Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Students get growing at Gardens

By Ged Cann
Hamilton News·
14 Oct, 2015 07:19 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Wintec horticulture students are taking full advantage of the Hamilton Gardens' range of themed gardens and exotic plants to gain hands-on experience in everything from ancient gardening concepts to different civilisations practices.

The course is aimed at developing gardeners specialised in amenity horticulture, a speciality targeted at looking after any greenery in public spaces, whether that be private gardens or roadside flowers.

Course tutor Stephen Cantor said the range of garden design and plants provided the perfect setting, with the added advantage of having a world-renowned garden on the CV.

"They give a really broad spectrum. If you want to learn about roses you can spend a Friday in the rose gardens for example.

"Theory is okay, but you really need to get hands on. They study Monday to Thursday and then partner with gardeners on Fridays."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Cantor said the experience gave Wintec students an edge.

"The quality of gardeners isn't as good as it used to be. There's been a culture of getting it done and dusted as quickly as possible."

Mr Cantor said another advantage was students were being given valuable insight into what the job's really about, "warts and all".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Student Tianna said there were parts of the job she loved.

"It makes the day go faster when you really get stuck in. It's great stepping back and seeing what you've done.

"You get to interact with the public, people always stop to tell you your doing a good job."

Fellow student Chelsey Stewart came from a public office background, and said she could not believe how easily she fell into it.

"It's a great link between theory and practical."

Wintec have been involved with the Hamilton Gardens in the past but the programme has only peaked in the last year.

Wintec was already responsible for maintaining the kitchen gardens, which allow a perfect setting for learning about soil cultivation methods, fertilising and growing seasonally.

The programme sees 14 students working around the gardens, with each rotating into a different area each week.

"The gardens get something like a million visitors a year, to learn somewhere like that is amazing," Mr Cantor said.

Involvement is set to increase with the allotted day moving from Friday to Wednesday, enabling the students to use more heavy machinery like ride-on mowers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The programme seems to be yielding results, with four out of five recent internships at the Gardens going to Wintec students.

- Ged Cann

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Waikato Herald

'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery

04 Jul 01:02 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation
Waikato Herald

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM

Judge Tompkins said Michael Mead, 64, posed a 'very high risk' in the future.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor
Waikato Herald

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery
Waikato Herald

'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery

04 Jul 01:02 AM
'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years
Waikato Herald

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP