Dialogue: Basque gardens decision was democracy in action

By VICTORIA CARTER*

Have we done democracy a disservice? No way. Father Peter Murnane said in a Dialogue page article that the Hobson community board had narrowly voted to expel the Basque Park gardens. Out of eight votes, five in favour is not narrow.

He went on to say the decision raised questions of democracy. As a Hobson community board member, democracy matters to me, too. In nearly two years on the community board, I have spent more time in meetings reading reports or in discussions on Basque Park than on any other matter.

There have been workshops, endless consultation, money spent on consultants and then all the lobbying by those interested in organic gardening.

Surely this is democracy in action. It worries me when Father Murnane says that because he did not get the decision he wanted, democracy has not happened. Just because a decision does not go people's way should not lead to the assumption that they haven't been heard or that democracy hasn't been served.

The community board took a considerable amount of time to incorporate all points of view while encouraging a community response.

The Basque Park gardens are an example of community effort and it is only natural that there is disappointment at the decision to return the park to green open space for everyone's benefit.

The gardeners said themselves that the officer's recommendation to reduce the size of the gardens wasn't going to work for them. So it seems there was never going to be a win-win solution.

What this decision shows is the need for a clearer understanding of the issue of green space in the city. The Auckland City Council has taken several major unbudgeted decisions to buy more green open space. Most residents when asked feel we need more open space.

There is a bigger picture, too, that the council must consider when dealing with its environmental vision. Included in this vision are issues of water treatment, stormwater catchments, waste reduction and disposal, walkways and mass plantings of new trees.

I am fascinated at the stream of interest in the organic gardens at Basque Park because last month, apart from my family and two North Shore residents, there was no one else at a tree-planting in the Domain, one of our premier parks. As a result of this, I have urged better promotion of plantings so we encourage the community to attend and participate in making our city green.

There are many examples of community gardens in New Zealand and overseas. However, they are all planned and have not evolved over time.

The designation of the land on which the gardens are situated is the key. When gardeners and councils put together the agreements and leases, it means there is clarity around what the garden will look like, the area, the terms and so on. This has not happened at Basque Park.

I support the concept of organic gardening and think that, as a council and as a community board, we must look carefully at the areas where we place them.

I sincerely hope that the council will explore all our wards for areas of land that can be used for organic gardening so people can garden in local allotments and do not have to travel across town.

This will raise the awareness of the benefits of permaculture, caring for our environment and awe for the world that sustains and feeds us. I am committed to this. I introduced a gardening programme into numerous Auckland kindergartens as part of my desire that all children should have the chance to understand the concept and reality of growing things.

Let us not see the Basque Park decision as limiting, but focus on developing the gardens concept and expanding it throughout the Auckland region. Imagine if the Basque Park gardeners worked with low-decile schools teaching children to grow vegetables at home.

As long as there is wasteland it can be gardened for one harvest or 10, so let's encourage this expansion of gardens. Let's turn areas of land that are wasteland into wonderful living gardens for more people to learn from and enjoy.

* Victoria Carter chairs the Auckland City Council's city attractions committee.