Mountain bikers are set to gain even more momentum, with the community-led Mangawhai Mountain Bike Park project receiving the go-ahead at September’s council meeting.

The idea for a dedicated mountain bike park was spurred on after makeshift tracks and jumps were built along walking tracks behind Mangawhai Activity Zone (MAZ), prompting concerns about safety and environmental impacts. Kaipara District Council (KDC) reached out to those who use the tracks by tapping into local Facebook groups, looking to explore potential solutions.

KDC’s Strategy & Engagement and Parks teams then worked with local riders – the young people who love to ride in the area – and their families to plan a workshop for sharing ideas, following which KDC and 34 mountain biking enthusiasts came together at Mangawhai Beach School with the aim of collaborating on ideas for an off-road bike path in the area.

The mountain bike park will make use of two hectares of vacant land that sits alongside MAZ and is currently home to pesky pest plants like gorse. The area will be transformed into a place for mountain bikers to twist, jump and skid around five kilometres of dedicated dirt track, a playground for young people to learn the ropes and hone their skills.

“This is a youth-driven initiative, and we want to keep it that way” said Aaron Conaghan, who presented to elected members at September’s meeting on behalf of the Mountain Bike Trails Group – a group of enthusiast adults and young people keen to make the bike tracks a reality.

Next steps will see a group formed to work with young people in the community and their whānau on design concepts and to guide the bike park’s development through the necessary council processes. Trail builders will then use the community's ideas to develop initial designs, which will be presented to the Mangawhai Community Park Governance Committee.

The project will be funded by local business sponsorship and volunteer hours. The community will seek external funding, alongside what has already been offered by parents, local business owners and community groups, who have all rallied behind the proposal and offered to provide materials, sponsorship and expertise.

KDC Community & Engagement Advisor Gail Fotheringham said the project is about engaging with young people in the Kaipara community. “The young people we’ve engaged with on this project so far are filled to the brim with enthusiasm and skill, and the positive impact of collaborating with them has the potential to extend well beyond the project itself.”

“The project is a great reminder of how community and Council can work together towards a positive, mutually beneficial outcome that will no-doubt lead to plenty of dust-filled memories.”

The aim is to have some tracks established by summer 2025/2026.

Watch a video about the making of the Mangawhai Mountain Bike Park here.