Public consultation on our 2025-34 Long Term Plan is open now until 4 March 2025. Find out what it's all about and how to get involved.
Published on 08 January 2024
The New Zealand Gardens Trust has awarded the Ōamaru Public Gardens five stars as it has renewed its accreditation as a Garden of National Significance until January 2027.
Assessors visited the gardens earlier this year and met to decide the results at their ratification meeting. Jan Woodhouse, Lead Assessor, says: ‘It is a privilege and pleasure to visit gardens that are the result of hours of work by passionate, creative, and knowledgeable people. We leave inspired and humbled by our experiences.’
The gardens were commended for their historic and contemporary elements and plantings, including the more recent wildflower areas. The extensive range and variation in the scale of spaces and the planting schemes were also praised, as was the ongoing restoration of the glass house. Even with the five-star rating, suggestions were made to expand the wildflower area and plant more along the stream.
Mayor Gary Kircher said, “It’s thanks to an unbe-leaf-able effort of our green-fingered team, that our beautiful public gardens gain this recognition. With such a wonderful space, it’s always a thorny challenge to maintain, but the team rose to the occasion”