Transition Town Point Chevalier

Kia ora e hoa mā,

This spring rain is doing a wonderful job softening the soil ahead of our upcoming busy planting period. If you’re around tomorrow, we’d love for you to join Matua Rob for his talk at the Point Chev Library about our book, Te Taonga o Ngā Kūmara. Come along after our Tuesday volunteer session to support him and hear more about the process of making the book, plus what he’s been learning through his research into kūmara. That’s Tuesday 8 September, 2pm, at Point Chev Library.

Read on for an upcoming compost build, an update on the situation with the bowling club land, and this week’s jobs in the māra.

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Kia ora e hoa mā,

Last week was a really lovely, productive time in the māra! We laid out our tāpapa, got a heap of pruning done, added a new hugel bed, and topped it all off with pizza and screenprinting yesterday. Thanks to everyone who’s been showing up and lending a hand, it’s awesome heading into this growing season with such an active and passionate volunteer rōpū. This week’s newsletter is mostly looking back at some of the lovely photos from recent events.

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Kia ora koutou,

Mahuru continues to work its magic in the māra, with warmer days creeping in between the last of the cold snaps. There’s a real sense of anticipation building around the place at the moment, with tāpapa season about to begin and spring events on the horizon (pizza and screen printing this Sunday!).

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Kia ora koutou,

We’re well and truly into Mahuru, the transitional period between winter and spring. It’s a curious time where the weather blows cold from the south while the sun warms the soil, and plants are slowly but surely setting their sights on the hot, sunny days ahead.

Also, if you haven’t already ordered your copy of Te Taonga o Ngā Kūmara, we encourage you to do so soon. We’ve only got around 30 copies remaining, and once they’re gone, that’s it for this print run. Head to our website to order yours.

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Kia ora koutou,

What a frosty few mornings we’ve had lately. For now it looks like the cold is passing, making way for warmer days and a bit of rain. We noticed the rather boisterous nasturtiums up the front of the garden got knocked back by the frost, which took care of the weeding for us, hehe.

Read on for information about our shiny new website, a call out for home-saved seed, and Luke’s tip for reviving your home compost pile before spring planting kicks off.

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Kia ora koutou,

Arohamai, we totally forgot to send a newsletter last week! There’s been a lot going on for us, and this one just slipped through the cracks. Read on for an update from the kūmara book launch, plus a message for our dear friends at Sanctuary Mahi Whenua.

For those waiting on a posted copy of the kūmara book, these will go out this week, the wait is nearly over! If you selected pick up, come along to either our Tuesday or Thursday session to grab your copy.

We also welcome our newest member Sylvie (pictured above), joining her brothers Miles and Kit as honourary green thumb kids! Thanks Ali for for introducing her to the māra and for the gorgeous pics.

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Kia ora koutou,

Aroha mai, tomorrow’s Kai & Kōrero looks set for rough weather, so we’ve made the call to cancel. Pizza in the cold and rain just isn’t the vibe we’re going for.

A big thanks to the volunteers from Dignan Street and our friends at 350 Aotearoa for all the mahi getting things ready. Nothing’s wasted, we’ll pick it back up for our next pizza event on Sunday 30th August.

Enjoy a cozy weekend inside, we’ll see you at the māra soon.

Ngā mihi,

The Growing Point team

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Kia ora koutou,

Our kūmara book launch is this Thursday (6.30pm at the Bowlo, more details below) and we hope to see you there! Collect your copy at the launch, or from the garden next week.

We’re also looking forward to Pizza Sunday, which this month is a special Kai & Kōrero session co-hosted by our friends at 350 Aotearoa, giving us a look into their recent report on Aotearoa’s energy system.

🌧️ The weather forecast for Sunday isn’t looking flash so we’re crossing our fingers, and will send an email out on Saturday if plans need to change.

Also in this week’s newsletter:

• An invitation to a hāngi fundraiser next week
• A recipe for Luke’s preserved limes (for all the fermentation fiends)
• Your chance to reserve a copy of our book before the launch

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Kia ora koutou,

Ngā mihi o Te Tau Hou Māori! We had the most special time celebrating Matariki at Dignan St, and we hope you were able to mark the occasion in your own way too, wherever you are in the country or further afield. More on our morning below.

Don’t forget, our kids’ school holiday session is happening tomorrow at 10am. We’ll be making things out of clay, munching on fresh sugarcane, going on a snail hunt, and checking out some of the giant worms living beneath our feet. If you’re one of our regular volunteers, we’d love you to come along too and add to the gleeful energy of kids in the garden. There’ll be plenty of small jobs to keep us busy in the background.

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Kia ora koutou,

We’re in the final week before Te Tau Hou, the Māori New Year! You can really feel the cold settling in at the moment, as the tohu (signs) of deep winter make themselves known. Stay cozy, eat nourishing kai, and don’t feel bad if you need a little extra rest. Our bodies are linked to the rhythms of nature, and we encourage you to listen to them.

First, a quick notice: tomorrow’s Tuesday morning working bee is cancelled due to the poor weather forecast. We’re deep in Matariki prep at the moment, so if you’re able to come along to Thursday’s session instead (3pm–6pm), we’d love the extra hands to help get our mahi done together.

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