Media Release
26 April 2016
Christchurch’s oldest gardening organisation is teaming up with its newest to help reinvent New Zealand’s Garden City.
The Canterbury Horticultural Society (CHS) is lending its weight to Ōtākaro Orchard, Christchurch’s landmark new $5M urban garden project. CHS has expressed interest in being the anchor tenant of the local food information centre on site and the organisation is backing Ōtākaro Orchard’s crowd-funding campaign.
This week CHS launches a match-fund for the Ōtākaro Orchard’s Give a Little fundraising campaign, starting when their Autumn Show opens at the Botanic Gardens. From 10am on Saturday 30 April until midnight on Sunday 8 May they will match every dollar donated during that time, up to a maximum of $10,000.
Ōtākaro Orchard Project Coordinator Chloe Waretini says the CHS has been running for over 150 years and brings a wealth of intergenerational gardening expertise to the Ōtākaro Orchard.
“Their support is invaluable to our team, not only this generous financial backing, but also their shared knowledge and skills,” she says.
CHS Manager Tony Kunowski says the Society is excited to collaborate with Edible Canterbury on this world-leading project.
“We see the project as a key way to connect our organisation to the city’s rebuild by engaging with younger generations in the very centre of the city,” he says.
The Ōtākaro Orchard will have a display at the Autumn Garden Show presenting the project to visitors and processing live online donations.
The Ōtākaro Orchard project is led by the Food Resilience Network, a collaboration of over 30 organisations and 150 people working together under the moniker Edible Canterbury to catalyse a strong local food economy in Canterbury. They have been granted the lease of the $3M site next to the former PGC building site in the Avon River Precinct by Ōtākaro Ltd (previously CERA), and are now fundraising $2M to construct the edible park, cafe and local food information centre.
ENDS
Note to editors:
Media are invited to attend the launch of the CHS and Ōtākaro Orchard Match Fund at 10am on Saturday 30 April at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
For further information and images please contact:
Anabel Darby
Tel: 021 668 090
anabel@darby.pro
Contact for Ōtākaro Orchard
Chloe Waretini
Project Coordinator
Tel: 027 696 4968
chloe.waretini@edible.org.nz
Contact for CHS
Tony Kunowski
Manager
Tel: (03) 366 6937
tony.kunowski@chsgardens.co.nz