Dr. Gordon Hosking ONZM Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, received the award at the Queens ‘ Birthday Honors list 2018. Quoting the citation, we read that ”Gordon has been a Trustee of Project Crimson for 27 years and has made significant contributions to the organisation’s efforts to protect pohutukawa, rata and other natives”. His list of lifetime achievements is formidable and can be read on dpmc.gov.nz. It can be said that it was his research, beginning in 1989 into the disappearing pohutukawa that led to the formation of Project Crimson.
Gordon arrived in Mangawhai at exactly the right time for the track development working group. The group had begun on the Community Park tracks and were looking at paper roads that could be developed as walking tracks as well as the much needed walk round the estuary from the Heads to the Tavern. The early team consisted of people who had given service to the Walking Weekend. In February 2008 the ‘Last of the Summer Wine ‘ track was opened and by October of that year Gordon’s name is first mentioned in the minutes. He has been the mainstay of the group by leading, giving guidance and sharing his extensive knowledge of what is possible in the area of walking and cycling tracks – our focus. We were beginning to think it was time we proposed him for a community award, but Project Crimson ensured he received a high honour of a life-time award.
The following is a list compiled by Mike Hay of Gordon’s Mangawhai community volunteer contributions..
Trusts:
Walking Weekend
Tracks
Community Park
Mangawhai Recreation Trust
Committees:
Mangawhai Waste Water Advisory- (Reported to the KDC)
Estuary Water Quality Monitoring
Conservation:
Seashore dune restoration in association with Northland Regional Council – Mangawhai Heads, Uretiti, Mangawhai Estuary
Native tree planting- including pohutukawa, Goldschmidt track, Estuary, Community Park, Domain and no doubt many other areas before I got up here.
Predator trap servicing up the Forest Track at King Road.
Riparian planting
And we need to include Gordon’s cooking expertise! :)