Nelson's Italian history honoured in The Wood

Monday, 13 July 2020

The City of Nelson Civic Trust trustee Karen Stade, left, Italian Ambassador Fabrizio Marcelli, and Nelson City councillor Gaile Noonan at the unveiling of a new heritage panel at the intersection of Tasman and Grove streets in The Wood.

The story of Nelson’s Italian community has been commemorated with a new display that has been set up in The Wood.

At the beginning of July, a two-sided panel was unveiled on Tasman St, which included information about the history of The Wood and in particular the contributions made by members of the Italian community.

More than 70 people turned out for the unveiling, including Italian Ambassador to New Zealand Fabrizio Marcelli.

The panel, which was funded jointly by the Nelson City Council and the City of Nelson Civic Trust, included excerpts from Karen Stade and Karen Price’s history of Italians in Nelson – Pasta, Prayers and Promise.

Club Italia president John Esposito, centre speaks at the unveiling of the panel. The double-sided panel celebrates the history of The Wood and the Italian community.

While Italian emigration to Nelson stretched back as far as the 1860s, it was during the early decades of the 20th century that the main bulk of migrants came into the area.

From 1905 to 1930 large waves of chain migration boosted the population in Nelson, with most of the new migrants coming from villages from southern Italy, such as Sorrento, Massa Lubrense and Marina di Puolo.

The epicentre of the Italian community was The Wood, which, with its frost-free environment, was the ideal location for Italian market gardeners to set up shop.

Tomatoes were the crop of choice, and by the 1950s there were about 37 acres of glasshouses stretching across the wood – described by those who saw it as a “sea of glass”.

Italian Club chairman John Esposito said the panel was a timely reminder of the extraordinary deeds carried out by ordinary people when they came out to New Zealand.

“We have a responsibility to keep that memory alive.

“As time passes the interdependence of the Italian community of 100 to 150 years ago is not quite the same. You can forget, so this is a great reminder for us of what happened back then.”

Ambassador Marcelli, who was visiting Nelson for the first time, said it was great to see the recognition of the contributions Italians had made to the city.

“I’m really pleased with the way you’ve kept the Italian fire alive over all these years.”