Roimata Food Commons is Crowdfunding
The Roimata Commons Trust and the community of Woolston are embarking on an exciting journey to create a thriving and nourished ecosystem at a local level.
Since
forming in 2017, the Roimata Commons Trust has worked
alongside our community to plant nearly 100 fruit and nut
trees in a Christchurch City Council owned park - Radley
Park. All the varieties we plant are of heritage status -
which means they are varieties that have been grown by many
generations before ours, are much more disease resistant and
have much higher levels of nutrients. Since planting the
first fruit trees in August 2017 we have been evolving the
planted areas into multilayered food forest systems by
adding herbs, berries, pollinator friendly plants, edible
companion plantings, as well as planting South Island Kowhai
as a native nitrogen fixer. It is really all growing very
well.
Just as important to the Roimata Commons Trust is
to plant native plants alongside the Opawaho (Heathcote
River) to help re-establish habitat for native biodiversity
and help improve the health of the water in the awa. We have
added over 1000 native plants now, and always working to
find ways to keep increasing this without reducing the
recreational use of the park.
We are about to embark on the construction of a community gathering and vegetable production space. We are currently holding a 10 year lease on a 400m2 piece of land within Radley Park to create this space. We have had professional plans drawn up. It will create spaces for community to gather, work, cook and learn. We are very excited about this phase of the project.
We also host events at Roimata Food Commons, which include an annual Outdoor Cinema Night, seasonal Seedling Swaps, collaborative education workshops, school & community planting activities and community fun days. All of our events are free and funded/supported by a mix of different businesses and funding organisations. This is a part of our work that we are really invested in and want to do more of…
Roimata Commons Trust is about to launch a PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign to raise financial resources to move our current volunteer project coordinator to a 25-30 hour a week paid position as Kaitiaki (Guardian). This role will allow the level of engagement with the community and the development of the food production capacity of Roimata Food Commons to increase markedly.
For this we need your support...we are looking for people and organisations that connect with the vision Roimata Commons Trust hold, alongside our community, to help fund this position and increase our impact.
I love the story that has been
told above about the land and the river and birds and the
people...I always want to tell that
story..
However...there is another story. My story.
It
has been suggested more than once that My Story is the one
that will encourage people to pledge. To support me and my
mahi.
I struggle with this because Roimata Food Commons
is not about me..it is about community...it is about our
ecosystem..our city...our future...our legacy...
I am all
part of that and so are my beautiful girls, Sienna and
Soren...they are the biggest reason I am doing this
mahi..
I want them to grow up in a world that is healthy,
thriving and nourishing.
For now..I want them to have a
Dad that can be a role model to them - a role model that
commits 1000% to the passion that beats through his veins
and lives in service to the well being of life. This will be
harder without the Kaitiaki role. The reality is that I am
struggling to fund life for me and my girls...and I know how
much of an impact it will have on me, Sienna, Soren and our
Roimata community if I have to reduce my commitment...
I
am so passionate about this work...anyone that knows me or
has met me has likely experienced how deep I am in this
work. The world needs people to commit to creating the
change we need in the world...I am committed to this in so
many ways..
Please consider pledging...for reward or no
reward.
We have until 9pm on Monday evening to bring in
another $14,000.
We are setting the target at $20,000
to fund the Kaitiaki position for 5-6 months, but ideally we
would like to bring in close to $50,000 in order to fund the
position for a year and to have a little budget for running
events.
Roimata Commons Trust and the Woolston
Community would appreciate your support,
You can contact
us through Michael Reynolds 0210535726, roimatacommunityfood@gmail.com or our
Facebook page - Roimata Food Commons.
Arohanui,
Michael Reynolds
https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/6311-kaitiaki-roimata-food-commons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ--TZ_-5ww&t=4s