Motukarara Nursery a Winner
The Department of Conservation’s Motukarara Conservation Nursery and Resource Centre has just received a Christchurch Civic Trust award.
The award recognised “the development of a public facility that demonstrates how particular botanical species suit their regional ecosystems and offers such plants for sale”.
It’s well deserved recognition and the only award the Trust gave to something other than a building this year.
Nursery and Centre Manager, Jorge Santos, is the man behind the vision for and development of the nursery over more than 25 years, and the leader of a dedicated nursery team – both staff and volunteers.
“Restoration of an ecosystem is more delicate and long term than restoration of a building,” noted Jorge.
“The nursery propagates a wide diversity of Canterbury plants and many are publicly available. The resource centre is designed as a hub for information and education about biodiversity restoration in Canterbury, backed up by a number of publications and a resource for teachers.”
It is a place of beauty – a snapshot of Canterbury biodiversity – with specially developed display gardens representing indigenous habitats such as coastal areas, wetlands, lowland forests, subalpine areas and the plains. It is also has a collection of threatened plants.
“Encouraging and supporting communities, iwi, groups, individuals, schools, students and councils wanting to restore Canterbury’s natural heritage has always been important for the nursery. Development of the gardens has been driven by this,” says Jorge.
“We developed an ethno-botanical garden – Nga Tipu Whakaoranga o Tutekawa – to show how Māori depended on native plants for the necessities of life – food, firewood, shelter, clothing, and medicine,” said Jorge. “It is rewarding to see it now being used by Ngāi Tahu weavers as a place to source plant materials.”
All the gardens are accessible twenty four/seven – it’s a ‘must see’ for visitors to Christchurch with an interest in plants, conservation and restoration, and it attracts international admirers.
The Civic Trust award is a very appropriate acknowledgement of what the nursery and resource centre, under Jorge’s leadership, have achieved and what they provide for the community. Congratulations to Jorge and his team.
Posted: 12/01/2011