Uptown regeneration
Story and photos contributed by Lydia Tebbutt, Cityside Baptist Church.
Since 1880, the intersection of Burleigh Street and Mount Eden Road has been characterised by the rising spire of the old Baptist City Mission, these days known as Cityside. The structure invites us to turn our minds heavenward, should we be inclined. But the garden below provides a kind of heaven-on-earth—a living haven here and now.
It’s a green wedge in the grey uptown cityscape for worshippers, artists and others who use the building’s studios and offices throughout the week. It’s also a place of respite for passers-by: the dawn commuters of the city, the night commuters of nearby bars, pubs and restaurants, and anyone feeling extra earth-bound as they climb the Mount Eden Road hill.
Gardens like this are also crucial for the wider region’s ecology. They support water management and carbon sequestration. They also help birds move about safely, and they provide critical resources to bees and other insects.
For these reasons, the Cityside community had long wanted to enhance the gardens around the building. They also wanted to extend them, with a couple of gravelled spaces at the back of the church calling out to be planted. In 2021, they began a programme to explore what being a regenerative church could look like. At the same time, they joined the Eco Church movement and the garden project sat easily at the intersection of these initiatives.
Sarah Woodfield and Claude Dewerse led the project, deciding early on to prefer native species. And to ensure appropriate plants were selected, they consulted experts. Friends from various environmental groups provided options about the kinds of plants that could help protect Maungawhau (Mount Eden) and support wildlife to live and move about. A key step was consulting A Rocha Auckland Committee Chair (and Matuku Link Trustee) John Staniland to understand which existing plants to retain and which ones to replace.
Throughout this process, the team gained some incredible ideas. But it also became clear that the planting plan needed to be something the community could feasibly look after. “Capacity was a key consideration for us,” says Sarah, “some of the plans we looked at were amazing, but they would have required full-time attention to maintain.” In the end, they landed on a simple, low maintenance planting plan that a few people can keep tidy with an hour’s work before church every few months.
New species brought in for specific purposes were planted alongside existing ones. Some plants were chosen for the fruit they would produce for birds, others for the canopy they would provide (cue a gorgeous Tītoki tree). Other plants were chosen for their connection to the local ecological landscape. “Matuku Link has a nursery, and we were able to source some plants from them,” says Claude, “including one which is native to the Waitākere Ranges.” The planting schedule was also sympathetic to the history of the garden and community. “There’s an olive tree that was a special gift from someone at some stage. So that had to stay,” recalls Sarah.
After years of dreaming and months of planning, on 20th August 2022 (winter is planting season), the community got stuck in to make the new garden happen. Even one or two self-proclaimed “non-gardeners” got their hands dirty.
Sarah says she would encourage anyone wanting to be intentional about green spaces to connect with local experts for guidance. “For us, it was about ensuring we did something we could manage, but drawing on our existing relationships and the experience of people out there to help us do that as well as we possibly could.”
Her advice for anyone coy about asking for help? Go for it. “The beauty of people who know lots about a thing is they tend to enjoy talking about it. So, it’s not an imposition to ask.”
