Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the history of the site?
In 1851, the original purchase was made for Queen Victoria. Ponsonby was known as ‘Dedwood’ by Europeans until 1870 and became known as ‘Ponsonby’ in 1873.
In 1886, the building of a new Catholic church named Sacred Heart was begun on the site at 254 Ponsonby Road and completed in 1887.
In 2006, the Auckland City Council purchased the site for a civic open space.
Te Rimutahi was formally opened on 17 May, 2025.
2. Who was involved in creating Te Rimutahi?
Auckland Council is the owner of the land.
The Waitematā Local Board initiated the project through the hugely successful ‘Community-Led Design’ (CLD) process.
Several public consultations were conducted by the volunteer CLD group. This resulted in a clear preference for;
- The LandLAB Park+ concept design
- a whole site civic open space (that was unanimously supported by Auckland’s Councillors in December 2018)
Te Rimutahi now falls under the care of the Auckland Council Parks team https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/parks-recreation/community-spaces.html
3. What is ‘Community-led Design’?
Community-led design (CLD) is a process whereby a project is undertaken by a community group or organisation. It is a ‘from the bottom UP’, rather than a ‘from the top DOWN’ process.
It involves local people in decision-making that is informed by an ongoing process of community consultation and engagement throughout the project.
4. How did the CLD initiative happen?
The Waitematā Local Board selected people from a variety of groups to advance the whole-of-site civic open space objective. The Community-led design process resulted from a public meeting at which interested people formed the Community-Led Design Group.
5. How do I find out more?
Contact Auckland Council https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/parks-recreation/community-spaces/te-rimutahi/about-te-rimutahi.html
Contact the volunteer CLD group at: info@254ponsonbyrd.org.nz
Visit the Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/254PonsonbyRd/?ref=ts&fref=ts
and: https://www.facebook.com/PonsonbyPark/?fref=ts
OR Instagram https://www.instagram.com/te_rimutahi