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Almost 41 years after the tragedy, a national monument will be built to commemorate the victims of the Erebus disaster.
Waitematā Local Board members voted 4-3 Tuesday to back plans for the controversial monument at Dove Myer Robinson Park, also known as Parnell Rose Gardens.
The project has faced strong opposition from residents of Auckland’s central suburb, who believe the monument is unsuitable for the park.
Video Game – Sky Song is the favorite design for the monument, which consists of a white concrete walkway leading to the port of Waitematā.
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Steel walls rise on both sides of the road, with 257 snowflakes carved into one of the walls to represent each life lost in the 1979 plane crash.
RYAN ANDERSON / THINGS
Family, friends and colleagues gathered at the Erebus Crew Memorial Garden to commemorate 40 years since the incident.
Kathryn Carter is the daughter of Jim Collins, who was the pilot of the Air New Zealand plane that crashed into Mount Erebus on November 28, 1979.
“We are delighted and relieved that the right decision was made today, and we thank all the people who have been involved in bringing this to its final conclusion,” he said.
“Being the captain, he (Jim) was always responsible for his passengers, and we have always felt, to some degree, responsible for all the passengers who died on that flight that day.”
Carter said Dove Myer Robinson Park had already become a place of comfort for members of the Erebus family and the public that supports them since the site was selected two years ago.
“It is a beautiful place that faces the sea in a secluded setting with trees covering the place,” he said.
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A vote on Tuesday will determine whether a memorial honoring the victims of the Erebus disaster receives the green light.
“Ngāti Whātua or Ōrākei has blessed the land for this important national monument, it is New Zealand’s worst loss of life outside of the war.”
The location of the monument was initially endorsed by the Waitematā Local Board, but the process was submitted for public consultation in September 2019 following community reaction.
Carter said that opposition to the Erebus memorial has been incredibly difficult.
“After 41 years of grief and pain, hearing detractors publicly criticize the memorial is a trauma,” he said.
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Many Parnell residents oppose the project, arguing that the structure is unsuitable for Dove Myer Robinson Park.
“Every denial, every negative comment like ‘not here’, or that Dove Myer Robinson Park needs to be ‘protected’ from Erebus, is incredibly difficult to accept, especially when false information has been perpetuated by those who don’t want it in what they perceive it as “their” park. It is a public space ”.
In total, 895 submissions were received during the consultation period, and 509 opposed the construction of the monument in the park.
Parnell resident Jo Malcolm, whose father was an Erebus victim, said he supported a monument but believed the structure would be “completely out of place” in the park.
“The structure is substantial, solid, waterproof and blocks the view.
“They are proposing to erect it in the soft and natural heart of a revered green open space,” he said.
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Kathryn Carter, who lost her father in the Erebus plane crash, supports the memorial and says the public opposition has been “re-traumatizing.”
“It is an open space that the community treasures and future generations will need even more than we do. It is a very important building, in a small pocket of a historical park “.
Auckland Council Parks and Places Team Leader David Barker said the end of the walkway would provide a vantage point from which to enjoy views of Waitematā Harbor.
“The memorial structure and the road have an area of 175 square meters. This is a comparatively small footprint on a 55,600 square meter site, ”he said.
“The contours of the land and the extent of mature specimen trees in Dove-Myer Robinson Park mean that the proposed monument would remain invisible in most other locations within the park.”
The project is sponsored and led by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, which selected Dove-Myer Robinson Park from a short list of five sites in central Auckland.
Of particular importance in the decision was the preference expressed by many Erebus families that the monument be located in a quiet, accessible and park-like location.
