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Waitaki Community Garden
The Community Clean Up project has been operating in the Waitaki District since November 2006. Youth who have offended against the community are tasked with sweeping and water blasting the streets, picking up litter and glass, removing graffiti and painting and repairing Council and public property.
As an extension of the Community Clean Up Program and in partnership with Resource Recovery Centre management, the wider community and organizations, the development and use of space as a community garden/learning centre was proposed.
The proposed goal of the project is to create a physical and social environment where the skills and experience of the community, particularly senior citizens, can help at risk and disadvantaged youth achieve their maximum potential.
Council approved the development of the Community Garden/Learning Centre on Waitaki District Council land adjacent to the Waitaki Resource Recovery Park.
The space will:
• be good use of a public space
• promote ownership of the space
• be a space for youth
• promote mentoring of youth
• provide opportunity for youth to learn about recycling, growing and maintaining vegetable gardens and grow plants to be used in the community
• provide scope to bring in school students and support staff to the centre as an education opportunity
• add to maintenance of the site
• possible cadetship candidates for Parks and Reserves
• be a support partner in the heritage seedling and planting programme
The proposed area is at the West end of the Oamaru Gardens. The space was originally a community garden around 20 years ago run by local Scout groups. The area is currently managed through a grazing lease that includes Glen Eden, Glen Warren and Hospital Hill Reserves (with public access). Financial implications on the lease would be minimal.
The site is one of two links to the Oamaru South Hill and Skyline Walkway.
There is water at the site, a small shelter, well fenced with secure access points.
With the support of the key stakeholders, volunteers and Resource Recovery Centre staff made this site ideal and supports long term maintenance and security.
Project Strategy
The project philosophy is essentially one of recycling social and environmental resources. The strategy is to build on resources and space available, expand by developing required space into a community garden and learning facility supported by the Waitaki District Council (making required land available).
Objective
To renovate and equip an existing premises and allocate land to accommodate mentors and students/youth in order that they can practice skills that they have gained/learnt.
The blessing of the site/land.
On Monday the 15th of September 2008 Sis Dodd (Nga Tahu iwi, Te Runanga of Waihao) blessed the proposed site.
The Mara read as follows:
GATEWAY
E te whanu(family) we enter this gateway in the name of our creator/lord, earth (paptuanuku).
We have been entrusted with this good and fertile land, grant that we may so respect and use so that others may than us for what we give/leave to them, a community garden. Help us to share this goodness that surrounds us for poor and rich alike and bring trust and friendship to all our different races.
Inspire our people with the most gentle rule of love and peace as they become involved with this important project. It is our desire to work together in peace and harmony with the land assigned to the Trust from the hearts and minds of those in authority, the Waitaki District Council.
O God of Earth and Sky, visit this land and bless it, enrich it, water it and bless its growth with your goodness.
May this place be like a safe haven in which people working the soil and planting the seed support and care for each other, share love and laughter, form new relationships, failures forgiven and strength renewed, gain support with patience when our work seems hard.
Kororia, Homore Hareruia ki a Ihoa nga mano, te kanhui Ariki, Te Arepa, Te Omeka, Piriwiritua, Hamuera tatu mai kit te kai arahi ke te Mangai, te tautoko mai I tenei mara mo enei iwi katoa I runga I te Ingoa o te Matua, Tama, Wairua Tapu me nga Anahera Pono, ko koutou nei hoki te timatanga me te whakaotinga mai of matou, Mangai hei tautoko mai Aianei akenei Amine.
Ka ruria e tatou tenei whenua, hei horoi atu I nga mea poke, a te rerewa a te tangata ranei, I runga I te Ingoa o te Matua, o te Tama, o te Wairua Tapu, Aianei ake nei Amine.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever, Amine.
Community garden idea mooted
By Mike Hansen (OAMARU MAIL)
GIVING young people a taste for horticulture is just one benefit Allan Adamson thinks a community garden at Chelmer Street will encourage. The Waitaki District Council community services committee will hear a report tomorrow from community safety officer Alison Banks which proposes developing a community garden/learning centre on a fertile chunk of council- owned land adjacent to the resource recovery park. Mr Adamson, who is involved with the Granddads Shed Project, a mentoring programme for troubled young people, was excited to have an opportunity to pass on his years of gardening knowledge to at-risk youth in Oamaru. “It will really be a facility to share skills. If we can get some of the kids in here who are doing the wrecking and pass some knowledge on to them,” he said The aim of the garden, which is part of the Community Clean-Up project, is to create an environment where the community, particularly senior citizens, can help at risk and disadvantaged youth achieve something. “I’ve spoken with the Horticultural Society as well, and said if we get some of the kids that are showing some form can they display their work at the Horticultural Society show,” Mr Adamson said. “We just want to see them rewarded for good work.” Waitaki Resource Recovery Park manager Marion Shaw said the garden would be supplied with tools from the park. Although the land is council- owned, Mrs Banks’ report recommends the community services committee make the space available at no charge. She added that school groups could also use the site to learn about sustainability and horticulture. |