Attention : All Woodhill Sands Equestrian Users

Please see the following email from the Rodney Economic Development Trust who has been asked to look into helping Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre to become publicly owned.  For there to be any chance of this happening the users and supporters of Woodhill Sands need to help us get statistics together about the facility and the need for it within our community. 

I ask you to help us by filling in the Woodhill Sands questionnaire below and sending it to Leanna (email address below) by 6th August 2010. Leanna’s outline of intent of the survey is reproduced below.

If we want access to an all-weather riding facility in this area, available all year around we all need to take the time to do this survey. 

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you know who could do the same. 

For the Woodhill Sands spreadsheet just click where the answer should be placed and start typing. Once you have completed the questionnaire, please send it to leanna@bizrodney.com  by 4pm on the 6th of August.   Also below is a spreadsheet that may be useful to get an idea of your annual equestrian expenses.

I really encourage you to do this so that we can continue offering a continuous schedule of a variety of shows all year round.

Please make an effort to return the questionnaires so that we may ensure Woodhill Sands can continue to develop as a top-notch equestrian centre for riders from all disciplines.

Regards

Neil Baudinet

Showjumping Waitemata

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Good afternoon all

 Rodney Economic Development Trust (REDT) has identified the equine sector as a major contributor to Rodneys' economy, and is working with Equine communities and businesses to identify and develop opportunities for this key sector in the Auckland Region.  Given the size and diversity of the sector in Rodney alone we are keen to nurture an holistic approach and foster collaboration.   This will not only benefit the sport in its widest sense, but also communities at large.

 It has been proposed that the current privately owned Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre (WSEC) could become publicly owned through a not-for-profit society.  A meeting was held earlier this week involving key equestrian discipline representatives and was chaired by Peter Smith from Smith and Partners law firm. It was agreed that REDT should carry out a questionnaire and research to develop a high level business case to assess the viability of the proposal and potential political support. If the high level business case stacks up, a detailed business case will need to be developed to seek funding support.

 To enable us to build an initial high level business case, we have drafted a questionnaire to elicit preliminary information. This will help us gain an understanding and appreciation of your sport, identify the importance WSEC has for your sport, the additional benefits of it being publicly owned, and what greater opportunities could lie ahead for this outstanding equestrian facility. To have a real chance of getting central or local government funding we will need to show that Woodhill Sands is of regional significance.  To do this, we will have to compare the facilities there with those of Puhinui and, for this reason the questionnaire addresses the issue of Woodhill Sands having to be complimentary and not in competition with Puhinui.

 Please look at the following link to read the current scope for the Puhinui Equestrian Park Sport Horse NZ - Home > Projects > Development of Puhinui Equestrian Park as we need you to take this into consideration when completing this questionnaire.

We would be grateful if you could complete this questionnaire on behalf of the equestrian discipline you represent and to then circulate to all your members. On completion, please return to leanna@bizrodney.com  by the 6th of August 4pm. 

We thank you again for your support with getting this concept off the ground and look forward to working with you.   

Any questions in the interim, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Regards

Leanna Covacich Special Projects Manager | Rodney Economic Development Trust | 12 Tamariki Ave | PO Box 610, Orewa | Tel: 09 427 9475  | Mobile: 021 0264 7477 | Fax 09 426 1385  | www.bizrodney.com