The table started at the market in April 2011 as a bit of an experiment to fill the gap left when the Ooooby ended their stall to focus on weekly food boxes. It has become a much loved and popular part of our market that goes beyond just selling home grown veges for extra pocket money. It is a central place to meet, exchange ideas and marvel over the wonders of what can be grown in a back garden.

It is therefore of huge concern that the trading table, as well as the market as a whole, is under treat because of the onerous food regulations proposed in the draft Food Bill. The bill aims to update 30-year-old legislation to better protect consumers and create a new framework for food safety. We  support a review of the Food Act 1981 as it needs to be updated, unfortunately the Bill as drafted:

• Places onerous and potentially expensive compliance costs on small operators. This is particularly worrying for traders at farmers’ markets who already operate within limited margins
• Requires small growers, people who sell food directly to consumers, and those who barter or swap food to have a “national safety plan”. It is unlikely the trading table would be able to continue with these requirements
• Includes seeds for cultivation and food seedlings in the current definition of “food” thereby extending the scope of the Bill to seed exchanges
•  Gives excessive powers to food safety officers to  to enter and search premises without a warrant in some circumstances and use any force necessary, while being immune from civil or criminal liability.

Food safety is a paramount consideration at farmers’ markets and we recognise the need to take a best practice approach to keeping our customers healthy. There are many aspects of the Food Bill that improve the approach of the current legislation. However we want to ensure the Food Bill does not have the potential to threaten farmers’ markets and the unique role they play in encouraging local food production and access to reasonably priced produce.

The GLFM will be calling on the Minister for Food Safety, Kate Wilkinson to respond to the genuine concerns about the Food Bill. There is still time to make amendments to the Bill so we can look forward to keeping our trading table operating within a vibrant farmers market providing fresh, local and seasonal produce to our community.

Grey Lynn Farmers Market featured on a Campbell Live item on the Food Bill, 22 November 2011 

Petition opposing the Food Bill

Interested in using the Trading Table? Free for Friends of the Market or $3 per casual user . More details here

I also thank Anthea Ogilvie for taking the time to make the nomination and all those who contributed from the market and CAA .

About the Sustainable Champion Award (sponsored by Element Magazine)

The award celebrates key people or teams who have been ‘sustainability superstars’ within their organisation.  It recognises people who have gone ‘above and beyond’ in creating and implementing successful sustainability-oriented programmes and initiatives in their organisation.

Background from the nomination

What the judges said:

• Clear leader and driver of the Grey Lynn Farmers Market.
• Exemplifies and inspires what one person can do to connect community.
• Driving local retail and small business when these businesses wouldn’t ordinarily be able to compete in the commercial environment.

The awards are organised by wonderful team at the Sustainable Business Network

Come to the Sustainable City Showcase any time from 7am to 7pm to check out the latest vision for sustainability.

The days starts at 7am with the Conscious Consumer Commuter Challenge. FREE fairtrade Kokako or Atomic coffee for commuters on foot, bike, boat, bus or train.

Plus delicious sustainable food on sale all day- from Ripe Deli, Cosset, the Library Café, Little Bird, French crepes, Paris Berlin Organic Bakery, organic meat barbecue, mussel fritters, gluten free and vegan food, and a whole Farmers Market to do some early morning shopping.

Luckily many clever people have focused on the draft plan to come up with a range of thoughtful comments that have assisted me to pull together a quick personal submission.  I’ve followed the questions from the online feedback form just to make it easier to respond.

 I’ve drawn particular inspiration from Auckland Transport Blog, EDS, Grey Lynn 2030, Mount Eden Village People, Pt Chev TT and Cycle Action submissions. Thank you for your work and caring so much about the future of Auckland.

Draft Auckland Plan

Q1 There will need to be five transformational shifts to make Auckland the world’s most liveable city. Do you agree or disagree with the five transformational shifts identified in the draft Auckland Plan and why?

I agree with the five transformational shifts required to make Auckland the most liveable city in the world. In particular I strongly support:

•  All the strategies outlined in Transformational Shift 3 for green growth. It is vital we clean up our air, creeks and sea and build green networks that encourage rich biodiversity. It is also critical we maintain the highest “green” standards for new buildings and work to eliminate waste to landfill.
• Public transport as well as cycling and walking networks are vital to underpinning the interconnectedness of our city. I would like to see a re-prioritisation away from the private motor car. Fewer cars would also make cycling safer and more appealing. I strongly support a regional fuel tax which would encourage people to get out of their cars and would provide funding for improved public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure.

Q2 The Auckland Plan contains a high-level development strategy to deliver a compact quality Auckland. Do you agree or disagree with this approach and why?

