\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T17:51:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T17:51:34","slug":"sunlive-katikati-toilets-spark-24-7-park-safety-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/496941\/","title":{"rendered":"SunLive – Katikati toilets spark 24\/7 park safety debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public toilets at a sports and recreation centre being built in Katikati\u2019s Moore Park are causing debate in the community.<\/p>\n

Western Bay of Plenty District Council staff recommended the toilets be open 24\/7 to maximise the public money being spent on them.<\/p>\n

Katikati Cricket Club president and former Katikati Community Board chairman Ben Warren fears this could encourage antisocial behaviour at night, which the park had experienced in the past few years.<\/p>\n

The issue arises as debate continues for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council on another set of public toilets \u2013 in \u014cmokoroa\u2019s Precious Family Reserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Katikati Sports and Recreation Centre is being built at the southern end of Moore Park and would include clubrooms and space for indoor sports.<\/p>\n

\"Graphic

\nGraphic of the front of the Katikati Sport and Recreation Centre.<\/p>\n

The community-led project is largely being funded through donations and support by TECT, lotteries and Grassroots Trust.<\/p>\n

The toilets would be built as an extension to the building.<\/p>\n

The council agreed to contribute $272,110 towards these in its Annual Plan 2025\/26, with the potential clause that they would have to be open for public access at all hours.<\/p>\n

Warren said many local residents and all clubs involved in the project \u201cstrongly objected\u201d to the toilets opening 24\/7.<\/p>\n

He cited three troubling incidents in the past six years.<\/p>\n

The football club\u2019s goals were vandalised<\/a> in March, vandals tore up the cricket turf in February<\/a> 2025, and a fire ripped through a cricket club shed in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"

\nVandalism at Moore Park from the past five years includes a fire at the cricket shed, destroyed football goals and ripped turf.<\/p>\n

Warren said the clubs and users of the grounds believed it would be \u201cfar safer\u201d if the public toilets were only open during daylight hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only for public safety issues, but also in regards to preventing vandalism and unsociable behaviour from occurring at Moore Park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warren suggested CCTV be installed in the area to deter bad behaviour, but said his funding application for this was unsuccessful,<\/p>\n

\"Katikati

\nKatikati Rugby Club.<\/p>\n

Warren said they would put up their own security cameras for insurance purposes.<\/p>\n

Katikati ward councillor Rodney Joyce said he disagreed with the 24\/7 opening hours recommendation, adding there were a few public toilets 100m away in Diggelmann Park.<\/p>\n

Joyce said knowing public money was being used, council staff wanted to maximise public access.<\/p>\n

He said their recommendation was under review and he was waiting on more information to justify it.<\/p>\n

\"Katikati

\nKatikati ward councillor Rodney Joyce. Photo \/ John Borren<\/p>\n

Joyce said there was significant demand for public toilets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a shortage of public toilets in Katikati, but they\u2019ve still got to be suitable for the area. Moore Park is an area that\u2019s not very busy at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

During consultation at the park about a development at the end of Beach Rd, the \u201cnumber one question\u201d was: \u201cHey, can we have some public toilets on Moore Park please, because you\u2019ve got hundreds of kids playing football, rugby and cricket there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the plan was to put toilets in the new building and the rugby club at the other end.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Moore Park will be well served because it\u2019s a big park.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"

\nMoore Park. Photo \/ Google Maps<\/p>\n

Joyce said there were CCTV cameras set up by the rugby club and funding for CCTV was limited. Warren\u2019s application could be reconsidered next year.<\/p>\n

Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said the opening hours of the toilets had not been confirmed.<\/p>\n

Construction delays<\/p>\n

The community-driven sports centre project has been in the works for seven years, facing delays such as Covid-19, Warren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the construction front, the new building has been making steady progress; however, things have been delayed recently due to an issue with a structural part of the consent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Combined with some supply delays, he said the building restart could be at risk due to rescheduling of the construction team\u2019s availability, he said.<\/p>\n

He said the build was estimated for completion at the end of September, if there were no more snags.<\/p>\n

\"

\nThe current state of the Katikati Sports and Recreation Centre construction site.<\/p>\n

Warren said he hoped construction would restart this week.<\/p>\n

A quantity survey estimated the cost of the build would be $1.25 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that was two years ago. Things have gone up in price.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve raised enough funds to get most of the project done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The centre<\/p>\n

Moore Park currently caters for football, rugby, cricket, and will add wrestling, martial arts, indoor cricket, netball, futsal, hockey and gymsports when the new centre opens.<\/p>\n

\"

\nKatikati Sport and Recreation Centre concept plans. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

The two-story building would feature changing rooms, a cafeteria, a workshop and a storage area.<\/p>\n

Upstairs would be the clubrooms, lounge, kitchen facilities and internal and decked viewing areas.<\/p>\n

Attached to the clubrooms would be an indoor facility with a sports floor surface. A separate internal area would have wrestling mats and a dojo-style training area.<\/p>\n

The toilets would be downstairs, and there would also be parking.<\/p>\n

Warren said future plans for Moore Park include a large indoor centre separate from the recreation centre with indoor netball and court facilities that can be used year-round.<\/p>\n

Ayla Yeoman<\/a> is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.<\/p>\n

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n

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