The Western Bay of Plenty's TECT Park has been recognised as an exemplary action park in New Zealand.

TECT Park has won the Active Park/Sports Ground category at the Green Pavlova Awards dinner, hosted by Recreation Aotearoa in Ōtepoti/Dunedin.

The award specifically recognises adventure style parks that don't need a lot of infrastructure but have created an outstanding environment.

The 1650 ha park, situated between Tauranga and Rotorua, provides free access to an off-leash dog exercise area, tracks for walking, mountain biking, equestrian, off road motor bikes, and pay as you go camping facilities.

It is also home to a number of club facilities for shooting, motorsports, and model aircraft flying, and the tourist attraction Adrenalin Forest.

TECT Park operations manager Bill Wheeler is quick to acknowledge how many people are involved in making the Park a success.

'This award recognises the huge effort put into the Park by the user groups and the hard working team of Rangers who are always seeking ways to make the area a fantastic experience for our whole community. He waka eke noa – one waka, many paddlers.”

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber says the park is well loved and its layout, including its division into zones, ensures it caters to the needs of different users and their activities.

'We're proud of the way the park can provide so much to so many user groups, and we're excited about what the next decade has in store for this space.”

Tauranga City Council Commission Chair Anne Tolley says TECT Park has become an icon of outdoor recreation in the Western Bay and it's great to see that recognised through another prestigious national award.

'The park provides an outstanding environment for so many activities and its success is a tribute to the vision of its creators, and to the stakeholders and users who continue to support its development.”

The Recreation Aotearoa award is the newest addition to TECT Park's long list of accolades, including earning a place in the Top 10 International People's Choice for Green Flag Award winning parks in February 2022.

TECT Park is jointly owned by Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council, with the support of naming rights sponsors TECT. The park has been open for 10 years, and in that time has been used by thousands of our Western Bay of Plenty whānau and others from around the motu.

The awards ceremony also acknowledged Vanessa Davis, Landscape Architect at Western Bay of Plenty District Council for achieving Accredited Recreation Professional (ARPro).

More information about the awards can be found on the Recreation Aotearoa Awards website.

For more information on TECT Park visit tectpark.co.nz