Gardening with Gael - Mangawhai's changing landscape

 

We arrived back in Mangawhai to a big change in the landscape. The wildling pines and the gum trees which made up the forested area of Mangawhai Park had all been cut down. In the middle I could see a huge pile of mulch ready to be used. The suddenness of the work seemed to surprise many people. The best action seemed to be to find out what was happening.

I remember in the late 70s when this land was bought for use as a park. It was around the same time as the Causeway was put through linking the Village to the Heads. I remember Paul Speedy carefully growing and planting the Norfolk Island pines which grow either side of the Causeway creating a corridor and providing a prominent feature. At the time many people (myself included) would have preferred pohutukawas but Paul planted the Norfolks and they have grown into statuesque trees and provide a wonderful entrance to the Heads area.

In the late 70s the Cullen family planted the gums and they grew rapidly. During the 80s, under a Government PEP (Project Employment Programme) Scheme to encourage people on the dole to work, groups tackled the gorse and other weeds growing in the area.

About 2010 there was a public consultation to develop a plan for the park. Jim Wintle, chairman of the Friends of the Park remembers the plan to redevelop using natives and incorporating green spaces for public use and is looking forward to the implementation of the Plan. Chairman of the Governing Body, Anna Curnow explained the reasons for the scale and speed of the tree removal.

At present there is funding from Central Government under an accelerated works package, the Tai Tokerau Redeployment scheme. The improvements to Mangawhai Park are part of this scheme. As with most funding there is a time limit on the availability. Normally the tree removal would have been progressive as the redevelopment took place. With the funding accessible it made sense to implement the first stage of removing the wildling pines, many of which were damaged, and the gums which were also becoming brittle, opening the area ready to implement the plan.

At present radiata pines are being removed along with pest plants, e.g.wattle. The plan includes green spaces, native bush areas and a shared pathway. There is a short time-frame for planting for this year and they hope to get some plants in the ground as soon as possible, including native trees in the gully behind the skatepark. This year’s trees and shrubs will have the chance to become established before the next big planting project.

Natives grow surprisingly quickly. The border of natives on the side of the road of the park is now well established. I remember, before the causeway went through, the stands of manuka in the area and the blush of the pink manuka which my sisters and I loved. I am hoping pink manuka will be part of the planting plan. There are some healthy specimens down by the Domain. The plan is to use plants from this area and manuka provides a great nursery climate in which other natives thrive.