Woodhill Sands Update

Dear members of our riding community,

We hope this message finds you well.   It’s been a busy time at Woodhill Sands since our last update.  While we still await an outcome for the resource consent hearing we have had a very well supported Autumn and Winter programme of events with Dressage, Show Jumping, Show Hunter and Mini ODEs.  We also had a great Canter for Cancer Pony Club Winter All-rounder series which proved a huge hit with our younger riders. 

We had a mixed bag of weather over the spring calendar in August and September which impacted a bit with our Festival of Dressage and Show Hunter but we still had strong numbers and riders who enjoyed the start of the season with registered shows.

We have a big summer of events planned with all the popular ESNZ show jumping series classes of Junior Rider, Young Rider Amateur Rider, Pro Am Rider and Horse and Pony Grand Prix series.  We also have classes for our popular Horse and Pony Super Series, the Masters League series and the Pony Futurity Series.  These summer shows also welcome back the Auckland Cup Qualifiers for Horses and Ponies with the final being decided at our February Auckland Champs Show Jumping Show.  Dressage Waitemata have their Premier League Champs show in November and Show Hunter Waitemata are also holding their Summer Series over the upcoming month. Show Jumping Waitemata are also holding their always popular Premier Show Jumping festival in January which also includes the final of the NZ World Cup.  In addition to these registered events we also have a number of Mini ODE weekends and grass roots days for our riding community in addition to other one day shows with other community partners. Details of our summer events can be viewed on the Upcoming Events section of our website.

Spring & Summer Calendar 
New Years Calendar 

Community Meeting to Discuss the Future of Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre

We recently held a Community Meeting to discuss the future of Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre.  We invited our community to this meeting to discuss the current situation and future of Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre.

As you will be aware, the economic downturn and rising prices that have impacted many businesses across New Zealand, are placing significant pressure on our venue. Despite these financial challenges, we believe that with the support and input of our community, we can find sustainable solutions.

While the Trust has been working hard to manage the venue for you, our stakeholders, it is important to remember that this is your venue. Your unique ideas and support are needed, as we look for fresh and different thinking!

During the meeting, we provided an overview of the status of the Resource Consent application, our current financial situation and discussed potential strategies to ensure the continued success of Woodhill Sands. You can view the presentation here.  Those who attended the meeting provided insights and suggestions that will be invaluable to us, and we appreciated everyone who came prepared with ideas and questions.  You can view the key themes of ideas of   “what should we keep doing” , “what should we stop doing” and “what should we start doing” here.

We are confident that by working together, we can navigate these challenges and secure a bright future for the centre. Our communities participation and support are crucial, and we really appreciated the time given by everyone who attended the meeting online or in person.

We will be providing an update on next steps shortly.  In the meantime if you have any further suggestions or would like to be part of the team working to develop and deliver the ideas please email jenette@woodhillsands.org.nz

Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Jenette Bell (Trust Manager) and the team at Woodhill Sands