STAKEHOLDER NEWSLETTER
And just like that, the end of 2022 is upon us!
It has been an incredible year for Stratford Park, and we have made some great strides in shifting the dial for the project. From growing the Board, employing a Project Manager and getting out in the community at the A&P Show, to receiving generous funding and sponsorship and having plans moving forward for the first phases of our development: the Equestrian Facilities and onsite Driver Training.
We welcomed Allie Hemera-Wahanui (Education) and Arun Chaudhari (Independent) to the Stratford Park Board, joining Jon Holmes, Tony Ewens, Phil Dally and Kim Sharpe. These individuals have come onboard as they see the exciting potential this opportunity brings to Taranaki, as well as having a variety of skillsets to ensure we will turn this vision into reality – keep an eye out in 2023 for the official Board Appointment Announcement with further details on our Board Members.
To date, all of the work for Stratford Park has been done on a voluntary basis by over 70 dedicated members of the Taranaki community coming together to realise this incredible vision. As momentum (and workload!) began building further, it was time to bring on our first staff member. Holly Sutich has taken on the role of Project Manager for Stratford Park, working with all stakeholders of the Park to help grow the vision and work alongside the Board to set the strategic direction for the project. As you can see, we’ve got her into a race car, and it’s safe to say she loved it - next we’ll be getting her on a horse!
Holly’s appointment and a range of key activities towards the development are only possible due to the funds received by NZCT, TET and TOI Foundation, as well as generous sponsorship from Energy City Ford providing a vehicle, and Baker Tilly for providing office space for Holly. We are extremely grateful for the support of our funders, sponsors, volunteers and community, without you all we wouldn’t be where we are today.
We met with the immediate neighbours of Stratford Park to present a project update as well as get feedback. There were a few questions about our planned activities and resulting noise. We are progressing noise modelling activity that will be used in our regulatory approvals submissions and once we have additional information we will follow up with our neighbours.
Stratford Park also had a display at the A&P Show in late November. It was an amazing opportunity to talk to our community, share the vision and have open conversations with feedback, questions and ideas galore! The overwhelming enthusiasm for this project was evident, and we look forward to even more events and opportunities to work closely with the community as development progresses.
What's next?
The planning for the Equestrian move from the northside of Flint Road to the southside of Flint Road is maturing and we have commenced preparing the resource consent for this activity. We also are hoping to be able to make an announcement early in the new year about Driver Training activities that we have planned.
Want to get involved?
Here’s some upcoming opportunities:
We are currently looking to fill 2x roles on the Stratford Park Steering Committee; a Procurement role and a Marketing and Community Engagement role. If you or someone you know has the expertise and is keen to volunteer in one of these roles, please reach out to Andrew at chairman@stratfordpark.co.nz
There is continuing drive by the Taranaki Motorsport Trust to raise a significant amount of capital to establish itself and there are many opportunities for supporters to assist with this, so if you have ever wanted a stake in a motorsport park then please contact Andrew at chairman@stratfordpark.co.nz
We are extremely grateful for our community and business donations and sponsorships to date, if you would like to be involved please reach out to Holly at projectmanager@stratfordpark.co.nz
