An initiative starting this month between Hamlin Road Farm and the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) will see people recovering from mental illness gain work-ready horticulture skills, and the vegetables they grow being used in MIT’s student-run Dine Restaurant.
Cherie Freeman, Dean of MIT Faculty of Consumer Services which runs both the horticulture and culinary programmes, says the vegetable’s journey from paddock to plate is a perfect example of a community working together to achieve different needs.
“It’s a full circle,” she says. “Our horticulture lecturers provide the expertise to grow the plants, which then come back for our culinary students to cook for people who come into the restaurant.”
“It’s self-sustaining and supports local people. That’s what we’re about at MIT; helping local people learn and practice the skills they need to get a great job. The relationship with Hamlin Road Farm is a part of that story,” says Cherie.
Hamlin Road Farm, run by Pathways, was established in 2002 after a community meeting to decide what to do with the unproductive farmland in Ardmore, Papakura. It now exists as a working farm for people who have experience with mental health problems to learn new skills and transition back into the workforce.
Under the guidance of Sarah Hewitt, Team Coach of Hamlin Road Farm, 16 trainees learn about caring for and growing food from MIT lecturers.
“The training increases their confidence and self-worth,” says Sarah. “They begin to believe they can do it, and have the qualification at the end. The relationship between tutors and trainees is important.”
“For many of the trainees, they’ve been unemployed long term. Here they have a routine, they’re accountable, they socialise and learn life skills. Everyone has the right to do a job.”
“We’ve seen a huge difference in their confidence and how they handle difficult situations.”
“We work together, sweat together and laugh together. Mental health is about recovery, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
The organic vegetables begin life with Hamlin Road Farm trainee Vicky, who works in the propagation greenhouse or as she calls it, her “birthing unit.”
“This is where everything begins,” she says. “I take care of the seedlings, and make sure they all come through. I even sing to my plants sometimes or play the radio. It’s my responsibility, and I love it.”
“It’s calming, you feel safe. Nothing can touch us. It’s just us and our plants.”
Along with skills, she says working at the farm has created lifelong friendships with other trainees: “I love them. They’re my people. You can be yourself.”
For fellow trainee Manual, the growing of food gives him a chance to reconnect to his roots. “It’s about being thankful to Papatūānuku, and knowing that everything that comes from her is beautiful. It’s about kaupapa and mana.”
The organic vegetables they grow – at the moment baby leeks, beans, radishes, spinach, beetroot, parsley, rosemary and sage – are then sold to wholesalers like Ceres, Pure Fresh Organics (which supplies New World), and back to the MIT’s kitchens.
At MIT, the vegetables are used to teach the future generation of chefs the skills they need in the Institute’s working kitchen, Dine.
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