Hutt Park in Seaview has received international recognition for its outdoor spaces and is one of only twenty-three Green Flag® parks in New Zealand to achieve this standard to date.
The international award is presided over by a panel of judges from a broad range of backgrounds including nature conservation, ecology, parks management, and the environment. The panel granted Hutt Park a Green Flag® award following its assessment that the area had achieved the international standard for the management of recreational outdoors spaces.
Hutt City Council’s Parks and Recreation Divisional Manager Marcus Sherwood says, “We are thrilled Hutt Park has received Green Flag® status. This international award recognises the hard work on the site over the last decade to transform it from a horse racing track to a valued community asset comprising sports fields, walking tracks, and a wetland area.
“We have worked closely with the community to get Hutt Park to where it is today. The Green Flag® award is wonderful recognition for the entire team who have created this space. We expect that we will receive more visitors to the area as a result of this acknowledgment.”
The Green Flag Award® scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the world. The aims of the awards are to ensure that the public has access to quality green and open spaces, and to ensure that these spaces are well managed and meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Hutt Park has many recreational features including being a great space for a picnic, walk or playing sport such as football, rugby league, AFL and touch football.
The established vegetation in Hutt Park provides connectivity of habitats and, on a larger scale, it forms a part of the bird passage corridor between Mt. Bruce and Zealandia, like other bush reserves in the city.
Stop Out Sports Club, The Pelorus Trust Sports House and Hutt Indoor Sports are also located at Hutt Park. While not a part of the Green Flag assessment, the Park also hosts a nine-hole public golf course and driving range.