Taupō Community Garden founder Blair Cameron talks about the concept behind the garden and its mission to connect people and share practical skills. Video / Dan Hutchinson
A Taupō mother and son have transformed a block of rough scrub, trees and blackberries into a community garden and a place to teach people everything about anything - from biofuel to beetroot.
The Taupō Timebank Community Gardens by Spa Park have become a beautiful site with 50 garden beds. But there’s more to do than admire 60kg bohemian pumpkins - it’s a space for community learning, growth and gaining life skills.
Nearly 40 students flock to the gardens each week to master cooking, gardening, DIY and financial literacy skills. A Young Pioneers programme recently had students making a compass, navigating an orienteering track and surviving a night in the bush.
School is in session each morning, where children come and do some planting.
The mastermind behind the gardens, Blair Cameron, shovelled and dug through most of the large site himself in November 2022, following a dream he and his mother Lyn Cameron had a decade ago: to teach people practical skills.
Taupo Timebank and Community Garden founder Blair Cameron. Photo / Dan Hutchinson
But it was much more than a dream, it was also motivated by the cost of living crisis that was starting to really bite.
“Things are getting expensive and people will need to learn how to grow their own food,” Blair said.
“A community garden in particular is ground that nobody owns, and we can all come together, grow together and learn together because this is a learning environment too.”
They found the ideal spot for their gardens and classes, right behind their fruit and vege shop Lake Local, and with the green light from the Taupō District Council, they got digging.
“We took over the warehouse where we used to park our forklifts and we turned that into a vege shop ... there was a whole lot of blackberry and forests behind the building, and so me and Mum thought we’d build a community garden there,” Cameron said.
He said it was only meant to be a little garden until they began bulldozing to clear some land, and a “huge chunk” of land came out instead - about 4000 square metres.
The site evolved vegetable gardens and produce, harvesting space, children’s play areas, a stage, and sheltered areas that act as classrooms.
Taupo Timebank Community Gardens founder Blair Cameron with a 60kg bohemian pumpkin grown at the gardens.
“[We] haven’t run a school before but I’ve found myself enjoying teaching these kids, and they’re receptive and want to learn,” he said.
“We’ve gained a lot of interest and many local schools want to be a part of the classes and have their kids come through. The plan is to start getting busloads of kids down here but we need to make sure we have everything working on our end first ... maybe we’ll need to employ people.”
One of the classes’ main attributes is not being technology-based.
“Technology can be convenient but when you’ve got young minds and undeveloped brains on a device for six hours a day, it’s frying their circuits in their brain and they can’t concentrate.
“Kids come here without devices and it makes us feel happy, this is their natural environment. When we see them running around and getting their hands dirty, it’s cool because that’s what they should be doing.”
With the grunt work of constructing the gardens almost over and done, Cameron said it’s time for the next phase at the community space.
“We’re working on another area to teach bushcraft, how to light a fire, make shelter, and survive a night in the wild. We want to get some chickens and teach and learn about animal husbandry.”
He said the space is vital in connecting the community.
“Not everybody is interested in community gardening, it’s quite boring ... but if you can watch your kids perform on stage, sit and learn about different things, you’ll get a lot more of the community involved which is what we want,” Cameron said.
“It’s a community space we can use for markets and movies. We just want this space to bring people together in neutral territory.
“It’s the most amazing setting and you feel very peaceful when you’re here.”
The Taupō Timebank Community Gardens and the life skills classrooms are located behind the Lake Local fruit and vege shop at 250 Spa Rd, Taupō.
