Trees bear artistic fruit | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Out of a flood-prone site in West Auckland has come such a successful community project that children are now celebrating it in mural form.

One hundred children from five Waitakere primary schools have worked together under the auspices of Project Twin Streams to create a 12-metre long, community mural to celebrate the Lucinda Place Community Orchard.

The community orchard is on a site in Glen Eden where Project Twin Streams relocated a number of residential houses which were within the river's natural flood plane.

Last year, the site was planted with a selection of mandarins, feijoas, apples, plums and peaches to provide fruit for the community.

Project Twin Streams coordinator Teremoana Jones hopes the orchard becomes a resource for the community. "Not only as a shared kai resource but also a place for learning and workshops and a very special place for families and neighbours to gather," she adds.

"The turn-out for the community fruit tree-pruning workshop showed the high level of interest in community learning and the sharing of skills."

Teremoana says projects like this link into wider issues such as car use.

"Supporting initiatives for locally grown food is a very important step towards reducing the number of kilometres we drive."

Project Twin Streams arts coordinator Mandy Patmore worked with the school children. "This beautiful and vibrant mural celebrates the entranceway to the orchard as well as the local environment and community. It was exciting to see such a collaborative project come to life, at the hands of so many of our local children. They were all very passionate, and proud of their work."

Students from Prospect Primary came up with the concept of creating a sign that spelt out the letters in the shape of fruit, vegetables, plants and animals. The children wanted massive birds, insects and water creatures on the mural making the point that these creatures lived in our environment and were important.

Kauriland pupils then took over the school staffroom to paint the plywood backdrop before Konini pupils added a stream scene. Greenbay Primary added the large water creatures and Prospect Primary added the bugs, birds and a lizard. Finally, Glen Eden Primary pupils created the letters.

Project Twin Streams is a nine-year stormwater project delivered by Waitakere City Council in partnership with local community organisations, funded by Auckland Regional Council.

The mural will be unveiled at a ceremony and barbecue at Lucinda Place on Wednesday, March 24, at 6pm.