Ray Boord Park Reserve

The name

Ray Boord Park Reserve in the Pomare suburb of Rotorua is named after Raymond Boord QSO (4 February 1908 to 29 April 1982), one of the district's most significant public figures of the twentieth century. Born in Rotorua, Boord served as the Labour MP for Rotorua from 1954 to 1960, holding Cabinet positions as Minister of Customs, Minister of Publicity, and Minister of Broadcasting under Prime Minister Walter Nash. In the broadcasting role he oversaw the introduction of television to New Zealand, a decision with lasting national significance. He returned to local service as Mayor of Rotorua from 1971 to 1977. The park is a fitting tribute to a career that spanned both local and national leadership.

The playground

The playground is a medium-sized site with a varied equipment list: a climbing frame, swings including a basket swing bay and an infant bay, a playground house, a junior slide, a glider, and a dedicated learn-to-bike track. The learn-to-bike path is particularly useful for toddler-age families, providing a contained traffic-free circuit where children can build cycling skills. Bark surfacing covers the play zones. An established tree in one corner provides some cover for spectators, though the play equipment itself is in a more open position.

The reserve and its future

In August 2023, Rotorua Lakes Council voted to retain 3.89 hectares of adjoining land at Titoki Place as sports fields rather than sell it to Kainga Ora for public housing. The decision reflected projections that the Rotorua region will need nine additional sports fields by 2030. The retained land could accommodate two full-size fields.

Practical

On-street parking is available nearby. Rotorua Lakes Council's smokefree green spaces policy covers this playground.

The Pomare suburb is a well-established residential area in the western part of Rotorua with strong community character. Ray Boord's legacy in broadcasting includes oversight of decisions that established frameworks still visible in New Zealand's media sector today. The park commemorates a figure whose influence operated at both local council level and the national Cabinet, an unusual combination that makes the naming a particularly fitting memorial.