Mount Iron Recreation Reserve Management Plan

Hi Crystal,

Shared areas, such as the strip at number 9, are very difficult to manage and control pest animal species due to the proximity to people and housing. Rabbit proof netting has recently been installed on an existing fence, between the strip at number 9 and the Hidden Hills entrance, to support rabbit control.

Hi Crystal, thanks for your query.

Dog control on Mount Iron is managed by the QLDC Dog Control Bylaw and is separate to reserve management plan polices. Under the bylaw, dogs are not required to be on lead on Mount Iron Recreation Reserve but must be kept under effective control at all times.  

QLDC doesn’t undertake any pest control for feral cats (including on Mount Iron). 

Hello, 

When the draft Reserve Management Plan for Mount Iron was approved to be publicly notified, a hearing panel made up of three members of the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) was selected, this includes Chris Hadfield, Barry Bruce and Lyal Cocks. They will hear from submitters and deliberate on amendments to the draft plan. The final version will be recommended to the WUCCB, who ultimately recommend it to Full Council for the final decision.

Hi Andrew, thanks for your query.

The purpose of a ‘node’ is to consolidate, centralise or make a focal point for where activities can take place. For example, providing  similar services such as toilets, water fountains, bins, signage and parking together in a centralised location next to each other rather than distributed it throughout an open space. It also considers locating at a point where people are changing activities, for example where people are entering and exciting the reserve and going from recreation to driving.  

Due to the scale of Mount Iron and the number of existing entry points, some entry points would have more services than others, hence primary vs secondary. 

Please note the map shows Mount Iron currently (activities and services that already exist), rather than providing a master plan for potential development (future uses and facilities).

Hi and thanks for your query. As outlined in the draft Reserve Management Plan, the primary purpose of the reserve is ‘to provide for recreation and physical welfare and enjoyment of the public’. As public land, people are entitled to access all areas of the reserve. However, people leaving the reserve and walking across private property is not appropriate and we’re happy to discuss solutions to help manage this issue. Please get in contact with us by emailing parksrequest@qldc.govt.nz to discuss further. Thanks

Hi Doug, the draft Reserve Management Plan (RMP) includes policy 6.7.17 to ‘Support the use and improvement of the existing paraglider launch.’ Once the RMP is finalised early next year, the objectives and policies will guide future decision making in the reserve. Can you please reach out to parksrequest@qldc.govt.nz so we can discuss what you’re proposing this summer. Thanks

Hi Vicki, thanks for your question. The dog trial statue is highly valued and acknowledged in the draft Reserve Management Plan (RMP) as a structure within the reserve. There are currently no plans to change the outlook or approach to the dog trial statue. If this was to change in the future, any proposals would need to align with the objectives and policies set out in the draft RMP (which guides Council in decision making).

Thanks for your query.  The map shows the current state of Mount Iron which includes activities and services that already exist. It doesn’t show future potential uses and facilities. Any additional activities or facilities supported through the Reserve Management Plan for Mount Iron, such as biking or toilets, would need to have specific plans and potentially consents, which are processes that sit outside this Reserve Management Plan.  

In a nutshell, a RMP sets out objectives and policies to guide Council in decision making i.e. stating if future activities would be allowed/considered. For example, objective 5.12 says ‘To enable a mountain bike trail network within the Reserve.’

Hi there! Thanks for your question! We can certainly acknowledge the track counter in its current location won't catch everyone, but as the reserve has so many entry and exit points, establishing one true total number would required multiple counters to be successful. We chose the location of this counter to gain an approximate usage statistic around people commuting (i.e., walking) around the bottom of the loop track, and to gauge the number of people riding along it too (they're not allowed up the hill itself, of course!)

Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. 

We’re pleased to share that we plan to release the draft Mount Iron Reserve Management Plan (RMP) for community feedback in late September. If the draft RMP is approved by Council on the 19 September meeting, the draft Mount Iron RMP will be open for public submissions from 23 September to 29 November 2024 on the Let's Talk project page.

We've just sent out a newsletter with the latest updates on the project which can be found here. If you are keen to join the mailing list to get regular updates, please subscribe here or keep an eye on our webpage at www.qldc.govt.nz//mount-iron-reserve-management-plan