About Us
Who are Friends of Madills Farm?
Friends of Madills Farm Inc. was formed in 2007 to provide a "community voice" for Madills Farm.
Our objective is to protect and maintain the natural amenity, open space and neighbourhood park character of Madills Farm Reserve for the enjoyment of the general public now and for future generations.
Our Vision for Madills Farm:
We believe Madills Farm is an important feature of Kohimarama's urban landscape, adding significantly to the peaceful quiet ambiance and general appeal of our residential suburb.
We feel strongly that Madills Farm be regarded as a local neighbourhood park and shared community asset first and foremost; and that the park's future management and development be driven by the attitude and values of the local community and not dominated or defined by any one user group or entity.
Our vision for Madills Farm is about recognising and valuing the most important attributes the park offers to our local neighbourhood and to ensure that these attributes are protected and upheld.
We believe these attributes to be - and in order of importance:
1. The parks' high amenity value as an open / green space. Madills Farm provides outlook, environmental enhancement and 'urban relief' character to hundreds of residents and neighbouring properties, and underpins the value of owning property and living in Kohimarama.
2. The range of mixed used recreational opportunities Madills Farm provides to a diverse number of park users - ensuring a nature filled, ambient environment suitable for both passive and active recreation. A communities need for such open natural space is as valid as any other need.
3. The parks role in providing valuable playing space for organised sports - including both summer and winter sports codes.
What this means:
Friends of Madills Farm believe our vision for Madills Farm is no longer adequately reflected in the balance between the parks open space character and the different park user groups activities. Increasingly over the last couple of seasons, a single user group, the ESAFC, now dominates and has significantly encroached on other legitimate, established uses, with a vision to further do so.
We seek to preserve our natural environmental amenities and return to an equilibrium where Madills Farm provides the ESAFC facilities for local, suburban, amateur sports teams, as it historically has. This is the level of sport which facilities such as Madill’s Farm can cater for; not semi-professional elite sports teams with all the demands placed on the environment and neighbourhood that is now having to be sacrificed by the community.
We believe our vision most closely reflects the wishes of the neighbouring community, and whilst this might place limitations on the aspirations of some park users...... we believe our vision for Madills Farm to be the only truly sustainable and equitable approach to ensuring the park endures as an open and accessible neighbourhood park and shared community asset.
Friends of Madills Farm are committed to working closely with the Orakei Local Board to ensure this "community view" is reflected in both their local board plan and the Orakei Local Parks Management Plan.