Retain, relocate or remove?
That is the question Western Bay of Plenty District Council is asking the community about the future of the toilet at Precious Family Reserve in Ōmokoroa.
The Council wants to know what people think about where the toilet is currently located and what should happen next.
It is asking for feedback on three proposed options – leave the toilet where it is, relocate it to another suitable site within the reserve, or remove it and relocate it elsewhere in the District.
Two possible relocation sites have been identified within Precious Family Reserve - 44m (Site A) and 64m (Site B) further along the shared pathway towards the waterfront.
The estimated cost to relocate the toilet is $145,000 for Site A and $185,000 for Site B, which is further away from water, power and sewer services. Both sites are subject to detailed geotechnical assessment, compliance with District and Regional Plan consent requirements, and compliance with required Finished Floor Levels (FFL).
Removing the toilet and relocating it to elsewhere in the District would cost an estimated $50,000. This cost is based on it being relocated to an area that doesn’t require a land use consent and is near existing services.
The toilet was installed at its current consented location in July last year, after being approved by Council’s Projects and Monitoring Committee at its 10 June 2025 meeting.
Since its installation, feedback has highlighted differing views about the toilet’s location, the consultation process, and whether the facility is needed in the reserve.
In response, the committee resolved at its 21 April 2026 meeting to return to the community before making a final decision on the toilet’s future.
“The original ideas for the reserve were developed during the concept planning phase in 2018. Since then, the reserve has evolved, community expectations have changed, and more people are using the pathway and open space in different ways,” says Council’s Reserves and Facilities Manager Peter Watson.
“We also acknowledge that the gap in time between the original adopted plan and delivery has created some frustration for some in the community. That is why we are re-opening this conversation now.”
Consultation is open until 11.59pm, on Thursday 25 June. It is anticipated Council's Projects and Monitoring Committee will make a final decision at its 25 August 2026 meeting.
Feedback can be given online at https://yourplace.westernbay.govt.nz/precious-family-reserves-toilet, or by filling out a hardcopy form at the Ōmokoroa Library and Service Centre. Alternatively, feedback can be emailed to yourplace@westernbay.govt.nz with ‘Precious Family Reserve toilet’ in the subject heading.
Council will not be accepting any petitions as formal feedback.
Background
In 2018 as part of planning for the future of the reserve, Council asked the community what they wanted to see in the reserve, including whether a toilet might be needed. That feedback helped shape the Precious Family Reserve Concept Plan (2018), which included a toilet in a proposed location. The plan was also part of the Kaimai Reserve Management Plan which was reviewed and consulted on and adopted by Council in 2025.
As the project progressed, technical investigations identified site constraints, including underground infrastructure and flood considerations. This meant the toilet could not be built in the original location shown in the concept plan.
A revised location was proposed at the Projects and Monitoring Committee Meeting on 10 June 2025, which was approved for installation.
The consented toilet was installed in July 2025. To date, $106,336 (inc GST) has been spent on the project, on design, consenting, site investigations, construction, and installation of the toilet.
