Parkdale community garden grows

Parkdale resident Elaine Lloyd and Nga Maramara o Parata chairwoman Sharlene Harris helping laying the foundations for a new community garden.

Some Kaitaia residents are stepping into a healthier future as they get stuck into laying down a community garden on the Parkdale reserve.

Members of the community action group Nga Maramara o Parata and Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu took up their chainsaws, hammers and gumboots last week, seizing on the opportunity offered by a fine afternoon to build raised beds.

In true community spirit the timber was donated by Juken NZ, the topsoil from the Te Hiku Sports Hub site and the seeds from a neighbouring resident, with additional transport provided by community whanau.

"We see this as an opportunity for our neighbourhood to grow. Our kaupapa is about whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kotahitanga by planting the seed. That seed is the wellbeing of our next generation, and ensuring the nurturing of our future is supported by us of today," Te Runanga-a-iwi o Ngati Kahu iwi liaison Hohepa Rameka said.

The Parkdale community has been working closely with Healthy Families Far North in its redevelopment journey.

Healthy Families kaiwhaka-haere Shirleyanne Brown said the team had played a crucial role in the scoping stage of the park's revitalisation by undertaking preliminary research on Kaitaia's green spaces, as part of its wider strategic approach, Ka Tipu Te Ora: Growing Health.

Focus group sessions, one-on-one interviews and literature review findings had resulted in an insightful collection of authentic data that was helping guide the response to the state of public green spaces, she said.

"One of our research insights has shown us that more community gardens means more fresh kai for the Kaitaia community," Ms Brown added.

"The name Kaitaia suggests the area is overflowing with an abundance of food, and Far North District Council policy states community gardens exist for those who have insufficient private open space to engage in gardening.

The creation of community gardens is a wonderful first step to bringing people together as one to directly respond to what the community has told us."

Each raised bed would be "adopted" by four households, encouraging ownership and sustainability as they began to produce.

Long-term resident Elaine Lloyd said the gardens were the beginning of a long-held dream, and just the start of breathing life back into the reserve.

"This has been coming for a long time. I've been here for 40 years, and I have a great-granddaughter who will hopefully be able to play here.

"We don't want our kids playing on the roads, but that's the only place they have to play in the winter time because it has been so wet and swampy."

Also on the upgrade wish list are improved drainage, lighting, toilets and beautification, that the committee will be working to implement alongside the Far North District and Northland Regional councils.

For now, residents are busy finishing off beds and strategising on what's next. An open meeting will be held at Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu, 21 Parkdale Cres, at 6pm on Thursday.