Maxwell, a small town between Whanganui and Patea, was renamed Pākaraka in 2022, and being the centre of Waitotara County it was chosen as the site of a First World War memorial. The quite large reserve site where these Phoenix palms grow was dedicated on 4 August 1921 [1]. Historical records indicate that the site was initially bare of planting, apart from an area of bulbs, and it took several years before the palms and other trees were planted: It was ‘into the 1920s’ … before trees were ‘chosen by the Wanganui reserves superintendent, Mr C.R. Tucker’. [2] Mr Tucker had been heavily involved in significant plantings of Phoenix palms in Whanganui, for example Rotokawau/Virginia Lake in 1924 [3], and the local council reported having good stock numbers, hence a planting date of circa 1925 looks likely given the size of these 3 Phoenix palms. It is another example of the common planting of Phoenix palms in war memorial sites.
References:
1. Maxwell war memorial | NZHistory, New Zealand history online
2. Heritage Inventory 368 Maxwell War Memorial (whanganui.govt.nz)
3. WGR/G1903