Grow Kit
The Problem
There is a pressing food safety issue in Aotearoa, exacerbated by the soaring cost of living, which has left many vulnerable individuals and families struggling to afford basic necessities. As the cost of food continues to rise, a significant number of people are facing financial hardships, leading them to rely on food banks for their daily sustenance.
One organisation working to change that is Common Unity in the Lower Hutt. Their kaupapa revolves around sustainable living where communities are empowered and activated to exercise sovereignty over their food systems.
Central to this is a reconnection with whenua (land) and guidance by mātauranga Māori and local history of the land.
The problem Common Unity were facing was that they were getting bombarded with people wanting to set up their own community hubs. This was well intended, but responding to all the queries, was chewing up valuable farming time.
The Solution
The solution was the ‘Common Unity Grow Kit’. An online learning course where we would explain the ‘fundalentils of growing a plant-powered community.’
An open-sourced toolkit built collaboratively with their community of staff, learners, and regulators. It was designed to assist any group or organisation in establishing a neighbourhood food hub in Aotearoa. Templates and food safety processes were shared openly and freely.
“In our 10th year of growing food in Te Awa Kairangi, Common Unity offers our `Grow kit` out to the world as a gift of the possibility of food sovereignty and change.”
I really enjoyed this course and, while I know about Common Unity already, I learned more about the specific planning and detail that goes into your incredible work. Thank you for generously sharing your story. May the seeds of kindness, connection, and wisdom you have sown continue to grow in Aotearoa and across the world. Ngā mihi.
Susie S
Rating: 5 Stars
“Mahalo nui for sharing your invaluable experiences and structural documents. They will help us tremendously as we grow our farming community on Maui!”
Jeannine G.
Rating: 5 Stars
Since this is a free resource, I can only say THANK YOU for making this available to others around the world who are using your model as an inspiration. This was a great high level overview. As I'm interested in creating a similar model in my own community on the other side of the world, I'd be happy to pay for a more in-depth look at each of the pieces in this video, if you choose to create a longer course as another income stream for your mission. For instance, I wonder what foundational culture was already in place in your community that contributed to the success of your mission. How did you get people involved, and meet them where they were at? What were your stumbling blocks, and how did you overcome them? I have watched the documentary by HappenFilms, but I'd love to hear more detail about your origin story in the context of someone trying to duplicate this model. I would also definitely buy a book that chronicled the detailed history of Common Unity from start to finish. If you make a digital book available on Amazon, and/or a physical edition, this could be another source of income for you. Best of luck, and wish us luck who would emulate your model elsewhere!
Sarah R B
Rating: 5 Stars
MY ROLE