Rotorua City Council’s lease offer for Springfield Golf Club excludes accommodation for 30 years

A golf club at the center of heated council debates has been offered a new 30-year lease.

While a controversial “guillotine clause” remains in place, Rotorua Lakes Council’s newly agreed lease offer excludes the use of the Springfield Golf Course for residential purposes and only allows alternative uses that include green space.

The debate during a more than five-hour council meeting had heated moments, with one councilman apologizing for calling a comment “bullshit” and the process a “sham.”

The Springfield Golf Club has exclusive use of the largest tract of property in the community, approximately 34 acres.

The 18-hole course was laid out in 1948 and the local council purchased the land in 1965. The club’s lease expires in 2027 and there is no right to an extension.

Springfield Golf Course, Rotorua.
Photo: Felix Desmarais / LDR

In recent years, the council has debated using the land for sports fields as part of the planned Westbrook Sports and Recreation Precinct or for housing, which has sparked community backlash.

Meetings to discuss the rental offer this year have resulted in decision delays and heated debates, one of which was described as a “circus.”

Five rental proposal options were presented to city councilors at Wednesday’s meeting. None included a right to an extension.

Council voted in favor of a 30-year lease with an initial term of 10 years, with no alternative use clause. After the eighth year, the council could give two years’ notice of an alternative use for other recreational purposes or stormwater mitigation, which would require public consultation.

The lease would not require public consultation.

Other options included offering a no-lease lease, a 10-year lease, a 30-year lease with an alternative use clause, and a 33-year lease with no alternative use clause.

Thomas Collé, Chief Financial Officer of Rotorua Lakes Council.
Photo: LDR/Laura Smith

Council chief financial officer Thomas Collé said the core of the decision was balancing the security of tenure with the city’s ability to respond to future challenges.

He said the size and location of the property was important.

The sport was growing in Rotorua and nine more earth-based fields could be needed in the next five to 10 years.

Two new fields were planned and existing facilities could be used more. Each field took up at least 2 hectares and cost about $2 million to $4 million, but suitable land may be difficult to find in the future.

He said waiving a lease for the golf club would give the community flexibility, while a 33-year lease without an alternative use clause would require public consultation.

An alternative use clause – dubbed the “guillotine clause” by councilor Robert Lee – meant future councilors could consult the public on whether the land should be used for something else. The options presented limited the alternative uses to other recreational and stormwater mitigation measures.

“Significant victory” for Springfield mayor

Mayor Tania Tapsell said the option chosen provided certainty that the land would remain a green space for the duration of the lease.

She said community feedback, including through petitions, supports preserving the golf course. She also pointed out the increasing demand for sports fields.

“The most significant win for Springfield in this decision is that they can guarantee that this land will not be used for residential purposes for the next 30 years.”

Lee — who was founding president of the Saving Springfield group before his election and petitioned against the district’s proposal — said an alternative use clause would destroy the club, which defeats the purpose of a lease.

In his view, the council “predetermined the destruction of the golf course in 2018 or earlier”, citing a reference to an alternative use in a 2018 spatial planning plan.

Lee knew of no golf club lease with such a clause and questioned why Arawa Park – the site of the racecourse – had not been considered as a sports ground. Tapsell later said there were restrictions on that land and the remaining lease term.

Councilors Don Paterson and Robert Lee at Springfield Golf Club in Rotorua.
Photo: LDR/Laura Smith

Councilor Fisher Wang said the council made decisions for the entire district, “not for organizations or movements that we are affiliated with now or have been affiliated with in the past.”

Councilor Don Paterson said a review found there was overcapacity at golf courses in Rotorua, but he said participation was increasing. Every rental agreement “must be sustainably responsible”.

He said Golf New Zealand figures put the average lease term for 13 clubs at 22 years.

Longer terms helped clubs attract investment and in his opinion 15 years should be the minimum.

Councilman Gregg Brown expressed frustration with the lengthy debate process: “I just can’t do it again, sorry guys,” acknowledging he may have to.

Lee calls “bullshit”

The discussion was punctuated by questions about the rules of procedure and verbal arguments.

Lee shouted “bullshit” after the mayor expressed his personal opinion on the rules.

“I invite you to take back your swearing and apologize,” Tapsell said.

He did and called it nonsense instead.

“I remind you, Councilman Lee, that if you continue to behave in a disorderly manner, we will have to remove you from the meeting.”

Tapsell said Lee’s behavior caused significant disruption and legitimate points of order from other elected members.

A second request for an apology came when she brought up the 30-year option, and Lee persuaded her to postpone the 33-year option without success.

“What a deception,” he said.

“Should I apologize for calling this a hoax? As you wish, Madam Chairman.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.