Not only has the Waatea Marae māra kai in Māngere started harvesting its produce but it has also proven to be a catalyst for diverse relationships.

Nine kōhanga reo from Otara, two local stores of national hardware franchises (Bunnings and Mitre10), the Auckland City Mission and a range of whānau involved at the marae, all have a connection through the lush gardens on the marae and at various kōhanga reo.

With the support and investment of Te Puni Kōkiri Tāmaki Makaurau office, Waatea Marae established a relationship with Bunnings who supplied labour from their staff and equipment to build the garden. Mitre10 also came to the party and helped with māra kai at the kōhanga reo.

It took a fair bit of coordination to bring everyone together, says Georgina Nathan, Kaiarahi Whānau Ora at the Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA). The marae garden kicked off in July while the kōhanga reo ones were established from August to October.

The marae garden produced its first harvest in December. This coincided with the opening of the marae-based Foodbank, a joint initiative with the Auckland City Mission. While the Mission provides supplies for the Foodbank, the marae provides the venue and facilities and now fresh veges.

“We’re getting ready to prepare for re-planting,” Georgina says, “and we want to expand the garden to produce more salad greens and veges to keep supplying the Foodbank.”

Georgina also described how whānau involved with various marae-teams, including Whānau Ora, restorative justice, education and training support help out. “Whānau come in and help with the weeding and likewise they are helping with the Foodbank too.”

The kōhanga reo māra kai have also begun to produce their harvest. The original intention was for the Waatea Marae garden to provide seeds to the kōhanga reo but because their gardens were doing so well, they could generate their own resources for replanting, Georgina says.

The tamariki are involved in the garden through their learning but most of the work is done by kaiako and when they harvest the tamariki get to share something with their whānau.

As well as the obvious benefits of the harvest and connecting everyone, it’s also therapeutic to get out and dig. “You’re getting some Vitamin D from the sun not to mention the satisfaction of doing some hard physical work,” Georgina adds.

Pauline Kingi, Tāmaki Makaurau Regional Director, says the kaimahi in her office are pleased to support this community-based programme which has a cross section of Iwi-Māori communities of interest in the region.

“We take seriously developing relationships with organisations such as Bunnings and Mitre 10, and look forward to more such activities in 2014, in partnership with our people.”