North Campus garden

The North Campus community gardens were initially established (by the students and staff of a third-year sport and recreation course), to provide students with the knowledge and skills to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Since then, it has blossomed into a beautiful space where all members of AUT and the wider community are free to share and enjoy.

Impression of the community gardens

A space for everyone

The AUT North Campus is home to various community garden initiative spaces. These include raised garden beds, a fruit tree orchard, the sensory herb garden, the outdoor classroom, Matariki gardens, and hāngi pit which are available for all to enjoy.

Raised garden beds

The raised garden beds at AUT North Campus were created as one of the very first projects within the AUT Community Gardens Initiative. In 2019, the first garden beds were built initially as a thought experiment to put what we teach into action. They have since been used by students and groups across the university as a teaching and community space for growing vegetables and herbs.

Timeline

2019
First six raised garden beds were built in collaboration with students studying lifestyle nutrition.
2020
Two additional raised garden beds were built alongside the original six.
2023
Over 50 fruit trees, banana palms and taro, were planted in what was a previously unused grassed area across from the raised garden beds.
2024
Compost system rejuvenation was implemented in collaboration with The Carbon Cycle Co.
2024
A further two additional raised garden beds were built alongside the existing eight, in collaboration with students studying lifestyle nutrition.
2024
Twelve garden beds with complete irrigation systems were built in the AF courtyard. Project was led by AUT's Head Chef of Hospitality, Matthew Farley.

Matariki gardens

These gardens were created as a celebration of Matariki – Māori New Year. Planting is, historically, a very important part of Māori culture, entailing both social and spiritual dimensions. The planting and harvesting of various plants were a collective activity, which encouraged involvement by all members to contribute to the success of the land. Food was acknowledged as coming from Atua (gods) and the tasks involved with gardening such as planting and harvesting were managed and maintained through Tikanga (customary practices), particularly the use of tapu. It was through this deep historical connection with the land that has brought about the significance of gardening to Māori people, and the Māra (garden) that was established outside the Whānau Room at AUT North Campus.

Rongoā – traditional Māori medicine in our māra

Kawakawa plant

Kawakawa

Kawakawa has easily distinguishable heart-shaped leaves. It is commonly used in Rongoā Māori (Māori medicine) for skin conditions, gastrointestinal complaints, musculoskeletal complaints, wounds and bruising, and toothache.

Mānuka plant

Mānuka

Mānuka produces a nectar that bees turn into honey, which is well known for its curative properties. It is commonly used in Rongoā Māori (Māori medicine) for kidney and urinary problems, digestive problems and diarrhoea, fevers, chest congestion and sinus problems, oral hygiene (halitosis and gingivitis) and muscle and joint aches.

Horopito plant

Horopito

Horopito has a very “hot taste”. It is commonly used in Rongoā Māori (Māori medicine) for gastrointestinal complaints, stomach pain and diarrhoea, poor circulation, skin conditions, wounds and bruising, toothache, and coughs and colds.

Sensory Garden (Scholars' Garden)

Also known as the Scholars' Garden, the Sensory Garden provides a haven for visitors to relax and rejuvenate. Located to the right of the library at North Campus, the Scholars' Garden was created by previous AUT PhD student Dr Gayle Souter-Brown to study the impact of nature on health and wellbeing.

Our story

Gardens have long been enjoyed as places to relax, but AUT research has confirmed that gardening can be a powerful force for our mental wellbeing.

The Sensory Garden was first created as a scholarly project at AUT. Gayle’s PhD looked at whether it was possible to create a public health tool using ecologically sensitive landscape architecture.

Gayle created a sensory garden and compared it with a planted plaza space of the same size at the university to study how people’s wellbeing was affected by different types of environment in a randomised controlled trial.

The sensory garden was designed to be full of life. This nature-rich 900sqm space became full of birdlife, colour and fragrance and offers visitors many ways to interact with it.

Opportunity for student projects

This garden is a space for ongoing student projects. Students studying lifestyle nutrition are given the opportunity to rejuvenate the planter boxes with herbs to be incorporated into recipes or herbal tea.

"We wanted to establish a warm and welcoming green area for students to potentially study and relax in. Additionally, we added various herbs to the garden for students to pick and use at their leisure to further promote the garden." Students from the Lifestyle Nutrition course, 2023

Fruit orchard

A strategic sustainability initiative

In 2018, the AUT North Campus started with the planting of citrus trees by the raised vegetable garden beds. In a cove of what was once only grass behind the library and AF block, you will now find rows of citrus, feijoa, and stone fruit, as well as a banana palm and a taro grove.

The governing concept of the orchard is to provide produce and learning opportunities for students. There are also plans for the orchard to be part of an integrated circular food system to support the new café in Tukutuku.

Involving students

Fruit tree planting has been integrated into the nutrition components of first- and second-year sports degree students. The planting day provides an opportunity for students to participate in the broader community garden initiative and leave a legacy at AUT.