Promoting creativity alongside waste minimisation in the heart of the student sector.

It was important to the Waste Minimisation team that the designs for two recycling hubs planned for Castle and Forth Streets were developed with input from those who would be using them the most - the University and Polytechnic students who live in the area.

Working with the Otago Polytechnic's School of Design, the initial design phase of the project was embedded as an elective within the Architecture curriculum, allowing students to develop potential designs from concept through to submission. Two students had their designs selected for further development by the project team and received an honorarium for their work.

It was also essential to acknowledge mana whenua histories of place that go back centuries. Both hubs are close to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and Ōwheo (the Water of Leith), and the stream and surrounding area were significant to mana whenua as a source of kai and plants for weaving and medicinal purposes. Waste Minimisation and Ara Toi worked to ensure that the project recognised these narratives and they were included in the creative brief.

The mural element of the Castle St hub was a collaborative effort with experienced stencil artist Sam Sharpe acting as creative mentor to high school artist Holly Bettis. Taking the whakatauki “Kaua e mate wheke, mate ururoa!”* as inspiration, the artwork challenges the public to actively care for the environment. In Forth St, Alysha Beattie’s renderings of local native plants are accompanied by their names in te Reo and internal lighting turns them into glowing artworks at night. Recycling signage on both hubs is bilingual.

*Don't die like a octopus, die like a hammerhead shark

Acknowledgements

Artists/designers: Holly Bettis-Smith, Freya Munro, Sam Sharpe (Castle St);

Alysha Beattie, Georgia Wilkinson (Forth St)

Project lead: Leigh MacKenzie, Waste Minimisation, DCC

Art advisor: Lisa Wilkie, Ara Toi, DCC

Project manager: Niki Bould, Ahika

Fabrication: Zeal Steel