John MacDonald: Filling golf course holes with concrete isn't clever

Author: John MacDonald,
Publish Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2026, 12:47pm

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The Pegasus Resort and 18-hole championship golf club in North Canterbury. Photo / Supplied

What were the people at Wolfbrook Property Group thinking when they decided to fill the holes at the Pegasus Golf Course with concrete?

As if they haven’t put enough noses out of joint with their plan to build houses on the site. They’ve now gone and rubbed those noses in the dirt with this carry-on, which one resident is describing today as childish.

And I completely agree.

Yes, I get it that this land is now theirs. I get it that it’s not a public facility. In fact, as the company itself is pointing out, it’s never been a public facility.

And yes, therefore, the public does not - technically - have any right to use it. But what a stupid thing to do.

I don’t have a problem with the company buying the land and wanting to develop it. The golf club at Pegasus went under, Wolfbrook bought the land and it’s theirs. I’m good with all that.

I’m not comfortable, though, with the company using the Government’s fast-track legislation to try and get things happening sooner rather than later.

Fast-tracking it would be bad for something so controversial. Because people need to feel they’ve, at least, had their say and I don’t think that would happen if it was fast-tracked.

And, even though I don’t have a problem with Wolfbrook wanting to turn the golf course into housing, I think they need to calm the farm and pull their heads in.

Because filling the golf course holes with concrete isn’t going to get anyone on their side.

As one Pegasus resident is saying today: "It's sort of pettiness. If they want to protect their brand and if they want to have a good name with their investors, I would have thought they'd be encouraging us to play and perhaps look after the golf course in the meantime until this is sorted out legally."

Couldn’t agree more.

Because it’s not as if the developers want or need to protect the golf course.

As soon as they get it approved, they’ll be moving in with the diggers and trucks and ripping the whole thing up.

So they’re not trying to maintain some sort of pristine facility.

And so what if the people at Pegasus want to use it in the meantime? The company is saying today that, as the owners of the land, they’re the ones paying for its upkeep.

Which, as I say, I get.

But this is not any old piece of land. It’s a piece of land that the people who live at Pegasus believe - wrongly, I think - should stay as it is forever.

The company was buying enough of a fight in the first place. It’s now ramped that up with this behaviour which, quite rightly, is being described as childish.

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