Nipping kowhai notion in the bud

Waikato has been accused of trying to copy other celebrations of the kowhai tree.

A public discussion at Waikato University on Monday found the idea of having a kowhai festival on a proposed new Waikato provincial holiday – to replace Auckland Anniversary Day – as having the biggest appeal to the region.

But the idea of celebrating the kowhai being in bloom is nothing new.

The village of Te Kowhai, west of Hamilton, together with Warkworth, north of Auckland, already celebrate the flowering of the tree with spring festivals. Warkworth has been running the October festival for 40 years and it's the second oldest provincial festival in the country, attracting 25,000 people from Auckland and Northland.

Warkworth festival chairman Dave Parker was disappointed to hear the Waikato was considering hosting a similar festival in spring. "We can't allow them to have a kowhai festival. I strongly recommend they find another name for the Waikato festival. The name is well established in the district. We would be down there in busloads to object."

Kowhai trees are planted along the Mahurangi River and at Kowhai Park in the district, and Warkworth claims to be the kowhai town and coast of New Zealand.

On a smaller scale, the Te Kowhai Community Group has been organising a festival and market day on the second weekend in October since 2007 and is reluctant to share it with the rest of the Waikato. Te Kowhai Community Group chairman Daryl Smart said the tree had direct links with how the village got its name and the festival was growing. He said if Waikato wanted one it could join in with the existing one.

Money raised from the event in 2007 and 2009 was used to fund the planting of more kowhai, and 1200 trees have been planted around the village. A further 400 will be planted this year.

However, Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock said Waikato shouldn't rule out the idea solely because other areas celebrated it. "The most important thing is that in this region if we are to request a separate holiday other than what we have, it would have to be something meaningful for the region."

Taupo MP Louise Upston said the public holiday could be called "Waikato Day" and the kowhai was symbolic of the start of spring when the key industries in the Waikato – dairy and equine – thrived. It was about having a day that celebrated the uniqueness of the region and what it did well.

- © Fairfax NZ News