Vision To Create Garden For Sick Children Pays Off

Dio Students’ Vision To Create Garden For Sick NZ Children Pays Off

Dreams of four Diocesan School students to create a tranquillity garden for sick children and their families at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland will become a reality when work begins today on the $40,000 project which the girls spearheaded.

The students, now in Year 12 at the all-girls independent Auckland school, thought it would be a good idea for sick children and their parents – who come to Ronald McDonald House at Auckland Hospital from all over New Zealand – to have somewhere to relax outside of the hospital environment.

So Zoe Dockery, Victoria Jones, Jessica Choie and Genevieve Fox approached the Auckland charity in August 2008 with their idea, which was also a BP Community Enterprise Project entry.

Ronald McDonald House Auckland gave them the go ahead and fundraising was kick started with $500 awarded when the Dio students won a merit award in BP’s competition which challenges students to come up with a project that benefits a non-profit community organisation.

Students, staff and teachers at Diocesan School went on to raise nearly half of the money needed for the garden – partly through the efforts last year of students who do 20 hours voluntary service in Year 12.

Palmers GardenWorld in Remuera has also generously sponsored the project and donations have included $5000 from a private philanthropic family trust and $1500 from South Auckland Zonta group.

The garden – designed by Palmers’ landscape designer Dan McKay with initial input from the four girls – is expected to take three weeks to complete after when site works begin.

Several large trees have already been cleared from the site by Bank of New Zealand staff as part of a Closed For Good charitable initiative late last year.

After stumps, unusable soil and weeds are removed, the land will be contoured and foundations laid for hard landscaping.

Based on a High Country to Rainforest theme, the garden will include more than 300 plants including natives like coprosmas, nikau palms, pongas, native grasses and pittosporums.

Features include a koru-shaped walkway, mushroom-shaped table, stepping stones for young children, a shaded seating area and a hedge with spy holes made of recycled window frames.

Ronald McDonald House Auckland CEO Beth Harman said that, thanks to the Diocesan students’ initial idea, the tranquillity garden had become a community-based project that had attracted donations from people all over New Zealand.

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