Kaicycle Urban Farm and Composting

20/09/2024

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the newest member of our team: Alice (and Fern). Alice is our wonderful new Community Farm Manager and we're so happy to have her as part of our tīma! If you come along to one of our volunteer sessions or Community Open Days you will undoubtedly meet her. We asked her some questions so you could get to know her too.

Q: Something about the farming/composting job that brings you joy?
A: Meeting all the people who give up their time and energy for the farm and composting, it's inspiring and so positive.

Q: Spring, summer, autumn, winter: tell us something you like to do in each season that is special to you?
A: Spring - Looking ahead to the new year, growth, warmth and summer.
Summer - Surfing. I started learning to surf last summer and am clear that I'm only a good weather surfer, so I'm looking forward to getting out there again.
Autumn - Fungi foraging.
Winter - Playing games with my whānau next to the fire.

Q: 3 things you find useful to spend time doing.
A: Lists - organising all the things to do, both personally, for study and for work.
Yoga - for stretching my aching limbs after farm mahi and calming my mind.
Making almond milk - I've just started making my own almond milk, it is tastier that shop bought and means there is no plastic waste, win-win.

Q: What sound or noise do you love?
A: Tricky one, maybe the sound of waves or deep funky dance music.

16/09/2024

Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to our page!

This is a space where we uphold the Kaicycle kaupapa, which includes educating and empowering people to grow their own kai, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, knowledge sharing, advocating for local food systems, and enabling people to take part in tangible climate action.

As a visitor to our page, we expect you to help us maintain a safe, constructive and wellbeing-focused space here for all to enjoy and learn.

We reserve the right to remove comments if they detract from this, e.g. comments that:
- Are racist, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or discriminatory in any way
- Are threatening, violent, bullying or insulting
- Promote mis/dis/mal-information
People leaving such comments may also be blocked from our page.

We’re a small and busy team and don’t have a dedicated social media admin. Please help us maintain a safe space by letting us know if you see a comment that you think should be removed. You can do this by sending us a message or reporting the comment through Facebook.

Thanks very much for your help and support! Kia pai te rā!

05/09/2024

Kia ora e hika mā! Don't forget to share your whakaaro on Māori Kai Sovereignty in Pōneke 💚🌱

Your feedback will help us plan, organise and deliver community events and opportunities that align with Māori aspirations for a sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient local food system.

If this sounds relevant to you, please fill out this anonymous survey by the 15th of October (Māwharu o Whiringa ā Nuku): https://forms.gle/93Jg9iEtJXtBTmh8A

We particularly want to hear from Māori living in Pōneke and Te Upoko o te Ika, but are open to hearing from Tāngata Tiriti and people outside of the region, just specify your heritage and location at the beginning.

E mihi ana ki a koutou, e hika mā! So grateful to hear from you 😀

We are a non-profit community farming & composting initiative based in Newtown, guided by food secur

04/09/2024

Now it's spring, Thursday evening volunteering is back baby🌱Join us at the farm from 4pm - 6pm this Thursday to wind down from work and enjoy the spring evenings with some gentle garden mahi. No need to arrive at 4 on the dot. To sign up to a session and find out more about our other volunteering opportunities check out our website: https://kaicycle.org.nz/volunteer

29/08/2024

Welcome on board , another of our newest composting clients!

Their office produces 10-15 litres of food scraps per week - which adds up to about a third of a tonne over a year!
Glad to be working together to put all that to much better use than the landfill. 🪱🌱🥦

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28/08/2024

Want to see your workplace's food scraps going somewhere better than the bin?
Like the idea of composting with us, but not sure if the office produces enough food scraps?

We're offering a free trial month to selected organisations in Wellington CBD, so you can see if our weekly food scrap collection and composting service is a good fit.

Spots are limited, so don't miss out - drop us a line at [email protected] to request your free trial today! 🚲

20/08/2024

Our spring salad club is starting on the 5th of Sept and we are looking for new members 🫵

WHAT IS SALAD CLUB?
It's a weekly salad subscription bringing you a delicious and nutritious salad mix grown regeneratively in Newtown. You collect it in your own container so it's also zero waste, what a win 🌏

HOW MUCH DO I GET AND WHAT DOES IT COST?
Each season lasts 10 weeks and you get 250g of salad each week for $12 ($120 per season).

