NMIT farewells iconic tree from its Marlborough campus
For over 70 years, a magnificent ginkgo tree has served as a gathering point in the middle of NMIT’s Marlborough Campus. Sadly, after a tough start to its life and a dry 2024 summer, the decision was made to remove the tree for the safety of everyone on campus.
The ginkgo tree is revered worldwide for its resilience and beauty. Known for its exceptional ability to live for up to 1000 years, it has long been considered a symbol of longevity and resilience in both Japanese and Chinese culture.
This Ginkgo, planted over 70 years ago by the Ballinger family, was unique. Due to an early incident with the landowner and a tractor-mounted rotary hoe, the tree had branched out at a uniquely low level.
Pam Wood, NMIT Curriculum Area Manager says ginkgo trees don’t usually have such a widely branched shape.
“The farmer accidentally went over the top of the tree when it was young, resulting in the branched structure with seven trunks”, she says.
This shape, however, helped to give the tree its identity and provide more protection for learners and staff alike during the hot Marlborough summers. This made the ginkgo tree the ideal spot to hold events, gather, share kai, and connect. The ginkgo tree's unique fan-shaped leaves are formed in two parts, and in Chinese philosophy, they are seen as a symbol of love, friendship, and connection.
“It was in fact a poor specimen and despite this it was very much appreciated by people on the campus”, says Helen Ballinger, whose family were the original landowners and planted the ginkgo tree all those years ago.
Photo provided by Pam Wood, the ginkgo tree is known for its spectacular seasonal show of yellow leaves, which is shown here on the Marlborough Campus ginkgo.
The NMIT ginkgo, with its unique structure, presented its own particular challenges. Each year, the ginkgo underwent a process of re-stropping and pruning, completed by certified arborists in the Marlborough region.
Ultimately, however, a particularly dry summer led to two limbs breaking away from the main trunk of the ginkgo. After much discussion, the ginkgo tree was removed from the site under the arborist's recommendation and approval of the Marlborough District Council.
A new ginkgo tree was selected and planted on the NMIT Marlborough Campus during the construction of the NZ Wine Centre in 2022. Gerald Hope, chair for the Environment and Planning Committee at Marlborough District Council, hopes that “the youthful ginkgo will grow to the same stature and provide visual pleasure and add to the aesthetics of the campus”.
The ginkgo's legacy will continue to provide security to the Marlborough community. Its wood will be donated to the local Lions Club to be split into firewood for families in need. The NMIT Marlborough Café will also retain its name as the ginkgo Café in memory of the tree. In this way, our unique ginkgo will be remembered by all who enjoyed its beauty, savoured its shade, and watched it grow over the past 70 years.
