National Volunteer Week: He tangata, He tangata, He tangata!

Media release: Mount Eden Village People

Auckland 24.6.2012

Mt Eden Village shops and businesses support a community initiative to plant fruit trees for Auckland.

Mt Eden Village is known for its café culture and for the shops’ spirit of working together with local community groups. One of these groups is the “Mount Eden Village People”, whose purpose is taking positive action for a sustainable future by reducing waste send to landfill, planting community fruit trees, maintaining a community garden and running sustainability workshops.

If you stop in Mt Eden Village for a coffee, you can see what the individual cafés are doing for sustainability by looking at the acknowledgement displayed in their window. Some café’s for example recycle their coffee grounds to keen local gardeners, while others give their scraps to pig farmers and still others have reduced their plastic consumption by using alternatives.

Based on a trial project funded by the Albert Eden Board in 2008 where the Mount Eden Village People received funding for their project to plant community fruit trees with council in parks and reserves and on grass verges, community groups can now plant fruit trees with council officers in some local parks and close to sport fields.

“At the beginning of June we had more people registered on our website wanting trees than money raised and donations received and we needed help. We started talking to our local shops to see if they would support our vision of free and healthy fruit for all.  The response was really positive and 15 out of 17 shops and businesses we asked contributed to our project and we raised enough money to plant 30 fruit trees around the village. Shop owners like the idea that they can pick a mandarine or lemon after work on their walk home.”

The group is now working with councils parks officer to find suitable locations close to Mt Eden Village. Most of the 30 fruit trees will be planted in Nicholson Park which is next to a tennis club, a playground, a school, play centre and the Mt Eden Community garden, which makes this a perfect location for the group’s vision of free and easily accessible fruit for the community and especially for the children.

Last year the group raised enough money to plant 100 fruit trees with schools and kindergarten. This year its mission is to plant a 1000 fruit trees Auckland wide.
At the end of June the group received the positive news that the Lottery board will support their vision of community fruit trees for Auckland and they are now in a position to provide around 600 fruit trees to the people that registered on the groups fruit tree website.

The group’s goal is to have this project as an annual event. “Providing free and healthy food in a time where food prices are rising and we don’t know where our food is coming from is one thing we can do to help families now and in the future.” Judith Holtebrinck from the Mt Eden Village People says.

The fruit trees will be planted on the 5 August. Community members that would like be involved in planting the 30 fruit trees for Mt Eden please contact Judith oltebrinck Holtebrinck, E: Judith@Mountedenvilagepeople.co.nz Home made Linzer Torte will be available on the day for fruit tree planers.

For more information please go to:
www.mountedenvillagepeople.co.nz
or
www.fruittrees.org.nz

Tags: mount eden village people