Sydenham Botanic Park

Sydenham Botanic Park A community based development in Brookfield, Tauranga. Together we can enhance our natural environment and leave a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Sydenham Botanic Park covers 3 hectares in the central Tauranga suburb of Brookfield, conveniently located opposite the Brookfield Shopping Centre. The land was gifted to Tauranga residents by the late Frank Sydenham. Frank was one of the first ever Massey University students to graduate with a Masters Degree in Horticulture. He went on to become a well known market gardener producing fruit and fl

owers from his Millers Rd property. A grove of Frank’s apple trees can still be seen in the park today. Initially the land was used by Tauranga schools for education purposes. By 2003 the land was no longer being used for education and Tauranga City Council agreed to administer the land as a proposed botanic park. The council setup a Botanic Trust which ran community workshops during 2005 to develop a master plan. Over recent years the plans have been reworked with further community input and 2 new groups have been established- a Park Funding Trust to generate development funds and a Park Advisory Group to prioritise park development and represent the Tauranga community. How the park operates:

*Park development and funding- facilitated by the Funding Trust and Advisory Group
*Funding sources- donations, volunteers, in-kind work from local businesses and applying for grants from charitable funding organisations
*Governance and park maintenance- provided by Tauranga City Council
*Sydenham Trust deed oversight- provided by the landowner Guardian Trust**

**Guardian Trust also administer the Frank Sydenham scholarship for Bay of Plenty horticulture students. There are 4 main themes planned for present and future park development:

*Gondwana collection- Featuring the worlds best kauri collection and companion araucaria and ferns, the close relatives of plants that grew over 135 million years ago
*Hinewa walk- Main walkway through the park linking all the collections and featuring historic stories of local Tangata Whenua
*Frank Sydenham collection- Feature garden of the plants he grew (bulbs, cut flowers, fruit and sub-tropicals). Lots of colour and flowering displays
*Tendrils collection- Climbers and trailing plants on arbors, pergolas and poles utilising kiwifruit technology

The park already features a world class collection of kauri trees (14 species) donated by Graham and Mavis Dyer. These trees were planted in 2004 and make up part of the Gondwana collection. The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri, is a relatively small genus of 21 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. The Dyer’s donations to this collection are ongoing.

17/11/2025

We’re working on a plan to improve playground facilities in Brookfield, by either upgrading Lees Park or creating a larger, more inclusive playground area at Sydenham Botanic Park.

Hi Everyone the link below is with regards to the Council putting a playground in the park it's open for submissions now...
17/11/2025

Hi Everyone the link below is with regards to the Council putting a playground in the park it's open for submissions now.
https://letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/projects/tauranga-playground-and-reserves-upgrades/brookfield-playground-and-reserve-upgrade/fbclid/iwy2xjawoha7zlehrua2flbqixmqbzcnrjbmfwcf9pzawznta2odu1mze3mjgiy2fsbhnpdgucmjuaar45sshgsd1ebsjhiivunbu4totvzf9q7q8ogb-hswakucmscw_jmafiq_qeww_aem_f-onien4plxex39pv1w4vg?fbclid=IwVERDUAOHbIlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgIY2FsbHNpdGUBMgABHss8ic88xkLtKXLTOJ-vTUWfyJOEklojh_Kk23eXEKoNbXqEJPxjgm3lxAb3_aem_I0j4RWVrhZDmatM-OJa7gQ

We’re working on a plan to improve playground facilities in Brookfield, by either upgrading Lees Park or creating a larger, more inclusive playground area at Sydenham Botanic Park.

16/07/2024

Just a note that The Sydenham Botanic Park Advisory Group has wound up and this page will be passed on to any new group that takes on looking after the park in due course.

Daffodils in bloom with kids in the background. At their best now.
07/09/2022

Daffodils in bloom with kids in the background. At their best now.

The daffodils are getting ready to bloom. Thanks again to Bulbs Direct for the donation of King Alfred bulbs! Come and s...
16/08/2022

The daffodils are getting ready to bloom. Thanks again to Bulbs Direct for the donation of King Alfred bulbs! Come and see how many different daffodils you can find growing in the park (Frank originally had 14 varieties)

Friday 17th June Lunch after planting 23 trees and 60 flaxes. Thanks to New World Brookfield for Muffins and Recreation...
17/06/2022

Friday 17th June
Lunch after planting 23 trees and 60 flaxes. Thanks to New World Brookfield for Muffins and Recreation Services for the use of the barbeque.

Today 500 daffodil bulbs were planted in record time thanks to assistance from Otumoetai Rotary Club and Matua Scouts.In...
23/04/2022

Today 500 daffodil bulbs were planted in record time thanks to assistance from Otumoetai Rotary Club and Matua Scouts.
In spring they should make a new display on each side of the path.

Site for 500 bulbs kindly donated by Bulbs Direct to be planted out later in the Autumn.
29/03/2022

Site for 500 bulbs kindly donated by Bulbs Direct to be planted out later in the Autumn.

A big thank you to Kayne and the crew at Bulbs Direct for the awesome donation of 500 King Alfred daffodils to Sydenham ...
09/03/2022

A big thank you to Kayne and the crew at Bulbs Direct for the awesome donation of 500 King Alfred daffodils to Sydenham Botanic Park!

Wednesday 26th January 2022 TCC Commissioners on a visit to Sydenham Botanic Park.
26/01/2022

Wednesday 26th January 2022 TCC Commissioners on a visit to Sydenham Botanic Park.

Sign moved east to open up the view into the park
26/11/2021

Sign moved east to open up the view into the park

Address

6 Millers Road, Brookfield
Tauranga

Telephone

07-577 7000

Website

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