2023 Parks and Open Spaces survey

Closed 4 Apr 2023

Opened 4 Mar 2023

Contact

Parks and Recreation

07 838 6699

haveyoursay@hcc.govt.nz

Feedback updated 7 Sep 2023

We asked

We asked the community about their likes and dislikes about our open spaces which include: 

  • green space (parks, playing fields, gullies, playgrounds)  
  • blue space (river corridors, wetlands, lakes)   
  • grey space (walkways, streets, town squares). 

We asked what respondents want to see in the future at Hamilton’s parks, their perception of our open spaces and when and how often they use them.

You said

We received a total of 505 responses and one email which was an addition to a respondent's response. 92% of our respondents are from Hamilton and 55% of our respondents are from households with dependents (i.e. children /other family). 

68% of the respondents are happy/very happy with our city's parks. 

The top three things important to our respondents about a park are: 

  • distance of a park from their house 
  • it’s well maintained
  • paths for walking and cycling.

We did

The feedback from this survey is used to: 

Inform the Open Space Provision Policy. 

Inform the Nature in the City work programme. 

To populate two measures in the Long-Term Plan/Annual Report which are: 

  • Percentage of respondents who agree the facilities in our parks and open spaces are easily accessible.
  • Percentage of respondents who are satisfied with the way they get to our city’s parks. 

To populate three measures in the Open Spaces Strategy which are: 

  • More of our community are using our open spaces. 
  • More people are aware of the stories and history of our city. 
  • Improved connections and access through the network. 

Overview

Welcome to Council’s Parks and Open Spaces Survey of 2023! 

We want to know what you think about Hamilton’s parks and open spaces – your likes, dislikes, and what you want to see in future. 

Our parks and open spaces are special pockets of the city that allows us to explore, get creative with play, be active, and escape into nature. They’re also important to our ecology, providing a home for our native plants and animals. 

Parks and Open Spaces can generally be split into three areas: 

  • green space (parks, playing fields, gullies, playgrounds) 
  • blue space (river corridors, wetlands, lakes)  
  • grey space (walkways, streets, town squares).  

It should only take around 10 – 15 minutes to give your feedback and your answers will help us understand how Hamiltonians view and use our parks and open spaces. 

So grab a cup of tea, park yourself for a bit and don’t be reserved – tell us your thoughts! 

We’ve used feedback from last year’s survey to: 

  • Draft the Open Spaces Strategy. This strategy aims to help Council create a well-connected network of high-quality, inclusive, safe, and fun community spaces that are a taonga (treasure) for current and future communities to understand. 
  • Updated our website to make it easier to find a specific park or playground that has the facilities and services you need. 

 

After submissions close

Following our reporting on the survey feedback in late April, we’ll share some statistics on Facebook around our parks and open spaces, including some fun facts about our spaces and how Hamiltonians use their parks. Keep your eyes peeled!