Local Food & Community - October Newsletter 2025
Kia Ora,
Last weekend, the Mangaroa Valley came alive in the warmth of early summer. Celebrating the bi-annual Mangaroa Farms Open Day, the land welcomed over 1500 people into its embrace.
Families and children tumbled through the tall flowers of the Polyculture maze, while sheep were shorn of their winter coats, wool was spun, and elders shared quiet stories in the shade.
The scent of fresh soil, sizzling sausages, and sun-kissed pasture lingered in the air as people came in their hundreds to experience their local farm. Guided garden tours, hands-on farm demonstrations, local stalls, and shop shelves bursting with produce reminded locals what it means to eat from the land beneath our feet - and to know the names of the farmers who grew it.
Live music echoed across the paddocks while conversations bubbled between strangers turned neighbours, nourished not only by the kai on offer, but by the shared commitment to supporting a thriving local food system.
The beauty of Mangaroa Farms is not just in the productivity of its soil, but in its role as a meeting ground where ideas, dreams, and relationships can take root. This is the quiet power of a community experience where regeneration is felt in the body, and remembered in the spirit.
The next big event at Mangaroa is the Harvest Festival on 21st March 2026 - held during Local Food Week in the Wellington region. A great day out for the whole whānau, it will be packed with kai, music, and celebration. Until then, learn more about upcoming events and how to get involved - whether it’s volunteering, joining a tour, or lending a hand in the garden here.
Please enjoy this month’s collection of stories from across our local ecosystem. We hope they inspire you, as they do us.
Ngā manaakitanga,
- Biome Trust
The Mangaroa Farms Market Gardens, including the Farm Shop, new Permaculture Orchard, the Polyculture Maze & Tipi - November 2025.
The same area in October 2021 - the team has come a long way.
The Market Garden team leading a series of sold out garden tours.
Zebulon Horrell hosting a series of inaugural tours of the new Permaculture Orchard.
The day can’t function without the energy from volunteers - featuring part of the team watching over locally produced sausages & smoked lamb buns. Learn more about volunteering here.
Workshops on biochar, permaculture principles, composting with worms, and replanting our waterways were held in the cool shade of the Tipi.
Sheep-shearing is always a family favourite - with live music and merchandise from local artists echoing through the crowds.
Popular Support Local merch & organic cotton tote bag.
Music from Carlos Riegel and Nikau te Huki a.k.a. Casual Healing (pictured)
Sheepdog demos from the team rounded up the last events of the day - before the crowds of over 1500 moved on.
Giftee Updates
Organics New Zealand highlights a victory for food safety, as the NZ Government rejects 100-fold glyphosate increase after public outcry. More
Tiwaiwaka’s Pā shares about some different varieties of kūmarahou and its special role in rehabilitating poor soil, preparing the ground for what comes next. More
Learning Environment are hosting their last Native Plant Spring Sale this Saturday 8th November. More
Papawhakaritorito Trust is combining mātauranga Māori, wine making, and the latest Music of the Plants technology to listen to the oro / sounds of the grape vines. More
Kelmarna Community Farm has published a planting guide for growing a summer garden. More
Happen Films hosted the first NZ screening of The New Peasants in Neslon, and the next at Mangaroa Farms, Saturday 22nd November. More
Kōanga Institute features the on-site accommodation, (including an earth-cabin) for volunteers & interns. More
Toru Education features a range of upcoming events in the Greater Wellington region, including foraging, composting, bushcraft and more. View events
Ruamāhanga Farm Foundation recently hosted their annual Awa After Dark Celebration, including clay workshop, poetry, and exploring the river at night. More
Mangaroa Farms is hosting a range of events throughout November, including composting, permaculture, yoga, breathwork & more. Details
Underground Festival 2026 lineup includes Dr Jessica Hutchings (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarati) who will be attending as a keynote speaker. More
Local Futures Director Helena Norberg-Hodge features on Death in the Garden Resisting the Machine World and Turning Toward Life. More
Ma Earth Learning Lab features Biochar 101: Healing ecosystems with regenerative enterprise. More
A gecko (left) and a skink (right): the two native families of lizards in New Zealand.
Additional News
Predator Free NZ highlights Aotearoa’s 44 species of native geckos, as more continue to be discovered. More
Farmer’s Footprint Australia urges us to pay close attention to the invisible ingredient moving through our soils, our air, and our bodies - Glyphosate. More
The Eternal Song film Mauri s a cinematic invitation into the healing traditions of Aotearoa, a journey carried by Māori healers, elders, and knowledge keepers. More
Bioneers has released their 2026 conference dates on March 26 - 28th, Berkeley, California. More
Plant Baby, Plant - is a new initiative by Robin Wall-Kimmerer, calling across political and ideological divides to give back to a generous Earth. More
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
