A Kai Garden Competition design entry should focus on edible and/or medicinal plants. Submissions will be judged based on their originality, creativity, the rationale behind the concept and how well the design meets the following criteria: The garden bed is a minimum of 16 m2 in total area (e.g. equivalent to 4 metres long and 4 metres wide). The design incorporates the creative use of locally sourced, repurposed material and uses sustainable resources for its construction. The garden is shown to scale in relation to the plants used. Plant choice is suitable to the climatic conditions. The design illustrates how the garden will be safeguarded against environmental elements. Ongoing care and integration into other school environmental or cultural programmes is shown. Here is an example of a winning Kai Garden Competition 2022 entry from Kerikeri Kindergarten. Design submission: Design rationale: “Our kai garden is one that we wish to support our existing curriculum and programme, which centres heavily on the tamariki as active agents and contributing kaitiaki/guardians of their learning space. We are proud to run a healthy kai programme, where tamariki cook alongside kaiako, healthy nutritious food to be shared at morning tea or lunch. We also cook with the tamariki once a week over an outdoor fire pit. We would love for our garden to produce as much of this kai as possible, making this valuable programme as self-sustaining as it can be. “We also have a pataka-kai – a give and take pantry for our whānau – we would love to produce healthy vegetables and fruit in abundance, enough to be able to share more than we currently do with our families.” Kerikeri Kindergarten – before Kerikeri Kindergarten – after Read more about Kerikeri Kindergarten’s winning Kai Garden here.
