Community & Connection: The Human Energy Powering a New Food Forest

From Shared Vision to Shared Harvest: A Day of Partnership at Hairini

The greatest asset in any community project isn’t the land or the tools—it’s the people. Today’s event at the new community garden/food forest underway at Changepoint Church, 131 Poike Road in Hairini, was a powerful demonstration of this principle. This initiative, driven by the visionary leadership of Cathy Harris and organised under the church’s banner as a kai resilience initiative, saw an inter-group collaboration where members of the Tauranga Food Forest Group joined local volunteers to dedicate time and energy to a magnificent shared vision.

My work today was a pleasure, spent alongside Selena, a dedicated leader within the Tauranga Food Forest Group. Her passion for educating and engaging the public through food forest tours is truly remarkable. Her presence, and that of her group, brought invaluable expertise and energy to the site. We both arrived with plants in hand, eager to see them become part of the burgeoning food paradise.

This project aims to convert a full acre into an abundant source of fruit for the community. With eight zones already established, the team is making great progress, but there’s still plenty of ground to cover. The spirit of the day was one of collective action: bring a spade, bring a plant, and leave behind a legacy. The fact that the kids were so energetically involved in the planting speaks volumes about the project’s ability to engage and teach the next generation.

The weather was perfectly cooperative, holding off to allow for a successful morning of planting. We were all incredibly grateful for the generous morning tea provided, which served not only as sustenance but as a focal point for connection and conversation. Everyone got ‘stuck in’ with a remarkable sense of purpose, united by Cathy Harris’s vision.

This garden is more than just a place to grow food; it’s a vector for community connection. It’s a testament to what can be achieved when different groups—a church led by a dedicated visionary, a food forest organisation, and individual volunteers—come together with a single, positive goal. The work done today at Changepoint Church is a blueprint for building stronger, more connected local communities right across the region.