Te Mata Park master plan launched
‘Unified vision’ and fund set path for next 50 years
Te Mata Park Trust launched its Nga¯ T¯ıpuna Masterplan strategy and endowment fund at an event at Peak House this week, sharing a “unified vision” for the future of Te Mata Park.
Nga¯ T¯ıpuna: Our Ancestors, Our Maunga, Our Journey, lays out a strategic vision to protect and enhance Hawke’s Bay’s most iconic land mass for future generations. The strategy formalises the objectives and principles for the park and sets out key projects over the next 50 years. They include a 50-year native restoration planting plan, infrastructure strategies, and enhancement of educational resources.
Mike Devonshire, chairman of Te Mata Park Trust, said, “Nga¯ T¯ıpuna sets the direction for Te Mata Park Trust, providing a framework for us to achieve our objectives, aid decision-making and manage a co-ordinated programme of works.”
Developed in consultation with the Te Mata Park Trust Mana Whenua roopu, the initiative is firmly grounded in the history of Te Mata, enabling the trust and key stakeholders to look to the future with a “collective purpose”.
Bayden Barber, chairman of Nga¯ti Kahungunu Iwi Inc and former Te Mata Park trustee, said, “Nga¯ T¯ıpuna was developed in partnership with mana whenua. It’s about looking forward for the next 100 years and thinking about how we use Te Mata Park, and what we want our relationship with the park to be.”
The development of the strategy comes at a time when demand on the park is high.
“Community demand for access and the trust’s commitment to its kaitiaki role were catalysts for the creation of Nga¯ T¯ıpuna. The trust is committed to protecting this integral piece of Hawke’s Bay’s cultural and physical landscape,” Devonshire said.
Alongside the new strategy, the trust also officially launched the Nga¯ T¯ıpuna Fund, an endowment fund managed by Hawke’s Bay Foundation.
The move ushers in a more financially sustainable future for Te Mata Park, one of the six key aims of the Nga¯ T¯ıpuna strategy.