Dunedin City Council Botanic Garden team leader Alan
Matchett beams with pride over newly awarded status as a
"garden of international significance". Photo by Gregor
Richardson.
The Dunedin Botanic Garden has joined just four other New
Zealand gardens to gain a ranking as a "garden of international
significance".
Awarded by the New Zealand Gardens Trust, an organisation
established by the Royal New Zealand Institute of
Horticulture, the ranking is expected to provide a boost for
both city pride and tourism, Dunedin City Council Botanic
Garden team leader Alan Matchett said yesterday.
In 2008, the trust instituted the top-tier "international"
category, designed to recognise New Zealand's most
outstanding gardens.
The Dunedin Botanic Garden, which proved to be the most
popular council facility in a residents' opinion survey
released this week, joins Larnach Castle garden as the only
two in the South Island to achieve the international ranking.
The others are three privately-owned North Island gardens,
Richmond in Carterton, Te Kainga Marire in New Plymouth, and
Ayrlies Gardens in Auckland.
The criteria for the award included horticultural expertise,
health and safety, and the design and flow of the garden, Mr
Matchett said the garden was a founding member of the trust,
but the award was "not a matter of right": instead, it had to
be earned.
Judges used a points system, and looked at the garden as a
whole, but also "stopped and talked to staff to see how
helpful and knowledgeable they are".
The garden would "definitely" use the award in its
advertising and promotional material, and the award was good
for Dunedin.
"It's up to us to use it to our best advantage," he said.
"That sense of ownership and pride is a good thing."
The castle garden, the Dunedin Botanic Garden, the
Glenfalloch Woodland Garden and the Wylde Willow garden in
Abbotsford have been declared gardens of national
significance by the trust in the past.
Two assessors visit every garden applying for a
garden-of-significance award, and undertake a inspection and
assessment to determine the garden's grading.
Gardens of international significance are reassessed every
two years.
david.loughrey@odt.co.nz
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