March 13, 2026
Ashburton Mayor Liz McMillan got behind the wheel of an excavator to start the construction of the Tarbotton Civil Ride Smart Park in the Ashburton Domain on Thursday.
It was a symbolic act marking the start of a community-led project, but also a one-up on previous Mayor Neil Brown.
For the start of the Mini Mid Canterbury miniature golf course last year, Brown had turned the sod inside a 5-tonne mini excavator.
McMillan got an upgrade when it was her turn, with Tarbotton Land and Civil providing a brand-new 14-tonne excavator.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down”.
Taking precedence over the jovial one-up on her predecessor, McMillan was excited to see the project get underway.
She thanked all the people involved in getting the project off the ground.
“It’s not actually a council project, it’s a community project”.
Construction is expected to take three months.
Tarbotton’s business development manager Tim Tarbotton said the company had been looking for a community project to back and initially thought they had missed the boat on the bike park.
“We saw in the paper that the resource consents and plans had been approved and that there was already a working group.
“We were a bit gutted because we thought the project was a dead duck for us.”
He contacted McMillan to see if there was any way Tarbotton’s could still be involved, “donating earth-moving services along with project management”.
The answer was yes.
He said what followed was “a few months of hard work” convincing other suppliers and services to get on board to allow the project to become a reality.
“We hope the outcome of this will mean that we’ve got a great asset in our community for generations to come.”
The park is aimed at teaching road safety skills to children, young people and adults as they learn how to ride a bike or scooter.
The council approved the Ashburton Domain as the location in 2023 and then approved the initial concept plans in May 2024.
The existing asphalt pump track, originally planned to be incorporated into the new park, will be removed and the new, bigger track will be built in its place.
The park will feature a network of roads, with stop and give way signs and traffic lights, a railway crossing and a roundabout – all of which cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians encounter when moving around Ashburton and other urban centres.
The project was initially estimated to cost around $500,000, funded by the community groups backing the project, but with Tarbotton's coming on board, it will be delivered for much less.
The bike skills park will be developed without ratepayer funds, though the council will be in charge of its maintenance once completed, estimated to be around $25,000 a year.
The Mid Canterbury Community Wellbeing and Safety Enhancement Trust has successfully applied for grants from Lottery, the Lion Foundation, and the Mid and South Canterbury Community Trust.
Other supporters include Sport Canterbury and local Lion and Rotary service clubs.
By Jonathan Leask
Ashburton Mayor Liz McMillan got behind the wheel of an excavator to start the construction of the Tarbotton Civil Ride Smart Park in the Ashburton Domain on Thursday.
It was a symbolic act marking the start of a community-led project, but also a one-up on previous Mayor Neil Brown.
For the start of the Mini Mid Canterbury miniature golf course last year, Brown had turned the sod inside a 5-tonne mini excavator.
McMillan got an upgrade when it was her turn, with Tarbotton Land and Civil providing a brand-new 14-tonne excavator.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down”.
Taking precedence over the jovial one-up on her predecessor, McMillan was excited to see the project get underway.
She thanked all the people involved in getting the project off the ground.
“It’s not actually a council project, it’s a community project”.
Construction is expected to take three months.
Tarbotton’s business development manager Tim Tarbotton said the company had been looking for a community project to back and initially thought they had missed the boat on the bike park.
“We saw in the paper that the resource consents and plans had been approved and that there was already a working group.
“We were a bit gutted because we thought the project was a dead duck for us.”
He contacted McMillan to see if there was any way Tarbotton’s could still be involved, “donating earth-moving services along with project management”.
The answer was yes.
He said what followed was “a few months of hard work” convincing other suppliers and services to get on board to allow the project to become a reality.
“We hope the outcome of this will mean that we’ve got a great asset in our community for generations to come.”
The park is aimed at teaching road safety skills to children, young people and adults as they learn how to ride a bike or scooter.
The council approved the Ashburton Domain as the location in 2023 and then approved the initial concept plans in May 2024.
The existing asphalt pump track, originally planned to be incorporated into the new park, will be removed and the new, bigger track will be built in its place.
The park will feature a network of roads, with stop and give way signs and traffic lights, a railway crossing and a roundabout – all of which cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians encounter when moving around Ashburton and other urban centres.
The project was initially estimated to cost around $500,000, funded by the community groups backing the project, but with Tarbotton's coming on board, it will be delivered for much less.
The bike skills park will be developed without ratepayer funds, though the council will be in charge of its maintenance once completed, estimated to be around $25,000 a year.
The Mid Canterbury Community Wellbeing and Safety Enhancement Trust has successfully applied for grants from Lottery, the Lion Foundation, and the Mid and South Canterbury Community Trust.
Other supporters include Sport Canterbury and local Lion and Rotary service clubs.
By Jonathan Leask
