A Shared Framework for
Future Stewardship
Caring for Tōmoana Showgrounds for generations to come.
For generations, Tōmoana Showgrounds has been a place where people come together. Hastings District Council and the Tōmoana Showgrounds Charitable Trust have developed a long-term framework to guide how the Showgrounds is cared for, used and protected into the future. We'd love to hear what you think.
A shared way to look after this place.
The framework is not a fixed development programme, and it is not a promise that every idea will be delivered. It is a way of thinking and deciding together — grounded in what we now know about this whenua and its waterways.
It brings together what we have learnt about the land and water, what mana whenua have shared with us, what users of the Showgrounds need, and what the wider community has told us they value about this place.
Most of all, it gives Council, the Trust and our community a shared way to test future decisions — so that whatever changes over the years, the character and purpose of Tōmoana Showgrounds endure.
Six themes that guide every decision.
Each theme carries a stewardship test — a simple question we ask of every proposal, so future decisions stay true to what this place is for.
A Place for Everyone
Keep Tōmoana Showgrounds open, welcoming and accessible.
Stewardship testWill this make Tōmoana Showgrounds a more welcoming and accessible place for people?
A Living Landscape
Restore natural systems and strengthen the relationship between people, land and water.
Stewardship testWill this leave the natural environment healthier and more resilient?
Celebrating Identity
Let the stories of Tōmoana Showgrounds remain visible as the place evolves.
Stewardship testWill this strengthen the identity of Tōmoana Showgrounds and help tell the stories of this place?
Community and Connection
Create more reasons for people to come together.
Stewardship testWill this help people connect with each other and with Tōmoana Showgrounds?
Supporting Regional Experiences
Protect the Showgrounds' ability to bring people together at scale.
Stewardship testWill this strengthen the Showgrounds' distinctive role within Hawke's Bay?
Sustainable Stewardship
Care for Tōmoana Showgrounds in a way that can endure.
Stewardship testWill this create lasting value without compromising the ability to care for Tōmoana Showgrounds in the future?
A long-term view, taken one step at a time.
The roadmap shows how the Showgrounds could evolve over the next 30 years — beginning with restoring the landscape, then connecting the place, and finally realising its long-term opportunity.
Opening up and restoring the landscape
- Removing internal fencing
- Stormwater improvements
- Daylighting streams
- New wetlands
- Nature play
- Cultural markers
- A marquee zone
Connecting and strengthening the place
- Exhibition Hall upgrade
- Walking tracks
- Bridges and boardwalks
- Improved Farmers Market area
- Parking and roads
Realising the long-term opportunity
- Woolshed upgrade
- Premier stables
- Town square
- Whare and ātea
- Event pavilion
- New cycle link
A roadmap, not a promise. Projects depend on funding, partnerships, demand and approvals.
How stewardship moves forward.
The pathway describes how care for the Showgrounds moves from the Council today towards long-term stewardship by the Trust.
The Trust brings together Hastings District Council, Waipatu Marae and the Hawke's Bay A&P Society, with independent governance capability.
Your feedback shapes the future.
This framework has been shaped by what we have learnt about Tōmoana Showgrounds and by the people who know, use and value the showgrounds. Before it is finalised, we want to know whether it reflects what matters to you. We are particularly interested in the direction and balance of the framework. The illustrations and opportunities shown in this document help us imagine how Tōmoana Showgrounds could evolve, but they are not a funded programme of works.