Cambridge Community Garden Visit

My first impression of the Cambridge Community Garden was “WOW!” 

As our small group of Matamata visitors entered, an atmosphere of quiet business was apparent. And there was so much to take in.

The garden was very attractive and obviously productive, even in winter.

Sustainable Matamata committee members, along with representatives from the Peria Road Community Garden (behind the Matamata Union Parish Church), were visiting the garden, on Vogel Street, Cambridge, as part of a scoping exercise. We were keen to see what they had achieved in Cambridge and how they had done it. Was it a model that could be replicated in Matamata?

Of course, we car-pooled to the garden and met coordinator and dedicated volunteer Alison Hucke. 

Alison, a retired school teacher, is the powerhouse of the garden leading a very efficient, caring and welcoming team. She first took us to a small building that was the hub of the garden. There, a large white board listed planting schedules/tasks for the week. Volunteers could see what needed doing, pick a task and get on with the job.

Using a huge, well-worn photograph album-cum-scrapbook, Alison went through the garden’s history. A three-acre property, part of Cambridge’s green belt, owned by Waipa District Council and including a house, was leased to the garden organisation in 2011. The house was sold for $20,000, of which half went back to the council and half to the garden. A perfect “seed” fund. No pun intended! In 2019, the group registered as an Incorporated Society (essential today to make funding applications).

Our introduction was followed by a tour of the garden. They seemed to have everything: raised veggie beds, compost heaps, multiple tool and storage sheds, chooks (egg shells are dried, crushed and returned to the soil), a small orchard, fruit cages, greenhouses and shade houses. There is even a gorgeous ‘fairy glen’, a space in the native wooded area hung with bunting and other decorations, with a table and chairs. A magical place for young children (or even adults) to enjoy. A small playground, community room and lawn confirm the garden’s status as family friendly. 

After the tour it was back to the hub for a late morning tea with the volunteers, who included a family of four with preschooler children, a single guy with a forestry background and some high school students. Alison explained how various funders and community groups supported the gardens. Funding applications have secured cameras and flood lights. And Alison is not afraid to stand up to late-night visitors intent on helping themselves to produce! As a community garden, anyone is allowed to take produce from the large stand at the garden entrance, but in exchange for labour or a koha.

So, our question is…Could we replicate this in Matamata? Matamata-Piako District Council supports the idea but we need a group of people to bring it to fruition. 

Knowing that “many hands make light work”, is this something you could support with a few hours of your time each month? If interested, please email us at hello@sustainablematamata.org.nz