Our kaupapa
At Garden to Table, we believe that tamariki are changemakers.
Our kaupapa is to empower tamariki to grow, harvest, prepare and share great food.
We enable schools and kura throughout the motu to deliver, embed and sustain impactful food education. Through our curriculum-linked food education programme, we take learning out of the classroom, and empower Kiwi kids to grow and cook their own fresh, seasonal, and environmentally sustainable kai.
Our programme is highly practical and child-centric, supporting students to learn to work together. The theme of “kids doing everything” is a key component of the sessions; skills are not watered down for tamariki and they learn to operate in the kitchen and garden as they would at home, with careful observation and guidance.
We also teach children to nurture, share, and manaaki guests, whilst building awareness of individual and collective responsibility to manaaki te taiao - care for our environment. Supporting children’s health and wellbeing is central, and celebrating the preparing and sharing of great food fosters community connectedness.
Bringing these skills back builds the resilience needed for life, and helps combat today’s pressing health, educational, social and environmental challenges. These positive impacts radiate far beyond school gates – to whānau - families, the wider community, and the planet – ultimately enabling a more sustainable, equitable and climate friendly social and economic future.
Our dream is for every child in Aotearoa New Zealand to have the opportunity and resources to grow and share their own fresh kai as part of daily life.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
We recognise Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa. We have begun our work to learn more about te ao Māori and how matauranga Māori can enrich the Garden to Table offering for all New Zealand children. To do this, we want to work with Māori in the spirit of partnership embodied in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Our Values and Principles
Empowered, Caring & Resilient Students
During Garden to Table, students problem-solve and do things for themselves. Working together as a team and using what is abundant develops life-long quantities and skills.
Manaakitanga
Hospitality, generosity and inclusion are key parts of Garden to Table. We grow and share kai while upholding each other’s mana, uniqueness and self-esteem.
Ako
Garden to Table means real-world learning that support students’ educational achievement. Skills transfer home and ākonga - students, influence and teach their whānau.
Hauora
From getting physical in the māra kai - garden, connecting to the wonder of nature, through to sitting together to share kai, all pillars of health are nourished in the Garden to Table experience.
Community Connectedness
The time spent sharing food enriches relationships and builds intergenerational connections as volunteers from the community engage with tamariki and staff. Resilence, social cohesion and community pride are built through growing and sharing environmentally sustainable kai together.
Kaitiakitanga
Our tamariki learn about soil health and practice composting to give back to Papatūānuku. By empowering tamariki to care for and protect te Taiao - the environment, they think global and act local. Students learn where their food comes from, the circular nature of the food system, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
Respect for Difference & Diversity
We are inclusive and respect difference and diversity. We acknowledge schools’ diversity of tikanga and cultural protocol in growing, preparing, hosting and sharing food. We promote the sharing and celebration of food to bring people together.
Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere.
Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird who feasts on the berries, well, theirs is the forest.
But if you feast on the knowledge, yours is the world!