Hutt Valley Community Gardens Meet-up

At St Matthew’s Taita on 17 October 2009

(Notes are as accurate as possible but taken from a free-flowing meeting! Please excuse errors and omissions. Peter Stuart)

Next meeting: Moera community garden, 13 February 2010, ‘How to start a community garden’ + seed and produce swap

Represented

1. Eastbourne (ECRAG on St Alban’s land; produce has reluctant takers)
   • Ann Best, annandave at paradise • net • nz 562 7094
   • Cherie Walsh, ccwalsh at ihug • co • nz 021 427903
2. Moera (local+Transition Towns on Council land; produce goes to gardeners and local people)
   • Elton Jeune, Moera
   • Alex Jeune, alex.jeune at yahoo • com
   • Martin de Jong, kesyoung at gmail • com 568 6202
   • Paul Kennett, paul at kennett • co • nz 970-3576
3. Taita (local on St Matthew’s land; produce goes to gardeners and local need, including local foodbank)
   • Charles Noanoa, acts29 at paradise • net • nz 567 7665
4. Horokiwi
   • Steve Simons, betsi at clear • net • nz 586 5528
5. Trentham -Tawai St. (local on Council land; Council +local initiative; part of ‘community development’)
   • Keith & Suzanne Watt, keithwatt at paradise • net • nz 970-7418
6. Alicetown Transition Towns (back of rented ‘Transition Centre’) used for gardening education.
   • Babs Lake, babslakeb at yahoo • com 385-7289

Other community gardens reported

• Pomare Community Centre
• Taita/Hughes Crescent
• Taita/ two family gardens
• Taita ‘Great Start’
• Naenae (on Council land)
• Rimutaka prison (produce goes to foodbanks)
• Upper Hutt property (gifted for community mental health)
• Timberlea
• Orongomai Marae
• Pinehaven
• Schools: Randwick; Petone Central; Rata St; Muritai; St Antonio’s (Muritai)

Other people at the meeting included:

• Joan Fitzgerald, joaneez@gmail.com Lower Hutt 570 4121 (day)
• Jenny Thompson (Hutt Valley Horticultural Society), jennifer.thompson@ihug • co • nz, Lower Hutt 567 3333 .
• Colin Lewis, cjlewis at slingshot • co • nz 566 9829, 027 2426506
• Sue Boyle, greenthumb at paradise • net • nz
• Richard Lamb, ram • lamb at xtra • co • nz
• Peter Stuart, peterstuart at clear • net • nz

Various functions of community gardens mentioned:

• Meeting immediate local need for food sometimes through foodbank
• Meeting need for food outside local area via foodbanks elsewhere
• Community building
• Therapy (in gardening) and health (in produce)
• Education in gardening and food production generally
• Step towards: reduction in ‘food miles’; sustainable food production in low carbon energy future; security of food supplies.

Urban food production:

• Community gardens
• Domestic gardens ( and also note possibility of matching people without gardens to people who have land but can no longer garden)
• Urban food orchards
• Community supported agriculture (consumer buying direct from farmer)
• Genuine ‘farmers markets’

The next steps

1. Communication
   • Pool information about what is happening and when and where, and especially about resources
   • Use email list + local neighbourhood grapevine, phones and pigeon post. We'll use the Transition Towns Lower Hutt Food Gardening email list at this stage (oppologies to those outside Lower Hutt!)
   • Face to face meetings, perhaps quarterly, on particular community garden.
2. Education
   • Draw on elderly expertise and validation
   • Courses – Alicetown Transition Town Centre
   • Form links with schools
   • Garden books (including in community libraries)
3. Liaison with local government and DHB
   • $$
   • resource (esp land for gardens; soil)
   • regulations (NB importance of having our input into their formation)
4. Liaison with local businesses
   • $$
   • resources
5. Miscellaneous
   • worm farming, seed swaps
   • time-bank
   • orchards
   • link with Horticultural Society (tools and other support)

Next meeting: Moera community garden, 13 February 2010, ‘How to start a community garden’ + seed and produce swap