Early history of pembroke park
The first survey plan for this area was drawn up in 1863 by Irish surveyor John Connell. The town was named Pembroke after a member of the Pembroke family who had been a British Colonial Secretary.
Further surveys of what was known as ‘The Commonage’, and is now Pembroke Park, were carried out in 1875 and 1880 – creating a free and open space for all to use – even the cows!
In 1878, a flood inundated an area of the flat land in front of the lake. This, and other floods that occurred, left behind low gravel terraces that extended over the flat area.
By 1920 the keenest sporting members of Pembroke town set to work to establish a nine hole golf course on ‘The Commonage’. The greens were protected by having a post at each corner and barbed wire strung around to keep the cows out.
1940 saw the name of the town being changed from Pembroke to Wanaka. The Commonage area was designated as a proposed reserve and the land was held by the New Zealand Electricity Department, pending possible control of Lake Wanaka for hydro-electricity purposes.
Wanaka township was constituted as a county town in 1955 and was administered by the Lakes County Council (LCC). The population in 1958 was 300.
In 1967, administration of the 26 acres was transferred to the Wanaka Islands Domain Board but the control still remained with the New Zealand Electricity Department.
In 1971, the 26 acre block of Crown-owned land, which was originally known as ‘The Commonage’, was designated as a Recreation Reserve under the Provisions of the Reserves and Domain Act. The management became the responsibility of Lake County Council and during this time it was renamed Pembroke Park.
In 1973, the population of Wanaka had grown to 880 and the Lake Wanaka Preservation Act was passed and gazetted.
In 1984, Pembroke Park was reclassified as a Recreation Reserve subject to the Reserves Act (1977) and a Management Plan was required to be drawn up by the administering body which was the Lake County Council.
In 1986, the Lake County Council and the Queenstown Borough Council amalgamated. The administration of Pembroke Park became the responsibility of the newly amalgamated council which was, and still is, called the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).
Although Pembroke Park has been the centre piece of Wanaka for a very long time, very few people may know that the section 1 and 2, BLOCK III, a 404 sq metre site on the corner of Ardmore and Dungarvon Streets, adjacent to Pembroke Park, was also part of Pembroke Park.
In 2006, this area was renamed ‘Bridgeman Green’ after the late Mr Terence Bridgeman, a well known local businessman and a Justice of Peace, who was passionate about Pembroke Park being developed as a park without buildings.
Pembroke Park and Bridgeman Green are owned by the Crown and controlled and administered by the QLDC under an appointment to control and manage.
The Pembroke Park and Bridgeman Green Reserve Management Plan was adopted in 2007.
The detailed history of Pembroke Park can be read in a book published by Loris King called ‘Pembroke Park Wanaka’ and is available to purchase at Paper Plus Wanaka.