Weekly Wellbeing: Supporting Mind, Body & Whānau

Student journalist Alex Zhang talks about our new community wellbeing programmes.

There is exciting news down at Rosedale Park as Te Hōnonga a Iwi recently started three brand new community programs: Mental Health Mondays, Workout Wednesdays and Friday Whānau Fun.

These projects are part of a plan to help the environment by reducing the effects of climate change while also supporting the community.

These programmes are open to all, as everyone can help make a difference.

“Every action matters now for future families and wildlife that share the spaces that we live and work in,” explains Project Leader Nicky Shave.

We have a range of experts and community members contributing their time, knowledge, and services. Some offer Te Hōnonga a Iwi financial support, while others may help us with tools and machinery or share their expertise with ecological knowledge, communications, or IT skills.

All of this support helps us achieve our goals of reducing global warming and lessening our impact on the environment. We should look after the environment, as it provides us with shade, habitat for birds and insects, and cool places to socialise and exercise.

Mental Health Mondays: Helping at the community food garden

Mental Health Mondays offer community members, cultural groups, new mum groups and businesses the chance to help us grow local food and learn new skills through caring for our mara kai (food garden).

In the mara kai, members also grow native seedlings and look after the syntropic food forest built by students from Rangitoto College with support from expert Matthew Priestley at Brotherwood.

“We know that people can improve or promote their mental health when they volunteer, and when they offer service in nature, those wellbeing improvements multiply! So Mental Health Mondays is about promoting wellbeing and resilience for volunteers and the natural world.” Nicky explains.

“The really great thing about this mara kai is that it uses compost we make from waste food scraps and grass clippings to grow our own food!”

Workout Wednesdays: Nature is our gym

For the Workout Wednesday programme, people can exercise and help the environment at the same time. Te Hōnonga a Iwi is offering a one-hour workout session after work, rain or shine!

People can tailor their activities according to their fitness level, making this a great opportunity for everyone.

Those who wish to challenge themselves can clear land and shift mulch into the chicken enclosure, or work on their balance and strength by releasing plant pests or planting new natives. For those who want to exercise alone and learn a new skill, you can manage your very own trapline, says Nicky Shave.

It’s exercise while making a huge contribution to nature!

This project offers people an alternative to gyms, enabling them to improve their physical and mental health while strengthening the health and resilience of our local parks.

Friday Whānau Fun: A relaxed activity for everyone

Every month across summer, Friday Whānau Fun gives entire families the chance to spend an hour after school helping the environment. The activities are designed for all ages and abilities and include tasks such as feeding chickens, learning to trap, weeding, planting, and composting.

Our food garden is wheelchair accessible, so everyone has the opportunity to take part, and our activities are designed to ensure everyone can contribute their energy and skills to the restoration effort.

Friday Whānau Fun offers the local community a chance to make a difference in just one hour. It’s the perfect thing to do afterschool before the busy weekend ahead. It is a calm place to get to know the park and be part of growing a new forest!

Mental Health Mondays, Workout Wednesdays, and Friday Whānau Fun are all a chance to make a difference in nature in a relaxed and flexible setting.

If you are keen to participate, you can find more information about timings and meeting points on our website. The sessions are just an hour long, making them perfect for busy people who want to provide a valuable service to the community. 

 Everyone has the opportunity to make a difference explains Nicky.

“All the work that we achieve helps to ensure a brighter future for the coming generations.”