Te Waimana o Turitea: Paving the way for sustainability and education in the heart of Palmerston North

Te Kete Aroha Massey University Foundation is proud to announce an exciting new initiative that will transform the 4.5-kilometre stretch of land along Palmerston North’s Turitea Stream into an innovative, world-first environmental and educational park. This visionary project, named Te Waimana o Turitea, will serve as a lasting legacy for future generations and a living laboratory for environmental, plant and soil science.

The Foundation is embarking on a fundraising campaign to support the first stage of this groundbreaking park, which will be a dynamic space for research, education and recreation. The project is set to solidify Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University as a global leader in sustainability and environmental research, while enhancing the health of the Turitea Stream, students and staff and providing a valuable resource to the local community and beyond.

Foundation Development Director Mitch Murdoch says the garden will provide a much-needed pathway for rangatahi into higher education.

“It will showcase the cutting-edge research and real-world solutions that Massey University is contributing to the environmental challenges of our time, such as water pollution, flooding and sustainable agriculture.”

A unique educational pathway

Te Waimana o Turitea will offer a literal pathway for students into higher education, showcasing the university’s expertise in agriculture, horticulture, design, environmental science and more. The park will serve as an open-air classroom, highlighting research in areas such as ecology, flood mitigation, water quality and food production. It will also provide the local community and international visitors with a unique space for recreation and learning, all while contributing to the broader conversation about sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The first stage of development is planned for completion in time for the university’s centenary celebrations in 2027.

The project has already garnered strong support from the tangata whenua Rangitāne o Manawatū and Palmerston North City Council (PNCC), with whom Massey is working in partnership to ensure the cultural and ecological integrity of the park.

Tanenuiarangi Manawatū Ropu Tumaki Danielle Harris says, “The Turitea Stream and surrounding areas are an integral part of the tangata whenua rohe and we have been working for a number of years to restore it to its rightful mana and feel this exciting project will only enhance that journey for the benefit of current and future generations, providing a place of learning, reflection, environmental sustainability and recreation.”

Mayor of Palmerston North Grant Smith says, “Council has chosen to make a one-off grant to Massey University for this project, following a submission to our Long Term Plan in 2021. The funding is for the development of the landscape designs. We believe this project will become an important destination for people of all ages, from students to families and conservationists. It will contribute to the region’s reputation as a vibrant, sustainable community while providing critical research and educational opportunities for generations to come.”

A hub for education, research and conservation

Te Waimana o Turitea is more than just a park; it’s a vision for a sustainable future. As a research-led garden it will feature diverse plantings, including native and exotic species, and will be used to study and demonstrate the regeneration of native forest ecosystems. The park will also become an essential teaching resource for schools and students, particularly those in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and plant science, addressing the growing need for skilled professionals in these critical industries.

Senior Lecturer in Plant Science Dr Vaughan Symonds will be playing a key role in the development of the garden. He says the trail will be good for the ecosystem and for staff, students and the wider community.

A staged development plan

Te Waimana o Turitea will be developed in stages, with the first phase being the Filtration Garden. This initial phase will include a 1.6-kilometre pathway, boardwalks and several research gardens, all designed to engage the public and provide space for educational programmes.

Future stages of the park will include areas like Te Ara Ranganui, a treetop walkway telling the stories of Rangi and Papa, and the Arboretum, which will be transformed into a multifunctional space for education and recreation. Each stage will be designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing landscape, providing both practical and symbolic connections to Massey’s broader sustainability goals.

The university will work closely with Rangitāne o Manawatū to embed in the garden stories that are important to tangata whenua and our region. There are opportunities to teach Rangitāne history, to showcase Māori art and culture, investigate the healing power of traditional Māori plants, and most importantly to teach kaitiaki of the land.

Zone One: the Filtration Garden

The filtration zone has a high research and teaching impact and can be entered from several access points. It will form the first 'loop' walkway extending from He Ara Kotahi to the Urban Eels platform, along Poultry Farm Road and back to He Ara Kotahi.

