The result, after a blessing by Hastings Mayor, Robert Douglas (RD) Brown, “to bring about a better and brighter Hastings”, a public meeting was held and Hastings lawyer, Peter Gifford proposed an organisation named “Greater Hastings” be set up.
Economic development was not a function of local government in Hastings until the later part of the 20th century. Chambers of Commerce and progress leagues undertook most of this work, as it was not considered a necessary or even sanctioned part of local government’s business.
What we might call today “private-public partnerships” were common in the 19th and mid-20th centuries through gifting land for parks, streets and funding for projects.
The name “Greater Hastings” was advocated much earlier – in October 1936 – by Reginald Gardiner, while addressing Hastings Rotary Club
Reginald opened his speech with “To dream – to plan – to work” – this was what the pioneers of Hawke’s Bay did to push forward schemes so other men could benefit, he said.
To do this, he proposed an organisation called “Greater Hastings” and he imagined (in 1936) that this would be a “syndicate or an incorporated body”.
Greater Hastings would not “devote its energy to running stunts” as Progress Leagues did (a dig at Napier’s 30,000 club), but he quickly qualified that it might organise “pageants and fairs”.
“Hawke’s Bay was one of the choicest spots in this Dominion and the time has come to make Hastings a worthy centre for so fertile and beautiful a district,” Reginald said.
Further in his speech, he outlined an economic, social and cultural (including Māori) vision for Hastings so “our children may have a field for their activities and have an opportunity of becoming greater in every sense of the word than their parents”.
Again, ahead of his time, as Hawke’s Bay has struggled with the loss of its youth to outside universities and other opportunities.
Nothing eventuated from this, and WWII soon arrived, so it was left to Peter Gifford in 1950, (although 14 years old at the time of Reginald Gardiner’s speech in 1936), to regenerate this idea.
Greater Hastings Inc did not fulfil Reginald Gardiner’s vision totally in that it did not develop trade and industry, but it did put Hastings on the map with its Blossom Festival in 1950, followed by the Easter Highland Games in 1951.
Its greatest creation was a Disneyland theme of Fantasyland in Windsor Park, which opened in 1967 with a train and boating lake, and the castle in 1968. Further development followed.
Hastings City Councillor Hugh Baird suggested in 1963 a public relations office for publicity and city development – which was agreed to by the council in 1964, and an office (since demolished) was established in Russell St (near Kmart).
Greater Hastings shared an office with the Hastings Public Relations Officer, Murray Pinfold.
The council, however, with two similar organisations in one building was unsure exactly which of them should be responsible for public relations, but in the end, Greater Hastings moved out.
Greater Hastings soon got into financial difficulty and the Hastings City Council assumed control of it, including Fantasyland in 1971 – and was aided by the Hastings Lions Club and others to keep it going.
However, the public were not happy to keep donating to Greater Hastings Inc under council control, with their money going into the “city coffers”, believing they were already paying sufficiently in rates.
Therefore, Greater Hastings separated from the council, and with the Blossom Festival ending in 1972, (since revived by Hastings City Council, then Hastings District Council through Art Inc Heretaunga) they had only the Easter Highland Games to organise.
Greater Hastings finally ceased operating in 1986, and the Hastings City Council gave support to the Hawke’s Bay Piping and Dancing Association to keep them going.
With community group support so prevalent in the 20th century now dropping off, and financial pressure greatly increasing on Fantasyland, it was decided by the council to do a complete refresh and in 1998 a water theme park called Splash Planet opened, which continues today, 26 years later.
Michael Fowler’s Stories of Historic Hawke’s Bay is available from Wardini books, Havelock and Napier, and Whitcoulls Hastings and Napier.
