The public launch and celebration of local kai sharing, growing and food resilience initiatives will be held this Sunday, July 5, from 1pm-3pm in the Dunningham Suite, 4th floor, Dunedin Public Library. Free tickets are available via humanitix.
Our Food Network Ōtepoti Dunedin chairwoman Robyn Zink said the Ōtepoti Community Kai maps included information on local community gardens, pātaka kai community pantries, foodbanks, and services such as the All Saints Fruit & Veges scheme.
"Our launch event will bring together growers, volunteers, community organisations, funders and supporters to unveil the updated maps and the stories behind them," Ms Zink said.
Those at the launch will also hear from Anna Parker, of Inspiring Communities, who will share tips and ideas on how to bring people together in successful projects.
In addition, there will be opportunities for participants to network over afternoon tea, meet the people behind the projects, and explore how the region’s food resilience can be strengthened.
"Being able to launch the Ōtepoti Community Kai maps is a great milestone for us," she said.
After taking over compiling the food maps about a year ago from WellSouth Inc, Our Food Network (OFN) has shifted their focus slightly towards community kai.
"We believe the work we have done so far on mapping community kai across the city and wider region is a strong start towards creating a one-stop shop for people who are seeking kai, or who may have excess produce to share," she said.
"However, the kai maps are living documents, so if people have extra information on other food sources to add, we will be delighted to hear about it — the kai maps will be regularly updated."
Ms Zink said there was a lot of work going on in the community around building food resilience across Dunedin, although many people were not sure how to gain access to it.
"That is where the Ōtepoti Community Kai maps come in — it helps to connect resources to where the need is, which will help make a difference to people’s lives," she said.
Along with working towards the launch of the Ōtepoti Community Kai maps, OFN has also been planning for a community-led programme to help provide a secure market for local market growers, while also helping to boost Dunedin’s food resilience.
At present OFN is seeking expressions of interest for a six-month pilot programme, with the aim of connecting households and local growers to support the supply of fruit, vegetables, fish, milk and honey.
"We need 100 households to commit to buying a weekly food box from local growers, to give them more confidence that there is a market for their produce," Ms Zink said.
"Hopefully, this will help to increase local food networks and demand for produce from South Canterbury to Southland.
"And in the longer term, it may help create more options to help people access food.
"The more we can grow here, the more we can ensure everyone eats healthy local good."
For more information, visit ourfoodnetwork.org.nz
