WMS Garden Competition - Judges Brief
Here is the Judges Brief, explaining the garden construction:
Value the Land
Whakatauki: I tipu ake mātou i ruka i te korowai o Aoraki, i ngaruru ake mātou i tua mai i nga orowaru o Waimakariri, he ao mātou West Melton We prosper on the cloak of Aoraki, we thrive beside the rippling waters of Waimakariri, West Melton is our world.
Our recycled pallet garden is in the shape of a globe. The non-flowering green plants represent the landmass of New Zealand. Antarctica and the Arctic are displayed by the placement of white flowering plants at both ends. Australia and the desert are reflected with the oranges and reds of the flowers while the purple, blues and violets are images of the oceans surrounding New Zealand.
Our river flows from the oceans of the globe to our local braided river – the Waimakariri. The driftwood rake represents our local heritage and the legend of Tü Te Raki and his rake.
Our native trees like the kowhai represent the trees and brushes planted by the school at our local Kowhai Sanctuary to feed and sustain the local native birds. The flaxes and native grasses reflect again the Sanctuary and our native garden at school that also is designed to attract the insects that will feed the birds.
The selection of various vegetables such as lettuces, mint, parsley, spring onions and leeks represent the patchwork of the crops that can be found on the Canterbury Plains and the West Melton district.
The inclusion of a recycling bin that is located in all of our learning communities reflects our sustainable practices of recycling, composting and growing edible plants.
At West Melton we have four worm farms that we feed with our food scraps. The worms look after us by producing worm juice that is put on our plants and sold to the local community. The vermicast that comes from the worms is also placed on our vegetable gardens.
The artwork birds reflect the school’s commitment to the establishment of plantings to support birds and insects in our local eco systems. The rainbow is the communal work of the students at West Melton School with our collective house colours linking everyone to the land.
