Tree planting ceremony in Hastings to mark coronation of King Charles III

The Coronation Fountain at Cornwall Park was installed to mark the coronation of King George V in 1911

This weekend Hastings District will be joining other councils and communities around the country commemorating the coronation of King Charles III, with the planting of a Kahikatea tree at Cornwall Park.

The public ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 7 at 11am beside the stream on the Roberts Street side of Cornwall Park, and at the same time a plaque will also be unveiled.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said both the tree and plaque would serve as a lasting reminder of this historic event and as a symbol of our country’s ongoing relationship with the monarchy.

“Since 1897 our district has marked significant royal events, the evidence of which can still be seen today, such as the Coronation Fountain in Cornwall Park and the Royal Oak tree in Civic Square.

“While the Royal Oak has been the tree traditionally planted for such occasions, for this we have turned to our own native Kahikatea – the tree that built the township of Hastings from 1873, and a symbol of whanaungatanga; relationships and partnerships within te ao Māori.

“This year we also acknowledge the 150^th anniversary of the naming of Hastings, and this will add to the names and associations of our Kings and Queens that are etched into the fabric of our district.

“We warmly invite our community to join us to mark this special event.”

The Coronation Fountain at Cornwall Park, and the Royal Oak in the middle of what is now Civic Square were installed to mark the coronation of King George V in 1911.

The plaque that is to be placed with the tree this weekend reads: This tree was planted to mark the Coronation of His Majesty Charles III, King of New Zealand, on 6 May 2023 - Māku te ra e tō ana; kei a koe te urunga ake o te rā.

The whakataukī (proverb) “Māku te ra e tō ana; kei a koe te urunga ake o te rā” is translated as “Let mine be the setting sun; yours is the dawning of a new day”, and speaks of the natural cycles of life and wisdom from a te ao Māori perspective.

A national event will be held at the Auckland Domain, on the lawn beneath Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, at 1pm on Sunday 7 May. Following the coronation weekend, the Governor-General will plant the final coronation tree at Government House in Wellington.

3 May 2023

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