"Te Mata Park is a public park gifted to the people of Hawke’s Bay by the Chambers family in 1927. It’s 94 ha, and is part of the backdrop to Havelock North. The park is one of the most visited places in Hawke’s Bay: it’s where everyone takes their visitors, and there are many kilometres of walking and cycling trails throughout the park.

Ecologically the park is home to a suite of rare and endangered plants: it’s a treasure chest of interesting species, and the upper slopes are home to flaxes, chionochloa and many smaller herbs like pimelea and celmisias, some of which are only found on Te Mata Peak.

The park also has a QEII National Trust covenant over the whole title, which was registered in 1997.

Three years ago Dr Mike Lusk, who lives just down the hill from the park, set up a group called the Friends of Te Mata Park.

They meet once a month on a Saturday morning at the park, and although the friends number about 20, on average 14 turn up each month.

They carry out weed control, and plant and release and maintain plantings.

Last winter they planted Olearia furfuracea and Phormium cookianum sourced on the peak. The area they planted is fenced off with Biodiversity Condition Fund money to protect the cliff community from grazing. More of this planting is planned this winter.

They have concentrated on cotoneaster control but have also got rid of a great deal of euonymus, banana passionfruit and some hemlock.

This year they’ve pulled out a lot of the purple ragwort Senecio glastifolius which is a major threat to the cliff communities on the peak.

Mike explains why he started the group: “We use the park a lot for walking and training for tramping, and it is a nice place. I noticed that there were quite a lot of plantings done that were never looked after, and I started filling in the gaps with seedlings, and it sort of grew from there.”

“People started talking to me about it and we formed an informal group. Forest and Bird members are the mainstay of the group.”

“It really is a pleasure to be there, and there is an endless supply of stuff to do. After I retire in September I hope to spend a bit more time there.”

While other groups such as local PD workers spend a lot of time in the park on various projects, and there is significant Biodiversity Condition Fund money going into the park for weed control, the Friends of Te Mata Park make a sustained and continuing commitment to the care of the park.

They are doing a great job for the love of the park!"

Marie Taylor, QEII National Trust and Te Mata Park Trust Board (nominator)