31 October 2014

Expo to Showcase Christchurch’s Transition to the World’s Best Edible Garden City

The Edible Canterbury Expo tomorrow, Saturday, 1 November, will showcase efforts to make Christchurch become the world’s best Edible Garden City.

Edible Canterbury, the Christchurch City Council, community based organisations and local businesses have joined forces to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunity during this time of rebuilding Christchurch, to redefine the Garden City and make food more accessible.

Edible Canterbury and the City Council aim to achieve this by planting fruit and nut trees on council land, encourage community gardens and further advance transitional urban agriculture.They plan to create food forests, increase the number of gardens across the city as well as in schools and to expand trading means such as seed and vegetable swaps.

A public event with a number of stalls from organisations in the Edible Canterbury coalition, tours of the Curators House vegetable gardens and a plant sale by Friends of the Botanic Gardens will be held from 10:30am-2:30pm.

The Expo complements the City Councils Food Resilience Policy and Action Plan which supports endeavours to turn Christchurch in the world’s best edible Garden City. This policy and action plan will be pre-launched at the Expo by Deputy Mayor Vicki Buck at 2.30pm.

Edible Canterbury is an initiative of the Food Resilience Network established in Christchurch last year and believes that all people in the Canterbury region have the right to fresh, nourishing food. It is made up of numerous groups including the Christchurch City Council, Ngai Tahu, the Canterbury District Health Board, Waimakiriri District Council and numerous non-government organisations.

“We are thrilled to be holding this Expo,” said the Food Resilience Network’s coordinator Dr Matt Morris. “There is enormous community support for what we’re doing. Post-earthquake, there’s a huge appetite to see Christchurch re-envisioned as a sustainable city of the future. Building on the Garden City identity, what could fit better than the concept of an Edible Garden City?” he said.

Edible Canterbury has also produced a Charter to be used a framework for any community or city to adopt in hopes it becomes a nation wide initiative.

Expo Details:
Public Event: Edible Canterbury Expo, 10.30am-2.30pm, Visitors’ Centre, Christchurch Botanic Gardens

Edible Canterbury CCC Policy and Action Plan Launch:
2.30-3.00pm, Visitors’ Centre, Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Vicki Buck, CCC Deputy Mayor
Joseph Hullen, Ngai Tahu

List of community organisations and businesses involved
• Avon-Otakaro
• Agropolis
• BHU College
• Canterbury Community Gardens Association
• Christchurch Food Forest Collective
• Christchurch Horticulture Society
• Community and Public Health
• EMNZ
• Environment Canterbury
• Evisions TV
• Garden City 2.0
• Garden to Table/ Grow Harbour Kids
• Kaputone Community Orchard
• Kids Edible Gardens
• Lesley Ottey/Waimakiriri District
• Localising For Project- Earthcare Education Aotearoa
• Project Lyttleton
• Rangiora Food Swap
• Soil & Health
• Southern Seed Exchange
• Tree Crops Association
• ZingBokashi

ENDS

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