Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā

The Wellington Botanic Garden was established in 1868 and is one of New Zealand’s oldest botanic gardens. It forms part of the Town Belt, an area of green land ringing the city, and provides residents and visitors with a place to enjoy a variety of garden displays and musical performances.

The Wellington Botanic Garden origin story begins in 1839 when the New Zealand Company instructed its company chief surveyor William Mein Smith to provide the new township with green space for recreation that has now become known as the Town Belt. This plan did not take into consideration that parts of the land were being used by Māori for kainga and clearings, and over the next thirty years appropriations and purchases saw the land change hands several times before being sold to the Wellington Provincial Council and set aside as a public park. More information of this time, including an image of Mein Smith’s Original Plan can be found in the excellent piece Wellington Botanical Gardens: An Origin Story that is available in the external links.

The Botanic Garden Act 1869 saw the establishment of the Botanical Gardens. It was originally established as a Colonial Garden to trial the introduction of overseas animals and plants to see what would thrive within New Zealand (Wellington City Council Archives, AR001-3). Although the pheasants, fowls, emus and monkeys have been relocated to the zoo, there is still evidence of the 120 conifer species trialed for use within the forestry industry, with several early examples of Pinus Radiata growing on Glenmore Slope. The establishment of the Botanic Gardens involved many individuals including James Hector, William Bramley, as well as the members of the Botanic Garden Board.

In 1891 ownership and management of the Wellington Botanic Garden transferred from the Botanic Garden Board to the Wellington City Council. This resulted in an attitude change from the public having restricted access to the gardens to a focus on opening it up for recreation and entertainment (Wellington City Council Archives, AR001-21). This can be seen in the multiple requests made to WCC dating back to 1900s for permission to host musical events. This encouraged the erection of the Band Rotunda in 1907 which was replaced by the Soundshell in 1953. From this point on over the summer months there were Sunday afternoon concerts and the occasional open-air dance. These evolved during the 1970s to the Summer City Festival, and in the 2000s the Gardens Magic Concert Series complete with Light Displays and Kids Trails.

Over the years the Botanic Garden has evolved significantly. It has grown from its original 13 acres to span more than 25 hectares. In the main garden there has been the slow removal of conifer and pine trees to make space for magnolia trees and permanent flower bed displays. There have been additions of the Sound Shell, Gazebo Summer House, and Duck Pond. In the wider garden there also new spaces such as the Herb Garden, Peace and Japanese Garden, as well as the Begonia House and Lady Norwood Rose Garden. These evolutions have been implemented under the guidance of the Directors of the Parks and Reserves Department (established in 1918 and becoming the Parks and Recreation Department in 1978). This role has included the likes of George Glenn, J. G. Mackenzie, Edward Hutt, Ian Galloway, Richard Nanson and Mike Oats.

In 2013 the Wellington Botanic Garden name was officially changed to Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā. It was gifted by Mana Whenua to Wellington City Council who proposed the name following the adoption of the Council’s Te Tauihu – Te Reo Māori Policy. The name means ‘realm or perch of the kākā’ and is a name historically associated with the area.