Nelson's Chin community to have community garden celebrating their culture and heritage 

Nelson City Council, situated on New Zealand’s South Island, has advised that their Chin community will soon have a community garden to celebrate their culture and heritage. 

Nelson is home to around 750 Chin residents, including former refugees escaping the ongoing civil war in Myanmar, their children, and others who have arrived through the Family Reunification Scheme. 

The Chin community wanted to create a traditional garden – a space for reflection, and for younger generations, as well as the wider Nelson community, to connect with Chin culture.

Creating a garden for the community has been in the pipeline for some time and will now become a reality, thanks to $40,000 of development funding from the Reserve Development Programme. 

Nelson City Council confirmed a location for the garden close to the Miyazu Japanese Garden after leaders from the Chin Community spoke at the public forum of the February 2025 Council meeting.

Up to a hectare in size, the garden will showcase Chin culture using flowers and plants native to Myanmar, sculptures and information about the Chin people and their history.

Pacific and Ethnic Communities Liaison Councillor Matty Anderson says he is pleased that a location has been secured and work on the garden can now begin.

Anderson noted “It’s great to see the democratic process in action. It’s not always perfect, but it’s satisfying that we are able to work in collaboration with the Chin community in this manner after they came and spoke with us at Civic House.

“Many people in the Chin community still have family in Myanmar where the war and related persecution is ongoing. Diversity is one of Nelson’s strengths. It’s a privilege for Nelson to benefit from being this community’s home and important that we acknowledge them as an intrinsic part of who we are as a community.” 

Nelson Chin Community Secretary Cung Uk says this garden will deepen the relationship between their community and Nelson and shared “on behalf of the Chin Community in Nelson, we want to express our heartfelt thanks for considering and supporting the creation of a garden for our people. When we first arrived in Nelson, we felt we had little to offer. We were refugees, displaced by war and yearning for a place where we could feel safe and at home.

“This garden will not only be a place of peace and comfort for our community but will also be open for everyone to enjoy. We hope it will attract visitors and tourists, fostering connections with our culture and heritage.”

The idea for a Chin community garden was first discussed with Council in 2011. In the following years, staff worked closely with the community to explore potential locations, but at the time, no suitable site was found. 

The project faced further delays due to Covid and the August 2022 weather event. Following further discussion with staff, an ideal site was identified in 2024, in Queen Elizabeth II Reserve between Miyazu Japanese Gardens and State Highway 6, paving the way for the project to move forward.

The development of this garden is a partnership, with Nelson City Council providing the space and base funding of $40,000 to get the project started. The Chin community will take the lead in creating the space over the coming years. The horticultural elements of the garden will be maintained by the Chin community.

Image. Nelson Chin community members Credit: Seino Media Group