Friends of Central Park
The Upstream Friends of Central Park is a voluntarycommunity group. It was established in 2005, and members carry out volunteerconservation work in the park and help the Wellington City Council manage thepark.
Member Celia Murphy says, “Since its inception the group hasbeen working to restore the Moturua Stream environment to good health andenhance the park’s amenities to contribute to Central Park being a safe,accessible and attractive urban oasis for the people of Wellington.”
Central Park accessible and popular
Central Park is a large park and green area in Wellington, close to the centre of the city. It is popular a walking commuter route to the city from the Brooklyn and the southern suburbs and is very close to several city council social housing apartment complexes which house a number of low-income families and new to New Zealand refugee families. The park provides a very close recreational area for the people living in these apartment blocks.
The Friends of Central Park operate as a group with no appointed officers or any formal structure. There is a core of about 10 volunteers who regularly participate and take on responsibilities to support the functioning of the group.
Up to 20 people regularly come for the Sunday working bee sessions.
The Friend’s group has won several Community Champion Awards over the years for its conservation and volunteer work in the park.
Friendship and morning teas
Celia explains: “While conservation is the main purpose of the group for the regular volunteers, some who have been coming since the group began 20 years ago, the friendship and camaraderie is as important as the weeding and planting work. Newcomers are always made welcome with the experienced volunteers helping newbies to identify weeds from wanted plants and teach them how to do things. There is always a great deal of chat, and the morning teas are an important part of the experience.
“There is always home baking for morning tea. Donna’s cheeses cones, Angelique’s chocolate chip cookies and Jane’s cakes are all worthy of comment. At a recent working bee, the age of the volunteers ranged from 9 to over 70 and, as it often does, included a range of different nationalities.
“Most people find the satisfaction of seeing the park look better worth the effort and dirty hands. Our successes and the camaraderie keep people coming back again and again.
“Friends of Central Park is very good name for the group as it is not only the park that benefits – many people have become friends as they worked alongside each other and communed over coffee and cake.”