Support for Kaiapoi disc golf proposal
By local democracy reporter David Hill:
Disc golf could be coming to Kaiapoi.
Advocates of the sport say they could have a nine-hole course set up in the Kaiapoi Domain within months, if they get the go ahead.
Brothers Glen, Royce and Blake Whelan, who were born and bred in Ohoka, have been playing disc golf for several years, and were keen to have a local course.
Ryan Moleta, of Ashley, fell in love with the game after playing it at Twizel as a youngster.
The players have been travelling into Christchurch each week to play disc golf at Queenspark Reserve, and other courses around the city.
The idea for a disc golf course in the Kaiapoi Domain came during lockdown when Blake Whelan was out getting some exercise.
‘‘I went past the domain and thought it would be fun to have a disc golf course there,’’ he said.
Glen Whelan said the course would cater to everyone.
‘‘You can play it as casual as you like, whereas we tend to have a bit of rivalry.’’
‘‘We are just excited at the prospect of bringing disc golf to Kaiapoi,’’ Royce Whelan said.
‘‘Because it is such a popular sport worldwide and during Covid people were watching it on YouTube.’’
The Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board will consider a report at its February or March meeting, after the council completed a community survey earlier this month.
The survey attracted 143 respondents, with 90% supporting the establishment of a disc golf course in the Kaiapoi Domain.
Of the remaining 10%, the main objections included concerns for the trees in the domain and a preference for a site in the former red zone.
The disc golf players were due to meet with council greenspace staff this week to map out a proposed course which avoided heritage trees.
Moleta said having disc golf would make the domain safer for other users.
‘‘Safety is a big part of it.
‘‘We find that where there is disc golf it activates green spaces, littering and graffiti go down and people feel safer because there are people there all the time.’’
Disc golf players had a code of etiquette which included looking out for and giving way to other park users.
Any type of frisbee could be used, with the semi-professional players using ‘‘drivers’’, ‘‘putters’’ and ‘‘mid-range’’ discs (wedges), just like golfers, Moleta said.
‘‘You can get high speed discs, low flying discs, pretty ones which look cool and glow in the dark discs to play at night.’’
Should the nine-hole course prove popular, the players were keen to explore the idea of developing an 18-hole international course on former red zone land.
There was not expected to be any cost to the council, with advocates set to fundraise to pay for nine baskets, 18 sleeves and nine tee pads at a cost of around $9000.
Moleta and Blake Whelan were landscapers and planned to do most of the layout work themselves to reduce costs.
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Update to Neighbourly members on data breach 06/01/2025 8am
Yesterday in the High Court at Auckland, Neighbourly was successful in being granted an injunction against any unauthorised use of the data taken in a recent breach.
As we alerted you on January 1 and confirmed on January 3, our systems were accessed illegally and members’ information, including names, email addresses, GPS coordinates from the address you provided to us, forum posts and direct member communications were among the data that was accessed.
We acted immediately upon hearing of a potential breach: we temporarily disabled the site, notified members and authorities and worked with our external security consultants to understand if and how it had occurred. We then confirmed the breach with members, safely restored the site to service and began the process of seeking the injunction. Yesterday’s decision by Justice Johnstone prohibits the use of the data by any unauthorised person, and requires them to permanently delete it, or any information obtained from it.
This does not mean that vigilance against scammers is not still required: there is a large industry globally that seeks to use stolen information for identity fraud or to dupe people into providing details of their financial affairs for theft. Again, to keep yourself safe from scammers it is critical that you:
- Don’t click links in emails. Instead, type the web address directly into your browser. This helps ensure you’re visiting a real site, not a fake one
- Enable two-factor authentication where available as this adds an extra layer of security to your data
- Stay alert for phishing emails. Be cautious of unexpected emails asking for personal information, especially ones that create a sense of urgency.
Again, we want to apologise to you for this illegal access to the Neighbourly database and to assure you that we have carefully worked through how this occurred. We have safely secured the site and its services for use and ensured we have robust processes in place so this cannot happen again.
We are continuing to work with the relevant authorities, including the National Cyber Security Centre, on any further steps we need to take.
If you have any further questions please contact us via our customer support team at helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz.
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