Jonathan Mines (left), and Tae Luke-Hurley. Photo / David Haxton
Jonathan Mines (left), and Tae Luke-Hurley. Photo / David Haxton
When Jonathan Mines and Tae Luke-Hurley first met each other at the Kaitake Farm market garden in Taranaki, they were only just starting to develop their passions for gardening.
But over the course of about a year the two got to talking about their shared interest in social activism and toyed with the idea of starting some sort of community-supported agriculture (CSA) garden.
A CSA is about having a direct relationship between the grower and the consumer, where supporting local is the key.
“It’s really about building direct sales models that cut out paying for trucking companies, freighting, storage, and retail fees.
“If you can get vegetables directly to the people that want it, you’re cutting out a bunch of costs for them and also giving [the grower] a chance to earn a respectable wage,” Mines said.
Eventually, Mines and Luke-Hurley decided to commit to starting their CSA and saved close to $10,000 to kickstart their charity, which they named Crooked Vege Ōtaki.
Then they started looking throughout the country for farmers who had land they didn’t need that they would be willing to lease out.
Part of the Crooked Vege garden. Photo / David Haxton
They managed to get a lease on a section of an organic pear orchard and heritage rose nursery in rural Ōtaki and have started production with the aim of starting distribution later this spring.
The idea is that their CSA members will receive a share of the season’s harvest and have the option to “pay it forward” with their box so that another family only needs to “pay what they can”.
“It’s trying to bring people together and build a community around a farm that creates cycles of mutual support,” Mines said.
While they’re only just starting their garden up, they plan on growing everything from lettuces, zucchinis, tomatoes, cabbages, radishes, turnips, cucumbers, herbs, and more.
Mines said their goal is to “communicate the value of kai that’s not as beautiful just because it’s got a slug bite in it”, and that their food is still much higher quality than supermarket vegetables.
And that way, their costs actually become significantly less because they’re not throwing away the edible but “ugly” food that most suppliers don’t want.
Another goal of theirs is to provide produce no further than Ōtaki, and Mines said keeping things “hyper-local” keeps costs down.
“We think if we build enough community around this farm, we should be able to support two, hopefully three, grower’s wages out of that.
“I think that has to be the future of food if we’re going to move to something that’s less destructive than the supermarket model.”
Another part of the Crooked Vege garden. Photo / David Haxton
So, what’s next for Crooked Vege?
Over the coming month details will be announced on how Ōtaki locals can “get in touch with the CSA” by subscribing to a regular veggie bag.
And sometime next month there are plans to start an honesty fridge in The Arcade, in Main St, Ōtaki.
The honesty fridge will be stocked with vegetables and will be run by a self-serve system that takes either cash or e-transfer via an app.
Dates are yet to be confirmed for the honesty fridge.
Starting up their charity hasn’t been cheap though, and it’s not complete - Mines said they will need to raise close to $15,000 for irrigation, between $7000 and $10,000 for a plant nursery, plus extra for a greenhouse which is essential for reliability.
Since they are a registered charity, their suppliers do give them discounts on seeds, tools, materials, and other essentials, but they still require community funding.
It’s much more than just a garden for Mines and Luke-Hurley – it’s about making a change in people’s lives.