This area has already been cleared of willow. Adding an approximate 1.6km pathway and boardwalk over the restored wetland areas will allow the public to access the area, which will be planted in natives and have approximately four research gardens built along the path with a teaching platform to allow large groups of students to gather alongside the stream.

The heartline path will then be extended beyond the filtration zone through the garden along Turitea Stream to Old West Road allowing pedestrian and cycle access through the entire space – creating a myriad of different opportunities and paths for visitors and allowing other gardens to be built off the path as funding becomes available.

Zone Two: Te Ara Ranganui

Te Ara Ranganui is the proposed second zone that the university would like to progress. This garden joins the filtration zone and is a treetop walkway which ascends 30 metres from the historic Craiglockhart building through a stand of (approximately) 100-year-old Kahikatea down into Te Mara Papatānūka; a walled garden which will display taonga from all around the motu. The walkway can be experienced on several different levels: it will give students and visitors access to the different canopy layers in the Kahikatea, it will tell the story of Rangi and Papa, it can be experienced purely as a high-level walkway, or it can be enjoyed as an architectural structure and artwork.

The walkway offers potential to be lit during Puanga and tell this significant story. It also serves as a platform to view Ranganui and the rising Puanga star. The area is likely to be a major attraction for schools and groups from the local area and attract environmental tourists and day-trippers.

Zone Three: The arboretum

The existing arboretum will be transformed with several amphitheatres that can be used as teaching platforms or as stages for plays, music festivals, weddings and other local functions. An old pond/oxbow will be reinstated to assist with drainage and the ‘diggings’ from the pond will be used to build up the stop banks of the stream which will be sculpted and used for seating around the main amphitheatre. The mature trees of the arboretum will be used for teaching students but also provide a mature park-like space for visitors.

Te Waimana o Turitea aims to:

• Provide a one-of-a-kind, dynamic recreation space for residents of Manawatū and beyond
• Be a nationally significant garden that will attract national and international tourists
• Reduce pollution into the awa and increase biodiversity
• Showcase Rangitāne stories, knowledge, history and art
• Showcase Massey science and help find solutions to nationally and globally significant problems
• Provide a pathway for school leavers to study agriculture, horticulture, plant science and ecology
• Help cement Manawatū as a quality place to live with many parks and a burgeoning reputation as a conservation and environmental hub
• Integrate seamlessly with existing river walkways and PNCC’s Bledisloe Park
• Contribute to Massey’s and Palmerston North’s carbon-neutral goals by sequestering carbon and enhancing local biodiversity
• Expand the city’s green corridors
• Sequestor carbon and contribute to Massey’s/the region’s goal to become carbon neutral.

Support and funding opportunities

The Foundation is seeking support from local bodies, alumni, philanthropists and funding agencies to make Te Waimana o Turitea a reality. They are leading the fundraising efforts, with an ambitious yet pragmatic plan to develop the park in stages. The success of this campaign will depend on community involvement and the generosity of those who share Massey’s vision for a more sustainable future.

The first phase of the Te Waimana o Turitea project, the Filtration Garden, will cost approximately $10 million to build and a further $2 million will need to be endowed to maintain the area in perpetuity to give a total budget of $12 million.

For more information about the Te Waimana o Turitea project or to learn how you can support the campaign, please visit the Te Waimana o Turitea website or contact Foundation Development Director Mitch Murdoch via email or on + 64 (0)6 951 6599 or +64 (0)21 423 668.

For a Better World

Te Waimana o Turitea is part of the Foundation’s For a Better World campaign, which has a goal of building Massey’s endowment fund to $100 million of assets by the end of 2027, coinciding with the university’s 100th anniversary.

For a Better World aims to help pioneer a brighter, better world for us all by building on Massey University’s world-leading expertise in the food, fibre, design, environment and health sectors to support New Zealand with leadership, highly skilled graduates and industry-driven research.

This will enable Massey to help pioneer solutions for some of the most compelling issues of our time: issues like sustainable food production, food safety and security, water quality, alternative energy sources and flood mitigation.

Read more about the campaign online.