ARC Media Release 13 November 2007

Gold and Silver at the Ellerslie International Flower Show

The ARC sponsored Raingarden picked up gold, and the ARC Sculpture in Our Garden won silver, in the exhibition category at the Ellerslie International Flower Show this afternoon.

The Raingarden exhibit, designed by Unitec Landscape Design students Kirsten Sach, Jamie Douglas and Zoë Carafice, aims to help solve our stormwater problem by taking advantage of Auckland’s rain.

The Sculpture in Our Garden exhibit was created by the Botanic Garden's own team of Brooke Stark, Glen Carter and Keith Hyde. The exhibit is based around three sculptures by Auckland artist Richard Cooper and demonstrates how New Zealand gardens can be complemented by the placement of quality artworks.

The winning trio were absolutely delighted and grateful at their gold award. “Winning gold not only means that all our hard work has paid off but also ensures that our message will get out there. Our aim was to create awareness and encourage people to take responsibility for their local environment by incorporating simple stormwater solutions into their own gardens,” said Kirsten Sach, spokesperson for the students.

Auckland Botanic Gardens Manager Jack Hobbs congratulates both teams for their creativity in raising environmental awareness.

“Both teams have managed to engage people with environmental messages through the use of art. It is wonderful to work with people with so much passion and commitment,” he says.

ARC Environment Management Chair Dianne Glenn agrees that the Ellerslie International Flowershow is a perfect platform to highlight environmental issues and provide solutions.

“The ARC sponsored rain garden demonstrates a functional raingarden that every household in the region could install and thereby contribute to better stormwater management, winning gold will help its profile,” she said.

ENDS

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