Horowhenua Paintball Club
Horowhenua Paintball Club is a paintball club associated with a playing facility at Target Reserve, near Foxton, in the Horowhenua District of New Zealand.
The club has been identified in regional sports facilities planning documents and Horowhenua District Council records as a user and manager of a dedicated paintball playing area.
An incorporated society named Horowhenua Paintball Club Incorporated was dissolved in November 2017. However, the club name continued to appear in local government records, including a 2024 council report identifying it as an existing agreement holder at Target Reserve.
History
[edit]Incorporated society
[edit]Horowhenua Paintball Club Incorporated was registered as a New Zealand incorporated society under registration number 2557220.
The organisation was listed in a dissolution notice published in the New Zealand Gazette on 16 November 2017. [1]
The notice was issued under section 28(1) of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908, concerning societies considered no longer to be carrying on their operations.
Although the incorporated society was dissolved, subsequent public records continued identifying Horowhenua Paintball Club as a user of sporting facilities near Foxton.
The available sources do not establish whether the incorporated society was reinstated or whether the club subsequently operated under a different legal structure.
Regional sports facilities recognition
[edit]The Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Sport Facility Plan: Reference Report, completed in May 2018, identified Horowhenua Paint Ball Club among the region's existing sporting facilities. [2]
The report recorded the club's facility at Target Reserve, beside Foxton Golf Club.
It described the playing area as an open space leased from Horowhenua District Council, with a small storage facility.
The report identified Horowhenua District Council as the landowner and Horowhenua Paint Ball Club as both facility owner and manager.
The facility was classified as having a sub-regional role within the regional sporting network.
The assessment did not identify any significant facility issues.
Continued use of Target Reserve
[edit]Horowhenua Paintball Club continued to appear in official council records after the 2017 dissolution notice.
In August 2024, Horowhenua District Council presented a report to the Te Awahou Foxton Community Board concerning the development of a long-term plan for Target Reserve.
The report identified Horowhenua Paintball Club as one of the reserve's existing agreement holders. [3]
The council's development planning process included consultation with organisations already holding agreements to use the reserve.
The club was therefore still recognised by the council as a reserve stakeholder in 2024.
The council's published information about Target Reserve also continues to identify Horowhenua Paintball Club among the organisations based at the site. [4]
Playing facilities
[edit]Target Reserve
[edit]Horowhenua Paintball Club is associated with a playing facility at Target Reserve, located off State Highway 1, immediately north of Foxton.
Target Reserve is a public recreational area owned by Horowhenua District Council.
The reserve covers approximately 132 hectares and accommodates a range of recreational activities.
The club's playing area is located near Foxton Golf Club.
According to the 2018 regional sports facilities assessment, the paintball facility occupied an open area of council-owned land and included a small storage building. [2]
The assessment classified the facility as sub-regional, indicating its potential to serve participants beyond the immediate Foxton area.
Facility management
[edit]The 2018 regional facilities report identified Horowhenua Paint Ball Club as the manager of its playing area.
It also recorded the club as the facility owner, while identifying Horowhenua District Council as the underlying landowner. [2]
This distinction reflects the club's management of its sporting infrastructure on council-owned land.
The report did not identify significant infrastructure or capacity problems at the facility.
Target Reserve development planning
[edit]In 2024, Horowhenua District Council began preparing a development plan for Target Reserve.
The council identified the reserve as a potential regional recreation destination because of its location and available land.
The planning process involved consultation with existing agreement holders, including Horowhenua Paintball Club. [3]
The report discussed opportunities for improved reserve access and additional recreational infrastructure.
No specific new paintball facility development was confirmed in the published report.
Documentation of club activities
[edit]Horowhenua Paintball Club is documented as operating or managing a dedicated paintball facility through regional sports planning records and local government publications.
The Manawatū Mountain Bike Club, which developed mountain bike trails within Target Reserve from 2024, also identifies a Horowhenua Paintball Club facility within the reserve. [5]
However, the publicly accessible sources examined for this article do not establish the club's current membership, playing schedule, tournament results or officers.
The 2024 council documentation confirms the club's status as a reserve agreement holder but does not independently establish the frequency of organised paintball activities.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- New Zealand Gazette. "Dissolution of Incorporated Societies." Notice 2017-is6043, 16 November 2017. Official notice listing Horowhenua Paintball Club Incorporated, society number 2557220.
- Visitor Solutions. "Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Sport Facility Plan: Reference Report." May 2018, pp. 215 and 221. Identifies Horowhenua Paint Ball Club's Target Reserve playing area, land ownership, facility management and sub-regional classification.
- Horowhenua District Council. "Te Awahou Foxton Community Board Agenda." 19 August 2024, item 6.1, Development Plan for Target Reserve. Identifies Horowhenua Paintball Club as an existing agreement holder at the reserve.
- Horowhenua District Council. "Target Reserve." Official reserve information identifying Horowhenua Paintball Club among the organisations based at the site.
- Manawatū Mountain Bike Club. "About Foxton Trails." Identifies Horowhenua Paintball Club's facility within Target Reserve.