Kia ora tātou,

It’s Hōngongoi and this month we’ve lots of exciting news to share! A new article all about Crop Swap, Sustainable Backyards announced, a peak at the inagurual Revive Taranaki Expo held earlier this month, updates from St Mary’s Community Garden in Hawera, a check-in with Te Ara Taiao winter activities and some fun tips for the final weeks of Plastic Free July.

In this pānui you will find:
🥗 Read our new article! A Crop Swap Road Trip
❗️Sustainable Backyards Trails announcements
🎉 Celebrating our first annual Revive Taranaki Expo
🌱Updates from St Mary’s Community Garden in Hawera
❄️ Te Ara Taio - winter activities for Kairuruku
♻️ A Plastic Free July check in and a few hot tips to help inspire
📆 Our Event Calendar to make sure you won’t miss any sustainable events in Taranaki!

🏆Our top 3 most read articles this month:
1. Local Taranaki Markets in 2024
2. Rejuvenating the Art of Repurposing in the Garden
3. Why and how to recycle your soft plastics

Ngā mihi,

The Sustainable Taranaki tīma

Check out our latest ARTICLE!
A Crop Swappers Road Trip Across Taranaki

Crop Swap brings together backyard gardeners, home bakers and food foragers for swapping and sharing high quality local food on a regular basis. In Taranaki we’re lucky to be the ‘birthplace’ of this fantastic grass roots initiative, so we have the highest number of Crop Swaps per region in Aotearoa.

Read this article to learn about Crop Swap, join in on Crop Swappers journey visiting Crop Swaps across Taranaki, and find out more about how to support Crop Swap to grow.

Read the full article HERE!

The 2024 Taranaki Sustainable Trails Programme is Now LIVE!!

This year we celebrate 10 years of the Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trails! And we’re growing more than vegetables 😉. Our 2024 backyards programme is now live on our our website! Check it out HERE!

Also in 2024 we’re launching Sustainable Farms and Builds Trails, and there will be a number of activities, events and tours to be part of, including:

• Activities for tāmariki

• E-bike tours

• EV car tours (get to try out an EV and experience the trails)

• Workshops and more

Keep checking in on the Sustainable Backyards website and socials for all the details on events, and on the host backyards, schools, community gardens, farms and builds.

What a Day at Revive Taranaki Expo 2024!

The inaugural Revive Taranaki Expo was held at The Envirohub, next to Brooklands Zoo, on Saturday 13th July, and what a huge success it was! A couple of hundred people took advantage of clear blue skies and came along.

Stalls of most interest were those with zero waste products on sale, and volunteering information and opportunities with Wild for Taranaki and Towards Predator Free Taranaki. Mieke’s tour of The Hub Show Garden attracted a large crowd, and we had a big turnout for the Crop Swap, which was so popular it turned into a rolling Crop Swap throughout the day! If you missed out, watch a short video to re-live the day HERE.

Massive thanks to all who supported and we’re looking forward to Revive Taranaki Expo 2025!

News from St Mary’s Community Garden, Hawera

A glasshouse donated by the late Rev. David Self (image far right - David in the garden) is now complete! St Mary’s would like to thank community volunteer Trevor Harrison (centre image) for the many hours he put into completing the project, and thanks to Frank and Eunic Rodie Trust for funding the project.

If you’re in South Taranaki, head along to the next Working Bee at St Mary’s Community Garden on Friday 2nd Augst and Sunday 11th August and be part of the celebration putting to use this fantastic new addition to the garden.

Learn more about St Mary’s Community Garden HERE.

Winter Activities News with Te Ara Taiao

Pou Manu - The perfect time of year following Puanga, and when schools are on holiday, the Te Ara Taiao team of Kairuruku (education coordinators) are able to continue developing their kete (basket) of knowledge to share with schools and tamariki. The team joined up with Taranaki Kiwi Trust’s Toby Stanley, from this kaupapa, to learn the art of Telemetry on Taranaki Maunga (image below on left). Using telemetry, the team are able to track the behaviour, function and environment of Kiwi that have been tagged and released on the mountain.

Pou Whenua - the Te Ara Taiao team invited Nga Puhi Ringa Toi (artist), Tara-Lee Manu, to share her amazing kaupapa of working with Whenua (image below on right). This learning session we made Putangitangi (flutes) out of Uku (clay) and were taught about the Tikanga and how to play these Toango Puoro. The session started with a karakia, directed at envoking the energies of Atua Maori, which included Paptūānuku, Tūparimaunga, Parawhenua mea and Ukurangi. She also provided some understanding of our Purakau (traditional stories) of Hine Ahuone. Including how these interrelationships within the Taiao (environment) are present, and how to identify them. 💚

Challenge yourself this Plastic Free July!

How’s your Plastic Free July gone so far? This July the focus is on #RETHINK and #REDUCE. Here are some of our favourite Plastic Free July tips for 2024…..

1. Use what you already have! Don’t race out and buy something plastic free. The most ‘eco’ thing you can do is finish up what you already have, dispose of it thoughtfully and if possible, reuse the packaging, then make a list of swaps to aspire to.

2. Get your kids involved in your plastic free journey. Talk to them about what you’re doing, and ask for their help for ideas, or even doing the refills for you!

3. Don’t over commit! We’re all on a journey, choose something that’s acheivable for you and stick with it. Read about how others are doing it HERE 🌱

Keen for more tips?! Listen to Lexi Harcourt, our Zero Waste Events Programme Manage, on the latest episode of Talking Taiao (aired Sunday 21st July) chat about Plastic Free July, how to keep it fun, and why it’s so important. Listen HERE.

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