Turf Management

Lakes Leisure is responsible for providing a full maintenance programme for a number of sports fields throughout the district. The Lakes Leisure turf team are specialists in their field and have received training and attended appropriately identified courses to gain the necessary skills and experience to be able to prepare and maintain sports fields to the highest level (Each sporting code has different requirements of a ground).

Mowing, autumn and spring renovation programmes, irrigation, surveying, equipment repairs, fertilizing programmes, spraying programmes, compaction relief and marking of sports fields are all part of the turf job.

Compaction relief is important in the job. It usually takes place post event when grounds have become compacted through heavy use. It’s important that they are drained and aerated to get air back into the ground so to avoid the turf developing into hard, dry turf which can also act as a health risk to players. Aerating is a timely process and involves puncturing the surface of the soil to allow oxygen back in and carbon dioxide to escape which makes water and nutrients flow through the soil profile more easily. But once the surface is aerated it means the fields are ready and safe again to use for the next event.

This year has seen a growing number of outdoor recreation on our grounds. As a result, the turf management team has been very busy maintaining turfgrasses so sport clubs can continue to play the games they love to a higher level.

Sports Field Maintenance & Management of:

Queenstown Events Centre Sports Fields	Millbrook Corner
Queenstown Recreation Ground	Jack Reid Park, Arrowtown
Jacks Point Sports Fields	Wanaka Recreation Reserve
Warren Park, Queenstown	Pembroke Park
Lake Hayes Estate multi-sports pitch	Allenby Park
Lake Hayes Showgrounds	Lake Hawea Sports Field