At the time of British settlement of Wellington immigrants came from areas with overcrowded cities and it was seen to be important that all citizens should have access to green spaces. The New Zealand Company instructed its surveyor to include "a broad belt of land, which you will declare that the Company intends to be public property, on condition that no buildings ever be erected upon it".[1] The initial space set aside covered 625 hectares but by the year 2000 it had fallen to 425 hectares.[2] It is owned by Wellington City Council.
The strip runs from Mount Victoria south to Mount Albert, which is between Berhampore and Island Bay, and then north to Te Ahumairangi Hill or Tinakori Hill.
The outer strip of some 5,000 hectares includes some private land. It was first proposed in 1976 to protect the skyline, wildlife and remaining native forest. Some sites included are:
In 2018, Wellington City Council purchased the 268 Ohariu Valley Rd property adding much of the ridge line overlooking Churton Park to the Outer Green Belt [3]
^City Parks and green spaces, Te Ara the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Quoted in Walter Cook, ‘Wellington’s town belt – a people’s park and a heritage for everyone. The 1991 Ian Galloway Memorial Lecture.’ Horticulture in New Zealand 2, no. 2 (Winter 1991), p.15. Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand accessed 17 February 2016
