Conference 2009
"The Rugged Frontier - A World of Difference"

This conference was held in Cromwell 24-26 April 2009 and was organised by the RNZIH NZ Gardens Trust.

Central Otago is one of New Zealand's iconic landscapes and the conference was a great opportunity to explore the region and the gardens within it. The optional visit to the new Dunedin Chinese garden was followed the next day by a ride on the Taeri Gorge Railways.

For further details contact Liz Morrow: morrowl@rnzih.org.nz.

RNZIH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
This year's Annual General Meeting was held in Dunedin.

Venue: Botanic Garden Administration Building, Meeting Room, 36 Opoho Rd. This is near the Gardens Shopping centre and located on the edge of the Botanic Garden. (see map)
Date: Thursday 23 April 2009.
Time: 7.00 pm.

BANKS MEMORIAL LECTURE (a free public lecture)
The amazing story of Dunedin's Chinese Garden

By Douglas (Mick) Field

The Banks Memorial Lecture this year focused on the new Dunedin Chinese Garden.

The Banks Memorial Lecture is a free lecture open to the public. It commemorates Sir Joseph Banks, botanist on Captain Cook's first voyage to New Zealand. During a later distinguished scientific career, he was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London.

Read article based on this lecture

Date: Friday 24 April 2009.
Time: 6.30 pm.
Venue: Golden Gate Conference Centre, Cromwell.
Cost: Free.

Abstract:

Douglas (Mick) Field shared his personal and professional involvement with the development of the Dunedin Chinese Garden.  This was of great interest to the local public, members of the RNZIH and the New Zealand Gardens Trust, and also those people who visited Dunedin and Cromwell for the NZGT Conference on the weekend of the 24th April.

Some previous Banks Lectures have focused on the more scientific and technical facets of botany and horticulture so, with more of a “garden” emphasis, Mick Field shared the story of how the Chinese Garden was conceived and brought to completion as a special exercise of achievement in all the fields of politics, plants, people and of course his own expertise.  This insight into a specialised area of landscape garden design provided some inspiration and also better understanding of what has been created in Dunedin.

Biography:

Douglas Field, who delivered the 2009 RNZIH Banks Memorial Lecture, has a long and varied career in the world of horticulture.

Having completed an apprenticeship at Christchurch Botanic Gardens in the early 1950s, Douglas went on to study for a National Diploma in Horticulture before going to England where he continued his horticultural studies at Wisely and Lower Basildon.

Returning to New Zealand in 1962 he again worked in Christchurch where he designed and built several parks/sports-fields.

From Christchurch he moved to Australia where he was involved in construction of the Mt Lofty Botanic garden, design work at the Adelaide Botanic Garden and the teaching of students.

From Adelaide, Douglas moved back to New Zealand, working from 1971 for the Dunedin Parks and Recreation Department as a Landscape Architect. Following local body reform in 1987 he was appointed Recreation Planning Manager. In 1988 he was made a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Parks and Recreation Administration.

His work in Dunedin has included input into the development strategy for the Otago Harbour, boat harbour development, cemetery design, the establishment of Polytechnic Training for Ornamental Horticulture and numerous community amenities, latterly as a private consultant. His involvement in the establishment of the Dunedin Chinese Garden started 13 years ago when the idea was first mooted.

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