By Caroline Williams of 
Ngataringa Park in Devonport is in a sorry state after the grass was mown two days after Auckland was hit by torrential rain. Photo: STUFF / Jason Dorday
Brows are furrowed in the leafy Auckland suburb of Devonport, after a council contractor's decision to mow a sodden park left it looking "ploughed".
The once green fields of Ngataringa Park were left striped with muddy depressions after the park was mowed on Thursday and Friday, two days after torrential rain caused flooding in parts of the region.
When locals questioned why the grass was being mown on Thursday, Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairperson Toni van Tonder passed on their concerns to the council.
However on Friday, Stuff spotted a contractor mowing again.
The ride-on mower left deep, muddy tyre tracks in the grass around the skate park.
Van Tonder said it "beggars belief" why contractor Landscape Solutions had decided to mow "sodden" grass.
"They [the park grounds] are so wet underfoot, you cannot walk on the grass at all."
Devonport's closest MetService rain gauge is in the city. It recorded 94.2mm of rain on Tuesday.
The lawn mowing was reported to Auckland Council on Thursday, however contractors returned on Friday to finish the job. Photo: STUFF / Jason Dorday
Ngataringa Park, a former landfill, is notorious for having drainage issues as the ground is unsuitable for planting trees to help absorb water.
Van Tonder visited the park on Friday morning and said much of the grass had already been "ploughed" on Thursday.
"It doesn't make sense. Obviously someone has failed to execute good judgement."
Van Tonder was disappointed to learn contractors had returned later on Friday to carry on mowing.
"What a shocker," she said in a text, which included a facepalm emoji.
In a statement, head of area operations Julie Pickering said council was aware of the damage to the park and was working with contractors to find out what had happened.
Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairperson Toni van Tonder said the contractor had displayed poor judgement in deciding to mow the "sodden" grass. Photo: STUFF / Jason Dorday
"Mower operators are to use their own judgement when it comes to mowing in wet conditions, and it is disappointing to see that an operator did not wait for the grounds to dry out before mowing.
"We thank the community for their patience as we work through our next steps to determine what works are needed to restore the grounds."
When told the contractor was still mowing at the time that Pickering issued the statement, a council spokesperson was baffled.
"We don't know why this operator is back out there today."
Stuff attempted to approach the lawn mower operator, however he moved to a different area of the park when he saw he was being photographed.
A manager at Landscape Solutions declined comment.
This story was originally published on Stuff.
