16 January 2025

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Community Gardens

Enquiry

In the recent response for bin removal story there was a line about how the council assists with clean-ups and community gardens.

I have been meaning to ask for yonks about what community gardens there are in Rotorua the council is involved in, I couldn't find much detail on it, especially in one place.

Can I please ask how many there are and where they are, what their purpose is, how important they are for their communities, how to get involved and what the council contributions is for each?

How many can the general public access?

How has council contribution changed over the last five years?

Response

From Council Spokesperson:

As well as providing produce, māra kai or community gardens, provide social connections and a sense of community, and opportunities for skill development.

Council does not run māra kai but contributes towards their establishment in various ways:

• Grants through council’s community grants which groups can apply for;
• Providing space on council reserves, where that is available and appropriate;
• General advice and support;
• Work with the community group to create guidelines agreements that are updated annually or as specified in the agreement guidelines.

Council is always happy to work with individuals or groups who want to establish community gardens to see if there are suitable reserve sites, help get them started and assist with grants applications.

The key to a successful community garden is ensuring you have a committed group of people to keep it going.

There are currently eight community gardens on our reserves managed by community members.

The gardens on public reserves:

Scott Ave Reserve

McIntyre Ave Reserve

Tarawera Reserve

Wrigley Road Reserve

Manukau Cres Reserve

Kaharoa School (on reserve land at the back of the school)

Aspen Place Reserve

Waikawau/Hannahs Reserve