I support the strategic direction outlined in Section D: Auckland’s High Level Development Strategy: Part 1: Making a Quality Compact City Work. Specifically I support:

• The use of a new Rural Urban Boundary (RUB) as essential to avoid urban sprawl, to limit environmental degradation, to protect the food producing capacity of the Auckland region and to use infrastructure as efficiently as possible.
• I support more compact and intensive residential and business environments centred around quality local neighbourhoods and connected by an efficient, effective and safe public transport network, including cycle paths and walkways, operating as an integrated system. However more intensification within a RUB must also provide for the maintenance and enhancement of our character and heritage housing and buildings.

 Q3 Two big initiatives have been identified to effect Auckland’s transformation on the world stage – City Centre and Southern Initiative. Do you agree or disagree with these two big initiatives?

I agree with these initiatives

Draft Economic Development Strategy

 Q4 Do you agree or disagree with the priorities that have been identified for Auckland’s economic development and why?

I agree with the priorities and in particular support the transition to a green economy in Auckland. I would like to see more details about what it will mean in practice to create a sustainable eco-economy and how this will be intergrated into all aspects of the EDS.

Q5 Are there any other economic priorities that the council should focus on?

I support  the EDS vision for Auckland to be the most livable city in the world with an internationally competitive and prosperous economy for all Aucklanders. I submit that achieving Fair Trade certification should be included in the EDS as a key action. By becoming an internationally recognized Fair Trade city  Auckland will be in a stronger position to be an internationally connected, export driven and ‘creative world’ city. Achieving certification will promote business partnerships, enhance Auckland’s ethical reputation and create new commerce by helping to build diverse ethnic eco economy with our Pacific neighbours and the 1000 cities across the world, already with Fair Trade status.

Draft City Centre Masterplan

Q6 Do you agree or disagree with the general direction of the draft City Centre Masterplan and why?

I strongly support the bold vision of the masterplan.  

During the RWC we have seen how much people love a city that is welcoming, accessible, walkable and vibrant. I support all 8 transformational moves that realise the huge potential of the city centre that has suffered from poor development and lack of vision in the past.  

 Q7 Will the actions in the masterplan make Auckland city centre a place you would feel proud of and why?

 I will feel really proud of Auckland if we can make it a priority to action quick wins that will really transform the city centre, in particular:

• Making Nelson and Hobson Streets people friendly and installing a dedicated cycle lane
• Removing the lower Hobson Street ramp and creating a pedestrian plaza
• pedestrian and cycling links from the inner suburbs including turning the old Nelson Street off-ramp into a linear parkway
• More shared spaces,   “green links”, laneways and boulevards – everything that will make our city centre more friendly to people

 Draft Waterfront Plan

 Q8 Do you agree or disagree with the general direction of the draft Waterfront Plan and why?

I strongly agree with the vision for the Waterfront and commend the large number of projects that will further transform Auckland’s waterfront. In particular I support actions to provide public access and connections.  

 Q9 Will the ideas and actions in the plan make Auckland’s waterfront a place you would feel proud of and why?

 I think priority should be given to:

• the walk- and cycleway proposed along the whole of the waterfront
• a cycling bridge link over Fanshawe Street at Victoria Park
•  a walk- and cycleway over the Auckland Harbour Bridge – for a great transport choice from the North Shore, and a major new visitor attraction for the waterfront

I would like to see future development at Wynyard Quarter include a committment to affordable and key worker housing.

Q10 Comments on other parts of the above plans

I strongly  oppose the inclusion of the Puhoi – Wellsford motorway in the Auckland Plan. There are very limited benefits for Auckland from its construction. Safety improvements to the existing route are much more feasible and would cost substantially less than $1.4 billion.

 The prioritisation of so many roading projects undermines targets in the Auckland Plan relating to other matters, such as reducing CO2 emissions and limiting urban sprawl.

I would like to see actions to reduce CO2 emissions integrated into all aspects of all four plans.

Overall I congratulate Auckland Council officers for producing such a well-written document, grounded in a strong vision as expressed by the Mayor. I am impressed that the plan seeks to confront the many challenges facing Auckland and supports a transition to a more sustainable, resilient and vibrant city.

I am making this submission in my private capacity.

Kia Ora Koutou Katoa

Thank you Chair and Councillors for the opportunity to speak to the Forum this afternoon.  It is very exciting that you have the Community Garden report on your agenda under item 12. I am here today to speak in support of the report and to encourage the governing body to take an active approach to community gardens across the Auckland region. 

