At the time of the purchase the men stated that it was their intention to give the land to the people of Hawke's Bay.
In 1920 there was a private road that went on to the proposed park, but not up to the trig station at the top, but Mason Chambers had surveyed a route to the top of the park.
Mayor Ebbett remarked the possibilities were great for the area, and that in the valleys and terraces trees of many kinds could be grown in the rich soil.
He also said that someone would be able to drive to the park from the Hastings Post Office and be there in 20 minutes, with only another five to 10 minutes to the top of the hill.
Mason's idea was to plant trees and graze the remaining land, and the upkeep of the park would be minimal.
In 1927 a trust deed was created and a trust board set up for the 97ha park.
Under the deed, the board must include a male descendant of the original donors.
The road to the top of the Te Mata Peak was formed in the 1930s by relief workers as part of a work scheme during the Great Depression; it likely started around 1935/36.
In 1937, as the road crept further toward the top, the sustenance workers (the first Labour Government had changed the scheme's name) began to complain about the two mile (1.6km) walk up the peak to get to the construction site.
They said they wouldn't work unless they had transport.
This raised the wrath in September 1937 of the Hawke's Bay County Council chairman, who stated "New Zealand was not made by men who were afraid of a two-mile walk".
Mason Chambers was also on the council at that time, and said it was up to the Te Mata Trust Board to arrange transport, not the county – but even this did not impress the chairman.
The peak road was constructed by manual labour. Using labour-saving machinery such as graders would have shortened the process, but the objective at this time was to provide work for as long as possible.
A few weeks later government approval was given to finish the road right to the summit using sustenance labour. The Te Mata Trust Board would be responsible, not the county as planned.
Moreover, the board would provide transport for the men each day from Hastings to the point of work. All this was probably a result of the conversations held by the county some weeks earlier.
The first task was for the men to create a track on the route of the road. The sides of the track would then be built up, enabling motorists to reach the top of the summit.
The work was expected to take six to eight months and the opening to take place in 1938.
Trees were planted in the late 1930s by the workers and some volunteers.
A wide variety was planted, including acacia, pinus insignus, macrocarpa, kowhai, peppers, redwoods, poplars, sheoaks, willows, silver birch and chestnuts.
The board received some finance from local bodies, donations, grazing rent and even the sale of firewood.
In 1954 entrance memorial gates designed by Eric Phillips were erected that recognised the gift by the Chambers brothers of the Te Mata Park land, and the earlier land ownership of their father John.
Peak House was built and opened in 1967, financed through an interest-free loan from the Hawke's Bay County Council.
Work has continued on the park over the years, some of it by volunteers and periodic detention workers.
Many walking tracks now cover the peak, as well as mountainbike tracks.
J M Chambers, chairman of the Te Mata Peak Trust Board from 1952–1968, said in 1967 at the opening of Peak House: "The value of this park and its charm lie in the extent of its lands and its very ruggedness and the fact that for all time it is secure as a wide open space when these hills below us, much sooner than we may think, will be a fully stocked residential area."
• Michael Fowler is taking a walking and bus tour, and other rail and walking tours of Hastings Art Deco during the Tremains 2018 Art Deco Festival. Bookings at iTicket. He is also speaking at 10am, Friday, 16 February at the Century Theatre, MTG on the topic Post 1931 Marine Parade: The beginning of Napier's Playground. Entry by gold coin donation.
• Michael Fowler (mfhistory@gmail.com) is an EIT accounting lecturer, and in his spare time a recorder of Hawke's Bay's history.
