Kelmarna Community Farm

Join the Kelmarna Community Farm Trust as a Volunteer Trustee! Are you passionate about sustainability, community connection, and regenerative farming? Or do you know someone who is? We are looking for a dedicated volunteer trustee to help guide the future of our beloved urban farm. As a trustee, you'll join our existing Board of seven, and contribute to the governance and strategic direction of Kelmarna, where people reconnect with nature, learn sustainable practices, and support a resilient local food system. We’re seeking someone aligned with our mission and values, ideally with experience in farming, fundraising, education, mental health programmes, te ao and te reo Māori, or IT. Previous board experience is a bonus! Time commitment includes monthly board meetings (every second Tuesday, 5-7pm), 5 additional hours per month, and participation in a few on-farm events annually. Be part of a team making a real difference. Email us at chair@kelmarna.co.nz to express your interest. We are taking expressions of interest anytime, and will assess applications as they come in. So get in touch soon – don’t miss this chance to help shape the future of Kelmarna. Follow the link for more information: https://lnkd.in/g83KX2Nc

Our job adverts close this Sunday. We are currently recruiting for a Marketing and Events Lead, and a Fundraising and Relationships Lead to help expand our community and food system change mahi. Don't miss your chance to work inside a unique organisation with a 40-year history of connecting people to each other and the natural world. Follow link for further details https://lnkd.in/gcF8rwwc

Our recent successful fundraising appeal has given us a window of opportunity to test our capacity to become more financially self-sufficient by adding two roles to our team for the next 12 months. Marketing and Events Lead (32 hours per week) Fundraising and Relationships Lead (16 hours per week) Our goal is to become a better-resourced, robustly funded, and widely recognised education and community hub at the forefront of the ecological food movement. These two new roles will underpin a key part of our strategy to achieve that goal. Both roles are key to this strategy and will be an instrumental part of our organisation, growing our events, fundraising and community engagement strategies and thereby increasing our impact. This is a great opportunity to be part of our small, cohesive team, and to contribute to delivering our vision for a more sustainable food system, right in the middle of Auckland. See the links below for all the details. https://lnkd.in/gWBPeS6C https://lnkd.in/g3U8rgrQ

We did it!!! You did it!! We reached our fundraising goal of $200,000. The final count was $202,297. We are sure you can appreciate the emotions we are experiencing right now. Going from what was a really worrying place to the hard yards of delivering a campaign then experiencing our community rally around us and tell us in no uncertain terms they want a thriving community farm in their hood. It's been a rollercoaster! The success of this campaign is not only about Kelmarna, it is also a huge vote of confidence for all of those doing the mahi like us to build a regenerative food system. A food system that connects communities with each other, their food, and the natural world. And a food system that regenerates the health and resilience of our communities and of our environment. For those businesses who are still wanting to support our kaupapa it's not to late. Our farm gate is always open to values aligned businesspeople who want to be part of the growing community. Finally, to everyone who donated, shared the campaign, sent us words of encouragement and validation, ran events on our behalf, or volunteered your time on the farm of the past few weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! We are so very excited about the years ahead and the future of Kelmarna.

Check out this great video that showcases the incredible mahi Oliver Brockie does as part of our Soil Factory project to turn unwatned foodscraps into compost. We then use this to feed our soil and grow organics veggies to feed our community. Pretty simple really. If you have food scraps you want to direct to this kaupapa then check out the Soil Factory page on our website to find out if you are within our collection zones. Another big shout out to our film production crew who have donated their time in kind. We love you! #DiegoBarbosa, #JanetChamberlain, #StuartBoone

Campaign update!! We have just ticked over $166,000!! We are well on our way to achieving our goal of $200k. The support we have received has been incredible. On top of the donations, we have received a significant amount of work in kind and so many words of encouragement and support we could write a book. Amongst our donors includes some incredible business we want to acknowledge. Some have donated money, some have giving discounted deals to our Friends of Kelmarna members, some have done. Chantal Organics, Karma Drinks, Universal Music Group, #BeyondUsual, #SCGPrint, Nature Baby, #GoodFor, #HollywoodCinema, Electric Bike Team, Ozone Coffee , Gubba Garden Store. What this #campaign has proven to us is that we operate within a #community of households and businesses who not only want to see a #communityfarm thriving in their hood, but that they want to be part of a thriving community. There is still time to support our campaign and join our community. If you work for a business who aligns with our values and wants to jump on board for the ride, please get in touch. Building the #sustainablefuture is a lot of fun!

Our good friends at Kelmarna Community Farm have missed out on vital funding to keep up their important work. Amidst the bustle of urban life lies this 4.5-acre farm nestled in Grey Lynn. Inside the farm gates, thriving market gardens flourish alongside a bounty of fruit-laden trees and edible plants in the expansive food forest. Harmony with nature is evident in the gentle raising of sheep and chickens, adding to the tapestry of sustainable agriculture.  And more than just a farm, it’s a hub for community connection, education, and food system change. From immersive workshops and educational school visits to lively events and therapeutic gardening programmes, the farm offers a plethora of opportunities for Aucklanders from all walks of life to engage with sustainability and each other. But with the recent loss of a vital annual grant, Kelmarna is now in a precarious position. And it needs our support to keep the farm gates open, and their mission alive. Every donation counts, no matter how small. More information here: https://lnkd.in/gf-XQFwZ https://lnkd.in/g9JJGkHN

Kelmarna Community Farm are raising funds to continue the amazing mahi of their iconic urban organic garden in the heart of Ponsonby (estabilished 1981). For over four decades, Kelmarna Community Farm / Kelmarna Gardens has been a cornerstone of community and sustainability in Auckland, touching the lives of countless individuals. Now, faced with an unprecedented funding challenge, the team humbly turns to the community for support in safeguarding the future of the farm. 💚🥬🌱 Learn more & contribute at https://lnkd.in/g_J-wJCA #kelmarna #communitygarden #biometrust

It was a big lift for our team to have some folks from ecostore come and spend the day with us. They not only helped out doing the mahi, but they are also helping spread the word about our kaupapa and our current fundraising campaign. A huge thank you ecostore! If you are also a values-aligned business reach out to learn how you too can support our kaupapa.

The campaign continues... Check out this whirlwind tour of the Farm from our Chair Nick Morrison. If you are a values aligned business that wants to support the resilience and connection of our community, and help us redesign our food system please get in touch and be part of our success. https://lnkd.in/ge2BbW_4