Roller skating saved Layla Robinson’s life – “literally”.

On Tuesday, Layla, one of New Zealand’s top roller derby athletes told Rotorua councillors hearing long-term plan submissions how the sport allowed her to conquer long-running issues with drugs and alcohol.

She is urging the council to move ahead with a new multi-sport skatepark at Kuirau Park and outlined how her life took a dark turn when she had to give up the sport.

The proposed skatepark could be removed from council plans for the next 10 years as it looked to cut spending.

Layla told councillors she began skating about 30 years ago – racing against boys and socialising at various Rotorua skating rinks.

“It was a really solid community. It was the most important thing to me as a teenager," says Layla.

“As a teenager there was nothing else in our city that appealed to me and I kind of see that today as well.”

However, over time the rinks closed or were demolished and without her sport of choice, Layla “went off the rails”.

Sulphur City Steam Rollers co-founder Layla Robinson wants Rotorua's council to go ahead with plans for a new multi-sport skatepark. Photo: Laura Smith.

Years of substance abuse and mental health issues followed, and while she did not wholly blame the closure of the skating rinks for her struggles, she says she believed having a place to practice would have helped keep her circle of friends and a more positive outlook.

A decade passed before she laced up her skates again.

“Finding skating again, literally saved my life,” she told councillors.

She has now taught hundreds of people how to skate on a flat track and is currently preparing to represent New Zealand at the Roller Derby World Cup in Austria next year.

She says there was nowhere for the roller or artistic skating community to train, bar a corner of the Kmart carpark on Amohau St.

Layla is a trustee of the Rotorua Action Sports Charitable Trust, which formed last year to raise funding for the $2.5 million skatepark project.

Plea for council to fulfil late father’s dream
Elizabeth Sturt also made a powerful submission for the council to support her late father’s dream for a new multi-sport skatepark.

Elizabeth Sturt stands in front of Rotorua Lakes Council chambers with a picture of her late father and former councillor, Charles Sturt. Photo: Laura Smith.

Charles Sturt, a councillor for 33 years, resigned in 2019 after he was diagnosed with cancer and died the following year. He advocated strongly for a new multi-sport skatepark.

His voice filled the council chambers once more as she played an audio clip of him explaining his support for the project.

“It’s simply because you’ve got to listen to the community … the young people came before us four years ago and said we need a top-mark skatepark,” he says in the recording.

“This was his dream for the community. Make it happen,” says his daughter through tears.

“Think of our youth.”

Elizabeth Sturt played an audio clip of her late father, former councillor Charles Sturt, in Rotorua Lakes Council chambers. Photo: Laura Smith.

She echoes previous comments on the “dangerous” existing skatepark and notes the benefits of exercise. People drove an hour away to “enjoy a quality skatepark”.

The city’s existing skate parks have previously been described as sunken concrete “death traps”, with concrete rougher than an “industrial cheese grater”.

“We need a safe place that is free for our kids.”

What Rotorua’s council and mayor have said
In a previous response to Local Democracy Reporting, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said there were six skate parks in the city – and the council had to spend prudently.

“The total cost of the project has previously been expected to cost $2.5m, with council offering to cover $750,000 of this, and unfortunately the additional external funding required to build the skate park has not yet been raised.

“I agree it’s been a very long time since this was requested and our council, like many people in our community, are restricted in what we can spend.”

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell at a Long Term Plan public meeting. Photo:.Laura Smith.

Tania says they had focused on essential services first, but a final decision would not be made until all feedback was received.

The cost for site pre-loading – $94,000 – was all it had spent on the project. If the project was excluded from the finalised plan, the site would remain as it was.

Some features were removed due to deterioration over several years at Sheaf Park skatepark.

More than 300 people and groups have indicated they wish to speak to their Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 submissions. Once approved, the plan would be reviewed in three years. Councillors will make a decision in June.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.