Pams Blog - Wellington, Epuni School and other great things

Epuni School - Wellington

Caught the metro into the city yesterday to do a morning round with Martin from Kaibosh. It's a great FoodRescue social enterprise that has vans that pickup 'near end of shelf life' food from cafes and supermarkets, take it all for sorting at their centre and redistribute to shelters and other hostels. Sometimes it's coffee beans, sometimes sandwiches and buns, sometimes fresh veg.

Volunteers are queuing up to help. Sort of like the type of thing Hilary and other Incredibles do with the food bank but on a bigger scale.

They are about to launch a great loyalty scheme for businesses who want to support but don't do food and donors .As everything is fundraised and they don't do grants they have to think imaginatively about how to bring the money in.  Supporters get a card that offers discounts at supportive retailers , they call them their Kaibosh heroes. 

Had lunch with Babs and some young people then on to Espiral in the city for a Fishbowl event where people just share ideas about food kicked off with a short brainstorm from me.

The evening was at theSustainability Centre in Wellington, where loads of people did their two minute pitch for help for their own particular passion including Kaibosh,and the second half was me and our story. Room was packed, standing room only, and as ever it's inspiring to share with like minded people our vision for a kinder world. Was introduced by a lovely man from Huddersfield, who used to be a Calderdale Council housing officer when I was in Calderdale. You couldn't make it up.

Supper with the wonderful Julia and Diane, a local teacher who comes from York, then thank the Lord, it's bedtime.

Saturday kicks off with a visit to Common Unity, the food growing community trust that Julia runs at a local school in Epuni, a neighbourhood of wonderful people who are doing amazing work with their children from so many cultures.

Epuni School

A room full of folks who one way or another are all making change through food,from planting out verges, to an arts group telling stories, to community bee keepers, to a great networker who works in the health system, and many more people who make up the really rich local food culture in the local neighbourhoods. What always happens is people get to understand they are not alone, and that their collective story is just so powerful.

Then whisked off to another suburb of Wellington, Tawa, by Richard a representative of the local community board, to speak at their celebration of their first community garden, and have a quick walk in the local New Zealand bush, which turns out  to be the equivalent of our local woodland. Awesome native trees, ferns and native birds which with the cicada in the tree tops,  giving it all they've got was quite defending.

Then back to the community garden to cut the ribbon with the Mayor of Wellington, a Green Party member who supports urban agriculture and everything about growing more food right on our doorsteps.

It's now Saturday evening, and I sign off from my IE stuff, till Monday morning. Phew.

Epuni School

Epuni School

Pams Blog - first Riverton, then invercargil, and onto Wellington

Roberts forest garden has provided loads of ideas for the Incredible Edible heritage garden at Duke Street in Tod. It's such a pity Jon wasn't here to get even more out of the experience.
About thirty people crammed in the wonderful Environment Centre in Riverton , a bit like the Bear Coop shop Heather and I used to run in Tod thirty years ago, with organic produce, whole meal flour, nuts and seeds spilling out in wonderful displays.
They came to hear and share ideas. Toddlers and grandmas with a passion for their environment shared their stories of life in Southlands and its potential to demonstrate a healthier more local food supply system. It's a landscape of pastures and streams,  but in recent years has gone more intensive on the dairy front, which in many ways runs counter to what so many people associate with the New Zealand brand. But I'm a visitor so I can only describe what I see. Still trying to understand.
Then after a snugly night in the home of Denis and ?, Denis was born in Rochdale would you believe, it was off to Invercargill, to meet the force of nature that is Jenny... and the team she works with at the Environment Project in the Glengarry district of the town  one of its poorer areas.
I went to a community garden there where it's food for free, and help yourself to what you need including garden tools. Her philosophy is trust people, you don't have to lock things up, and if seeing is believing as with everything we do, she is spot on. People are fantastic given half a chance.
Interview with local paper followed by trip to fabulous formal park for a photo to go with the story. My line is, ' this is the perfect place to act as an edible show garden for the towns inhabitants'. Hope the local authority agrees.
Did a half hour radio show telling our story then off to the museum for some down time and the chance to see a wonderful native creature called .... The experts at the museum have worked to bring it back from extinction and reintroduce some of them to the islands around the coast.
Supper with locals and me banging on again at the Working Mans club, then sleep, and off to Wellington in the morning.
'

Robert and Robyn Guyton's Forest Garden - Riverton NZ

Friday, perfect flight to Wellington over the Southern Alps, or it could be Central Alps, anyway, rocky bits.

Love Wellington. You land as if you're about to ride on water, then lo and behold, there's land.

Beautiful city by the sea. 

Went straight into a briefing with council staff. Couldn't show pictures so had to paint the picture without them. I really enjoyed it as it's clear some like what they hear.

Then over to coffee shop with Sarah to meet her great boss and do the Incredible elevator pitch. Talked about stuff Rockerfeller foundation supporting in cities across the globe and about where in the city they could plant edibles. Fantastic.

Then over to offices to do some more work and off for the evening to a Common Unity fundraiser to meet the wonderful Julia who is the driving force behind it and my host for stay here.

I will learn more tomorrow but it's community growing with a school to feed kids who can really benefit from growing and eating great food.

Shaun , a brill musician had written a song about Incredibles and sang it to the crowd, we heard from a really talented bunch of young people playing amongst things a snippet from Vivaldi . (They are part of an international movement to teach kids who wouldn't otherwise learn to play and just hearing them was a privilege.), then Julia spoke of Common Unity, and I told our story. Everyone was very kind.

Then a beautiful meal prepared by the volunteers from the project with food they had grown.

Slight hitch as the lady who brought me to the event went home with my suitcase, but she was kind enough to come all the way back with it so all was well.

