“Miharo! Tenei te mihi kia tatou katoa. Joy! This is my humble message to everyone.” (Bonnie Savage, Social Issues Secretary, National Board, Catholic Women’s League Āotearoa New Zealand)
This blog has been adapted from an article supplied by Bonnie Savage.
Over the past five years, there has been a slow and steady movement towards introducing edible landscaping at St Peter Chanel premises in Whakatāne, Āotearoa New Zealand. Already within a relatively short time bananas have been harvested, along with a steady supply of spinach, beans, lettuce, culinary and medicinal herbs from the courtyards. These regularly find themselves in the Parish kitchen as catering ingredients for use by our Catholic Women's League Branch who cater for Church funerals.
At the front of the Church, five olive trees are growing healthily and cropping while at the back of the building, grape, lemonade, peach and plum trees look to be providing decent crops for the summer. The vision here at St Peter Chanel is to plant items mentioned in the Bible. A potted fig, babaco and pawpaw wait for a spot in the now dedicated orchard space. Swan plants are thriving, providing for the monarch butterflies. Over the year, about nine parishioners have started volunteering regularly to maintain and manage specific areas such as pruning, composting, planting flowers and general tidying. They are very grateful to all who volunteer with maintenance.
The plan is also to introduce a decent sized chilli bed. Currently they are planting kamokamo, kumara and taewa (Māori potato) again for this year and already have taro growing. The māra kai/food garden will gradually reflect the diverse cultures that make up the congregation.
It makes sense to utilise the land for food and medicine as an offering to God and community. Toxic sprays are absolutely excluded. It is exciting to provide organic kai/food and to know that it has been planted, nurtured and dedicated for the joyous higher good. By this, we automatically develop a relationship with the māra, plus folk are able to know the whakapapa/origin of the kai and its nutrition.
We have already tasted the modest sweetness (literally) of organic produce grown within our Parish grounds.
Thank you to Bonnie for her parish leadership to make this project possible. We encourage other parishes to consider starting a similar or completely different initiative that serves those in their parish.
