Frederick Street Park

The park will be a small green oasis that reminds us of the former use of this area; both as the historic kāinga and cultivation lands of Te Aro Pā, but also the later Chinatown of Wellington from the early 1900s. The park aims to be a space that continues to uphold its role in the coming together of communities, and a place of belonging, with acknowledgement of the layered histories tied to this whenua.

The project embraces mana whenua values, cultural narratives and collaboration with a local Chinese artist, to reflect the site’s historical significance, with views that the present landscape is dynamic and alive, with layered cultural meanings created over time through connections with the environment.

As a māra (garden), the park has limited hard surfaces, with the provision of an open lawn area, garden beds and rain gardens. Planting is focused on the use of natives, with some planting strategically chosen to clean the whenua and uphold kaitiakitanga in areas of known contamination from former storage of oil tanks on site.

Rain gardens and passive irrigation of garden beds on site help to manage site stormwater and reduce impacts on the stormwater system. While these features have a functional purpose, which captures and cleans carriageway surface water from Taranaki Street, one of the city's worse polluted catchments; the design also aims to bring visibility to the movement of wai through and into these rain garden systems. It also acknowledges Te Aro Pā’s historic form of the terraced landscape between Pukeahu and the harbour, that enabled the natural irrigation of cultivation lands.

The design retains a significant planted green buffer along the edge of Taranaki Street, creating separation from the six lanes of traffic and bus movements of the street. The design offers various seating opportunities and a large communal table. This accommodates gathering and group interaction, with the inclusion of informal play elements and formal activity areas to foster connection. Seating has been placed along the edge of Taranaki Street in line with the head of the existing bus stop in support of waiting bus patrons.

A key theme of ‘Te Mara’ (The Garden) represents the fertile land and water sources used by mana whenua to grow large productive gardens to feed the people. With reference to the foundations of Whārikitia te Whenua (woven mat of the land), designs acknowledge the historic cultivation lands, traditional Māori tools and kumara plantations as cultural components featured in the design.

Taputapu whenua (traditional Māori gardening tools such as Ko and Teka) are referenced in the design of a tomokanga (gateway) located on Taranaki Street and translates mana whenua values such as manaakitanga (to embrace, to care, to welcome) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) into visual sculptural elements.

The placement of the tomokanga on Taranaki Street, stands at the edge of the historic walking path of tangata whenua between Island Bay and the harbour. Rau Kūmara patterns (traditional style of kūmara pattern found in kōwhaiwhai) will be integrated into the landscape, alongside the development of a hiki (whāriki seam/join) pattern that will represent the binding of the two cultures, Māori and Chinese, illustrating their shared connections to this area of Te Aro.

Artist Kerry Ann Lee a third generation Chinese New Zealander has been working with the team on site layout and integration of design features that reflect the Chinese community's significance and connection to this site.

Frederick Street and nearby Haining Street are recognised as the site of Wellington’s historic Chinatown.  Known as Tong Yan Gaai, the area was an important cultural, social and commercial centre for the Chinese community.

A moon gate structure is proposed at the Frederick Street entrance to the park. This acknowledges traditional Chinese garden architectural forms and links to notions of Matariki and the lunar cycles that influenced cultivation. The form of the moon gate is physically woven through the whenua, becoming more elaborate in the form of a ‘knot’ structure located centrally within the park design.

This ‘knot’ structure with its function offering formal adult exercise and informal play for children, reflects the important role this area had in the Chinese community as a place of belonging, community gathering, and activity. Acknowledging the past, present and future of this site.

“Let the people again knot cords and use them in place of writing to preserve the memory of things.”– Tao Te Ching, C. 400BCE

• Background of the area (15.42KB DOCX)
• Frederick Street engagement boards August 2023 (1.55MB PDF)
• Frederick Street Park pre-engagement findings July 2023 (4.70MB PDF)
• Frederick Street Park concept plan information boards (19.75MB PDF)
• Concept design engagement report (1.69MB PDF)