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Journal of the RNZIH The 2009 Banks Memorial Lecture: The amazing Dunedin Chinese garden Douglas (Mick) Field1 Foreword Garden. Murray was also involved that emanated from their souls. To This is a personal perspective of the with the Hamilton City Council’s my mind, this desire to express their development of the Chinese Garden development of a Chinese Scholar’s culture was such a driving force that it in Dunedin. It is not so much a story garden in the 1980s. The idea took helped overcome the many diffi culties about gardens in the horticultural root, and in mid 1996 I attended a and obstacles that lay in the path sense as an observation of events meeting at Dr Ng’s house to discuss ahead. that led to the conception and building the possibilities of building such Initially, the people involved in of this garden – the developments, a garden. The essential idea was developing the concept were Chinese infl uences, and factors that shaped that the wider Dunedin and Otago with the help of a few Europeans. and determined its ultimate creation. Chinese community would be asked Later, many more Europeans joined in Although the underlying reason for if they would present the city with a to help when and where they could. the development of the garden was garden as their contribution to mark clearly understood and articulated the 150th celebration of settlement of Steering committee from the beginning, the path that it the province. The city had earmarked The committee established to deal took had many turns. NZ$50,000 for the Chinese input to with the garden reported to Jim Ng the sesqui centenary and Jim Ng who was in charge of the overall In my view, Dunedin has been himself was enamoured with the Chinese input to the sesquicentennial presented with a treasure that arose idea as it meant recognition of the celebration. Jim effectively functioned from the hearts and souls of the contribution that the Chinese had as ‘de facto’ head of the Chinese Chinese community to create a made to the province for well over 100 community. garden that is also known as ‘Lan years. Yuan’. On the steering committee were As a result, I was charged with Frances Wong, Duncan Sew Hoy, Beginnings the task of managing a steering Alex Tang and myself. Frances and The establishment of a sister city committee to assess the feasibility of Duncan were from long-established relationship between Dunedin and building a garden in Dunedin Dunedin Chinese families while Alex Shanghai brought Dunedin City (Fig. 1C). was an engineer from Hong Kong. Council’s Chief Executive (at that time Murray Douglas, Fig. 1A) and Dr Jim The Chinese community Our fi rst tasks were to locate a Ng (a Dunedin GP and historian, Fig. It was clear to me that the opportunity suitable site and fi nd an architect 1B) together to further the relationship of presenting some of the Chinese familiar with the design principles of of the two cities. culture to the wider New Zealand the classical Chinese garden. Clearly, community was very important to this person had to be Chinese. Here many of the older Chinese residents. Alex was helpful because he knew an On refl ection it was obvious that architect (Bruce Young) who was a their culture was substantially if ‘Kiwi’ Chinese now living in Auckland not completely suppressed in New but who had worked extensively in Zealand. There was little or no Hong Kong and was familiar with the ABoutward and visible expression of design of Chinese gardens. Perfect! this rich and ancient culture to be All we had to do was persuade him to Fig. 1 Founders of seen anywhere. While the ignorant take the job on. Alex made the initial the Dunedin Chinese and inhumane treatment of 19th contact with Bruce Young and upon Garden concept. A, Murray Douglas. and early 20th century Chinese had his expression of interest I also made B, Dr James (Jim) Ng. disappeared, none the less Chinese contact with him. C, Douglas (Mick) people had a low profi le in the Site Field. community until the late 20th century. The task of fi nding a suitable site was C My observation was that the people not easy. First, there was no concept It was on a trip to Shanghai in May with whom I worked were overjoyed design that would provide an idea of 1996 to organise events for the by the opportunity of developing a the space needed; second, no money 1998 sesqui centenary of Dunedin, garden. Not a ‘Kiwi’ idea of what a was available to purchase land, and according to Jim Ng, that Murray Chinese garden might be but one that third, the garden needed to be sited raised the idea of building a Chinese encapsulated the depth of culture close to the city centre to function as 1 Field Landscapes, PO Box 6150, Dunedin North, Dunedin; douglas.fi [email protected] New Zealand Garden Journal, 2009, Vol. 12(1) 11 the tourist attraction we envisaged. meetings with Dunedin City Council’s to be developed in conjunction with In order to establish a feel for the Chief Executive in an attempt to the private sector. amount of land needed, we required secure land in that area, but ultimately Stage 3: A cultural centre linked to, a general conceptual notion of what with no success. While the local Iwi and developed in conjunction with, the was essential for the garden to work were enthusiastic for a cultural-type Settler’s Museum. as a tourist attraction. development the real power regarding the land use lay with the Christchurch- All this was conveyed to Bruce Young I sought the assistance of the based Iwi whose interests did not who by now had agreed to provide the property department of Dunedin align with the local people. At the concept plans. City Council (DCC) to see what same time, meetings were held with land was available and what level of The total area of the site adjacent the Director of the Settler’s Museum cost was involved. About eight sites to the Settler’s Museum was about to develop a working relationship were presented, being a mixture of 7800 m2. All three stages would with the museum but also to secure privately and council owned property, have provided a truly exciting tourist some of their land for the garden. The ranging in size from about 300 m2 to attraction. The garden including the fi rst meeting with Elizabeth Hinds about 1800 m2. All these properties car parking area now comprises on the 14th October 1996 was most were really too small or ultimately 3900 m2 and more or less represents encouraging as she understood unavailable to us. It was clear to me stage one of the initial concept. the potential of the proposal and its that we had to fi nd a way to increase obvious synergies with the museum. Concept plans the amount of space available if we This meant that a positive relationship Bruce Young visited Dunedin in were ever to make a garden of any could be established which resulted December 1996 and by early March consequence. Also, at this juncture, in Bruce Young’s concepts for 1997 produced the fi rst concept the only land that could be considered development. sketch plans providing some had to be publicly owned. substance to our ideas (Fig. 2). These Sadly, not long after our meeting, There was the usual thrust to have were presented to the City Council by Elizabeth Hinds retired from the the Chinese garden built in Dunedin Jim Ng and Cr Peter Chin in a briefi ng museum for health reasons and the Botanic Garden. Anyone who works of the Community Development vision she shared was not possessed for local bodies knows about the Committee. by her successors, so the relationship demands placed upon reserves for subsequently withered. However, Site Plan: purposes other than for what they on the strength of these initial Options Considered to Extend are intended. In this case I asked discussions with Elizabeth, the Chief Garden to 3 Development Stages the Curator of the Botanic Garden Executive decided that the garden to explain to the committee why could occupy at least 2600 m2 of land to that location was inappropriate. He the north of the Rattray Street reserve. outlined the purpose and function of This, together with that reserve space the Botanic Garden and highlighted provided us with certainty for the the potential confl ict of purpose garden. between the Botanic Garden and the Chinese Garden. Initial ideas Initial ideas for the garden were now The only site that presented any being formulated in the minds of opportunity of expansion was the steering committee. We knew the Rattray Street reserve site. In the site needed to be in itself it was inadequate with many the central city to work underground utility services including as a tourist attraction. We water, sewer, electricity, gas, and realised there would be telecommunications. The area was synergies if it could be associated about 1800 m2 and was really a with the Settler’s Museum and that stopped part of Rattray Street. Its there was a possibility of increasing virtue lay in the undeveloped land to the size of the site there. We hoped the north and south of this reserve. there could be an association with Fig. 2 Initial site plan with options to extend The land to the north was owned by the local Iwi who might develop a the garden area to three development the DCC and earmarked for Settler’s stages.
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