Council was approached by the Rotorua Honey Bee Club requesting the granting of a lease over part of the reserve at the end of the Kingsley Drive to allow for the honeybee club to carry out club activities.

Rotorua Lakes Council manages the reserve at the end of the Kingsley Drive. This reserve is commonly referred to by Council as Kingsley Drive Reserve – End Reserve.

The club itself was a young club having only been formed about five years prior with the purpose “to promote local support, knowledge and education for responsible beekeeping practices”.

The club proposed to construct a small shed and to locate a small number of hives on site. These would be used as educational tools for club activities and public open days. The lease area itself was proposed to be no more than 100m2 within the reserve.

The term of the lease being sought from Council was for a period of 10 years.

The proposed activity is in keeping with the existing reserve classification of Recreation Reserve, however a lease was not contemplated within the reserve management plan and public consultation was required prior to the lease being granted.