WHAT'S IN THE SALAD?
A seasonal mix of micro greens, lettuce, rocket, mizuna, edible weeds and edible flowers.

WHEN CAN I PICK IT UP?
This season we will have two salad pick up times available. Thursdays 4pm - 6pm and Fridays 9am - 1pm. Collection is from our farm site at 5 Hospital Road, Newtown, BYO container.

WHY SHOULD I SIGN UP?
Firstly the salad is delicious and a great staple to have in the fridge, plus it lasts for ages because you pick it up freshly from the farm. Salad club member Rachel says "Kaicycle salad mix is delicious. It turns eggs on toast into a legitimate adult meal." Secondly no plastic packaging - our salad is completely zero waste. Thirdly your money goes toward a not-for profit community organisation and supports a regenerative and sustainable local food system.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Email [email protected]

🌱

15/08/2024

This Friday we'd like to give a shout out to Succeed Legal, one of our newest composting clients!
Succeed Legal is a fresh, modern, Wellington-based law firm providing services to privately-owned businesses, trustees, not for profit/charitable organisations and private individuals.

What's their experience been like composting with us so far? Vicki said it's been "super easy to get set up and feels good to do our part for the environment and the community".
Thanks Vicki and team - great to be making positive change with you, one banana peel at a time!

15/08/2024

One of our Kaicycle kaimahi, Tina Walker-Ferguson, has been working closely with the Wellington City Council to learn more about local food system aspirations for Māori living in the city, as part of the council's Te Anamata Ā-Kai o Tō Tātou Tāone │ Our City’s Food Future Action Plan and to inform future Kaicycle community events and opportunities.

If this sounds relevant to you, please fill out this anonymous survey: https://forms.gle/93Jg9iEtJXtBTmh8A

We particularly want to hear from Māori living in Pōneke and Te Upoko o te Ika, but are open to hearing from Tāngata Tiriti and people outside of the region, just specify your heritage and location at the beginning 💚🌱

E mihi ana ki a koutou, e hika mā! So grateful to hear from you 😀

13/08/2024

Kia hiwa rā! Calling tunnel house setup enthusiasts.

We're going to set up a 2x6 tunnel house at Pukehinau māra in Aro Valley this month. We're looking for help, especially from those who have set up a tunnel house of a similar size before.

Comment below or flick us an email at [email protected] if you're keen to tautoko :)

12/08/2024

By now you may have heard about or visited the Pukehīnau flats māra kai that Kaicycle has been helping set up, alongside the community and Te Toi Mahana.

Otago University Researchers have evaluated how the community māra kai is impacting the well-being of tenants and the surrounding community. This Wednesday, 14 August they will present their learnings.

Join us at Community Room at the Central Park Flats. 19-21 Brooklyn Road, at 4-5pm to hear what they've learnt. All are welcome. Kai will be served.

Please leave a comment or email [email protected] if you plan to attend for our catering plans 🙂

Nau mai!

link to more info about https://kaicycle.org.nz/pukehnau-kai-growing-hub

07/08/2024

We love this gorgeous edging made by some of our volunteers. They wove it from the leftovers after cutting back blackcurrants. Their care and skills really add to the māra.

12/07/2024

Ka rawe Kay’la! it's a privilege to mahi alongside you 💚

01/07/2024

We are grateful for the sunshine that graced Te Whanganui a Tara and all of the New Year celebrations we were involved in over the weekend.

Here are a few photos from Rāmere at Te Ngae’e o Rau ‘īnau māra.

The day started with a moving dawn ceremony led by mana whenua, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, to bless the planting of harakeke and a hīnau tree (a native tree that would have once grown prolifically in the area), as well as a carving by kaiwhakairo and regular supporter of the māra, Charles Haenga.

Later that day we had lots of fun with the local community with Mātariki reflection activities, harvesting kai, resetting beds, making yummy dishes with our harvest, planting more harakeke and fruit trees and lots of laughs and learnings.

Thank you to Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, Travelling Kitchen NZ, Te Toi Mahana, Kaibosh, Wellington Timebank, Brooklyn Community Orchard, and all of the lovely people and kaupapa that contributed to this beautiful day.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou, e te whānau! ✨✨

More tau hou highlights to come 😀

25/06/2024

We've got two Kaicycle Matariki celebrations coming up this weekend!

⭐️ Friday the 28th at Te Ngae'e o Rau 'īnau
https://www.facebook.com/events/375268882198838

⭐️ Saturday 29th ay Kaicycle Urban Farm https://www.facebook.com/events/457079870357367

We'd love to connect, reflect, celebrate, and share kai with you to welcome in the new year. All welcome ✨

21/06/2024

On the 28th of June we'll be co-hosting another tau hou event!

Come join us at Te Ngae'e o Rau 'īnau (community garden at Pukehinau flats), Corner of Ohiro road and Aro st (approx. 9 Aro street).

Activities including harakeke and fruit tree planting, winter gardening, reflections activities, shared kai, kids activities, whanaungatanga and more. Hei kōna :)

More info on event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/NfcgenwKbrvJ3ent/

13/06/2024

The amazing Sustainability Trust and Localised strike again, with a new zero waste hub up in Kāpiti!
Building waste is a HUGE issue in Aotearoa and around the world, with landfills being clogged up and emissions released from useful materials that could have been given a second (or third) life.
Otaihanga Zero Waste is opening this weekend - go check it out when you're in the area!

🎉 New zero waste services have arrived in Kāpiti 🎉

Located at 200 Otaihanga Road, Otaihanga Zero Waste is a partnership between Sustainability Trust, Localised and .

The site is all set for reuse and recycling of waste from construction and the community. We open our doors to the public for the first time this Saturday 15th June!

Here's what you can expect:
♻ Purchase of secondhand materials for reuse
♻ Drop off materials for reuse and recycling
What you can bring:
🔸 Reusable timber
🔸 Building materials (doors, metal window frames, insulation, tools)
🔸 All metal items
🔸 PVC and plate window glass
We're committed to keeping costs cheaper than sending material to landfill!
The site is also accepting food and beverage cartons (aka Tetra Pak cartons) and plastic and metal lids. ♻

Otaihanga Zero Waste is all about revaluing waste as materials. Whether you're a business, organization, or individual, we've got solutions for you!

Join us in making a difference: https://sustaintrust.org.nz/otaihangazerowaste

Let's work together for a greener, cleaner future! 🌍

11/06/2024

Our wonderful newsletter editor is taking off for new adventures overseas (sad for us 😢, awesome for them 😊) which means we are looking for another cool human to take on this volunteer position! Our newsletter editor manages and writes our monthly newsletter, spreading the word about our projects, initiatives and vision to establish fruitful partnerships as we continue to grow and evolve. Have a look at the full job description on our website https://kaicycle.org.nz/jobs

07/06/2024

Have you read our Pipiri newsletter yet? If not here's some weekend reading for ya!

Ka p**a Matariki, ka rere Whānui. Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e! Matariki reappears, Whānui starts its flight. This is the sign of the new year! - Traditional whakatauki (proverb)

04/06/2024

We've got six spots left in our winter Salad Club! A salad subscription bringing you 250g of fresh, seasonal and tasty salad harvested from Newtown each week for only $12. Our salad mix is a delicious and nutritious mix of micro-greens, lettuce, edible weeds and edible flowers, and even better is completely waste free! You bring your own container to fill up 💚🌏

Salad mix must be collected from the farm on Fridays between 9am -1pm in your own container. Our winter Season will be 10 weeks and will run from 14th June - 23rd August (with one week off for Matariki ✨).

To sign up, please email [email protected]

Get in quick!

26/05/2024

We are proud to have attended the unveiling of Hōniana Te Puni Street in Aro Valley, just down the road from the Pukehīnau māra that we’re setting up with Te Toi Mahana and the local community.

The new street name correctly recognises Hōniana Te Puni, a prominent Te Āti Awa leader who played a significant role in shaping Wellington’s cultural history.

We are very grateful to be able to cultivate and care for the whenua of this takiwa (area), as much as it cares for us. Big mihi to mana whenua of the takiwa to allow us to do this 🌿☺️.

You can learn more about Hōniana Te Puni and the name change in the link in WCC’s post. You can come hang out in the Pukehinau māra on Wednesday arvos, from 2.30-5.30pm.

Ki a pai te rā!

23/05/2024

Attention crafty sorts! Our friends at Sustainability Trust are throwing a huge fabric sale tomorrow! Grab some bargains and support an awesome cause while you're at it. Don't miss out...