Open Space and Street Furniture Guidelines

The Open Space and Street Furniture Guidelines is a suite of three resources: Practice Notes (this document) – 4 practice notes (people, place, environment, economy) describe context, principles, considerations and further reading relevant to open space and street furniture projects. These act as a general overview in support of the specific design guidelines. Case studies […]

Gender Impact Assessment, Warburton Mountain Bike Destination Project

Yarra Ranges Council is committed to working towards a Yarra Ranges where everyone has equitable access to resources, power and opportunities. This commitment is documented in the current Council Plan 2022-25. The Gender Equality Act 2020 requires local governments to conduct Gender Impact Assessments on all policies, programs and services which directly and significantly impact […]

Open Space and Tree Management Market and Service Delivery Assessment

City of Melbourne - Open Space

City of Melbourne engaged Xyst to undertake a market and service delivery assessment and make recommendations on the best model for packaging the Open Space Management and Tree Management service contracts. The Xyst team gathered market intelligence on the current and potential service providers and considered the market in which they operate. We identified any […]

Roto Kohatu Recreation Reserve Management Plan

Christchurch City Council engaged Xyst to assist on the Roto Kohatu Recreation Reserve Management Plan. Preliminary work on the preparation of a reserve management plan for this reserve identified that some parcels are not suitably classified for current and proposed management. Xyst prepared the reclassification and then prepared a reserve management plan including managing public […]

Tree Strategy

Port Pirie wishes to be a region that has pride in, and appreciates the values of its trees within public parks, streets and open spaces. It wishes to provide streets that are attractive and town centres which are visually appealing and inviting, to complement the network of parks and open spaces ranging from urban to […]

Event Resource Consent

Gisborne District Council

Xyst prepared a resource consent application for Gisborne District Council, including AEE for the events cross referenced against the requirements of Te Papa Tipu Taunaki o Te Tairāwhiti – The Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan. This required consultation with various staff involved in the management of events to determine the scale and nature of what would […]

Community Facilities and Open Spaces Levels of Service Development

For Southland District Council, levels of service were prepared by Xyst for a range of assets within six activity areas: 1. Parks and Reserves (Open Spaces) 2. Cemeteries 3. Public Toilets 4. Community Centres 5. Community Housing 6. Water Structures (wharves and jetties) Benefits of a robust level of service approach include: • Consistency of […]

Manapouri Foreshore Vegetation Management Plan

Southland District Council (SDC) was undertaking a review of the Manapouri Foreshore Reserve Management Plan (2003) which provided for height management of vegetation on the reserve. Although some work on vegetation had been carried out, there had been little ongoing height management particularly in the areas identified as “retained/managed bush”. An itemised programme of works […]

Waitaki Emergency Response and Contingency Plan

Waitaki District Council

Waitaki District Council contracted Xyst to develop an Emergency Response and Contingency Plan for its parks and open spaces activity. The plan provided a generic risk assessment and response for all parks and identified specific risks and prepared appropriate responses where these could be identified at individual parks. The plan included actions around trees where […]

Minor review of Tapuaeharuru Bay Lakeshore Reserves Management Plan

Taupo District Council

In 2020 Taupo District Council received a proposal from Taupō Moana Group Holdings Limited (TGMHL) to develop the Hole in One site it occupies on the Taupō lakefront. The application involved further development than what was allowed for under its current operating licence or the operative management plan. Xyst was able to provide advice to […]

Whangarei Open Space review

Whangarei District Council

The open space review included an inventory of all existing Open Space land within the Whangarei District and categorisation of the Open Space land using the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) category framework and an analysis of provision undertaken at the district and community (ward) level. In addition to categorisation of reserve land, the WDC […]

Trail Survey

Yarra Ranges - Trail Survey

In early 2022 Yarra Ranges Council engaged Xyst to undertake a performance assessment of three shared use trails: the Lilydale Lake Trail, the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail, and the Yarra Valley Trail. This was a follow-up to an earlier survey carried out in 2019. Performance assessments were conducted in March 2022 using the Yardstick […]

Street Gardens and Street Furniture Levels of Service

Matamata-Piako District Council engaged Xyst to define level of service statements and guidelines at a high level for provision and development of street gardens and street furniture, and more detailed LoS for maintenance. The priority for this project was the public street or road adjacent to the business zones of the Matamata-Piako District, and entrance […]

Yardstick Parks User Surveys

Yardstick Parks User Surveys were developed in around 2008 initially as a paper based intercept survey designed to target park users and measure satisfaction with a range of parks related services and features. The product was initially called Parkcheck and is still known as this by some users. The surveys were taken online in 2015 […]

Bold Park User Satisfaction Review

Xyst completed a comprehensive engagement strategy involving user intercept surveys, obtaining feedback from non-park-users in surrounding areas, and a matching on-line survey to establish an overall satisfaction rating for the Park. In addition, gaps in service provision were identified and reported that would increase the overall satisfaction.