EIT’s ideaschool has taken a piece of Marine Parade to its heart – thanks to lateral thinking by Napier City Council staff.

After a very warm summer, the grassed area which serves as an informal quad in the middle of EIT’s visual arts and design complex was looking particularly dry and dusty. So Head of School Dr Suzette Major says she was delighted when an enterprising Council staffer phoned to offer turf from the Marine Parade Gardens.

The lawn has been maintained in tiptop condition, setting off Napier’s iconic coastal strip and providing an idyllic setting for Art Deco Weekend annual picnics.

The turf had to come up, however, with work about to start on laying new stormwater pipes from the beach across Marine Parade and into Tennyson Street.

“It’s the beach come to ideaschool,” Dr Major enthused. “Our Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design students were tasked with producing futuristic designs for Marine Parade, so it makes a lovely connection between EIT and the coastal garden.

“It would have taken six to eight weeks to resow the parched courtyard with grass seed, and now we have this instantly beautiful lawn. It’s recycling, and it very much fits in with our commitment to sustainability. We couldn’t be more pleased.”