In October 2021, Michelle Teirney sent a message to all staff, letting us know that our Memorial Grove would be moving. Work will begin this week in moving the Memorial Grove to the new site.
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata. Te kanohi kitea ka hoki ngaa mahara ka heke ngaa Roimata. Ka mihi taatou ki te Maumahara Grove.
What is the most precious taonga in the world? It is people, it is people.
The treasured memoirs of all the rangatira gathered in the memorial grove.
The existing Memorial Grove
Our Memorial Grove is on the move
The Memorial Grove site on our Mt Albert campus forms part of our land sale to the Ministry of Housing and Development (MHUD), so it will be handed over in the coming month. We’re aware of the significance of this space and over the past few months, in collaboration with stakeholders across Unitec, we have chosen a new space to establish our memorial of past staff and ākonga and this work is underway over the next month.
What is the Memorial Grove?
The Memorial Grove was set up in 1990 to remember staff and learners who have passed away. Approximately 20 trees, with accompanying memorial stones or plaques, are planted across the site near Building 48. Whānau, staff and learners have visited this beautiful place to wander amongst the trees and remember their loved ones.
A new home for the Memorial Grove
The new site for our Memorial Grove
With the latest land sale agreement, Unitec will be required to hand the Memorial Grove site over to MHUD. A team including Matua Hare Paniora, Chaplain Ricky Waters, Kaitiaki Taiao Whaea Tanya White and Head of Environmental and Animal Sciences, Dan Blanchon, has worked to identify an appropriate new site.
The new Memorial Grove will be established next to the Gate 4 carpark, which provides a grass area where trees and memorial stones can be moved to and new trees planted.
Whaea Lynda, Matua Hare and Matua Vince performing a karakia ceremony
We would like to acknowledge Matua Hare Paniora, Whaea Lynda Toki and Matua Vince Hapi who have already performed a karakia ceremony at the new site to support the preparations or site works that may need to take place in the transition process, and to prepare the whenua for future planting.
The forested area adjacent to the new space will also offer our Environmental and Animal Sciences School another outdoor teaching laboratory area where our ākonga can learn about planting and native forest regeneration.
Contacting whānau
It was important that we let whānau know about the relocation of our Memorial Grove. Our Chaplain Ricky Waters has done a great job of contacting the family members of our ākonga and kaimahi who are honoured in the Grove. If you have any specifics you would like to discuss in relation to any of the memorials or connections with the history of the Kate Sheppard Memorial plaque or time capsule please contact Ricky Waters.
Whānau will be invited to join a private karakia to farewell the old site. They have had the choice of taking their whānau member’s memorial stone with them, picking an existing tree in the new Memorial Grove space, planting a new tree, or transplanting the existing tree to a new home. There will also be an opening ceremony for the new grove, and we will be in contact with the date in the latter half of July.
We appreciate the ongoing efforts and support from Ricky Waters, Whaea Tanya White, Matua Hare Paniora, Dan Blanchon, Jaala Jacobs, Untaka Cai, Tim Waddell, and Bill Dobbin, as we have worked on the relocation of the Memorial Grove to its new home. It is an important kaupapa and we are thankful that such a collaborative, considerate group has given this mahi the respect it deserves.
Memorials
• Andries Jacobus du Plessis 2017
• Beth O’Leary 2014
• Dayla Rahman 2008
• Deborah Faaiuaso 2018
• Fran Baker 2009
• Frances Claire Tait 2016
• Jackie Arbury 2013
• Klaus Buhr 2014
• Maina Wearne-Jones 1997
• Marara Waters 2011
• Naomi Firebrace 2009
• Priscilla June Taylor 2018
• Sara-Jane Sadler 2009
• Tomasi Lepa 2001
• Tony Ashton 2008
• Michele Spijkerbosch 2018
• Shaun Holme 2005
• Ravi Bhat 2018
• Bradley Cameron 2009
• Ken Newlands 2021
Hi there, is there any chance that the smaller trees in the old memorial area can be transplanted elsewhere on campus or at the new site? It would be a terrible waste if they were bulldozed.
Kia Ora Karen, Thanks for your question. We have a number of under ground services that run through that area that mean that we cannot dig up and transfer all the trees. Those that we are able to do will be transferred to the new grove. Nga Mihi, Jaala
Morena,
What about the women’s garden where capsules were laid with stories of the women working at Unitec in the 1990’s.The women’s garden area is/was at the T intersection corner opposite the marae – on same side as building 48 and opposite what was the Blues training ground but more recently the covid exercise area for people in isolation back in 2020/2021
I was one of those women asked to write about life in the 1990s at Unitec etc for future finders of the capsule/s found . That sounds like now ?
Nga mihi
Linda (Kestle)
Morena Linda, thanks for your email and comments here. it is great to find someone with details and history on this. I will call you today to arrange a time to look at the area with you. Thanks, Jaala
And further to Linda comment, the garden was designed by Dr Rod Barnett, landscape architect and academic who established the landscape architecture degree at Unitec
Thanks Matthew. l’ll give you a call to find out anymore detail for Rod
The other day I happened to see a plaque for our late valued colleague and Unitec stalwart Ken Newlands over by the tall Protea (or Banksia?) tree in the carpark beside Building 111 – the one partly occupied at present by those working on B108. It didn’t seem to be installed there.
Thanks Caroline. The plaque has been moved and is on its way up to the memorial grove.
Thanks Jaala for the update. Very good news.
Thanks for the update, Jaala. Very good news.