Volunteers dig in at community garden

Tucked into the corner of the playing field at Kaiapoi Borough School, a tree-lined fence marks off a community garden.

On the Wednesday morning that Country Life visits, a dozen or so volunteers turn up to do a bit of everything - harvesting, weeding, sowing, composting and tidying. It's a real team effort.

Jack arrives on his mobility scooter and rakes the stones of the garden path into wavy patterns. It's his pride and joy.

The grass between the garden beds also needs a trim and the happy sound of children playing fades as a lawn mower cranks up.

Helen Roberts, who's digging up veggies, is one of the people responsible for starting the Kaiapoi Community Garden back in 2010.

Soon after, it became a sanctuary for locals as they navigated their way around challenges caused by the Canterbury earthquakes.

The repair of damaged school buildings delivered an unexpected silver lining to the garden, Helen says - a small red building named 'Flossie'.

"The school gave us the old dental building that was moved here. The Men's Shed fixed it up for us and now we have water, power and a toilet, yay!"

This year, the Kaiapoi Community Garden is providing a bumper crop, Helen says proudly.

"Last week we finished with the courgettes and the tomatoes are on their last legs and we've got masses of green vegetables at the moment."

Some of the produce is donated to the Kaiapoi community pantry and the SEDE (Supporting Elderly Diet Enrichment) Project, which connects elderly people in need with gardeners who have excess produce.

During playtime, some children wander into the garden for a chat and a nosey.

They leave with something freshly picked to eat and a bite of food knowledge from garden coordinator Cassandra Mays.

Some of the kids are involved in a Garden to Table programme that 29-year-old Cassandra runs during term time.

"They plant seeds, take care of the plants, then we harvest the food and create seasonal recipes for the children to make and eat, so basically it's getting them involved in the whole cycle."

The Kaiapoi Community Garden is a finalist for the 2023 Organic NZ Community Garden of the Year Award.