A Research on the Estabulishment of Parks in New Zealand

Abstract

The aim of this study is to obtain the characters and meanings of parks in New-Zealand. The results are as follows.
(1) What is interesting about the earliest colonial towns which were founded by E. G. Wakefield town plan was the creation of a “Town Belt”, a linear public park that ringed the town.
(2) E. G. Wakefield's “Town Belt” concept was unlike the “green beltsr” surrounding English towns which were agricultural lands. His “Town Belt” was a public park for the enjoyment and recreation to the citizens.
(3) When Wakefield created the first “Town Belt” in the 1840's, the first public parks in Europe had not yet been established. It wasn't until 1851 in the United States that the State of New-York passed its “First Park Act” which led to Frederick Law Olmsted's creation of Central Park; America's first public park.
(4) Town beautification projects, volunteer organizations such as Park Trusts, and, Scenery Preservation Societies were created. In a relatively short span of time, citizens were able to recreate the English Townscape of their mother country through these volunteer organizations.
(5) Although relatively unknown outside of New Zealand, E. G. Wakefield's “Town belt”concept can be considered a precedent to the public parks systems of the United States as well as a prototype to the “Garden City” movement during the close of the 19th century.