A spot of "guerrilla gardening" by Otago Peninsula’s elected officials has received rave reviews from the community.
Community board chairman Paul Pope and new member Emma Strybosch spent an hour and a-half replanting a Portobello Rd plot on Wednesday, adding native lily rengarenga, from local gardens, and glasswort to the only surviving plant in the bed, the self-sown herb Bachelor’s Button.
The finishing touch was a plaque made by Mr Pope marked "Otago Peninsula Community Board Guerrilla Gardeners".
Mr Pope said the bed was first developed in 2022 but the plants had died and it more closely resembled a burial lot.
"Council's a big place, and its contracting organisations are a big place, and sometimes you have to be prepared to do a little something for yourself and take action yourself sometimes."
He said it had received fantastic feedback from the community.
In terms of health and safety, the pair had put out cones and donned high-vis gear, although Mr Pope hoped maintenance could one day be done by a small, local business.
Ms Strybosch said she was pleased with the result and it was a good opportunity to connect with users of the adjacent shared harbour path Te Awa Ōtākou".
