Community benefits from marae gardens

Ivin Kiripatea (from left), with Kim Poynter, Bernie Hornfeck and Rosana Wirepa, hopes a community garden at Matikotare marae will encourage families to become involved in being self-sustainable. PHOTO/ BEN FRASER PHOTO: BEN FRASER.

Ivin Kiripatea admits he was not born with green thumbs.

"My father grew a lot of vegetables for the papa kainga (homeland), but I don't know a lot about growing them."

It hasn't stopped Ivin digging up the soil on a large plot at Matikotare marae to plant pumpkins, sweetcorn and potatoes - to name a few - for the community.
Working with Bernie Hornfeck, who does seem to have green thumbs, the pair recently transformed a rough piece of dirt - once used to graze cows - into 2000 square meters of productive land to help feed others.

What began three years ago as a solely marae garden has been expanded by the pair to include the wider community.

"We just started pulling up the weeds and didn't stop until we had a decent sized area to work with," Ivin says.

"It didn't take much time to change people's minds and persuade them that this is a good idea."

Although the garden was only planted in mid-summer, the produce from it will be capable of feeding a large number of people this winter, free of charge.

"It has been planted to feed others at no cost to them," Ivin says.

"Vegetables grown here will feed the old folk, and are available for tangi and hui.

"It's our way of giving back to the community."

Both men have a long-term vision of the marae eventually becoming self-sufficient in vegetables.

"If there was a oil crisis, normal supplies of food to Rotorua would finish after three days, leaving only those who had their own gardens able to feed their families," Bernie says.

The pair have approached Rotorua District Council with ideas of creating self-sustaining community gardens producing locally grown food.

It didn't take much time to change people's minds and persuade them that this is a good idea.

Ivin Kiripatea

Last week they welcomed 70 new arrivals from 17 different cultures onto the marae when the initiative was extended to new migrants living in Rotorua who want to grow and eat fresh vegetables.

A section of the garden has been roped off for a migrant group to begin planting next month.

School groups from nearby Rotokawa School make weekly visits to increase their knowledge of plants as well.

Recently Rotorua Honey Bee Club president Kim Poynter was invited along to look at introducing bee keeping courses and placing several bee hives on the marae land.

Kim is hoping to increase awareness of dwindling global bee populations and envisages between 20-30 hives could be sited alongside the community garden to help pollinate the plants.

Part of the solution to the loss of bee habitats is having a lot of people each establishing a few bee hives.

"This is where the marae fits in, where we can take off honey from several hives."