Newsletter for February 2021
Kia ora,
Coming up this March it will be 30 years since we purchased the quarry and started its rehabilitation. The celebration of this milestone will launch Seeds of Renewal, our Easter event (2 – 5 April). The event draws attention to ways of sustaining nature and art, the driving forces of the park. The Trust is planning workshops for propagating plants, maintaining trees, renewing soil, and restoring sculptures that have powerful messages to convey. Please mark this event in your calendar to attend!
Starting next week the park will be the alternative venue for practical training of Wintec students who are studying amenity horticulture, landscape construction, and arboriculture. The government’s emphasis on trade training has doubled the student numbers this year. Hamilton Gardens is not able to provide hands-on practice for all of them. As we always have more work that can be done, we are keen to make this opportunity work for mutual benefit.
The Trust needs practical assistance from other volunteers. Volunteering Waikato has helped us describe and advertise volunteer positions to help with fundraising, enhancing the park’s creative resources for schools and families, as well as basics like keeping the sculptures in good order. If you are interested, check out these links:
https://volunteeringwaikato.org.nz/volunteer/positions/2011/sculpture-maintenance
https://volunteeringwaikato.org.nz/volunteer/positions/1999/creativity-resource-coordinator
https://volunteeringwaikato.org.nz/volunteer/positions/1998/funding-administrator
We have to hope that this prolonged drought breaks by the time you read this. Our ponds have been at the lowest level we’ve ever seen. It does not bode well for some of our mature trees, let alone the trees planted in the hills this winter.
Hope to see you out here soon!
John & Dorothy Wakeling
Matangi Link 