Two blocks of land and buildings at the school site in Tenby St were put on the market last month by the ministry. Tenders for those properties close this Thursday. A third block, containing most of the Warren St floodlit synthetic turf used by the hockey club, has been bought by Ngai Tahu, which had first right of refusal as part of the standard disposal process for Crown-owned property.
The balance of the turf courts sits within a small block of land which was surveyed off by the ministry last year for retention and expansion of the neighbouring Aspiring Beginnings Early Learning Centre.
A ministry spokesman confirmed yesterday the 3036sq m block containing the greater part of the turf courts was sold to Ngai Tahu unconditionally on April 20 for $785,000 plus GST if any, with settlement to occur on June 1.
Upper Clutha Hockey Club coach Sue Telford said the club was advised by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) a week ago that the property had sold and the council-owned floodlights at the turf had to be removed by the settlement date, as instructed by the vendor.
The news was "a real shock".
"We're going to be left high and dry . . . we just can't let it go.
"There's got to be another venue where we can go," she said.
"We are determined to hold on to this [sold] site until we can find alternative options."
Other sports clubs which used the turf, including football, tennis and mini-basketball, would be affected by the sale too.
An artificial turf area for hockey and other sports is included in plans for the Wanaka Sports Facility at the Three Parks subdivision, but construction is still some time away.
Mrs Telford is working with the QLDC on finding a solution in the interim and has called for feedback from the 100-strong hockey club.
Retaining use of the turf until the end of the competitive hockey season in August, or even until resource consents were issued and development started on the sold land, was one possibility the club hoped could be negotiated.
The ministry spokesman said the QLDC had been advised by the ministry's disposal agent, Darroch Ltd, to "make arrangements with Ngai Tahu regarding the Clutha Hockey Club's continued use of the artificial turf on the land beyond settlement date".
QLDC community services general manager Paul Wilson declined to comment on possible alternative arrangements at this stage.
Mrs Telford said relocating the floodlights to turfs at Wanaka Primary School or Lake Hawea was another option, but neither of those pitches was big enough to accommodate all the club's training requirements. Travelling to a turf in Cromwell was prohibitive in terms of cost and availability and Wanaka's rugby grounds also had availability issues.
"But beggars can't be choosers, really."
Constructing the turf at the Three Parks sporting facility ahead of schedule and shifting the lights there was the ideal scenario, despite there being no infrastructure in place at the site yet.
"I don't care if we have to four-wheel-drive to get there,"
Mrs Telford said.
