Whereas William Douglas Cook late of Eastwoodhill near Gisborne, sheep farmer, over a period of many years established on the property described in the Schedule and popularly known as Eastwoodhill an arboretum:
And whereas after unsuccessful endeavours made by him in his later years to arrange the transfer of the property to a body capable of maintaining it as an arboretum he sold the property to Heathcote Beetham Williams of Gisborne, sheep farmer, who has since retained and cared for this property and has continued endeavours to obtain some arrangement with a suitable existing organisation for the maintenance and development of the arboretum but without success:
And whereas the said Heathcote Beetham Williams has now agreed to the vesting of the property in a board to be established under this Act in the belief that a body so constituted offers the best prospect for the maintenance and development of the arboretum:
And whereas the type of constitution established by this Act could not be arranged otherwise than by legislation.