Campus environment manager Simon Noble, of Dunedin, said apart from carrying out maintenance and cleaning stair rails and outdoor fittings, 20 staff members created the polytechnic's first ‘‘no dig'' permaculture garden beds.
Mr Noble said there were plans to install similar gardens around much of the campus in future.
‘‘There will be an ongoing programme for medicinal and edible plants, which will also be used in teaching programmes, and vegetable gardens.
‘‘The emphasis will be on installing sustainable areas which do not require high levels of maintenance, and which are more than just ornamental,'' Mr Noble said.
Some grassed areas would also be replanted in gardens, as mowing and watering grass had a higher environmental impact than maintaining gardens, he said.
The concept for the planting plan was loosely inspired by the ‘‘Eden Project'', a large biosphere system in Cornwall, England.
Human resources general manager and ‘‘painter-for-a-day'' Matt Carter said the working bee was a good opportunity for staff members to improve their work environment, and socialise with colleagues.
In a recent internal newsletter, chief executive Phil Ker said many jobs needed to be done at the Dunedin campus, including water blasting, painting, gardening and rubbish removal, with a particular focus on the student centre.
‘‘However, we have exhausted our funds for campus cleanup already and it seems a pity not to tidy up some of the obvious areas needing attention,'' he said.
Last month, polytechnic marketing manager Mike Waddell said the polytechnic had not previously run campus-wide clean-up days.