Brooke Walker says she has one of the 'best jobs in Waitakere'. Photo / Graeme Sedal

Brooke Walker says she has one of the 'best jobs in Waitakere'. Photo / Graeme Sedal

Name: Brooke Walker
Role: Community gardens facilitator
Age: 28
Employer: EcoMatters Environment Trust
Working hours: 40-hour week. Usually Monday-Friday but some weekends.
Pay: $22-$28 an hour
Qualification: Bachelor of Arts majoring in women's studies and sustainable development (with a focus on sustainable agriculture).

Describe your job.

My role as community gardens facilitator with the EcoMatters Environment Trust is to support community-based food-growing within Waitakere. This includes community gardens and orchards, neighbourhood gardening projects and general networking.

I don't manage one specific community garden; all the community gardens in Waitakere have a manager or team of people running them.

I am working on two programmes: Neighbourhood Roots (community backyard gardening education) and Our Street Our Food (community fruit-tree planting on street verges and parks).

I also give consultations, presentations and workshops for people interested in community gardening.

Tell us about EcoMatters Environment Trust.

The trust started in 2002 and has 21 staff. It is a not-for-profit organisation whose focus is working in household and community sustainability. We work in partnership with Keep Waitakere Beautiful Trust, Weed Free Trust, and Tag Out Trust.

We are based in New Lynn and provide sustainability initiatives to the wider Auckland region. Waitakere City Council is our biggest contributor and we also receive funding from Auckland City Council, ASB Community Trust, Ministry for the Environment, Community Wellbeing Fund, NZ Lotteries Commission, The Trusts, Waitemata District Health Boards, New Lynn Community Work Centre, Zero Waste, and the Hikurangi Foundation.

Your background?

Before coming to New Zealand, I spent two years working on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the hot deserts of Utah. CSAs connect small-scale growers with local customers through a subscription system. It's a localised form of food production meaning people directly connect with where their food comes from.

My first job in New Zealand was at Greenpeace. EcoMatters hired me in September 2008. I work with people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and social classes. This includes newbie gardeners and experienced gardeners. Mostly I work with people who want to learn about food production and nutrition.