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Cambridge Village Green Reserve has been created to provide a tranquil space along the Ōtākaro (Avon River) corridor and to highlight an area of cultural and historical significance. Cambridge Village Green is a designated Riverbank & Conservation Area of 399 square metres situated on the Barbadoes/Salisbury Streets intersection. In 1995, Christchurch City Council bought the land bordered by Barbadoes Street and Cambridge Terrace and began work on restoration of the area.

Like other areas along Ōtākaro this area is extremely important to the local iwi and hapū, Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Ngāi Tahu. Of particular significance is the small stream that tumbles into Ōtākaro. This stream was known during the past century as Saint Mary’s Stream, rising from a spring located in the grounds of the old Saint Mary’s Church vicarage. In the early days of European occupation, this stream was concealed under Salisbury Street by diverting it through a pipe. This action was the cause of a long-standing grievance to local Māori.

The junction of Saint Mary’s Stream and the Ōtākaro was the site of Puari pā the pā of the noble chief Tautahi, after whom Ōtautahi/Christchurch is named. It is thought that the marriage of Tautahi to Waitaha princess Te Auru in the 18th century also took place at this site, thus consolidating bonds between families of Kaiapoi and Koukourarata/Port Levy (or, from another perspective, between Ngāi Tahu and Waitaha.) The sacred waters of this spring were used to bless this union. The stream has special significance because of the wairua (spirit) of the water often used by tohunga whakaora-a-wairua for healing purposes, and for the historical link with the noble, Tautahi.

Ōtākaro was an important mahinga kai site where a large variety of food was gathered in the Puari Pā area including tuna (eels), inaka (whitebait), kokopū (native trout), koukoupara (cockabullies), pārera (grey ducks) and pūtakitaki (paradise shelducks). Harakeke which was vital for clothing, ropes and mats, and many medicinal plants were also found in abundance. The pā was a busy trading and meeting place for travellers from as far away as Kaiapoi and Port Levy.

Today, Cambridge Green is a peaceful enclave in a busy cityscape.The sparkling clear water is once again visible as it flows from the historic brick barrel drain into a pool in the reserve. It then enters the drain again before cascading into the Ōtākaro (Avon river) opposite the Holiday Inn. The brick construction of the drain is visible through a 'light well' next to the pool. The diversion and visibility of the piped water into the reserve, and the City's respect for the site, is seen as a significant move toward healing the long standing grievance and demonstrating a bond of understanding between Christchurch City Council and Māori.

Council and iwi representatives worked together to find a way to properly recognise the importance of this site and at 6 am on 11 August 2005 a ceremony was held to bless the completed site and unveil three carved pou (poles). Reverend Maurice Manawaroa Gray, Upoko (Chairman) of Te Rūnaka Ki Ōtautahi, of Ngāi Tahu, blessed the three pou which signify the three waves of migration to Christchurch.

The works were a collaborative effort to provide a community art work best suited to the area. The original commission came from Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board for Tohuka Whakairo (master carver) George Edwards (Ngāi Tahu) the Christchurch Prison carving workshop manager. The concrete plinths that the pou are mounted on were the collective work of the Council’s City Solutions Unit, which developed the plinths, and the Community and Recreation Unit, which developed the Māori designs on the plinths. All this was done in consultation with Reverend Gray. Work by the City Council to landscape and properly recognise the historical importance of Cambridge Green has been honoured and in 2005 they received a Christchurch Star Heritage Award.

Toitū he whenua, whatungarongaro he tangata
Land is permanent, man disappears

Sources

• Christchurch City Council Agenda November, 2001. Arts & Culture, Clause 6
• Best, Elsdon The Māori as he was: a brief account of Māori life as it was in pre-European days. New Zealand Electronic Text Centre’s free online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts: Victoria University of Wellington.
• Pillars Website
• Ngāi Tahu and Waitaha in Te Ara: the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
• Christchurch City Council Website

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