From garden to table be inspired

December 13 2011

Siosiua Talakai, President of the Association, says summer planting of sweetcorn, lettuces, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes as well as “what we used to grow back in the islands – kumara and watermelon” are now underway. The garden is the brainchild of Siosiua who completed Pacific Heartbeat’s Certificate in Pacific Nutrition (CPN) in 2006.

Siosiua says that the CPN course was the ‘force’ behind starting a garden for his community. The course gave him the idea that the easiest and cheapest way to eat healthy was to have your own vegetable garden.

This forward-thinking leader then put processes in place to secure a one hectare piece of rural hillside from the Council, on the outskirts of Pukekohe, South Auckland and looked for funding to support the garden. The community garden has now been established for two years and is a huge success.

Once harvested, produce is shared with the Tongan community and any lucky visitors to the garden.

The community garden is funded by a grant from the Counties Manukau District Health Board, Fonua Mo’ui programme. As well as the garden, the grant also assists the Association to deliver a physical activity programme which recently expanded to include youth team sports such as netball and touch.

Siosiua would like to get more Tongan elders involved in the community garden as he envisages that Tongan elders working in the community garden would be able to engage with the youth and preserve skills for future generations.

“The elders would rather be doing the gardening than aerobics, as  they have the skills and experience for gardening and  will feel more at home in the garden,” says Siosiua.

“Today’s education system teaches youth to become specialised but they have to learn all aspects of life...it is important to teach the younger generations, especially Tongans born in New Zealand, how to garden so that these skills are not lost.”

Siosiua has further plans for the garden such as expanding the number of families involved from 30 to 50 and the purchase of neighbouring land to increase the size of the garden.

Pacific Heartbeat congratulates Siosiua for all he has achieved in his community and wishes him well with his future plans.

Find out more about our Certificate in Pacific Nutrition course.