William Nelson Park

William Nelson Park in central Hastings pairs a small, fenced junior playground with a much larger skate plaza, and it's the skate side that pulls the bigger crowds, especially on Friday and weekend afternoons.

Equipment

The junior playground has an infant swing, a rotonet and a junior multi-play structure with a slide, all set on bark and scaled for young children. A half basketball court sits alongside. Popular times data for the adjoining skate plaza show it busiest on Friday afternoons through about 1 to 3pm, with weekend early afternoons also drawing bigger numbers than weekday mornings.

Access and Inclusion

On street angle parking is available near the park, including mobility parking, with entrances opening onto King Street North, Avenue Road West and St Aubyn Street West. Following police reports of arrests and skirmishes at the skate plaza, council extended the boundary fence along St Aubyn Street to control entry and exit points, and added CCTV cameras overlooking the park.

History and Cultural

The park honours William Nelson, remembered as the father of Hawke's Bay for building the Nelson Brothers Tomoana Freezing Works, which drove the district's economy from the 1880s. It replaced the original Nelson Park, sold in a move that had proved controversial in 2007. The skate plaza itself came from years of youth advocacy: Hastings Youth Council first proposed it in 2008 and spent years fundraising before the park opened in 2013, going on to share the New Zealand Recreation Association's Outstanding Project award in 2014.

Practical Info

Public toilets and seating are on site. Council's smokefree policy applies. No shelter covers the play equipment, though small roadside trees may help as they mature, and sail structures cover seating on the skate side.