New flax plantation will help preserve national treasure

The regions weavers will have access to plants from the Rene Orchiston flax collection, once they
have been planted out and become mature in a new reserve.

Hastings District Council became guardians of the collection last year and will have the flax planted
in a community wetland to be created next to the new Longlands Road roundabout, south of
Hastings.

The collection was started in Gisborne in the 1950s. Mrs Orchiston realised there was a shortage
of varieties of flax for different types of weaving because urbanisation had distanced weavers from
their traditional supplies. In 1987 she donated the collection to Landcare Research, at their Crosses Road facility in Havelock North, but the site was not accessible to weavers or the public.

1600 plants will be planted in the reserve and it will take two years for them to be ready for cutting
by weavers. Council is looking to work with weavers to develop and support them as kaitiaki
[caretakers and guardians] to preserve and protect the plants at the plantation.

A single plant from each of the 50 varieties of flax is to be retained by council and planted along
the fenceline of the Chatham Park nursery, where they will be protected and able to be seen by
visitors to the park.

Hastings District Councillor Henare O’Keefe says “the plantation will provide a great resource to
retain and preserve the art of local weaving (raranga), well known to be some of the best in the
country.”

The Minister for the Environment the Hon Dr Nick Smith and Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule will
officially open the community wetland and Rene Orchistion flax collection on Thursday July 28
that 9.45am.

Mana whenua have been consulted throughout the project. There will be further opportunities to
work with hapu whanui in the District to encourage the collection of local, unique flax cultivars and
propagate them in marae based plantations to continue a kaupapa, like that of Rene Orchiston.

The project is supported by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council as part owner of the land and it is
incorporated into NZTA’s landscape plan for the expressway.