After hundreds joined us for its partial reopening in December, our “hugely important” community space has hit another major milestone.

On the morning of 23 May, Molley Green Reserve officially reopened to the public after receiving final engineering approvals.

With most of the remaining fences removed, our community can now enjoy a closer connection to the daylighted awa with our scenic boardwalks and viewing platforms. A new “kick-around” greenspace has also opened, alongside the Albrecht Basin stormwater detention pond and upgraded Molley Green Place.

“We hope very much that the community really embraces this space,” says Lucy Smith, Senior Development Manager. 

“We know that Molley Green Reserve is hugely important to them.”

So important, in fact, that even while most of Molley Green had to be completely closed for the upgrades, an important part remained open to help nourish our community.

Tā Tātou Māra Kai “roughly translates to ‘everyone’s garden’,” says Rowan Cant, coordinator for Friends of Molley Green Reserve.

It’s a space filled with vegetables and fruit trees – apples, plums, banana and pineapple. Figs, peaches, pomegranates and inga edulis – better known as the “ice cream bean” – can also be found.

Molly Green Reserve Food Forest

“The idea of this garden was that, in seeing the development – seeing the intensification of housing – people wouldn’t be able to have the gardens they’d traditionally have in their backyards,” he says.

“We’ve tried to think about how we could help the neighbourhood to cultivate a space where they can grow healthy food and make it easier to get.”

Tā Tātou Māra Kai first opened in 2021 and, with its purpose in mind, significant efforts were made to ensure it remained that way while the rest of Molley Green Reserve had to close. With the scale of redevelopment work to be completed, that was no mean feat.

“The detention basin we’ve created has the flood capacity to accommodate significant storm events,” says Andrey Polyakov, Infrastructure and Civil Construction Project Manager for Roskill Development.

Molly Green Reserve Walkway

“We’ve also installed about 200 metres of roading and planted about 26,000 plants.”

Andrey says “it feels great” to see the park reopened after an extensive effort from teams across Kāinga Ora, LEAD Alliance, Healthy Waters and Watercare.

“Just over a year ago, we all gathered here for the blessing to open the civil works,” he said during the reserve’s partial reopening at Picnic in the Park in December.

Molly Green Reserve Blessing

“Now where I’m standing, with all these kids playing on the basketball courts and learn-to-ride track, it just warms my heart.”

Lucy says the upgrade has helped enable up to 1,200 new homes in Waikōwhai under Roskill Development. And along with hosting the new residents our community will welcome, the project was a perfect opportunity to revitalise a space our existing residents already love.

“You can just see how quickly the kids have jumped back onto the basketball court,” Lucy said at Picnic in the Park.

“Molley Green Reserve is the complete experience for the community.”

Molly Green Reserve Basketball Court

Upgrades at a glace
 •    Half and full basketball courts
 •    New public bathrooms
 •    A netball court
 •    A learn-to-ride cycle track
 •    New boardwalks and viewing platforms
 •    1,170 metres of new concrete footpaths
 •    A barbeque area
 •    Four new picnic tables
 •    ‘Daylighting’ of the stream
 •    407 metres of new wastewater pipes
 •    Three new stormwater outlets
 •    26,000 new plants and trees
 •    Seven new streetlights
 •    395 metres of new roads
 •    1,414 cubic metres of stormwater detention – enough to accommodate significant rainfall events.

To learn about our youth engagement at Molley Green Reserve, click here.