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Teaching Garden
Food Resilience
Garden volunteers welcome
Gardening Workshops
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Garden Volunteer Welcome Day in Hobsonville Point
9th of September 2026
INTRO TO VOLUNTEERING | Have you ever wanted to volunteer with an environmental organisation, learn new skills and connect with people who share your passion for nature and community? Join us for a special Volunteer Welcome Day and discover how you can help create a greener, healthier future.

Food Resilience

Food resilience is about taking control of our local food production and supply. It's a proactive approach to ensure that our communities have access to fresh, healthy, and sustainable food sources. By producing as much food as possible locally, we become part of the solution, reducing our reliance on a global food supply chain and centralised distribution systems. It's a step towards self-sufficiency, improved food security, and a more sustainable future. 

Research informing our actions

In 2021, Kaipātiki Project and The University of Auckland joined forces to better understand and address food resilience within our local community. Our collaborative research project aimed to identify those in need and create connections to vital support systems. Our objectives included mapping food insecurity, pinpointing opportunities for intervention, and establishing effective connections to bridge the gap. Three interconnected themes emerged: income instability, social isolation, and disconnection from the source of sustenance – the soil. Read full Food Security Research.

Teaching Garden & Community Compost Hubs

Our vision is that everyone's food needs are met from local sources.

Building a sustainable edible garden is a circular process starting with improving soil fertility, planting strong seeds, maintaining plant health organically to produce nutrient-dense food, harvesting and sharing this abundance with the community, saving seeds for the next growing season, and working to the environmental conditions. All our organic materials, including food scraps are composted to go back into the soil, drawing down carbon and reversing climate change.

  • Learn regenerative growing practices through action, experience and connection
  • Become a garden volunteer, get your hands dirty and make new friends
  • Join our workshops on backyard and community gardens

We work with community groups teaching how to grow your own food and provide advice on community garden setup, sustainable practice, volunteer involvement, crop management, and compost hub operation. 

Teaching garden produce
Weekly volunteer opportunities

Explore rewarding volunteer experiences at our two sites! Engage in activities, such as planting seedlings, harvesting,  maintaining the garden surroundings and helping in a compost hub. A variety of tasks are available to suit different people.

Register here for Volunteer Welcome Session to join in. Please wear closed shoes, bring sunblock, sun hat, water and a raincoat if it rains. Some level of mobility and the ability to follow simple instructions is necessary. Gloves are provided but not personal. 

Teaching garden 2
Benefits of growing own food
  • Nutrient-dense, nourishing and organic, plus eating what's in season
  • Zero waste! No plastic packaging, no food miles… just walking out to pick a lettuce
  • Convenient and cheaper. We encourage you to use, borrow and share what's available
  • Building and restoring soil helps draw down carbon and reverse climate change

Whether growing on window sill, balcony in a pot, backyard, community garden, food forest, or planning to set up an urban food farm as a business, gardening and growing food is good for our mental health as we focus on something positive and alive. Now is a good time to start!

Video: Grow Your Food workshop. Thanks to Jack Li and Office of Ethnic Communities