They were found during inventory checks of old displays and had been safely disposed of. The operation saw the park closed for the day on Tuesday, with a childcare centre and a building at the nearby Whakatū Marae evacuated as a safety precaution. The park was reopened on Wednesday. The council s group manager, community services Andrew White thanked the Defence Force team and police for their work at the park. “We are grateful that we were able to review our collection and have the assistance of the EOD team so promptly, meaning Founders only had to be closed for a day.”
A childcare centre and a building on a marae have been evacuated following the discovery of explosive material in a Nelson park.
There will be a visible police presence at Founders Heritage Park for the next few hours (file picture).
Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Members of the public are urged to avoid Founders Heritage Park in Atawhai Drive while the Defence Force s explosive ordnance disposal unit assesses the material.
The park s carpark has also been closed as a safety precaution.
Police said there would be a visible police presence in the area for the next couple of hours while the unit disposed of the material safely.
Following community performances, that included marimba, kapa haka and waiata – attendees could go for a stroll along the Railway Reserve for the Lantern Hikoi. McLuckie said the walk this year was a shorter 1.2km loop going up Vanguard St and back down the reserve. The celebrations were postponed last year due to Covid-19.
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Twins Brooklyn, right, and Aubree Elliott gets a cup of soup from their nana Val Gilmor at the Matariki celebration at Victory. The Nelson Light Collective had lit up the route, including origami lanterns made in community workshops. The celebrations continue on Saturday at Founders Heritage Park with Nelson City Council’s Matariki Festival.
Te Huihui O Matariki 2021 – A Family Night Of Fun And Entertainment To Celebrate Matariki16 June 2021 scoop.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scoop.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.