Then to bed in Julia's lovely house, one of the oldest in Wellington, and shared with her beautiful daughter Belle and two cats and a sweet dog.

More photos later.

Pam

Pams Blog - quick note from Riverton

Arrived in Riverton to speak at local environment centre.
One of my hosts are the Guyton family who have an amazing forest garden, which is known throughout the country and beyond. Follow Roberts blog at robertguyton.blogspot.com.
More soon,
Pam

Pam's Blog - outings in Christchurch

Monday's been a bit full on. Most of the day was organised with the support of Edible Canterbury, the food sovereignty champions of the area and the wonderful Matt.


First off telling the story at a remarkable primary, West Spreydon,where teachers from across Christchurch were meeting to talk about food in schools and links to public health and all that stuff. As ever amazing leadership at the school has resulted in edible gardens all over the campus, inspiring kids and community to come together to share food. Got some great pictures.

Then after lunch with Tony Moore the councils sustainability champion, in the old post office  which was the first commercial building to open after the earth quake, I told our story to a room full of council officials, from community and environment, where excitement was mixed with questions about how we keep things tidy and other very practical questions. Had to admit that though I get the idea that beauty really matters, and it most certainly does, in the fight against climate change and all that implies, neatness wasn't at the top of my agenda. I think the lady was being helpful in identifying these thoughts which some people use as an excuse for status quo.

Day finished with a great public meeting at the Polytechnic organised by Edible Canterbury again, where I also heard about plans to erect a version of the Eden Project, right next to the beautiful River Avon in the heart of the city.


What a wonderful city.


I'm really sad to leave, but before I got on the airport bus I had breakfast with folks Pauline is working with to introduce the idea of Wikihouses to the powers that be and get this egalitarian approach to affordable housing onto the political and commercial agenda. Inspiring people, including Martin who used to live just down the old from Todmorden, in Hipperholme.  What a small world.


Be great to get the idea of this or something similar into our Incredible Northern Greenhouse.


So it's goodbye to Christchurch and the kindness of Pauline, and hello to Invercargill.
Watch this space.

Pams Blog - her latest from Christchurch

First off, ignore anything I say about what day it is, because it's probably completely wrong.

But at least I now know I'm in New Zealand, so I must be waking up and getting over the jet lag.

Wednesday was Geraldine, so told you all about that, Friday was Christchurch , and I'm back there again on Monday, so Saturday's my day for being next to the Pacific Ocean, in the wonderful Pauline and Paul's house with the peaches growing in the garden and the sun streaming through the windows.

Went to the New Brighton community garden for lunch which is just about one of the most amazing gardens I've ever seen.

Christchurch

You walk through a gate in to a fantastic edible landscape that used to be a bowling green.

It's been going for years, run with the help of passionate volunteers and it's simply a place full of kindness and hope.

Pauline has taken me under her wing, and protected by the mighty George the boxer we have walked through the dunes and splashed in the Pacific, and now it's Sunday morning and we are off for a bit of culture in the newly reopened art gallery back in Christchurch.

Bit of a rude awakening first thing this morning as forgot was doing an early morning live radio programme. So when Pauline knocked on my bedroom door at 7.20 to say I was on in a minute, it was a bit of a shock, but it's amazing what you can do when you have to and sixty seconds later I was in full throttle. People here are ready to hear and share ideas, so nothing's an effort really.

Back to coffee and maybe a bit of retail therapy. It has to be done.

Been talking to Pauline about Wikihouses, and her plans to create an eco community on the site of a car park right next to the sea, and the soon to be created bus depot. Wikihouses or similar self build homes in our Incredible Northern Greenhouse? It's an idea. 

Pam

Cultivate - Christchurch

Pams Blog - Latest from Christchurch

Jade Temepara and Pam Warhurst at Jade's new Urban Farming Project - Christchurch

Pam being interviewed by TV ONE

It's Friday, it's Christchurch, it's a whole new adventure.

Said goodbye to Bec for a couple of weeks and set off with Matt and Chris to Christchurch, the garden city that suffered 80% damage in the earth quake five years ago.

The chaps pampered me, for which I am eternally grateful, and before we met the politicians we lunched at a vege place that reminded me of the great food back home in Todmorden. Wonderful salads and great coffee, all a girl needs to prepare herself for whatever lies ahead.
I needn't have worried cos the politicians I met were encouraging and kind and I even heard the words 'an edible garden city' at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

We toured around the place where open lots tell the story of the devastation of 2011 but amazingly, the council have really got behind meanwhile spaces and pop up enterprises are all over the place. Cafes, art installations and urban gardens are being encouraged and though the people here have been through the ringer, not recognising their own city at times as damaged buildings are raised and new buildings rising every month, you can almost taste the sense of opportunity all around. One to watch in particular is Kakano cafe where Jade Temepara is leading the project to grow food from dozens of raised beds in a vacant lot and serve it up with families from the community in her cabin cafe. We also went to Cultivate , a few lots over where vegetables of every kind are being grown by Simon and other young and passionate growers.
Did thing for the tele in a bare site that with the help of crowd funding and the leadership of folks like Matt from the food resilience movement will become The North Frame Community Garden , an exemplar growing and learning site right next to the river.
The it's off to the divine Lyttleton, an town by the sea that like Narnia, except there's no wardrobe you reach by going through a tunnel into another world.
Dinner with the inspiring Project Lyttleton at their community garden which has filled my head with so many ideas from their particular take on Time Banking, to their community funding scheme based on a Scandinavian model called Yak. Need to write a whole separate blog on this another time.
Again we walk round a town, two and a half thousand people, that was at the epicentre of the earthquake, and hear the stories of people's sadness, strength and courage , with a reminder of what went on five years ago as we felt another slight tremor under our feet as we walked.

Tomorrow is another day.
Pam

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