Auckland Council and Mayor Phil Goff pay tribute to woman who gifted Ātiu Creek Regional Park to New Zealanders
Jackie Chatelanat, who with her late husband Pierre gifted 843 hectares of their land at the Kaipara Harbour to the council in 2005, has died.
The Chatelanat's gave their farm to the then-Auckland Regional Council in 2005, so that all New Zealanders could enjoy access to the Kaipara.
The couple had always dreamed of improving the land and building a sheep and cattle station, before giving it back.
Auckland Council general manager of parks, sports and recreation said Ātiu Creek had a special place in the regional parks network, rivaled in size only by the Waitākere and Hūnua regional parks.
“Pierre and Jackie were incredibly private people who only wanted to see their property turned into a public park. They refused publicity or widespread recognition but were delighted to see their property go from working farm to a countryside park humming with visitors."
Since it opened in 2008, the council has carried out pest management, native planting programmes, established a campground and built houses available for public bookings. The park has also hosted more than 1800 people at the Earthbeat Festival and been development for a wide range of recreational activities, including horse-riding.
"Today we pay tribute to Jackie who recently passed away but also to her late husband Pierre for this vision, for their contribution, for their service to our city," Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said.
"To come to this country with a determination that you were going to give this land to the country of your adoption is a very special thing to have done."
Click below for our 2018 story on Jackie and Pierre Chatelanat.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
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