7 August 2012

Mt Cook Mobilised applauds govt decision to trench Buckle St

Mt Cook Mobilised applauds the Government’s visionary decision to trench Buckle St, as announced by the Prime Minister on 7 August 2012. This will create a Memorial Park of the highest standard, a fitting place for memorials from other nations, and will enhance the National War Memorial’s existing commemorative ambience.

“Having the road right in front of the National War Memorial has always been a less-thanideal arrangement,” says Peter Cooke, Mt Cook Mobilised spokesperson. “Dropping the road underground will make for a much better park — more conducive to people visiting and using the park. It will also be safer for Mt Cook residents who walk or cycle to work or who attend Mt Cook School.”

This will also confirm Wellington’s central place in the national commemoration of the First World War.

The centenary of its outbreak — 2014 – will be 50 years exactly since the last major memorial structure was built at Mt Cook, the Hall of Memories, which was added to the National War Memorial in 1964.

Mt Cook Mobilised was formed in part over concerns about the original plans for Memorial Park. “Five years ago we worried about the road; now we don’t have to,” Peter Cooke said.

“The Minister for Arts, Culture & Heritage Hon Chris Finlayson is to be commended for having the foresight to hold on to an ideal and not settle for second-best.”

ENDS

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