Bill on park passed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33045, 12 October 1972, Page 18

Bill on park passed

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Oct. 11. Among the measures signed by the GovernorGeneral (Sir Denis Blundell) today and now law was the R. O. Bradley Estate Bill, a private measure sponsored by Mr T. M. McGuigan (Lab., Lyttelton). By it New Zealand, and particularly Christchurch, gains a park of intriguing interest, and the dream of a man who died just over 29 years ago becomes a reality. It was January 24, 1943, when Mr R. O. Bradley left his farm and 1600 acres in Charteris Bay as a national park, but the fulfilment of his wishes was complicated by the fact that he made provision for a life interest by two sisters and two nephews. “In his will the late Mr Bradley quite clearly specified that after the death of his last surviving beneficiary his trustee should take the necessary steps to establish the park by Act of Parliament,” said Mr J. R. Harrison (Nat., Hawke’s Bay), chairman of the Selection Committee which considered the bill. “However, the Committee sought, and obtained an assurance from the beneficiary that his interests were protected, and that he had no objection to the action being initiated somewhat early. ADMINISTRATION “In his will Mr Bradley expressed the wish that the

park, although for the nation, should be administered by Canterbury people, some of whom should be specialists in such matters as horticulture and botany, and some representatives of nearby local governing bodies—the latter predominating. “However, two of the original local authorities, Sumner and New Brighton, have been absorbed into the city of Christchurch. The committee therefore agreed with the trustees that representatives of all the remaining local authorities should be appointed to the board with provision for further absorption in the event of further changes in the structure of local government." The city of Christchurch was brought in. It was approved that the chairman of the board should be a Canterbury resident appointed by the Governor-General. The committee also approved the suggestion of the trustees that representatives of the Canterbury Arboretum Association and the Canterbury branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society should join. “DEEP SATISFACTION” Mr McGuigan said there was “deep satisfaction and relief’ among the people of Canterbury that the bill was finally passed. “The passing of this bill will be of particular satisfaction to the people of Governor’s Bay, Allandale, Charteris Bay and Diamond Harbour,” he said. “They are particularly concerned for the environment of the area in which they live—and at least

the area owned by Mr Bradley will now be protected from the speculators and developers who have been inclined to look upon the area round Lyttelton Harbour as providing land for their own use.” He said the bill had come back considerably amended, but the better for it. He paid a tribute to the departmental officers involved, and also to the Lyttelton Borough Council, the Mount Herbert Borough Council, and the Governor’s Bay Community Association.

“However, they will be as disappointed as I am that the committee, on the casting vote of its non-Christchurch chairman decided that the chairman of the park board should be a person appointed to the board by the Gov-ernor-General — in other words, by the Government on the advice of the Minister of Lands. “The member for Wigram and I agreed that it would be a good idea to have the Commissioner of Crown Lands on the board, but we also believed that the chairmanship should be local.” Mr M. A. Connelly (Lab., Wigram) said the trust was in line with other community trusts, including that for the unique kahikatea swamp forest of Riccarton Bush. “I thought it fortuitous that the representative of the solicitors of the estate of the late Mr Bradley was Mr E. J. Bradshaw, a former Mayor of Riccarton and a former member of the Riccarton Bush Trust,” Mr Connelly said.