Selwyn Park retirement village in Whangārei going back to roots with strawberry picking programme

Selwyn Park Village resident Patty McCabe, 84, selects the best berries for picking. Photo / Tania Whyte

Whangārei's Selwyn Park retirement village is going back to its roots with a comprehensive strawberry-picking programme for its residents.

The village, which houses 88 people, has 10 rows of strawberry plants from which about a dozen residents pick from regularly.

The fruits of their labour is then turned into jam, which is sold at an onsite cafe, alongside blueberry jam, pottles of strawberries and lavender-based products.

When the facility began in 1967, it included a large market garden that supplied the village and local community. Through expansion, the garden was disestablished until September last year when the strawberry plants were introduced.

Basil Brooks, 86, picks out the ripe ones. Photo / Tania Whyte

Demand for strawberries and the other produce was mounting. Residents would pick enough strawberries to fill almost two 20-litre buckets, which were then sold quickly in 300g pottles.

The money earned from the sales went towards residents' activities and the upkeep of the plants.

"It's a pretty good system, everyone loves a strawberry," resident and renowned scone maker Basil Brooks said.

"We can generate a few more activities for us to do, got to keep the mind ticking over."

Village strawberry expert Paea Malafe (left) and resident Mary Edmonds show off their haul. Photo / Tania Whyte

Val Hollard, a Selwyn Park resident of about two years, said picking was a great way to make use of Northland's idyllic summer weather.

"Out in the fresh air, in the sunshine, mixing with everybody, it's just good fun, we love it,'' Hollard said.

"It's good to get to know everybody, if you don't mix this way, you only see them in dining rooms really."

Resident Molly MacDonell walks between rows. Photo / Tania Whyte

Village manager Stephanie Ducrot said Covid-19 and restrictions prohibiting visitors to aged-care facilities affected the initiative this year, but she was passionate to keep it going for the benefit of residents and the community.

"[The residents] love getting out in the fresh air," she said.

"It's not about the money, it's about their engagement in life."