Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

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 / Hawkes Bay Today

‘A life of its own’: Opening of community garden brings joy to Tamatea

Mitchell Hageman
By Mitchell Hageman
Multimedia Journalist·Hawkes Bay Today·
22 May, 2023 10:21 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Keen gardener Chris Wells (right), who played a large role in the garden's inception, speaks to community members at the opening of the Lancaster Street community garden in Tamatea, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Keen gardener Chris Wells (right), who played a large role in the garden's inception, speaks to community members at the opening of the Lancaster Street community garden in Tamatea, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Back in March, Napier resident Julie McLean made the big decision to turn her front lawn into a sustainable garden for her community.

Inspired by the TV show The Good Life, McLean and her good friend Chris Wells worked tirelessly to create a space for those in Tamatea to appreciate sustainable growing and permaculture.

On Saturday, after nearly two months of hard mahi, the Lancaster Street community garden was opened with a special ceremony, and McLean is overjoyed the place will finally get to have a “life of its own”.

The “watch this space” sign that previously hung off the front gate has now been replaced with a brand-new permanent sign drawn by a talented local artist.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

About 40 to 50 people come to celebrate and connect at Saturday’s opening, with the local reverend conducting a karakia and kai. Supplies and stories were shared afterwards.

“Everything just seemed to fall into place and it just sort of fit,” McLean told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“Hopefully, in another week or so, we should have some more stuff to harvest for people to come and collect.”

Adding to the community spirit, the local church also donated a Mitre 10 voucher to help with gardening supplies and upkeep. This means McLean and her friends can continue to help the community.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Julie McLean's front lawn is now the Lancaster Street community garden.
Julie McLean's front lawn is now the Lancaster Street community garden.

McLean said that overall, the garden was about keeping it simple and enjoying the company and fruits of the labour.

“Come and take it, have a chat and enjoy it,” she said.

With the opening of the garden still causing a buzz in the local community, McLean said she was looking forward to the growth ahead.

“It’s only young, and I think in a year’s time, when things are more established, it will be even better,” she said.

“I’m really happy with how it’s gone, it’s so exciting.”

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Concrete water tank falls off truck near Hastings roundabout

Hawkes Bay Today

It might feel showery but winter has been a dry one in Hawke's Bay so far

Hawkes Bay Today

Rural Hawke's Bay sports club planning to build new clubrooms


Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Concrete water tank falls off truck near Hastings roundabout
Hawkes Bay Today

Concrete water tank falls off truck near Hastings roundabout

The tank broke into several pieces and a fence was damaged.

11 Aug 09:03 PM
It might feel showery but winter has been a dry one in Hawke's Bay so far
Hawkes Bay Today

It might feel showery but winter has been a dry one in Hawke's Bay so far

11 Aug 06:21 PM
Rural Hawke's Bay sports club planning to build new clubrooms
Hawkes Bay Today

Rural Hawke's Bay sports club planning to build new clubrooms

11 Aug 06:00 PM


Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

10 Aug 09:12 PM
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
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP