Kai is in our name – connect, nourish, educate, and inspire.
Come to our open day on the 28th January 2018 at 11am – come with your family & friends, bring a picnic.
Gates open at 11am Location – Corner Cass and Meadow Streets, Kaiapoi
Imagine wandering through a flourishing forest where almost every plant is edible and all plants serve a purpose.
Learn about the food forest, how things are grown, pick some food, experts will be on hand to answer your questions about the trees & plants.
Growing food – Growing community
The Kaiapoi food forest will be enduring through its values –
connect, nourish, educate and inspire.
On the 16th September we are having a Kaiapoi Food Forest Open Planting Day
Location – corner of Cass and Meadow Streets, Kaiapoi.
10am – Gate opens
10.30am – Welcome and blessing
10.45am – Planting fruit trees and plants, spreading compost and mulch
12.00 noon – Picnic lunch
Wear closed-in shoes or gumboots and bring your own shovel and gloves if you’d like to get hands-on.
Please bring along a bundle of newspapers which will be used between the layers of compost and mulch, this will assist in keeping weeds at bay.
Bring along a blanket and picnic, or visit one of our wonderful cafes and purchase a coffee and food and bring that along.
People and businesses have asked if they can purchase a tree and plant that?… we love this idea as we believe this would further connect the community, the businesses and the people to the food forest…
We only have one condition and that is we have some trees that we have lots of .. so call us first before purchasing a tree and we will give you a list of trees that we would like you to bring along and plant. Call (03) 3270066 or (027) 2224767 or email brent@kai.net.nz
Background:
Establishing a food forest was a popular request during the community consultation phase of developing the Waimakariri Recovery Plan. The WDC and The Kaiapoi Food Forest trust will work together to bring this legacy community project to life, because Kai in is our name.
Creating a food forest is an exercise in connecting people, increasing resilience and sustainability, reducing net migration, improving living quality, creating jobs, strengthening mental and physical health, up skilling youth, attracting tourists and generating profit for Kaiapoi and the Waimakariri District.
Growing food – growing Community –
Want to learn more about Food Forests visit http://kai.net.nz…
Look forward to seeing you on the 16th September 2017.
Today the 28th August and tomorrow we have Treetech moving trees that are growing in the Kaiapoi east red zone to the Kaiapoi Food Forest.
Fruit trees go from feeding one family to feed a community.
Whilst it is costing $7500 which is coming out of a promised $30K from Council, we think that it is money well spent.. for a number of reasons.
If you would like to learn more about food forests, permaculture, would you like to help care for the food forest, donate trees and plants or donate some funds.. please make contact[Form id=”7″]
Its a fact of life.. for community projects to happen, we have to raise money ourselves along with volunteer our time to make things happen.
Council have given us some funds to get things rolling ($30,000), but that soon gets spent on things like water supply..ie one hose tap to site $8,000, temporary gate for access to site $680, to move trees from neighbouring Red Zone $7,500, compost approx $10,000, pathways $22,000, edging approx $15,000, entranceways $4,500, signage $1,500, mulch $5,000… and we havent spent anything on trees or plants…
You will note that the design, the organising, the maintainence, the creation of the food forest is entirely voluntary…
So I have put these words together to see if that will encourage people and businesses to come forward and donate, trees, plants, time and money.
What do you think???
Growing food – Growing community
The Kaiapoi food forest will be enduring through its values –
connect, nourish, educate, and inspire.
A community food forest provides abundant free food for visitors to gather – fruits, vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants by way of a layered companion planting system.
Imagine wandering through a flourishing forest where almost every plant is edible and all plants serve a purpose.
However we want more than that, we want people to help maintain and learn how to grow plants and be inspired to take what they have learnt to create a food forest in their backyard or in their own community. We want people to come connect with friends and family and picnic in the park, we will help facilitate community events, we want chefs and cooks come and teach people how to cook the food grown in the food forest, we want people to be inspired by artwork, creative landscaping and seating and the beautiful natural landscape.
