Waitangi Park Plan Gets Thumbs Up From Council

13 May 2003

The Chaffers development will result in a multi-purpose recreation area that will have features unique to New Zealand and world-class in their design, says Wellington Waterfront chair Fran Wilde.

Speaking today, following the Wellington City Council’s Waterfront Development Subcommittee decision last night to sign off on the plans, Wilde said that as well as catering for 21st century needs and beyond, one of the most exciting aspects of the design was the incorporation of a wetland that will bring back to the surface the Waitangi Stream, which has been piped underground for well over a century.

“The Waitangi stream and the lagoon at its mouth were used extensively by Maori for fishing. The first English settlers here planned to dig a canal along the path of the stream to anchor boats in the Basin Lagoon upstream towards Newtown. However, the 1855 earthquake, which raised land levels by about five feet in that vicinity, put paid to all those activities and plans, and within a short time reclamation and underground piping had begun,” she said.

“The new park will recreate a small scale wetland that will not only bring back to life the history of the site, but provide a unique conservation tool that will clean local storm water and recycle it for on-site irrigation, decrease the possibility of street flooding in the area, ensure a cleaner harbour edge, create bio-diversity and be powered by wind and solar energy.”

“This is a remarkable concept, utilising leading edge water-sensitive and urban design skills from both New Zealand and Australia,” said Wilde. “However, not only is this park a leading edge environmental project, but it also provides a wide array of specific areas for Wellingtonians, from the most active such as skateboarders to those who prefer to just sit in the sun, without any of these activities interfering with the others.”

Designed by Megan Wraight and John Hardwick Smith of Wraight Athfield Landscape Architects Ltd, the park includes the following key features as well as the wetland:

• An “activity zone” around the edge of the park, zoned for different uses (including, bouldering, street ball and skateboarding) but flexible enough to cater for new uses as they emerge
• Two specific Maori ceremonial areas – a calling tower and a location for powhiri – as well as the waka landing place where the wetland empties into the harbour
• A children’s play area, which meets all requirements in terms of safety and surveillance, while providing creative opportunities for children of all ages
• A tree-shaded site for the weekend market, which will also have some covered space for wet days
• Distinctive “garden” areas including the Chinese Garden, the Pacific Garden and the Wind Garden
• A large central open field equipped with infrastructure such as power and sewerage connections to enable sizeable events to take place there
• A range of art and interpretive material that recognises the history of the site

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast says: 'Chaffers Park now has the go-ahead which is great news for all Wellingtonians. We have Oriental Bay and next, as the plans show, we will have a park on our Waterfront to rival any other in the country. It is an important feature in our Creative Wellington - Innovation Capital strategy. It is a creative design response and apart from being a place to relax and enjoy ourselves in, will play an important role in the economic life of the city.”

In keeping with historic significance of the area and the re-emergence of the Waitangi Stream, the Council is considering a suggestion by local iwi, the Tenths Trust, to rename the area Waitangi Park.

A Public Open Day is to be held between 10am and 3pm on the 4th Floor of the Herd Street Post & Telegraph building on Saturday 24 May. People interested in finding out more about the scheme can view an updated architectural model of the scheme, plans and other illustrative materials throughout the day. In depth presentations will take place at 11.30am and 1.30pm on the day.

The next stage of the development process is the preparation of applications for resource consents, which are expected to begin in July 2003.

Ends