Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park Pukekohe Upgrade

In collaboration with mana whenua, the Franklin Local Board, Auckland Council, and the community, Eke Panuku is upgrading historic Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park to meet the needs of a growing and more diverse Pukekohe. By improving local community assets like the park, more investment in residential and commercial development can happen, while maintaining what makes it special.

In July 2022 the Franklin Local Board approved the concept plan and provided guidance on what it wanted to see in the detailed design.

When complete in mid-2025, Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park will feature:

• Improved play facilities to cater for a wider age range.
• Barbecue & picnic facilities.
• More and improved seating.
• Improved and additional walkways so people with prams and wheelchairs are able to access all parts of the park.
• Mana whenua gifted mahitoi (artwork) incorporated into the design.
• Perimeter fencing with low hedgerow planting creating a green safety barrier between the park and the roads.
• A wide loop path for all weather access.
• Three new carparks on East Street.
• Statement entranceway.

About Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park

Situated at the corner of Pukekohe’s East Street and Stadium Drive, the park currently features a playground, a toilet block, a historic cottage, and a war memorial.  The park’s facilities are difficult to access and underutilised, requiring investment to provide locals and visitors with outdoor fun, exercise and relaxation experiences.

What does Te Pae Mahara mean?

The name Te Pae Mahara was gifted by mana whenua and translates to “the area of memories”, referencing the many battles and wars that happened within the Pukekohe area and further afield.

This park was gifted as a war memorial park commemorating the fallen of WW1, and although not all supported war efforts, this represents a moment in time where New Zealanders fought side by side for a single cause. We also acknowledged that here in Aotearoa New Zealand we have not been exempt from conflict, with the Pukekohe and adjacent areas subject to significant turmoil during the New Zealand Wars (1845 to 1872) through to the 1960’s. In acknowledgment of this, elements referencing WW1 and contextual New Zealand War narrative have been included in design.

The Upgrade 

Upgrading Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park and making it more accessible was signalled in late 2019 via the Unlock Pukekohe High Level Project Plan – “Kia Puawai a Pukekohe”.  Achieving this would require collaboration between Eke Panuku, the Franklin Local Board, mana whenua, Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and the Pukekohe community.

Extensive community and stakeholder consultation on the future shape of the park was carried out early in 2022 which informed the final design.

The cultural context

Mana whenua have played a direct role in the park’s design. Hui with Te Waiohua roopuu were held to present community feedback, develop the design at each key stage, and develop the cultural narrative. Ngaati Tamaoho were nominated as kaitiaki (guardian) for the project and led a hiikoi to enable Eke Panuku to better understand the cultural significance of the area. Te Waiohua roopuu nominated the mana whenua ringatoi (artists) who have developed the mahi toi (artwork) to be integrated into the design.

The Franklin Historical Society and Valley School have also provided valuable assistance to ensure the design meets the needs of all park users.

Better Access

Access to the park was identified as a significant barrier to enjoyment. The park is bordered by major arterial roadways that are expected to get even busier as Pukekohe grows. The East Street/Stadium Drive and Massey Drive/King Street/Manukau Road/Stadium Drive intersections connect the park to the town centre and are also uncontrolled. Crossing these intersections to get to the park is a safety challenge for pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities, or with young children.

Eke Panuku has partnered with Auckland Transport to have these intersections controlled with traffic lights.  This allows for crossing signals at both intersections greatly improving:

• Pedestrian safety and convenience for people accessing the park.
• Traffic flows and overall wait times from each direction.
• Pedestrian access to the town centre and the bus and train interchange.

Pehipehi Takaro – the designing of the playspace

The Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa (New Zealand wars) were a series of mid-19th-century campaigns involving Māori and British colonial forces. The most sustained and widespread campaign was the clash between the British Empire and the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement) in the 1860’s and 1870’s.

A key factor in the advancement of British forces was the construction of the Great South Road. This was effectively a military road for the transport of supply and munitions to Queens Redoubt (Pokeno) and subsequent base for the invasion of British forces into the Waikato. 

Iwi at Tuhimata, Tuitahi and Maketu pā recognized the importance of this road to British forces, and in defence of their rangatiratanga and mana, resolved to disrupt the construction of the road and supply chain of resources to the south.

The raiding parties (marau) were infamous to British forces, and this is reflected in the naming of Ambush Road amongst other terms for the stretch of road from Drury to Pokeno (Queens Redoubt). 

It is noted that the existing cottage on site was relocated from Martins Farm and therefore has a direct connection to Tuhimata pā site, occupation and iwi resistance. 

Elements symbolic of historic occupation and ambush are woven into the playspace through communication, hiding spots, snares or webs, chasing, jumping and catching. Pā architecture is also acknowledge through terraced maunga (mountain), Puwhara (lookout) towers, peke (jumping) sites, manukawhati agility walk, and playspace surfacing.

What’s not included

• Some people wanted ways to play with water in the park, and while we agree that would be fun, it would require digging up some of the old trees to put in pipes and drains, and we want to avoid that where we can.
• When we began engaging on this project we included the skate park in our plans. In order to complete this project within current budgets and in an efficient time frame, and after consultation with the community, we have decided to focus on Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park for this upgrade, and will continue to think about ways in which we can upgrade the skate park in the future.

What we heard from you

Community engagement involved face to face events, online feedback and town centre displays. The feedback revealed three dominant themes, access, safety and security, and inclusiveness.: The feedback we received was used in developing the final design and upgrade elements.