Date:  10 February 2015

Ruapekapeka Pā has been awarded the international Green Flag Award for the second year in a row.

Thirty parks participated in the international Green Flag Award, in 2014 across Australia and New Zealand. The parks received strong accolades for their excellent management of the environment, historical features, safety and as great places to play and recreate.

Iconic parks such as Centennial Parklands and Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens and Olympic Park in New Zealand, can confidently promote themselves alongside some of the world’s highest quality urban parks. Green spaces preserving cultural heritage and nature based parks also rated very highly with opportunities to interact and recreate in nature being well designed and managed, particularly across New Zealand.

Paul Todd, International Green Flag Award Scheme Manager congratulated the park managers on attaining the Green Flag Award. "The dedication of park managers across private, local and state government organizations means that Australia’s and New Zealand’s parks can be recognized formally on the world stage."

“Local users, national and international tourists alike can be sure that they will be visiting a superior park,” he stated.

“The Department of Conservation (DOC) are delighted to have been successful in attaining the Green Flag Award once again for Ruapekpeka Pā and to be involved in continuing to work with Parks Forum in raising park standards across Australia and New Zealand”, declared John Donaldson, Senior Ranger Visitor / Historic, DOC Whangarei.

“Ruapekapeka Pā is well regarded by visitors as the site of the final battle in the ‘War of the North’ and we encourage you to visit our award winning Pā for the first time or to look at it with fresh eyes if you are a regular user.”

Ruapekapeka Historic Reserve, located approximately 30 minutes north of Whangarei at Towai, was site of the last battle of the Northern Wars in 1845-46 between the British Crown and Māori. Te Ruapekapeka Pā, located on the reserve, has been recognised both nationally and internationally for the superb engineering undertaken by Māori in the design of its rifle trenches, bunkers, tunnels, and stockades as a response to British firepower. Te Ruapekapeka Trust works with DOC to protect and preserve Ruapekapeka Pā and Battlefield.

“Both Te Ruapekapeka Trust and Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) are proud to be the recipients of such an award for a second time. Te Ruapekapeka Pā and Battlefield are significant sites to many, both Māori including the various hapū that took part in the war on both sides as well as non Māori. Work at this stage hasn’t really begun on the British Officers camp however when this area is complete, it will offer up a great deal more of Te Ruapekapeka’s rich history,” says Allan Halliday Te Ruapekapeka Trustee.

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