Gardening, especially community gardening, is recognised as a significant means for improving health & wellbeing outcomes for our communities. Research indicates that for every $1 spent, up to $5 of health value is generated.
Medical Professionals refer patients to the Kōia service, which coordinates a program of community garden activities, to embed a regular gardening habit with those whose well-being can benefit the most from this, and they support the participant through this over a period of up to a year.
Kōia not only supports hauora of individuals and communities, but also, indirectly, supports existing and emerging māra kai. It benefits kai resilience, self-determination, the environment/te taiao, community & social cohesion.
Te Ao Māori is an important perspective in this kaupapa, with kaupapa Māori hauora and māra kai organisations & groups participating in co-design.
This project is now in operational roll-out and the longer-term ambition is to make this available across Aotearoa. This project was co-founded by Dr Yu-Ching Yu and Dr Kiyomi Kitagawa but is co-owned by all the active participants of the co-design process.
BAF is supporting the trial stage of the initiative as fundholder and through back-office support. Funding is also provided by the Pinnacle Midlands Health Network and New Plymouth District Council with in-kind support from CareFirst Westown, Sport Taranaki, and many others.
- To get involved (hauora, māra kai or other community group) in Taranaki, or to order pamphlets, please contact information.koia@gmail.com ;
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