An 80-year wish to see a 52ha site in the industrial suburb of East Tāmaki be used as a public park has come a step closer.
In 1932, Mrs Sarah Lushington (nee Styak) gifted the land to the council to be used as a park.
Despite Mrs Lushington's wish, the land languished as a quarry and landfill until 2005.
But on Wednesday 14 December 2016, three of her descendants were among those to witness one of the last loads of topsoil delivered to the site.
They were Mrs Lushington's great-great-great-niece and nephew Terrie and Bil Hawley and another Styak/Lushington descendant, Lorenzo Canal.
The event signals a major milestone in Howick Local Board's plans to transform the land into a park over the next few years.
Managing Director of EnviroNZ Gary Saunders says the company’s 11-year project to restore the site has been done with respect for the past and excitement for the future.
“We are very mindful of the Ngai Tai Ki Tāmaki tribe’s historic guardianship and involvement here, as well as the generous bequest to the local council by the Lushington estate in 1932.
“Now, as we see Howick Local Board take the leading role in the land’s development into a place for everyone, EnviroNZ feels very proud to have been part of that process."
"Our commemorative gift to the people of East Tāmaki to mark today’s milestone is $10,000 worth of trees to enhance the park,” says Mr Saunders.
Howick Local Board will continue with its plan to develop the site into a public park. It will include play areas, walking and cycle paths, native planting and features to enhance the landscape and celebrate its history.
“This place has come a long way in recent years, and the board is excited about the prospect of being able to transform the land into a public space for everyone to enjoy – including the many people who work in the Greenmount and East Tāmaki area,” says Howick Local Board chair David Collings.
Mr Collings paid tribute to the collaborative nature of the project with the local community and the Styak/Lushington family working alongside Howick Local Board, Auckland Council, Panuku Development Auckland, Ngai Tai Ki Tāmaki and EnviroNZ.
The park will open to the public in stages as funding allows.
About the site
The former quarry site in East Tāmaki was decommissioned as a landfill in 2005. Since then it has been restored to close to its original landform through an extensive fill operation.
Once remedial works are complete, the site will consist of a 70m high grassed dome with a flat peak. This peak has unique and spectacular 360-degree views of Auckland.
