Draft Town Belt Management Plan - Wellington City Council

Other communications uses have included a time cannon on the Mt Victoria summit, the
broadcasting station (popularly known as ‘the castle’) and radio masts installed on the Mt Victoria
summit in 1927 (not original Town Belt), and the New Zealand Post wireless transmitting station
that operated on Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill) from 1912 to 1933.
Other infrastructure/public works for which Town Belt land has been taken include the substation
opposite Central Park and the fire station in Newtown.
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Military uses
Figure 15: US Marine Corps camp entrance at Central Park, ca 1940.
(Wellington City Council Archive. Ref:00155:0:121)
Areas of Town Belt land have been used periodically for military or civilian war effort
activities.
Newtown Park was used for a military camp for Boer War contingents from 1899–1901, a
parade ground during the Second World War and a military camp again during the
Second World War. Polhill Gully was used for defence purposes in 1926 and as a rifle
range for training territorial regiments during the 1940s.
During the Second World War, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps had a camp of army
huts on Mt Victoria and an artisans’ camp was established at Hataitai Park. Gun
emplacements were constructed on Te Ahumairangi Hill and Mt Victoria during the
Second World War, which were eventually demolished in 1969 and 1970 respectively.
Nairn Street Park was also made available for military purposes and the HQ Battalion, 2 nd
Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was accommodated at a camp in
Central Park.
In 1943 the Council resolved to make more allotments available on the Town Belt for
growing vegetables, in support of the wartime ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, which aimed to
increase vegetable supplies for civilian use. The extra allotments were to supplement the
200 that already existed on the Town Belt and were made available for 2/- per annum 121 .
121 Minutes of Wellington City Council Reserves Public Gardens Baths and Beaches Committee, 22 June 1943, WCA.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012