Woodhill Sands Trust

19/12/2025

Woodhill Sands Trust – Urgent Community Update

Subject: Temporary Suspension of Equestrian Activities at Woodhill Sands

Date:19 December 2025

The Woodhill Sands Trust wishes to advise our community that we have received a formal abatement notice from Auckland Council’s Regulatory Division, requiring Woodhill Sands to cease all equestrian activities at the venue for the foreseeable future.

What this means:
• All equestrian activities at Woodhill Sands must pause, effective immediately.
• This pause is required to remain in place for the foreseeable future until the Resource Consent conditions are met.
• The Trust is legally required to comply with this notice and is doing so in full.

Why this has occurred:
The abatement notice relates to regulatory and consent matters currently under consideration by Council. While this is understandably frustrating for our community, this step is procedural in nature and does not reflect the quality of the venue, horse welfare, or the professionalism of users and organisers.

What the Trust is doing:
• The Trust is actively engaging with Auckland Council and relevant advisors to work through the outstanding regulatory matters.
• We are using this enforced pause to prepare documentation and next steps so discussions can progress promptly once Council reopens.
• Our focus remains on achieving a clear, compliant, and sustainable pathway forward for the venue.
What this means for upcoming activity
• Unfortunately, no equestrian use of the venue can take place during this period.
• We ask all users, organisers, and visitors to respect this requirement so the Trust can demonstrate good faith compliance.
• Further updates will be provided as soon as Council engagement resumes and we have confirmed next steps.

Our message to the community

We recognise the disappointment and disruption this causes and thank our community for their patience, understanding, and ongoing support. Woodhill Sands is a much-loved, community-owned facility, and the Trust remains fully committed to its future.
We appreciate that this is a challenging time, and we ask that all enquiries and commentary remain respectful as we work through the process.

Further communication will be shared once we are able to provide clarity following Council’s return in late January.

Ngā mihi,
The Woodhill Sands Trust

Send a message to learn more

09/04/2025

The Woodhill Sands Trust wanted to let our community know of an upcoming change in the Woodhill Sands team.

The Trust wants to advise that after nearly 7 years, Jenette, our Trust Manager will be leaving the team and finishing up in her role with Woodhill Sands at the end of April.

With Jenette stepping away, we are now seeking a new team member to take on this important role. If you or someone you know might be interested in applying for this role, we'd love to hear from you. Please help us to spread the word about this exciting opportunity. Details about the role, who to contact to discuss the opportunity and how to apply for the role, are all outlined in the Seek advert which can be viewed here

Woodhill Sands Trust is seeking a Trust Manager to join the team at the Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre situated in northwest Auckland.

21/01/2024

🦄 We're looking for people to join our team 🦄

The Woodhill Sands Trust is looking for someone to join the team as a groundskeeper/caretaker to help maintain the parklike environment of the Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre. This role is 20hrs per week. If you know someone who might be suitable please share with your networks.

No two days will be the same with duties including mowing, weed-eating, weed-spraying and repairs and keeping the grassed and garden areas on the property tidy.
It will also include maintaining grounds equipment, repairs to yards and jumps as needed and generally keeping a look out over the property to identify and fix areas needing attention.

The role may also assist with the set up and pack down of our events.

If you have a positive and enthusiastic manner, great communication skills and a willingness to get along with our staff, volunteers and our users we want to hear from you.

We're looking for someone who is pragmatic, able to quickly prioritise and get things done even under pressure.

If you are interested you can check out more information about the role here
https://www.trademe.co.nz/.../part-time/listing/4520207529
To apply, please e-mail your CV and a cover letter directly to [email protected]

Applications close Wed 7th of Feb.

The Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre is located in a picturesque rural location, northwest of Auckland. Owned by the Woodhill Sands Trust (a charitable trust e...

09/08/2023

The Woodhill Sands Trust is currently seeking new board members and a Chair of the Finance and Risk portfolio. The advert is now live through the website Appoint Better Boards and information about the role, ideal candidates and the link to apply can be viewed here
https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/position/apt21630

The Trust Board invites applications from suitably qualified individuals with a mix of experience and strengths who are willing to contribute to delivering the governance leadership for the development of Woodhill Sands into the home of equestrian sports.

Find out more about the role in our news update on our website
https://www.woodhillsands.co.nz/news/details/we-are-seeking-new-trustees-for-woodhill-sands-trust

15/11/2022

Applications close this Friday the 18th. Details are in the post below as is a link to the contact details for Trustees if you would like to contact them to find out more about being involved in Woodhill Sands Trust.

The Woodhill Sands Trust is seeking new Trustees, to both increase the number of Trustees and to allow for succession planning. The advert is now live through the website Appoint Better Boards and can be viewed at https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/position/apt21376.

The Trust Board invites applications from suitably qualified individuals with a mix of experience and strengths who are willing to contribute to delivering the governance leadership for the development of Woodhill Sands into the home of equestrian sports. Information about the role including a Trustee role description and contact details to speak to one of our existing Trustees about the role and the Trust can be viewed in our recent news article on our website
https://woodhillsands.co.nz/news/details/we-are-seeking-new-trustees-for-the-woodhill-sands-trust

Please provide a covering letter and CV through the advertisement on Appoint Better Boards (it is a quick process to set up a free profile). Applications close on 18 November 2022 at 5pm.

07/11/2022

**UPDATE** applications close on the 18th of November - check out the details below if you are keen to apply to become one of our Trustees.

The Woodhill Sands Trust is seeking new Trustees, to both increase the number of Trustees and to allow for succession planning. The advert is now live through the website Appoint Better Boards and can be viewed at https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/position/apt21376.

