Food Resilience Project Nearing Completion in Central Christchurch

“We’ve known it for years; maybe others are starting to understand it now after Gabrielle.”

That from Hayley Guglietta, the head of a food resilience project in Christchurch that is nearing the end of a Pledge Me campaign which will see Ōtākaro Orchard, a ‘New Zealand first’, completed.

“The recent weather challenges including the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, should be bringing into very clear focus the need to strengthen our food resilience, right across the country,” says Ms Guglietta. “After the Canterbury earthquakes it was clear that the more self-sustaining we could be, the more assured our communities are that food will be accessible when it is needed.

Putting that issue aside, reducing the distance food has to travel to get to people is also really important and what we are doing can help to address that too.”

The Ōtākaro Orchard in the central city, is almost complete and when it is, Ms Guglietta says it’ll be a template for 21st century sustainability and food resilience that others can replicate and learn from.

“For a start, the building itself has sustainability features not seen on any other commercial building in the city, including a blue/green roof, composting toilets, internal adobe earth bricks, and a rain garden. There’s also a 36-panel solar array from LightForce Solar,” says Ms Guglietta.

The project is very close to completion but needs the Pledge Me funding to get there.

“We are nearly there,” says Hayley Guglietta. “We just have the blue/green roof to finish and external cladding and then the building will be watertight and sealed. Then all that remains is the fit out and we can get it open.  Once we are open the benefits are going to be huge.”

Ōtākaro Orchard will be an urban food hub, community garden and Food Forest by the Ōtākaro /Avon River, that includes a learning centre, outdoor amphitheatre, free public food forest, restaurant, and garden venue, all in central Christchurch.

An on-site Cafe will support the businesses and residents living and working nearby, a Greengrocer and weekly fresh food market stocked with produce from the urban farm across the road, space for not-for-profits to work and hold meetings/presentations, a place to regularly showcase what Canterbury food producers have to offer, and an education centre for sustainability and permaculture.

“The number of people who have volunteered and others who have donated their professional time and knowledge is extraordinary,” says Hayley Guglieta. “In fact our team of volunteers managed to secure more than half the $1.8 million budget despite construction costs escalating as much as 40% across the last two years.”

The Pledge Me campaign closes on May 11 at 10am.

For an interview or more information please contact Hayley Guglietta on 029 9827180

Additional information:

Food resilience is the ability to prepare for, withstand, and recover from disruptions in the food supply chain in order to make food accessible for all.

Food resilience is about people. It is about how we connect with each other and how we relate to our role within the ecosystem. It invites us to care and be guardians.

After the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Canterbury, a need for a food resilient region was clearer than ever.

Ōtākaro Orchard is the welcoming front door to the local Food Resilience movement in Christchurch.

Ōtākaro Orchard is the only community-led anchor project of the rebuild, a rare example of grassroots community vision backed by both local and national government, and the private sector.

Additionally, this project won the tender from CERA for the North Frame Community Garden in 2015. This project is a critical anchor for our thriving local food movement, a central nexus for inter-generational learning, and a world-class exemplar of what’s possible for New Zealand and other cities around the globe.

Ōtākaro Orchard has demonstrated how using urban spaces as edible gardens is a key factor in promoting community and food security. Further use of this space for educational workshops will continue to prove how these spaces promote food resilience.

The Plan for the Information Centre and Café

Once completed, the Information Centre will be used to host educational workshops for school educators, local businesses, and independent gardeners alike to teach skills for planting healthy, regenerative systems. This will become a living learning hub for growing food and environmental awareness. The building is to have a green roof, solar panels, composting toilets, passive solar heating, internal adobe earth bricks, grey water recycling, and a cafe along Cambridge Terrace.
Significant work was put into the building site in late 2020 under the Food Resilience Network’s Project Control Group.  Murray James from Maiden Group has been the acting project manager at no cost to FRN, with the commitment to do whatever necessary for as long as it takes to the building fully up and running.
Ōtākaro Orchard is a project of the The Food Resilience Network (FRN) which was lucky to win a 36 panel solar array from LightForce Solar. This was approved because the mahi and kaupapa of the FRN showed how the Orchard is committed to sustainability and education. This was a significant cost avoided thanks to LightForce Solar which the Orchard could not be more grateful for.
It has been a (sometimes difficult) journey to get the building to the stage it’s at now. With significant support from volunteers and generous suppliers, We are nearly there! We don’t want all this hard work to go to waste, and better yet: we want to show off the amazing effort that’s gone into it.

“We believe Ōtākaro Orchard will be a game changer for New Zealand cities when it comes to food resilience and sustainability in the 21st century.”

Hayley Guglietta

Progress so far: 

We’ve completed the structural steel and timber framing of the building. Grey and foul water drainage, electrical mains and live power, the roof sub-structure and ply sheathing, the membrane roof, and windows have been installed. The building has been wrapped, weatherproofing installed to the openings.

The building has lots of awesome aspects, but there are a few that really stand out: Blue/Green Roof, Composting Toilets, handmade adobe brick walls and a high energy Rating
Outside, there has been a garden wall built on the east side, which is made of recycled bricks with respect to the PGC memorial site to ensure a peaceful location for reflection and an ode to the houses that had to be pulled down post earthquake.

Inside, an air to water hydronic heating system has been installed, which in conjunction with the solar array, concrete slab, and adobe brick thermal mass, will provide free energy delivery and constant temperature to the building. The handmade adobe bricks, which will line half of the internal walls, have been salvaged from an adjacent site. These add to the sustainable aesthetic, as well as providing thermal mass energy for the interior of the building. 

We have had some amazing supporters who’ve helped us get here - 677 volunteers over 10,000 hours. Supporters who have contributed to the building thus far are more than worth a mention as part of our story: A huge thanks to Maiden Group, Mitre 10 Mega Ferrymead, Hagley Windows and Doors, Brooklyn Services, Entire Commercial Electricians, Avon Brick and Block, and Red and Black Roofing for getting the building to where it is now.

It’s easy to see why we’re so excited to get the building finished and put all its amazing features to use!