The team at Raglan Holiday Park Papahua have returned home from the Holiday Parks Conference and Trade Exhibition Awards as champions after winning the TIA Sustainable Innovation Award for their community garden.
A few years ago, Waikato District Council’s Raglan Holiday Park staff got together and started a community garden, which they named ‘Papahua Maara Kai.’ Papahua means ‘a place to grow,’ or ‘a place to plant,’ and maara kai means ‘food garden.’ The garden has since become a standout feature in the park, enjoyed by guests.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this award,” says Camp Manager Leanne Nielsen, “Papahua Maara Kai is one of many of our initiatives which makes Raglan Holiday Park one of the most popular destinations in the district.”
The garden was established based on permaculture principles, focusing on ecological and sustainable living techniques, and initially used Bokashi compositing – a Japanese method of composting food waste. Two years ago, the garden went through a revitalisation, involving burying fish waste under the garden beds, layered with cardboard, soil, and mulch, significantly enhancing the garden's soil quality.
Compost and mulch are sourced locally, along with seeds from the Whaingaroa Environmental Centre's seedbank to promote seed sharing and minimize environmental impact. An on-site worm farm also produces fertilizer for the garden.
The garden provides fresh organic produce to visitors, with surplus items donated to the local community food pantry. Last year, a collaborative effort with the Whaingaroa Environmental Centre led to an open community garden event, inviting everyone to discover the garden's practices. Staff also use the garden to encourage visiting children to learn valuable gardening skills and to teach them about sustainability.
“This innovation has so many benefits in terms of education, visitor satisfaction, lowering waste and carbon footprint, and community impact,” said the judges of Papahua Maara Kai.
“It is a shining example of a tourism business that has truly embedded sustainability, to the benefit of the business, visitors, the community and the environment.”
Raglan Holiday Park’s Papahua Maara Kai is just one of many examples of Waikato District Council sustainability initiatives – check out our website to learn more about what we’re doing for the environment in the Waikato district.
