A Te Puke dog trainer who has hosted lessons at a local park for years has been told she needs a formal concession.

Mandy Wood says she is relieved to have a way to return to Donovan Park, after previously being told she could not use it and might face fines if she tried.

She said the Western Bay of Plenty District Council initially told her this was because of concerns about sharing space with a disc golf course, and operating a commercial business in the park.

The council says a formal concession is required under the Reserves Act, and it would help her arrange this.

Wood said she had been “absolutely shocked” initially, as the park had been her classroom and workplace for almost eight years.

Alongside paid classes, she has hosted free training sessions through Hungry Dogs of Te Puke.

She said she worked with the dogs on-lead and stayed well clear of the disc golf area.

“There has never been an incident involving our groups during these years.

“We’ve actually worked well together. We made a compromise and it was okay for me to be in one designated area away from the line of throw.”

She said the council told her in July she would be fined if she held sessions in any part of the reserve.

Mandy Woods said she was shocked when the council told her she could no longer hold training sessions at the park. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

She stopped her Te Puke-based sessions and shifted to Gordon Spratt Reserve in Pāpāmoa.

She shared her story on social media and her client, Jake Johnson, started a petition seeking to allow her to continue using Donovan Park, which received more than 570 signatures.

The Tauranga Disc Golf Association (TDGA) created the nine-hole course in Donovan Park in September last year.

Association treasurer Ryan Alderton said the group had shared the park with Wood for “quite some time now”, peacefully and without affecting each other.

“We are more than happy to continue sharing the space with Mandy if she is successful in gaining permission from the council to keep on training dogs at Donovan Park.”

Alderton said the group had not complained to the council about Wood training dogs at the park.

A disc golf course was established in Donovan Park last year. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

He believe they came independently from a member of a family who were not club members.

He said it was great for Te Puke to have someone like Wood who could train dogs that needed extra attention.

The group hoped she would be able to return to training in Donovan Park alongside people playing disc golf.

Wood said she was relieved to find out she could resume using the park for training sessions if she met several conditions.

She must apply for a concession to operate her commercial business on council land.

She also needs to secure public liability insurance to protect against third-party liabilities as part of the formalisation process.

Once the licence was approved, the council would publicise that Wood’s business was legitimate and establish clear guidelines for timetables and usage so dog trainers and disc golfers can fairly share the space.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said under the Reserves Act, commercial activities on reserve land required a formal concession.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson. Photo / Bijou Johnson

“We have spoken with Mandy about what is required and are committed to working with her to establish an appropriate arrangement.”

He said this would help protect her business interests, ensure the council met its obligations under the act, and confirm appropriate public liability insurance was in place.

“Formalising the activity through a concession will also provide certainty around operating times, enabling other reserve users, including disc golf participants, to better plan their use of the park.”

Watson said this would help minimise conflicts between user groups and support the fair and effective sharing of the reserve.

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2023.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.