Kaicycle Pānui Mei | May Newsletter

Pānui Mei | May newsletter

Manaaki whenua, Manaaki tangata, Haere whakamua

Care for the land, care for the people, go forward.

Kia ora koutou,

We have been busy in the last few months with many events, group visits and workshops. There have been lots of friends, old and new, coming to the farm to practice and share knowledge and skills in mahi māra, hua parakore and composting. It definitely feels like autumn. This time of year is near the end of the Maramataka, the Māori lunar year. As the seasons change, we’re slowing down our activities, with this Saturday being our last Community Open Day until spring. Come down to the farm to learn more about our preparations for this less active time, say farewell to Alice who is going to focus on completing her postgraduate study and attend Rose’s fantastic workshop on making your own organic fertilizer. We are super excited to be hosting the Earthworker’s one week course Regenerative Horticulture 101 in July. Did you know that May is Food Appreciation Month? You can find more info below.

We hope to see you soon!

Ngā mihi nui - Kaicycle team.

HUIHUINGA | EVENTS

May Community Open Day, Saturday 3rd April, 9am - 3:30pm

This is our last Open Day until spring. Come join us for a relaxed social time, to meet new people, find out more about Kaicycle’s kaupapa and engage in regenerative horticulture and local composting. The day will start with a working bee from 9am to 12:30pm (please register on our scheduling webpage). We’ll have undercover jobs if it’s raining and will be offering hot homemade farm soup and bread, tea and coffee. At 1:30pm we’ll run a farm tour and at 2:00 our workshop starts. Compost and produce for sale. Find out more at the Community Open Day page on our website.

Workshop - Make Your Own Organic Fertilizer, Saturday 3rd May, 2 - 3:30pm

Join us as we focus on plant nutrition and how we can use resources at hand to make our own excellent and cheap organic fertilisers! Koha contribution.. Please register on the Make Your Own Organic Fertilizer workshop page on our website.

Takatāpui māra hangout, Saturday 31 May, 11am - 2pm

This series of fun and dirty events will include hands on māra activities like weeding, harvesting and planting while having a chance for cute chats with like minded folks. Shared lunch too! Your host for the day will be local takatāpui māra fairy Tina Walker-Ferguson. This event is designed for takatāpui Māori, we also welcome Tagata Pasifika and BIPOC whānau. This is for a kaupapa Māori foremost. Please sign up by completing this form.

Regenerative Horticulture 101 Monday 21 - Friday 25 July

A five-day intensive course backed up with long-term mentoring to support growers navigating the challenges of biology-first regenerative growing. Deep dive into biology, chemistry and soil structure and how these three parts need to be in balance to grow high nutrition food while restoring your soil and whenua. Booking is essential. Details on our Regenerative Horticulture 101 webpage.

MAHI AROHA | VOLUNTEER

Please come and help us at the farm! Mahi māra volunteering continues on Tuesday and Friday mornings 10am - 12pm. Our Thursday afternoons volunteer session is all about composting and runs from 3pm to 5pm. This Saturday will be our last weekend working-bee until spring. Come along to tackle some tasks together. We’ll have undercover options and homemade “farm” soup, tea and coffee for you! Register at https://kaicycle.org.nz/volunteer

MAHI PU WAIRAKAU | Composting

Kaicycle compost for your mara!

Time to refresh your māra after the summer crops? Winter kai going in the ground? Head to our website to order some of our lovely compost!

If you’re after compost for a school, marae or community garden, you can also request a compost donation here.

Kaicycle compost coming to Te Aro Zero Waste soon!

We'll soon start selling our lovely living compost at Te Aro Zero Waste - Wellington's inner city reuse, repair and recycling hub! A convenient place for you to pick up a (reused) bag or two, and why not drop in your bottle caps and old batteries at the same time.? Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates.

PĀNUI | NOTICES

Exciting opportunity to run the iconic Common Property farm in Te Horo!

Our wonderful friends at Commonsense Organics are inviting expressions of interest to buy, lease or license their 9.5 hectare BioGro certified organic site which has been in operation for 50 years! See their website for details about the opportunity.

Every Bite online programme - Food Appreciation Month

Providing free simple, impactful ways to reduce food waste at home, The Every Bite Online Programme, guided by sustainability advocate Nicola Turner from Mainstream Green, offers a fantastic chance to create positive change in your kitchen—and for the planet. Build more sustainable food habits, save money, and learn new skills. It includes a chef demo and free recipe book. Registrations will be open until Sunday May 4th, so sign up now to avoid missing out!

A reminder that we are a registered charity!

This means that when you donate $5 or more to support us, you can claim tax credentials.

DONATE

With thanks to our supporters.