News from Ahoaho Māra Kai

Kia ora,

things have been a little quiet in the garden over winter, but as spring approaches, we're celebrating lots of good things growing at Ahoaho. At Matariki we completed our first year of Hua Parakore verification, a kaupapa Māori system of recognition and support for growing healthy kai, healthy soil, and healthy people.  It has been great to connect with Hua Parakore growers around the motu, and to explore our practices in the māra in line with tikanga and matauranga Māori.

This process involved looking into the whakapapa of the space where we grow, and from this came the story of the name Ahoaho. It was offered for the space by Rupene Waaka on behalf of Nga Hapu-o-Ōtaki in 2017, and recognises the history of the land being ceded to Kingi Te Ahoaho of Ngati Raukawa ki Ōtaki. Ahoaho can be interpreted as meaning ‘bright, shining, or open space’ which complements the feeling of our space beautifully.

This season we are launching a new project. With generous support from Te Puta Ora food security fund, Jack is leading the development of a small-scale market garden on our site. The aim of this social enterprise is to provide local food for local people, and offer students a chance to participate in and learn from that process. We’ll be selling our kai from a stall in the Arcade Mall on Main Street, and through a weekly box subscription which all school families are welcome to join. This project will operate under the name Ahoaho Māra Kai.

As part of the project, we are also running a course in regenerative growing, which runs one day a week, offering hands-on learning as well as NCEA credits (level 1&2). This term, a small group of students on the course are working alongside Jack to establish the market garden and in just a few weeks they have helped transform our indoor growing space, sown seeds for summer, pruned trees, tended crops, explored soil health, and taken a field trip to meet other local growers. We are planning to run a year-long version of the course in 2024 and are currently looking for expressions of interest from students.

Rosa is now in the garden three days a week, continuing to work in small groups with regular student helpers, hosting weekly visits from junior classes, and facilitating the new course. It's muddy underfoot, but we've been busy preparing raised beds for the junior classes to grow in, pruning, making compost and potting mix, sowing seeds, taking cuttings, tending our winter crops, and eating lots of grapefruit. 

In August, as part of the KCDC No.8 wire program, Rosa hosted a small but lovely seed-raising workshop, and we are looking to return to regular volunteer sessions once the weather warms up. To keep up with our latest news, please join our Facebook page @Ahoaho Adventures, or if you'd like to get in touch directly contact Rosa at gardenswithrosa@gmail.com  or Jack at  jackleason@protonmail.com for more information about veggie box subscriptions.

Happy growing, friends.