Roots of Revitalisation.

Nestled beside the Navigate Initiative’s main meeting room inside the grounds of Christchurch Men’s Prison, a small carving workshop is a real haven for some of our Tū Ora. 

Many of the men are highly skilled woodworkers who take the opportunity to create, while others are learning the craft for the first time. Often, they show our support staff and volunteers how to carve, which is a great opportunity to teach and pass on expertise; a first for many of our Tū Ora.

The carving workshop, however, faces two challenges: the need for wood and the need to connect our guys with the craft once they leave the unit. Due to our most recent collaboration, both of these challenges are now being addressed.

Earlier this year, the Christchurch City Council began a waterway restoration project around Addington Brook in Hagley Park. Some of you may have seen this work being undertaken on the corner of Deans and Moorhouse Avenues. After noticing the work being done, Reintegration Navigator, Milly, reached out to the council to see if they would be interested in a collaboration.

To our delight, the council was indeed interested and kindly offered to donate wood from some of the trees that were going to be felled throughout the course of the project. Interestingly, however, these were not just any ordinary trees. 

When European settlers arrived in the 1850s, they found the land "unprepossessing in appearance" and began landscaping a large area within the city, now called Hagley Park. English oaks and beeches became central to the park's character from the 1860s onwards, and many of the trees removed from Addington Brook likely date from this era of the park's development.

Unfortunately, in recent years, Addington Brook has become one of the most polluted waterways in the city, with self-seeded trees contributing to blockages and steep banks presenting a safety risk to pedestrians in the park. To revitalise the area, the council has reshaped the banks and planted native riparian strips to filter contaminants and protect against future erosion. A new ecological habitat for eels and fish has been created, and over 500 new trees have been planted. In the process, some existing trees needed to be removed, and the council found several uses for these trees, including gifting select pieces of hardwood to our carving workshop. The Council Project Manager for the project reflected on the partnership: "We just wanted to help where we could, and hope good things come from the donation."

The council’s generosity means we now have a good supply of wood for the workshop and for the men in the community who want to continue carving. For Milly, who organised the donation, the significance is clear.

"It means the world," she says. "Whakairo is a beautiful art that anchors some of our men. It’s a skill they can use to pass time behind the wire; they can pass it on to other men and take it out into the world when they leave. A donation like this is priceless."

Ultimately, this donation will help our men on their journey to a fresh start. A journey of transformation and new life, not unlike the journey of the trees gifted to us. After being transported on a ship from across the world in the 1850s, they were planted and provided shade and a resting place for Cantabrians for approximately 175 years. Now, after being felled, they will be transported to Christchurch Men’s Prison, where they will be transformed into ornate carvings and works of art; a real fresh start, you might say.