Gerry Hodgson’s Invited Opinion Piece

[All contactable candidates for the 2024 Tauranga election were invited to supply CityWatch NZ with an opinion piece.]

When I was a member of the Tauranga City Council years ago I took and interest in Kopurererua Valley of which Cambridge Park was a small part.
The valley was a sad vestige of former farming. It is a wet-land mostly so the TCC bought up the land to turn it into a regional park.

My interest was to plant small forests of native trees in this area to act as Carbon Capture, Recreation, Education, Health and as a significant example of Urban Design.

Cambridge Park however has had even sadder history in that it was the city tip for many years. The TCC however closed the tip 30 years or so ago, capped it and installed an elaborate drainage system to remove toxins. A small copse exists planted on the cap and is thriving. The capped park is now just a grassland which is occasionally grazed but mostly mown on a irregular basis. There is an access road to the BMX park which is very popular.

Located deep within Tauranga it could be a beautiful asset. I am proposing this project in my current campaign to gain a seat on the new Tauranga City Council.

My desire is to turn the Park into a beautifully designed urban feature consisting of all the 350 odd native trees of New Zealand. There is about 35 hectares of space available and a ring road encircles it. Access is very good. The point of difference is the pattern of planting to be set out. A spiral “koru” system of foot paths with additional radial paths spreading out from the centre. Thus small plots are formed each one of which could be planted in a copse of a native tree species.We would invite organisations to adopt a planted copse but the overall attendance would be supplied by the TCC. I believe this would be a satisfying change to this derelict park giving new life to the area. Costs would be modest as there is no need to groundshape, or to supply access roads or the do anything except survey the pattern described, stake it out and plant at leisure.

Tauranga Round Table have expressed an interest in adopting one such plot. Rotary too are active with planting projects in the area. The Acorn Foundation already has one planted plot. There could be enthusiastic popular support for the project.

This turns a “Sow’s Ear” into a “Silk Purse” if that is not taking a metaphor too far.
I would describe this Park as an ARBORETUM.