Submission on Nelson City Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP)

From: Nelson Mountain Bike Club (NMTBC)

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About Nelson Mountain Bike Club

The Nelson Mountain Bike Club (NMTBC) is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organisation that works to promote mountain biking in the Nelson region. Created in 1989, we represent over 3000 members, making us the largest sporting club in the country. Our club members have been working tirelessly for the last 35 years to establish Nelson as a world-class riding destination. Mountain biking in Nelson Tasman is more than a sport; it’s ingrained in the region’s identity.

Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the Nelson City Council, and specifically council’s Parks and Recreation team, for their foresight in developing recreational access across the region. Nelson has been awarded a global 5 star rating by the IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) recognising Nelson’s extensive single track trail network – 450kms of trails within 40 minutes of the CBD.

Significant investment has been made in the trail network over the past five years, the majority of this has been on Ngāti Koata whenua (eg. Te Tirohanga Whetū o Koata, Te Tirohanga Marama o Koata and Te Ara Rere o Koata).

The club acknowledges the positive relationships it has with its landowners, including Nelson City Council, Ngāti Koata and businesses. Together we have turned Nelson into a world-class destination for recreation and mountain biking.

Submission

NMTBC’s submission focuses on the need for securing long term recreational access between the council and Ngāti Koata. Ngāti Koata whenua makes up 80% of the city’s trail network. We would like these negotiations prioritised, as it is our understanding the current temporary agreement expires in June 2024.

Summary of our key points:

- The Nelson region is one of six gold standard riding regions in the world as recognised by the International Mountain Biking Association.
- Club surveys and the economic impact studies have shown that our trails are hugely important and highly valued in Nelson Tasman for visitors and the local community.
- Mountain biking in Nelson was recently estimated to have potential value of $49m direct spend for our local economy on the basis of full access – and that’s not counting the wider economic benefits such as the many skilled workers who choose to live here because of the quality of the trails!
- The 2023 economic impact study showed that Mountain biking contributes 566 jobs to our region.
- The Sport New Zealand’s Active Recreational Survey shows that participation in mountain biking amongst the Nelson population is 20.5 percent, while in Tasman it is 20.8 percent. These rates are almost three times higher than the national average of 7.7 percent
- Data from riding apps (such as Strava) show riders movements and the most frequently used trails are on Ngāti Koata whenua.
- Mountain biking is part of the social fabric of Nelson, it builds community and is part of our identity.
- Mountain biking is important for our health and wellbeing and helps us be more connected as a community. Numerous studies have shown that mountain biking can support mental health by promoting mindfulness, to be present in the moment and through connection with the local environment.
- The Nelson Mountain Bike Club hosted 34 distinct events over the past year, 67% of which were using Ngāti Koata whenua.
- The land around Groom Creek Road and the Arboretum is the most favourable for beginner grade trails due to the topography. Building Trails of this nature is in alignment with the out and about strategy.
- The trails in question are all rideable from the CBD which makes them the draw card for bringing people into the CBD.

Securing long-term access will give all parties, including council, iwi, and NMTBC more certainty. Secure recreational access is an integral part of the council’s Out and About strategy. For NMTBC, secure long term access will significantly improve our ability to seek long term funding from external sources, which will support our vision of Nelson being an exceptional place to mountain bike. The club can grow and develop, with a vision to expand our trails, expand our events calendar, increase participation, and in collaboration with NRDA promote the region to increase visitors to enable economic growth.

Potential Trails Impacted

The maps below shows the number of Nelson trails that are available with access to Ngāti Koata whenua and without.

With Ngāti Koata land access

Around 80% of Nelson’s trails are on, or accessed through, land owned by Ngāti Koata. This includes trails in Sharlands, Codgers and Coppermine/ Fringed Hill area.

Without Ngāti Koata land access

We would be left with only a few trails to ride in Nelson and we would lose our world-class status.

Our submission is aligned with the council’s priorities.

The economy: Mountain biking is a key contributor to the Nelson Tasman region. It has become a key part of the local culture and identity while being a significant provider to the local economy. A report commissioned by NRDA through BERL in November 2023 identified that mountain biking has become an industry worth $34m to the region. The BERL report also identified that the potential revenue for the region could be $18.5m more. Recently the NMTBC and NRDA has formed a mountain bike promotions group to help realise the full economic potential. In April, we held our first business forum and had over 60 representatives from the business community attend. The forum identified the excitement and enthusiasm the group has to advance mountain biking into a ‘super attraction’ for the Nelson Tasman region. We will continue the momentum with more networking, workshops, collaboration, promotion and product development to attract more biker visitors here. We will fine tune the strategy into actionable steps to make Nelson Tasman a premier MTB destination – however this would rely on Nelson City Council securing long term recreational access with Ngāti Koata.

More people: The council’s commitment to fostering a healthy environment and transforming the city centre to attract more people into the city to live, socialise and support local businesses is aligned with our submission to secure Ngāti Koata recreational access. It is regularly recognised that Mountain biking’s ‘pull’ has resulted in high-value individuals moving to the region for mountain biking.

Working together: The club’s submission is aligned with the council’s objective of ‘working together’ with its iwi partners and community organisations to make life better in Nelson. A thoughtfully negotiated long term recreational access would have long-lasting benefits for the council, Ngāti Koata and the community.

We recognize this as a great opportunity to make Nelson an even better place. We would welcome the opportunity to present to the council to discuss our submission further.

Ngā mihi nui

Matt Ball, Chair, Nelson Mountain Bike Club