The Kaiapoi food forest will be filled with many heritage fruit varieties that will provide a wide range of delectable fruit, higher levels of vitamin C and higher nutritional value.
The wide range of fruits and vegetables will encourage visitors to try something different to eat.
20% of New Zealanders are classified as food insecure, which means they are lacking access to safe, affordable, nutritional and culturally appropriate food. Social and community based food forest will allow better access to affordable food for low income or no income families are growing.
The Kaiapoi Food Forest Trust have joined a growing movement of food champions in the greater Canterbury community, where groups and local government, and district health sectors are aiming to bring actors together to address issues facing our food regions.
Food forest layer design principles are suitable to be replicated on small or large residential property sizes. The food forest will be the centre of learning to inspire people of all ages, how and what can be grown locally, how to reduce waste, use of plants and cooking classes, encourage food security and replicate design principles at a residential level.
The Food forest is designed to create its own micro climate, an ideal location to meet up with friends and family, ideal for picnics, ideal for events, ideal location to eat and cook food. The location of the food forest to Kaiapoi’s main street along with easy access off the motorway makes this food forest an ideal location to stop and visit by eco tourists.
Innovative creative seating and original art works placed throughout will make the food forest enduring, a destination to visit by residents and tourists. The beauty of kai in Kaiapoi’s name, makes it even more appealing.
Allow local businesses to have a positive impact and connect with a community legacy project by having employees volunteer for a day, donate produce, donate money, donate to a specific project like seating, artworks or events. Local schools and community groups can come maintain the food forest along with planting crops of their choice and of course gather food.
Community garden / food forest programs can have significant mental health benefits for participating gardeners. There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that, when taken together, the essential components of a food forest program (growing plants, spending time with others in a safe and supportive environment, being active outdoors and bringing home healthy produce harvested from the garden) can contribute to positive mental health outcomes.
If you would like to donate time, plants, or some money to the cause please let us know. Call or text Brent on (027) 222 4767 or email brent@kai.net.nz
The Trust have developed the following ethos to ensure the food forest is enduring – connect, nourish, educate, and inspire.
Connect –
The food forest will be a place for people to gather, forage and eat food,
Volunteers working together will maintain the area,
Sheltered areas will foster picnicking and great places for children to play,
The food forest will be a tourist destination,
We will grow food and medicinal plants traditionally foraged by Maori,
Food related events will be developed i.e. harvest festivals and
Community groups will be invited to hold events.
Nourish –
Food forest layers work in harmony to remove the need for harmful sprays,
Medicinal plants along with food will be grown,
Trees and plants many being heritage will be grown for taste and nutrition,
The food forest design and layout will nourish the mind, body and soul,
Food Forests bring birds into the urban area,
Will be beneficial to insects and bugs, i.e. bees,
Utilising multiple layers and making the most of both horizontal and vertical space,
Diverse variety of plantings grown and
Plantings will be chosen to provide a range of food on a 12 monthly basis.
Educate –
A learning centre will be developed for adults and children to learn,
Participate in the growing of plants without chemicals,
Provide a healthy and safe volunteer environment, i.e. completion of a hazard review before working in the food forest,
Website (http://kai.net.nz) and Facebook to share ideas,
Signage, website and labelling will educate about the plants
Native and Heritage plantings will provide alternative food,
Traditional plants and trees to educate how Maori traditionally used these plants,
What to eat and how it can be prepared and
Cooking of food.
Inspire –
Artworks will be found scattered throughout the food forest,
Creative seating will be throughout,
Access to the food forest will be unlimited,
Food security and sharing of resources,
Great place to meet people, learn new skills and enjoy food.
Growing of Kaiapoi fruit salad trees,
The design requires less labour, no pesticides, no fertilisers, no digging,
The design will inspire visitors to grow food in a different way,
The design will off-set climate change,
Duplicate the design and concept,
Layering allows more food produced in small area, with less intervention and cost
The design will use less water and
The design works with mother nature.
An enduring food forest will be a valuable legacy for the entire Kaiapoi community.