Final steps underway to create public reserve on Watts Peninsula

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand is transferring 72 hectares of land to the Department of Conservation to become a public reserve. 

The new reserve will be established on the northern end of the Te Motu Kairangi / Miramar Peninsula, in Wellington. The area, colloquially known as Watts Peninsula, is home to pā sites, wāhi tapu and military heritage sites built from the 1880s through to the Second World War, including Fort Balance.

The new reserve will be managed by a charitable trust, with trustees appointed by Wellington City Council, Taranaki Whānui through the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, and DOC.

The Trust will protect, preserve and promote the reserve as a place of ecological, historical and cultural importance, and to ensure the public can access and enjoy the space.

• The Minister for Land Information and Minister of Conservation’s joint press release
• Read more about our work on Watts Peninsula