A highly successful initiative, Operation Green Thumb has gardens throughout the city, both in housing complexes as well as public space. Indeed, Sue Boyle, the Operation Green Thumb co-ordinator, says:

“We have 86 plots of cultivated gardens in the Wellington area with most of our gardens in Wellington City Council housing complexes, as well as two public gardens.”

Funding for garden establishment materials, co-ordination and supervision is found in the wider community, and there is good community support for Operation Green Thumb through discounted resources from businesses. Money for gardening resources also comes from funder and service organisations in the community.

Operation Green Thumb recognises that community gardens have wider benefits than the provision of food resources to low-income people. Gardening also:

• Assists in psychological, spiritual and physical well-being
• Enhances personal empowerment and self-reliance
• Contributes to community cohesion and strengthens support networks
• Alleviates isolation for people living in urban and city environments
• Helps people know about their local environment and the natural life cycles
• Assists people to learn new skills

Large and small scale community gardens are not new in Wellington. They have existed on vacant land from the 1920s until 1985. Recent initiatives began after the benefit cuts in 1991. A pilot community garden was established on City Town Belt land at Tanera Park by Mokai Kainga in December 1991. After the first 15 months of operation the Tanera Park garden was judged a success by the group, Council staff and the neighbouring residents' associations. Vegetables were distributed to many families, and the group was interested in accessing additional land in order to expand their gardens.

At the end of 1992, the Operation Green Thumb (OGT) committee was formally set up, and the Strathmore Park Community Base received funding to establish a community garden. A part-time co-ordinator position was created in March 1993 with Lottery Welfare funding. OGT is now funded from a variety of sources.

As co-ordinator, Sue assists with locating resources, providing gardening expertise in growing organic vegetables, teaching training, and the development of new sites.

The gardens earn funds for themselves by selling a gardening calendar, fact sheets and other publications. In this way, the knowledge gained from the gardens can be spread around amongst the public. Meetings are held throughout the year with the gardeners and there are a variety of ways of keeping in touch. Sue comments:“We try to rotate around all the sites and a newsletter is produced.” OGT assists other community organisations wanting to set up gardens for themselves through advice, training and education.

The number of organisations involved with OGT has grown and broadened significantly since 1991 to encompass voluntary organisations, local and central government, funders and business. They include: Mokai Kainga Maori Centre, the Downtown Community Ministry, Tongan Family Support, Strathmore Park Community Base, Challenge 2000, Newtown Community Centre, Newtown Budgeting Service, Mahora Trust (a housing trust for those with psychiatric disabilities), Schizophrenic Fellowship, Corrections Department, ACE House, Argo House, The Wellington Cancer Society, Trust House Charitable Trust, The Community Trust of Wellington and W.H.A.T.(the Wellington Housing Assn. of Tenants), Bunnings and Common Sense Organics.