Barry Hadfield Nikau Reserve heritage
Old State Highway 1 turnoff at the Lindale, heading south towards Paraparaumu
Barry Hadfield (1925-2012), a leading political, economic and social figure in Kāpiti, donated the land that became Nikau Reserve.
The great-grandson of Octavius Hadfield, the first missionary to the Kāpiti Coast, Barry Hadfield grew up on the family farm in Otaihanga. Known as Lindale, the farm extended on both sides of the highway. In 1948 he married Nina Howell and together they raised their four children on the farm.
Having served on the Paraparaumu School Committee, the Kapiti College Board of Governors and the Paraparaumu Town Committee, Barry Hadfield was elected to the Hutt County Council in 1965.
Hadfield led the campaign for Kāpiti to be constituted as a separate borough, and became its first elected Mayor in 1974, serving two terms. Under his leadership the Council developed the new town water supply and sewage plant, and successfully attracted new businesses to Kāpiti. From 1978 to 1984, he served on the Local Government Commission.
Barry Hadfield was Deputy Chair of the Kāpiti District Trust Board that developed Marire Home and Sevenoaks Retirement Village. In the late 1980s he developed the Lindale Centre. He was a life member of the Paraparaumu Cricket Club and a Rotarian.
In 2011, Barry Hadfield was admitted to the Kapiti-Horowhenua Business Hall of Fame and received a Kāpiti Mayoral Award the following year. This reserve was renamed ‘Barry Hadfield Nikau Reserve’ in 2015.
