Safety issue puts garden in doubt

The community bank on the top level on right has been closed since February. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The future of a community garden tended by offenders in Whangarei is in the hands of the Corrections Department, after its request for a fence to be erected was turned down by the district council.

The council says it fully supports the work the department does on a patch of disused council land, and wants to help them find alternate premises, but building a fence was an unnecessary council expense in order to comply with Corrections' own safety requirements.

The garden on the banks of the Waiarohia Stream on Walton St, behind the Community Corrections facility, has been closed since February 23 after health and safety concerns from Corrections about the lack of fencing between the garden and the stream.

Whangarei Community Corrections Centre service manager Laura Aspden said they were working on finding a way to reopen the garden.

"The land where the garden is situated is council land and we are seeking input from the Whangarei District Council to help resolve the situation," she said.

Produce from the garden has been supplied to Women's Refuge, Salvation Army and providers of meals to local schools. The garden was maintained by offenders sentenced to community work and overseen by Corrections staff skilled in horticulture.

WDC parks manager Paul McDonald visited the site with a council health and safety officer last month.

The council was satisfied with the health and safety protocols being used by Corrections, with the workers being adequately supervised while tending the garden.

But a Corrections request for council to erect a fence on the site was turned down. "If they deem they can't work there, we're happy to work with them to find another suitable site."

Mr McDonald said another community garden site in Maunu was also tended by workers on community service, and that was the main producer of food given to food banks in Whangarei.