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The value of volunteering and the community behind Matangi Station MTB

To our valued MOA community -

Mountain bikers, walkers and runners have enjoyed the privilege of access to Matangi Station trails (behind the clock) for the last 30 years. This access has been enabled with the permission of the Sanders family who farm Matangi Station and has only ever been offered to locals. The importance of this access to the Alexandra community cannot be overstated. Mountain Bikers of Alexandra (MOA) have over the years collaborated with the Sanders family to ensure continued public access for locals to these trails. But closure of access to all public was becoming more likely due to increased traffic on trails, poor behaviour, conflict between public recreation and the farming operation (including cutting fences), outsiders riding trails, and at times unauthorised trail building.

During the past 3 years MOA have worked with the Sanders family, through a range of models and options, to address the ongoing issues related to public access and the impacts on the farming operations, and to open the public access up to more than just the locals.

The eventual result was the formation of Matangi Station MTB in late 2021 as a pay-to-access park. This achieves public foot and mountain bike access and gives the Sanders a structure and payment to manage usage, and some financial return on the use of their land to compensate for the impacts on their farming operations.

Once the model was decided on, the journey had only just begun. By legitimising the recreational usage of part of the farm and creating a MTB park type situation, the Sanders have needed to negotiate and fulfill a recreational concession from LINZ, a resource consent from the Central Otago District Council, Health & Safety obligations and Heritage and indigenous vegetation impact reports, plus invest in systems for purchasing passes, user identification, produce track mapping and signage.

In the first 12 months of operations members of the local community, supportive individuals and businesses have stepped in to help where possible, recognising Matangi Station MTB as an asset to the community; by building and placing stiles, undertaking track marking, providing maintenance, mapping, legal, business and administration advice and numerous other contributions.

MOA and the Sanders family recognise that without this community input to help establish the MTB Park and without continuing community input, wider public access would not be viable or sustainable. The Sanders in turn are shaping their pricing structure to support the work of MOA and other community members who engage with and support them.

What has evolved is a truly unique relationship between an intergenerational farming family and a community.

Whether you are a walker, runner or mountain biker from Alexandra, or further afield, you are now able to enjoy some of the most natural, technical and rocky trails in New Zealand.

Moving forward; Matangi Station MTB, MOA and our community will continue to refine a relationship to maintain highly valued public access within the Sanders’ stud merino farming operation.

FAQs

Why no dogs?

Matangi Station is a working merino sheep station. The core business of the station is to produce fine merino wool to the global marketplace. Surplus stock is sold to the works. Allowing dogs would expose the station to a number of problems. The primary problem is that, no matter how well behaved dogs are, they disrupt the sheeps’ movement and can drive them away from the water sources which may cause a break in the wool and unnecessary stress. There is also the risk of dogs becoming out of control in a different environment and they can chase and worry stock. There is the unacceptable risk that the dogs carry parasites such as Cysticercus ovis and Taenia ovis. These parasites may transfer to the sheep, devastating the price received from the works.

Why does MOA need to pay for land access and still help to maintain the park tracks?

MOA’s support to the Sanders family is key to making this unique commercial and community operation work. MOA members’ track building and maintenance skills and knowledge are superb and are essential to ensure riders are given the best experience out on the hill. The financial return of the MTB Park provides a return on the use of the land and the Sander’s families’ associated labour input, but does not cover the cost of all the impacts it has on farm operations and does not allow for employing professionals to maintain the trails.

Why is more voluntary labour required now than historically to maintain the Matangi Station MTB trails?

Previously, the Matangi MTB trails were primarily maintained by a couple of passionate, local volunteers who dedicated a huge amount of time to assist with building and maintenance. This was not a sustainable situation when all riders benefit. Now, with opening up the Matangi MTB trails to the wider public under the new MTB Park operation, there is significantly more wear and tear on the trails, requiring more maintenance than took place in the past. There are also many more trails to maintain than in the past. Subsequently, a larger crew of volunteers is needed to carry out maintenance on the trails.

Recently, Matangi Station MTB and the MOA Sub Trail Committee launched an “adopt a trail” concept, giving ‘adopters’ the responsibility to carry out general maintenance when it suits them. These ‘adopters’ will be recognised through acknowledgements on the MTB Park’s digital platforms including the website and social media. Targeted working bees will also be required for larger projects and that is when the might of MOA will be called upon.

Why is voluntary labour required to build new trails at the MTB Park?

MOA has the volunteer resources and knowledge to locate, design and construct these desired new trails. MOA have also recognised that the MTB Park would benefit from some additional intermediate trails making it easier for intermediate bikers to access some of Matangi’s terrain.

What has been happening at the MTB Park over winter?

Over the winter volunteers from MOA, Trail Adopters and other groups have built a new down track in the Rock Garden which opened in spring. They have also completed maintenance of a range of other popular tracks.

Why is Matangi Station MTB receiving business sponsorship payments rather than it being applied towards track maintenance?

The income that the MTB Park receives by way of partnerships and land access fees goes some way to mitigate the costs incurred to establish an MTB Park within a working sheep station and provide a return on the use of the land and the Sander’s families’ associated labour input. Costs are numerous and cover commitments such as consents and permits, H&S protocol, land usage, insurance, systems development, landscape integrity, let alone the impact the MTB Park has on the farm operations.

If MOA and the biking community were not involved and supportive what would happen?

Sadly, Matangi would have to shut the MTB Park down. This is not what the Station, the bikers or the wider community wants and why it is so important to create a sustainable and viable operation that continues to have community at its core.

So - the nitty gritty of the MOA discount

Matangi Station MTB introduced a MOA discount in its first year to acknowledge the support that MOA had given from the Park’s inception. The discount was a blanket offering to all members and was a significant saving off retail. As Matangi Station MTB moves forward, and with experience gained, it is clear that Matangi Station MTB needs to alter pass rates to represent a fair and sustainable price while acknowledging the effort that some members dedicate to the MTB Park. Therefore a new, refined structure is being implemented. This is how it will work:

MOA members who do not contribute time or effort, or only contribute minimally, still will benefit from a general discount because they are members of MOA.

If you conduct authorised voluntary work for MOA at Matangi Station MTB Park, contributing 10 or more hours during the previous season (up to 30 Nov), you will be entitled to an Adult Significant Contributor discount code to use when purchasing your season pass (valid for one time use for the next season). These discount codes have already been distributed to our 2022 Significant Contributors for work completed in the year to 30 November 2022.

MOA season passes are now live on the Matangi Station MTB website - head to the MOA page under Partnership to lock in your pass now.