LGOIMA Request Details: LG2484

Date received: 23/07/2026

Requested information: Please advise the plans for the ongoing maintenance of Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park and provide a copy of the April 2026 accounts.

Status: Complete

Date responded: 19/08/2026

Response:


Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 request – Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park Trust

Thank you for your email dated 23 July 2026. We have treated your request as seeking:

a copy of the Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park Trust’s accounts for April 2026;
information about the maintenance arrangements and ongoing restoration work, including the wetland planting, for Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park.

April 2026 accounts

Attached is the Trust’s approved financial report for the period ending 30 April 2026. Please note that these are the routine end-of-month management accounts and not the Audited Accounts relating to the dissolution of the Trust.

Maintenance of the park and ongoing restoration work

Following the dissolution of the Trust, responsibility reverted to Council who has continued to contract Green By Nature (GBN) for restoration advice, and the provision of both maintenance and new work in the park and Forest.

Pleasingly, a contract is now in place between Council and GBN. The contract was formed with input from the Trust, who had been operating without a contract with GBN for some time. You may also be aware that GBN will subcontract Ngāti Kauwhata for specific contract work.

Your concerns about the effect of the dissolution on donors and community volunteers have been noted. As stated publicly, Council is committed to preserving and maintaining this special taonga so future generations can enjoy the legacy created through years of dedicated community effort and investment made by the Trust, Council and other funders. We acknowledge your longstanding considerable contribution to the Trust and this special area.

Maintenance activities at Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park are level of service based for the different aspects of vegetation maintenance, litter bin services, cleaning, inspections and reporting, etc. For the activities that are carried out daily or weekly there are resource allocations that are intended to capture the average effort required over the course of a full year. For these weekly service activities there are 23 hours of labour allocated. In addition, there are mowing and inspection activities that are scheduled to take place fortnightly, monthly, quarterly and annually.

Manawatū District Council may publish this response along with a summary of the request on our website.   Requests and responses may be paraphrased.    

To protect your privacy, we will not generally publish personal information about you, or information that identifies you.   

If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact the LGOIMA Response Team on 06 323 0000 or by replying to this email.