The Trust Board invites applications from suitably qualified individuals with a mix of experience and strengths who are willing to contribute to delivering the governance leadership for the development of Woodhill Sands into the home of equestrian sports. Information about the role including a Trustee role description and contact details to speak to one of our existing Trustees about the role and the Trust can be viewed in our recent news article on our website
https://woodhillsands.co.nz/news/details/we-are-seeking-new-trustees-for-the-woodhill-sands-trust

Please provide a covering letter and CV through the advertisement on Appoint Better Boards (it is a quick process to set up a free profile). Applications close on 18 November 2022 at 5pm.

31/10/2022

The Woodhill Sands Trust is seeking new Trustees, to both increase the number of Trustees and to allow for succession planning. The advert is now live through the website Appoint Better Boards and can be viewed at https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/position/apt21376.

The Trust Board invites applications from suitably qualified individuals with a mix of experience and strengths who are willing to contribute to delivering the governance leadership for the development of Woodhill Sands into the home of equestrian sports. Information about the role including a Trustee role description and contact details to speak to one of our existing Trustees about the role and the Trust can be viewed in our recent news article on our website
https://woodhillsands.co.nz/news/details/we-are-seeking-new-trustees-for-the-woodhill-sands-trust

Please provide a covering letter and CV through the advertisement on Appoint Better Boards (it is a quick process to set up a free profile). Applications close on 18 November 2022 at 5pm.

22/08/2022

Trust Talk is an update from the Woodhill Sands Trust to keep our community up to date with developments at Woodhill Sands.

Check out our latest article in the News section of our website. In the current edition we discuss we discuss "Who owns Woodhill Sands?"

Trust Talk is a news update from the Woodhill Sands Trust to keep our community up to date with developments at Woodhill Sands.  In this update, we discuss "Who owns Woodhill Sands?"  This is a question that is often asked. Who are the owners of Woodhill Sands? In simple terms, the answer is that ...

08/06/2022

Please join us in welcoming Chris Christensen our new Event Manager to the Woodhill Sands Trust team.

Many of you who have been out to the venue in the last few weeks will have seen the newest member of our team. Woodhill Sands Trust is delighted to have secured Chris Christensen as an experienced event manager. Chris has a comprehensive skill set which connects well with the Trust’s future direction.

Chris has a degree in Sport, majoring in marketing and management accompanied with an extensive career in events.

Starting her profession in New Zealand’s first sport event management company, Chris quickly became very successful growing events across Aotearoa. Chris has gone on to management positions with the Auckland Marathon, several Football World Cups and the Rugby World Cup.

Through working in not-for-profit organisations Chris can easily align to Woodhill Sands operations and support the Trust to achieve its goals working alongside our riding and local community.

Chris’ s move to the local area has enabled her to embrace all the country has to offer – hand-raising the odd lamb, building a shed or two and engaging with the neighbour’s horses while maintaining her active, sporty lifestyle including running, football and mountain biking. Woodhill Sands and our community’s support will help Chris get up to speed with the varied aspects of equestrian events, while her knowledge and experience will broaden the Trusts capacity and will add a different perspective that will challenge us to become all that we can be.

Please introduce yourself to Chris when you are next at the venue and give her a warm Woodhill Sands welcome.

08/04/2022

Trust Talk is a news update from the Woodhill Sands Trust to keep our community up to date with developments at Woodhill Sands.

Check out the full article on the News section of our website now

Trust Talk is a news update from the Woodhill Sands Trust to keep our community up to date with developments at Woodhill Sands.  In this update, we cover the changes that are taking place in our operations team and report on progress with the resource consent application. We are in recruitment mode...

16/03/2022

Please share this across your networks.

The Woodhill Sands Trust is a charitable trust established by the equestrian sports community to purchase and operate the Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre (WSEC). The Trust exists to enhance and grow the riding community in Auckland and its surrounds and has owned and operated WSEC since October 201...

16/03/2022

MESSAGE FROM THE WOODHILL SANDS TRUST BOARD ABOUT CHANGES TO OUR TEAM

The Trust exists to enhance and grow the riding community in Auckland and its surrounds. Woodhill Sands was acquired by the Trust in 2017 to ensure community ownership of this vitally important venue. We are very appreciative of everyones support and contribution to the operation of Woodhill Sands over the 4 plus years of Trust ownership.

The Trust wanted to let our community know of an upcoming change in the Woodhill Sands team.

When the Trust acquired Woodhill Sands, we were extremely fortunate that Angela Nobilo was willing to continue her involvement in the running of Woodhill Sands. Angela had worked alongside Chris and Shelley Ross in establishing the venue, and she joined us as Venue Manager. This enabled a smooth transition to venue operation under Trust ownership and we are truly thankful to her for making this transition.

Since that time, she has led a team of people who support the equestrian activities at Woodhill Sands. For many venue users she is the key point of contact and she is truly regarded as the face of Woodhill Sands. She has worked tirelessly and devoted herself to the success of Woodhill Sands for many years and has been a champion of the venue within the sport and riding communities.

Angela has decided the time is now right for her to step down and move on from her role at Woodhill Sands. We will miss her greatly.

Angela leaves behind big shoes to fill. Over the next weeks, the team will be focusing on putting in place systems and people to minimise any disruption and continue with our show calendar, to ensure we maintain a Woodhill Sands experience that is attractive to riders and user groups. Rest assured that while things might look a little different, we will all be working to ensure that for you it is business as usual with the common goal of providing Woodhill Sands for the future of our sport.

If you have any questions about our operations or upcoming shows, please contact Jenette Bell, Trust Manager on [email protected] or by phone on 027 2655 813.

It is with heartfelt thanks that we will say goodbye to Angela at the end of this month, and we wish her all the best for her next endeavours. We hope she remains connected to Woodhill Sands and is a frequent visitor.

On behalf of the Woodhill Sands Trust Board
Kathryn Roberts
Chair