Volunteers and staff set for a new era at Hamilton Gardens

As Hamilton Gardens celebrates the opening of its new Mansfield Garden, it is mostly thanks to the hard-working volunteers, staff and contractors. That’s along with the generous commitment of funders and the support of a Hamilton and Waikato community increasingly proud of this jewel in our tourism crown. 

Hamilton Gardens is the city’s leading tourist attraction and is recognised as one of the best gardens in the world. It won the prestigious International Garden of the Year Award in 2014 and remains one of the country’s leading visitor attractions. It is made up of 50 hectares of public park, of which around five hectares is the enclosed themed gardens. Visitor numbers currently sit around 1.1 million people each year, of which more than 450,000 visit the enclosed gardens. 

The Gardens’ popularity has been built on the incredible vision of director, Dr Peter Sergel. For 40 years, Sergel has led the creative development of a unique venue that has a genuine point of difference over other similar attractions. Many gardens across the world are botanic gardens, highlighting plant species, or theme spaces around geographic influences. 

“But Hamilton Gardens tells the story of gardens,” explains Hamilton Gardens’ Business Development Manager Tamsin Webb. “They carry a narrative that tells the story of garden design evolution across the world.”

The backbone of the success is the cohort of volunteers. “They are the essence of Hamilton Gardens and without their efforts, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” says Webb. 

There are also 30 staff on site including gardeners and maintenance, administration and venue management. “This is a team that takes immense pride in its work and really value the uniqueness of their work environment,” explains Webb. 

The 70-plus volunteers are led by the Friends of Hamilton Gardens, a charitable group coordinated by individuals who work hard to raise both awareness and funds across the community.  This month its 30 years since the Friends group was founded. “The Friends organisation is the hero of the Gardens”, adds Webb. “Their volunteer network contributes more than $100,000 worth of free labour a year. Their passion is amazing.”

Volunteers work in the shop and Information Centre, and serve as roving ambassadors around the enclosed gardens in particular, sharing knowledge. Around half of the visitors to the Gardens use the Information Centre, so plans are well underway to extend the space and enhance the visitor experience, particularly in terms of a warm welcome and deeper information. 

The role of volunteers will become even more crucial, including ways to informally capture visitor data, cross promote other local destinations and increase opportunities for interaction with visitors to strengthen the storytelling aspect of the Gardens’ experience.

“With the level of growth in tourism in the region, we have to leverage the work that Hamilton & Waikato Tourism is doing and boost our position as a destination of choice for both international and domestic tourists,” explains Webb.

“We’re working to not only attract visitors but also gives them reasons to stay longer in the city and take in a number of sites. For example, they may visit the Gardens but then go to Hamilton Zoo and Waikato Museum as part of their stay, as well as enjoying our fabulous hospitality scene.”

“We also have a responsibility to minimise the contribution by ratepayers on continuing development of the Gardens”, say Webb. “The possibility of introducing visitor fees is not on the table so we do have to be smart about managing the budget, both for day-to-day operations and future development. That’s why we’re so very grateful to the businesses, individuals and charitable trusts and foundations who support us.”

Revenue from the shop is growing, with the store now becoming a retail destination for locally made items. For example, fruit and vegetables from the gardens are made into chutneys and preserves by a local company, Wild Country in Te Kowhai. “Our customers love this kind of connection, and it all goes towards enhancing the storytelling aspect of their visit.”

“Hamilton Gardens is an extraordinary asset for the city as we have plans to continue to develop more gardens. The community will continue to have their say on future development through public consultation in 2019. The Gardens is playing its part in making Hamilton a great place to visit and live.”

The new Mansfield Gardens is open to the public from 4pm on 12 November, at Hamilton Gardens, Hungerford Crescent, Hamilton.