MEDIA RELEASE

8 March 2017

ROTORUA VEGETABLE GARDEN CHALLENGE

Fifty-eight Rotorua families and eight local kindergartens are to be given free vegetable gardens and taught to grow and compost their own food.

My Backyard Garden Project's Brent Mags is once again teaming up with local community garden coordinators Te Rangikaheke Kiripatea and Bernie Hornfeck, along with a team of volunteers, to build the gardens and compost bins from donated and recycled materials.

The passionate gardeners first got together in December 2016 to build a community garden in Ngongotaha, and have now set themselves the challenge to build vegetable gardens and compost bins in 66 locations around Rotorua in just one weekend.

"It's going to be a mammoth task," says Te Rangikaheke. "But we will have enough teams of people to be able to bring it all together."

Te Rangikaheke says more help is needed leading up to the challenge during the week beginning 19 March, to break down, stack and load pallets in preparation for the build.

Once the gardens are built, volunteers will then help families to plant their first vegetables including kale, spinach, silver beet, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and parsley.

“It's about engaging families in sustainable living, as well as improving their diets through backyard gardens," Te Rangikaheke says.

The My Backyard Garden Project hosts a supportive Facebook community of families who are all learning to grow and harvest their own food.

“We are also working with the Rotorua Local Food Network to partner-up our families with local gardeners who can offer them support and tips during the first six months of having their garden,” Te Rangikaheke says.
“We are looking for volunteers who can spare an hour a month to help a family learn about maintaining their garden.”

The Rotorua Vegetable Garden Challenge will be held from 19 to 26 March.

Volunteers are encouraged to email attscic@actrix.co.nz or call Alan Scicluna on 027 389 3505.

The Rotorua Vegetable Garden Challenge is being supported by a large number of volunteers, businesses and organisations. These include:

Healthy Families Rotorua
Rotorua Lakes Council Neighbourhood Matching Fund
Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust
Rotorua Youth Centre
Auckland Council
RoomMate Cabins
Mainfreight Rotorua
Mainfreight Auckland
TW Moore Earth Moving Contractors
Sequal Lumber Kawerau
RedStag
Rotorua Multicultural Council
Rotorua Local Food Network
Countdown Central Mall
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Salvation Army Rotorua
Rotorua MENZ Shed
Sustainable Backyards Rotorua
Te Arawa Whanau Ora
Tipu Ora

© Scoop Media