Donated furniture in parks and reserves

Council frequently receives requests to donate commemorative furniture in our parks and reserves, which generally relate to park seats and picnic tables. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to accept all offers because we already have an extensive network of park furniture and some locations may be unsuitable due to site conditions (e.g. risk of flooding and slips).

Given the volume of commemorative furniture already in our open space, we are not actively seeking additional furniture at present, however, would consider making exceptions where:

• there is a need for it in the location identified by the donor
• the person being remembered has a reasonable affiliation with, or has made a reasonable contribution to, the subject area
• the donor is responsible for the cost of the furniture and installation including concrete slab (this is currently around $5,000 + GST for a seat)
• the Council is responsible for the physical installation and retains ownership of the asset (except any plaque)
• the donor acknowledges that donated commemorative plaques/furniture can expect to be in place for around ten years (this may need to be a shorter time), and after this time there is no ongoing expectation of it remaining (e.g. if park development requires it to be moved or the item needs renewal)
• the plaque is no larger than 100 mm by 200 mm, and
• the wording in the plaque is appropriate and approved by Council; as a guide:
  • we support messaging relating to the person’s association or enjoyment of an area
  • we avoid text that would be more appropriate for a cemetery setting (e.g. “In loving memory of..") or inclusion of birth and death dates or extended family names or references
  • messaging could be more akin to “For Jesse who loved it here”.

We are not considering offers for commemorative furniture in the following locations:

• Council’s Public Gardens (Isel Park, Anzac Park, Broadgreen Gardens, Melrose Gardens, Queens Gardens)
• Maitai Walkway
• Tahunanui Recreation Reserve
• Railway Reserve.

Unauthorised furniture and plaques will be removed by Council.