Share the Park campaign kicks off

A campaign to reopen The Sculpture Park at Waitakaruru Arboretum as a public park is underway.
The 17.5ha park, rehabilitated from a disused quarry over the last 26 years, has been a popular art exhibition space, and recreation area since the first sculpture exhibition was staged in 2003.

Owners John and Dorothy Wakeling believe the future of the park, 15km east of Hamilton, lies in sharing the park without charging entry fees, provided the cost of maintaining the park can be covered. They want visitors to enjoy a unique, natural environment, see the results of a challenging and successful rehabilitation project now sequestering atmospheric carbon, and have an arts-in-nature experience.

It is a valuable community asset created from a wasteland and the Wakelings are keen for the park and the biodiversity that it nurtures to be secured for future generations.

A crowd funding campaign has been launched on the arts fundraising website http://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/share-the-sculpture-park hoping to raise the necessary funds for an independent assessments of the park’s ongoing maintenance and health and safety needs. These impartial reports will be necessary to inform potential sponsors of their likely financial commitment and also document the degree of public support for the park to be more accessible

“We believe there could be a number of options for sponsors ranging from a licence to occupy the park to a business proposition such as a conference centre,” said Dorothy Wakeling.

To remind people what the park has to offer, the park will be open to the public without charge over the three days of Auckland Anniversary weekend and on Waitangi Day from 10am to 5pm.

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