From under the boughs of a majestic pōhutukawa tree, a grassy lawn gently slopes towards
the Waitematā Harbour. This is the spot in Dove-Myer Robinson Park, better known as the
Parnell Rose Gardens, for which an Erebus memorial is planned. But the project has been
delayed due to objections from neighbours who say the large structure is not suitable.
A campaign to 'save' the park is spearheaded by residents Anne Coney and Jo Malcolm, who
say the memorial would ruin the happy vibe of the green space. "I can understand why
someone might want to put a memorial in a place that's as beautiful as this, but memorials
are sad, and this is a really sad memorial – 257 people. I think absolutely a memorial
is not the wrong thing to do, our only objection is the site. This site is not the most appropriate
site for a national memorial." Malcolm says her husband, whose father died in the crash,
supports her views. The monument called Te Paerangi Ataata - Sky Song, features a large
cantilevered concrete pathway rising northeast towards the harbour, flanked by high walls
featuring 257 individual snowflakes and the names of the dead. Kathryn Carter, whose father
- pilot Jim Collins - died in the crash, was one of the family members involved in selecting
the design. "The idea behind the concept of the design relates to the journey into the
sky, which is quite specific to the Erebus accident. Because all the people onboard the
aircraft, including the cockpit crew and all the passengers, were looking forward to the
journey to the ice, because it was something unique and special." Ms Carter and other Erebus
family members were looking forward to a sod-turning ceremony next week on the 40th anniversary
of the tragedy, but neighbour's protests, delayed landowner approval - and the sod-turning
plans have been cancelled. "Delays are always disappointing. In this regard I think, you
hope for resolution, you hope for something to happen that will be a gathering place for
families affected by Erebus and, the goalposts are shifted again, and that's hard." John
Stewart was 34 when his aunt Dawn Matthews died in the crash. He's now 74, and says 40
years is an inexcusably long time to wait for a memorial. "I think if the memorial had
been gone ahead with, in its current form and position when things were still relatively
fresh in the public mind, I don't think you'd have this NIMBYism that's happening in Parnell
with the locals. NIMBYism – Not In My Back Yard." John Stewart worries he won't be around
to see the Erebus memorial completed, but Parnell resident Anne Coney denies accusations
of NIMBYism. "I don't think that's being a NIMBY, it's that it's just way too big for
this small park. If it's someplace else with more space around it, well that's fine but
if they want a memorial here, please could it be in keeping with the small Edwardian
area and that's fine, most welcome, but for a thing that looks like an onramp to the third
harbour bridge crossing, please put it in a larger space." Anne Coney and Jo Malcolm
have lobbied against the memorial, setting up a Facebook page, a petition, engaging lawyers,
and even threatening to protest the now-cancelled sod-turning. Consequently the Waitematā Local
Board which owns the land has delayed the decision and opened public consultation on
the memorial. Parnell resident and historian Rendell McIntosh believes an initial lack
of consultation is what's bugged locals, rather than a severe case of NIMBYism. "I honestly
believe that it's just taken people by surprise, there wasn't the good consultation in the
early days, there could've been a letterbox drop, for example, put around the local people
saying 'give us your thoughts, yes or no,' so literally it was put through as a fait
accompli that it was just automatically decided, so I think that was the main anger from a
lot of the local people. And obviously as time goes on they get emotionally caught up,
and say 'is the scale wrong' and that type of thing, so there certainly has been a momentum
against the sculpture going in." Either way, retired police inspector Greg Gilpin is disappointed
at the neighbour's reaction. "This is New Zealand's largest disaster in terms of loss
of life, and there's still nothing. No memorial to remember these people who died. It seems
like it's a case of people not wanting it in their own backyard or whatever. It sounds
rather selfish to me. But I know what they'd say to me, if it was in your backyard would
you want it, well I would want it, because I think it would be an honour to have it to
remember these people who died, so it's difficult to understand really." But Anne Coney and
Jo Malcolm are still convinced the Parnell park is not the right place, as it already
has monuments commemorating the Korean War, Dutch soldiers, and a plethora of remembrance
benches. Ms Malcolm says she doesn't think the lives lost in Erebus are any more important
than the memorials already in the park. "How is this enhancing the site? How does this
add any value to the site? We would not see the sea. From here we would simply have lost
our view." The Waitematā Local Board will decide whether to say yes or no to the Erebus
national memorial at a meeting on December 3.