archived.ccc.govt.nz

This page is not a current Christchurch City Council document. Please read our disclaimer.
Christchurch City Scene
October 2002

Lead Stories

Time to plan ahead for city parking

Doing the right thing with wastewater

Tide turning on Estuary

Twenty years of SummerTimes

 

Back to the October Index

Community Gardens meet city aims


Community Gardens meet city aims

A recent Council waste survey suggests just over half the city’s households do some home composting. Of those who do it, lawn clippings are the most commonly composted material and food scraps the least.

Of everyone surveyed, few put garden waste out in black rubbish bags, about a third put food scraps out in their black bags. Commercial wheelie bins were used by about one in five households to dispose of garden waste and lawn clippings.

Getting material that rots out of the waste stream is of interest to the Council because it is a potentially useful resource and in landfills causes problems by creating gases and leachate. One answer is proving to be Community Gardens.

In November 1999 the City Council endorsed the idea of community gardening as a way of reducing waste and strengthening communities. Since then a pilot expanding community gardens, with a focus on waste minimisation, has been a success and the Community Gardening Project has grown, driven by the community.

Community gardens have existed in the city for many years but are increasingly being recognised for their valuable role in not only encouraging waste reduction, reuse and recycling but also strengthening communities, raising self esteem, participation and a sense of belonging, increasing self determination and empowerment.

Community gardening groups have long recognised that there are substantial mutual benefits for their own communities and the city by working together with the Christchurch City Council.

Garden co-ordinators in the city consolidated in 2000 by forming the Christchurch Community Gardens Association. The group secured Council funding which enabled them to employ two workers, a Community Gardens Advocate and a Field Worker.

A public Community Gardens tour and development of a joint business case for community gardens are two examples of projects growing out of the strengthening of networking and relationshipbuilding following formation of the Christchurch Community Gardens Association.

Community Boards have been involved from the outset, each nominating at least one elected member as a Community Garden Champion for their area with one Community Board even setting up a special Community Gardening sub-committee for a while to focus its efforts on enhancing existing and developing new opportunities for Community Gardens in its area.

Increased interest in Community Gardens is expected from a range of quarters in Council as their ability to meet a wide range of mutual goals are recognised.

This page is not a current Christchurch City Council document. Please read our disclaimer.
© Christchurch City Council, Christchurch, New Zealand | Contact the Council