Hopefully you know me as Deputy Chair of the Waitemata Local Board. I have portfolio responsibilities for Transport, Libraries and Community. I am also able to provide an additional comment to the report wearing various hats:

•     I am trustee of the Kelmarna Community Garden Trust
•     A steering Committee member of Grey Lynn 2030 – transition community; and
•     Chair of the Grey Lynn Farmers Market Management Committee

In these roles I see the value and benefits of community gardens every day.

Kelmarna Organic City Farm has just celebrated 30 years of existence on a block of Council owned land in Herne Bay that borders Cox’s Bay. The objects of the Trust are as relevant today as when first adopted by the trustees in 1981. In particular:

•  To maintain Kelmarna Gardens as a community research and demonstration resource promoting self-sufficiency using organic horticultural techniques
• To encourage the use of waste or marginal land for the recycling of community organic wastes and the growing of food to promote better nutrition, education, employment and beautification of the environment

Framework Trust manages the gardens providing opportunities for educational gardening for mental health clients in a tranquil and therapeutic green-space.  Issues for the garden going forward include funding for basic facilities on site and providing the surrounding neighbourhood with a sense of ownership to a unique rural space right in the city. I invite you to visit the gardens if you are not familiar with the area.

Mentioned in your report is Transition Towns as one of the key organisations engaged with community gardens. There are over 50 transition town groups like Grey Lynn 2030 across NZ. In Auckland in addition to Devonport TT that is mentioned in the report there is Mt Eden Village people, Pt Chev and new group in the process of forming in Kingsland. Grey Lynn 2030 is about creating sustainable, resilient, vibrant communities through positive, practical action.

A really good example of practical action under the umbrella of Grey Lynn 2030 is the Wilton Street Gardens. Sarah Guppy from the garden has already given her own presentation but just to mention that many of the images (taken by chief gardener Mandy McMullin)  are of progress of the garden from an over grown vacant section  to a productive wee oasis off Richmond Road which  acts as a hub for the community especially the surrounding neighbours. The gardens also provide a community composting facility. The gardens are on private land, run by volunteers and have received small amounts of Council funding

 Another of our local gardeners here today is Fionna Hill from the Grey Lynn Community Garden nestled behind St Columba Church on Surrey Crescent. These gardens offer a more allotment style of gardening for individuals who commit to the garden. 

What I particular value about both gardens is that excess produce often ends up on the community trading table at the Grey Lynn Farmers Market. The table is available for a small fee for locals to sell excess produce from their gardens.   Similar to a road side stall with honesty boxes, the table is a hugely popular, unique aspect of the GLFM that is part of the overall linkages of urban food production (as a side note I mention that our trading table is under treat due to the Food Bill)

There is an initial stocktake table on p17 Attachment A of your report . I can also add Grafton Community Garden which has recently established in the grounds of Grafton Hall. What you will find is that very often community gardens spring up under the radar with quiet doers who just want to get on with the job of food production on spare land.  There would also be more gardens within the Waitemata Local Board area if we didn’t have so much soil contamination issues. For example a group trying to establish a garden in Freeman’s Bay gave up after soil testing and a community orchard in West Lynn was also abandoned because of concerns about contamination.

Following on from that community overview,  I would like to end with the Waitemata Local Board’s perspective. In June the Wilton Street gardeners spoke to us at our local board meeting. We moved

b) That the Board notes the benefits provided by community gardens and supports the principle of community gardens.

c) That this resolution be forwarded to the Environmental and Sustainability Forum of the Governing Body for consideration.

I’d also like to highlight the wording we are currently finalising in our local board plan. You have the community garden elements of each draft local board in Attachment G at p33. However the Waitemata Local Board goes somewhat further with an Urban Food Production section. I would like to read this out as I think it sums up very clear out position on community gardens

Community gardens, roof top gardens and fruit trees in public places are growing in popularity, as a response to the challenges of climate change, food security and rising food costs. They provide opportunities to grow and eat fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly for people living in high-density urban areas with little or no garden space of their own. Community gardens are also a great way for our communities to get to know each other and work together. We will support projects and initiatives in our area identified by our community. We will also increase planting of fruit trees in our parks, berms and public open spaces.

We included specific reference to food security in this section after hearing submissions on our plan.

One of our key initiatives:  Support an urban food economy through community gardens and fruit trees in parks and public open spaces

Going forward I see Council support for community garden activity in a number of ways that supports this grass roots community activity that brings so many benefits. For example identifying land available,  undertaking soil testing, local composting within the waste minimisation strategy and promoting the benefits of volunteering

Therefore I commend you Mr Chair on the steps taken so to raise awareness about community gardens at governing body level and ask for the Forum’s support for the actions arising out of the report

Thank you for this opportunity to talk to you today. I am happy to answer any questions